Inexpensive Tamale Pie - Della G.

Once again a recipe I was hopeful for, until I started making it and saw the recipe below it (Party Tamale Pie) and realized I got the dud, if you want this, make the Party a Tamale Pie and add about a 1 t cumin powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I added these seasonings to this recipe and it was still boring) .

This recipe is flavorless and doesn't have much to it.  It is boring.  We finished it, and it was okay, but BORING!

Inexpensive Tamale Pie

2 C ground beef

3 T grated onions

1 C corn meal

3 C water 

1/2 t salt

1 T left over fat (I didn't use)

1/8 t pepper

1 t chili powder

1 C tomatoes

 3/4 t salt

Brown hamburger with onion.  Meanwhile, cook cornmeal in water and salt until it is thick.  Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with half of the cereal.  Add remaining ingredients to the hamburger and pour on top of cereal.  Bake at 375-degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 6 with a vegetable or salad.

Pineapple Icebox Cake - Mildred M.

You know those recipes you anticipate and think this will be amazing!  I can't wait to try it!  This is one of those.  You also know the recipes you know will be amazing and they completely live up to your expectation?  This isn't one of those.

This is very similar to this Fruit Salad recipe.  First the crust is just crumbs, but by the time I realized I should have combined the crumbs with butter it was too late.  The the top was just tasteless and marshmallowy.  We ended up throwing out the entire 9x13 with the exception of the few sample that were taken.

I also had to call my sister to debate on whether the recipe, which said, 1 pint whipped cream, meant 1 pint cream, whipped, or just a pint of cream, or 2 C of whipping cream.  We went with a pint whipped.

Pineapple Ice Box Cake

1 lb marshmallows

1 C milk

1 C nuts

1 lg can crushed pineapple, drained

1 pint whipping cream, whipped

Crushed graham crackers

2 T butter, melted

Mix butter and crackers and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Melt marshmallows over hot water (I used the microwave). Cool.  Add pineapple, nuts, and whipped cream. Pour moisture over graham cracker crust and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and chill overnight.

Carrot Pudding & Lemon Sauce - Mildred M.

I must admit I was avoiding this one, and now I really wish I hadn't, it was delicious!  I substituted cranberries for the raisins and next time I will just keep them out entirely, and reduce the recipe by 1/2 an egg, otherwise it was delicious.  I cooked it in a 1 1/2 qt glass bowl in my steamer.  Since the steamer only has a timer for 75 min I set my regular timer to come and add time to the steamer and to add water as needed.  I might just place it in the bowl and try it over the stove steamer next time,  to see which works better.  It really was delicious.  I was thinking a lemon sauce would be good on this and mom mentioned she remembered Grandma making carrot pudding with lemon sauce so I looked in the misc section and sure enough, Mildred had a lemon sauce.  It also was delicious.  Most of my kids really liked it and it wasn't soggy like I thought it would be.  It isn't carrot cake, :) but it is pretty good.  One note, I rinsed the grated potatoes to avoid them turning brown and it worked really well.

Carrot Pudding
1 C grated carrots
1 C grated potatoes
1/2 C melted fat, I used shortening
1 C sugar
1 C raisins, opt
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
2 C flour
2 eggs (1 1/2 if omitting raisins)

Mix together and place over steam for 3 hours.  Serve warm with Lemon Sauce.

Lemon Sauce
1 T cornstarch
3/4 C sugar
Dash salt
3/4 C water
1 egg
1 T butter
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t grated lemon zest

Mix together, bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

White Fudge Nut Roll - Mildred M./English Toffee-Della G./Marshmallow Fudge-Lillian G.

I have put off making Carmel most of the year due to high humidity during the weeks we were assigned.  Strange, I know, but Albuquerque has decent humidity in the summer and early fall.  So here are all my candies, except, fondant.  Maybe someday I will make it, but I just wasn't feeling it.

English Toffee - 3 1/2-stars

Now I realize it doesn't look like English Toffee, but that is because it needed to cook about 2 minutes longer.  That said, the flavor is pretty good, it tastes like English toffee, my only issue was it didn't call for vanilla and it would have made a big difference.  The other issue with the recipe is that it says to use two cookie sheets because it makes a big batch.  So I halved it and did it on one, except, her cookie sheets must have been significantly smaller than mine, because it only covered about 1/3 of the pan.  So note to self, use a full recipe and use the smaller size cookie sheet.  Also. It says to tour it over and put chocolate on both sides.  I wasn't planning  on doing that since I like it better with chocolate just on the top.

English Toffee

2 1/2 C sugar

1/2 C water

1/4 C corn syrup

1 lb butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb chopped pecans

2 lbs milk chocolate

Spread pecans on one buttered smaller-sized cookie sheet, and sprinkle pecans on the pan.  Cook sugar, water, corn syrup, and butter on a pan.  Stir constantly, bring to a soft crack (don't go look for the cookbook to define soft-crack at this stage, it will go to sugar, not that I did that...  Soft crack means it makes pliable strings when dropped in cold water).  Add vanilla.  Pour over pecans.  Let top set just a bit and place chocolate on top to melt.  Sprinkle chopped nuts.  Once cool, bang cookie sheet on counter to break up the toffee and store in a dry place with wax paper in between.

Marshmallow Fudge - 3-stars

This is your basic marshmallow fudge recipe, it is fine, but not as good as mom's.  Some of the measurements are a little different than the recipe you find of the container, but it tastes like marshmallow fudge.

Marshmallow Fudge

4 1/3 C sugar

1 lg can evaporate milk

1/3 C butter

1 pt marshmallow cream (this is two containers, if you think it is one you will have to run to the store when it is partially mixed up.  Once again, not like that happened...)

12 oz chocolate chips

Chopped nuts, if desired

Combine sugar, milk, and butter and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook to soft ball stage (about 5 min on med heat).  Pour over remaining ingredients and stir together.  Cut into squares.

White Fudge Nut Roll - 4-stars

Seriously, this is one of the best things I have ever had.  I loved it so much I put some in a small bowl to keep just as white fudge, and the dipped the remainder.  The only complaint I had is that I should have frozen the fudge in a roll first before dipping, and I should have waited for the chocolate to cool a bit more so the fudge didn't melt.  Oh, and I really wish I would have doubled it!   It is divine!!!!

White Fudge Nut Roll

2 C sugar

2 T light syrup

3/4 C cream

Dash salt

1 t vanilla

Cherries and nuts, chopped (didn't use)

Combine sugar, syrup, cream, and salt.  Bring to a boil on med heat, stirring constantly.  Cook to soft ball stage, stirring occasionally.  Cool, and beat until it loses it's gloss.  Add nuts or cherries, if desired. Roll into snakes and freeze then roll in melted chocolate and then nuts.

Tossed Salad (Chicken) by Romaine F.

Following directions

The title made me think this is a green salad, but it isn't.  This is a pasta salad.  We liked it, but we thought the dressing could use something more.  I left out the pimientos because I don't have any and adding them severely decreases the number of people willing to try this.  I don't think they add much flavor, just color, so I added some carrots and olives instead, for color (and flavor).

With added carrots and olives

Tossed Salad by Romaine F.

4 c hot water
2 T granulated chicken bouillon
1 qt salad dressing
1 1/2 lbs cooked elbow macaroni, cooled but not refrigerated
1 1/2 qts frozen peas
3 lbs cooked, diced chicken
7 c diced celery
16 hard boiled eggs
1 small jar pimientos

Dissolve bouillon in water and beat into the salad dressing.  Stir everything together.  Refrigerate for a few hours.  Serve in lettuce cups or scooped out tomatoes. (Presentation meant a lot more to these ladies.  I just put a scoop of the salad on the plate.)  Serves 50.

Easy Peach Salad - Romain F.

I obviously was not excited to do this one.  I was going to use fresh peaches and forgot until they were gone.  Today I decided to do my last salad.  I was not able to put horseradish and peaches together in my mind.  Besides it is suppose to feed A LOT of people and I didn't want to waste a lot of fruit.  But, I found a way to make it for just 2 people.  I used just a touch of the ingredients.  I used prepared horseradish (1/16th of a teaspoon)   We were pleasantly surprised.  Not something I would look forward to, but it was OK.  It is pretty to look at in a bowl and would add interest to a set table.  It's kind of like spiced cool whip and peaches.
Easy Peach Salad - Romain F.

50  Peach Halves                                                       1  Pint Whipped Cream
1/4  C. Horseradish (drained)                                     1  tsp. Salt
2  tsp. Vinegar                                                           2  Tbs. Sugar
Lettuce Leaves

Fold all ingredients except peaches into whipped cream.  Place peach halves on lettuce leaf and fill peaches with a spoonful of cream mixture.  Yield, 50 servings

Fruit Salad - Vanna M.

This salad was tasty.  The lemon jello gave it a little different twist from Grandma M's. fruit salad.  The recipe doesn't say what size of Jello to use so I used the 6 oz. because that is what I had.  The sauce you put on it is close to grandma's.  The texture is a cross between grandma's fruit salad and an over stuffed jello salad.  See how it falls apart on the plate like fruit salad, but holds it's shape like jello.  Kind of unique.  This salad would be a totally different salad depending on the variety of fruits you put in it.  The recipe lists several but doesn't give you amounts.  That leads me to believe you just add the fruits that appeal to you.  Cherries, would add color.

Fruit Salad - Vanna M.

1  6 oz. pkg. Lemon Jello                                       1  qt. Fruit Coctail
2  C. Hot Water                                                     1/2  lb. Miniature Marshmallows
2  Eggs, Beaten                                                      Bananas
4  tsp. Vinegar                                                       Cherries
4  Tbs. Sugar                                                         Green Grapes
2  Tbs. Butter                                                         Pineapple
1  C.  Whipped Cream                                           Nuts

Dissolve Jello in Hot Water.  Let jello thicken while cooking eggs, vinegar and sugar.  Cook until smooth then add butter and cool.  To this mixture add cream, fruit and jello.  Mix thoroughly and chill until served.  Makes a large salad.  Approx. 20 servings.

5 Pound Fudge by Mildred M. and Della G.

I hear Della was a great candy maker, so I had high hopes for this recipe.  She did not disappoint.  The fudge is delicious.  My only complaint is that if I am going to make fudge out of marshmallow cream and chocolate chips, I don't want to mess with cooking and stirring a syrup until it reaches soft ball stage.  If I have to go to that hassle, I will just make my old fashioned recipe with cream and everything.  So, I am giving it a 3 because the flavor is great, but it isn't as easy as the new recipes with the same ingredients.

5 Pound Fudge by Mildred M. and Della G.

4 1/2 c sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
1/3 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz marshmallow cream
2 packages chocolate chips
1 c nuts

Cook sugar, milk, and butter, in a saucepan, to soft ball stage.  Remove from heat and add everything else.  Stir just enough to melt everything.  Pour into a greased or wax paper lined pan.

Cheese Cake - Barbara Bryant

Have you ever had the boxed Jello Cheesecake mixes?  This recipe is the scratch version of it.  It is good, but it does not have the cheesecake creamy texture.  It is more like lemon pie texture.  It also has quite a strong lemon flavor.  I liked it but it is not "cheesecake" to me.  I put some raspberry jam on top for the topping.  Don't, the flavors do not mix.  Strawberry is good though.  There are a few things in the recipe that are not clearly written.  I wrote them in this version of the instructions.
1. You need to stir the jello and water until jello dissolves.
2. Evaporated milk us to come in 6 oz. (short can) 3. The graham crackers means a graham cracker crust.                                       or 11 or 12 oz. (tall can).


Cheese Cake - Barbara Bryant

1  pkg. Lemon Jello                                              1  C. Sugar
3/4  C. Boiling Water                                           1  lg. pkg. Cream Cheese (warmed)
1/4  C. Lemon Juice                                             1  lg. Can Evaporate Milk (well chilled)
Rind of 1 Lemon                                                  Graham Cracker Crust

Mix jello and boiling water until jello is dissolved.  Set aside to cool.  Add lemon juice and rind.  Cream cream cheese and sugar.  Fold jello and cream mixtures together.  Whip milk, fold cheese and jello mixture into milk.  Pour into cracker crust.  Refrigerate until firm.

Della's Rolls by Ina R.

It isn't Della's fault, but these rolls were a flop!!  I think they caught wind of the fact that I wanted to take them to a Relief Society activity.  That is always the kiss of death for any recipe.  I definitely killed the yeast. I always have problems with recipes that require me to scald milk.  I stuck my finger in the milk and it didn't seem too hot, but it obviously was.  I wasn't sure they were ruined until I rolled them out, so I will show you the picture of my failed rolls.  I didn't have the heart to make them again, because I might just ruin them all over again, so I just made Wonderful One Hour Rolls for Relief Society.  This recipe is very similar to my mother's fabulous roll recipe, and the dough had good flavor.  So, if you think you have mastered the art of scalding milk you should definitely try them.

Della's Rolls by Ina R.

1 c milk
1/4 c shortening
1/4 c sugar
31/2-4 c flour (this may be a lot, start with 3 c)
2 or 3 eggs (I used 2)
1 yeast cake (1 T yeast)
2/3 tsp salt (make it slightly heaping)

Scald milk and cool.  Sprinkle yeast over the top and let rise a little.  Beat the eggs and everything else, starting with the smaller flour measurement, and adding more if necessary.  Let rise until double.  Melt a cube of butter.  Roll the dough out to 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Cut in circles.  Dip in butter and fold in half.  Place on a baking sheet and rise until double.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  For sweet rolls, add 1/4 c more sugar and 1/4 c more shortening.

Marshmallow Fudge Bars - Mary Mae N.

Once again I forgot to take a photo.  I took them to Pack meeting and they were almost gone and then the locusts at my house finished them off.  That said, they were not amazing.  In the future I would use my favorite brownie recipe and then add the marshmallows and frosting.  The brownie portion was dry and kind of flavorless and way too many pecans, and that is saying a lot coming from me.  There copes.so says to freeze the bars before frosting, but we just frosted them once they were cool and it worked fine.

Marshmallow Fudge Bars

3/4 C All purpose flour

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 T cocoa

1/2 C shortening

3/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1/2 C chopped pecans

12 soft lg marshmallows

Combine dry ingredients,  Cream shortening, sugar, and vanilla.  Blend in eggs one at a time, mix well after each.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Add nuts.  Spread in a greased and floured 12x8 (11.5x8) pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cut marshmallows in half and place cut side down on baked brownies and return to oven for 3 minutes.  Cool then frost with chocolate frosting.

Glaze for Cakes - Marilyn A.

This recipe is all it says it is.  There is little to no flavor.  If you wanted a light sweet flavor on cake so the cake shines, this would be the ticket.  If  you did not like frosting, this would be a great choice.  I personally prefer cake with yummy, smooth, creamy and often thick frosting!

Glaze for Cakes - Marilyn A.

Mix powdered sugar and water until thick like glue.  Add a little vanilla and salt for better flavor.

Mince Meat Cookies - Mildred M.

Well I put this one off until last.  As a child they would talk about the "suet" in mince meat.  I never ever ever was going to eat anything that had "SOOT" in it and I didn't.  I was an adult and read a recipe that talked about suet and realized I had interpreted the name wrong.  But, my childhood memory has lasted many years.  Until I was assigned this cookie I had never even found it in the store.  I broke down and bought mince meat.  I read the ingredients on the mince meat and thought maybe it isn't as bad as I thought.  Maybe....  So here it is.
The instructions on this recipe are extremely vague.  It doesn't say to mix or roll out anything.  I could tell it was a filled cookie from the limited instructions.  There is no baking time or temperature.  I added a few instructions in hopes they will make sense.  Not so bad but raisin filled is GREAT!

Mince Meat Cookies - Mildred M.

3  C. Sugar                                                        8  C. Flour
1 pint  Sour Cream                                            1  tsp. Soda
1/2  Cube Butter (melted)                                  6  tsp. Baking Powder
1 pint  Sour Milk                                               2  tsp. Vanilla   
4  Eggs              

Mix all wet ingredients.  Sift dry ingredients and mix into wet ingredients.  Add enough extra flour to make a soft dough that can be easily handled.  I used about 1/2 C. extra.  Refrigerate approx. 3 hrs. as you would a sour cream sugar cookie and the dough will be easier to handle.  Roll dough out until quite thin but will hold together when filling and baking.  Cut out into circles.  (I did large circles and folded them in half to distinguish between raisin filled and mince meat filled.)  Fill with mince meat and rub the edge with a little water and pres lightly to seal the edges.  Bake at 400o F. 12 - 15 min. depending on how dark you would like your cookies.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake by Kathy N. (and Pillsbury)

This cake calls for something that no longer exists, Pillsbury double dutch fudge butter cream frosting mix.  When I googled the frosting mix to see if I could find it, I found out that this recipe is "infamous".  It was a runner up in the 1966 Pillsbury bake-off.  When Pillsbury discontinued the mix, they modified the recipe, by substituting powdered sugar and coca.  They say that is all the mix was anyway.  I guess people still wanted a mix to use, so RetroRuth at The Mid Century Menu came across a Jiffy mix and tried it with some success.  You can see her efforts here.

I couldn't find the Jiffy mix, so I used the Pillsbury recipe.  It turned out yummy, for those who like nuts.  I baked mine a little too long, so it wasn't as fudgy as it could be.  It was still good.  I put on the glaze that the Pilsbury recipe has because glaze makes everything better.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake by Kathy N.

1 1/2 c softened butter or margarine
6 eggs
1 1/2 c sugar
2 c flour
1 package Pillsbury double dutch fudge butter cream frosting mix (2 Jiffy fudge frosting mixes, or 3/4 c cocoa and 2 c powdered sugar)
2 c chopped walnuts (this will not work without the nuts)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.  Slowly add sugar, and cream until it is light and fluffy.  Stir in the flour, frosting mix and nuts by hand until well blended.  Pour into a well greased 10" tube or bundt pan.  Bake for 60-65 minutes.  Cool 2 hours before removing from the pan and serving.  Do not overcook, or you will not have the fudgy center.

Cream of Pumpkin Pie by Cleone W.

This pie was fantastic!  Everyone loved it.  It is basically pumpkin flavored pudding.  The spices made it more flavorful than the baked pumpkin pie we also made for Thanksgiving.  I put it in a store-bought shortbread crust, which was a great flavor combination.  The pudding held it's shape well and didn't go runny.  I give it an enthusiastic 4 stars!!

Cream of Pumpkin Pie by Cleone W.

3/4 c sugar
2 heaping T corn starch
2 heaping T flour ( I just usded 2 extra T of corn starch instead)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 c pumpkin
2 c milk
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan.  Stir well to remove all lumps.  Cook, stirring constantly, until boiling.  Remove from heat and pour into a baked pie shell.  Makes 1 large pie, or 2 small.  You can sprinkle chopped walnuts on the top, if you like.

Sugar Plum Ring - Maurine G.

Sugar Plum Ring - Maurine G.

1  pkg.  Dry Yeast                                                   2  Beaten Eggs
1/4  C. Warm Water                                               1/4  C. Melted Butter
1/2  C. Scalded Milk                                               3/4  C. Sugar
1/8  C. Sugar                                                          1  tsp. Cinnamon
1/3  C. Shortening                                                   1/2  C. Whole Blanched Almonds
1  tsp. Salt                                                               1/2  C. Candied Whole Cherries
3 3/4 - 4  C. Flour                                                   1/3  C. Dark Karo Syrup

Soften yeast in warm water.  Combine scalded milk, 1/3 C. sugar, shortening and salt, Cool.  Stir in 1 C. flour, beat well.  Add yeast and eggs.  Add remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough.  Mix thoroughly and place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.  Cover and let rise until double.  Punch down and let rest 10 min.  Divide dough into 4 parts.  Each part should be cut into 10- pieces and shaped into balls.  Dip balls in melted butter, then in the sugar cinnamon blend.  Arrange 1/3 of the balls in greased 10" tube pan.  Sprinkle with almonds and cherries.   Repeat 2 more layers.  Make syrup of left-over butter and karo syrup, then drizzle over the top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.  Bake in 350o oven for 30 min.  Cool 5 min.  Invert pan and remove ring.

Lazy Daisy Cake - Maurine G.

They loaded opposite of what I wanted but here it is.  This cake to the left is a close up of the texture.  It is very much like a sponge cake you would buy from the store for strawberry shortcake.  It has the same texture and flavor  I decided to give the family a variety if tastes.  I iced this one with a cream cheese frosting and topped it with strawberries.  It was really yummy and summery for Fathers Day.  (So I did it really early.  I got mixed up.)

The one to the right is the cake the way it is written. This is a really fast and easy cake.  The flavor is very mild.  Whatever you wanted to put on top would be wonderful.  I put the frosting on the hot cake and broiled it immediately.  I liked the broiled coconut topping but it gave it a heavier wintery feel.  I liked the cream cheese and strawberry one better.  I have had an orange, cream cheese, and cool whip type topping served on sponge cake somewhere and that would be light and summery too.  This is definitely a keeper because of it's versatility to any taste.

Lazy Daisy Cake - Maurine Grimshaw

4  Eggs                                                      2  C. Flour
1  1/2 C. Sugar                                          2  tsp. Baking Powder
2  tsp. Vanilla                                             1/2  tsp. Salt
1  C.  Milk                                                 1  Tbs. Butter

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat eggs until light.  Add sugar gradually and beat well.  Add vanilla and mix.  Add sifted dry ingredients and mix.  Heat milk and butter to boiling point and add to above mixture beating continually so eggs do not cook.  Beat well.  Pour into greased 9" x 13" cake pan (or other shape of equal size if desired).  Bake about 30 min at 350o F.

Icing for Lazy Daisy Cake   (If you like more frosting you may choose to double the recipe, this picture is.)

6  Tbs. Butter                                             6  heaping Tbs. Brown Sugar
4  Tbs.  Canned Milk or Cream                  1  C. Coconut or Nuts (I only used coconut.

Melt butter and mix with cream, add sugar and cocout or nuts.  Spread on baked cake.  Broil until lightly browned.