----- Original Message -----
From: Jean
To:   phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 19:25
Subject: goose


> I would like to know How you prepare a goose for Christmas, Have no 
> idea, but, remember my beloved grandmother cooked them and she had 
> a special way. They were delicious and not tough. Also they are so 
> filled with fat and she mixed the fat with turpentine to make a chest 
> rub for winter colds. We had very few colds in the winter back then. 
> But I am getting away from my purpose of writing to find out the proper 
> way to prepare and cook one of the above.
> Do you have a recipe that is fool proof?? I have heard some horror 
> stories from people regarding domestic geese 
> Thank you muchly .      Jean

Hi Jean,

I've never cooked goose myself, but the three recipes below come highly recommended. Let me know which one, if any, you use, and how it turns out.

Phaed

Quebec-style Roast Goose

     10 ea Slices, White Bread
      1 c  Dried Currants
      4 ea Apples, Peeled, Sliced
      1 tb Dried Thyme
      4 tb Melted Butter
      1 tb Vegetable Oil
      1 ea Goose (8 - 10 lbs)
      1 ea Chopped Onion
      1 ea Chopped Carrot
      1 ea Chopped Stalk of Celery
      1 ea Clove, Garlic, minced
      1 ea Bay Leaf
      3 ea Whole Cloves
      1 ea Sprig, Fresh Thyme
      1 ea Sprig, Fresh Marjoram
    1/4 c  White Wine
      1 ts Tomato Paste
      1 cn 10 oz Chicken Bouillon

Make stuffing by combining bread, currants, apples, thyme, salt, pepper and
melted butter. Stuff, truss and tie goose. Prick bird all over with fork.
Heat oil in roasting pan on top of stove, brown goose lightly on all sides,
then drain off pan drippings. Set goose breast side up, add a little water,
cover and roast at 375 degrees for one hour. Combine chopped onion, carrot,
celery, the garlic, bay leaf, cloves, thyme and marjoram. Discard fat from
roasting pan, add vegetable mixture and continue roasting uncovered 20 - 25
minutes per pound (three to four hours in all) draining off fat at intervals
and adding more water as required. Transfer cooked goose to platter and keep
warm. Skim off remaining fat in pan and heat dripping and vegetables on top
of stove until mixture is reduced. Then stir in white wine, tomato paste and
chicken bouillon. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, then strain gravy. A little
cornstarch mixed with water may be blended in to thicken gravy, if desired.
Serve goose with gravy, applesauce, mashed potatoes and braised cabbage. Six
to eight servings.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Roast Goose with Wild Rice & Chestnut Stuffing

Serves: 8
Work Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 5 hours


1 12-pound fresh or frozen (thawed) goose
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
garnish: fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs, small pears or apples, champagne
or seedless grapes, and lemon leaves
1. Prepare Wild Rice & Chestnut Stuffing.
2. Remove giblets and neck from goose, refrigerate or freeze to use in soup
another day. Discard fat from body cavity, rinse goose with running cold
water and drain well.
3. Fasten neck skin to back with 1 or 2 skewers. With goose breast-side up,
lift wings toward neck, then fold them under back of goose so they stay in
place. Spoon Wild Rice & Chestnut Stuffing into body cavity. With string,
tie legs and tail together.
4. Place goose, breast-side up, on rack in large roasting pan, with two-tine
fork, prick skin in several places to drain fat during roasting.
5. In cup, mix salt and pepper, use to rub over goose.
6. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of meat between breast and
thigh, being careful that pointed end of thermometer does not touch bone.
Roast goose in 350 degrees F oven 3 hours or until meat thermometer reaches
180 to 185 degrees F.
7. To serve, place goose on large platter, let stand 10 minutes for easier
carving. If you like, garnish platter with fresh rosemary or parsley sprigs,
small pears or apples, champagne or seedless grapes, and lemon leaves
-----------------------------------
Wild Rice & Chestnut Stuffing

Serves: 8
Work Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours


2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 large celery stalk, diced
1 medium-size carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper
two 13 3/4- to 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
one 4-ounce package wild rice
1 cup parboiled rice
1 pound chestnuts
1. In 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, in 1 tablespoon hot margarine or
butter, cook 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped, until
softened. With slotted spoon, remove cooked apple to small bowl, set aside.
2. In same saucepan, in 1 tablespoon additional hot margarine or butter,
cook 1 large celery stalk, diced, 1 medium-size carrot, diced, 1 small
onion, diced, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon dried
thyme leaves, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender-crisp and
golden.
3. Stir in two 13 3/4- to 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth and one 4-ounce
package wild rice, over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low,
cover and simmer 35 minutes.
4. Stir in 1 cup parboiled rice, over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce
heat to low, cover and simmer 25 minutes longer or until liquid is absorbed
and white and wild rice are tender.
5. While rice is cooking, prepare chestnuts: In 4-quart saucepan over high
heat, heat 1 pound chestnuts and enough water to cover to boiling. Reduce
heat to medium, cook 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. With slotted
spoon, remove 3 or 4 chestnuts at a time from water to cutting board. Cut
each chestnut in half. With tip of small knife, scrape out chestnut meat
from its shell (skin will stay in shell). Chop any large pieces of chestnut
meat, set chestnut meat aside. Discard cooking water in saucepan.
6. When rice is done, stir in chestnuts and cooked apple.
7. Spoon stuffing into body cavity of Roast Goose or other holiday bird and
continue cooking according to recipe directions
-------------------------------------------------------------------
AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT ROAST GOOSE!

Yield: 12 Servings

      1    10 to 12 lb. goose either
           -fresh or frozen and thawed

I have made a Thanksgiving goose every year for at least 15 years. I
have steadily gained on making the perfect bird but I finally found
the greatest recipe ever in Cook's Magazine. The divine part of this
approach to cooking the goose is that it employs some of the eastern
method of drying the skin which is used in Peking Duck. The skin
simply drops all its fat and leaves a crispy, dry, delectable skin
that folks fight over! No more rubbery, yucky goose skin full of fat!
A frozen goose is perfectly adequate. Have thawed 24 to 48 hours
before the meal (48 is better.) Prick the goose well all over,
especially on the breast and on the upper legs, holding the skewer
almost paralel with the bird so as to avoid piercing the flesh. Fill
a very large pot 2/3 full of water (pot should be large enough to
almost accomodate the bird) and bring to a boil. Using rubber gloves
submerge bird (neck side down) for 1 minute (till goose bumps arise.)
Repeat the process (this time with the tail side down.) Drain the
goose, breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan and set in
the refrigerator, naked, to dry the skin for 24 to 48 hours.
When you are ready to roast the bird, on the big day. Make your
favorite stuffing. I made one in "94" that seemed to be well liked.
The night before Thanksgiving I cooked 1 1/2 cups (raw) wild rice in
about 5 cups of water. Drained and chilled overnight. In the morning
I added soaked, cut up dry shitake mushrooms along with their soaking
water with an egg beaten into it. A tablespoon of poultry seasoning,
a sauteed onion, plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.
Now you salt and pepper the bird insdie and out, liberally. Preheat
the oven to 325 degrees while you are stuffing and sewing up the
bird. Place it in the oven in a roaster and on a rack on it's breast.
For a 12 1/3 lb. goose I needed a full 5 hours but this is quite a
large bird. Just close the oven and let it stay, undisturbed for 1
1/2 hours. After this time, take it out of the oven. Use a baster to
draw out the fat that has accumulated in the bottom of the pan
(schmaltz lovers, send up a cheer) You can strain this fat through a
coffee filter, putting the schmaltz in small bottles which keep very
well in the freezer for up to a year.) Turn the bird over on its back
before you put it back in the oven. put it back in for another hour
before you start checking for doneness. The recipe gave the best
advice on checking for doneness, at this point, that I have ever
seen. With a piece of terry rag, squeeze the upper drumstick (not
thigh) lightly. If it feels kind of squishy, like roast beef, it's
done. Every bird is different so you must judge when it is done. When
meat is done (be patient, it may take a while), raise the heat to 400
degrees. Remove roaster from the oven and transfer bird (rack and
all) to a jelly roll pan. Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes to
further crisp and brown the bird. Take it out and let it sit,
uncovered for a half an hour.
Regarding the roaster, after you remove the bird to a jelly roll pan
and put that in the oven, remove the fat from the roaster and put it
over 2 burners adding about 2/3 cup of dry sherry and deglaze the pan
with a wooden spoon. combine these drippings with your giblet broth
either to make a gravy or to use later for goose carcass, slow cooker
broth.

----- Original Message -----
From: Michelle
To:   phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 18:03
Subject: Better Than Sex Dessert


> Hello Uncle,
>
> I'm looking for a dessert.  In a 9 x 13 you spread x flour, x butter,
> and x chopped pecans.  Somehow layers of whipped cream cheese with
> sugar, chocolate pudding and Cool Whip are added the the baked layer.
> Do you know this recipe?
>
> I appreciate your help.
>
> Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I surely do know the recipe, although I would argue whether any food is really better...
The recipe is below.

Phaed

Sex in a Pan (aka Better Than Sex)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 8 oz. packages. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
30 oz. carton cool whip
1 6 oz. package instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
1 pt. whipping cream
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix first three ingredients to a fine crumb
consistency. Press into a spring form pan to form a shell. Bake for 25
minutes.
Beat together cream cheese, icing sugar and Cool Whip and pour into cooled
shell. Beat together milk and chocolate pudding until thick. Pour over cream
cheese mixture. Whip cream and pour over chocolate mixture. Refrigerate at
least 12 hours.

Makes 12 servings.
 

----- Original Message -----
From: Debbie
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 00:13
Subject: hello


> what did the candy snowcaps use to be called?

Hi Debbie,

Well, as far as I can find, "Nestle's SnoCaps" have always been called that. I even found an essay about Philadelphia in 1948 which mentioned Snowcaps candy.

Maybe you are remembering a similar candy made by a different candy company and sold under a different name.

The weird thing to me about SnoCaps was always that they call them "chocolate nonpareils" on the box. What the heck izzat? According to the dictionary, a nonpareil is "a small, flat chocolate drop covered with white pellets of sugar."
Sure 'nuff...

Phaed

----- Original Message -----
From: Megan
To: phaedrus
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 10:03
Subject: (no subject)


> Hi, what a cool site!  I am looking for two recipes, one being the
> original fudge recipe on the back of the hershey can, and the other, 
> which I have less info on, was a chili recipe that came off the back 
> of a big tomato can?
> Thought I'd give it a try.  Thanks for your help.
>
> Megan

Hi Megan,

The two fudge recipes below claim to be original Hershey's recipes. They're very similar.

The chili recipe is tougher because you don't know what brand of tomatoes. I'm sending a couple of good recipes for chili made with canned tomatoes. Maybe one of them is close.

Phaed

HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE COCOA FUDGE

        2/3 cup Hershey'sCocoa
         3 cup Sugar
       1/2 tsp Salt
     1-1/2 cup Milk
       1/4 cup Butter
         1 tsp Vanilla extract


Directions:

Butter an 9-inch round or square pan or dish.

Thoroughly combine dry ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Stir in the
milk. Bring to a full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Then
boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches soft ball stage (240°F on a
candy thermometer). Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of
pan. Do not stir. Remove from heat.

Add butter and vanilla to mixture, but do not stir. Allow mixture to cool,
at room temperature, to 110°F degrees (pan is barely warm to the touch).
Beat until fudge thickens and begins losing its gloss. Quickly spread in
pan; let harden; cut into squares.
----------------------------------------------------
                          Hershey's Cocoa Fudge

Recipe By     : Hershey's
Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Candies

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
     2/3  cup           cocoa -- Hershey's
   3      cups          sugar
     1/8  teaspoon      salt
   1 1/2  cups          milk
     1/4  cup           butter
   1      teaspoon      vanilla extract

Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a large saucepan.  Add milk
gradually, mix thoroughly, bring mixture to a bubbly boil on high
heat, stirring continuously.  Turn heat down to medium heat and
continue to boil the mixture without stirring until it reaches a
Temperature. of 236~.  Remove from heat.

Add butter and vanilla to mixture.  Cool and then beat. Cut when
cooled.

To make vanilla fudge, just omit the cocoa.
----------------------------------------
CHILI WITH CANNED TOMATOES

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid


Directions
1   Combine ground beef, onion, and garlic in large stockpot. Cook and stir
over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain.

2   Stir in chili powder, salt, oregano, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; break
up tomatoes while stirring. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, and
cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

3   Stir in beans. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes; stir occasionally.
------------------------------------------------------
Mom's Chili

Recipe By     : Mom
Serving Size  : 6    Preparation Time :0:40
Categories    : Casseroles

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
     1/2  c             onion -- chopped
   4      tbsp          green pepper -- chopped
   1      lb            ground beef
  15      oz            tomato sauce -- canned
  16      oz            canned tomatoes
  15      oz            kidney beans, canned
   1 1/2  tsp           salt
   2      tsp           chili powder
   2      tsp           cumin -- optional
     1/4  tsp           pepper
   1      tbsp          brown sugar

Sauté beef and onion until beef is browned. Add other ingredients. Simmer
for 40 minutes.
                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Serving Ideas : Serve over hot rice

NOTES : You can substitute black beans for kidney beans. Adjust
       seasonings to your taste. You can add Tabasco sauce to make it
	   hotter.

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John  
  To: phaedrus
  Sent: Monday, October 02, 2000 23:51
  Subject: Bisquick Pizza

   In the late 60's, early 70's, my mother made the best pizza using 
   Bisquick as the crust.  It was made in an electric skillet with 
   slices of Eckrich smokey sausages.  The pizza was like a regular 
   pizza with the dough on the bottom and the other ingredients on top.  
   It was so good.  She doesn't have the recipe and I can't find it any 
   where.  Can you help?

Hi John,

I kept looking, and I came across the below recipe. It doesn't call for smoked sausages, but you can put the sausages on it if you want.

Phaed

  ELECTRIC SKILLET  PIZZA

   Ingredients : 
   1/2 lb. ground beef
   1 1/2 c. buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick)
   3/4 c. milk
   1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
   2 tsp. oregano
   1 c. mushroom caps (opt.)
   1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

   Preparation : 
      Brown ground beef in skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. 
   Combine baking mix and milk in bowl, mixing to form dough.  Grease
   bottom and sides of cold 12 to 14 inch electric skillet.  Press
   dough over bottom and sides of prepared skillet.  Layer tomato
   sauce, ground beef, oregano, mushrooms and cheese over dough.  Set
   temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake covered for 20 minutes or until
   crust is brown. 
   

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tina 
  To: phaedrus
  Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 09:41
  Subject: Pumpkin Pie Spice


  Would like to know how to make my own pumkin pie spice........do you 
  know the ingredients and measurements?

Hi Tina,

Sure, no problem. See below for a good one.

Phaed

  HOMEMADE  PUMPKIN  PIE  SPICE

   Ingredients : 
   4 tbsp. cinnamon
   1 tbsp. ginger
   1 tbsp. nutmeg
   2 tsp. ground cloves
   1 tsp. mace
   1 tsp. instant tea powder

   Preparation : 
      Combine well:  Sift 5-6 times or until thoroughly blended.  Store
   in covered container at room temperature. Will keep up to 4 months
   without losing strength. 
 

----- Original Message -----
From: Cedar Creek
To:   phaedrus
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 10:56
Subject: 1940's paper valentines

> I have 1940's paper valentines and I'm looking for someone who is
> collecting them.  I've tried looking on the web and have found only
> antique shops and dealers.  Could you help me narrow it down to
> collectors?

Hi Cedar Creek,

Well, the pickings on the web are pretty slim for valentine collectors.

There is one collector listed here that you can contact by e-mail.
http://www.countrycollector.com/guestbook/february99.html

You might also try the About.com collectibles site. The guide there might be of help, or you could post in her forum:
http://collectibles.about.com/hobbies/collectibles/mbody.htm

The best way to get in touch with valentine collectors, though, is to join the National Valentine Collectors' Association:

Evalene Pulati, President
National Valentine Collectors' Association
P.O. Box 1404
Santa Ana, California 92702
U.S.A.

Phaed

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