THE BEST OF THE OPEN LINE BULLETIN

NOVEMBER  PAGES 1234

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Happy November! This is the month of Thanksgiving and don't look now, but just next month is Christmas. This month's bulletin contains some recipes for your Thanksgiving table, some early Christmas candy and cookie recipes and some recipes left over from last month's bulletin when the room ran out. Incidentally, if you have a favorite candy, cookie, or cake recipe for the Christmas holidays, this is the month to send it to the Open Line because all this month we'll be collecting and airing the recipes for our Christmas edition of the Open Line bulletin which should be bigger and better than ever before.

The first two recipes in this bulletin are found in the new "COOKS BOOK" published by the Cedar Rapids Junior League. Both represent favorite kitchen tested recipes and are guaranteed compliment collectors.

AMANA PHEASANT

Breasts and legs of 2 pheasants
2 cups milk
1 can mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup Piestengel Wine
1 heaping teaspoon curry powder

Flour, salt and pepper pheasant and brown in shortening. Pour drippings into bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir and pour over pheasant and bake covered in 300° oven for 3 or more hours. Baste frequently. If necessary, add more milk. Meat should fall off bone when done.

ASPARAGUS PARMESAN

Spears of asparagus or 2 packages, frozen
1 cup well buttered bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2/3 to 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook asparagus until tender and drain. Place in casserole. Melt butter and heat until it turns golden brown. Blend in mayonnaise, seasonings and lemon juice and pour over asparagus. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top, then cheese. Bake in 375° oven 10 or 15 minutes or until brown.

Now about smoked turkey this Thanksgiving? Considered a delicacy by many, it is easy when you use this recipe.

SMOKED TURKEY

1 turkey (12 to 15 pounds)
4 cups chopped celery with leaves
1½ cups chopped onions
1½ cups chopped parsley
Springs of fresh thyme, dill and rosemary, if available
½ cup oil for basting sauce
1 cup white table wine
salt, pepper, salad herbs
Hickory chips

Build your charcoal fire at one side or end of the grill, and when it is burning evenly, place a foil drip pan beside the fire and under the grill where the turkey will rest. Make your foil pan a little larger all, around than the turkey, using a double thickness of heavy foil, turning up foil on all sides and mitering the corners. Salt and pepper the turkey, inside and fill it with, mixture of herbs, and onions. Mix salad oil with salt, pepper, and salad herbs for basting. Skewer openings of turkey and truss it. Brush with basting sauce. Place on grill and put a piece of foil against the side of the turkey which is toward the fire, to protect it from too much heat. Cover grill and adjust damper for slow burning fire. Allow four to five hours for turkey to smoke and cook, adding damp hickory chips to the fire at the beginning, middle, and toward the end of cooking and adding new charcoal when needed. Baste the bird now and then with your sauce.

Directions for cooking your turkey in the brown paper bag will a found on Page 3.

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Here's another recipe that is intended for the Thanksgiving table, but you'll get requests for it the year around.

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES WITH PINEAPPLE

½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 can (9 oz) crushed pineapple
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup butter
6 to 8 cooked sweet potatoes
½ cup salted pecans

Mix sugar, salt and cornstarch in heavy pan. Add undrained pineapple, orange juice and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and clear. Peel potatoes and cut them into halves. Place in a casserole and cover with sauce. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Top with nuts and serve. If the potatoes are hot, there's no need to bake the preparation. Simply mix hot potatoes and sauce.

Mrs. Hovorka's recipe stirred up some excitement when it was called in. It defies description but insists on compliments.

DEVIL'S FLOAT

½ cup sugar
1½ cup water
5 to 8 large marshmallows, cut in half
2 tablespoons shortening
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
3 scant tablespoons cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup milk
nutmeats, if desired

Boil ½ cup sugar and 1½ cups water gently for four minutes. Place marshmallows in bottom of casserole that can be covered. Make batter of shortening, ½ cup sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, milk, and nutmeats, mixing well. Pour hot syrup over marshmallows. Drop batter by spoonfuls into syrup. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes in 350° oven. Remove from oven and let set covered for 3 minutes before removing lid.

SPAGHETTI AND MEAT BALLS:

Mix 1¼ cup yellow corn meal, 1 pound ground beef, tablespoons chopped onion and form into 12 meatballs. Brown in 2 tablespoons hot fat. Add 3 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1½ cup uncooked spaghetti, 1 cup, catsup and 2 cups tomato juice. Cover skillet. Bring to a good boil. Reduce heat and 9 minutes.

When a recipe for date filled oatmeal cookies was requested on the Open Line, these recipes were volunteered.

EDITH HANSEN'S DATE FILLED OATMEAL COOKIES

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 cups ground oatmeal
½ cup sweet milk
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Flour
1 pound ground dates
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and vanilla. Combine milk and oatmeal alternately. Add soda and enough flour to make dough stiff enough to roll. Roll thin. Cut half of dough with doughnut cutter, and the other half with regular cookie cutter the same size. Cook ground dates, sugar and water until thick. Cool. Spread date filling on plain cookie then top with doughnut shaped tops. Bake until light brown at 350°.

DATE BARS

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
2½ cups oatmeal
½ teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 pound ground dates
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Cream sugar and butter. Add flour and oatmeal. Dissolve soda and water and add. Mix well and spread half of batter in greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Cook dates, sugar and water over low heat till thick, stirring to prevent burning. Spread over first mixture and top that with remaining batter. Bake at 350°. (No time given) Cut in small squares. Raisins can be used instead of dates.

A favorite at bake sales and a conversation piece is represented in this next recipe. They say they are delicious.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS:

Melt ½ ounce paraffin (2 by 1 by ½ inch), 1 8 ounce package chocolate chips in double boiler over hot water. With tongs, dip unsalted pretzels in coating. This will coat 10 ounces of pretzels. Allow excess chocolate to drip off. Allow six to eight hours for chocolate to dry.

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Ever wished for a good recipe for Danish Pastry? This recipe will help you make a pastry that is full of butter and quite flaky and very tasty.

DANISH PASTRY

¼ cup sifted flour
¾ cup butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cake or package yeast
¼ cup warm water
¾ cup cold milk
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons melted shortening
1 teaspoon salt
Grated lemon rind
2¼ to 2¾ cup flour

Cut the ¾ cup butter into the ¼ cup sifted flour. Refrigerate while preparing the rest of recipe. Combine the sugar, yeast and warm water. Add milk, beaten egg after reserving one tablespoon for topping, melted shortening, salt, and lemon rind. Then gradually add the flour to make a stiff dough. Roll on flour board to 12 inches square. Remove flour butter mixture and roll out on wax paper to form a 10 by 4 inch rectangle. Lay this in the center of the other dough and fold the top part of the larger dough over the flour butter dough, then the bottom part over both. Turn dough ¼ turn, roll out again to 12 inches square. Fold in thirds again and repeat this procedure two more times. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Then roll out to 12 by 16 inch rectangle and use as desired.

SOYBEAN BREAD

2 cups boiling water or milk
2 cups soybean flour
1 tablespoon shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 compressed yeast cake
White flour, enough to make a dough that can be handled easily.

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Add fat, sugar and salt to scalded milk or boiling water. Add softened yeast to milk that has been cooled to lukewarm temperature. Add flour gradually, making a dough stiff enough so that it can be handled easily. Kneed dough quickly and lightly until it is smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise until double in bulk. Knead and shape into loaves. Bake at 375° for one hour.

A few years ago, the Open Line first learned of roasting turkeys in a brown paper bag. This year the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association have published the following instructions to help their customers learn the "art". From the standpoint of simplicity, it is certainly an improvement over any previous method. Use a heavy brown paper bag, the kind you get as a carryout bag at your food store.

1. Defrost the turkey in it's original wrap. Do not remove the plastic film bag until bird is completely thawed.
2. Remove the neck and giblets.
3. Stuff turkey with your favorite dressing. If you do not stuff turkey , season body and neck cavities with salt or your favorite seasoning. Pre stuffed turkeys can be used.
4. Brush skin with butter or shortening.
5. Preheat oven to 325°.
6. Place turkey in brown paper bag with seam up. Turkey goes in breast up. Sometimes it is best to tie the legs to the body to prevent puncturing the bag while turkey bakes.
7. Close open end with one or two folds and secure this fold with any type fastener, such as paper clips, skewers, or staples.
8. Place bag with turkey on broiler rack or flat rack on top of shallow pan.
9. Roast at 325°, allowing 20 to 25 minutes per pound for unstuffed birds and 25 to 30 minutes if turkey is stuffed. Large turkeys should be roasted at a slightly lower temperature and shorter time. Once you have placed the turkey in the oven, do not open the oven door until the turkey is roasted. All fat and juices will accumulate in the bag and may be saved to make gravy or served with dressing.

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To serve with your traditional holiday fare, choose one of these colorful cranberry
delights.

CRANBERRY-EGGNOG SALAD

1 #2 can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons lime juice
1½ cups commercial eggnog
¾ cup chopped celery
1 package raspberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 14 ounce jar cranberry orange relish
1 envelope Dream Whip

Heat drained pineapple juice to boiling. Soften gelatin in line juice and add to boiling juice, stirring until dissolved. Cool. Add eggnog and chill until partially set. Fold in drained pineapple and celery. Pour into mold. Chill. Dissolve raspberry gelatin in boiling water. Cool. Reserve ¼ cup relish and fold remainder into raspberry mixture. Chill until it begins to thicken. When eggnog layer is firm, pour raspberry mixture on top. Chill until set. Mix Dream Whip and add reserved relish. Spread over firm raspberry layer and chill until ready to serve. Nutmeats may be added to this top mixture for extra flavor.

PINEAPPLE RED VELVET

1 9 ounce can (1 cup) crushed pineapple
Dash of salt
¼ pound (16) marshmallows, cut up
1 one pound can jellied cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 #2 can (6 to 8 slices) sliced pineapple, drained and cut in quarters

Heat crushed pineapple with syrup, salt, and marshmallows over hot water till marshmallows are melted. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Add cranberry sauce and lemon juice and beat well. Pour into refrigerator tray. Freeze. To serve, cut into squares and garnish the cut up sliced pineapple.

HONEYED CRANBERRY RELISH

2 cups fresh cranberries
1 orange
1 cup honey

Pick over and wash cranberries. Wash and quarter orange. Put orange and cranberries through food chopper. Add honey and mix well. Let stand overnight. Chill before serving.

Here's the first of the Christmas recipes you'll be wanting for the holidays. Next month, the whole bulletin will be devoted to your Christmas baking.

APPLESAUCE CANDY

1¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons gelatin
2 cups sugar
½ cup finely chopped nuts
2 teaspoons vanilla

Soak gelatin in ½ cup of the applesauce for ten minutes. Bring remaining ¾ cup applesauce to a boil with the 2 cups sugar. Add gelatin and applesauce and boil hard for 5 minutes. Stir constantly while boiling. Add nuts and vanilla. Pour into buttered shallow pan. Let stand for several hours to dry out. Then cut in squares and roll in sifted powdered sugar.

PEANUT BUTTER KISSES

1/3 cup syrup (light or dark)
1/3 cup peanut butter
½ cup non-fat dry milk solids
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

Mix syrup and peanut butter in a small bowl. Gradually stir in dry milk and powdered sugar. Shape into roll about ¾ inch diameter. Roll in chopped nuts, pressing nuts into candy. Chill and cut into 1 inch pieces. Makes 24 pieces. (Mrs. Walter Mau, Waterloo, Ia.)

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