I'm Annette!

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Posted on July 23, 2013 by oltimetv

July 21, 2013

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

I have been a recipe collector for as long as I can remember. From bringing home recipe cards of foreign dishes courtesy of Vacation Bible School, to buying my first cookbook, “Peanuts Cookbook” for 60 cents, through Scholastic Book Club in grade school, I have always had a fascination with recipes.

Peanuts Cookbook-my first cookbook

While taking home economics in high school, I convinced the teacher to beg the lunch ladies to divulge a couple of recipes for my favorite lunchroom cafeteria desserts. I still have a copy (of a copy) of the recipe in mimeograph purple for my High School’s original, oh- so soft and chewy, peanut butter bars.

Copy of the original Peanut Butter Bar mimeographed recipe

On a side note, for those of you who do not remember, or are not old enough to remember, there used to be government surplus issued peanut butter available in large (15 lb.), silver cans to public institutions. Schools made use of this free ingredient on a frequent basis, with the student bodies nationwide often finding peanut butter concoctions on the daily school lunch menu in the form of peanut butter bars and cookies. Even my Girl Scout troop took advantage of this free commodity, by supplying Ants on a Log (celery with peanut butter spread in the center/u-part of the stalk and raisins/ants placed on top in a single row) at every outing that we ever attended, or so it seemed. (I believe that the raisins were free government surplus issue, also.)

Ants on a Log

In the name of comfort food, I am sharing this recipe with you, below. Note: I usually make my bars without the frosting. That makes them low-cal, right? ;o)
Now, if back in high school, I had only asked for the recipe for the delicious Western-style Cafeteria Salad Dressing………

Thanks for reading! :o)
Annette

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( High School) Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars displayed on my stoneware/ceramic cafeteria plate.

Ingredients
For Bars:
2/3 cups peanut butter
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼-1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups regular rolled oats (regular oatmeal)

For Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup softened butter
About 1/4 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Cream together thoroughly 2/3 cup peanut butter, 1 cup butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
Stir, or mix in eggs and vanilla.
Sift, or mix together, and stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in oatmeal.
Batter will be fairly thick.

Spread batter into 10.5 x 15.5 greased pan.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until done. (The top will look dull, and
Finger- test leaves only slight imprint.)
Cool.

Frost if desired with:
Combine powdered sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup butter, and a little milk at a time, until desired consistency.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Ames, Ames High Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars, Ants on a Log, Iowa, Peanuts Cookbook | 8 Comments

Thank you, Dick Van Dyke!

Posted on July 13, 2013 by oltimetv

July 13, 2013

It was the summer of 1970. I was twelve. As I had done every previous summer, I was spending a week with my maternal grandparents in the country. As much as I loved the wide-open space and beauty of their tidy Iowa farm, something of a more glamorous nature was beckoning me to town. Cold Turkey was currently being filmed in various Iowa locations, with much of the action, taking place in nearby Greenfield. An anti-smoking farce starring Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, and Jean Stapleton, under the direction of Norman Lear (Creator of ,the yet to come, All in the Family, fame) had put stars in my eyes. After some heavy hinting, my grandparents announced one morning that we were headed to Greenfield to check out the current movie-making mania.

My grandparent on their beloved Iowa farm.
This photo was taken many years after Hollywood came to nearby Greenfield.
Around 1984?

Arriving in the town steeped in Americana, passing the iconic town square, we happened upon Dick Van Dyke. Under a large shade tree, relaxing between takes on a canvas director’s chair, he was chatting with a fellow seated next to him. My grandmother promptly pulled out a complimentary Pioneer Seed notepad and pen from her handbag, and took me over to obtain the coveted prize of this excursion, an autograph.

My grandmother promptly pulled out a complimentary Pioneer Seed notepad
and pen from her handbag.

The pen in hand did not cooperate, producing no ink. Horrors! Calmly, the actor spoke to the man next to him, “Norm,” (I think he said Norm.) may I borrow a pen? Quickly, a writing instrument was produced, and I walked away one Dick Van Dyke autograph richer, complete with indented, invisible scribbles from the unsuccessful attempt to produce ink from the first pen. (In retrospect, it is unfortunate that I did not have the foresight to obtain an additional autograph from Norman Lear!)

Dick Van Dyke’s autograph in the Pioneer Seed notepad,
complete with indented, invisible scribbles. :o)

Having been star stuck, in addition to what has been forgotten with the passing years, I can no longer recall anything that Dick Van Dyke said to me that memorable morning, only his comfortable demeanor, the kindness that he showed me and the happiness that I felt as a twelve year-old and my brush with Hollywood in this small Iowa town.

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Seen in an Ellicott City, Maryland antique shop around 2016,
displaying the name Camp Crowder.
Camp Crowder was often mentioned on The Dick Van Dyke Show as where character Rob Petrie was stationed in the Army.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cold Turkey, Dick Van Dyke, Greenfield | 11 Comments

4th of July Food Food Favorites

Posted on July 4, 2013 by oltimetv

July 4, 2013

4th of July Food Food Favorites

Grandma’s Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole cut-up chicken

Flour, about 1 cup
Salt
Pepper
Paprika (optional)

1/4 cup Vegetable oil (or more if necessary)
1/4 cup Butter (or more if necessary)
Use equal amounts of vegetable oil and butter.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place flour, salt, and pepper in paper, or plastic bag.

Shake chicken parts in bag mixed with flour, salt, pepper, (and optional paprika) to coat.

In skillet (I like to use an electric skillet) fry in half vegetable oil and half butter,
(Use equal amounts of vegetable oil and butter.)
@ 350 degrees until well browned on both sides.

Place in baking dish with lid.
Bake at 350-degree oven with lid on for about one hour,
making sure that the chicken is cooked completely.

Mom’s Potato Salad

Ingredients

4 cups cooked, in salt water, potatoes, cooled and cubed
¼-1/2 cup onions, chopped/diced
3-5 slices cooked (American) bacon (no nitrate, natural variety)
3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish, drain if necessary
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1-cup Hellman’s light mayonnaise
celery salt-to taste
pepper-to taste
salt-to taste

Directions

Place cooled cooked, cubed potatoes in large bowl.
Add chopped onions, crumbled bacon, relish, mustard, mayonnaise, celery salt, pepper, and salt.
Stir until mixed.
Chill.

Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients
• 1-19 oz. pkg. Oreos (3 row pkg.)
• 1-12 oz., or larger thawed cool whip, or Tru Whip
• ½ gallon of ice cream, softened

Directions
Reserve 7 Oreos for garnish.

Crush 1 row of Oreos and spread on bottom of 9 x 13 dish.

Crush next row of Oreos and mix with ice cream, cool whip, spreading over first layer of crushed cookies.

Crush last row of Oreos and spread evenly over top, garnishing with reserved Oreos.

Freeze for 4 hours and cut into squares.

Note:
For quicker version, crush all of the Oreos and mix in with cool whip, and ice cream. Spread into pan and freeze.

For a single-serving size with children, I use…

4 Oreos in a sealed sandwich baggie, allowing the little ones to crunch them up with a wooden spoon.

Mix with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

and 2 spoonfuls of tru whip (like cool whip, but without the hydrogenated oils) in small, deep bowl.

These single-serving instructions were added in August 2020.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 4th of July, Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dessert, fried, Grandma's Fried Chicken, Mom's Potato Salad, then baked moist chicken | 9 Comments

Manageesh/Flatbread Pizza

Posted on June 15, 2013 by oltimetv

Annette’s Simple Lebanese Pizza
(Manageesh)

Ingredients (Use quality ingredients.)
Naan
(Our Maryland Safeway sells it, but I personally have not tried this variety, yet.)
Fresh, or deli quality, mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice, if desired-olives, mushrooms ….

Directions
Place one naan disc on microwavable plate.

Grate mozzarella cheese, and place on top of naan.

Put on other toppings, if desired, making sure that they are well-drained, if necessary.

Put in microwave for 45-60 seconds, only until the cheese is melted.

Fold it, roll it up, or eat it with a fork.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Lebanese Pizza, Manageesh, Naan | 1 Comment

Carrots!

Posted on April 26, 2013 by oltimetv

Here is the recipe that I used, revised from the Barefood Contessa via the Foodnetwork website.

Roast Carrots

Ingredients
carrots
good olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel carrots, and cut off tops. If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. (The carrots will shrink while cooking.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.

Per serving: Calories:110; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat:1 gram; Protein: 1 gram; Total carbohydrates:12 grams; Sugar: 6 grams; Fiber: 3.5 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 484 milligrams

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Roast Carrots | 1 Comment

Tuna Spaghetti

Posted on April 16, 2013 by oltimetv

Tuna Spaghetti

Ingredients
1 (14-16 oz.) pkg. spaghetti
1/3-1/2 cup butter (1 stick, or less)
1/4-1/2 cup flour
1/2 tea., or less, salt
1/4-1/2 tea. black pepper
1 can (14 oz.), skim evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 cup skim milk
1 and 1/2-2 cups water
2-3 tea, or 2-3 cubes chicken bouillon
1-2(6.4) oz. pkg. tuna, drained if necessary (I prefer albacore)
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use the 2% variety)
Grated Parmesan
PAM

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Cook spaghetti per directions in salted boiling water.

Meanwhile, heat butter in skillet over low heat till melted. (I use an electric skillet.)
Stir in flour, salt, and pepper.
Cook over low heat until bubbly.
Stir in evaporated milk, skim milk, water, and bouillon.
Heat till boiling, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir one minute.
Stir in tuna, cheddar cheese, and cooked spaghetti.
Pour into PAM sprayed 9 x 13 dish.
Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
Put in oven, uncovered, and till hot and bubbly,
about 30 minutes.

Gilding the Lilly:
If desired add any of the following:
cooked peas
cooked green beans
cooked, or canned mushrooms
small, drained, jar of pimentos

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Family Meal, Tuna spaghetti | Leave a comment

Peanut Butter Bars-a family favorite

Posted on April 8, 2013 by oltimetv

Peanut Butter Bars-a family favorite

The cookbook that started it all!
It contains the original recipe for Peanut Butter Bars.

We all have dishes that make us think of home, and the people that we love. For me, peanut butter bars has to rank right up there! I originally found this recipe (in 1978)
in a wedding shower gift, in the form of a sorority cookbook. This was listed as a dish made for the sorority by the cook. Over the years I have made a few adjustments to this no-bake recipe, making them time and again, as a quick snack for my family and their friends. It often became a fave of my children’s friends, too!

As you can see, this page was a oft-used one.
Several years ago, I retyped this recipe, complete with my changes
(the original recipe calls for a lot of sugar!),
and the that recipe now resides in my own family cookbook binder.

The majority of the time we enjoy these treats warm, eaten with a spoon and a cold glass of milk.
Can’t beat a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter bars, while watching “The Brady Bunch” here this afternoon! Groovy!
Why not enjoy your own batch? The recipe is listed below.

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup-2 cups sugar ( I like the lesser amount)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup/1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural. Smucker’s natural can be used, too, but the texture will be a bit thinner.)

2 and 1/2 cup quick Quaker Oats Oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Combine the first five ingredients
Heat together until melted.
(I do this in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes.)

Stir in vanilla and oatmeal.

I usually do this in a 9 x13, or 8 x 8 glass pan.

Smooth to make even and chill.
Cut into serving pieces, or serve warm with milk.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bars, Brady Bunch, peanut butter bars | 1 Comment

Ya’ Gotta Start Somewhere!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by oltimetv

This is my first official post for my blog “I’m Annette!” My goal is to post every week (or occasionally more, or less),and share recipes, my travels, classic movie and tv information, and anything else that comes to mind. :o) Thanks for joining in!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged first, start | 4 Comments

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I'm Annette!

Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

Thank you, Dick Van Dyke!