The Globe Independent

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1944

The Homemakers' Corner
By MARY DOUGLAS

Perhaps you are feeling right now that the good old every day dish for tonight's dinner. I selected the one below because the meat is plentiful and you don't want to see any more turkey for a long time and would like to get down to an honest to goodness tasty one.

Pork Chop Casserole is a complete dinner in itself. Just add a crisp salad, dessert and beverage for a satisfying winter meal. The casserole may be prepared in advance and kept in refrigerator until ready to bake.

Pork Chop Casserole: (Serves 6)
Drain liquid from 1 pound lima beans and reserve. Place beans in greased baking dish. Combine 1/4 cup liquid from beans with 3/4 cup milk and pour over beans. Sprinkle 6 pork chops (cut 1/2 inch thick) with salt and pepper, brown lightly in heated fat. Reserve drippings and arrange pork chops on top of lima beans. Cover with Corn Dressing.

Corn Dressing: Combine 1 pound whole kernel corn with 1 3/4 cups soft bread crumbs and 1/4 cup milk. Add 1 slightly beaten egg, 2 tablespoons chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon drippings from pork chops, salt and pepper. Mix well. Arrange over pork chops and bake in moderate oven (350 deg. F.) for one hour.

This is another recipe that will be an appetizing change.

Steak With Spanish Sauce
1 lb round or flank steak
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 teaspoon minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced celery leaves
1/2 green pepper minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons meat drippings

Score steak on both sides. Cover with mixture of remaining ingredients except fat and let stand for hour or more. Brown meat in drippings. Place in shallow baking dish with mixture in which meat has soaked. Bake for 2 hours in moderate oven, or until meat is tender. Yield: 4 servings.

For dessert, let's have a good old-fashioned bread pudding. Perhaps you are one of those unfortunates that have never eaten the dish at its best. Bread pudding need not be the sodden mess that some persons make.

Not only can it be delicious and nutritious, but it is a good way to use up your stale bread-since into every breadbox some unwanted bread must fall. These stale slices, when combined with milk, eggs, nuts, raisins, figs, apples, and even a meringue, make a dessert that is sure to please.

If you are clever in concocting a special sauce, like hard, foamy, or fruit sauce, then you will elevate the pudding to a new level. Or you can use a layer of stewed fruit between the pudding and top with a perky meringue. The flavor of the pudding may also be varied by adding dates, bananas, or orange marmalade. You are sure to have some of these variations on hand.

The following recipe is one using raisins topped with meringue:

Bread Pudding With Meringue
Cut bread into slices and trim away the crusts. Soak for 15 minutes 3 1/2 cups stale, diced bread in 3 cups warm milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine and beat well, 3 egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. One-half teaspoon nutmeg may be added if desired. Add either 1/4 cup raisins or nut meats. Pour these ingredients over the soaked bread. Stir lightly with a fork until well blended. Place in a baking dish set in a pan of hot water in a moderate oven, 350 degrees, for about 45 minutes. Cool the pudding. Cover with a meringue made with 3 egg whites, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Bake the pudding in a slow oven, 300 degrees, until the meringue is set--about 15 minutes. Serve hot with a sauce or cream. Makes 6 servings.

This is my last "Corner" for 1944, and in a few days we will usher in the New Year. I am sure that all our hearts join in a fervent prayer for the safety of our loved ones in the Armed Forces, and for Peace in the New Year. HAPPY NEW YEAR.