Jello Salads- a retro favorite

Today I picked up Helen Corbitt's Cookbook, 1957. I received it in a swap and hadn't looked at it yet. In the salad chapter I found a wealth of info on that retro favorite, the gelatin salad. Helen ended her comments with this thought "If they are good, they are delicious; if they are bad, they are very, very, bad". I like it better as a preface. Here are some of her gelatin facts:

Fruits that float- Apple cubes, bananas slices, strawberry halves, marshmallows, broken nut meats.

Fruits that sink- canned peaches and pears, grapes, fresh orange sections, whole strawberries, prunes and plums.

Jello and gelatin are not the same, be sure you use the one called for in the recipe.

Moisten the plate and the molded salad surface with wet fingers before you unmold it. It will be easier to slide it to the middle of the plate.

Never boil the liquid and gelatin together, don't add fresh pineapple.

This one describes the problems a lot of people have with molded salads: "Too much gelatin or a scarcity of seasoning makes molded salads a poor eating experience. Do not add more gelatin to bring it along, as you get the rubbery glue taste that goes with an overdose of it."

You can't get more retro than prunes, this is her recipe for prune aspic, a salad that I doubt has been made by anyone for many a year. Her comment: "Among the various fruits I have molded there have been more requests for Prune Salad than perhaps and other. Could be because it was so often served for a buffet and is striking to the eye? Simple beyond words. It is especially good with turkey and ham."

Prune Aspic

2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

3 1/2 cups canned prune juice, hot

4 cups canned prunes, pitted and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Dissolve gelatin in the cold water. Add to hot prune juice and when partially congealed add prunes and lemon juice. Pour into a ring mold and chill. Turn out on a silver tray and garnish with whatever you please. Fill the center with cream cheese beaten up with light cream until the consistency of whipped cream. Sprinkle top with grated lemon or orange peel.

Pumpkin Coffee Loaf- Gifts from the Kitchen

I have a small collection of gift-giving cookbooks. Since lots of people like to give homemade gifts I will be posting some recipes from them. This recipe is a different version of pumpkin bread. It comes from a Better Homes and Gardens paperback, Gifts from Your Kitchen, 1976.

Pumpkin Coffee Loaf

1/3 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped pumpkin seeds
Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each. Stir in pumpkin and milk. Stir together dry ingredients. Add to pumpkin mixture. Beat 1 minute with electric mixer. Stir in seeds. Bake in greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan at 350 degrees 55 to 60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool. Wrap; store overnight. Makes 1

Cranberry-Apple Pie- Ann Pillsbury's Baking Book

This recipe comes from Ann Pillsbury's Baking Book. This is a Pocket Books, small paperback book size edition. The copyright is 1950 for the text and 1961 for this edition. It amazes me how many recipes they could fit in to these small size editions. I have quite a few of them and they all have hundreds of recipes.The comment on this recipe is "After testing this pie in our kitchen, we can't help feeling that apples and cranberries belong together.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

Pastry for a 2 crust pie
4 cups sliced apples, pared
2 1/2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange rind
2 tablespoons butter
Cook the apples in the water until partially tender. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Blend with the apples. Add the cranberries and orange rind and cook until apples are tender and cranberries start to pop. Blend in butter. Cool. Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the pastry. Turn the filling into the pan. Roll and cut the rest of the pastry into strips. Place the strips in a lattice pattern over the filling; seal edges and flute. Bake in 435 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Szechwan-Style Chicken- Famous Brands Chicken & Poultry

This recipe is from a Famous Brands Chicken & Poultry cookbook published in 1985. It fits in with this time of year because it is a Libby's recipe and has pumpkin.

Szechwan-Style Chicken

1 can (16 oz.) Libby's solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 3 to 31/2 pound chicken, cut up
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
Hot cooked rice
In large bowl,combine pumpkin, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and red peppers; mix well. Stir in water. Heat oil in large skillet. Add green pepper; saute 1 minute. Remove peppers with slotted spoon; add to pumpkin mixture. Brown chicken in oil that remains in skillet, using additional oil if needed; drain. Sprinkle nuts over chicken. Pour pumpkin mixture over chicken. Cover; simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender, basting occasionally with sauce. Add a little water to thin sauce, if needed. Spoon hot rice onto large platter. Arrange chicken pieces over rice. Spoon about 1 cup sauce over chicken. Serve with remaining sauce.

Cranberry-Cherry Relish

I was going through a box of old clippings and found this recipe. I had typed it onto a 3x5 card with my old typewriter I got in 1969. So I know it is a fairly old recipe. I don't think I have seen this combination since then.

Cranberry-Cherry Relish

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large orange, diced and seeded
1/2 cup maraschino cherries
1 medium size lemon, seeded and diced
1 medium size apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
Put first five items through a food mill, grinder or blender. Mix in the cherry juice and blend throughly. Let Chill several hours before serving.

Holiday Sweet Potatoes and Jello Salad- No Time To Cook

Here are some more recipies from The No Time To Cook Book by Roslyn Beilly copyright 1969. It is the old fashioned paperback novel size cookbook. No photos just plenty of recipes.

While looking for a side dish to post today I came across two quick holiday recipes. I am fixing Thanksgiving dinner this year for basically the first time. My elderly Mom has always made most of it before, but she is ready to retire from that job. Because I work retail this is the start of our busy season and by the time Thanksgiving gets here I am already tired and don't want to have to slave at the stove too much. I think I will give these recipes a try. I am the only one in my family that really likes sweet potatoes, so I do make them every year. This recipes sounds good, I have not made them with pineapple before.

Holiday Sweet Potatoes

2 cans (1 pound each) sweet potatoes, drained

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple, drained

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

Arrange the sweet potatoes in a buttered shallow casserole. Sprinkle the pineapple over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with pecans, then brown sugar. Dot with butter. Drizzle honey over all. Heat in a 350 degree oven until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Serves 6.

It is traditional in my family to have a Jello salad at Thanksgiving. I usually make that also. I have tried several recipes, usually with cranberries or applesauce. This recipe has both so I am going to make it this year.

Cranberry-Apple Mold

1 package red gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (1 pound) whole cranberry sauce

1 cup applesauce

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, Add cranberry sauce, applesauce, and lemon rind. Turn into mold which has been rinsed in cold water. Chill until firm. Serves 4 to 6.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup- The No Time To Cook Book

This sound like a good pumpkin soup. It is from The No Time To Cook Book by Roslyn Beilly, 1969. The blurb: "If anyone had predicted before I discovered this recipe that I would rave about pumpkin soup, I'd have said he was crazy. But this soup is marvelous, and you should try it..."

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 tomato, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1 can (1 pound) pumpkin

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup cream or milk

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add onion, green pepper, tomato, parsley, and thyme and cook until soft. Add pumpkin and chicken broth and simmer for a few minutes. Add cream or milk, salt, sugar, and nutmeg. Heat until piping hot. Serves 6

Chicken Breasts in Cream with Apples- Helen Corbitt's Potluck

This is a recipe from Helen Corbitt's Potluck,1962, a cookbook that I got in a cookbook swap. This is what she says about the recipe: "This is a favorite buffet dinner, because it can be done ahead of time and reheated. I usually serve it with brown rice and asparagus simply dressed with lemon juice. I serve this frequently when I wish to impress guests."

Chicken Breasts in Cream with Apples

4 broiling size chicken breasts of 4 halves of chicken

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons minced onion

4 peeled fresh apple rings, 1/2 inch thick

3/4 cup cider

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Saute the chicken breasts in the butter with the onion over low heat. Poach the apple rings in the cider until soft. Add brandy to the chicken and ignite. Always light brandy and burn off. You destroy the raw taste of the brandy. Add cider left from poaching the apples. Cook at low heat until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes. Add cream and continue cooking until the sauce is thickened. Season to your taste. Place chicken on serving platter, 1 slice of apple on each piece and pour sauce over all. Run under broiler to brown.

Neapolitan Pound Cake- Pillsbury's Best Bundt Recipes

I just came across my Pillsbury's Best Bundt Recipes book. I knew I have had it for a long time but was surprised to see the copyright was 1974. There are some from scratch cakes but most of them call for cake mixes and or dry frosting mixes. I guess there is no way to use the dry frosting recipes as they has been gone a long time. Because this is before the pudding in the cake mix era, I guess you would have to use a store brand mix or Duncan Hines as I understand they do not have pudding in the mix.

This one sounds interesting. There is a photo of it and it is very attractive. This is the blurb: "A festive cake with delicate chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavoring. Delightful for a child's party or ladies' tea.

Neapolitan Pound Cake

8 ox package cream cheese, softened

4 eggs

1 package white cake mix

3/4 cup milk or water

3/4 cup quick strawberry flavored milk drink mix

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup quick chocolate flavored milk drink mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for colored fluted tube pan).. Using solid shortening or margarine (not oil), grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan (non-stick finish pan, too). In large bowl, blend cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Blend in cake mix and milk. Beat 2 minutes at highest speed. Add strawberry milk drink mix to 2 cups batter; pour into prepared pan. Stir vanilla into 2 cups batter; pour over strawberry batter. Add chocolate milk drink mix to remaining batter; pour over vanilla batter. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan 45 minutes. Loosen edges; remove from pan. Cool completely. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Borden's Pumpkin Pie- Vintage vs. Modern

My husband was going through his sale books and he found a 1935 Borden's Condensed Milk recipe booklet. I was surprised to see that the pumpkin pie recipe in it is very similar to the one you see in current magazines. Here it is the vintage recipe:

1 cup steamed, strained pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 eggs

1 1/3 cups (1 can) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup water

Unbaked pie crust (9-inch)

Thoroughly mix steamed, strained and mashed pumpkin, salt , ginger, cloves, cinnamon, eggs Eagle Brand and water. Pour into unbaked pie crust . Bake in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until the filling is set.

Here is the current recipe:

1 (15- ounce can pumpkin (about 2 cups)

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk pumpkin, Eagle Brand, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 and continue baking 34 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch in from crust comes out clean.

I think I might try baking a pie from each recipe to see what the difference is.

Licken' Chicken- The Working Woman's Cookbook

This recipe is from The Working Woman's Cookbook - Easy Practical Quick Delicious & Economical Recipes by Zavin and Stuart, 1976 edition. All the recipes are started the night before and then finished the next day right before dinner. This dish is simply marinated the night before but a lot of the recipes are almost fully finished the night before and then heated right before dinner the next day.

Lickin' Chicken

4 boned chicken breasts

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon tarragon

1/4 teaspoons salt

The night before

Combine olive oil, Worcestershire, and seasonings. Place chicken breasts in baking dish, turn to coat well, cover, and refrigerate. Turn chicken in marinade once before going to bed, and once again in the morning.

Before Serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place covered baking dish in oven. Bake for 1 hour, basting with marinade once or twice. Remove from oven, run under broiler for 2 minutes on each side, and serve. Serves 4.

Apple Mallow Crisp- Discover Brunch

It is almost the time of year when people start thinking about the ubiquitous sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows. This recipe is also topped with marshmallows and sounds quite delicious. It comes from the 1977 book Discover Brunch. The author says this: "This looks lovely topped with golden miniature marshmallows. Easily prepared. Serves 6."

Apple Mallow Crisp

4 cups sliced and peeled apples

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Place apples, raisin and water in 10x6-inch baking dish. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 degrees. 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender. Sprinkle evenly with marshmallows Broil until lightly browned.

Beans Au Gratin

This is a recipe that I have actually made. My MIL liked it so well that she served it on holidays quite a few times. The recipe is found in a Woman's Day Collectors Cookbook and also the Farm Journal Vegetable Cookbook.

Beans Au Gratin
1 box each green beans, lima beans and wax beans (it is hard to find frozen wax beans I usually use canned)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided use
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 cup medium cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook beans separately according to package directions. Drain. Mix lightly and put in shallow baking dish. In a medium saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter; stir in flour, salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Add cream and cook stirring frequently until thickened. Pour over beans. Dot with remaining butter and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven until hot and browned. Makes 6 servings.

Three Country Swiss Steak

Today's recipe comes from Thrifty Main Dishes- Budget-Wise Dinners That Are Winners, copyright 1979. I picked this one because it is actually different from most of the budget recipes I see. Most of them are the same thing really. Just different names and slightly different ingredients. Of course with today's prices this is not a budget dish anymore.

Three Country Swiss steak

2 1/2 pounds chuck steak, 3/4 inch thick

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon curry powder

one 10 3/4 ounce can tomato soup

1/2 cup red wine, or beef broth

one 16-ounce can Chinese vegetables, rinsed and drained

Wipe steak well with damp paper towels. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat; add steak and saute quickly to brown., about 2 minutes per side. Remove steak and set aside.

Add onion and garlic to dripping in skillet; saute until tender about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in curry and cook 1 minute longer. Add tomato soup and red wine; stir well. Stir in vegetables. Place steak on top of vegetables. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 30 to 45 minutes or until meat is tender.