Mason-Dixon talks recipes

Kay and Ann are talking recipe boxes and asking people to share. I was just down South last week for Christmas with my Momma and I did indeed lay eyes on her avocado green plastic recipe box however it did not journey north with me as it is still needed down in the land of grits and smothered peas. I seriously need to get my hands on my mother's fiance's recipe for those peas. My sister shrieked, "What did you do to these poor peas!" when the dish was placed on the table Christmas Eve. I looked at them and said, "wow, I might actually eat those peas!" I believe mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and bacon were involved. They were damn tasty is all I know.

But back to the Mason-Dixon recipe boxes--here's my humble entry. It's not vintage, but it's full of cards marked "from Mom"

And here it is all tidied up with the one cookbook I consider necessary to life. The 1963 Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

This is the one cookbook my mother owned. Actually she still has her copy, this is my copy that I found in the Goodwill shop on 2nd Ave and 89th Street. Every time we made cookies, Momma would start by telling one of us to go get the cookbook. Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter the cook book was out on the counter. This baby is all I need. Worth it for the meat diagrams alone if you ask me. The pie crust/pastry recipes are awesome. I would have never known you could make a pie crust with salad oil if not for the one Thanksgiving when Gristedes was sold out of premade pie crusts and I had to figure out how to make pie crust myself. Flaky Pastry IV to the rescue. I haven't bought premade since. I've graduated to butter since that Thanksgiving, but there was something really satisfying about telling people that the pumpkin pie crust was made with salad oil!

Someday I will make the Curried Four-Fruit Bake. Maraschino cherries and curry powder! What's not to love?:

Or the Chocolate-Cinnamon Torte--I used to just stare at this picture when I was a kid, it looked so elegant and impossible!

But in the meantime there is always "Mom's Quiche", I'm sure it came off the side of a Bisquick box, and it's so yummy and easy. And was clearly written out so simply that her newly married daughter couldn't possibly screw it up.

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup Bisquick

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

12 slices bacon

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly greese a 10" pie plate

Cook bacon & crumble it. Sprinkle bacon, cheese & onion in pie plate. Beat milk, eggs, Bisquick, salt & pepper with electric beater until smooth (1 min.). Pour into pie plate. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown & knife in middle comes clean, let stand 5 minutes.

The pumpkin bar recipe comes from my mother-in-law's friend. Mother-in-law HATES pumpkin, but knows that I love it so she makes me pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars on the holidays. I thought that deserved a mention!

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