Recipe Box Adventure!

I have always been fascinated by old recipes. I collect antiques and am always scouring the shops looking for old recipe books. I always hunt for a recipe box which actually contains the recipes from the home cook. In all my travels, and all of the recipe boxes that I have looked at, I have never found one that had the recipes contained within. On a recent trip to Texas, I found such a box! It was made in Japan (has the sticker on it) but was sold to its owner in Bruners San Antonio Corpus for $1.00. There was a label in the box written by the shop keeper which said “Purchased in 1950”. It is jam packed with recipes and I decided that it would be fun to include you, my readers, as we explore this recipe box together.

I am also a home cook who has a passion for cooking, food and all things yummy. So, I thought, why not combine my love of cooking, old recipes and exploration in this blog that I could share with my friends?

I’m not sure how many recipes are actually contained in the box, but it could be a couple of hundred which will keep us entertained for many days to come.

Together we will pull one recipe at a time and I will attempt to cook it. I have to admit, I’m not much of a baker but will give it my very best effort. I hope that in exploring these recipes we can keep history alive and cookin’!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Recipe Box- Recipe  #13

Creamy Pralines:
Southern recipe!

2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups broken pecans

Combine the sugars and milks with butter and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Bring slowly to a full rolling boil over medium heat.  Add the nuts and continue boiling and candy reaches the soft-ball state, 234 degree's on the candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and stir only enough to give a creamy look.  Spoon out onto buttered baking sheet.  Cool.  Yield: 6 dozen pralines.

Hello my recipe box explorers!  Today we are back to recipes and it is Pralines!  Correction...Creamy Pralines!  This recipe is hand written and don't you love a hand written recipe?  It can sometime mean that it was a recipe which was passed down in a family and is highly unique and treasured. I, personally, salivate at hand written recipes.

So...any trepidation's?  You bet your sweet praline!  I've said before that I am not really a great baker but this is entering a whole new pool.  Candy.  Yes, I said candy.  Holy guacamole!  It's funny because I actually had a candy thermometer in the bottom of a junk kitchen tool drawer.  I thought, "What the heck?...Did I EVER make candy?"  I think many years ago, I tried to make some sort of brittle but don't remember it very well so it must not have been very memorable. 
Are you kidding me?  I didn't even know I owned one!

So, time to jump in with both feet.  Here we go!
Using sweetened condensed milk
Cooking with all heart today!!

I went to the grocery store and was standing in the baking aisle looking for condensed milk.  The only thing I could find was sweetened condensed milk so I'm a little nervous.  Maybe the recipe just wasn't specific or maybe there is only sweetened condensed milk- I really don't know.
So far, so easy!

Well, my candy thermometer doesn't have a specific line for 234 degrees so I'm winging it a little.  I am definitely out of my comfort zone.
Yikes, I'm afraid at this point!

I made the decision to stop the boiling and spooned them onto a cookie sheet as I had no idea what the soft-ball state is.  It just doesn't feel right though.  I have put the cookie sheet into the fridge hoping that a miracle happens and these mushy, runny, things somehow turn into CANDY!!
It doesn't look like candy..

As I am waiting for candy to appear, I realized that I have never eaten a praline (and really never have known what it is!) so I thought I would consult with my handy dandy reference book and try to get some history on this little goody.

The book says that Pralines were named for the French diplomat Cesar du Plessis-Praslin, later Due de Choiseul.  It is said that Praslin's butler advised him that almonds coated with sugar would not cause indigestion.  (too funny)  In Louisiana, the Creoles adapted Pralines, substituting native pecans for almonds and brown sugar for white.

Again, another recipe with that southern influence which I love.  I think we have two now which are pecan winners.   

Hmm.. interesting because this recipe uses both white and brown sugar.  AND!  I should have done my research before jumping into the recipe because the research yielded the definition of a "Soft-ball state".  It said to drop a little syrup into a glass of cold water and it should form a soft ball which flattens when taken out of the water.  BUT!  it also said to add the pecans after the syrup had reached the soft ball state.  Our recipe said to add the pecans and continue boiling. 
Pretty cool...I might have done it!?

So...when I dropped a test case into the cold water, it did form a soft ball- so we might be okay (fingers crossed)!
Luscious candy pralines!!  
Okay!  I did it!!  I cannot believe that I made candy and it was pretty easy!!  I would definitely recommend this recipe if you want to try to make candy for the first time.  Just get a candy thermometer and go for it!!  Don't be afraid to try it.  Sometimes you have to take risks both in the kitchen and in life.  If the candy had flopped I would have been okay, really.

Cooking should be fun! Get in the kitchen and try some of these vintage recipes!

See you all next recipe my friends!!  

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Recipe Box- Recipe  #12

ACTION LINE ARTICLE ON COCKROACHES:
Action Line

"Please, please tell me what to do to get rid of some cockroaches that seem to be taking possession of my home.  I have tried about everything I can think of or have been told about.  Can you please suggest a way I can get rid of these horrible creatures?- Mrs.I.P.H"
 
Please tell me what to do!
Hi to all who love exploring old recipes and other secrets!  Next up from our little box is an article from a newspaper (not sure which one and when it was published) regarding the pesky cockroach.  So, I would assume that this was a problem in the recipe box owners home.  I always heard that these insects were the "oldest living insect" in the world.  They are extremely resilient and are hard to get rid of. 

It is a little hard writing about these creatures especially when I have heard that most restaurants have them running around.  I don't like to think about them.  I like to put my head in the sand and pretend that they don't exist. 

So...in a full disclosure mode...I have lived in a home that had cockroaches (or maybe just one cockroach, I dunno).  The first time I saw one/it..I freaked out.  I like to think that I am extremely clean, but it really brought home the idea that these creatures can exist with no food, water, etc.  Because, obviously the cockroach lived in the home much longer than I did.  YUK!  Yes, a cockroach has crossed my path.  ICK! 

I did a little research concerning these pests and found out the following:

But there is no question that cockroaches are hardy. Studies have found they can live several days after being decapitated. And when times are tough, those with heads can survive by eating glue or each other.

Ick Ick and more ick...
Especially, because we are talking mostly about food. The article says to Mix 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of boric acid powder, and 1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal.  Stir this stuff thoroughly, pour it into a squeeze bottle and squirt it along the sides of the drainboards, cupboards and along whatever roadway the rotten roaches roam.  Thank goodness in my home now, I have not seen the dreaded cockroach so I was not able to test this method.  It sounds like you have to be vigilant
in the topical application of this method.  

I love the end of the article...it says..."Keep dishing out the dosages every week until you vanquish every vestige of the visiting vulgar varmits."

Varmits..I love that word! 

So, as is typical with me...I have to lighten the moment by saying that I went to an old fashioned candy store yesterday and found the following (who knew?):
 
Who knew?
HAHA...what in the world ever possessed the Jelly Belly company to make a Cockroach jelly but I found one!! 
 
Kinda gross!
Hubbie and I just tried it and it was a good one!

HEHE!  A Jelly Belly Cockroach is a good one!!  Let us turn to jelly cockroaches for relief.


See you next recipe secret!!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Recipe Box- Recipe  #11

Marshmallow Waldorf Salad:

Prettiest, most delicious apple salad you ever made! Easiest too!  Don't peel apples.  Dice them to make 3 cups, sprinkle with 1 tbsp lemon juice and add 1 cup of Kraft's fresh little recipe size marshmallows.  (Easy to add-you don't have to cut 'em up!) Add 1 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and Miracle Whip Salad Dressing to moisten.  Toss lightly.  Arrange thin unpeeled apple wedges on each salad, petal fashion.  Top with salad dressing.

Hello recipe boxers!!  Sorry that I've been away...got caught under the weather with a bug (feeling better!!) so I am very happy to be back to recipes today!  I really like the look of this one!  The photo just looks so festive and pretty!  However, whenever I read a recipe and it uses the term, "arrange in a petal fashion" I start to sweat.  Decorating stuff just never has been my strong suit!  But, in true recipe box explorer fashion, I am ready to give it my best shot! 
Marshmallows!!

I really like the instructions although they don't tell us how many apples we need to buy. So, we get to make lots of executive decisions and just have fun!!  I especially like the reference to "Kraft's fresh little recipe size marshmallows".  Fresh?  Really?  What is the shelf life of marshmallows?  Anyway, I thought it was cute.

I remember growing up, my mom quite often made Waldorf salad.  I know for sure that it didn't have marshmallows in it.  I think...just celery, apples...it's funny because I do remember the application of the lemon juice.  Memories of tasting the sweetness of the apple and then mouth curdling when the lemon juice hit the taste buds.  I didn't really like that taste but I understood that it was to keep the apples from going brown. 

Marshmallows...what to say, what to say?  My taste lends itself toward warm and gooey i.e., smores or marshmallow treats.  I have never been one to just eat marshmallows out of the bag but I think there are some interesting cookies that have marshmallow in them.  I once watched Martha Stewart making home made marshmallows and they looked absolutely delicious but, alas, I have not ever made them.

This was a very easy recipe to make.  The chopping was cathartic and I actually liked trying to make it look pretty!  I'm not a big fan of Miracle Whip but that's probably because mom never used it- traditional mayo was her dressing for Waldorf salad.  Hubbie said it was really good!  I added a touch of sea salt to balance the sweetness and, overall, I liked it.  I think kids would really like this one because of the marshmallows!!  Plus, it does look kinda cool the way that they have it arranged.  Try it and let me know what you think!!  
 
Looks petal like, right?
Easy and pretty!!

See you next recipe secret!!