Orange & Pineapple Salad (Aunt Tot)

by Mrs Marvel

I don’t know who Aunt Tot could be. Gram’s aunts were Sue, Jessie Marion, Edna, Anna, Helen, and Maggie. Any one of those could have had the cute nickname of Tot. Gram was in fact addressed by her nickname – Pat – her entire life. Only people who didn’t know her called her Katharine.  She told me one time that when she was a child, her father called her “his little Patsy” and it stuck. We called her Grandma Pat when we were little, and friends and neighbors called her Aunt Pat. One of the many clever things Gram did was the “name tag” she put on the little dolls and stuffed animals she made for various children. They were a little scrap of white fabric with a drawing of an ant next to the word Pat. I remember asking her about that one time because I didn’t know folks called her Aunt Pat.

Maybe Aunt Tot was not a relative at all. Continue reading →

Turkey Cutlets a la Pat…and Me

by Mrs Marvel

I thought I’d give the turkey cutlets recipe a try, and of course I didn’t make it exactly the way it was written. I didn’t have an hour or more to bake it, so I determined to make it stove top. I found some really nice turkey cutlets at our local Sprouts market the other day and picked them up with this recipe in mind. First, I only had 1.5 pounds of turkey – one large cutlet and two medium. I cut the large one in half to ensure it would cook through at the same rate as the smaller ones.

Could be yummy

Next, this recipe did not call for garlic, which I consider to be a national crisis. So I sauteed a little garlic in olive oil. Once the garlic was tender, I dipped the cutlets in flour as directed and browned them in the pan. Next, I added Grill Mates Chicken seasoning, fresh ground pepper and a little salt, and bacon (premade, I did not have fresh to cook). I was skeptical of the ketchup at first, but decided what the heck. I added that and then liberally applied the wine to the turkey…and myself. I happened to have a sauvignon blanc in the fridge, whew! :-)

Definitely yummy

Since the ketchup didn’t really smooth out quickly, I stirred it up with the wine, then covered the pan and simmered at a smidge above medium heat. At 15 minutes I checked it and it needed a little more time. Also, the sauce had cooked down quite a bit so I added about 1/4 cup of water so it wouldn’t dry out and burn. All told it cooked about 25 minutes. The sauce turned out surprisingly tasty, not like ketchup at all.

Serve with rice pilaf and veggies, very yummy!

I served the cutlets with a veggie mix of potatoes, snap peas and carrots. It would also be good with rice pilaf or quinoa. It was all very good and I will make it again. In future, I’ll combine the ketchup and wine separately and whisk them so they make a smooth sauce, and possibly add in the extra water ahead of time. I’d say that we have another successful outing of a recipe from Gram’s Recipe Box!

Overnight Salad #2

by Mrs Marvel

Here’s another recipe for an overnight salad. I assume these are overnight salads because they taste better if the ingredients sit together and chill in the refrigerator for a while. Royal Anne cherries are a sweet variety of cherries, generally used to make maraschino cherries (which I love). The most common brand I have found is Oregon, but they are all in heavy syrup. I don’t know if this recipe intends to have the syrup included or not. Also, it’s a bit out of order for reading but in perfect order for working. First prepare your fruit, then make the pudding, then combine all the ingredients. Continue reading →

Frozen Fruit Salad

by Mrs Marvel

Here’s another sweet salad that seems more like a dessert to me. My mother wrote out this recipe, and I think I can remember eating it as a kid. I believe she would freeze the smaller containers and bring them out for various occasions.  While I don’t have any distinct memories of liking or disliking it, I do recall that if it wasn’t thawed fully, it was impossible to eat. I assume the salad would be served on a lettuce leaf. Continue reading →

Overnight Salad

by Mrs Marvel

This recipe for an Overnight Salad really reminds me of what we called Ambrosia. I think my sister got sick after eating it – coincidentally – and so we didn’t have it again. So this overnight salad seems to me like something for a potluck. Double cream isn’t something as readily available to us these days and you could use heavy whipping cream, but the dish won’t come out quite as thick as if double cream were used. Continue reading →