Garage Sale Treasures

How does a box of 6 binders full of clipped and hand-written recipes from the 40s thru to the 80s sound? My idea of treasure. Thank you Lois Tollefson, whoever you are, for your painstaking collecting and preservation over the years. Many of these recipes are from friends, so I'll start with one of those:

Kathryn's Layered Salad
Layer 1 --> etc.
1) 1/2 head lettuce broken up
2) 2 pkg frozen peas cooked and cooled
3) 8 medium carrots grated
4) 1 large onion diced
5) 2 c. diced celery
Do not stir above. Mix 1 c miracle whip and 1 T vanilla and 1 T vingar and 1 T sugar and put on top of layers. Cover with saran wrap and ref 24 hrs. She makes double recipe dressing.

It was the vanilla in the dressing that caught my eye with this. I would never have thought of that. Without trying it, I won't pass judgement.

Here's the next recipe on the page, just called "Esther's".

Esther's
1 head lettuce
1 lg red onion
1 lb bacon cooked, crumbled
1 head cauliflower flowerets
Break lettuce - layer in pan - onion sliced thin layer - bacon layer - cauliflower layer - cover with dressing.
1/4 c sugar
2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 c parmesan
Cover and refrigerate overnite.

Actually Donna or Susan gave her one more recipe written below those. It's just titled "Donna or Susan." Since Donna's name is underlined, Lois must have decided it was Donna's recipe after all. Or maybe they both make it but Donna makes it better.

Donna or Susan
1 2 lb can french green beans
1 2 lb can baby peas
1 large onion chopped
1 bunch celery chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 sm jar pimento
Mix above and salt.

1 1/2 c sugar
1 c vinegar
1/2 c salad oil
1 T water
Pou over veg and marinate 24 hr.

Recipe-less

I've still been looking at too many cooking magazines lately. So another inspired but no specific recipe meal:

Grilled zucchini, sweet onion, red pepper, kale, and steak seasoning baked with fresh parmesan and crumbled ritz crackers.

Herb low fat cream cheese on a warm brown-at-home baguette, topped with hard boiled egg, watercress, tomato, and a little low fat mayo.

Very nice for a hot summer day.

Dinner is Late

About 7 months late. That's how long since my last post. Eh. Been busy. Here's another for old time's sake. I set dinner on the table and got out the camera. "This is going on the internet, isn't it," my partner stated. "Yup."

I don't have names or recipes cuz these are 'inspired' by various recipes I've looked at over the last week but I didn't follow anything. This is ranier cherries and fontina cheese on a pizza crust with a hefty dose of rosemary and tarragon from the plants my mother gave me for mother's day this year. Fabulous. 

Pork chops marinated in hard cider, black and red pepper, garlic, and onion. I used my panini grill--another big thank you, Mom, for getting me that for Christmas. I use it constantly.

Cucumber, tomatoes, red lentils, mung bean seeds, red onion, feta, and mint, in a dressing of raspberry vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, olive oil, and a pinch of salt, over a pile of spring greens.

If only my children would eat what I cook.