Holidays Through the Decades - The 1960's - All About Me

As November fast approaches, I get very excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas being just around the corner. Our childhood plays a very important part in making us who we are today. From Thanksgiving to Christmas was a magical time at our house. It was filled with good food, lots of family visits, and cocktail and dinner parties.

My favorite childhood memories revolve around holidays during the 1960's. Times were changing. Modern day conveniences were quite common. Everyone I knew had color TV, air conditioning, a bouffant hair dryer, and at Christmas, a fabulous artificial tree - and if your mother was really modern and hip, your tree might have been silver or white. Perry Como's Christmas special was the highlight of the television season. Cocktail parties were an every weekend event, and we kiddos trailed along, eating Lipton's California Dip on deliciously greasy Charles Chips.

The mom's always had some type of sweet or sour concoction prepared. My parents and their friends all had several sets of cocktail glasses. There was a different set of glasses for each drink. We kids loved to drink our cola out of fancy long stemmed wine glasses. It always tasted so much better and more sophisticated. Mother would pour a little of the Maraschino cherry juice into our cola for a special treat. 

The weeks and days until Christmas were quite a hectic time, culminating with the Christmas Eve drive to my Grandparent's farm in South Georgia. Eagle Brand, sweetened condensed milk, was the magic product of the day. Mother's Magic Cookie Bars, Lemon Icebox Pie, and Holiday fudge were all favorites which have withstood the hands of time. All of these recipes will be included during the next few weeks. 

My mother was an extremely talented cook, but not such an accomplished baker. Once introduced to the "new and improved" boxed cake mixes, she was a believer. She could also do wonders with canned biscuits and crescent rolls. 

I hope to have fun sharing with you some of my favorite memories and recipes from my childhood. Life may not have been perfect, but my memories were.

Our Favorite Chili Recipe and a Halloween Tradition

I was very hesitant to even write this blog, as it seems so processed and unimaginative. But with Halloween quickly approaching, I've been thinking a lot about fun celebrations and trick or treating with the kids as the were growing up. Our Halloween tradition was pigs in a blanket and a bowl of chili served with saltines.

The pigs in a blanket were not the popular crescent roll variety, but a Lykes hot dog rolled with a slice of American Deluxe cheese in a slice of bread and secured with toothpicks. After trick or treating, we would place the pan of pigs in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the bread was toasted and the dogs were browned.

I have tried many chili recipes over the years, but our family favorite is still the French's Chili-O seasoning version. I make just a very few changes to the package directions. I like chunky Vidalia onions in my chili, but omit the onions altogether when preparing this recipe for the children.

Famous French's Chili-O Chili

2 pounds ground chuck or ground round, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 small Vidalia onion - coarsely chopped

2 packages French's chili-o seasoning mix - available at Winn Dixie or WalMart

2 16 ounce cans Bush's Chili Beans - mild or medium - available at Winn Dixie

2 141/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 small can rotel tomatoes - (optional) - if you want a little more spice

Brown seasoned ground beef with chopped onions in large skillet. 

Stir in the two packs of French's Chili-O seasoning

Place meat mixture into 6 quart slow cooker.

Add chili beans, diced tomatoes, and Rotel tomatoes, if desired.

Cook on low 4 to 5 hours, until heated thoroughly and flavors have combined. 

Serve with fresh saltine crackers and, of course, a pig in a blanket.

The French's Chili-O mix and the Bush's Beans are the secret to this recipe

I would love to read your comments concerning my shortcut chili recipe.

Tuscan Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The humidity is lower in south central Florida and the temperature highs are only in the mid 80's. We are in the middle of our fall season which lasts from mid October - to late December. Then, we may run temperatures from lows in the 40's to back up in the 80's on the same day. But, we Floridians wouldn't trade the pumpkin patches, change of seasons, and autumn leaves for anything. We love our mild winters and short sleeve Thanksgivings. However, we do crave the fall comfort food that warms up our northern neighbors. And, I am considering our northern neighbors to include north Florida all the way up to Virginia and over to Arkansas and Texas. Anywhere north of those regions has a whole different outlook on food in general.

This morning, I put in my slow cooker all of the ingredients for a Tuscan Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe that I found in Paula Deen's magazine from 2007. One stir and then it slow cooks for 8 to 9 hours. My slow cooker has about had the insides cooked out and I really want this Cuisinart model from Amazon.

  

Enough daydreaming. Let's get on to the goodness of this recipe.

Tuscan Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat- seasoned with salt and pepper

3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 medium red potatoes peeled and cut into quarters

1 14.5 can of Itatlian style diced tomatoes

1 10 oz can beef broth

1 10 oz can tomato soup

1/2 cup red wine 

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

In an electric slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours, or until beef and vegetables are tender. 

How easy is that!

Pinot Noir is the chef's choice for beef dishes. It was pretty good to the cook also, while awaiting the finished product. 

Carolina Mustard Slaw for Hot Dogs and a 2nd Birthday

I had a great week visiting with both of my older children and grandchildren this week. Our visit started out with a fun 2nd birthday party for an adorable little boy. He really enjoyed his Mickey Cake with all of the colored icings. We are so lucky to have Publix here in Florida. The make great kids birthday cakes at a great price.

His Dad did a great job of cutting the cake and serving all of the cousins, grandparents, friends, aunts, and uncles. He also was in charge of the grill for the hot dogs and hamburgers. 

Yummy, Happy Birthday to Me!!

I pretty much got off easy. My only assignment was to prepare the Carolina Mustard Slaw for the dogs and burgers. I have several recipes, but chose this version, as I thought the children might like it. It has a little mayo and is not quite as strong as my other mustard slaw recipes. 

My son in law is from Venezuela and grew up eating potato sticks on hot dogs. They were also a must.

We ate our share of potato sticks as children growing up in south Georgia and central Florida also. Good things have no boundaries. 

Carolina Mustard Slaw - very easy 

1 bag angel hair slaw mix

1/4 cup Duke's Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon yellow mustard

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

salt, pepper, and celery salt to taste

Mix the dressing - Mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and Dijon Mustard. Pour over slaw mix. Salt and pepper to taste. 

This recipe is delicious on hot dogs, hamburgers, or barbecue sandwiches. I have even been known to eat it with fried catfish, even though I usually make a more mayonnaise based slaw for fish. 

We enjoyed the slaw with hot dogs so much that I might be tempted to get this hot dog steamer for my older grandkids for Christmas. It is available at Amazon and shipping is free. 

I Love Bloody Mary

I love, love a good Bloody Mary. I love tomato juice, Bloody Mary mix, V8 juice, anything that can be doctored up with lemons and olives. I have even been known to upgrade to first class for that delicious airplane Bloody Mary. I also have been known to drink Bloody Mary mix without the vodka. It is just as delightful to me. Add a celery stick and have a well balanced dinner in a glass. We know that tomatoes are cancer fighters.

My perfect Bloody Mary has evolved over the years. I'm not crazy about hot tobasco sauce, but love horseradish. My favorite part is to make a mini skewer with three olives. Let the olives macerate while I am sipping my Bloody Mary. They are tangy, salty morsels of deliciousness.

My Bloody Mary

1 46 ounce can original V8 juice
1 cup vodka
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
Lemon wedges
Celery ribs
Pimiento stuffed green olives

Mix first six ingredients in a large pitcher. Chill for several hours.
Add ice to glasses, if desired. I prefer my Mary's straight up with no ice.
Pour drinks over ice. Add olives skewered on toothpicks and allow to macerate in drink.
Add lemon wedge and celery stalk to glass.
Enjoy!!!

Grandmama Spooner's Chess Pie - A Southern Tradition for Generations

After the Civil War and through the depression era, the south was a very poor and struggling region. I have heard my mother tell stories about life in rural Georgia during the 30's and 40's numerous times. Land may have plentiful, but the residents were a very poor people. Black and white farmers worked side by side in the fields, just trying to put food on the tables for their families. My mother and her sisters picked cotton during the depression. Her mother was very much a lady, and made them wear sunbonnets and long sleeves while working in the fields. They may have had to work like field hands, but they had peaches and cream complexions and no freckles on their arms. I remember dinner on my grandparents farm when I was a child as being served on white tablecloths with the good silver used every day. My granddaddy would take his work boots off on the back porch and wash up for dinner each day. The afternoon brought a nap for everyone and the leftovers were on the stove covered up for supper. Dish towels were thrown across the fried chicken and other meats. The men went back to the fields after nap and we kids were allowed to play outside after a good rest and the heat of the day subsided.

One of the delicacies that my mother and grandmother both made was Chess Pie. There had to be dessert on the table each day. During lean times, I'm sure this pie became popular as it was made with ingredients that were always on hand, even during the leanest times. After dinner, my Grandaddy would pour his coffee into his saucer and sip it that way until it cooled. Along with coffee, this Chess Pie was also served. It is very, very sweet. I 'm sure that strong black coffee would be a good partner.

I have cut way back on the required sugar in my version of the pie and it is still very sweet. While researching the origins of Chess Pie, one of the stories is that it was called Chess pie because it was so sweet that it could be left in the pie safe or pie chest and therefore, those southern accents evolved into Chess Pie as the name. Another great story is that a Georgia Cracker homesteader was asked what kind of pie that she had prepared. She replied "It's jess pie, I don't know what it's called." Therefore the name Chess Pie originated. Who knows the real story, but it is a great dessert and will certainly satisfy any sweet tooth. The crust that forms on the top is my favorite bite. I can't wait for you to prepare this original Chess Pie recipe for your families.

Grandmama Spooner's Chess Pie

1 9 inch unbaked pie crust - I haven't made my own since Pillsbury came out with the unfolded variety in the 1980's - everyone brags on my pie crust -  I always smile and say "Thank You"

1 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat sugar, butter and vanilla together. Mix in the eggs. Then add the cornmeal, vinegar, and milk. Beat with hand mixer until smooth.

Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake an additional 40 to 45 minutes until center of pie is set.

Cool completely. Cut and top servings with whipped cream.

A thin slice is very rich, but oh - so delicious.

Lazy Sunday Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Sunday is a lazy, restful day at our house. Sunday afternoons consist of football, naps, old movies on television and maybe a little catalog or internet shopping. Put on this Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff recipe in the morning and have a delicious home cooked supper in 8 hours. My daughter in law found this recipe many years ago and we have added some changes and new ingredients. It is a great weekday recipe also.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds Stew Beef
1 onion - chopped
1 can Cream of Onion soup
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 package fresh mushrooms
4 or 5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
8 ounce package of cream cheese
8 ounces of sour cream
16 ounce package of wide egg noodles
salt and pepper

Salt and pepper stew beef. Mix meat with onion, soups, Worcestershire Sauce, water, and mushrooms. Place in slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours.

Cube the 8 ounce package of cream cheese and stir into sauce. Turn on High until cream cheese is melted. Cook noodles in salted water according to package instructions. Add Sour Cream to crock pot after cream cheese is melted. Serve Stroganoff over wide noodles. 

Have a relaxing Sunday afternoon.