Scallion hard roll butter spread (untested)

This handwritten recipe is in handwriting I don't recognize and is attributed to Miriam Lou (or Loi). Although the recipe is titled for rolls, it's really a recipe for how to prepare and apply a herbed butter onto rolls for serving. This recipe would be a great way to use fresh-cut herbs and scallions from a container or in-ground herb garden.

Ingredients:

• 6 hard rolls, already baked
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary

Instructions:

1. Mix butter, scallions, parsley and rosemary
2. Cut 6 hard roll in half
3. Spread butter mixture onto inside of cut rolls
4. Wrap in foil
5. Heat on grill or in oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through

San Jose Muffins (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting. It looks like it may have been a recipe she got from a Betty Crocker product package or a magazine clipping since it features Betty Crocker pancake mix. With ingredients that give a nod to Southwest and/or Mexicali cuisine, I think these muffins might be a great side to a big bowl of chili.

Makes 10 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Betty Crocker pancake mix
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimento pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
• 1-7 ounce can of whole kernel corn, well-drained (1 cup)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
2. Grease bottoms of 10 medium muffin cups
3. Measure pancake mix, egg, sugar, and oil into a bowl
4. Blend for 15 second on low speed, scraping bowl constantly
5. Beat 1/2 minute at high speed, scraping bowl frequently
6. Stir in remaining ingredients
7. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden

Caraway Cheese Wafers (untested)

This recipe is written in Grammy's handwriting. It is attributed to "Norfolk" and dated 1971. She notes that this is "especially good with salads or drinks". The recipe makes 2 1/2 to 3 dozen (30-36) wafers.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened [I'd use butter]
• 1 1/2 cup cornflakes, slightly crushed
• 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

Instructions:

1. Mix first 3 ingredients
2. Stir in remaining ingredients
3. Shape in 1-inch balls
4. Put on ungreased baking sheets
5. Flatten slightly with a fork or the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in flour
6. Bake in hot oven (400°F) for 7 to 10 minutes

Meat Loaf (untested)

This recipe is written in handwriting I don't recognize and was jotted down on the back of a cake recipe (I've posted the cake recipe separately here).

Ingredients for loaf:
1 1/2 pounds meat
3/4 cup oats
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup milk

Ingredients for topping:
1/3 cup catsup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

There are no instructions included with this recipe. It is interesting to note that both this recipe and the cake recipe call for oats. I wonder if Grammy and a friend were chatting and a friend recommended these two recipes as creative ways to use oats.

Mystery of Grammy's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe solved

About twenty years ago, I discovered a recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie written in my Grammy's handwriting and made it as part of a homemaking class on recipes using pumpkin (I also taught how to make your own pumpkin pie filling from fresh pumpkins). It was a lighter and fluffier recipe than any pumpkin pie I'd tasted before, seeming quite chic and sophisticated.

It wasn't until today that I discovered the possible source of that recipe. As I thumbed through a well-used copy of "Aunt Chick's Pies" by Netti Pendleton McBirney (1940), I found some clues. In the index, I found penciled checkmarks next to only three recipes--one was for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. I also found my Grammy's handwriting in the margins of page 4 of the pamphlet (as well as speckles of white flour from her kitchen stuck to page 3, still white and looking very flour-like).

What I'm finding wonderful about this fairly succinct recipe pamphlet is the breadth of knowledge it contains. It covers all the basics about pie crusts but also covers the basics of tarts, fried pies, filled cookies, doughnuts, ravioli, sweet dessert pies and savory meal-in-a-crust pies. If you want a traditional recipe for Christmas mincemeat pie, it's in here. If you want the recipe for "Southern Sweet Potato Pie", it's got that too. There's a whole section covering just custard pies (that's where you'll find a recipe for "Peanut Butter Pie").

In addition to a list of all the necessary tools you need to make pies from scratch (see photo below), there are specific instructions on caring for a non-stick pastry canvas just like I watched my mom use for years (keep in mind this was written in 1940 and my copy is a reprint from 1944 so there is at least one racially insensitive statement about Japan in this section).

The opening page has an interesting couple of paragraphs under "War Time Pastry" that give us a peek into what it was like for cooks at that time. Here's a transcription of the text:

"Metals are gone so I can no longer sell you a blender. However one of these days this fight is going to be over. In the meantime if you have no blender use the recipe for Hot Water Piecrust given below. It is just as good a piecrust. It has a slightly greasy feeling as you handle it which I do not like especially but the results are worth working for.  

"Fats will be scarce no doubt, therefore use your own ingenuity patterned on what I will tell you below, using bacon fat, chicken, turkey, goose, or any other fat you may have on hand, especially for biscuits and meat pies. The government is after only that fat for which you have no use."

Just from the excerpt above, I'm thinking many of the recipes could be adapted for survivalist conditions, off-the-grid cooking, or outdoor camp-kitchen conditions (possibly even a dutch oven). Let me know if any of you test any of the recipes in any of those ways. I'd love to know if my hunch is right.

I've scanned the entire pamphlet and 

made it available in a pdf file to view or download 

Click here to see it

When A Zucchini Gets Away From You

It's my fault. I was the one on "zucchini watch", and I failed in my duties. I failed to check the zucchini growing in the garden, and it got too big (as zucchini will do).

So what do you do if your zucchini gets away from you?

We decided to try the recipe, "Stuffed Zucchini", out of Grammy's recipe box. The recipe had been cut out of a magazine and looks like it's circa 1960s-1970s.

Hubby did the preparing on this one and found the recipe to be very easy to follow (which is a pleasant bonus when making a vintage recipe).

Here's what the recipe says (with our editorial comments in red italics):

Stuffed Zucchini
No browning or boiling, just bake and serve.
2 pounds zucchini [obviously, we just had one BIG one!]
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion flakes [Hubby used French's Fried Onions instead]
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt [definitely needed more]
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup spaghetti sauce [Hubby used Prego traditional]

Halve zucchini. Scoop out centers leaving 1/4-inch shell; place in shallow baking dish. Coarsely chop zucchini centers; mix with next 8 ingredients. Spoon into shells. Top with sauce. Bake in 350 degrees F in oven for 30 minutes. Serves 4. [If you use 2 pounds of zucchini]

In the future, Hubby suggests that browning the ground beef would be better. Why? Because brown food tastes better!!!! And it would also reduce baking time.

Hubby said that the baking aroma brought back memories of his grandmother's kitchen because culinary creations of this kind were common during the 1960s. After baking was over, Hubby let it cool a bit since it came out of the oven the temperature of "hot magma".

Once it had cooled a bit, the tasting commenced. The flavor of the sauce against the filling mixture was good, but it definitely needed more salt. Once Hubby pumped up the salt, the flavor came alive. Hubby said it's not something that he would be addicted to, but it is most definitely a great quick meal option for using up zucchini from the garden--particularly zucchini that's gotten out-of-control huge!