Molasses Popcorn Balls

Here's a recipe that appears in my book "Handwritten Recipes."

Molasses Popcorn Balls

¾ cup water

1½ cups molasses

1½ cups light brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

¾ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 quarts popcorn

Mix first six ingredients in large saucepan. Place over low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boiling and cook slowly until it will form a soft ball. Add butter and cook until hard ball stage. Add vanilla and corn.

Form into balls.

Makes 18 to 24 balls.

Found in "New Magic in the Kitchen" (no author). Published by Borden, no date; circa 1940s.

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Fruit Cake

This recipe for fruit cake was featured in my book Handwritten Recipes:

¾ pound shortening
3 eggs
1 pound brown sugar
½ pint molasses
2 cups coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound raisins
1 pound currants
¼ pound citron, lemon and orange peel
1 pound nuts
2 teaspoons each of all kinds spices, extracts (the ones you like best) little salt
6 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

 Use 5 cups (flour) first and try out. This is a large rule I often cut it down. Do not bake fast. I use 2 or 3 kinds of extracts.

Found in “The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” by Fannie Merritt Farmer. Published by Little, Brown and Co., 1928.

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Prune Meringue Pie

I had to throw in a pie recipe before Thanksgiving.

This one also comes from Handwritten Recipes.

Prune Meringue Pie

1 ½ cups cooked prunes, cut up
1 cup liquid from prunes
1 cup crushed pineapple
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 pie shell

Combine prunes, liquid and pineapple over heat. Blend sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir into hot fruit.
Cook until mixture is clear.
Beat egg yolks. Stir a little hot fruit mixture into egg. Stir egg slowly into remaining fruit. Cook for 3
or 4 minutes longer over low heat.
Pour into pie shell. Put meringue on top and brown in oven, 325 degrees, for 15 to 20 minutes.

Found in “The Mystery Chef’s Never Fail Cook Book.” Published by Perma Giants, 1949.

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Cranberry Salad

I know many of you readers here in the States are getting ready for Thanksgiving, so I thought I would post this recipe for cranberry salad that appears in my book "Handwritten Recipes." I haven't tried it myself, so I make no promises:

Cranberry Salad


1 cup cranberries (cut or ground)
1 cup sugar
1 small package of lemon Jell-O
1 cup hot water
1 cup pineapple juice

Combine and chill in bowl until syrupy.

Add:

1 cup chopped celery
1 cup pineapple, drained
½ cup chopped nuts

Pour into mold and serve.

Found in "How I Cook It" by Virginia McDonald. Published by Frank Glenn Publishing, 1949.

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Poultry and Avocado Stuffing

Forgotten Bookmarks was mentioned in this New York Times article on Thanksgiving stuffing (page two). If you're curious about the two recipes, here they are:

Poultry Stuffing

Six slabs bacon cut into small pieces
1 c. onions, chopped well
1 c. celery, chopped well
1 c. fine bread crumbs (smash with plate if too big)
4 c. cooked corn niblets
1/2 tea poultry seasoning
1 tea salt
1/4 tea black pepper
1/8 tea paprika
1/4 tea Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk (evaporated if you have it)


Cook bacon and dry on cheese cloth. Add onions and celery to bacon fat, cook until very lightly browned and tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes more on medium.


Avocado Stuffing

1/4 c. clarified butter
2 table flour
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 beef stock (not broth!)
1 tea poppyseeds
2 egg yolks
1/2 c. mushrooms chopped semi-fine, if you like chunky go ahead and leave it
1 table chives, chopped fine
1 avocado, mashed
2 table pimiento chopped fine (feel free to substitute, I hate pims)

Warm up butter in sauce pan and add chives and mushrooms increase heat and cook until tender. Add the avocado, pims or substitute and flour and mix mix mix. Reduce heat to low. Stir occasionaly for three mins then add lemon juice stock and poppyseeds. Should be thickening by now. Still stirring occasionally, cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the eggs very slowly and when you do, be sure to pick up the stirring pace. Done when your desired thickness is achieved.

Found in "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. Published by Macmillan, 1938.

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English Scones

Recipe for "English Scones" -

2 c sifted flour
1/4 ts salt
2 tbs sugar
4 ts B.P.
1 c milk, sweet or sour

Turn onto floured board, roll to 1/2 inch ???

Cut in rounds.

Bake on top of stone or griddle or stove ? oven 275 degrees

ungreased pan

25-30 min

Found in "Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes Revised" published by the US Government Printing Office, 1931.


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Mince Meat

Recipe for mince meat, either for or by "Aunt Ila" -

8 cup meat, cooked
6 cup apples (grind)
4 boxes raisins (seedless)
1 tsp cin.
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
2 cup vinegar
2 cup sugar

Simmer until thick

Found in "The Flowering of New England" by Van Wyck Brooks" Published by Dutton, 1940.

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Fudge

Recipe for fudge (the easy kind):

1 cup Fluff (1/2 + 1/2)
1 pk chocolate chips (12 oz)
I can sweetened condensed milk (Borden's Eagle Brand)

Melt together in double boiler. Take off hear and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cup walnut. Chill for one hour. Take out and form into ring.

The reverse of the recipe is a memorandum from the D&H Railroad:

Delaware and Hudson Railway Company
(Third Subdivision)

Effective 0202 hours Sunday, October 31, 1971, between the hours of 0800 and 1630 daily, except Saturday and Sunday, the use of two-way radio is prohibited between Fourth Avenue and Madison Avenue, Albany, account contractors blasting operations.

P.W. Young - Superintendent
General ORder 2-18, Albany NY, Oct 26 1971

Found in "Starburst" by Frederick Pohl. Published by DelRey, 1982.

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Baby Back Ribs

Recipe for baby back ribs (I love how it's written on notepad paper advertising hypertension medicine):

Baby Back Ribs

Bring to boil and simmer 2 hours

Make mixture:

• 1 part raspberry sauce
• 3 parts barbecue sauce - smoke house (hour?)

When ribs are done from simmer BASTE with this mixture and BARBECUE or broil over an open flame for 2 minutes only

Found in "366 Low-Fat Brand-Name Recipes in Minutes!" by M.J. Smith. Published by Chronimed Publishing, 1994.

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Whole Wheat Bread

Recipe for whole wheat bread. It looks like this is a photocopy, as the left side is a bit cut off.

Whole Wheat Bread - Sesshin (Koshu)

1/2 cup honey or mild molasses
1/2 (cup?) melted butter or liquid shortening
1 teasp. salt
2 tables. yeast dissolved in 1/3 cup lukewarm water
3 cups milk scalded and cooled
Approx. 9 cups whole wheat flour

1. Scald and cool milk.
2. Stir molasses, shortening, salt, dissolved yeast into cooled milk
3. Stir in 1/2 flour and beat well
4. Cover and let sponge rise until light
5. Stir down and add remaining flour
6. Knead adding more flour if necessary, dough should be almost soft but not sticky
7. Let rise until doubled again
8. Turn our on floured board and flatten and let rest (couple of minutes)
9. Shape into two loaves and place in buttered bread pans
10. Let rise until doubled
11. Bake 375 degree oven for 35-40 min or until done

Optional - Add sesame seed at step #3, 1/4=1/3 cup per loaf. Substitute 1/2 graham flour - makes it taste more like cake

Found in "Ginko: A Practical Guide" by Georges Halpern. Published by Avery, 1998.

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