Foodie Friday - Cocoa-peanut logs

Cocoa Krispies was introduced in the United States in 1958.  It is a chocolate flavored version of Rice Krispies. 

Rice Krispies (also known as Rice Bubbles in New Zealand and Australia) is a breakfast cereal created by Clayton Rindlisbacher for Kelloggs and was introduced in 1928.  It is created by making a paste of rice and sugar which is then formed into rice shapes (called berries) and then cooked, dried and toasted.  The rice berries expand and form a hollow rice shape with very thin walls that are crunchy and crispy.  They are famous for their ‘snap, crackle and pop’ sound when milk is poured on them.

The Kellogg company was started by two brothers, Will Keith (W.K.) Kellogg and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Battle Creek MI.  They entered the cereal business in 1906 with Kelloggs Corn Flakes.  The company believed that everyone, not just those on special diets, could be interested in wholesome cereal foods.  They continually improved their product line and packaging techniques to meet the changing needs of consumers.

The introduction of pasteurized milk greatly helped to expand the appeal of breakfast cereals.

The depression brought hard times to many people.  WK Kellogg responded by doubling his advertising spending and reduced the hours of the three plant shift to create a fourth shift enabling more people to work.  Mr Kellogg declared – “I’ll invest my money in people.”

Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, were the inventors of Rice Krispy Treats the most well known recipe or ‘treat’ using Rice Krispies.  They invented the recipe as a Campfire Girls fundraiser.

But so far I have found two recipes that do not use marshmallows.

According to Wikipedeia Ogg the Caveman was the mascot for Cocoa Krispies from 1968 to 1971, so we can narrow down the age of this clipping to that time period.  There is a copyright date of 1964 on the bottom of the clipping so we will have to assume that that is the date that the recipe was originally published.

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On a personal note –

Joel Rosenberg, 1954-2011

We were very saddened to find out that our friend, Joel, passed away yesterday.

He will be missed very much, but will live on in his family and through his many books starting with his first book -

Joel made us laugh, and was always up for a good argument.  He was devoted to freedom and was a very active gun rights activist.  If more people were like Joel that world would be a much better place.

Foodie Friday - Just mix and spoon

Mrs. George McCollum of Hopkins, MN won the ‘new’ gold ribbon for yeast baking at the Minnesota State Fair according to this clipping, unfortunately the clipping does not have a date, nor did I find anything on this when I did a quick search on the internet. Interestingly enough the clipping does not specify whether the included recipe is the recipe for the winning entry. Because of the use of 2 sticks of Blue Bonnet Margarine in the recipe we can safely say that this is from after 1950 when Blue Bonnet Margarine introduced the quarter-pound stick of margarine, which quickly became the standard format for margarine and butter in the United States.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Minnesota State Fair – “the Great Minnesota Get-Together” - has been around since 1859. It has been held every year since then with only 5 exceptions – 1861 & 1862 due to the Civil War and Dakota Indian Conflict, 1893 because of conflict with the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, in 1945 due to war-time fuel shortages, and finally in 1946 when the polio epidemic prevented it from being held.  The fair grounds covers 320 acres and is located midway between Minneapolis and Saint Paul.  Originally the fair was dominated by agricultural exhibits and competitions.  Now while the agricultural exhibits and competitions are still very important the main draw seems to be – food on a stick, just ask Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods.

Just mix and spoon – it rises in the pan! Says Mrs. McCollum.  “A quick way to make a marvelous coffee cake . . . even if you’ve never baked before.  It’s topped with sunny apricot jam and crispy slivered almonds – has that wonderful flavor only yeast baking can give you.  Just be sure to use Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast.  It’s so fast-rising and dependable . . . and easy to use!”

Easy Delicious Fleischmann’s Yeast Recipe

Golden Apricot Coffeecake

Filling-

½ cup (1 stick) Blue Bonnet Margarine

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup slivered blanched almonds

½ cup apricot jam

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

Combine ingredients in saucepan, cook gently 5 minutes, stirring often. Let cool.

Dough –

¼ cup warm (not hot) water

1 package Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast

½ cup Blue Bonnet Margarine

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

¼ cup milk

3 cups sifted enriched flour

½ teaspoon salt

Sprinkle yeast in water and dissolve. In mixing bowl cream margarine, gradually add sugar and cream together. Stir in yeast mixture and remaining ingredients. Beat until blended.  Reserve ½ cup dough.  Spread remaining dough in greased 9x9 inch pan.  Cover with apricot filling.  Work reserved ½ cup dough with ¼ cup additional flour until smooth and pliable.  Roll into a 12x12 inch square. Cut into ½ inch strips. Arrange lattice fashion over filling. Brush with beaten egg white. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  Bake at 375 degrees (moderate) about 30 minutes.

Coffee Cake from Mrs. Heye Korthouse of Windom, MN

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

3 eggs, beaten

3 cups sifted flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup strong, cold coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts or 1 teaspoon black walnut flavoring

Cream butter and sugars together and beat in eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to first mixture alternately with the coffee.  Stir in the vanilla and nuts.  Pour into a shallow greased pan 9x14 inches.  Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or frost with a caramel frosting.

Foodie Friday - Minute Rice

Amazing New Rice Discovery

Makes dazzling dishes a cinch to prepare!

No Washing!

No Rinsing!

No Draining!

No Steaming!

Perfect Rice every time!

Minute Rice was introduced in 1949 by a company called General Foods.  According to Wikipedia it is “is rice that has been precooked and dehydrated so that it cooks more rapidly.”  What it lacks in flavor it makes up in cooking time, and ease of preperation. 

Interestingly enough while looking for information on the history of Minute Rice I found an article titled – Minute Rice and 19^th Century Urdu Poetry. I found this intriging because well, while I don’t have Minute Rice in the house, I do have Urdu poetry (yes in Urdu, though admitedly I would be very hard pressed to read it anymore with the Urdu script and all.)  If the article is true then Minute Rice was invented by an Afghani immigrant named Ozai-Durrani who left half of his estate for the translation of two 19^th century poets.

Whether you like it or not it seems that Minute Rice is here to stay. 

It looks like this was from a color insert from the newspaper or maybe a large magazine.  Below are the recipes.

Baked Tomatoes with Rice

Remove seeds and pulp from 6 firm tomatoes. Save pulp.  Salt inside of tomatoes. Bake in shallow baking dish at 375 F for 15 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan; add ½ cup diced celery, ¼ cup diced green pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped onion.  Cook 3 minutes.  Add ½ package (2/3 cup) Minute Rice, ¾ cup water, ½ teaspoon salt, dash of pepper. Bring quickly to a boil, uncovered, fluffing once or twice with a fork.  Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.  Add tomato pulp.  Fill baked shells with mixture.  Bake 5 minutes longer.  A heavenly dish – with the savory flavor right through the rice!  Serves 6

Bacon ‘N Egg Rice

Prepare 1 package (1 1/3 cups) precooked Minute Rice as directed on package. Let stand 10 minutes.  Add 5 sliced cooked bacon, diced, and two hard cooked eggs, diced.  Melt one package (8 ounces) processed American cheese in double boiler. Add ½ cup milk and blend well.  Place rice mixture on platter and top with cheese sauce. Then try to make people believe you turned out this luscious feast, with perfect rice, in so few minutes!  Serves 6.

Foodie Friday - My Grandmother's Blue Books

My grandmother was a farmer’s wife who spent the first part of her marriage living with her mother-in-law, who, for all the stories that I have heard, was not a very pleasant woman.  I can only imagine her relief when my grandparents bought a farm not far from a town called Centerville.

My grandmother was patient and kind, and spoiled her two grandchildren.  One of the things that I have from her is her blue note books filled with newspaper clippings, pages from magazines, food packages, handwritten cards and any other form such as the handwritten recipe for ‘Elise Rehbein’s Buns 1959’. 

These books are a sort of time capsule, a glimpse of a time when life was simpler, when we thought nothing of eating things like Corn Flake Macaroons, Yum Yum Cookies, or Pineapple Salad with Cheese.  Where the prize was for a recipe was $5 and your full name and address were included with your recipe.  Where you wrote to someone called ‘Betty Service’ to find a recipe that you lost.

Creamy Dutch Apple Dessert

(makes 10 to 12 servings)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 ½  cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle@ Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated)

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

¼ cup Realemon@ reconstituted Lemon Juice

1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 1 ½ quart shallow baking dish (10x6 inch).  Melt butter in oven. Sprinkle in crumbs; stir well. Press on bottom of dish.  In medium bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and Realemon; spread evenly over crumbs. Spoon pie filling evenly over creamy layer.  Bake 25 to 30 minute or until set.  Cool slightly.  In a small dish mix together nuts and cinnamon; sprinkle over pie filling.  May be served warm or cold.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Bon Appetit

Foodie Friday - My Favorite Cookbook

My favorite cookbook of all time is The Gold Cookbook by Louis P DeGouy.  My current copy is the 1948 edition. 

I tried to steal my mothers copy, but she made me give it back, I think that hers was a newer printing, but still probably from the 60’s.  It is unfortunate that this wonderful book was published in the year of DeGouy’s death in 1947; otherwise I am sure that we would have enjoyed more cookbooks by him.  He did write other cookbooks though and was one of the people that started Gourmet magazine.  He was also Chef at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for 30 years and apprenticed with Escoffier.

Here is a description that I found on it –

“It is almost axiomatic that a new cook book by Louis P. De Gouy means a new culinary classic. In this present volume, Master Chef De Gouy offers his masterpiece the long-awaited general cook book for American homes. A monumental work that has taken many years to assemble, it includes more than 2200 recipes for American and European dishes, planned to delight the palate of both the person of simple tastes and the bon vivant.
Mr. De Gouy has the gift of making cooking an adventure. Even the plainest dishes somehow become exciting; and for those of bolder spirit, there are many roads opening to new and unexpected gustatory pleasures. He writes with infectious enthusiasm for his subject, salting the book with anecdotes and amusing tales on the origin and history of various foods and dishes, with bits of philosophy and poetry about the timeless art of cooking and eating. One of the book's outstanding features is the series of Food Purchasing Charts that have long been so popular with readers of Gourmet Magazine.”

First when you open this book you must remember that in 1947 recipes where written in a different form then the one that we are most familiar with today.  And there are no glossy pictures, something that I not only expect, but pretty much demand from any new cookbook that I buy now.  So why do I L-O-V-E this cookbook? 

It could be because this was the book of my mothers that I most often turned too?  Or is it because it has a recipe for about anything and everything that you can think of?  The index alone is almost 200 pages.  It starts each chapter with a food quote and a history of the types of dishes.  There are guides on the different cuts of meat, how to buy knives almost anything that you could possibly need to know about cooking is covered.  The recipes themselves are almost encyclopedic in scope. 

For example if you are looking for a recipe for say a sauce you have almost 130 to choose from.  Do you want a sauce to go with boiled meat or fish?  How about Soubise Sauce, from the book Memories of Madame de Maintenon (the second wife of King Louis XIV of France).

I used to make Pumpkin Pie II and people always loved it and I had many requests to make it again.  I also like the recipe for Dutch Nannies (think of a popover made in a frying pan topped with bananas.)

Of course it does show it’s age in the fact that some recipes call for - dare I say -canned vegetables.  And today we would probably only use most of the recipes for special occasions since they are full of things that we know are not that good for us, like cream and butter.  But it gives the cook a very good solid foundation in the art of cooking, and is very interesting to read.

Ham stock

I like ham.  I know that there are bad things about pork in general and ham in particular and I know that a lot of people say that you shouldn’t eat it for a variety of reasons.  But I like it.  Not as much as I like bacon mind you, but I still like it.

It is a quick food to grab in the morning for breakfast or a snack.  We buy it cooked and spiral cut.  I like to take it out of the package when I get home and take the bone, extra fat and odd bits off and make a ham stock with it or wrap them up and freeze them so I can make stock later. 

I put all the parts that I have cut off in a pot, stick in some onions and cover everything with water, put the cover on and then simmer on the stove.    After it has cooked for a awhile I taste it and see how salty it is.  If it doesn’t have much flavor I will take off the cover and simmer on the lowest setting to reduce it down and I will check it every once in a while to see if it has reached the point that I like the flavor.  The last steps are to strain and then put it in the fridge so the fat hardens on the top and can be easily taken off.

Today, I also got some baby boy choy and wanted a snack, so I cut up some bok choy and ham, put it in a bowl and poured some of my almost finished stock over it – instant soup! 

I topped it off with a bit of freshly cracked pepper and dried onions and it was wonderful.

Cooking

We love to cook, we read & collect cookbooks, we like to try new things.  I have also inherited from my Grandmother Alice 3 blue binders filled with recipes and household hints.  They are filled with everything from handwritten, very vague recipes to newspaper & magazine clippings, to food packages. I would like to organize and share these in someway, so I plan on trying out these and preserving them via this blog.  

Did I mention that we have a lot of cookbooks?  We currently have 312 food and drink books listed on Library Thing and I still have more to add.  So I am also going to try to test some recipes and review the cookbooks. I have to admit that we do read cookbooks like any other type of book when we buy them, but it is time that we need to get them off the shelves and utilize them too!

We also have some food magazines, with recipes to try out.  My favorite is Saveur which is a very beautiful and interesting food magazine, if I could only have one food magazine this would be the one.  Check out their website at http://www.saveur.com/

DS
The tttgoddess

The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet is a diet based on the idea that humans really haven’t evolved enough to be able to process foods like grains, legumes and similar foods and that these foods by their nature have elements that are bad for humans. If we eat them they don’t reproduce and that is bad for them so they evolved ways to stop us from eating them. 

Now I must say that we have a niece who is a very healthy and energetic vegetarian so I am guessing that like all diets or lifestyles the Paleo lifestyle isn’t for everyone.  But for my hubby and me I think that it is the right choice. 

After switching to the Paleo lifestyle in January my husband is at his lowest weight in over 10 years.  Although the weight of 330 is still pretty heavy even for someone at 6 foot 5 or so.  And he is doing it without feeling hungry or deprived.   I know that I feel a lot more healthy when I stick to the diet, more mentally alert, and less bloated, more flexible, more energetic -  I am not sure how to describe it, except I feel better and I didn't know that I didn't feel good before.  Also I do have food intolerances so when I eat things like starches or dairy my nose runs, I cough, my eyes get gummy and if I really over do it my joints hurt.  But that said my absolute favorite food is the potato, and I work at a potato plant and I get to eat potatoes on Fridays – so obviously I ‘jump off the wagon’ at least once a week. 

If you have any health or weight issues I highly recommend trying the Paleo diet for 30 days and see how you feel.

DS
The tttgoddess