May 5, 1955 Meal In A Dish, A Quickee Tossed Bravo Macaroni and Cheese, Pecan Pie

Meal In A Dish

(Freeze this for a future busy day.)

1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1/4 pound ground pork
1/4 c. minced onion
1 c. rolled oates, uncooked
2 1/2 t. salt
Dash pepper
3/4 t. ground mustard
1/4 c. ketchup
1 egg, beaten
1 c. milk
2 c. freshly blanched mixed vegetables or 1 pk. frozen mixed vegetables ((12 oz.)

Mix together all ingredients except vegetables. Put meat mixture  into greased casserole (1 1/2 quart). Bake. Arrange blanched fresh vegetables in a ring on top of meat loaf. (If frozen vegetables are used do not put them on top of meat loaf until ready to reheat.) Seal casserole cover in place with freezer tape. Freeze. When ready to serve, reheat in oven just before serving until hot clear to the center.

Tip: Bake meat loaf about 1 hour and bake meat loaf with vegetables after freezing 45 minutes, temperature 375. Serves 6.

 A Quickee Tossed Bravo Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound Bravo 60 second Macaroni
1/2 c. butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Cook macaroni according to directions on package. Drain and put on hot platter. Melt butter in saucepan with garlic, simmer for a few minutes, remove garlic. Pour over hot macaroni, add parsley and 1 1/2 c. of cheese; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Pecan Pie

A regional pie -- from the South, and it's 'easy as pie' to make. This is a large pie baked in 10 1/2 pyrex pie plate and will serve 10. Pie may be frozen right in the pyrex pie plate for further use.

 5 eggs
1 c. butter
6 T. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 c. whipping cream, if desired for a garnish

Prepare unbaked pie shell. Beat eggs and sugar together well. Add butter, corn syrup, salt, vanilla and chopped pecans, mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours or until filling is set. Serve slightly warm or cold. Top with whipped cream if desired.

February 24, 1955 Pastry Mix, Pecan Squares, Special Meat Loaf, French Fried Potatoes in the Oven

Pastry Mix

8 c. flour
1 T. salt
1 pound lard or vegetable shortening

Sift flour and salt, cut in lard or shortening as for pie crust until mixture resembles fine meal and some pieces of fat are the size of peas. Pack into tightly closed jar or can. Store in cool place or refrigerator.

To use pastry mix:

For 1 crust pie use 1 1/4 c. pastry mix and about 3 T. cold water.
For 2 crust pie use 2 1/2 c. pastry mix and about 5 T. cold water.

Note: If you are using vegetable shortening such as Fluffo you may have a richer pastry by using 7 c. of flour instead of 8 c.

Pecan Squares

2 1/2 c. pastry mix
5 T. water
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. dark corn syrup
3 eggs, well beaten
1/4 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pecans, broken

Combine pastry mix with water. Turn out onto floured pastry cloth or board and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. Line a 9 x 9 x 1 1/2 inch pan with pastry, let pastry come up sides of pan. Flute the top edge. Combine sugar and syrup and cook to 230 degrees or until syrup spins a thread. Pour hot syrup slowly on eggs, beating constantly. Add butter, vanilla and nuts. Pour into pastry lined pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into squares; serve warm or cold, topped with whipped cream. These may be made a day ahead of time. Store in a cool place.

Special Meat Loaf

1/2 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. celery, diced
1/4 c. butter
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 T. salt
2 eggs
3 c. soft bread crumbs
1/2 c. water
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 T. butter, melted

Brown onions and celery in 1/4 c. butter or shortening. Combine with green pepper, salt, eggs, bread crumbs and water to make a stuffing. Add 1 1/2 c. of the stuffing to meat, mixing well. Pat out 1/2 of the meat mixture in loaf pan. Cover with remaining stuffing, then top with remaining meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Baste two or three times during baking with tomato juice and butter which have been mixed together. Serves 10 to 12.

French Fried Potatoes in the Oven

Select one medium or large potato for each person to be served. Pare potatoes and cut them into strips. Place the strips in single layers in shallow pan, sprinkle with salt; pour 1/4 c. melted shortening over 8 prepared potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees (with meat loaf) for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown. Serve piping hot.

January 4, 1955 Basic Cookery Lesson No. 1 Muffins Quick muffins

Today and every Tuesday for a time, I thought we might have some lessons in BASIC COOKERY. Let me know how you like this idea. Lesson One today is on muffins.

EVERY MONTH.............IS MUFFIN MONTH

Quick muffins

2 c. flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. Planter Peanut Oil

Combine dry ingredients in sifter and sift into a bowl. Make a well and add remaining ingredients. Stir only enough to dampen flour -- you WANT a lumpy batter. Fill greased muffin pans only 2/3 full. Bake in hot oven (400 F.) about 30 minutes.

YOUR MUFFIN CALENDAR

JANUARY: SWISS CHEESE MUFFINS. Mix 1 c. grated cheese with dry ingredients. Sprinlke tops with a few shavings of coarsely grated cheese.

FEBRUARY: BACON MUFFINS. Add 1/3 c. crushed bacon bits (cooked, drained and crushed).

MARCH: PINEAPPLE MUFFINS: Add 3/4 c. crushed, drained pineapple when stirring in milk.

APRIL: DATE MUFFINS.  Add 2/3 c. chopped dates, maybe a few nuts.

MAY: CHERRY MUFFINS. Add 1 c. pitted, chopped cherries. Increase sugar by 2 T. Fresh cherries may be used in May. Frozen or canned cherries may be used. Frozen cherries must me thawed. Frozen or canned cherries, well drained.

JUNE: BLACKBERRY MUFFINS. Increase sugar by 2 T. Sprinkle berries with 3 T. flour, just before filling muffin tins. Use 3/4 c. berries.

JULY: BLACKBERRY MUFFINS. Increase sugar to 1/2 c. for blueberry muffins are always sweet. Sprinkle 3/4 c. berries with 3 T. flour, stir in just before filling muffin tins.

AUGUST: BING CHERRIES. Seed, chop. Sprinkle with 3 T. flour. Add last. Use 3/4 c. chopped cherries.

SEPTEMBER: PEACHES, ripe this month. Peel, seed and chop, enough to make 2/3 c. Stir in with milk.

OCTOBER: CRANBERRY MUFFINS. Double sugar, add 1/2 c. whole fresh berries.

NOVEMBER: PECAN MUFFINS. Double sugar, add 2/3 c. chopped nuts. Sprinkle sugar and more nuts on top of muffins before baking. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon when they come out of oven.

DECEMBER: SALAMI MUFFINS.  Tear 3 thin slices of salami into dime sized bits. Add to muffin batter. Result? A pleasant surprise in a month where all surprises are good ones.

A Very Special Muffin Recipe -- Good

2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. soda
1 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. bran
2 eggs well beaten
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. melted shortening
4 c. thinly sliced ripe bananas (6 to 8)

Sift together flour, soda, salt and sugar. Add bran and mix well. Combine eggs, milk, shortening and bananas. Add to dry ingredients, mixing only enough to dampen the flour. Turn into well greased muffin pans. Bake at 375 degrees 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 16 large muffins.

Trudy's Tips:

1. Never over beat muffin batter, it makes tough muffins.
2. Remove muffins from pans immediately after baking.
3. Always serve muffins PIPING HOT.
4. If you bake muffins in advance you may pop them into the oven for 5 minutes before serving.
5. If you have a home freezer, bake muffins, cool, wrap in aluminum foil. When needed, place in oven frozen for about 30 minutes. They taste like freshly baked ones. Do not remove foil while heating.