On the menu for today, also from the 1959 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook: Blue Cheese Fluff. Picture of creepy elf/Pinocchio holding pretzels on his nose from book coming. Also-in comments-please share your ideas for using up a 10 lb wheel of Blue Cheese.
Soften 2 3 oz packages cream cheese. Add 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt and a tablespoon milk. Blend. Mound in serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.
My son thought we should make this recipe. Really he did…until he was in the middle of a video game and IN A MOOD. We ended up doubling the corn muffin mix (maybe-how many ounces is a box of Jiffy). The peanuts didn’t get chopped. The butter was doubled. Son forgot to double the cheese and no idea if the garlic salt made it in.
However, it is strangely yummy.
1 8-oz package corn-muffin mix
1 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Prepare corn-muffin mix according to package directions; spread evenly in well-greased 15 1/2 x 10 x1 -inch jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet that has sides folks). Sprinkle with peanuts, cheese, and garlic salt. Drizzle butter over top. Bake in moderate oven (375) for about 25 minutes or till crisp and lightly browned. Immediately cut in squares. Cool slightly, remove from pan.
Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook 1959
Magpie’s comment to my pie disaster caused me to look for the red hot jello recipe. It doesn’t appear to be here. How can that be? It is the family FAVORITE. Even the vegetarian child who knows gelatin has animal products in it makes an exception here. It is his ONLY exception.
I have eaten this since a child and served it on holidays my entire life. This was the last food requested (and I believe the last meal eaten) by a woman whose child I cared for as her nanny. She passed away in her early 40s from breast cancer after a horrible last couple of years. Mostly though, I associate this with my kids, holidays, and gathering together in joy.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cinnamon imperials/red hots-I encourage the kind from the candy section-the ones in the decor/baking section do not reliably dissolve perfectly and cost more. On the night before Christmas-I will take them in any form whatsoever if for some reason we are out.
2 cups water
1 packet Knox Gelatin
1 large box strawberry banana Jell-o
1 jar applesauce-unsweetened (but if you get sweetened it won’t be the end of the world)
Set water to boil on stove with candies in it. Stir and wait for all candies to dissolve and rolling boil to be reached. While doing this mix the dry gelatin with box of strawberry gelatin. (Yeah you can do the soften gelatin in a few tablespoons of water thing-but I end up with lumps and why bother if you can mix it together dry.) When candies dissolve and you have a good boil (usually boil comes first) dump that into the gelatin combo. Stir until all gelatin is dissolved. Add one cup cold water and the jar of applesauce. Stir. Now…here is the thing about this…if you let the gelatin partially set before you add the applesauce or if you stir while the gelatin sets-you will get a more even distribution of applesauce. Otherwise, you end up with about 1/4-1 inch of non textured jello. This really doesn’t matter to anyone but me. I often forget to do this because I am too busy making other things on holidays. If you don’t add the Knox-no worries-it won’t come out as firm and I wouldn’t flip it on a plate but it is still yummy. Add another cup of cold water, more applesauce, more red hots. It is a forgiving recipe. It also doubles well.
I really don’t like baked beans or pork and beans. Sorry folks. I know-retro. I know that YOUR mother’s recipe is the best for baked beans and EVERYONE loves them. I don’t care. Bleah.
I won’t be serving this festive dip at one of my parties because of that fact. You might be keen on them though and want to serve it. The sodium content feels high to me-so unless you aren’t fond of your great uncle or wish to lose sight of your ankles this year, cut the salt a bit.
From the 1959 Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook
2 1-pound cans (4 cups) pork and beans in tomato sauce, sieved
1/2 cup shredded sharp process American Cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
***
4 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
Combine all ingredients except bacon; heat in chafing dish or double boiler. Top with crumbled bacon. Serve hot with corn chips or potato chips. Makes about 4 cups.
For the past few years I have posted a lot of cookie recipes in December. I thought I would do that again this year, but I wonder…doesn’t everyone HAVE all the cookie recipes they need in a lifetime? Or would you like more? Do you make the same cookies each year? No cookies? Do you have a recipe you really want to find again? Can I play matchmaker of holiday recipes of yesteryear?
Also, Chelle wrote to me way back in June looking for a family favorite and I haven’t found just the right thing yet. Maybe one of my other readers can help:
When I was a kid, my late grandma made a peanut dip for the holidays that was delicious. I think the main ingredient was peanut butter, and it may have had some onion in it. It was crunchy, salty and sweet and she always served it with Triscuit crackers. I never thought to ask for the recipe while she was alive, and none of the other women in my family have the recipe.
Could it be something like this? Peanut Butter Onion Dip or this Peanut Butter Cheese Dip?
