Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Carmel Squares from Sue
Grease and flour an 8 inch square baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt 1/4 C. butter in a saucepan.
Add 1 C. firmly packed brown sugar to the hot butter in the pan and stir.
Add 1 egg and stir quickly into the mixture.
Stir in:
1 C. sifted flour,
1/4 t. salt,
1 t. baking powder,
1/4 t. vanilla,
1/2 C. chopped pecans or 1 C. shredded coconut
Spread the mixture evenly in the baking pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until mixture draws away from edge of pan or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mark while hot. Cut into squares. These should be chewy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt 1/4 C. butter in a saucepan.
Add 1 C. firmly packed brown sugar to the hot butter in the pan and stir.
Add 1 egg and stir quickly into the mixture.
Stir in:
1 C. sifted flour,
1/4 t. salt,
1 t. baking powder,
1/4 t. vanilla,
1/2 C. chopped pecans or 1 C. shredded coconut
Spread the mixture evenly in the baking pan. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until mixture draws away from edge of pan or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mark while hot. Cut into squares. These should be chewy.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Potato Pie filling
About five large boiling (not baking) potatoes peeled and cubed
6-10 finely sliced green onions. I didn’t use much of the real green parts
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tablespoons parmesan
½ cup Red Leicester cheese grated. I didn’t know what the heck that was so I used more parmesan
4 Tablespoons fresh parsley
8 Tablespoons Crème fraiche (see recipe below, must make it 24 hours in advance)
Peel and cube potatoes add them to a pan of cold water, bring to a boil for 5-10 min or until cubes are cooked but still hold their shape. Drain and cool a bit. Mix them in a bowl with the other ingredients and bake at 400˚ until the crust is golden.
Crème Fraiche
1 cup whipping cream mixed
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 Tsp lemon juice
Combine well in glass jar and cover.
Let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened.
Stir well and refrigerate.
Use within 10 days.
This stuff is great because:
Use as a thickener for soups or sauces.
Spoon over fresh fruits, puddings or warm cobblers.
Can be used in boiled recipes as it will not curdle
Can be whipped
6-10 finely sliced green onions. I didn’t use much of the real green parts
2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tablespoons parmesan
½ cup Red Leicester cheese grated. I didn’t know what the heck that was so I used more parmesan
4 Tablespoons fresh parsley
8 Tablespoons Crème fraiche (see recipe below, must make it 24 hours in advance)
Peel and cube potatoes add them to a pan of cold water, bring to a boil for 5-10 min or until cubes are cooked but still hold their shape. Drain and cool a bit. Mix them in a bowl with the other ingredients and bake at 400˚ until the crust is golden.
Crème Fraiche
1 cup whipping cream mixed
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 Tsp lemon juice
Combine well in glass jar and cover.
Let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened.
Stir well and refrigerate.
Use within 10 days.
This stuff is great because:
Use as a thickener for soups or sauces.
Spoon over fresh fruits, puddings or warm cobblers.
Can be used in boiled recipes as it will not curdle
Can be whipped
MJ's all-purpose pie crust
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup crisco
1 cup lard
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
Water
Place slightly beaten egg in 1 cup measuring cup. Add vinegar and enough water to make one cup. Set aside. Mix flour baking powder and brown sugar in a large bowl. Make a well and cut in crisco/lard with pastry cutter. The trick is to never let your hands touch the dough. When cut to consistency of small sands add liquid. Only mix until most of the flour is incorporated but dough is not in a good ball. Refrigerate. Roll out chilled dough between plastic and saran wrap. Again avoid touching the dough.
Recipe makes enough for two two crusted pies and one single. I freeze it in 5 individual portions.
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup crisco
1 cup lard
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
Water
Place slightly beaten egg in 1 cup measuring cup. Add vinegar and enough water to make one cup. Set aside. Mix flour baking powder and brown sugar in a large bowl. Make a well and cut in crisco/lard with pastry cutter. The trick is to never let your hands touch the dough. When cut to consistency of small sands add liquid. Only mix until most of the flour is incorporated but dough is not in a good ball. Refrigerate. Roll out chilled dough between plastic and saran wrap. Again avoid touching the dough.
Recipe makes enough for two two crusted pies and one single. I freeze it in 5 individual portions.
MJ's Sacher Torte Cookies
1 C. butter, softened
1 package (4 1/2 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 egg
1 t. almond extract
2 C. flour
3 T. sugar
1/2 C. apricot preserves
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
3 T. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and pudding mix; cream together until fluffy. Beat in egg and almond extract. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed with mixer until dough forms.
Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cookies are firm. Remove from cookie sheets immediately. Cool.
Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of preserves. In a small saucepan, blend the chips and butter over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate over jam on each cookie.
1 package (4 1/2 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 egg
1 t. almond extract
2 C. flour
3 T. sugar
1/2 C. apricot preserves
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
3 T. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and pudding mix; cream together until fluffy. Beat in egg and almond extract. Gradually add flour, beating at low speed with mixer until dough forms.
Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cookies are firm. Remove from cookie sheets immediately. Cool.
Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of preserves. In a small saucepan, blend the chips and butter over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of chocolate over jam on each cookie.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Shelly's Chicken Salad
Curried Chicken Salad
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
½ cup mango chutney (I didn’t have any, so I added ½ chopped red onion)
2 tsps. Curry powder or to taste
1 tart apple, cored and chopped
¼ cup currants or raisins
Bring broth and water to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is no long pink inside, 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hr, or overnight. When cooled, dice up and add to a large mixing bowl.
Add mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney and curry powder, mix well with chicken. Add apple and raisins, blend together. Best made at least 1 hr before serving.
I added a small amount of sea salt and pepper – can omit if you want.
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
½ cup mango chutney (I didn’t have any, so I added ½ chopped red onion)
2 tsps. Curry powder or to taste
1 tart apple, cored and chopped
¼ cup currants or raisins
Bring broth and water to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is no long pink inside, 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hr, or overnight. When cooled, dice up and add to a large mixing bowl.
Add mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney and curry powder, mix well with chicken. Add apple and raisins, blend together. Best made at least 1 hr before serving.
I added a small amount of sea salt and pepper – can omit if you want.
MJ's Chocolate Cherry Bars
Chocolate Cherry Bars
Bars:
1 pkg. Devil's food Cake Mix
1 (20-oz) can lite cherry fruit pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
Frosting:
1/2-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 to 3 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 15x10x1-inch pan or a 13x9-in pan. In a large bowl, combine all bar ingredients; stir until well blended. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips, milk and margarine over low heat until chips are melted., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over warm bars. Cool completely. Cut into 36 bars.
Bars:
1 pkg. Devil's food Cake Mix
1 (20-oz) can lite cherry fruit pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
Frosting:
1/2-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 to 3 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 15x10x1-inch pan or a 13x9-in pan. In a large bowl, combine all bar ingredients; stir until well blended. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
In a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips, milk and margarine over low heat until chips are melted., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar until smooth. If necessary, add additional milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over warm bars. Cool completely. Cut into 36 bars.
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Geography of Bliss continued...
Having read and discussed The Geography of Bliss, you might enjoy these videos on happiness:
Research in "positive psychology" has shown that people are surprisingly bad at predicting what will make them happiest. This lively psychology lecture given at Yale on what makes us happy is 34 minutes long if you start 11 minutes into the video and skip the last 2 minutes (for those of you short on time!) http://academicearth.org/lectures/the-good-life-happiness
Stumbling on Happiness, written by Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert, was on the New York Times best-seller list in 2006. Here's a 21-minute video where Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? Video on TED.com. He addresses why our beliefs about what will make us happy are often wrong -- a premise he supports with examples from his intriguing research.
Research in "positive psychology" has shown that people are surprisingly bad at predicting what will make them happiest. This lively psychology lecture given at Yale on what makes us happy is 34 minutes long if you start 11 minutes into the video and skip the last 2 minutes (for those of you short on time!) http://academicearth.org/lectures/the-good-life-happiness
Stumbling on Happiness, written by Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert, was on the New York Times best-seller list in 2006. Here's a 21-minute video where Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? Video on TED.com. He addresses why our beliefs about what will make us happy are often wrong -- a premise he supports with examples from his intriguing research.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Shelly's Tangy Thai Cucumbers
Tangy Thai Cucumbers
½ cup Vinegar
½ cup Water
½ cup Sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 large Cucumber, peeled, cubed or sliced thin
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced shallots or red onion
Combine 1st 4 ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar/salt dissolve. Remove from heat and let come to room temp.
Combine cucumber with shallots/onions in bowl. Pour sauce over all – let marinate at least a ½ hr before serving.
½ cup Vinegar
½ cup Water
½ cup Sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 large Cucumber, peeled, cubed or sliced thin
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced shallots or red onion
Combine 1st 4 ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar/salt dissolve. Remove from heat and let come to room temp.
Combine cucumber with shallots/onions in bowl. Pour sauce over all – let marinate at least a ½ hr before serving.
Julie’s Smoked Salmon Torta
Julie’s Smoked Salmon Torta
8 oz s cream cheese
With Mortar and pestle like method make Salmon Cream Cheese
Small container (4 OZ) of Vita Salmon
Adjust amount s to your taste
Topping:
¼ cup plain black olives chopped
1 Tablespoon rinsed capers
1 glove garlic minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Utensils
1 small shallow flat bottom dish
Saran wrap
Olive oil
Procedure
Using saran wrap and olive oil, lightly oil saran wrap
Lay saran wrap inside the dish, avoiding wrinkles and allowing edges to hang over.
Mix olives, capers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl.
Spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the saran wrapped lined dish.
Very gently dollop the cream cheese on to the olive layer and spread to edges.
Fold the edges of the saran wrap over the cream cheese. Chill one hour.
Invert the torta on to a platter using the saran to gently guide it out
Serve with Carr’s Table Water crackers.
8 oz s cream cheese
With Mortar and pestle like method make Salmon Cream Cheese
Small container (4 OZ) of Vita Salmon
Adjust amount s to your taste
Topping:
¼ cup plain black olives chopped
1 Tablespoon rinsed capers
1 glove garlic minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Utensils
1 small shallow flat bottom dish
Saran wrap
Olive oil
Procedure
Using saran wrap and olive oil, lightly oil saran wrap
Lay saran wrap inside the dish, avoiding wrinkles and allowing edges to hang over.
Mix olives, capers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl.
Spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the saran wrapped lined dish.
Very gently dollop the cream cheese on to the olive layer and spread to edges.
Fold the edges of the saran wrap over the cream cheese. Chill one hour.
Invert the torta on to a platter using the saran to gently guide it out
Serve with Carr’s Table Water crackers.
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