I am still alive! And, as much as I would love to be posting up on here, rather than moving (because, I don't know if you know, it's a lot of work), we still have another week of it. So, I believe that I will not be able to post up this week again. I am very hopeful that next week, starting August 1st, posting will resume. I have still been cooking, and taking pictures, but lack the time to put anything together, as we spent most of our time, at night, at the new house, putting stuff together.

I will see you guys on August 1st, with all new recipes!

We’re in the process of moving, and, right now we are mostly prepping the new house. So, all weekend, we’ve been painting like crazy, which has literally left me no time to cook, or, do much of anything else. When we went over to the new house late Sunday, to check on the kitchen paint, and move all the appliances back, Jake said to me, “I forgot to tell you, I found some old newspapers in the basement that have recipes on them. Want to use them for Retro Recipes?” Well, of course I did. I knew I planned to sit down and find one, I just hadn’t yet. So, we went downstairs and checked them out. And, this is what I found.

This is from The Times Newspaper, dated November 26, 1981 (I seem to be stuck in the 80s), and submitted by Wilma Hauck. I am a huge fan of Angel Food Cake. I always have been. In fact, just the other weekend, we had the most wonderful Angel Food Cake with pineapple in it, with whipped cream and strawberries, with homemade strawberry ice cream, and it was divine.


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I’ve had similar things to this, and I know they are super easy to make. Of course, I haven’t made this. But, if it sounds like something you might like, and do make, please snap a couple finished product photos and send to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. Full credit will be given.

Posts will undoubtedly be slow, or almost non-existent this week. We are finishing painting and trying to get a lot of big furniture moved. Hopefully next week, things will pick up, as I have new things from Michelle and recipes of my own just sitting waiting to be written and put together. But, I will try and get stuff up when I can.

I learned about roasting veggies, potatoes and other things from The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, on Food TV Network, a few years back. I love the fact that roasting has a powerful flavor and simplicity about itself. I have roasted many things with sheer joy since I watched her show. In fact, to me if you have never done it, you should.

There are 4 of us in my family and there is only one that does not like cauliflower. That would be Michael, yep, that’s right, I called him out. I made him something else (green beans) the night I made this. I have to be honest and say this was the first time I roasted cauliflower. I also want to be honest and say, there was NONE left. Between Chris, Hope, and me we ate all of it. I think Hope ate the most. It was gone - she made sure there was none left…Oink, Oink little veggie piggy.

This is by far a keeper for us three. I hope you try it, and, enjoy it as much as we did. Well, as much as Hope did. Oh, one last thing, Chris and Hope said they think a cheese sauce would have made it better. I’m not sure on that one, because the flavor was so unique, I wouldn’t want to cover it up with cheese. But, if you want too, let me know if you thought it was good.

Ingredients:

1 head of Cauliflower
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder/ or garlic powder

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I have absolutely no idea if this is the proper name for these. See, it’s not my recipe. I wish I had come up with it, but I didn’t. It’s been passed around, and around, and around. We got it from Jake’s dad, who got it from his fiancé’s sister. But, I think it fits. Unfortunately, because of this, I can’t really tell you where this originated from.

The first time we had these, Jake fell in love with them. He wanted to put them on everything. And, then, demanded we make them at our house. Sometimes he’s pushy like that. They are so good, I decided, this time, it was okay that he was being pushy. Thing is, this is one of those, recipes that's not really a recipe. I can show you the process, and you should feel free to use as much as you want. And, maybe, even play around with the ingredients.

What do you do with them? Anything your little heart desires. We’ve eaten them on hamburgers, smoked sausages on the grill, and with baked beans. We’ve even snuck a few, and just ate them plain.

Ingredients:

Vidalia Onions
Butter (or margarine)
Brown Sugar (dark or light – I used dark)

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I make sweet and spicy nuts around Christmas and New Years Eve time. Everyone loves them. Well, Jake really doesn't. But, most everyone else does. He gets weird when it comes to but, and only likes nuts that are salty. I forgive him for not liking good things. So, when I saw this recipe, it kind of made me think of him. Plus, we drink more beer in the summer, with the heat, than any other time of the year. I think these would go absolutely perfect with a nice cold beer.

This recipe came from All-Occasion Appetizers, Recipes compiled by Miriam B. Loo, and published in 1982.


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I really prefer making and roasting my own nuts, rather than buying them. You have lots of options when you do it yourself. I particularly like the addition or sunflower kernels and/or pumpkin seeds. Those happen to be two of our favorite to snack on.

We are super busy for lots of reasons, so I haven't made these (or lots of other things, for that matter). If they look like something you'd want to make, and do, snap a couple finished product photos and send them to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. All your hard work will be given full credit.

Unfortunately, for lots of reasons, this is not exactly how Jake’s grandmother would have made these. She kept a can of grease in her cabinets, from all things she fried. I do not. She used canned green beans. Again, I do not. But, I have tried to adapt her recipe to something that can remind Jake of her. And, these do. Not only that, this is the only way Jake will eat green beans. It may sound somewhat strange, but ever since Jake introduced me to these, I have fallen in love with them. Something about the bacon grease and sugar, just turns them into something magical.

We hadn't had these in a while, because for us, it's more of a treat than something we eat regularly. So, Jake ate them all. No. I'm not kidding. That's how good they are.

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans (16 ounces)
3 strips bacon
2 ½ - 3 teaspoons sugar

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Don't think you're going crazy (or that I'm going crazy), it is Tuesday. Obviously, this is not normally when I post up Retro Recipes. But, like many people, we had gone out of town for the Fourth of July, to visit with Jake's family. At one point, I thought of doing this prior to leaving, and then lost track of time. So, this will be the only week (unless Christmas falls on a Monday), that Retro Recipes will be on Tuesday.

With that being said, what I am about to share with you is special, and semi-retro. Is it as old as some of the others? No. It is from 1996, from the Security Federal Family Cookbook. One that since living up here in Indiana, I have made quiet a few recipes. And, I have loved them all. This is Red Hot Jello, and my family has it every Easter. But, it doesn't have to be reserved for Easter. In fact, I think it would make a great summer jello salad.


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It may sound a little off, to some, but I guarantee you, it's good. So, I haven't made this (in fact, even though I have it every Easter, I've still never made it), but if you think it sounds like something you might want to make, maybe snap a couple finished product photos and send to me at the e-mail listed under contacts. Full credit for your hard work will be given.

I am fascinated with grocery stores. Is that strange? Maybe. Jake doesn’t like going with me, because I literally go down every aisle, even if I do have a list (and most times I do). But, as I have many times over, explained to Jake, that list consists not just of the things I want to get, but things I do not want to forget. I always get things that aren’t on my list. It’s my nature. This time, however, it paid off. I’m always looking for new stuff that I haven’t seen before. So, when going down the frozen food section, I came across this Buitoni Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce. I have Jake hooked on Butternut Squash Ravioli. I plan to make my own for the website, but, I haven’t gotten around to it (like many other things). It’s obviously more time consuming than just picking this up. So, last night we ate this, with salad. And, now, I’m gonna tell you all about it, just in case you were wondering if it was good.

Here’s the package: