MAWMAW'S HUSH PUPPIES

This is another old recipe from my childhood hometown of Bedford, Indiana.

1-quart yellow corn meal
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup fine chopped onion
1/2 bunch parsley that is chopped very fine
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped until foamy
5 whole eggs, beaten
1 tbp. granulated garlic
1 tbp. baking powder
1 tbp. sugar
1 tbp. salt
hot fat (oil) for frying

Mix all the ingredients (except for the fat) in a large glass or steel mixing bowl. Place bowl of mixture in the refrigerator for at least one hour while the seasonings blend.

Heat the fat in a large Dutch oven (1/2 to 3/4 full). Heat oil to around 350 degrees. Using two tablespoons (one for dipping up the batter, one to push batter out into hot oil) put hush puppy batter into the oil being careful not to get splattered with hot oil. Fry the puppies until they are light brown, turning to brown all sides, for about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm after draining on toweling.

Yield: approximately 4 dozen hush puppies.

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SARAH'S TACO DIP

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 package taco seasons
1 carton sour cream - 8 oz
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated

In a skillet, brown the hamburger meat. Stir meat while cooking to crumble. When meat is browned, drain off fat. Spread meat on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan. Let meat cool 5 minutes. Layer on top of meat mixture: sour cream, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and top with cheese. Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

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CORNBREAD PIE

This recipe is so old I don't even remember where I got it.

Combine in a skillet:
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
Brown well and add:
1 can tomato soup (10 1/2-oz)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 can (12-oz) whole kernel corn
1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Mix well and let simmer 15 minutes. Turn into greased casserole or baking dish. Top with cornbread. Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

CORNBREAD TOPPING:
Stir together:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

ADD:
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs. bacon drippings

Pour onto the beef mixture. Do not worry if this topping sinks during baking. It will rise again and look crispy.

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HOT REUBEN POTATO SALAD

This is another old Hoosier recipe.

6 large potatoes
6 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lb. sauerkraut
1 bottle (8-oz) creamy Russian dressing
4 sandwich-size slices Swiss cheese, cut into lengthwise strips

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Peel and slice in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Fry bacon and drain on paper towel. Cook onions in remaining bacon dripping in skillet until tender.

Combine the potatoes, salt, pepper, onions, sauerkraut, and salad dressing in well-greased 6-cup shallow baking dish. Crumb bacon over potatoes. Top with the cheese strips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

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APRICOT GELATIN SALAD

This is an old recipe from my childhood. Use your imagination and cooking skills with the instructions!! I love these old recipes. Sometimes just reading them is as good as reading a novel.

2 large pkgs apricot Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 (No. 2) can crushed pineapple
2 cups small marshmallows
2 large bananas, sliced

Prepare the Jell-O; let cool before adding other. When finished, add the following topping.

Topping:
1 cup pineapple juice
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar

Cook until thick. Add 1 package cream cheese. Put over salad. Let cool and add Dream Whip.

LIME CHEESE SALAD

Who remembers salads like these at family gatherings? 

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HOMEMADE CELERY SEED DRESSING

This recipe was often made by an elderly lady in the community where I grew up in the 1950s.

1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
1 medium onion, grated
2/3 cup vinegar
1 pint vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp celery seed

In a medium mixing bowl combine the sugar, mustard, salt, onion, and half of the vinegar and beat. Gradually add the oil, celery seed, and the rest of the vinegar. Store in a sealed quart jar.

recipessquared.com photo for reference

PORK CHOPS WITH POTATOES

This is a recipe from a lady in the church where I grew up with her children.

2 cups potatoes, sliced thin
1 tsp salt
4 pork chops
1 small onion, sliced
4 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
pepper

Arrange potatoes and onion in layers in a greased baking dish. season with salt and pepper. Trim fat off pork chops and roll chops in some flour, then brown in a pan on each side and remove from pan.

Set aside all, except 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pork chop pan. Brown the flour with the fat in the pan. Add the milk. Blend until smooth and cook to a thin white sauce. Pour sauce over the potatoes. Top with the chops. Cover dish and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

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CORN PONE PIE

1 lb hamburger meat

1 onion, medium size
1 cup tomatoes
1 cup red beans
1 or 2 mangos*
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup flour

Chop the onion and brown in a skillet with the crumbled hamburger meat. When meat is browned, drain off excess fat. Add the tomatoes, beans, mangoes; stir together to blend. Leave mixture in skillet if skillet is ovenproof. Otherwise transfer to a casserole dish or baking pan.

Mix the corn meal and flour with enough milk to make a corn bread consistency mixture; pour over top of the other ingredients and bake at 375 degrees until the cornbread topping is done.

*Mango is a green bell pepper in the Midwest. I never knew there was a fruit called mango until I was an adult living in the West! Don't use the real mango in this recipe. This recipe refers to green bell pepper. Thanks to a reader for pointing out that I omitted the explanation for the *. I'm getting old and forgetful!!!!

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RUBY'S CUSTARD PIE

This recipe is from an old family friend from my childhood. She worked at a little restaurant in my hometown and we would go there after church on Sunday. Her homemade pies were one of the things that drew people to this little restaurant week after week. Ruby has been gone for years and so has the restaurant but her pies live on in memory.

Beat with a rotary beater 4 eggs.
Then beat in 1/3 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon flour mixed in with sugar.
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 2/3 cups scalding milk
1 tsp vanilla if desired
Bake 450 for 15 minutes then 350 to finish 25 to 30 minutes.
Test with a silver knife to see if custard is done through.

Note: For you newer cooks who may not know, scalding milk means milk that has just been brought almost to a boil. And of course this goes in an unbaked pie shell.

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