Calling for favorite restaurant recipes from Memory Lane

I recently noticed a page on Facebook for people who grew up in Cape Girardeau. When you "like" it, you see a lot of fun information about former restaurants in Cape Girardeau and where people worked while growing up, among other items of interest.

This got me thinking about restaurants that are gone now -- and where are all of those recipes? The Blue Hole BBQ sauce, Pfister's Drive-In Cheese on a French roll and so many more.

This is where you, as readers, come in to play; do you have recipes from some of favorite old eating spots? How were some of these foods prepared or what were some of those old favorite foods? If you have information, please send it in to share. I think it would be fun to recall some of those old favorites and days gone by.

I have only a couple of recipes people have given me from other places, and both happen to be from Southern Illinois.

Loose Meat Sandwiches

These are like the Maid Rite sandwiches from the Christopher, Illinois, Maid Rite restaurant. Maid Rite is originally from Iowa.

• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 whole onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon accent
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 to 4 cups water
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes

Put beef and onion in large skillet along with water. Chop up beef really fine while bringing it to a low boil over medium high heat. Cook, stirring and chopping often, until no longer pink. Add everything else and continue lightly boiling, stirring often, until water is cooked down and mixture becomes thick. Strain beef out and press small mounds of beef onto cut Hawaiian sweet rolls. Top with your choice of condiments. Mustard is highly recommended along with a couple of pickles.

Makes enough for 24 little sandwiches, which is one pack of Hawaiian rolls. Leftovers freeze well.

Burton's White Pie (1933 recipe)

From Jane Lawrence, this recipe came from a lady who started the "Burton's White Pie Craze." Jane had tasted the pie in 1933 and modified it. She gave the recipe to a friend who worked across from Burton's in Benton, Illinois. The restaurant received the recipe from Jane's friend and the rest is history!

People travel from several states away just to go to Burtons for this pie.

• 1 cup of granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 egg whites stiffly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (10 inch) pie shell, baked
• 1/2 pint whipping cream, real whipping cream, no substitutes here

Cook 3/4 cup sugar, flour, salt and milk in a double boiler until thick, stirring constantly.

Beat egg whites until stiff, adding remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Fold mixture into cooked mixture along with the vanilla. Pour into a baked and cooled pie shell; top with whipping cream. Chill overnight.

Note: If you do not have cake flour, you may substitute 1/2 cup regular flour, minus 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, to replace the flour you removed, for each 1/2 cup.

I hope there are some more old restaurant favorite recipes floating around that people would be willing to share as part of our area heritage.

Recently I have been given a couple of new recipes, so I want to pass them along to you before they get buried on my desk, which would not take long these days.

Vicki Zickfield of Cape Girardeau gave me this recipe as her new favorite dip. It is delicious served with vegetables, chips and crackers.

Brenda's Famous Dip

• 1 pint Hellmann's real mayonnaise
• 12 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons parsley flakes
• 2 tablespoons onion flakes
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Accent
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, but not the small fancy shred

Mix together all except the mozzarella cheese, add last. Best if mixed the night before to allow flavors to blend. You may also substitute one of the ingredients to use low fat mayonnaise or sour cream, but don't do both; pick one or the other. Serve with vegetables, chips or crackers.

Louise Wallace is a friend from the senior center where I work, and she frequently brings in baked items for a birthday celebration of her friends. This recipe is one of those that she made and shared the recipe with us.

Cherry Cheesecake

• 1 box Supermoist yellow cake mix
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 large can fruit pie filling of your choice

Beat cake mix, 1 egg and margarine at low speed until crumbly. Press lightly into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Beat 2 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Spread over crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until set. Mix 2 cups sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla. Spread over warm cake and let cool. Spread pie filling over cooled cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Makes 16 servings.

Recipe request

I have a recipe request this week from Sandy Riehn of Cape Girardeau. Her mother used to make what she called chocolate roll. It was pie-like crust, and, she thinks, the filling was just cocoa and sugar, then rolled up jellyroll style -- I assume baked at this point. If you have a recipe like this or know of a recipe, please pass that along to me so we can share with other readers.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.