Denise doesn’t do pie-except pumpkin. This time of year I could probably make a pumpkin pie daily and as long as I didn’t undercook it or burn it-she would be happy.

This recipe though-combines a gingersnap crust (I adore gingersnap crust!) into tarts-a bit tough if you have a big family to feed but a nice choice for a smaller one. Do note the uncooked egg portions-either use pasteurized eggs or skip serving to folks with sensitive immune systems.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups fine gingersnap crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
Whipped cream
Pecans

To make crust, mix gingersnap crumbs, butter and sugar, blend well. Pack into bottoms and around sides of eight small tart pans. (What? No tart pans? Use a muffin tin. I do) Chill for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile prepare filling by softening gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes. Combine pumpkin, slightly beaten egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Stir in the milk, mixing well. Cook in the top of double boiler until mixture thickens; remove from heat and add softened gelatin, blending thoroughly. Cool. Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually beat in remaining sugar. Fold meringue into pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into crumb lined tart pans. Chill until firm. Pipe a whipped cream garnish around edges of tarts and sprinkle centers liberally with buttered, salted, toasted pecan meats.

From Mary Meade Recipes Booklet-from The Chicago Tribune. No date-sometime before 1950 based on other Mary Meade booklets I have.

My daughter expressed an interest in a chocolate pie recently. I thought no problem, I will get one of those No-bake kits next time I was at the store. Sadly, our commissary seems not to carry them. I wonder if they exist elsewhere-likely I imagine.

When this recipe showed up in my rummage through Nini’s recipe box-I thought Aha! I A perfect substitute. Ok, we leave the nuts out.

From a Parade recipe sponsored by General Foods Kitchens in 1965….Whip’n Chill Dessert Mix can be subbed with 2 boxes chocolate instant pudding with 2 cups Cool Whip or prepared Dream Whip mixed in or with the Chocolate Mousse mix.

Mocha Nut Pie

1 package Chocolate Jell-o Whip’n Chill Dessert mix
1 tablespoon Instant Maxwell House Coffee
1 baked 8″ pie shell, cooled
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Prepare Whip’n chill as directed on the package, adding instant coffee to the mix. Add nuts. Chill in pie shell 2 hours. Top with Dream Whip Whipped topping mix and chocolate curls.

Also, if you haven’t entered…head on over to Retro-Food Reviews to enter to win a 100.00 gift card from Blogher and HomeGoods.

A lot of you will be in Chicago next week for BlogHer or thinking about Chicago. If you are coming, do find me and say hello! I would love to meet you/see you again.

When we first came here, we went to a little touristy town near here for a festival. We ended up in a shop that sold those tiny “souvenir” type of cookbooks for various areas. Of course, we had to pick up the Illinois Cookin’ one. The recipes are very homey. So many involved Ritz Crackers and raisins it has become a family joke.
This one though is a nice summer treat and easy enough for a child to make or help make, depending on age. I will be making it this weekend to use up one of the “free” cartons of vanilla ice cream we got when we bought our freezer.

Buster Bar Dessert

1 pkg Oreo cookies (crushed)
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
6-8 oz salted peanuts, chopped (I use more)
2 cups powdered sugar ( I use about half)
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup chocolate chips (ok, I will use a cup or whatever is left in the open bag in the pantry-this is a great use for those “stale chocolate chips” that have gone a bit dry or funny looking because of the heat or have melted together and cooled at some lumpy point in your kitchen. Please tell me you have experienced this phenomena)
1 can evaporated milk

Mix Oreos with melted butter. Put in a 9 x13 pan, but don’t press in hard or pack. Stir ice cream until smooth and spread on Oreo crust. Freeze until firm again. Sprinkle peanuts on top of ice cream; freeze. In a small saucepan, mix powdered sugar, margarine, chocolate chips and evaporated milk; heat to melt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely and spread on top of peanuts and freeze until solid. To serve, soften for 10 minutes in refrigerator. (if you can wait that long)

From Illinois Cookin, B Carlson, 1994 (so not super retro–but I am betting the recipe is since I have seen it in many forms before)

It is Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange week. Bread pudding is a food I wasn’t fond of as a child but once I grew up and made my own for the first time, I fell in love with it. If you haven’t had bread pudding in years, give it a try. French toast in a casserole dish!

It is a great way to use up the ends of a loaf of bread or revive a stale loaf and a frugal dessert.

Here is how I do it:

Take about 5 cups of bread that you have torn into pieces. I like to use raisin bread, homemade breads, challah, etc for this but any stale bread works.

Warm 3 cups of milk in the microwave. Beat in 2 eggs, 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar (white or light brown sugar), 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. I do this in the casserole dish I am going to bake the pudding in. Soak bread in milk mixture for 15 minutes. Stir lightly. If you would like to add raisins, add them at this point 1/2-1 cup. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until set.

Now this may be the recipe you grew up with for pecan pie. Lots of people use those nice little recipes in magazines, newspapers, and the grocery store. They are great recipes to use. Solid, no fail directions. Manufacturers want you to buy their stuff again.

So, I begin my week of pecan pies. When my daughter was picking out the recipes for November, she mentioned there were a lot of pecan pies. Then she looked at me a bit confused. I don’t make pecan pies. Her great, great grandmother did. Her grandmother did. But, no, not I.

I do however, like mincemeat pie. Sadly, no one in my family will join me in eating such a thing. Here is a combination of the two types. This recipe from my favorite brand of mincemeat. (other than if my mother suddenly manages to lose a good 35 years of age and health problems and made a bit of her own mincemeat)

Unfortunately, this recipe calls for something that doesn’t exist anymore, sticks of pie crust mix. (or does it?) You will just need to make your own pie crust or use the more modern mix from Betty Crocker.

Pecan Crust Mince Pie

2 sticks Betty Crocker Instant Mixing Pie Crust Mix
1 cup pecan halves
28-oz jar none such mincemeat

Heat oven to 425 (hot) Take 1/2 cup pecan halves and chop finely. Mix pastry as directed on package–except add chopped pecans with the water. Line pan as directed for two-crust pie. Spread mince meat in prepared pan. Arrange remaining 1/2 cup pecan halves over mince meat. Cover with top crust. Cover edge with strip of aluminum foil, remove 15 min before end of baking time. Bake 40-45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

My great-grandmother made a mean hard sauce. Not only that, many people would like to know how she does it.

Here is one recipe from her files. It may or may not be “the one” but it is tasty.

Brandy Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/2 cup cream or milk

Cook over hot water until thickens, add beaten egg whites.

This is an unusual little dressing for fruit salads. You can use it on green salads too if you are a cranberry salad dressing fan.  I cut the oil a bit when I make it.

Cranberry Salad Dressing

9 tbsp oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mild paprika or suit taste
6 tbsp strained cranberry sauce
2 tbsp sugar, more or less

Beat oil, lemon juice and seasoning togethr. Add the cranberry sauce slowly, a tablespoon at a time. Sweeten to suit and use with fruit salads.

I am not sure who Norma Peterson was in relationship to my great-grandmother. I do know though that this is a fab cranberry recipe.

Cranberry Fluff

2 c. raw cranberries, ground
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 cup broken California Walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups tiny marshmallows
2 c. diced unpared tart apples
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

Combine cranberries, marshmallows and sugar. Cover and chill overnight. Add apples, grapes, walnuts, and salt. Fold in whipping cream. Chill. Turn into serving bowl or serve into individual lettuce cups. May omit apples and grapes and serve as a dessert. Takes 24 hours in all. Serves 8-10.

Another recipe card, another quick bread, but a fabulous one. This does make a nice gift. Do flour the loaf pan unless you have a penchant for mucking up a loaf pan and a pretty loaf of bread. It does freeze well…so bake now and save for the holidays.

Divine Date-Nut Loaf

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sifted flour
1 lb chopped pitted dates (about 3 cups)
4 cups pecan halves

Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil. Add the dry ingredients and mix together well. Pour into a greased and flour loaf pan and place in a COLD oven. Turn on the oven to 300 and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until cake is firm in the middle.

Let cool completely. Remove from pan and slice with very sharp knife. Or, wrap and freeze for slicing and serving later. Makes a three pound loaf.