Stuffed Mushrooms From This Old House

Dear SOS: I hope you can obtain a recipe for stuffed mushrooms from This Old House in San Luis Obispo. They are rich, delicious and simply melt in your mouth.

--GWYNN

Dear Gwynn: Melting moments ahead. And what a quick and easy cocktail appetizer it is, too.

THIS OLD HOUSE

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

20 mushrooms

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 (4-ounce) can green chiles

Seasoned salt

Clarified butter

Remove stems from mushrooms. Stuff with softened cream cheese. Cut chiles into slices and use to garnish stuffed mushrooms. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Place on baking pan. Layer bottom of pan with clarified butter. Bake at 400 degrees 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 20 appetizers.

Dear SOS: Can you find a recipe for bar cookies that I used to make when I was a young girl? It had a topping of whipped egg whites, brown sugar and nuts.

--K.M.

Dear K.M.: Meringue Squares have been around for some time. Our recipe goes back to 1970.

MERINGUE SQUARES

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup chopped almonds

1 cup oatmeal

Beat butter, granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar until creamy. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat well. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in 1/2 cup almonds and oatmeal.

Press into ungreased 15x10-inch jellyroll pan. Beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add remaining 1 cup brown sugar, beating constantly until glossy. Spread meringue over dough. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Bake at 325 degrees about 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. Makes about 4 dozen.

Dear SOS: Please send me a recipe for salmon croquettes with a cream sauce.

--E.A.R.

Dear E.A.R.: How about this old-time pantry shelf recipe (recipes using pantry shelf goods were very big from the ‘40s through the late ‘60s) for deviled salmon croquettes with a cheese sauce? That sounds good to me, too.

DEVILED SALMON

CROQUETTES

1 (1-pound) can salmon

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon water

Butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk, scalded

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, about

1/4 cup butter or margarine

Cheese Sauce

Drain oil from salmon into measuring cup and set aside. Flake salmon, removing skin and bones. Combine dry mustard and water and let stand 10 minutes to develop flavor.

Meanwhile, add enough butter to oil drained from salmon to make 1/4 cup. Heat until butter is melted. Blend in flour, then gradually add milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick.

Remove from heat. Add mustard, parsley flakes, onion powder, pepper, cayenne and lemon juice. Blend well. Add mustard mixture to salmon and mix well. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer.

Shape into patties, coat with dry bread crumbs and cook slowly in hot butter until lightly browned on both sides, turning as necessary. Serve hot with Cheese Sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Cheese Sauce

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon water

1 (11-ounce) can cheese soup

1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine mustard and water and let stand 10 minutes to develop flavor. Combine soup, horseradish, Worcestershire and mustard. Heat over low heat, stirring often.

Dear SOS: Do you have a recipe for Pumpkin Butter? I can’t seem to find one.

--ALTA

Dear Alta: How timely of you. The butter is wonderful as a Thanksgiving meal condiment.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

1 (1-pound 13-ounce) can pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (1 3/4-ounce) package powdered pectin

4 1/2 cups sugar

Turn pumpkin into large saucepan. Add spice and pectin to pumpkin, mixing well. Place over high heat and stir until mixture comes to hard boil. Stir in sugar at once. Bring to full rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle quickly into hot jars. Cover at once with 1/8-inch layer hot paraffin. Makes 7 (8-ounce) glasses.

Dear SOS: Several years ago a friend gave me a recipe for Marshmallow Frosting. We have since lost touch and I can’t find the recipe. As I recall, she melted miniature marshmallows with milk as part of the recipe. I really liked it because it wasn’t a super sweet frosting. Does it sound familiar?

--M.S.

Dear M.S.: It was sticky going ungluing the recipe from our old-time files, but we finally succeeded.

MARSHMALLOW

FROSTING

32 marshmallows

2/3 cup milk

3/4 cup cold firm butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine marshmallows and milk. Cook over low heat until marshmallows dissolve. Cool to room temperature, stirring to blend thoroughly.

Cream butter until light and fluffy at medium speed of electric mixer. Continue to beat, gradually adding marshmallow mixture. Add vanilla. Continue beating until mixture is stiff. Makes enough Marshmallow Frosting for two-layer cake.