Bi6*Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 12, 1992
(Continued from Page BIS)
The members of the Grange
teamed how profitable selling
cookbooks could become. But it
wasn’t until the early ’sos that
another cookbook was assembled
and sold. Since then the famous
white-covered cookbook and the
current red-covered cookbook
have been published in 1972 and
1984, respectively. Both the white
and the red have sold well over
130,000 copies each.
Miriam Forney, a membher of
Star Grange and chairwoman of
the red cookbook, feels the
Grange cookbooks are so popular
because they reflect local ways of
cooking.
“Our cookbooks are popular
because they go back to the basic
recipes, not boxes and mixes.
Most start from scratch,” says
Women’s Activities Director
Becky Michalka.
Forney and Michalka both said
a lot of work goes into preparing a
cookbook more than most peo
ple realize.
“You say you’re publishing a
cookbook and people expect it to
be out and ready to sell the next
week,” Michalka commented. For
this new cookbook, she received
more than 4,000 recipes. That
number had to be brought down to
about 1,000 to fit into the
cookbook.
Cookbooks have changed quite
a bit since when the first Grange
cookbook was published, notes
Forney. The first cookbook might
say a pinch of this and a pinch of
that. Today most cooks want to
have specific measurements so
their recipe comes out right. But
lifestyles have also changed.
“Today you need to include
Multi Fuel Furnaces
& Boilers
Wood, Coal & Oil
sbeqsshb
‘ '\
H 1
Hand fired wood & coal models
also available for central heating. ■
PENN MFG. CO.
393 W. Lexington Rd., Litilz, PA 17543
Call (717) 626-1397 or 627-2303
Grange Cookbook
low-fat and low-sugar recipes as
well as microwave recipes for
today's young couple who wants
to cook fast meals for their fast
paced lives,” Forney said.
The Pennsylvania State Grange
cookbooks aren’t restricted to
Pennsylvania. Copies of the book
can be found in states across the
country. Lola Meffort, of Bell
Flower, CA, has been baking and
cooking for 45 years. She owns
over 250 cookbooks and time and
time again returns to the Pennsyl
vania State Grange cookbooks.
“I’ve won first place at the Los
Angeles County Fair (the largest
fair in the world) with Grange jam
bars, lemon tart bars, and brow
nies,” Mefferd said. “And I won
first runner up in the California
Crisco Pie Bake Off with a lemon
pie recipe from the book.”
Mefford, a regular contributor
to the Los Angeles times food sec
tion, even aroused the interest in
die Pennsylvania Grange cook
book from a free-lance writer at
the paper. After trying some of the
recipes, the free-lance winter “had
to get a copy.”
Stories are told of how the
cookbooks pass down from gener
ation to generation. And their
popularity continues. Cookbooks
are the number one selling kind of
book, next to the Bible, and the
Pennsylvania Grange cookbooks
are just as popular as any. If you
would like information for order
ing a book please call
1-800-552-3865.
Praline Brunch Toast
8 eggs
l'/i cups milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 V* -inch thick slices of French
bread
14 cup butter
'A cup packed brown sugar
'A cup maple syrup
14 cup chopped pecans
Beat eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon
brown sugar and vanilla in bowl.
Pour half the mixture in 9x13-inch
dish. Layer bread slices over mix
ture. Pour remaining egg mixture
over top. Chill, covered, for sever
al hours to overnight. Melt butter
in 9x13-inch baking dish. Stir in
'A cup brown sugar and maple
syrup; sprinkle with pecans.
Remove bread slices from egg
mixture and layer over sugar mix
ture. Pour any remaining egg mix
ture over top. Bake at 350 degrees
for 30 to 35 minutes or until
puffed and golden. Yield: 4
servings.
Ham Crepes Ensenada
12 thin slices of ham
12 flour tortillas
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese,
cut into Vi -inch sticks
14-ounce can green chilies, cut
into 14 -inch strips
14 cup flour
14 cup melted butter
1 quart milk
3 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
14 teaspoon salt
14 teaspoon pepper
Paprika to taste
Place 1 slice of ham on each
tortilla. Top each with 1 stick
Monterey Jack cheese and 1 chili
strip. Roll up; secure with wooden
picks. Place in greased 9x13-inch
baking pan. Stir flour into melted
butter in saucepan. Add milk,
Cheddar cheese, mustard, salt and
pepper. Cook until blended and
smooth, stirring frequendy. Pour
over crepes. Sprinkle with papri
ka. Bake at 350 degrees for 45
minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
Best-Loved Lemon Bars
1 cup butter or margarine,
softened
Vi cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups flour
'A teaspoon salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 cups sugar
'/< cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar
Combine butter, 14 cup confec
tioners’ sugar, 2 cups flour and
salt in bowl; mix to form soft
dough. Press evenly into
ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for IS to 20
minutes or until gold brown.
Reduce oven temperature to 325
degrees. Combine eggs, lemon
juice, lemon rind, sugar and 'A
cup flour in bowl; mix well.
Spread over baked layer. Bake for
25 minutes longer or until set
Cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with
additional confectioners’ sugar.
Cut into bars. Yield: 3 dozen.
Since 1966, members of the
National Christmas Tree Associa
tion have presented a beautiful,
fresh Christmas tree to the Presi
dent and First Family. This tree is
displayed each year in the Blue
Room of the White House.