Pie Crust

by Mrs Marvel
Pie Crust

Pie Crust including lard

I have admitted in the past that me and the rolling pin are not good friends. I either wind up with the dough wrapped around the pin or so much flour the dough dries out. It’s frustrating and I’m not the type to throw away ruined dough and start over just so I can get it right. I hate to be wasteful like that! So, I get my pie crust from Pillsbury. :-) However if you are inclined, this recipe looks rather simple. The lard probably makes this crust really light and flakey!

Pie Crust

4 cups flour

1 cup lard

1 cup butter

salt

3/4 c milk

Makes 8 crusts

Cottage Bread

by Mrs Marvel
Notebook

Cottage Bread Recipe

I have to admit it.

I haven’t tried making anything with yeast yet. I suppose I should ask my mother to teach me how, I just have never gotten around to it. But, I have a distinct memory of the smell of bread baking one time when Gram came to stay with us. It is a very comforting memory, and I’d like to give that to Melody. I’ll be brave and try it. Someday. Soon.

The next batch of recipes I will be featuring come from a well worn and much loved handwritten book I found last year. It is a small 3-section notebook with 150 sheets total. Recipes were written only on one side of the page and many pages have more than one recipe. About 1/2 of the book was used, and in the back section is a basic index. There are also many many clipped recipes. This looks like a lifetime project for whomever compiled these into one place. The cover is worn and torn, threatening to fall off, so I assume it was used a lot. The recipe above is the first one in the book, so that is where we will start.

Cottage Bread

2 3/4 cup warm water

Add: 2 pkgs Dry yeast (stir)

Add:

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp shortening

1/2 of 6 1/2 cups flour (i.e. 3 1/4 cups)

Beat 2 min until smooth. Mix in rest of flour. Cover. Let raise in warm place until double. Beat batter down for 1/2 a minute. Pour 1/2 into greased loaf pan and other 1/2 in loaf pat or 1/2 qt baking dish. Let raise 30 min. Brush with melted shortening. Bake 375 40-50 min.

Crisp Vegetable Salad

by Mrs Marvel

Crisp Veggie Salad 1

Crisp Veggie Salad 2

 

Here’s a recipe that falls in the “everything’s better with Jello” category, lol. Jello salads were very popular in the 1950s forward and you can find many different recipes in the “Jello” category by clicking the down arrow on the category’s bar. I have to admit I would not look forward to making this one. Jello and fruit works for me, but Jello and veggies just….doesn’t.

Crisp Vegetable Salad

1 envelope Knox gelatine

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup hot water

1/2 c sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tbs lemon juice

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 c diced cucs or cabbage

3/4 c diced celery

1/2 c finely shredded carrot

2 teaspoon grated onion

2 tbs chopped green pepper

and (or) pimiento

Soften gelatine in cold water on very low heat, add hot water, sugar, salt, lemon, stir until dissolved. Add vinegar.

Chill until mixture is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Stir in vegetables. Chill until firm. Serve on salad greens.

Potato Salad, and an apology

by Mrs Marvel

Potato Salad

 

I really have no excuse but a bit of overextension in my regular life, so I apologize for not posting the past few weeks. I’m going to be scanning a ton of great recipe cards over the next few days and should have some interesting recipes for your perusal on a more regular basis. I like the twice weekly postings on Sundays and Wednesdays, so I’ll likely go with that.

Now, potato salad. You can’t really mess it up. This seems like a typical traditional potato salad with a creamy dressing. It would be nice for a summer supper on the patio.

Potato Salad

3 T vinegar

6 potatoes cooked & diced

1 c chopped celery

1 med onion chopped

1 cucumber diced

3 hard eggs diced

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 t paprika

mayonnaise

Pour vinegar over potatoes while hot. Cool. Combine with all other ingred. Makes 5-6 cups.

Virginia Special Macaroni and Cheese

by Mrs Marvel

Virginia Special Mac and Cheese

 

Macaroni and cheese with sugar in it isn’t exactly what I was thinking with this one. However, maybe it adds a gentle sweetness to an otherwise cheesy, gooey, casserole. Having a 6-year-old, we tend to eat a lot of macaroni and cheese. Maybe I will try this one. Without the tomatoes of course. I like catchup on my mac & cheese, but there is where I draw the line. :-) I don’t know the vintage of this recipe. It was clipped from a newspaper of unknown origin and date.

Virginia Special Macaroni & Cheese

1 7 oz package elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cup milk

1 cup evaporated milk

2 well beaten eggs

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

1 8 oz package sharp Cheddar (or process American cheese), coarsely diced

Tomato slices, halved

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water til just tender; drain. Blend milk, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and salt.

Turn half the hot macaroni into a greased 2 quart casserole. Top with half the cheese, then remaining macaroni and remaining cheese. Pour milk mixture over. Press macaroni mixture down so milk just covers. Arrange tomato slices atop.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or til mixture is set (“just quivers when shaken”). Makes 8 servings.