"Gridiron Cookery" & "Gourmet Game Night" - Chili and Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip - Super Bowl 51

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, February 5, 2017 – Super Bowl 51

Gridiron Cookery – The nation's most resourceful hostesses – the wives of football coaches – skilled at taming (and feeding) victory-mad mobs – or reviving a few low-spirited losers – break out 250 and more of their treasured recipes for wonderful food – Edited by Frances S. Daugherty and Aileen C. Brothers

Published by David McKay Company, Inc.

© 1960

Purchased at Barnes and Noble (Used) for a whopping dollar!

Recipe:  Chili – recipe submitted by Mrs. W. W. (Woody) Hayes, [The] Ohio State University – p. 75

Gourmet Game Night – bite-sized, mess-free eating for board-game parties, bridge clubs, poker nights, book groups, and more by Cynthia Nims

Published by Ten Speed Press

ISBN: 978-1-58008-088-0; © 2010

Purchased at Powell's Chicago

Recipe: Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip – p. 22-23

Okay then, the Super Bowl was played two weeks ago, and I am obviously behind on all my reporting, but I am happy to say that I managed to make some awesome dishes for the big day (or any day, really):  Chili (what football game would be complete without chili) and Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip.  Think "back-to-back" touchdowns."

And of course, the winning recipes came from two winning cookbooks, one old and one new:  Gridiron Cookery, published in 1960, and Gourmet Game Night, published in 2010.  Both books need a bit of explanation and so let's get right to it.

I've heard the term "gridiron" my whole life, usually in the context about talking about college football, but didn't really know what it meant until now.  According to Google, a "gridiron" is a "field for football, marked with regularly spaced parallel lines."  Please file this away for future use.

Gridiron Cookery is a compilation of recipes submitted by (primarily) college coaches' wives, all of whom are referred to in the book as Mrs. [insert husband's first name here] Coaches' Wife, for example  "Mrs. W. W. "Woody" Hayes, [The] Ohio State University," or "Mrs. Hugh Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State University."

This rankles.  Look, I know this was a sign of the [1960's] times, but 160 women submitted recipes for this book and not a one of them was listed by her first name/given name.  Not a one.  And here's a little tidbit of interest:  back then, and for many, many years later, the only time you ever learned that a woman had a first name was when she was widowed or divorced (gasp!) in which case she went by Mrs. Betty Jones.  Ridiculous!

At any rate, so coaches' wives from all over the U.S. and Canada (with a smattering from NFL coaches' wives] submitted recipes and you would think that a book about the college gridiron would feature some of the more prominent football schools but you would be wrong.  As a for instance, and please shout out if you recognize these teams from a Bowl Game appearance:  Furman University; Ferris Institute; The College of the Holy Cross; Springfield College, and Susquehanna University. 

You can't, can you?  No worries, reader, because neither can I.  I have never heard of any of these colleges much less of the prowess of their football teams.

On the other hand, I am well acquainted with these college football powerhouses: 

• University of Alabama coached by Paul (Bear) Bryant, with recipe submitted by Mrs. Paul Bryant, no first name given!
• University of Mississippi (a/k/a "Ole Miss" and by the way, "ole" is not the Spanish "ole" but rather "old" as in "Old Miss.")
• University of Nebraska
• University of  Wisconsin
• University of Michigan (Patriot's quarterback, Tom Brady, is an alum)
• Michigan State University
• [The] Ohio State University coached by Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes

And this is just a short list! 

Other interesting cookbook tidbits:

• Today's Super Bowl battle pitted University of Michigan graduate, Tom Brady, against Boston College graduate, Matt Ryan but only the University of Michigan was featured in this cookbook.  Hmmm...foreshadowing of the game results? (Hint:  Matt Ryan got creamed.)
• The proper way to talk about Ohio State University is to say The (pronounced "thee," never, ever "thuh.") Ohio State University because that is the official name.  I'm serious.
• Speaking of The Ohio State University, Head Coach Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was a household name during my prime college football-watching years.  In fact, he was the enemy to my Michigan State Spartans and the University of Michigan Wolverines.  Woody was a great coach which is why I recognized the name right off the bat and I was happy to make the Mrs. Woody Hayes' (given name is Susan) most excellent chili recipe.
• This is odd:  throughout the book, I would see often a listing such as "Mrs. Henry R. (Red) Sanders" then on the next line "Formerly University of California at Los Angeles."  Now kids, there is no such thing as a "former" University of California at Los Angeles.  The school continues to be called UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), just as Harvard was, is, and will always be Harvard University and not "Formerly Harvard University," perish the thought!
• Also:  Seems to me that a book that includes a list of Contributors in alphabetical order and a [recipe] Index in alphabetical order should also include a list of "contributing" colleges and/or NFL in alphabetical order but they didn't because that would be too easy?  Had such a list existed, I could have ascertained quite easily that Boston College was not on the list rather than flipping through page after page to see if I spotted the name. 
• There are a handful of recipes submitted by NFL coaches' wives and I learned the following:
• The Los Angeles Chargers (as listed here) started as the Los Angeles Chargers, then they moved to San Diego where they played for many years, and are now on deck to become the Los Angeles Chargers again this coming season.  (Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are also the Los Angeles Rams who started in LA, went to St. Louis for many years, and are also back in LA.  I cannot keep up with this stuff, I cannot.  To this day, I will always think of the Colts as being the Baltimore Colts and not the Indianapolis Colts because that is just wrong and it messes with my head!)
• The current-day New York Jets went by the name "New York Titans" from 1960-1962.  I did not know that and so there goes the theory "Once you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way from your first cigarette to your last dying day!"  (Lyric from the Jet Song, from the musical/movie West Side Story).
• And then there's the Cleveland Browns and this is hilarious:  the Browns' head coach from the 50's to the early 60's was Paul Brown, no relation.

You know, I've remarked several times that reading cookbooks is like reading history books as I learn so much about the time and place and football!

And now on to our second featured cookbook and recipe, Gourmet Game Night and the fan-tab-ulous recipe for Oven Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip.  Damn, was this good.

Now some of you may have surmised from the title that this cookbook is intended for game nights that include card games or board games.  But since betting figures in mightily for the Super Bowl, I included it here and do believe that was a most excellent play call on my part. 

The thing I liked about this cookbook is that it features all kinds of bite-sized and non-messy bites to be eating while game playing because who wants something messy? For that matter, who wants to watch a game while eating messy food that might plop all over the floor or sofa, causing one to take a break in the action during which time, the "home" team almost inevitably scores and of course you will have missed it because you were doing cleanup on Aisle 9? (My problem isn't necessarily food but with drinks that seem to upend themselves at the worst time!)

This book's Table of Contents is broken into categories that make it easy to find a recipe in a snap.  The Table of Contents categories are:  Dips and Spreads; Skewers and Picks; All-Edibles; Sandwiches; Pastries; Small Dishes, and Drinks.  And the author also includes suggested menus for all kinds of game nights and that is fun.  A sample Game Night for Two to Four Menu includes "Rosemary Martinis;" "Salmon Poke in Endive Leaves;" "Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip;" Lamb and Olive Kebabs," and "Nutella and Banana Galettes."  The author notes also games that you might be playing that evening such as Canasta, Mah-jongg, Scrabble, Bridge, or Pinochle.

Now I have never been a game player as I can't stand to sit still that long, but I do love food and must say that this onion dip recipe was so freaking good that I'm including it on my annual holiday party menu from here on out!  That said, there is no game night, football, baseball or other, during which I would ever serve "Salmon Poke in Endive Leaves" as I am not fond of salmon and is that dish just a tad precocious, or what?

So there you go folks, a game-winning Super Bowl menu.  In case you missed the game and care about these things, all good things came to an end for the Atlanta Falcons who were leading the New England Patriots at the half by a large margin, and then they weren't.  The Pats came back, tied the game, sent it into overtime and won.  This was definitely not my hoped for outcome but so it goes and hey, at least I had good food to take the sting off! 

These two dishes are great fare any time of the year so never mind that I posted them too late for the Super Bowl or any "bowl," really.  By the way, I was "this" close to making "Jackpot Casserole" from Gridiron Cookery just because I loved the name but in the end, it had to be chili or bust.

Chili – 6 servings – from Mrs. W. W. (Woody) Hayes . [The] Ohio State University

1 large onion, sliced

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 pound ground beef

1 No. 2 ½ can tomatoes (Ann's Note:  27-29 ounces, or 3 ½ cups)

1/8 teaspoon paprika

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

1 ½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon (more or less as desired) chili powder

1 No. 2 can kidney beans, drained (Ann's Note:  20 ounces, or 2 ½ cups)

Fry onion and green pepper in melted butter in Dutch oven or deep skillet.  Add ground beef and cook until brown.  Add tomatoes and seasonings.  Simmer about 2 hours, adding water if necessary.  Just before serving, add kidney beans.

Oven-Baked Potato Chips with Onion Dip – Makes 8-10 Dips with Chips

Onion Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried

½ cup beef broth, preferably reduced-sodium

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

¾ cup top-quality mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon Tabasco, or more to taste

Salt

Potato Chips

2 russet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

To make the onion dip, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the onions are very tender and nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes.  The onions shouldn't brown too fast; reduce the heat to medium-low if needed.  Add the broth and garlic and cook until the liquid is completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, Tabasco, and salt to taste.  Transfer the dip to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.  Set 2 oven racks at the centermost levels.

To prepare the potato chips, half-fill a large bowl with cold water.  Peel 1 of the potatoes and cut it crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices, preferably using a mandoline slicer.  Add the slices to the water and repeat with the second potato.  Use your hands to swish the potato slices around in the water to remove the excess starch. (Ann's Note:  I hand cut these and despite best efforts, my slices were thicker than the 1/8-inch thick slices as noted in the recipes.  That said, I rather liked our thicker chip that wasn't really a chip but a nicely-baked potato slice.)

Dry the potato slices well on a clean kitchen towel.  Rinse and dry the bowl and return the potato slices to it.  Drizzle the olive oil over and toss to evenly coat the slices with the oil.  Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on the baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Bake until the slices are lightly browned and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes, turning the slices over and switching the baking sheets about halfway through for even cooking.  Keep an eye on the progress near the end; some slices may be done sooner.  Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.  Ann's Note:  my chips were definitely not crisp but they were great nonetheless.  To "serve," I put some in a bowl and then spooned the dip on top and ate them as I would a baked potato.  Shall I just say that my dip ration was far, far greater than the potato?

To serve, spoon the dip into individual dishes and set them on a platter or tray.  Set the chips in a bowl alongside for your guests to serve themselves.

It is best to make dip at least 4 hours ahead, but it can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept covered and refrigerated.  The chips are best made not more than 2 hours before serving.

"On Campus Cookbook" and "The Campus Survival Cookbook #1" - Pungent Curry Dip and Meat Loaf and Short-Cut Mashed Potatoes for Back to School

Date I made these recipes:  September 13, 2015 – Back to school!

On Campus Cookbook – For the Non-Kitchen Cook – Quick, easy, inexpensive dishes for hot pots, blenders, and toaster ovens by Mollie Fitzgerald

Published by:  Workman Publishing

ISBN: 0-89480-775-7

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Pungent Curry Dip – p. 51

The Campus Survival Cookbook #1 by Jacqueline Wood & Joelyn Scott Gilchrist

Published by: Quill

ISBN: 0-688-05030-1

Purchased at Hennepin County Library Used Book Sales

Recipes:  Meat Loaf and Short-Cut Mashed Potatoes – p. 90-91

And they're back!  Minneapolis grade and high school students started back to school in late August, college students started back the first weeks of September and now they are all back in the swing of things, studying themselves silly—or so we hope.

We live near the University of Minnesota and over the years have seen an explosion of student housing lining University and Washington Avenues (the main drags).  Sure, there are dorms, but there are also apartments housing all these students and the nice thing is that these apartments give them the opportunity to cook – not that they do, just that they have the opportunity.  And this is a far cry from what I had when I was in school.  (By the way, we watched a student apartment building go up on the corner of Washington and Huron and it is called, I kid you not – "WaHu."  Snort!)

For those of us living in the dorms – a requirement for all freshmen who were not otherwise commuting - we pretty much brought one and only one piece of kitchen "equipment" with us when we moved in:  a (electric) popcorn popper.  This was essential to dorm life as we ate, and ate and ate more popcorn than I care to think about.  That and pizza but we ordered out for that.

Some people had a hot pot to make tea, flavored coffees (just out on the market) or hot chocolate but not many.  It just wasn't a popular item for us.  And PS—even though Starbuck's CEO, Howard Schultz, graduated from my alma mater – Northern Michigan University – four years ahead of me, takeout coffee shops, never mind Starbucks, were light years away from being developed.  Yes, we were dinosaurs.

Mini-refrigerators were in hot demand but those were rented from the university; I can't recall if local stores like Shopko, even sold them but likely not.  I do recall that you had to be at least a sophomore to get your name on the "I want to rent" list and it was first come, first serve.  My roommate and I were tickled to be "awarded" one and used it pretty much to store her mother's delicious baked goods that she made for us on a regular basis (mom lived at an nearby air base).  Actually, the word "stored" is inaccurate, seeing as how nothing we put in there ever lasted that long.  We'd get a knife and start slicing and talking all at the same time until what do you know, the delicious loaf of pumpkin, apple or banana bread or strudel was gone = how did that happen?

During my junior year, I lived in an apartment where my roommates and I ate better but still didn't have much in the way of kitchen equipment.  And during my senior year, I ended up moving back to the dorms – this one intended for junior, seniors and grad students – and there you could either cook in the kitchens on each floor or opt to continue with the school's cafeteria plan which was, of course, horrible, but it was easier than menu planning on your own.

And that about concluded our student cooking endeavors.  If ramen – the staple of students everywhere – was around, we didn't know about it.   The closest anyone came to eating something with noodles in a flavor packet was to make Lipton Chicken and Noodle soup in a hot pot. I recall a few times that the dorm I was living in would host a dinner for T-day or Christmas, but for all I know, it was catered by the school cafeteria, not cooked with our own two hands.  We were too busy studying partying to be bothered, don't you know!

You can tell that times have changed, not only by the heavy marketing stores like Target does for college students, pimping out all kinds of kitchen gadgets that these students just have to have, but also with the publication of more and more "college" cookbooks.  One of the books I'm showcasing here – On Campus Cookbook – features recipes intended for hot pots, blenders and toaster ovens.  Not featured in this book – and that's because it was published in 1984 – are recipes for microwaves, a piece of equipment which has now overtaken popcorn poppers as a dorm/apartment staple.  It's only a matter of time then, until I acquire a "student" microwave cookbook.  (And PS—early microwaves cost a ton of money and also weighed a ton.)

And so to the recipes!  Finding something to make from the On Campus Cookbook was a little challenging because I don't have a blender or a toaster oven.  I do have a hot pot but wasn't in the mood for a "hot" anything given the very warm weather we'd been having.  And so, the curry dip.  One bowl and only a few ingredients works for me. 

The other featured cookbook, The Campus Survival Cookbook #1, broadens the scope of student fare by including menus for different days of the week, as well as "party menus" (well, duh) "survival menus" and "flat-broke" menus (isn't that an oxymoron?) that provide a little something for everybody.  The meatloaf I made was from the "Wednesday, Fourth Week" menu that also included the "Short-Cut Mashed Potatoes" and a "Church-Supper Cole Slaw" (untried).  My only issue with this cookbook is that it was a little hard to read as recipes were crammed onto the page and were in old-fashioned typewriter (remember those?) type.  That said, I flagged several recipes before deciding on the meatloaf and "mash" combination.

All recipes were good and nothing was too difficult so grade and high school kids should consider these as well.  In fact, Food Network's show, Chopped, is currently nearing the end of a teen tournament and last week, had a special college edition.  The requirement for these competitors though, is to transform the ingredients into something spectacular so kids, be thinking about what you can do with curry dip, meatloaf and mash.  "Time starts...now!"

Pungent Curry Dip – Makes 2 ½ cups

2 cups mayonnaise

3 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoons honey

3 teaspoons lemon juice

3 teaspoons curry powder

2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion

Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl and stir well.  Served chilled with raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cauliflower, mushrooms, cucumbers...

Meatloaf – serves 2

1 ½ lb. ground beef

3 tablespoons chili sauce or barbecue sauce

3 slices bread, torn up small

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

Preheat oven to 350.  Championship time for mixing this is 3 minutes, if ingredients are lined up.  Mix and bake it all in the same Pyrex ovenware bowl, or in a bread loaf pan.  (Makes excellent sandwiches, too.)

Measure everything except first two ingredients (beef and sauce) into pan or bowl.  Beat with a fork to mix well.  Add ground beef.  Squish everything together with hands until well mixed.  Pat down until smooth.  Cover with chili sauce or barbecue sauce.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  (Ann's Note:  more like 1 hour, 15 minutes) to ensure the middle of the loaf is done.  Pour off excess fat before serving.

Short-Cut Mashed Potatoes – serves 2

2-4 medium potatoes

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

¼ cup milk (or more)

Salt and pepper

If you have no proper potato masher, or you just can't face the job, this method will get you there.  But, start these before you get going on Meat Loaf.

Scrub potatoes clean and dry them.  (If you can eat 2 each, use 4.)  Place on center rack of oven.  Now mix Meat Loaf and put in oven.  When potatoes have cooked about 1 hour, feel them.  If soft when pinched or pressed with fingers, they're done.

Cut potatoes open.  Scoop out insides onto plate.  Add butter, milk, and ½ teaspoon salt.  Mash well with back of fork.  (You will need extra butter, milk, and salt if you've used 4 potatoes.)  Add a couple of dashes of pepper, mash and mix.  Serve.

Ann's Note:  I had both regular milk and buttermilk in my fridge but I used the buttermilk for extra flavor.

"Cooking to a Degree;" "The College Cookbook;" "Hungry (about cooking for a fraternity)" - Back to School: College Edition

Date I made these recipes:  Labor Day 2014 – Back to School: College Edition

Cooking to a Degree by Mario N. Glasserow and Lois A. Brook

Published by:  Hearthside Press Inc.

© 1972

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Super Meat Loaf – p. 156

The College Cookbook (Updated Version) by Geri Harrington

Published by:  Storey Books

ISBN:  0-88266-497-2' copyright 1988

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores, Richfield, MN

Recipe:  Spinach Pudding submitted by Vassar College – p. 96

Hungry:  What Eighty Ravenous Guys Taught Me About Life, Love & The Power of Good Food by Darlene Barnes

Published by:  Hyperion

ISBN:  978-1-4013-2477-3

Purchased at Strand Bookstore, NYC

Recipe:  Orange Balsamic Dressing - p. 66

And so...just like that, summer was over and kids were headed back to school, and as per usual, I had no idea how that happened. This year, we have friends with kids starting college as well as friends with kids looking at colleges and so of course, I felt the need to have a "Back-to-School, College Edition" blog posting.  And while it's heartening to know that college cafeterias are improving their offerings, more and more students are living off-campus and that means they should learn how to cook something beyond "Open package, add boiling water."  I reference, of course, the (now) college staple, Ramen Noodles; back in my day, we ordered pizza.  Actually, back in my day "Mystery Meat" was a staple for at least one dinner offering during the week.  I may not have been the quasi-foodie that I am now, but still, I had standards.

Still, I do not kid myself in the least that any college student will be making these in a dorm or in an apartment but that's okay.  When it comes to meatloaf, you either love it or hate it (I love it), I am pretty sure most people will run away from spinach, particularly a recipe titled "Spinach Pudding," but the salad dressing may actually make it into the lightning round so there's hope for that.  And while each cookbook (I found three!) had some recipes that I might have enjoyed making, I was looking to put together a meal and so there it is.

The first book, Cooking to a Degree, was published in 1972 when I was in 8^th grade but by then, my dad had mapped out exactly what high school classes I needed to take in order to get ready for college. There was no "fiddle fooling around" where my dad was concerned.  ("Fiddle fooling around" was a Lou Verme classic.)  After a fashion, when it was obvious that I was never going to follow in my dad's footsteps to become a scientist, he erased all the chemistry and math courses he penciled in previously and replaced them with English and history.  As it is, and this should not be a surprise, I ended up with a B.A. in English and double minors in Spanish and History.  This, children, is called "foreshadowing!"

This cook book is intended to be broad-reaching as evidenced by the tag line that says "Food that tastes great, costs little, & prepares fast!  If you're hungry & helpless in your own first kitchen off campus or off-on-your-own."  I could have used this book during my junior year when I shared an apartment off campus with three other women, but then again, we had our own arsenal of cookbooks, provided to us by our mothers and so were pretty much set and ready to go. (By the by, please notice the correct use of "you are" [you're] and "your."  This Grammar Nazi about goes into orbit every time I see people use "your" instead of "you are.")  

The second book, The College Cookbook, was first published in 1982 and I graduated from college in 1980 so, as they say in horseshoes "close enough."  This version was updated in 1988 and I'd love to know what changed but alas, I do not yet own the original version.

This cookbook is a compilation of recipes submitted by college students and/or colleges themselves but what is more interesting is the list in the Acknowledgment section of the schools that sent recipes that didn't make it into the book, including Harvard and Yale.  Had to chuckle—I bet not making it into the book had to be a first for Harvard and Yale, or as I like to say [of them] the "also ran(s)...."  If you're familiar with horse racing (and who isn't?), "also ran" is the term given to horses who did not win, place or show in a particular horse race, or even come close.  Anyway...moving on....

The recipe I selected, Spinach Pudding was submitted by Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, NY.  For as long as I can remember, Vassar was always pronounced in a clenched-jaw, yet breathy kind of manner – "Vaaaah-saaaah."  Nobody but a rube would pronounce it Vas-SAR with a hard "ar" on the end.  So unseemly. (And by the way, and it's too late now, and not that there's anything wrong with Poughkeepsie, but I just don't associate Vassar with that city.  It just doesn't work.  Now Boston?  Sure.) 

And while Vassar has been co-ed since the late 60's, I still think of it as a women's college.  I don't know why.  Perhaps because we take note of the famous women who attended Vassar more than we do the men.  Actress Meryl Streep was a Vassar graduate (in Drama, naturally) as was Lisa Kudrow (best known for the TV show, Friends), who earned a degree in Biology in 1993. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent two years at Vassar before transferring, and Jane Fonda briefly attended before dropping out to go live in Paris, coincidentally one of Jacqueline Kennedy's favorite stomping grounds. 

As to the recipe, it seemed to me that only a Vassar girl would call your basic creamed spinach something like Spinach "Pudding" as it certainly wasn't a pudding and even if it was – ew.  I just don't like the image. Chocolate? Fine.  Butterscotch?  Fine.  But spinach?  Noooo. But despite the name,  I did love the spinach and it went perfectly with the meat loaf from the Cooking to a Degree cookbook.  But I can almost guarantee you that most college students would rather die than eat this which is fine because that means all the more for me!  Spinach, creamed or otherwise, can be an acquired taste. (But it's good for you kids, so eat it anyway!)

The third book in this college cooking extravaganza, Hungry, is the memoir of Darlene Barnes who, upon moving with her husband to Seattle, found a job as a cook at the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity at the University of Washington.  I found her description of frat life to be everything I remembered about fraternities and more, which is to say, and I know you'll be amazed – tame! (But whoa—frats in the 90's and early 2000's were something else again).  Sure, frats were known for great keggers but I think all of us non-fraternity or sorority college students threw pretty good parties on our own, thankyouverymuch.

What distinguished sororities and fraternities from all of the rest of us lowly college students was the amount of foofing and poofing that went on when sororities and fraternities held their formal parties.  O.M.G.  The sorority members who lived in my dorm were just a-twitter about these dances and spent days getting ready.  Days-as opposed to the mere hours the rest of us put into throwing together an outfit.  (We do not have time to discuss what constituted a "going out" outfit back in the day except it was sad, people, sad.  But sensible:  after all, I went to school at Northern Michigan University where it snowed.  A lot.  You either dressed for the snow, or you didn't. Period.)

Now here's what I want you to picture because it's a far cry from where frats and sororities are now:  the men had long hair, wore aviator glasses (large glasses, wire-rimmed), shirts with huge bow ties and sometimes ruffled tux shirts...or not.  Plaid pants were still all the rage for the guys, something nobody would likely be caught dead in anymore.  The women also had long hair, also wore aviator glasses (because they were cool) and wore gowns that make me shudder (Granny dresses, anyone?) but hey, "time it was, what a time it was, a time of innocence..." (from Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel).  If the hair was long, it spent hours in hot rollers and curling irons and when released, was sprayed with Aqua Net within an inch of its life.  If it was short, it still got a bit of a fluff before going out.  In my opinion, it was all a bit much but then again, I'm more like the character, Enid, in the movie Legally Blonde who scoffed at sororities than Elle Woods who adored them.

Interesting note:  the very cool store – Specs Optical – on 22nd and Hennepin, where I get my very cool glasses, just emailed me about a trunk show they're having featuring a designer who makes wire-rimmed aviators.  They're back! We were all so ahead of the curve...

At any rate, although this book is mostly a memoir, she still included a few recipes and so I decided to make a salad to go with my meatloaf and spinach pudding and it turned out great.  Since the dressing had orange juice and orange peel, I made a salad of mixed lettuce, fresh raspberries and diced apple and it was yummy.  Be warned: I cut the dressing recipe in half and still ended up with too much dressing so feel free to cut it down even more.

All of this talk of college has certainly brought up a ton of memories and I could certainly bore you with hours and hours of stories but I won't.  I will say though, that college life then was pretty tame and uneventful.  The Vietnam War had ended and with it the protests on college campuses all across the U.S. We were still living with dial phones, TV antennas (with the requisite tin foil) and vinyl records (which, of course, are back in popularity now that I've given all mine away.)  The other day, a Facebook page that I belong to posted an old ad for Boone's Farm wine and almost every posting, including mine, talked about how horrible that stuff was and how the hangovers were unbelievable.  Also included in the conversation was Annie Green Spring swill...I mean wine, and MD (Mad Dog) 20/20. The very thought of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill and any flavor of Annie Green Springs makes me ill.  But it was cheap stuff and so we drank it.  Our off-campus dining choices were pizza, more pizza, sub sandwiches and our choice of McDonalds, Burger Chef or Sandy's (local chain).  Our favorite winter activity was to steal trays from the cafeteria and go "traying" (sliding) on local hills.  At the end of the year, our university held an "Amnesty Week" during which students could return all items kleptoed from the cafeteria  like silverware, dishware, and trays, no questions asked. 

And since it was the age of disco, I'll mention that our number one activity was to go dancing at the Alibi Rock Theater.  To this day, I can picture the entire layout – the bar, the disco floor that lit up in different colors, the pinball games, the disco ball, and how everyone lined up along the walls until asked to dance.  The place is still there and it cracks me up to no end to think about how going there was the highlight of our week.  Well, when you're in school in the middle of no where and today's technology is still decades away, you do what you have to do.  "Do bi do bi do. " (A joke about Frank Sinatra for all you youngsters out there).

Now, trust me when I say that the meatloaf is really good, the spinach is something you should acquaint yourself with and you can't beat a good salad dressing.  And most importantly, best of luck, students!

Super Meat Loaf – serves 5-6.  Involvement:  8 min; non-involved:  1 hour

1 ½ lbs ground meat (2 parts beef to 1 part veal and 1 part pork is best)

3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

½ c. Flavored Bread Crumbs (Ann's Note;  I used Progresso's Italian bread crumbs)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. catsup

¼ c. milk

Salt, pepper

1 egg

1 white onion, grated

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients with your hands.  (It's the easiest way).  Thorough mixing is essential to make the loaf firm enough to slice; overhandling it makes it too hard.

Shape and place into a shallow 1 qt baking dish.  Bake 1 hour at 350.  Baste once, after 40 minutes, with its own juices.  This will give it a nice crust.

Spinach Pudding – serves: 6

2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons butter

 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Cook spinach as directed on package but without adding water.  Drain thoroughly.  Melt butter in a heavy pan; add flour, stirring constantly.  Stir in milk gradually; add seasonings and spinach.  Stir in beaten egg.  Spinach should be well-mixed and well-coated with everything.  Turn into a greased 1 ½ quart casserole.  Place in pan of hot water and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve right from casserole or unmold and serve on warm plate with hot heavy cream (optional).

Orange Balsamic Dressing (serving size not given but likely 2 cups)

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Zest of 1 orange

½ cup fresh orange juice

2 T. Dijon mustard

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Combine the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, and mustard in a food processor.  Drizzle in the olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.