Blue Cook Book

Marcella’s Cake

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This is a really different cake – dense and moist.  I like to make it in the fall – just seems right!

Ingredients:

  • 1 c sugar
  • 1 /2 c butter
  • 1 c raisins
  • 2 orange rinds
  • 12 c nuts, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c sour milk (To sour milk, use 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice add enough milk to equal 1 cup. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes.)
  • 1 Tab baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 c flour
  • 1/2 c orange juice
  • 4 c powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan.
  3. Grind the raisins and orange rind.
  4. Cream the butter and sugar.
  5. Add the egg, sour milk (mixed with soda).
  6. Mix baking powder and flour.
  7. Add to butter batter.
  8. Add half the raisin/orange rind mixture.
  9. Place in bundt pan and bake for 30 minutes.
  10. Mix orange juice and powdered sugar.
  11. Stir in rest of orange/raisin mix.
  12. Frost cake while hot.

Serves:  12

Source:  Marcella and Don Poorman

 

 

Irish Coffee

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Peg Bracher claimed this is the perfect ending to a dinner party – dessert, coffee, after dinner drink.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 oz Irish whiskey
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar (white or brown)
  • coffee
  • whipped cream – thick but not stiff

Directions:

  1. Put whiskey and sugar in warmed (with hot water) heat proof glass.
  2. Fill 3/4 with hot coffee.
  3. Stir.
  4. Float whipped cream on top. (Tip – pour it over the back of a spoon)

Serves: 1

Source: Peg Bracher “I Hate to Cook Book”

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

Marinated Shrimp

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Really good as an appetizer with Mexican food.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb small (but not bay) shrimp, cooked
  • 1/2 c oil
  • 1/4 c wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Mix it all together.
  2. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
  3. Serve with little forks or toothpicks and crackers.

Serves: 6-8 for cocktails

Source:  Gerrie Hastings

Idaho Mint Juleps

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A really good variation on traditional Mint Juleps.  Great for a crowd!

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz can orange juice concentrate
  • 3 cans (18 oz) water
  • 6 oz lemon juice
  • mint – a handful
  • 1 c bourbon

Directions:

  1. Combine everything but the bourbon in the blender.
  2. Whorl until mint is chopped – coarsely.
  3. Let it sit all day.
  4. Ready to drink? Add bourbon.

Serves:  How much do you drink???  How big is your glass?

Source:  Gerrie Hastings Turner

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

Fruitcake

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The only fruitcake worth making – no citron!  A three generations favorite.  Make it before Thanksgiving so it can “age”.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb white raisins
  • 1 lb fruit cake mix
  • 1/4 lb yellow pineapple
  • 1/4 lb red pineapple
  • 1/4 lb  green cherries
  • 1  lb red cherries (reserve 20 for decoration)
  • 1/2 c bourbon
  • 1 1/2 lb butter, softened
  • 3 c sugar
  • 15 eggs
  • 2 lb pecans (reserve 60 whole halves for decoration)
  • 1 1/2 lb cake flour
  • 1 egg and a little milk for the glaze
  • more bourbon for watering

Directions:

The night before:

  1. Cut fruit into smaller pieces. (except cherries)
  2. Mix fruit with raisins. (except 20 cherries saved for decoration.
  3. Pour bourbon over the mixture and let stand covered overnight.

Mixing:

  1. Preheat oven 300°.
  2. Cream butter well.
  3. Add sugar slowly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.
  5. Transfer to very large bowl.
  6. Stir in fruit and pecans with a spoon. (except decorations)
  7. Sift in the flour while stirring with a spoon or hands.
  8. Carefully line bread pans with heavy duty foil.  Small pans ( ?x?) make 1 lb, medium (?x?)1 1/2 lb.
  9. Scoop the batter into pans within 1/2 in of the top.
  10. Decorate with reserved fruit and pecans.
  11. Brush with egg/milk glaze.
  12. Place a large pan of hot water on the rack below the rack for the fruitcake. (You may have to refill it while baking)
  13. Bake for approximately 1 hr 20 min for small, 1 hr 50 min for medium pan.  They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.  Do not remove fruitcake from pans at this time.
  14. Brush with glaze twice during baking.
  15. Watering: Sprinkle the cakes with a little bit of bourbon once or twice a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Also keep the air saturated with bourbon.
    Method A:  Place pans in covered container with a shot glass of bourbon.
    Method B:  Place in a closed room with 3.6 liters of bourbon dumped on the floor.  Be careful not to drown the fruitcake.
  16. Now you can take the fruit cake out of the pans.  Leave the foil on and place in ziplocks.
  17. Enjoy, gift, freeze (it will keep for years in the freezer)

Serves:  Makes 3 medium and 6 small pans, or 4 medium and 5 small pans.  ( Large 8 1/2 x 4 12 (6 cups), Med 7 1/2 x 3 3/4 (4 cups), small 6 x 2 1/4 (3 cup))

Source:  Winifred Kleerup – contributed to the Kenilworth Union Church Cookbook,

 

 

 

 

Fire Station Casserole

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Firemen cook their own meals in the firehouse and have developed some good casseroles that keep and reheat.  Fires don’t wait until dinner is over!

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced (or dried equivalent)
  • 1 Tab oil
  • 2 cans mushroom soup
  • 1 can milk (use the soup can)
  • 4 oz diced green chillies
  • 2 dozen corn tortillas
  • 1 lb cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups) or 1/2 cheddar, 1/2 jack

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Brown beef and onions in oil, stirring to crumble meat.
  3. Mix soup, milk and chiles.
  4. Cut tortillas into 1 inch squares.
  5. Place half the tortillas in 9 x 13 pan.
  6. Top with half the meat, half the soup mix and half the cheese.
  7. Repeat.
  8. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes.

Serves:  6 hungry firemen

Source:  L A Times – a long time ago.

Gazpacho by Margie

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The perfect summer lunch – Gazpacho, good bread, and maybe a little Sangria.  This one is mild and slightly chunky.  For a little more bite substitute 1 can of soup for an equal amount of V-8 juice and a dash of Tabasco sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 2 can tomato soup
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 cucumber, peeled
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large tomato, peeled
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2/3 c wine vinegar
  • 6 Tab olive oil
  • sour cream

Directions:

  1. Chop pepper, onion, celery and garlic in food processor.
  2. Finely dice by hand cucumber and tomato.
  3. Mix together with soup, vinegar and oil.
  4. Chill.
  5. Serve with dollop of sour cream.

Serves: 4

Source: Combination of several recipes.

Notes:  Updated version:  Replace tomato soup with 1 large can V8 juice.  Use 1/3 c wine vinegar, 1/3 c balsamic vinegar.  Add diced avocado for special occations.

 

Fish House Punch

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You can’t say those soldiers didn’t know how to drink!

Ingredients:

  • 2 qt rum
  • 1 qt brandy
  • 1 pt lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 c tea
  • 1 c sugar

Directions:

  1. Mix.
  2. Pour over a large block of ice AT LEAST 3 hours before drinking.  (You don’t want to see what happens if it is not somewhat diluted!)

Serves:  Makes 1 1/2 gal.

Source:  Major General James A Woodruff

Notes: According to  Wikipedia:

This most venerable of American flowing bowls is held to have been first concocted in 1732 at Philadelphia’s  fishing club, the “State in Schuylkill” also known as the “Fish House”.

A 1744 note by the secretary of an embassy of Virginia Commissioners contains what may be the earliest record of the punch. Meeting local notables at the “Schuylkill River” in Philadelphia, he described being served “a Bowl of fine Lemon Punch big enough to have Swimmed half a dozen of young Geese.”

America’s first president, “George Washington”, was known to be fond of a drink or two, and sometimes more. He indulged in thirteen toasts — one for each state — during a victory celebration at New York’s Fraunces Tavern, and it is said that after he partook of Fish House punch at Philadelphia’s State in Schuylkill, he couldn’t bring himself to make an entry in his diary for the following three days.

The in Schuylkill Fish House Punch is traditionally made in a large bowl that did double duty as aas a baptismal font for the citizens’ infant sons. “Its an ample space . . . . . would indeed admit of total immersion,” as one citizen noted.

The Fish House was an august gentlemen’s society devoted to escaping domestic tribulation, but also to cigars, whiskey, and the occasional fishing foray upon the “Chesapeake Bay” or upon the “Restigouche River” in Canada. Another version states that it was created in 1848 by Shippen Willing of Philadelphia, to celebrate the momentous occasion of women being allowed into the premises of the “Fish House” for the first time in order to enliven the annual Christmas party. It was supposed to be just “something to please the ladies’ palate but get them livelier than is their usual wont.”

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

 

Daiquiri

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Summer is coming!!!  Or, good for Christmas!!!  Or, it is just time for something special!!!!

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz frozen limeade
  • 6 oz rum
  • 6 oz water
  • 1 lime

Directions:

  1. Fill blender half full with ice.
  2. Add limeade, rum, water and juice from lime.
  3. Frappé.

Serves:  5

Note: Make it with bourbon and lemonade and you have a Whisky Sour.

Source: JFK/BJK

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

Crab Delight

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Put this in that pretty copper mold you never use.  Quite fancy for that party!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 envelope Knox gelatin (1/4 oz = about 2 1/2 tsp gelatin)
  • 3 Tab cold water
  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • 8 oz cream cheese (block kind – have not tried the soft in this recipe)
  • 1 c crab meat (about 1/2 lb)
  • 1 small onion, grated

Directions:

  1. Disolve gelatin in cold water.
  2. Heat soup to boiling point and add gelatin.
  3. beat cream cheese until smooth.
  4. Add mayonnaise.
  5. Add gelatin mixture and rest of ingredients.
  6. Mix well.
  7. Rinse the mold with cold water to facilitate unmolding.
  8. Pour into 1 quart mold.
  9. Chill – several hours, overnight is best.
  10. Unmold and serve with crackers

Serves: 12

Source:  Karen Eckardt