Lost Recipes: We found a treasure chest full of granny recipes
To a lot of families, there’s something truly precious about finding one of grandma’s old family recipe cards that’s been squired away in a box for decades. It’s a rare jewel.
Well, for this Lost Recipes we’ve found a treasure chest of these the Advertiser printed over several months starting in June 1940. They were part of an “Old Grandma’s Favorite Recipes” contest we held. Take a peek, because one of these might even be from your great-great granny.
This is part 1 of a four-part look at these family recipes. We're proud to give them back to the families they belong to.
More: Lost Recipes Part 2: Five divine dishes from our grannies
Sally Lunn
First off, we’re starting with bread named after a historical (or maybe mythical) person called Sally Lunn from Bath, England, in the 1700s. The exact recipe was a secret through the centuries, and this is Miss J.M. Nelson of Selma’s 1940 take on it.
Blend half a cup of melted shortening with three-fourth cup of sweet milk (whole milk), a quarter ounce package of dry yeast, and two eggs that have been lightly beaten. Sift two cups of flour, a half teaspoon of salt and a fourth cup of sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add liquid mixture all at once. Lift and fold mixture, just enough to mix, but do not beat. Pour the dough into a shallow greased pan. Bake at about 400 degrees. When it’s done, cut it into squares. Serve it hot with butter.
More: Lost Recipes Part 3: Old family recipes for devil's food cake, chicken pie and more
Broiled Steak
Decades ago, something the Advertiser occasionally published was the home address of people we wrote about. That’s the case for Mrs. Roy F. Camp, who lived on Norman Bridge Road in Montgomery. When this recipe came out, she probably had a few visitors around dinner time. I know I would have been there.
It starts off saying to select thick individual T-bone steaks, making sure that the filet parts are large. Then you rub both sides with a clove of garlic. Camp wrote: “Don’t be stingy with the garlic as this is the secret to good steaks.” I highly agree.
Heat the oven to about 400 degrees. Put the steaks on a broiling pan, and add a few drops of salad oil on each steak. Let the steaks broil on one side. When they’re ready to turn, take the pan out and put a few drops of worcestershire sauce on them, with a little salt and pepper. Put them back in to finish cooking. I prefer mine to be a nice medium, just the right amount of juicy pink inside.
More: Lost Recipes Part 4: A last look at seven 'secret' granny recipes from 1940
Cheese Straws
Mrs. Bob Gay of West 5th Street in Montgomery offered a recipe for a treat that’s always a hit at parties. Yes, it’s cheese straws, and they’re actually fairly simple to make. You’ll need a pound of cheese, a stick of butter, 2 cups of flour, a pinch of salt, and a dash of red pepper. Grate the cheese (or just buy a pound of grated cheese). Then melt it in a pot with the butter, salt and pepper. Mix it well, then start adding flour a little bit at a time. When it’s all together, knead it well and then cut it into strips. Bake until they’re crisp.
Frozen Fruit Salad
This refreshing treat that’s perfect for a hot summer’s day is courtesy of Mrs. Fredderick Schnadt of Monroeville.
You’ll need an orange, a banana, three-fourths cup of seedless white grapes, two slices of pineapple, a cup of heavy cream, 12 cherries and a cup of fruit salad dressing. Slice and dice these fruits to your taste, mix together and freeze. Serve it with the dressing on lettuce.
So what exactly is fruit salad dressing? Don’t worry, because Mrs. Schnadt has a recipe for that too:
Beat two egg yolks, two tablespoons sugar, juice from 2 lemons, a tablespoon of flour, a half cup of strained honey or maple syrup, and a half cup of whipped cream. It’s practically a dessert in itself.
More: Lost Recipes: Watermelon treats so good you'll lose your rind
Pecan Candy
Speaking of desserts, here’s one all our local pean lovers will enjoy, which was sent in by Lurline McLaurine of Fitzpatrick.
You’ll need, of course, 1 quart of shelled pecans, plus a pint of whole milk, a pint of white corn syrup, half a teaspoon of gelatin, a half pound of butter, three pounds of sugar, and a fourth of a pound of parowax. That last one is also known as paraffin wax, baker’s wax or cooking wax, and it was used as a preservative.
Mix and boil all the non-pecan items until soft half is formed when tested in cold water and syrup turns dark. Remove that from heat and add half a teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until it begins to get stiff. Add the pecans and stir as long as possible. Then knead the mixture until it’s hard, using powdered sugar if needed. Shape into rolls or cut into squares. This can also be rolled in cocoa.
More: Lost Recipes: These 1916 dishes are anything but 'medi-okra'
IF YOU TRY IT
If you decide to try one of these lost recipes please send us a photo and a note on how it went. Send it in an email titled "Lost Recipes" to Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Lost Recipes: We found a treasure chest full of granny recipes
