Caldo de Zapallo Tierno (Zucchini Soup)

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
5 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons uncooked rice
1 pound zucchini, grated (1 1/2 cups)
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

In large saucepan saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add broth and rice. Bring to boil, then simmer covered 10 minutes. Stir in zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes or until zucchini is very tender. In soup tureen beat egg, cheese and parsley. Gradually whisk in hot broth mixture. Serve at once in warm soup bowls.

Makes about 7 cups.

[Magazine clipping. Commentary: This lovely simple recipe was given to me by a gifted cook when I visited her in Paraguay. For more vegetable flavor, I often omit the rice.]

As Corning as Kansas in August

1/2 stick butter or margarine
3 cups corn cut from the cob (or frozen or canned)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped pimiento
1-2 small jalapeno chilies, minced very fine
1/4 cups flour
2 cups milk
3 eggs, well beaten
4 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large saucepan; saute corn and onion over low heat 5-6 minutes. Stir in pimiento and chilies. Sprinkle with flour. Gradually stir in milk and keep stirring over medium heat until mixture thickens. Gradually stir this mixture into eggs, adding bacon, then salt and pepper to taste. Pour into 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Place dish in larger pan and fill pan with water halfway up the sides. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until set.

Serves 8.

[Magazine clipping]

Sopa de Mani (Peanut Soup)

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup toasted peanuts, ground fine
1 pound potatoes, cooked and chopped (about 2 medium)
4 cups chicken or beef broth, divided
1 cup light cream or half-and-half
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Saute onion in butter in 3-quart saucepan until soft. In blender or food processor (for smoother texture use blender) combine onion, peanuts, potatoes and about 1/2 cup broth. Blend to smooth puree. Return to saucepan; stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups broth, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cream, salt and pepper. Cook just long enough to heat through. Serve in warm soup bowls; garnish with chives.

Makes about 7 cups.

[Magazine clipping. This recipe, from Ecuador, has the following descriptive information: Peanut soup turns up all over Latin America, each version a little different. My favorite is this creamy, delicate soup from Ecuador.]

Molondrones con Camarones (Okra with Shrimps)

1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup oil
4 cups small fresh okra, trimmed and cut in 1/4-inch slices,
or 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen whole okra, partially thawed, separated and cut in 1/4-inch slices
3 underripe bananas, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch slices
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1 can (16 ounces) tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small fresh hot red or green pepper, seeded and chopped, or 1 or 2 drained canned jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley
salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste
1 pound medium shrimps, shelled and deveined

In large skillet saute onion in oil until tender. Add okra and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in bananas, tomatoes, lemon juice, red pepper, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until okra and bananas are tender. Stir in shrimps. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes or until shrimps are tender. Serve with rice.

Makes 3 or 4 servings.

[Magazine clipping. This recipe is from the Dominican Republic and is "an unusual combination of flavors".]

Victory Garden Skillet Dinner

1 pound ground beef
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup Uncle Ben's Converted brand rice
1 large onion, chopped
3 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Accent brand flavor enhancer
6 slices pre-sliced American cheese
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped

Brown beef in 10-inch skillet; drain off fat. Stir in water, rice, onion, bouillon cubes, dry mustard and Accent. Bring to boil; stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Cut 4 slices cheese into small pieces. Stir cheese pieces, green pepper and tomato into cooked rice. Cut remaining cheese slices into triangles; arrange on top. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand until all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

[Magazine clipping. I don't like using brand names, and avoid it when I can, but I don't know what would be an equivalent generic for Uncle Ben's Converted Rice or Accent. Sorry.]

Hearty Beef Stew

3 pounds lean chuck or round, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, sliced (2 cups)
1 can condensed beef broth
water
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
teaspoon leaf thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
2 medium-size turnips, diced (1 cup)
3 potatoes, pared, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 pounds)
4 to 6 carrots, pared, cut into julienne pieces (about 3/4 pound)
1 can (1 pound) tomato wedges in tomato juice
1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas

1. Pre-soak the clay pot, both top and bottom, in water for 15 minutes.

2. Shake beef cubes, a few at a time, in a plastic bag with the flour.

3. Brown meat, a few pieces at a time, on all sides in oil in a large skillet; remove with slotted spoon to pre-soaked pot. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the skillet. Saute garlic and onions until golden; add to pot.

4. Pour beef broth into a 2-cup measure; add water to measure 2 cups liquid. Add broth mixture to skillet; bring to boiling, scraping up browned bits.

5. Combine salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Sprinkle beef and onions with 1/2 of the herb mixture. Layer turnips, potatoes, carrots and tomato wedges and juice over beef. Sprinkle with remaining herb mixture. Carefully pour beef broth over. Cover pot; place in center of cold oven. Set oven temperature at very hot (450 degrees).

7. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Carefully remove cover and sprinkle over slightly thawed peas. Recover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Uncover and stir gently to mix ingredients. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley, if you wish.

Note: To cook in Dutch oven: Follow recipe, but add an additional 1/2 cup water to broth in step 4. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) about 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until meat is tender.

Makes 8 servings

[Magazine clipping. You will note step # 6 is not there. This is not a typo on my part. I don't know if the magazine misnumbered the steps or if step # 6 was lost in the scissors-snipping, because there is a physical break there. It certainly reads consecutively, but I make no warranty. You will also note in step #1 that this recipe was designed for clay-pot cooking methods. With this in mind, I add the commentary from the subheading of the recipe: Here is an old favorite made in a new way. You don't have to watch the pot, and it's ready in less time than it would take if cooked the conventional way.]

Curried Egg Strata

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
4 slices firm whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
4 slices firm white bread, lightly toasted
3 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine mayonnaise and curry powder in small bowl. Spread on two slices of the whole wheat and two slices of the white bread. Cut slices into quarters. Place in bottom of buttered 6-cup shallow baking pan.

2. Slice hard-cooked dggs and place on top of bread. Sprinkle with green onions and the cheese.

3. Cut remaining 4 slices bread into quarters. Arrange in checkerboard design over the cheese.

4. Beat eggs slightly in medium-size bowl; stir in milk and salt. Pour over bread.

5. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

6. Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven (375) for 45 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to wire rack. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

[Magazine clipping. Suggests serving with chutney or pickled melon rind for a "pleasant flavor combination."]

Oatmeal Picnic Cake

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick (not instant) rolled oats
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup frozen orange-juice concentrate, thawed, undiluted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
1/2 teaspoon each salt and cinnamon
Nut Topping (recipe follows)

In small bowl pour water over oats; set aside. Cream butter with sugars until fluffy; beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in orange concentrate and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon; blend into creamed mixture alternately with oats. Turn into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed lightly. Cool in pan on rack. Spread with Nut Topping; place under broiler 1 minute or until golden. Cut in squares.

Serves 12.

Per serving: 421 calories, 5 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 78 mg cholesteral with butter, 42 mg cholesteral with margarine.

Nut Topping
In small saucepan combine 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter or margarine and 2 tablespoons thawed undiluted orange-juice concentrate. Stirring, bring to boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

[Magazine clipping]

Crispy Fish Fillets

1/4 cup each white cornmeal and flour
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fish fillets, thawed if frozen
1/4 cup buttermilk
oil
lemon wedges (optional)

Mix well cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt and pepper; set aside. Dip fillets in buttermilk, then in cornmeal mixture to coat well. Chill at least 30 minutes to set coating. Heat skillet with about 1/8 inch oil until hot. Add a few fillets at a time. Cook, turning once, until golden. Remove to platter; keep warm. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.

[Magazine clipping. This is another of the series with dates; in this case, (Friday May 4), presumably to go with the coleslaw.]

West Coast Health Salad

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 large head romaine or iceberg lettuce
1 pound mung or soybean sprouts (6 to 7 cups)
1/2 pound Monterey jack cheese, cut into julienne strips
2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1. For dressing, combine cream cheese, salt, mustard, orange rind, orange juice and honey in medium-size bowl until smooth and creamy.

2. Wash, dry and tear lettuce pieces into large wooden bowl. Arrange sprouts, cheese, oranges, avocado and raisins over lettuce. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve with dressing.

Makes 8 servings

[Magazine clipping]

Creamy Blue-Cheese Dressing

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper

In small bowl blend well all ingredients. Refrigerate. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

[Magazine clipping. Another of those dated ones; this one is (Tuesday, May 22). Oddly enough, tomorrow is May 22, but Monday.]

Coleslaw

3 cups thinly shreddd cabbage
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 green onions with tops, sliced thin
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Prepare vegetables in food processor if available. In large bowl stir together all ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight. Makes 4 servings.

[Magazine clipping. This one has an intriguing addition: a date after the title (Friday, May 4). So, what year? My best guesstimates would be 1973, 1979, or 1984. The food processor was introduced in 1973, and at some point Ada stopped clipping recipes. But when?]

Spiced Nuts

1 egg white
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound shelled pecans, almonds (unblanched), or walnuts, or a mixture

In a large bowl, beat egg white with water until mixture is frothy. In a shallow dish stir togethr sugar, cornstarch, spices, and salt. Toss the nuts in the egg white mixture to coat well; roll them in the spiced sugar mixture and spread in a single layer in a 15.5 x 10.5" jellyroll pan. Bake in preheated 250-degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool, then store in an airtight container.

Easy to make for holiday entertaining or gift giving.

[Newspaper clipping]

Chocolate Potato Balls

1/2 cup prepared instant mashed potato
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract
4 1/2 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 cups (7-ounce package) flaked coconut
Garnish: candied cherries, nuts, optional

Combine potato, butter, cocoa and vanilla in large mixing bowl; blend well. Gradually stir in sugar; mix until smooth. (Mixture resembles uncooked fondant.) Add coconut; knead until completely blended.

Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls; press a cherry or nut into center of each, if desired. Wrap in plastic wrap allowing enough wrap to twist. Tie with ribbon yarn; hang balls on tree. Or, do not wrap; store balls in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen balls.

[Newspaper clipping]

[Would this work with real mashed potatoes, or do they have to be instant? And what, exactly, does uncooked fondant look like? And if you've made enough candy to know what it looks like, would this recipe be an unacceptable shortcut for cheap-n-easy fake candy or is it good enough to be an interesting variation on traditional candy-making methods? I don't know any of these answers.]

[Sorry about the dearth of recipes; I was out of town. But I'm back.]

Praline Prizes

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup broken pecans

Beat together the sugars, shortening and eggs. Sift remaining dry ingredients together. Add to blended ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Bake at 375 degrees on lightly greased cookie sheet about 10 minutes. Thse cookies turn brown only on bottom, so don't wait for cookies to brown before removing from oven. When cookies are cool, brush with burned sugar glaze (see below).

Makes about 6 1/2 dozen.

Burnt Sugar Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Heat butter until golden brown. Stir in sugar and milk. Stir until smooth.

[Newspaper clipping.]

Fricadeller from Ida (Danish Meat Cakes)

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, grated
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening

In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except milk and shortening. Add milk, beat with wooden spooon until mixture is smooth. Shape into oblong patties. Melt shortening in large skillet and brown patties slowly over low heat on both sides or bake in oven on rack at 325 degrees until done. They are almost like a meat loaf.

Serves 4.

[Newspaper clipping.]

Ornament Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
decoration: red cinnamon candies, colored sprinkles, gumdrops, optional Decorator Frosting (recipe below)

Cream butter, sugar, egg, peppermint extract and milk in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Mix until well blended.

Divide dough into quarters; wrap tightly. Chill 2 or 3 hours. Roll out dough, 1/4 at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Cut half the dough with a gingerbread boy or girl cookie cutter, or use star, bell, reindeer, Santa Claus or other Christimas shapes; cut remaining dough into 3-by-2 1/2-inch rectangles to resemble gift tags. Make hole in end of each cookie for hanging on tree.

Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Make buttons on gingerbread cookies and holly berries on gift tags with cinnamon candies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm. Cool on wire racks. Decorate cookies using decorator frosting and, if desired, colored sprinkles and gumdrops.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Decorator Frosting: Combine 2 1/3 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract in small mixer bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very stiff.

[Newspaper clipping]

Almond Pastry Squares

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup almond filling
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine 1 egg
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon flour

1. Combine flour and the 1/2 cup sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in the 6 tablespoons butter using a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press half the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 10 minutes. remove from oven; cool slightly on wire rack.

3. Beat almond filling with remaining sugar and butter until blended. Beat in egg, lemon rind and flour. Spread over partially baked layer. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture evenly over filling; press down lightly.

4. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is firm. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 36 1 1/2-inch squares when cool. Garnish with whole almonds half covered with melted chocolate, if you wish.

Makes 36 1 1/2-inch squares

[What is this 1/2 cup almond filling? I don't think I've ever seen "almond filling" in the grocery store. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place. Also, the off-hand comment about garnishing with whole almonds half-covered in melted chocolate is a bit unfair. What if that sounds just great, but you didn't pick up any whole almonds or chocolate to melt because they weren't listed in the ingredients as an option? Recipe writers need to think about these things. How can anyone remember to look for whole almonds or chocolate to melt when they have to spend so much time looking for the almond filling?]

Asparagus with Egg Sauce

4 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 pound asparagus

Place eggs in pan of gently boiling water. Simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and plunge in ice water. Remove shells. Egg whites should be just set.

Melt butter over low heat. In a medium bowl, mash eggs with a fork and stir in butter, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook asparagus by one of the methods described above. Divide among 4 plates. Serve sauce separately in 4 small bowls to use as a dip for the asparagus spears.

[Newspaper clipping. Apparently one of a group of asparagus recipes, since this is the third one in not very long. I thought about spacing this out a little further, but I remembered it's asparagus season, so we might as well enjoy while we can.

[Now, about that instruction to "cook asparagus by one of the methods described above." Ada didn't clip the part described above, or if she did, I haven't found it yet. But I am confident that you can find out how to cook asparagus in one of your trusted cookbooks or on the Internet or from your mother. So we won't lose sleep over that little omission.

[Enjoy.]

Asparagus Stir-fried

1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoons oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
salt

Cut asparagus diagonally into 1 inch lengths. Blanch in rapidly boiling salted water. Heat wok or large skillet over moderately high heat; add oil and heat until very hot.

Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for several seconds. Add asparagus and stir-fry to coat with oil and heat through. Add stock, soy sauce and cornstarch and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

[newspaper clipping]

Scotland's Griddle or Dropped Scones

4 c flour
2 t baking soda
2 t cream of tartar
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c buttermilk

Mix all dry ingredients; beat the egg well, and add the milk to it. Mix to a fairly soft batter.

Grease a griddle, drop mixture on by the spoonful. Brown on both sides. Wrap in towel to keep warm.

Makes about 4 dozen 2 1/2-inch scones.

[Hand-written]

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1 pound asparagus
4 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup cream

Rinse and cut asparagus into 1-inch lengths, reserving tips. Simmer tips in small amount of water just until tender. Set aside. Place stalks in 3-quart saucepan wth stock, onion and celery. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Pour soup into blender and puree at high speed for about 30 seconds.

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, sitrring constantly. Slowly add asparagus stock and heat through.

In small bowl, combine egg yolks and cream. Add about 2 cups of hot soup to egg mixture; stir well. Slowly add to soup, stirring constantly over low heat. Do not let soup boil. Add asparagus tips. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with chopped hard-cooked egg.

Florida Sun 'n' Sea Antipasto

1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hot tap water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, mashed
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 package (6 ounces) frozen crab meat, thawed
5 oranges, sliced
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a medium bowl, mix together grapefruit juice, water, oil, garlic, hot pepper sauce and salt; blend well. Add mushroom slices and crab meat; toss to coat well. Cover. Chill 3 hours. At serving time, on a large platter, arrange orange slices to cover surface of platter. Drain mushroom-crameat mixture; arrange in center of platter. Sprinkle over all with parsley.

Makes 8 salad or appetizer servings.

[Newspaper clipping. Probably the first recipe I've ever seen that specifies tap water. I guess Evian just isn't good enough.]

Scotch-American Oatcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
2 tablespoons water

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and 1 1/2 cups oats in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Beat egg with the water; then mix into dry ingredients. Work into a stiff dough. Sprinkle a few oats on a lightly floured bloard, and roll the dough out as thinly as possible. Cut in circles with 2 1/4-inch cutter, or cut in triangles. Bake on a greased cookie sheet in hot oven (400 degrees) about 12 minutes. Serve hot with butter, cheese and jam. Makes about 3 dozen.

[Newpaper clipping. Note from recipe "These don't follow the original oatcake recipe and are adapted for use with American oatmeal. But they taste almost as good as the original."]

Celery Snowflake Salad

1 medium stalk celery
1 cup water
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Trim leaves and base from celery; separate ribs. With a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, remove strings from outer ribs; slice enough ribs crosswise, 1/4-inch thick, to make 3 cups.

In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the water and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add celery; simmer, covered, until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water (to keep crisp); drain thoroughly.

In a bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar and pepper; stir in celery; add salt to taste. Chill to allow flavors to blend. Before serving, let stand at room temperature so oil will liquefy. Sprinkle generously with the cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

[Newspaper clipping. "...looks appealing on a glass platter surrounded with strips of roasted red peppers intertwined with sprigs of watercress or fronds of fresh dill. A shallow, white, oblong, ceramic serving dish also suits this salad."

Menehune Pineapple Bread Pudding

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 tablespoons flour
1 can (15 1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple in its own juice
4 slices white or whole wheat bread, cubed

1. Beat eggs slightly in a medium-size bowl. Stir in sugar, butter, flour and pineapple. Stir in bread cubes. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

2. Bake in a moderate (350 degrees) oven for 1 hour.

Makes 6 servings

[magazine clipping. Note from clipping: "...super with a topping of cool whipped cream or sour cream and a sprinkling of brown sugar."]

Thursday Night Casserole

6 medium-size carrots, sliced (2 cups)
3 leeks, sliced diagonally
3/4 pound broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon leaf marjoram, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) chunk light tuna, drained
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine carrots, leeks, broccoli and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boiling; cover; simmer 5 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender; drain.

2. Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan. Stir in flour, salt, marjoram and onion powder until blended. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in tuna and lemon juice. Combine drained vegetables with tuna mixture. Pour into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 20 minutes or until bubbly-hot.

Makes 4 servings

[magazine clipping]