A look back at cookbooks from the past

The Herald-Star Cookbook Contest has been popular since its inception in 1970, and many local cooks and bakers have become winners.

I took some time to look back through past cookbooks and reprint a few recipes and the winning cooks.

Wild game cooking is usually done by the man who bags the animal. In this case, Gary Pepperling of Amsterdam was the main dish category winner in 1982. It was for Squirrel and Italian Sauce, made from meat brought home from hunting expeditions.

Squirrel and Italian Sauce

2 prepared for cooking squirrels

1/4 cup salt

2 tablespoon vinegar

Medium onion

Two 16-ounce cans stewed tomatoes 12-ounce can tomato paste

2 tablespoons oregano

2 tablespoons sage

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup mushrooms

Allow squirrels to set overnight in the refrigerator in salt and vinegar. Next day remove meat and cut into four pieces. Rinse thoroughly. Combine with onion and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Once water boils, shut off burner and let set in water. Combine stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, sage, celery and mushrooms. Remove squirrel pieces from water and place in bottom of a roaster. Season each piece with garlic salt and pepper. Add sauce and cover roaster. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Serve with pasta shells and cover with sauce and grated cheese.

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Patty Wetherell of New Alexandria was a young mother in 1982 when she won in the cakes category. It was for a coffee cake that can be eaten as a dinner dessert or for breakfast. She won the first time she entered the contest.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups blueberries

Mix all ingredients but blueberries in mixer. Fold in berries and pour into a greased 13-by 9-inch pan. Sprinkle with streusel topping:

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 tablespoon margarine

Use a pastry blender to cut margarine into the dry ingredients and add nuts. Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 24 pieces. It can be frozen for up to three months.

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Mary Kay Radvansky of Follansbee had a recipe for a noodle pie that looked interesting in 2001.

Cherry Noodle Pie

2 1/2 cups sour red cherries

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 tube regular biscuits

3 drops red food coloring

9-inch baked pie crust

Cook cherries, water, sugar and food coloring. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook on low flame while rolling out biscuits on floured board. Cut biscuits into 1/4-inch thick noodles. Drop into the hot cherry mixture. Cook and stir until tender, about 8 minutes. Pour into baked pie shell. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Serves eight.

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Rose Fomenko of Piney Fork was the grand prize winner in the 1988 Cookbook Contest. It was for glazed potato doughnuts that were absolutely delicious. I know, I went to her home and watched her make them and sampled two hot from the frying pan.

Rose's Glazed Potato Doughnuts

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, scalded

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mashed potatoes, instant may be used

2 eggs

5 to 6 cups flour

1 pound confectioners'; sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Cool until lukewarm. Stir in yeast, potatoes and eggs. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and satiny. Place in lightly greased bowl, turn over to grease top and cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 3-inch doughnut cutter. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla. Mixture will look like very thick cream. Fry raised doughnuts in hot fat (375 degrees). Drain on paper towels. Drop into glaze while still warm. Place on cooling rack and let drip until glaze is set. Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

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I enjoyed the "Herald Stars," cut-out cookies made by Helen Buchheit of Amsterdam. The recipe and a poem written by Helen were featured on the front of the 1982 cookbook.

'Herald Stars'

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon slat

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

3-ounce package cream cheese

1 stick butter or margarine, sliced

2 egg yolks

Grated rind of a lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked

Decorating ingredients

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder onto pastry board or in a mixing bowl. Make a well in center and put the sugar, cream cheese, butter, egg yolks, lemon rind and vanilla. Work the middle ingredients into a paste then knead in flour. Stir in oats and lightly knead and form dough into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper or foil and refrigerate for at least an hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into thirds and roll each on well-floured board to 1/8-inch thick for crisp cookies and 1/4-inch thick for soft cookies. Cut with floured star-shaped cutter and elongate one point of star. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle cookies with cinnamon sugar, colored sugars, finely chopped nuts or bake and frost with confectioners' sugar icing. Bake in center of oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown on outer edges. Remove to rack to cool. Makes about three dozen.

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Florence Bania of Steubenville had a quick recipe for a meat dish in the 1982 cookbook.

Easy Steak

1 pound sirloin or another type of steak

1-ounce tenderizer

Medium onion

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup ketchup

Trim fat from steak, sprinkle with tenderizer and brown, adding a bit of water. Combine diced onions and peppers, along with ketchup in a bowl. Pour over meat in the frying pan. Cook for 45 minutes on top of the stove. Add more water if necessary.

(McCoy can be reached at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com)