Never Enough Cookies - Lemonade Cookies / Date Cookies

Cookies are my favorite treat. Have I said that before? I might say it again. Anyway, I decided to make two batches today to take to my neighbors for dessert and to have some leftovers to take to St. George on Monday. The first were Lemonade Cookies. You can't buy the six ounce frozen lemonade anymore. If you want to make these cookies, you can thaw half to use in the cookies and use the rest as a drink. Punch & Cookies - what better refreshment?

LEMONADE COOKIES
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 can thawed lemonade
Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Add soda & 1/3 cup lemonade. Add flour & lemonade alternately. Drop on greased baking sheet. Bake 8 min. at 400°F. Brush hot cookies with remaining lemonade & sprinkle with sugar. Makes 2-3 dozen.

The other recipe I chose was Date Cookies. This was written in the back pages of the old cookbook mentioned before. An interesting recipe, it called for maple syrup instead of sugar. It only called for 2 cups of flour, and the dough didn't seem stiff enough. I added probably an additional cup, compensating for the fact that my flour had been double sifted. I probably added too much because the cookies seemed a bit dry. However, Nolan liked them, so I guess they weren't all that bad.

DATE COOKIES
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup warm water
2/3 cup melted shortening
2/3 cup nuts
1 cup finely cut dates
1 cup maple flavored syrup
Sift flour & dry ingredients. Beat eggs well; add syrup & warm water. Add gradually to flour mix. Add shortening, nuts & dates. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls & bake at 350°F ten to twelve min.

The Sick & the Afflicted ? ? ? - Rice & Seafood Salad / Lemon Spice Puffs

Haven't been cooking much lately - and I've missed it. A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak in Stake Conference on Caring for the Poor and Needy. The last couple of weeks I feel like I've been doing a little of the second part of that oft-quoted phrase - visiting the sick & afflicted. Both sisters have been in the hospital and are now in care centers recovering from surgeries. Glad that they're on the downhill side of that! Also, today I was asked to take a meal to some wonderful neighbors who have been having some pretty serious health challenges. I've been wanting to make this Rice & Seafood Salad because it sounded so good. Still, it's a very big recipe so I was glad to have someone to take it to, with enough left over for us. This recipe was taken from a newspaper clipping, but I'm sure there was a typo somewhere. I had originally typed "2 cups onions." I couldn't imagine that was correct, but I didn't want to take the time to dig for the original. I just decided to use 1/2 cup instead and hoped it was right. I'm pretty sure it was, so I've modified the recipe.

RICE & SEAFOOD SALAD
Precook and chill:
2 cups long grain rice according to package directions (2 cups rice, 4 cups water, 1 tsp. salt about 20 minutes or until done)
To cooled rice mix in:
1 7-oz. can tiny salad shrimp
1 7-oz. can crab meat
1 4-oz. can sliced black olives
1 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced cucumber (peeled)
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix thoroughly with mayonnaise. Garnish with:
2 boiled eggs, sliced
Lemon slices
Paprika
Fresh parsley

To go with the meal I made Camille's spinach salad with Brianna's poppy seed dressing - yum. And I also made rolls - Lemon Spice Puffs. These were very easy and deliious.

LEMON SPICE PUFFS

1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup scalded milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 cups flour
6 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. shortening
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 beaten eggs
Topping:
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Soften yeast in 1/4 cup water. To scalded milk add sugar, salt, shortening, lemon peel and juice. Cool to lukewarm. Add beaten eggs and yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Cover & let rise until double. Stir down dough. Fill greased muffin pans half full. Sprinkle with mixture of sugar & cinnamon. Cover & let rise till double. Bake in mod. oven (350°F) 20 min. Makes 18 or 20.

Leftover Ham? Here's an Option - Baked Ham, Macaroni, & Mushroom Casserole

BAKED HAM, MACARONI, & MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
5 oz. macaroni [about 1 cup]
3/4 cup water
2 cups cooked ham
1 tbsp. minced onion
3/4 cup grated American cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cook macaroni in salted water. Drain. Combine with ham, mushroom soup & water & onion. Sprinkle top with cheese & bake in 400°F oven for thirty min.

Cooking with Granddaughters is Great Fun! - Superb Strawberry Pie

Hanna came to stay with us for a short weekend before EFY, so of course we had to cook something. I had some perfect strawberries that needed to be used, so we decided to make a pie. Hanna found "Superb Stawberry Pie," which turned out to be just that. She helped with every step, from crust to filling. It's great to have an assistant! Be sure to time the pie crust - we forgot, and I think it got a little too done. It was quite hard to cut. But the flavor was wonderful. We used butter instead of margarine. I would definitely make this pie again.

SUPERB STRAWBERRY PIE

Crust:
1 cup flour (heaping)
1/2 cup margarine
3½ tbsp. powdered sugar
Blend together & press into 9" pie pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 min. Cool.

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. & 2 tsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. Karo syrup
1½ cup water
4 tbsp. strawberry gelatin
2 drops red food coloring
1 quart fresh strawberries
Mix sugar and cornstarch, add Karo syrup and water. Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add gelatin and coloring; cool mixture. Clean and slice strawberries into pie crust. Pour cooled filling sauce over berries and allow to set. Serve with whipped cream.

Do All Casseroles Look Alike? - Chicken Casserole (2)

Pretty much. Especially when they're topped with potato chips. This Chicken Casserole called for grated cheese OR potato chips. Since I was making it for our dinner tonight, I couldn't use cheese. Might have been good, but with or without, this casserole was delicious. Doug liked it, too. I cut the recipe in half because I didn't want leftovers. I simplified the recipe significantly by using a large can of chicken rather than boiling it. I used three pinches of thyme since I didn't boil the chicken in it. I have no idea how big a pimento is, so I just used a couple of fork-fuls from the jar. And I left out the MSG - it's healthier.

CHICKEN CASSEROLE (2)
2 cups celery
4 hard boiled eggs
2 pimentos
4 cups chicken, cooked in water in which thyme has been added.
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp. minced onion
2 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. Accent (MSG)
3/4 cup toasted almonds
1 cup grated cheese OR
1½ cups crushed potato chips for top
Mix all ingredients except topping. Put lightly in casserole dish. Bake 350°F for 25 min. Cover with foil. Take off last few min. & add cheese to melt or potato chips.

Chicken? Not Here - Chicken-Tuna Bake

Not a whole lot to say about a tuna casserole. The green peppers and pimento added a nice flavor to this one. I cut this recipe in half and still had enough for two meals. Although, I doubt there would have been 10 servings.

CHICKEN-TUNA BAKE
1 7-oz. pkg. elbow spaghetti (cut)
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped fine
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans tuna flaked (geisha), not in oil - white
1/2 cup chopped pimento (in sauce)
6 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2½ cups milk
Cook spaghetti. Cook onion and pepper in butter (in sauce). Blend in flour. Add milk - cook on low heat - stir constantly until thick. Add soup, pimento and tuna. Crumble potato chips, buttered crumbs or slivered almonds on top. May have to add undiluted chicken soup. Serves about 20.

Always Room for Jello - Mandarin Orange Jello Salad

We're having 45+ for dinner tonight. I hope this isn't the only salad! I'm sure it won't be, but it's the only one I'm making. I chose it for this occasion because it's a big recipe, and because I had bananas I needed to use.

MANDARIN ORANGE JELLO SALAD

3 pkgs. Jello (orange), 4½ cups liquid (juice from oranges plus water), 1 pint orange sherbet, 2 cans mandarin oranges, 3 bananas.
Method:
Dissolve jello in hot liquid, dissolve sherbet in hot jello and let cool until partially set - add fruit and store in refrigerator overnight for large mold. Makes 12 to 15 servings or 2 molds.

Can't Forget the Cake! - Jello Cake

In all the craziness, I forgot to post this deliclious cake. That would have been sad, because this has been enjoyed at several meals and snacks. It's a rich cake that needs no frosting, although I have seen it served with a little whipped cream on top. I don't really remember Mother making this cake, but I do remember having it at Doug's mother's. Maybe that's where Mom got the recipe.

JELLO CAKE
1 pkg. lemon jello
1 cup boiling water
Mix and let cool
1 pkg. yellow cake mix - add 3/4 cup of cooking oil and mix well.
Add 4 eggs one at a time and beat well.
Add the jello mixture and mix.
Pour in large 8x12 greased pan and bake 35 minutes at 350°F. when taken from oven pour the Lemon Sauce over it.

Lemon Sauce
Juice of 2 lemons and if wanted add the rind of one orange
2 cups of powdered sugar and a pinch of salt
Mix together and pour over Jello Cake.
(Use only half of Lemon Sauce recipe if you prefer a less rich cake.)

Who Eats Mexican for the 4th of July? - Taco Salad / Texas Straw Hats

Apparently we do. Camille suggested Mexican for Sunday dinner when I was planning the menus, and it sounded like a great, easy idea. And there were these two recipes that I wanted to try. Caryn got to be "Vanna" for this photo because she didn't get in the breakfast shots. She and Jon and Camille have all helped tons with the huge amounts of food we've consumed this weekend - preparing that is, not necessarily eating. The first picture is of the Taco Salad. We modified it a bit in that we left the ingredients separate for people to assemble the salad as they wished. And we used Ranch or Thousand Island dressing instead of Russian.

TACO SALAD
1 pound ground beef, browned
1 pound canned kidney beans, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 chopped tomatoes
1 avocado chopped (optional)
1 head lettuce, torn
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1 bag taco chips crumbled
8 ounces bottled Russian dressing
Mix ground beef (browned), kidney beans and onion and refrigerate until chilled. Mix tomatoes, avocado (if desired), lettuce and cheese. Toss with ground beef mixture. Add crumbled taco chips and top with Russian dressing.

The other recipe we tried was the Texas Straw Hats. The meat mixture for this is delicious - just the right amount of spicey. Some used it for tacos or burritos, too. The chips we used for both recipes were Fritos because they'e my favorite. Any taco chip would work just fine.

TEXAS STRAW HATS
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
2 pounds ground beef
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup catsup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 tbsp. fat
2 to 3 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
2 cups water
Dash Tabasco sauce
In large skillet, cook onion, celery, and green pepper in hot fat until tender but not brown. Add beef; brown lightly. Add remaining ingredients except chips and cheese. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve on corn chips; top generously with shredded sharp American cheese.

Oops! - Grape or Orange Julius

In the midst of all that cooking for breakfast Saturday, we forgot to make the Julius drinks. So we decided to make them for a night snack on Sunday after dinner. However, we probably should have forgotten them altogether because no one liked them. Seems like they have never quite acquired the taste for powdered milk - can't say I blame them. I didn't like it either. But look at those sweet kids - smiling anyway. We ended up throwing it all away. The sad thing was that we doubled the recipe because you can't buy a small can of frozen juice anymore. Caryn said that she makes them with regular milk, so if you try this recipe, make the switch from powdered to the real thing!

GRAPE OR ORANGE JULIUS
1 small can frozen orange or grape juice
1 can of water
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup powdered milk
10 ice cubes, put in one at a time
Blend till creamy.

I Love a Big Breakfast! - Apple Pancakes / Bran Muffins / German Pancakes

We're in the middle of a very fun family reunion weekend celebrating the 4th of July. I thought this was a great chance to use several recipes, and there were three we tried for breakfast today. I had some great helpers! Camille made the Bran Muffins, Jon made the Cinnamon Syrup for the Apple Pancakes, and he even made an emergency run to the store for evaporated milk - which I was sure I had. Abby helped sift flour, Alyssa helped with the eggs, & Caryn helped with the bacon and eggs. It was a great great breakfast, and everything tasted wonderful!

APPLE PANCAKES
1½ cups sifted flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tbsp. butter, melted
2 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped (approx. 2 cups)
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Combine beaten egg, evaporated milk and melted butter. Add liquid mixture gradually to dry ingredients, stirring only until batter is smooth. Fold in chopped apples. Batter is very thick. Drop by generous tablespoonsful onto hot greased griddle, spreading to make round. Bake slowly until upper surface is covered with bubbles; turn and cook until bottom is browned. Serve immediately with cinnamon syrup. Makes 4. [Made way more than that at this size.]

Top with Cinnamon Syrup Cinnamon Syrup
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk
Mix corn syrup, sugar, wager and cinnamon in medium size saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and boiling for 2 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. Serve warm or cold. Makes 3¼ cups.

BRAN MUFFINS
2 cubes margarine
1 cup sugar
4 cups Kellogg's All Bran
2 cups Nabisco Bran
5 cups flour
1 quart buttermilk
5 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
Pour 2 cups boiling water over bran & margarine & let cool. Add all other ingredients. Bake at 400°F [about 15 minutes]. (Batter can be stored in refrigerator for several weeks.)

GERMAN PANCAKES
8 oz. flour
1/2 quart milk
1 tsp. salt
3 separated eggs
4 oz. fat
Sift flour, mix milk, yolks & salt. Then pour flour in and mix. Beat egg whites & carefully mix into rest of mixture. [Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes.]



This recipe was attributed to my cousin, Doug Bagley, who served a mission in Germany.

Not Really Frog Eyes - Lora's Salad

This salad, though titled Lora's Salad, was so close to what every knows as Frog Eye Salad, that I didn't see the difference. Lora was probably my Aunt Lora, Mother's sister-in-law who married her brother George Faux. Her recipe calls for "soup macs," and specifically notes that there is a difference between that pasta and the usual acini de pepe that is used with Frog Eye Salad. Still a very good salad and plenty for a crowd.

LORA'S SALAD

Cook 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. flour, 3 beaten egg yolks, 1¼ cup pineapple juice. Combine & cook until thick.
Cook 1½ cup soup macs in salt water. Drain & cool. Add to above mixture. Set overnight. 1 can pineapple crushed, 1 can pineapple tidbits drained, 1 large & one small Cool Whip, 2 cups mandarin oranges, 1 small pkg. miniature marshmallows. Add to overnight mixture.
RF
Acini de Pepe
Soup Macs for Soups
A macaroni product
There is a difference

Chinese Casserole

Yummy quick dinner, and very easy. There are several quite similar to this one.

CHINESE CASSEROLE
Diced onion
1 cup celery
Combine with 2 tbsp. butter or more & cook until tender.
1 can mushroom soup added to above.
1 cup or 1 can of canned chicken
1 pkg. cashew nuts
1½ cans Chinese noodles
1/2 - 3/4 soup can of water
Place in casserole dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 can of noodles on top. Bake 30 min. at 325°F oven.