The Niles Star

A glimpse back to the good ol’ days

By LOU LIEBETRAU
Columnist

Have you noticed how old habits can have the tendency to remain with you year in and year out? Those of you who lived through the Great Depression years … think back!

In most every household, there was at least one individual who knew (and employed) the art of mending clothing and darning socks, and I dare say perhaps even more households than today owned sewing machines, for it seemed to have been the custom of passing them down from generation to generation. These were not electrical, mind you, but operating entirely by means of your hands and feet, which is why they were equipped with a treadle. Pause here now and let your imagination run the gamut … I never recall seeing women – or even young girls – jogging in those days either, unless they feared being late for any appointment. Although I cannot for certain, but I do not believe that taxis even existed in those years. In the 30s and 40s, it was as though it was a different world where every man was a gentleman, and a chiffon scarf was a necessity with every outfit.

Though women had the right to vote at that time, about the best thing a girl could aspire to was meeting the man of her dreams, settle down to marriage, give birth to a family and dying a nonviolent death … all while perfectly coifed.

The preface of today’s column pretty well mimics the type of conversation that can often erupt when readers phone me with their recipes, household hints, etc. From such a simple denominator as sharing recipes, often friendships have known to be initiated. It is unbelievably reassuring and can even – in some situations – be immeasurably rewarding to converse with another individual (be they male or female) who shares your enthusiasm and love for cooking and baking. The art of food preparation of any type at all knows absolutely no gender barrier. The success of the venture depends entirely on the work and effort you exert to succeed. Unfortunately, there was a time and place in history when society seemed to irrationally relegate the female sect to any and all kitchen duties, whether they exhibited any culinary expertise or not. Just as you cannot judge a book by its cover, neither can you prematurely judge a man for his incompetence to achieve culinary success and deny him his God-given opportunity to prove his capability.

Obviously this must have been the attitude that some of our forefathers reasoned, for eventually the barrier seems to have been abolished and male chefs are being applauded for their proficiency in the kitchen a well as the art of mastering the grill.

Thanks to Beatrice and Tom – a local couple who own a cabin up in the northern woods – for sharing this next recipe with us. I thoroughly agree with you that it is most difficult to visit that area without returning home with agate and copper souvenirs. I trust that you also partook of their meat pasties? This is a form of food featuring meat and vegetables enclosed within a pastry-type shell, and served as a warm sustenance for the men who worked deep in the mines. The outer shells of these pastries resembled a regular pie dough and the inside consisted of meat and vegetables. Since this took place before the invention of kitchen foil, the housewives took them hot from the oven, wrapped them very snuggly in regular toweling to retain their warmth, and this was served as a piping-hot, nutritious meal for the men to enjoy within the confines of the mines. Note: Would any reader have an authentic pasty recipe they would consider sharing with me? Today, Beatrice is submitting Tom’s recipe for Baked Mountain Trout.

Baked Mountain Trout
Ingredients:
Trout
Lemons
Pepper
Butter
Salt

Directions:
After thoroughly cleaning the trout, place in on a generous portion of buttered foil. Line the entire cavity of the fish with patties of butter. Squeeze the juice of one lemon directly into the fish, they lay any additional slices of lemon inside the cavity. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Gently close the fish, then repeat the lemon, salt and pepper on the outside. Wrap fish securely with foil and grill for approximately 25 minutes.
Note: If you prefer it baked instead of grilled, simply set the oven heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until it flakes easily when nudged with a fork.
Gloria – I cannot prove this to be a tried-and-true method of cleaning every type of stain from your Formica, but try making a paste of baking soda and water. Place a liberal amount to completely cover the stained area, then leave it on for approximately 30 minutes before wiping off. Let me know if it works. – Lou.
A touch of levity – My friend and his wife were talking about their teenage daughter, Alicia. Frustrated by their rapid fire, simultaneous questions, Alicia threw up her hands. “Mute!” she said, pointing to her father, and then she told her mother, “Play!”
Claudia – Although I have not made of these coffeecakes in years, I remember it was one of my husband’s favorites.

Prune Filled Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup dried prunes
Butter
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. lemon rind
3 tsp. baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
Sugar
3 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Confectioners sugar icing

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Pour just enough hot water over the prunes to completely cove them. Let this stand for a good five minutes. Drain and chop off the prunes. Combine the chopped prunes with the cinnamon, three tablespoons of melted butter, two tablespoons of sugar and walnuts. Set the mixture aside.
Cream one-half cup butter in a large electric mixing bowl. Add one cup sugar, gradually beating well. Add the eggs just one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the lemon rind. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda together. Combine the milk and the lemon juice. Now, add the flour mixture and the milk mixture alternately with the butter mixture, beating to blend after each of these additions. Turn just half of the butter into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Spread the prune mixture evenly over the butter, then top with the remaining batter. Bake for one hour.
Cool. Remove from pan and drizzle with icing and decorate with walnut halves.
In reply to removing coffee stains – Usually the most successful method is by using club soda, but you may have to use several applications. Good luck.
Timely Trivia – Have you ever noticed how you never feel so alone as when you are the only one in the room who doesn’t get a joke?
Homemaker’s Hint – Although I hate to put a damper on an otherwise pleasant day, we are beginning to get news reporter and reminders that a flu bug is making its appearance in many areas. This presents no reason to panic, but every reason in the world to take a good look at your lifestyle. If you are eating three balanced meals, getting the proper amount of sleep as well as exercise, and washing your hands, dishes, pots and pans, you are already putting up a strong battle against germs. I do my best to avoid crowds, but resist getting paranoid over something you cannot control.
I can certainly tell what time of the year it is without even looking at the calendar, for so many requests are pouring in for dips and delicacies. Recipes using crabmeat seem to be exceptionally high on the wish list, but be prepared to part with quite a pretty penny; the last time I priced this item it was expensive.

Crabmeat Cocktail Fritters
Ingredients:
1 cup prepared biscuit mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
7.75-ounce can crab meat
Dash pepper
Dash salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. finely minced onions
Hot sauce to taste

Directions:
Begin by combining your biscuit mix with the egg, milk, onion, hot sauce, crab, salt and pepper. Be certain to blend this mixture together well, then drop the batter by teaspoonfuls into the deep fat that has been heated to 375 degrees. Fry the fritters just until they become a rich, golden brown, then drain on paper toweling and serve accompanied by bowls of your favorite sauce, such as cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or soy sauce.

Crab Meat Spread
Ingredients:
1 cup crab meat, flaked
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 tsp. powered mustard
1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 hot sauce
1 hard-boiled egg
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
Fresh garlic clove
1 to 1.25 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Dash monosodium glutamate

Directions:
Thoroughly combine all 11 ingredients, then immediately place them into the refrigerator. They must marinate for at least three hours.
Homemaker’s Hint – In reply to Arthur’s question regarding my opinion of sushi restaurants and bars, I must honestly admit that I am rather apprehensive about even patronizing them. Realizing that both salt water and fresh water can serve as intermediate hosts for parasitic worms, I still maintain that even through the fish that they customarily use for sushi are chilled to a temperature they can assure you is sufficient to kill any parasites, I firmly believe there still can exist a remote possibility of infection, and I am not willing to take that chance just to satisfy a brief gastronomic whimsy.
Note: I am still gun-shy  of that Japanese specialty referred to as “fugu” – puffer fish or blowfish, and perhaps rightly so for that is one of the popular foods that is capable of turning your dinner into a game of Russian roulette. All it would take is a mere slip of the knife during preparation and just one drop of the poison contained therein to bring on a paralysis followed by death. Perhaps that is why fugu is never ever served in Japanese homes, and before restaurant chefs can serve it, they must endure a seven-year apprenticeship before they can be entrusted with the preparation of the dish.
Timely Trivia -As you can see by the calendar, as soon as we bid this month of October adieu, we will undoubtedly be devoting much of our time to holiday baking, where we indulge freely in using ingredients in our cooking and baking which can be disastrous to our pet feline and/or canine companion. Please resist those big begging eyes and slowly wagging tail. Veterinarians have found that chocolate and cocoa contain chemicals that can be fatal to you cat and dog.
Did you know that Americans under the age of 35 are said to be spending 19.7 cents of every dollar they earn on debt payments? If this is the case, then we are undoubtedly outspending our income. It might be to our advantage to carry a little note pad and make a notation of each and every impulse item – no matter how significant the cost – we purchase for the period of even one mere week or two. Not only will we see how very quickly these items add up, but it will act as a mental deterrent to continue the practice in the future.
What better to adorn those forthcoming platters of holiday hors d’oeuvres than some succulent meatballs?

Burgundy Meatballs
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup light cream (not evaporated milk)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup burgundy
1 1/4 cups chopped onions
Salt as desired
1 well-beaten egg
Flour as needed
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions:
Thoroughly combine the meat the crumbs, onions, cornstarch, salt, eggs, cream and nutmeg, then proceed to shape this mixture into small balls. Roll balls in as much flour as need, then brown them in as small amount of fat as needed in your skillet. To prepare the sauce combine the burgundy  with the bouillon cubes, sugar and water, then place this mixture on the burner and let simmer, while stirring continually until the mixture becomes smooth and completely blended. Add meatballs to this sauce and allow mixture on low for approximately a half-hour.
Note: Best if place into a chafing dish to serve.
Homemaker’s Hint – For those of you who own an indoor four-legged pet, try placing a foam rubber pad on his or her bed. Your pet will be eternally grateful to you because a pad of this type tends to deter fleas.
Should your tastebuds lean more toward the flavor of a bit of sherry, ten perhaps this next recipe will be more to your liking.

Sherried Beef Balls
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 cups evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Crisco
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1/4 cup finely-minced onions
Dash salt
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. cooking sherry
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:
Combine your meat with the cornflake crumbs, just one-half cup of the milk, onions, chili sauce, salt and only one teaspoon of that Worcestershire sauce. Proceed to work the mixture into small balls and roll balls into flour. Brown evenly in the Crisco in your skillet, then drain thoroughly on towels. Drain excess fat from skillet, then return to heat. Combine steaming milk and Worcestershire sauce with soup and cooking sherry over a low heat in your skillet. Blend together well, then add balls and simmer until meatballs are cooking through.
I would urge all pet owners to take a photo of their pet dogs. This way should Rover rove or perhaps Romeo decides to roam, you can circulate the photo, and people can be on the lookout for a dog matching its description.
We are all aware that some of our special holiday plants are poisonous when ingested, but did you know this holds true of even our common philodendron?