Shirley McMurtrie

Old fashioned cake doughnuts

I love freshly made cake doughnuts. It's ok to frost them when you've had your fill before they go stale. Coffee and doughnuts go together. However, they are not something you make often. When you have all of the family in-house, stir up a batch and make an extra pot of coffee.

Eggplant casserole

We package up our ground beef in 1/2 pound freezer bags. Several of our favorite recipes only call for a half pound of ground beef. There is a good casserole for 1/2 pound ground chuck.. Of course, you have to like eggplant. I do.

Pickled Tongue

Here is an old-timey treat. Of course, back in the day when most farmers butchered a pig in the fall the tongue never went to waste. Today, you would be hard pressed to find a pork or beef tongue anywhere on the meat counter. The butcher would need to order it for you.

Blueberry pie

Blueberries are best made into a pie or as a sauce for dumplings. I use the frozen ones unless fresh are available. It is worth stirring up a batch of pie dough. I like to serve Blueberry Pie warm.

Slow cooker meat balls

This recipe is so easy. There is no time wasted preparing meatballs. Start this recipe early in the day before your company comes. You have enough to do. By the way, if you have grape jelly and canned apple juice, you can turn to around and use 1 cup grape jelly and 1 cup apple juice. Who says we can't be adaptable.

Peanut butter and jelly bars

As i have said before, bar cookies are the easiest and quickest cookie to make. Who doesn't like peanut butter and jelly? These bar cookies are great

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY BARS
3 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup grape jelly

Milk 'n jello

If you have a sweet tooth, this recipe is for you. Use any flavor of jello you like. The kids will like it, too. This is a good way to get them to drink their milk.

Adoption in our house

I have three adopted children: Rick, Tom and Anne. This story is not about them. It is about my husband’s Aunt Orpha, his Uncle Bill’s wife. She was from northern Ohio and has been dead since the early eighties. I met her soon after I married.
Aunt Orpha was a sweetheart. She put up with Uncle Bill. I don’t remember if she had been married before, but I think she had. She was a favorite of mine. Uncle Bill and Aunt Orpha would come from Hillsdale, Michigan, to our house to watch TV.

Spanish rice

Years ago when i worked as a telephone operator in Angola, Indiana, i learned how to cook rice the South American way. A fellow operator had been married to a man from Venezuela. The main difference is how the rice is prepared. Her Spanish Rice had no meat. She just browned raw rice in a little oil and sauteed it a few minutes. Then she added canned tomatoes, onion and green pepper, cooking until the rice was tender. I understood this was the mainstay of poor folks' diet down there. Do i have you confused as to what is really Spanish Rice? It is whatever you want it to be. Try mine.

Tuna delight ball

Tuna is one of those "go-to" foods when you don't know what to fix for company. We usually have a tin of tuna on the pantry shelf. You probably do, too. The mashed potatoes makes it go further and softens the tuna flavor.

BANANA CREAM PIE

This is the banana cream pie i used to make for the Wednesday night suppers at Revival Vision Church of God. It is quick and easy to stir up.

Chicken pox

My doctor book says that Chicken Pox is a common, mild infectious disease of childhood. It also says that it is a rare disease in adults. That's what it says. The virus is spread from person to person by airborne droplets. Patients are highly infectious from about two days before the rash appears until about a week later. The rash consists of a mass of small, red, itchy spots that become fluid-filled blisters ina short time. After a few days, the blisters dry out and become scabs. That is, if you don't scratch them. Then you have a real mess.

Anytimee borsch

I like beets. It seems the fresh ones can only be found in the summertime. No matter, the canned ones are good, too. This recipe calls for canned beets. I will save the fresh ones to where they can star alone. A great soup for a hot summer day.

Cranberry Grape Salad

I am always looking for ways to fix table grapes. Grape go well with almost any other fruit. I never thought about using table grapes in a salad until a group from church took a trip to Cumberland Falls in Kentucky. We ate lunch there. They serve the most delicious grape salad. This recipe is tasty, too.

Cheese Spread

There are times you need a cheese spread. Rather than buy a jar, make your own. Then you will know wha's in there. If you are like me, you probably have all the ingredients on hand anyway. Try this one

White Bean Spread

Here is an easy dip or spread. You should have everything on hand to make this. Cannellini beans take other flavors very well. If you have any doubts, try this one on your family.

Asparagus And Egg Casserole

Fresh asparagus is available year around in the stores. But this is springtime. This is when asparagus is best. Pick up some at the Farmer's Market and try this recipe. Of course, you could use canned asparagus, but we all know that fresh is better

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