88-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 29, '2003 If you are looking for a recipe but can’t find it, send your recipe request to Lou Ann Good, Cook’s Question Comer, 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 answers to LGOOD.EPH@LNPNEWS.COM QUESTION Pam Bange, Hanover, wants a recipe for cherry vanilla pie (like those sold at Nell’s Surefine Market In Hanover and East Ber lin. The cherry pie has almond slivers on top and vanilla flavoring. QUESTION Help! Recipes to make Easter candy are needed. Instructions should be com plete. Paraffin wax is not FDA approved so reci pes including paraffin cannot be printed. QUESTION Mary Houser, Spring Mills, re quests recipes using buttermilk and instruc tions for interchanging buttermilk with sour milk. QUESTION Jean Mitchell, Lewisburg, is looking for a recipe to make blueberry whoopie pies. QUESTION J. Howdyshell, Bridgewater, Va., would like to know how to preserve honey. She was given some honey on the comb and would like to preserve it for future use. QUESTION A reader would like a recipe for McKinley Pie and any history on the pie. QUESTION Nancy Wallace, New Holland, is looking for a place in Lancaster County where she can purchase fresh coconut that is already grated. She needs it to make Easter eggs and fresh coconut cake for Easter. Years ago, she writes, it could be purchased at farmers mar kets. QUESTION Peggy Thoman, Hanover, writes that her church is planning for the first time a pancake breakfast for Easter morning. She would appreciate recipes for various syrups other than the traditional syrups par ticularly fruit syrups. QUESTION Peggy Wilson, while reading a 1911 Inglenook Cookbook, found recipes that were mixed in a double boiler with boiling water underneath, then put in a fireless cooker. She would like to know what a fireless cooker is. Another utensil that was used to bake breads was called a Gem pan, and she asks, what is a Gem pan? QUESTION Eileen Schuler, Fleetwood, asks where chocolate confectioners’ sugar can be found. The ingredient was listed in the prize winning recipe for the Greatest Cocoa Cake contest at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Sever al other readers also inquired about this. We asked the person who baked the prize winning cake. She said it can be purchased at Weis Markets in the Adams County area. However, several people who looked for it in other areas, said that Weis did not carry chocolate confec tioners’ sugar. No problem, according to the champion, Krista Cunningham. She said, “Make your own.” She adds about Vi cup baking cocoa powder to a pound of regular confectioners’ sugar or more to taste. If any of our readers know where chocolate confectioners’ sugar can be purchased, let us know. QUESTION Richard Deckner, Quakertown, wants a recipe for a dropped Welsh cookie. QUESTION R. Diehl, Bloomsburg, wants a recipe for hamburg pin wheel with gravy. QUESTION Shirley Schwoerer, Wysox, wants to know if sesame seeds can be sprouted. She is familiar with alfalfa seed sprouting. QUESTION Ralph Kieffer, Halifax, wants a recipe for Aunt Flossie’s tomato soup, which he heard is printed in a Lancaster County cook book. ANSWER Peggy Thoman, Hanover, wanted unique syrups to serve with pancakes. Barbara Darby suggests serving flavored butter on the pancakes. Here are an assortment of flavored butter recipes she is sure you will enjoy. Cinnamon Orange Butter Cream together V 2 cup butter (at room tem perature), grated peel of one orange, 2 table spoons orange juice concentrate, 2 table spoons brown sugar, and Va teaspoons cinnamon. Strawberry Butter In a blender or food processor, blend together Vs cup butter (at room temperature), 6-8 medium strawberries, washed and sliced, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, and grated peel of one lemon. Strawberry Butter Two Cream 1 pound butter (room temperature) by hand or with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add IVa cups strawberry preserves and mix well. Add Vs cup fresh strawberries and mix brief ly, just until strawberry pieces are distributed evenly. Pumpkin Butter Cream 1 pound butter (room temperature) by hand or electric mixer. Add IV2 cups canned pumpkin, 1 teaspoon all spice and % cup honey for flavoring. Mix well. Orange Butter Follow recipe for straw berry butter two, substituting I V2 cups orange marmalade for the preserves and adding 2 tea spoons orange zest (orange part of the peel from i small orange) at the end. Blueberry Butter - Add IVa cups blueberry pie filling to 1 pound creamed butter. ANSWER David Manilla, Worcester, and his family have enjoyed roadside and firehouse chicken barbecues. He would like the recipe for the spray that is applied at several intervals in cooking. He requested a recipe for a non-com mercial rub that is not overpowering. Thanks to Mary Ellen Wisler, Waynesboro, for sending a recipe that she writes is very good. She brush es it on with a new paint brush, but it could be sprayed if placed in a sprayer bottle. Barbecued Chicken Sauce: V* pound margarine 1 cup vinegar Va cup water 2 tablespoons salt Vz teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning Cut fryers into desired pieces or use halves or fourths of chicken. When charcoal is hot and ready for grilling, place chicken on grill. Combine all ingredients for sauce pnd heat just enough to melt butter. When chicken is placed on the grill, cover well with sauce. Turn chicken after brushing more sauce on everytime you turn (about every 10 minutes). Allow chicken to grill about IV2-2 hours, de pending on size of piece and desired doneness. The more sauce that is brushed on, the better the chicken. Leftovers can be heated in a mi crowave with more sauce poured over it. ANSWER Joyce Shoemaker requested a recipe for caramel pudding. Here is one from Mary Lou Marlin, Port Trevorton. She writes that the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for those serving larger groups. V 2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon butter Va teaspoon salt Va teaspoon baking soda 1 quart milk 1 egg, beaten Vi cup cornstarch Put brown sugar, water, and butter in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt and baking soda, boil to hard ball stage. Add all except 1 cup milk (use that to make the corn starch paste). Add cornstarch paste when milk is hot. Keep stirring until well combined. Remove from heat and cool. ANSWER A reader writes that those who want to know where to buy chocolate coating wafers, a new farmers market has opened at 12025 S. Susquehanna Trail, Glen Rock. The candy stand has a fabulous assortment at rea sonable prices. The market is open Thursday and Saturday until 5 p.m. and Friday until 7 p.m. Phone number is (717) 227-8143. ANSWER Peggy Wilson, while reading a 1911 Inglenook Cookbook, found recipes call ing for graham flour. In the miscellaneous sec tion of the book she found that graham flour was listed as 20 pounds wheat flour, five pounds bran, and 2'A pounds short. Peggy wanted to know what “shorts” are. Thanks to Holly Lutz, Jonestown, who writes that accord ing to research, “short” means just that not quite the amount. Scant. ANSWER For a reader who wanted diabet ic recipes, here is one that was tried and liked from Pam Bange, Hanover. Peanut Butter Dessert (Diabetic) Crumble Layer: Va cup melted margarine 1 cup flour % cup crushed peanuts Mix and press crumble layer into 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min utes. Cool. Cream Layer (cream together): Va cup peanut butter 8-ounces cream cheese 8-ounces whipped topping Spread over cooled crust. Pudding Layer (beat together): 1 small box sugar-free vanilla pudding 1 small box sugar-free chocolate pudding % cup cold milk Beat for three minutes and spread over top cream layer. May also add whipped topping over last layer when ready to serve. ANSWER Margaret Koser, Lancaster, sent in these recipes in answer to Albert Condon’s request. Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies 3 cups melted shortening 1 quart buttermilk 5 pounds Pillsbury flour 1 quart Brer Rabbit molasses (green label) 4 tablespoons baking soda 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons ginger 1 teaspoon allspice 2 cups granulated sugar Melt shortening, add sugar and molasses. Stir over heat until sugar is dissolved over low heat. Take off, add spices, buttermilk, baking soda, and flour. Place spoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet. Brush with one beaten egg on top of each one. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes. Makes ap proximately 12 dozen. Pillsbury flour is a must, Margaret writes. She makes these a lot but never tried to cut down the recipe as the cookies are so good, dark, moist, and delicious. She shares them with friends and family on holidays and they love them. Soft Ginger Cookies 1 cup Brer Rabbit molasses green label 1 cup sugar 1 cup sour milk 2 beaten eggs 5 cups flour 1 teaspoon ginger Vi teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon Vi teaspoon cloves 1 cup melted shortening Melt shortening and cool. Dissolve 2 tea spoons baking soda in sour milk. Mix in order given, let stand 10 minutes, then drop by table spoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10-15 minutes. Frost with thin pow dered frosting. Makes approximately 65. Hershey Gardens To Open April 1 HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) Spring is in the air and that means Hershey Gardens is preparing to open for its 67th season, Tuesday, April 1. Conveniently located op Hotel Road in Hershey, Pa., and with half-priced admission through April 12, Hershey Gardens offers its visitors a chance to enjoy a spacious array of budding trees and shrubs, forsythia, daffodils, and other spring-time blooms all within a tranquil 23-acre setting. And, this year, Hershey Gardens’ renowned tulip display will include 100 varieties of over 30,000 tu lips, blooming from mid-April through early May. Barbara Whitcraft, director of Hershey Gardens, said that visitors often get ideas for their own gar dens as they stroll the grounds. “After this long, cold winter people are eager to get their own gardens started and are ready to enjoy the beauty of spring,” she said. “Our themed gar dens provide lots of inspiration for home gardening as well as a great way for everyone to celebrate this long-awaited spring.” Hershey Gardens’ 2003 season runs from April 1 through Oct. 31. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (April-Sept.), with evening hours until 8 p.m. on Fri., Sat., and Sun., Memorial Day-Labor Day. Oc tober hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $7 adults, $6.50 seniors 62+, and $4 youth 3-15. Mem bers and children under three are admitted free. The Children’s Garden at Hershey Gardens will open June 14. For additional information, please call (717) 534-3492 or log on to www.hersheygardens.org.