Blue Cook Book

Spinach Dip

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Always a favorite – with many variations on a theme.You can forget the bread and just use this as a dip.  The flavor improves over night.  If you have trouble finding Knorr ‘s Vegetable Soup Mix, try Lipton’s – they bought Knorr.

Ingredients:

  • 20 oz frozen chopped spinach
  • 2 cans sliced water chestnuts, drained, chopped
  • 1 envelop Knorr’s vegetable soup mix (3 Tab)
  • 1 1/2 c sour cream
  • 1 c Miracle Whip
  • 2 green onions, tops and white
  • 1 loaf French bread, round

Directions:

  1. Finely chop spinach (while still frozen).
  2. Thaw.
  3. Squeeze dry.
  4. Mix sour cream, Miracle Whip, soup mix.
  5. Stir in spinach, water chestnuts.
  6. Mix well.
  7. Slice top off bread.
  8. Pull out insides of loaf, leaving shell.
  9. Fill with mixture.
  10. (You can bake it, wrapped in foil, at 350° for 30 minutes or until hot.)
  11. Use bread chunks for dipping.

Serves:  12????

Source:  Many

 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

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I took a dim sum class in Adult Ed back in the 70’s (They had fun courses back then!) Wei-ling Louie was the instructor and we made many wonderful Chinese dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/4 c vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 c catsup
  • 2 Tab cornstarch
  • 1 c water

Directions:

  1. In a sauce pan combine sugar and cornstarch.
  2. Add rest of ingredients and cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened.
  3. Serve with won ton strips or dim sum.

Serves: about 1 1/2 cups.

Source: Wei-ling Louie

Enchilada Casserole

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So 60’s you have to love it!  It sits in the frig for days, freezes, reheats – doesn’t matter.  I have been known to make it with leftover turkey too.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 1/2 Tab oil
  • 3 dz corn tortillas
  • 1 can chili salsa (28 oz) ( I like to add 1 small can of tomato sauce.)
  • 1 can sliced ripe olives (the small one)
  • 1 1/2 lb Cheddar cheese, grated (6 cups)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 300°.
  2. Cook beef and onions until browned, stirring to crumble meat.
  3. Cut tortillas in 1 inch squares (use scissors).
  4. Place layer of 1/2 the tortillas in 9×13 baking pan, then a layer of 1/2 the beef.
  5. Smother with 1/2 the chili salsa and top with 1/2 the sliced olives and 1/2 the cheese. (I go light on the cheese so I’ll have lots for the top.)
  6. Repeat layers, topping with cheese.
  7. Bake uncovered 300° for 45 minutes.

Serves: 8-12

Source:  Newspaper (probably the San Francisco Chronicle)

Nancy’s Clam Chowder

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Quite tasty and you can saute stuff and refrigerate until ready to add soup etc.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans Snow’s New England Clam Chowder
  • 2 cans whole milk (measure in soup can)
  • 2 cans chopped clams
  • 2 – 3 tomatoes, peeled, chopped fine
  • 3 onions, chopped fine
  • 1 green pepper chopped fine
  • 1/2 c butter (1/4 lb)
  • dash of Tabasco
  • dash of seasoning salt
  • chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

  1. Saute onion and green pepper in butter about 15 minutes.
  2. Add soup, milk, tomatoes, clams and heat.
  3. Add dash of Tabasco and seasoning salt.
  4. Serve garnished with parsley.

Serves:  4 – 6

Source:  Nancy Kenz

Pecan-Orange Sweet Potatoes

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A more sophisticated sweet potato dish for Thanksgiving.  Also good with a pork roast.  And you can make it the day before!

Ingredients:

  • 8 medium sweet potatoes (or yams) cooked whole, peeled
  • 2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tab cornstarch
  • 1/4 c butter
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tab orange peel, grated
  • 2 c orange juice
  • 1/2 c pecan halves

Directions:

  1. Peel and slice sweet potatoes crosswise into 1 inch slices.
  2. Arrange slices and orange slices in alternate layers in a 1 1/2 quart casserole.
  3. Combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt.
  4. Add orange peel and butter.
  5. Pour in orange juice and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
  6. Pour sauce over the potato/orange layers.
  7. Top with pecan halves.
  8. Bake 350° for 30 minutes, or until heated through and glazed.

Serves: 8

Source: Sunset

 

Tomato Soup

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No fresh tomatoes?  Canned work too.  You can make the base (no cream) and freeze it when you have the bounty of summer tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 4 c tomatoes cut in pieces (2 #1 cans)
  • 2 scallions, finely cut – stems and bulb
  • 1 onion – small, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme (1/2 tsp fresh)
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil (1 tsp fresh)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp parsley, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 pt cream

Directions:

  1. Simmer tomatoes, scallion, onion, thyme, basil, parsley, salt and pepper for 1/2 hour.
  2. Add 1/2 c water or tomato juice.
  3. Heat, but do not boil the cream.
  4. Strain tomato mixture into cream. (or just put the pulp in unstrained for a chunky soup)
  5. Can be served with a dollop of sour cream or croutons on top.  For fun, try popcorn!

Serves: 4

Source:  Some magazine long ago.

 

Hot Brie

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You can make this at home – you don’t have to buy it at Costco!  

Ingredients:

  • Brie cheese – wedge or whole, large or small
  • butter – some, not too much
  • sliced almonds – lightly scatter

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Place brie in a shallow ovenproof dish.
  3. Top with butter and almonds.
  4. Bake for about 15 minutes – until melted but not runny.
  5. Serve with crackers.

Notes:  This is just the beginning.  Top it with honey, raspberry jam, caramelized onions,or sun-dried tomatoes.  Wrap it in a sheet of puff pastry or filo dough.  Use Havarti, Gouda or some other semi-soft cheese instead of brie.  Use your imagination!

Source:  Ginger Kleerup.  Many  parties, potlucks, picnics and “I need something I can buy at the grocery store on the way to the party and still keep my reputation as a gourmet cook” moments.

Raisin Bran Muffins

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This dough will keep in the ‘frig for up to a week.  You can have fresh muffies every morning!

Ingredients:

  • 1 c oil
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 qt buttermilk (or To make one quart of buttermilk use 1/4 cup of lemon juice or white vinegar and add enough whole milk to make one quart. Let this mixture stand for about five minutes and you have a buttermilk substitute.)
  • 3 c sugar
  • 5 c flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 5 tsp baking soda
  • 15 oz raisin brand cereal
  • 1 c raisins

Directions:

  1. Combine oil, eggs, and buttermilk.
  2. Add remaining ingredients.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap.
  4. Refrigerate overnight.
  5. Preheat oven 400°.
  6. Bake in greased muffin tins 16 – 20 minutes.

Serves:  Makes 36

Source:  Some magazine

Cioppino

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Not a cheap dish to make – a little complicate – takes a little while.  But, it will match any ciopinno from any fancy fish restaurant!  You can guild the lily and add langostino.  Be sure to have lots of crusty good bread to soak up the sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c fresh marjoram, chopped
  • 2 Tab fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 Tab fresh sage, chopped
  • 2 Tab fresh thyme, chopped
  • 2 Tab fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 small re peppers, finely chopped
  • 8 c Swiss chard, coarsely chopped
  • 40 raw cockle clams
  • 2 large crabs, cooked, cleaned and cracked
  • 36 raw prawns, 12-20 count
  • 2 lbs sea bass, rock fish or etc.
  • 3 cans solid packed tomatoes (29 oz each)
  • 3 cans tomato paste (6 oz each)
  • 3/4 c olive oil
  • 2 Tab salt
  • 2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 c dry white wine

Directions:

  1. Combine marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme and basil.
  2. Add parsley, garlic and chopped ed pepper.
  3. Toss all together with the Swiss chard.
  4. Arrange clams in the bottom of a large, heavy 8 qt kettle with a tight fitting cover.
  5. Sprinkle part of the Swiss chard mixture over the clams.
  6. Put the cracked  crab in next.
  7. Sprinkle with more Swiss chard.
  8. Add the prawns and more chard.
  9. Arrange the sea bass on top.
  10. Mix together tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  11. Pour over all.
  12. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  13. Pour in the wine and simmer 10 minutes longer.
  14. Serve in big soup bowls with plenty of sauce.  Be sure to dip down to the bottom of the kettle for the clams.

Serves:  12 (not worth all the work for fewer people!)

Source:  Sunset Cookbood

Raisin Wine Sauce

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This is really wonderful on ham and keeps forever in the fridge.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 Tab cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/4 c port or red wine
  • 1/4 c red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 c raisins

Directions:

  1. Combine dry ingredients is sauce pan.
  2. Slowly add wet ingredients while stirring.
  3. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

Serves:  1 1/2 cups

Source:  Ginger’s mother Marge Austin’s old recipe box.