Mike's favorite Munroe, Levis and friend's recipes. (updated September 1, 20109)

Heavenly Oysters
Icebox Cookies
Crab Cakes
Cheese Crispies
Green Tomato Pie
Cinnamon Cake
Sheet Sponge Cake
Pfannenkuchen
Spatetzles
Brownies
Flannel Cakes
Spaghetti Sauce
Shrimp Pasta Parmesan
Lime Pie
Dirt Dessert
Dirt Dessert 2
Oreo Salad
Chocolate Noodle Clusters
Hot Chocolate Sauce
Hollandaise - Whole Egg
Vegetarian "Chicken " Casserole
Pie Crust - Gluten free
Quiche
7-Layer Dip All Strong Men Go Crazy Sometimes
Mongolian Motherfuc'r

Dorothy Munroe's Heavenly Oysters in Chafing Dish

36 bread cups (form in muffin pan and bake in oven until crisp, lightly browned)
24 ounces fresh oysters in liquor
1/4 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese - softened
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
3- 5 drops hot sauce
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 cup white wine and 2 tablespoons dry vermouth - if available

Bake bread cups until crisp in muffin tins in oven. Poach oysters
in their juice until their edges curl and ruffle. Drain.
Combine butter and cream cheese in small sauce pan over a low heat.
Add wine and whisk until smooth. Keep stirring over heat adding
anchovy paste, cayenne, salt, and scallions. Heat nearly to boil and
fold in the drained poached oysters, garnish with parsley and it is
ready to serve in bread cups. For entertaining, keep oyster sauce warm
in a chafing dish until ready to serve. Ladle into bread cups arranged on
small plates and serve several at a time to each guest.

Very rich, delicious and tasty. Will be so good that it may constitute
an entire meal unless you have a great deal of self control.
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Crook Family  Christmas Icebox Cookies

1 cup butter
1 lb brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon hot water

2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
4 cups flour

Cream the butter and sugar. Combine cinnamon, vanilla,
sugar, soda and hot water.  Beat eggs into mixture then
add chopped dates and walnuts. Mix in flour with beater
and pack into buttered loaf pan. Chill in freezer overnight.
Pry from pan and with large sharp knife slice into
1/8 inch thick cookies.  Bake on cookie sheet at 350
degrees F. for 9-11 minutes. Makes approximately 90 cookies.

Mixing in all that flour is the hardest part. A strong mixer helps.

Cookies will be crisp when cool. They keep well and make a fine present
or hostess gift - put in cookie tin with waxed paper.
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Mary D. Munroe's Crab Cakes

1 lb white crab meat
3 slices white bread moistened in milk
Worcestershire sauce
mayonnaise
red pepper
parsley

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and
form into small balls 1/2 to 1/3 cup each.
Saul'te in frying pan and serve warm.
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Dorothy Munroe's Cheese Crispies

2 cups flour
2 sticks margarine
2 cups rice crispies
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese

Soften margarine at room temperature and blend all ingredients
thoroughly with hands. Shape into small balls 2-3 tbs. each and place
on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with tines of a fork. Bake
at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes. Cool and serve.
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Alfred C. Levis's Green Tomato Pie

6-8 medium green tomatoes or equivalent
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Wash tomatoes, remove stems and slice. Combine in sauce pan
tomatoes, grated lemon and lemon juice or orange rind, salt,
cinnamon and cook for 15 minutes while stirring.  Mix sugar and
cornstarch and cook until liquid clears. Add butter and pour into
pie shell in 9 inch pie pan. Cover with another crust, pinch edges
together with fork and cut gashes in top.  Bake at 435 degrees F.
for 40-50 minutes.

This is a good way to use up the green tomatoes at the end of the season.
It will surprise friends who will guess it to be apple pie until they look
closely or you tell them.
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Dorothy Munroe's famous Cinnamon Cake

1 stick ( 1/4 lb) butter (3 Tbs. goes into batter the rest is for topping)
 2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon sugar topping: (1 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.)
You should always have cinnamon sugar on hand around the kitchen.

To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. so it will be ready
and also melt the stick (1/4 lb) of butter in a saucepan on the stove.
Beat eggs and sugar together with 3 tablespoons melted butter adding
alternately the flour containing the baking powder and salt and the milk
containing the vanilla. Mix until smooth. 

Pour the batter into two floured 9 inch diameter cake pans. Sprinkle both cakes
evenly and liberally with the cinnamon sugar mixture and put into hot oven.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Take out of oven and taking the sauce pan of
butter that should still be warm and dribble it over the top of each cake. If
enough cinnamon sugar mixture has been used and you are careful with
the butter a thin, crisp, delicious sugary crust will be formed.

This cake can be baked, topped and be ready for eating in less than an hour.
It is great when still warm from the oven with a glass of cold mild or
is fine the next morning for breakfast. There isn't a faster baked cake that we know of.
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Mary D. Munroe's Sheet Sponge Cake

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup scalded milk
2 teaspoons melted butter

Whip eggs until light. Combine flour and baking powder and add alternately
to mixture.  Mix in mild and melted butter.  Pour into greased tube pan
and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted
comes out clean.
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Mary D. Munroe's  Pfannenkuchen (German pancakes)

1 egg
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons flour
milk as necessary to make thin (just shy 1/4 cup whole milk or slightly
more if using low fat milk)

Heat good frying pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening. When
oil is hot enough to make water splatter, pour in mixture until bottom of
pan is covered with just a couple of inches to spare all around.

Cook until edges curl up and start to brown and then turn over and cook
until firm.  Serve sprinkled with granulated table sugar or top with sifted
powered sugar.  Recipe serves one, can be doubled or tripled for more.

Grand mom said that this was a good way to get eggs into a sick child.
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Mary D. Munroe's Spatetzles (approximately her recipe)

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
 
Beat all ingredients together well with whisk.
Drip batter into boiling salted water using knife
to separate into strings approximately 1 inch long and a half inch in diameter.
 
Turn heat down during this process to avoid boiling over. drain about 1 minute after
the last of the batter has dropped into the nearly boiling water.
 
These can be served buttered hot for a hearty (i.e. fattening) breakfast.
More traditionally, Spaetzle can be sautéed in butter or meat drippings and served
to accompany a roast.
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Dorothy Munroe's Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/4 lb butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
2 squares of bakers unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (can be left out but why?)

Beat eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl. In a sauce pan,
melt together the butter and chocolate and then add to the eggs
and sugar mixture and then add the other ingredients (flour, salt, vanilla,
nuts) and chocolate to the egg, sugar, and chocolate mixture.
Add walnuts if desired and mix until smooth. Pour into
a greased and floured square cake pan.  Bake in 325 to 350
degree oven for 30 minutes.  Cool before cutting into squares
and  serve with glasses of cold milk.
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Dorothy Munroe's Flannel Cakes

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 or 3 eggs separated
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sift together the flour, salt and baking power and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, milk and oil.
When smooth, add the four mixture and milk alternating while
beating or stirring smooth.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites
until stiff.  Fold into batter mixture but don't try to make smooth
or the flannel cakes will not be as light and fluffy.

Heat griddle on medium heat until water dripped from finger dances
wildly on surface. pour pancake mixture making 4 - 6 inch pancakes
and cook until steam escaping from surface leaves holes, then turn and
cook other sides until lightly browned.  Makes 24 flannel cakes.

Spread with butter and syrup, stack two or three high and cut from
center into little triangle slices.  Serve with cold milk or hot coffee.
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Dorothy Munroe's Spaghetti Sauce

3 Tbs. bacon fat or olive oil
1 large onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 10 ounce can condensed tomato soup (Campbell's)
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce (Hunts)
Parmesan cheese (ground) for the final dish

Dice up a large onion and about 2-3 stalks of celery and sauté' in bacon fat
using a large skillet. You can dice up one or two strips of bacon if available.
Add ground beef to the onion and celery and brown the beef, stirring occasionally.
Add tomato soup and tomato sauce and simmer for 45 minutes. Add one clove of
garlic minced and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. You can add canned mushrooms
or sauté' fresh mushrooms with the other vegetables.

Don't forget the Parmesan cheese for the spaghetti.
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Lucious Lime Pie    

1 (6 oz.) frozen lime juice concentrate
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 lg. container Cool Whip
1/4 c. key lime juice
1 lg. graham cracker pie crust

Mix juice, milk and Cool Whip with mixer and pour into pie shell. Chill and enjoy!
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Dirt Dessert    

1 1/2 Oreo cookies, crushed
1 1/2 box instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1/2 stick butter
2 c. milk

Beat cream cheese and butter. Add pudding, milk,
and Cool Whip.  Layer crushed Oreos with filling
in a cup or bowl.
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Dirt Desert 2

1 large bag Oreos (1 1/4 lb. bag)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Lg. pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
3 cups cold milk
12 oz. Cool Whip

Chop Oreos in food processor till it resembles potting soil.

Beat cream cheese, margarine, powdered sugar. Blend together vanilla
pudding with milk, add to cream cheese mixture. Fold in cool whip.

Line the inside of a flower pot with foil or plastic wrap. Put a
layer of the soil (Oreos) in bottom, next layer will be some of
the pudding mix. Alternate between the two with a layer of Oreos
on top. Decorate with a Chocolate Rose, or Silk Rose. At Christmas
you can use a Silk Poinsettia.
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Oreo Salad
(serves 8-10)

1 small pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding
1 cup Buttermilk
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip
1 small can Mandarin Oranges, drained
½ pkg. Oreos or Cookie of this type, crushed in big chunks

Mix pudding and buttermilk. Fold in rest of ingredients.
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Ann Hayward's Chocolate Noodle Clusters

6 ounces chow mien noodles
6 ounces butterscotch morsels
6 ounces chocolate morsels (sweet)
1 cup peanuts
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Combine butterscotch, chocolate, and peanuts in the top of a double boiler
and heat until well melted, stirring to coat peanuts. Carefully fold chow mien noodles
into hot mixture and try to coat evenly. You can use a sauce pan to heat the chocolate
and butterscotch if  you are extremely careful not to scorch the mixture.

Spoon out mixture onto lightly greased cookie sheet or wax paper over a flat tray, spread
out onto cookie sheet.   Chill tray of noodle clusters in fridge (freezer if hungry). When they
are cold break up clusters into bite size pieces.
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Hot Chocolate Sauce

8 squares baker's unsweetened chocolate
1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)
1 3/4 Cups water
2 1/2 Cups sugar

Melt chocolate and butter together.
Add sugar and water and cook in microwave for 4 minutes
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Michael's Whole Egg Hollandaise Sauce

3     eggs
4-5 teaspoons of lemon juice
3    tablespoons water
6-7 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat butter in heavy saucepan or top of double boiler
Whisk beaten eggs into the warm butter. Add hot water and salt to mixture
continue stirring. Add lemon juice and keep stirring until mixture begins
to noticeably thicken. Take off of heat and put in gravy boat or small bowl
with ladle.

Good over broccoli, asparagus or to make eggs Bennedict.
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Terry Pope's Vegetarian Chicken Casserole (updated)

1 package Quorn vegetarian "chicken" pieces           
1 can cream of celery (or mushroom) soup
3/4 stick butter                                                      
1/3 cup self rising flour
8 oz vegetable broth                                             
1 cup of milk                                                                            

Melt butter and then add flour. Stir until smooth. After rue is smooth, add soup and milk and whisk smooth again.
If you use a ceramic casserole dish for the above, you can then add the chicken pieces to the sauce and bake
at at 400 degrees F. until brown (approximately 30 - 45 minutes).

Alternatively, the flour, milk and 1/4 stick of butter can be beaten together until smooth and poured over the
chicken, butter (1/2 stick) and soup mixture and this will form a crust. It is then baked in the oven at 400 degrees
F. until brown ( approximately 30 to 45 minutes).

I was only able to find Quorn products at Elwood Thompsons.  Wikepedia History of Quorn

Quorn is the leading brand of mycoprotein food product in the UK[1] and a leading brand elsewhere.
Mycoprotein is a generic term for protein rich foodstuffs made from processed edible fungus.

Quorn is produced as both a cooking ingredient and a range of ready meals. Quorn is sold
(largely in Europe but also in other parts of the world) as a healthy food and an alternative
to meat, especially for vegetarians. As it uses egg white as a binder, it is not suitable for vegans.
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Stephanie Kavanaugh's Delicious Quiche

Ingredients:
Deep dish pie crust (frozen)
4 eggs
1.5 C. milk
1.5 C. Swiss cheese
Optional Filling: ham, bacon, broccoli, spinach, asparagus

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Beat together: 4 eggs, 1.5 cups milk
Layer in the bottom of the pie shell: Your choice of: ham, bacon, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, other, or none and
the grated Swiss cheese reserving a small amount for the top.

Pour the eggs/milk over the top  and some of the grated Swiss Cheese
Set on a baking pan or a sheet of aluminum foil in case it spills over (likely)

Bake for 40-45 minutes (check earlier--time is approximate) until lightly brown.
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Cathy Gumlock's All Strong Men Go Crazy Sometimes

2 large avocados, mashed
1/2 cup salsa, or more, hot
1.5 cups monterey jack cheese, grated
6 green onions, sliced
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1.5 cups sour cream
1-2 tomatoes, chopped

Layer in that order; serve with corn chips

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Shrimp Pasta Parmesan
 
1 (12 ounce) package pasta
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 tablespoons diced onion
4 teaspoons minced garlic
Lots of shrimp (I use frozed cooked, deveined)
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

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Gluten-Free Pie Crust - from internet

2 1/4 cups of gluten-free flour blend
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
4-6 Tbl cold water
 
In a food processor, pulse the first three ingredients until butter is incorporated. This will take a few pulses - you want it nicely mixed
without being overdone. Add the egg and pulse until it's mixed in. Add 1/4 cup cold water and pulse. Dough should begin to form a ball.
Add more water if needed until dough reaches a firm, yet pliable state. Remove from bowl and press into an oval.

If dough is a bit too dry, you can sprinkle water on top and knead it into the mixture.
Divide into two equal size pieces and roll each piece out onto parchment paper, waxed paper, or a rolling mat.
The extra support to the crust will help in placing the crust into the pie plate.
Once crust is to the desired thickness, turn a pie pan upside down over the crust and then lift up the entire parchment paper, including
the pie pan, and turn it over so the pan bottom is sitting on the counter.  Carefully peel the parchment paper away and then press the crust into the pan.
After removing the top piece of parchment paper (or aluminium foil). I like to put the crust in the refrigerator for five minutes or so
before removing the lower piece of paper. It helps because it makes the dough stiffer and less likely to tear.
If the dough tears, you can just press a piece from the rim over the tear. Flute the edges and you're done.
When baking the crust separately from the pie, poke the bottom and sides with a fork multiple times before doing so.

Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown. Let cool and then fill with your favorite pie filling.
Recipe makes 2 - 9" pie crusts.

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Lynette's Mongolian Motherfuc'r (
from an Army brat in Chantilly, Virginia)

1/4 oz vodka
1/4 oz gin
1/4 oz rum
1/4 oz sloe gin
1/4 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
1/4 oz Southern Comfort® peach liqueur
1/4 oz triple sec
1 splash grenadine syrup (she gave a more generous portion of Grenadine)
1 splash orange juice
1 splash cranberry juice
"Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake well, strain into a rocks glass or old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes, and serve."
(Lynette served it shaken with ice but then strained and served it straight up without ice)

Although not entirely obscure, serving it shaken and strained without ice is a nice touch.

The story behind this recipe and my full passport saga