Strawberry Cream Jello Dessert Recipe

I picked up this pretty rose-topped vintage jello mold at a local thrift shop. It looked as if had never been used. I was excited because you never see these things any more and I remember my mom used to have these hanging on the wall growing up. My grandmother was also a big fan of jello and whipped cream desserts so I had to dust off this old recipe and give it a whirl. It came out tasting great and it was extremely easy to make. By the way, you can make this with any kind of fruit, not just strawberries.

1 (3.4oz) package strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups whipped cream topping
2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed
Cooking spray

In a bowl, dissolve the strawberry jello in the boiling water; stir for 2 minutes. Then add the cold water. Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour then remove and beat in the whipped cream and 1 cup of the frozen strawberries with a mixer. Pour into your greased jello mold and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. To remove the jello from the mold, cut around the edge and the center ring with a butter knife then turn upside down and tap until it releases. Fill the center with remaining cup of strawberries and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves: 8-10

If you don't already have one of these retro ring molds, I found a heart-shaped mold on amazon that would be cute for Valentine's Day. Pair with a gold charger for a fun retro look!

  

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

The Hot Cross Buns were a success! They took a lot longer to make than anticipated, but I got to spend Mother's Day baking with moms and that was awesome. (I couldn't find currants so I ended up using dates and golden raisins).

1 cup milk, scalded*
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 yeast cake** dissolved in
1/4 cup warm water
3 cups flour
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup currants

Frosting:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp warm milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

*Heat milk in microwave for 2 minutes. Combine sugar, salt, butter and milk. When lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake. **(1 yeast cake = 1 pack of yeast) Add egg and mix well. Sift flour and cinnamon together and stir into the yeast mixture. Add currants and mix thoroughly. Cover and let rise until double in size. Shape into large biscuits and place on well-buttered pan. Let rise. Beat 1 egg brush tops of each biscuit. Make a cross on each biscuit with sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Make at 400˚ for 20 mins.

Blend frosting ingredients thoroughly and fill X's on buns with icing. Tip: Put frosting in a zip lock bag and cut a small hole in the corner to dispense.

In case you were wondering, here are the lyrics for the Hot Cross Buns nursery rhyme:

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny two a penny - Hot cross buns
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons
One a penny two a penny - Hot cross buns

Hominy Breakfast Casserole Recipe

This dish is based on a recipe from a 1968 Betty Crocker cookbook published by Better Homes & Gardens. The first page starts out with "Dear Homemaker..." Gotta love it! I found the cookbook at a Salvation Army and it had some great recipes that were dying to come back in style. This is a good one to make for guests who've spent the night or for yourself if you're just tired of eating the same old french toast or pancakes for breakfast.

Ingredients

1 package sliced bacon

1 can hominy

6 eggs

4 tbsp milk

4 green onions, sliced

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Cook bacon till crispy; set aside. Saute scallions and lightly brown hominy in bacon gristle. Beat eggs, milk, salt & pepper; add to hominy. Stir frequently until eggs are fully cooked. Fold in cheese until melted. Crumble bacon over top and serve hot.

Vintage Cookbook, Vintage Recipes!

Aaron's Aunt Phyllis sent this up from Florida for us. What a treasure! This cookbook was copyrighted in 1936 and contains 300 "fine old recipes." I plan to make a few to share with you all. Let me know which of these interest you:

Hot Cross Buns
Boston Cream Pie
Rhubarb Pie
Chicken & Oyster Casserole (A New England delight apparently!)
Corn Fritters
Baked Asparagus Loaf
Creamed Celery on Toast
Creamed Vegetable Croquettes (For left over vegetables)
Red Flannel Hash (A Typical Green Mountain dish)
New England Dumplings (Serve w/ Roast Chicken)
Ox Tail Soup (not sure about this one but I've heard it is good)
New England Doughnuts


Source: 'Fine Old New England Recipes' compiled & edited by Kay Morrow