OLD HOOSIER SPONGE CANDY

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp soda (that's baking soda)

Combine sugar, syrup, and vinegar in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly. Cover pan for one minute until crystals wash down from sides. Cook until candy thermometer reads 300 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the soda. Put in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch greased pan. Cool. Break into pieces and store with foil between pieces.

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HOOSIER OVEN BARBECUED RIBS

Another old recipe from my childhood in Southern Indiana.

4 lbs spareribs
1 cup water
1 cup catsup
1/2 tsp salt*
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, sliced
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp paprika

Place ribs in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until almost tender. Drain the ribs and place them in a shallow baking pan.

In a saucepan combine the water, catsup, salt, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the sliced onion. Spoon the mixture over the ribs and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes at 30 degrees. Baste often while baking.

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OLD-TIME CHOCOLATE PIE

I got this recipe a few years ago from another recipe sight I belong to. A  Mrs. Jones said this is her grandmother-in-law's depression era chocolate pie recipe. So good!

TEXAS PUMPKIN CUSTARD

This is an old recipe from Texas, my home for the past 43 years.

1 cup pumpkin, canned or cooked fresh
2 lightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
dash of ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp fresh grated orange rind
In a mixing bowl mix the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, salt, ginger, and cinnamon together well. Stir in the evaporated milk and the orange rind. Pour the mixture into custard cups. Set the cups in a shallow baking pan of hot water that is high enough to come almost but not quite to the top of the muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until the custard is done.

Serve topped with whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon, if desired.

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Old Fashioned Apple Butter

If you are a regular on this blog you know I grew up in the Southern Indiana countryside where we raised large gardens and our own beef, pork, and chickens.  My grandparents, who lived next door, had a small apple orchard. I can vividly remember picking up apples and the delicious aromas as grandma turned them into homemade apple butter.  I loved eating that apple butter all winter long on toast, biscuits, etc.  This was not grandma's recipe but one from another lady on over in the country.  Grandma never used a recipe saying hers was in her head.

Cook on top of stove:
1/2-bushel apples, any variety except red delicious, washed and cored but not peeled
1 gallon or more of sweet cider
When tender, run through a food mill or colander.
Cook in large pan, in the oven at 350 degrees, stirring occasionally.
Bake 5 to 6 hours.
Add:
1 1/2 cups cinnamon red hots that are dissolved in 2 1/2 cups hot water
Add:
3 cups light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Return to oven, simmer, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency to can in sterilized jars, seal.

Make about 12 quarts.

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BRAZILIAN BIFE de OURO (GOLDEN STEAK)

This recipe is from 1940s-1950s Brazil.

1 1/2 lb thin round steaks (4 serving pieces)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp lemon juice

Pound the steaks with the side of a sturdy dish or have the meatman pound them for you. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy skillet heat the butter and Worcestershire Sauce together until hot. Add the steaks and brown quickly on each side (approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side) or until done to suit your taste.

Variation: BIFE MILAMESA (Breaded Steak)

Using the recipe above, omit the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Coat the seasoned meat with 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs. Brown in hot butter as above.

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VERGIE'S MOM'S FRIED CHICKEN

This is another old "church" recipe from the old "Dinner on the Grounds" days.

1 fryer (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs), cut up
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried sage
buttery shortening for frying

Combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a paper or plastic bag. Dip the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs and then place in the bag of flour mixture. Shake to coat well (only do a couple of pieces at a time). Heat the shortening in a big, heavy skillet (cast iron is best) until a drop of water sizzles in the hot oil. Place the chicken pieces in the hot oil and sprinkle with the sage. Brown on both sides (about 15 to 20 minutes). Reduce the heat and cover tightly. Cook until tender; about 30 minutes. Remove lid the last 10 minutes to allow chicken to crisp up.

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CHIFFON PANCAKES

This is another old recipe from my days growing up in Indiana.

1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil

Heat the milk to lukewarm. Beat the egg with a rotary mixer until soft peaks form. Stir in the warm milk. Sift the dry ingredients together; fold into the egg mixture adding in three additions. Fold oil slightly into the mixture. Drop from the tip of the spoon onto hot, lightly greased griddle. When pancakes puff to a half-inch thickness and bubbles begin to break the surface, turn and cook on the other side. Serve with butter and warm syrup.

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YUMMY REFRIGERATED ECLAIR DESSERT

This is a yummy dessert we often enjoyed back in my young days in Southern Indiana.

1 regular box of graham crackers
1 small carton of frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 small pkgs vanilla instant pudding mix
3 1/2 cups milk

Make the vanilla pudding according to the package directions using 3 1/2 cups of milk for the two packages. Refrigerate until set. Add the whipped topping, blending in well and refrigerate again. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and cover the bottom with graham crackers (do not crush the graham crackers). Pour half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Add another layer of graham crackers over the pudding. Spread the remaining pudding over the graham crackers. Cover this pudding layer with another layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate to set while you make the following chocolate icing.

Chocolate Icing:
2 squares baking German chocolate
2 tsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water. (In today's kitchens the microwave is great for melting chocolate.) When chocolate is melted, stir in the corn syrup, vanilla extract, milk, and butter until well mixed and butter is melted. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Pour and spread evenly over the graham cracker top of the dessert. Refrigerate 24 hours before cutting to serve.

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DEPRESSION PIE

This is an old recipe from my husband's late Aunt Elsa.

1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and sliced
4 cups green tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup pecans
2 heaping tsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
dash salt
cinnamon to taste
nutmeg to taste
double crust pie pastry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the apples, green tomatoes, raisins, and pecans together in a large saucepan. Add the flour, sugars, water, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook over low to medium heat bringing to a boil. Line a 9-inch pie plate with a sheet of pastry. Pour the cooked mixture into the pastry lined pan. Top with another sheet of pastry, sealing edges together. Poke holes to ventilate. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

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