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So who needs a mystery message inside an Easter egg, anyway? Many mixtures and many words of advice later, we decided the best way to get a mystery message inside an egg would be to leave it up to the chicken.
The month of May is always a happy one, beginning with May baskets and the planting, the gardens. And if you would believe a popular Czech story heard every year in these parts, you'd beware of the "Three Frozen Kings". According to a newspaper clipping John Arendts, the "good morning" man in our elevator, had saved, the story originated in the old country where May 12, 13, and 14 were always on the cold side. The story goes, as we are told, that King Pankrak comes on the twelfth, King Seriac on the thirteenth and King Bonifac on the fourteenth. Then, on the fifteenth, St. Zofie is supposed to come along with a kettle of hot water and thaw out the Three Frozen Kings. The story has served as a warning to cover perishable plants during the last cold nights of 1 season. If they survive the Three Frozen Kings, then the plants will be safe from frost the rest of the spring. And it usually proves true.
A Fair of pies are the first recipes on this month's bulletin. One was requested on the air and the other was volunteered by a Marengo listener whose name follows other good recipes on previous bulletins from the Open One.
WARTIME LEMON PIE
1 lemon, juice and grated rind
Water, equal to amount of juice
25 large marshmallows, cut in half
3 egg yolks, beaten
3 egg whites, beaten with a pinch
of salt
Juice and grate rind of one lemon. Add as much cold water as there is juice. Put in double boiler. Add marshmallows. When thoroughly melted, add beaten yolks and cook till thick. Add beaten whites to this mixture. Cool slightly. Pour into a baked pie shell. Serve with whipped cream topping. (Mrs. Beryl Hoyt, Marengo, Iowa)
CARMEL PIE
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup boiling water
4 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups milk
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
Baked pie shell
Caramelize ¾ cup of sugar until golden brown (or browner). Remove from heat, slowly stir in boiling water. Return to heat and continue to stir for one minute to make syrup. Blend remaining sugar with flour and salt. Add several tablespoons milk to flour to make a smooth paste. Stir in rest of milk, add to caramel syrup. Stir well and simmer 10 min. Beat egg yolks, add to syrup, cook ten minutes till thick. Add butter and vanilla and cook 2 more minutes. Pour into pie shell.
OVEN FRIED PARMESAN CHICKEN
¾ cup butter or margarine
3 broiler frying size chickens,
cut up
3 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons MSG (monosodium
glutamate)
¼ teaspoon pepper
1½ cups flour
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons oregano
1 cup buttermilk
Line two 15 by 10 inch shallow pans with foil. Melt butter in 425° oven. Mix flour, salt, cheese paprika oregano, and pepper. Roll chicken in buttermilk, then in flour mixture. Bake at 425° for 50 minutes, skin side up. Turn once. (Mrs. J. P. Peterson, Waterloo, Iowa)
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When someone requested an Onion Pie recipe, it was learned this is not as unusual as you would expect. Several recipes were sent to the Open Line for Onion Pie. Here are two of them. They may be served as a main dish or as a side dish.
ONION PIE WITH CARAWAY PASTRY
1½ cups sifted flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
½ cup shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons water
3 cups thinly sliced, peeled onions
3 tablespoons melted butter or
margarine
1½ cups milk
1½ cups dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons flour
Bacon slice
Use first five ingredients to make pastry. Combine flour, salt, caraway seed. Add shortening. Cut into flour until mixture resembles little peas. Gradually add water and form into a ball. Roll on lightly floured counter. Fit into ten inch pie pan. Flute edge. Prick entire surface with 4 tined fork. Bake in 425° oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. For filling, sauté onions in butter until lightly browned. Spoon into pie shell. Add milk, 1¼ cups sour cream and salt to eggs. Blend flour with remaining ¼ cup sour cream. Combine with egg mixture. Pour over onions. Bake in slow oven 325° 30 minutes or until firm in center. Garnish with crisp bacon. Serves 8. (Mrs. Robert Kolarik, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Here's another recipe for Goulash. This time it's Bohemian Goulash. This was given to the Open Line as the real thing.
BOHEMIAN GOULASH
Cut one and one-half pounds beef, pork, or veal into small pieces. Chop one medium size onion and brown in skillet with one tablespoon lard. When onion is brown, add chopped meat. Cover and let simmer. Add two stalks chopped celery and salt to taste and enough water to cover the meat. Stew until done. Either fresh or dried mushrooms can be added. Thicken with cornstarch to make gravy. Garlic can be added as an optional ingredient.
QUICK PIZZA SAUCE:
Mix one 6 ounce can tomato paste, ½ cup hot water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper together. Mix well, pour over pizza before baking.
ONION PIE
1 cup fine soda cracker crumbs
¼ cup butter or margarine
melted
2 cups thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
¾ cup milk
2 slightly beaten eggs
¾ teaspoon salt
dash pepper
¼ cup shredded sharp process
cheese
Mix cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of 8-inch pie plate. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter stirring to separate into rings until onions are tender but not brown. Place in pie shell. Combine milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over onions. Sprinkle pie with shredded cheese and a dash of paprika. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (as testing custard pie) Garnish with additional cooked onion rings and parsley. Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 main servings.
One Open Line listener was having trouble locating a recipe for Salisbury Steak. Here's how they fix it in Ladora, Iowa.
SALISBURY STEAK
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
½ cup crushed corn flakes
2 tablespoons shortening
Combine all ingredients, except crushed corn flakes and shortening. Shape into ¾ to 1 inch thick, patties. Dredge in corn flakes, covering sides and edges. Melt shortening. Fry patties in hot shortening until done. (Mrs. Lloyd Shaffner, Ladora, Iowa)
Here's a buttermilk topping for sweet rolls, and other breads that can be made ahead of time and frozen to be used as needed.
BUTTERMILK TOPPING
Mix 1½ cups sugar, ¾ cup buttermilk, ¾ teaspoon soda, 2 tablespoons white syrup, ½ cup butter or margarine and 1½ teaspoons vanilla together. Bring to boil. Cook five minutes.
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After hearing the "scratch" recipe for coconut macaroons on the air, the Open Line also received a quick and easy way to bake these delicacies.
COCONUT MACAROONS
2 egg whites
dash of salt
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Baker's fine grated coconut
Flavoring as desired
Beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Add sugar, a little at a time, beating at high speed, until stiff peaks form. Fold in flour and then blend in coconut. Drop by teaspoons two inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for twelve minutes.
QUICK AND EASY MACAROONS
1 box angel food cake mix
1 cup finely grated coconut
½ cup finely chopped nuts
Mix angel food cake mix according to directions on the box. Fold in coconut and nuts. Drop batter by tablespoons on greased and floured baking sheet. Bake 375° for ten to twelve minutes.
Add this next recipe to your list of unusual recipes. It's a spice cake that calls for beer.
BEER CAKE
½ cup shortening
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
1 cup beer
Cream first four ingredients. Add to sifted dry ingredients alternately with, beer. Bake at 350° until done in 9 by 9 inch pan.
FROSTING: Bring ½ cup butter, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup molasses to boil. Add 2 tablespoons evaporated milk and cool. Blend in about 2 cups powdered sugar to spreading consistency.
HELPS AND HINTS
To clean dirty varnished surfaces, furniture or woodwork, mix together:
1 teaspoon gummed turpentine
3 teaspoons boiled linseed
oil
1 cup hot water
Cool until hands are comfortable using it. Rub on with a soft cloth or very fine steel wool, a section at a time. Wipe with a clean soft cloth wrung out of clean warm water. Dry with another soft cloth.
Another trick from Ames is to treat your own dust cloths or mops by soaking a suitable cloth or mop in the following solution:
1 quart boiling water
¼ cup paraffin oil (from
drug store)
Soak in this until cool enough to handle. Hang up to dry. Store in tin containers.
To make homemade children's finger paints, mix one capful of liquid detergent with two tablespoons liquid starch. Mix in mixer until fluffy. Color with food coloring. Paint on brown paper. Double recipe for a larger batch.
Before you give up on that suede cleaning job, try this mixture from one of our Open tine listeners. Mix equal parts of Fuller's Earth and powdered alum. Spread on spot and allow to dry. Brush off.
Here's another woodwork and paneling cleaner. Mix ½ cup gum of turpentine, 1 cup boiled linseed oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Apply a thin coat with soft cloth and dry with another cloth. The first two ingredients are easily available at any paint store.
Here's a repeat on a popular Open Line home formula from a few years back. Homemade wallpaper paste. Mix with a little cold water:
1 cup cornstarch
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons powdered alum
Pour in 5 or 6 quarts of boiling water. The water must be at a rolling boil when added. Some say this is the best they ever used, included commercial paste.
Use nail polish to freshen plastic flowers. After cleaning them, you may even use a clear polish on the foliage.
The bottom of old detergent plastic bottles make perfect May baskets. Also consider the use of the plastic baskets many fruits are packaged in now. And even egg cartons may be cut in sections for the smaller May baskets. Other baskets can be made from muffin cups and large decorated paper drinking cups.
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IT'S EASY TO BARBECUE. Three of the most popular meats for the outdoor grill are reviewed here along with some helpful hints and barbecue sauce recipes. First, here are the basic instructions for steak, chicken, and spareribs.
STEAKS. You'll need about ½ pound raw steak per serving. Economy cuts or grades are fine for everyday grilling if you use a tenderizer. For one inch steak, lower grill to two to three inches from coals and cook five to six minutes per side. For a two inch thick steak, cook ten to twelve minutes per side. Control fire with dashes of cold water; spray bottle is handy.
CHICKEN. For the best barbecued chicken, choose tender young fryers or broiler size chickens. Two broiler fryers will serve six to eight. Cook chicken eight inches from coals for 30 to 35 minutes. Cook 20 minutes on inner side first, 10 to 15 minutes on skin side. Baste frequently, control fire with dashes of water.
SPARERIBS. Two strips will serve four to six. Cook 45 minutes or till done, twelve inches from coals. Turn and baste often.
JIFFY BARBECUE SAUCE
½ cup cooking oil
1 large onion chopped
¾ cup tomato catsup, preferably
a chili pepper catsup
¾ cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Cook onion till soft in hot oil. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Enough sauce for basting and serving with two chickens. 2½ cups.
SIMPLE BARBECUE SAUCE
1½ tablespoons oil
1 onion minced
1¼ cups chili sauce
1/3 cup steak sauce
Heat oil in 8-inch fry pan. Add onion and cook until tender. Add sauces. Serve hot over frankfurters. Makes 2 cups spicy sauce, enough for 12 servings.
CHINESE BARBECUE SAUCE FOR CHICKEN
½ cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup dry sherry or 1/3 cup vinegar
and
1/3 cup bouillon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped very fine
¼ teaspoon ground Ginger
Mix together all ingredients. Let chicken marinate in sauce for 30 minutes to 2 hrs. or longer, if desired. Baste with marinade during broiling. Makes 2½ cups or enough for marinating and basting 2 chickens.
BARBECUE SAUCE FOR HOT DOGS OR BURGERS
3 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 small green pepper, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard,
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup chili pepper catsup
Combine ingredients; simmer 15 minutes. Serve with broiled frankfurters or hamburgers. Makes about 1½ cups.
BARBECUE HINTS
A big clay flower pot makes an excellent substitute for the popular and more expensive hibachi. Line bottom with coarse gravel and build fire on top.
If you use briquettes for cooking, you can put your coals away for another day when finished cooking by dropping them in a bucket of water. Then set out to dry.
Cooking frankfurters for a crowd is easier when you line the grill with foil. Pierce it to let more heat through. The foil keeps the franks from failing in the fire.
Cleanup tip: Before your fire dies out, scrape the grill with a wire brush. The residue will be easier to remove than from a cold grill.
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