Granny's Pantry # 54: Planning a Party

The letter [a treasure] is dated May 28, 1952 and was written by Aunt Ruthie in Salisbury to Granny Cole at High Rock.

Dear Mama,
         How are the party plans coming. I have talked with Mrs. Chase [the lady from whom she rented a room as a teacher] & attended several teas & collected some ideas. I suppose really though you should follow Miss Bessie's suggestions. That "green" lime punch is used a lot.
Instead of concentrating on cake & ice cream, I think it would be nice to have little "hor d'oeuvres". One lady had chicken salad in little tiny pastry cups, another had it in sandwiches--like this with a little sprig of parsley on top [and she inserted  hand drawn diagrams for the chicken salad and for open face olive sandwiches].  

One favorite is thin slices of party rye bread spread with creamed cheese flavored with onions [and she inserted another diagram]. 
We could use nuts & mints. I will try to buy some good mints as I don't believe we could make them.
          I haven't had time yet to get any ideas for the shower but will.
          I am really very busy finishing up my school work. I'm going to stay here until Saturday and then go over to Lorene's so don't look for me until Sunday. I need some time to show around some.
[Then she inserted the following recipe]

Cheese Cookie

7/8 cup butter

1/2 lb grated cheese

pinch of salt  dash of red pepper

2 cups of flour

Mix above ingredients into a soft dough.
Roll or cut into biscuits--place dates stuffed with pecans in center of each biscuit (fold over)

Bake on a cookie sheet in a very slow oven--when done roll in granulated sugar     

          I think I could make these. They are delicious. I will bring some dates & pecans just in case we could use this.
          Lots of times they serve cheese straws but these are so much better--Mrs. Chase makes them a lot--They could be made the morning before.

[And on the back page, she listed the "Menue" and sketched diagrams of the lay out for each]

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Just FYI, Aunt Ruthie's cheese cookies became a favorite memory at High Rock.

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"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work."
John 4:34