Helen's Fruit Salad II

Another variation on fruit salad. I imagine you can make any of these recipes with about any fruits that you like that go together well. Fruit salads are so very good in the summer when  fruit is freshly available.

Helen's Fruit Salad II

1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup diced pears
6 Maraschino cherries
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup seedless white grapes or cherries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Fruit Salad Dressing from Fruit Salad I*

Combine pineapples, pears, marshmallows, cherries, grapes, and nuts. Moisten with salad dressing. Arrange on crisp lettuce leaves. Garnish with Maraschino cherries. If desired, diced peaches, bananas, oranges, or other fruits may be used. 6 servings. This can be doubled for a party or potluck.
*Make half the recipe from the Fruit Salad I recipe.

Helen's Fruit Salad I

This salad is very similar to the previous one. Helen sure loved her fruit salads! And she used a lot of white cherries. If you can't find white cherries, then use whatever kind you can find.

Helen's Fruit Salad I

1 large can pineapple, drained and diced
1 can white cherries, peeled and halved
1 small bottle Maraschino cherries, drained
1/2 lb. marshmallows
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 pint coffee cream
4 eggs yolks
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons

Directions same as for 24 Hour Salad.
Okay, so you don't want to have to go back to the 24 Hour Salad so I will give the directions here and be kinder than Helen's cook book.

Boil sugar, whipping cream, and egg yolks until it coats the back of the spoon. Stir in marshmallows until melted. Fold in whipping cream and juice of lemons. Chill. Combine the fruits and fold in the chilled mixture.
*You can buy the pineapple in chunk form.

Helen's 24 Hour Salad

This sounds like a delicious fruit salad. Do not be deterred because of the cooked dressing.


Helen's 24 Hour Salad

1 lb. marshmallows
1 can chunk pineapple
1 can white cherries, halved
1 lb. white grapes, halved
1 cup chopped pecans or almonds
4 egg yolks
1 cup coffee cream
Juice of one lemon
1 pint whipping cream, whipped
1/2 cup sugar

Boil sugar, coffee cream, and egg yolks until mixture coats back of spoon. Stir in marshmallows and melt. Add lemon juice. When dressing is cool add fruit to mixture. Top with whipped cream and nuts.
*I would use a double boiler to make sure this mixture does not scorch.

Helen's Fruit Salad Dressing

Though Helen had this fruit Salad Dressing as a side for the Pineapple Bing Cherry Salad I think this would be good with any Jello salad or fresh fruits. It sounds rich and yummy.

Helen's Fruit Salad Dressing

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup cherry juice

1 Tbls. sugar

1 lump butter*

11 large marshmallows, cut up

1 cup whipped cream

Heat both juices, sugar, and butter. when thoroughly heated, pour over marshmallows and stir. Set aside to cool. When ready to serve fold in 1 cup whipped cream. Serves 7 people.

*Use about 44 miniature mrshmallows if you don't want to cut your own large ones.

A "lump"of butter is most likely about 1 Tbls.

Helen's Pineapple and Bing Cherry Salad

I told you Helen liked her Jello Desserts, and we aren't even finished with them yet! You can buy Bing Cherries in a can in the baking aisle at the store where they sell fruits or pie filling.

Helen's Pineapple and Bing Cherry Salad

1 can Bing Cherries
1 pkg. lemon Jello
1 can crushed pineapple

measure the cherry and pineapple juices to get 2 cups full. If less than 2 cups, add enough water to make it so. Heat the juices to boiling and add gelatin. Dissolve Jello. Chill. when mixture thickens and is about to congeal, add the fruit. Turn into molds and chill. Serve on lettuce leaves with Fruit Salad Dressing.
*I am assuming this is a small box of Jello and small cans of fruit.

Helen's Cheese Salad

Helen's Cheese Salad

1 pkg. lemon Jello

1 can crushed pineapple

1 can pimiento cream cheese

1/2 pint whipping cream

Drain pineapple and place in cup and add water to make one cup. Boil; add to Jello. When it starts to set, whip till it foams. Add pineapple, cheese, and fold in the whip cream. Can add celery, if you like.

*You can add pimiento to 3 ounces of cream cheese, softened.

A half pint of whipping cream is 8 ounces. You need to whip your own cream adding a bit of vanilla and powdered sugar to sweeten, or you can use a can of Reddi Whip.

Helen's Jello and Fruit Salad

Helen sure loved Jello desserts and this is one of them. It sounds refreshing and good, especially on a warm summer evening after dinner.

Helen's Jello and Fruit Salad

1 box lemon Jello, dissolved in
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup pineapple juice
Juice from .10c bottle Maraschino cherries

Cut cherries. Add chunks of pineapple and other cherries or fruit. Chill.

Hmmm...This recipe isn't very exact! The pineapple and juice would be canned as fresh pineapple keeps Jello from setting up properly. I imagine the .10c bottle of Maraschino cherries would be the 10 ounce jar today. Use a small box of Jello (based on amount of liquids).

Netherland Salad

Fresh Lettuce growing in the field.

Helen's sister, Carrie (Carolyn Agnus Peard, whom grandma was named after), was an opera singer who often performed in Cincinatti, Ohio. The family would go down to Cincinanti, take the ferry and ride in the Ohio River, and enjoy the sites. Carrie died in April 1910, at the younf age of 33, of pneumonia. Grandma would be born a little over 2 years later and named after this semi-famous aunt.

Carrie's sisters, Helen and Delphine, continued to go to Cincinatti as the city offered a lot of culture for these women who had grown up enjoying the arts. They often ate at The Netherland Plaza, in Cincinnati, and this was one of this grand hotels featured dishes of which Helen had placed in her book. This recipe is an original that patrons could take copies of and replicate at home. The Netherland Plaza was a grand hotel that opened up in 1931, and is today on the historic register. It was completely renovated in 2004, and in its heyday when Helen and Delphine would take a trip to Cincinatti this hotel must have been one lush and exotic place to visit. Here is a link that will take you to this historic hotel and give you some more background:

http://www.historichotels.org/hotel/Hilton_Cincinnati_Netherland_Plaza

This is an exact copy of the wording on the recipe sheet that I found safety-pinned inside of Helen's cook book, and is an original copy of what The Netherland Hotel gave out to its patrons. Notice at the end of this recipe that the cost of this salad was $1.00, which would have been quite a lot of money back in 1931, which would have been during the Great Depression. Also notice that the recipe gives the calorie count as women of leisure must have been worried about their weight even way back then.

Recipe for Netherland Salad

As Featured At The Netherland Plaza, Cincinnati

(2 Portions)

3/4 head hearts of lettuce, cut julienne

1/2 cup julienne of chicken

1/2 cup julienne of ham

1 Tbls. chopped pickle

1/3 cup julienne of tomato

(395 calories to one portion)

Salad Dressing

1 tsp. fine chopped chives

1 cup hard-boiled egg

3 Tbls. mayonnaise

2 Tbls. vinegar

3 Tbls. olive oil

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Mix well and serve chilled on dinner plate. Do not use leaves of lettuce to serve on, but put directly on plate. Sprinkle with fine chopped chives. Garnish with two pieces of quartered tomatoes and two slices of hard-boiled egg. (A touch of garlic can be added).

(If you wish a copy of this recipe please ask your waiter.)

Restautrant Continentale

$1.00

Helen's Crab Delight

Helen liked her crab!

Helen's Crab Delight

2 Tbls. chopped green pepper

2 Tbls. butter

2 Tbls. flour

1 cup strained tomatoes

1 cup grated cheese (your favorite)

2/3 cup milk, scalded

dash Cayenne

1/2 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup flaked crab meat

Brown green pepper in butter. Add flour, mix till smooth. Combine seasonings, cheese, and egg. Add to first mixture. *Cook over hot water 10 minutes. Stir constantly while slowly adding milk. Add crab meat, heat thoroughly. Serve in patty shells or on toast rounds. Serves 6.

*This is in a double boiler over hot water.

Helen's Deviled Crabs

This one just might be a good holiday casserole, or for those special occasions when you want a dish with a bit of oomph in it to please the palates of the picky.

Helen's Deviled Crabs

1/4 pound butter (1 stick)

4 Tbls. flour

3 cups milk

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 1/2 Tbls. lemon juice

3 Tbls. Sherry

1 Tbls. minced parsley

6 diced hard-cooked eggs

3 cups crab meat

*Cook well butter, flour, milk. Add remaining ingerdients. Place in casserole and top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

*Make a cream sauce with the butter, flour, and milk.

Helen's Scalloped Carrots And Celery

Did you expect anything less exotic from Helen? This unsual side dish would be quite different!

Scalloped Carrots And Celery

3 cups diced, cooked carrots
1 1/2 cups cooked celery
2 cups medium white sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheese*

Combine cheese, crumbs, and white sauce. Fill a well-oiled casserole dish with layers of vegetables and white sauce; cover. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 6 servings.
*No particular cheese is specified, but grated Cheddar would be tasty.
Variation: This is my idea, leave out the bread crumbs, layer as stated. Combine bread crumbs with 1 Tbls. melted butter and sprinkle over top of casserole.

Medium White Sauce

4 Tbls. butter
4 Tbls. flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a 2 quart sauce pan. Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly add milk while whisking it in and continue to stir until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use in above recipe.

Helen's Eggs In Casserole

This is another one of Helen's more odd recipes.

Helen's Eggs In Casserole

Hard boiled eggs (allow 2 per person)
Cream Sauce**
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Diced Celery, as much as you want for flavor
1 tsp. minced onion
1 cup buttered bread crumbs

Quarter half eggs and place carefully in casserole. Pour over half cream sauce. Sprinkle celery and onion over sauce. Repeat; then cover with crumbs. Bake uncovered 20 minutes.*
Variations: To above add crab meat, tuna fish, or mushrooms.
May be prepared ahead; place in refrigerator. If chilled, allow 10 minutes more for baking.
*Helen never specified how hot of an oven so bake at 350 degrees.
**Helen never specified whether this was a thin, medium, or heavy cream sauce. The recipe is most likely a basic medium cream sauce listed below.

Basic Medium Cream Sauce

2 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. flour
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a 2 quart sauce pan. Stir in flour and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add milk and stir until thickened. If you want a thin sauce then only use 1 Tbls. each of the flour and butter. For a thick sauce use Tbls. each of butter and flour.

Aunt Helen's Cheese With Rice

I don't know that this would have enough flavor, but I could be wrong.

Aunt Helen's Cheese With Rice

6 Tbls. rice

1/2 cup thick tomato sauce

2 cups meat sauce

1/4 cup grated  cheese

Cook rice in meat stock until tender. add tomato sauce and cheese. mix well. Heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Helen's Cheese Rice Cakes

Aunt Helen must have really liked these as they were written out well in her book.

Helen's Cheese Rice Cakes

2 cups boiled rice

1 Tbls. melted butter

1 cup grated cheese*

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 egg white, slightly beaten

Paprika

Combine rice, cheese, and butter. Add 1/4 cup pimiento, if desired. Season to taste. Form into cakes. Brush lightly with white of egg. Place on well-oiled baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with any favorite sauce.

*There was no specific cheese named. Any cheese you want will work, but Cheddar would be very good.

Helen's Veal or Lamb Pie With Ketchup Biscuits

My copy of The Searchlight Cook Book

Did I or did I not tell you there were a few strange recipes in this collection? Well, this is one of them! I personally do not care for either meat, but if you do, this might be something different to try one night when you don't know what to make for dinner. You can make this recipe as is or omit the ketchup, it is all up to you and what your taste buds think sounds good. As for me, I'm posting this recipe, but I think I'll pass on trying it. I'll leave this culinary delight to your discretion.

Helen's Veal or Lamb Pie With Ketchup Biscuits

2 cups chopped, cooked meat
2 Tbls. lard
2 Tbls. grated onion
1/2 cup canned tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can lima beans, drained
2 Tbls. butter

Brown meat lightly in lard. Add other ingredients and pour ino casserole dish.

Helen's Ketchup Biscuits

2 cups sifted flour
1 Tbls. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbls. shortening
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until mixture has fine crumbs. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead 1-2 minutes. Pat or roll 1/2" thick. Spread with ketchup and roll as for jelly roll. Cut into 1" slices and place cut side down over hot meat mixture. Bake in hot oven (425 degrees) for 25-30 minutes or until biscuits are done. Makes 6 servings.