88-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 24, 2003
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 answers to
LGOOD.EPH@LNPNEWS.COM
QUESTION R. Schrum, Dover, wants a rec
ipe with instructions on how to can zucchini
that tastes like pineapples.
QUESTION Joyce Shoemaker wants a reci
pe using Club crackers or Saltines that tastes
almost like peanut brittle. She thinks the crack
ers have slivered almonds on top.
QUESTION Yvonne Scantling, Wrightsville,
writes that as a girl in the 19505, her family
purchased goat’s milk taffy at the F.W. Wool
worth Stores in Columbia and Lancaster. The
taffy came in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry
flavors. It was made in large sheets
15x15-inches and weighed about five pounds
each, she estimates. A hammer was used to
break the taffy whenever it was purchased.
Yvonne would love to have the recipe to make
the delicious taffy. Woolworths only sold it dur
ing the summer months.
QUESTION A reader from Wellsville wants
a recipe for macaroni salad that tastes like that
manufactured by Winter Gardens Salads, New
Oxford.
QUESTION Make sure you send in your
recipe to be eligible for prizes in the June Dairy
Month Drawing. Check for details in this sec
tion.
QUESTION Robert Loss, Middleburg,
wants a recipe for soupies. He wants the exact
ingredients, press time, and cure time. He re
quests an actual recipe and not advice to con
tact a sausage association.
QUESTION Brenda Weidenhammer,
Schuylkill Haven, is looking for a recipe to make
fig bars that taste similar to Fig Newtons.
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 Jean Mitchell, Lewisburg, is
looking for a recipe to make blueberry whoopie
pies.
ANSWER Dorthy Bauman, Philadephia,
needs recipes for a gluten-free diet. Her daugh
ter has a health problem that prevents her from
eating gluten. Thanks to Thane LaFollette for
recommending the cookbook, “The Gluten-Free
Gourmet Living Well Wtihout Wheat,” which is
sold at major bookstores. Thane writes that this
book not only has recipes but a list of stores
that sell gluten-free products. Here is one of
the recipes from the cookbook to help you
adapt your regular recipes. For each cup of
wheat flour listed in a regular recipe, substitute
the following.
7 /s cup rice flour
5 /s cup potato starch flour
1 cup soy flour plus Va cup potato starch
flour
1 cup corn flour
1 cup fine cornmeal
ANSWER Shirley Schwoerer, Wysox, re
quested a recipe for mock pecan pie, which
uses oatmeal in place of nuts. Thanks to Char
lotte Vanßuskirk, Halifax, for sending the fol
lowing recipe.
Oatmeal Pie
(Mock Pecan Pie)
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
% cup sugar
% cup white Karo syrup
% cup uncooked oatmeal
Stir together ingredients and pour into un-
baked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees until
brown and firm about 45 minutes.
Thanks to E. High, Ephrata, and Levina Fish
er, Mifflin, for sending similar recipes.
Mock Pecan Pie
V* cup butter
V 2 granulated sugar
1 cup molasses
V* teaspoon salt
3 eggs, well beaten
Vi cup coconut
Vi cup oatmeal
9-inch unbaked pie shell
Cream butter to soften. Add sugar gradually
and cream until fluffy. Add eggs, stir in coconut
and oatmeal. Pour into unbaked pastry shell.
Bake at 350 degrees.
ANSWER A. Weaver requested cracker
and pretzel recipes. Thanks to Charlotte Van-
Buskirk, Halifax, for sending a plain cracker
recipe, and to another reader for sending a rec
ipe to make graham crackers and to make pret
zels. Also, thanks to Yvonne Scantling, Wrights
vilie, for sending similiar recipes and one for
French crackers, which she writes are more ex
pensive to make.
Homemade Crackers
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
Vs cup water
Mix together like pie dough, turn onto slightly
floured surface. Roll with rolling pin until very
thin. Cut into square and prick several times
with a fork. Bake on bottom rack in a
400-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove and
place on top rack. Increase temperature to 450
degrees to brown crackers. Immediately salt to
taste when removed from oven.
Graham Crackers
6 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Vs teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
% cup brown sugar
Vs cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla or cinnamon
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Work
in shortening. Add vanilla to milk and stir into
mixture to make a dough. Roll out thin; prick
with a fork. Cut cracker size. Bake in 350 de
gree oven for 10-12 minutes.
Hard Pretzels
1 cake yeast or 1 tablespoon dry yeast dis
solved in I V* cups water
Add:
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
% cup butter, melted
Blend in:
4 cups flour
Knead dough until smooth. Cut into small
pieces. Roll into ropes and twist into desired
shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets.
Brush pretzels with one beaten egg. Sprinkle
with coarse salt. Bake immediately in
425-degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until
browned. Pretzels keep well for several days.
French Crackers
4 cups flour
4 cups granulated sugar
Vb cup butter, softened
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons thick buttermilk or sour milk
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in milk
Sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on top
Cream sugar and butter. Add egg yolks, milk,
and baking soda. Mix well. Add flour. Roll thin
and cut with cookie cutters or into squares.
Beat 2 extra egg yolks. Brush a little of the yolk
on top of each cracker. Mix sugar and cinna
mon and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees
until lightly browned (about 8-10 minutes).
ANSWER M.J. Wade wanted recipes to
make fruit roll-ups from natural ingredients.
Thanks to Ruth Shirk, Lebanon, for sending the
following recipes that her family likes to eat.
She recommends experimenting with other
fruits your family likes.
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups
Strawberry Puree in blender fresh straw
berries. Add 1 cup sugar to each 8 cups puree.
Pour 2 cups puree on each round tray in food
dryer. Dry on high for 12 hours, either all day or
all night.
Tear into serving-size pieces. Place on sheet
of plastic wrap and roll up. Freeze for later use.
Good for lunch boxes.
Pear Cook peeled pears until soft. Puree
in blender. Add 1 cup sugar to 8 cups pureed
pear. Following drying instructions for straw
berry roll-ups.
Grape Cook concord grapes, put through
food mill to remove seeds and shells. Add half
and-half with applesauce. Add 1 cup sugar to 8
cups blended puree. Follow drying instructions
for strawberry roll-ups.
Here are some recipes for fruit leather from
another reader.
Use overripe fruit and puree in either food
mill or blender. To each five pints of puree, add
1 cup sugar and Vz teaspoon ascorbic acid to
prevent fruit from darkening. Place ingredients
in double broiler and cook at 180 degrees for
10 minutes. Pour into a shallow pan sprayed
with nonstick coating. Spread to Vo-inch thick
ness. Set in sun for at least 24 hours, (you can
finish drying in a drying cabinet for a brighter
color. The mixture should be dry enough to pull
off in a whole sheet. Cut into pieces and wrap
in plastic, roll, and wrap again. Keep in refriger
ator or freezer. If frozen, keeps one year.
Strawberry Leather
About 3 cups fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Place strawberries in container of an electric
blender; process until smooth. Measure 2 cups
strawberry puree; stir in lemon juice and corn
syrup.
Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with heavy
duty plastic wrap, and tape plastic wrap to pan
at corners. Pour pureed strawberry mixture into
prepared pan and spread, leaving a one-inch
margin on all sides. (Adjust the size and shape
of the pan, if necessary, to fit your dehydrator.
Keep the layer of strawberry mixture at the
same thickness.
Dry in convection oven or dehydrator at 150
degrees for TVz-S hours or until surface is dry
and no longer sticky.
Remove leather from pan while still warm;
beginning with short end, roll up jellyroll fash
ion. Cut into logs and wrap in plastic wrap.
Yield: 5 (2-inch) logs.
Thanks to Mrs. James Zimmerman, Ephrata,
for sending the following recipes:
1 gallon apricots, peaches, or nectarines
Vz cup unsweetened pineapple juice
Honey to taste
3 teaspoons almond extract (optional)
Place pitted fruit and juice in heavy pot,
cover, and cook on low until soft. Drain juice
well (makes a good drink). Put through blender.
Sweeten to taste. Add extract. Should be as
thick as apple butter. Spread on paper-lined
cookie sheets V4-inch thickness. Heat at 120
degrees leaving oven door slightly open for
moisture to escape. When dry enough to be lift
ed, put on racks to dry on both sides. Dust
lightly with corn starch until all stickiness has
disappeared.
Apple Fruit Leather:
1 gallon apples
1 Vz cups cider
Honey to taste
Cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg to taste
Follow directions for fruit leather.
Mrs. Zimmerman writes that she pours 1
quart applesauce on lined cookie sheet and
dries according to above directions. If it is diffi
cult to remove the waxed paper, hold wax
paper sice over steaming teakettle until warm.
Pulls off easily, but be careful not to steam your
hands. Her children love this.
ANSWER Bob Snyder, Akron, Ohio, wanted
a recipe for rivel soup. Thanks to Vera Bur
kholder, Leola; Yvonne Scantling, Wrightsville,
and others for sending recipes.
Rivel Soup
1 Vb cups flour
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter
1 Vz teaspoon salt
Parsley, corn, fried bacon, onion soup, op
tional
Heat 1 1 A quarts milk to boil. Note: milk must
boil. Drop the batter in with a fork. Turn off
heat and cover soup until ready to serve.
Rivel Soup
2 cups flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Va cup celery
Va cup finely chopped onion
2 eggs
V/a pounds beef cut into cubes or more if
one likes a lot of meat
5 quarts water
3 tablespoons parsley
Boil the beef until well done. In meantime,
mix flour, salt, and eggs by rubbing them to
gether. Add a little water if more liquid is de
sired. Rub until desired size. Some like larger
rivels and some like smaller ones. When beef is
done, add celery and onions. Add the rivels, a
little at a time, stirring after each addition.
Slowly cook 35-45 minutes or until rivels are
thoroughly cooked. Add parsley Just before
serving.
2 cups cooked rice may be added if desired.
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Fruit Leather
Fruit Leather