Valmas chocolate pudding

I like old fashioned recipes. Ones that come from old cookbooks that use simple ingredients, nothing too fancy. 

I have a couple that I go to quite often, a local pony club cookbook and a centenary cookbook put out by a local school, both from the eighties and both scavenged from garage sales. 

Fair enough though that they are from an era when food was a bit 'boring'. Remember seeing or eating a prawn cocktail of the early eighties? But all the recipes that are within are tried and tested family favourites, that I am sure, at the time, Mums and kids were bursting with pride and excitement to share, as their respective names appeared at the bottom of each recipe.

I love myself a good self saucing pudding, I made this one last week. Most self saucing pudding require a water bath, this one doesn't and there is no separating eggs and whipping egg whites.

 It's a recipe provided by Valma Clark, from the Beachport Pony Club family favourites cookbook, circa mid 1980s I think. For all I know Valma may well be long gone, but her recipe lives on :)

I you're into experimenting, a cherry spin on this recipe would be great for Christmas :)

1 cup SR flour
2 teaspoons cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar(if you don't have it use white)
1 dessertspoon cocoa
300 mls boiling water

Sift flour, cocoa and add sugar. Stir melted margarine into flour mixture.
Add beaten egg and milk. Mix and pour into pie dish.

Combine brown sugar and cocoa, sprinkle on top of pudding mix in dish. Pour boiling water gently over this.
Bake in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Serve with cream or icecream.

Have you ever added your own family recipe to a book?

Don't you think a Christmas recipe book would be a great end of year fundraiser for a club or school?

Apricot Slice

This recipe comes from a very worn book, its 30 years old this August. Printed to celebrate the centenary year of the Rendelsham Primary School (1882 - 1982). I can't remember where I got this one from, probably a garage sale and I'm not really sure how long I've had it. It has a disclaimer on the first page that goes -

Somebody Goofed

If somebody goofed and forgot the salt,

Or flour, shortening, milk or malt;

Don't hesitate, best be sure.......

Pick up the phone and express your wonder

To the gal who signed her name down under.

Some of the recipes are still in pound or ounce measurements and fahrenheit temps, but has a handy conversion page at the start of the book. It contains some great recipes, and use it often.

It has sayings scattered here and there -

A man wrapped in himself makes a very small parcel.

One of the mysteries of life is how a boy who wasn't good enough to marry your daughter, can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world.

Swallowing your pride occasionally will not give you indigestion.

I haven't played with this recipe at all, but have had the thought of using dried cherries and adding cocoa for a cherry ripe slice. 

Apricot Slice (P.Chapman)

Cream 4 ozs butter with 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs, 1 cup plain flour,

 3/4 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup milk and a dash of vanilla. Bake for 1/2 hour at 375 deg. Ice with vanilla icing and top with walnuts.

Using the conversion table 4 oz is 125 grams, and 375F is 190C.

Dried biscuit dough on this page!

You can read more about Rendelsham here http://www.wattlerange.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=329