elbow macaroni
butter
whole milk
dry mustard
salt & pepper
1 egg
shredded cheddar cheese
cayenne, paprika & thyme
breadcrumbs (optional)

Set macaroni to boiling & cooking. Drain when tender.

Butter the dish. Make the roux*: in a dutch oven, melt butter, add whole milk. Cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly. Add dry mustard when it’s bubbling, along with salt & pepper. Add a ladle’s worth of roux to 1 beaten egg, whisking in after it’s cooled a bit. Add that mix to the main pot of roux. Add shredded cheddar cheese (that you’ve grated yourself) to the mix when it’s at its hottest, reserving some for the topping. Add seasoning (Rae uses cayenne, paprika & thyme). Adjust seasonings. Add hot, drained macaroni & mix. Add to buttered pan, top with shredded cheddar, perhaps some breadcrumbs. Eat it all.

*roux = sauce

My fondest memories from childhood are of being allowed to help my mother with the baking. I’m afraid this recipe isn’t very calorie conscious, but then nothing was in the 1950s. Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix was often a staple in most homes back then but you may not be able to find it today. If not, you can substitute any yeast bread mix, or frozen dough, or your favorite made-from-scratch version if you’re that ambitious!

1 recipe unbaked yeast bread dough

Filling:

1 cup each coarsely chopped dates and walnuts
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) melted butter plus one more tablespoon for brushing the top before baking.

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together. Mixture should be soft but not runny, and will be spread over the baked, slightly warm cake.

Optional syrup icing:

¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon vanilla or orange extract, or rum or bourbon

Boil sugar and water for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and add butter and flavoring. Spread over slightly warm cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a sheet pan, or a pizza pan works well. The coffee cake will spread to about 11 or 12 inches in diameter so make sure that your pan is large enough.
In a medium bowl, stir together the dates, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Add the ¼ cup melted butter and stir until well blended. With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll the bread dough into a rectangle approximately 1/8 inch thick. (The measurements are not critical.) If you use a surface covered with plastic wrap, the wrap will make it easier to form the coffee cake later.

Note: if you are making dough from scratch, this step will be executed after the first rising. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, making sure to spread it out to all four edges.
tarting at either of the long edges, roll the dough up over the filling to create a cylinder as you would for a jelly roll. On your greased pan, form a circle with the dough and pinch the ends together. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Next, using kitchen shears (they actually work better than a knife), make cuts about three quarters of the way in towards the center, about 1½ inches apart. Carefully turn each piece over to reveal the filling, creating a pinwheel effect. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cake cools slightly, prepare your choice of icing or syrup. Transfer the coffee cake to a serving platter and pply the topping as directed. Store the leftovers (if there are any!) in a covered container.
This rich and beautiful confection works as well for desert as it does for breakfast or brunch, and you may substitute different dried fruits and nuts to suit your taste buds. Cranberries and pecans are a great combination, and red and green candied cherries with slivered almonds and amaretto liqueur in the icing make a colorful holiday treat. But beware – they are all irresistible!

This was a family favorite in Nana’s house.

1 day old sponge or angel food cake (not chocolate), cut into three layers
enough fresh bananas or frozen or fresh strawberries to completely cover each layer of cake
enough ice cream for same

On top of the bottom layer of cake, put enough fresh fruit to cover it. On top of the fruit put a layer of ice cream. Put the second layer of cake on top of that and layer it with fruit and ice cream. For the top layer you can do the same, or leave the top cake layer as is. Do all of this quickly because the ice cream will be melting. If you used strawberries, you can put the cake into the freezer until you are ready to eat it. Top with whipped cream or dairy cream.

5 to 6 cups of tomato sauce are needed for this recipe. You can use leftover spaghetti sauce, or make the sauce from scratch and freeze the extra sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce recipe (makes a gallon of sauce):

2/3 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic
#2  1/2 can diced tomatoes (or 3 1/2 cups or 29 oz)
1 qt Barilla Tomato and Basil sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed oregano
1/2 tsp sweet basil or 4-6 stalks, chopped
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped

In large sauce pot, fry the onion and garlic in olive oil til brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Let simmer for 2 hours. Can be frozen for use later.

Manicotti recipe

Pkg of 12 manicotti shells
Baking pan 11″ x 17“

Cook the shells in boiling water til pliable but not soft (al dente). drain and rinse with cold water.

While the shells are cooking, make the filling:

1 lb ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped small
3 Tbsp Parmesean cheese

Beat til smooth, and stuff the shells. In baking pan, pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Place the filled shells in the pan and cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, take the cover off and bake an additional 10 minutes. Leave in oven to cool.

1/2 lb butter
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt and garlic salt
1 lb mixed nuts (optional)
1 box cheerios
2 c Rice Chex
2 c Wheat Chex
1 box Kix or Corn Chex
1 pkg slim pretzel sticks, broken into 1″ pieces

Melt butter and Worchestershire sauce with the salts. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour the liquid over the rest and stir lightly. Put in a baking pan. In a 250 degree oven, bake covered for one hour, then uncovered for another hour, or until you consider it is done. Stir every 20 minutes.

2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups cooking oil
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped dates
3 cups granny smith apples
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream together the sugar and oil in a bowl. Add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.Gradually add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Add coconut, dates, apples, and nuts to mixture. Batter will be thick. Pour batter into well-greased and floured 10 inch tube pan or two loaf pans. Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until done.

2 boxes jello (lemon, raspberry, or cherry)
3 c hot water
2 pkgs Indian relish (cranberries and oranges ground together with added sugar)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c diced celery
1 small can crushed pineapple with liquid

Dissolve jello in hot water. Add other ingredients, put in ring mold. Refrigerate.

Topping: 1/2 pt whipping cream, 12 marshmallows diced, 3 oz pkg cream cheese, cut up.  Pour unwhipped cream over the marshmallows and cream cheese. Cover and let stand overnight in refrigerator. In the morning, whip lightly until smooth.   Unmold jellow and pile the topping in the center space of the mold.

8 large cooked potatoes, cooked
3 large tomatoes, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 fresh parsley, chopped
1-8 c fresh mint, chopped
1 c black olives, chopped
2 cooked egg yolks
1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 lb string beans
1 c olive oil
1/2 c vinegar
2 Tbsp brown mustard
1 Tbsp minced garlic

Mix together and serve.

2 c brown rice
1 can pineapple chunks
2 c cooked chicken, diced
1 c celery, diced
1/3 c green onion shoots
1/3 c sliced almonds
1/3 c mayo
1/4 chutney
1 tsp curry powder

Mix together and serve.