Savory and Sweet Pineapple Cheese Ball

CHEESEBALL. HAVE YOU EVER CALLED SOMEONE THAT or gasp, been called a cheeseball yourself? Silly, corny, cheesy, goofy.

I think of the Cheese Ball itself to be rather cheesy--middle brow, 1960's suburbia cocktail party,

Be that as it may, I love cheese balls. There are so many varieties and they beckon fun and creativity. Shapes can be altered, cheeses varied, decoration ideas are endless. Try forming one into a cone and roll in chopped parsley to make a Christmas tree, which can be decorated with roasted red pepper and green olives. How about one with smoked salmon, formed into a fish shape with sliced almonds for scales. Or make one with blue cheese, roll in walnuts and serve with pear slices. Try rolling your ball in smoked paprika or coarsely ground black pepper.

This is my favorite cheese ball. I adore the flavor combination of sharp cheddar cheese and pineapple. The red bell pepper and scallions add dimension and the crunch of the toasted sliced almonds gives the perfect bite.

With crackers and crudites, I could happily eat this as a meal.

Savory and Sweet Pineapple Cheese Ball
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated, room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 - 3 scallions, sliced
1 cup chopped, fresh pineapple (or canned, unsweetened)
1/4 tsp. (or more to taste) cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups toasted, sliced almonds

Beat the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, scallions, pineapple, and cayenne until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shape into a ball; roll in sliced almonds. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve with crackers and crudites.

Dilly Casserole Bread

 WHEN NADINE SHARED THIS RECIPE, she told a story.

She had clipped the recipe from her hometown newspaper--The Opelika Daily News, on Wednesday, August 22, 1973. At the time, she was 8 months pregnant, expecting her third child. She was already Mother to a 3-year-old little boy and a 1-year-old baby girl. She was living in a small un-air-conditioned home, in Alabama, in the August heat, and there she was baking bread. I love her for that.

I have baked this bread several times and each time I wonder why I don't make it more often. It is easy and extremely flavorful. The additions of cottage cheese, finely minced fresh onion, and dill seed--not dill weed--provide a subtle savory flavor no one could guess.

It is a very old fashioned recipe. Not like the dense, chewy breads with a crispy crust so popular today.

I like baking it in a well buttered, smaller, 1 1/2 quart casserole. It rises and puffs up tall, looking like a giant cupcake. Indeed, the texture of the bread is very cake-like with a soft and delicate crumb and tender crust.

And the next day, toasted? Exceptional.

Dilly Casserole Bread
1 pkg. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cottage cheese, room temperature
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. fresh minced onion
2 tsp. dill seed
1 egg
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups flour

Soften yeast in warm water and let stand 10 minutes. Combine in large bowl, the cottage cheese, butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, onion, dill seed, and the softened yeast. Beat well to blend. Add flour and beat well.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Stir down dough. Turn into a well greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole. Let rise until light, 35 to 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Brush with soft butter and sprinkle with salt.  Cool 10 minutes, then remove bread to cooling rack.

Toffee Bars

There is no telling how many batches of these cookies I have made over the years. It is one that I bake at times other than Christmas and it is always a crowd pleaser.

A bar cookie, consisting of brown sugar shortbread covered with chocolate and nuts, this recipe is very flexible and simple to bake.  I have made them thicker and thinner, softer and crunchier. I have used milk chocolate and pecans (my personal favorite), white chocolate and sliced almonds, semi-sweet chocolate and walnuts, dark chocolate and pistachios. All combinations seem to work swimmingly.

Toffee Bars
(From Betty Crocker)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. chocolate chips or bars broken into pieces
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking pan.

Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Press evenly in bottom of prepared pan.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until very light brown. Crust will be soft. Remove from oven; immediately place chocolate chips or pieces on crust. Ass soon as the chocolate is soft, spread evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. While warm, cut into bars.

Cornbread Casserole

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe, which came from her church's cookbook, quite a few years ago. I like to make it when the cornbread is co-starring in the meal rather than playing a background role. It is perfect with chili and I recently served it with Braised Greens with Apples for a simple supper. 

This recipe makes enough for a crowd and also freezes well to reheat later. 

Cornbread Casserole
2 large onions, chopper
6 Tbsp. butter
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1 (15 ounce) can cream style corn
1 (1 pound) package corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
2 cups (8 ounce) sharp cheddar cheese

Saute onions in butter until golden. In medium bowl, mix eggs and milk. Add corn and muffin mix. Spoon batter into buttered 13x9 inch casserole dish and spoon sauteed onions on top. Spread sour cream over onion and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.

A Sampling of Banana Splits

Dairy King - Black Mountain, North Carolina

 

 



Earlier in the summer, we took Nina Linda to the Dairy King for an ice cream cone. As you can see from the photo, Dairy King is one of those old timey walk up to the window ice cream shops.

As we were enjoying our cones, I heard a lady from the next picnic table exclaim, "That is beautiful"! Of course, I had to turn around to gawk see what was so beautiful. Her husband had just set a banana split in front of her. It was indeed beautiful. I couldn't stop staring. Eventually, she stated that she was going to go ahead and eat it at about the same time Pritchard Parker started nudging me. Oh. Is it rude to stare at someone's food?

On the way home, I told him I had never had a banana split. I'm not sure why. I've had plenty of opportunities at those tasty freeze, dairy hut type places, but I always just had an ice cream cone.




My First Banana Split

The next day, I kept thinking about that banana split. Obsessing, really. When Pritchard Parker got home from work, I said, "Guess what's for dinner--banana splits"! My first banana split was made with vanilla soft serve ice cream. It was beautiful and delicious. (Pritchard Parker ate a proper dinner when we got home).

A few days later, I needed another banana split fix. This is the other style they serve at the Dairy King. It is made with hand scooped ice cream and you can order any of their flavors. I had chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Also this time, I had nuts--walnuts in syrup. This sundae was also beautiful and delicious.

Dairy Queen (the franchise) Banana Split



On a road trip, we stopped by a Dairy Queen for one of their versions of a banana split. Theirs, too, was beautiful and delicious. The girl who made it was very proud of it and served it with a huge smile. That made it taste all the better.

These are not all the banana splits I have eaten. But it was all done in the name of research. Because, you can probably guess what is coming. Yep, homemade banana splits.

Barbecue Chicken

This is another recipe I tried from the Alabama Professional Women's Club 1989 fund-raising cookbook Pritchard Parker found during one of his thrift shop adventures.  This one was submitted by Dean Sellers of Bessemer, Alabama. 

I really enjoyed this recipe and thought it was such a "man recipe" while I was cooking it. I made it a second time and altered the cooking time. The recipe calls for "6 to 8 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces".  I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they turned out overcooked and dry, even though the flavor was delicious.

As I thought about it, I realized that in 1989 people did not buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the mega-grocery. People bought whole chickens and cut them up (who even knows how to cut up a chicken anymore)? If people did buy breasts, they were bone in and skin on, and probably not split.

The second time I made this, I adjusted the cooking time. I am giving the recipe, as written, but please do keep in mind that boneless and skinless chicken will take much less time to cook. I cooked the second batch of chicken, uncovered, for a total of 25 minutes, after browning.

Barbecue Chicken
6 to 8 chicken breasts or 1 whole chicken, cut up
2 medium onions
1 (6 oz.) bottle cola
1 small bottle catsup
1/2 c. vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. prepared mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Dash of hot sauce
1/2 c. margarine
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and dry chicken pieces. Salt and pepper well. Brown chicken in margarine. Put chicken in large baking dish or pan, single layered. Saute two medium onions sliced in thin rings in drippings until transparent. Place over chicken. Mix and simmer barbecue sauce for five minutes or until boiling slow. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake in preheated oven at 275 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Baby Butternut Squash Souffle

Now what kind of holiday did I think this was? Thanksgiving? No, Memorial Day, the official kick off to summer. Well, the thing is my excuses are: I saw these adorable, organic, baby butternut squashes for an excellent price while I was shopping. We have been having a very cool and wet spring, so I still needed warming foods. And, we toast marshmallows in summer, right? So mine just happened to be on top of a casserole.

I was originally going to stuff the squashes, which I thought would really add to their cuteness factor. Once I cut them open and de-seeded them, I decided that was not such a good idea. So I placed them face down on a buttered baking sheet and baked them until tender--about 30 minutes. Then one thing led to another. . .

I loved this!

Butternut Squash Souffle
3 pounds butternut squash, baked until tender
1 small (4 1/2 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 bag (10 oz.) mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Combine squash, milk, brown sugar, butter, egg, and salt and pepper. Mix together very well, with an electric mixer. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes until marshmallows are well browned. Let set about 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Dump Cake

Remember the thrift shop cookbook I told you about in my last post? Of course you do. It is a fund-raiser cookbook, vintage 1989, assembled by the Business and Professional Women of Alabama. This recipe was submitted by Gwen Lovell of Talladega, Alabama.

Although the recipe calls for a cake mix, it is really not a cake at all. It is really more like a cobbler. I don't know why Miss Gwen calls it by the unflattering name "Dump" cake. After all, she could have called it Pineapple-Cherry Grunt. Or Fruit Slump. But I must admit, it was the name that called my attention to this recipe to begin with.

This dessert is ridiculously quick and easy to assemble and  I am reluctant to admit how delicious the humble dish tasted. I am trying to be true to these recipes and not make substitutions, but I did put my foot down on using the carton of non-dairy whipped topping called for and whipped some fresh cream.

Dump Cake
1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can cherry pie filling
1 cup chopped nuts, pecans
1 box dry yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Pour pineapple, cherry pie filling, and nuts into a 13 x 9 inch cake pan. Spread dry cake mix evenly over the fruit mixture. Drizzle evenly with melted butter or margarine. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Top with whipped cream.  (Ice cream would also be good).

Southern Corn Pudding

I'll tell you a little secret about Pritchard Parker: He loves to shop. I loathe it. I like to go to the grocery store, otherwise, count me out. Browsing in stores is not my idea of a good time, so he goes without me and avoids my complaining.  He loves to shop in thrift stores--please, don't even ask me to enter one of those. And pawing through someone else's discards at a yard sale? No thanks, I'll just sit in the car and listen to the voices in my head. Wal*Mart = HELL.

Lucky for me though. He buys almost all my clothes and is constantly bringing me little surprises in the form of gadgets for the kitchen, pretty dishes and linens, cookbooks. Just yesterday, he came home with a beautiful red silk blouse for me.

He recently brought home one of those fund-raiser cookbooks we all love. Even though he got it at a thrift store, it was "brand new" and still wrapped in cellophane. I decided to visit the Business and Professional Women of Alabama (my home state) in the year 1989 through their recipes.

Wait till you see the cake I made from this book. The one with a very catchy name.

Corn Pudding
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream corn
1 stick melted butter
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients except the cheese. Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish or pan. Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, top with the cheese and continue baking, uncovered, for 15 more minutes, until done.

The irony here is that the only food my husband will not eat is corn. But don't worry, I made some of his favorites to enjoy while I ate my corn.

Baked Pineapple

We were originally introduced to this simple and delicious dish, over 20 years ago, by a family friend. It was always their family's signature contribution to a multi-family 4th of July picnic. It is surprisingly tasty with barbecue.

Over the years, I came to know this as a pretty popular dish in the South, often served with Easter ham.  Alice made it for part of her Christmas dinner, which also included ham and I have been wanting more since I ate it at her house. I recently made it as part of a vegetarian meal which also included sauteed cabbage and baked sweet potatoes.

I have seen slight variations of the recipe, crushed pineapple in some, much more sugar in others, bread crumb topping. This is the recipe that was given to us. It calls for pineapple chunks and Ritz crackers so that is the way we always make it in our family.

This baked pineapple is sweet and tart, cheesy, crunchy, buttery and simple to make. Try it soon; I think it may become traditional in your family too.

Baked Pineapple
1-16 oz. can pineapple chunks
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. reserved pineapple juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups (1 sleeve) crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons of the juice. Lay the pineapple chunks evenly in the bottom of a baking dish.

Combine the sugar, flour, and reserved pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Pour mixture over the pineapple. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.

Top with crushed Ritz crackers. Drizzle melted butter over the crackers.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Old Fashioned Southern Sweet Potato Pie



Almost every recipe I see for Sweet Potato Pie calls for the addition of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg--the pumpkin pie spices. As a girl growing up in Alabama, I don't remember my Grandmother's and my Aunties' Sweet Potato Pies tasting like my Mother's pumpkin pie (and she makes the best).

Aunt Ruby made the best Sweet Potato Pie. She also made the best ice tea, which she made with loose tea then strained into a pitcher. Hers was the perfectly sweetened tea, not too sweet, just right. And she served it over crushed ice.

I remember her sweet potato pie simply tasting like sweet, buttery, vanilla scented sweet potatoes. Delicious!

Her recipe calls for the addition of light Karo syrup. Karo syrup is an old-fashioned corn syrup, used to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystalization of sugar, and enhance flavor. It is not to be confused with the high fructose corn syrup of today, though still widely available in grocery stores.

Aunt Ruby's Sweet Potato Pie

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup light Karo syrup

2 eggs, beaten

1 can evaporated milk

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, brown sugar and syrup together. Add eggs and stir. Add sweet potatoes and mix well. Stir in the milk, vanilla and salt, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Pour into the pie shell and bake 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Dust top with freshly grated nutmeg if desired.

Southern Tomato-Cheese Pie

 

Here is an old Southern recipe that has been changed and modified by almost every cook who makes it yet remains essentially the same.  Some of the variations have to do with the crust. Some use a basic pastry crust but I use a biscuit crust because I think it holds up better to the juicy, fresh, ripe tomatoes, without becoming soggy. 

Most recipes I've seen call for 2 cups grated cheese and 1 cup mayonnaise for the topping. I can't deal with that much mayo, so I make a good, homemade pimiento cheese to use for the topping. 

A couple of days ago, I got home from work to see this sack on my porch.

When I looked inside, this is what I found.

 It looks like our next-door-neighbor harvested the remnants of her summer garden.  I made this tomato pie from those beautiful, vine-ripened tomatoes. I'm thinking about those green tomatoes and the peppers. They will be used. 

Southern Tomato-Cheese Pie

1 cup Bisquick

1/3 cup milk

1 jumbo Vildalia onion, thinly sliced

2 lb. garden fresh tomatoes, sliced

Fresh basil leaves, to taste, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

One recipe homemade pimiento cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the Bisquick and milk to form a soft dough. Knead the dough lightly, then press into a pie dish. Use either pie weights or another pie plate, to keep the dough from rising too much. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Place on a rack to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees. 

Make the pimiento cheese and set aside.

Slice the tomatoes and set out on paper towels to drain.  Slice the onion very thinly.  Slice the basil.

In the crust, layer the onions and tomatoes, really high, using salt, pepper, and basil on each layer of tomato.  Spread the pimiento cheese over the tomatoes and onions to form a top crust. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sunday Brunch: Eggs in a Cloud

You know those cookbooks put together by churches, charitable organizations, and auxiliaries as fund-raisers? I have amassed quite a few of them over the years and I have found some delicious recipes in their pages. It seems the contributors submit their best, tried and true and most popular recipes.

Last weekend, when Baby was here, she pulled one of these cookbooks off the shelf. Later, when I picked it up, I thumbed through it before placing it back on the bookshelf. This recipe jumped out at me.

The book has to be at least 40 years old and is from a church in Alabama.  The contributor of the recipe, Mrs. Arnice Ingram, calls these eggs, Breakfast Appetizer. I don't know why, because it becomes obvious that this is a part of the regular breakfast plate. 

I am giving the recipe exactly as it appears in the book.  Of course these could be made more elegant and lovely by piping the egg whites, and I thought about it. But Mrs. Ingram said  "spoon"  them in the pan, so I went with that.

BREAKFAST APPETIZER - Mrs. Arnice Ingram
1 or 2 eggs for each plate; separate yolks without breaking. Whip whites until stiff. Use smooth pan or iron skillet. Grease well with bacon grease. Spoon egg whites in pan in pancake order, making nest in top of each. Spoon a yolk into each nest. Have oven hot; do not put in oven until plates are ready with other breakfast food. Salt and pepper to suit taste; set in oven and cook done or soft, as desired. Serve hot only.

 I am sharing this with my friend, Melynda at Mom's Sunday Cafe for Coookbook Sunday

Crazy Crust Pizza

Here's an old one for you.  The original recipe for Crazy Crust Pizza was from a bag of Pillsbury flour when you could buy one for twenty-nine cents, and the grocer still used a Garvey stamper for pricing. 

This is one of many, many pizzas made in my kitchen. I have made pizza dough from scratch, kneading by hand. I have used Boboli pre-made crust.  I have used pita bread, French bread, English muffins for making pizza. I have made thin crust, deep dish, individual, and party-size pizzas.  Heck I have even made little pizzas using crackers. 

And just how many pizzas have I made on this pan?

Hamburger Stroganoff

I recently went through a spate of not-so-successful experimentations in the kitchen. As a result, I became frustrated, and we were faced with eating our way through some things we would just as soon not eat. I don't like to hear Pritchard Parker say, "not bad" about a meal I cooked.  I want to hear, "Mmmmm, this is delicious". 

I decided to back up and make something tried and true, down to the letter of the recipe. I turned to my most beloved cookbook, Betty Crocker's Cookbook, which is also my first cookbook.  This book really helped me gain confidence in the kitchen when I was a young bride. I like to think I am much more advanced in my culinary skills now, but sometimes I am forced to back pedal to my beginnings, including the cream of soup. 

In addition to this Hamburger Stroganoff, I still use a few other recipes from this book, including the Toffee Bars, the Potato Salad, and the Lasagna.

"Quick 'n Easy"

HAMBURGER STOGANOFF

"Company coming on short notice? Here's a recipe that belies its speed. Good on rice, too."

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can (8 oz.) mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 cups hot cooked noodles

Snipped parsley

In large skillet, cook and stir ground beef and onion in butter until onion is tender.  Stir in flour, salt, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soup;  simmer uncovered 10 minutes.  Stir in sour cream; heat through.  Serve over noodles.  Sprinkle with snipped parsley. 

"4 to 6 servings"

I am sharing this recipe with Mom's Sunday Cafe for Cookbook Sunday

Sixties Fruit Cocktail Cake

This very old fashioned dessert is not going to win any beauty contests, but it is extremely good. It is more like a cobbler than a cake and is very rich and sweet. It will remind you of something your grandmother would have made.

I thought it would make the perfect ending for my Salisbury Steak dinner and it did. I baked it in my iron skillet because I love the rustic look and the delicious crust formed while baking in such a pan. But any baking pan will work.

Sixties Fruit Cocktail Cake
(compliments The Splendid Table)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
15 1/2 oz. can fruit cocktail, undrained
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a baking pan.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the undrained fruit cocktail, beaten egg, and vanille until well blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Mix together the brown sugar, butter, and nuts then sprinkle over the cake batter.

Bake until the cake starts to pull away from the sides sof the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Serve from the pan, warm, with ice cream.

Linked with Sweets for a Saturday #9 at the blog, Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Salisbury Steak

I already had a dinner plan in mind. We love our vegetables and the planned dinner was going to be all vegetable and grain based.  Then the weather happened. It was cold, gray, dreary, and pouring rain. Suddenly the menu didn't seem appropriate or inviting. I seemed to need something heartier and more warming.

Spring is like that for me. It is not my favorite season--gasp, I know.  I love seeing and hearing the return of the songbirds, the greening of the earth, and the blossoms springing forth, but here in the mountains, it can be deceptively cold..  And I can't decide what to cook and it seems impossible to plan ahead. I never know if I'll want a nice salad or a hearty stew. 

I came across this recipe for Salisbury Steak, a blast from the past, and thought I'd try it. This recipe uses a can of soup which I usually avoid in my cooking. However, having said that, Campbell's is no stranger in my kitchen. This recipe turned out to be much more delicious than I imagined . Pritchard Parker was greeted with a wonderful aroma when he arrived home, after a hard day at the office, and driving through a downpour.  He walked in, sniffed, and smiled. That made me feel happy.

Salisbury Steak
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 can French OnionSoup
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 cup water

Mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, and 1/3 cup of the onion soup.  Form into patties. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown both sides of the patties.  Pour off excess fat.

Blend together the flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, and water.  Pour over the patties in the skillet.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. 

Fantasy Fudge

This is a very old recipe and a Christmas favorite in my family.

My Mother's recipe called for "1 jar Hipolite".  I knew she used marshmallow creme, so I was surprised last summer, when I discovered, in that box from the garage, her original recipe. What the heck is Hipolite?  From what I have learned, the Hipolite family were in the candy making business and manufactured, among other things, marshmallows.  So Hipolite was a brand of marshmallow creme.

I use the recipe on the back of the marshmallow creme jar.  It couldn't be easier.  The recipe calls for one 12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I had about a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips leftover from another recipe and tossed those in as well.  Extra chocolate never hurt anybody. 

Fantasy Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, and milk in heavy 3 quart saucepan.  Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted.  Add marshmallow creme, nuts, and vanilla and stir until well blended. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Let cool and cut into 1 inch squares.

Mama's recipe written on the back of a party invitation