This is another in the little treasure trove of recipes I have from my Mother.  More than likely as I go through my recipe archive I will find more of these that were written by her on little 3 x 5 post cards (also probably one of the reasons we need to interpret her intent at times).  Here is the recipe she sent me for Date Bars...and she had gotten the recipe from a Mrs. Al Christenson:

Beat 3 eggs well add 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla beat until light and fluffy.  Combine & mix to top 3 (this has me confused and I am thinking she meant to combine with the next three ingredients with the egg and sugar mixture), 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.

(Then I think we are to add these ingredients):  3/4 cup Marischino cherries (you can reserve the leftover juice for Kenny Lysdahl brandy Manhattans :-)), 1 1/2 cup chopped dates, 3/4 cup nuts.  Bake 350/30 to 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar cut into squares.

(She says nothing about letting the bars cool before sprinkling with powdered sugar and before cutting into squares...and I think that would be advisable). 

In the photo to the left is my father (Bill) and my mother (Myrtle).  The photo was taken in the late 1950s in their flower garden.  The fully leafed out trees block the view of Amacoy Lake in the background...but if this picture had been taken in the fall you would see the lake.

I woke up missing my mother this morning.  Maybe the feeling of loneliness was prompted by the idea of knowing that I was going to be posting one of her recipes?  Anyhow for a good amount of time I traveled down "Memory Lane."  It would be so wonderful to hear her voice once again...and to be able to talk to her as well for I have so very much to tell her.

At any rate, here is her recipe for Ginger Cream Bars:

1/2 cup ole (I would use butter)
1 cup sugar
1 cup Carnation Milk (I think she meant sweetened condensed)
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp each of ginger, cinnamon
2 tsp soad
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cup flour
Mix all together spread on cookie sheet with rim.  Bake 350 - 30 to 35 minutes.  Frost with powdered shugar butter & canned milk--heat cream (canned milk?) & butter add powdered sugar & vanilla (how much??).  Beat and spread on.
(If you try out this recipe you will sometimes have to stop and consider the "intent" of what she was writing rather than what she actually wrote.)

Every once in awhile I come across a recipe that a friend had given me...sometimes the recipes is from many years ago and its paper is tattered and worn with splotches of food spills.  This is one such recipe given to me by my friend Bob Boscocci probably 25 or so years ago.  He died in 1988 during open heart surgery.

Bob and I met one afternoon at a bar in San Jose.  I had just gotten off of work and so had he.  At the time I was in new business development for Golden State Sanwa Bank.  Bob was on the board of directors of the alumni association for the University of Santa Clara.  That afternoon was the beginning of a great friendship fill with lots of laughter.  My other friends referred to Bob as the "tiny tornado" because he was so full of energy and because he was short...no more than 5' 5".  He was also a fantastic cook...and I share with you his recipe for Zucchini Pie:

Ingredients
3 cups zucchini squash cooked & mashed
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 small onion grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped pimento
1 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1/2 cup cracker meal

Next
Trim ends from squash but do not peel.  Cut into slices, drop into boiling water and cook until tender, then drain and mash.  For each cup of squash, add one egg (slightly beaten).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add grated onion, coarsely grated cheese.  Stir in slices of ripe olives, parsley and pimento.  Spoon mixture into glass baking dish.  Top with cracker meal.

Bake at 325 degrees until set.  50 to 60 minutes.

Although this recipe is not quite belonging in the company of "comfort foods", it is indeed comforting on a Friday night after a long and difficult work week.  This recipe is from my brother and it has been tried and perfected by him.  I believe the tradition was for him to make up a pitcher upon getting home...stir it...let the ice melt a little, let the outsides of the pitcher get frosty and cold...and by time Marian got home the Manhattan's would be declared to be "perfect" for serving.

Here is the recipe:

What you need:
ice
glass pitcher
martini glasses




Ingredients:
1 cup brandy (decent brandy)
1/2 cup sweet vermouth
dash Angostura bitters
tablespoon Maraschino juice
Maraschino cherry for garnish

Fill the pitcher with ice, add all ingredients (except cherries).  Stir gently.  Let sit.  Pour into martini glass.  Garnish with cherry.  Enjoy.  Enjoy some more.

Take two aspirin before going to bed and drink lots of water.  :-)

This is another recipe in the "In the Comfort of Family, Friends and Home" series.  To me it seems a perfect thing to make for a Sunday afternoon of watching football.  It would also be perfect on a frosty evening just prior to Halloween...pumpkin carving, hot apple cider (apple cider Sangria?), and having fun.  Here is the text and recipe from Ellie Andrew's email of September 25, 2003:

Today is the first day of fall and strangely Christmas has been on my mind.  Go figure.  Anyhow, remember the cookbook I wanted to do...and I am now doing through this blog?

"A number of years ago...and it could be 10 years ago exactly...I started a project that was intended to be a cookbook called "In the Comfort of Family, Friends & Home."  It was to be a collection of tried and true recipes from friends and family.  Unfortunately when I was well into getting this work of "art" off the ground, my computer was infected with a virus that corrupted all the files and hence all the work that had been done.  Yes, I did print everything...or almost everything...but then was too discouraged to resume the work.

Now here it is ten years later and on and through this blog I intend to get this legend of family and friend recipes done.  So over the next several days and maybe weeks, you will see many postings here of recipes done in the voice of the people that sent them to me.  You see, I am not going to really edit the emails and letters sent to me...but rather let the voice of the person that contributed be heard through me and this blog."

Below you will see a series of recipes from my most favorite cousin Patty...and they are all for Christmas Day!

This is per Patty's email to me from September, 2004 -

Hey Cuz, got it done first thing this morning, let me know how it traveled to cyberspace.  I am not the best at exporting.  Rosita (also a nickname))

"Living far away from family during holidays can sometimes be lonely, especially at Christmas.  I have found my own Christmas traditions have become just as comforting as those I have of my memories with my family.

Christmas evening at our home is a casual buffet with many friends stopping by.  Christmas dinner is my masterpiece of the season, however.  My dining room is decorated in traditional red and one of my favorite things is my red Waechterspach dish collection which adorns my festive table.  The following is my menu for our very formal (jeans only), Montana Christmas day dinner served at 4:30 annually.

Compound sallet
Creamy garlic mash potatoes
Prime Rib of roast beef with Montana au juice
Corn pudding
Gourge bread
Fudge Pound cake served with raspberry/brandy and sweet whipped cream

Compound Sallet
Dressing:  1 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar.  Combine in jar and shake well.
Salad:  2 bunches fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into pieces. 1 cup currants. 1 cup chopped red beets. 1 lemon, thinly sliced, rind and seeds removed. 1 cup toasted, slivered almonds. 1/4 cup capers, drained.

Here in Northern California we basically only have two seasons.  The dry season (aka spring, summer, early fall) and the rainy season (late fall, winter, into spring).  Like many here by time the summer has wound down and fall is starting, I am ready for a change from the dry weather to the rainy and cooler weather.

In case you have not noticed, fall is here...and it is apple season.  Soon my favorite apples (MacIntosh) will be hitting the local Bay Area markets.  Prepare your self for pie recipes.  In the meantime here is a recipe that will help prepare you for making apple pie:

Apple Cider SangriaYIELD: SERVES 4-6

 PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

 TOTAL TIME:   One Hour 10 MINUTES


ingredients:1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup spiced or regular brandy
3 honey crisp apples, chopped
3 pears, chopped


directions:Combine all ingredients together and stir gently for a few minutes. Refrigerate for an hour or so (or longer!) before serving.