Unusual and Old Recipes (Perry: for sale, oven, business)

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

tomorrow when I'm not so tired I'll post my molasses cookie recipe


or darn you guys, have I all ready done that? shoot, tell me if I have....have I been here so long I'm telling the same stories too?? geez....

oh, I have a date filled cookie one too....does anyone have any Christmas candy recipes? I haven't made candy since high school, and I'll look through the old cookbooks tomorrow, but I thought I'd ask I'm thinking the hard candy mostly, but anything would be great to share!

My grandma taught me how to make fondant and do hand-dipped chocolates, but that is really something you have to be SHOWN. Lessons in ME, next year??

[msina]

Anyone have a good recipe for old fashioned Peanut Butter Balls?

[elston]

I have an old fashion recipe for Moxie for Indian Pudding in fact I have several, There are as many ways of making this pudding "as there are hairs on a dog"; and every cook thnks theirs is the only right way!
THE OLD FAMILY INDIAN PUDDING

2 cups scalded milk*
4 cups cold milk
3 heaping tablespoons indian meal (yellow corn meal)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup black molasses (In Maine it would be Crosby's Molasses or Grandma's Robust)
1 cup seedless raisins (if desired)

*Scald 2 cups milk (bring the milk to just below a boil--don't let it boil); Pour scalded milk over cornmeal. Add butter, salt, molasses and raisins (let butter melt) and then stir in 2 cups cold milk. Pour in a large greased baking dish (9x13 perhaps) in 300 degree oven. After 1 hour, stir and add 1 cup cold milk, after second hour, stir and add 1 cup cold milk. Cook 1 hour longer.

Another recipe:
5 cups milk
4 tablespoons indian meal (yellow corn meal)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs well beaten
1/2 cup sugar

Scald 1 pint milk (thats 2 cups) and add Indian meal; cook 1/2 hour in double boiler. Cool and add 1 pint cold milk and molasses and salt and spices, eggs and sugar. After baking 1/2 hur add 1 cup cold milk and bake 2 hours slowly (there's your in a slow oven--I would guess that to be about 325 or a little less.

[treeluvr]

My Grandma was often a bit cranky, not unlike my father, not unlike myself. But, every Christmas she made the most delicious Divinity candy with black walnuts. We always loved her, but we really knew we loved her when she gave us some of her excellent candy.

Boil together in a heavy pan: 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup light corn syrup. Add 2 cups sugar, stir to dissolve, keep boiling. Put a lid on pan for a couple of minutes so steam can wash off any sugar on sides of pan. Take the lid off and keep on medium heat until syrup reaches the soft ball stage (about 250 if you are using a thermometer, or a bit in cold water will form a soft ball). While the syrup is cooking, beat two egg whites (room temp) until they hold soft peaks. Pour cooked syrup over the egg whites while mixing them together. This step should be done initially with a small stream of syrup, mixing rapidly, but not at a whipping rate--then add syrup faster and whip faster. It has to do with allowing the heat of the syrup to cook the egg whites, but not so fast they get crunchy. (It’s not hard with an electric mixer, although Grandma managed to do it by hand.)

When all the syrup has been added, add chopped nuts (black walnuts are the very best, but pecans are good too). If you have it, a drop of red or green food coloring can be added along with the nuts. Candy is then dropped by spoonfuls on a wax paper and should hold shape.

This recipe works best on a "low humidity" day--so candy doesn't get sticky on the outside.

[treeluvr]

Homemade mincemeat sounds great. I love mincemeat pies, but haven't made one for years. The frozen pies are just not that special. It's my impression that the jarred mincemeat is less common (maybe not featured) in stores than it used to be this time of year. Wondering if mincemeat pie is becoming a "historical" food for those of us who don't make our own. Many young folks don't know what it is.

[Maine Writer]

Most of the mincemeat recipes I found didn't have meat in them. We can find jarred mincemeat here but I've only ever seen one brand name.

[elston]

I have an old fashion mince meat recipe from Vermont. But lets see if someone has one they have made in Maine. I found one of those blocks of "mincemeat" sans meat, except maybe a little suet in my supermarket out here (california) yesterday and they had the same brand in a jar. Maine Goodies doesnt have mincemeat on there order sheet.

[elston]

Another old fashion recipe using what is available free for the picking. That has to be a Maine virtue.
Choke Cherry Jelly

Cook bright red choke cherries (the dark cherries are not quite so good) with enough water to cover until the fruit is soft. Strain through a jelly bag. Then using one cup of the juice, use three cups of apple juice. With each cup of juice add 2/3 of a cup of sugar. Boil until two drops will hang from the side of a spoon. Skim and pour into jelly glasses. Cover with parafin.

[jenkaye]

Originally Posted by msina

Anyone have a good recipe for old fashioned Peanut Butter Balls?

Peanut Butter Balls

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

DIRECTIONS
Mix together peanut butter, butter or margarine, confectioners' sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Shape into 1 inch balls. Refridgerate for 20 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in top of double boiler. Dip balls into chocolate mixture and let dry on waxed paper. (Poke each ball with a toothpick for easier dipping.)

[msina]

Thanks jenkaye! I was trying to remember where the %#@$ recipe was. I did eventually remember. They are so simple but everyone likes them.