Conflake Candy

Here's a recipe that I absolutely think is DEEEEElicious!!! I was in a poopy mood a couple weeks ago, and just decided I needed to have some sinful something to munch on. A friend of mine e-mailed me this recipe so I thought I'd give it a try. U-m-m-m-m-m-m-m.

So, perhaps you'd like to give it a try as well. It's really easy to make and keeps well.

Grease a large bowl to mix in and put in:

4 1/2 cups corn flakes (can use frosted flakes instead of regular and crush them a little)

1/2 cup coconut (packed in the cup a little)

1/2 cup skinless peanuts (I substituted chopped almonds, and I'm going to try macadamia nuts next time)


In a separate heavy pot, pour in 1 cup of white corn syrup and one cup of white sugar. Place on the stove and carefully bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cream or crunchy peanut butter. (creamy is better). Blend well with cornflake mixture and drop portions onto wax paper on non-stick baking pans. Let cool before eating.

That's all there is to it, and actually, I really liked them warm as well. They were a little more sticky that way, but really yummy.

You'll see what I mean if you give the recipe a try.

Enjoy the recipe.

JB

Fresh Carrot Casserole

Hi again,
I haven't posted a recipe for ages it seems, so thought I'd give you something to try. If you are among the unfortunate masses who DON'T have a copy of the "famous" Babcock's Store Cookbook", this is for you. Those of you with the book can look on page 20 for the recipe.

I made this to take to a funeral dinner a few weeks ago, and didn't get to try it then. I always HATE to take a new dish someplace and not really know how it actually tastes. Unfortunately, sometimes my "evil" self takes over and I just think, "oh, well, I really don't know these folks anyway." TERRIBLE attitude, and I apologize!!!

Anyway, I made it again after that and took it to our First Sunday fellowship meal last month. So, I did get a taste, and, whooeee!!!! It's REALLY good. I think you'll like it - A Lot!

One little variation I made was when boiling the carrots, I boiled them in "salted" water. The recipe didn't call for that but I'm not overly fond of flat carrots.

So, here's the recipe for you.

4 1/2 cups, or a 2-lb. bag of fresh carrots. (I like to use the baby carrots. All peeled, and measured What could be easier!"
1/2 cup Velveeta Cheese
1 stick margarine or butter (butter is better)
2 med. onions, diced
2 tbsp. flour
Croutons

Boil the carrots and onions until tender. Save 1 cup of the carrot water. Drain the rest from the carrots and put them in a 2 qt. casserole dish. Melt the velveeta in the saved water. Add 2 tbsp. of flour and the margarine or butter. Stir until all blended together. Pour over carrots in the casserole. Top with croutons and dot with butter. Bake 1 hour at 400.

This is really delicious.

Hope you like it, too.

JB

Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie

I always thought that my mother made the best lemon meringue pie in the whole world. Of course, back in those days, I hadn't eaten too many other ladies' lemon pies, so I'm sure I was a little bit prejudiced, but hers was really SO-O-O-O good!! And I LOVE lemon meringue pie - even to this day.

However, in my grownup life, I have come to realize that "not all lemon pies are equal." Never was this made more clear than the fateful day I had a piece of lemon meringue pie that a neighbor lady had made for Bill's Dad's birthday. We had gone to Heavener to see his folks, and there on the counter sat this BEAUTIFUL lemon meringue pie. And, it WAS pretty. I asked Hermann where he'd gotten it, knowing pretty well that Bill's mom probably hadn't made it, and he said that a neighbor had brought it over for him. I should have left it go right there, but no!! I HAD to say, "I really LOVE lemon meringue pie." So, of course, generous person that Hermann was, he said, "Well, get yourself a piece."

And I DID!!! That was the most AWFUL lemon pie I have ever put in my mouth. It was chewy - I believe the lady had ground up the whole lemon - rind and all - and put it in the filling. And SOUR!!! Apparently, she was not a real fan of sugar, because there wasn't much if any in that pie. Well, now I was in a fine fix. I'd gotten a very nice piece of Hermann's birthday pie, so felt morally OBLIGATED to eat the entire thing. But, I learned a valuable lesson. Just because something LOOKS really good, doesn't necessarily mean that IT IS!!!

But, the pie you make with THIS recipe is wonderful, so I hope that you all enjoy it.
Joan

MOM'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE

1 baked pie shell
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tbsp. butter
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

Place sugar and cornstarch in a pan. Pour boiling water over and cook until thick. Add beaten egg yolks and lemon juice and rind. Cool and place in a baked pie shell. Cover with meringue.

MERINGUE
Beat egg whites till fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and continue beating until mixture stands in peaks. Pile on cooled lemon filling, sealing to the edges and put in a 375 degree oven just until the meringue begins to brown.

There you have it. Lemon meringue pie heaven!!

Baked Caramel Corn

I have to share Mom's Caramel Corn recipe with you. We always loved it. Sometimes she'd have a big bucket of it ready for us to take along on our drive back to Oklahoma after a visit.


Melt: 1 cup of butter Stir in: 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 /2 cup of dark or light corn syrup and 1 tsp. salt


Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Gradually pour over 8 quarts of popped pop corn mixed with a bag of salted peanuts and mix well.

Pour into a large roaster pan and bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees. Stir every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool. Break apart, and enjoy.

Store in an airtight container.

JB

Peanut Brittle

If you like peanut brittle, you'll love this recipe. It's easy and always turns out great!

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup

Boil until mixture spins a thread.

Add: 1 lb. raw peanuts and 1 tsp. salt

Cook until the syrup becomes golden brown. (it will be very thick at first)

Remove from heat, and stir in: 1 tsp. baking soda

Quickly spread the mixture thinly on a greased cookie sheet and cool. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!
JB

German Potato Salad

I started to post another recipe earlier, and then all the excitement hit (see previous post), and I forgot about the recipe. But, I think you'll enjoy it so here it is.

Of course, like I've said before, seems like all the recipes I've been posting come with a story, and this one's no different.

Mom used to make German potato salad at home a lot. I didn't really like it when I was a kid - it was sour and just tasted "nasty" and had "icky" onions in it. But, as I grew older and my taste buds started dying out - (you know that's why you like things when you get older that you didn't like when you were young, don't you? I read once that your taste buds start dying and so your taste isn't as sensitive as it was in the "kid" years. Anyway, it makes perfect sense to me.) Anyway, as I was saying, as I grew older, I started liking German potato salad, and even got Ma's recipe so I could make it myself.

One of the most fun things we used to do, after moving up here to Octavia and meeting some people from the area, was to bring back Wisconsin treats and have them down for a cookout or dinner. The one thing they all loved above anything was bratwurst. We never came back from a visit to Wisconsin without a few dozen brats wrapped up and stashed in our ice chest.

When we had our big cookout, I'd always make Ma's German potato salad to go along with the brats. They just seem to go together. The first taste or two left these "southerners" a bit cool, but they warmed up pretty good after a few tries. The brats didn't take any time at all.

I found that the only things I could never convince them to even try were: pickled herring, cannibal sandwiches, and smoked fish. First time we brought some smoked chubs home and invited them over to try them, they took one look at those beedy little eyeballs looking back at them and said, "No way. You can keep your fish!"

Now to be fair, I never understood how anyone could eat boiled okra either, and these southern people love that stuff. I don't know how many of you are familiar with boiled okra, but when you pick it up on your fork, the slime runs out like snot. It's really gross. What's worse than that, though, is now I LOVE it. Not boiled necessarily, but steamed. Bill and I can't wait for the okra to get ripe. One of our gardener friends always gives us a big sack of the stuff to enjoy.

I wish you could have seen Ma the first time we had okra for supper. She tried it, but it DEFINITELY wasn't one of her favorite vegetables. The old "clean up your plate" rule that we had when we were kids was definitely coming back to bite her.

Well, back to the German Potato Salad recipe. Hope you will try it. It's really good, and it came from Mom! Another of those things I make that reminds me of her.
JB

Fry 6 slices of bacon that have been diced til golden brown.
Mix together:
1/4 cup of vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Add to bacon and cook until clear. Pour over cooked and sliced potatoes. (cook new red potatoes whole, then cool, skin, and slice) Use however many it takes to be covered by the sauce.

Add onion, salt, and pepper to taste.

This should yield about 6 servings.

Till next time.

Baked Cabbage

Here's another good recipe if you like cabbage. Apparently Mom got this recipe from her sister, Delores, because it's called in her recipe box, "Delores' Baked Cabbage".

If I could ever remember to pick up a head of cabbage when I'm grocery shopping, I'd make this to take to Sunday night fellowship at church. We've got some great eaters over there.


Cook: 1/2 head of cabbage and a small onion for 1/2 hr. or until tender. Drain.

Add: 2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cream or milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Put in a casserole dish and sprinkle with crushed corn flakes and grated Colby cheese.
Bak 1/2 - 3/4 hr. at 350, or until set.

Try it, you'll like it!!

Mixed Bean Casserole

I guess you can tell by the post title that this is another recipe. It's amazing how many of these recipes that I decided to share all seem to have a story attached.

I think that Ma actually got this recipe from me (and I have NO idea where I got it) but she liked it and then took it back to Wisconsin with her and made it her own. Life was good!

Then she made it to take to a church supper one time and everybody really LOVED it. It kind of became her special dish to bring to the church suppers. It was always, "Helen, you're going to bring your beans, aren't you?" And she always did.

Then her little lady friends decided they'd like to be able to make this wonderful dish for their families and friends as well, so it was, "Oh, Helen, can we have the recipe? We just love this casserole."

So, of course, being the generous, giving person she was, she was happy to share with her friends. But all of a sudden she started to notice that other dishes of Mixed Bean Casserole started showing up at the church functions as well as hers. It really kinda hacked her off. She told me, "If I'd have known they were going to start bringing them to church, I wouldn't have given them the recipe."

Personally, I always thought it was pretty tacky to beg a recipe off someone and then make it to take to a function that the first one always brought theirs to. Anyway, she said she just started making something else to take, so they didn't get Mom's Mixed Bean Casserole anymore.

But, I doubt that she'll be making it in heaven, so I know she won't mind any of you having it, and hopefully, when you take a bite or two, you'll think of her.

Enjoy!

1/2 lb. bacon, cut up
1/2 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
Brown all together and drain off fat.

Add:
1 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup vinegar
1 can butter beans, partially drained
1 can kidney beans, partially drained
1 can lima beans, partially drained
1 large can pork and beans, undrained

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 1 hour. First 1/2 hour covered, last 1/2 hour uncovered.

Delicious!!!!!

Christmas Salads

Time for another recipe or two.

Mom had some really great salad recipes that were just as much a part of our Christmas dinners as was the family gathering. She had a pretty cut glass bowl that this first one was always served in, and it just said "Merry Christmas" Besides that, it was delicious, and we all loved it. Hope you do, too.

24 HOUR SALAD

yolks of 4 eggs
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

Cook the above ingredients together until thick, and then cool.
Mix 1 cup of cream, whipped into the cooled sauce. Then add,
1 lb. marshmallaws, cut up
1 lb. green grapes, cup up
1 large can sliced pineapple, cut up

Chill for 24 hours, and garnish with maraschino cherries before serving.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Here's another 24-hour salad that she made which could put in a glass dish or a ring mold and decorated to look like a wreath. It's a good one, as well.

MOM'S 24-HOUR CHRISTMAS SALAD

2 pkg. (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1 #2 1/2 can of fruit cocktail, drained
1 small can crushed pineapple
20 chopped large marshmallows
1/2 cup nut meats
1 cup whipped cream (1/2 cup unwhipped)

Mix cheese, powdered sugar, and Miracle Whip. Fold in rest of ingredients. Refrigerate overnight, and decorate with maraschino cherries. If you put this in a ring mold to look like a wreath, you can slice some green candied cherries for leaves.

Enjoy!

QUICK VEGETABLE SOUP

I made this soup the other night and thought, you all really NEED this recipe. It's easy, it's fast, and most important, IT'S DELICIOUS!!! It's not one of Mom's recipes. Actually it takes way too little time. Mom was one of these talented cooks who spent most of her day in the kitchen. She could putz around for hours.

She used to wonder how in the world I could make a meal in about 30 minutes. Of course, it's pretty easy when you don't cook and love Schwan's. Anyway, I found this soup recipe and thought this is something right up my alley. We really like it. Hope you do, too.

Combine in a saucepan:
1 1-lb. can of pork and beans (Bush's Baked Beans are the best. They have more brown sugar and are a little sweeter than some of the others.)
1 can of condensed vegetable soup
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained (I use the 16 oz size, you could use a small can if you prefer)
1/2 soup can of water
Generous dash of salt
(I added a drained can of black beans one time. That was very good as well)
Heat to boiling.
Add 1 12 oz. can of chicken meat. Cook until heated through. This makes about 5 servings.
Enjoy.

Till next time.
JB

EASY RASPBERRY TRIFLE

This works well with strawberries and strawberry Jello, too.


Bake and cool 1 Betty Crocker 1-step Angel Food cake in a tube pan.

Tear the cake into small pieces. The recipe says 1/4* pieces, but use your own judgment.

The pour 2 cups of boiling water over 1 (8-serving size) Pkg. of raspberry Jello and stir until Jello is all dissolved.
Add 2 (10 oz) pkg. of frozen, sweetened raspberries, thawed. (keep a few out for garnish, if desired)
Refrigerate the gelatin mixture for about 15 minutes until thickened but not set.

You will also need 2 - 3 6 oz. cartons of Raspberry Yogurt. (I used a 16 oz. container of Cool Whip instead of yogurt, and it was really good, too)

Layer 1/2 of the cake pieces, gelatin, and yogurt in a 3-qt. glass bowl. Repeat the layers. Garnish with the reserved raspberries.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Yeah, right. Get real! That's not going to happen.

Hope you enjoy it!

JB

RAMIEN NOODLE SALAD

Here's a good salad recipe from a friend of mine. She's an awesome salad maker. Actually, if she doesn't get to come to Sunday evening fellowship, we've all told her, "No problem. Just bring your salad and then you can leave."

So, give this one a try when you need a good one for your next feast.

TOAST: 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 3.75 oz. pkg. of almonds
2 pkg. ramien noodles (without the sauce pkg.)
3 Tbsp. melted butter

BRING TO A BOIL, THEN COOL:
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

SLICE: 2 bunches green onions

CLEAN & TEAR UP: 1 Nappa Cabbage or Chinese cabbage
(I use only the green part of the Nappa or the yellow part of the Chinese)

MIX: all together just before serving! Um-m-m-m-m!

Enjoy!
JB

SUET PUDDING

I was digging around in the refrigerator and ran into a blue plastic bag that contains, of all things, a chunk of beef suet that Mom brought down here when she came to stay for a few months after Daddy died. I don't even know if it's still good. It's still pretty and white and doesn't smell, so maybe it is.

Anyway, that got me thinking about Suet Pudding. That was something that Ma always made when we came home to visit because she knew we liked it, or, actually, because she knew Bill liked it. She LOVED to make the son-in-laws their favorite stuff when she could.

So, here's the recipe for Mother's Suet Pudding. I think how you actually get the suet is to go to the butcher shop and get a big hunk of beef tallow. Then you render that (fry it up in a frying pan) till it's all melted, skim off the stuff that comes to the top and the pure stuff left is the suet. Pour it in a pan and let it harden, and voila! you have the makings of suet pudding. (I doubt seriously you can just find suet in the grocery store, but I've not looked since I happen to have a well-aged chunk of it in my refrigerator!)

According to Mother's recipe card, this was Grandma Howard's recipe - so I guess she learned to make it for Daddy. A half recipe will make enough for two people.

SUET PUDDING
1 cup finely chopped suet
1 cup of molasses (good, dark stuff)
1 cup hot water or sour milk with 1 Tbsp. baking soda mixed in
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
You can add raisins &/or nuts in it if you desire.

Mix this all together, and put in a greased pan. Steam it for 2 hours. Don't let the water get into the batter.

GRAVY - to put over the pudding when serving.
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
nutmeg
Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp. butter.

Cook this like gravy. Add additional vinegar or nutmeg or salt to taste. It should be a gravy-like consistency, and should be sweet and sour, not too sweet.

Serve the pudding as soon as it is done. It is a very heavy, moist cake. Does reheat well in the microwave, though.

Mom usually had this cooking while we were preparing for and eating dinner. That way we'd be ready for dessert about the time it was coming out of the steamer. I've got a big spaghetti pot that I steam mine in. It has a basket down inside to set the pudding on.

So, someday when you are feeling real adventurous and happen to have a chunk of suet on hand that you don't know what to do with, give this a try. I think you'll like it.

Better yet, come on down to Oklahoma, and I'll use mine.

Till next time. JB

SPINACH SALAD

BASE:
2 bags of baby spinach
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
12 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

DRESSING: mix well
2 Tsp. celery salt
2 large red onions, chopped (one is plenty if you are not totally CRAZY about onions)
1/2 cup sugar + 1 tbsp. more or less - to taste
1 tsp. pepper
6 tbsp. mustard
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups oil

Pour over salad, and serve immedately.

Enjoy!

RHUBARB KUCHEN

Well, here I am again. My first piano student didn't show up, the second one hasn't shown up yet, and the third one's not due for another half hour so thought I'd post the first recipe of Mom's to come to mind. It's a rhubarb kuchen, and, since most of you reading this blog are probably from Wisconsin or thereabouts, you know what rhubarb is. You poor southern folks may have not experienced or be familiar with this culinary treat, but trust me, you'd like it.

Another reason I chose this recipe to start with is because there's a really good story that goes along with it. Mom always made this kuchen when the rhubarb was fresh and we were home for a visit. She knew we loved it. Usually we'd have Donna and Wil and the kids there or some neighbors or something to share the treat. It makes a big 9 x 13 pan full, so plenty to go around.

One thing Ma always said was that it was better warm, so, when cutting the dessert to pass around, she'd count noses, and that's how many pieces she would cut. That normally worked pretty well. It was all eaten up and everyone had a good sized slice to finish off the meal. With a little ice cream on top, you couldn't go wrong.

Well, one year when we were home from Oklahoma, Ma made rhubarb dessert. I don't know what else we had preceeding that dessert, but I know it was a bunch. She didn't make skimpy meals. Anyway, we, Bill and I, were already full from way more than we should have eaten, when Ma said, "Ok, the kuchen is nice and warm and we're ready for dessert."

Now I kid you not ---- she brought out 4 plates of kuchen - one for each of us, Bill and me and her and Daddy, and there was A FOURTH of a 9 X 13 pan size piece on each plate. I remember telling her that was way too much dessert to eat at one sitting, but she said, and I quote, "You know it's the best when it's warm." There were four of us eating, so that's how many pieces she cut. I still can't believe we really ate that whole thing, but you know, I actually think that we did.

That's another reason why my clothes all seem to have shrunk. I have the Adler "love to eat" gene and the "easy keeper" gene as well. You Adlers know just what I'm talking about, inso??

Anyway, here's Mom's recipe for Rhubarb Kuchen. If you've not had it before, try it. If you have, and would like to take a stroll down memory lane and find yourself back around the round table in Mom and Daddy's dining room, just cook it up, then take a bite and close your eyes. You can almost see her sitting there saying, "Go ahead. It's the best when it's warm."

Mom's Rhubarb Kuchen
Crust: 2 cups flour 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup shortening 1 egg
Beat egg and add enough milk to measure one cup. Mix all together and put into a 9 x 13 pan.

Line the crust with 4 cups of cut up rhubarb. Sprinkle the rhubarb with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 3 oz. package of red jello.

Mix 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup of butter until crumbly. Drop by spoonsful on top of the jello. Bake at 350 degrees until the rhubarb is done.

A half batch will work for a 9 x 9 pan. (she didn't tell me that until after the 1/4 pan piece episode).

till next time - JB