On hold...

As you can see, I have not added anything new here for awhile. That is because I started attending university courses in November. With full time work, part time school, and home/family responsibilities, there is little time for anything else! *sigh* My hobbies will just have to wait for awhile. But, I still pull out an old cookbook to read every now and again. I see each recipe as a short story. I can read 3-4 short stories and then get back to homework. I hope to get back to this sooner than later!!

LEMON REFRIGERATOR COOKIES - 1948

600 Recipes
By the LADIES AID of
ROCK VALLE LUTHERAN CHURCH
1948
Echo, Minnesota


LEMON REFRIGERATOR COOKIES

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cocoanut, if desired

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks and grated lemon rind and juice. Then add the sifted dry ingredients. Mix well; add cocoanut. To bake immediately mold in balls and press on cooky sheet. For refrigerator cookies, mold in long roll, wrap in wax paper and chill. Slice and bake as needed. bake in moderately hot oven, 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes. This makes five dozen small cookies. For fancy cooky press potato masher on top of cookies. --Martha Moe

This recipe is definitely a KEEPER! I wouldn't even consider making them without the coconut (yes, the recipe book spells it cocoanut.) My usual cookie recipes are peanut butter cookies, Berry Nutty Oatmeal (my own original recipe) and chocolate chip cookies. These are a great addition to my regular recipes and I will make them again and again. Yes, they are that good.

I baked some immediately and then baked a few later to see if there was a difference in the cookies (yes, the recipe book spells it cooky.) I tried to make them 'fancy' by pressing in a masher. The impression remained (somewhat) in the refrigerated dough but not when I cooked them immediately.

I'm really enjoying learning about the history of these recipes and found the following on refrigerator cookies: source

"With the invention of the electric refrigerator, many recipes were updated, among them icebox rolls and icebox cookies. Icebox cookies were renamed refrigerator cookies, although of course the basic recipe remained the same. The cookie dough was mixed, and then the directions advised you to place the dough in the 'refrigerator' until thoroughly chilled.

Fortunately, for those of us who love homemade treats, these recipes have survived. Whether you call them icebox or refrigerator cookies, they are still convenient and they taste mighty good. No cooking experience is really necessary to prepare refrigerator cookies from scratch. What could be easier or tastier? The cookie dough is very simple to make and once chilled, the cookies may be baked a few at a time as needed. Almost any dough can be frozen and will keep a couple of months if carefully wrapped. The baked cookies also freeze well, and sometimes it's better to bake all the cookies at once and then freeze some to serve later. This method messes up the kitchen and the cookie sheets only once."

PEACH SUPREME - 1979

Talking About Cooking
Langley Air Force Base
Langley Officers' Wives' Club
1978-1979
Hampton, Virginia

I've gotten behind in my posts! I have several recipes that I will be posting in the next few days that I used for my niece's baby shower a few weeks ago. The first... JELLO!!

I checked out the History of Jello on the internet and read that the concept started in 1845. The name Jell-O didn't come to pass until 1897 and the product didn't really 'gel' until around 1902.

Trivia: The first four Jell-O flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry. Lime was introduced in 1930.

Trivia: Did you know that the people of Salt Lake City consume more lime-flavored gelatin than any other city in the United States?

Most of the retro recipe books I have include multiple recipes that include Jell-O recipes. The recipe book "Talking About Cooking" put together by the Langley Air Force Base Officer's Wives Club (1978-1979) is no exception. I counted at least eight!

Peach Supreme

1 (6 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 large carton Cool Whip
1 1/2 C. sliced fresh peaches (or frozen)
1 small pkg. Peach Jello (dry)
1 1/2 C. crushed pineapple (drained)

Remove skin from peaches and slice. While the peaches are setting, sprinkle 2 T. lemon juice over them. Blend the softened cream cheese with the sour cream, and the Cool Whip. Fold remaining ingredients into cheese mixture. Place in an 8x8" dish and refrigerate for at least an hour or more. May be used as a salad or a dessert. Serves 8.
--Jan Christiansen (Mrs. V.R.)
366 Tactical Fighter Wing,
Mt. Home FB, Idaho

I had forgotten how good Jell-O can be! This was really, really good and a hit at the baby shower!

A few years ago, I tried a Jell-O recipe similar to this one. But, I wanted to make it diet-friendly for my husband. (We were only dating then.) So, I used dry SUGAR FREE Jell-O instead. Unfortunately, Russ remembers this as one of the greatest food disasters of all time for me. Fortunately, there have been very few cooking disasters (salt pork was even worse than the Jello but we won't talk about that.) Even more fortunately, he married me anyway. :) So take my word for it... you cannot substitute with sugar-free Jell-O.

SHRIMP SALAD with CHILI-SAUCE DRESSING - 1972

A Treasure Chest of Recipes from
our Savior's Lutheran Church
Racine, Wisconsin

My sister-in-law Nancy grew up in Wisconsin so I have been thinking of her as I read through this book. I was able to go with my mom and brother to Wisconsin for the wedding. We thoroughly enjoyed that trip. This book is a bit worn, but the recipes are still good!

SHRIMP SALAD

1/4 lb. fresh spinach
1 c. large, ready to eat shrimp
2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
1 c. tiny cauliflowerets
1 pkg. (1 oz) Blue cheese, crumbled
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Have all ingredients thoroughly chilled. Wash spinach and drain well. Tear into fine shreds. Add rest of ingredients. Drizzle with Chili-Sauce dressing and toss lightly.

CHILI-SAUCE DRESSING

1/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. salad oil
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. onion juice

Combine ingredients. Beat or shake until blended. --Helen Ferguson

This salad is AWESOME! Russ and I both loved it. I used some of my home bottled chili sauce and fresh tomatoes from my garden.

I admit, I don't know how to juice an onion so of course, I Googled it. Interestingly enough, onion juice can help cholesterol, brown spots and even hair loss! You can apparently buy onion juice at the supermarket but I don't think its something I have ever seen on the shelf. So, I pulled an onion from the garden, sliced it in half, then used a microplane grater to grate the onion into a bowl. I thought about squeezing out the onion pulp for just the juice but got lazy and just threw it all in. Hey, the chili sauce is a bit chunky and its the flavor we want right? It tastes great to me!! This is one that I will use again!

HASTY PUDDING - 1972

PROVO Eleventh Ward Relief Society COOK BOOK - 1972

This little cook book was compiled, typed, copied, and put together by the women in this ward. Each section has been printed on a different color of paper and all the art work was drawn by hand (attributed to Ileen Parker and Jimmie Ranking.) Even the page numbers were written by hand! There is no binding, just 3 holes punched in the pages and held together by 3 metal binder rings.

As I was reading through the recipes, I found this unusual recipe for HASTY PUDDING. I've never made anything like it. Every ingredient is something I normally keep in the pantry so I was able to put this together very fast. Hence the name...

HASTY PUDDING

1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Mix together to make a smooth paste then add 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup raisins or nuts, chopped. Pour into greased pan. Stir together: 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp melted butter and 2 cups boiling water. Pour this over mixture in pan and do not stir into the mixture. Bake 30 min. at 400*. The secret is not to stir in the brown sugar mixture with the other. Pudding is delicious. - Ada Ellis

I Googled 'Hasty Pudding' and found the following on the Food Facts & Trivia website:

Originally a British dish, this pudding could be made on very short notice. Ingredients vary, but it was basically a sweetened porridge made from flour, tapioca or oatmeal and milk. The term originated in the late 16th century.

In Colonial America cornmeal was cheaper and more readily available, so here, Hasty Pudding was a cornmeal mush (cornmeal added to boiling water and cooked) with molasses, honey, brown sugar or maple syrup and milk.

There are both savory and dessert versions of this dish.

HASTY PUDDING
Fath'r and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Goodin,
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty puddin'.
(Verse from Yankee Doodle)


The house smells heavenly! The pudding is very good but VERY sweet! If I make it again, I will try a little less brown sugar and use nuts instead of sweet raisins. It would be good served hot with ice cream.

BROWN BREAD - 1985

Favorite Recipes - 1985
From The Congregational Church Guild
Wilmington, Vermont

Brown Bread
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. dark molasses
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. white flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. buttermilk

Stir the baking soda into the molasses; add the sugar, salt, flours and buttermilk. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (This makes one regular loaf, or two small ones) --Betsy Fajans

There are no instructions for the pan so I used a standard aluminum bread loaf pan that I had greased with shortening.

I love the drawings on the index pages of this little book. The Brown Bread recipe came from the Breads, Rolls, Pies and Pastry section so I scanned it so you can see the drawing of the little chubby grandma. Isn't she cute!?

NEW HAMPSHIRE CHEESE SOUP - early 1980's

Seniors of Esponoza Terrace - No Publish Date
Henderson, NV

I love soup! It is one of my favorite meals. Most think of soup as a winter meal but not me. I eat it year round and at least once a week. I'm so lucky to have a husband who is not a picky eater. He has been a great guinea pig for recipes. Gratefully there have been very few disasters. He REALLY liked this soup and so did I. It's a winner!

New Hampshire Cheese Soup

1 lg. potato, chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped carrot
1/4 c. thin sliced celery
1 c. water
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. half & half
2 tbsp. parsley

Heat vegetables and water in 2 quart saucepan to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese, broth, half & half and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley. --Connie Thompson


This soup is great as is but I did add a bit of fresh ground black pepper and then I used my immersion blender for a finer, smoother texture.

Reading this cook book was a nice trip down memory lane. I lived in Henderson for about 2 years and that is where my daughter was born. My father lived in Henderson for most of my growing up years and stayed there until he passed away. My brothers and I were able to go visit for a week in the hot summer when we were out of school. I remember trying to run down to the corner convenience store as fast as we could in bare feet. Not a good idea in over 100 degree heat! One of our favorite activities was to drive down through the expansive desert area between Henderson and the airport to watch the jets fly over. It seemed they were only a few feet above our heads! Sometimes a few other cars would pull up and do the same thing. There was more airplane traffic than vehicle traffic on that road back then! Now, that entire desert area between Dad's old back yard and the airport has become Green Valley.