The Sleuth is soliciting volunteers to try out recipes from the Nancy Drew Cookbook–you can choose one of the following or try another from the cookbook. Submit your results via e-mail and a brief review for a future issue–how would you rate your recipe on a scale of 1 to 5? Recipes to try:

Crumbling Wall Coffee Cake

1 ½ sticks (6oz) butter, melted
½ cup maple sugar
½ cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 cup self-rising pancake mix

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl mix together ½ cup melted butter, maple sugar, and bread crumbs. Press the mixture against the bottom and sides of a 1-quart ring mold.

In another bowl break the egg and add the white sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the milk and pancake mix to the egg-and-sugar mixture. Stir lightly until all ingredients are combined. Stir in 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour the entire mixture on top of the maple sugar mixture already in the ring mold.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let the cake cool 5 minutes before you turn it upside down on a warm platter and let it fall away from the mold. It tastes best when served warm.

Tip: Add more protein to your cake by mixing ½ cup of finely chopped pecans to the maple sugar mixture.

Mysterious Letter Chili

2 medium onions
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cans tomatoes
2 cans corned beef
3 1-pound cans kidney beans
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
Butter or margarine

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and chop the onions. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and cook the onion pieces slowly until brown. Drain liquid from the beans and combine them with the onion. Tear the corned beef into shreds and place it in the bean and onion mixture. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder. Stir the mixture well.

Rub the sides and bottom of a baking dish with softened butter. Use a ladle to put the chili mixture into the greased dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 10-12.

Tip: By adding 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder to the chili, you can give this dish an Indian flavor.

Old Clock Ice Cream Pie

1 quart vanilla ice cream
½ cup frozen strawberries or raspberries
24 cream-filled chocolate cookies

Let the ice cream and frozen berries soften and mix them together.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mash cookies with a rolling pin or crush them in a blender until very fine. Grease a pie plate and line with the crumbs. Bake this pie shell for 8 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it cool, and fill with the ice cream mixture. Put into the freezer and chill thoroughly.

Tip: On the pie form the face of a clock with chocolate jimmies or chocolate bits. Set the “hands” at the hour you plan to serve dessert.

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