Frozen Date Salad

"Back in 'cooking school days' frozen date salad appeared on one of the menus. It was one of the first frozen salads I remember and one of the best. Good for wintertime eating." Marjorie Standish


While it is suggested that you make this in the winter, I thought it would not only be nice on this hot, hot day, but I might as well finish off this "date week" in style! It is an interesting recipe and certainly dates itself to the 1950's era. Basically it's a cream cheese base with dates and a bit of orange juice. This sets in a mold in the freezer. I fully expected it to not freeze, but all signs are looking good.

This recipe reminds me of my grandmother. When she had company over, my grandmother used to put out an appetizer of cream cheese with mustard poured over the top. This was spread over crackers.  I always thought it was funny looking, but it was very popular. While Marjorie's recipe doesn't have mustard, it still reminds me of that appetizer and something my grandmother would make.

Today we will be serving this Frozen Date Salad over Fresh Greens with a Refreshing Balsamic Vinaigrette for 4.50. You never know! You may just fall in love with it!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Elephant-Events-Catering/19796658177

Date and Nut Bars

Date and Nut Bars. What to say about this recipe? There is nothing difficult about it, in fact they are almost easier than making a batch of brownies. They have the same consistency and texture of a brownie so if you like dates then you should be sure to give this recipe a try!

I fully expected this date recipe to be my last however when I was flipping through I discovered that there was yet another one to complete! Ahhhh! Will they ever end? Friday's recipe will be a Frozen Date Salad, stay tuned to find out just what this one will entail. 

Date and Nut Bread

I can't decide if I would actually label this as a bread. There is a lot of sugar in the batter which makes it a very sweet bread, but it has the consistency of a cake. It's very much like the date cake I made yesterday.

No funny stories on this one. It was pretty straight forward. The only strange thing was Marjorie had me mix the nuts, dates and baking soda in a bowl. Then to that I added shortening and boiling water. This mixture sat before it was added it to the eggs, sugar and flour. I have never read or made anything this way. It was interesting. The result looks kind of like a fruit cake without the fruit. It smells fantastic. Come on in, and give this recipe a try!

Only two more date recipes to go!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square 

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Elephant-Events-Catering/19796658177

Date Cake

Continuing with the theme of dates, I decided to kick off the week with a good old fashioned, easy Date Cake. I found Marjorie's comment at the end of the recipe to be very funny. She says, "Simple isn't it?"  I can just hear her now... imagine if someone brought her on to a modern day television cooking show to demonstrate one of her recipes. I can just picture her saying as she completes the task, "Simple isn't it?!" 

Simplicity must have been what Marjorie was going for as she was writing her cookbook. As I've said over  and over again, no matter how much is going on, I can still pull together one of Marjorie's recipes in under an hour; what a great feat.

I am surprised how many date recipes there are in Marjorie's cookbook. Dates must have been a popular item back in the day. In this day and age, people seem to be scared off by the mere word, "date." But believe me when I say that every date recipe I have made so far has been really good, and I'm not a big fan of dates!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square 

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Elephant-Events-Catering/19796658177

Date Drop Cookie

Date Drop Cookies - perhaps not the most delicious sounding cookies. I have a feeling many people are turned off by the word "dates." However, the cookies were very delicious and a nice change from your everyday chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookie. 

Making the batter involves using the creaming method, adding the dry ingredients and then, in the last step, adding the dates. Marjorie has you boiling the dates in water while you mix the rest of the cookie dough. When it came time to add the date mixture to the batter, it was a little unclear whether to add just the dates or the dates and the liquid. 

I ended up adding everything: dates and liquid. When I mixed it all up, it turned out to be very runny, and I thought to myself, "This might be the first recipe that actually doesn't work out." I wonder if Marjorie meant to add just the dates, but the recipe is very unclear so I guess I'll never know. 

I decided to try baking just a couple of cookies first to see if they would even do anything in the oven. Much to my surprise, they did. The cookies rose beautifully and turned a delicious golden brown. They are the perfect soft chewy cookie. 

Don't be discouraged by the fact that these treats have dates in them. You probably won't even notice! Give them a try if not at the Blue Elephant, then certainly pull out the recipe sometime and try making them yourself. You won't be disappointed! 

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

Graham Cracker Squares

I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe when I picked it out. Basically it's combining graham crackers, sugar, salt and butter, then adding evaporated milk, vanilla and chocolate bits. Amazingly enough, without any leavening agent or eggs, this combination rises in the oven and results in a delicious dessert. 

I was truly amazed with this recipe. Not only was it easy, but it delicious too. I think we will definitely be adding these squares to our list of desserts here at the Blue Elephant!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square 

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

Frosted Coffee Bars

Marjorie claimed that this recipe was one of the most popular recipes from her column. Indeed, the bars turned out to be one of the most delicious desserts to date! Sweet and spicy with a hint of coffee, topped with a coffee glaze icing. They were delicious.

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square 

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

www.blueelephantcatering.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Elephant-Events-Catering/19796658177