HOMEMADE SWEET LIME PICKLES

 Some of these old recipes are sadly lacking in directions. The housewife back then knew what to do. 

This is a perfect example.

Slice 7 pounds of cucumbers and soak in 2 gallons of water. Add 2 cups of lime. leave in this for 24 hours. Wash well and soak in water for 3 more hours. 

Cover with this solution: 2 qt. vinegar 9 c. sugar 1 tbsp. salt 2 tsp. whole cloves 2 tsp. celery seed 1 tsp. mixed spices Let stand overnight in this solution. Bring to a boil and can.

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PINEAPPLE AND CHEESE SALAD

This recipe is from a small Southern Indiana church community many years ago.

1 (No. 2 1/2) can sliced pineapple
1/2 lb cold Velveeta or American sliced cheese
18 large marshmallows, cut into fourths

Drain the juice from the pineapple. When well drained, dice the pineapple. Cube the cheese.

Mix:
3/4 cup sugar
Lump of butter (size of a small egg)
2 tbsp flour (rounded)
2 eggs

Stir in pineapple juice and cook, stirring constantly, in double boiler until thick, about 5 minutes. Let this custard get cold, then combine with diced pineapple, cubed cheese, and marshmallows. Sprinkle ground nuts on top (optional). Serve on a bed of lettuce leaf when chilled. Keep in refrigerator.

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HELLMAN'S CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

1 cup Hellman's Real Mayonnaise

2 tbsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup pepper
4 cups cooked, cubed, peeled potatoes (about 5 or 6)
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper. Gently stir in the potatoes, celery, onion, and eggs. Cover and chill until serving time.  Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves, if desired.

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LIST OF OLD TIME SAYINGS

This is a list of some old-time sayings I have gathered from old cookbooks. Hope you will enjoy them.

Willingness without action is like a cloud without rain; there may be lots of thunder and lightening but no parched ground is watered.

Too little to save, Too much to dump. That's what makes the housewife plump.

"A smile is a light in the window of the face by which the heart signifies it is at home and waiting. A face that cannot smile is like a bulb that cannot blossom." Henry Ward Beecher

You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?

"Whatever is set before you eat, asking no questions for conscience sake." 1 Cor. 10:37

Be grateful for your doors of opportunity--and for the friends who oil the hinges.

I set out to find a friend, but couldn't find one; I set out to be a friend, and friends were everywhere.

"We may live without poetry, music and art,
We may live without conscience, and live without heart;
We may live without friend, we may live without books;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks."

"He may live without books--what is knowledge but grieving?
He may live without hope--what is hope but deceiving?
He may live without love--what is passion but pining?
But where is the man that can live without dining?"
By Owen Meredith

There is no indigestion worse than that of trying to eat your own words.

We do not know how inexpensive the seeds of happiness are or we should scatter them oftener.

Little acts of kindness are stowed away in the heart like bags of lavender in a drawer to sweeten every object around them.

Strive always to be like a good watch--open face, busy hands, pure gold, week regulated, full of good works. 

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MARSHALL'S MARINATED MUSHROOMS

 This recipe was a favorite of actor and singer Ken Curtis who played Festus on the old TV series Gunsmoke, and his wife Torrie.

1 hard boiled egg yolk, mashed
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 pound fresh mushrooms (small or medium)

Combine all ingredients except mushrooms in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Add mushrooms.  Cover and let boil for exactly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat immediately and put in a quart jar.  When cool, refrigerate overnight.

Makes 1 quart.

MAXINE'S BAKED PORK CHOPS

This recipe was made frequently by Maxine back in my childhood Southern Indiana area over 50 years ago. 

4 pork chops (about 1 1/2 lbs.) 

1/3 cup diced celery 

1/2 cup water 

1/8 tsp. pepper 

2 tbs. brown sugar 

juice 1/2 lemon 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. dry mustard 

2 cans (8-oz. each) tomato sauce 

Brown chops in fat. Place in shallow baking dish. Combine tomato sauce, water, celery, brown sugar, lemon juice and seasonings; pour over chops. Cover and bake in 350 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours or until chops are tender.

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MOM'S SUGAR CREAM PIE

This recipe was my late mother's. When my mother passed away, a gentleman came up to me at the visitation and told me she made the best sugar cream pies he had ever eaten.

1 baked pie shell
1/4 cup corn starch (don't skimp!)
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 stick oleo
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
nutmeg

Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and milk. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla and oleo. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

 

SALMON-POTATO CHIP CASSEROLE

This is an old recipe cut from a brand of potato chips that were popular in Indiana when I was a kid. The brand was CHESTY and we loved our CHESTY chips. Couldn't believe it when I ran across this 50 to 60 something year old recipe!

1 pkg CHESTY potato chips (I would say a regular family-size bag of today's chips.)
1 can (7-oz) salmon
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Break up the potato chips, flake salmon. Alternate layers in a well-greased baking dish, starting and ending with potato chips. Combine the soup and milk and pour over the layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top is browned. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs.

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1960S TOMATO ONION & CHEESE CASSEROLE

This is an old recipe I have had since early in my marriage. 

1 lb (4 cups) thinly sliced onion
2 lb (4 med) ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
5 slices processed American cheese, cut in half
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
3 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring about 1-inch of water to a boil, add onion and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes; drain.

In the prepared casserole dish, layer half the tomatoes then half the onions. Combine the salt, pepper, and basil; sprinkle half over the onions. Top with half the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, onions, spices, and cheese.

Toss the breadcrumbs in the melted butter; sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Old-Fashion Family Peach Cobbler

This is an old family favorite from Southern Indiana where I grew up. I have been told it tastes a lot like the one served at Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.

1/2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large can sliced peaches, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a deep baking dish in the moderate oven. Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk in a small mixing bowl. Pour the batter in the dish with the butter but do not stir. Add the sliced peaches. Bake 1 hour.

Note: Some people like to use a whole stick of butter.

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