Sour Cream Apple Pie

Recently we had family over for Saturday dinner. We enjoyed some family classics, including this blog's namesake, Spaghetti and Gravy. For dessert, I looked for a recipe that might be one that does not travel easily. I found this pie recipe, and it was perfect. The apple with nutmeg and cinnamon was perfect for Fall. And the sour cream lent the pie a tangy and creamy flavor. 

This pie is a great make-ahead pie because it is best served cold. When I made this pie, the pie pan was filled and some pie filling spilled out causing smoke and setting off the smoke detectors. Next time, I will bake the pie with a pan underneath to catch any drippings.

Sour Cream Apple Pie 

• 9-inch pie crust
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 cups diced apples
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Have pie crust prepared and placed in pie pan. Sift together 2 tablespoons flour, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar into a bowl. Add egg, sour cream, vanilla, and nutmeg. Beat to a smooth and thin batter. Blend in apples and pour into crust. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then at 350 for 30 minutes. Prepare topping by blending 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Remove pie from oven. Sprinkle pie with topping. Brown for 10 minutes in 400 degree oven. Allow to thoroughly cool, then refrigerate. Enjoy!

Strawberry Squares

These Strawberry Squares are a delicious treat. I found that I inadvertently bought an extra box of strawberry jello. When I saw this recipe in Mom's recipe box, I knew that I had give it a try. The squares are a nice treat, but they smelled more of strawberry than they tasted. 

These squares are sort of a strawberry version of toffee bars. When just out of the oven, the squares are soft. But you need to cut them quickly because that harden into a nice crunchy cookie. Although the recipe calls for almond extract, I realized too late that I was out of almond extract, so I just used vanilla. 

Strawberry Squares 

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
• 1 egg white
• Red sugar crystals

Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and gelatin gradually. Add egg yolk, extract; beat well. Stir in baking powder and enough flour to make a soft dough. Spread and pat down on a buttered 15x10 pan. Beat egg white with fork until foamy. Brush over dough. Sprinkle top with sugar crystals. Bake at 300 for one hour or until firm on top. Remove from over. Cut into squares while still warm and in the pan. Cool. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin

This sweet and sour pork tastes just like the dish you might order from your local Chinese restaurant. Mom loves Chinese food, so it is not surprising to see recipe cards for various favorites from Chinese restaurants. Growing up, sweet and sour pork or chicken was a regular part of our family's order. 

This recipe is easy to make and delicious to eat. While this dish might be more sweet than sour, it is delicious. The recipe calls for using pork tenderloin, but I used boneless pork chops. You could also use another meat or a non-meat substitute. I served this dish with rice, but it would also be good with noodles or bread.

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin 

• 1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1.5 pounds)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or oil
• 2 green peppers, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained

In a heavy saucepan, combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Blend vinegar and corn starch; stir into tomato mixture with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Brown pork in butter or oil in heavy skillet. Add green pepper, onion, and pineapple; brown lightly. Pour sauce over all. Cover and simmer about 35 minutes, or until meat is done. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies

Not long ago, I posted a sugar cookie recipe. Upon further search in Mom's recipe box, I learned that those previous cookies were not Mom's favorite sugar cookie recipe. When I found the recipe card shown below, I knew I found Mom's favorite sugar cookies. The recipe card was so frequently used that it is nearly impossible to read. Luckily the ingredients and their quantities had been retraced, so I knew what to use. It looks to me as if the original writing is my Grandma's handwriting, with the retracing done by Mom. As for the instructions, I remembered the basic instructions from the many times I made the cookies with Mom. These sugar cookies are classic cookies with a nice crisp taste. They are delicious dunked in coffee.

Sugar Cookies 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 pinch salt

In a large mixing bowl, blend butter, oil, sugar, powder sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Blend in baking soda, flour, cream of tartar, and salt. Blend dough well. Roll tablespoon ball of dough in sugar and place on baking pan. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Chocolate Creme Pudding

I have never made homemade pudding. Instead, I have relied on boxed instant puddings. When I found this recipe, I decided to give it a try. This pudding was delicious, but did not thicken up as much as I expected. I guess I will have to keep trying to make pudding to get it right. Even though my batch was not all that thick, it was delicious. With trial and error (and a lot of taste-testing), I am sure I will be come an expert at making pudding.

Chocolate Creme Pudding 

• 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1//4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Heat 1 3/4 cup milk in saucepan until bubbles around the edge. Combine cornstarch, salt, and cocoa in a mixing bowl; stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk and blend. Stir into hot milk. Add sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mix thickens. Beat egg until thoroughly mixed. Slowly stir some of the hot mix into the egg; stir back into hot mix. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened. Remove pudding from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool, stirring occasionally. Pour into dessert dishes; Refrigerate. Enjoy!

Hamburger Stew

This recipe makes a hearty and filling meal. To be honest, my stew was not very stew-like; it was a bit closer to a casserole. I think I could have added more tomato sauce, but I like that it was quite thick. 

Hamburger stew uses a lot of ingredients that you might have everyday in your kitchen. The key ingredients are ground beef, canned tomatoes, onions, carrots and olives. I do not always have fresh celery around, but I usually have cut up frozen celery that would work well in this recipe. The recipe calls for using whole olives, but I used sliced olives instead. I used just one cup of rice and found that it was enough.

Hamburger Stew 

• 2 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup pitted whole ripe olives
• 1/2 cup olive liquid
• 1 1/2 cup pasta or rice

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef and onion. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook for about one hour on low. Stir occasionally. Enjoy!

Thousand Island Dressing

Homemade salad dressing is easy to make and delicious, so I mostly make my own dressings. I found this recipe for Thousand Island Dressing in Mom's recipe box and decided to give it a try. I always enjoy Thousand Island Dressing, and this recipe is no exception. 

I was surprised to see that the recipe included chopped hard boiled egg. But a google search revealed that many older Thousand Island Dressing recipes include chopped boiled eggs to thicken the dressing. When I made this recipe, I used Heinz 57 sauce instead of chili sauce. You could also just used catsup instead of chili sauce.

Thousand Island Dressing 

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. chili sauce
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
• 1 hard cooked egg, chopped

Combine ingredients. Chill. Makes 1 2/3 cups. Enjoy on your favorite salad.