Prairie Hot Dish

1 lb ground beef
1 cup diced onions
2 Tbsp shortening
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups cream-style corn
1 can tomato soup
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup cheese, shredded
1 can chow mein noodles

Brown meat & onions in shortening. Add remaining ingredients and pour into greased casserole. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 4.

[Handwritten by Ada. I was surprised that Prairie Hot Dish has chow mein noodles in it. Maybe it's a Chinese prairie.]

Old-Fashioned Picture Cookies

Recipe with roller (like this)


4 eggs
1 lb powdered sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
4 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
Anise seeds or extract

Beat eggs until light. Stir in sugar and beat well. If using extract, add 1 tsp. Add rind and flour sifted with baking powder. Mix well. Chill 1 hour. Roll out 1/2 inch thick on floured board. Roll pin firmly through dough (flour pin before each roll). Expose to air overnight. Cut cookies apart and arrange on greased sheet sprinkled with anise seed. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Vanilla or other flavors may be used instead of anise. Store in covered container with apple slices for 10 days before serving.

[Handwritten by Ada. Presumably she had a roller like this at one time; it's called a springerle cookie roller. The recipe attached to this image doesn't require apple slices for the covered storage, so I guess that's optional.]

Oven Beef-Vegetable Stew

1 1/2 pounds beef round lean, cut in 1-1/2"cubes
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup tomato puree
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1/2 pound pearl onions, washed and peeled
1 cup string beans
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced celery

Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. Brown beef cubes in butter. Place meat in casserole; add water, tomato puree, lemon juice, sugar, bay leaf and cloves. Cover and bake in slow oven (300 degrees) one hour. Add vegetables and continue baking until tender.

Makes 4-6 servings. 314 calories per serving (approx).

[Handwritten, by the young teen of previous posts.]

Dutch Apple Pie

Pastry for one 9-inch crust pie
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
6 to 7 cups sliced apples
1 1/2 tsp butter

Crunch topping:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Steam apples about 5 minutes, adding a few red cinnamon candies for color. Cool before putting in pie crust. Mix sugar and spices. Put in pastry-lined pan. Dot with butter. Mix topping and sprinkle on apples.

Bake 50 - 60 minutes in preheated 425 degree oven. Cover pie with foil the last 15 minutes if getting too brown. Serve with cream.

[Handwritten by Ada]

Elegant Meringue

3 egg whites
dash of salt
1 cup marshmallow creme

Beat egg whites and salt until frothy. Add marshmallow creme. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread the meringue on pie. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

[Handwritten by Ada]

Strawberry Pie

1 qt berries
1 cup berry juice
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
(1 pie shell)

Cook berry juice, water, sugar and cornstarch together 3-4 minutes, until thick and clear. Add lemon juice. Cool and pour over berries. (First, prep the berries & put them in the pie shell.) Chill.

[Handwritten. By Ada. After transcribing lots of magazine recipes (sorry, Alice), I have to adapt to the shorthand peculiar to those who are trying to get a whole recipe on a single card. Of course, Ada knew the berries would have to be prepared and put in a pie shell before the sauce was poured over them. Duh. I, however, am quite likely to buy the ingredients, start the process, and then, with cooled sauce ready to pour over the berries, suddenly think--where's the pie-shell part of this strawberry pie? Hence the parenthetical inserts.]

Marinated Potato Salad

6 potatoes cooked in jackets (4 c cubed)
1/4 c salad oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 c chopped celery
1 large chopped onion
4 chopped hard-boiled eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
mayonnaise

Combine oil & vinegar. Pour over cubed potatoes. Cover; let stand one hour. Add remaining ingredients. Chill.

[Handwritten. In Ada's own handwriting. I have adapted the layout on these handwritten recipes because handwritten on a 4x6 card means that shortcuts must be used to fit the whole thing on, ideally on one side. Blogs don't have that constraint, so I go for readability and consistency.]

Sour Cream Coleslaw

1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c sugar
pinch pepper
a little salt
8 c shredded cabbage

Mix well & chill before serving

[Handwritten. Ada's handwriting, appropriately spattered.]

Tomato Aspic

3 cups tomato juice
1 Tbsp instant pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold tomato juice
1/4 cup vinegar

Combine 3 cups tomato juice and seasonings in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, let simmer 10 minutes. Meanwhile soften gelatin in cold tomato juice. After tomato juice and spices are simmered 12 minutes, blend in softened gelatin. Strain; add vinegar. Pour into lightly greased 1-quart mold. Chill until aspic is the consistency of egg white, then fold in finely chopped vegetables, if desired.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

[Handwritten. Once again, the handwriting of a young person. But who? Kind of looks like a Young Women recipe project--Beehive, most likely. But I'm guessing.]

French Dressing

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 teaspoon choppe parsley
1 teaspoon chopped green pepper
1/2 cup tomato juice

Combine and beat together.

[Handwritten. But not Ada's handwriting; this is the handwriting of someone who has been writing cursive for probably less than 10 years. I'm guessing one of the girls.]

Sweet Sour Recipe for Rice

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp onion
1/8 tsp pepper

Brown bite-size balls
Heat:
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup pineapple juice

Add:
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp vinegar
6 Tbsp water
1/2 ? sugar

Cook sauce until thick. Add meatballs. Add pineapple chunks & cut up 3 green peppers. Heat all together.

[Handwritten. In Ada's own handwriting. AND the card is stained and spattered. This is a real recipe. At last.

[She forgot to put down the unit of measurement for the sugar. 1/2 teaspoon? 1/2 Tablespoon? 1/2 cup? Use whatever looks good to you. ]

Broccoli with Rice

1 can mushroom soup
1 cup instant rice
1 pkg chopped broccoli
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped onions

Cook rice. Brown celery and onions in oleo and add soup and cheese. Blend rice and broccoli with sauce and pour in a 3-quart casserole. Top with slivered almonds and bake 10 minutes at 300.

[Handwritten, in Ada's own handwriting.]

Chow Mein

1/2 lb diced pork
1/2 lb diced beef
3 tablespoons fat
1 cup water or chicken stock
1 cup onions, diced
3 cups celery, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 #2 can bean sprouts
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 10-oz can water chestnuts
cooked rice

1. Brown meat thoroughly
2. Add water, onions, celery, salt and pepper.
3. Cover; cook until tender.
4. Add 4 tablespoons cornstarch mix with 1/2 cup water.
5. Add soy sauce, bean sprouts, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Stir until thickened. Serve on hot rice.

Serves 6.

[Handwritten, by the same handwriting that wrote the recipe yesterday. And once again the recipe is attributed to Mrs. Callahan, 5331 East Verde Lane, Phoenix 85018, as annotated in Ada's own handwriting.

[You may notice that the ingredients list calls for 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, while the recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of cornstarch. I noticed the discrepancy, but that's how it's written in the recipe, so that's how I transcribed it. I suppose I could add (sic) but that might confuse people further. So if you find it enlightening, add (sic) and proceed at your own risk.]

Plain Chop Suey

1 lb pork, veal or beef (1/2" cubes)
1 cup celery (cut fine)
1 cup onions (sliced)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon bead molasses
1 #2 can bean sprouts
2 tablespoons fat
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar

1. Brown the meat in hot fat.
2. Add celery, onions, salt, pepper and water.
3. Cook until tender.
4. Add mushrooms and sugar.
5. Add bean sprouts
6. Add soy sauce and molasses. Mix well.
7. Thicken gravy with 3 tablespoons conrstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup cold water.
Serve with hot rice.

Serves 4.

[Handwritten. Attributed to Mrs. Callahan, 5331 East Verde Lane, Phoenix, 85018. I have some questions. First, who is Mrs. Callahan? Second, what is "bead" molasses? Third, this recipe is not written in Ada's handwriting, although the attribution to Mrs. Callahan is. So who wrote it? Mrs. Callahan? One of Ada's daughters? It's hard to imagine these days, since we never handwrite recipes anymore. Anyway, if anyone has any answers to these questions, please let me know.]

Hawaiian Style Vegetables with Seasoned Sauce

carrots
pineapple
green peppers
onions
water chestnuts

Sauce made from water, brown sugar, margarine, salt, sugar, constarch, flour, citric acid, ginger.

[Handwritten. The directions leave a lot to be desired, although I'm sure David could make something good out of it. :-)]

Red Wedding Punch

12 cups cranberry juice
4 1/2 cups sugar
9 cups pineapple juice
6 cups orange juice
6 quarst ginger ale
raspberry sherbet

Combine first four ingredients; fill a ring mold with mixture. Freeze for ice. When ready to serve, pour ginger ale and sherbet into bowl. Float ice ring in punch.

100 servings

[Handwritten. Sounds yummy. Was this somebody's wedding punch?]

Home Made Noodles

3 Tbsp water
3 egg yolks & 1 whole egg
Add t tsp salt & heat until light and fluffy

2 cups flour, sifted
Mix by hand
Divide into 3 sections
Roll out to tissue-paper thin
Slice 1/8-inch thick
Shke out on dish towel and dry

[Handwritten. Attributed to Afton Merrill]

Italian Baked Beans

4 cups great northern beans
12 cups water
4 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cut celery
4 Tbsp snipped parsley
1 tsp dry thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp dry sweet basil, crushed
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes

Into boiling water, drop washed beans. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off. Let rest for one hour. Cook onions, garlic, celery in the oil (low heat) until tender but not browned. Add herbs and tomatoes. Bring to boiling point and add to beans. Previously boil beans for 1 hour slowly. Add bits of ham and place in casserole. Bake 50 minutes in a 350-degree oven, uncovered.

Serve hot with additional cheese (grated Parmesan, Romano or cheddar cheese).

Serves 12.

[Handwritten. Alice's observation that Ada's "real" recipe box could have been stolen fills me with dismay. Alice, you must tell me Debbie's story :-(. Meanwhile, let's get through the handwritten ones and see if there are any obvious MIAs. If so, perhaps some of the sisters (sisters-in-law, grand-daughters, sons, etc) who have some of Ada's "real" recipes could publish them here. But, as Treebeard would say, there's no need to be hasty yet. I have only published about 1/4 of the recipes in this box. And of the handwritten ones still unpublished, there are probably enough for a month or two of postings. ]

Chinese Rice (with leftover meat)

1 c rice cooked
1 tsp butter
1 c celery (chopped fine)
1 onion
1 c cooked diced ham or pork
2 eggs
3 Tbsp shortening
salt
pepper
soy sauce

Add butter to hot rice. Heat shortening, stir in eggs, add rice, celery & onions, salt & pepper. Add meat & cook over high heat about 5 minutes. Stir frequently--add soy sauce.

[Handwritten. I would chop the onion, too, though the recipe doesn't say so. That's the nice thing about handwriting your own recipes--you can omit the obvious steps. David says he remembers her making fried rice, so this could be authentic, but I don't think it was his favorite recipe.

[Yesterday I went through the recipe box and separated out all the handwritten recipes. No guarantees that they are "real," of course. Real is like the Velveteen Rabbit--it takes time and use. It takes tweaking the recipe to suit the tastes of your own family and the vagaries of your oven, and notes in the margin ("too much salt"). And this recipe box doesn't have dog-eared cards spattered with batter or grease; these are fresh pretty cards, suggesting that one fine day she decided to Deal With Those Recipes: she copied her favorites onto clean cards, she went through the recipes clipped from magazines and glued the ones she thought would be keepers onto cards, and then she filed them tidily into a box. And threw away everything else. At least, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it. Any other theories? I'm open to suggestion.]

Parker House Midgets

1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 pkgs refrigerated plain or buttermilk biscuits

1. Melt butter or margarine in a jelly roll pan 15x10x1 while oven heats.

2. Separate the biscuits; cut each in half (scissors). Roll each half into a tiny ball, then flatten with a glass to a 2-inch round; fold round in half.

3. Roll in melted butter in pan, then arrange in a single layer in same pan, 10 rows with 8 in each row.

4. Bake in 450-degree oven 15 min or until golden. Serve hot.

(Bake ahead and reheat just before serving time if desired.)

80 tiny rolls

[Handwritten. I was determined to get past the magazine recipes, and decided to sift through until I found some actual hand-copied ones. I still don't know if she actually ever made this, but at least I know she wrote it down herself. :-)]

Souperburger

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Campbell's Chicken Gumbo Soup
2 tablespoons catsup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
6 buns, split and toasted

Brown beef and cook onion in skillet until tender (use shortening, if necessary); stir to separate meat. Add soup and seasonings. Heat; stir often. Serve on buns.

Makes about 3 cups.

[Magazine clipping. This is the last straw. I am going to rifle through these recipes and find some hand-written ones. Stay tuned.]

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can (16 oz) solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 2/3 cups (13 fl oz) evaporated milk or light cream
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell with high fluted edge.*

Mix filling ingredients in order given. Pour into pie shell. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 dgrees and continue baking for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center of pie filling comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Makes 1 9-inch pie.
*If using frozen pie shells, this recipe fills 2. Bake as pie-shell package directs.

[Magazine clipping. Ada may very well have used this recipe, although this card is clean, because the recipe was very popular. I recall Ada telling me, though, that she didn't like to put cloves in her pumpkin pie, because it made the filling so dark, so she probably omitted the cloves.]

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 lemon's grated rind
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon margarine
1 baked (9 inch) pastry shell
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar

Stir together 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water until smooth. Stir in egg yolks. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon rind, lemon juice and margarine. Cool. Turn into pastry shell. Beat egg whites until foamy in small bowl with mixer at high speed. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread some meringue around edge of filling, first touching crust all around, then fill center. Bake in 350 degree oven 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool at room temperature away from draft.

Make 6 to 8 servings (1 9-inch pie).

[Magazine clipping.]

Quick Chinese Pepper Steak

1 pound round steak, cut 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 envelope au jus gravy mix
3/4 cup water
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 cups cooked hot rice

Cut meat in half lengthwise with a sharp knife, then crosswise into thin slices. Cook meat, onion, and pepper in skillet in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Pineapple Cream

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup sugar
1 can (8 1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup crushed ice

1. Combine gelatin and sugar in container of electric blender. Heat pineapple with syrup to boiling; add to blender all at once. Blend on high until smooth.

2. Add frozen concentrate, cream, then crushed ice. Blend until completely smooth. Pour into 6 servings glasses. Chill until ready to serve, about 15 minutes.

For Pie: Chill mixture until it mounds; spoon into graham cracker shell; chill about 30 minutes. Garnish with additional pineapple, if you wish.

Strawberry Pineapple Cream: Substitute 1 package (10 ounces) quick-thaw frozen strawberries for the lemonade concentrate.

[Magazine clipping. Sounds yummy but dated--I haven't seen 6 ounce cans of frozen concentrate for ages. And while I tend to substitute fresh fruit for canned or frozen, I wouldn't in this case. Well, I might with the strawberries, but fresh pineapple has enzymes that dissolve gelatin. So note to self: stick with the canned.]