HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING MIX

This recipe is one of the best I've ever tasted for flavorful, Italian dressing. It is always fresh because you can make the dry mix up ahead of time and add the oil, vinegar and water when you want dressing. The recipe can be doubled, tripled etc. so you have some to store for later. I love the fact that I know exactly what is in this dressing and it is free from preservatives and artificial flavorings. Plus the fact that it costs mere pennies per serving makes me pretty happy too!

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoon dry pectin (a thickener found in the canning section of the store)
pinch ground oregano

1) Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Extra mix should be stored in a sealed glass container indefinitely until needed.

2) To make salad dressing, pour 1/4 cup vinegar into a jar or dressing cruet. Add 3 Tablespoons of water and one portion of the dressing mix. Shake vigorously with the top or lid firmly in place. Add 1/2 cup oil and shake until completely blended. Makes 8-10 servings.

**** I like to use extra virgin olive oil for the oil in this recipe. It makes the dressing a bit of a yellow color, but I think it is worth the extra health benefits of the olive oil.

INARCO E4095, 8 Inch Lady Head Vase, Circa 1960's.

HONEY WHEAT BREAD

This is an excellent wheat bread recipe that is just a bit sweet with hearty flavor and so simple to make! With store bought bread prices anywhere from $2.00-4.00 a loaf and the fact that they are filled with preservatives, dough conditioners, and a bunch of chemicals I can't even pronounce, I get excited whenever fresh homemade bread made with just a few simple ingredients is coming out of my oven!

1 packet active dry yeast
2 C. warm water
1/3 C. honey or dark molasses
2 T. soft shortening
2 t. salt
5 1/2-6 C. whole wheat flour

In mixing bowl place in order given all ingredients except flour. Add flour gradually
to make a stiff dough. Knead on well floured surface until smooth and satiny
(8-10 minutes). Place in greased bowl. Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled,
1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Divide in half, shape into balls. Cover with bowl, let rest 15 minutes. Shape into
loaves. Place in well greased 9 x 5 or 8 x 4 inch pans. Cover, let rise until light and
doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until a deep, golden brown and sounds hollow
when tapped. I like to immediately spread top crust with butter while hot from oven for
flavor and a softer crust. Let loaves rest in pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto
cooling rack. Bread is much easier to cut and tastes better when given a chance to cool
before cutting. Once cooled completely store bread in airtight plastic bread bags or
airtight container so it doesn't dry out.

Makes 2 loaves.

RELPO K1633, 7 1/4" Lady Head Vase, Circa 1960's.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP

If you read the labels of ketchup you purchase in the grocery store, there are additives and preservatives in there that our bodies would be so much better off without. This recipe tastes exactly like the premium brands of ketchup--it has lots of flavor, a nice thick texture and the exact same color, but at a mere fraction of the price! It makes about 1 1/2 cups of ketchup so I always double it and fill a cleaned out ketchup container with the labels removed.

Ingredients

One 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1) Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. I use a wire whisk to combine everything well.

2) When mixture just starts to boil, turn the heat down and watch it carefully, as tomato products have a tendency to bubble a lot and that leaves spots all over the stove. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes and you should stir it quite often.

3) Remove from the pan when cool and store it in the refrigerator in a covered container (a used ketchup bottle or glass mason jar works perfectly for this) Makes 1 1/2 cups.

NAPCO, Set of 3 Lady Head Vases Sisters. C8495 8 3/4" tall, C8494 7" tall, C8493 5 1/2" tall, all circa 1960's.

SOFT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

This is a simple, versatile recipe for cut out cookies to decorate with frosting (recipe follows) for any holiday. Perfect for any shape you can dream up! Bake them for 6-8 minutes for a very soft cookie, or 8-10 minutes for a crisp cookie that is wonderful dipped in hot coffee or tea.

1) Mix Thoroughly:

1/3 cup soft shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup honey
1 tsp lemon flavoring

2) Sift Together and Stir In:

2 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

3) Chill dough. Roll out 1/4" thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place 1" apart on lightly greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees until light golden around the edges. Bake 6-8 minutes for a very soft cookie or 8-10 minutes for a crisp cookie. Let cool thoroughly on rack before frosting. This recipe yields approx 5 dozen 2 1/2" cookies. Or you can double the batch and freeze the dough in airtight freezer containers for up to 9 months. Thaw at room temperature until soft enough to handle.

EASY, CREAMY COOKIE ICING

Blend 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar), 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring (lemon, almond, peppermint, etc) and liquid to make easy to spread (approx. 1 Tbsp. water or 1/2 Tbsp. cream). Tint if desired with a few drops of food coloring. Spread on cookies with butter knife or spatula. If you want to add decorations such as sprinkles make sure and do that while the icing is fresh and not set up or the decorations may not adhere. Let frosting dry completely before stacking cookies. Once cookies are cooled they can be frozen in freezer containers with tight fitting lids for up to 9 months. Thaw cookies at room temperature in orginal containers.

VELCO 3747, 7 Inch Lady Head Vase, Circa 1960's.

HOMEMADE PIZZA

I made this pizza with venison (deer meat) seasoned with chopped garlic--very tasty! I used mozzarella cheese and homemade pizza sauce. Chopped onions are good, sauteed mushrooms and olives complete the great pizza taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Pizza toppings: sauce, meat, olives, mushrooms, cheeses, etc. Whatever sounds good!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Mix until a soft dough forms that doesn't stick too bad to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 5-10 minutes in a warm place. The oven is a good spot and I like to leave the oven light on for just the right amount of warmth. Place the dough on an oiled pizza pan or cookie sheet and spread to the edges leaving a nice rim around the edge. I like to spread corn meal on the pizza pan for an extra crunch and to keep the pizza from sticking.

3.Cover with your toppings in layers, starting with the pizza sauce. Bake at 385 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Turning the pizza halfway through the baking time helps to keep the crust from browning too much on one side.

RELPO 2032, 8 Inch Lady Head Vase, Circa 1960's.

INARCO 3663, 7 inch lady head vase, circa 1960's.

Welcome! I am looking forward to posting delicious recipes from my kitchen. I make most everything we eat from scratch and go out of my way to keep our food free of preservatives, dyes and artificial ingredients. I think my favorite words to hear when someone comes up the stairs to my kitchen are "what smells so good?"