Summer Memories

     It was a perfect summer day today – warm but not hot, low humidity and plenty of sunshine with a nice breeze. It reminds me of those great summer days as kids, barefoot, playing in the cottonwood trees behind our house. Mom would occasionally be persuaded to mix up a little Kool-aid in a quart fruit jar, and she would make us bologna or cheese sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper (no plastic wrap or sandwich bags back then) and let us carry them up to our hide-away to have a picnic lunch, perhaps with a cookie or two.

     If you are familiar with cottonwood trees, besides shedding “cotton” fluff, they have a characteristic “rattle” in the wind. It was fun to lie in the grass under them, listening to that rattle and watching the clouds scudding by. Of course, we didn’t get to spend all day playing, there was plenty of housework, laundry, garden chores, cooking and canning all summer. Back then, those were considered tasks that prepared children for adult responsibilities, and I have been grateful that I learned them, but not always back then, when summer called. I was very proud of my “overalls” that matched my Dad’s carpenter overalls – plenty tough for playing hard and working.

Frosted Cheese Mold

This is from The Better Homes and Gardens Golden Treasury of Cooking and was quite popular in the Sixties. I can remember it being served for ladies luncheons, in fact I used to make it when I had to entertain a ladies group I belonged to. Then I would double the recipe. It was always well received. I am not a fan of Blue Cheese but I will eat this. Don’t leave it out, it just gives the salad a little tang. This is not a sweet dessert salad.

In the original recipe, the salad is turned into a ring mold and the center filled with melon balls and frosted grapes. This would make it a main dish salad. Lovely to serve for a ladies luncheon. I am posting a copy of the picture in the cookbook so you can see how the original looks. I never used mint leaves. Not available in Northern Minnesota in the 60’s

Frosted Cheese Mold

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup milk

12 ounce carton cottage cheese

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 ounce)

1/2 of a 6 ounce can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

1/4 cup broken pecans

3 drops of green food coloring

1/2 cup whipping cream

In saucepan soften gelatin in milk. Place over low heat and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat. With electric mixer beat cottage cheese and blue cheese together till well blended. Stir in gelatin mixture. Stir in Limeade concentrate, nuts and food coloring. Chill until mixture mounds. (This only takes a few moments. Check in about 5 minutes. It will depend on how cool your milk and gelatin is when you stir it in.)

Whip cream;* fold into cheese mixture. Turn into mold or square pan and chill until firm. As I am sure most of you know, chilling the beaters and the bowl will help the cream whip better.

Ronneburg Restaurant Cottage Cheese

We live close enough to the Amana Colonies in Iowa to visit several times a year. We enjoy the Ronneburg Restaurant, whose German-Swiss style menu reminds me of dishes that were served in our families’ homes as a child. We always enjoy their famous version of cottage cheese – so popular I have seen it frequently on the internet – I found it in the Dallas Morning News a few years ago as a requested restaurant recipe. The restaurant has the recipe on their paper placemats so their customers can take it home.  They serve it with all of their  "family style" meals, where they put bowls of side dishes and baskets of breads on the each table for diners to share.

Ronneburg Restaurant Cottage Cheese
Serves 4
16 Ounces Cottage Cheese -- 2 cups
1 Green Onion -- (including some of the tops)chopped
2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
¼ Teaspoon Salt
Dash Pepper
Combine all ingredients.
Yield: "2 Cups"

Potato and Cottage Cheese Au Gratin

Looking for a new recipe using cottage cheese, I ran across this one on the Hood Cottage Cheese web site. It looked good so decided to give it a try. I did make a couple of minor changes and found out that the baking time was way off. Instead of the 30 minutes it called for, I ended up baking it for a hour. However, they were a hit and we all liked them. They reheated very well so I will certainly make them again. Good way to get some Protein into the diet.

The original recipe calls for bread crumbs on top before baking. As I wanted to eat them I used grated parmesan cheese and this worked quite well. Hope you enjoy them also.

Do check out the Hood web site as they have several recipes using cottage cheese there.

Potato and Cottage Cheese Au Gratin

Makes 4 servings

1 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 large potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chives, chopped

1/2 cup cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the inside of an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the one cup of cottage cheese with heavy cream, and set aside. Place a thin layer of potatoes on the bottom of the prepared pan, and top with 1/3 of the cottage cheese/heavy cream mixture, spreading the mixture evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the breadcrumbs along with salt and pepper to taste on the potatoes. Form 2 more layers in the same manner. Finish the top layer by spreading evenly the remaining 1/2 cup of cottage cheese over all. Top this with a thin layer or bread crumbs and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown on top and done in the center. Garnish with fresh chives. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes on a wire rack before cutting.

Orange Fruit Salad

This salad is delicious and so easy to make it only takes a couple of minutes to open a few cans and packages, combine them, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.  I added marachino cherries, because my grandson especially likes them.  I have found several old recipes that are similar; perhaps from the late 50’s or early 60’s.  Other recipes called for fruit cocktail instead of pineapple, or the addition of 1 cup of coconut, or adding marshmallows or using lime gelatin.   All sound good, but my guests enjoyed second helpings of this recipe. This makes a main dish salad with the protein from the cottage cheese. Serve with buns, meat and cheese plate, bread sticks or chips, relishes, etc. You hardly need a dessert.

Quick Orange Fruit Salad
16 Ounces Cottage Cheese
1 Package Orange Gelatin Powder-- 3 ounce
11 Ounces Mandarin Oranges in Water -- drained
8 Ounces Cool Whip® -- thawed or 1 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
20 Ounces Pineapple Chunks in Juice -- drained
Maraschino cherries (if you have them)
Pour gelatin (directly from box) over cottage cheese. Drain oranges and pineapple and stir with Cool Whip into cheese mixture. This can be made ahead of time and keeps for several days in the refrigerator. If a little moisture appears, simply stir.
Cost June 2010: $4.02 or 51¢ per serving.
Yield: "2 Quarts" about 8 servings.
Per Serving : 239 Calories; 7g Fat (25.6% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 271mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 1 Fruit; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrate.

Cheese Filled Shells

One frozen convenience food I try to keep on hand is this recipe for Cheese-filled Shells. I package them for 2 – if I expect company I can thaw more packages. I love lasagna, but it’s hard to prepare for 2. This recipe solves that problem. It conveniently uses a box of jumbo pasta shells and I only have the assembly mess once for 7 meals. I freeze about 1 cup of spaghetti sauce for each meal for 2 people (those 24 ounce jars make 3 meals), or use a half-pint of home canned sauce. The spinach is optional – we like it, but it wasn’t in the original recipe. Barilla pasta is made in Ames, Iowa, so we use it for this recipe. The filling is also good in homemade pasta rolls. 
Freezer Cheese Filled Shells
12 ounces shell pasta -- Jumbo ( we use Barilla) - about 40 shells
3 Large eggs -- beaten
4 cups Cottage Cheese -- drained
1 pound mozzarella cheese, part skim milk -- shredded
3 ounces Parmesan cheese -- grated
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 pound spinach, frozen -- thawed and squeezed dry (Spinach is optional)
2 quarts Spaghetti Sauce -- (portion and freeze) (7 -8 cups or 56 – 64 ounces)
Thaw spinach and drain in a colandar - squeeze or press out moisture with a potato masher. Drain cottage cheese.
Cook shells 8 minutes in boiling water in 5-6 quart pot. Drain carefully; rinse in cold water, let drain.
Beat eggs, add to remaining ingredients in same pan pasta cooked in. Stir well.
Stuff each shell with about 2 Tbsp. of filling, a #24 scoop level works well.
Lay out on half sheet pan on waxed paper - 7 rows of 6. Freeze 2 hours or until firm. Bag in 7 quart-size freezer bags (2 servings or 6 filled shells) each.
To serve: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. When ready to bake, spoon 2-3 tbsp. spaghetti sauce into individual casserole, top with 3 shells, then divide remaining sauce between dishes, sprinkle with extra parmesan, COVER and bake 25 minutes at 350°. Let stand, covered, 5-10 minutes to absorb liquid.
To serve larger groups: Spread 1 C. spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9x13" pan. Arrange half recipe (18-20) shells in dish. Pour remaining 2 cups sauce over shells. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes, COVERED until last 5 minutes. Entire recipe makes two 13 x 9" pans.
14 servings
Cost Summer 2010: $11.86 per recipe or 85¢ per serving.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 358 Calories; 13g Fat (33.0% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 73mg Cholesterol; 896mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.

The Pink Begonia

Last weekend we stopped at my very favorite antique shop, The Pink Begonia in Kalona, Iowa, south of Iowa City.   I love this shop, because I can feed my hobby, collecting midcentury kitchen glassware, especially if it's pink.  I collect pink Moderntone and Pyrex particularly, and use it every day.   

I always find something here - and today was no exception; it's hard to get out of a shop like this without buying something.  My husband knows what I like and often finds treasures for me.  The hostess graciously let me snap these pictures inside, which are just a fraction of what's available in this 2 story shop.

Kalona is in an Amish-Mennonite area; the shops specialize in Amish quilts, baked goods, hardware, etc. plus several antique shops, and the Chamber of Commerce gives tours into the Amish countryside, with stops at Amish homes for mealtime.

Sloppy Joes

This is a recipe for Sloppy Joes I have made for many years. My kids as teenagers and our whole family likes these better than any other recipe I have tried.

Simple to make and easily added to or made in a smaller amount, these are quick, delicious and well worth the small amount of time and effort to make.

The recipe is from a 1968 Campbell’s Cooking with Soup cookbook. This book has a lot of easy, quick recipes. If you see one at a book sale you would be well advised to buy it, 
though I have only seen them on rare occasions.

Sloppy Joes

6 servings

1 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup

6 buns, split and toasted

Brown onion, celery and seasoning in small amount oil:

Add ground beef and brown.

Add soup: simmer to blend flavors.

Serve on toasted buns.

Butter Buns for Baked Sandwiches

We like homemade buns for these easy baked sandwiches.  Of course, you can use purchased buns, but these Butter Buns are simple - I keep them on hand through the summer.
Simple Sandwich Buns
4 tablespoons butter -- (or oil)
16 Ounces Bread Flour -- 3 1/4 cups
2 1/8 teaspoons instant yeast -- 1 package
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Water -- warm (120-125°)
Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Warm water, milk and butter to 120-125°. Add egg to dough, gradually pour in liquid. Mix with paddle attachment 2 minutes on speed 2. Change to dough hook, and knead at speed 2 for 6 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes in warm place. Shape into 10 hamburger buns, about 2 1/2 oz each, let rise 30 minutes or until doubled. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown, about 20-22 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
Summer 2010 cost: 87¢ for 10 buns
Per Serving: 221 Calories; 6g Fat (25.8% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 35mg Cholesterol; 274mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Baked Sandwiches

6 each Hamburger Buns
6 slices Summer Sausage
6 slices Swiss Cheese
6 slices Ham -- very thinly sliced
Mustard-- to taste
Mayonnaise -- to taste
Butter -- for buns
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the buns, spread with mayonnaise on one side and mustard, if desired, on the onther.
2. Layer the ham on the mustard, then the cheese, then the other slice of summer sausage.
3. Add the top, place on baking sheet and place in hot oven. Heat through, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve with salads and/or chips.

Onion Joes

My friend, Bettie, shared the Packwood Community Cookbook from Packwood, Iowa – she pointed out this recipe from Mrs. Dwain Sutton that she had tasted and enjoyed.

 This is the Sloppy Joe for folks who don’t like as much tomato, like my husband. We enjoyed this for lunch today; on homemade Onion Buns with homecanned  Corn Relish.  It made about 6 medium buns. I would think about starting to heat the sauce in my small slow cooker while I browned the hamburger, and then combine it and keep it warm for a company meal. Add a salad and dessert and you’re set.

Is this a canning project?? Maybe.  It doesn't take long to make, but heating and eating may be really good too.

Onion Burgers

1 Pound Hamburger -- crumbled

1 Can Condensed Onion Soup
1 Tablespoon Catsup
1 Tablespoon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon A-1® Steak Sauce
1 Teaspoon Heinz 57 Sauce
Salt and Pepper -- to taste
Brown meat and drain any fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5 - 10 minutes.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

There is a coffee house in town, Smokey Row, that serves coffee drinks, diner food and has a soda fountain. They have covered all the bases, plus having a large old building with meeting rooms. It is the hot spot for local, state and national politicians trying to influence Iowa voters.
One of their most popular sandwiches is egg salad – certainly a reminder of Woolworth's and other dime store snack bars and small town restaurants. We enjoy them too – on homemade whole wheat bread this time.  Try Buttermilk Chive Bread or Bran and Wheat Germ Bread too.
Egg Salad Sandwiches for 2

2 large eggs
Mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s or Mrs. Clarks
Salt and pepper to taste
Dill or Sweet Pickle Relish (optional)
Onion, finely chopped (optional)
Fresh spinach or lettuce leaves
Butter
4 slices of great bread, plain or toasted
Hard cook the eggs, preferably a day ahead, chill. Peel and chop coarsely. Salt and pepper to taste.  Combine with a spoonful of drained pickle relish, onion to taste and just enough mayonnaise to barely moisten.  Start with a scant tablespoonful, and only add more if necessary.  You don't want it too wet. 
Butter the bread. Line the bottom slices with fresh, home grown spinach leaves or lettuce, top with salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Top with second slice and cut on the diagonal.
Serve with a cup of soup or a small side salad.

Hamburgers

Made hamburgers tonight. Not outside on the grill, but inside on the stove. Number one, I don’t like grilled hamburgers. They are too often dry and over cooked or raw inside. Number two, I am not about to go out in the heat and grill when I can stay in my air conditioned house and make better hamburger sandwiches. We like a ground chuck mixture for ground beef. No more than 85% lean. You have to have some fat for good hamburgers. Cut back somewhere else or only eat one apiece as we do. A quarter pound apiece will make you a great plenty.

Brown and cook on one side without moving until it looks cooked about half way through. I use a cast iron frying pan because it gives you a nice brown and after use becomes non stick. Now turn over and brown and finish cooking through. Now is the time to lay a cheese slice on top if you want a cheeseburger. American or Velveeta work well. This is not the time for fancy cheeses. Lay the bun half on top of the burger while the cheese melts. I put the bottom halves in the pan also to warm a little.

Serve with thin onion slices, tomato slices and lettuce if desired. Of course the usual ketchup and mustard and Mayo for those that want them.

I will have cottage cheese and some baked beans with this and maybe some fruit for dessert if anyone wants it. Potato Chips are always popular with the kids and teens. Easy to make, clean up and sometimes simple is just better.

Country Gardens

We got a call just before noon on Thursday – if you want beans, come and pick 'em.  My brother-in-law, Don, had already been picking and canning – both beans and carrots – very impressive. I had to take a few pictures of his garden, the bean patch, of course, and some of his efforts, beans and carrots and even more carrots.  He is planning to use his bean” frencher” again this year, for his next round of canning. All the while we picked beans, we could hear the chickens in the large hen house and outdoor, grassy pen nearby. We went through the bean patch on its second picking, getting a couple of buckets – took them home and with my husband’s help, got them snapped and canned – 4 canner loads of pint jars – I run 2 canners at a time.

Don also sent along very nice eating cucumbers – we ate some right away for lunch, and I will share a few along with some extra beans with Myrna. She had been canning pickles Thursday morning. Myrna and I are both getting tomatoes now, warm and sweet, just picked, nothing like it.

On the way to the homestead near What Cheer, Iowa, we saw a wild turkey right on the roadside near the North Skunk river, and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this roadside tree, pehaps once part of somebody's "homeplace", loaded with green apples and surrounded by wildflowers that were blooming everywhere along ditches. You just gotta love Iowa in the summer.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Our local store had Driscoll Strawberries on special today. 4 lbs. for 2 dollars.

What a buy. They are great berries and not a spoiled one in the bunch.

Decided to make this strawberry cheesecake pie as it is Father’s Day. I usually have pie crust ready to roll out in the freezer so the crust was easy to make.

1 9 inch baked pie crust

8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cups strawberries washed and hulled

8 ounces strawberry jam for the glaze

1/2 Tablespoon cream sherry or other liqueur (optional)

Instructions:

Beat cream cheese, add sugar, lemon zest and juice and beat until combined.

spread in pie crust, arrange berries on top.

Warm jam slightly add cream sherry and spoon over the berries.

Refrigerate until cool and set up.

Garnish with whipped cream

If desired you could use a purchased crumb crust, graham, vanilla wafers or something in that line. Be sure it is for a 9 inch pie.

Pecan Tassies

These pecan tassies are a real Southern treat. The recipe is from a cookbook published by Southern Living in 1978, called Our Best Recipes Volume three.

The shells lend themselves well to any filling. Lemon Curd is a favorite of mine or you could do a savory filling. If you are not going to bake the filling, you will have to bake the shells longer, but I wouldn’t recommend that. Try a crab or chicken filling that needs to bake for about 15 to17 minutes.

The only warning I need to give you about these is that they don’t last. Way to easy to pick one up and eat it. You will find that everyone really likes them and they are a great finger food to serve at a party or to a small group of your friends.

That is if you can keep your family from eating them all up before the party.

Pecan Tassies - Southern Living

Yield 2 dozen Tassies

Pastry Shells

1 (3 ounce ) package cream cheese softened

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup all purpose flour

Combine cream cheese and butter; blend until smooth. Add flour, mixing well.

Refrigerate dough 1 hour; then shape into 24 balls. Put each ball in a greased mini muffin pan. With fingers or a tamper shape into a shell (on the bottom and up the sides).

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes before filling. Let cool a few minutes and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

These will puff up some so be sure not to have the dough too thick in the cups of the pan. *

Filling

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon butter softened

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cups chopped pecans

Combine first ingredients, mixing well; spoon 1 teaspoonful filling into each pastry shell. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes.

*I really think that there is enough dough to make another 4 to 6 tassies. I always have some filling left over. I freeze it and when I have some pie crust scraps use it up that way. However, if you make the balls smaller you could use it up at the time.

Coffee Cake

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens “Old Fashioned Home Baking” from 1990. Be sure you use a full-sugar, old-fashioned jam for this recipe; anything else, like "mostly fruit" types of spreads will simply sink to the bottom.
Cream Cheese and Raspberry Coffee Cake

8 ounces Cream Cheese -- softened
1/2 cup Butter
1 3/4 cups Flour, All-purpose
1 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Raspberry Jam -- or strawberry preserves
Powdered Sugar

• Grease 13 x 9" baking pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds, or till combined.
• Add HALF of the flour to the cream cheese mixture. Then add the sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, baking soda and vanilla. Beat on low speed till thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Then beat in remaining flour on low speed JUST TILL COMBINED.
• Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan. Dollop preserves in about 8 small spoonfuls on top of the batter. Using a table knife, gently swirl the preserves just a little to create a marbled effect.
• Bake in 350° for 30-35 minutes Until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
• Sift powdered sugar over the top; cut into squares and serve warm or cooled.

 12 Servings                                 Summer 2010: $3.99 or 34¢ per serving
Per Serving : 313 Calories; 15g Fat (43.7% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 77mg Cholesterol; 247mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 3 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Cream Cheese Spreads

In the summer, I like these cream cheese spreads for simple sandwiches for lunch, to serve with crackers or with party rye slices.  Quick, simple, delicious.
I made this recipe because I had two ingredients to use up, olives and cream cheese.  This is the happy result.
Olive-nut Spread
8 Ounces Cream Cheese -- softened

½ Cup Olives With Pimentos -- chopped
1 Cup Pecans -- chopped
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream or Mayonnaise
Stir together ingredients in a large bowl. Or pulse whole nuts and whole olives with cream cheese and cream in food processor until chunky. Cover and chill.
Serve with crackers or party rye bread slices or as a luncheon sandwich filling.
Yield: "2 Cups"             Cost in summer 2010:  $3.10

This is not Southern mayonnaise pimento cheese, but more like the pimento cheese in those little jars, which I love! Quick and easy, it makes a good spread for crackers or for quick sandwiches.
Pimento Cheese Spread

8 ounces Cream Cheese
2 ounces cheddar cheese -- shredded
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
½ Cup Pimientos, Canned -- 4 ounce jar - drained
Combine cheeses & cream in food processor until fluffy. Pulse in pimentos. Makes 12 oz. cheese spread.
Yield:  "12 ounces"  Cost in summer 2010: $2.01

Tropical Cheesecake

Read the recipe all the way through and have everything ready before you start.

This makes a good cheesecake for warm weather as you do not have to turn your oven on. The microwave will work to bake the crust. Needless to say, do not use a metal pan in your microwave. About 4 minutes and then check for firmness. Any citrus flavor will work. You can save part of a lime, slice thin and use the slices with a small amount of whipped cream to garnish the cake. Using a spring form pan will allow you to remove the sides without marring the cake and it will be much easier to slice

Tropical Cheesecake

1 cup shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs separated

2 8 oz pkgs. cream cheese softened

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1/4 cup lime juice

few drops green food coloring (optional)

1 cup whipping cream whipped

Combine coconut, flour, and butter. Press onto bottom of 9-inch spring form pan.

Bake at 360°, 15 minutes. Cool.

If you beat the egg whites first, transfer to a different bowl. Rinse and then put the bowl and beater in the freezer for a few minutes to chill. Then beat the whipping cream in the same bowl you did the egg whites in and put cream in another bowl. Now you can mix the cream cheese to soften it. Since you are going to combine all of this you can keep using the same mixer bowl without washing it.

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. In saucepan, combine remaining water, sugar and egg yolks: cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly*. Add gelatin; stir until dissolved. Gradually add to softened cream cheese, mixing with electric mixer until well blended. Blend in lime juice, rind and food coloring (if using). Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and whipped cream, pour over crust; chill until firm.

*I use a double boiler so I don’t take a chance on scorching it or have to stir every second.

Cream Cheese

We are going to be doing cream cheese recipes this coming week and I got out my copy of The Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese cookbook printed in 1987. The 1987 printing was the 12th printing so this was quite popular. The first printing was 1981.

In the introduction there are a few facts such as, Cream Cheese is a truly American Cheese. That in 1880 a local farmer began making cream cheese for his family's use. It became so popular in the area that another cheese maker contracted to distribute the special cheese under the trademark “Philadelphia Brand”. Philly cheese became a Kraft cheese in 1928 through a merger with Kraft and the Phenix Cheese Company.

Originally “Philly Cheese” was used as a spread for bread, toast and crackers or as a sandwich filling. It was not until the mid 1920’s that cream cheese was used as an ingredient in recipes. One of the first recipes developed was “Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cake” that was later retitled Supreme Cheesecake.

Now days it would be hard to think of not having cream cheese to use.

We use it in so many ways, From appetizers to desserts. Sauces to salads.

It is quite popular in other countries but still remains a truly American Cheese.

We hope you enjoy these dishes as much as we do.

Strawberry Shortcake

At least once every summer, we have to have my idea of a summer cake - Strawberry Shortcake – we eat it for the whole meal!!  My husband’s golf buddy, Neil, gave us wonderfully delicious home-grown strawberries every day for a week or so – the first day I hadn’t had anything planned ahead for lunch so – in a half hour or less, we had this wonderful shortcake.  Yes, that's a pasta bowl!

I simply take my regular baking powder biscuit recipe and make it a little sweeter and larger for the cake. This is the way we always had it as a kid and I like the biscuit shortcake the best still, warm from the oven.

Shortcake Biscuits

1 cup Flour, All-purpose -- sifted
1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lard or Cold Butter
3/8 cup Milk
Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse meal or crumbs.
Make a hollow in the flour-shortening mixture and stir in enough milk to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl and sticks to the mixing fork.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead with the heel of the hand 15 times. Roll 3/4" thick.  Cut with a 3 to 4" cutter; (makes 2) place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheet. I use parchment paper.
Let the dough set on the pan for 5 minutes to get a head start on rising.  Then bake in very hot oven (450°) for 12-13 minutes. Split and fill with berries, top with whipped cream.
Strawberries and Whipped Cream
Meanwhile, hull, rinse and drain your berries. I usually slice mine. Sugar them in the bowl and let set at room temperature.  1 quart of berries uses about 1/4 cup sugar - or as much as you like.
While the biscuits are baking, whip some cream for the topping.
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. powdered sugar
I use my Bamix electric stick blender to make this extra quick.
Makes 2 generous servings.  For dessert, this can be made into 4 cakes.
Cost:  Priceless

Gluten Free Helps

Gluten Free Living


You don't have to be bored or feel left out if you must eat a gluten-free diet.  Our mother and aunt were Celiac patients, and Myrna has been living with these restrictions for several years.  She has some advice for you from personal experience, and we have selected some recipes from the blog that we all enjoy that won't make the gluten-free person feel left out.  They are not complicated and most don't use any 'special' products  - but they are gluten-free.
Always check labels before buying. Products change ingredients often without notice. Keep in mind your own sensitivity levels.


Gluten Free Eating
Some suggestions from Myrna


Gluten Free Living
Living with some complicated food choices


Gluten Free Websites, Restaurants and Products
A few - by no means comprehensive - useful helps


Some Gluten Free recipes on our website:
Gluten Free Desserts
Gluten free Main Dishes
Gluten Free Salads
Gluten Free Sides
Gluten Free Snacks
Gluten Free Soups