Treasure State Table: Salad Soup, Witches Brew, Million Dollar Pie

Once again we have gone deep into the dustiest corridors and dimly lit alcoves of Montana's printed archives to find and retrieve for you some curious artifacts of Montana's material history. These have been selected from the 1983 Federated Church Cook Book (Harlowtown, Montana) on the basis of their culinary daring, and in the earnest hopes that their rediscovery will prompt no less than a full-scale revival of midcentury cuisine right here in our fair state.

Salad Soup

Dice fine:

• 1 cucumber

• 1 cup cauliflower

• 1 cup celery

• ½ cup onion

• ¼ green pepper

Grate:

• 1 cup carrots

• Sprinkle of garlic powder

Blend:

• 46 oz. can tomato juice

• ¼ cup oil

• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp. salt

• Sprinkle of pepper

• 1 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Pour liquid over vegetables, stir a little bit and place in refrigerator a few hours to age, then serve.

Witches' Brew

Ingredients:

• ¼ # bacon

• 1½ lb. hamburger

• 2 green peppers

• 2 large onions

• 1 can (2½ size) tomatoes

• 1 can kidney beans

• 1 lg. can mushrooms

• 2 c. uncooked noodles

• salt & pepper

• small amount of chile powder

Instructions:
Cut ¼# bacon & fry. Brown 1½ lb. hamburger with 2 green peppers & 2 large onions. Add 1 can (2½ size) tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, 1 lg. can mushrooms, 2 c. uncooked noodles, salt & pepper, small amount of chile powder (opt).

Place in casserole & sprinkle with cheese. Bake in moderate oven 1 hr.
(May use cubes of American or Cheddar cheese & stir it in.)

Bertha Roylance, Lorraine Mehlhoff

MILLION DOLLAR PIE

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 stick butter or oleo

• 1 large egg

• ¼ tsp. vanilla

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 2 baked pie shells

• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

• ½ cup chopped nuts

Instructions:
Mix first five ingredients together until light and fluffy. Spoon and spread evenly over crusts. Chill. Whip cream, blend in nuts and pineapple, and put in pie shell. (If the pineapple is unsweetened add ¼ cup sugar.)

Variations:
Chocolate: Put 2 tbsp. cocoa in frosting mixture. Grind 1 cup chocolate chips. Increase nuts to 1 cup. (No pineapple.)
Apricot: Chop cooked apricots instead of pineapple.

Mary Stewart, Harolin Parsons

BARBECUPS

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. salad oil

• ¾ lb. lean ground beef

• ½ cup barbecue sauce

• 1 tbsp. instant minced onion

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 can (7.5 oz.) refrigerated biscuits

• ¾ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Instructions:
In a large skillet, heat oil. Add beef and cook, stirring with a fork to break up meat, until browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in barbecue sauce, onion, and brown sugar.

Separate biscuits and place one in each of 10 muffin cups. Press dough firmly against bottoms and up sides to form cups. Spoon meat mixture evenly into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10–12 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Wrap and pack for lunch.

SHRIMP SALAD

Ingredients:

• 2 small pkg. lemon jello

• 2 cups hot water

• 1 8 oz. pkg. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

• ½ cup coffee cream

• 1 cup chopped ripe olives

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 1 cup whipping cream

Instructions:
Cool jello and water until syrupy. Cream together cheese and coffee cream. Add olives and celery. Whip cream and fold into above mixture. Pour in pan and chill.

Dressing:

• 1 cup salad dressing (Tang)

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1½ tbsp. grated onion

• 1½ cups chopped shrimp

Put this dressing on top of salad when served.

Eva Bain