THE BEST OF THE OPEN LINE BULLETIN

SEPTEMBER  PAGES 1234

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BEST IN THE WEST CAKE FROSTING

1 pound powdered sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, salt, and milk, using only four tablespoons milk, more if necessary later. Beat at high speed until smooth. Add shortening and vanilla and beat at high speed till fluffy, adding more milk if desired.

FROSTING #2

Cream together; 1 stick margarine, ½ cup shortening, and one cup plain granulated sugar. Add three tablespoons flour, one at a time and beat. Add 2/3 cup of milk that has been allowed to warm to room temperature and two teaspoons vanilla. Beat at high speed until thick.

2 cups milk
2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup white vegetable shortening
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix milk and cornstarch to smooth paste and cook until thick as custard. Refrigerate until cold. Add remaining ingredients and beat for 20 minutes at icing speed.

RAIN WATER DRESSING

1/3 cup water
1½ cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Combine ingredients, shake well before using. May be saved.

APPLE CRISP

8 large apples
¾ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup melted butter
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Butter pan and slice apples in bottom of pan. Mix other ingredients and pour on top of apples. Dot with butter and bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

TOMATO PRESERVES

3 cups yellow tomatoes
2 cups sugar

Boil for 10 or 12 minutes, then add one package lemon Jello. Stir until dissolved, then pour into jars and seal.

BARBECUE RIBS SIZZLE SAUCE

¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup salad oil
1 teaspoon chill powder
½ cup Worcestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients thoroughly and pour over cooked ribs.

HOMEMADE PAINT AND VARNISH REMOVERS

#1. Mix 6 tablespoons sal soda, one cup cold water and 1 cup starch. Add one quart boiling water a little at a time, stirring constantly. Apply with a brush, leave on a few minutes and wash off with warm water. Repeat if necessary.

#2. Mix one cup ammonia, one cup vinegar, 1 cup sal soda and one quart warm water. Allow to soak for a while, then remove with a scraper or stiff brush and warm water.

#3. Mix one can of Lewis Lye into 1 quart water in porcelain pan or crockery. Dissolve 4 heaping tablespoons cornstarch in 2 quarts of water. Pour lye mixture into cornstarch solution very slowly. Apply with rubber gloves.

Page 2 Top of Page

GREEN TOMATO PIE

5 or 6 medium green tomatoes
2 lemons sliced thin
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
pie pastry for double crust

Slice tomatoes and place a layer in unbaked pie shell. Lay on thin slices of lemon. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour together and sprinkle over each layer of tomatoes and lemon. Fill shell with layers of tomatoes and lemon slices. Dot with butter. Top with crust. Bake at 425° for ten minutes, then for about 25 minutes at 350° until tomatoes are tender.

HOMEMADE MAID-RITES

Sauté one pound beef until redness is gone. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle two teaspoons of instant beef bouillon over the meat and add enough water to barely reach the top of the meat and let simmer until the water has cooked away. Onion, either instant, minced, or fresh raw, may be added and allowed to cook down with the water. Serve on warm buns. (Mrs. Gloria Shoultz, Muscatine, Iowa)

CHICKEN RICE CASSEROLE

1 frying chicken, cut up (not cooked)
1 package minute rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 soup can milk
1 package onion soup mix

Butter casserole. Sprinkle minute rice over bottom of baking dish. Add celery and mushroom soups mixed with hot milk. Add cut up chicken. Over all sprinkle Onion soup mix. Cover casserole with aluminum foil. Bake 2 hours and 15 minutes in a 350° oven. Check for doneness after two hours. (Mrs. Wilford Conner, Sigourney, Iowa)

IOWA CHOCOLATE CAKE:

¾ cups shortening, 2 cups sugar, 1½ cups boiling water, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons soda, ½ cup cocoa, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, beaten, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Put shortening and sugar in a mixing bowl and cover with boiling water. Sift dry ingredients twice and add to hot mix. Then add eggs and vanilla. Batter will be very thin. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan or 2 layer pans. Bake at 350° for 35 to 45 minutes or until cake pulls away from the side of the pan.

* * * EM 59405 * * *

HINTS AND HELPS

Rust Remover: Take equal portions of salt and cream of tartar, rub it on wet rust stained washable garment. Put out in sun. Repeat if necessary ........... Getting grated orange or lemon peel from  grater is easy if you have a household nylon tooth brush handy for such jobs. Brush grater with tooth brush to get the rind out   The same brush can be used to brush the fringed edges of napkins after ironing napkins Fringes will become straight   :To remove ball point pen ink from clothes, sponge the stain with acetone or amyl acetate. Both can be obtained at drug stores ........ When wanting to make a cream pie and also a chocolate pie, make a double batch of cream filling. Divide in half and for the chocolate filling, add 1½ square of bitter chocolate and one plain nickel chocolate candy bar. Stir well until chocolate is melted......Absorb moisture in the bottom of the vegetable drawer with paper towels which are easily replaced when needed ..........Fruit stains and the odor of onions may be removed from hands if treated with vinegar......To retard mold on canned apple sauce fill the jar with apple sauce to within 2 to 4 tablespoons from the top. Then fill this portion with boiling water. No need to process with water bath afterward.....When paring fruit to can, have a slice of lemon to rub fingers and no stains will be left on fingers or nails.....To save egg yolks, cover with cold water in a bowl or glass and store in refrigerator.......When marshmallows et hard, put in freezer overnight and then thaw the next morning to restore softness ....... For a delicious tartar sauce, combine 3 tablespoons of the cucumber relish in last months bulletin with 1 cup salad dressing.....When making potato salad, brown two tablespoons butter and mix in last. This is for a large bowl of salad. One tablespoon is enough for a small bowl.

METHUSELAH

Methuselah ate what he found on his plate,
And never, as people do now, did he
Note the amount of  the calorie count;
He ate it because it was chow.
He wasn't disturbed as at dinner he sat,
Devouring a roast or a pie,
To think it was lacking in granular fat
Or a couple of vitamins shy.
He cheerfully chewed each species of food,
Unmindful of troubles or fears,
Lest his health might be hurt
By some fancy dessert;
And he lived over nine hundred years.
(Author unknown sent to us by Mrs. Dan, Adamson, Waterloo, Iowa)

Page 3 Top of Page

PICKLE PAGE

MOTHER'S FAVORITE DILL PICKLES

Select fresh cucumbers. Wash them and pack into hot sterilized jars, if pickles are large, punch holes in the pickles with a fork. Place dill and grape leaves on the bottom of the jar. Stand pickles on their ends evenly. In the middle of the jar place another dill and then fill jar with pickles. Place dill and grape leaves on top and a little alum. Combine one quart of water, one cup vinegar, and ¼ cup of pickle salt and bring to a boil and pour over pickles. Filling jar to the top. Seal with rubber rings and zinc lids. Pickles will be ready in four months. (Mrs. John Boysen, Sr., Monticello)

KOSHER DILL PICKLES

1 peck cucumbers
6 quarts of water
1½ pints cider vinegar
1½ cups canning salt
2 tablespoons alum

Boil water, vinegar, salt and alum and pour while hot over cukes in which there has been placed lots of dill and garlic. Cure ten days before canning. (Note: Make sure cucumbers remain under the brine at all times. Weight them down with a plate). Select 4 to 5 inch cukes which must be dilled first day they are picked.

BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES

1 gallon of thinly sliced cucumbers
8 or more sliced onions
½ cup salt

Cover with chipped ice for 45 minutes. Drain. Bring the following to boil:

4½ cups sugar
4 teaspoons white mustard seed
1½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seed
5 cups vinegar

Add pickles and cook for five minutes. Seal in sterilized jars.

EASY BEET PICKLES

You may use either fresh cooked or canned beets, however save the fluid in which beets are cooked or canned as it will give the beets their beautiful color. Place beets in kettle and cover with a mixture of 1/3 each of beet liquid, sugar, and vinegar. Salt as desired or 1 teaspoon per quart. Bring to a boil and then seal in sterilized jars or use at once if you wish.

SLICED SWEET DILL PICKLES

1 rounding gallon of sliced cucumbers
2 tablespoons mustard seed
3 cups vinegar
2 tablespoons dill seed
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoon salt

Put all together and simmer until clear which takes about 15 minutes. Can while still hot. (Do not let mixture boil). The cucumbers may be peeled or not as desired. (Mrs. Joe Heeren, Monticello)

DILL PICKLES WITHOUT VINEGAR

Use any size cucumbers. Place some dill in the bottom of a two quart jar (if you use dill seed, use one tablespoon). Fill jars with cucumbers. Then put in two level tablespoons of the coarse or canning salt, ½ clove of garlic if desired, ½ tablespoon pickling spices, and ¼ teaspoon alum. Add more dill or dill seed on the top of the cucumbers, and fill jars with cold water, sealing in the usual manner. Tip jars after sealing to start the salt dissolving. Store jars in not too cool a place for a week or so. (Mrs. Marie Simanek, Walker, Iowa)

FRENCH PICKLES

Slice one peck of green tomatoes and six large onions together. Cover with one cup of salt. Let stand overnight, draining thoroughly the next morning. Then combine one quart of vinegar, two quarts of water, two pounds of brown sugar, one tablespoon of mustard seed, two tablespoons of celery seed, six sticks of cinnamon and ten whole cloves. Bring to a boil and add tomatoes and onions and cook for fifteen minutes. Can in glass jars. (Mary A. Donovan, Washington, Iowa)

SWEET PICKLES

Wash and dry medium to small cucumbers. Pack in jars. To each quart, add one teaspoon coarse salt and cover with a good vinegar. Seal. In five or six weeks they may be opened, but will keep for a year if left sealed. When you wish to use them, drain and slice lengthwise. Make a syrup of one cup sugar and one cup water for each quart. Add a few mixed spices to the boiling syrup and pour over the cucumbers and let stand about 3 days and they are ready to be used. For economy's sake, this syrup may be used a second time by adding more water and sugar and boil again to pour over another jar of cucumbers. No alum is necessary for crisp pickles.

Page 4 Top of Page

CHOW CHOW #1

1 gallon chopped cabbage
12 onions
12 green peppers
2 quarts chopped green tomatoes
5 cups sugar
4 tablespoons ground mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons mustard seed
3 tablespoons celery seed
2 tablespoons mixed whole spices
2 or 3 quarts vinegar

Chop onions and peppers. mix all vegetables with ½ cup salt and let stand overnight. Drain. Tie mixed spices in a bag. Add sugar and spices to vinegar. Simmer 20 minutes. Add all other ingredients and simmer until hot and well seasoned. Remove spice bag. Pack hot chow chow into hot jars and seal at once. Use vinegar according to desire for thickness of finished product. (Mrs. Odessa Finley, Cedar Rapids)

CHILI SAUCE

30 ripe tomatoes
3 large onions
2 red peppers
3 green peppers
4½ cups vinegar
2½ cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons all spice
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons mustard

Scald and peal tomatoes. Chop or mash to a pulp with onions and peppers. Place in kettle with vinegar, sugar, salt and spices. Tie spices in a bag. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Boil sauce until it begins to thicken. Usually takes about an hour. Place in bottles or jars and seal hot. (Mrs. Finley)

CORN RELISH WITHOUT CABBAGE

1 dozen ears of sweet corn
2 quarts tomatoes, peeled and quartered but not cooked
7 or 8 green peppers
4 red peppers sweet
6  large onions
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup vinegar
1½ cups sugar

Boil together 45 minutes and seal.

CHOW CHOW #2

18 green tomatoes
1 bunch celery
8 cucumbers
5 dozen small green onions
1 pound string green beans
1 cauliflower
3 red peppers
½ cup salt
2 quarts vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric

Dice tomatoes, celery and cucumbers. Skin onions and remove tops. Cut beans into small pieces, separate cauliflower into florets and chop peppers. Arrange vegetables in layers, sprinkling each layer with salt. Let stand 24 hours, then drain. Combine vinegar, sugar, and spices and heat to boiling, stirring well. Pack in hot sterilized jars and seal. Makes 6 quarts. (Mrs. Richard King, Cedar Rapids)

INDIAN RELISH

6 apples, chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
4 onions, chopped

Peel the above ingredients before chopping or grinding rather fine. Boil down to relish thickness in:

1½ cup vinegar
1½ cup white sugar
¼ scant cup salt or less if desired
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon dry mustard (Optional)

Seal in sterilized jars after desired thickness is reached. (Mrs. Earnie N. Hole, Wellman, Iowa)

SWEET PICKLE RELISH

4 quarts coarse ground cucumbers
2 tablespoons salt

Combine and let set for one hour then drain. Add 3 Peppers, 7 onions, and two teaspoons turmeric. Grind peppers and onions rather fine. Cook five minutes in:

6 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pickling spices (in a bag)

Seal hot with green food coloring added. (Mrs. John J. Barr, Manchester, Iowa)

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