Recipe 24- Pumpkin Bread

                                                                PUMPKIN BREAD

2 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 C all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
2/3 C water
1 can pumpkin pie mix (18 oz)
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs one at a time.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder.  Add to first mixture alternately with water, mixing well between additions.  Add pumpkin, stir well, then stir in nuts.
Pour into three greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch foil loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

Two months ago, Lindsey started her freshman year at the University of California, San Diego. Caroline and I made this pumpkin bread to place in the first "care package" for Lindsey. My mother would send me homemade pumpkin bread and zucchini bread when I was in college.

My mother had two copies of this recipe in her recipe folder. One was handwritten by her on one of her recipe cards. The other was given to her by her good friend Mary Couglin and asks that my mother please make a loaf for the Historical Society gathering.      

 

Recipe 23- Chicken Style Kiev

                                                              CHICKEN STYLE KIEV

2//3 C butter
1/2 C bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 chicken breasts, split (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 C dry white wine
1/4 C chopped green onion
1/4 C chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in 2 quart saucepan. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, basil, garlic salt, and salt. Dip chicken in melted butter then roll in crumbs to coat.
Place chicken in baking dish. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and chicken is tender.  Add wine, green onion, and parsley to remaining butter.  Pour over and around chicken. Cook for 5 minutes longer.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste ****

Yesterday, I made this dish for our family dinner. Everybody enjoyed the tender chicken and the favors. I will probably use less butter when I make this recipe again.  In preparing this dish, I learned that green onions are the same thing as scallions!

This recipe comes from my mother's recipe folder found in her kitchen in Lloyd Harbor, New York.

  

Recipe 22- Green Bean Casserole

                                                       GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

1 (10 and 3/4 oz) can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 C milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/3 C French's French Fried Onions
2 cans of green beans, drained

Mix soup and milk. Then add pepper, beans, and 2/3 onions in 1 1/2 quart casserole. Stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *****

Growing up on Long Island, at all holiday meals, the Callaghan and McCarthy Families would serve this side dish.  Next week is Thanksgiving and Paul, Chrissy, Sean, and Kallen McCarthy are visiting us from Atlanta, Georgia for the holidays. As a result, I decide to make this side to test it out on the Welch Family to see if they like it.  They loved it! We will most certainly be serving this dish for Thanksgiving next week here in Walnut Creek, California.    

Recipe 21- Blueberry Pie

                                                                BLUEBERRY PIE


1 C sugar
2 1/2 tablespoon corn starch
4 C blueberries
1 tablespoon butter

Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste **

For my big 50th birthday, my husband Steve wanted to buy a blueberry pie, my absolutely favorite dessert.  He called over 7 bakeries and grocery stores in the San Francisco Bay Area but couldn't find any store that sold blueberry pie in early November. As a result, I told him that Caroline and I would bake my own pie.

Caroline and I used a pie recipe from a pie chart that my mother kept with her recipes.  I would not recommend my mother's recipe. The pie was very runny and needed other ingredients (such as flour)  to thicken it.  Despite its problems, the pie tasted great.  We used frozen blueberries as opposed to fresh blueberries because it is not blueberry season. I will continue to search for a better blueberry pie recipe.    

Recipe 20- Butterscotch Brownies

                                                          BUTTERSCOTCH BROWNIES


1 C brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 well beaten egg
1/2 C flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 C chopped walnuts

Beat egg well. Add sugar and vanilla to egg: mix well. Put flour, salt, and soda together. Stir into egg mixture. Add nuts, if desired.
Spread batter in greased 8 by 8 by 2 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. While warm, cut into 16 squares. Cool and remove from pan.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *

To serve at her 11 year old birthday party, my daughter Caroline chose this recipe because she loves butterscotch. The brownies had no taste and were a complete failure. As a result, we chose not to serve them at the party.  Despite the failure of the recipe, Caroline's costumed mystery party was a great successful!  The girls had a great time trying to sleuth out the kidnapper.

I found this recipe inside a folder of recipes kept by my mother in her kitchen at 9 Janes Lane, Lloyd Harbor, New York.    

Recipe 19- Baked Tortellini

                                                           BAKED TORTELLINI

1 pound cheese-filled tortellini
1 C heavy cream
salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
1 C shredded mozzarella
3/4 C shredded smoked mozzarella
1/2 pound ham, cubed

Boil tortellini in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a saute pan, cook cream over medium-high heat until reduced by one-third. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Butter a baking dish and add half the tortellini. Top with half of the cheese and ham. Repeat, using remaining ingredients and then pour cream on top.
Bake at 375 degrees until the top is slightly crusty, about 20 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *****

This meal was very successful. Peter, who dislikes tortellini, even enjoyed it. I would bake this again.

When I cooked the meal, I substituted smoked cheddar for smoked mozzarella because they did not have smoked mozzarella in the small grocery store that I shopped in.  When I make the meal for the second time, I would like to try it with the smoked mozzarella, not cheddar.

I found this recipe inside a folder of recipes kept by my mother in her kitchen at 9 Janes Lane, Lloyd Harbor, New York.  The recipe is clipped from the February 24, 1985 of Newsday.          

Recipe 18- Chicken Stir Fry

                                                                CHICKEN STIR FRY


chicken
1 1/2 C celery
3/4 C carrots
1 small green pepper
1 small onion in rings
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 C soy sauce
1 can of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Blend cornstarch, tomato sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger to make sauce.

Brown meat. Add onion, carrots, and celery.  Continue stirring. Add green pepper. Stir in sauce. Mix and continue cooking for 4 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *****

This dish was a great success.  The family enjoyed the meat and vegetables and the sauce.  The soy sauce and ginger added a nice interesting flavor.  I will definitely make this meal again.

I found this recipe on one of my mother's handwritten recipe cards.

Recipe 17 - Scalloped Cauliflower

                                                       SCALLOPED CAULIFLOWER


2 packages cauliflower, cooked and drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1/3 C milk
1/2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese

Place cauliflower in casserole. Combine soup, milk, and cheese and pour over cauliflower.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Add, if desired, the last 5 minutes of baking time, 1/4 cup of buttered bread crumbs or flavored stuffing.



Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste **

Although cauliflower is generally liked by my family, this recipe was not a hit.  The taste was very bland.  If I make the recipe again, I will most certainly add the bread crumbs for added flavor.

I found this recipe on one of my mother's handwritten recipe cards.

Recipe 16- Chocolate Silk Pie (French Chocolate Pie)

                                                               CHOCOLATE SILK PIE
                                                           (FRENCH CHOCOLATE PIE)

1 frozen deep-dish pie crust (9 inch), thawed
1 1/2 pkg (4 oz each) BAKER'S semi-sweet chocolate ( 6 oz), broken into pieces
10 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C cholesterol-free egg product
1 C thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *****

For my daughter Caroline Welch's 11th birthday, I made this pie for our family celebration.  Her favorite pie is Chocolate Pie. The family enjoyed this sweet dessert.

My mother kept a similar recipe to the one above in her recipe folder in her kitchen in Lloyd Harbor, New York.  My mother's recipe was found on the back of an old  Cool Whip cover. The price of Cool Whip was 75 cents at the time.   I began to prepare my mother's recipe for chocolate pie BUT I noticed that her recipe called for 2 uncooked eggs.  I presume that back in the 1970's eating uncooked eggs was not seen as a signifiacant health risk. I went to the internet and researched chocolate pie recipes.  The above recipe is the current recipe ( 2013) provided by COOL WHIP for making chocolate silk pie.  The recipe is essentially the same as my mother's recipe but calls for cholesterol-free egg product instead of eggs.      

  

Recipe 15- Dessert Bars (Variation on 7 Layer Bars)

                                     
                                                                 DESSERT BARS
                                                   (VARIATION ON 7 LAYER BARS)


3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 package of white cake mix
1 1/2 C miniature marshmallows
1 package (6 oz.) of semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 can (3 1/2 oz.) flaked coconut
1 C broken mixed nuts
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In oven, melt butter in well greased oblong pan, (13x9x2). Rotate pan until butter covers bottom. Sprinkle cake mix (dry) in pan. Sprinkle marshmallows, chocolate pieces, coconut and nuts on cake mix in order listed. Pour milk evenly on top.

Bake about 30 min. or until golden brown. Run knife around edges to loose sides. Cool. Cut into bars.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste *****

For the past several years, I have been a member of a bible study.  Several times a year, I host the bible study at my home for lunch.  I made these dessert bars and they were a tremendous hit. They are a variation on the 7 Layer Bar and equally simple to make. Note that the nut that I used in this recipe was hazelnut.

I found this recipe in the Lloyd Harbor Elementary School Cookbook (my elementary school), cir. 1973.  My mother, Carol Callaghan, is credited with submitting this recipe to the school cookbook.