Tipsy Tuesday: Vintage Vino

Watch out. Granny's got grapes.

My friend Suzanne [who is all kinds of crazy about retro, and, by the way, introduced me to the diggy space-age dulcet tones of Esquivel back in the day] recently ponied up her grandmother's recipe for dime store wine.
Grape Wine
2- 12oz cans frozen grape juice
4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry yeast

Put in glass gallon jug. Cover with a good 10-cent balloon [we're all wtf?!? on that one , too]. Set in a dark, cool place for 21 days [hmmm, isn't that just a week shy of your average rehab program?].

After waiting patiently [and most likely consuming many a gimlet in the meantime], you, too, can raise your glass to gram's handcrafted, moonshine wine and dig a swig!

Faux-Nuts

No, no, it's not my neutered dog's nickname. It's a quick, easy kid-pleasing recipe that adds a steady amount of veggie shortening to your diet. I can't find the recipe in my retro cookbook library this morning, so you're going to have to trust me on this one - it's fast, easy, fatty, and fun!Biscuit Donuts
1 tube refrigerator biscuits
2+ cups Crisco
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
brown bag [just take your 40 oz of brew out and stick it in the fridge]

Heat & melt Crisco in fry daddy [how's that for retro?] or deep, mid-sized skillet. Open tube biscuits and poke the center of each with a straw, stretching out with your finger to make a donut hole [I am well-aware that this sounds all kinds of wrong]. Drop biscuits two at a time into liquid lard. Turn donuts over when they float and fry until both sides are golden brown [about 2 minutes total]. Remove from fryer and toss directly into brown bag containing cinnamon & sugar mix. Close bag, shake and dry on a paper towel. Nosh on the 'nuts!

Blender Bender

Here's a cocktail that's whirled, not stirred from Better Homes & Gardens Blender Cookbook (c)'71, per my promise.Pink Lady
1 jigger gin (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 jigger apple brandy (3/4 ounce)
1 tablespoon grenadine syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg white
1/2 cup crushed ice

Place all ingredients in blender; blend to mix. Strain into cocktail glass. Makes 1 drink [so you'd best quad up this recipe].

Let it tickle you pink today [*wink*]!

WTF?! It's Beefy.

WTF?! is for dinner tonight? Let's blend dinner and side dish with this recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens Blender Cookbook (c)'71. It's right [and so wrong], beef. In a blender.

Stuffed Beef Rounds
2 pounds beef round steak 1/2 inch thick
4 ounces sharp process American cheese, cut in cubes (1 cup)
1/2 slice bread
1/2 medium onion, cut into pieces
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 springs parsley
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper [I often wonder why it's even listed when it's nary a pinch, wtf?]
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 - 10 1/2 ounce can condensed beef broth
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water

Cut steak into 6 pieces; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Place cheese and bread in blender container; blend till cheese is coarsely chopped. Remove from blender to bowl. Place onion, celery, and parsley in blender; blend till coarsely chopped. Add to cheese.

Divide the stuffing mixture among pieces of steak. Roll up each steak jelly-roll fashion; secure with wooden picks or tie with string. Combine the 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper. Roll meat in flour mixture to coat. In 10-inch skillet, slowly brown meat in hot oil. Drain off excess fat. Combine beef broth and dry mustard; pour over steak rolls. Cover and cook over low heat till meat is tender, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove meat to platter.

Skim excess fat from pan juices. Combine with 1 tablespoon flour and the water; stir into pan juices. Cook and stir till sauce thickens and bubbles; pour over meat. Serves 6.

WTF? I thought using the blender would be a time saver. Ugh. And eww.

Head to your blender this weekend for a cocktail [I'll share a recipe worth of a blender bender tomorrow]!

WTF?! Friday: So Meaty

WTF?! is round up and ground up for this BH&G recipe?
Come back for the disgusting details tonight! [remember, commenting enters you to win in honor of 10!]

Have a fab Friday!

10K Give-a-Way! Whaddaya Say?

The square in me digs that I'm about to hit my 10,000th hit today. So thanks to all of you, and the season of spring, I'm thinking this calls for a give-a-way, eh?!

Drop of a comment over the next 10 days and you'll be entered to win your own hardcover copy of BH&G's Barbecue Book [you've eyeballed recipes from it before, and you can master the grill circa '68 all over again]!Whaddaya waiting for? Give me the dish!

PB&W in the Morning

Rinse out your Bass-o-Matic, it's time to experiment with Better Homes & Garden's Blender Cook Book (c)'71! In a sea of un-appetizing recipes [Vegetable Tempura, Company Cabbage] I reeled in a keeper.Peanut Butter Waffles

stack sandwich-fashion with jelly in between -

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons salad oil

1/3 cup chunk-style peanut butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup packaged pancake mix

butter

jelly

Place first 6 ingredients in blender container; blend just to combine ingredients and moisten pancake mix. (Mixture will not be smooth). Bake in preheated waffle baker. Serve with butter and jelly [we were all abuzz to use honey instead]. Makes 32 waffles [ahem, BH&G, this is bullshit - I made 8].

These. Are. Tasty.