Mushroom Scalloped Potatoes (1949, adapted)

 fMushroom Scalloped Potatoes is a dump-and-go potato side dish suitable for Sunday dinner.  It’s a labor-saving alternative to more sophisticated sides, and while it lacks the panache of a good pan of scalloped potatoes or funeral potatoes it will still scratch the itch for a creamy, starchy side.  The recipe comes to me by way……

Chili Stack (1949, adapted from Sunset Cook Book)

Chili Stack is an out-of-the-ordinary savory pancake main dish with the flair of the American Southwest.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it before or since.  Adapted from the 1949 Sunset Cook Book of Favorite Recipes, Chili Stack is  a meal of thin cornmeal pancakes and a smooth, spicy chili.  The pancakes and chili are……

Best Baked Salmon (adapted from Sunset Cook Book, 1949)

I’m gonna be up front with you:  this is not the best way to bake salmon, title be damned.  I’ve spent the last few decades in the Pacific Northwest and am a firm believer in “less is more” when it comes to cooking salmon.  Salt and pepper and EVOO and throw it on the grill. ……

Chicken with Fresh Pears Stir-Fry (adapted from Sunset Wok Cook Book (1989))

Chicken with Fresh Pears is an enjoyable summertime stir-fry perfect for weeknights.  If you’re looking for traditional Chinese cuisine look elsewhere.  This dish, along with many others in Sunset Wok Cook Book (1989), falls squarely in the old school Americanized stir-fry tradition.   Stir-frying is an ingenious technique that works well with almost any set……

Spam Puffs (adapted from Sunset Cook Book, 1949)

Say what you will but I’m a big fan of Spam.  No irony, no poverty cuisine voyeurism, no pining for some lost Hawaiian vacation:  fried Spam is a genuine treat for our family.  At any given time we’ll have a half a dozen cans on hand, ready to whip up a quick batch of musubis……