Molasses Cookies

 

The coffee and molasses blend of these cookies I imagine would make for a somewhat dark, rich taste. The ginger, cinnamon and sugar would most likely cover any bitterness the coffee might add. This recipe just might produce some interesting and unique tasting cookies.

Ice Cream Substitute

 

Reading over the list of ingredients and trying to imagine the consistency and taste of this recipe left me slightly cringing. This adds up to what today would be a sugar, milk and fruit smoothie. If that sounds good to you, so be it, but I would have to eat real ice cream or just go without.

Cranberry Salad

 

My first post about this recipe was from the view that maybe the person who wrote it was going senile because of the inclusion of celery. I had never heard of, or even thought about celery in Jell-O. When I told my wife about it she gave me a strange look like she had no idea why I was snickering. When I pointed out the celery she rather sternly informed me that it’s a normal and rather common ingredient in Jell-O salads.

So, I stand corrected. If you enjoy celery in your Jell-O this recipe looks like a keeper!

Raw Cranberry Orange Sauce

 

I don’t care for sweet sauce on meats but nevertheless this recipe is intriguing because of the pairing of ingredients. I have to say I have never heard of a cranberry, apple and orange sauce served over poultry, but for all I know it could be hugely popular with sweet sauce lovers on Thanksgiving.

Banana Cake

 

This sounds like a delicious cake. Adding the two types of sugar along with sweet milk would make for a sweet cake, while the chopped nuts would add a nice crunchy texture.

Maid-Rite

 

The first Maid-Rite restaurant was opened right here in Iowa in 1926 and eventually they spread to surrounding states. Their signature creation is a tasty loose meat sandwich. If you have never tried a Maid-Rite sandwich you need to come to Iowa and do so. If that is not possible you could try this recipe, with one warning: do NOT add “catsup.” They do not even serve ketchup as a condiment in the restaurants!

My recipe is to add two pounds of ground beef, one packet of onion soup mix and one can of chicken broth to a slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours, mashing and stirring the meat every couple of hours until it is broken up into tiny bits. Serve on a hamburger bun and garnish with onion, mustard and pickle.  

Giant Sugar Cookies

 

Using a coffee can as a cookie cutter would indeed make for some giant sugar cookies. As a side note, have you noticed how many recipes from the old box call for raisins? Were they used more back then? Maybe this family just really liked raisins.

Poor Man's Cookies

 

I was wondering why these cookies should have the name “Poormans Cookies,” as the ingredients seem pretty normal. Poking around on the internet I found a comment that explained they got that name because they contained no eggs, milk or nuts. Since they do contain sugar, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla and are topped with butter icing one could assume they would not taste poorly.

Apple Goodie

 

How could one resist a treat called “Apple Goodie?”In addition to the great name the fact that it includes apples, sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar AND the recipe came from your Aunt Ruby, makes it a keeper!

Cornflake Treats

 

I think this is the first recipe from the box that is untitled. I asked my wife what she thought the recipe was for and she immediately replied “Cornflake Treats,” with what I am sure I was just imagining was a hint of derision in her voice. I don’t like corn flakes and would naturally avoid any treat with them as an ingredient, but I guess I should have been able to figure this out on my own. She also pointed out that the white syrup mentioned is Karo Syrup.

I included the other side of this recipe because it might give a clue as to what the treats were intended for, or where the recipe came from. It is written on half of a pamphlet mentioning a chili supper, the Hawley Welfare Building, Villisca District, and logos for both the Campfire Girls and the youngest members of that group, Blue Birds. The recipe box came from Villisca, Iowa as explained in the introduction to this blog. The building mentioned no longer exists, but was in Des Moines, Iowa. Adding the rest of the information to our equation one could surmise there was a big Camp Fire Girls shindig in Des Moines that the Villisca District might not have attended, because the pamphlet also includes the words “Since we don’t” and “necessary funds.” My guess is there was a conciliatory Chili Supper for the girls at the Legion Hall in Villisca, where Cornflake Treats were enjoyed by all.  

White Cake

 

This looks like a pretty straight forward recipe for a homemade white cake. If you want to slather some frosting on it this is the blog to find a recipe for that. Just scroll through the archives where you will find, at this point, at least six recipes for various kinds of frosting.

Taffy

 

With just three ingredients this is about as simple as taffy can get. I read online that in the U.K. taffy candies are called chews. Not that anyone reading this really cares, but I think taffy is a more fun and colorful word than “chews,” which makes the candy sound like a chore, especially if you have bad teeth.

Molasses Taffy and Fondant Candies

 

Since the common ingredient between these two recipes is Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk my guess would be they were cut from a magazine advertisement for that product. The molasses taffy bills itself as the world’s easiest, which might be true. The fondant candies look pretty quick and easy to make as well, and they have several uses.

Divinity

 

Before coming across this recipe the only divinity I knew about had nothing to do with a kitchen. Some quick internet searching informed me that this is a recipe for candy, most likely from the American South. The instructions are pretty precise, but they matched the others I found online. All of the comments I read agreed that this is a delicious candy, so it might be worth a try.