Looking to the past for recipe ideas is fun and interesting. Here we go to the 1950s—a decade where housewives worked to perfect entertaining with elegance. The cocktail hour became an important part of dinner to put guests at ease and to whet the palate. Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook, the cookbook of the 1950s, offered “starters to mellow the mood” with many tempting appetizers and recipes with intriguing titles like Green Balls, Wedgies, and Hot Crabmeat Puffs. We couldn’t help but laugh and wonder what green balls and wedgies were. We wanted to revive them and bring them back to enjoy for today’s customary cocktail hour as well. We’ve slightly updated the recipes by adding additional seasonings and suggested serving options.
Green (Cheese) Balls
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/2 cup minced ham
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk, hard-boiled, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Minced chives
Minced parsley
Mix all ingredients except for the herbs. Form into balls, about 2 inches round, or golf-ball size. Roll in the minced herbs. Arrange on a serving dish or cheese board with crackers or toasted baguette rounds.
Note: For hard-boiled eggs, place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Add water to cover eggs by 1 inch. Heat to boil, remove from heat, cover, and let stand 12 minutes for large eggs (9 minutes for medium eggs and 15 for extra large eggs). Drain and plunge in bowl of ice water. Then, refrigerate.
Hot Crabmeat Puffs
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book
2 egg whites
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup flaked crabmeat
2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper, or diced pimientos
1/2 teaspoon Old-Bay Seasoning mix
1 sourdough baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
Parsley, for garnish
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in yogurt, mustard, crabmeat, and red bell pepper. Season with Old Bay seasoning. Pile on baguette rounds. Broil 3 minutes, until puffy and lightly browned. Garnish with parsley.
Note: Old Bay is a seasoning mix sold in small yellow tin canisters and includes mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger. If you can’t find it, use paprika instead.
Wedgies (Ham Cake)
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book
large, thin slices deli meat
softened cream cheese
mustard
scallions, finely diced
chives, finely minced
For garnish: sliced olives and chopped pickles
Mix softened cream cheese with mustard, scallions, and chives. Spread deli meat slices with the flavored cream cheese and stack like a layer cake. Spread remaining flavored cream cheese over top and sides. Decorate with sliced olives and chopped pickles. Chill. Cut into wedges.
Notes: The original recipe called for bologna but you can choose any deli meat you prefer such as ham, turkey, or roast beef. The mustard can be any type you like, such as Dijon, coarse ground, or honey. Olives can be green, kalamata, or black, and the pickles too can be your preference. A favorite combo of ours is honey glazed turkey slices with Dijon mustard, black olives, and sweet pickles.
What are your favorite cheese appetizers? Do you have a Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook? If so, do you use it still?
images from bettercrocker.com
Disclaimer: This post has no affiliation or sponsorship from Betty Crocker. We are just enthusiasts of traditional cookbooks.
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