Mom’s Recipe Box, Part Two: Summer Entertaining

I have recently inherited my Mom’s recipe box. It is the box that sat on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen of every house we lived in. The decoration on the outside of this metal box looks like a 1960's MOD interpretation of an Art Deco floral pattern. The background is black, the flowers are red, blue, orange, yellow and white. The inside holds the larger sized index cards. I can tell that my Mom must have bought it in a fit of organization as the very back of the box is packed full of extra, blank cards.
Most of the cards are in either her handwriting or my sister’s. I think that I have identified the very last recipe card she ever wrote. It is stuffed into the front of the box, out of order. Extra large cursive letters reveal that she was losing her eye site at the end. Only the name of the recipe, a list of ingredients, time and temperature are listed. It is for her favorite dessert, custard, the ultimate nursery comfort food.

As I continue to search through the box I realize that its contents reflect the many phases of her life. There are diet recipes, party recipes, recipes from aunts, recipes that I can remember her making (mostly cookies or gooey desserts) and recipes that I can’t imagine her ever attempting - crepes? I study each card carefully to see if it reveals anything about the occasion she made it for but I can’t find any comments beyond ‘very good’ or ‘from Pat’s Party’.

It seems time to give her recipes an airing and to give them the attention they deserve. The recipes below are all appropriate for the warm summer months ahead. As all of the recipes that bear my sister’s signature suggest: Enjoy!

SWEET AND SOUR BEAN SALAD
2 cans green beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can pimento, diced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into rings
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. Salt
One half cup cider vinegar
One half cup tarragon vinegar
Two thirds cup sugar
One half cup vegetable oil
Black pepper to taste

Drain and rinse beans. Combine with pimento and red onion. Crush garlic into salt. Combine with vinegars, sugar, vegetable oil and black pepper in glass jar. Cover and shake until well blended. Pour over salad and marinate overnight.
KM NOTE: Try this with fresh green beans that have been blanched. Use a really large jar and add the salad ingredients into the dressing. Cover and refrigerate. Great for a picnic.

ASIAN SALAD DRESSING
1 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Pour ingredients into pint size jar. Cover and shake thoroughly.
KM NOTE: This would be great to toss with grilled vegetables. Serve room temp.

BAR B QUE SAUCE
One half cup Karo syrup
2 tablespoon prepared mustard
One third cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
One fourth cup onion, minced
One teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Great as a basting sauce for chicken.

AUNT ELSIE’S TERIYAKI SAUCE
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix well. Use as a marinade for chicken.

COLD CHICKEN AND RICE SALAD
1 package chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni, prepared and cooled
3 green onions, sliced
One half cup mayonnaise
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained (reserve marinade), and chopped
1 small can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
One half teaspoon curry powder.

Stir together mayonnaise, reserved artichoke marinade and curry powder. Combine with Rice-A-Roni and green onions. Serve cold. KM NOTE: Be careful with salads that contain mayonnaise.They must be kept cold at all times.

CORN FRITTERS
One and one-half cups whole corn kernels
One half cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Add vegetable oil to a large frying pan. When hot, add a few tablespoons of corn mixture to oil. Fry 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly brown.

Comments

[Culinary Muse]

Hi Anne,
so glad that you enjoyed the recipe!

[Anne @ Pink Galoshes]

Best recipe for corn fritters! Thanks so much for posting.

[Duey Baab]

Hi Karletta,

I'm working on a new show called "Dear Food Network" and was wondering if you would post our casting info on your site and/or pass it on to family and friends. We are looking for interesting people to ask their favorite FN chefs questions about grilling. Here's the info and thanks!

Grilling Fans can be on Dear Food Network!

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Have a question about global grilling (tandoori, Italian, Korean), improving an All-American dishes (hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken), seafood, or how to make a tasty dessert on the grill? Our Food Network stars are here to help improve your recipes and grilling skills!

We’re looking for fun, creative 20-second videos (DVD or MiniDV) to incorporate into the show.
But First- For video guidelines please contact me at foodnetworkseries@gmail.com !

Also send us your stats (name, age, city/state, living situation, contact info) plus a recent photo, a little about yourself, and your cooking questions.

The best questions/videos will be used on the show and some people will get to have their question answered in person by his or her favorite chef!
Please send your DVD or MiniDV to:

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Att: Dear Food Network
110 Leroy Street
7th Fl.
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All entries must be received no later than Monday December 8th.

[Deborah Dowd]

What a treasure! A friend of mine recently inherited an huge collection of family recipe cards with tons of her family's favorite recipes. This kind of family history is so overlooked and is one of the reasons I started my blog-to make sure that many of our family favorites will be there for my family.