679 Pumpkin Pie No. 1

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What’s Thanksgiving without the pie!?  My favorite is pumpkin.  I always have some pumpkin puree in the cupboard, just in case.  Today’s recipe is 679 Pumpkin Pie No. 1.  That’s right; No. 1.  Meta has three different pumpkin pie recipes.  No wonder we get along so well.

This was pretty fantastic.  The homemade crust (made with butter) and the strong note of ginger made this notably better than my go-to pumpkin recipe (which has now been relegated to the trashcan).  I’ll probably up the cinnamon next time I make this and add some nutmeg and cloves, but this is a winner.

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving cooking goes swimmingly!

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679 Pumpkin Pie No. 1

1 3/4 c. canned pumpkin (15 oz. can)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

2 eggs

1 c. evaporated milk

1/2 c. water (I substituted 1 1/2 c. milk for the evaporated milk and water)

Unbaked 9-in pastry shell (631)

Turn pumpkin into saucepan and heat over direct heat for 10 minutes until somewhat dry and slightly caramelized, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat. Mix thoroughly together with the sugar, salt and spices, and stir into hot pumpkin.  Beat eggs, add evaporated milk and water (I substituted 1 1/2 c. milk for the evaporated milk and water), and beat into pumpkin mixture until smooth.  Pour into pastry-lined pie pan and bake at 450 for 15 minutes; then reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking about 45 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool before serving. 1 pie-6 servings.

Note:  Perfectly baked pumpkin pie has no wrinkles or cracks on its surface.  Long slow baking produces a smooth, shiny surface with the true golden pumpkin color.

 

Friday, November 21st

Breakfast:

Stewed Prunes 301

Cooked Whole Wheat Cereal 168 or 170 with top milk

toast with butter

Orange Marmalade 712

coffee for adults (milk for children)

Luncheon:

Eggs Benedictine 386

head lettuce, French Dressing 841

bread and butter

Cranberry Sauce 282

tea for adults (milk for children)

Dinner:

Baked Perch 415

Mashed Potatoes 1077

Buttered Cauliflower 1019 (substituted Creamed Spinach de Luxe 1097)

Stewed Tomatoes 1111 (substituted Escalloped Tomatoes 1109)

bread and butter

Whipped Raspberry Gelatine 320 (substituted Apples in Raspberry Gelatine 313)

coffee for adults (milk for children)

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Ah Meta!  Your breakfasts never disappoint.  Hearty and satisfying as usual.

And lunch!  Today’s lunch totally made up for the disappointing lunch yesterday.  I’ve never attempted a hollandaise sauce so I don’t know if it is as difficult as it is reputed to be, but the cheese sauce on 386 Eggs Benedictine was easy and yummy.  This is technically two servings of the eggs benedictine, but I couldn’t figure out what I would do with the other half of the muffin, so two servings was only logical (of course…)

Due to my Midwestern fish sourcing problem (MFS?), the fish in tonight’s dinner was salmon instead of perch.  But then again, I changed pretty much everything about dinner, except for the mashed potatoes.  I left out the bread and butter since the Escalloped Tomatoes and fish were already covered in bread crumbs.  The Escalloped Tomatoes were fantastic for a canned tomato dish; I’d recommend it for a picky veggie eater.  The garlic in the Creamed Spinach de Luxe was just the touch it needed.  Great dinner!

Dessert was shredded apples in raspberry jello.  Nothing to write home about, but certainly provided a fruit serving a bit of sweetness to end the meal.

386 Eggs Benedictine

6 ham slices, cut thin

pork or bacon drippings

3 large English muffins (82)

6 eggs, poached (391)

2 1/2 c. cheese sauce (920)

Pan-broil ham in drippings until edges are curly.  Split muffins in halves and toast.  Place hot ham slices on toasted muffins, put hot poached eggs on the ham, and pour a cheese sauce over all.  Serve hot.  6 servings.

1097 Creamed Spinach de Luxe

1 1/2 lb. spinach or 1 No. 2 tin

1 tsp. sugar

3 TBSP. butter

1/2 clove garlic, chopped fine or 1 small onion

3 TBSP flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1 c. thin cream

Cook spinach as for Buttered Spinach (1094), adding the sugar to the cooking water; or heat canned spinach in its own liquor with the sugar.  Drain thoroughly.  Meanwhile melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped garlic, and cook until soft; blend in the flour and salt, and add milk and cream.  Stir constantly over direct heat until sauce boils and thickens; then add the drained spinach which has been chopped, mix well, and reheat until the sauce bubbles up.  Serve immediately.  5 or 6 servings.

1109 Escalloped Tomatoes

1 No. 2 tin tomatoes or 4 large fresh tomatoes

2 c. fresh bread crumbs

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP butter

Combine tomatoes with half the bread crumbs and stir in onion, salt and sugar.  Turn into buttered casserole.  Brown rest of bread crumbs in the butter in a saucepan or skillet, and sprinkle over top of casserole.  Place in a 375 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot through.  5 servings.

Thursday, November 20th

Breakfast:

grapefruit halves

Whole Wheat Muffins 48

Jam 701 (apple butter)

coffee for adults (cocoa for children)

Luncheon:

Cream of Potato Soup 957

crisp crackers or toast

Fruit Cup 287

tea for adults (milk for children)

Dinner:

Pork Chop Suey 562

Boiled Noodles 171 or Rice 174

Buttered Broccoli 1007

Beet, Cheese and Onion Salad 776

bread and butter

Apple Tapioca 371

coffee for adults (milk for children)

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There’s nothing like a fresh muffin, hot from the oven.  I didn’t expect much from 48, Whole Wheat Muffins, but the dates made all the difference.  Yummy!

Lunch was perfectly serviceable, if a bit on the dreary side.  The potato soup was warm and filling, but bland.  Canned fruit cocktail is one of the saddest foods.  Nothing says I don’t care like soggy, brown canned grapes.  Honestly, the best part of lunch was the toast.

In better news, dinner was quite tasty.  I went with noodle over rice since chop suey isn’t the most authentic dish anyway.  The combo was so home-y and pleasant.  It’s the childhood food my mother didn’t actually make.  I absolutely loved 776 Beet, Cheese and Onion salad.  So simple, but tons of flavor.  Broccoli and bread and butter rounded out the meal nicely.

Tapioca seems to be a divisive food.  Like licorice or cilantro, you either like it or you don’t.  I’m on the non-fan side.  However, 371 Apple Tapioca wasn’t bad.  I liked the large volume of apple which did a good job of hiding the tapioca texture.

48 Whole Wheat Muffins

1 c. all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. whole wheat flour

2 to 4 TBSP brown sugar, firmly packed

3/4 c. chopped dates

1 c. milk

1 egg, well beaten

1/4 c. melted shortening

Sift flour, measure, and resift twice with baking powder and salt.  Add whole wheat flour, brown sugar, and dates, and mix thoroughly.  Combine milk, beaten egg, and melted fat, and mix quickly until dry ingredients are just dampened; then stir 3 or 4 times more.  Dip into buttered muffin pans, filling them only 2/3 full.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.  Dates may be omitted, if desired.  12 medium-sized muffins.  (Don’t omit the dates!  They are the best part!)

562 Pork Chop Suey

1 lb. lean pork

1 TBSP. bacon or pork fat

2 c. diced celery

3 medium onions, sliced

3/4 tsp. salt

1 c. boiling water

1 TBSP. molasses

1 TBSP. soy suace

3 TBSP. flour

1 No. 2 tin assorted chop suey vegetables (20 oz.)

3 c. cooked rice (174)

Cut pork into thin strips and saute for 5 minutes (not until browned) in the hot fat.  Add celery and onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes longer, until slightly softened.  Add salt and boiling water; cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Add molasses, soy sauce, and flour which has been blended until smooth with 1/2 c. water.  Cook until mixture boils, stirring constantly; then add drained chop suey vegetables and continue cooking until thoroughly heated.  Serve with hot fluffy rice and additional soy sauce if desired.  Makes 5 servings.

776 Beet, Cheese and Onion Salad

2 c. diced cooked beets (1005)

3/4 c. diced cheese

1 TBSP. chopped onion (or to suit taste)

1/2 c. mayonnaise

lettuce

chopped parsley

Combine beets with cheese, onion and mayonnaise, tossing all together lightly.  Serve on lettuce leaves, sprinkling with chopped parsley.  For a more tart mixture, the beets may be marinated for an hour or two in diluted cider vinegar (1/2 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. water).  Makes 5 servings.