Blue Cook Book

Broccoli Salad

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A pretty salad for a holiday buffet. And it is one more “variations on a theme”.

Ingredients:

  • 8 lbs broccoli
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 basket cherry tomatoes
  • 1 c garlic dressing (Store bought or try Dominico’s Garlic Dressing)

Directions: 

  1. Blanch broccoli flowers for 1 minute. (If using stems also, slice them thin and blanch for about 5 minutes, until tender.)
  2. Drain, rinse with cold water.
  3. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
  4. Cook until crisp.
  5. Drain on paper towels.
  6. Slice onion into quarters and then into thin slices.
  7. Mix everything with dressing at last minute.

Serves: 20 – 25 on a buffet.

Source:  VAK

Notes: You can add grated cheddar cheese, slices mushrooms, anything else left in the frig.  Mayo can be substituted for the garlic dressing (but it won’t be nearly as good.)

Gulliver’s Creamed Corn

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Gulliver’s restaurant was started by a chef from Lawrey’s.  Roast beef, creamed corn, creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding and trifle – doesn’t get much better!  Found a recipe “Creamed Corn recipe from the Ritz”.  Looks the same to me!

Ingredients:

  • 8 ears of corn (20 oz frozen)
  • 1 c whipping cream
  • 1 c whole milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tsp sugar
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 2 Tab flour
  • 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Cut corn from cob.
  2. Place in a saucepan with cream.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in salt, sugar and cayenne.
  5. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a small pan.
  6. Stir in flour.
  7. Stir to cook but do not brown.
  8. Stir the roux into corn and stir until slightly thickened.
  9. Turn corn into a ovenproof dish.
  10. Sprinkle with cheese.
  11. Brown under broiling unit.

Serves:  8-10

Source:  Gulliver’s, Orange, CA

Fire and Ice Tomatoes

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This is a spicy salad to take to the barbecue.

Ingredients:

  • 6 large tomatoes, really ripe, peeled and quartered (or 1/8th if really large)
  • 1 large green pepper, sliced thinly
  • 1 red onion, sliced into rings
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and thin sliced into rings.

Sauce:

  • 1/4 c vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard seed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 c cold water

Directions:

  1. Place sauce mixture over high and boil furiously, but only for one minute.
  2. While still hot, pour over tomatoes, green pepper and onions.
  3. Cool.
  4. Just before serving add cucumbers.

Serves:  10 – 12 on a buffet

Source:  Gerrie Hastings

Florence Moore Hall Coffee Cake

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This coffee cake was so popular at the dorm that they had to scale the serves-300 recipe down for home cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 c Bisquick
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 3 Tab butter, soft
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 c milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

  • 1/c butter
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more – can’t have too much!)
  • 3 3/4 Tab honey
  • 2 blond tarantula eyeballs
  • 1/4 c walnuts, chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Grease and flour 9x9x2 glass pan.
  3. Mix Bisquick and sugar.
  4. Add butter, egg, and 1/4 c milk.
  5. Beat for 1 minute with electric mixer.
  6. Beat in remaining milk and vanilla for half a minute.
  7. Pour into prepared pan.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm.
  9.  Cream butter, sugar, cinnamon, honey.
  10.  Add walnuts.
  11. Spread on cake.
  12. Bake an additional 5 minutes.

Serves: 4 (or 8 if they are polite)

Source:  Florence Moore Hall, Stanford  1958

Freezer Tomato Soup

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So, it is the middle of summer and you have run out of friends to give your beautiful tomatoes.  Be selfish! Keep them and make this soup – so good in the middle of winter when fresh tomatoes taste like cardboard.

Ingredients:

  • 7 – 8 lbs tomatoes, ripe (16 – 18 large)
  • 3 onions, large, chopped (2 lbs)
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1/4 c parsley, chopped
  • 6 Tab cornstarch
  • 6 Tab water
  • dash of ground cloves (optional)
  • butter or sour cream

Directions:

  1. Core then chop 3 quarts of tomatoes.  Don’t bother to peel.
  2. In an 8 qt pan combine tomatoes, onions , sugar and parsley.
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the tomatoes make juice and come to a boil.
  4. Reduce to medium low.
  5.  Cover and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Blend cornstarch with water, stir into the tomato mixture.
  7. Cook, stirring until boiling and thickened.
  8. Remove and press through a food mill or fine strainer.
  9. Discard seeds and pulp.
  10. Cool and pack in pint containers.
  11. Freeze.
  12. To serve, thaw and heat.  Add salt, pepper, cloves.
  13. Top each serving with butter or sour cream (or popcorn).

Serves:  12 (makes 6 quarts)

Source:  Sunset

Notes: For cream of tomato soup add 1 c milk or half and half and 1/2 tsp basil.

Champagne Orange Punch

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A simple, tasty punch for a crowd.

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 6 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
  • 1 1/2 quarts ice water
  • 1 large bottle California champagne
  • orange slices

Directions:

  1. In the punch bowl, dilute orange juice and lemonade concentrates with 1 1/2 quarts of ice water.
  2. Just before serving add well chilled champagne.
  3. Garnish with orange slices.

Serves:  About 30

Source:  Too long ago to remember.

Cantaloupe Salad

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This is a really nice summer salad when cantaloupe are at their best.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb bacon
  • 1/2 cantaloupe cubed
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1 orange, cubed
  • 1 head lettuce, red or romaine

Dressing:

  • 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
  • 1/2 c oil
  • 1/4 c orange juice
  • 1 Tab sugar
  • 2 Tab red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tab lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 t dry mustard

Directions: 

  1. Wash lettuce, break into bite size pieces.
  2. Mix Dressing ingredients in a jar.
  3. Shake.
  4. At serving time mix all ingredients and toss with dressing.

Serves:  4-6

Source: Gerrie Hastings

Flaky Pillows Stuffed With Cheese

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This looks WAY more complicated than it actually is.  Just read the directions all the way to the end before you start to get the big picture.  I even do it with just cheese cubes (pepper jack is great).  They will freeze too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg (17 1/4 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
  • 1 recipe chili and cheese or caraway cheese filling
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 Tab sesame or caraway seeds

Cheese and Chili Filling:

Mix:

  • 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 6 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 3/4 c)
  • 1/3 c Diced green chillies, drained

Caraway cheese Filling:

Mix:

  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 lb shredded Kuminost or Noekkelost cheese (2 c) (cheese with caraway seeds in it)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 400°.
  2. On a floured board, roll each pastry sheet into a 12″x15″ rectangle.
  3. On half of each sheet, drop filling by the rounded teaspoon, making 3 rows of 5 dollops each, space about 3/4 ” apart and 1/2″ from the edge and center.
  4. Brush egg on pastry between dollops and around edges.
  5. Fold unfilled side of pastry over so the edges meet.
  6. With a fork, prick several times on each filling mound.
  7. Press firmly around each mound to seal well.  (I used the handle of a wooden spoon.)
  8. With a ravioli cutter or knife, cut between mounds.
  9. Repeat with other sheet.  (Or save other sheet in the freezer for another time.)
  10. Place puffs, slightly apart on  ungreased 10×15 baking pans.
  11. Cover and chill until cold, at least 30 minutes or over night.
  12. Brush each puff with egg and sprinkle with sesame or caraway seed.
  13. Bake, covered until golden , 15-20 minutes.
  14. Serve hot or cold.

Serves:  Each sheet makes 15 little puffs.

Source:  Sunset Magazine

Corn Casserole from Kay

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This is an outstanding addition to a barbecue!  Or any meat that does not have gravy or sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb corn – fresh/canned/frozen (2 c fresh)
  • 1/3 c corn meal
  • 1 c grated cheese
  • 4 oz diced chili
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tab butter

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Mix 1/2 the corn in a bowl with the chili and cheese.
  3. Process 1/2 the corn with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.
  4.  Mix.
  5. Bake covered for about 1 hour, until firm.
  6.  Serve with sour cream and Pace Picante sauce.

Serves:  4

Source:  Suzie Rossoff

Baked Rice

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Instant rice is good, but this is better and can be done ahead.  I have made this with regular CalRose rice and it just takes a little longer to cook.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 1/2 c converted rice (not long grain or CalRose)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash of pepper
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 3 1/2 c boiling water

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Put rice into 2 quart casserole with tight fitting lid.
  3. Dot with butter.
  4. Pour boiling water over rice, stirring with a fork to melt butter.
  5. season with salt and pepper.
  6. Bake covered for about 45 minutes.
  7. Before serving, fluff with a fork.

Serves: 6

Source: Unknown??

Notes: To add color and flavor, add chopped parsley and soy sauce.  Lemon curls may be used as garnish.

1 lb rice (raw) = 2 cups (raw)
1 lb rice (cooked) = 8 cups cooked