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Diane Prather

Diane Prather's columns appear in the Craig Daily Press and Saturday Morning Press. You can call her at 824-8809.

This week, I got a call from a reader who made "Tomato Soup Cake."

She said the batter was way too stiff, but she added a can of water, baked the cake and her family thought it was delicious.

I checked the original recipe and was happy to find that I hadn't made an error when I copied the recipe for this column, because I'm sorry to admit that it wouldn't be beyond me to make an error.

So, the reader and I decided that maybe the consistency of the batter is because of the kind of tomato soup - whether it's condensed or ready-to-eat.

I can't remember the kind of soup that I used when I made my cake, but the batter was just fine. Anyway, if you make "Tomato Soup Cake" and the batter is thick, try adding water.

Since I have been featuring some rather unique recipes in this column lately, Daily Press editor Josh Roberts has been teasing me about what's next - "Dr. Pepper Pudding, perhaps?"

I don't have a recipe for such a pudding yet, but who knows?

Instead, I've decided to use a recipe from an old Cowbelle recipe booklet, "Cattlemen's Favorite Beef Recipes: From the Kitchens of Colorado Cowbelles," which was published in 1957.

The booklet of recipes cost just 25 cents back then. Also included with the 43 recipes are directions for buying and freezing beef and different ways to cook it.

Thanks go to Beverly Counts, of Craig, who found the booklet and gave it to me.

So, this week, the featured recipe from the booklet is "Moffat County Stew."

To make the stew, you'll need 1 1/2 pounds of beef chuck cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes, 1 tablespoon fat, 2 cups boiling water, dash lemon juice, dash Worcestershire sauce, one small sliced onion, one bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt, one small garlic clove and a dash pepper.

Brown the meat on all sides in fat. Add other ingredients and simmer two hours. Then add the vegetables and cook until done.

The vegetables are three carrots, quartered; one stalk celery; three potatoes, cubed; one large onion, chopped; and a sprig of parsley.

The suggested menu to go with "Moffat County Stew" includes fresh fruit salad, whole wheat muffins with butter and jelly, lemon chiffon pie, coffee, tea and milk.

The stew serves four. At the time this recipe was published, the cost per serving for the stew was just - get this - 30.5 cents.

The recipe was contributed to the booklet by the Moffat County Cowbelles.

So, now it's your turn. Do you have recipes you'd like to share? With the hot weather coming on, I know people would like ideas for salads for their barbecues. Send your recipes to me at P.O. Box 415, Craig, CO, 81626, or call me at 824-8809.

Copyright Diane Prather, 2009.