Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

From my recipe box collection

Lucky me, I have numerous recipe boxes given me by people over the years. They are made of wood, cardboard or unknown metals. None are pristine. All show signs of loving use. Some have recipes that are well over 100 years old.

Recently I found a collection of recipes I’d not looked at for several years. Reading the recipes took my mind back to the kitchens where these recipes had been created by people who generously taught me about cooking. Then, there were others who shared my passion for good food, wholehearted living and hospitality.

The years between then and now seem like an old-world tapestry. Colorful culinary events, everyday cooking and the personalities associated with each are woven into something quite lovely and quite unexpected. The intricacies and interactions over time amaze and amuse.

Here is a sample of some of my all-time favorites reprinted from several years ago. They are sure to enhance your fall meals. I promise more of past culinary triumphs in the future weeks… they’re too good not to share.

Variety is said to be the spice of life and the spice might as well be in cookies. An all-purpose cookie flavored with ginger, cinnamon and cloves, these crinkle-topped cookies are enriched with honey. They store and travel well, making them a natural choice for lunchbox meals or the cookie jar.

Easy Spice Cookies

2 ¼ cups sifted flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. cloves

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

¾ cup shortening

1 egg

¼ cup honey

Granulated sugar

Sift flour once; measure and resift with soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.

Cream brown sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and honey, beating well.

Add brown sugar mixture to flour mixture and blend well. Chill well.

Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Dip half of ball into water, then into granulated sugar. Place sugar side up on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 350-degree oven about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned and cookies are set. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Remove to cooling racks to cool completely. When cool, store in covered container. Makes about 48 cookies.

Just when you think you have exhausted every possible way to serve chicken, a new recipe comes along.

Oven Chicken Supreme is well titled. It’s an elegant dish that makes use of the rich smoothness of dairy sour cream plus the crunch and flavor of toasted almonds. It is also easy. There is no pre-browning… just coat the pieces with the mixture and slip them into the preheated oven. That’s it.

You’ll have an hour to use as you please as the chicken bakes to perfection. Parsley-buttered rice, broccoli or peas would make fine accompaniments to the main dish.

Oven Chicken

2 ½ - 3 lb. chicken, cut into pieces

1 cup dairy sour cream

¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. pepper

1 cup dry bread crumbs

½ cup grated or very finely chopped toasted, blanched almonds*

Slivers of red and green pepper, optional garnish

Combine sour cream, salt, celery salt, paprika, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into this mixture one at a time and set on waxed paper. Spread remaining sour cream mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Put dry bread crumbs and almonds in a bag. Shake coated chicken pieces in crumb mixture. Arrange crumb-coated chicken pieces in a single layer, skin side up, on top of the sour cream mixture in the baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree oven about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and surface crusty brown. Sprinkle with peppers the last 15 minutes of baking. Makes 4-5 servings.

Kids, hotdogs and pasta are almost a surefire hit. Here the pasta is mostaccioli, the tubular-shaped macaroni children seem to especially enjoy. This stovetop creation is also fast. If your little ones don’t like “green things,” as some are wont to protest, leave them out rather than challenge tiny fingers to pick out the peppers one by one. We all know they will do it. I often think of a child’s persistence as one of those wonderful characteristics that enable them to become adults. And, of course, persistence as an adult can be that… or just being stubborn… take your pick.

Hotdog Mostaccioli

8 oz. mostaccioli macaroni

6 frankfurters

1 tbsp. butter, shortening or cooking oil

½ cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1 lb. can tomatoes

1 10 ½ oz. can tomato soup

Ground pepper to taste

1 cup shredded American cheese

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until tender yet firm, about 12 minutes. Drain. Cut frankfurters into 4 to 6 pieces each. Brown in butter. Add onion and green pepper and cook until onion is transparent. Stir in tomatoes (cut up if using whole) and tomato soup, blending well. Add cooked pasta and cheese, reserving 2 tbsp. for garnish. Stir to blend well. Turn into serving dish and garnish with reserved cheese. Serves 4-6.

Hot muffins are a perfect partner to many different menus. Count on these muffins to enhance a salad supper or weekend brunch.

Remember, when keeping muffins warm after baking, tilt them sideways in the pans to keep the muffins from steaming or developing a soft crust.

Orange Spice Muffins

1 ½ cups flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 egg, well beaten

½ cup orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange rind

½ cup honey

3 tbsp. melted butter or shortening

Whisk flour with salt, baking powder, cinnamon and whole wheat flour. Set aside. Beat egg and combine with orange juice and honey. Add melted butter.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir just enough to moisten all of the flour. Fill greased muffin tins no more than 2/3 full. Bake in a 400-degree oven about 18 to 20 minutes or until done. Serve warm. Makes 10-12 medium muffins.

Cantonese-style fried rice makes a light and simple main dish. This version features seafood… real or the imitation crab, shrimp… maybe even cooked scallops. The recipe can be made in a wok or simply a large 9- or 10-inch skillet.

Cantonese Fried Rice with Seafood

1 tbsp. corn oil

4 oz. mushrooms sliced (or one 3-oz. can mushrooms, drained)

1 tbsp. corn oil

1 ½ cup cold cooked rice

2 tbsp. thinly sliced green onion

2 tbsp. finely diced green pepper

6 canned water chestnuts, sliced

8 oz. crabmeat, cooked shrimp, cooked scallops

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Few drops hot chili oil, optional

Heat oil in wok or skillet. Ad mushrooms and sauté (or sauté drained, canned mushrooms). Remove from pan.

Add additional oil and heat. Add rice, green onion and water chestnuts. Stir-fry until hot. Add seafood and sautéed mushrooms and stir-fry just until heated through.

Season lightly with a few drops of hot chili oil. Serve immediately. Makes 2 or 3 servings as a main dish.

 

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