Recipes from the Trout Family Cookbook

One thing that is well known of my family is that we like to eat and sit a good table. I remember as a kid growing up, I always looked forward to Sunday dinners. I can see the mounds of white mashed potatoes, roasted chicken so tender that it would fall off the bones.

Some time ago we put together a Trout Family Cookbook, with many members and extended members of the family contributing their favorite receipts. I would like to share some of these receipts with you and hope that you will find them as appealing as I do.

My family is good country folk that was raised on good food; much of our food was home grown in the backyard garden. I remember coming home from school, (had to walk a mile and half to catch the bus, down a lonely dirt road), hoeing the garden for weeds, or picking fresh beans for supper.

So please try some these Trout Family favorite receipts from the hills of Western Pennsylvania.

Boneless Italian Chicken Breasts submitted byMichelle Plotner

Boneless Chicken Breasts

Swiss Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

Ragu Sauce

Roll boneless chicken in Italian bread crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown. Put in baking dish and place a slice of Swiss cheese of top of each. Top with Ragu Sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with baked potatoes & sour cream, Italian bread, green beans and a tossed salad.

Fish's Meatless Loaf submitted by Darrel Trout

2 c Baked Beans 2 hen eggs

2 c Toasted Bread Crumbs 1 pinch Salt

1 sm onion, minced 1 Pinch pepper

1 Tbs butter 1 c walnut meats

Brown the onion in butter and add to the beans. Add walnut meats, eggs, seasoning and bread crumbs (the mixture should be the consistency of dropbatter). If too still add a little water. If too soft add a few more bread crumbs. Turn into a buttered baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Serve with brown gravy or tomato sauce.

Meat Roll submitted by Lorie Hinkelman

Biscuits: 2 c flour

4 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

Cut in ½ c shortening or margarine

Mix in 2/3 c milk

Meat Mixture: 1 ½ lbs ground meat

1 egg

Cook ground meat until brown. cool, and then put in egg. Add to taste: Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and chili powder. Roll out dough. Fill with mead mixture. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until browned. Great served with beef flavored rice-a-roni.

Hot Artichoke Dip submitted by Jennifer (Sherman) Stevenson

1 can water-packed artichokes, minced or finely chopped

1 c mayonnaise

1 c sour cream

1 c parmesan cheese

4-5 scallions, finely chopped

Combine ingredients, mixing together in bowl. Sprinkle in a little garlic powder and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Serve with crackers. Great for Parties!

Tangy Sweet Meatballs submitted by Alice E. Heltebran

2 lbs ground beef made into bite-size balls

1 c beer or ginger ale

1 c ketchup

4 tbls honey

4 tbls vinegar

Option: Add bite size hot dogs to sauce

Brown beef balls on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven. cook on all sides, 20-30 minutes and drain. Combine rest of ingredients in large saucepan. Place in sauce and simmer for 1 hour. Serve warm on toothpicks as appetizers.

Ruthie's Potato Salad submitted by Ruth Cochenour & Nancy Whitley

Boil/cook 12 medium potatoes. Peel while hot. Cook 3 eggs, boil until yoke is hard, shell and dice. Chop 1 large green pepper - 1 cup, thinly slice carrots with potato peeler - ½ cup for color. Option: ¼ -1/2 c diced onion to taste. Red & White salad dressing. Mix together well while warm. Add enough salad dressing so the mixture is covered lightly and mix through. Decorate top with sliced egg, green pepper and dash paprika. *Secret is to make the night before you serve, and make while potatoes are hot

Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte submitted by Doris Higgins

Crust: 1 c graham cracker crumbs

1 c flour

¾ c melted butter

½ c sugar

1 c chopped nuts

1 tsp cinnamon

Filling #1: 2 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar

3 eggs

Filling #2: 2 c canned pumpkin

¾ c sugar

3 beaten egg whites (save yolks)

½ c milk

½ tsp salt

1 tbls cinnamon

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

Cook above ingredients in saucepan, stirring often. Remove from heat when the mixture thickens. While mixture is still hot, dissolve 1 envelope of Knox unflavored gelatin in ¼ c cold water. Add to hot pumpkin mixture and stir well. Let cool.

After Cool, beat 3 egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form. Gradually add ½ c sugar while beating until stiff-peaked. Fold egg mixture into cool pumpkin mixture by hand. Spread over cheese layer. Refrigerate 1 hour and top with 2 medium Cool whip or 1 large cool whip and nuts.

Cream Puff Cake by Jeanie Sherman

Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, softened

4 cups milk

3 pks instant vanilla pudding mix

Mix cream cheese and ½ c of milk together until cheese is mixed well. Then add rest of milk and the 3 puddings. Mix well. Pour into prepared cake shell.

Cream Puff Cake: boil 1 cup water and 1 stick margarine until melted. Then add 1 c flour and beat. Add 4 eggs (1 at a time, beating after each egg). Pour batter into glass baking dish (9"x13") and spread batter up sides of dish. Bake at 400 degrees, for 35 minutes (after about 15 minutes of baking, push cake down with spatula to form crust) Put filling into the crust when cool. Cover with whipped cream. Melt chocolate bar or chocolate disc candies and drizzle over cool whip.

Darrel's Pumpkin Roll submitted by Darrel Trout

3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla

1 c sugar 1 tsp ginger

1 c pumpkin ½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp salt

¾ c flour 1 ½ cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp baking powder 2 c powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon 6 oz cream cheese

Beat eggs for 5 minutes; add sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice. Stir in the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Greased a cookie sheet, 15"x10"x1" pan sprinkle with flour. Spread in pan and top with chopped nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Take a towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Immediately turn out onto the towel and roll tight. When cool, add filling. Filling is 2 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tbls butter, 6 oz cream cheese and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix, and unroll cake roll. Spread filling and gently roll cake, place with seam side down. Chill.

Pittsburgh Potatoes submitted by Jackie Trout

1 2lb bag of Oreida Southern Style Hash brown Potatoes

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

½ lb grated Land O'Lakes American Cheese Parsley flakes

1 stick melted oleo

1 c milk

Thaw potatoes, sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over potatoes. Place potatoes in 9"x13" pan. Put spices on potatoes. Add onion and pepper. Top with cheese and parsley flakes. Pour butter and milk over potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 ½ hours (1 hr covered and ½ hr uncovered)

The above are just a few of the receipts in the Trout Family Cookbook, I'm sure you and your family must have some favorite receipts that would bring back childhood memories of a time when life was much simpler and time around the family dining room table meant something. Good Eating Ya'll!