Beech Tree News Network

Because I enjoy cooking, I love recipes. I found the recipes below in a “Celebrating 60 Years, 1938-1998” cookbook provided by Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (WRECC). The recipes span those years, and the book has 623 pages. I believe my late husband picked it up.

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Beef Stew (1988)

Ingredients:

Sirloin roast or steak, cut into bite-size portions

3 carrots, cut into small chunks

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium-to-large potatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium can vegetable juice

3 T. tapioca

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a crockpot; cook on low all day.

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Cheesy Ham Quiche (1981)

Ingredients:

1 unbaked deep-dish 9-inch pie shell

1 c. diced cooked ham

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

4 eggs

1 c. half and half

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. parsley flakes

Directions:

Bake pie shell at 400 degrees for 3 minutes; remove from oven and gently prick with a fork. Bake 5 minutes longer. Let cool on a rack. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ham in pie shell; top with cheese and sprinkle with nutmeg. Beat eggs until foamy; stir in half and half and seasonings. Pour over cheese in pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until firm.

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Turkey Pie (1983)

Ingredients:

Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie (or 2 refrigerated ready-to-bake pie shells)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4-oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ c. butter or margarine, melted

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 ½ c. milk

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. dried whole thyme

2 c. cooked turkey, cubed (may substitute with chicken)

1 (10-oz.) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fit pastry/pie shell into a 9-inch pie pan. Sauté onion, mushrooms, and garlic in butter about 5 minutes, or until tender; blend in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt, pepper, thyme, turkey and vegetables. Spoon into pastry shell. Carefully place remaining pastry shell over the top, leaving a 1-inch rim beyond edge of pan. Seal edges; cut slits in top for steam escape. Bake at 375-degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

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Fried Potato Cakes (1994)

Ingredients:

2 c. mashed potatoes (Works better with leftover mashed potatoes.)

6 T. flour

1 egg

¼ c. milk

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ c. oil

Directions:

Combine potatoes, flour, egg, milk and onion in bowl; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil in skillet. Brown on both sides, pressing with spatula to flatten.

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Sweet Potato Casserole (1990)

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes, cooked

½ c. butter

1 c. sugar

½ c. milk

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Peel and mash sweet potatoes. Add other ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish and sprinkle with topping.

Topping Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. butter, softened

1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. chopped pecans

Topping Directions:

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato casserole mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Jam Cake (1972)

Ingredients:

1 c. shortening

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 c. strawberry preserves (or blackberry jam)

3 c. flour

1 tsp. soda

3 T. cocoa

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

½ c. pecans, broken

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each. Add strawberry preserves and beat well. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk, beating vigorously after each addition. Last, add nuts, which have been dusted with small amount of flour. Bake in greased, lined pans in 350-degree oven about 45 minutes. Makes 2 (9-inch) layers. Use caramel frosting.

Caramel Frosting Ingredients:

½ c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

½ c. milk

¼ tsp. salt

2 ½ c. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Frosting Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar, milk and salt. Bring to full rolling boil, and boil one minute. Remove from heat, and stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until thick enough to spread on cake.

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Thanks, WRECC, for the cookbooks over the years. The recipes have been a very nice gift. And I hope they keep coming.