FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

This 1938 appliance recipe booklet is one of my latest finds at the junk stores.  I really love the pictures of the food on the covers of these vintage booklets.  I have noticed that the food pictures inside the booklets are usually in black and white.  I am sure that was a cost cutting method, but it would really be great if they were in color as they do not look as appetizing or as interesting when presented in black, white and shades of gray. 

Did you notice the frozen fruit salad served on the lettuce leaves?  That picture is the reason I bought this booklet.  I thought it was so pretty and unusual.  Hope you enjoy this recipe. 

FROZEN FRUIT SALAD

2 three-ounce cakes of cream cheese

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

2 medium size bananas

1/2 cup walnut meats

1/2 cup maraschino cherries in halves

1 cup whipping cream

Crisp lettuce leaves

Mix cream cheese with salt, mayonnaise, and lemon juice; then add pineapple, sliced bananas, nut meats and maraschino cherries.  Fold in whipped cream and pour into Frigidaire freezing tray.

When frozen, serve in slices on crisp lettuce leaves.  Garnish with fresh fruit.  Fresh, whole strawberries are very attractive.

OK readers, what do you think a Frigidaire freezing tray is?  Judging by the picture, it must have been shaped like a loaf pan.  Please comment if you are familiar with a freezing tray used in the 1930's. 

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

As a little girl, I remember my Mom telling me how blessed I was to have "The Dime Store".  Every time I got my allowance, I would beg to go to The Dime Store so that I could purchase some candy.  It would take me quite a long time to decide whether to buy a chocolate bar, an all day cherry lollipop, Sugar Babies or M & M's.  Of course toys with candy inside were also a temptation.  1950's & 60's candy were the best!  

My Mom and her sisters were not so lucky.  They did not live close to a store that had a candy counter and being raised during the Depression, they didn't have extra money for candy.  However, they did have Taffy Pulls.  I loved to listen to her stories of my Grandmother making taffy and then handing it over to my Mom, her sisters and their friends to pull.  She described in great detail the technique they used to pull the hot taffy into long ropes between two people, the great smell and even the color it turned as it started to cool.  I could picture my Grandmother laying the pulled and ready to eat taffy on the kitchen table and cutting it in to pieces with scissors so everyone could have a taste.  I was ready to hand over my store bought chocolate, cherry lollipops and even my Sugar Babies for one taste of that marvelous taffy.  Here is the recipe for that almost forgotten candy.

OLD FASHION TAFFY

3/4 cup water

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter

Vanilla flavoring

1 teaspoon salt



Measure 2 cups sugar, l 1/4 cups corn syrup, 3/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt into a saucepan and blend well with a wooden spoon. Place over low heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring continuously. Increase the heat and do not stir during the rest of the cooking. Wash the sides of the pan with a brush or fork covered with muslin and dipped in water, using an upward motion. This will prevent the formation of crystals which might cause the candy to sugar. Cook syrup to hard boil stage and then remove candy from heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter.  Stir very gently.   When cool enough to handle, grease hands with butter and let the pulling begin.

Pull the taffy out at least 12 inches. Next, quickly fold the taffy back from one hand to the other, catching the center, and then pulling again.  Add the vanilla while pulling and continue to pull until the flavoring is thoroughly mixed in.  When the taffy is very hard to pull and holds its shape when laid out on a platter, it’s ready to cut into pieces. Rub a pair of kitchen scissors with unsalted butter, and then cut the hardened taffy into bite-size pieces.

Enjoy!

       

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

Here is a recipe from 1875 called Mock Chicken Salad.  Obviously it does not contain chicken.  My question was, why not make Real Chicken Salad?  Well "mock" in cooking terms means to use a reliable substitute and upon further investigation, I discovered the reason a substitute was used for the chicken.  Mock chicken salads were made from cubes of roast pork, which were less expensive than chicken.  After all, chickens were a source of eggs for families.  In 1875, you just did not kill your chickens. 

MOCK CHICKEN SALAD

4 cups coarsely chopped roast pork

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives

1/2 cup mayo or boiled dressing

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Combine pork, celery, bell pepper, olives, mayo, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours.  Store leftover salad in a covered container in the refrigerator.

OK, do you think that they had refrigerators in 1875? 

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

Since it is the Christmas season, I thought I would post one of my fudge recipes.  This recipe was passed down from my Mom and probably came from the 1950 or 60's.  She got it off of the back of the Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels Bag.  With all of the fudge booths I see at Craft Fairs, I think old fashioned fudge is making a come back.

Toll House Famous Fudge

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) Nestles Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

COMBINE sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

STIR in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

FOR MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE:

SUBSTITUTE 1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) Nestles Milk Chocolate Morsels for Semi-Sweet Morsels.

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought that I would pull one out from my childhood.  Any child of the 1950's should remember the good old green jello salad that was served by every school cafeteria for Thanksgiving and I think every other holiday also.  Remember the vegetables floating in it.  All together now - Eeeewwwwww!  So here it is, one of those recipes that needs to stay forgotten!

VEGETABLE SALAD MOLD

(or Icky Green Jello Salad)

1 (3 oz.) lime Jello

1 (3 oz.) lemon Jello

3 1/2 c. boiling water

1 tbsp. vinegar

4 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. salad dressing

2 c. chopped cabbage

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. green pepper

1/2 c. grated carrot

2 tbsp. onion

Stir together Jello, boiling water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. When nearly congealed, add 1/2 cup salad dressing and beat until frothy. Add the vegetables, stir well, and mold.

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

Since my last post was about the Mission Trip to Romania, this week's Forgotten Recipe Friday will be my sweet husband's favorite Romanian dish, Sarmale in foi de varza dulce, or Sarmales (in a thick Texas drawl) as he calls them.  I have not had the privilege to try these, but he adores them. 

There is not much to buy in Romania, but I love books and Sonny has provided me and the grandkids with several books on Romanian culture complete with beautiful landscape photography.  We are not sure where they took the photographs in these books, as we have never seen these beautiful areas, but they are suppose to be in Romania somewhere!  This trip I requested a Romanian cookbook since cookbooks are one of my favorite books.  He actually managed to find one so the following recipe is from "100 Romanian Recipes, A tasty souvenir from Romania!"  Now you have to love the title of this cookbook.  Below is the recipe for Sarmales.  Anyone interested in helping me make these?

SARMALE IN FOI DE VARZA DULCE

The English translation: Fresh Cabbage Meat Rolls

300 gr. pork

200 gr. beef

100 gr. rice

150 gr. fat

150 gr. onions

50 gr. tomato sauce

300 gr. tomatoes

cabbage

ground pepper

cinnabar

Use blender to mince the meat together with part of the diced onions, previously half fried.  Add the rice (soaked in hot water), pepper and salt.  Mix well and roll small meat balls into fresh cabbage leaves that have been taken apart and soaked in hot water, borsch or preserved sauerkraut juice.  For a bitter taste, add tomato slices among the meat rolls layers.

Half fry the onions in fat, add tomato sauce and water.  Stir well.  Place some of it in the sauce on the bottom of a pot and then layers of meat rolls.  The first and last layer should always be sauce.  Cover with tomato slices, pepper grains and cinnabar, then boil for 3-4 hours at low heat.  Occasionally, rattle the pot to prevent from sticking and add hot water when necessary. 

Cover the pot and cook for another while in the heated oven, at low heat, when nearly ready take the lid off to get a nice crust.  Make sure that there is always enough water. 

Serve with sour cream and corn mush. 

OK, again, I have not had these but Sonny loves them so they must be good.  I really love the way that recipe is written.  I'm not sure how much was lost in translation, but how many American cook books tell you to rattle the pot?  Julia Child would have loved it!  

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

 My favorite daughter-in-law, Carey, (OK, I only have one, but she is still  my favorite) bought this book for me.  It is a wonderful book full of stories and recipes from the Great Depression.  The author of the book, Clara, is 94 years old. 

Adam and Carey have been on a tight budget and Carey has been using the recipes in this book to save money on their grocery bill.  Since bread is one of the cheapest and most versatile food items, people relied on it heavily during the Depression.  In the cookbook, Clara included the recipe that her mother used to make 6 loaves of bread, twice a week, for the family.  My daughter-in-law, Carey, now makes this bread for her family. 

I have heard many stories from my parents about the depression and know that most everything was home grown and homemade.  Most food items were made from scratch.  Only the basics like sugar, flour, cornmeal, etc. were purchased at the store.  Making everything yourself is alot of work, but it tastes so good.  Everything is fresh and so flavorful when it has not been filled with preservatives.

I have alot of cookbooks and not one of them include a recipe for ketchup.  It definitely is a forgotten recipe.

   HOMEMADE KETCHUP

6 ounces tomato paste (homemade or canned)

1/4 cup water

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 TBS. vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients together and put in a sterilized jar.  Keep refrigerated. 

FORGOTTEN RECIPE FRIDAY

I did not post a Friday Recipe last week since I was at First Monday in Canton. However, I have a special treat for this week. As I mentioned in my last post, I did find a few cookbooks in Canton to add to my collection. I was very excited to find "The El Chico Cookbook". Now there are still a few El Chico Restaurants around, but they can be hard to find. Let me give you some background information so that you can understand why El Chico holds a place in my heart.

My husband and I hated Mexican food of any kind when we were children. We connected Mexican food to our Mother's tacos. Both of our mothers bought those hard shell tacos that came in a package, added ground beef to them and baked them in the oven. Can you say gross? As teens, Monterey House was as good as it got for us. Then El Chico came on the scene. It was Tex-Mex at it's finest. They featured Quesadillas, Chilies Relleno, Mole Sauce, Empanadas and Flan before there was a Pappasitos.

I dug this El Chico cookbook out of a pile of books on a shelf from a vendor that had tables full of, well, junk. This cookbook is from the 1970's. Since I missed posting a recipe last Friday, I will post two today.

The first recipe is for regular cheese nachos. My husband and I recently were complaining that Mexican Food restaurants seem to have forgotten how to make plain, old fashioned nachos. They pile them high with meats and Guacamole. There is nothing better than the simple nachos from the 1970's. Simple can be better.  Here is El Chico's recipe.

REGULAR CHEESE NACHOS

Grated Cheddar Cheese
Corn or Flour Tortillas

Spread grated cheddar cheese over tortillas cut into the shape of triangles. Place in oven at 375 degrees until cheese is melted. It takes 3 to 5 minutes. Place a small jalapeno pepper atop each nacho once the cheese has melted.

The next recipe is a favorite of my husband. It may sound different but it really is good.

MOLE SAUCE

2 cups Enchilada sauce
3 cloves garlic chopped very fine
1/4 cup chopped almonds
3 Tbs. peanut butter
1/4 cup cooking oil
3 tbs. chocolate syrup
2 tbs. sesame seed, pureed
2 tbs. coriander of fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

Saute the almonds in the oil. Mix all the other ingredients and add sauteed almonds. Serve over chicken or enchiladas.

Enjoy!

KITCHEN GADGETS

I love kitchen gadgets and I can be easily persuaded to purchase them. In my defense, I have purchased many that proved to be great time savers and performed as promised. And, my dear husband totally encourages me in this endeavor, as he looks hungrily at the pictures of the tempting food displayed on the box of the latest miracle gadget. However, not all can be winners, right? Who knew that the omelet pan that was divided in half, so that you could fold the other half over to make the perfect omelet could never be perfected. Oh yes, and there was the stove top pancake maker that closed so that you could flip the pan instead of having to flip the pancake. The problem with that was that it worked perfectly, but you could only slowly make one pancake at a time. I still love the boiled egg maker that is shaped like a chicken and clucks when the eggs are ready! And then there was the . . . well, you get the picture.

My husband is a huge breakfast person, but how many ways can you fix eggs? It can be quite a challenge. Frankly, I have just about run out of breakfast ideas, especially those that do not require hours in the kitchen. Besides the typical eggs and bacon, I've made every type of french toast, pancakes and muffins known to Southern cooks. Also, we have run the full gamut of cereals. I had to give up my Cocoa Cocoa Pebbles for Kashi and you know that is no fun! I have also made every variation of oatmeal and grits, and they are not the instant kind.

So, I was quite excited when I was at Marshalls, in Katy Mills, and came across this egg thingey. This new gadget cooks omelets in the microwave. I know, you are thinking, yeah right, but I decided to try it.

You crack two eggs in a bowl, mix them well with a fork and then add your favorite omelet ingredients. This was for my dear husband, who was watching this whole procedure with skepticism in his eyes. I then added cream cheese and fresh diced tomatoes, onions and cilantro. So far so good, as this is so easy and much faster than a traditional omelet. Last, you put the lid on and microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. OK, I'm impressed.

Out of the microwave it came, off came the lid and well, I had what looked like an egg ball that had been deflated. At this point, my husband began slowly inching towards the cereal box, never mind it was Kashi with flax seeds and wheat germ. Oh ye of little faith! Let me at least dump it out onto a plate and get a closer look.

That was the secret. Once on a plate, you chop it with a fork and it magically unfolds to a full size omelet that is soft, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. Now granted, it is not your neatly folded kind, but it sure tasted like it. We were amazed. If you insist on the traditional folded omelet, just close your eyes while you eat it. You will never know the difference.

I am so glad that I had sense enough to buy two of these so that I could make breakfast for both of us at the same time and in only 5 minutes. My dear husband, who is known for dropping things, decided I should buy at least one more, just in case there was an accident. After all, it is shaped like a slippery egg with no handles, so we know it is just an accident waiting to happen. So, off to Marshalls I go and every other kitchen store. There are none to be found and it has been several months since I have been on this egg hunt. So, if you happen to see these, grab them. Oh and please pick me up at least one more.

FORGOTTEN RECIPES FRIDAY

Well, I just could not resist this one. Today's Forgotten Recipe is Tomato Soup Cake. This recipe came from a 1935 advertising booklet titled "Successful Baking" by Martha Lee Anderson. It is printed by Church & Dwight Co., Inc. which was established in 1846. Wow! That was before the Civil War. This booklet features recipes using Arm and Hammer or Cow Brand Baking Soda. I vaguely remember this cake when I was a little girl.

Tomato Soup Cake

2 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp. Arm & Hammer or Cow Brand Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, well beaten

1 cup raisins, cut once

1 can tomato soup

Sift flour once, measure, add baking soda, salt and spices and sift together three times. Work butter with spoon until creamy. Add sugar gradually and beat after each addition until light and fluffy. Add egg; blend well. Add raisins. Add flour alternately with tomato soup, a small amount at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Turn into two greased 8" layer pans and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 40 minutes. Frost with Boiled Frosting flavored with orange and almond.

Boiled Frosting

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cook sugar and water together stirring only until sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking until syrup spins a thread when dropped from the tip of a spoon. (238 degrees). Remove from fire. When syrup stops bubbling, pour in thin stream over egg whites, beating constantly. Continue beating until frosting stands in peaks. Add vanilla.

I know that tomato soup as a cake ingredient is a little strange, but remember that tomatoes are a fruit.

Enjoy!

FORGOTTEN RECIPES FRIDAY

I have decided to start a Friday series called Forgotten Recipes. I love cookbooks and have been collecting them for years. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to make Red Velvet Cake which was a favorite of mine when I was a little girl. I called my Mom and she couldn't find the recipe. I looked through all of my cookbooks and not one of them had a recipe for Red Velvet Cake. A search of the Internet provided a modern version, but I wanted the original, old fashioned recipe that I so fondly remembered my Mom making.

A month later, while I was at Canton Trade Days, I dug through a pile of old cookbooks laying on a dusty shelf in the back of a booth. I found a 1950's Red Velvet Cake recipe in one of the cookbooks, along with a trip down memory lane of the party foods of my childhood. Thus began my love for Vintage cookbooks!

I can spend hours in an Antique Shop looking through the bookshelves, on the hunt for my next vintage cookbook. Just ask Dorothy Kay! I really enjoy cookbooks from the 1940's, 50's,60's & 70's. I have found if they are any older than the 40's, the ingredients can be hard to find.
Some of the best recipes come from the recipe booklets that were included with kitchen appliances and the vintage pictures of old stoves, mixers, etc. are really great. I also like the Advertising Cookbooks that were put out by companies such as Jello, Nestle, and Pet Milk, just to name a few.

For years, I have collected community and fund raising cookbooks, especially when I travel, as that is the best way to get regional recipes. I consider it my souvenir. So, when I find a vintage one, I feel like I have hit the jack-pot. Of course, no one is probably surprised that I snatch up all of the vintage French Cookbooks. I don't have very many of those, but there is always tomorrow.

To me, vintage cookbooks are like history books. They give you a glimpse of the life and culture of another decade. Throughout time, most important events, holidays, and family occasions are celebrated with meals. Reading cookbooks that describe those long ago meals and celebrations is like stepping back in time. So, if you have any old cookbooks lying around that you want to get rid of, please send them my way. I will give them a good home and you might even get a chance to sample something that I have made from them.

Red Velvet Cake was and still is most common in the South. Due to the red food coloring that is used in the cake, it became very unpopular in the 1970's when red food coloring was linked with behavior problems in children. Despite the fact that red food coloring formulas were changed, the damage was done and red velvet cake virtually disappeared. It began to gain popularity again after a red velvet cake was featured in the movie Steel Magnolias. The armadillo shaped red velvet cake served as a groom's cake for one of main characters. In recent years, it has become so popular that you can find it on many menus and in bakeries. Since my search for Old Fashioned Red Velvet Cake started my love for vintage cookbooks, it is only fitting that the very first Friday post pay honor to it.

RED VELVET CAKE

For the cake:

2½ cups cake flour

1½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1½ cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons (1 oz.) red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1.Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.

3. Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

4. Divide batter evenly between 3 greased and floured 8″ round cake pans.

5. Bake cakes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cakes cool 5 minutes, then invert each onto a plate, then invert again onto a cooling rack. Let cakes cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pound cream cheese, softened

4 cups sifted powdered (confectioners') sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. NOTE: Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla extract; raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally).
Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. NOTE: May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Makes enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake.

Put 1 cake layer on a cake plate, level off with a serrated knife, and spread one-quarter of the frosting on top.

Set another layer on top, level, and repeat frosting.

Set remaining layer on top, level, and frost top and sides with the remaining frosting.

Tip: after leveling cake, turn it upside down to reduce numbers of crumbs. .
Chill for 2 hours to set frosting.

* There are many icings that are associated with red velvet cake. When I was very small, Mom made a 7 Minute Icing, which is a white fluffy icing that reminds me of marshmallow cream. However, she began making the cream cheese icing when I was older and it is my favorite, so that is why I have included that icing recipe.

**To make this even more delicious, I add a layer of chocolate ganache to each cake layer. Remember to let the ganache dry on the cake before spreading the cream cheese icing. Also, I love cupcakes and recently have been making red velvet cupcakes instead of the layer cake. Again I put a layer of chocolate ganache and then the cream cheese icing. For a recent bridal shower, I baked a chocolate kiss in the middle of the cupcake to give it that chocolate punch and I think I like that even better.

Enjoy!

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND DESSERT BAR

I also love to decorate my dessert bar. I like to put my dessert forks in some type of holder. This is a shell vase that I have and it was perfect for my forks.

I threw a decorative net over my buffet to complete the look. These nets are available in Wal-Mart's party section. These are the same ones I have used before on my table. Just throw them over your tablecloth for a nautical tablescape . Carey made a cream cheese pecan pie, but I do not have any pictures of it. It was delicious. I will get the recipe from her and share it with you. However, I did get a picture of these cute little babies!

These are brownies and let me tell you how I made them. Bake your favorite brownie recipe in a mini muffin pan. While the brownies are cooling, make the hamburgers. For this, you will need mini vanilla wafers and 4 small bowls of butter cream icing. Tint the icing brown, red, yellow and green. Take one mini vanilla wafer and turn it upside down. You will then layer the icing-brown for the hamburger patty, red for ketchup or tomato, yellow for mustard and green for lettuce. Then top with another mini vanilla wafer. You can use a knife to spread each layer, but I used cake decorating bags with a round tip.

When you place the hamburgers on top of the brownies, dab a little icing on top of the brownie to help hold the burger in place.

So cute and very easy. Enjoy!!

DIRT CAKE RECIPE

As promised, here is the Dirt Cake Recipe:

Dirt Cake

¼ cup (1/2 stick) margarine
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar (sift before adding to mixture)
3 ½ cups milk
2 3-oz pkgs INSTANT French vanilla pudding mix
12 oz. Cool Whip (defrost in the fridge – not on the cabinet)
1 large pkg Oreo cookies
A flower pot or a pail large enough to hold 3 quarts
Gummy worms or silk or plastic flowers

Crush the cookies and set aside .Mix the butter, powdered sugar
and cream cheese until smooth. In another bowl, prepare pudding
by beating pudding mix and milk together; fold in Cool Whip.
Fold the cream cheese mixture and the pudding mixture together.
Wash flower pot or pail well, then line with aluminum foil.
Layer the crushed cookies and the pudding mixture in the pot or
pail as follows: 1/3 cookies, 1/2 pudding mixture, 1/3 cookies,
1/2 pudding, 1/3 cookies. Chill to set.
To serve: garnish pail of "dirt" with gummy worms or flower
pot filled with "dirt" with silk or plastic flowers.

This is the original recipe that I cut out from the Houston Chronicle many, many years ago. Now, I have to tell you that if you make the above recipe, it will not turn out like mine. We do not use instant anything around here, much less instant pudding. However, it would sure be alot easier to use it and hey, if your family is use to it, why not. Another change that I usually make to the original recipe is that I make chocolate pudding most of the time. Not that the vanilla is not good, but we are a bunch of chocoholics around here.

I usually serve this in a flower pot, but since my tablescape was an "ocean theme", I decided to use sand pails. The pails are so much easier because there is not a hole in the bottom like there is in flower pots. Also, you do not have to worry about the lead content of the pot and that saves you from lining it in plastic wrap and foil like I usually do. To get the cookie layer to look like dirt, I highly recommend using a food processor. It is fast and easy. The first layer is the cookie mixture, followed by the pudding layer and you alternate layers until the bucket is full, ending with the cookie layer.

Here is the finished product. When I do this in a flower pot, I put gummy worms on top along with a silk flower. It is really a cute dessert. Also, I have been known to put gummy worms in each dirt layer so that when you spoon it out of the pot, worms hang off the spoon with each scoop like they do in real dirt. Now this is a little too realistic for me, but try telling that to your little girl who thinks that would be the greatest thing. Never mind that several party guests would not eat it. (Jenny Birthday Memories!)

Another variation on this that I have done, especially when you are using a sand pail for a nautical theme party, is to crush shortbread cookies or vanilla sandwich cookies. The cookie layer will then look like sand. I added a little brown sugar on the top layer of the vanilla cookie mixture which made it look even more like sand. I also laid chocolate shells on the top of the final "sand" layer. It was really cute.

Enjoy!

TEXAS BIRTHDAY DINNER

We celebrated Michael's and Jenny's birthday. I decided on a Texas theme. Michael loves the Houston Rodeo and country music and Jenny has always loved horses and riding. Of course, I love anything Texas and bluebonnets are my favorite! For those of you looking for tablescape ideas, the red stars are cookie cutters and the runner is actually two dish towels from Kohl's clearance table.

The silverware are in a blue jean pocket and the napkin ring holder is a Texas cookie cutter. I was not able to find enough Texas shaped cookie cutters, so some place settings have cowboy hat cookie cutters. Believe it or not, I found those for $1.00 each at Sur la Table. The place card holder is a red heart (for deep in the heart of TX) and I also used these at my Valentine's Day Bunco party. I found these paper sheriff's badges on the internet, which I printed on card stock, and wrote each person's name on them as a place card.

Here is my sweet family and we enjoyed a good old Texas supper of Haystacks. I will include the recipe below. Happy Birthday to Michael and Jenny!

HAYSTACKS

1 bowl of cooked white rice

1 bag Fritos

1 pot of your favorite Chili

Shredded Lettuce

Chopped Tomatoes

Chopped Avocados

Chopped Onions

Favorite Shredded Cheese

Put all of the above in serving bowls in a line on a serving table or counter. Starting with the first ingredient, put the rice on your plate, followed by some Fritos on top of the rice. Next add Chili on top of the Fritos and well you get the picture. You keep building with the rest of the ingredients and create a "hay stack". This dish is great for everyone as each person can make their own hay stack according to their likes/dislikes and dietary needs. Dieters can just have the salad! Of course, we had cherry tarts and blackberry cobbler for dessert and that is not diet!

Enjoy!

MORE BUNCO/DINNER CLUB RECIPES

Several of you asked for recipes.

The casserole recipe was from a magazine called Home Cooking.

HASH BROWN CHICKEN CASSEROLE

1 (32-ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 cup melted margarine, divided
1 10 ¾ ounce can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion, chopped
1 8 ounce container sour cream
2 cups crushed cornflakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine hash browns and chicken in an ungreased
13x9x2 inch baking dish. Mix together ½ cup margarine,
mushroom soup, cheese, onion, and sour cream.
Pour over potatoes and chicken. Top with cornflakes.
Drizzle remaining ½ cup margarine over top.
Bake uncovered 45 minutes.

This recipe is a Life Enrichment favorite given to me by Sheila Kincaid.

Overnight Fruit Salad

1 pkg vanilla pudding mix (regular, not instant) 3 ¾ oz
1 ½ juice from pineapple, peaches, and pears
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve liquid)
1 (15 oz) can sliced peaches, drained (reserve liquid)
1 (15 oz) can sliced pears, drained (reserve liquid)
2 (11 oz) cans mandarin oranges, drained
Maraschino cherries, cut up
3 bananas, cut up (I don’t include bananas)

Cook pudding as directed on pkg using fruit juice
for the liquid. Cool, fold in fruit, refrigerate overnight.

Enjoy!

MENU

Many of you asked for the recipes from the Valentine's Dinner. I have shared the Avocado Slaw recipe in a previous post, but here it is again. Well worth repeating!

AVOCADO SLAW

1 Bag Coleslaw Mix, (Wash & Dry)

1 Bunch green onions, chopped

Hellman’s mayo (Only Hellman’s)

4 avocados, cubed

Toss coleslaw, onions, & avocados together. Add mayo until creamy. Serve immediately as avocados will turn brown.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S PARTY

What do you serve at a "Breakfast at Tiffany's Birthday Party? Breakfast food of course! This is a picture of the menu and it was a success!

The main course was Boil in a Bag Omelets. Yes, I know that sounds, well kinda gross, but let me assure you that they are wonderful. Each guest picks out their own ingredients for their omelet. Believe me, everyone was very skeptical as to whether the ingredients in their bag would ever resemble an omelet much less taste like one. However, they were pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were and so fun and easy.

Please notice the champagne glass on the left with the fruit salad in it. I bought these beautiful glasses at the Christmas clearance sale at Target. I purchased two sets for 50% off and loved them so much that I went back and was able to buy two more sets for 75% off. If you look close, you will see that the bottom of the glass looks like a crystal door knob complete with silver band. The fruit salad being served in each glass is one of my favorites.


I was not sure what to serve as a beverage until I remembered my friend Jane's Champagne Punch. It is delicious and non alcoholic so my nieces were able to drink it. Naturally, I served it in Champagne glasses.

I saved the best for last. My sister and I both share an adoration for Red Velvet Cake. So, I made Red Velvet Cupcakes for dessert. Red Velvet Cake seems to really be coming back in style now after being absent from the cake scene for a while. Or course, you must make it from scratch! Also, I now include a secret ingredient. One day while eating a piece of red velvet cake from a bakery in Houston, I noticed that it had something extra that made it really good. After a thorough investigation, (sometimes you have to eat two for research purposes), I discovered a layer of chocolate ganache. It really makes a difference in the flavor and makes it more chocolaty like it should be. Also, remember that presentation is everything. So in keeping with Tiffany's pearls and jewels, I used my pedestal cake plate that is dripping in crystals and scattered pearls around the base.

Here is my secret ingredient for Red Velvet Cake.

Ganache Recipe

8 ounces artisan chocolate of your choice, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons vanilla or your favorite flavoring

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Add flavoring. Frost the top of cooled cupcake with ganache and let dry. Ice with homemade cream cheese icing.

Enjoy!

TO BUSY TO BLOG

Yes, I have been to busy to blog, but not to busy to give parties! My daughter has been fussing at me because I have not continued my blogging. So Jenny, with your gentle nudging, I am back at it again.


I gave this party in January for my friends Jane, Shirley and Cindy. They have December and January Birthdays!

Notice my place card holders. These are chip bag clips! I found them at HEB in Rockport, TX and yes, they were on the chip aisle. I could not resist them. So cute! I would not let the girls take them home as favors as I plan on using them again!

Now I must admit that I really enjoyed making the party invitations. I love stationary and the computer has opened up a whole new world for me. You can make anything. I find myself wanting to give parties so that I can create a new invitation. I also love cupcakes so these were perfect.







While dessert is always our favorite thing, I served a dish called Avocado Slaw that everyone loved. I got this recipe from my Mother and it is so easy, yet delicious. Everyone tries to guess what the ingredients are. I think that the Hellman's mayo is what makes the difference.



AVOCADO SLAW


1 Bag Coleslaw Mix, (Wash & Dry)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Hellman’s mayo (Only Hellman’s)
4 avocados, cubed
Toss coleslaw, onions, & avocados together. Add mayo until creamy. Serve immediately as avocados will turn brown.



Enjoy!

QUICK AND EASY RECIPE

Here is another quick recipe to help you during all of the holiday rush. This recipe was given to me by my good friend Gina. She is a fabulous cook and has given me several recipes that have become my favorites.

GINA'S STROMBOLI

Frozen Bread Dough (8 in pkg)
Sliced Pepperoni
Deli Ham
Mozzarella Cheese

Take a jelly roll pan and prepare by spraying with a non-stick cooking spray. Also spray a sheet of saran wrap that is large enough to cover the cookie sheet. Take two loaves of the frozen bread dough and let rise all day on jelly roll pan. After the dough rises, punch down and roll out (use flour) as flat as you can. Now your dough is ready to be filled.

In the center, place deli ham, pepperoni, and cheese – one layer, or any of your favorite meat and cheese toppings.
After filling, take both sides and bring to center. Seal like a pocket.
Bake 350 for 20 – 30 min. Slice.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Enjoy

HOLIDAY RUSH

With all of the shopping, wrapping, decorating and food you have to prepare for the round of parties you will be attending, who has time to cook dinner?!!! You do - and here is how. Make a batch of Crock Pot Potatoe Soup. You will love this recipe.


CROCK POT POTATOE SOUP

6 large potatoes, peeled into ½” cubes
1 large onion chopped
3 14oz. cans seasoned chicken broth (I used 1 can of plain & 2 seasoned)
¼ cup butter cubed
1 ½ tsp. salt & pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup Cheddar cheese
3 tbs. chives
Bacon
Sour Cream

Put first 5 ingredients into crock pot. Cover & cook on High 4 hours or Low 8 hours until tender. Mash coarsely some of the potatoes to thicken. Stir in cream, cheese & chives. Top bowls of soup with bacon and sour cream.

Enjoy your holiday happenings!!!