INEZ'S JAM PUDDING

When I was a child, we would often go to an old couple's home with them after church on Sunday for a huge lunch. They lived on a farm in an old house so far back on their property it couldn't be seen from the road. I loved the big old farmhouse, playing with their grandchildren, and crossing the pasture fences on stiles. This is a recipe she gave my mother probably 65 or so years ago.

1 cup jam or jelly
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. soda, level
6 tbs. buttermilk
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 1/3 cups flour
1 egg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
Bake slow at 300 or 325 until set. Put some lemon pudding over the top when this is done. Top with egg whites (meringue), if desired.

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PINK LADY SALAD

8-oz pkg cream cheese
2 tbsp cherry juice
1 large can (1 lb 13-oz) fruit cocktail, well drained
1 carton whipped topping
Coconut
1 small can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 small can Mandarin oranges, well drained
2 apples, diced
Cherries

Cream together cream cheese and cherry juice. Add the fruit cocktail, crushed pineapple, oranges, and apples. Fold in 1 1/2 cup whipped topping. Garnish with cherries and coconut.

file photo from flour on my face for reference only

CHICKEN CREPES

This may not be exactly vintage, but I have had it since the early 1970s.

CREPE BATTER:
2/3 cup unsifted flour
2 eggs
3 tbsp cooled, melted butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk

CHICKEN FILLING:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 lb mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper

SAUCE:
1/4 cup unsifted flour
2/3 cup cooking sherry
1 can (10 3/4-oz) condensed chicken broth, undiluted
2 cups light cream
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
Olive or canola oil
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

To  make batter:
Combine flour, eggs, butter, salt, and 1/2 cup milk in a medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth; beat in remaining milk. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours to overnight.

To make filling:
Heat butter in a large skillet; add mushrooms and onion, saute for 10 minutes. Add chicken, sherry, salt and pepper. Cover over high heat, stirring until liquid is gone.

To make sauce:
Blend flour with sherry in a saucepan. Stir in broth, cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring for 2 minutes. Add half of the sauce to the filling; stir to blend. Set aside.

To cook crepes:
Slowly heat a 7-inch skillet and brush lightly with oil. Pour in 2 tablespoons of batter, rotating to cover the bottom of pan.

Cook over medium heat until golden; turn; brown other side. Cool on a rack. Repeat to make 15 crepes.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place 1/4 cup filling on each crepe; roll up. Arrange, seam side down, in single layer in buttered, 3-qt, shallow baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over crepes; sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

file photo for reference

INDIANA FARM BOWL SOUP

This recipe is another from my late mother's boxes of recipe clippings.

2 slices bacon
1 cup chopped cooked ham
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 tsp thyme
1 can (10 3/4-oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (10 3/4-oz) condensed chicken noodle soup
1 soup can of milk
1/2 cup water
2 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
1 cup cooked cut green beans

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble the bacon.

In the hot bacon drippings, brown the ham and cook the onion with the thyme until tender. Add the remaining ingredients. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 servings. Recipe may be doubled.

(I love the last sentence. Of course, it may be doubled!)

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HARRIETT'S RHUBARB DESSERT

I got this recipe from my next-door neighbor approximately fifty years ago when I lived in Indiana. Harriett was a wonderful cook/baker, and we exchanged many recipes. Eventually, I moved to Texas and Harriett moved to Florida. Cancer took her years ago and I miss her to this day.

5 cups cut-up rhubarb

1 box (6-oz) strawberry jello

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1 box white cake mix

Grease well and flour a 9X13 baking pan. Spread the rhubarb over the bottom of the prepared pan, Sprinkle the dry jello over the rhubarb. Sprinkle the sugar over the jello and top with the marshmallows. Prepare the cake mix according to the box directions. Pour batter over the layers in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, remove from oven. Using a knife, loosen the edges from the pan. Place a large sheet of heavy duty foil, you may want to use two sheets, over the pan folding over the edges. Invert the pan over the foil onto a baking sheet. Top with Cool Whip when serving.

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LAYERED POTATO SLICES

 I have had this recipe since we got out of the US Air Force in 1970.

6 medium potatoes (enough for around 4 cups), peeled and sliced thin
4 tbsp butter, divided
salt
pepper

Melt half the butter in a large heavy (cast iron works great) skillet. Divide potatoes into thirds and layer one third on bottom of skillet. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper to suit taste. Add the second third of potatoes and layer over the salt and pepper. Add more salt and pepper,if desired. (I like a little seasoned salt over this layer.) Layer the last third of the potato slices; sprinkle with some pepper. Dot this top layer with the remaining butter. Cover skillet and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove lid, turn potatoes and cook until browned.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

file photo for reference

BRAUNSWEIGHER BALL

This is an old handwritten recipe I came across of my late mother's. It was good to see her handwriting again. She always had beautiful handwriting and I really missed that after she had a stroke and was paralyzed on her right side.

1 lb braunsweigher at room temp
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp onion soup mix
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or olives for garnish

Mix the first 5 ingredients and shape into a ball. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes until firm enough to handle. Frost in the cream cheese and roll in the Cheddar cheese or olives.

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PUMPKIN BARS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

4 eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 can (16-oz) pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, oil (I now use only canola), and pumpkin until light and fluffy.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; add to the pumpkin
mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread the batter in an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, make the Cream Cheese Frosting, below, ice the bars. Cut into bars of desired size to serve.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1 pkg (3-oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Stir in the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating well until mixture is smooth.

BANANA BUTTER

This is another old Hoosier Recipe. If you are wondering what Banana Butter is, it is a canned butter like apple butter, for instance.

6 clean hot half-pint canning jars
6 hot flat canning lids and rings
3 1/2 lbs ripe bananas
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup finely chopped red maraschino cherries
1 tsp butter

Thoroughly mash bananas; measure 4 cups into a large kettle or Dutch oven. Add the sugar, lemon juice, cherries, and butter; mix together well. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil while stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes while stirring often. Pour into the hot canning jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Tighten the lids onto the jars. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from the hot water and set on countertop to cool.

This is a file photo used for reference only.

SNOWBALL CAKE

Almost fifty years ago I was privileged to live next door to a wonderful lady named Harriett. She was one of the best neighbors I ever had. She was an excellent cook and baker. We exchanged many recipes, and this is one of hers.

Dissolve 2 pkgs. plain gelatin in 2 cups cold water.

Add: 1 cup boiling water, 2 cups pineapple juice, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, juice of 1 lemon. Mix all together. Set in refrigerator until partly jelled. Prepare 2 boxes of dream whip, fold into gelatin mixture. Break an angel food cake into small pieces with crust removed. Line a 4-quart slad bowl with foil or waxed paper and put in alternate layers of gelatin mixture and cake. Refrigerate overnight.

Icing:

1 pkg dream whip

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla or lemon extract

Mix and spread over the cake top and sprinkle with coconut.

file photo for reference