Grapefruit, Avocado and Cream Cheese Salad: A Vintage 1950s Recipe

This is the first time I have ever posted a vintage recipe. The post is designed to work with Merle's Vintage Challenge, a monthly challenge that I am participating in on Instagram. Each month there is a different theme for the challenge and this month it is food and drink.

Today's is avocado and to link it up with the challenge, it needs to be vintage style. That is the only rule. Just let your imagination run wild though posts should be vintage and in some loose way relatable to the food of the day. Even anything avocado green would suit the theme just fine.

Anyway, I decided to share these fun avocado fruits on a rope with this vintage 1950s recipe. Yes, avocado is a fruit though we often think of it as a vegetable and we use it more like a vegetable. The recipe is from a 1950s cookbook called The Modern Family Cookbook by Meta Given, which is shown below. Obviously, my copy is battered, bruised and beloved though not by me. Yet.

Find The Modern Family Cookbook

in my eBay store on eBay.

Fair warning, I have not tried this recipe. When and if I make it, I think I will cheat and use store bought French salad dressing and I will have to have company because my husband does not really like avocado. Anyway, here's the recipe:

GRAPEFRUIT, AVOCADO AND CREAM CHEESE SALAD RECIPE

2 grapefruit

1 avocado

1/2 cup French dressing

Crisp lettuce, I'd choose iceberg

3 ounce package of cream cheese

Paprika

Pare whole grapefruit, removing white membrane as well as the skin. Cut out the sections, using a very sharp knife. Peel avocado, remove seed and slice 1/2 inch thick. Marinate both fruits in French dressing. Chill thoroughly. Just before serving, arrange drained fruits on lettuce leaves, with a ball of cream cheese in the center of each plate, then add a dash of paprika to the cream cheese. (The cream cheese may be omitted or cottage cheese substituted.)

Makes 5 servings.

And that's it. If you try it, be sure to let me know what you think!

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

Quick Links:

Find The Modern Family Cookbook in my eBay store on eBay. The avocado on a rope will eventually wind up in my eBay store, too.

Marinated Snow Pea and Cherry Tomato Salad Recipe

If you are looking for a very fresh, wonderfully nutritious, extremely delicious and boldly colorful salad, this marinated snow pea and cherry tomato salad is the one for you. It is a simple salad or side dish, consisting of just eight ingredients. Four are vegetables and four are in the marinade.

This salad is a salad that I always serve when we celebrate Christmas in July or June or August or whenever. However, it would be good whenever you need a fresh and crunchy addition to any meal. It also makes a great addition to a potluck dinner like your annual Christmas party though for that occasion you want to at least double the recipe.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

MARINATED SNOW PEA AND CHERRY TOMATO SALAD RECIPE

From Culinary Favorites From A to Z

Ingredients

1/4 lb. snow or sugar snap peas (ends trimmed if required)
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup water chestnuts sliced (we like ours cut in half)
1/4 cup green onions sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

So easy. Just prepare your vegetables first, slicing as indicated. Our water chestnuts come in a can, pre-sliced. Blanch the peas for about 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain, rinse immediately with cold water and drain again. Add the tomatoes, chestnuts and green onions.

For the marinade, mix the last four ingredients together and pour this mixture over your vegetables. Toss gently and chill until supper time at which time you simply drain the vegetables and serve.

Find this beautiful hand painted snow peas bookmark

on Etsy by clicking here.

MORE SNOW PEAS

Crisp Snow Pea Salad Recipe from GroupRecipes.com
Chefelaine on GroupRecipes calls this a refreshing salad and recommends serving it with grilled salmon or chicken.

Cat Cora's Asparagus and Snow Pea Salad Recipe From Oprah.com
Oprah Winfrey's guest Cat Cora shares a delicious salad of asparagus and snow peas.

MORE CHERRY TOMATOES

Chickpea, Cherry Tomato, and Feta Salad Recipe From Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart shares a nutritious chickpea, cherry tomato and feta salad recipe.

Cherry Tomato Salad from Food and WineAnother simple sounding recipe, Food and Wine shares this one for their cherry tomato salad.

See you in the kitchen!

Brenda

Author's Note: This recipe originally published elsewhere in 2011.

Martha Stewart Lemon Cupcake Recipe

Martha Stewart's Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Cupcakes and ME

The Lemon Cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook is absolutely amazing. On this page, you will find the lemon cupcake recipe and my story.

My story actually starts with Martha Stewart's Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie. I have made numerous unsuccessful attempts at creating it. However, the cupcakes are another story...a yummy story if not a pretty one.

The History Of My Mile-High Lemon Meringue Adventure

My Mile-High Lemon Meringue story is pretty simple and painfully funny. Many years ago, probably more than ten, I was intrigued by Martha Stewart's Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. The pie sounded great and the meringue amazing so I decided to give it a go. To try it. To undertake the most difficult recipe of my life.

Well, I don't know if it is the most difficult recipe of my life or not but I am calling it that because it failed. Not once. Not twice. But thrice. Yes, I was 'dumb' enough to try it more than twice.

The problem? Not the pastry although, if you've read my page A Tasty & Traditional Easter Dinner Menu, you know that I'm pie challenged. Not the lemon curd, it seemed to work out fine. Not the meringue, it whipped up very nicely, thank you very much. However, when the three were combined and put into the oven to brown, the curd turned to soup. Now it is a family legend, one we laugh out loud at whenever the subject of lemon meringue pie comes up although around here it is affectionately known as lemon meringue soup.

Years passed. I did not try making Martha Stewart's lemon meringue pie again although my reputation lived on. The really sad thing was that the pie, despite being in soup form, had still managed to taste really, really good, which made me want to have a slice of Martha Stewart's Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie even more!

Then came Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. I picked a few recipes to try and, as I perused the pages, I stumbled across the Lemon Meringue Cupcake recipe.

What Would You Have Done?

I decided to go for it and give the recipe a try. Without further ado or to do, here, in three parts, is the recipe for Martha Stewart's Lemon Cupcakes...

Lemon Curd Recipe - (Makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

8 large egg yolks
2 lemons, zested
1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 tbsps lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsps) cold unsalted butter which has been cut into pieces

Instructions:

In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar and whisk them together. Stir constantly until the mixture is thick, between 8 and 10 minutes and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove pot and add salt and butter, one piece at a time. (The butter, not the salt!) Stirring until melted, each time. Strain the curd. Cover with plastic making sure that the plastic is pressed onto the surface of the curd which will keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least one hour or up to one day. Making this the day before would certainly spread the work out a bit.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe

(Makes 24 cupcakes.)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (all-purpose)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Grated zest of 3 lemons (3 tbsps)
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Mix butter and sugar together at medium speed. Add eggs one at a time and wait until the egg is all mixed in before adding the next one. Add zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches with two batches of buttermilk and lemon juice in between. Beat until just combined after each addition. Place batter in lined cups filling about three-quarters full. Bake until golden, cake tester comes out clean or about 25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tins. These cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature or frozen for up to two months.

Seven Minute Frosting Masquerading as Lemon Meringue Recipe

(Makes a lot.)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsps sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tbsps light corn syrup
6 large egg whites at room temperature

Instructions:

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small pot. Attach a candy thermometer to your pot. Boil over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling but do not stir anymore. When syrup is 230 degrees, remove from heat. Meanwhile Whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. (I used my stand mixer's regular beaters as it does not have a whisk.) With mixer running, gradually add 2 tbsps sugar. When syrup reaches the required temperature, gradually add it to the mixing bowl with the mixer on a medium-low speed. Raise speed to medium high and whisk until cool. (The bottom of the bowl will be cool to touch.) Stiff peaks will form and it will take approximately 7 minutes.

Final Cupcake Assembly Instructions

Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon curd to the middle (top) of the cupcakes. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip, pipe some frosting onto each cupcake. Using a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches away from the frosting, lightly brown the frosting.

Brown them with my kitchen blow torch? Uh oh, did someone say blow torch? This is where following the kitchen rule about reading the whole recipe before you start would have helped. I do not own a kitchen blow torch so here I was, at a difficult moment. What to do? It didn't seem like the cupcakes would be complete if I didn't brown them. Since I had two pans of cupcakes I thought I'll assemble one pan and put them under the broiler. If they're ruined, I will still have the second pan to work with.

It worked, sort of. Because of my expert decorating, the meringue on each cupcake was at a different height which meant that some were trying to burn while others were not brown yet so I had to monitor them closely. The result? Some brown spots, some white spots, as the pictures show.

There's no question that Martha's version of this cupcake is much prettier but mine still tasted fine.

Martha says, serve immediately but I'm sure there's no chance after all that work that you will wait before eating one!

Helpful Cupcake Baking Hints From Martha and Brenda

Brenda warns that lemons can be expensive so you might want to choose to make these cupcakes when lemons are on sale. The day I was shopping for lemons, they were two for $1.00 which was not too bad but I thought I needed 9 (you actually need 6). I was able to purchase bagged lemons with more than I needed at a lower cost.

Martha recommends cupcake liners; Brenda never bothers with them and did not have any difficulty removing the cupcakes from the pans. There are an endless choice of cupcake liners available from Amazon for any theme you might be working with.

Brenda says that it is critical that the butter be at room temperature, a little on the soft side. I have tried with cookies to use butter that isn't soft enough and it just does not work.

Martha says that one of the biggest problems with cupcakes is over mixing so be careful not to do that.

Brenda says that It is possible, albeit risky, to make these lemon cupcakes without a thermometer. I failed to follow the rule about reading the recipe through first and did not realize that I needed one. When the time came to make the lemon curd, I just cooked it for the longer time given and made sure that it fit the written description given in the recipe. When I was making the meringue, it was a bit more difficult. I used my meat thermometer which went to 212 degrees. However, the syrup needed to reach 230 degrees so I just cooked the syrup longer. Fortunately for me, both worked out fine. I'd recommend that you buy a thermometer to eliminate the guess work.

Brenda did not strain the curd and could see no issues with not having done so.

Brenda successfully used her stand mixer's regular beaters because she does not have a whisk attachment.

What Do You Think? 

What do you think? Should I have chosen to make lemon cupcakes? Should I have tried the pie again? Should I have abandoned the whole idea?  Fortunately, the cupcakes were delicious, if not beautiful. The lemon curd was amazing and the meringue frosting was delicious! Unfortunately, my now grown-up children do not remember them but they still remember the lemon meringue soup pie. 

My aim on this page was to share a delicious recipe with you and to have you smiling at my story and not puckering at the end of the page. I hope I have managed to achieve my goal whether or not you decide to make these cupcakes.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

More Interesting Lemon Cupcake Recipes

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes Recipe From Food & Wine
Lemon Cupcakes From Martha Stewart 

Discover my new, used and vintage COOKBOOKS on eBay.

Author's Note: This page was originally written in 2009 and published on another website.

Pumpkin Spice M&M's

Pumpkin Spice M&M's. Hmmm. I've just discovered them online and I'm going to have to keep my eyes peeled for them or maybe even order some from Amazon...

Mars Inc. has decided to cash in on the pumpkin spice craze by creating spiced M&M candies in shades of orange, brown and green. The flavour and the color makes them perfect as a fall treat. 

Reportedly, they are slightly larger than regular M&Ms and shaped like the peanut version so it would seem you get a bit more chocolate for your money if you choose this version of the candy.

Huffpost Taste says that some preferred this flavour to the original flavour.

I'm wondering if I'll like them. I know I like the idea. If you have had the chance to sample Pumpkin Spice M&M's, be sure to share with the rest of us!  Share your opinion, that is, since I am pretty sure you won't want to share your M&Ms. Would you say yes or no if I passed a bag of these M and Ms to you?

And here's another thought. I wonder how they would be a cookie recipe..

Order some Pumpkin Spice M&Ms for yourself by clicking here to Amazon.

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

Easy Mashed Potato Recipe For One

One of the first recipes that my younger son asked about when he moved out was mashed potatoes and, while mashed potatoes are a pretty easy item to make, when you are getting started in the kitchen, you need some sort of guideline so here it is, the simplest mashed potato recipe you will ever find.

If you are worried about the size of the potatoes, don't be.  Mashed potatoes are pretty forgiving so the following amounts do not have to be exact. If your potatoes are a bit bigger, you might need a little bit more milk and conversely, if they are a bit smaller, you might add a little bit less milk.

EASY MASHED POTATO RECIPE

3/4 tsp salt (though in our home we cook them without salt)

3 medium-sized potatoes

1-1/2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup milk

In a small pot, boil 3 cups of water and 1/4 tsp salt.  Add the potatoes, cover them and cook at a gentle boil. Potatoes do not need to be in hard-boiling water.   They'll need to cook for 20 to 30 minutes and you will know they are done by inserting a fork into a potato to see if it is soft.  Drain well and then add the butter, the rest of the salt and the milk, which I like to warm up a little bit in the microwave first.  If you are unsure about the size of your potatoes, add some of the liquid instead of all of it.  Using a potato masher, mash until creamy, adjust the amount of milk as required & ENJOY.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

Grasslands Leprechaun Irish Coffee Recipe Coffee Mug

Perhaps I'm a bit late for St. Patrick's Day on March 17, but then again perhaps I am not. If you love Irish Coffee, you'll drink it any time of the year.

I stumbled across this fantastic Leprechaun Irish Coffee recipe mug, which I think is smashing and I just had to share with you. This ceramic mug is by Grasslands and features a high-gloss finish (and a wee leprechaun on the handle.) It measures about 5 inches by 3 inches and holds 13 ounces of your favourite hot beverage including but not limited to Irish Coffee. Don’t miss the fact that it has the recipe for Irish Coffee printed right on the back...

And did you know that Irish Coffee has all four food groups? Alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.

See you
at the pub!

Quick Links:

Order this Irish Coffee mug and the matching accessories from Amazon.
Pick out a great Leprechaun movie to watch with the family.

Love Christmas M&M Cookies But Can't Find Them (2011)

One of my family's favorite Christmas cookies is the M&M cookie made with Christmas colored M&Ms.

Would you believe I'm having a hard time finding them this year?  I passed on them once at a local retailer when I saw that they were more expensive than the regular M&Ms in part because I have always been able to find them on sale before Christmas but that was a mistake, and now I am Christmas M&M-less.

My family of cookie loving men is sure to be disappointed. Heck, I'm disappointed.

I live in Canada and cannot order them from Amazon so if you live in the U.S., consider yourself lucky, order your Christmas colored M&Ms now from Amazon by clicking right here.

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

Buy your Christmas M&Ms from Amazon.

Our Banana Bread Recipe Secrets

One of my family's favorite recipes is our banana bread recipe.  We always keep some 'spare' bananas in the freezer to be ready for the day when we want to make banana bread.

By 'spare' bananas, I mean overripe ones that don't get eaten up in time.  I simply peel them and throw them in a plastic bag or container and into the freezer.

That's Secret Number 1, by the way.  Never use fresh bananas. Always use overripe ones that have been frozen.  They won't be pretty but they will be full of flavour to help make your banana bread delicious.

Oh, and I see that I've already given you Secret Number 2, which is to freeze your bananas peeled. That makes using them so EASY. Just pull them out of the freezer and defrost and you are ready to go.

Secret Number 3 is the hardest secret. Never, ever eat your banana bread on the day you make it. Banana bread is one of those foods that is simply BETTER the next day.  We are pretty good with this rule because we know what a difference it makes in flavour.

Perhaps my family's favorite secret is Secret Number 4 -- make two.  If you only make one, well it is gone in the blink of an eye. If you make two, there's more for later.  I always try to freeze one for a rainy day...but it is not always that easy to get away with hiding one around my house.

By the way, if you are looking for more banana recipes, Go Bananas, the cookbook that I used to illustrate this page, has a near perfect five-star Amazon customer review and is deeply discounted. To check it out on Amazon, click here.

See you
in the kitchen!
Brenda

The Best-Ever Glazed Baked Ham

It's been a little while since we've had the best-ever glazed baked ham. Not because we could not eat it every day but rather because we consider ham to be a 'treat' type of food. After all, ham is not particularly lean.

So we save our baked hams for special occasions like New Years Day and Easter.  I notice now that my children are grown, I receive requests for baked ham on birthdays and the other occasion that we love to serve a baked ham is in the summertime, cooked in advance with a side of potato salad. Ordinarily, we eat our baked ham with a scalloped potato and we use the ham to wipe up every morsel of the sauce from the potatoes.

It is hard to believe that Halloween is gone and it is now time to turn our thoughts to Christmas but it is. I will be watching the local grocery store flyers for a sale on smoked pork picnic bone shoulder ham and then I will tuck it away and anticipate the arrival of New Year's Day...

Brenda