Enjoy A Meal Using These Old Fashion Recipes That Are Inexpensive and Delicious

This is another of my old Internet articles that is being archived.  Thought I would share it with you before it goes into oblivion!

Go back in time and feed your family a meal that could be one on the table in your childhood home. These recipes are nutritious, inexpensive, and tasty. Your family will love them! If you and your family love Tex-Mex, try this recipe for Old Time Three Cheese and Beef Enchiladas; they make a great family meal. If your family prefers chicken, try this old recipe for Aunt Mamie's Chicken Bake. Also included are instructions for updating the recipe to make it even healthier!

OLD TIME THREE CHEESE AND BEEF ENCHILADAS
8-oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8-oz Cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cut-up
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 can (12-oz) evaporated milk
1 lb hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
8-oz tomato sauce
22 flour or corn tortillas, your choice

In a skillet cook the hamburger and onion until meat is crumbled and browned and onion is transparent. Drain and return to skillet. Add the chili powder, cumin, and tomato sauce; cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheeses. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the evaporated milk, green chilies, undiluted cream of chicken soup, and Velveeta cheese. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a long casserole dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll to form the enchiladas. Place side by side in the prepared casserole dish. Spoon the cheese/soup mixture over the enchiladas.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

AUNT MAMIE'S CHICKEN BAKE
This recipe is from an old rural utilities co-op newsletter in Southern Indiana where we got our electricity when I was a kid growing up there. There was always a page of recipes from the locals. This is one of them from Switz City, Indiana. I like to update this recipe by using low-sodium chicken broth, whole-wheat bread slices, and butter rather than margarine. There are arguments over whether to use butter or margarine. Personally, I am on the butter side of that argument. I believe it is better to put natural products in our bodies rather than manufactured foods. However, that is a personal opinion and you should use what you are comfortable with.

1 small chicken, cooked and boned
12 slices bread
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
2 cans chicken noodle soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cracker crumbs
1 stick melted margarine

Mix the first six ingredients and put in a large pan. Mix cracker crumbs with margarine and put over top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Celebrate Fall with these Apple Recipes: Apple Walnut Cake and Apple Pecan Buckle

Another of my 3-year-old Internet articles that's going into the archives.  It has made several web appearances in the last three years and I am ready to bury it.  I know it is a little out of season but these are good old-fashion apple recipes so I wanted to share with you before dumping into the archives.

As the produce section of your local grocery store and the farmers markets start to be stocked with that All-American fall staple, apples, we thought it would be good to bring out a couple of our favorite apple recipes. The Apple Walnut Cake with Brown Sugar Icing bakes in a tube pan and makes 15 to 18 delicious cake slices. The Apple and Pecan Buckle has a wonderful pecan struesel for crunch and flavor.

APPLE WALNUT CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR ICING
1 1/4 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts
3 cups chopped sweet apples
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of a tube pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl mix the oil and sugar together well. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixture and stir. Mix the baking soda into the flour and add flour to the liquid mixture. Mix well. Stir in the apples and walnuts. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Cool for several minutes before removing from pan to cool completely then frost with the following:

ICING:
1 stick butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk

Combine the butter, brown sugar, and milk in a small saucepan. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Spread over the top of the cake.

APPLE AND PECAN BUCKLE
STREUSEL:
1 1/4 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 stick cold butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

BATTER:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
2 tbsp butter
Powdered sugar for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

STREUSEL: Spread the pecans out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes to toast. Stir once during the baking. When cooled, chop coarsely. In a medium bowl, using your fingers, mix together the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly. Stir in the chopped pecans.

BATTER: Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

In a large mixer bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Add the flour in three additions alternating with the milk. Beat just to blend.
Spread 2 cups of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the streusel mixture. Top the streusel with the apple wedges; dot with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with the rest of the streusel.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool.

Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.

Enjoy!

Delight Your Family with this Old Fashion Meal

This internet article was first published in August 2010 and will be archived in the morning.  Sharing it with you before I bury it in the archives!

Surprise and delight your family with this meal made entirely from vintage recipes. From a refreshing 7-UP gelatin salad to Honey BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwiches to a finish of Buttermilk Pound Cake served with fresh berries, this is a meal that will get rave reviews! Make this an old-fashion (to some people) dinner with the family all together around the table. Enjoy a great meal and some wonderful conversation.

BECKY'S 7-UP SALAD
1 pkg (4 serving size) lime gelatin
2 cups boiling water
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups 7-UP
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water until all gelatin is dissolved. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Add the 7-UP, stir and refrigerate. When the mixture is partially set, fold in the pineapple, pecans, and marshmallows. Return to the refrigerator until completely set. This makes a pretty molded salad.

AWARD WINNING HONEY BBQ SHREDDED PORK
1 pork shoulder or picnic roast (remove visible fat)
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp white vinegar
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Crusty rolls for serving
Place pork roast in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients, except rolls. Pour mixture over the roast. Cover pan with foil and place in a preheated 300 degree oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Shred the meat using two forks. Remove all the bone and skin. Stir meat with the sauce and serve in crusty rolls.
NOTE: For today's busy cooks, you can adapt this recipe by using a slow cooker while you are away from home or just to keep from using the oven.

BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE
3 sticks margarine
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp lemon flavoring
1 tsp vanilla extract
fresh berries for serving, if desired
Cream margarine and sugar until light; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix the soda, salt, and flour together well. add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in the lemon flavoring and vanilla extract. Pour batter into a lightly greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve topped with fresh berries, if desired.

Enjoy!

A COLLECTION OF OLD-TIME HOUSEHOLD HINTS

Going through the archives of some of my old articles I wrote for internet publications, I came across this one tonight and thought you might enjoy it.  It is full of fun household hints.

I love collecting recipes, cookbooks and household hints. Below are a list of old-fashioned household hints I collected from the back of an old cookbook. They are interesting, sometimes funny and some are still practical for today. They are written exactly as they were in the book. I hope you will enjoy reading them. And who knows, you just might learn a thing or two.

                                   

Old-Fashioned Household Tips

1. To keep nuts from sinking to the bottom of cake or bread batter, shake them in a paper bag with a pinch or two of flour.
2. Do not discard worn pillow slips. Cut a small hole in the seamed end and slip it over a hanger as protection for clothes.
3. Use cotton swabs dipped in lukewarm soap or detergent suds to clean the grooves of carved furniture.
4. Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes before baking will bake more rapidly.
5. A pie crust will be more easily made and better if all the ingredients are cool.
6. To cut fresh bread easily, cut with a hot knife.
7. Tablecloths and sheets should be folded crosswise occasionally. It will make them last longer.
8. To prevent the iron from sticking, add a little salt to the starch.
9. To remove iodine stains from linens rub the stained area with a slice of lemon.
10. Fruit stains may be removed with a strong solution of borax, or the stain moistened with water, rubbed with borax, and boiling water poured through.
11. Measure a cupful of whipped cream after it is whipped.
12. To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
13. To cream butter and sugar, warm a bowl, put the butter in, then sieve the sugar on top. Beat until the mixture is like whipped cream.
14. To improve the flavor of old potatoes, add a little sugar to the water in which they are boiled.
15. To keep lint from clinging to blue jeans and corduroys, add a half cup of vinegar to each wash load.
16. Bury the yeast cake in salt and it will keep for some time.
17. Heat lemons well before using and there will be twice as much juice.
18. To prevent cakes from burning, sprinkle salt in the oven under the baking pans.
19. Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, it is sure to darken them.
20. If egg yolks become stringy after being added to hot puddings, especially tapioca, use a beater; the lumps will adhere to the beater, and leave the pudding smooth. 21. When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a pan of water in the oven. This prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
22. A well-beaten white of egg added to mashed potatoes will add to the looks and taste of the dish.
23. When bread is baking, a small dish of water in the oven will help to keep the crust from getting too hard.
24. To draw out the salt from salted fish, add a glass of vinegar to the water in which the fish is soaking.
25. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to cranberries while cooking and they will not require much sugar.
26. To keep milk or cream from souring in hot weather, stir in a small quantity of bicarbonatge of soda.
27. All seasonings should be added gradually to soup, or the flavor may be too strong.
28. A little finely grated cheese added to thin soup improves the taste immensely.
29. If parsley is washed with hot water, instead of cold, it retains its flavor and is easier to chop.
30. To prevent the odor of boiling ham or cabbage permeating the house, add a little vinegar to the water in which they are boiled.

There you have it, folks. Old-fashioned tips for everyday use. I especially like #26. However, I'm sure that was very important to folks many years ago. But there are some tips that are still quite useful today, number 29 for example. Anyway, it is fun to share these tips with you.

 

Back in the day!