THE BEST OF THE OPEN LINE BULLETIN

MARCH  PAGES 1234

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Happy March, 1965, everyone! Two years ago, we offered our first Open Line bulletin. 2600 were sent out that month. Today over 7000 are sent out each month to those on our mailing list and in self addressed stamped envelopes. I think that speaks quite well of the recipes and hints sent in and called in each month to the Open Line. Ladies (and from time to time, gentlemen, too) take your bow! And thank you!

The month of February saw two new sponsors join us full time. We are proud to add Tone Brothers Spices and The Maytag Company to the Open Line as full time sponsors and we hope they will receive the same consideration from you that our other sponsors have enjoyed in keeping the Open Line on the air and at your service.

All the recipes shown below were featured on the Open Line during the month of February, when the collection for meatless recipes for this bulletin was started. Other meatless recipes will be found elsewhere in this month's bulletin along with our regular recipes.

IVORY'S SALMON LOAF

1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/3 cup mayonnaise, or salad dressing
1 egg beaten
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
1 can (16 oz.) salmon, drained, boned and flaked
1 cup cracker crumbs

Mix all ingredients, place in greased loaf pan and bake in moderate oven (350°) for one hour. Unmold and slice. Bake uncovered.

LENTEN CHEESE SANDWICH

1 cup ripe chopped olives
1½ cup grated cheese
1 small chopped onion
1 level teaspoon curry powder
½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

Run cheese and onion through grinder. Mix remaining ingredients. Spread sliced buns with butter and spread cheese filling on. Put under broiler about 5 minutes.

SALMON SLAW:

Flake a one pound can salmon in small pieces, removing bones and skin. Add to salmon, 4 cups shredded cabbage and ½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing. Toss to mix thoroughly. Serve in lettuce cups and garnish with capers. (Mrs. John L. Knapp , Avon, Illinois)

SALMON LOAF NUMBER TWO

1 can (16 oz.) salmon, drained and flaked
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 slice bread, quartered
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 slice onion, ½ inch thick
2  tablespoons parsley clusters
1/8 teaspoon thyme, if desired
2  to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, if desired

Preheat oven at 400° . Place salmon in mixing bowl. Measure remaining ingredients directly into blender jar. Cover and blend on "high" for 15 seconds. Pour over salmon and mix well. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Serves four generously.

TWICE BAKED SALMON POTATOES

4 baked potatoes
1 small can salmon
butter
seasoning
onion (optional)

Cut baked potatoes in half and dig the potato from the shells carefully. Mash, add butter and seasoning and salmon. Put back into shells and bake ½ hour. A little onion can be added, but that is optional. Serve while hot. (Mrs. Ole Bakker, Decorah, Iowa)

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President Johnson has a favorite chili, John Glenn's mother made his favorite ham loaf for him, and Mrs. Jackie Kennedy volunteered President Kennedy's favorite fish chowder recipe when requested by the Dubuque Herald Telegraph in 1961. Here they are for you. The chili recipe came from an Iowa City listener, the ham loaf was called in on the air, and the fish chowder recipe was clipped from the Dubuque paper the lady whose name appears at the bottom of the recipe.

NEW ENGLAND FISH CHOWDER

3 pounds haddock
2 cups water
2 ounces salt pork, diced
2 onions, sliced
4 large potatoes, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 quart milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Simmer haddock in two cups water for 15 minutes. Drain. Reserve broth. Remove bones from fish. Sauté diced pork until crisp, remove and set aside. Sauté onions in pork fat until golden brown. Add fish, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Pour in fish broth, plus enough boiling water to make three cups liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add milk and butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve chowder sprinkled with diced pork. (Mrs. Edith Baumgartner, Strawberry Point, Iowa)

ONE DISH MEAL WITH TUNA

12 slices day old bread
6 slices American cheese
4 eggs
2½ cups milk
1 regular size can tuna

Butter baking dish, cut crust from bread and butter generously. Put six slices of bread, buttered side up, in the baking dish. Put one slice of cheese on each slice of bread, cover with the tuna, top with the other 6 slices of bread, buttered side down. Beat eggs and milk. Pour over bread and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Bake 1 hour at 350° (Verna Albin, Central City, Iowa)

PEDERNALES RIVER CHILI

4 pounds coarsely ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 cans (16 oz. cans) tomatoes
2 cups hot water

In a large skillet, cook meat, onion, and garlic together until meat changes color. Add chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin seed, tomatoes and hot water. Mix well. Simmer about one hour, skimming fat as needed. Makes 2½ quarts.

MRS. GLENN'S HAM LOAF

1 pound cured ham, ground
1 pound fresh pork, ground (not sausage)
2 eggs
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
1/3 cup minute tapioca
1½ cup milk
¼ cup vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Mix first six ingredients and form into a loaf. Make dressing from the last four ingredients by boiling together for a few minutes. Pour over loaf and bake in a moderate oven (350°) for two hours, basting occasionally. Dressing should become thick and syrupy. Also good served cold or in sandwich.

Casseroles play an important part in meatless meals. The potato chip recipe is from Hiland's recipe book, where several other meatless recipes can be found.

CLAM AND POTATO CHIP CASSEROLE

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1½ cup milk
1 can (7 oz.) minced clams
1 small can mushrooms
1 medium size bag Hiland Potato Chips
Grated cheese

Make a white, sauce of butter, flour, milk, and all the clam juice. Crumble potato chips into casserole. Add clams and mushrooms to white sauce. Mix clam mixture with potato chips in casserole, using a fork to toss. Top lightly with finely grated cheese. Bake 350° for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

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If offering liver is a problem at your table, perhaps these recipes will put liver back into your menus. Try serving them without warning, just for fun.

LIVER LOAF

1 pound beef liver
½ pound pork sausage
1 pound or more of ground beef
1½ cups soft bread crumbs
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 eggs
½ cup bouillon
2 slices bacon

Brown beef liver in hot fat. Put through food chopper with sausage. Add ground beef and remaining ingredients, except the bacon. Turn out into loaf pan. Top with slices of bacon. Bake 45 minutes at 350°. (Waterloo listener)

LIVER BURGERS

1 pound liver
2 cups diced raw potatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1½ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fat
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
1½ cups cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Put liver, potatoes, and onions through meat grinder twice. Add seasonings. Drop liver mixture by spoonfuls on hot fat in skillet. Fry quickly. Remove burgers from pan. For gravy blend tomato paste and flour into fat, in pan. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. (Mrs. John L. Knapp, Avon, Illinois)

HINTS AND HELPS

When mashing hard boiled eggs, use a potato masher. It's better than a fork. Also use it to mash up the salmon for making sandwiches.

Brown sugar, after opening the box it comes in, will not get hard if kept in the refrigerator.

If it's too late to season an old waffle iron, a double thickness of wax paper laid on a hot iron for a few seconds will prevent waffles, from sticking. A fast and easy way to prevent your waffles from cracking up is to toss the first one after treating.... it's for the birds.

To thaw frozen bread quickly, hold a hot steam iron about ½ inch above the cut slice. Turn the slice over and follow the same procedure. This treatment also freshens stale bread.

Batter out? If there is just enough batter for eleven muffins, fill one section with water and it will not burn. Some cooks always fill one section with water, believing that the muffins are less likely to burn around the edges.

A slice or two of dry bread placed on cooked and drained rice will absorb any excess moisture and leave the rice dry and fluffy.

Wilted celery seems to be a national problem in spite of our modern refrigerators. Some cooks suggest soaking in cold water, others say cold salted water and others get best results with lemon juice in a little water for a ten minute bath.

Save the foil wrappers of your margarine sticks and use them to wrap potatoes for baking. The skins will be nice and buttery

A dark clothes closet will welcome a white vinyl mat or white linoleum the size of the closet floor. It is easier to find things against the white surface than in dark corners.

Dull looking rhinestone buttons and buckles will shine like diamonds if they are soaked in liquid detergent for about 15 minutes and then rubbed with a flannel cloth.

For deposits and stains in flower vases, try dissolving a few aspirins in warm water in the vases and leave overnight. Somebody said it works.

If water is beginning to soak through cork coasters, paint the bottom side of each one with colorless nail polish.

Place a damp cloth under your mixing bowl to keep it steady on a slippery work counter.

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TUNA DRUMSTICKS

1 can (7 oz.) grated tuna
¾ cup cold mashed potatoes
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon diced pimento
1 egg, slightly beaten
¾ cup crushed potato chips
¼ cup shortening

Combine tuna, potatoes, onion, lemon juice, celery, and pimento. Shape into drumsticks. Dip in egg and roll in potato chips. Melt shortening in heavy skillet and brown drumsticks on all sides, then insert wooden skewers. Serves 6. It may also be shaped like hamburgers and you can use any chopped meat such as chicken, salmon, etc... after the meatless days. (Mrs. D. 0. Becker, Cedar Rapids)

BAKED NOODLES AND TUNA CASSEROLE

Cook an 8 or 10 ounce package noodles in salted water until done and drain. Make a white sauce of 4 tablespoons oleo, 4 tablespoons flour and, 2 cups milk by cooking together until thick. Then mix noodles, one can tuna and white sauce altogether in a baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 to 400 degree oven. (Mrs. Leo Hansen, Independence, Ia.)

TUNA NEWBERG SANDWICH

8 slices bread, buttered
1 can (6 oz.) tuna
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 tablespoons parsley
¼ pound Swiss cheese, cubed
1 cup milk
1 can frozen cream of shrimp soup
3 beaten eggs

Mix tuna, onion, parsley, and cheese thoroughly. Pie four slices bread in square pan, buttered side up. Sprinkle mixed ingredients on bread. Place other slices of bread on top. Warm and mix the shrimp soup thoroughly. Add milk and eggs. Mix well and pour over bread. Bake one hour at 350°. May be made the night before. In fact, some feel that it is better if made several hours ahead of baking time. Refrigerate if this is done. (Mrs. A. V. Bennett, Iowa City, Iowa)

Somebody asked how to make Lefse on the Open Line. One of WMT's gals had the answer.

LEFSE

6 cups riced potatoes
4 tablespoons cream
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
2¼ cups flour

The day before you intend to bake lefse, boil and rice your potatoes. Add the cream, butter and salt and mix well. Put in the refrigerator and store until the next day. Then take half of this dough and add about half the flour. Roll out thin and bake on a hot flat surface (ungreased pancake griddle). A grooved lefse pin is used in rolling out the lefse. it is like a regular rolling pin with grooves cut in it. It is eaten in place of bread and used in the Scandanavian home especially around Christmas with lutefisk. Most Americans like it spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and rolled up. (Mrs. Arvilla Livingston, Cedar Rapids, Ia.)

This recipe was a must for this month's bulletin. It was called in on the air one day and we have received many requests for it since.

OLD FASHIONED MOLASSES COOKIES

2 cups molasses
1 scant cup lard
2 tablespoons soda
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons boiling water
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 to 4½ cups flour

Cream molasses and lard. Add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients (except soda). Add soda to boiling water and add to creamed mixture. Chill dough and roll out. Bake at 350°.

FROSTING FOR MOLASSES COOKIES:

Boil two cups sugar and 2/3 cup water until it spins a thread. Beat three egg whites until stiff and beat into cooked mixture after removing from heat. Add 12 marshmallows and one teaspoon vanilla.

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