Recipes by Arlene

Arlene is taking a break for a few weeks and will be “on holiday” until sometime in October. While she is gone, I will look through the archives and post some of the more interesting recipes.

• 6 1-inch thick pork chops
• 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 11-oz. can mandarin oranges
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar

Brown pork chops on both sides in butter/margarine. Drain mandarin oranges, reserving juice. Set fruit aside. Combine ½ cup juice with remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until pork chops are tender. Add orange slices the last five minutes of cooking time. Makes six servings.

• 2 pkgs. California Blend Frozen Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
• 8 slices American cheese
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• ¾ cup of melted butter
• 2 cups crumbled Ritz crackers
• ½ cup milk

Place frozen vegetables in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan. Lay slices of American cheese on top of the veggies and then layer slices of Swiss cheese on that. Mix the cracker crumbs with butter and sprinkle on top. Drizzle milk over the crumbs. Bake for one hour in a 350° oven.

• 1 cup macaroni
• 1 lb. ground round or hamburger
• 1 10½-oz. can tomato soup
• 1 15-oz. can chili
• ½ lb. cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni in salted water; drain and rinse. Brown meat and pepper together; add soup and chili. Mix well; simmer for 20 minutes. Add macaroni. Pour into 2-quart baking dish; top with cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until warmed through. Yields 3 to 4 servings.

• 1 rounded cup raw brown rice
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 4-oz. can mushrooms, drained
• 1 10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken broth (from bouillon cubes)
• 1 1¼-oz. package dry onion soup mix (reserve 2 tbsp.)
• 6 to 8 skinned chicken pieces

Spread rice, celery and mushrooms evenly in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Mix soup, chicken broth and dry onion soup mix. Pour over rice and vegetables. Place chicken on top of mixture. Turn chicken pieces once to coat. Sprinkle remaining onion soup over chicken. Cover and bake at 350° for 1¼ hours or until rice is done. Serves 6 to 8.

This also makes a good side dish if you just omit the chicken.

• 1 7-oz. can tuna
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• ½  cup salad dressing
• 2 tbsp. chopped olives
• 2 tbsp. chopped pickles
• 2 tbsp. chopped green pepper (optional)
• 2 tbsp. chopped stuff olives (optional)
• 2 tbsp. chopped onion (optional)
• Hamburger buns

Mix all ingredients and put in buns. Place on baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Heat in 350° oven for 20 minutes or 250° oven for 30 minutes.

From the December 1969 issue of ”Better Homes and Gardens” magazine.

• 2 tsp. instant minced onion
• ⅔ cup water
• 1 12-oz. can corned beef
• 8 oz. braunschweiger
• ½ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• ½ tsp. dry mustard

Soften onion in water for five minutes.  Flake corned beef with fork; add braunschweiger, mayonnaise, vinegar, dry mustard and the onion mixture. Place about ½ cup mixture in blender container; cover and blend at medium speed until smooth. Remove from blender. Repeat with remaining mixture. Turn into 3½-cup mold or bowl and chill. When ready to serve, unmold onto serving plate. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with crackers, rye bread rounds or crisp rye wafers.

Recipe is from the December 1952 “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. A hand-written note on the recipe indicates it was first made during the 1959 holiday season!

• ½ cup butter or margarine
• ½ cup shortening
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. water
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups enriched flour
• ½ cup chopped black walnuts
• Confectioners’ sugar

Cream butter to soften; then thoroughly cream butter, shortening and sugar. Mix in water and vanilla, then flour and nuts. Chill for 3 or 4 hours. Form dough in long rolls, ½-inch across; cut in 3-inch lengths and shape into crescents. Baked on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. (Do not brown cookies.) Remove from cookie sheet, cool slightly and dip in confectioners’ sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

• 1 4½ can deviled ham
• 1 8-oz. package softened cream cheese
• 8-oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp. minced onion
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke
• ¾ tsp. celery salt
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ cup chopped nuts

In a large bowl combine ham, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, onion, parsley, lemon juice, liquid smoke, celery salt and garlic powder. Chill until slightly firm. Form into a ball. Flatten top slightly and garnish sides with chopped nuts. Serve with stoned wheat crackers.

The original recipe first appeared in the September 1959 “Better Homes and Gardens” magazine.

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups sifted enriched flower
• 1 6-oz. package semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 cup chopped California walnuts

Thoroughly cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate and walnuts. Press mixture into 15½ x 10 x 1 inch jelly-roll pan. Back at 350 degrees for 24-25 minutes or until brown. While warm, cut into bars or squares. Cool before removing from pan. Makes about 5 dozen.