Holiday Punch

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  This week especially, I have been thinking back about New Years past.  I remember that New Year's Day was always a big celebration in my family.  We always went to my Grandma Adams' house (Pauline).  My cousins were always there and we would have a big dinner and stay all day, eat, play games, and go home way after dark.  I remember watching the parades while we got ready in the morning and my mom would be making some dish or dishes to take.  It didn't take long to get to my grandma's house, so we would finish watching the parades with my cousins when we got there.
One thing that we always knew would be there was Holiday Punch.  Now if I remember correctly, my mom probably got this recipe from my aunt and uncle, because I seem to remember that my uncle was always "in charge" of the punch.  But this is her copy of the recipe.

*2 large cans unsweetened pineapple juice
*1/2 can frozen orange juice
*1/2 can " (frozen) lemon juice
*1/3 can frozen lime juice
*2 large bottles ginger ale
*1 large bottle club soda
*sugar to taste

Prepare punch.
Chill in freezer just prior to serving.
Float ice-ring in punch while serving.






You can see that this recipe has been made over and over many times.  It is quite stained.  And another interesting thing about this recipe is that it was written on a checking deposit slip; probably just the only paper that could be found when my mom wrote it down.

There is probably a couple of amounts here that are worth mentioning.  In the 70's there were not 2 liter bottles of ginger ale nor of club soda.  Large bottles were closer to a one liter size.

There is no mention here on the front or back of this recipe about how to make the mentioned "ice-ring".  I do remember making these when we made this punch.  We always used a bundt pan so that the ice ring would have beautiful scalloped edges.  Slice up oranges, lemons, and limes and lay them down in the bundt pan.  Sometimes I remember my mom putting maraschino cherries in the very bottom of the pan.
Gently fill water to cover the fruit being careful not to displace any pattern you made with the fruit.  Place in the freezer to make the ice.  When you are ready to serve the punch, run water over the bundt pan and the ice ring should pop out.
This tangy punch has wonderful memories... I am wishing I had some right now!

Martha Washington Fudge

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  I have always wondered about the name of this recipe...  did it really come from Martha Washington?  I did a little googling on it and what I could find is just that it is a southern holiday candy recipe.  There are a few variations, but they were all very similar.  This is another recipe that my mom got from her friend and neighbor in Inola, OK.  Boy am I glad that she did!  I cannot remember a single holiday season going by without making and EATING this awesomely, delicious candy.

*1 stick oleo (margarine or butter)
*1 1/2 boxes powdered sugar (24 oz)
*1 can Eagle Brand Milk
*1 can Angel Flake Coconut (3.5 oz)
*2 cups chopped pecans

Combine all ing. and let stand in ref. for 3 to 4 hours.  Roll into balls.
Melt in double boiler:
*1 large pkg. choc. chips
*1/2 stick parafin

Dip balls in chocolate.

So I am encountering in this project the way that recipes can be changed, tweaked and morphed into other recipes.  My own personal copy of this recipe is just slightly different.  I am sure that this accounts for all of the slight variations that I found when I went out looking for explanations of the name.  Each person changes it just slightly as it gets passed down and around.
The amounts are interesting.  Powdered sugar now comes in bags, but the 24 oz. is still the amount I have in my version (1 1/2 lbs.)  Coconut doesn't come in cans any more that I know of, and the recipe that I have calls for 7 oz.  I wonder if that means that I wrote it down wrong, or my mom liked it with more coconut and passed that along to me?  Although my recipe did have 2 cups of chopped pecans, I always found that to be a lot, and have noted on mine to just put 1 cup.  In the past, 12 oz of chocolate chips was a big bag, as the small bag was only 6 oz.  They don't make 6 oz. any more and the 12 oz (large bag) is now actually the smallest bag, as there are now 24 oz and 36 oz bags.  Lastly, my recipe only calls for a 1/4 stick of paraffin.  I am wondering again if my mom just found a 1/2 stick to be too much and adjusted it when she gave it to me?  I tend to use the freezer as well.  Maybe that was just to speed up the process.  The dough gets pretty stiff that way, the balls get harder and tend to melt less when you dip them and the candy keeps forever in the freezer.  (Well, not FOREVER... we eat it too fast for that!)  Any way you make it, these are amazing candies.   Hmmm... I wonder how my daughter and future grandchildren will make it??

Cranberry Salad

This is from the recipe drawer of Pat.  Cranberry Jell-o Salad has been a staple on our Thanksgiving table since I can remember.  I believe my mom told me that she got this recipe from one of her friends and neighbors in Inola, OK in the late 60's.  We are actually getting a two for one with this recipe, as it is my mom's recipe, but I am pretty sure that this is my sister, Trudi's handwriting.  As you can see from this picture, this recipe has been made a lot.  You can always tell the good ones by the number of stains on the paper.

*1 lg. box Cherry Jello
*2 cups boiling water
*1 can whole cranberry sauce
*1 can plain cranberry sauce
*1 small can crushed pineapple
*juice of pineapple + water = 1 cup
*1 cup chopped celery
*1 orange - chopped
*1 cup pecans - chopped
*1/2 cup coconut (optional)

Dissolve Jello in water.  Add to the cranberry sauces.  Mash with potato masher.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir all together.  Refrigerate.  Best if prepared 24 to 48 hrs. before serving.  Makes 10 cups.

This is different than many cranberry salad recipes.  The celery and pecans make it really crunchy.  I can vouch for this one... you should give it a try!