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2009

TODAY's CASES:

Furr's Cafeteria Mexican Meatloaf

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Troy 
  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
  Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 6:15 PM

Our Furr's Cafeteria in Midland, Texas stopped serving their Mexican Meatloaf about a year ago. 
Can you find their recipe or one just like it? 

Hello Troy,

Sorry, I had no luck searching for the Furrs Cafeteria Mexican meatloaf or a copycat. It's sort of difficult for me to search for one like it, because I have no idea what it's like. There are several recipes with the name "Mexican meatloaf" here:

Cooks.com

Phaed

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Troy 
  To: Phaedrus 
  Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 8:04 PM
  Subject: Re:

Thanks, I've searched that site and many other food recipe sites and searched with 
Google and Yahoo, but no joy.  I should have told you that it was not hot, just mild, 
and had a yellowish brown sauce over it. The sauce is really what made it taste so good. 
It doesn't have any tortilla chips in it, and no cheese on top.  I really can not identify 
any specific ingredients, sorry.  I asked the manager of Furr's for the recipe, since Furr's 
had discontinued it, but he said their policy was not to release any recipies, even if they 
would not use it again.  He said he had had many requests to add it back to the menu, but 
corporate headquarters would not allow them to bring it back.  

Today I left recipe requests on three of the major food recipe sites in the hope that 
someone will reply.  If I only knew someone who is a cook at Furr's...  In high school 
(about 1967), I was a bakery cook evenings at our local Furr's, and I had a recipe book 
I cooked from.

Hello Troy,

I will post your request on my site as well. Maybe one of my readers will come up with something.

Phaed

Timm in Oregon sent this:

From: Timm
To: "Phaed" 
Subject: Troy's Mexican Meatloaf
Date: Friday, May 22, 2009 11:22 AM

Is Troy sure about the name of the meatloaf?   Several years back I ate at a Furr's and had 
their Meatloaf with Creole Sauce and later found this recipe on the web. The name is different 
but the description seems to match.   Timm in Oregon 

Furr's Meatloaf with Creole Sauce 
(Copycat recipe) 

Ingredients: 

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 
1 teaspoon salt 
2 large eggs, slightly beaten 
5.3 ounce can evaporated milk 
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs 
3/4 cup onion, diced 
1-1/2 pounds ground round 
For the Creole Sauce: 
2 tablespoons butter 
1/2 green pepper, chopped 
3 tablespoons onion, diced 
2 ounce can sliced mushrooms, with liquid 
1-1/2 cup tomato juice 
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 
2 tablespoons water 
Chopped parsley for garnish 

Instructions 

Combine all of the meatloaf ingredients. Shape into a loaf and place in an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch, 
lightly oiled, loaf pan. Bake at 350F degrees for 1 hour; let cool for 10 minutes. 

For the Creole Sauce: Melting the butter in a small saucepan. Add the green pepper and onion; 
sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mushrooms with liquid and the tomato 
sauce. Mix the cornstarch, salt and thyme with water and stir into the pepper and onion mixture. 
Return the pan to the heat and bring to boiling. Boil while stirring for 1 minute or until the 
sauce clears and thickens. Slice meatloaf into 3/4 inch pieces. Spoon the hot Creole Sauce over 
the slices and garnish with parsley. 

Sheridan Square Bakery Cake

----- Original Message ----- 
From: violet 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 6:08 PM
Subject: cake

dear phaedrus,
i lived in greenwich village in the 60's and catty corner to the southwest of the women's 
house of detention was a bakery wherein i bought the most delectable cake.
it was a large brick shape about 4 inches square and 12-14 inches long. on the outside was 
a thin layer of dark chocolate and the inside was  alternating layers of 3/8"'s inch thick 
yellow cake in between a 3/8" thick layer of medium tannish brown frosting and it was probably 
9-10  layers thick. it was sold by the slice, you could get a slice an inch thick or 4 inches 
thick, whatever you wanted. you could get it other places in the city also but i live in virginia 
now and no one has even heard of it. i can bake.
can you help?
awaiting your reply,
violet 

Hi Violet,

I can search by the name of the bakery, I can search by the name of the cake, and I can search by a few unique ingredients, but with just a description of how the cake looked and a description of where the bakery was located, I cannot do any good. Sorry.

Phaed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: violet
To: Phaedrus 
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 8:56 AM
Subject: Re: cake

Hi Phaedrus

I thought about it all night and this morning it came to me...the bakery was 
The Sheridan Square Bakery. Hope that will help.
And ......thank you again.
Violet 

Hi Violet,

Sorry, I still had no success.

Phaed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: violet
To: Phaedrus 
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 9:34 PM
Subject: Re: cake

Thank you for trying. I will make another effort, as I have from time to time, 
to find this recipe. Funny how after all these years a taste sensation stays with you.
In the words of George Bernard Shaw.........."There is no love sincerer than the love of food"
If I stumble across it, I will send it to you.

Thanks, Violet

Hi Violet,

I will post your request on my site. Maybe a reader will come up with something.

Phaed


Dressel's Whipped Cream Cake

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: mary 
  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
  Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 10:31 AM
  Subject: dressel's whip cream cakes

  Phaedrus,

There was a Dressel bakery (factory) on 76th & Ashland, Chicago, IL that made the best 
chocolate whip cream cake and strawberry whip cream cakes for birthdays.   The bakery 
closed in the '80's.  The chocolate cake had a fudge filling, if I remember correctly. 
They also made the best cream puffs that were sold in the frozen section of the grocery 
stores.  The cakes were also sold there, but you could also get them from the bakery 
(fresh) store front.

  I would like to find those recipes if possible.  

  Thanks,

  Mary 

Hi Mary,

I could not locate either of those recipes. They do not appear to be available anywhere. Those whipped cream cakes were created by Joe Dressel, who started the bakery along with his two brothers, Herman and Bill Dressel. John J. Dressel, a next generation Dressel, also worked for the bakery for 47 years. He passed away in 2008 at age 74. His sons are Donald and Leonard Dressel. Decendants of the Dressels still live in Chicago. I'll post this request on my site. Maybe, just maybe, someone still has the recipe or a home version and will send it on to us.

Baumann's Bakery, 12248 Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights, makes a delicious treat is called, "The Dressel's Cake,", which is based the baker's memory of the Dressel's Bakery chocolate whipped cream cake.

Phaed

This recipe is now available here: Chicago Tribune
and here: Lost Recipes Found
and here: Orlando Sentinel


Maggi Seasoning

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alice" 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 11:47 AM
Subject: Maggi copycat recipe

>I would like to make maggi seasoning myself.  I saw an article one time 
>years ago that said that lovage was one of the ingredients  for homemade 
>Maggi, but  they did not give the recipe.  Would you possibly know the 
>recipe?
> Thank you,
> Alice

Hello Alice,

Maggi seasoning is one of those commercial products for which no one has been able to make a copycat home recipe. It seems to be made from some sort of fermented grain or legume product with spices added, similar to the way soy sauce is made from soybeans and roasted grain. Like soy sauce, Maggi seasoning is loaded with sodium, and should be avoided by those on low-sodium diets.

As for lovage being an ingredient, "Wikipedia" says that in the German, Dutch and Danish languages lovage has come to be known as "Maggi herb" (Ger. Maggikraut, Du. maggikruid or Da. maggiurt) because of a supposed resemblance to the taste of Maggi seasoning sauce. However, there's no certainty that the Maggi product actually contains lovage. Even if lovage is one of the spices or herbs used to flavor the seasoning, the main ingredient is still the fermented legume or grain extract.

The original Maggi company came into existence in 1872 in Switzerland, when Julius Maggi took over his father's mill. It was the first company to market protein-rich legume meal which it followed with a ready-made legume meal soup in 1886. In 1897, Julius Maggi founded the company Maggi GmbH in the German town of Singen where it is still established today. Bouillon cubes were one of their early notable products. They contained no beef or chicken, yet were able to give a meaty flavor to soups and other dishes. These days Maggi products are apparently distributed by the Nestle Company.

Phaed


Galena Park School Cafeteria Pineapple Crisp

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gail 
  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
  Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 11:57 PM
  Subject: galena park isd cafeteria recipes 1960's

Especially, their pineapple crisp or something like it.

Gail 

Hi Gail,

Sorry, I cannot find any recipes from the Galena Park independent school district.

Phaed


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