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FRUIT COCKTAIL CAKE
2 eggs
1½ cups sugar
2 cups flour
pinch salt
2 teaspoons soda
1 #303 size can fruit cocktail
½ cup brown sugar
Add sugar to eggs. Sift flour, salt, soda and add to first mixture. Add fruit cocktail, juice and all and mix. Pour into a large ungreased 9 by 13 inch pan. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 325° to 335° for 40 minutes.
FROSTING:
Boil a small can of evaporated milk, ¼ cup butter and ¾ cup sugar for five minutes. Add vanilla and ½ cup coconut. Pour hot icing on hot cake.
WATERMELON PUNCH
½ watermelon
2 cups orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup sugar
mint leaves for garnish
Scoop out pulp of watermelon and remove seeds. Liquefy pulp in electric blender or force through sieve for four cups juice. Combine with other ingredients except mint and pour over ice in punch bowl or hollowed out watermelon shell. Makes 1½ quarts
CHERRY OLIVES
Pick and wash cherries, leaving stems on. Trim tip of stems, cutting off the feathery edges. Fill pint jars to top with cherries. Pour ½ pint cold vinegar over cherries. Then pour ½ pint cold water over cherries. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and seal jars. Use sterilized jars while still warm and warm lids before using by dropping in hot water for best seal. Test seal by upending jars before storing away.
STRAWBERRY PIE
1 quart ripe berries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Wash berries and drain. Crush and mix half of berries with remaining ingredients. Stir and cook until thick. Cool. Put remaining berries in baked pie crust. Cover with cooled mixture and chill.
STRAWBERRY PIE
Beat two egg whites until foamy. Add 1 cup sugar gradually and beat well. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 box frozen fruit (strawberries or raspberries) and beat for 15 minutes with electric beater. Fold in ½ pint of sweetened and whipped cream. Turn into two nine-inch graham cracker pie shells and freeze until hard.
TO FREEZE STRAWBERRIES:
Bring 2 cups sugar and 3 cups water to a good boil. Add 1 package Sure-Jell. Let cool and pour over strawberries and freeze.
PLYMOUTH COCONUT BARS
In a fairly large flat pan, add the following ingredients in layers:
¼ pound margarine or butter,
melted
1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup flaked coconut
1 six-ounce package chocolate chips
1 six-ounce package butterscotch
chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
nuts as desired
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 300°. Let cool slightly and then slice into bars for serving.
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SIS' SALAD DRESSING
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup catsup
¼ cup vinegar
generous pinch of cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium size onion, grated
Mix ingredients thoroughly.
FRENCH DRESSING
1 onion, chopped
1 cup oil
½ cup chili sauce
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
½ cup catsup
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup water
Blend in blender until onion is chopped as fine as desired.
MUSTARD FLAVORED SALAD DRESSING
1 cup rich milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 teaspoons dry mustard
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vinegar, heated
2 tablespoons butter
2 egg whites, beaten stiffly
Bring milk to boiling point. Add dry ingredients to beaten egg yolks. Blend gently, stirring constantly with milk. Pour heated vinegar into egg mixture slowly, stirring all the time. Cook until well thickened and remove from fire. Add butter and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
VEAL DIP
1 3½ ounce jar chopped veal
baby food
1 small chopped onion
3 chopped stuffed olives
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Mix well and use as dip for potato chips or crackers.
HORSERADISH DIP
1 cup dairy sour cream
1/3 to ½ cup drained horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
Mix well for potato chip or vegetable stick dip.
SHRIMP DIP
1 can frozen shrimp soup
1 small can mushrooms
1 small package garlic cheese
Heat and serve with corn chips.
DEVILED HAM AND ONION DIP
In blender, mix 1 pound country style cottage cheese, 1 package Fritos onion dip mix and 1 4½ ounce can deviled ham.
FRENCH FRIED ONION RINGS
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Water enough to make a paste
Dip onion ring in batter, then roll in fine cracker meal. When meal gets lumpy from use, sift and use over. Chill rings before frying in deep fat until golden brown.
CRUNCHY TUNA OR CHEESE SANDWICHES
Make sandwiches and cut in fourths. Make a thin batter of pancake mix and milk and egg. Dip sandwiches in quickly. Coat with flour or corn meal or corn flake crumbs. Deep fry in very hot grease.
UNUSUAL PIE
Roll twenty two Ritz crackers to crumbs. Beat three egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Fold in cracker crumbs and 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Bake in a greased pie tin for twenty to thirty minutes at 350°. Frost with whipped cream.
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A friend of the Open Line (and sponsor), Mrs. Joe Wood from Cedar Rapids Hardware has been listening to the discussions we've had on the care of and reseasoning cast iron skillets and cookware. She was kind enough to furnish the following manufacturer's recommendations from The Griswold Manufacturing Company of Sidney, Ohio, a producer of Cast Iron Cooking Utensils.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USE AND CARE OF CAST IRONWARE
Cast iron utensils require slightly different handling in the home than utensils of some other materials. Cast Ironware is pre seasoned. This means that there is no anti rust lacquer to remove and that the seasoning is started at the factory. For most cooking purposes, no further seasoning is necessary and all that is needed is to wash and thoroughly dry the utensil (Strong detergents should not be used, however, as they tend to remove seasoning) This is true of skillets, griddles and regular pot roasting where no water is added. But if new dutch ovens and chicken fryers are to be used for stews or simmering, etc., a little more grease may be needed while they are still new to prevent rust caused by condensing moisture. Always remove the cover if you are not ready to serve the food immediately after cooking, so that condensing steam does not cause rust on the sides. This may occur with very moist foods when a cast iron utensil is new. After using several times there should be no trouble with rust in cooking.
A cast iron utensil should never
be scoured. If it is scoured, the seasoning may be removed and rusting
or a metallic taste may result. If for any reason scouring or scraping
becomes necessary, do as little as possible and then use slightly more
grease than usual when the utensil is next used. After each use, wash in
hot soapy water (remembering the caution against detergents.) Rinse and
wipe dry, then cover inside of utensil with a coating of unsalted shortening
and when ready to use next time wipe the inside of pan and cover with a
dry cloth or paper towel. Grease again with shortening and cook food as
usual. Follow the plan of coating utensil before and after using first
few times. Many successful cooks always coat the inside of a cast iron
utensil with fat before putting foods in to cook. A cast iron utensil should
not be stored with the cover on as this might cause sweating, which will
develop rust. Also, never store in a moist, damp place. Do not worry when
a cast iron utensil becomes spotted with water or grease. They will darken
and season evenly with time and continued use. Rust, discolored food or
metallic taste are all
indications that the seasoning
has been removed from the pores of the metal. As soon as the utensil has
absorbed additional grease from cooking, it will be permanently rust-proof
for all types of cooking. If the condition persists, however, and is very
bad, it will be better to reseason it.
TO RESEASON CAST IRON UTENSILS
First. the utensil should be thoroughly scoured on the inside with steel wool or a metal scouring pad. Then it should be washed in soap and water and completely dried. Second, it should be coated with unsalted fat, preferably suet, and placed in a moderate oven about two hours. Third, when taken from the oven, the excess fat should be wiped off with a paper towel or cloth and the utensil is ready to give many years of thoroughly satisfactory service.
VARNISHED WOODWORK CLEANER #1
1 quart water
1 cup vinegar
½ cup kerosene
Dampen cloth in solution and apply on area to be cleaned. Wipe off and polish with clean, dry cloth.
VARNISHED WOODWORK CLEANER #2
1 tablespoon turpentine
3 tablespoons boiled linseed oil
1 quart hot water
Use while still hot. Apply with cloth dampened in solution. Wipe off immediately and polish with clean cloth.
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LAZY GRASSHOPPER PARFAITS
1 3¾ ounce package vanilla
whipped dessert mix
2 tablespoons green creme de menthe
1 tablespoon white creme de cocao
½ cup chocolate wafer crumbs
(8 wafers)
Prepare dessert mix according to package directions using all water. Fold in crème de menthe and creme de cocao. Chill about 30 minutes or until mixture mounds. Layer in parfait glasses with chocolate crumbs using 1 tablespoon crumbs between each layer. Chill. Garnish with chocolate curls. Serves 4. You will also like this in pie or tarts with a crust made from chocolate crumbs.
GRASSHOPPER CAKE
1 tablespoon (one envelope) plus
1 teaspoon plain gelatin
2 cup creme de menthe
1/3 cup creme de cocao
3 cups heavy cream, whipped
1 angel food loaf cake
Soften gelatin in the mixture of creme de menthe and creme de cocao and dissolve over hot water. Cool and fold into the whipped cream. Slice the angel food loaf cake into three layers. Fill and frost the cake with the mixture. (Mrs. Margaret Tovrea, Fort Madison, Iowa)
SWEET PICKLE RELISH
12 medium cucumbers, seeded, but
not peeled
4 green peppers
4 onions
2 stalks of celery
Grind and sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the ground vegetables and let stand. Mash 1 quart strawberries with ½ overnight. Drain next morning.
Bring to boil:
3 cups sugar
3 cups vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
Add ground vegetables to boiling mixture and boil for ten minutes. Seal while hot.
HOT DOG SALAD
6 frankfurters
6 medium size potatoes
6 slices bacon
1½ tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1¾ teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 cup water
½ cup vinegar
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ head lettuce or romaine
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 small onions, thinly sliced
Heat franks and water until hot. Cook potatoes in skins until tender. Peel and cut into ¼ inch slices. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and leave in ¼ cup drippings. Stir in flour, sugar, salt and pepper. Add water and vinegar. Cook until thick. Cut franks at angle about ¾ inch wide. Add layer of potatoes, frankfurter slices, celery, lettuce or romaine, cucumbers and onion. Toss lightly, crumble bacon over top and serve right from skillet.
WEDDING PUNCH
46-ounce can pineapple juice
2 cans frozen orange juice, diluted
Juice of 3 lemons
2 packages Jello, diluted in 3
cups hot water and cooled
2 bottles ginger ale
Mix all ingredients, adding ginger ale last and just before serving.
SPARKLING STRAWBERRY PUNCH
Mash 1 quart strawberries with ½ cup sugar. Let stand one hour. Force through strainer. Add three cups orange juice, ¾ cup lemon juice, 1½ quarts chilled ginger ale and ½ cup sugar. Pour into a large punch bowl. Float 1 cup cut-up strawberries on top. Makes 3 quarts.
TO STARCH NYLON CURTAINS:
Mix ¼ cup epsom salts to 1 gallon of water.
