Recipes for Festive Occasions
by Helen Rose Pauls

Snowballs and Cr?me Sauce*

Meringue:
2 large egg whites,
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar,
1/2 cup sugar

Cr?me:
2 Tbsp. corn starch,  3 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups milk  2 beaten egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Meringue: Beat first 2 ingredients until foamy. Add sugar and beat until stiff. Shape meringue into 5 ovals and place in simmering water [1 inch deep in a fry pan] for 2-4 minutes, until set.  Prepare cr?me by blending ingredients and boiling for 1 minute.  Place cr?me in dessert dish and top with meringue. Makes 5 servings.
*from Norma Jost Voth’s  Mennonite Foods and Folkways from South Russia.

Watermelon Pickles
Perhaps these were invented to make use of watermelon rinds normally discarded. Like so many folk recipes, the pickles are made from the poorest cuts but are simply delicious.
Method: Cut  2 inches of rind with a bit of pink showing, paring off the outer green layer.
Cut strips into 2 inch chunks; soak in brine overnight (1 gallon water and 3 Tbsp. salt.)
Drain, rinse and boil for an hour in syrup made from 1 ? cups cider vinegar, 3 cups sugar, 1 Tbsp. cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. allspice. (spices should be tied up in a cloth).
Pack into pint jars, cover with the boiling syrup and seal at once.

Ammonia Cookies
Mix 2 cups sugar with 1 cup margarine.  Add 4 tsp. baking ammonia dissolved in 1 cup whipping cream
Add 1 cup milk, ? tsp. salt, ? tsp peppermint oil, 5-6 cups flour
Roll out to ? inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
Brush with water and sprinkle a bit of sugar on top before baking (or ice when cool.)
Bake on greased sheet at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
 Be prepared for an unusual smell in the house when these are baking…babies in diapers will be looked upon with suspicion!
My husband remembers being sent to the drugstore for baking ammonia when he was a little immigrant boy of six who spoke no English. To his surprise, the druggist knew what Hirschhornsalz was. He produced it from behind the counter and wrapped it in many layers of newspaper because of the pungent odor.