 Peanut
Butter Blossoms
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. Brach chocolate stars work the best for this. However, if you don't live in the Midwest they can be a hassle to find. You'll be glad to know that loose, unwrapped chocolate stars
made with Ghirardelli chocolate are available at many candy
stores. The Ghirardelli stars retain the same creaminess
that the Midwestern candy company Brachs' stars do (which the
kisses fail at, as well.)
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix and set aside:
1 3/4 cup of flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Blend together:
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
Add the flour mixture. Roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in
diameter and roll in sugar. Put on cookie sheet. Bake five
minutes. Take out and squish the stars into the center of
each cookie. Cook for 8 more minutes or until done.
With
the Ghirardelli star substitution you will want to make sure the
cookies are completely cool before stacking or the chocolate will
smear. Also, there is no substitution for the butter.
Eggplant
Lasagna
I
had this recipe at a restaurant and just loved it. So, of
course, I had to figure out how to make it. It is a
vegetarian recipe that is hearty and filling. You can add
some sausage if you like, but I find the combination of eggplant,
red peppers and olives perfect.
2
medium eggplants
2 eggs
~2 cups of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
olive oil
12-15 cooked lasagna noodles
1 jar of your favorite sauce
1 red pepper roasted and skin peeled off
1/2 cup black olives
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
12 oz of Ricotta cheese
16 oz of mozzarella
~2 oz of parmesan cheese
9 X
12 baking pan
Step
1. Prepare the eggplant by slicing them into thin
strips. Salt and let sit 1/2 hour. Wipe off most of
the salt. Dip in egg and bread. Fry in olive oil.
Let drain before placing in the lasagna.
Step
2. Layer the cooked noodles, eggplant, vegetables, and
cheeses. I end with a layer of noodles that is then liberally
sprinkled with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
Step
3. Bake the lasagna 375°F for ~45 minutes or until the
cheese is golden brown. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes
before serving.
*I
really like this with a bottle of Sangiovese and a loaf of garlic
bread.
**You can add zip by adding roasted garlic to the vegetable
mixture.
Wild Rice Soup
Sauté
in a large kettle until brown:
6-10 slices of bacon diced
1 chopped onion
Add
and simmer:
2 cups of cooked wild rice
2 cans of cream of potato soup
2 cans of chicken broth
1/2 cup half-n-half
1/2 to 1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix
Options:
Vegetables - Winter veggies seem to work the best. I like to add rudabeggies, turnips, parsnips, carrots, celery or even fennel bulb.
Clam Chowder - Substitute chopped clams for the chicken to make an excellent chowder. Makes four quarts and freezes well.
Chicken Dumpling Soup - Omit the wild rice. Make the rest of the soup using the vegetable variation. Add the dumplings about 15-20 minutes before you serve. I use a spatzle noodle instead of a proper dumpling. I find it holds up better and has a toothier texture.
Mix together
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cups water
Let the mixture stand about 30 minutes before dropping by spoonfuls into boiling soup. Let cook at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
Squash
Soup
The
quantities on this recipe are a bit loose because I don't actually
measure anything when I make it. However, it is a very tasty
soup and hearty for the cooler months. There are two
variations on the spices, by the way. Variation #1 makes a
sweeter soup and variation #2 makes a spicy soup, which is my
personal preference.
Basic
soup:
Peel,
cut up and boil a medium sized squash. You can also
bake the squash and scoop the meat from the rind while soft.
Either way works. Mash with a potato masher or whip
with a mixer.
Put
in a 4 qt. pan and add a can of chicken broth (or vegetable for a
vegetarian soup) and a 1/4 cup of half-n-half.
Spice
variation #1 = add cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg for a pie-like
spice.
Spice
variation #2 = add ginger, cardamom and coriander for an
Eastern-type spice.
Serve
warm. The spicy soup gets spicier over time so the next day
will be even better.
Pumpkin
Bars
This
is an excellent recipe that is very easy to make. The bars
are light enough to be addictive. I've known people -
including myself - to eat four or five bars before even realizing
what they've done. Since it's made in a cookie sheet, there
are a lot of bars so it's a great treat to make for church,
school, etc.
Preheat
oven to 350.
Mix
and set aside:
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
Then
blend:
4 eggs
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
1 small can of pumpkin
Add
dry ingredients. Pour batter into a large cookie sheet or
baking pan and bake 20-30 minutes.
Frosting:
3 oz of cream cheese
2/3 stick of butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp milk
Grandma's
Congo Bars
My
mom was so kind to send this to me recently. These
brownie-like bars are very, very good! They sometimes go by
the name of blond brownies.
2
3/4 to 3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 c melted butter (FYI - my mom swears that the key to this is cheap margerine!)
1 box of Brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Mix
it together following usual instructions (mix dry, mix wet, add
wet to dry, etc.) then add choc bits and chopped nuts if you want
to or you can also add 1/2 tsp of mapleen.
Pour
batter into a 13x9x3 pan and bake @ 350* for 35 to 45 min.
It's done when the knife comes out clean.
Cut
when they are still warm, pour a glass of cold milk (lactose free)
and pig out. I think a box of brown sugar holds 2 1/2 cups.
Chicken
& Cheese Casserole
(contributed by Beverly Ford)
Boil 2 small boneless chickens and save at least one cup of broth
Melt together:
2
cans cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup of broth
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese
Pick chicken apart and place in casserole dish
pour above mixture over chicken
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Stuffing
2/3 cup broth
1/3 cup butter or margarine
Melt
butter in broth and add stuffing. Lay over chicken &
sauce. Bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Yummy good!
|
