Tag: recipe blog

Pecan Squares

Pecans
Pecans
Pecan pie is one of my favorite desserts. This favorite recipe is almost as good as pie. The best thing about bars is that you can cut them small and sample them all!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups pecans, chopped


Directons
In a large mixing bowl blend together flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup butter and salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly and evenly into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile in another bowl combine eggs, syrup, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spread evenly over hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Cool and cut into bars.

Best Ever Scones

My friend Carol is an excellent cook. Eating at her house is always a treat and any recipe she gives me soon becomes a family favorite recipe. This is her scone recipe that she claims is the “best ever”. Hers are delicious. To be honest, mine never turn our quite as good as hers. It must be technique. She loves to serve hers with clotted cream, which is wonderful.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (available@ [ad#Myspice Hyperlink])
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup currants or craisins

Directions
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cloves. Mix well. Add butter and blend for a coarse meal look. Reserve 2 teaspoon cream, add remaining cream and currants and mix lightly with a fork. Knead dough 5 to 6 times. Cut dough in half. Roll each half into a circle at least 1/2 inch thick. Brush with reserved cream and sprinkle with sugar. Cut into wedges. Bake 15 to 18 minutes @ 325 degrees.

Carol’s Hints

  • Always use butter and heavy cream.
  • Take frozen butter and grate with a grater into the dry ingredients.

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Categories
Cookies

Peanut Blossoms

I’m sure this is many family’s favorite recipe. No collection of recipes would be complete without this old fashioned Christmas goodie.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soda
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • Hershey’s chocolate candy kisses

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in additional sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake @ 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Once removed from oven, top each hot cookie with candy kiss, pressing down so cookie cracks around edges.

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Sour Cream Raisin Pie

This pie was always a favorite of my Mom and Grandma. They both loved it and considered it the ultimate dessert. My Mom still orders sour cream raisin pie when she sees it on the menu at Baker’s Square, but she insists that hers is better!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup cornstrach
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 baked pie shell
  • Whipped cream

Directions
Mix raisins, cornstarch, cinnamon, milk, sugar, nutmet, and salt together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add sour cream to beaten egg yolks and then add to mixture in saucepan. Cook until bubbly.
Add lemon juice and cool slightly. Pour into pie crust and chill until set, at least 3 hours or more. Top with whipped cream. Can decorate with pecan or raisins.

Turkey Souffle’

Turkey Souffle
Turkey Souffle
This favorite recipe comes from a dear lady who is now deceased. She used to love to make this for her family at Christmas time. It is a nice way to use up some of that leftover turkey.

Ingredients

  • 6 slices white bread
  • 2 cups diced cooked turkey
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions
Cube 2 slices of bread and put into bottom of 8x8x2 inch pan. Combine turkey, vegetables, mayonnaise, and seasonings, put over cubed bread. Trim the crusts from remaining 4 slices of bread and lay these over the turkey mixture. Mix beaten eggs and milk together and pour over all. Cover and chill for 1 hour or overnight. When ready to bake, spoon soup (undiluted) over top. Bake for 1 hour @ 350 degrees, sprinkle cheese over top last 5 minutes of baking.

Hot Mushroom Dip

This is a delicious and easy favorite recipe of mine for a mushroom dip. You can vary the flavor by the variety of mushroom you use. It’s a real crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sliced mushrooms
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Saute onions and mushrooms in butter for 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook another 5-6 minutes. Add sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Pour into shallow oven proof dish and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake @ 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve with crackers or crostini.

COPIA Hot Chocolate

COPIA was a center for wine, food and arts in Napa, CA. Unfortunately it is now closed. I was there a few years ago on Valentine’s Day and the focus was chocolate. We went to a chocolate class and tasted many degrees of chocolate. In my opinion, the darker the better. This is a favorite recipe of mine that I got from COPIA, created by Nicole Plue who was then the Pastry Chef at Julia’s Kitchen at COPIA. It is rich and delicious and makes a wonderful after dinner drink. In fact, dessert is not even necessary with this. It is YUMMY!

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) E. Guittard 61% Cacao Semisweet chocolate wafers
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 1 strip, about 1/2×3 inches, orange zest
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup brandy, (optional)

Directions
Place the chocolate in top of a double boiler. Place over simmering water and heat until melted. Meanwhile combine the half and half, orange zest, cinnamon stick and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat to a gentle boil, then strain.
Slowly stir the melted chocolate into the hot half and half until blended. Add the the brandy, if desired.
Keep warm in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. If the hot chocolate is overheated it becomes too thick (I used a small crockpot).

Grandma’s Old Fashioned Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake is making a comeback. This was the recipe that my Grandma and my Mom used to make. It was always a favorite recipe of ours. These directions are a bit odd, but I am posting just as the original recipe reads.

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 cup shortening (they always used Crisco)
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ounces of red food coloring
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups cake flour (for cake flour, 2 cups flour + 1 Tablespoon cornstarch)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon soda
  • 1 Tablepoon hot water
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar

Directions
Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Make a paste of food coloring and cocoa. Add buttermilk & salt alternately with flour. Add vanilla. Dissolve soda in hot water, mix with vinegar, holding over bowl as it foams. Quickly add mixture to batter. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9 inch round pans. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup butter

Directions
Cook flour and milk until very thick, stirring constantly. Chill in refrigerator. Thoroughly cream sugar, vanilla, and butter until fluffy. Blend into chilled flour mixture. Beat until frosting is spreading consistency.
Store covered in refrigerator.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

Chocolate Cherry Bars
Chocolate Cherry Bars
I think this is a recipe that won the Pillsbury Bake-Off many, many years ago. It was indeed a family favorite recipe of my Mom’s. We loved it when she made these rich, gooey bars. They are easy and one of those recipes that you can whip up on a minute’s notice.

Ingredients for Cake

  • 1 package fudge cake mix
  • 1 can cherry pie filling
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 eggs beaten

Ingredients for Frosting

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 Tablespoon butter
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 6 ounces chocolate chips


Directions
Mix together in a large bowl the cake mix, pie filling, almond extract and eggs. Pour into a greased and floured 13×9 inch pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25 to 30 min.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and mix until smooth. Pour over warm bars. Cool.