Top Secret Family Recipes...

                                                       Top Secret Family Recipes...


   The recipes I am about to share with you are no longer top secret, as I just typed them out for someone from Chicago who wrote about one of my blog posts. So, I figure if I can share my two favorite Christmas cookie recipes with a total stranger, then I should share them with all of you.

    The cream cheese wreath recipe is at least 60 years old, and my mom made these cookies every year. I have made them every Christmas for the past 34 years, and without the aroma of these cookies in the house...well, it just isn't Christmas.


               Cream Cheese Wreaths


               2 1/2 cups butter
           
               1 1/4 cups sugar

               8 ounces cream cheese

               2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

               5 cups flour

  Cream butter and cream cheese together, add sugar and cream well. Add in vanilla. Slowly add the sifted flour. Mix well. Fill cookie press half full, and using star template, form cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with red/green sugar crystals. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.


   These mincemeat cookies have been in my family for over 30 years. You either really love them (if you like mincemeat), or you really dislike them. At least half of my family members dislike them, but I still make them every Christmas season.


            Mincemeat Gems

          
           1 cup butter, softened

           1/2 cup sugar

          1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

          1 egg

          1 tsp. vanilla extract

          2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

          1 tsp. vanilla

          1 jar (1 #, 2 ounces) prepared mincemeat

          21 marachino cherries, drained and halved

   
     Cream together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Blend in walnuts, egg and vanilla. Stir together flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Drop dough by level tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten each cookie. Place rounded teaspoon of mincemeat in center of each cookie, and top with cherry halve. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until done. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Baking Christmas Cookies!

                                    Baking Christmas Cookies!


  Yes, I am baking again! I actually got a jumpstart on my Christmas cookie baking this year, as I have a cookie exchange to go to this week. I also froze some of my holiday goodies, to discourage overeating. So far I have made sugar cutout cookies, peanut brittle and Santa's whiskers...or maybe they are called Rudolph's whiskers...not a very appealing title, but butterscotch chips melted with peanut butter and poured over chow mein noodles are always a favorite.

  It feels good to be baking again, and as I put on my apron and whisked out the flour, sugar, butter and eggs, I realized that this is how I relax. When I am in my kitchen, surrounded by recipes and ingredients, with a sink filling up with bowls and whisks and cookie sheets....that is when I am most me and most at home. Such a great feeling!! Even more appealing is the addition of rainy weather and cloudy days when I bake. That may sound dreary to some, but this is the weather that lures me into the kitchen in the first place! I am not a native Californian, rather I hail from Chicago, Illinois and Buffalo, New York. Having grown up in these two states, with loads of snow and "bad" weather, I am most creative in the kitchen, or knitting or sewing when the weather is less than perfect. So this is the weather that invites me to bake all day. Just don't tell my family members that most of it will be hidden in the freezer!

~Kathy~

Turkey Day will prevail...

                                   Turkey Day will prevail...


   Amidst the hustle and bustle of shoppers, something more important than thanksgiving dinner is on the horizon. With many stores opening in the early evening of this national holiday, eating away at the time spent with family and friends, it is time for America as a nation to reclaim Thanksgiving. In this time of economic instability, and global insecurity, what are the common threads that have held this day in esteem for over 150 years? 

  President Lincoln instituted this day to reflect on our nations bounty and give thanks to God for our collective blessings. We as a nation continue to have much to be thankful for. Setting aside one day out of 365 to gather and eat together and give thanks is as needed as ever in America. Sadly, consumerism is eating away at the edges of the holiday, and in future years may consume Thanksgiving Day altogether. If that were to happen, then it really would diminish society greatly.

  A survey was taken last night by some of my family members that has given me a spark of hope in all of this. These family members wanted to discover who might sign a petition to eradicate Thanksgiving, and let stores open at noon on Thanksgiving. The people surveyed, waiting in line outside a big box store around 10 p.m. last night disagreed with the notion of eradicating the holiday, and said it would ruin the family celebrations. The people surveyed seemed to want to protect the holiday from any further erosion by consumerism. I feel a great sense of hope from those conversations! I believe that consumers will join together and fight back as store openings become earlier and earlier in the coming years.

~Kathy~
  

Thanksgiving dinner...

                                                             Thanksgiving Dinner...

   About one month ago I decided to take a break from this baking blog. Of course I have been baking, just not posting pictures or writing about the recipes. This is actually the time of year when I bake the most, beginning with Halloween cutout cookies, and progressing to all the varied Christmas cookies that I bake each year. I will be blogging about Christmas cookies this year, as there are many that I make each year which have genealogical connections. 

   Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I plan to post pictures and blog about my Turkey Day preparations as well. I will have many people to feed on that day, and some of them will be helping me in the kitchen...I hope!! So, I will be preparing the bird, along with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, green beans au gratin, zucchini casserole, jello salad, rolls and pumpkin pie. 

  I wish everyone who is reading this a really wonderful Thanksgiving!! Stay tuned.

~Kathy~ 

Baker taking a Halloween break...

                                         
                                             Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats

   There comes a time when a worthy goal seems very far away. My goal of baking 75 recipes from the New York Times Dessert Cookbook is within reach. I am over halfway there! However, it is also past the midpoint of the month of October, which means that I have less than 2 1/2 months to make 32 recipes.It is doable at about 3 recipes/week, but realistically, with the holidays coming, it will not happen.

   I am not disappointed in myself at all. I began this dessert blog with much enthusiasm and energy, and that is still there. As much as I love to bake, and consider baking therapeutic, I have learned to pace myself so I don't burn out.

   I am looking forward to the next few months of baking my traditional holiday treats such as Pumpkin Pie, cutout cookies, along with a variety of other cookies that I always bake for Christmas.

   So, I will be baking a few more recipes before we ring in 2013, and my new goal is to get to #44, #45 and #46, and then take a dessert blog break until January.

   I appreciate all of my friends, acquaintances, and others across the globe who have been following my baking blog. I have had viewers from Russia, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea,Italy, France, and Switzerland, to name a few.
The majority of my page views are from the United States. 

   One of the things I have most enjoyed about doing this blog has been taking the pictures. I have been using our daughters' Samsung NX100, and it has given me some clear, crisp photos. 

    Thanks for reading my blog(s), and also for commenting on my postings.

~Kathy~ 

Red Raspberry Napoleons #43

                                              Red Raspberry Napoleons  (page 314)


 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

 3 large egg yolks

 1 large egg

 salt

 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

 1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half, or whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

1 pkg. frozen phyllo dough, thawed

6 ounces unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar, approx.

5 cups fresh raspberries

1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest

3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

1. In a small pan, combine gelatin with 1/4 cup cold water. Place over low heat, and stir until gelatin has softened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.


2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, whole egg, salt and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Whisk to blend. Add flour, and whisk until smooth.

3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add vanilla. Stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil, and immediately remove from the heat.

4. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot half-and-half into the egg mixture, then immediately pour the egg mixture back into saucepan.

5. Return pan to medium heat, and whisk constantly until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add reserved gelatin, reduce heat to low, and whisk two minutes more. Remove from heat and whisk in the chilled butter. Pour into shallow container, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.

6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut eight 2 x 4 inch rectangles from each stack of phyllo dough. Brush each rectangle lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

7. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine 2 1/2 cups raspberries, orange juice, zest and 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cook, stirring until raspberries are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a blender.Process until smooth. 

8. Pour sauce through a very fine sieve, pressing to extract all of the puree. Discard the seeds. Pour the sauce into a nonreactive container and refrigerate.

9. Set aside 20 raspberries. Place a rectangle of phyllo on each of 4 plates. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of pastry cream onto the phyllo, and top with a few raspberries.Repeat to make another layer if desired. Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Serve in a pool of sauce, and garnish with raspberries. Serves 4 people.

Maple Banana Bread Pudding x 2!!

                             Maple Banana Bread Pudding x 2!!

   
    It was bound to happen that at some point I would make the same recipe twice. Of all the recipes I've made, it happened to be my least favorite as well.I am not a fan of bread pudding, even though my Dad loved it. It has humble beginnings,which I like. My ancestors most likely were attached to their bread puddings, as I have some English heritage in me. I have more German in me though, and Germans love their carbohydrates too, but in the form of potatoes.

    This particular bread pudding is simple, and my family said it tasted like French Toast bathed in maple syrup, with a hint of banana. It is almost gone...a good sign! I haven't had a drop of it. I just can't bring myself to eating it. This is a sure sign of my innate dislike for the stuff. I hope that I am not offending any bread pudding lovers out there, but for me bread pudding ranks right down there with fruitcake and plum pudding. Fruitcake probably has English roots as well, and I know that plum pudding is totally English, as my Dad and his family had it every Christmas, served with hard sauce. 

    So, to make up for the repeated bread pudding recipe, I will give those who really like it another recipe, straight from my heirloom family recipe collection:

                    Aunt Dees' Butterscotch Bread Pudding

  2 cups half and half

  1 small (3-4 oz. box) instant butterscotch pudding

  4 eggs

  2 cups milk

  1/2 loaf day-old French bread cut into 1-inch cubes

  nutmeg

 cinnamon

  Combine half and half and pudding mix. Beat with whisk and let rest for 2     minutes. Add eggs and mix well, then add milk. Pour mixture over day-old French bread cubes. Pour cubes into 13 x 9 inch pan. Top with dash of nutmeg and cinnamon. Let set for 1 hour overnight. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or till golden brown. Serve with raspberry sauce. Serves 8-12 people.

~Kathy~

Maple Banana Bread Pudding #43

* bread puddings are a traditional fall/winter dessert, and a great way to use up stale or dry bread. The texture isn't your typical creamy pudding texture. Maybe the idea originally came from England, as Yorkshire pudding is a popover type muffin, and not pudding at all.

                                                Maple Banana Bread Pudding  #43  (page 426)

1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups 1-inch cubes stale or lightly toasted bread(I used French & wheat)

1 2/3 cup whole milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

pinch of nutmeg

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups diced banana (about 2 bananas, not too ripe)

1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 6-cup round baking dish with 1/2 tbsp. butter.

2. Place bread pieces in mixing bowl. Heat milk and syrup in saucepan until syrup dissolves into milk. Add nutmeg  Pour over bread and allow to sit about 30 minutes to saturate. Stir in eggs. Fold in diced banana.

3. Transfer mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with remaining butter. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until it is starting to look crusty on top. Serve warm with whipped cream, or ice cream. Serves 6.

Maple Cheesecake with Maple-Glazed Pears and Cranberries

                                Maple Cheesecake with Maple-Glazed Pears and Cranberries


*The recipe is in the previous blog post*

***

Maple-Glazed Pears and Cranberries

In a heavy large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add 4 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced Bosc or Anjou pears (about 4 medium). Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Cook 2-3 minutes more, or just until pears are tender, stirring occasionally.

 Serve warm topping over cheesecake, or cover and chill for up to 2 days. Reheat topping before serving. Serves 8-12.
*Per serving 567 calories*

Season Change and Baking...

                                         
                                                          Season Change and Baking...


 What is it about autumn that spurs me to want to spend more time in the kitchen baking? Is it the shorter days, or the cooler weather? Is it the sight of falling leaves and pumpkin patches? Maybe it is connected with the desire to make the home even more inviting by having the fall scents of cinnamon, pumpkin, maple, caramel, cranberry and apple wafting from the oven. 

 Recently I got hold of the latest Fall Baking magazine, which is chock full of gorgeous full page pictures seeped in hues of scarlet, burgundy,and muted orange. This magazine is addicting to bakers because each recipe has a corresponding close-up picture that brings the food so close you can smell it!

 In addition, there are side articles on topics of interest to cooks in general, such as: sugaring, which focuses on a maple farm in Vermont. Check out coombsfamilyfarms.com to learn more about sugaring and for maple recipes from the Maple Kitchen.

 The magazine focuses on fall flavors in each section, whether it be breads, cakes, cookies, pies or snacks. Each recipe is geared for the average home cook, without requiring rare ingredients. The pictures alone are cause for inspiration, and after browsing through the magazine, I have decided to get baking a few of these recipes so that I can see if indeed this magazine is the treasure I believe it to be. 

My first recipe will be:
  Maple Cheesecake with Maple-Glazed Pears and Cranberries

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

3  8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1  8 ounce container mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup half-and-half or light cream

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs, lightly beaten

whipped cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, in a medium bowl combine the 3/4 cup flour and the 3 Tbsp. brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans. Pat crumb mixture onto the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. cool crust on a wire rack while preparing filling.

2. For filling  in a very large bowl combine cream cheese and mascarpone cheese; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the 3/4 cup brown sugar, the 1/2 cup maple syrup, the half-and-half, the 2 Tbsp. flour, and the vanilla;beat until well mixed. Add eggs all at once; stir just until combined.

3. Pour filling into the crust-lined pan, spreading evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until a 2 1/2 to 3-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken (center will be soft, but will set up as cheesecake cools).

4. Cool in spring form pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen crust from side of pan. Cool for 30 minutes more. Remove side of pan. Cool for 2 hours. Cover and chill for 4 to 8 hours.

5. If desired, top with whipped cream or drizzle with additional maple syrup. Serves 12 people. 

Nut Diamonds #42

                                                      Nut Diamonds  (page 164)

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup very finely chopped pecans or cashews

1 large egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan. 

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Blend in vanilla and egg yolk. Combine flour, salt, cinnamon and 1/4 cup nuts, and stir into sugar mixture.

3. Press dough evenly into pan; it should be very thin. Brush top with beaten egg. Sprinkle remaining nuts over top evenly and press in lightly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until edges start to brown.

4. Remove from oven, run knife around edges of pan and cut into diamonds or triangles while hot. Cool on racks. Makes 4-5 dozen cookies.

Strawberry Sour Cream Streusel Cake #41

                      Strawberry Sour Cream Streusel Cake (page 47)

1 cup hulled, sliced strawberries

3 Tbsp. strawberry preserves

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. vanilla extract

vegetable oil or butter for pan

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, in 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. turbinado or light brown sugar


1. In a blender, combine strawberries and preserves. Make a paste by mixing cornstarch and vanilla, and add. Puree and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 9-inch spring form pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Sprinkle in butter cubes and, using your fingertips, rub them in until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs. 

 3. Remove 1/2 cup and set aside. Add sour cream, egg and vanilla to crumbs in large bowl. Mix well.

4. Drop dollops of half the batter into the prepared pan. Pat batter across bottom of pan and about 1 inch up sides; mixture will be very sticky and somewhat uneven. Add strawberry puree, making an even layer across the layer of batter and leaving a 1/2 inch border. Cover with remaining batter.

5. In a medium bowl, combine reserves 1/2 cup crumbs and turbinado or light brown sugar. Stir lightly with a fork to mix. Sprinkle evenly over cake.

6. Bake cake until lightly golden, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack completely before removing sides of pan and serving. Serves 8 people.

Big Apple Pie #40

                             




                                      Big Apple Pie  (page 233)


3 pounds red or golden apples, 2 or 3 different kinds,
 peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider, or apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

several grindings of black pepper

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

pastry for pie shell and top

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Whipped cream or ice cream for serving


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place apples in a large bowl. Add sugar, apple cider or vinegar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and flour. Mix well.

2. Line a deep-dish 9 or 10 inch pie pan with half the pastry, leaving a generous top edge. Prick bottom of pastry shell with tines of a fork. Transfer apples to pie pan, mounding slightly in center. Cut butter into bits, and distribute over apples.

3. Cover apples with the other half of the pastry. Trim around edges, and crimp the top and bottom pastry together. Using a pastry brush, paint the top of the pastry with the egg wash.With a sharp knife, make a hole in the center of the pastry. Make 5 cuts, each about 3 inches long, radiating from the center hole.

4. Put the pie pan on a baking sheet, and bake on the lower level of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake for about 50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 8-10 people.