Blue Cook Book

Crab Giovanni

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This is one of those “family” dishes that cries out “modify me!”

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c butter
  • 2 onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 oz conchiglie, medium size (shells)
  • 3/4 crab
  • 1/4 c green olives
  • 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded (4 oz)
  • 1/4 c sour cream
  • 1 can tomatoes (about 1 lb)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp basil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Melt butter in frying pan.
  3. Add onions and cook until limp.
  4. Add mushrooms and garlic.
  5. Saute about 2 minutes, until garlic is aromatic.
  6. Cook pasta until al dente.
  7. Drain and add to onion mixture.
  8. Add crab, olives, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes (and their liquid – break them up a bit).
  9. salt and basil.
  10. Pour mixture into greased 1 1/2 qt baking dish.(If made ahead, cover and refrigerate.)
  11. Bake, uncovered, for 30 – 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves:  4 – 6

Source:  Sunset Pasta Cook Book

Note:  I used coiled fideo, increased the tomatoes to a large can (1 lb 12 oz), increased the sour cream to 1 cup and used a combination of crab and shrimp.  (Probably could use chicken too.) Omitted green olives – someone in the family doesn’t like them!  Still a very hearty, tasty dish.

 

 

Gingersnap Ice Box Pudding

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This was one of the favorite desserts at Florence Moore Hall at Stanford.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c ginger snap crumbs
  • 2 c powdered sugar
  • 6 Tab butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 12 oz pineapple, drained and diced
  • 4 bananas
  • 1/3 c walnuts
  • 1 c cream, whipped
  • 1/4 c powdered sugar
  • 1/3 c gingersnap crumbs

Directions:

  1. Cream 2 c powdered sugar with butter.
  2. Add eggs and blend until creamy.
  3. Combine whipped cream with bananas, pineapple and nuts.  fold in 1/4 c powdered sugar.
  4. Grease 9×13 pan with butter.
  5. Sprinkle with 1 c ginger snap crumbs.
  6. Spread butter mixture over crumbs.
  7. Cover with fruit/cream mixture.
  8. Sprinkle top with remaining crumbs.
  9. Refrigerate.
  10. Cut into 4×6 pieces.

Serves: 12

Source:  Florence Moore Hall kitchen

Tomato and Cream Sauce (for Gucci Balls – Gnocchi Verdi)

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A really good Italian sauce – put it on everything!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 lb butter
  • 3 Tab onion, finely chopped
  • 3 Tab carrots, finely chopped
  • 3 Tab celery, finely chopped
  • 2 1/2 c canned Italian tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 c heavy cream

Directions:

  1. Put all ingredients in cream in a saucepan.
  2. Cook at at the merest simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.
  3. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon.  (Tradition!)
  4. Puree with a food mill.  (You can prepare the sauce up to this point and refrigerate or freeze.)
  5. Place in saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon.
  6. Add the cream and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
  7. Correct for salt.
  8. Use immediately.

Serves:  6

Source:  Bob Dell-Imagine

 

Gnocchi Verdi – Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi (Gucci Balls)

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These are a little labor intensive, but well worth it. They are the lightest Gnocchi you have ever had.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tab onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 2 Tab Mortadella, Pancetta or unsmoked ham, finely chopped
  • 10 oz spinach,frozen leaf (or 1 lb fresh)
  • salt
  • 3/4 c fresh ricotta
  • 2/3 c flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 qt chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Place chicken broth in large pot and heat to a boil.
  2. Saute onion in butter until pale gold.
  3. Add Mortadella and stir 3 – 4 times.
  4. Add spinach and 1/4 tsp salt and saute for 5 -6 minutes, stirring frequently. (The spinach will absorb all the butter but it is not necessary to add more.)
  5. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl.
  6. Add the ricotta and flour, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  (Tradition!)
  7. Add the egg yolks, cheese, and nutmeg.  Incorporate them thoroughly into the mixture with the spoon.
  8. Taste and correct for salt.
  9. Make small pellets out of the mixture, 1/2″ – 3/4″, shaping them quickly in the palm of your hand. (Smaller the better because they cook more quickly and stay softer.  When the mixture begins to stick to your hands, dust lightly with flour.
  10. Drop gnocchi into boiling broth and cook for 3 – 4 minutes after the broth returns to boil.
  11. Ladle into soup plates and serve with tomato and cream sauce.

Serves: 3 – 4

Source:  Bob Dell-Imagine

Golden Punch

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A good non-alcoholic punch that is not too sweet. (although it would not be all bad if you added some rum!)

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 12 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
  • 24 oz apricot nectar
  • 36 oz pineapple juice

Directions:

  1. Add water to frozen contrates as directed on cans.
  2. Combine with apricot nectar and pineapple juice.
  3. Chill.

Serves:  50 servings – 6 quarts

Source:  Sunset Cook Book

Fudge Krispies

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One of the many variations on the marshmallow ones.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c milk chocolate bits (11 1/2 oz)  (I uses semi-sweet)
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1/2 c light corn syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 c sifted powdered sugar
  • 4 c Rice Krispie cereal

Directions:

  1. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. (or butter)
  2. Combine chocolate, butter and corn syrup in medium sauce pan.
  3. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
  4. Remove and stir in vanilla and sugar.
  5. Add Rice Krispies, mixing lightly until well coated.
  6. Spread evenly in 9×13 pan.
  7. Chill until firm.
  8. Cut into 1 1/2″ squares.

Serves:  48 cookies

Source: Magazine ad

Mexican Sauce

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This is good with eggs or steak (or chicken, pork, whatever).  Add more chili sauce for more heat.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large can diced tomatoes
  • 1 small can diced green chilies
  • 1 small can red chili sauce
  • 1/2 small can chopped black olives
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp marjoram
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and cook over low heat for about one hour.

Serves: 6-8

Source:  Gerrie Hastings

Max’s Super Cheese Pie

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There was a steak house in Palo Alto that made a wonderful dessert – Maerd Eip (Dream Pie spelled backwards.)  This is the same pie a la Good Housekeeping.  Guess what – I was wrong.  This is close, but no cigar, to the real Mared Eip.  Thanks to JP for contributing the REAL Mared Eip.  

Ingredients:

  • 1 graham cracker crust, unbaked
  • 12 oz cream cheese, softened (block not cream cheese spread)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 c sour cream
  • strawberries, peaches, or, for Maerd Eip, cherry sauce

Crust Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 c graham cracker crumbs (18 single crackers)
  • 1/3 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 c butter, melted

Crust Directions:

Mix and press into buttered 9″ pie pan.

(You can buy these things now, you know?)

Filling Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Beat cream cheese until soft.
  3. Add sugar.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time.
  5. Add vanilla.
  6. Turn into pie shell.
  7. Bake 35 minutes.
  8. Gently spread sour cream on warm pie.
  9. Cool.
  10. Top with fruit

Cherry Sauce Ingredients:

  • ½ c sugar
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 pound frozen pitted sweet cherries, defrosted, 6 cups
  • ¼ c water
  • ½ tsp almond extract

Cherry Sauce Directions:

  1. Combine the cherries and their liquid with sugar, and ½ cup water in a large pan.
  2. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat and cook about 3 minutes.
  3. Remove the cherries to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
  4. Raise the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced to approximately ½ cup, about 5 minutes more. Watch – it will boil over!
  5. Pour sauce over the cherries.
  6. Add almond extract.
  7. Let cool to room temperature or chill.

Serves: 6 – 8

Source: Good Housekeeping Cook Book

Gulliver’s Creamed Spinach

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This is an old recipe – no one does MSG any more.  Gulliver’s is still in business (owned by Lawry’s) and still serves the spinach.  (I’ll bet they don’t make it this way anymore!!)

Ingredients:

  • 20 oz Frozen leaf spinach
  • 3 bacon slices
  • 1 small onion
  • 3 Tab flour
  • 1 1/4 c milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp MSG

Directions:

  1. Thaw spinach and squeeze completely dry.
  2. Grind bacon and onions very fine and place in sauce pan.
  3. Saute bacon and  onion until bacon is cooked.
  4. Stir in flour to make a smooth paste.
  5. Gradually add milk.
  6. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes – until thickened.
  7. Add salt, pepper and MSG.
  8. Grind spinach fine and add to cream sauce.

Serves: 6

Source:  Gulliver’s restaurant via newspaper.

Hello Dolly Cookies

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One of those great no mix cookies.  Sometimes known as seven layer cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 21 graham crackers, crushed (1 1/2 c crumbs)
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 2 c coconut (less if you are not really wild about coconut)
  • 2 lb bag chocolate chips (3 c)
  • 2 c chopped nuts (1/2 lb)
  • 1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk (14oz)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Melt butter in 9×13 pan.
  3. Add crumbs and mix.
  4. Press into bottom of pan.
  5. Spread with coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts.
  6. Pour condensed milk on top.
  7. Bake about 30 minutes.
  8. Cool slightly, then cut into small pieces.
  9. When cold, lift out the pieces with a spatula.

Serves:  8 dozen

Source:  Janette Bates, Parent co-op pre-school in Los Altos (And every cookie cookbook published since the 50’s)