I hate persimmons.  At least, I think I do.  We have a huge persimmon tree in our backyard and each year I try one and each year I dislike it.  The permissions are plump and a beautiful orange color but they leave a chalky, strange feeling in my mouth.  It's like they coat my mouth with a bizarre residue.  I'm not the only one who has tried them and failed. 

Although I feel badly that so many persimmons go to waste in my yard, I take some comfort in knowing that the birds love them.  I may not be using the persimmons but I'm keeping wildlife alive and thriving.

But, maybe in a cake persimmons could win me over :-)  I haven't heard of persimmon cake so now I am eager to try this recipe once our tree is bearing fruit (sometime this winter).

Persimmon Cake
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup persimmon pulp
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

Cream the shortening and sugar, add the persimmon pulp and beaten eggs.  Sift dry ingredients and add to 1st mixture.  Beat well and pour into square pan in moderate oven (325F) for 1 hour.

I'm curious how this would taste -- has anyone else ever had a persimmon cake?

When looking through my latest set of recipes that I purchased from Oklahoma, I noticed many vegetarian recipes.  My assumption is that somewhere around the 1970's the author took an interest in the vegetarian lifestyle, possibly for health or diet reasons. 

This recipe for soy burgers caught my attention because I didn't see any tofu or soybeans in the recipe.  When I think of 'soy' recipes, I instantly think of tofu.  As I read through the instructions, I came across a mentioning of soy sauce.  Aha, these are soy sauce burgers!

Soy Burgers
2 cups dry oatmeal*
1 cup cracker crumbs (~24 crackers)
1 onion diced
1 teaspoon sage
3 eggs
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can mushroom soup

*note: the measurement for the oatmeal is missing from the recipe.  I suggest using 2 cups and increasing if needed.

Mix together the oatmeal, cracker crumbs, onion, sage, and eggs.  Make into patties and fry until lightly brown.  Pour the soy sauce and water over the burgers and simmer until pan is dry.  Add can of mushroom soup plus 1 can of water.  Cook in skillet for 5-10 minutes.  There isn't a time listed but I would suggest cooking for at least 5 minutes.

Although I'm sure these taste good, I would caution against all of the sodium that is likely to be in this dish - salted crackers, soy sauce, and canned mushroom soup.  If you try the recipe, just keep this in mind and taste the dish along the way to make sure it doesn't became too salty.

Another 'mock' recipe - this one would be useful for me because I never seem to have nuts on hand when wanting to bake.  And since nuts can be quite expensive, this faux pecan pie is thrifty as well.

Pecan pie has got to be one of my favorite pies.  It's rich and custardy with the toasted nuts floating in a single layer on top.  The mock version replaces pecans with oatmeal and coconut which I assume adds the same texture and a bit of toasty-nutty flavor as well.  I bet this is actually quite good and wouldn't turn down a piece if it were offered to me!

Mock Pecan Pie
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark Karo (corn syrup)
1/3 cube oleo (assume 1/3 of a stick, ~3 tablespoons)
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 package Baker's coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked pie shell

Cream together the eggs, sugar, Karo syrup and oleo.  Add the cooking oats, coconut, vanilla and salt.

Pour into a prepared pie shell and baked until set.  I suggest 350F for about 45-55 minutes.

Hush puppies are a classic southern food here in the United States.  Small balls of cornmeal dough fried until golden and crisp, while tender on the inside.  My favorite hush puppy recipes use a bit of grated onion in them to make them deliciously savory.



The origin of hush puppies has a few possibilities, ranging from slavery to civil war raids.  All of them have one common point, the bits of fried dough were tossed to dogs in order to stop them from barking, making "hush puppy" the perfect name. 

I grew up eating them at seafood restaurants.  I'm not sure how the fried dough became synonymous with seafood but it was common in the Midwest to find hushpuppies along side of your shrimp.  Since I hated all forms of seafood while growing up, I loved nibbling on my hushpuppies .... now that I think of it, hushpuppies kept me quiet too :-)  My parents must have thought they were magical!

Hush Puppies
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 small onion, chopped

Mix together and drop teaspoons of batter into hot fat.  Fry until a golden brown.  Drain on absorbant paper.  Serve hot!!

Mmmmm, I can almost taste them!

This recipe caught my attention for so many reasons.  First, I love bean soup.  My mother always made it and I didn't always appreciate it when I was young.  As I became older, the flavor and texture of the soup grew to be one of my most favorite and comforting foods.

 

 

You'll notice that this recipe is somewhat 'fancy'.  The cook obviously cherished this recipe enough to type in onto a piece of blue paper on which she later crimped the edges.  The recipe is affixed to a form that is printed on a card similar to the size of a recipe card.  The form is titled 'Remanufactured Engine Prospect Card' and contains fields for inputting your personal information.

This recipe and others I will be sharing in the coming weeks is from a set of recipes I purchased.  The seller purchased them directly from the owner in Oklahoma who at the age of 84 was moving into a retirement center.  She sold all of her recipes and cookbooks.

The recipe is similar to my mother's but uses a few spices which my mother never used.  I'm sure it's delicious though and based on the wear-n-tear on the recipe, a family favorite to someone in Oklahoma.

Bean Soup
2 cups dried pinto beans
8 cups water (or a little more)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (1lb) cooked tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon monosodium glutamate
2 tablespoons sugar
salt, pepper, cayenne

Wash beans.  Soak overnight, if you wish.  Put beans, water, and ham (ham hock, scraps from baked ham, and/or bacon ends will do) in a large kettle.  Cover and simmer 2 1/2-3 hours or until beans are almost done.  Add water if needed.  Fry onion, celery, green pepper and crushed garlic in the butter until tender.  Add these vegetables and remaining ingredients to beans.  Cover and simmer 1/2 hour longer.  Add seasonings to taste.  Serves 8.  Serve with Chip-O's.

I was intrigued by that last word 'Chip-O's'.  I researched and found they were a product sold by Morton Foods that at some point had a lawsuit filed against them by Frito-Lay (I guess Chip-O sounded too much like Frito, Cheeto, Dorito, etc.).  I couldn't locate much more information about them other than they were a type of corn chip, popular in Oklahoma.

Note: You'll notice on the original recipe that there is a line drawn through the oregano and cumin, and also reduced the chili powder to 1 tablespoon.  A modification from the cook who must have decided they didn't like as much spice in their bean soup :-)

Update (10/13/08): This Pinto Bean Soup recipe was recently made by Eating Out Loud.

Strawberry pie reminds me of hours spent hunched over picking strawberries from our extremely abundant strawberry patch.  Our strawberry patch consisted of two or three long rows, about 2 feet wide by 25 foot long.  It probably didn't take 'hours' but it certainly felt that way to a twelve year old who would rather be doing anything else. 

My mother made large batches of jam and was known for her strawberry shortcake.  Occasionally, she would make a fresh strawberry pie.  We could never eat all of the berries we produced, so they were given to my grandparents, aunts/uncles, and neighbors.  Our strawberry patch was enough to feed a small village. 

I haven't had a strawberry custard pie and it sounds creamy and delicious.  And as many old recipes are, it is simple and quick to prepare.

Strawberry Custard Pie

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 baked pie shell
Meringue

Mash two cups strawberries then add sugar and cornstarch.  Simmer over medium heat until thickened, then whisk in the egg yolks.  Cook for a few minutes.  Remove from stove and add one tablespoon butter.  Pour into baked pie shell and top with meringue.  Put into oven to lightly brown.

Personally, I'm not a fan of meringue - it always strikes me as kind of 'blah'.  I'm sure this pie would be equally good topped with fresh whipped cream!

I almost overlooked this newspaper clipping from my recently purchased Rhode Island recipe box. It slid to the bottom and it was only during my second time going through the box that I noticed it hiding, afraid to come out in the daylight.

'Velveeta' just has a ring to it, there's something about the name that is fun to say. It's one of those products which I don't eat as an adult but it brings back distinct childhood memories. The long rectangular block of Velveeta would sit in our refrigerator begging me to slap a piece on a cracker. I often had it as an afternoon snack when I came home from school.

My favorite childhood meal had to be grilled cheese. I loved making grilled cheese sandwiches with Velveeta, gooey and creamy, the Velveeta would ooze out with each bite and burn my chin nearly every time. It didn't matter. The molten cheese always put a smile on my face, even when it burned me.

My mother used it in casseroles and to make macaroni-n-cheese but I don't remember a strata ever reaching our table. Do you currently cook with Velveeta or have a childhood memory of it?

The photo of the strata caught my eye largely due to the garnish of jelly on top. I t gives the recipe that little something extra!

Velveeta Strata
12 slices day old bread
1/2 lb Velveeta, cut into slices
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
Jelly (if desired)

Place 4 slices of bread in the bottom of an 8" square baking dish. Cover the bread with half of the sliced cheese. Place four more slices of bread on top, then cover with remaining cheese. Place four final slices of bread on top.

Combine beaten eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over the bread and Velveeta, let stand 1 hour.

Bake in a 325 F oven for 40 minutes or until it is puffed and lightly browned. Serve plain or top with jelly.

As the recipe notes:

"Just 2 ounces of Velveeta supply more protein and calcium and phosphorus, as much riboflavin and more vitamin A than a big 8-ounce glass of milk! Good reason for serving delicious Velveeta often."