I feel like a wanderer when I enter the grocery store without my shopping list. Did I leave it on the counter at home or is it still magnetized to the fridge? I try my best to recall what I had listed, and usually I do a fairly good job, but there is always one thing, or maybe two that I miss.

The best way for me to keep track of our needed supplies is to keep a running list in my daily notebook, a simple steno pad; it dictates the size of the purse I carry. I keep all kinds of notes in this “daily dictation.” (How nice it was for my mom to put a three-pack of stenos into my stocking.)

I survey my family on a daily basis and add to the list. I run low on something, I add to the list. I run out, I add to the list. I want to try a new recipe, I add to the list. I even have a side list of items I need for my antique shop; light bulbs, more nails, ice melt, etc.

Yesterday, during a text exchange with my sister in Michigan she asked, “Can you help me remember my grocery list?” Quickly I replied (as quickly as I could on my relic cell phone), “Cantaloupe, Golden Crisp potato chips, large curd cottage cheese, Circus Peanuts, angel food cake, lettuce, liver, onions, bananas, Brach’s crème-filled caramels, Hi-C orange drink (in the large can), Brook’s ketchup, Dream Whip, and Robin Hood flour.”

Just after I sent the list I sent this text, “My mistake, I didn’t send you your list, I sent Grandma Barton’s grocery list!” Suddenly it was clear to her; it was a list more than likely once hanging on Grandma’s fridge.

This led me to compose a grocery list that may have been on our Grandma Miller’s refrigerator; French bread, garlic butter spread, ice cream sandwiches, Smucker’s caramel topping, real dairy butter sticks, eggnog, Dial bar soap, Ragu spaghetti sauce, shredded wheat, oatmeal, oyster crackers, popcorn, Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, brown sugar, white sugar, Jell-O, Doublemint gum, and rye bread.

And then I decided to write what our mom’s grocery list may have been when we were growing up (her list today would be very short); Lucky Charms, Hawkin’s white bread, Nu-Maid margarine, Smith’s milk, Kool-Aid, fruit cocktail, rump roast, Betty Crocker spice cake, caramel frosting, Pepsi, Scotlad soda, mincemeat, butterscotch morsels, Cap’n Crunch, Tang, fish sticks, Smucker’s apricot preserves, Zest, and a large bottle generic creme rinse.

The grocery list has transitioned with the health trends of the day; more fresh fruits and vegetables, more low-sodium and sugar substitute products, and the labeling of no animal testing on health and beauty products. The choices seem endless, especially when new products are added to stock shelves every day, some products recalled, and some old favorites are just retired. Our grocery lists; they are documented pieces of our family histories, and I have found a few old ones, in a few old cookbooks.

Did you try a new recipe over the holidays; can it be served at any time? Mail your recipes to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. Emails are always welcome; thewritecook@sssnet.com.



Peach Muffins (Carolyn Warren)

1 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup cooking oil

1 cup fresh chopped peaches

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Topping: Mix until crumbly 1/4 cup of each; soft margarine, packed brown sugar, rolled oats and flour. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl combine egg, milk, oil and almond extract. Add egg mixture and flour mixture, stir just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Carefully stir in fresh peaches. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full. Can use muffin papers. Top with topping and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.



Double Toffee Delight Coffee Cake (Sue Miller)

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding

1 (4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding

1 cup water

3/4 cup cooking oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

Topping:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix first 10 ingredients together. Pour half of this mixture in a greased 9-by-13 inch pan. Mix topping ingredients together and pour half of this mixture over the batter. Add remaining batter over top and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.



Spinach Lasagna (Esther Krabill)

1 pound ricotta or cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach thawed, drained

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 (15 1/2 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

1 (8 ounce) package lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 pound hamburger, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ricotta or cottage cheese with 1 cup mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well. Spread jar of spaghetti sauce in a well-buttered 9-by-13 inch pan. Put 1/3 of the raw lasagna over the sauce. Top with half the cheese sauce, then 1/3 of the lasagna and other jar of spaghetti sauce, then half cup mozzarella cheese. Pour 1 cup water around edges. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes.



Baked Chicken Salad (Susan Mark Landis)

3 cups cooked chicken or turkey

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup mayonnaise (may use some sour cream or yogurt. If using Miracle Whip, omit lemon juice)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup diced celery or more

1 cup canned or fresh pineapple tidbits or chunks

1 small jar chopped pimento or 1/2 fresh red pepper, chopped, optional

3/4 cup cashew

Salt to taste, very little

1 cup grated Cheddar

1 small can onion rings

Blend the soup, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add celery, pineapple, pimento and cashews and salt if needed. Spread in a 9-by-13 inch dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with onion rings. Bake another 15 minutes and serve warm, with baked potatoes.



Meatballs with Sauerkraut (Betty Berkshire)

Mix in saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes:

1 3/4 cup catsup

1 cup water

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

3/4 large can sauerkraut, drained

Add a little salt and pepper

Meatballs:

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

3 eggs, may leave out yolks, if desired

1/4 cup Lipton onion soup mix

1/4 cup water

Mix and shape into medium sized balls. Put some sauce into bottom of large flat baking dish. Place balls in rows and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour uncovered. Can be made ahead and reheated.



Raspberry Dessert (Ellen Sprunger)

1/4 to 1/2 cup margarine

1/2 pound Oreo cookies

1 box frozen raspberries

3 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

8 ounces Cool Whip

Crust: Melt the margarine; pour over the crushed Oreo cookies. Mix together and press into a 9-by-13 inch pan. Filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the defrosted raspberries and any juice, the egg whites, sugar, lemon juice for 10 to 15 minutes. Fold in the Cool whip. Spread over crust. Freeze and serve a “light” but very delicious dessert.



Egg Sausage Bake (Icie Miller)

1 pound bulk sausage

8 eggs

6 slices bread

2 1/4 cups milk

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Cook sausage in skillet and drain. Cube bread with crust (not soft bread). Beat eggs; add milk, cheese, salt, mustard, sausage and bread, stir and pour into a 9-by-13 inch pan. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve with sweet rolls and juice.



Mustard Sauce (Dianne Stutzman)

4 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon dry mustard

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons margarine

Mix dry ingredients, add to beaten eggs. Add vinegar and cook slowly until it bubbles. Add margarine, stir until melted and blended. Serve warm with ham or cold on sandwiches. Keeps well in refrigerator.



Crock-Pot Sauerkraut (Carolyn Warren)

1 pound ground turkey

1 large can sauerkraut, quart or more

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 green pepper, diced

1 (32 ounce) can V8 juice

2 (16 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup diced onion

Brown ground turkey. Place all ingredients in large pan and bring to a boil. Place in crock-pot and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or 6 to 8 hours on low.