Rice and Sloppy Joes

Rice is sometimes called “the food of the ages”…for it is as old as history. Twenty-eight hundred years before Christ, a Chinese emperor, Chin Nung, established a ceremonial custom of serving it. From Asia to Europe to America, rice cultivation has spread until rice rivals wheat as the world’s most important food. Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, 1950
These baked rice recipes were on a handout from a 1970’s junior high, Home Economics class.
Baked Rice: Combine in casserole 1 cup white rice, 1 package dry onion soup and 2 cups boiling water. Bake in covered casserole for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Rice Pilaf: Brown 1 cup rice and 1 twist crumbled vermicelli in 4 Tablespoons of melted butter. Add one half teaspoon of salt, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, 2 and one-half cups boiling water and cook gently 20 minutes. (Cook over the stove and cover with a lid)
Bulghour Pilaf: Brown 1 cup bulghour wheat (Ala) in 4 Tablespoons of butter with 2-4 cups boiling water. Steam for 15 minutes or until tender.
Barley Casserole: Melt 2 Tablespoons butter. Add 1 cup pearl barley. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add 2 cans undiluted onion soup*, three-fourths cup (4 oz. can) mushroom pieces and liquid. Heat to boiling. Pour into 1 and one-half qt. casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Garnish with one-half cup grated process American cheese. *Substitution: 1 package dry onion soup mix combined with 2 and one-half cups boiling water.

Sloppy Joes, 
1980
A reminder of a popular elementary cafeteria food offering. The meat filling dripped over a homemade bun and a thick slice of cheddar cheese closed the deal. At that time, cafeteria workers made meals from scratch  in school cafeteria kitchens. The smells were wonderful and by lunch time, everyone’s stomachs growled with hunger. Very few empty trays!
2 pounds hamburger
1 can tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
One-half teaspoon salad mustard
One-half teaspoon chili powder or less
Stir until hamburger is broken up. Simmer 20 minutes.
My notes: cook hamburger and drain. Add other ingredients ( a small can of green chilies too) and simmer for 20 minutes. . Scoop sauce on the bottom of a hamburger bun, add a slice of cheese and top with bun.
Helpful Hints, 1980: Cottage cheese will remain fresher longer if stored upside down in your refrigerator. To prevent mold, store cheese in a tightly covered container with some sugar cubes.
- Ann Marie Bezayiff is a local food columnist and published author who lives in Strathmore. She can be reached at ambolor@ocsnet.net. You can also find her column at www.annsrecycledrecipes.blogspot.com.
- This column is not a news article but the opinion of the writer and does not reflect the views of The Foothills Sun-Gazette newspaper.

Vintage Recipes for Fall

A common meal during the depression and war years. Reminds us to be thankful for the variety and quality of food choices we have on our tables.

Dog (War Time) Soup,
Gilbert 1967
1 tablespoon butter,
margarine                                
5 fresh sage leaves
bacon drippings, lard or oil                                      
5 fresh green leaves
of rosemarie
1/3 onion chopped
1 ripe tomato                                                            
Salt & pepper to taste
Old bread, French
or Italian (pieces)
Fry onion in butter or oil with sage and rosemarie, until onion is golden. Mash in tomato and cook well for 10 minutes. Then add 2 quarts water and seasoning to taste and boil for 5-10 minutes. Put bread pieces in soup tureen and pour boiling soup over the bread and let simmer without further heating for 5 minutes and serve. (Very filling, non-fattening, winter evening meal).

Custardy Popovers
From a Lindsay newspaper clipping, 1981.
While Steve and Nance were here, Steve made his specialty Custardy Popovers. They are a wonderful “almost breakfast in one”. The ingredients call for:
1 cup flour,
1 cup milk
4 eggs
½ teaspoon of salt
2 tbsp of butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix eggs and milk, add dry ingredients. Grease custard cups with butter and preheat 5 minutes. Fill dishes 2/3 full Steve used my muffin tins and it made a dozen). Fill with jam, honey or whatever suits your fancy. They are delicious.

Cranberry Apple Relish,
1970’s
Nice substitute for the traditional cranberry sauce.
Grind 1 cup of raw apples, cored but unpeeled,
1 cup of raw cranberries
½ orange, unpeeled.
Stir in 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ cup chopped walnuts. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator (Food processor works great). Good side with turkey or chicken.

Pumpkin Pies: I found a pumpkin pie with meringue recipe from the1950’s. It was time consuming to make and the outcome wasn’t exceptional. The baked meringue proved to be a good substitute for whipping cream. Also, put a layer of marshmallows in the bottom of a pumpkin pie, then add the filling. You will have a nice topping as marshmallow will come to the top.
Hints: Dip a new broom in hot salt water before using. This will toughen the bristles and make it last longer.

- Ann Marie Bezayiff is a local food columnist and published author who lives in Strathmore. She can be reached at ambolor@ocsnet.net. You can also find her column at www.annsrecycledrecipes.blogspot.com.
- This column is not a news article but the opinion of the writer and does not reflect the views of The Foothills Sun-Gazette newspaper.

Vintage Snacks...

Snacks in a hurry:
What could be better than bread and milk?
Or milk toast made golden with butter?
Or slices of nut bread spread with cream cheese.
Golden Book of Sour Cream Recipes, 1950

I found several snack recipes in my vintage recipe boxes. The first one is a basic Chex Mix recipe that was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Variations of this recipe can be found on the back of Chex cereal boxes.
There’s something for every taste, but I like this basic one. I add extra nuts and sometimes pretzels.
Chex Party Mix
commercially printed
recipe, 1977
6 tbsp Margarine
(butter works too)
1 tsp McCormick/Schilling
Season All Seasoned Salt
(I could only find Morton’s)
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 ½ cups mixed nuts
Melt the margarine in shallow pan over low heat. Stir in All Seasoned Salt and Worcestershire sauce. Add Chex and mixed nuts. Mix until all pieces are coated. Heat in 250 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes. Spread out on absorbent paper to cool. Makes 7 ½ cups.

Mexican Layered Dip
Joyce 1970’s
I heated the refried beans before layering the other ingredients on top and added diced tomatoes with the olives. Serve with tortilla chips.
Omit or add your own ingredients as desired.
First Layer: Refried beans
Spread layer of salsa ranchero on top (choices were limited)
Layer of guacamole: 2 to 3 avocados, seasoning salt, minced onions and lemon juice
Layer of sour cream
Layer of grated yellow and white cheese (cheddar &jack)
Sliced olives on top.

Trail-Mix
1960’s
Invite friends over for a trail-mix party.
Everyone brings trail mix items to share and swap. Chocolate items are missing, probably because of melting. You’ll need plastic bags for storage. Great after school snacks or for a work break.  Extra bags can be handed out to the homeless.
These are ingredients listed on the recipe card: walnuts, almonds, peanuts, coconut, dates, cranberries, tropical medley, fruit bits.

Frozen Banana Salad
Helen 1960’s
Scope up like ice cream right from the freezer, freeze and serve in individual cupcake wrappers, or whirl in a blender for a smoothie. Great banana taste.
2 cups sour cream
¾ cup sugar
1 8oz can crushed pineapple
4 bananas, smashed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 8oz jar maraschino cherries,
quartered.
½ cup nuts, chopped
Mix all above ingredients well. Pour into 9x9 inch pan. Freeze. Serves 9.
Freezing tips: Run overripe banana through a sieve or mash them, add a little lemon juice and freeze. Perfect for later use in cakes and breads. Brown sugar will not harden if stored in the freezer. Freeze fish in milk cartons full of water.
Best of Helpful Hints, 1980

Cool Recipes for Aug. heat...

When temperatures soar and I’m weak from the heat, there’s one consolation, I still love to eat.
Our Favorite Italian Recipes, Central Coast Italian Catholic Federation 1974. This light peach recipe can be made in the early morning hours before the heat of the day and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Choose a variety of peach with easily removed pits.

Pesci Piemontese, Baked Peaches:
Mary 1974
7 medium peaches
1 ¼ tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
5 crushed macaroons
½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Cut 6 peaches into halves. Remove pits and scoop out a little of the pulp. Remove all pulp from the extra peach. Mash the pulp and add the sugar, butter, egg, macaroons and vanilla flavoring. Blend well and fill each peach half with the mixture. Place in a well-buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold. This will make six servings.

Tropical Fruit Float:
Marilyn, 1972
Combine into a bowl the following fruits:
2 cans (11 oz. size)
mandarin organs
1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.)
pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 can (about 1 lb.) papaya
or mango or fresh fruit
1 to 1 ½ cups
fresh orange juice
Mix together and chill well.
At serving time ladle fruit mixture into individual bowls. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pass toasted coconut.
Toasted coconut as follows:
Place 1 ½ cups shredded or flaked coconut in a shallow pan. Set in 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. Stir or shake coconut to toast evenly.

Pickled Zucchini:
Donna & Marie from
Healthy Hearts.
8 cups of thinly sliced green
or yellow zucchini
or combination of both
2 large sweet onions,
sliced or chopped
1 green, red
or yellow bell pepper,
sliced or chopped
Mix all together in a large bowl, sprinkle with one tablespoon salt, toss well, & set aside.
Mix in a large sauce pan:
1 cup vinegar
1 ¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon mustard seed
May substitute celery salt or dry mustard.
Bring to a boil & remove from heat.
Pour zucchini mix into hot liquid & stir well.
Return to heat & bring to a boil, remove immediately from heat.
Pour into large bowl & refrigerate until well chilled.
For a small group, this recipe can be divided in half.
Clothes line Hints: After washing cotton or silk gloves, rinse them by holding them under the cold water faucet so the fingers are inflated with water. Then let them drip dry on the same line and they will dry without twisted fingers… Insert a teaspoon in the toe of your nylons when hanging them on the line to prevent blowing and snagging. Our Favorite Italian Recipes, 1974

Cool Recipes for Aug. heat....

When temperatures soar and I’m weak from the heat, there’s one consolation, I still love to eat.
Our Favorite Italian Recipes, Central Coast Italian Catholic Federation 1974. This light peach recipe can be made in the early morning hours before the heat of the day and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Choose a variety of peach with easily removed pits.

Pesci Piemontese, Baked Peaches:
Mary 1974
7 medium peaches
1 ¼ tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
5 crushed macaroons
½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Cut 6 peaches into halves. Remove pits and scoop out a little of the pulp. Remove all pulp from the extra peach. Mash the pulp and add the sugar, butter, egg, macaroons and vanilla flavoring. Blend well and fill each peach half with the mixture. Place in a well-buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve hot or cold. This will make six servings.

Tropical Fruit Float:
Marilyn, 1972
Combine into a bowl the following fruits:
2 cans (11 oz. size)
mandarin organs
1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.)
pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 can (about 1 lb.) papaya
or mango or fresh fruit
1 to 1 ½ cups
fresh orange juice
Mix together and chill well.
At serving time ladle fruit mixture into individual bowls. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pass toasted coconut.
Toasted coconut as follows:
Place 1 ½ cups shredded or flaked coconut in a shallow pan. Set in 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. Stir or shake coconut to toast evenly.

Pickled Zucchini:
Donna & Marie from
Healthy Hearts.
8 cups of thinly sliced green
or yellow zucchini
or combination of both
2 large sweet onions,
sliced or chopped
1 green, red
or yellow bell pepper,
sliced or chopped
Mix all together in a large bowl, sprinkle with one tablespoon salt, toss well, & set aside.
Mix in a large sauce pan:
1 cup vinegar
1 ¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon mustard seed
May substitute celery salt or dry mustard.
Bring to a boil & remove from heat.
Pour zucchini mix into hot liquid & stir well.
Return to heat & bring to a boil, remove immediately from heat.
Pour into large bowl & refrigerate until well chilled.
For a small group, this recipe can be divided in half.
Clothes line Hints: After washing cotton or silk gloves, rinse them by holding them under the cold water faucet so the fingers are inflated with water. Then let them drip dry on the same line and they will dry without twisted fingers… Insert a teaspoon in the toe of your nylons when hanging them on the line to prevent blowing and snagging. Our Favorite Italian Recipes, 1974.

It’s Never Too Much Zucchini....

Zucchini plants are beginning their aggressive takeover of the garden. So I began a search for vintage Zucchini recipes. I selected just a few to share with you.

Zucchini Bread:
Shirley 1980
3 eggs                                                            
3 cups flour
1 cup cooking oil                                        
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar                                                  
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated, peeled zucchini                    
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla                                        
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs until foamy; add oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, salt, soda, baking powder, and cinnamon; mix well, fold in nuts. Bake in two loaf pans (greased) or at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. (A Bundt pan works too)
                                                         
Chocolate Zucchini Bread:
Very similar to zucchini bread but with more cake-like texture
3 eggs                                                            
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cooking oil                                        
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar                                                  
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups grated, peeled                                    
2 1/2 teas. baking powder      
zucchini                                                          
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla                                        
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup cocoa                                                  
Beat eggs, oil, and sugar; add zucchini and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients. Add alternately with milk to zucchini mixture. Blend well. Pour into greased loaf pans, Bundt pan or 10 inch tube. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Zucchini Casserole:
Enis
2-2 1/2 lbs. zucchini
1 cube butter-melted
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lb. shredded Jack Cheese
3 sm. cans diced Ortega chilies
4 beaten eggs
3Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Dash of garlic salt, parsley
Shred the zucchini – do not cook
½ cube of melted butter into the bottom of casserole dish
Sprinkle ½ cup of bread crumbs over melted butter
Mix Zucchini, cheese, chilies, eggs, flour, baking powder, garlic salt, parsley
Put mixture over bread crumbs
Use ½ cup of bread crumbs on top and drizzle rest of butter over the top
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Zucchini Fritters
(Zucchini Frittelli): Mary 1970
Along with salt & pepper, add your own touch to this recipe with the addition of any combination of herbs or seasonings, spicy or mild.
2 cups grated zucchini                        1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs                                      salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flour                               olive oil and butter
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Blend all ingredients well. Drop by tablespoons into hot oil and butter. Turn and cook until golden brown.
Corn-on-the-Cob: to remove cornsilk; Dampen a toothbrush, and brush downward on the cob of corn. Every strand should come off.
Carrots: Remember, remove the tops of carrots before storing. Tops drain the carrots of moisture, making them limp and dry. Best of Helpful Kitchen Hints, 1980

A Full Cooky Jar Makes a Home Homey

 Some of the sweetest memories of Home are bound up with Mother’s Cooky Jar. Long after the spicy fragrance of her ginger cookies baking has faded into the years….the thought of that ample cooky jar on the shelf will bring back vividly the old time-peace, comfort, and security of Home. Every Home should have a cooky jar.
- Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook, 1950

Cry Baby Cookies
From Dianne’s Family Recipe Box
They’re so good, if you give them to a crying child, they’ll stop crying. The name of this recipe caught my attention. It may have originated, in some form, with the Pennsylvania Dutch in early colonial times. The soft cake-like texture is also reminiscent of the South. California raisins were introduced in the early 1900’s.
Like so many handwritten recipes from this time period, instructions are often brief and incomplete. I’ve added a few details in parenthesis.
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons shortening
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1 cup sour milk
¼ teaspoon ginger
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
(Beat sugar and shortening together until mixture is smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add molasses and milk alternately with dry ingredients. Add raisins.)
Drop on cookie greased cookie sheet and bake (350 degrees for 10 minutes).
*For 1 cup sour milk:  Mix together 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough whole milk to make 1 cup.
- Ethel, 1934
Mocha Frosting for Cry Baby Cookies, one of many variations
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons hot coffee  
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
Mix the ingredients until smooth and drizzle over hot cookies.
Latest on the cookie circuit: Make a batch of peanut butter cookie dough and shape into 1 inch balls. Roll in finely ground pretzels and bake.

Orange Rolls
This has the taste and consistency of scones. I used the food processor instead of a mixer. To prevent over mixing, use the pulse button. Roll out on lightly floured surface.
Sift together:
2 cups sifted flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
Work in ¼ cup shortening
(or butter)
Add 1 egg and ½ cup milk
or orange juice
Roll out about 1/4 inch thick.
(Make a 15x 9 rectangle)
Mix ½ cup sugar with the grated rind of ½ orange and spread over dough. (Melted butter, chopped pecans, or any combination of ingredients can be used.)
Roll like a jelly roll. Cut from each end.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18minutes
- Also from Dianne’s Family Recipe Box, 1930’s

Meat Casserole
A fast food version from the 1930’s.
Cook any meat you have a little, first.
Then fry onions, add a little water, some tomatoes, any leftover vegetables you might have.
Thicken mixture with browned flour darkened with a little coffee.
Season hotly.
Simmer in a bean pot. (Crockpot works!)
Helpful Hint: Try using a thread instead of a knife when a cake is to be cut while it is hot.
- Happiness is Italian
Cooking, Hanford, 1961