Popular Greek Recipes- Spiralbound Cookbook #7

I'm not sure WHERE I bought this delightful cookbook, but I LOVE Greek food, and this cookbook has some AWESOME Greek recipes.  It was compiled by the Ladies of the Philoptochos Society, of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, in June, 1976.

Here's the cookbook:

Here are some photos from the Greek Festival that Duane and I try to get to every year in South Minneapolis:

Here's a recipe for one of my favorites...SPINACH PETA (Spanakopeta):

Spinach Peta (Spanakopeta)

2 pounds spinach, finely chopped
1 T. salt
1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled
1 small onion, chopped fine
4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 T. olive oil
15 fila
1/2 lb. butter, melted

Wash spinach, and chop very fine.  Sprinkle with 1 T. salt and allow to stand 15 minutes.  Squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture.  (This is a very important step in making a good filling.)  Combine with cheese, onion, eggs, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange 9 fila, which have been brushed with butter, in a greased pan 10" x 15", and cover with spinach filling.  Cover with 6 fila over all, brushing each with melted butter.  Seal edges to retain filling.  Brush top with melted butter. Chill until firm.  Cut through top layers to mark pieces.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Filling II:
4 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1 lb. feta cheese
1/2 c. grated Romano cheese (optional)
4 eggs
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped dill (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Allow spinach to stand at room temperature to defrost completely (do not soak in water).  Squeeze dry and combine with remaining ingredients.

Enjoy!

The Band Boosters' Best Recipes- Spiralbound Cookbook #6

I'm fairly certain I found this cookbook at Goodwill.  Goodwill is one of my FAVORITE places to find cookbooks (spiralbound or otherwise...).  I LOVE this cookbook...mostly because I was a band geek in high school...as evidenced by this photo:

That's me!  3rd row (of band members).  3rd from left.  Alto saxophone.

This particular cookbook was compiled by the Band Boosters Club of Clearfield Community School, in Clearfield, Iowa.  There's no publish date, but the picture in the front of the book, is from the 1962-63 Concert Band (directed by Mr. Ed Sullivan!!!).

The name written inside the cover is "Dorothy Rauth".  Here's the cookbook:

The recipe I've chosen from this cookbook is for HAM MEAT LOAF (I love ham AND I love meatloaf, so this seems like the LOGICAL choice!), and is attributed to Mildred Matthews:

Ham Meat Loaf

Serves 30.

3 lbs. ground chuck roast
3 lbs. ground pre-cooked cured ham
1 doz. eggs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion slat
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 large box rolled cornflakes
1 tall can tomato juice

Make into 3 rolls making servings for 10 each.  Cover with brown sugar, sliced pineapple.  Bake 2 hours at 250 degrees, cool slightly before serving.

As an ADDED bonus, there is a "cookbook-let" in the back, featuring PORK recipes...it IS Iowa, after all:

Enjoy!

Pantry Treasures- Spiralbound Cookbook #5

This cookbook was created by members of St. Joseph's Church in Crosby, Minnesota, in 1980.  NO IDEA where I got it, but I'm guessing an antique store in Minnesota!

Here's the cookbook:

In addition to some GREAT recipes by members of the church, it also contains the standard chapter title pages...

...weights, measures, and substitutions...

...and metric conversions, which was a thing in the early 80's (or at least we THOUGHT it was going to be)...

This cookbook is also "peppered" with poetry.  Here's one from the "Main Dishes" section:

MEAT
Stuff it and roast it, baste it with care,
Carefully then some gravy prepare.
Around your kitchen savory odors will tell,
Whatever is cooking, is doing quite well.

The recipe I've chosen from this cookbook is for CHICKEN LICKEN CASSEROLE.  It's attributed to Linda Leonard.

Chicken Licken Casserole

2 c. medium size noodles
4 c. boiling water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oleo
1 c. sliced cleery
1/3 c. onion
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 c. molk
2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 c. hot water
5 slices bacon (diced, fried, drained)
2 c. cut up chicken

Place noodles in water with 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 12 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Melt oleo, and use to saute celery and onion.  Add flour, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to sauteed mixture.  Gradually add milk and 2 cups hot bouillon, stirring constantly.  Cook until thickened then add meats and noodles.  Put in 2 quart casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

NOTE:  It doesn't say it in the recipe, but I'm ASSUMING you cook the noodles before removing them from the heat...

Cooking with Family and Friends- Spiralbound Cookbook #4

Back in my days as a children's librarian at a public library in Iowa, the residential care facility used to bring some of their clients to my story times and events.  They were a really fun group!

At one point they created a cookbook.  They asked me to contribute recipes, so I did!

Here's the cookbook:

Here's the recipe I submitted for FRUIT COCKTAIL CAKE:

Fruit Cocktail Cake

CAKE:
2 eggs
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 (12 oz.) can fruit cocktail (undrained)

GLAZE:
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1/3 c. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. walnuts (chopped)

Spray mixing bowl with non-stick spray.  Beat together all CAKE ingredients.  Grease 12 c. bundt pan.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes then turn out onto serving tray. 

Combine GLAZE ingredients.  Pour over warm cake.

Enjoy!

Cookbook- Spiralbound Cookbook #3

This cookbook was put together for "Family and Friends" by the First Christian Church, in Fairfield, Iowa, and was published in March, 1996.

Here's the cookbook:

I don't really have a connection to the Christian Church in Fairfield, except that the pastor's son was a bully, and tormented me through most of junior high...until I kicked his butt while being forced (by a sadistic gym teacher) to wrestle him in gym class.  From that point on, he was just...an irritant...

Anyway...the arrangement of the chapters is a little unusual...in that the desserts and sweets come first.  I guess if you subscribe to the "always eat dessert first" philosophy, however, this makes PERFECT sense.

Having said that, I'm choosing a "Main Dish" for this post.  One of my favorites...HAM BALLS, and, in this cookbook, attributed to Judith Hall (who, if you are following this series of posts, was also mentioned a few days ago in the entry regarding the Fairfield Junior Women's Club Cookbook!):

Ham Balls

5 1/2 lbs. ham loaf
3 eggs
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 c. milk
onion
salt & pepper

SAUCE:
2 cans tomato soup
2 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. vinegar
2 tsp. dry mustard

Ham Loaf proportions:  2 1/4 lb. ground ham, 2 1/4 lb. ground beef, 1 lb. sausage.

Mix first six ingredients thoroughly and shape into balls.  Place in baking dish and pour the sauce over top.  Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees covering with foil the first hour.

Enjoy!

Alaska's Cooking- Spiralbound Cookbook #2

Here's another treasure from one of the Women's Clubs of America...this one, from Anchorage, Alaska.   I found it at a book store called Title Wave Used Books.

No date of publication, but the membership list in the front concludes with "Mrs. David Fritz, President, 1976-1978".  Inside the front cover, it states:  "1st Edition December, 1959, Enlarged at 4th Printing December 1964.  2nd Edition August 1976, 2nd Printing November 1979.  We've combined the original, added new Sourdough and Cheechako recipes all together, to make what we hope is real ALASKA'S COOKING!".

Here's the book:

We've been to Anchorage four or five times.  Love the town.  Love the area.  Love Alaska.  The cookbook has lots of local favorites, as well as standards like "Chicken and Dumplings" and "Baked Beans".

On our last trip, we learned the importance of sourdough, and how everyone has their own "starter", with an interesting story of how it got to Alaska (under the armpits of a miner...strapped to the back of a mule...etc.) generations and generations ago.

Totally fitting to post a recipe using sourdough starter, but...to make it more interesting than a simple loaf of bread, here's a recipe for SOURDOUGH BROWNIES, attributed to Maxine M. Reed:

Sourdough Brownies

1 1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. sourdough starter

Combine sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and chocolate and blend thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients and stir in.  Lastly, add nuts and sourdough starter and blend until JUST mixed evenly.  Bake in greased pan until just done...do not overcook.

Enjoy!

Spiral Bound Cookbooks

My posts earlier this year, featuring goodies from each of the vintage recipe boxes that I've collected over the years, reminded me of another collection that I have...cookbooks!  I have hundreds (literally!).

 SOME of the collection (the rest are scattered throughout the apartment)

I started a series of blog posts, working my way down the shelves, posting a picture of the cover and one recipe from each.  Being an actual librarian, however, I figured it was, most likely, in violation of copyright (even under the tenets of "fair use").  As a result, I deleted the THIRTY THREE posts I'd already...posted.

I started writing about other things, but just wasn't very motivated to continue, so, thought of another option...within my cookbook collection are many, many non-copyrighted vintage and newer cookbooks printed by churches, civic groups, schools, and social clubs. They were created as fundraisers, mostly, but also as mementos of the people and the camaraderie shared within those groups.  I have collected some VERY COOL ONES over the years!

I think the cookbook that got me hooked on this sub-genre of cookbooks was the following:

My mom was a member of the Fairfield Junior Women's Club, and this is one of the first cookbooks I remember seeing (and using) while growing up. I was THRILLED to find a copy of it on eBay a few years ago.

It was printed in 1973, and has a list of the membership, for that year, inside the cover.  Lots of familiar names...Clela Doggett, Carol Edeker, Judy Hall, Linda Oakes, Bonnie Peaslee, Jane Potts...great women, and GREAT cooks!

The recipe I MOST remember from this cookbook is Bonnie's SEVEN LAYER COOKIES.  Mom made them frequently.

So, for my first post of this new series, I give you...

Seven Layer Cookies

Easy and mixed in baking pan.

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. coconut
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 (6 oz. ) pkg. butterscotch chips
1 can Eagle Brand milk (do not use any other)
1 to 1 1/2 c. nuts (chopped)

In a 9 x 13-inch cake pan melt the margarine.  Sprinkle over it graham cracker crumbs, then coconut, then chocolate chips and then butterscotch chips.  Then drizzle over this 1 can Eagle Brand milk.  Sprinkle nuts on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool and cut.  Also delicious eaten warm!

Enjoy!