Issue: 2019-03-13, PHOTO: Pixabay
Murray shares some of Grandma Sweeney’s desserts he’d steal while they weren’t looking, including old-style banana muffins
GOOD OLD-FASHIONED DESSERT
Like most ladies of the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s, Grandmother Sweeney and my mother grew up making home desserts you’d steal for. (If they turned their backs for a minute, I did exactly that.) Here are some favorites I suggest you try, keep this page in a binder and pass it on to your children.
1940s Lemon Pie
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
juice of one lemon
juice of half an orange.
With this recipe, I suggest you use real juice the way they did in the old days.
Separate eggs and beat yolks. Stir in flour, butter, sugar and juices. Add milk and beat well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Place in unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 F for 1 hour, until golden brown.
REAL PUMPKIN PIE
INGREDIENTS
9-inch baking pie shell
1 cup real pumpkin
1/2 cup cold milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1 package vanilla Whip n’ Chill
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup cold water.
Combine dessert mix, sugar and spice. Blend in pumpkin, milk and water. Whip for 3 minutes. Put in pie shell. Chill at least 3 hours.
TASTY CHERRY CHEESE SQUARES OF THE 40s
INGREDIENTS
1 and 1/4 cup graham wafer crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup icing sugar
1 tin cherry pie filling
1/4 cup melted butter
1 package Dream Whip
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
Combine wafer crumbs with melted butter and brown sugar. Press into pan and bake for 8 minutes at 350 F. Allow to cool. Make Dream Whip as directed on package. Add icing sugar and cream cheese, making sure cheese is softened. Pour mixture into crumbs. Spread 1 tin cherry filling on top and refrigerate. If desired, you can use blueberries rather than cherries. Both are excellent.
ORIGINAL BANANA MUFFINS
INGREDIENTS
3 mashed bananas
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup melted shortening
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
Combine bananas, egg and sugar and mix well. Add the dry ingredients. Add the shortening last. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
A WINTER'S SNOW PUDDING
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp gelatine
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 egg whites
Soak gelatine in cold water. Dissolve in boiling water. Add sugar and lemon juice. Drain and set aside to cool. When thick, beat in stiffly-beaten egg whites. Mould. Serve cold with custard made from egg yolks.
WALNUT BANANA CAKE
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 well-beaten eggs
1 tsp soda dissolved in tsp boiling water
1 cup mashed bananas
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla
Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and beat well. Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to mashed bananas. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add to mashed bananas. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add alternately with mashed bananas to first mixture. Add walnuts and vanilla. Bake in oven at 350 F for 40 minutes.
APPLE CRISP OF THE AGES
INGREDIENTS
Beat 2 eggs well, and gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Sift together.
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
Add to mixtures. Mix well and fold in the following
1 cup chopped peeled apple
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp vanilla
Pour into greased dish measuring 12 inches X 8 inches X 1 and 1/2 inches. Sprinkle top with 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Bake 30 minutes at 350 F. Serve with whipped cream. Serves 8.
HEAVENLY APPLE PANDOWDY
INGREDIENTS
3 cups sliced apples
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Put apples into buttered 1 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and spices. Bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes, or until apples are soft.
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 sifted flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk.
Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beat until smooth. Spread over cooked apples. Bake 30 minutes more. Serve warm with foamy sauce, hard sauce or whipped cream