Marguerites Cookbook

A cooking blog all about making vintage recipes from a cookbook we inherited from our grandmother

Carrot Casserole

CarrotCasseroleHeader

Today, we decided it was time to spice up some vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I like vegetables, but sometimes plain old vegetables gets boring. Marguerite made several vegetable “casseroles” that made veggies more exciting. The ingredient that provided that excitement was french fried onions and she used them on several different recipes. This week, we made a carrot casserole.

Carrot Casserole

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Carrot Casserole Recipe

This recipe was extremely simple.  The hardest parts were splitting the cream of celery soup in half and waiting for the oven to preheat! This carrot casserole recipe will be so easy to add to any meal and you can squeeze it into the oven while your main course is cooking, too.

Carrot Casserole

To be honest, I feel like every recipe lately has had some “cream of” soup in it. Even though its feeling a little repetitive, these carrots were really good. The celery soup helped keep the carrots from drying out in the oven. Those two main ingredients combined together perfectly to make a delicious vegetable dish. Then, adding the french fried onions to the top made it even better. The crunch and flavor of the fried onions really make this recipe extra special.

Carrot Casserole

Vegetable casseroles like this carrot casserole are popular in our family still. These recipes frequently come out at large family gatherings, which make me remember Marguerite now that she’s gone. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks certain recipes bring her to mind more than others.

Carrot Casserole

Carrot Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Carrot Casserole
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4-6 people 5 minutes
Cook Time
20-25 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom of casserole dish.
  2. Put one can of carrots on the bottom of the casserole dish.
  3. Spoon 1/2 the can of celery soup on top, then another can of carrots, and the remaining soup.
  4. Cover and cook at 375 until it bubbles, about 15-20 minutes.
  5. Uncover, put on onions, and bake for 5 minutes.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Cocktail Reubens

cocktailreubensheader

Shannon and I both like to invite friends over and have dinner parties periodically; a trait I think we both inherited from other members of each of our respective families. Marguerite played host frequently with her friends and their families, as well as for her bridge club. This cocktail reubens recipe would be an appetizer to share before dinner at one of these gatherings. I can imagine they were popular at Marguerite’s parties, even if they weren’t so popular with us.

 

Here is what Marguerite had to say:

coctail reubens recipe

 

Now, both Shannon and I don’t like one part of this recipe and that’s the sauerkraut. Shannon disdain for sauerkraut is so intense, that she abandoned me while I made this recipe and wouldn’t come back until all the sauerkraut was gone. Like she completely left the house for an hour and a half. So for that reason, we didn’t want any leftovers and made as little as possible. Also, I couldn’t find “party rye” anywhere, so I just got regular sized rye bread and cut it into smaller pieces.

 

IMG_2339

This was a really simple recipe and took almost no time at all to throw together. For that reason, it is a great party appetizer choice. Reuben sandwiches have many complex flavors, and the fact that this simple appetizer can include all those flavors without difficult preparation is a plus. I did not enjoy opening the can of sauerkraut. That initial punch of smell really got me, but after that I was able to push on.

IMG_2345

I actually really liked these cocktail reubens. I ended up eating quite a few and by the end, the sauerkraut overwhelmed me. However, in a social situation with these and a variety of foods, I would definitely pick one of these up. I think Shannon would have liked them sans sauerkraut. My mom really likes sauerkraut and she remembered having these courtesy of Marguerite. She, of course, liked them a lot and in her words “considered them a delightful treat!”  I might not go that far, but this was a successful recipe with great flavors, whether one chooses to enjoy those certain flavors or not.

IMG_2340

Cocktail Reubens
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Cocktail Reubens
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
6 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. If using full slices of rye bread, cut into smaller pieces. Spread thousand island dressing on each slice.
  3. Top each slice of bread with a slice of corned beef. Cover with 1 tbsp of sauerkraut and 1/4 slice of Swiss cheese.
  4. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes - until cheese melts and they are heated through.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Fruit Bread

Fruit Bread header

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it definitely makes me feel better to bake. And eat the thing I’ve baked, but that’s besides the point. However, I really enjoyed making this “Fruit Bread” while we are in the depths of winter here in Chicago. It was also a great way to use up any extra candied cherries you might have leftover from making a delicious batch of Christmas cake cookies.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Fruit Bread Recipe

I was really looking forward to making this bread, since our other bread recipes here at Marguerite’s Cookbook have been very successful. I was happy with how the bread turned out, but it sure was a process to get there! First of all, it took quite a while to chop up the candied cherries and they were extremely sticky of course. Then, as you may imagine, four cups of flour and a bunch of nuts and fruits make for a very thick batter. I was exhausted by the time the bread was all mixed together.

Fruit Bread

I did have a little trouble baking this bread. It seemed that when the time was up, the insides where just barely done but the bottom crust got burned a little bit. I suppose I may have put the bread too close to the bottom of the oven. That little issue aside, the fruit bread turned out to be quite tasty. The combination of candied fruit, nuts (we used walnuts), and orange juice added vibrant flavors to an already sweet tasting bread.

Fruit Bread

We both really enjoyed this bread. I’ll probably have some with my morning coffee, but its so sweet this may be more of a dessert bread. This might not be my favorite bread so far, but it is definitely close. I’m looking forward to sharing this with my coworkers, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to see some more delicious food coming into work with me.

Fruit Bread

Fruit Bread
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Fruit Bread
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2 loaves 40 minutes
Cook Time
45-50 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: loaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Beat together eggs and sugar.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients and add to eggs and sugar.
  4. Add the oil and orange juice.
  5. Chop the candied fruit and nuts (if not already done).
  6. Fold into batter.
  7. Grease and flour two loaf pans and fill with batter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

shrimpcocktailsauceheader

Happy Super Bowl weekend! Well, it may not be a happy one for many of you if like me, your team did not make it to the big game. Yet Super Bowl Sunday is still a big day for many football fans, fans of sport, and people who love to throw big parties. Super Bowl parties are some of the biggest parties based around a single event I’ve seen. The spread at a party can be really important, and shrimp cocktail sauce is just one of the many options for your party’s spread. If you want to try something new and make a cocktail sauce from scratch, we have Marguerite’s recipe for you.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Now you might be saying ‘why would i want to make cocktail sauce from scratch?’ And there may not be many reasons now-a-days. The likely hood that you have the other three ingredients already lying around at home and then accidentally grab the Chili Sauce from the store instead of a bottle of pre-made Cocktail Sauce is slim, but that would be one reason. However, the reasoning behind this recipe is fascinating.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Since I couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind this recipe, I asked my mom about it. She thought she could remember a time early in her life where chili sauce was abundantly available, but couldn’t remember bottled cocktail sauce real well. I did some research and found that shrimp cocktail sauce was first mass produced and began to be made commercially available around 1950. (Okay, Shannon did the research because she is an internet genius.) Now while Marguerite could have mostly likely been getting premixed cocktail sauce the entire time my mom could remember, she may not have. And at the very least she would have needed a way to make cocktail sauce by hand before it was readily available.

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Now I’m not an avid consumer of cocktail sauce, but I did like our home made shrimp cocktail sauce. I did prefer the look of our sauce. In my opinion, it looked better than a pre-made cocktail sauce and who doesn’t love something homemade over store bought? If you have a party this weekend or in the future and want to try something new, why not give Marguerite’s shrimp cocktail sauce a try!

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3/4 cup 5 minutes
Passive Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: cup
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Frank Tidbits

frank tidbit header

This week on Marguerite’s Cookbook we have another appetizer perfect for any parties this upcoming holiday season. If you remember, a few weeks ago we showed you a very simple cheese log recipe as a starter appetizer. Now we’ll show you a frank tidbits recipe that is a nice twist between mini corn dogs and pigs in a blanket.

Frank Tidbits

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

Frank Tidbits Recipe

Marguerite had a deep fryer that she would make recipes in, and this is one of them. However, we don’t have a deep fryer, so we had to do it a different way. This was a very simple recipe, even though we hadn’t fried anything in oil before. We we’re both super nervous about having an open pan of oil on our stove and had a lid ready to smother any fire. Aaron didn’t realize what temperature the oil had to be at in order to brown the frank tidbits, and the first one blackened immediately. Once he turned the temperature down and the oil cooled a bit, it was smooth sailing from there. And no fires occurred!

Frank Tidbits Appetizer

The mustard was also very simple to mix together and heat, making the entirety of this appetizer quick and easy. These frank tidbits were tasty! The mixture of corn muffin mix and chili powder made for a great flavor combo. Aaron accidentally read “margarine” as “mayonnaise.” So our mustard was a little different. Honestly, you couldn’t taste the accidental mayo and the mustard was still delicious. It reminded Aaron a bit like the homemade sauce his mom makes with her cocktail meatballs. The mustard also was a fantastic color!

Frank Hot Dog Tidbits

This frank tidbit recipe was fun and different and we enjoyed making it. These appetizers are definitely best served hot and right away, so if you want to give them a try this holiday season, plan on putting them out not long after you’ve made them. We made way too many to eat in one sitting and they were a little soggy when we reheated them.

Hotdog Frank Tidbits

Frank Tidbits
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
48 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
48 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Frank Tidbits
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
48 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
48 pieces 15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Franks
Mustard
Servings: pieces
Instructions
Franks
  1. Cut hot dogs in six pieces.
  2. Combine corn muffin mix, chili powder, and milk. Mix well.
  3. Add hot dogs, stirring to coat well.
  4. Drop one at a time from tablespoon into hot vegetable oil.
  5. Cook till lightly browned.
Mustard
  1. Stir all ingredients together. Heat until hot and bubbly.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Cheese Log

Cheese Log Header

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is officially the holiday season! And that means the start of holiday party season. So here at Marguerite’s Cookbook, we have a series of party recipes you can make for guests or take to someone else’s party. Let’s start with an extremely simple but fancy looking one: a cheese log.

Cheese Log with crackers

Here’s Marguerite’s typically brief instructions:

cheese log recipe

With such a short ingredient list, this is an easy and quick recipe to throw together. Aaron, however, did not really think through what making a cheese log would be like, and didn’t know he would have to grate all the cheese in order to form in into a log that consisted of the other ingredients on the list. I’m not sure how he thought it would happen. Magic maybe? Luckily we had one of those fancy parmesan cheese graters laying around which made it a snap.

Cheese Log

Now we both love cheese, but even with slightly unbiased opinions, this was a tasty recipe. We used a Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar, which had more of a kick of cheese flavor than the blander cheese we are both used to eating. That sharp cheddar mixed with the saltiness and crunch of the nuts, along with the aromatic garlic and flavorful paprika make for a unique and exciting appetizer. This cheese log gets the thumbs up from both of us, and Aaron specifically liked the mixture of flavors of the cheese and paprika. My only complaint was that it was difficult to cut much thinner than our photos show. Thinner slices might be more practical for a party.

Christmas Cheese Log

Marguerite’s cheese log is great if you want to put out a cheese and cracker appetizer but are sick of just offering your guests plain cheese, or if you want to take something to a party that looks like you’re a gourmet chef in your spare time.

Holiday Cheese Log

Cheese Log
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Cheese Log
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 Log 15 minutes
Passive Time
2 hours
Ingredients
Servings: Log
Instructions
  1. Grind all ingredients and mix together.
  2. Form into a log. Chill.
  3. Once firm, after about two hours, roll in paprika.
  4. Serve with crackers.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Fluffy Potatoes

fluffypotatoesheader

 

As far as comfort foods go, especially for me, potatoes are some of the best! This fluffy potatoes recipe is a relatively simple one to make, although I didn’t think it was the best use of potatoes. Take a look at this recipe with us, and you can decide for yourself.

fluffy potatoes recipe

As you can see, this recipe came from one Mrs. Dougherty. She was a parent of six children, all of whom had Marguerite as their second grade teacher! Mrs. Dougherty worked hard with Marguerite to help all her children learn and succeed. She was a wonderful parent and a wonderful lady who became friends with Marguerite due to her dedication to her kids.

fluffy potatoes

While this recipe has an extremely short ingredient list, the preparation of these fluffy potatoes did have some issues. Aaron did not enjoy peeling and grating hot potatoes. (If you would like, you may insert a joke involving the game “hot potato.”) However, once the potatoes were peeled and grated, and the Cool Whip added, it was just time to wait.

Once the fluffy potatoes were cooked, they looked different than a normal potato recipe. They also tasted very different. For me, they were just way too sweet. I felt like it was almost a waste of perfectly good potatoes! Aaron did agree that the fluffy potatoes were too sweet, but not as much as I did. He felt that he could have enjoyed them by just lessening the amount of Cool Whip or whipping heavy cream instead.

fluffy potatoes

If you want a sweet and simple potato recipe for your family, give this fluffy potatoes recipe a try.

Fluffy Potatoes
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4-6 40 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40 minutes 5 hours
Servings Prep Time
4-6 40 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40 minutes 5 hours
Fluffy Potatoes
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4-6 40 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40 minutes 5 hours
Servings Prep Time
4-6 40 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
40 minutes 5 hours
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Boil potatoes in skins for 20 minutes (until done but not too soft.) Peel.
  2. Butter a casserole dish. While hot, grate the potatoes into shoestring strips on the wide part of the grater. Start with the potato you peeled first.
  3. Add the salt.
  4. Fold in the Cool Whip.
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight, or at least four hours.
  6. Take out one hour before baking. Remove foil before baking.
  7. Bake 30-40 minutes - until lightly browned.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Broccoli Chowder Soup

chowdersoupheader

What’s better in cool fall weather than a nice warm bowl of soup? I’d say not many things are. Considering the fact that both of us came down with the flu this past week, soup was a much needed thing. This broccoli chowder soup is a delicious creamy treat to keep you warm this fall. If you liked our broccoli cheese soup, then you will really like this broccoli chowder soup!

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

broccoli chowder soup recipe

You may notice that Marguerite calls for either three packages of frozen broccoli or one head of fresh broccoli. Aaron had a bit of trouble reading this recipe, and at first thought he was supposed to cook both frozen and fresh broccoli. He could try and blame it on the diminishing use of cursive writing these days, but it just wasn’t his day. After fixing that issue, this soup turned out great.

Broccoli Chowder Soup

Aaron was proud of his time management during this recipe, chopping ingredients efficiently while other ingredients cooked in the pot. That was, until he let the broth, milk, and ham boil over. He caught it quickly enough and turned the heat down before he burnt the milk. After he added the remaining ingredients, this broccoli chowder soup took shape right away.

 

Chowder Soup

I don’t particularly care for creamy soups, so I only had a few spoonfuls. It was very appetizing and just like a broccoli chowder soup should taste, just not my thing. Aaron really enjoyed it, and commented that he liked it more even more than the aforementioned broccoli cheese soup. Marguerite did us a favor and put both recipes on the same page, which made comparing them to each other easier. He thinks the chowder was better due to the increased milk/cream, decreased chicken broth, and how it was cooked up. The extra cheese didn’t hurt either.

 

Broccoli Chowder

This broccoli chowder soup will definitely warm Aaron’s stomach this fall. If you need a tasty soup to warm you up this season, Marguerite’s broccoli chowder soup can hit the spot.

Broccoli Chowder Soup
Print Recipe
Servings
6
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
6
Cook Time
30 minutes
Broccoli Chowder Soup
Print Recipe
Servings
6
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings
6
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook broccoli in chicken broth until broccoli is tender.
  2. While broccoli is cooking, chop the ham.
  3. Once broccoli is tender, remove broccoli with a slotted spoon.
  4. Add milk, ham, salt, and pepper to chicken broth and bring to a boil. While these ingredients heat up, finely chop the broccoli.
  5. Once boiling, add broccoli, along with half & half, cheese, and butter.
  6. Stir together over low heat until all ingredients are incorporated.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Pumpkin Bread

pumpkinbreadheader Happy Autumn everyone! As the weather cools down around us and the leaves begin to change, that brings to mind one of the most popular fall flavors. Pumpkin. The most famous pumpkin recipe is probably pumpkin pie, but we’ve got that coming for you a bit closer to Thanksgiving.  Today we have a delicious pumpkin bread that really ushers in the fall season.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

 

This recipe is actually from another of Marguerite’s teaching colleagues and friends from her many years of teaching, Kathy Hoffman. You may notice it appears one thing is missing from this recipe. While making it, Aaron wasn’t sure the flour was mistakenly forgotten, but it was obvious once all the other ingredients were mixed together that this wasn’t going to turn into bread without flour.

Pumpkin Bread Loaf

After that, this pumpkin bread recipe was very simple to make. It was actually on the same page in the book as our zucchini bread recipe, and is very similar as far as ingredients and prep. I do not like pumpkin flavored things, but I found this pumpkin bread to be delicious! It tasted like autumn. That is, the spices masked the pumpkin flavor enough that I was able to enjoy this. I had too many pieces!

Pumpkin Bread

Aaron also loved how this pumpkin bread tasted more like spices than pumpkin. He also loved the color once it was baked, as well as the smell of the bread baking. He was so excited after tasting it, that he went right back into the kitchen and made another loaf with the remaining pumpkin we had! This was mostly because he knows his coworkers will eat it all up and there will be none left for us! We hope you enjoy this pumpkin bread recipe this fall with us.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Pumpkin Bread
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Pumpkin Bread
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix all ingredients together.
  3. Grease one pan for a large loaf or two pans for two smaller loafs.
  4. Bake approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe

Apple Compote

AppleCranberryCompoteheader

Time for another great fall recipe. And this time, surprise surprise, its a dessert! This apple compote had its ups and downs, but turned out okay in the end.

Here’s what Marguerite had to say:

AppleCranberryCompoteRecipe

Not Marguerite’s typical handwriting, huh? Well, as you will see as we go along, Marguerite also added magazine clippings of recipes that she must have liked into her cookbook as well. Aaron was excited to try this, because his mom would frequently make an apple dish during the holidays that he really liked. This recipe, however, did not quite turn out like that one.

AppleCranberryCompote

First of all, as anyone who has done apple dishes can attest, peeling apples is not an enjoyable task. That step took up over 90% of the prep time. Once that part of prep was completed, the rest of the recipe came together easily. When putting the ingredients together, we made a layer of apples, put the other ingredients on top, and then mixed them all together.

AppleCompote

When the apple compote first came out of the oven, we were concerned and unimpressed. It was still somewhat watery, while the apples seemed overcooked and dried out. There were a few thoughts we had as to why this happened. First we weren’t sure if we had put enough apples in. Then, since today’s cranberry sauce cans usually hold 2 less ounces than before, we thought that might add to it. Finally, this is our first recipe in our new oven, which always has its own complications. But, unlike our old apartment, this oven is at least a full sized one. Yay tiny apartment living!

AppleCranberryCompote

As you can see from the pictures, once we put this apple compote into individual serving dishes, they look pretty good! The cranberry sauce melded with the apples to give them a nice rich color, and the whole cranberries and raisins added to the visual interest of this dessert. I did not like the look of those cooked raisins though! I also felt that the apple compote was much too tart. I would have preferred it to be much sweeter.  Aaron did like this apple compote, although it wasn’t his favorite apple dessert.

AppleCranberryCompote

We hope you enjoy this warm apple compote as September gets cooler!

Apple Compote
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Apple Compote
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
8 25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 25 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Core, peel, and slice apples into eighths.
  3. Combine all ingredients in 3 quart casserole dish.
  4. Cook for 40 minutes or until apples are tender but still intact.
Share this Recipe
 
Powered byWP Ultimate Recipe