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Taffy Seeker Gets Something To Chew On RECIPES LOST & FOUND

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By JEFF HOUCK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

Updated: 05/20/2008 06:33 pm

Last week, Mary Johnson of Tampa wrote to ask if we had a recipe for the type of hard taffy sold in bags in front of Hillsborough High School In the early 1950s.

Judy Hanson of Zephyrhills sent a recipe for Rock Candy, featured below.

"This may be the recipe that Mary Johnson is looking for. My mother made it for us every Christmas. Cinnamon is an all-time favorite. We use to buy the flavoring at the drugstores."

Chipped Off About Beef

Larry Farr moved to Tampa two years ago from Pennsylvania. Back home, everyone loved the creamed chipped beef he used to make.

The problem: Now that he lives in Florida, he can't find dried beef.

"I have found the glass jar stuff from Armour, but that stuff is from dried beef loaf, I think. It's very salty and doesn't cook up real great."

Up North, he could go to any deli counter, and they'd have dried beef and dried beef loaf.

"I always use the dried beef, never the loaf, and get it chipped," Farr says. "I have gone to many deli counters, and they have no idea what I am looking for. Could you ask your readers if anyone knows where I can find fresh deli dried beef. I just can't believe that no one down here eats it. I have found creamed chip beef on the breakfast buffet of Old Country Buffet, and it goes fast, but that's it."

Searching For Salad

Maggie Guerra of Tampa used to go to the Old Meeting House when it was on Howard Avenue to eat the Old Meeting House Salad.

"Since the original Old Meeting House closed, we have not been able to find a salad that equals theirs," Guerra says. It was the "best salad in town. Lots of white shredded cheese."

Help With Jell-O Flavor

Lois Bates of Lakeland asks, "Two weeks ago, you printed the recipe for Maas Bros. Florentine Salad, and it requires lemon-lime gelatin. Where can you find lemon-lime? Now I see lemon Jell-O and lime Jell-O in the grocery stores, but not lemon-lime."

My solution, since Jell-O doesn't list the flavor on its Web site, would be to mix the two flavors, weigh the amount and divide by half. Anyone have a better idea or place to find the flavor?

Toddle House Pie Request

Frances Jennings of Tampa is looking for a chocolate pie she remembers from her youth.

"I have very fond memories of sitting on a counter stool and ordering a piece of chocolate pie at the now-defunct Toddle House in Tampa," Jennings writes. "My father often went for coffee and just to visit with his cronies and would sometimes bring me along. I LOVED that pie! The filling was chocolate, and the crust was very special."

Speaking of which, a scan of the RLF files shows that Mattie Vega of Tampa asked for the Toddle House's Blueberry Cream Pie in 2006 and came up empty. It's never too late to help.
ROCK CANDY
31/2 cups sugar

1 cup white Karo syrup

1 cup water

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons flavoring

Food coloring

Put the sugar, syrup, water and salt in a saucepan. Cook until it reaches 300 degrees, using a candy thermometer. Turn off heat, and add flavoring and food coloring.

Pour onto a sheet pan covered in powdered sugar. When cool, break into pieces.

Looking for a recipe? Write to Jeff Houck, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601; or e-mail jhouck@tampatrib.com. Recipes are not tested. Keyword: Recipes, for more recipes and to check out our archive.

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