Parfait pie (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting. It is dated March 1970 and attributed to Better Homes & Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fruit cocktail
• 3 ounce package of orange gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream
• 1 baked 9-inch pastry shell [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions:

1. Drain syrup from the fruit cocktail into a measuring cup
2. Add enough water to the syrup to make the total volume 1 cup
3. In a saucepan, heat diluted syrup
4. Dissolve gelatin in hot syrup mixture then add cold water
5. Spoon ice cream into gelatin mixture
6. Stir until melted
7. Chill mixture for 40-45 minutes until it thicken and mounds when spooned
8. Fold in 1 1/2 cup fruit cocktail
9. Turn into pastry shell
10. Chill until firm (20-25 minutes)
11. Garnish with rest of fruit before serving

Napoleon squares (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in my Grammy's handwriting.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• 1 package (3.25 ounce) vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
• 1 teaspoon shortening
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions for pastry dough:

1. Cut butter into flour with pastry blender
2. Stir in sour cream with a fork
3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions
4. Wrap each portion
5. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight
6. Roll out one portion of dough on well-floured board into a 12-inch by 6-inch rectangle
7. Place on ungreased cookie sheet
8. Repeat with other 3 portions of dough
9. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown
10. Transfer carefully to wire racks
11. Cool completely
12. Trim sides carefully with a sharp knife so all layers are the same size
13. Place one layer, puffed side up, on a separate wire rack set on a piece of wax paper to be decorated for the top of the Napoleon

Instructions for fillings, frostings, and assembly:

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, pudding (or pie filling mix) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil
3. Cool
4. Chill mixture well
5. In a double boiler set-up, combine chocolate pieces and shortening and heat over hot water until chocolate melts
6. Stir to blend
7. In a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, syrup, water and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8. Cook mixture over low heat until frosting is smooth and shiny and coats a wooden spoon. Don't overcook or frosting will be too hard
9. Remove from heat, pour over top layer immediately and spread evenly
10. Pour chocolate mixture into pastry bag or tube with small writing tip
11. Pipe lengthwise strips 1-inch apart over frosting
12. With a toothpick make chevron marks 1-inch apart pulling the toothpick left to right, then right to left
13. Set top aside to assemble
14. Place an undecorated layer, puffy side up, on serving platter
15. Spread layer with 1/3 of chilled vanilla filled
16. Top with frosted pastry layer
17. Chill at least 1 hour before serving

Makes 6 servings

Mixed fruit cobbler (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in Grammy's handwriting. It is dated September 1975 and attributed to "FJ".

The recipe doesn't indicate a specific fruit so I am guessing that any dehydrated fruit you want to use would work. You could combine fruits to make it truly a "mixed fruit" cobbler or make it with just one kind of fruit. This recipe seems like a great way to use food storage.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cup dried fruit
• 4 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup milk

Instructions:

1. Cut up dried fruit
2. Place fruit and water in a 3 quart saucepan
3. Bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat
5. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until fruit is tender
6. In a separate bowl, combine corn starch, 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon 
7. Stir sugar mixture into hot fruit mixture
8. Pour into 11-inch by 7-inch by 1.5-inch pan
9. Sift together flour, baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt
10. Cut in butter until crumbly
11. Add milk
12. Stir just until moistened
13. Drop crumble by spoonfuls over the top of the fruit mixture
14. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown

Serves 6

Maggie's pumpkin pie (untested)

This recipe appears to be written in Grammy's handwriting (her handwriting looked different when she wrote in fountain pen). It is undated, but I suspect this recipe pre-dates 1941 (the year she got married).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup steamed pumpkin
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 5/8 cup canned milk diluted with 3/8 cup water [probably unsweetened evaporated milk]

Instructions:

1. Beat egg thoroughly
2. Add sugar mixed with flour, salt and spices
3. Add pumpkin, molasses and milk
4. Stir until well-blended
5. Line a deep pie pan with pastry [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]
6. Pour in pumpkin mixture
7. Bake in moderate oven (350°F–375°F) [no baking time is given but my own experience has been that a pumpkin pie is done when you can stick a butter knife into the filling and have it come out clean]

Never-fail pie crust (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in handwriting belongs to Grammy's daughter Ann. It is noted that this is a recipe for a "double crust", meaning that it will provide enough pastry dough for both a pie shell and a top crust.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening (if margarine is used add 3 tablespoons more)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, shortening and salt well until crumbly
2. Add beaten egg, water and vinegar to the crumb mixture
3. Blend until ready to roll
4. If the dough is a bit dry, work with hands to get it to stick together
5. Use the dough as directed for whatever pie recipe you are making

Golden peach pie (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in handwriting belongs to Grammy's daughter Ann.

Ingredients:

• 2 1-pound cans sliced peaches
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons margarine [I'd use butter]
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Pastry for 2-crust pie [get the recipe for Never-Fail Pie Crust by clicking here]

Instructions:

1. Drain peaches, reserving 1/2 cup of the syrup (you should have about 2 2/3 cups of peaches)
2. Combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt
3. Add 1/2 cup of syrup you reserved 
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens
5. Add margarine [butter] and lemon juice
6. Add peaches
7. Pour peach mixture into 9-inch pastry-lined pie plate
8. Moisten edge of pastry dough
9. Add top crust
10. Seal the edge of the dough and flute the edge
11. Cut vents in top
12. Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes

Glazes for tarts or fruit (untested)

This recipe is written in ballpoint pen in Grammy's handwriting. It is dated 1971 and attributed to "Norfolk".

This is one of the treasure trove recipe cards. It contains three glaze recipes. The recipes included are:

• Apricot or red-jelly glaze [a great way to use preserves that you may have in your pantry] 
• Fruit juice glaze
• Syrup glaze

Although the title says the glazes are for tarts, the text indicates that they can also be used for glazing fruit. I'm certain they are versatile in their uses and could probably be applied to other foods as well.

Ingredients for apricot or red-jelly glaze:

• 1 cup strained apricot jam, strawberry jam or raspberry jelly
• 2 -4 tablespoons of fruit juice OR water

Instructions for apricot or red-jelly glaze:

1. Melt jam or jelly with fruit juice or water
2. Cook, stirring, 2-3 minutes
3. Paint on top of fruit [or pastry] while hot

Ingredients for fruit juice glaze:

• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 3/4 cup fruit juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions for fruit juice glaze:

1. In a small saucepan, blend corn starch and fruit juice
2. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened
3. Add lemon juice

Ingredients for syrup glaze:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• unsweetened cream

Instructions for syrup glaze:

1. In a small saucepan, boil sugar and water together until it reaches 232°F
2. Pour hot over berries or fruit [or tart]
3. Serve at once with unsweetened cream