Cereal Grains

Corn Meal and Oatmeal

In The Searchlight cook book one can find recipes for cereal grains. Many people today have forgotten how to make some of these foods. I am going to focus on corn and oatmeal since these are widely consumed foods in our culture. Try to buy only organic corn as 90% of all corn and corn products in the USA are GMO. Steel cut or old fashioned oatmeal is the best for you.

Corn Meal Mush

1/2 cup corn meal
 2 3/4 cups boiling water
3/4 sp. salt

Sprinkle cornmeal, stirring rapidly, into rapidly boiling water. Add salt. Cook thrity minutes over direct heat, or over hot water in double boiler one hour.

Fried Mush

Prepare corn meal mush. Pour while hot into pan or mold which has been rinsed with cold water. Smooth the surface of mush. Cool until firm. Cut into 3/4" slices. Brown in hot fat. This is the same mush sold in stores except this is fresher and better for you as there are no preservatives. Serve with warmed syrup or however you enjoy your fried mush. Also serve with bacon or sausage on the side.

Oatmeal Gruel

1/4 cup rolled or flaked oats
4 cups boiling water

Slowly sprinkle cereal into rapidly boiling water. Boil rapidly, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Strain. This is good for those who are ill and need something nourishing, but who cannot tolerate solid foods.

Oatmeal Patties

Leftover oatmeal may be packed into a one pound can and stored in the refrigerator until needed. Remove oatmeal from mold, cut into 1/2" slices, and fry in hot cooking fat until well-browned on both sides. Serve with hot sausage and syrup.

Helen's Poison For House Ants

No one likes ants, but this is one way to easily get rid of them. Years ago there were not the plethora of bug sprays, traps, and killers like we have today. Helen obviously used this recipe often.

Helen's Poison For House Ants

Dissolve one pound of sugar in a quart of hot water. Add 125 grains of sodium aninate*. The mixture should be boiled and strained, cooled, then used with a sponge.
*I cannot find "sodium aninate" anywhere, but this recipe is identical to those where boric acid is used. If you can still find boric acid (look on the web if you can't find it locally) then you can make your own bug eradicator. Boric acid will kill more than ants and is a safe product to keep around the house, though all products should be kept up safe away from small children.

Helen's Untitled II

This recipe seems to be a home remedy for a blood purifier, kidney cleanser, or a cold remedy. It is for certain a recipe that Helen used often as it was written prominently in her book. Lemons are very good for the kidneys and they are good for digestion. And since this has Epsom salts it could be used for the bowels. Use at your own discretion.

Helen's Untitled II

1 pint hot water*
1 Tbls. cream of tartar
1 Tbls. sugar
3 Tbls. Epsom Salts
Juice of 4 large lemons

Take wine glass 3 times a day.
*1 pint equals 2 cups.

Helen's Untitled I

This is a relish recipe that would be nice to try this year when all of you have too many tomatoes and don't know what to do with them all, or towards the end of the year when you have too many unripe tomatoes and a frost is coming. I am sure Helen made many jars of this each year.

Helen's Untitled I

1 quart red tomatoes
3 quart green tomatoes
1 cucumber
3 red peppers
3 green peppers
1 spoon mustard
2 cups sugar
1 quart vinegar

Salt, let stand overnight. Boil 20 minutes.
*This is all the information Helen wrote out. I will leave it up to you to find a similar recipe and try your hand at this. If I make this later on in the year when we have tomatoes, I will write out the directions I use.

Helen's Pickled String Beans

This is a good way to can some of those extra beans you have each year. Make sure you use tender young beans for best results.

Helen's Pickled String Beans

4 quarts string beans, fresh or canned
1 cup sugar
1 quart vinegar*
2 Tbls. mixed spices*

Wash fresh string beans. Remove strings. Cover with water to which 1/2 tsp. salt has been added per quart. Cook till tender. Cover with a pickling syrup made with sugar, vinegar, and spices. Boil 10 minutes.
*The mixed spices would be pickling spices.
*The vinegar would be white vinegar.
*My directions: Once the beans are cooked, drain them. Bring the syrup to a boil  (sugar, vinegar, and spices). Arrange beans in sterilized pint jars. Pour hot syrup over top to within 1/2". Wipe off rim of glass with a clean rag. Place on lid and screw bands (that you have placed in hot water). You can process for 10 minutes as Helen indicated or allow the jars to seal themselves.

Helen's Chili Sauce

Helen's Chili Sauce

2 quarts peeled, chopped, ripe tomatoes
2 green peppers, chopped
2 Tbls. salt
1 Tbls. mustard
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 onions, chopped
1 pimiento, chopped
3 cups vinegar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbls. sugar

Combine spices, sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, about 1 1/2 hours.
You can place this in hot sterilized half pint jars and seal as for jelly.

Helen's Bran Rolls

It may seem I am promoting certain brands here, but in reality this is the way Helen had this recipe written out. As usual, there are scant directions. I will try to make them up for you. I do like the fact that this recipe can be made up and then used for weeks by keeping it in the refrigerator. Please note that if you do keep this to use for the weeks it calls for that the dough will take on a characteristic sour dough taste as it will turn into a sour dough. There are similar recipe to this one available on the web and in cook books, including ones that use Raisin Bran instead of just the bran flakes.

Helen's Bran Rolls

1 1/2 cups Kellogg's Bran Flakes
1 cup lard*
Dissolve the above in 1 cup boiling water and let cool
2 yeast cakes in 1 cup warm water*
2 eggs, beaten light
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 cups Gold Medal Flour

Add 2 cups flour, then eggs, then yeast, then flour. Put in ice box. Take out 2 hours before baking. 400 degrees, 20 minutes.
My directions: Dissolve the lard in the boiling water. Add the cereal to the lard mixture. Dissolve 2 cake yeasts in 1 cup warm water for about 5 minutes; set aside. Add 2 cups flour and eggs to the lard mixture and beat well to mix. add the yeast water and the remaining flour; beat well. Either take out amount wanted and fill muffin cups and allow to rise  for 1 1/2 hours, or cover well and place in refrigerator until needed. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
*You can replace the lard with shortening, but it will not be as healthy, nor will you get the same flavor.
*Do not have water for yeast over 115 degrees or you will kill your yeast. Two pkgs. of yeast from a 3-strip of yeast will work in place of the cake yeast.
*If you want more clarity then look for an updated recipe on the Internet or in cook books.

Helen's Fondant

Helen's Fondant

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Combine sugar and cream of tartar. Add water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover pan and boil 5 minutes, allowing steam to dissolve any grains of sugar on sides of pan. Uncover and boil without stirring to soft ball stage (234-236 degrees). Wipe all crystals from sides of pan with a damp cloth. Pour into a shallow pan, plate, or onto a marble slab which has been rinsed with cold water. Cool to room temperature. Beat only until stiff enough to knead. Knead until smooth. Place in bowl and cover with damp cloth or waxed paper. Allow to stand 24 hours before using. If desired, milk may be used in place of water.
*Fondant always needs a time to ripen so make sure you let it sit the 24 hours.
*This candy can be used in many ways, including being dipped in chocolate.

Mints from the fondant:
Melt fondant over hot water* and add peppermint, spearmint, or wintergreen flavorings. Tint with food coloring. Drop by tsps. onto waxed paper. Mints may be dipped in chocolate.
*Use a double boiler for best results.
*There are many flavorings available today from Lorann foods. You can choose one of these, if desired.

Helen's Lemon Ice Cream

Yum! I love ice cream. Lemon sounds so very refreshing!

Helen's Lemon Ice Cream

2 eggs
2 cups milk, scalded
6 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. lemon juice*
1 1/2 tsp. lemon flavoring*
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or cream

Beat eggs until whites and yolks are blended. add sugar and salt. Mix well. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Cook over hot water until mixture coats spoon. Remove from fire. Chill. Add flavoring, lemon juice, and cream or evaporated milk. Freeze. If desired, food coloring can be added. 8 servings.
*Use a real lemon and ream the juice fresh.
*Lemon flavoring is most likely extract.
*Cook this over a double boiler.