About Edie: 

Edie Bryn joined the Olympia Brewing Company on October 6, 1957. Other than her primary responsibility of keeping the coffee hot and ready, Edie prepared luncheons for the Board of Directors and maintained a tidy and efficient kitchen. She contributed recipes to the brewery’s It’s the Water News employee magazine; her column was titled “Edie’s Gourmet,” a wordplay on Eydie Gormé, a popular singer of the 1950s and 60s.
 
Many of Edie’s recipes, not surprisingly, included Olympia beer as an ingredient. As one admirer put it, “She could do with Olympia Beer what the Galloping Gourmet does with vintage wine.” And on more than one occasion, she displayed her culinary ability on television and before large audiences.
 
Edie’s hobbies were cooking, gardening, salmon fishing, and her husband, John. She and John had no children of their own, but had several nieces and nephews. John died before Edie, and Edie lived in Olympia until her death at the age of 91.

When she retired from the brewery in 1971, Edie was gifted a cookbook titled "The Good Tastes of Edie Bryn." We'll be showcasing recipes from her cookbook within this blog. 
 

Blackberry Marble Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 qt wild blackberries	½ lemon
1 ½ cups sifted flour	3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup shortening	½ cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar	¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg

Directions:
Mix blackberries with juice from ½ a lemon, sugar to taste and heat. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine beaten egg and milk. Stir all at once into flour mixture, just until moist. Pour hot blackberry mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Drop dough by tablespoons and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake on 375 from 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm. Good with ice cream as a topper. May also be made with other berries. 

Sauerkraut Salad

Ingredients:

1 – 2 ½ cans sauerkraut	¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup chopped green onion	1 cup sugar
¼ cup chopped green pepper	4 tablespoons vinegar
¼ cup pimentos chopped

Directions:
Toss chopped vegetables together with sauerkraut. Boil vinegar and sugar together, let cool slightly and pour over sauerkraut mixture. Chill.
 

Beer Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups salad oil	1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, grated	1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish	1 cup Olympia Beer
2 cans (10 ¾ oz. each) condensed tomato soup	1 large clove garlic, mashed
2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until well blended. Keep chilled. Beat or shake well just before service.

Yield: about 5 cups.
 

1950's Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 can pineapple chunks	1 can orange sections
1 can grapefruit sections	1 small jar maraschino cherries
1 or 2 bananas	1 can frozen lemonade

Directions:
Mix the drained fruits with the exception of the bananas, add a dash of salt and the thawed lemonade. Chill. Just before serving, cut up bananas, add to mixture and serve. Additional fruits can be added to your liking

 

Spinach, Bacon and Hardboiled Egg Salad

Ingredients:

6 garlic buds, quartered	1 cup French salad dressing
1 ½ lbs. of fresh spinach, washed	5 hardboiled eggs, chopped
¾ bacon, chopped and fried crisp	1/4 cup chopped red onion (optional)

Directions:
Mix well and serve at once

Serves 8
 

John's Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine	½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar	1 egg
1 cup flour	1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
½ cup nuts (your choice)	½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder	½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup coconut

Directions:
Cream butter and sugars well. Add egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, salt soda and add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats, coconut and nuts. Drop on greased sheet and bake at 350 degrees 8 to 10 minutes.
 

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar	2/3 cups milk
1 - 6 oz. package semisweet chocolate pieces (1 cup)	1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chunk style peanut butter	1/2 pt marshmallow crème

Directions:
Butter sides of heavy 2-quart saucepan. Combine sugar and milk, heat and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture come to boiling. Then cook to softball stage 234 degrees. Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients and stir until blended. Pour into 10 x 7 x 2 inch pan. Score in squares while warm; cut when firm.

 

Aberdeen Clam Fritters

Ingredients:

½ cup flour	½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter	3 eggs – separated
¾ cup Olympia Beer	2 dozen fresh razor clams chopped. Or 2 cups canned minced clams.
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley	1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Lemon wedges & parsley sprigs

Directions:
Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Melt and add 4 tablespoons butter. Lightly beat the egg yolks and mix well. Gradually add the Oly and allow the batter to stand in a warm place for 1 hour.
Add clams, chopped parsley and chives to the batter. Stiffly beat the egg whites and fold in. Heat remaining butter in pan. When hot, drop in the batter by spoonfuls. Brown the fritters lightly on all sided and drain on paper towels. Serve hot, garnished with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.

Yield: about 36 – 2 ½ Aberdeen Clam Fritters.

Tumwater Clam Dip
Rub bowl with garlic. Blend 1 large package of cream cheese with ¾ can undiluted tomato soup. Mix in 1 can (7 oz) crab. Moisten with Olympia Beer. Mix ahead and chill in refrigerator to blend flavor before serving.

Serve with Aberdeen Clam Fritters
 

Olympia Beer Pot Roast

Ingredients:

6 or 7 lb Round Bone Pot Roast	Flour
Salt and Pepper	1 bottle Olympia Beer
Accent

Directions:
Mix flour, accent, salt and pepper together and dredge roast. Melt fat in heavy kettle and brown roast in fat slowly. Add Olympia Beer and turn heat to simmer and cook until done – 4-5 hours.
 

Creamy Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

1 egg beaten	1 to 2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca	1 cup sour cream
½  teaspoon salt	3 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped

Directions:
Combine egg, sour cream, sugar, salt and tapioca in bowl. Pour over cut rhubarb in casserole or fill pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425 oven and 30-35 minutes in 350 oven.
 

Beer-Butter Grilled Steaks

Ingredients:

6 individual steaks	1 clove garlic, minced
1 Olympia Beer	1 tsp. dry mustard
1 ½ onions, sliced	½ cup salad oil
½ cup butter (1 stick)	½ cup snipped parsley

Directions:
Place steaks in a single layer in large shallow pan. Arrange onion slices on top. Add garlic to oil and pour over steaks. Pour on enough Olympia Beer to completely cover meat. Let marinate for several hours. When ready to cook, remove steaks and place on grill over hot barbecue fire. Grill to taste, brushing with marinade sauce during cooking. Meanwhile, in a separate pan melt butter, add mustard and ½ cup of Olympia Beer. Heat and add parsley. Spoon beer-butter sauce over each steak when served.

Yield: 6 servings.

 

Quick Olympia Beer Biscuits

Ingredients:

4 cups biscuit mix

1 12-oz can Olympia Beer

Directions:
Mix biscuit dough according to package directions but substituting 1 can Olympia Beer for liquid. Knead lightly until dough is smooth. With opened beer can, cut into rounds. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 F for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 24 biscuits

 

Crab Soufflé

Ingredients:

12 x 12 Casserole Dish	8 – slices of bread (your choice)
3 – cups fresh crab	1 cup finely diced celery
1 medium onion chopped	1 medium green pepper chopped
½ cup mayonnaise	4 eggs
3 cups milk	1 can mushroom soup
1 can drained mushrooms	1 lb grated Tillamook cheddar cheese
Pimento (optional)

Directions:
Cube 4 slices of bread and put in bottom of large casserole, 12x12. Mix together 3 cups (No.1) fresh crab; 1 cup finely diced celery, 1 medium onion chopped; 1 medium green pepper chopped; ½ cup mayonnaise; pimento optional. Pour over bread in casserole.
Cube 4 more slices of bread and put on top of the above. Beat 4 eggs add 3 cups milk and pour over all above. Let stand overnight in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before putting in 325 degree oven. Bake 15 mins. Remove from oven and spoon 1 can mushroom soup over top and 1 can drained mushrooms. Grate 1lb Tillamook cheddar cheese and sprinkle over top. Return to oven for approximately 45 minutes or until liquid is set.

 

Olympia Beer Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Ground Chuck	1 lb. bulk pork sausage
2 eggs, salt and pepper	1 onion, minced
½ cup dry bread crumbs	1 apple, cored and minced
1 cup Olympia Beer	1 cup applesauce

Directions:
Mix beef, sausage, eggs, onions, bread crumbs, apple and “Oly”. Blend well and shape into a loaf. Put into a well-greased shallow baking pan and bake in a moderate oven 350° for 30 minutes. Spread applesauce over entire meat loaf and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into slices. May be served with additional hot applesauce.

 

No-Bake Cookies (from 1960)

Ingredients: 

5 T. butter	1 ½ C. dates, cut fine
1 C. sugar	2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt	2 ½ C. puffed rice cereal
1 t. vanilla	1 C. coconut

 
Directions:
Combine butter, dates, sugar, eggs, and salt in heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add rice cereal, vanilla, and coconut. Let cool. Form into small balls, and roll in additional rice cereal, crushed, or in coconut. Decorate each with a cherry or walnut half.

 

Almond Roca Cookies (from 1963)

Ingredients:

½ C. white sugar	½ C. brown sugar
1 C. butter	1 egg yolk
1 C. flour	½ t. salt
4-ounce chocolate bar	Almonds, chopped

Directions:
Mix sugar, butter and egg yolk. Add flour and salt. Press mixture into a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet 15” x 11”. Bake 25 minutes at 325°.
Remove from oven. While still warm, melt chocolate and pour over cookie base. Sprinkle chopped almonds over chocolate. Cut into squares.

 

Honey Sugared Walnuts (from 1964)

Ingredients:

2 ½ C. walnut halves	½ C. sugar
¼ C. honey	½ C. water
½ t. salt	½ t. cinnamon
½ t. vanilla

Directions:
Toast walnuts in moderate oven (375°) for 10 minutes, stirring once.
Butter sides of heavy 2-quart saucepan. Combine sugar, water, honey, salt, and cinnamon in saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Cook to soft ball stage (236°) without stirring. Remove from heat; beat until mixture begins to get creamy. Add vanilla and walnuts. Stir gently until nuts are well-coated and mixture becomes thick. Turn out on buttered baking sheet. Separate nuts at once with two forks.