Recipes As Requested

I tried to cheat yesterday. I just posted photos, and a few people called me out and requested recipes so, since you asked, here you go!

Letha's

I have no idea why these are called Letha's. I do have a wonderful Aunt Letha, but these cookies have nothing to do with her. I was given this recipe 20+ years ago by a friend here in Newton, though I am not positive now just which friend. These are the soft chewy lightly spiced cookie from yesterday's post.

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

pinch of ground cloves

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together the sugars and shortening till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir them in. Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheets with small scoop. Bake 6-7 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies begin to firm up around the edges but are still soft in the center. Remove from oven and let set on pans till cookies begin to cool and are firm. These cookies freeze well.

White Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies

This is the reverse of the chocolate chip cookie. It is a rich dark chocolate cookie that is good with any flavor of chips. I have made them with white, mint, butterscotch, peanut butter chips. Yesterday's photo had mint chips and I have also used Andes Mint bits. They are really good no matter how you make them!

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda 

2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. (I always use parchment paper.)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine the cocoa, flour, and baking soda and gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I use my medium cookie scoop.)

Bake for 8 minutes until puffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (I actually remove to sheets of wax paper on the counter.)

Cream Wafers

I found this recipe over 30 years ago and have been making it at Christmas time ever since. It is two little pastry like wafers with a layer of rich frosting in between. This is a VERY labor intensive cookie, but oh, so worth it! It is always easier to do with a buddy. This year my cream wafer helper was my niece Hannah. We had a ton of fun and made two batches.

2 cups flour

1 cup softened butter

1/3 cup whipping cream

sugar for coating

Measure flour into large mixing bowl. Add butter and gently mix to break up the butter. Begin gradually adding in cream while continuing to mix until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Chill for about 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Roll small amounts of dough to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into circles with small round cutter. (I use the removable center of a doughnut cutter, which is about an inch in diameter.) Put some sugar into a shallow bowl or a shallow pan like a pie plate. Place cut circles in the sugar and shake a bit to coat. (Some sugar will stick but they won't exactly be coated.) Place on ungreased baking sheet and prick with a fork. Bake 7-8 minutes, till puffed, but not brown. Remove from cookie sheets after a few minutes, then cool completely before frosting the flat side of one cookie and topping it with another.

Cream Filling

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. milk

Thoroughly mix the butter and powdered sugar. Add vanilla and milk and mix well. (I always tint this frosting pink. I don't know why, but I always have and it is pretty.)

I often roll out a bit more dough than pictured, but you
 can see the cutter is little and the dough is thinly rolled.
I like to use a floured pastry cloth.

Strawberry Santas

Do your best to find nice red strawberries in December. I would say we got lucky! 

I mixed 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese with 1/3 cup powdered sugar then folded in about 1/2 carton of Cool Whip (that's what I had leftover from something else). Slice off the tip of the strawberry after it has been washed, dried and stemmed. Cut out a bit of the strawberry.

Put the filling in a pastry bag and pipe into the berry and put the top back on!

We planned to use a small tip and add a white pom on the top of the "hat" and some white buttons, but I forgot to bring the small tip. I also bought some little chocolate sprinkles for "eyes", but we decided they were just fine the way they were. Delicious little Christmas goodness! We will certainly make those again.

Santa Bread

I saw this on a Facebook page called "Slice Of Life" and thought it was really cute. I made five of them this year to share with friends and family. Maybe next year I will abandon the cookies and just make Santa Bread! Ha! That will never happen. I tried to find the link, but couldn't. I will look deeper and post it when I find it.

Mom's Caramels

This will have to be a post of its own along with stories about Mom. Some day.

Soup

I made this using what I had at the time, which I often do. Hence, no two batches are alike. This one had chicken broth and tomatoes which I had in my freezer. I added chopped celery, leaves and all, chopped onion, a grated zucchini, strips of mini peppers of every color, parsley, oregano, basil, and let this all cook for a while, till the veggies were all softened. I then added a little handful of skinny noodles and a couple of leaves of kale cut into ribbons. 

I probably would have added some corn or a can of beans but didn't have any on hand. Use whatever you have and you will have some yummy soup.

I almost forgot, I had a dab of leftover pizza sauce (maybe 1/3 cup). It went in the soup, too.

More To Come

As we approach Valentine's Day I will post the recipe for Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Cut Out Cookies. I really like sugar cookies and I am toying with playing around with Royal Icing, so I will share what I come up with. I need a few weeks to de-Christmas my body before I start baking for another holiday! 

Psalms 34:8 ~ Oh taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.

Long Time No Post

Our family has had a New Year's tradition longer than we have had some of our family members. Our girls have grown up with this tradition, which includes food and fun with some special friends. As the evening wears on we begin rehashing the year before we eventually set some goals for the next year. A couple of years ago we feared the day would come when none of us would recall our dreams, goals, and plans for the year so we began writing them down and putting them in an envelop to open the following year. 

This year we had a huge loss and some really big joys to discuss, but we did get around to  our plans for 2013. This is such a special time and I always learn something new about these people I love so much! 

One of my specific goals pertains to this page so here we go!

The Pertinent Plan

Since I have ignored writing for a bit too long, I spoke out loud and put in writing my plan to blog more often. I wanted to say once a week, but I don't want to fail, so I lowered my standards to twice a month (in writing) through 2013. 

Easing Back In

A few photos from the past few weeks or so will have to suffice for now.

One of my all time favorite Christmas cookies.

Festive veggie plate, this one made by some young friends.

Soft chewy lightly spiced cookies

Deep dark chocolate cookies with mint chocolate chips

I made lots of these caramels from my mother's recipe,
just carrying on her tradition.

Tiny cream wafers are sandwiched together
with a delicious rich pink frosting.

Rachel and I had fun making peppermint marshmallows
 to adorn a cup of hot chocolate.

A tiny herd of strawberry Santas

I love sugar cookies!

My new cookie cutter.  Did I say I love sugar cookies?

One of my favorite new creations, Santa bread.
This one has really red cheeks!

Another festive tree.

One of our many Christmas feasts. The ham isn't on the table
yet and the cast iron kettle is filled with my
brother's Parmesan Potatoes.

Some yummy soup that kept me warm this week!

What next?

I'm not sure, but stay tuned. It won't be long!

First Cookies Of The Season

Advent is upon us, the waiting has begun. Today I am packing up Thanksgiving and I am getting Christmas out of the closet. Rachel and I used the Christmas plates and cups this morning for our eggs and toast and last night I baked my first batch of Christmas cookies. 

Our church youth group hosts their annual cookie sale next Saturday morning where customers fill a red bucket from tables filled with beautiful trays of baked and decorated cookies and candy.  Here's the scoop on my first cookie sale offering . . .

Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Andes Mints ~ they come in a green box and are triple layer with a strip of green in the        

                     center, each one wrapped in green foil

Melt the butter with the brown sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until all is melted together; remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Add eggs one at a time to chocolate mixture, beating well after each. Stir in dry ingredients.

Chill dough until firm. Roll into balls and space 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies are puffed but set at the edges. Remove pan from oven and immediately top with an Andes Mint. Let set until candy is soft and melting, then swirl with a knife before removing from pan. Cool completely. Freezes very well.

A Little More I Have Learned Along The Way . . .

I usually chill the dough overnight, but a couple of hours is long enough. I use my smallest cookie scoop to make the balls. I do not roll them, too messy for me. I line the cookie sheets with parchment, but years ago I used bare ungreased sheets with success, too. Unwrap the candy ahead of time (but not too far ahead or you better buy an extra box!) and cut each piece into half or thirds depending on how big your cookies are. I like small cookies and cut into thirds. There are usually a few some shards of candy left on the plate which is enough for one cookie. I buy one box of mints per batch and have almost enough candy for the whole batch. I always seem to end up with just a few naked cookies. Gee, too bad. I will let you guess what happens to those tasty little morsels. 

Do not overbake! When I take them out of the oven they do not really look done, but all puffed up. They are beginning to firm up around the edges, but the center is still gooey. Leave on the cookie sheets and quickly plop on the mints. It only takes a minute or so for the chocolate to melt enough to swirl around a little. Leave on pans until cookies firm up. I put on waxed paper until the chocolate solidifies. 

Happy baking to one and all. If you don't want to bake come to St. Luke United Methodist Church and fill a bucket or two! If you don't live close by I bet you can find a similar deal in your area. 

Many Thanks!

I have much to be thankful for and I won't bore with a big list. Of course I must mention faith, family, friends, and food, but of course, there is so much more. During the month of November I have been giving thanks each day by adding my gratitudes in form of leaves on my tree. 

My tree of gratitude

A New Kind of Thanksgiving

A few people had given me the suggestion of trying some new things at the various holidays this year. Since everything is the "first" without Sam, everything is different whether we try for different or not. At first I couldn't imagine doing things differently, but as it turned out we did do things a little differently. 

First of all I started seeing photos of different foods arranged to look like turkeys. Then my brother Doug suggested we have a turducken! Let me tell you a little more by showing you what we did on our Thanksgiving day.

Isn't that a different way to have turkey?

The photo doesn't do this turkey justice, much cuter in person.

Our token nerd turkey!

Our little appetizer turkey cheese ball, fun and tasty!

Tada! It's turducken!

The turducken is a whole boned turkey, a whole boned duck and a whole boned chicken with stuffing between the layers, then it's rolled all up together. Ours was prepared, cured and roasted by "Augusta" in Oxford, IA. Their establishment is the brainchild of relocated Louisianans, therefore our turducken had a cajun twist with some tasty seasoning and cornbread stuffing. It was a great way to give our Thanksgiving feast another angle. 

Plenty of Tradition

We balanced all this new and different with plenty of traditional dishes. We had corn, green bean casserole, fruit salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, turkey tail fan rolls, cranberry relish, plenty of pies and oh, yes, even a turkey.

Our turducken was advertised to serve at least 12. Our gathering was going to be closer to 20, so a turkey was also prepared. The turducken would have been enough for 12 if that was all they were eating! We were amply blessed by more than enough to eat!

Tradition mixes with new and different.

Delicious!

More Fun On Friday!

We celebrated Rachel's 23rd birthday at the Iowa State game followed by birthday cake at home that evening. It was a good day (except for the final score and the temperature) and again, it had a different twist, one Sam would have enjoyed.

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

We have celebrated a very nice Thanksgiving and birthday weekend, and I will continue to add leaves to my tree this week. Now I must close because it is time to mix in a little Christmas. I need to get back to the kitchen and cook up my first batch of Christmas caramels. More another day.

My Favorite Fall Dessert

The fruits of the season are always my favorites. The flavor, quality and price can't be beat when produce is in season so right now I am loving all the squash, the apples and pears. 

I can almost smell the fruits and the cinnamon even as I simply think about and begin to write about this Fall Fruit Bake. I hope you like it as much as I do. 

The Recipe . . .

Keep in mind that this is a guideline. Don't get too caught up in exact measurements.

Fall Fruit Bake

3 apples, any variety 
1 pear
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons water

Quarter the apples and pears, core, and dice. Place in shallow microwavable dish. Add remaining ingredients; mix. Cover the dish and microwave for 6-8 minutes until fruit is very tender.

Serve at once with ice cream.

Here's What I Do . . .

Since my family and friends enjoy this dish, I usually use 1 piece of fruit per person. If I have 2 or 3 pears that need to be used, I might use more pears than apples. If I don't have any pears I might simply use all apples. Use what you have and what you like. 

Do not peel the fruit. The fiber is good for the system and it add some texture to boot. If you use a red apple, a green apple and a yellow pear the color is wonderful, too.

I like dried blueberries, too. So, substitute for cherries if you wish. Or you could use raisins. 

Sometimes I use sliced almonds instead of the walnuts. 

I love cinnamon! I usually use at least a heaping teaspoon and I like the addition of 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg if I think about adding it, too.

If I am using a pie plate, I simply turn a plate upside down to cover. Maybe you have a covered casserole dish you could use. If not, use a piece of microwavable plastic wrap to cover your dish. You want to keep the steam in, to soften the fruit as it cooks.

Now For The Kicker!

This recipe is super as it is, but it is out of this world when served with a scoop of Cinnamon Ice Cream. Put the fruit and a scoop of ice cream (vanilla is also very good) in a dish and watch the ice cream begin to melt as you slowly savor each bite. 

Enjoying it with a good cup of coffee and the company of very good friends is one of my favorite ways to spend a fall Friday evening.

Enjoy!

Stromboli

What Is It?

It isn't a sandwich. It isn't a pizza. It isn't a loaf of bread. It is a hybrid of all those things. In the earlier years of teaching Food and Nutrition classes this recipe made a wonderful project for following directions and using teamwork to accomplish a task when the team didn't really know what the final outcome would look like. I never gave them a picture; they had to trust the process. When eateries like Old Chicago began to appear many became familiar with Stromboli. 

Here we go . . . 

When done it will be piping hot and looking like this!

And this is what it will look like on the inside, oozing with goodness!

The Dough

You can thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough or use the following recipe.

Stromboli Dough

1 ¼ tsp. yeast

1 c. warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. soft  margarine

¾ tsp. salt

2 ¾ to 3 c. flour

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in large mixing bowl.  Let yeast mixture rest for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.  

Add salt, margarine and 1 cup of flour.  Beat until mixture is smooth.  Add remaining flour until dough forms a ball and no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.  Turn dough onto floured counter and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and shiny.

Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size, about 45-60 minutes.

Now What?

Stromboli

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or above recipe)

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

¼ tsp. each garlic powder, salt, pepper, ground mustard, and oregano

½ lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

2 oz. pepperoni

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

1.  Place the thawed bread dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.  (This step is already done.)

2.  Punch down.  Roll dough into 15” x 12” rectangle.

3.  Combine egg, oil and seasonings in a bowl.  Brush over dough to within ½” of edges.  Set remaining egg mixture aside.

4.  Arrange cooked beef, pepperoni, cheeses and onion on dough to within ½ “ of edges.  Roll up jelly-roll style, beginning with one long side.  Seal edges well.  place seam side down on greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper).  Brush with remaining egg mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.  Do not under bake. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. 

 Speaking From Experience . . .

If you are going to use the frozen dough, plan ahead! You will need plenty of time to thaw it out. The above recipe was developed when I failed to plan ahead and the recipe worked so well that I've used it ever since. It is a basic white bread recipe. I have also used whole wheat flour and you can also let the bread machine mix the dough. Just don't let it bake!

The egg and oil mixture is enough for two, so if you are doubling, do not double that part.

You might think you want some pizza or marinara sauce in here, but trust me, if you absolutely must have sauce, use it very sparingly. You won't miss it and too much makes this messy and soggy. You can use the sauce for dipping at the table if you want.

Likewise, do not over-cheese this thing. When you take it out of the oven feel free to butter or oil the top a bit and sprinkle it with parmesan if you want.

When you get to the rolling up part, 4 hands work quite well, so find a friend to help you. In fact, find a friend to share the entire process. It makes things so much more enjoyable. It could easily be a child, a spouse, or anybody you enjoy being around. Let me suggest that even if it is a family member you might not feel like being around, this might just change everyone's attitudes! Working together to create good food will do that, you know.

When it is rolled into a log, sort of pinch the last edge to the log, so it is sealed. Once you get it moved onto the pan press the side of your hand firmly into the log right near each end to seal it shut, then flop that little end under the rest of the log. If it isn't sealed shut the cheese will melt and run out. Keep that yummy cheese inside!

I much prefer parchment paper on the baking sheet to greasing it. Clean up is a snap and the bottom won't burn.

One More Idea . . .

This is another of those "guideline" recipes. If you don't want pepperoni, don't use them. If you want sausage rather than ground beef, go for it! If you want to add peppers and mushrooms, do so, but chop them small. 

Feel free to experiment with fillings. The following is made with cooked chicken, steamed broccoli, a tiny bit of alfredo sauce, parmesan cheese and mozzarella.

Very good!

I have always wanted to try a Breakfast Stromboli, but I have yet to actually do it. Maybe scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, or sausage, with cheddar cheese would be good, along with a few peppers, tomatoes, and onions. I might have to give this a try!

Have fun with this wonderful recipe.

Special Dinner

One evening in the fall of 1975 Sam first came to dinner at my house. He seemed to enjoy that first dinner of steak, salad, baked potato and apple pie and, in fact, I repeated it for him every year since then during the last week of September. It was a little anniversary celebration for us each year. I was going to live without it this year, but I couldn't. 

Last weekend when I spent time with Sam's brother and his wife "down at the farm" that Sam loved so much, I had the perfect opportunity to share this favorite meal of Sam's. The good food was the perfect compliment to the gorgeous weather and the pretty view.

Sam's favorite salad dressing was Thousand Island which I often made for him. Steve and Jessie both like Blue Cheese Dressing so I made both. I like to make salad dressings. They taste so much better, more flavorful and fresh than the ones in the bottle. I urge you to take time to try some salad dressings. These are a little heavier and more rich than I make on a regular basis, but they are really good for a special dinner. I have to say we had salads delish, along with ribeyes seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning. Yum! Thanks for grilling the steaks, Steve.

Thousand Island Dressing

3 eggs, hard cooked, peeled, and chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 pinch ground cloves
1 quart mayonnaise
3/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper


In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped eggs, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, vinegar, cloves, mayonnaise, relish, olives and red pepper until evenly blended. Chill and serve spooned over fresh greens. Store in the refrigerator.

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

2 1/2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper

Mash blue cheese and buttermilk in a small bowl with a fork until mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds. Stir in remaining ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. 

The perfect finish . . .

I think I have loved to bake pie ever since I baked that first one for Sam. Apple pies are always good, but fall is just the BEST time to bake an apple pie. I like to use a combination of Granny Smith apples, which are tart, and Gala apples which are crisp, but sweet. I love cinnamon and over the years I have learned to up the amount to at least 2 teaspoons, which is more than most recipes. I also use a little nutmeg in my apple pie.

The best part of the pie, besides the filling, is the crust. Years ago I settled on using half cold butter and half cold shortening for the best crust. It is crisp and flaky, but rich and buttery, too. Oh, my, I am getting hungry now!

And a little Saturday morning surprise . . .

Look closely, can you see the three deer at the top of the hill?

  

As Jessie and I were walking back "up from the lake" we noticed these three deer at the top of the hill. We stopped and watched for a while. They munched the grass and paid us no mind. Soon two of them ran off and a bit later the third bounded away. They were beautiful to watch. Sam would have loved it.