Time for a cookie recipe

These are John's all time favorite cookie.  He especially loves them frozen. That also keeps them out of my sight.

Hello Dolly Cookies
1/4 cup butter,melted
1 1/4 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Mix butter and graham crackers. Press into 8x8 pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts on top.  Pour sweetened milk evenly on top. Then sprinkle with coconut.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cut into bars when cool. Yield 12 bars.

Grapefruit Slush

It's trying to get warm and we know that overnight Summer will appear and it will be in the 90's. So this recipe will cool you down on those hot days.

 Grapefruit Slush
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 (16 oz) grapefruit sections with juice
2 (13 oz) crushed pineapple with juice
1 med bottle maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
Conbine sugar and water, bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Cool. Add grapefruit, pineapple and cherries. Freeze to slush.
Spoon slush into sherbet dishes. Cover with guava juice, cranberry juice or ginger ale. Add a tounch of grenadine it desired.

I was looking through Grandma June's recipes. I came across this one dated 1952 from the kitchen of Ingrid Olsen. It's in June's handwriting. The directions in parenthese are also included in the recipe. Poppy Seed Dressing Makes (3 1/2 cups) 1 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp dry mustard 2 tsp salt 3/4 cup white vinegar 3 tsp onion juice 2 cup Wesson oil (never olive oil) 3 tsp poppy seeds Put in electric blender sugar, salt, mustard,vinegar. Add onion juice and mix thoroughly (get onion juice by putting onion in blender and straining) Add oil slowly, beating constantly and continue beating until thick. Add poppy seed and beat for a few minutes. Store in refrigerator. Will keep indefinitely! Have oil at room temperature.

We'll miss you!

Today our beloved grandmother finally got to join her sweetheart.  I know that everyone is grieving in their own way.  Here is something that I did this evening as I reflected on Grandma June's influence on my life.  (Wish I had more pictures, but they're at my mom's).

So, what do you remember about Grandma June?

Roast Beef Sloppy Joes (Christmas Eve)

Ingredients
4-5 lbs. round bone pot roast
1 onion-diced
Salt & pepper
Potato rolls

Brown onion, put with roast. Add salt & pepper to taste--cook like a pot roast but a little longer than usual keeping water on it. Put juice in freezer until grease comes to top then remove it from juice and make gravy out of juice. Shred meat with fingers then pour gravy over meat and freeze until ready to serve. Just warm it and serve on potato rolls.

Note from Jen: I'm sorry that I hanven't updated in forever. And I have to admit that this recipe didn't technically come from Grandma's recipe box. One of you gave it to me at my wedding shower. But it does have Grandma's name on the recipe card, so I hope it's close enough.

I always look forward to Christmas Eve and being together with family. And just the smell of these sloppy joes makes it seem like Christmas. Happy Holidays, Holts!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cut chicken breasts into strips. (Do this with raw meat)
2 tbs. cooking oil
Cook 15 minutes in fry pan

Add:

1 diced green pepper
1/2 c. mushrooms
2 thinly sliced carrots
1 c diced celery
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 c chicken broth
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 1/3 c pineapple tidbits

Simmer 10 minutes. Mix 2 tbs. corn starch with 2 tbs. cold water.
Add, stirring to thicken. 1 tbs. lemon juice helps flavor.

Serve with rice.

Herb Bread Spread

From the kitchen of: Grace Stevens (1979)

Ingredients:

4 oz. butter
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Tarragon Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Thyme
2 tbs. parsley
1/4 tsp. sage - rubbed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard

Spread on French Bread slices. Place slices together back in loaf shape. Wrap in foil, bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees.