How about a new twist on the traditional pumpkin pie recipe? This retro recipe from a Knox Gelatine cookbook may be just the thing to add a little variety to your usual Thanksgiving spread this year.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Graham cracker 9” pie shell
1 envelope Knox Sparkling Gelatine
¼ cup cold water
1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
½ cup milk
½ teaspoonful ginger
½ teaspoonful nutmeg
½ teaspoonful cinnamon
½ teaspoonful salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

To slightly beaten egg yolks add one-half cup sugar, pumpkin, milk, salt and spices. Cook until thick in double boiler. Soften gelatine in cold water. Add to hot pumpkin mixture, mix thoroughly and cool. When it begins to thicken, add remaining sugar and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into previously baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator. Pie may be garnished with whipped cream just before serving. Delicious served in gingersnap crust (make same as graham cracker crust—recipe below—but use a little less sugar). Chill thoroughly and pour in pumpkin mixture. This may also be served in pastry tart shells.

Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup powdered sugar
½ cup butter, scant

Crush graham crackers and mix with butter and sugar. Pat mixture firmly into pie pan. Place pie in refrigerator. Allow to stand for several hours, then fill with pie filling and chill.

This recipe sounds incredible, with great old-fashion, fresh flavor, so be sure to give it a look. It is filled with canned peaches, as well as fresh strawberries. So if you love fruit pies, this retro food recipe might be just what you’re looking for.

Peach of a Pie
Baked 9” pie shell
1 8-oz. pkg. soft cream cheese
3 tablesp. sugar
¼ teasp. salt
1 tablesp. milk
½ teasp. vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablesp. cornstarch
1 ½ cups strawberries, hulled, crushed
2 tablesp. lemon juice
1 ½ cups strawberries, hulled, halved
1 No. 2 ½ can (1 lb., 13-oz.) cling peach halves, very well drained

•    About 3 or 4 hrs. before serving: In a medium–size bowl, thoroughly blend cream cheese with 3 tablesp. sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla extract. Using back of teaspoon, carefully spread this cheese mixture over bottom and side of pie shell, bringing it well up on the side.
•    In saucepan, blend ¾ cup sugar and cornstarch; add crushed berries, lemon juice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until clear and thickened; cool; stirring occasionally.
•    Into cooled strawberry mixture, carefully stir halved strawberries.
•    Into cheese-lined pie shell, spoon about half of strawberry mixture. Then, on strawberry mixture, carefully arrange peach halves, with rounded side down and tilted slightly as shown in photo. Over and around peaches, spoon remaining strawberry mixture. Refrigerate.

Traditionally, a Baba au Rhum is a cake that is saturated with liquor, such as rum. This recipe uses a rum sauce and is finished with a sweet apricot glaze.

Baba au Rhum
2 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup water
4 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teasp. salt
2/3 cup cut-up citron or currants
Rum Sauce
Apricot Glaze

•    Grease 4”-deep 10” tube pan or 4-qt. mold.
•    Sprinkle yeast onto water in measuring cup; let stand 5 min. Meanwhile, into a large bowl, measure flour. Stir up yeast; stir into flour; let stand 5 min.
•    Into flour mixture, stir eggs; with spoon, beat 5 min.; let rest 30 min.
•    Gradually stir in melted butter one-fourth at a time, working it in with fork or spoon. Dough will ooze butter, but don’t worry. Stir in next 3 ingredients. Now, with blending fork or spoon, knead dough in bowl 5 min., or until smooth.
•    Turn dough into greased pan or mold. Spread evenly with rubber scraper or spoon. Let rise in warm place until tripled in bulk and nearly to top of pan. Then set gently on ovenrack (jarring pan may make dough fall) to bake. Bake at 375°F 40 to 45 min., or until brown and done.
•    Remove baba from pan to wire rack. When baba has cooled slightly, set on platter; spoon on Rum Sauce; let stand 2 hrs., while occasionally spooning over it sauce in platter. Then, just before serving, glaze top with Apricot Glaze. Serve, cutting baba into 1” slices.

Rum Sauce
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
4 thin slices orange
4 thin slices lemon
½ to 1 cup white rum

In small saucepan, simmer sugar, water and fruit slices, covered, 5 min.; cool. Add rum to taste.

Apricot Glaze
Press 1/3 cup apricot jam through strainer; combine with 1 tablesp. lemon juice.

This recipe is intended to be prepared at a soda fountain, but you can modify it as needed to suit your own needs at home. There are many exotic soda flavors available in the stores today. Try different flavors with this recipe, or change the fruit for something else and invent your own ice cream soda.

Peach Ice Cream Soda
1 ½ ounces crushed, fresh, canned or preserved peaches in syrup
2 scoops of peach or vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream (as garnish)
Carbonated soda water

•    Put peaches into a 14-ounce soda glass.
•    Stir into this a spoonful of ice cream or whipped cream.
•    While moving the glass with a circular motion, add a fine stream of carbonated water until the glass is ¾ full.
•    Float 2 scoops of ice cream into the carbonated mixture.
•    If the glass isn’t full, finish filling with carbonated soda water.
•    Garnish with whipped cream and top with a peach slice.

Makes 1 serving.

There isn’t anything that tastes more familiar and comforting than great old-fashioned strawberry shortcake.  This retro recipe has some great variations, to keep an old favorite new and fresh.  These suggestions include replacing the whipped cream with either ice cream (awesome on a warm day) or cream cheese (delicious and a little more elegant).  This recipe is sure to make your mouth water!

Strawberry Shortcake
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teasp. double-acting baking powder
¾ teasp. salt
3 to 5 tablesp. granulated sugar
1 teasp. grated lemon or orange rind (optional)
½ cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
About 1/3 cup milk
Butter or margarine
4 cups sweetened sliced strawberries*
1 qt. softened vanilla ice cream

*Reserve several whole strawberries for garnish.

Start heating oven to 450°F. Into mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar; add rind. With pastry blender or 2 knives, scissor fashion, cut shortening into flour mixture until like corn meal. Add egg, then enough milk to make easily handled dough. Roll or pat dough into 1/2”-thick round, to fit greased 9” layer pan. Bake 15 to 20 min., or until done.

To serve: Split hot shortcake; butter well; fill with some of strawberries. Top with rest of berries and ice cream. Garnish with whole strawberries.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Individual Strawberry Shortcakes: Roll or pat dough ½” thick; cut into 3” rounds. Place 1” apart on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 min., or until done. Serve as above, using 1 cup whipped cream instead of ice cream.

Heart Strawberry Shortcakes: Form dough into 7” circle; cut into 6 wedges; shape each into heart. Bake 15 min. at 400°F. Meanwhile, place 1 3-oz. pkg. soft cream cheese in bowl; add ½ cup heavy cream; stir until blended. Stir in another ½ cup heavy cream. To serve, split, then butter, hot shortcakes; spoon some of berries between halves. Top with berries and pass cream.
Makes 6 servings.

Among the wonderful comfort foods that many of us remember from our childhoods is the beloved cream puff. Now my mother never made them, but as kids we’d make a beeline to them if they were among the offerings at a party or bakery. Cream puffs are a delicious dessert that are sure to make any occasion special, so consider serving them yourself, for a taste of something retro.

Cream Puffs
½ cup boiling water
¼ cup butter, margarine or salad oil*
1/8 teasp. salt
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten

•    Start heating oven to 375°F. Bring water, butter, salt to boil. Add flour, all at once; then beat over low heat until mixture leaves side of pan and forms compact ball.
•    Remove from heat; continue beating to cool mixture slightly—about 2 min.
•    Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. After last egg has been added, beat until mixture has satin like sheen.
•    Onto greased baking sheet, drop 5 or 6 mounds of batter, 2” apart, swirling top of each mound.
•    Bake until well browned and puffy—about 50 min. Remove from oven; immediately cut 1 or 2 slits in side of each puff; return to oven for 10 min.
•    Cool on cake rack.

To serve:  Split cream puffs almost all the way around. Or slice off top of each. Fill with Cream Puff Filling. Or use prepared packaged vanilla pudding. Replace tops. Top with Hot Fudge Sauce.
Makes 5 or 6 puffs.
* If using salad oil, increase salt to ¼ teasp.

Cream Puff Filling
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ teap. salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ cups scalded milk
2 teasp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

In double-boiler top, mix sugar, flour, salt. Stir in eggs, then milk; blend thoroughly. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, 5 min. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 min. longer. Refrigerate until cold. Add vanilla; then fold in whipped cream.
Fills 6 cream puffs

Hot Fudge Sauce
2 sq. unsweetened chocolate
½ cup water
1 ½ cups corn syrup
1/8 teasp. salt
1 teasp. vanilla extract

In saucepan over low heat, cook chocolate with water, stirring 2 min., or until thick. Remove from heat; gradually add syrup, salt. Simmer 10 min., stirring often. Add vanilla. Serve hot or cold, over Cream Puffs.

The first day of summer is approaching and with that brings summer fun.

In my neighborhood on the first warm day we had this year, having the windows open was the first treat and the sweet smell of barbeque was the second.

Nothing beats burgers and hot dogs on the grill and the perfect accessories to serve them up in retro style are our deli basket sets. These nostalgic goodies just make cook-outs and parties even better.

So fire up the grill…I’ll take a medium well cheeseburger please!

Piggies In a Blanket

You haven’t lived until you’ve had Piggies in a blanket. The flip side of that is if you have Piggies in a blanket too much you may not live too long. Way before everyone was aware of the perils of fat, salt, cholesterol and nitrates, “Piggies” were in the regular rotation in my Mother’s supper arsenal.

To make Piggies you would start with a hot dog. Being in Lawrence, MA they where probably Essem franks. An excellent local brand with a natural crunchy casing. You slice the dog lengthwise about three quarters of the way through the dog. Now take a slice of Land O’ Lakes white American Cheese. Cut the slice in to quarter strips and stuff it in the length of the hot dog. Finish it off by wrapping a slice of bacon around the entire hot dog. Hold the bacon in place with tooth picks. Bake in the oven at 350 or so for about 20 minutes until it is all crispy and golden. Don’t worry about the melted crispy cheese all over the pan, that is just a bonus.

For a perfect side dish try Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese. After you prepare it almost to the directions, ( make sure the macaroni is very firm ) place in a casserole dish, sprinkle with a little bread crumbs and put in the oven along with the piggies. A big glass of milk and you are in heaven.

Piggies in a blanket are not something you want to eat to often but give them a try before they are banned by the food police.

Let us know how you like them.

TV Dinners

The phrase TV dinner was coined by Swanson’s in 1952. The first TV dinner consisted of a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, peas and sweet potatoes packaged in a segmented aluminum tray which could be heated directly from the box. It could then be served in the same tray without any extra dishes and it also fit nicely on a TV tray so you wouldn’t have to miss any of your favorite TV shows. Modern living at it’s best to say the least.

The concept was an instant hit and Swanson’s sold 10 million TV dinners the first year in production.Now if you want to put together your own version of a TV dinner check out our ceramic TV dinner trays. Great plate for serving all kinds of meals and just like the originals you can prepare ahead and freeze.

I was fortunate enough to have 2 very close friends growing up. One 2 doors down and the other 2 doors up. I remember being 2 doors up around meal time one afternoon. When asked to stay, I accepted. Whatever was in the oven smelled good to me so when we took our seats at the table I was intrigued with these silver trays with little compartments filled with food.

There was fried chicken, a vegetable medley, mashed potatoes and yes, even dessert!! Well I just thought this was the best thing. No table to set, no dishes to wash,(both chores which were delegated to me at home) and it was yummy.

When i returned home Mom asked…”how was dinner?” “Mom, it was delicious, we need to get some of these little packaged meals when we go shopping this week.”
Must have been the wrong thing to say…she stopped what she was doing and exclaimed…TV Dinners…Not In This House!!!

Now some 30 plus years later, as i stroll the frozen food aisle, I still stop and eye the Swanson’s dinners but realize that what I was most fascinated with was the trays they were served in.

On a trip to Stonewall Kitchen, lo and behold there sat the modern version of those TV dinner style plates. Heavy duty ceramic in pastel green, blue and white. Dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Now I have my own TV dinners (with homemade food of course) and I swear it just tastes better!!