Thursday, January 03, 2008

RECIPE BOXES

Although I have two entire bookcases of cookbooks, I also have a few recipe boxes. The one that is in active use is this wood one (I don't know if it was a gift or from a garage sale), but it is relatively new, maybe from the last 5 years:



I also have these two Rice Krispies recipe boxes--there may have been 3 or 4 at one time--that were from an offer on the box. They were meant to go to some of my children (one or two might have the other boxes) and they contain duplicates of a few recipes--another project never finished!:



I used to have more boxes (a Land-o-Lakes one and a Sylvester & Tweety Pie one, but we had a kitchen fire ten years ago and I lost most of my recipe boxes and recipes.

Here are two recipes that are used. This first is from a friend who served it at several meetings hosted at her home and is one of my favorite Sloppy Joes recipes; she says it was one of her mother's recipes, so probably from the 30's or 40's:

Hambeques

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. stock or water
1/2 c. chopped green peppers
2 Tbs "fat"
1/2 c. catsup
Salt, pepper, cinnamon, marjoram, allspice, paprika, and 1 Tbs worcestershire sauce. [to taste, but I used 1/2 tsp for each spice; once I also added 1 Tbs brown sugar]

Brown the onion and green pepper in the "fat". Add meat and fry. Add liquid and catsup. Add seasonings. Simmer c. 15 minutes. Thicken with flour [I used c.1/2 Tbs] mixed in water and cook 5 more minutes. Skim off fat.


One great aspect of this challenge is finding recipes you've forgotten about. Here's a family favorite that I should have made for the annual Cookie Exchange Party. It is from a Ladies Home Journal Christmas issue originally (70's or 80's):

Cheesecake Dreams

Base:
1/3 c. brown sugar , packed
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/3 c. melted butter

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Reserve 1/3 c. of the mixture. Pt the remainder gently into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Filling:
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

At medium speed, beat the cream cheese and the sugar together until smooth. Beat in the remaining ingredients. Pour over the baked crust; sprinkle with the reserved crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack; cut when cool.

This recipe can be doubled and put in a 9" x 13" pan.