Only in York County

My best friend and her fiance and son moved this weekend, and Chris and I helped as much as we could. It’s funny – there’s nothing like helping with a move to make you think, “Gosh, I’d really like to have less STUFF.”

My own pile of things to go to the Dover Economy Store has grown ever since.

What’s inside

1. Many recipes for bacon dressing
2. Revisiting memories of Franklin Discount
3. Where are Revolutionary War panels?

1. At the end of June, I’d shared my friend Lindsay Kate‘s request for a good hot bacon dressing recipe.

You guys are awesome – I got a bunch, all with some differences! Rather than trying to pick just one, I thought I’d share as many as possible today.

Noted local cook Fran Eveler writes, “The following is my grandmother’s (Fannie Miller of Glen Rock) recipe for Hot Bacon Dressing:

4 slices bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water

Fry the bacon in a medium size saucepan until it is crisp and brown. In a small mixing bowl beat together the eggs and sugar. Whisk the vinegar and water into the egg and sugar mixture, mixing well. Add to the browned bacon, without discarding the grease. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook for one minute longer until thickened. Allow to cool slightly. Pour hot dressing over torn up lettuce for wilted lettuce salad or pour cooled dressing on spinach for spinach salad.

My mother always served wilted lettuce salad with pot pie (as I still do to this day) and we would drizzle a bit of the dressing on top of the pot pie. She also used this recipe as a basis for dressing for macaroni salad.

My grandmother was known for being a good cook and this recipe and other recipes that were handed down through our family are included in my cookbook ‘The Good Cook’s Playbook.'”

Fran, that’s excellent – thank you so much for sharing not only the recipe, but the history of it!

Phyllis Bollinger suggests the following:

6 slices bacon fried and chopped (crisp)
1 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 c vinegar
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp salt & dash of pepper

Fry bacon, add remaining ingredients to hot bacon grease. Heat slowly until thick.

“It is a great dressing,” Phyllis says.

Vicki Baker provided this one for PA Dutch Bacon Dressing.

1/4 lb. bacon
1/4 c vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water (vinegar & sugar to taste)
2 eggs well beaten
1 Tablespoon corn starch

Fry diced bacon. Let bacon and grease cool a few minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix corn starch with sugar. Using a whisk, add beaten eggs, vinegar and water. Add mixture to diced bacon and bring to a boil. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing, can be refrigerated and reheated.

Vicki adds, “For larger amounts the recipe works well when doubled and holds well in a Crockpot on warm. If dressing becomes too thick, add additional water to desired consistency.”

Toni Oplinger gave this one, saying, “It is an easy recipe to make and it is good on any type of salad greens. The addition of hard boiled egg slices to the salad is a delicious treat with the bacon dressing and greens.”

Bacon strips, cut in one inch pieces
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vinegar

Sauté bacon until golden, set to one side on paper towels. Mix all ingredients except water, vinegar and bacon. Heat water and vinegar to boiling, stir in egg mixture. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add bacon. Note: serve immediately or refrigerate and heat as needed. Yield: 3 cups.

And Judy Barnhardt shared her mother’s recipe, which is as follows:

4 slices of bacon
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1T cornstarch
1 beaten egg
1/4 c vinegar
1 c water or cream

Fry bacon slowly, mix sugar, salt and cornstarch in sauce pan, add beaten egg and vinegar, mix well. Add water or cream, add bacon and grease from bacon. Cook until desired thickness. “The cream gives it an extra creamy flavor,” Judy adds.

From Ruth Wolfgang, I received this; Ruth sais, “This is my mother’s recipe – I’m 76 so this is an OLD recipe.” It’s also one of the simplest I received and can be done in any proportion to taste.

It simply is: “Fry bacon. Beat eggi n bowl. Add sugar and diluted vinegar. Let bacon in pan and add other ingredients and bring to full boil.”

Jo Coombs wrote to me and said, “My Lancaster County Cookbook has a very tasty bacon dressing. I use it for lettuce, kale, endive and any other greens. Awesome!” Jo added that she enjoyed visiting an Amish home in Lancaster County and appreciated the graceful, peaceful and quiet dignity of the people – a sentiment with which I much agree!

Her cookbook’s recipe is simple as well (my kind of recipe!) It is:

1 egg, beaten
3 T. sugar
2 T. flour
1/2 c. water
Cook all these ingredients together, then add 3 Tbsp. vinegar. Then add bacon.

Simple enough that Joan could do it – quite the recommendation!

Finally, I heard from Gloria D. Haldeman, who shared a recipe from her sister Maxine.

Maxine’s recipe starts with 1 egg and a teaspoon each of water, sugar and vinegar; Gloria adds that to make more, use equal amounts of each.

Beat egg and add other ingredients. Pour over cooled bacon and turn on low and stir until thick. Take off heat and continue stirring until it stays thick, then pour over lettuce and add hard-boiled eggs if you like. The remainder can be put in a jar with a tight lid and will keep for at least a week.

Thank you ALL. Lindsay, I hope one of these is tasty!

2. Does anyone remember the Franklin Discount Department store? I think it was in York City, but not on Market Street.
– Mark

Mark, you’re in luck! We’ve talked about those memories not once but five times here on Only in York County!

Dec. 20, 2010: More memories of stores in downtown York
Jan. 29, 2011: More memories of Franklin Discount Mart, Feder’s News Stand and Spangler’s Drug Store
May 14, 2011: Even more about Franklin Discount in West York and York
Sept. 22, 2011: Mail call: Memories of the West York area from a ‘boomer’
Nov. 26, 2011: Mail call: Memories of Dauber’s Florist and more

And if you want to see even more business memories, please don’t miss the stores and restaurants of the past directory! We just keep adding to that – and it’s a treasure trove!

3. I was just wanting to know what happened to the panels (seen at www.ydr.com/panels). Do you know how I could find out where they are today?
– Larry Smith

The panels Larry is referring to are 15 paintings that were commissioned in honor of the 150th anniversary celebration in 1927 of Continental Congress’ visit to York. Organizers posted the paintings, measuring about 3 1/2 feet by 6 feet, on light poles in York’s Continental Square.

I asked historian Jim McClure where those are today, and his response was that they’re owned by the York County History Center and are brought out for display on occasion. His recollection is that the last big moment for them might have been in 2002, and they’d be in storage with the trust otherwise. Larry, if you contacted them, I’m sure they’d be able to shed more light on when you might see them (in addition to seeing them in our online exhibit.)

Got any questions? Ask Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future “Ask Joan” column on this blog. I get a large volume, but I will feature three each week and answer as many as possible!