After a long sabbatical, I plan to post new snippets with some holiday recipes from around the world. May your upcoming holiday preparations be interesting and fun. Stay happy and healthy until I write again.
Category Archives: cooking
Mushroom Holiday Appetizers
Christmas Eve (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I thought I would share this recipe that we’ve used at holiday parties and at Christmas Eve and New Years Eve buffets. These are nice either served cold or warm and can be kept hot in a chafing dish. I prefer them cold. Put them on a nice platter that is lined with a colored foil and some sprigs of herbs such as thyme or rosemary for a nice presentation. They’re a little work, but well worth it. Puff pastry in different brands can be found in the frozen section of your supermarket. It usually comes four large rectangular sheets to the box.
2 packages frozen puff pastry
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (white or Vidalia)
1/4 cup white wine
1 large egg, beaten together with 4 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
celery seeds (in jar in spice section of market)
1 garlic clove or two teaspoons jarred chopped garlic
Defrost the puff pastry according to package directions. Saute the mushrooms and garlic in butter; add the parley and onion. Season the softened mushroom mixture with salt, thyme and pepper. Saute further until the liquid evaporates. Add the wine and cook the mixture until it becomes dry. Let cool. On a floured rolling surface, roll out 1 pastry sheet to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 24 circles with 2 inch round cookie cutter (if you do not have one, use a glass with a 2 inch rim dipped in flour). Place teaspoon of mushroom mixture on each piece of pastry dough leaving a 1/4 inch edge. Using a second piece of pastry, roll out and cut 24 more circular 2″ pieces. Use these for covering the first batch of filled rounds. Press down the edges and use a table fork to seal the edges. Put pastries on large ungreased baking sheets and brush with beaten egg, cream mixture. Cut a slit on top of each pastry to vent the steam. Repeat the process using the second package of pastry.
Bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 14 minutes or until mushroom appetizers are puffed up and golden.
When lightly browned, remove to wire baking rack to cool. Serve warm or cold, but not do not refrigerate unless you are planning on serving them a few hours later. You may also freeze these in between sheets of waxed paper after they have cooled and reheat in a conventional oven. They do not microwave well.
I hope these are a big hit at your next holiday gathering.
Open House Antipasto Salad
antipasto (Photo credit: freakgirl)
Whenever it is time for a holiday gathering, especially for those open house parties that are held at the end of the year, we like to serve up a variety of salads. One of our favorites is this Italian style antipasto salads of which you can mix and match the vegetables and meats to suit your own tastes. This one features traditional Italian cold cuts that can be obtained at your supermarket deli counter or in Italian food specialty shops. Sometimes, I switch the ingredients around, using julienned turkey or reduced salt ham and cheeses for the saltier Italian cold cuts and replace the plain iceberg lettuce base with varied leafy greens to line the platter as a base. It’s you choice whether to make the traditional Italian style salad or whether you would rather have the reduced-salt, lower calorie version. As long as the vegetables are the marinated version, the taste should remain close to the original. I often use leafy greens like iceberg, romaine, red leaf and Bibb lettuce as well as the mixed greens like Mesclun, spinach and Italian blend that come in large bags at warehouse stores.
The amounts of ingredients in this salad can be increased so the measurements are not exacting. Change the ingredient amounts to suit your taste. We use less cold cuts and more vegetables to make a colorful display. Serve up with a fancy spoon and fork set and a colorful platter. (We sometimes use a turkey platter). The recipe is as follows:
INGREDIENTS:
Lettuce (of your choice)
Large jar marinated mushrooms
Black olives (Sicilian, Greek, black pitted, or green olives)
2 large jars artichoke hearts – drained and cut in half
2 jars roasted peppers, slice in strips
one jar anchovies, drained (amount used to your taste)
1 small onion – peeled and cut into rings
1 pound Genoa salami – sliced into strips or matchsticks
1 pound prosciutto – sliced into strips or matchsticks
1/2 pound capiccola – sliced into strips or matchsticks
1 pound Provolone cheese
(your may also use turkey, any cheese desired, ham, or other deli meat as desired)
Line a large platter with layers of lettuce or greens making salad as large as you like. Place in order on top of greens – peppers, artichokes, olives, mushrooms, onion, peppers, and anchovies. Decoratively top with sliced cold cuts.
I use a homemade Italian dressing to top this, but some like just a bit of olive oil and vinegar with the addition of a bit of oregano.
You may use any dressing that suits you or serve with a variety of dressings presented with holiday spoons and bowls.
I hope your holiday parties are fun and festive. Happy Holidays from my house to yours!!!
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread house with path. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve used this gingerbread cookie recipe for a long time to make gingerbread men and women, and also to put together gingerbread houses for the Christmas season. If done right, it makes up into a dough that cooks up crisply and that will hold up to the rigors of being frosting glued into a holiday gingerbread house. I’m not wonderful using pastry bags to frost too finely, so I resort to using those plastic tubes of frosting that can be found in the baking section of a supermarket. They come in all colors and some even have changeable tips to make different decorating effects for the finished cookies. Use whatever shape of cookie cutters move you, but I still prefer the gingerbread men and Santa’s to make gingerbread shapes that can be punched with a hole and hung as decorations, too. The recipe is as follows:
1/4 lb. pound unsalted butter (not margarine)
1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg well beaten
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried ginger powder
1/4 cup boiling water
Cream butter and sugar until blended and light. Add the egg and molasses. Mix well. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Sift the flour with the salt and ginger powder and add the hot water to the first mixture and then stir this into the dry ingredients. Chill this for at least one hour. Roll the dough very thin and cut with a cookie cutter of your choosing which has been dipped in flour. Bake in 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 15 minutes being careful to watch closely as these can burn quickly. Cookies should be firm but not overly browned.
Cookies can be used as walls and roof for a gingerbread house with either a pre-bought kit or cut freehand from your own pattern.
Serving amount dependent on size of your cookie cutters. I use a 2 inch cutter. You can also make ornament shaped ones using a 2 inch glass rim dipped in flour and then decorated with sugar frosting and sprinkles.
“The snow had begun n the gloaming.
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.
-LOWELL
Mocha Coffee Punch
(Photo credit: Josh Self)
For a different punch while you, your family and friends put up the Christmas decorations, I’ve opted for a cold punch instead of a hot one. This punch serves 40 punch cup servings (or less in 6-8 ounce glass). Even though the punch can be used for the summer, it has a heavy-bodied feel that is nice in the winter, too.
1 gallon strong coffee – chilled
3/4 cups sugar
1 gallon chocolate ice cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint whipping cream (heavy cream) whipped
and sweetened
grated nutmeg
Combine the sugar, coffee and vanilla. Stir to dissolve. Refrigerate mixture. To serve, scoop ice cream into the punch bowl. Add refrigerated coffee mixture and then gently fold in the whipped cream. Sprinkle the top with grated nutmeg to taste.
Servings: 40 punch cups full
I serve this up in an antique milk glass bowl, but it also looks great in a cranberry glass bowl and ladled up with a silver ladle.
Some appetizer recipes are to follow.
Happy decorating. It’s time to bring tree, ornaments, and lights from the storage room!!!
Holiday Fruit Cake
An American version of a fruitcake which contains both fruit and nuts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve decided to broach the subject of the dreaded Christmas fruitcake which I know is not all as popular as it was years ago. I’ll start by giving a brief history of the lowly fruitcake’s origins.
Fruit cake originated, it is believed, in ancient Rome in a much simpler form. It started to be called ‘fruitcake’ in the Middle Ages when spice, honey and preserved fruits were added to it. With the discovery of America and the sugars that were produced in the colonies and the abundance of fruits and nuts, the fruitcake began to come into it’s own. It was now possible to obtain inexpensive sweeteners and many different types of ingredients to add to the cakes. In the 1700’s nuts were often added to the fruitcake to celebrate good fortune and the abundant harvests. A great many different types of fruitcakes were produced, varying from light to dark, according to what type of fruits, flours, and nuts were used. Traditional fruitcake are soaked in liquor to flavor and preserve the cakes, with brandy and rum being most often used for soaking. Many fruitcake recipes have been handed down through generations of a family.
The following fruitcake recipe is at least seventy years old. It is up to you whether you want to further soak the cake with brandy by drizzling it slowly over the top until it is moistened:
1/2 lb. dates, chopped
1/2 lb. dried apricots- chopped
1/2 lb. red and green candied cherries- chopped
1/2 lb. red and green candied pineapple- chopped
1/2 lb. dark raisins
1/2 lb. walnuts – toasted and chopped
1/2 lb. pecans- chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup softened butter
1 orange, juice and grated rind
1 lemon, juice and grated rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brandy
2 Tablespoons Curacao
2 Tablespoons dark rum
Measure out ingredients in advance for easier preparation.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Thoroughly grease two 8″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pans. Dredge the fruit and nuts with flour and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Sift the remaining flour with spices, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture alternating with adding the liquor, spices, and vanilla. Fold the floured fruit and nuts into the batter. Pour into prepared loaf pans – put the loaf pans into a large pan of hot water and bake for about 2-2 1/2 hours or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes and gently remove cakes to a wire baking rack to further cool.
When cool, fruitcake can be further soaked in brandy or rum by drizzling liquor onto cake and letting it seep in to moisten.
Wrap cakes thoroughly in plastic wrap. They can be aged for several weeks for flavors to meld. Good served with cream cheese or butter.
HAPPY BAKING AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.
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Hanukkah (with recipe)
Photo credit: Wilkpedia
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (Chanukah) takes place this year from the evening of December 8th through to the evening of December 16th, 2012.
Hanukkah is a happily celebrated holiday that starts on the 25th day of Kivlis (according to the Georgian calendar and is dated based upon the cycles of moon. Hanukkah is also referred to as the Festival of Lights and is usually celebrated on a date falling somewhere around November into December. It takes place for eight days and nights. The festival is in celebration of the rededication of the ‘Temple of Jerusalem’ – or Temple of Menorah in 165 B.C by Judas McCabe. The word Hanukkah in translation means ‘dedication’ in Jewish.
During the Hanukkah celebration in the eight successive nights, the menorah is lit. The special menorah that is used by celebrants is called the ‘hannukkiyah’. The special ninth candle that is used is called the ‘shamish and it takes a central space on the menorah. It is the ‘servant’ candle used to light the other candles. On night one, the first candle is lit and they are lit successively until all are completely lit on the eighth night. The candles are usually lit from left to right. A blessing thanking God is usually said before and after a candle lighting. A Jewish hymn is sung during the lightings. The menorah is often placed in a front window of the celebrants home.
Gift giving has become the norm and gifts are now given on each of the days of Hanukkah. This is a more recent tradition Games are played during Hanukkah including ‘sivivon’ and ‘dreidel’. Foods fried in oil such as latkes and donuts filled with jams are very often served. Of the many foods served during the celebration, honey spice cookies are popular among children and following is a recipe that I used for a bake sale held at a local temple some years ago. I share it below:
HONEY-SPICE COOKIES —
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine (60% oil), softened
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
FROSTING:
2 beaten egg whites
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Tablespoon of lemon juice
In mixing bowl, cream margarine and brown sugar with electric mixer. Beat in the honey and egg until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add honey mixture and mix on low speed until well blended. Cover up the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Can be refrigerated for up to two days.
When ready to bake, grease 2 large cookie sheets and set aside. Working rapidly, quarter the dough, and one piece at a time roll out on a surface dusted with flour to a 1/4 inch thickness. Using shaped cookie cutters (star, dreidel and menorah) cut into desired number of cookies depending on size of cutters. These can also be cut by hand with sharp knife. Reshape scraps and cut more cookies from it. Place on shapes on greased baking sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Quantity of cookies may vary due to size of cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to wire baking racks to cool.
To frost cookies – In large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, confectioners sugar, salt and lemon juice. Beat this on high until mixture forms peaks. A bit of water can be added if too stiff or add more sugar if too runny. Using pasty bag with fitted tube, decorate with icing.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart
by Hannah Senesh
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Gail’s Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Cranberries popping (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For those of you who are having diabetic friends or family to your home for the Thanksgiving holiday dinner, or if you are a diabetic yourself and trying to cut down on sugar consumption, here is a nice cranberry sauce recipe that you might find useful. Instead of using gelatin or a cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce up, I’ve substituted a sugar-free marmalade or jelly that does the trick and lends the sauce a nice flavor. You could try substituting a different light flavored jelly for the sugar-free marmalade I use here for a unique taste.
GAIL’S CRANBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE—
3/4 dry white sugar substitute (Splenda or other cup for cup substitute)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar-free orange marmalade or jelly (or apricot, lemon or strawberry is good, too)
1 twelve (12 oz.) ounce package ‘fresh’ cranberries
In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, mix sugar and water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then add the cranberries. Bring mixture back to a boil and simmer on reduce heat. Cook on low simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until cranberries pop and are softened. Liquid should be reddened. Add marmalade or jelly and simmer slowly for approximately 4 minute, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and takes on a sheen. For a thicker sauce, add a bit more jelly to taste. Remove pan from heat. Cool sauce completely to room temperature.
Place in container and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups. Recipe can be doubled.
This is just a little snippet for you before I start cooking my thanksgiving desserts. I expect to be too busy to add much in the way of wisdom and light between all the fussing, cleaning, cooking and fidgeting that we’ll be doing before our Thanksgiving repast.
“I hear the tread of
pioneers of nations yet to be,
The first low wash of waves where soon
shall roll a human sea”
—WHITTIER
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL.
Italian Ricotta Pie
Ricotta cheese. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Usually during this time of year, holiday tables are full of dessert pies made of a variety of fruit fillings. On our table for Thanksgiving Day is a variety of ethnic dishes including one for this Italian basic ricotta pie. It’s very rich, but it can be made with part-skim ricotta to cut down a bit on calories. This is a quick and easy pie to make and should add a very distinct flavor to your holiday meal.
Crust:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks (from large or extra large eggs)
Filling:
2 pounds Ricotta cheese (or part-skim_
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 egg whites (from large or extra large eggs)
2 teaspoons lemon and rind
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
For the crust, place 2 cups flour in large mixing bowl with baking powder, stir dry ingredients to blend. With fork, cut in margarine until small balls form. Add vanilla and slowly put milk in while blending with fork until ball forms. Add egg yolks and continue stirring until a large ball forms. If it is too dry to roll, add just a small amount of milk until of rolling consistency. Roll out dough onto waxed paper – one for top and one for bottom. Put half of dough into bottom of 10 inch pie plate. Reserve other half for top of ricotta pie.
For the filling, in mixer bowl place ricotta cheese, egg whites, lemon and rind, mix. Then add the confectioners sugar and vanilla extract. Blend for approximately 7 minutes of medium speed or until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Place reserved pie crust on top of filling and crimp the edges as desired. Brush top crust lightly with egg white and place four small cuts to vent steam. Cover edges with aluminum foil to protect rim of pie.
Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned.
Over the River…….
English: Lydia Maria Child (February 11, 1802 – July 7, 1880) was an American abolitionist, women’s rights activist, opponent of American expansionism, Indian rights activist, novelist, and journalist. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For this post I don’t have to go far from home to remind me of the holiday season, of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m reminded of one day in the 1980’s when I toured the home of Lydia Maria Childs’ grandparents who had owned an old Georgian Colonial on the other side of the Mystic River in Medford, Massachusetts in the U.S.A. I had saved up enough money for a down payment on a house and Lydia Maria Childs’ grandparents old home was for sale. I toured the house with my husband and I was extremely excited by the prospect of owning such a wonderful piece of American history. I said yes to the real estate agents offer of a purchase price of only $42,000. Unfortunately, after adding up the costs of owning and maintaining such a large structure, we decided against the purchase and moved on to other options. At a later date, Tufts University bought the home for a huge sum and the house remains on the U.S. Trust for Historic Preservations’ registered historic homes list.
Lydia Maria Child was a author, abolitionist and activist who was born into a prominent New England family in Medford, Massachusetts. She was schooled in her early years in Medford Schools. She would often visit her grandparents at their home and wrote this song as an adult. Sometimes when the snow is deep and the air is chill, you can almost see the her sleigh coming across the old Craddock Bridge in Medford Square.
Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandfather’s House We Go
By Lydia Maria Child
Over the river, and through the wood,
to Grandfather’s house we go:
the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood,to Grandfather’s house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
for ’tis Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the wood
oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
as over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the wood,
and straight trough the barnyard gate,
We seem to go extremely slow,
it is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the wood,
when Grandmother sees us come,
She will say, ‘o, dear, the children are here,
bring a pie for every one.’
Over the river, and through the wood,
now Grandmothers cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
May your holidays be as filled with joy as the young Lydia Maria Childs’ was on that long ago Thanksgiving Day.
Aunt Julies’ Roast Turkey Stuffing
A stuffed turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As promised, here is Aunt Julie Martins’ turkey stuffing recipe that was handed down for generations. It is a very simple stuffing and one that does not present too much of a challenge for the everyday cook. You can vary some of the add-in ingredients to suit your taste and mix them up for different flavor combinations.
YOU’LL NEED:
1 1/2 long loaves of white bread (Giant loaf or sandwich bread, fresh)
1 large onion
2 sticks melted butter or margarine
1 to 2 cups chicken or turkey broth ( or enough to moisten stuffing; homemade stock can be used)
2 Tablespoon dried sage
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary leaves
2 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, light or dark raisins, snipped dried apricot)
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Put washed, dried and dressed turkey on rack in roasting pan. To prepare stuffing, tear bread into bite size, irregular shaped pieces and place in a stock pot, very large metal bowl or another roasting pan. Add the large finely chopped onion. Season stuffing with sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Add salt and pepper and mix together well. Put in your choice of cranberries, raisins or dried apricot. Add chopped nuts. To this add just enough butter or margarine to moisten. Add a small amount of broth to this to moisten it just slightly more. Remember that the liquid from the turkey will permeate the dressing, giving it more volume. Stuff turkey with dressing. If you have extra mixture, stuff neck cavity by loosening skin to form a pocket.
Cook as directed in previous post for Real Roast Turkey. After cooling turkey, remove stuffing immediately. Do not store finished turkey with stuffing inside. The internal temperature of stuffing should read 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
I hope you enjoy this turkey stuffing. We’ve been making it this way in my family for over 100 years. It’s very simple and straightforward. This is very good to use in turkey sandwiches after the holiday is over.
A Real New England Roast Turkey
English: Thanksgiving Dinner, Falmouth, Maine, USA 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Having been raised in the land of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving feast here in New England, I know firsthand that we take our selection of a Thanksgiving turkey very seriously. It is that time of year again when the markets and supermarkets stock turkeys of all brands and varieties making selection a daunting task. I don’t have room in a small post to list everything there is to know about selecting, thawing and preparing a turkey dinner, but I’ll try to break down the process into several smaller writings.
To those unfamiliar with the process of selecting and handling poultry, especially large American bred turkeys that can weigh over 24 pounds, I will simply give you this link to the United States Department of Agricultures’ fact sheets on the safe handling of turkey and poultry products:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp
Here’s my familys recipe for roast turkey which is the way it was done by my great-aunt Julie.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahreheit.
15 – 16 lb. thawed turkey
Aunt Julies’ stuffing (or of your choice to fill cavity of turkey)
1 1/2 sticks margarine or butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons sage (dried is fine)
1 Tablespoon thyme (dried o.k.)
1 Tablespoon rosemary (dried o.k.)
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 can chicken broth (16 ounces)
1 1/2 cups water
Remove giblet packet and neck from inside of cavity of turkey. Sometimes the neck is loose inside the neck cavity. Thoroughly wash turkey with cold water and place on counter on a platter and dry it completely with clean cloth or paper towels. Do not let the raw turkey touch surfaces of counter. Wash up behind yourself and periodically wash your hands with hot soapy water.
Stuff the turkey with stuffing mixture and place on raised roasting rack in a deep sided large roasting pan. Baste the turkey with melted butter or margarine, then sprinkle liberally with dried herbs, salt and pepper. Pour broth and water into the bottom of the pan and cover with heavy duty aluminum foil, tenting slightly in the middle away from the top of turkey. Place the stuffed turkey in the oven on the lowest oven rack and roast for 5 1/2 – 6 hours. About 40 minute before roasting is complete, uncover the turkey so that it may brown. Cook for additional 40 minutes until turkey is golden. Remove turkey from oven and check internal temperature with meat thermometer. The thermometer should read 165 degrees when place in the thickest part of the thigh and, also, it should measure 165 degrees when placed in the thickest part of the breast. Stuffing, likewise should be thoroughly done at 165 degrees. Juices at leg joint should run clear. Let stand for 30 minutes. Carve and serve.
Serves 12 with leftovers
My hopes are that you have a very happy Thanksgiving season.
Aunt Julie’s Stuffing recipe follows in my next post.
Thank you for following my blog.
Chocolate Liqueur
English: Roasted cocoa (cacao) beans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here’s a quick recipe for a liqueur that can be used for any special occasion. I’ve found it an easy recipe to make and it is can be enjoyed after things have settled down after your holiday meal.
1 CUP LIGHT CORN SYRUP
3/4 CUP SUGAR
2 CUPS VODKA
3 TABLESPOONS CHOCOLATE EXTRACT
2 TEASPOONS PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and corn syrup, stirring occasionally. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, being careful not to burn it. Remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Mix in the vodka; stir in the
vanilla extract (Photo credit: craftapalooza)
vanilla and chocolate extracts. Pour finished liqueur into glass bottles with corks or into other fancy glass containers. Cover and let stand for 2 or more days for the flavor to develop.
YIELD: 1 QUART
This is good served with a shortbread cookie or Biscotti’s.
HOLIDAY SCALLOP APPETIZER
First Course: Scallops (Photo credit: ulterior epicure)
This is a quick and fairly simple appetizer recipe that has been in my family for a while. It can be used for any number of special occasions and cooks up very quickly. It has gone over well at Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years and for a variety of other holidays and events.
SCALLOP APPETIZER:
One pound scallops (thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
Put thawed (or fresh scallops in large saucepan and just cover with water. Add salt. Cover the pan and bring to low boil. Turn down heat and bring to low simmer. Simmer slowly for 12 minutes. Drain scallops and cool. Cut scallops in halves. Combine relish, parsley, juice, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise. Fold in the whipped egg whites. Top each scallop half with the mayonnaise mixture and place baking sheet under your oven broiler. Broil scallops for four minutes or until lightly browned. Serve while still hot.
Makes 24
These are best if made with fresh scallops, but if you must use frozen, they can be found in your supermarket freezer isle.
Scrappy Pie
Newfoundland Blue Ensign. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Remembrance Day falls this year in Canada on November 11th. Some provinces and territories celebrate it, also, on November 12th. My Dad hails from Newfoundland, and at times he made what he called scrappy pie to celebrate it. It is on Remembrance Day there that Canadians remember all of the fallen soldiers from past wars.
My great-uncle Charles was killed in Belgium in the first World War and is buried where he was killed defending his fallen comrades. His name is called out and his memory is saluted by a contingent of military members at Parliament every year on this day. For this I simply give you my father’s Americanized version of Scrappy Pie (or Newfoundland Seafood Pie):
Potato topping ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup fresh mashed potato, 4 ounces butter, 1 tablespoon milk, 2 Tablespoons dried breadcrumbs.
Filling: 16 ounces whitefish (cod, haddock, whiting or your choice), large cooked shrimp (8 ounces), 1 small onion- chopped fine, 1 cup frozen peas, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley – chopped fine, zest of a lemon – grated, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 cups milk.
Sift flour into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or fork, mix this with the mashed potato until thoroughly blended. Blend in the butter, then draw into a dough, adding a bit of water until dough sticks together. Wrap dough in pastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Prepare filling by cutting fish into chucks and putting them into a 10 inch pie pan or baking dish. Mix in the seafood, onions, peas, parsley and zest. Blend the cornstarch with a bit of milk in a bowl. Heat the remaining milk almost to boiling and stir it into the cornstarch mixture. Return mixture to pan and stir until the mixture thickens. Add seasoning and pour over fish filling. Cool for 20 minutes. Bring oven to 400F (200C).
Roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper to overlap to of pie plate. Remove the top of the waxed paper and use the bottom sheet to help position dough on top of seafood mixture.
Press dough around edges of pan and clean up the edges. Slash center of pie with small knife to vent steam. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle liberally with plain breadcrumbs.
Put pie on a baking sheet Bake for 10 minutes – then drop temperature to 350F (180C). Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
My father cooked this for us when we were very young and it’s the closest I can come to the original recipe. I sought out Scrappy Pie recipes everywhere to no avail, so if someone could forward me more from the great nation of Canada, I would greatly appreciate it.
May you stay safe and sound on Remembrance Day. And to my remaining Newfoundland cousins, may the sea treat you right and the cod keep running.
Old Hartford Election Cake
I’ve decided to share with my readers a recipe for Election Cake that is interesting in that there are a few very old variations that have not differed too much throughout the years. The citron has been adjusted and you may use an extract in place of the pure brandy. Just add 1 teaspoon of the extract instead of the 1/4 cup of brandy.
I’m offering this recipe in honor of the upcoming U.S. elections to be held next Tuesday, November 6th. This will decide who our next President will be and will shape the course our nation will take for the next four years. Even though Election Day is not considered one of the national holidays here in America, it is a day of grave decision and reflection as Americans cast their votes. If you have a night of poll watching or an election day function to arrange perhaps this cake might be a novel treat to serve to your guests.
OLD HARTFORD ELECTION CAKE 1 Tablespoon margarine (or other shortening) 1 package regular rise yeast 1 Tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup margarine (or other shortening) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup warm water 2 well beaten large eggs 1 teaspoon lemon rind (grated fine) 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup chopped citron 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup brandy (or omit and use 1 tsp. brandy extract) Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add one tablespoon butter, salt, sugar and 1 1/4 cups of flour, mixing thoroughly. Set this aside in a warm place to rise overnight. Blend the 1/2 cup of margarine and cup of sugar and beat until light. Add eggs, raising, citron, lemon rind, lemon extract and juice. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Add this to first mixture, adding some brandy or extract slowly into mix. Combine raised dough with cake dough and pour into greased pan. Let rise in warm place for one hour or until dough, pressed with finger, indents and is risen. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour While the cake is still warm, spread with icing made of confectioners sugar dissolved in enough warm water to make a spreading consistency. TO CELEBRATE OUR RIGHT TO VOTE!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
- stiff egg whites (Photo credit: She Paused 4 Thought).
Today brings a normalization of the weather here in New England after the monster hurriane, Sandy, hit our shores. We give thanks to God that we were spared, in my hometown, the devastation that struck the coast farther south of here, especially in the states of New York and New Jersey. Our prayers go out to those whose lives were disastrously affected by the hurricane everywhere along the eastern seaboard.
Today, for everyone who is able to celebrate this Halloween holiday with some resemblance of normalcy, I simply give you an recipe from an old church bulletin. I’m unsure where it originated from, but it was being used and copied somewhere around the 1960’s and has been made in my family to celebrate different holidays since that time. It is very good to use at children’s costume parties.
RASPBERRY KISSES
3 1/2 Tablespoons raspberry gelatin
3/4 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Line and grease large baking sheet with parchment or brown paper and preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat egg whites and salt on high speed with electric mixer until light and foamy. Gradually add gelatin and sugar and continue beating to stiff peaks. Mix until sugar is totally dissolved or kisses will be sticky. Add the vinegar. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon onto lined, greased baking sheet. Bake kisses at 250 degrees for 25 minutes and then turn off the oven, leaving them in oven for additional 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and remove immediately to wire baking rack to cool.
Makes 6 dozen.
I hope you find these simple to make, and please have a safe, happy Halloween night.
Indian Pudding (sugar free)
Maple syrup houses (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I often made a version of this Thanksgiving pudding in honor of the Native Americans who shared the first American Thanksgiving that took place close to my home at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is an old American tradition to have this simple pudding during this autumn season, but in these modern times, it has fallen out of favor to be replaced by packaged pudding mixes. It’s very easy to make and would make a good addition to the Thanksgiving table. Serve it up with some sugar-free dairy whipped topping or a dietetic ice cream for an almost authentic diabetic treat.
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups milk
1/3 cup thick sugar-free maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon margarine (60% oil content) or butter if desired
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix together the milk, salt and margarine. Scald this mixture by bringing it to a rapid boil. Mix the cornmeal into the milk mixture slowly. Cook in a double boiler for about 15 minutes until mixture is thick. Add maple syrup, beaten egg, salt, cinnamon, and raisins. Add chopped walnuts and mix thoroughly. Put into pan that has been sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately two hours. Pudding should be slightly firm and knife inserted should be slightly dry. Serve cold or slightly warm.
Thanksgiving Will Soon Be Here (with diabetic recipe)
English: “The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The holiday of American Thanksgiving soon approaches, this year falling on Thursday, November 22nd. This is the time to start thinking about buying your turkey. The turkey sales at your local supermarket will be coming up soon and, if that is your choice of a entree this year, it would be a good time to consider what type it will be, whether it be a frozen, fresh, Kosher or pre-basted. The choices in many markets are endless. I’ll bring you more information on choosing and preparing a turkey at a later date. In the meantime, here is a little quote and a recipe which can be used interchangeably for a variety of holidays, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashannah, Christmas or New Year or any other special occasion. Feel free to give the sugar-free, diabetic recipe a try. I like it a lot and use it on a weekday basis.
Ah! On Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
CRANBERRY NUT CRUNCH BRITTLE
1 cup dry sugar substitute (cup for cup measure)
3/4 cup salted nuts (such as peanuts, cashews, almonds, or macadamia), chopped coursely
1/2 dried cranberries
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon vanilla extract (not imitation)
Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or butter it. Taking a very large, heat-proof glass measuring bowl, mix the maple syrup and the dry sugar substitute and microwave on High Power for 4 1/2 minutes. Add the margarine or butter and the vanilla extract, mixing well to combine. Continue to microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Mix in the baking soda. Stir thoroughly until the mixture becomes light and airy. It should foam a bit. Pour the hot mixture onto the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on a heat-proof kitchen surface such as a wire baking rack. Cool for 1 hour. Break into pieces and store in tins or other sealed container. Makes 8 servings.
140 calories
5 grams Carbohydrate
170 grams Sodium
3 grams Protein
8 mg. Calcium
1 gram Fiber
Happy Holidays to all!
Auntie Annie’s Halloween Chocolate Turtle Candy
English: A Pearson’s Bun Bar shown whole. One of three flavors (caramel specifically) but all of the Bun Bars have the same outward appearance. Candy was provided from the Pearson’s Candy Company to Evan-Amos for the direct purpose of adding pictures to the Wikipedia articles. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My Auntie Annie’s busiest times of the year were most major holidays. Not only was she busy during American holidays, but during most of the major international ones, as well. You see, she was a worker at one of the larger U.S. candy factories that made famous brand novelty and boxed fancy assortments. She had been working at the factory as a line worker and then a fancy chocolates dipper since the turn of the 20th century. She would trek off to the chocolate factory every morning for over fifty years, having started her job, in those very emancipated days, at a young and tender age. Her salary was well received by her struggling family, who also enjoyed the fruits of her labors – having access to chocolate bars, candy wafers, turtle clusters, caramel, and a full product line of tooth decaying, fattening goodies.
During the holidays , before Halloween, Auntie Annie would have us for a visit and when she was making candy gifts for Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years, Hanukkah and Christmas, she would often teach me how to make one of the famous candies that she worked to turn out on a daily basis at the factory. She would have huge pans of bubbling, boiling caramel. Chocolate would be melting at the front of the stove. Her idea of a double boiler was a spaghetti cooking pan with a very large bowl sitting on top. There were several of these crowding her old fashioned stove. She taught me how to make her famous Chocolate turtle clusters when I was about fifteen years old. During that visit, she also tried to teach me how to put the swirls on those fancy chocolates with creme centers, but I was a dismal failure and my attempts looked more like puckery little blobs. Those were fun and unique Autumn days and we, as little children (and all of our young friends, too), looked forward to our holiday boxes and tins of these delicious, sinful, ultimately perfect treats. I hope you like them as much as my family does.
ANNIE’S CHOCOLATE TURTLE CANDY
Equipment needed – large baking sheets, metal spoons, wooden spoons, measuring spoons, waxed paper, large metal bowls, double boiler, candy tins and boxes.
Cover baking sheets with waxed paper and grease lightly grease waxed paper with margarine.
INGREDIENTS
42 candy caramel squares
3 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups dry roasted peanuts, unsalted (may use toasted walnuts, unsalted almonds, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts)
1 cup milk chocolate morsels or chopped milk chocolate bars
Arrange several nuts, in cluster, on baking sheet. You may use the amount you would like. Place nuts one inch apart or more from each other. Put caramel squares in the double boiler with butter and put over boiling water until completely melted, stirring constantly. When caramels are melted, remove from stove and stir in vanilla. Drop melted caramel in spoonfuls onto nuts until they are thoroughly covered. Let nut clusters cool to a firm, cool stage. Melt the chocolate and butter in double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour melted chocolate over nut clusters and cool them on the tray until they are firm. Do not chill in refrigerator as this may discolor the candy clusters. Put in metal tins between squares of wax paper and store in a cool, dry place.
We always loved making these with my Aunt Annie and no holiday was complete without them. I plan to get started on mine in a few days for future gift giving. I wonder if my aunt haunts the old site of the candy factory these days, wandering the halls, checking on equipment, chocolate mixtures, and trekking into the factory to check on the efficiency of present day laborers.
If they hear the sound of her shoes tapping around the chocolate vats, then they know that she’s on the lookout this Halloween season.
Happy Halloween.
Related articles
- Properly Preparing and Melting Chocolate (berries.com)
The World Holidays and Traditions Reader 