TODAY's CASES:

• Chocolate Fruit Cake
• Wag's Meat Loaf
• Wyatt's Cafeteria Cheesecake

Chocolate Fruit Cake From: Tina Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2016 8:20 AM To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Subject: Chocolate Fruitcake Phaedrus, My husband's 99year old grandmother has always talked about her mother making her chocolate fruitcake. She was a German Immigrant after the first world war, and would not share the recipe, even with her children. Nannie has always been hard or hearing, and is now almost completely blind. Her health is failing quickly... I would love to know if there is an early 1900's recipe for a Chocolate Fruitcake that I could make for Christmas. Thank you, Tina Hi Tina, Sorry, no success. It’s really difficult to find a recipe from a particular period of time. It may be “out there”, but the person who posted it may not have stated that it’s from “the early 1900s.” I found several chocolate fruitcake recipes, but none gave a date. See if you can find out any of the ingredients. That would be the way to search for this. Phaed From: Tina Sent: Monday, November 28, 2016 7:26 AM To: Phaedrus Subject: Re: Chocolate Fruitcake Thank you. I can try some of the recipes you found and see if any of them strike her fancy. She remembers her mother coating them in a liquid (rum? Vodka? ) and wrapping them up and storing them for a week or so. Hi Tina, I found none with vodka. Brandy or rum is typical. There is such a recipe here: 1-3-2005 and one below. Phaed Chocolate Rum Fruitcake 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour 1 1/4 c. sugar 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tbsp. cocoa powder 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. allspice 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. applesauce 1/2 c. milk 2 tbsp. dark rum 1 c. pecans, chopped 1 c. raisins, chopped 1/2 c. dates, chopped 1/4 c. dark rum Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt into bowl. Mix in applesauce, milk and 2 tablespoons rum. Mix in pecans, raisins and dates. Pour into greased and floured 9 inch tube pan with removable bottom. Bake in preheated moderate oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan or on wire rack. Slowly pour 1/4 cup rum over cake while still hot. Cool to room temperature. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 24 hours. ================================================================= Perfect! Thank you! Wag's Meat Loaf -----Original Message----- From: Kathleen Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2016 10:53 AM To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Subject: Wag's meatloaf Dear Phaedrus, Back in the '70's and '80's Walgreens had restaurants in their stores, Wag's. My brother, a meatloaf connoisseur, loved their meatloaf. I can't find the recipe nor a copycat for this. Perhaps a former employee would have the magic recipe. Thanks so much. Kathy Hello Kathy, I had no success with it. I'll post this for reader input. Phaed UPDATE 12/23/2021: I now have a copy of Walgreen's cookbook, "Prescriptions for Good Taste", which contains recipes from "Wags". However, the book states that the recipes therein are not only from Walgreen's restaurants, but many are from friends and family. The source of each recipe in the book is not clearly identified, but some recipes have a note that says "Adapted for your kitchen... from the original Walgreen's recipe!". I think it is probably safe to assume that the recipes with this note, at least, are from the Walgreen's Restaurants. There are three recipes in it for meat loaf, and I've no idea which one Kathy might have wanted. I no longer have her email, so I cannot write to her. The three recipes are:"Meat & Vegetable Loaf" with potatoes and carrots, "Cheese Stuffed Meat Loaf" with mozzarella cheese and ham slices, and "Monday Meat Loaf," which is closest to a traditional meat loaf recipe. The first one, for "Meat & Vegetable Loaf" has the "adapted" note, so perhaps it is the one that Kathy wanted. Walgreen's Cafeterias Meat & Vegetable Loaf ("Adapted for your kitchen... from the original Walgreen's recipe!") 2 pounds lean ground beef 1 medium potato, peeled and finely chopped 2 carrots pared and finely chopped 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped 2 cups bread crumbs 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup milk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop all vegetables very fine either in food processor or by hand with knife. Mix with all other ingredients. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or a 13x9-inch pyrex glass baking dish, line with waxed paper, and regrease. Pack mixture completely into pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until done. Serves 6 to 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cheese~Stuffed Meat Loaf 2 pounds ground beef 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated 2 eggs 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs 1 cup tomato juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon oregano pepper, to taste 2 small onions, minced 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 8 thin slices boiled ham Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine beef, eggs, bread crumbs, tomato juice, salt, oregano, and pepper. Saute onion in oil until golden brown. Add to meat mixture, mix well. Turn out on a sheet of aluminum foil. Flatten into oblong, about 1-inch thick. Place ham slices in oblong, keeping them about 1-inch from edge. Sprinkle grated cheese on ham. Use foil to fold meat mixture over ham and cheese, cloae all openings. Turn loaf from foil into a greased, 8x5x3-inch loaf pan. Pat with fingers to fill corners of pan and shape loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; center will register 150 degrees on meat thermometer. Serves 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Monday Meat Loaf 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 cup soda crackers, crushed 1 1/2 tablespoons onion, chopped 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup milk 1 egg Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients. Shpe and place in greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until done. Serves 4. Wyatt's Cafeteria Cheesecake -----Original Message----- From: Shelia Sent: Monday, November 28, 2016 8:37 AM To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Subject: Cheesecake Wyatts cafeteria had the best. I think it had cottage cheese in it. It was light and fluffy not packy. Do you have their receipe? Hello Shelia, Sorry, no success with Wyatt's Cafeteria cheesecake. I do not have it and I had no success finding it on the Internet. Below is the Luby's Cafeteria cheesecake recipe, which may be similar. You might also try Woolworth's Ice Box cheesecake recipe here: 4-5-2002 Phaed Fluffy Cheesecake From Lubys Cafeteria Ingredients 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup butter or margarine, room temp. 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (I used a little more) 1 pint whipping cream, whipped 2 graham cracker pie crusts graham cracker crumbs for garnish How to make it Cream together the first three ingredients until fluffy. Blend in lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Fold in the whipped cream until well blended. Divide between the two crusts and sprinkle top with graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours before serving. Cook time is the chill time.