Recovered Recipes

Date Pie

2010-01-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Dried fruits, like raisins and dates, were popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The dried fruits kept well and lent plenty of sweetness to pies, cookies, and cakes.

While still popular today, dates don't appear in as many baked goods as they once did. This date pie recipe highlights dates and makes what appears to be a delicious date custard.

Date Pie Recipe

2 cups milk
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup dates
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 pie shell, unbaked

Place milk in a double boiler over medium heat.

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, flour, and salt. Stir into the milk mixture. Add dates and cook until softened. Remove double boiler from heat.

Mix together the egg yolks and sugar, then whip into the date mixture. Place into a pie shell and bake at 350F (170C) for 45-60 minutes or until it tests done.

Egg whites can be beaten into a meringue topping for the date pie.

Light Fruit Cake Recipe

2009-12-18T05:27:00.000-08:00

Fruit cake is a holiday tradition in my house. I love the thick, chewy combination of fruits and nuts. My mother's recipe is excellent, so I don't know why more people like it.

This recipe isn't my mothers but it looks good. For me, it's all about the fruit mixture used -- I prefer dates, candied cherries, candied pineapple, and pecans.

Light Fruit Cake Recipe

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
6 eggs
2 3/4 cup pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 lbs candied fruits/nuts

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the honey and mix until blended. Slowly add the eggs, one at at a time. Add flour and salt, then stir in fruit.

Bake at 275F for 3 hours.

Betty Crocker Ginger Creams Vintage Ad

2009-11-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

In addition to my fascination with vintage recipes, I am also intrigued by vintage advertisements for the interesting artwork and the glimpse into history the ads give us.

This vintage ad is from Betty Crocker during WWII and promotes a cookie recipe which, "Pack and ship well to servicemen."

The cheerful woman in the Betty Crocker ad is surrounded by servicemen from different branches of the military. The recipe is promoted for its low sugar and shortening content which will allow the cookies to remain fresher, longer.

My favorite bit though is the line which reads, "Make a hit with men!" Ahh yes, food is always the way to a man's heart.

Green Apple Pie Filling Recipe

2009-11-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

I've never had a green apple pie but I'm sure it's tart and delicious. This green apple pie recipe is for the filling only and will make one green apple pie.

I'd be tempted season this up with a dash of salt and maybe a handful of raisins or other dried fruit. The dried fruit would add a bit of extra texture and natural sweetness.

Green Apple Pie Recipe

1 1/2 quarts green apples
3 Tablespoons melted oleo (margarine or butter)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel and slice the green apples, then toss with oleo and lemon juice. Sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss to combine.

This pie filling should fill one pie shell.

Noodle & Cottage Cheese Scallop Recipe

2009-11-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

This casserole recipe reminds me of a dish my mother would make when I was quite young. I enjoy savory casseroles and am eager to give this noodle and cottage cheese scallop recipe a try soon.

Noodle & Cottage Cheese Scallop

8 ounces egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup oleo (margarine or butter)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (capsicum)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups cottage cheese
paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 350F (170C).

Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water, then drain.

In a skillet, saute the green onion and green peppers with the oleo for 3 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and celery seed. Then, stir in the milk and cottage cheese. Remove from heat.

Grease a casserole dish and add the cooked noodles to it. Pour in the cottage cheese mixture and stir to combine. Sprinkle with paprika.

Place the casserole into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Cooking with 7-Up Vintage Ad

2009-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

You may not think of 7-Up as a cooking ingredient but the citrusy soda has marketed itself as useful in the kitchen.

More than just a drink? This vintage advertisement shows how 7-Up can replace liquids in packaged pancake mix.

A vintage 7-Up cooking booklet provides a wide range of 7-Up recipes:

From glazing hams to cake icing, 7-Up can even be mixed with thawed sherbet to make a delightful punch.

The booklet states, "Seven-Up can be an exciting new ingredient for those housewives who are always alert for ways to put 'something extra' into their favorite recipes."

Mayonnaise Cake Recipe

2009-10-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

A rather bland piece of paper carries an intriguing cake recipe featuring mayonnaise. At first, I wrinkled my nose. But once I thought it over, it does make sense. Mayonnaise is essentially eggs and oil.

I found a few other brave souls who had made this recipe. From their online reviews, it's moist, dense, and without any mayonnaise flavor. It can also be made using Miracle Whip salad dressing.

Try swapping out the cocoa powder with a teaspoon or two of a spice blend (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves). Or, throw in some toasted nuts or raisins.

Mayonnaise Cake Recipe
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Add the mayonnaise, water, and vanilla. Mix well.

Pour into a greased 13 x 9-inch pan and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until it tests done.

More mayonnaise cake ideas:
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake - The Canadian Baker
Salad Dressing Cake - Cake Spy
Gaga's Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake - Bluebonnets & Brownies

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2009-10-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin bread is a delicious, seasonal favorite of mine. I enjoy the tender and moist texture that pumpkin adds to quick bread.

This recipe must have been this cook's favorite, as it has a small red star next to the recipe name. The other tell-tale sign is that the recipe yields 3 loaves. You don't make three loaves of bread unless it tastes pretty darn good.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe
3 1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups sugar

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. To this well, add the remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth.

If you'd like, add 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the mix.

Grease and flour 3 pans. Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until the bread tests done.

More pumpkin bread recipe ideas:
Pumpkin Bread - Simply Recipes
Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping - The Hungry Housewife
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chai Bread with Cranberries - Karina's Kitchen

White Sauce for Christmas Pudding

2009-07-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

A simple white sauce to accompany your favorite Christmas pudding. I think I might prefer the yellow sauce version which uses egg yolks for added richness. I might also take the suggestion to use rum as the flavoring ... an eggy, rummy sauce? Now that's a fun Christmas!

Fanny's White Sauce for Xmas Pudding
2 cups milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on taste)
2 tablespoons corn starch
Butter
Vanilla or rum or nutmeg to taste
(2 yolks for yellow sauce)

There are no instructions on preparing this sauce. I suggest bringing the milk and sugar to a simmer, then add corn starch. Cook for several minutes until thickened.

Add 1 tablespoon butter and any desired flavoring.

Try this sauce with one of the growing list of pudding recipes you'll find on this site.

Basic Vanilla Sauce

2009-07-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

A simple vanilla sauce notated as 'regular' vanilla sauce. Perfect for drizzling over baked puddings or cakes, the sauce is thickened with corn starch and doesn't include any eggs.

Try this sauce with one of the growing list of pudding recipes you'll find on this site.

Basic Vanilla Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar and corn starch, then add to boiling water. Stirring constantly, boil ten minutes. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.

Use the sauce for pouring over your favorite pudding or cake.

Chocolate Fudge Pudding

2009-07-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

The more I read pudding recipes (i.e. the cake type of puddings), the more I crave them. I've only made pudding once and enjoyed it. Oddly, I never grew up with them even though my family originated in England where such puddings are commonplace.

I especially like this recipe - the chocolate sauce on the bottom sounds like a good enough reason to try this soon!

Chocolate Fudge Pudding
1 cup sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed brown sugar

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cocoa. Add milk, shortening and vanilla, mix only until smooth. Add pecans.

Place into a greased, shallow quart baking dish [note: read recipe for full instructions]. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the top.

This pudding when baked has a chocolate sauce on bottom and cake on top.

Bake in a moderate oven 350F for 40 minutes. Serve warm with cream.

Philly Chocolate Fudge

2009-07-20T05:29:00.000-07:00

As the advertisement states, "make never-fail fudge in 15 minutes!". Quick and no fail? It would be hard for me to turn down this recipe.

The texture and taste intrigue me. I don't think I've ever had fudge made with cream cheese and wonder how it would be different. I assume it might make for a less sweet fudge (as some fudge can be too sickly sweet) and am eager to try this recipe closer to the holidays.

Philly Chocolate Fudge
1 3-ounce pkg. cream cheese
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
2 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Place cheese in a bowl and cream it until soft and smooth. Slowly blend the sugar into it. Add the meltjavascript:void(0)ed chocolate. Mix well. Add the vanilla, salt and chopped peacnd mix until well blended. Press into a well greased, shallow pan. Place into the refrigerator until firm and cut into squares.

For a slightly softer fudge, blend in 1 teaspoon cream.

More chocolate fudge recipe ideas:
Fantasy Fudge - 101 Cookbooks
Dad's Favorite Fudge - Simply Recipes
Peanut Butter Fudge - Joy the Baker

Chocolate Fudge Candy

2009-07-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Fudge is a decadent treat which I love. At the holidays is when my mother always made it, sometimes layering peanut butter fudge and chocolate fudge together. It makes my teeth tingle just thinking about it.

The following recipe uses few ingredients, unlike most recipes I've seen. As the name 'candy' implies, I suspect this isn't a traditional fudge but instead a chocolate treat infused with nuts and dried fruit.

Elizabeth's Chocolate Fudge Candy
1 can Challenge milk
2 pkgs. chocolate chips melted
Nuts, raisins or peanuts
2 tablespoons marshmallows

Beat together the milk and melted chocolate until creamy. Add nuts, raisins or peanuts. Beat in 2 tablespoons marshmallows.

Recipe Notes:
There are quite a few issues with this recipe but regardless, it's chocolate. It won't taste bad.

I assume the can of milk is likely evaporated milk. The packages of chocolate chips are likely small 6 ounce packages (not our modern 16 ounce bags).

In order to beat in the marshmallows, I'm also assuming you'll need to heat them so they are softened. When mixed, I would suggest pouring into a buttered pan and chilling until set. Cut into small squares.

More fudge recipe ideas:
Grandma's Fudge Recipe - White On Rice Couple
Chocolate Fudge Two-Ways - YumSugar
Tootsie Roll Fudge - Food Blogga

Bread Pudding

2009-07-13T05:34:00.000-07:00

A simple bread pudding without too many bells and whistles. When I think of bread pudding, I anticipate eggs and a rich custard binding the pieces of bread. Surprisingly, this recipe does not call for any eggs.

If making a bread pudding, you may want to consider a sauce to pour over it. You'll find a few good ideas in the links provided below.

Bread Pudding
1/4 loaf of bread
Cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 quart milk
1-2 tablespoons butter
Raisins (optional)

Break bread in pieces in pudding pan. Shake generously over the top with cinnamon. Add about 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix until combined.

Pour 1 quart milk over the bread and mix thoroughly. Dot with butter and bake.

Add raisins if wanted. Use your own judgment about bread, about 1/4 loaf.

More bread pudding recipe ideas:
Bread Pudding - Simply Recipes
Savory Bread Pudding - New York Times
Tiramisu Bread Pudding - The Kitchn
Croissant Bread Pudding - Culinary concoctions by Peabody

Cranberry Crunch Bars

2009-07-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

A perfect recipe for using up that can of cranberry sauce we all seem to have in our cupboard. You'll find cranberry sauce on sale after Thanksgiving so make a mental note to stock up when it's in season. I think these bars would be delicious, especially when served with ice cream.

I hadn't thought to use it before in this way, but it seems very similar to blueberry oat bars which I've made a few times. A quick and easy dessert for when guests arrive unexpectedly.

Cranberry Crunch
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 can whole cranberry sauce

Mix oats, flour and brown sugar. Add in butter until crumbly, put half into 5x8" baking dish, cover with the cranberry sauce, top with balance of crumb mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until nicely brown. Cut in squares and top with ice cream. Serves 6 to 8.

More cranberry bar recipe ideas:
Browned Butter Oatmeal Cranberry Bars - Culinary in the Country
Cranberry Bliss Bars - Something Sweet
Eggless Cranberry Bars - Madhuram's Eggless Cooking

Interview: Jane E. Garrett, Author

2009-07-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

When I started Recovered Recipes last year, I felt as though I might be the only person interested in rediscovering old recipes. In an age of online recipe sharing and food blogging, I worried vintage recipes might be doomed.

Over the months, I've come to meet others who share my passion for preserving the past and I am hopeful we can save an important piece of our heritage. Jane Garrett, an avid recipe collector herself, was one of my first readers and is very much a recipe card preservationist. Jane contacted me recently to announce the publication of her book, The Market Basket: Cooking and Eating in Lawrence, Kansas 1921-1949.

I recently received a review copy and as I flipped through it, I could feel Jane's passion on every page. The book captures over 500 recipes published in the Lawrence-Journal World newspaper as part of a weekly recipe competition held from 1921-1949. Jane lovingly transcribed the recipes and compiled them into this thoughtful collection.

In addition to the recipes, you'll find vintage advertisements, menus,and local stories found in the newspaper at that time. I particularly enjoyed a list showing 1932 grocery prices -- would anyone like 1 lb. of beef roast for 18 cents per pound?

In another snippet from 1944, it's noted that beef supplies are slim during the war time, "Since the invasion started, local markets report beef has been a scarce article and several stores practically out of beef." It continues by noting the shortage was expected to last 6-8 weeks.

I immediately felt attached to a small city in Kansas I had never visited.

The book spans 250 pages, entirely in black and white, illustrated with vintage artwork and reprinted newspaper clippings. Chapters include beverages, salads, breads, sandwiches, pancakes and doughnuts, soups, main courses, noodles and vegetables.

I reached out to Jane and asked her a few questions to which you'll find her answers below. If you'd like to receive your own copy of this book, please visit Jane's website to purchase this book.

What inspired you to write this book?

A single recipe. I was amusing myself one afternoon at the local library, sitting at the microfilm reader, "flipping" through a 1933 issue of the local newspaper. In the supermarket ads section, I spotted a recipe for "Mrs. Shultz's Apple Butter," and noticed that it was a prize-winner in a weekly contest sponsored by the newspaper. That's all it took to hook me. I wanted to know when the contest began and when it ended, and I wanted every single recipe that was selected as a winner.

From beginning to end, how long did the book take to write?

After finding Mrs. Shultz's apple butter recipe, I returned to the library day after day--whenever I had a spare couple of hours. I was a chef's apprentice, working full time and enrolled in a rigorous program, so my time was limited. But, after 18 months of chipping away at it, I amassed 1,400 prize-winning recipes, one for every week of 28 years. For the next five and a half years, I organized the recipes in two volumes (this one and the second, yet-to-be published one), and illustrated them with old newspaper ads, menus, etc. I also included food-related stories that ran in the local paper during that time. Essentially, it took me seven years to put this book together (and the one that will follow).

In rediscovering these recipes, what did you learn about the women, ingredients or cooking conditions of the time period?

These women truly labored to put food on the table. They grew and canned their own food. They baked their own bread, rolls, pies and cakes. They boned, cut and ground their own meat. They raised and processed their own poultry. Everything was made from scratch. Convenience foods were unheard of back then. Nothing much was easy--especially when money was scarce and food was rationed. How spoiled we are today !

Is there a particular recipe or contestant which caught your fancy?

There's one recipe in the book that's near and dear to my heart: Mrs. Pearson's Muffins. It's just an ordinary little recipe, but what makes it special to me is the address of the author: 1336 Massachusetts St., which happens to be my former address, my home of 17 years, a two-story 100-year-old residence complete with high ceilings, dark, dark woodwork, and a quirky old Depression-era kitchen. So many times I imagined Mrs. Pearson--a woman I've never known--bending over to put her pan of muffins in the oven.

Since the book focuses primarily on main courses and side dishes, can we expect a dessert book to follow?

Yes! The next volume--The Market Basket Vol. II: More Cooking and Eating In Lawrence, Kansas, 1921-1949--features mostly sweets. Its chapters are: Putting Up Fruits and Berries; Cookies, Bars, Candy and Pastry; Cakes, Icings and Fillings; Pies and Cobblers; Puddings and Custards; Ice Creams, Sherbets and Ices; More Sweets--From Bavarians to Whips; and Menus. In this volume is a cake recipe made for President Coolidge, recipes for old English plum puddings, all kinds of jams and jellies, and hundreds of other treats, including Anise Seed Cookies, Baked Apple Flowers, Pineapple Betty, Apple Dumplings with Lemon Sauce, Orange Meringue Pie, Banana Sherbet, etc. etc. There's also a menu for a Non-rationed Sunday Dinner.

Is it true that you have your own recipe card collection at home?

I have literally thousands of recipe cards I've collected over the years. I've found them at garage sales, estate sales, in dumpsters, and on ebay. I also have my mother's and grandmother's collections. To me, a card with a hand-written recipe on it is worth more than that recipe that's published in a mass-produced book.

Thank you to Jane for sharing her time for this interview and also for helping to preserve the past!

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

2009-06-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe card looks like it's been through a war. Splattered with a lifetime of use, the edges are cracking and crumbling. The recipe is simple and makes a basic sponge cake, perfect for a light and airy dessert.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake
1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons hot milk

Sift flour once and measure. Add baking powder and sift 3 more times.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until very thick, light and really white. Add sugar, beating constantly. Add lemon juice.

Fold in flour [into beaten eggs] alternately with hot milk. Mix quickly until smooth.

Notes
Although the recipe calls for 'eggs', I'm curious if it is really only the egg whites which are used in this recipe. Unfortunately, no baking instructions provided. I would bake in a 350-375F oven and depending on the size of pans used, would check periodically every 10-15 minutes until it tests done.

Sponge cake ideas:
Sponge Cake - Souvlaki for the Soul
Lemon Sponge Cake - Treat a Week Recipes
Japanese Sponge Cake - Just Hungry
Rhubarb Sponge Cake with Almonds - Nami-Nami

... and just in case, What To Do With Failed Sponge Cake.

Baking Powder Biscuits

2009-05-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

A staple form of bread during the 19th and early 20th century, biscuits can be made in large batches to feed a crowd. As noted, the recipe can be used for shortcakes. My mother often made similar biscuits then top with butter and chopped berries for dessert.

Baking Powder Biscuits
[and use same for shortcakes]

2 cups flour
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 T lard
Milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Work in lard using fingers, then mix with enough milk to pat out dough with fingers. Cut into circles and bake in a hot oven.

Notes:
1 heaping cup of flour will make about four biscuits
2 heaping cups of flour will make about eleven biscuits

Coconut Pound Cake (Ruth's)

2009-05-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Coconut gained widespread use during the 20th century and gives an exotic flavor to the common pound cake. I imagine this tasting delicious on its own but would also be nice drizzled with a berry sauce or a heaping scoop of ice cream.

Coconut Pound Cake
3 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
1/2 cup Crisco oil
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 T coconut extract
1 cup flaked coconut

Beat sugar, margarine and oil until creamy. Add eggs one at a time.

Add flour and baking powder, then gradually add milk. Stir in coconut extract and flaked coconut.

Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan (large size). Bake at 325F for 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes).

Grace's Dutch Apple Cake

2009-05-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

A small and simple cake loaded with apples and dusted with a cinnamon-sugar mix. The number of apples seems large for the amount of batter but maybe that is what makes this cake unique and interesting.

With an almost even ratio of cake to apples, I imagine it being extremely moist. And lots of cinnamon? Well, that's a must-have when dealing with apples.

Grace's Dutch Apple Cake
1 cup pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
2 T milk
3 apples
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 T sugar
1 T butter

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut shortening into the mixture.

Add beaten egg and milk to the mixture and stir until combined. Spread batter in a greased 10 x 6 x 1 1/2 pan.

Peel and core apples, then slice thinly. Arrange apples flat side up in rows over the batter. Sprinkle top of cake with a mix of 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Dot with 1 T butter.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

Banana Pie (Etta's)

2009-05-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

I enjoy bananas in few dessert situations, but banana cream pie is one of my favorites. The following pie creates a base custard which is then used to cover the bananas in a pre-baked pie shell. Topped with stiff egg whites, the pie should be baked briefly to set the meringue.

You could consider making this a bit richer by using milk in place of the water.

Banana Pie
1 scant cup sugar
1 heaping teaspoon, Butter
2 egg yolk's, beaten
3 heaping tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1-2 bananas, sliced
1 pie shell, pre-baked and cooled

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg yolks, flour, and boiling water. Cook until thick. Fill pie shell with this cream and sliced bananas. Cover with egg whites.

Notes:
Be careful to not scramble the eggs when adding the hot water. For the egg whites, I would suggest beat 4 egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff. After topping the pie, bake at 375F for about 10 minutes until the meringue is cooked through and lightly browned.

Poorman's Pudding

2009-05-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

Popular during the depression due to the easily accessible ingredients in a trying time, poorman's pudding utilizes sour milk and meat drippings to form a deliciously flavorful dessert.

I've not made a classic pudding before and need to attempt one soon. For an added bit of flair, this pudding could be served with a custard sauce or drizzle of cream.

Poorman's Pudding
1 cup sour milk
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup lard (or drippings, suet)
1 cup raisins
1 level teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Flour

Mix together ingredients, adding enough flour to mix as thick as cake batter (about 2 cups). Steam pudding for 3 hours.

Add any fruit or nut if wanted to suit taste.

Cheese Crackers (Aunt Bessie's)

2009-05-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

"It's Aunt Bessie's recipe, and it's a yum yum!"

Well, what more is there to say? It's clearly a good recipe based on this recommendation - and with the amounts of cheese, oleo, and nuts in the recipe, it's easy to understand why.

I imagine these being similar to a savory shortbread, equal parts fat and flour with the added flavorings of cheese and nuts. And since the dough freezes well, it's a handy treat to keep in the freezer to make for late night snacks or unexpected guests.

If you click on the image, you can view it in full-size and can read the small cartoon in the lower left corner. I quickly researched 'Wearpact Products' and found that it's a company from South Africa, so intriguing how this recipe found its way to the states (where I purchased it from an estate sale).

Cheese Crackers
1/2 lb sharp cheese
2 sticks oleo
2 cups flour
2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper

Grate cheese, then cream with oleo. Fold in the flour, salt, red pepper, and nuts. Divide it into for 4 rolls and roll in waxed paper, pressing out air as you go. Freeze until firm, then cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Bake 12 minutes at 375F.

Don't let cheese get too hard before using. They cut easier if you let them set out a few minutes before cutting.

[on backside - not shown in scanned image]

You may leave them for some time in the freezing compartment before you decide to get them ready for the table.

Peanut Butter Fluff (Fudge)

2009-05-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a dumb question, but is this a fudge recipe? I think so.

I must admit, the proportions seem way out of whack on this one. I've checked the recipe as written and expected there to be more peanut butter and marshmallow cream. However, maybe it's more lightly flavored and not as marshmallow-centric as more modern day recipes. Either way, it's worth a try.

Peanut Butter Fluff
2 cups sugar
2 squares chocolate
1/2 cup milk
2 T butter
2 T peanut butter
2 T marshmallow cream
Pinch of salt

Boil sugar, chocolate and milk till forms a soft ball.

Remove from fire (i.e. stove) and stir in butter, peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and salt.

Beat until creamy.

I assume this would poured into a greased pan and refrigerated until firm enough to cut.

Hot Pineapple Souffle

2009-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Although this is a souffle, it appears to be cooked entirely on the stove top, at least that's how the instructions appear to read (i.e. cook covered). It seems to make for a delicious, hot pudding ... even though it's called a souffle due to the addition of egg whites. Either way, I'm sure it turns out tasting good. But then again, I love anything with tapioca.

Hot Pineapple Souffle

1 can crushed pineapple
1 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
Sugar and cream (for serving)

Scald a can of crushed pineapple and a cup of water in a double boiler. Stir in one half cup of a quick cooking tapioca.

Cover and let cook until the tapioca is transparent.

Add one half cup of sugar and the stiffly beaten egg whites of two eggs. Let cook covered until set.

Serve hot with sugar and cream.