Blue Cook Book

Sherry Glazed Spareribs

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For those who want something other than bbq sauce for their ribs.  You can have the butcher cut the ribs in half and they make a hardy appetizer.

Ingredients:

  • 1 side spareribs (about 2 pounds)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 c sherry (or dry white wine)
  • 1 1/2 c honey
  • 2 Tab red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tab onions, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or smashed
  • 1.4 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Directions:

  1. Sprinkle the whole side of ribs with salt and pepper.
  2. Place in a shallow pan and bake in a hot oven (400°) for 40 minutes.
  3. Drain off all the fat from the pan.
  4. Combine remaining ingredients.
  5. Pour over ribs.,
  6. Lower oven to 350° and bake ribs 1 1/2 hours longer or until tender.
  7. Cut apart to serve.  (I sometime cut them before cooking – easier serving.)

(After baking you can bless them on the bbq for that smoky taste. Brush them with the sherry-honey glaze.)

Serves: 2 (With ribs, you have to figure 1 pound per person.)

Source: Sunset – the first Sunset cookbook

Eggs Lawrence

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So it is 12 o’clock New Years Eve and we get invited to a bachelor’s apartment for breakfast and the Rose  Parade (in color on his new 1963 TV!).  He shopped at the only store open on the way home – the gas station – and this is what we got.  Actually rather good, we have made it many times since.

Ingredients:

  • 4 English muffins
  • 8 eggs
  • 8 slices of ham (or Canadian Bacon)
  • 8 slices of tomato
  • 1 can cheese soup
  • 1/2# cheddar cheese, grated
  • flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • butter

Directions:

  1. Hard boil the eggs.  (Bring to boil covered, turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes. No more exploding eggs because you forgot all about them.)
  2. Peel and keep warm in hot water.
  3. Heat undiluted soup.
  4. Add cheese.
  5. Stir until smooth.
  6. Toast muffin halves with butter.
  7. Brown ham.
  8. Remove from pan, keeping drippings in pan.
  9. Dip tomato slices in flour, salt and pepper.
  10. Brown in pan drippings.
  11. Assemble:  Top muffin half with ham, tomato, and sliced hard boiled egg.  Top with cheese sauce.

Serves:  4

Source:  Larry Rose

Orange Chocolate Cheese Cake

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This is an old recipe from the 60’s – not instant but worth the effort.  Cheesecakes are good because they can be made the day before.

Ingredients, crust:

  • 1 1/2 packages chocolate wafer, finely ground (food processor does great)(or use OreoToday cookie bits -1 lb of bits=2 heaping cups = 4 c crumbs)
  • 3/4 c butter, melted
  • 1 Tab sugar
  • 1/8 tsp grated orange peel (micro-plane for the win!)

Ingredients, filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c sugar
  • 24 oz cream cheese (the block kind.  Do not use whipped/spread kind.)
  • 12 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1 c sour cream

Ingredients, topping:

  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 2 Tab powdered sugar

Directions, crust:

  1. Preheat oven 400°.
  2. Combine ground wafers, melted butter, orange peel and sugar.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Press into a well greased 10 inch springform pan.
  5. Bake 10 min.

Directions, filling:

  1. Beat eggs with sugar until light.
  2. Beat in cream cheese until smooth.
  3. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, salt and sour cream.
  4. Turn into crumb crust and bake at 350° one hour or until the cheesecake is just firm when the pan is gently shaken.
  5. Cool and refrigerate covered, over night.

Directions, topping:

  1. Whip cream and sugar until firm enough to hold shape.
  2. Decorate cake with pastry tube.

Serves:  16

Source:  Ladies’ Home Journal

 

 

 

 

Dumplings

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Chicken and dumplings are old, old favorites.  Dumplings also work on beef stew.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c Bisquick
  • 2/3 c milk

Directions:

  1. Mix thoroughly with a fork.
  2. Drop by spoon-fulls onto boiling stew (onto the meat, not into the juice).
  3. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes.
  4. Then cover and continue cooking 10 minutes longer.  Liquid should just bubble gently.

Servings:  Makes 10 – 12 dumplings

Source:  Bisquick Cookbook

Note:  To drop dumpling dough easily, dip spoon into broth each time before spooning dough.  Use rubber spatula to like dough from spoon.

Chicken Salad Oriental

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A variations of this salad is at every restaurant, but this is the original.

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breast (or 3# turkey
  • 2 small slices fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp dried ginger)
  • 1 head lettuce, chopped
  • 3 green onions, slivered into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 lb bean sprouts
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
  • 6-8 water chestnuts, sliced ( 1/2 can)
  • 1/2 c slivered almonds – toasted
  • 1/4 c sesame seeds, toasted
  • 1 pkg Mai-fun noodles (Rice threads)
  • oil

Dressing:

  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 Tab sugar
  • 1 Tab  soy sauce
  • 1 Tab sesame oil
  • 1/4 c oil
  • 3 Tab Marukan rice vinegar

Directions:

  1. Cook chicken in small about of water with ginger.
  2. Cut into bite size pieces.
  3. Fry Mai-fun noodles, a few at a time,in about 2 inches of hot oil (400°) in a deep pot. Watch out – they explode!
  4. Mix dressing ingredients in a jar.
  5. Shake vigorously.
  6. Toss everything together at the last minute.

Serves: 4 – 6

Source:  Mai-fun noodle package

Notes:  Noodles can be done ahead and stored in an airtight container.

Buckeyes

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Andy’s favorite.  A bit of work but worth it.

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 c powdered sugar
  • 2 c graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 c peanut butter
  • 1 c butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 12 oz chocolate chips
  • 1/3 c Parowax (the stuff you put on top of the jar when you make jelly/jam.)

Directions: 

  1. Mix sugar, cracker crumbs, peanut butter, vanilla.
  2. Refrigerate 2 or more hours.
  3. Roll into small balls.
  4. Melt chocolate chips and Parowax in double boiler.
  5. Dip Balls into chocolate wit a toothpick and place on wax paper.

Serves: Makes 4 dozen.

Notes: Labor intensive, but anything for Andy!

Source: Carol Jo Wells

Karen’s Chicken

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Make it in the morning, cook it at night.

Ingredients:

  • 12 chicken breast, boned
  • 1/ c flour
  • 12 tsp salt
  • 18 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 c Parmesan cheese
  • 1 c butter (1/2 lb)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
  • 1 c ham, sliced, diced (1/2 lb)(the lunch stuff)
  • 3 c provolone cheese, sliced (3/4 lb)

Directions:

  1. Dry chicken.
  2. Toss with flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
  3. Dip in egg.
  4. Brown in butter – about 10 minutes.
  5. Put in baking dish.  Saute mushrooms.
  6. Place over chicken.
  7. Sprinkle with ham and cheese.
  8. Bake covered 350° for 35 – 45 minutes.

Serves:  12

Source:  Karen Eckardt

Lucia’s Brownies

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Not your average brownie!  No one will ask if these came from a box.

Ingredients – first layer:

  • 1 squares unsweetened chocolate (2 oz)
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 1/2 c flour
  • 1/2 c nuts, chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients – middle layer:

  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1/2 c sour cream
  • 1 c powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients – top layer

  • 4 squares semisweet chocolate (4 oz)
  • 2 Tbs butter

Directions – bottom layer:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler.
  3. Pour over sugar.
  4. Mix
  5. Add other ingredients.
  6. Mix well.
  7. Pour into grease 9×13 pan.
  8. Bake a brief 20 minutes.
  9. Cool.

Directions – middle layer:

  1. Cook butter, sour cream, powdered sugar over low heat to soft ball stage. (235° – 240°)
  2. Add vanilla.
  3. Pour over cooled brownies.
  4. Put in refrigerator until firm.

Directions – top layer:

  1. Melt butter and chocolate over hot water.
  2. Pour over white topping.
  3. Refrigerate until served.

Serves:  3 dozen small brownies (They are really rich!)

Source:  Lucia Henderson

 

 

Curried Fruit and Sweet Potatoes

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Something “exotic” and different for Thanksgiving – or any time. Great with ham/pork as well as turkey and chicken.  Bonus:  you can make it the day before and reheat when needed.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c butter
  • 1/2 c light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 can pear halves, drained (1lb 14 oz)
  • 1 can sliced cling peaches, drained (1lb 14 oz)
  • 1 can sliced pineapple, drained (1lb14 oz)
  • 1 can apricots, drained (1lb 14 oz)
  • 1 can yams (or sweet potatoes), drained (2lb 4oz) (2 1/2 lbs fresh)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 325°.
  2. Melt butter in a sauce pan.
  3. Add sugar and curry powder.
  4. Mix well.
  5. Arrange fruit and yams in 9×13 pan.
  6. Pour mixture over.
  7. Bake 1 hr.
  8. Let sit at room temperature and reheat 1/2 hour.

Serves:  12

Source:  Sunset Cook Book (the first one)