Description Leads To Cranberry Salad Recipe

Dear Laura: I would like a Cranberry Salad recipe that was in Dorothy Dean’s Homemakers Cook Book several years ago. The recipe had cranberry relish with orange-flavored gelatin for the first layer and a small amount of cranberry juice, gelatin and cottage cheese in the top layer. I believe this was printed about 1972 and may have been in U-9. If you could find and print this for me, I surely would appreciate it. Thank you. - MRHW, Spokane.

Dear MRHW: It’s a good thing you gave a fairly detailed description because this recipe wasn’t among those printed in 1972, nor was it on the 1975 U-9 page. I found it on a page of cranberry recipes, M-9, printed in 1969.

Sour Cream Cranberry Layered Salad

First layer:

3-ounce package orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1-3/4 cups cranberry orange relish

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Second layer:

1/2 cup cranberry juice

3-ounce package orange gelatin

2 cups small-curd cottage cheese

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Dash salt

1 cup minced celery

1 cup dairy sour cream

For the first layer, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, cranberry orange relish and nuts. Turn into 6-cup ring mold. Chill until almost firm.

For the second layer, heat cranberry juice to boiling; add gelatin; stirring to dissolve. Add cottage cheese, lemon juice, salt and celery. Carefully fold in sour cream. Pour over cranberry layer in mold. Chill until firm.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Dear Laura: I have a box of self-rising flour that I bought to make beer bread. Now I would like to use it for other purposes, such as muffins or rolls. Do you have a recipe or two for these? Thank you. - Ann, Spokane.

Dear Ann: Self-rising flour can replace regular flour, salt and baking powder in many quick bread recipes. This muffin recipe is adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook, in which a number of the recipes give self-rising flour as an option.

Oatmeal Muffins

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening, melted

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup self-rising flour (see note)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12 medium (2 3/4-inch) muffin cups; set aside.

Beat egg; stir in buttermilk, brown sugar and shortening. Combine remaining ingredients and mix in just until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter should be slightly lumpy.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from pan and serve or cool on wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen muffins.

Note: You may substitute all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt for the self-rising flour.

Dear Laura: I am hoping you will be able to help me find a recipe. It was in a small cookbook from the Campbell soup company that I received in 1975 and have since lost. The recipe was for meatballs. It called for ground beef, tomato soup and uncooked rice among other things. Thanks. - Cyndee, Spokane.

Dear Cyndee: The meatballs you describe are generally known as Porcupine Meat Balls. Here’s the Dorothy Dean version:

Porcupine Meat Balls

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup uncooked regular rice

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

10-3/4-ounce can tomato soup

1-1/4 cups water

Mix beef, rice, egg, onion, parsley and seasonings. Shape into 1-1/2-inch balls. Brown in small amount of fat, if desired.

Place in a 2-quart casserole. Blend soup and water; pour over meatballs. Cover; bake at 350 degrees for about 1-1/2 hours.

Yield: 4 servings.

Dear Laura: I could sure use your help. I have a dear friend that just loves chocolate cake but can’t eat it any more because she can’t have the milk. Could you come up with a recipe for a chocolate cake without milk?

I have been told that it is possible to use cake mix to make doughnuts; if so, I would like that recipe, too. My friend and I thank you. - Dolly, Chattaroy.

Dear Dolly: Try this quick one-bowl, no-milk chocolate cake for your friend. I’m still looking for the doughnut recipe made from a cake mix. Perhaps another reader will have one and share it with us.

Wacky Cake

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water

Combine dry ingredients; stir to blend. Add liquid ingredients. Beat until smooth. Bake in an 8-inch square greased pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cake tests done.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Laura Carnie The Spokesman-Review