Fig and Date Salads

Eloise's Fig Salad

 While at a Fry Family Reunion, Donna prepared one of Eloise's recipes:  grapefruit, bananas and dates. Tom said his dad frequently served this to him when he had breakfast at Grover's.  She developed this recipe by picking up dates on the golf course.  Her mother, Alice Alderson had a recipe for Fig Salad which we found in documents while at the family reunion.

Mix together 2 cups of shredded cabbace [sic], 2/3 c. shredded carrot, 2/3 cup diced celery, 1/3 cup diced green peppers, 1/3 cup finely cut fennel.  Moisten with the following dressing:  cut until crisp 2 T finely cut bacon.

Add and cook slowly 5 mins. 4 t finely cut onion, remove to heat 4 T vinegar, 1 t. salt, 2 t. sugar, 1/8 t pepper, 1/3 cup Pet milk. Whisk well, mix, pur over prepared veg.  Serve at once.  Do not chill Serves 4

Huh?  Where are the figs?  We think this must be a "Faux Fig Salad"!

Grover's Clocks

My father-in-law Grover, loved making clocks with photos and other memorabilia. I've given most of them to the girls, but here are some. The one above was to honor Eloise's golfing.
This one includes his driver's license and various cards.

This clock has photos of Eloise as a girl and teenager---it hung in his hall at the apartment.




This one he made for me---it hung in my kitchen for many years---made of family recipe cards.


Carrie Berry was one Ellice's nieces or cousins.
Here's a dump cake recipe from Ethel Morgan (Clifford Morgan's wife)
Ellice Smith Morgan's cookies.

The egg nog is probably from Alice Alderson Fry.

He made this from one of our records for Rebecca's birthday.

Elderberry Wine, Dried Peach Wine and Blackberry Wine

For a prominent Baptist family, I was a little surprised to see these recipes---on G.H. Alderson's letterhead, no less. I've transcribed some of these in case you have 2 lbs. of dried peaches or 8 qts. of Elderberries that you don't know what to do with. Thank you Buddy and Suzy for sharing these recipes.

Elderberry Wine
8 qt. berries, 4 qts. boiling water poured over the berries. Let stand 12 hours stirring occasionally then strain well pressing out all the juice. Add 3 lb. sugar and 4 qt. juice, 1 oz powdered cinnamon 1/4 oz. powdered cloves. Boil 5 min. and set away to ferment in stone jar with cloth thrown over it. When done fermenting, rack off carefully as not to disturb the lees (?lus?). Bottle and cork well.

Dried Peach Wine
2lbs. dried peaches, pour 4 gallon of hot water over them, add 5 lb. sugar and 1 yeast cake, stir well and ferment in a stone jar. When through working, rack off into clean bottles or jars and cork for 10 days before using.

Blackberry Wine
Add 1 qt boiling water to each gallon mashed berries. Let stand 24 hours stirring occasionally, train and add 2 lbs. sugar to each gallon. Cork tightly pressing cork in cask tighten each few days until tight. Then let stand till Oct. then bottle.

More of Gigi's Favorite Recipes

While digging in my recipe box this holiday, I found some of my mother's favorite recipes.

This was one of Mom's favorite recipes---I think it is based on the French Onion Soup served at Famous-Barr.

This is Louise Long's Lasagna recipe from the 1960's----it's not really like the Italian lasagna my sister-in-laws make, but it is still very good in a Midwestern way. I have several friends from high school who say this was the first lasagna recipe they ever ate and they still use this recipe.

Leah requested that we make these---Mom always made these and had them in the freezer for when company came. I made them for Christmas and all of the guys loved them. I shared this recipe with Mom---from my friend Jessica Krafcik.

This Gooey-Butter Cake is a St. Louis tradition. Mother always had these in the freezer for my brother Jim and nephew Doug to fight over.

The final recipe I found was this for garlic walnuts----Mom made these for gifts to friends.

Louise's Cornbread Dressing Recipe

I loved the note at the top---read recipe or transcription below
"Jackies sage" is below with a fuzzy second side. I never realized my sage was a secret ingredient. I thought I'd better show it to you or you'd think the secret ingredient was some controlled substance I grow in my back yard.

Corn Bread Dressing

This will fit 13 X9 pan for more double or so.

Make cornbread a day ahead or (longer & freeze)

1 cup capped [chopped] onion
1 " celery chopped
Sautee in 1/2 stick of butter in micro [obviously this recipe has been updated]

Crumble Corn Bread & 3 or 4 slices of stale white or 1/2 pkg of Pepperidge dressing-(add Jackie's) sage
Pepper salt to taste
a can of chicken broth bring to boil pour over. let sit to absorb

Add 2 eggs
1/2 of cooked sausage crumbled is [if] more moisture is needed add milk

Pour in 13 X 9 greased (sprayed) pan. Drizzle drippings from turkey

Bake about 40 min. until lightly brown

Hey, you didnt' expect me to make it already---maybe later today.

Wicker's BBQ Recipe

Wicker's BBQ Sauce

1 1/4 cups Cider vinegar
1 tsp. black pepper
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Combine all ingredients and cook for 5-10
minutes to dissolve spices. Use as a marinade
and basting with your favorite BBQ recipe.

Way down in S.E. Missouri in Hornersville (in the "Bootheel"---the section that should have been Arkansas, probably), lived a man called "Peck" Wicker who was my grandfather's (Wes Wicker) first cousin. My grandfather enjoyed cooking, but his cousin had a BBQ stand for many years. When I went to college in Cape Girardeau, MO, I found out Peck Wicker's BBQ stand was very famous. Above is the recipe used at the BBQ stand---the sauce is sold through the Bootheel area (5 states) and occasionally we can find it in St.Louis (Restoration Hardware?) Click here for more information on Peck and Wicker's BBQ.

I'm posting this recipe because my brother called me a few weeks ago for it. "You're the family archives." Actually, it was easier finding it on-line than it was to go through the archives (AKA basement storage). But, I thought maybe we could post "family" recipes, too.