88-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 11, 2000
If you are looking for a recipe but can’t find it, send
your recipe request to Lou Ann Good, Cook’s Question
Corner, in care of Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609,
Ephrata, PA 17522. There’s no need to send a self-ad
dressed stamped envelope. If we receive an answer to
your question, we will publish it as soon as possible.
Check your recipe to make sure you copy the right
amounts and complete instructions for making the reci
pe. Sometimes we receive numerous answers to the
same request, but cannot print each one.
Answers to recipe requests should be sent to the
same address. You may also e-mail questions and an
swers to lgood.eph@lnpnews.com
Notice: Several readers write that they have
problems accessing this address. The common
mistake is that readers are substituting an “i”
for the lowercase “I (L)” needed in two places.
If you are having problems reaching this ad
dress, please check to make sure you are typ
ing a lowercase “I (L)” in both places and not a
lower or uppercase “i” or “I.”
QUESTION C. Faus wants to know how to
make homemade rice cakes. She writes they
are nice for wheat-free diets but expensive to
buy.
QUESTION E. King, Bird-in-Hand, wants
the recipe to make a dry mix for yellow cake,
and how many cups are used to make a
9x13-inch cake.
QUESTION Honda Merritts, Dillsburg,
writes that she used many of the cakes baked
in-a-jar recipes printed last year in this paper.
The baked cakes were a hit with her Christmas
gift giving list. She even gave them as a Y2K
joke. One guy she works with is saving the
cake for his ultimate black-out treat. Unfortu
nately, she lost the recipes and would like
them reprinted. Readers, send in your favorite
ones. These are different than the cake and
cookie ingredients that are layered in the jar,
which we have been printing.
QUESTION Mary Levy, Coopersburg,
wants a recipe in which raw cut-up pumpkin is
placed in a double pie crust and baked.
QUESTION June Berger, Annville, wants a
recipe for crumb buns, which tastes similar to
that sold at Mary Jane’s Baked Goods, Root’s
Market.
QUESTION A. Guidas wants old-fashioned
recipes for soups and chiiies and pumpkin fun
nel cakes. She writes that she has tried many
recipes from our readers and they have never
left ner down.
QUESTION An Airville reader wants to
know how to make smoked and sweet deer bo
logna.
QUESTION A long time reader is search
ing for a recipe for maple walnut fudge.
QUESTION - Carol Fulkroad, Millersburg,
would like a recipe for frozen yogurt, which can
be made in a 1 Vz-quart ice cream freezer
QUESTION - E. H. Martin, New Holland,
wants to know if it is possible to make your
own frozen bread dough. If so, does it need to
rise before freezing or is it shaped and then
frozen? A complete recipe would be appreciat
ed.
QUESTION Vera Moore, Gettysburg, is
searching for an oatmeal muffin recipe that
had been printed on the large Quaker oatmeal
box about eight years ago. The ingredients in
cluded applesauce and brown sugar.
QUESTION Since October is Popcorn Pop
ping Month, N. Kring, Somerset County, would
like a recipe for kettle corn, which is a sweet
ened. salted popcorn sold at county fairs and
festivals.
QUESTION Linda Fletcher wants a recipe
for roasted sunflower seeds.
QUESTION Marsha Wagner, Mount Wolf,
wants a recipe for the “Snickers” dessert
served at Shady Maple Smorgasbord.
QUESTION Helen Kofron, Claymont, Del.,
wants a recipe for ground beef barbecue that
tastes like that served at Shady Maple patio.
QUESTION A reader requested an old rec
ipe for clear bean soup made with fresh pork.
Cooks
Question
Comer
' QUESTION - Rachel
Musser is searching for a spaghetti sauce reci
pe that tastes similar to Prego pasta sauce
(traditional).
ANSWER Mary Long wanted to know how
to make a brine in which to preserve cucum
bers during the winter months. Thanks to Mrs.
Henry Swarey, Mifflintown, for sending a recipe
she used.
Put a layer of table salt in a container (crock
or any plastic container). Put a layer of fresh
slicing-sized cucumbers on the salt, cover with
more salt. Add as many layers as you wish. The
salt draws the water from the cucumbers, so
after a while, they will be in a brine and you
can also add fresh cucumbers to the brine.
She was told to lay fresh grape leaves on top
so it won’t mold. However, mold usually does
form on top, but it can be washed off and is not
harmful. Put a weight on top to keep the pick
les covered with brine.
About 3-4 days before ready to serve, re
move the pickles from the brine, dust gener
ously with clean wood ashes and cover liberally
with boiling water. Let set at room temperature
for 12 hours or more; drain; again cover with
boiling water. The next day, rinse your pickles
to remove all traces of ash. Add clear water
(cold is ok). If the pickles are nice and plump,
they may be cut into bite-sized pieces. It may
be necessary to change water one or two more
times until the pickles taste only slightly salty,
then put into a brine of 3 or 4 parts water to 1
part vinegar. Soak until flavored, then serve.
If cucumbers turn mushy soft in the brine,
they should be discarded. The pickles will be
really wrinkled but still have body.
ANSWER W. Elicker, Dillsburg, wanted an
old-time recipe for sour pickles. Thanks to H.
Swarey, Mifflintown, for sending a recipe.
Select fresh pickling cucumbers. Wash thor
oughly removing all tiny stems and spines.
Pack tightly into quart-size canning jars. Add
a level tablespoon salt to each quart. Make a
brine of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Pour
over cucumbers, filling jar only to 1-inch from
top. Seal tightly and bring to boiling point in
hot water bath.
Some people prefer to add a head of dill and
clove of garlic to each quart.
Thanks also to Rhoda Conover, Gettysburg,
for sending a recipe.
Soak small cucumbers (i-IVa-inches) in
salted water overnight. Next day for each
quart pickles, make a brine of a half quart
water and a half quart vinegar. Add 3 whole
grains Saccharin for each quart. Boil 3 min
utes. Pack into jars and seal in boiling water
bath.
Rhoda writes that Bessie would bring these
to covered dish meals. The pickles are very
good, not real sweet, and on the sour side.
ANSWER Shirley Schwoerer, Wysox,
wanted a recipe to make biscotti. Thanks to
Lee Laverty for sending the following recipes.
Hazelnut And Apricot Biscotti
4 cups flour
2Vz cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vz teaspoon salt
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, peeled, chopped
1V? cups finely diced dried apricots
2 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile,
into large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, bak
ing powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat to
gether five of the eggs, 2 egg yolks, and vanil
la. Mix the beaten eggs with the flour mixture
and add the hazelnuts and apricots.
On a lightly floured board, knead the dough
for 5-7 minutes, or until evenly blended. If the
dough is too crumbly to hold together, add a
little water. Divide the dough into four parts
and roll each of these into a cylinder 2-inches
QUESTION - Dur
wood Tuttle, Knoxville,
makes sweet pickles in
a crock that he stores in
a cellar. About three
weeks ago, a gray fuzzy
mold formed all over the
crock. He washed the
crock thoroughly with
bleach water but it
doesn’t keep the mold
from forming again. Any
help would be appreciat
ed.
Salted Pickles
Sour Pickles
Bessie’s Little Pickles
in diameter. Place two cylinders three inches
apart on each of two well-greased baking
sheets and flatten slightly. Beat the remaining
egg with the water and brush each cylinder
with the mixture. Bake in the preheated over
for 35 minutes, or until set.
Remove from oven and reduce the heat to
325. Diagonally slice the biscotti 3 /<-inch thick.
Spread the slices on the baking sheets and re
turn to oven for 10 minutes, or just until begin
ning to color. Let cool and store in airtight jar.
Apricot Biscotti
Vs cup butter
% cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
V* teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
% cup snipped dried apricots
3 A cup light raisins
1 beaten egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
Beat butter in mixing bowl with a mixer on
medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and
baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in as
much flour as you can with mixer. Stir in re
maining flour and fruit.
Divide dough into thirds. With lightly floured
hands, shape each portion into a 12-inch roll.
Place rolls 3-inches apart on a lightly greased
cookie sheet. Flatten slightly to 1 Vi-inch width.
Combine egg yolk and milk. Brush on rolls.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes
or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet
for one hour.
Transfer to a cutting board. Cut each loaf
crosswise into %-inch thick slices. Lay slices,
cut side down, on cookie sheet. Bake at 325
degrees for 5 minutes. Turn slices to the other
side and bake 5 minutes more. Remove cook
ies and cool on wire rack. Makes about 90.
Thanks to Debbie Reynolds, Wrightsville, for
sending the following recipe. She writes that it
is time consuming to make but well worth the
effort.
Almond Cherry Blscotti
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
Va teaspoon baking powder
Va teaspoon salt
V* cup cold butter, no substitute
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
Va teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
1 cup halved or candied cherries or dried
cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking pow
der, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resem
bles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, beat
eggs, milk, and vanilla until blended. Stir into
dry ingredients until blended. Stir in nuts and
fruit or chips. Dough will be crumbly.
Divide dough in half; shape each into a ball.
On ungreased cookie sheet, shape each ball
into a 10x2 1 /2-inch rectangle.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or
until golden. Cool 20 minutes. Transfer to cut
ting board. Cut diagonally with a sharp knife
into Vi-inch slices.
Place cut side down on ungreased cookie
sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Remove to wire racks
to cool.
ANSWER Pat Hancock, Md., wanted reci
pes for cookie mix in a jar. Thanks to Debbie
Reynolds, for sending several recipes. Contin
ue to look for more recipes in upcoming weeks.
Chewy Choco-Oat-Chlp Cookies
Layer the following ingredients in wide-mouth
jar:
V* cup granulated sugar
% cup oatmeal
Vi teaspoon salt
V* cup brown sugar
Vs cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
5 /s cup oatmeal
V« cup brown sugar
Vs cup walnuts
M&M’s (optional)
Coconut (optional)
Instructions to attach to jar:
Add:
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
Vz teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add mix from jar. Mix well. Drop by tea
spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 de
grees for 9-10 minutes. Makes 2Vi dozen.