Mom's Sweet and Sour Meatballs from Nancy Hemenway

Way back when, I bought a huge Chinese wok at Import Plaza for $5. I think I may have been 13 years old. Well, that wok was one of the greatest pans Mom ever had. She is an expert at stir-fry, and she can whip up an incredible spaghetti sauce in that wok. But, bu far the best is these wonderful meatballs from the Chinese Gourmet cookbook. Nowadays, I substitute lean ground turkey for the beef, and nobody is the wiser. Notice in the recipe that you will need a green pepper and pineapple chunks at the very end!

Meatballs

Combine:
... 1 pound ground beef
... 1 egg, beaten
... 1 Tbl cornstarch
... 1/2 tsp salt
... 2 Tbls chopped onion
... pinch of sugar

Make into meatballs the size of large marbles.
Saute in 1 tsp of oil until lightly brown.

Sauce

Combine:
... 1 cup pineapple juice (drained from the chunks)
,., 1 Tbl soy sauce (Mom uses more!)
... 3 Tbls vinegar
... 2 Tbls water
... 1/2 cup sugar (Mom uses less!)
... 5 Tbls cornstarch.

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until the juice begins to thicken. Add the meatballs and allow them to heat through. Cut a green pepper into 1 inch squares and add it and the pineapple chunks just before serving. This is great over white rice for dinner or served in a crockpot using toothpicks at a party.

Elevator Lady Spice Cookies from Nancy Hemenway

When we were growing up, it was a heavenly day when we'd come home from school and smell sweet warm molasses cookies cooking in the kitchen. These remain a favorite to this day for me. Mom and I made a batch of these the night before Clarice was born. I recently made them for my 2nd grade class at Crown Valley Elementary School.

Mix together:
... 3/4 cup shortening
... 1 cup sugar
... 1 egg, beaten
... 1/4 cup molasses

Sift together and stir in:
... 2 cups flour
... 2 tsp soda
... 1/4 tsp salt
... 1 tsp cinnamon
... 3/4 tsp cloves
... 3/4 tsp ginger

Now, mix it all together, and form into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, then place them two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 10 to twelve minutes.

Serve these with a cold glass of milk!

Miriam's Fruit Cocktail Pie from Nancy Danner Heminway

I think we all have memories of Mom suddenly learning that we had company coming for supper in less than an hour, and how she could make a meal from absolutely nothing!  One of our favorite desserts was Fruit Cocktail Pie hot from the oven with a sweet dollop of whipped cream.

1 16 oz. can of fruit cocktail in syrup, drained

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (or less MW)

1 egg

1/2 cup coarsely broken walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter a 9 inch pie plate.

Drain the fruit cocktail, saving the syrup.

By hand gently mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and the egg.  Add the drained fruit cocktail and lightly mix until all the ingredients are moistened.  Add a little of the saved syrup, if needed.

Sprinkle some of the nuts over the bottom of the pie plate.

Pour the batter on top of the nuts.

Combine the remaining nuts and brown sugar, and sprinkle on top of the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes.

whipped cream:

1 cup of whipping cream

2 Tbls of sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine and whipped until desired thickness.

I know that Mom likes her whipped cream sloppy (Molly W)