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It’s a little different column today. Thirty-two years ago at this time of the year I wrote and published a 70-page cookbook titled, “Tastes for the Seasons.” It contains recipes from family and friends and a few originals of my own. They are tried and true recipes that I thought were good enough to put into a little cookbook. I wrote it using recipes that I thought were appropriate for each season of the year. I must admit, back in ‘74 there was not the nutritional food talk of today and we didn’t seem to worry too much about fats, carbs, sugar and salt. It’s a wonder that I’ve made it this far. Perhaps it’s because there were no preservatives in the food we ate every day. So, for today it’s a few recipes from the fall section of the book.

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Let’s start with a salad . . .

CABBAGE SLAW WITH OIL AND VINEGAR DRESSING

SALAD:

1/2 small head of cabbage, shredded (somewhere between fine and coarse

1 small carrot, coarsely shredded

1 c. thinly slice cucumber

2 T. diced onion

1/4 of a medium red, sweet pepper (cut into julienne strips)

DRESSING:

2 T. vegetable oil

1/4 c. sugar

3 T. salad vinegar

1/8 t. salt

couple dashes of each, pepper and paprika

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine dressing ingredients; shake well.

Combine salad with dressing when ready to serve.

NOTE: This amount of dressing obviously doesn’t “drown” the salad, just skims over it. Makes 4-6 servings.

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And, we had chickens . . .

CHICKEN IN PAPRIKA SAUCE

4 lbs. frying chicken pieces

1/4 c. butter

2 small green peppers, cut into 1-inch squares

3/4 c. chopped onion

4 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 large tomatoes, cut in 8 wedges

3/4 c. sour cream (no lean cream here)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 T. paprika

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

2 t. salt (eek––cut that back to 1/2 t.)

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

In a Dutch oven, slowly brown chicken on both sides in butter. Add next four ingredients; simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Combine next six ingredients in a bowl. Pour over chicken and veggies. Cover and cook over low heat 35-40 minutes.

Serve over hot noodles or rice. Makes 6 servings.

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This casserole dish has been a favorite of our family since before I wrote the cookbook. Nothing like carbs, fat and salt –– but it tastes so good!

CREAMY BEEF NOODLE CASSEROLE

1-1/2 lbs. hamburger

1/2 c. chopped onion

1-15 oz. can corn, undrained

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 c. cultured sour cream

3/4 t. salt (again, cut that back to 1/4 t.)

1/4 t. pepper

4 c. cooked, hot noodles (Recipe calls for MSG, but I leave it out. It was used in a lot of recipes way back then, but it’s not good for us.)

In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, brown hamburger and onion. (Doesn’t say to drain off fat, but I think you should.) Stir in rest of ingredients and turn into a buttered 2-1/2 to 3 qt. casserole. Bake, covered for 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

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This was one of my favorite cake-type bars to make when there was a house full of kids. It still is. Makes a big pan full.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING BARS

1 small package chocolate pudding (not instant), cooked according to package directions

2 eggs

1 regular size Devils Food cake mix

1 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. flaked coconut

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Cool pudding 5 minutes; quickly beat in eggs. Add cake mix and mix well.

Turn into a greased 15x10 inch (jellyroll) pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes lots of bars.

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When winter comes, I’ll do this again using recipes from the winter section. I’ve had people ask where they might purchase this little book and after a second printing in ‘77 I ran out of books and that was that. I did save one for each of our grandchildren and I hope they will substitute some of the ingredients for a more nutritional dish. I can just hear them saying, “Did you really eat all this “good tasting” stuff, Gramma? You’re still around, anyway!”

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