Spinach Artichoke Dip

Stacie made this for a surprise birthday party for R.B. Everyone loved it, so here it is:

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 C. Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. Lemon
• 1/2 C. Grated Parmesan
• 1 sm box Frozen Spinach (thawed and well drained) OR
• 10 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach (cooked just tender, chopped up a bit and well drained)
• 1 Garlic Clove (minced or pressed)
• 1 sm can Diced Green Chiles
• 2 sm jars Artichoke Hearts (drained and chopped)

Combine the cream cheese, mayo, lemon juice and parmesan in a mixing bowl. When well blended add in the spinach, garlic, green chiles and artichokes. Mix well. Pour into a baking dish and garnish with 1/2 C. parmesan and chopped green onions (green part only). Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Great on corn chips or with chunks of bread. We love sourdough, but any good bread will work.

Italian Cream Cake and Frosting

A friend of mine in Okinawa (Kay Gudmundson) made this cake for us and I brought the recipe home to Nana. I knew she would love it, and she did. She incorporated it into her wedding cake recipes and it is a tasty cake. It's one of my favorites which is saying something since it isn't chocolate!

• 1 C. Shortening
• 2 C. Sugar
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 5 Egg Yolks
• 2 1/4 C. Flour
• 1 t. Salt
• 1 t. Baking Powder
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 C. Buttermilk
• 5 Egg White (beaten stiff)
• 2 C. Coconut
• 1 C. Nuts (walnuts or pecans, optional)

In a large bowl, or your KitchenAid, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together. Mix the buttermilk and the soda together in a measuring cup. Alternate mixing the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture into the creamed sugar mixture until it's all in. Fold in the coconut. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into 2 (9") greased and floured cake rounds. Bake in preheated 350º oven for 40 minutes, or until it tests done. Remove and turn out onto racks to cool.

Butter Cream Cheese Frosting…

• 4 T. Butter (softened)
• 1 (8oz) pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
• 4 C. Powdered Sugar (maybe more)
• 1 t. Vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until light and fluffy. Frost between layers, top and sides of cake. Good at room temperature, or chill to serve. Refrigerate left overs.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake and Frosting

Nana has some great from scratch recipes for cake that need to be included in her recipe file. I know we have all enjoyed these and hope our families will continue to enjoy them.

• 2 C. Flour
• 1/2 C. Cocoa Powder
• 1 t. Salt
• 3/4 C. Butter
• 1 2/3 C. Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 1 C. Buttermilk
• 2 t. Soda
• 2/3 C. Sour Cream

Stir the soda and buttermilk together and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, cocoa and salt together, set aside. In a large mixing bowl (or your KitchenAid) Cream together the butter and sugar until it is fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Add the sour cream to the buttermilk mixture and stir well. Now alternate adding the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture to the creamed sugar mixture. When everything is in blend well. Pour into 2 greased and floured round cake pans (at least 10"). Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes, or until it tests done. Remove and turn out on racks to cool.

Now for the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting…

• 3 (3oz) pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/3 C. Butter
• 5 C. Powdered Sugar
• 4 T. Cocoa
• 5-8 T. Cream OR Half & Half or even Evaporated Milk

Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Mix the cocoa and powdered sugar together. Add cocoa mixture alternating with cream to the cream cheese mixture. Beat well and adjust more cream or more powdered sugar to get the right consistency. Spread on layers, top and sides of cake. One of Richard's favorite cakes.

Nana's Wedding Punch

June being the official wedding month, I found this recipe for Nana's famous punch to post. I wish I had a picture. Maybe I can get one from Papa with the punch bowls in it from Nana's wedding pics. I can remember gallons and gallons of this punch for the many years of catering weddings. It is still a great base and people love it. I hope Bob will add his comments as he is the one that made this in all his years of helping Nan at the weddings. He is our go-to punch guy and he actually does Italian Cream Sodas with Sydney and his kids at weddings and other functions. I know Nana would love that. Here is her tried and true recipe for wedding punch:

6 quarts water
3 quarts sugar
3 cans (12 oz ea) frozen orange juice (thawed)
3 cans (8 oz ea) frozen lemonade (thawed)
1 #10 can crushed pineapple
6 bananas (mashed)

8 (2 liter) bottles Ginger Ale (or sprite or whatever)

In a large stock pot bring the water and sugar to a boil. (this makes a simple syrup). Cool for a minute or so and mix in the thawed juices. (reserve a little lemonade)  Chop the pineapple a little finer in the food processor before adding. Put the bananas and some lemonade in the food processor and process until fairly smooth. Add into the sugar mixture and stir well. Nana would freeze this in 2 quart containers (hers were square from smart & final) and it would take 5 containers for this recipe. Be sure and leave room at the top for expansion. When you are ready to use it, take the number of containers you need for your party out of the freezer. Allow to partially thaw. Not too much though. Break the base apart using a multi-pronged ice pick until it is in 4-6 large chunks. Add chunks to punch bowl and pour 2-3 bottles of ginger ale over it. Stir until it begins to mix a little. As it continues to thaw you will add more ginger ale as it is used. When you have added up to 8 bottles of ginger ale it is time for a new base to be added. I think she planned 1 base for close to 100 people (wedding punch cups maybe about 6 ozs each). She would sometimes put a few drops of red food color in for the pink weddings. Otherwise it is a yellowish, champayney color. You can even stretch it for 10 bottles of ginger ale if your party is close to over and you don't want to get out another base.

Lots of memories mixing punch and working weddings. It is wonderful that Bob & Sydney are doing some of that now. Love that.

Pasta Salad

Ahhhh, pasta salad. This summery salad makes it's appearance at lots of family functions. It's right up there with potato salad most of the time. I had a version of this for the first time when we lived in Redlands, CA. The mom of one of Tawna and Taya's friend (Sis. Williams, Nacole's mom) made a pasta salad and the girls brought some home. She made hers with spaghetti noodles. I couldn't stop eating it and of course called for her recipe. The salad has evolved a little, but is only better.

The pic above was added in June of 2012 after Jade brought pasta salad to our bbq while we were home. Her's is a little different than my standard salad, but we love different too. She makes a great pasta salad.  I will estimate the ingredient quantities to the best of my ability, but adjust them to your taste.

1 bag or box of Rotini (some of us don't like the colored noodles, some do, you decide)
1/2 bag or box of another kind of noodle. Maybe the mini lasagne pieces or something similar for variety.
Boil the noodles al Dente, rinse with cool water and drain. Transfer to a large bowl and put pretty much an entire bottle of Italian Dressing on them. (maybe not the whole thing right away, but enough to keep the noodles from sticking to each other).

Dice up:
1-2 Cups Red Bell Peppers (seeded)
1-2 Cups Green Bell Peppers (seeded)
1 Cup black olives, sliced
1 med. Cucumber (cut in 4ths lengthwise and sliced crosswise)
1 Bunch Green Onions (sliced thin. And the white part if you like onion flavor)
2-3 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
Dash of Parsley Flakes

I like:
1 Cup Artichoke Hearts (sliced thin)
1/4 Cup Small Capers
1 whole Avocado Diced and tossed with 1-2 T. lemon juice

Add some Parmesan cheese to taste, I like about 1/2 Cup.
Mix well and adjust quantities to your liking.

Add some more Italian Dressing (my favorite is Newman's Own Restaurant Italian) but Wishbone regular Italian is good. Whatever kind you like. I have been known to put in just a shot of Red Wine Vinegar for good measure.  Salt & Pepper and even a little Granulated Garlic to taste. It's all good.
I have tried this with a Creamy Italian and it is awesome.

Some other things people put in:
Broccoli Florets
Grape Tomatoes instead of Romas
Small squares of different kinds of cheese
Feta crumbles

Adjust quantities to fit your crowd and enjoy. 

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

This is a combination of Nana and me getting a great recipe together for chicken enchiladas. Tried a little of this and that and came up with this:

 6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-20 oz. Can Green Chiles (whole)
1 28 oz. Can Green Chili Sauce
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 8 oz. Can El Pato Mexican Tomato Sauce
1 sm package frozen corn
3 Doz. Corn Tortillas
Mexican Blend of 4 cheeses or a blend of Monterey Jack and Longhorn (cheddar)
1 4 oz. Can Sliced Black Olives

Sour Cream with a dash of paprika for Garnish
1 Bunch Green Onion for Garnish

Grill or Boil chicken breasts and cube or shred. In a large bowl add the green chili sauce, soup, corn and el pato. Drain the green chiles and cut into chunks. If you can find 505 brand diced green chiles they are the best. Add them to the bowl and stir well. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray. Ladel a small amount of sauce mixture into dish and spread thin. Take a tortilla and lay flat. Place some chicken, some cheese and a little sauce in the tortilla and roll up. Place fold-side down in the casserole dish and repeat until dish is full. Add any remaining sauce over the top and a layer of cheeses.Sprinkle the black olives evenly over top of cheeses and bake at 350º for about 45 minutes. Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onion. Serve with shredded lettuce and tomato, chips and salsa and even some Boracho or Refried Beans for a side.

No current pics, but will try and get some next time I make these wonderful enchiladas. I made several big pans of them along with several pans of beef enchiladas for a funeral a while back. Summer's friend Hope. Her mother passed away and their minister would not allow them to have the funeral in his church. So sad. We put together a nice service for Hope's Mom at our park (while we were still living in our Pomelo house) and our family did the dinner afterward. Kevin sang, the girls and I sang and there were some remarks from Grumpy. We have lost touch with Hope through the years, but we were happy to be of service to her in her time of need.

Stacked Beef Enchiladas

 Another dish from the kitchen of Gramma Dorothy. Our family has come to know and love enchiladas made this way and it is frequently requested for Christmas and birthday dinners. You can use any red enchilada sauce you prefer, I am still looking for the perfect one myself.

2# lean ground beef
2 lg. onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 8 oz. can El Pato Mexican Style tomato sauce
2-3 doz. corn tortillas
2 28 oz. cans red chili sauce or red enchilada sauce
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. flour
1 sm. can sliced black olives
Mexican Four Cheese blend or a mix of Monterey Jack and Colby

Garnish:
Sour cream with a dash of paprika
Green onion for
Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes

Dice the onion, but reserve half for assembling the enchiladas. In a skillet over med/hi heat brown half the diced onions, garlic and ground beef. When good and browned add in the el pato and mix in well. Remove from heat. In a saucepan add the red chili sauce. In a small mixing bowl melt the butter (in the microwave is fine) and whisk in the flour. Drizzle into sauce mixture and allow to thicken. If it gets thicker than you like, thin with more el pato or tomato sauce depending on how hot you like your sauce. Remove from heat. Place 4-6 tortillas in a quart size freezer zip lock. Leave it unzipped. Put in the microwave for about 40 seconds to soften tortillas. (You can also dip them in hot oil for a second or two, but this adds more calories and fat).

On an oven proof plate ladle a small amount of sauce. Maybe a couple tablespoons. Lay a tortilla flat on the sauce and add a thin layer of meat, more sauce, a layer of cheese and some diced onion. Repeat layers until the desired amount (per persons order) is achieved. Top layers with a corn tortilla, more sauce, cheese and a few olives. Put into a 350º oven to bake for about 10-15 minutes. You can stack on both oven racks. I sometimes put more diced onions on the tops of the people who like onions to distinguish those from the people who prefer no onion on their enchiladas before putting them in the oven. In New Mexico they add a fried egg to to the top, but I’ve never eaten them that way. Remove with hot pads and serve. I use cloth placemats to protect my table from the hot plate, but trivets, or dishtowels or even a hotpad under the plate would work too. 
Garnish with sour cream and chopped green onions, lettuce and tomato. Serve with chips and salsa and maybe a side of mexican corn.

This pic of Daron enjoying his enchiladas at the cabin seems to be the only pic I can find of this dish. I will try to remember to take pics next time I make it and update.

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

My Visiting Teaching partner and I decided to have a little luncheon for our ladies in May to celebrate Mother's Day and do something a little different for a change. I volunteered to do the main dish since I've been wanting to try making a quiche. I love quiche and every time I have a piece somewhere, I think "I should go home and try making one". I finally did. I found a couple of recipes on Pinterest that looked promising and gathered ingredients. I made two different kinds for our little luncheon and got some feedback. Here is what I came up with after some experimentation and recipe refining.
Crust*:
Will go into 10” deep pie or tart dish

• 2 1/2 cups of flour 
• 1 cup of cold shortening 
• 1 cup of cold butter 
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 1/2 cup of cold water or chicken stock 

 Filling:

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms 
• 1/2 t. minced garlic 
• 1# baby spinach 
• 1 sm sweet onion (optional) 
• 5 large eggs 
• 1 C. cream or whole milk 2-3 oz. feta cheese 
• 1/4 C. grated parmesan 
• 1/2 C. shredded mozarella 

• salt & pepper to taste 

 In a large pot, put about 2” water and all the spinach. Place over med/high heat. When water begins to boil cook spinach 3-5 minutes, or until tender and is down in volume. Remove from heat and pour into collander to drain. Drain well. Layer several paper towels and transfer spinach to further drain on the paper towels. Set aside.

In a food processor combine flour, shortening, butter and salt. Pulse until you have a pea-like texture. 4-5 pulses. Drizzle in the water or chicken stock through the spout while pulsing a few more times. Dough should come together in a ball. Take out and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. Slice mushrooms and mince the garlic. Dice the onion. Place a skillet over med/high heat and add a couple tablespoons light olive oil. When oil is hot add in the onions and saute a minute or two. Add the mushrooms and the garlic and saute until tender. Salt and pepper and allow the moisture to cook out. When mushrooms are slightly browned, remove from heat and drain onto paper towels.

Remove pie dough from fridge and flour a surface for rolling. Roll out the dough to fit pie or tart dish. Place dough into dish and flute the edges.

In a medium bowl, or your food processor combine the milk and the eggs. Whisk or pulse until well blended. Spread out the well drained spinach in the pie crust. Sprinkle the feta cheese and the parmesan over the top of spinach. Spread the mushrooms over the top of the spinach and cheeses.(These next two pics are of the crust-less version I made first.)

Pour the egg/milk mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle the mozarella over the top. I like to sprinkle a little paprika over the top.

Place on the bottom rack of a preheated 375º oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to middle rack and reduce oven temp to 350º and bake for 20-30 more minutes until the center is set. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve warm. It is good at room temperature too.

Some variations:
1) Substitute small brocolli florets for the spinach (cooked and drained) Add some cheddar to the mix.
2) Substitute roasted and well drained sliced green chile for the spinach.
Add some diced green and red peppers, (cooked and well drained) instead of the mushrooms.
Add some colby or monterey jack instead of the feta and top with a few sliced jalapenos.

*This quiche can be made crustless, just spray your pie dish with cooking spray. It is good this way and cuts down a little on calories and time.

The key to a good quiche seems to be well-drained ingredients so as not to add unnecessary moisture resulting in a runny filling. Also, I learned whole milk or cream does make a difference in the way the filling sets. I added an extra egg since my pie dish was deep dish as well as a tad more of everything to fill it up nicely. More cheese can never hurt, right?

We served our quiche with the wonderful Strawberry/Citrus Salad already posted on this blog. I did the crust-less version of the spinach mushroom and the broccoli version in a crust for our ladies. It all got rave reviews but everyone seemed to like the spinach mushroom better, but with a crust. I made it that way for my Mother's Day dinner and loved it. Now I can't wait to try the green chile one. It was fun to do and fun to serve.

Quiche isn't hard at all.

Costa Vida Sweet Pork

Sydney sent me her most wonderful how to for Costa Vida Sweet Pork. What a great way to make a fabulous dinner with food from your pantry. Everyone in my family loves the sweet pork from anywhere, but Costa Vida is a favorite!

Thanks Sydney.

Costa Vida Sweet Pork

Ingredients

• 2 quarts home pressure canned pork tenderloin, drain off and dispose of the liquid
• 1-(6oz) can tomato paste (I use Hunts 100% no salt added)
• 2-(7¾oz)cans Mexican hot style tomato sauce (El Pato in the yellow can)
• 2 cups brown sugar, packed

Directions

No need to break up the chunks of meat, just combine all in a crock-pot for 3-4 hours until flavors have blended. The meat will be tender, flavorful and will have broken up into shredded pork. This is so yummy served with beans on a bed of romaine lettuce. Tanner loves it with Texas Flour Tortillas.

Makin' Bacon!

Got this little tip from Pinterest, and then saw it done on the Travel Channel's Drive-in's, Diners, and Dives. They were doing a special on the best Bacon places in the U.S. It's so easy, I will always make my bacon this way. Great if you are doing bacon for a large crowd. Do ahead and put it in roasters to keep warm.

The one I saw on Pinterest said to put foil in a half-sheetcake pan and lay the bacon on top of the foil. Oven is at 400º. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until it is like you like it. The restaurant put a cooling rack on top of the foil in the half sheetcake pan and laid the bacon on that. The fat drips away onto the foil for a less greasy piece of bacon. They cooked it at 375º for 20 minutes or until it is like you like it. It always gets a little crispier after it has been taken out and cooled.

So easy and the bacon doesn't shrink as much. It is crispy (depending on how long you cook it) but not brittle. Great when you need to do a lot of bacon. You can do it ahead and put it in a roaster to keep warm. This will be my method of choice, no more getting grease popped on me when cooking bacon. Yay.

Try it, you'll like it!

Nana's Sunday Roast

Sunday roast dinner. Growing up I remember this most often on Sunday. I would see Nana in the kitchen before church browning the roast to put in the black roaster pan she got in germany. She had two sizes of that pan. One big and one little. She used the big one most of the time. The inside of that pan was blue I think. Great pans. Her meat choice was a rump roast or a sirloin tip roast. I don't think I ever saw her cook a chuck roast. Most of the time they were rolled up and tied with string. Not so much anymore.

The first time I tried to do a roast for dinner was in Provo, UT my freshman year at BYU. Nana got the phone call (back when it was long distance and expensive). "Mom, how do I start a roast?" She walked me through it and I hung up convinced it would be easy. It was, but I let the oil get too hot and we had a little fire in the pan. Glad my roommate knew to put a lid on it to smother it. Wonder how she knew that? LOL. After the fire drama was over I managed to get the roast in the oven.

Nana's method:
First, salt, pepper a little granulated garlic is nice and rub seasonings into the roast on all sides.



In a frying pan big enough for your roast to sit in, put about 1/4 C. of whatever cooking oil you like. Turn on medium/high heat. Doesn't take long to heat up.



Now brown the roast on all sides. It only needs 30 seconds to a minute,(no more) on each side. This process simply seals in the juices for a more moist roast. Crock pot roasts don't usually need this step but I do it anyway. It seems like it just tastes better.



Place the roast in your pan. Nana always used a little round or oval raised rack to set the roast on in the roaster. This allows the liquid in the pan to get under the roast and keeps it from burning on the bottom. Add a cup or so of water or beef stock or just throw in some bouillon cubes with your water. She always put a peeled onion in at the side of the roast to add flavor. In later years she would add a couple sections of garlic also. Papa likes to eat a little of the roast onion.



Nana would now add a number of peeled carrots around the roast. Carrots take longer than potatoes to cook, so she put them in on the bottom and then after about an hour she would add in peeled potatoes. Just writing this makes me hungry for her tender roast, with roast potatoes and carrots. Such memories.

Set the oven to 325º and roast for 4-6 hours. If you have a meat thermometer the internal temperature should be 160ºF for medium/well. 170ºF for well done.
If you are using the crockpot allow about 8 hours on high for a medium to large roast.
I cut my carrots in half lengthwise for cooking in the crock pot since they have a harder time getting done.

Strawberries, Sour Cream and Brown Sugar

The title says it all, almost. First of all, don't knock it till you've tried it. It has become a family favorite. Thanks to Aunt Charleen for the sweet lady that she was. Without her, we would never have known how good this dessert is. And oh, so simple.

Recently, while on my new obsession Pinterest, I saw where someone had sliced through the strawberries from tip, but not through the stem and filled them with whipped cream. I'm sure they used a bag and cake tip. If you put a little gelatin in with the sour cream you could do the same and stand them up with stems down for a great presentation. They could then be dipped in the brown sugar. This would eliminate the sour cream dish for serving.

Any way you do them, they are wonderful. Enjoy.

The Actual File

Just a little post about Nana's actual recipe file. I know we all have memories of going over to visit and finding her seated at her round table in her little corner working on her recipes. I can even admit that I am guilty of thinking "Oh no, not more recipe talk" as I came in to visit her. I have since repented of such unkind thoughts and have come to appreciate the time she put into making wonderful things for her family, etc. She truly was a perfectionist when it came to the kitchen. She loved researching, developing and perfecting the things she made. The file is enormous as mentioned before. In the effort to put into this blog the things she wanted us to have I, and everyone contributing are striving to put down the things we most remember her for. Obviously, some editing is involved. I don't always include the recipes that seem to be strictly off the food network. They are good recipes, but not the things we remember about Nana. On many, she had notations and had added her input. Those I do include if they are things she made often.




I have since moved her file to a nice wooden box with a drawer in it that came with my desk. It just fits and is a little more sturdy than the cardboard box. I pore over it often to try and find the things we loved from her kitchen.

She was also always open to new recipes from in-laws, friends and extended family. There are recipes from the many cooks in our family that include recipes from other sources. It's all good. I hope this year we can all make an effort to put some more of our favorites, and share some of our memories on this blog. I also hope that if you are looking for a certain recipe, or need to do something special you will call or email me to see if there is something she has in her file that can help. She loved those phone calls and I do too.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

One would not think that making hard boiled eggs was especially difficult, and it's not unless you don't like the ugly gray ring outside the pretty yellow yolk when you don't do it right. I know, because I've had ugly gray rings for many years and never thought about a different way to the method of boiling eggs. Lo and behold, there is a way to have boiled eggs without the gray ring and they are so easy. Nana was making deviled eggs for Easter one year and I noticed how nice the yolks looked. Just yellow in the white. No gray. Since deviled eggs, eggs in potato salad, golden rod eggs and just boiled eggs for eating are such favorites it is nice to know how to do them correctly.


PLACE eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. ADD cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch. HEAT over high heat just to boiling. REMOVE from burner. COVER pan.



LET EGGS STAND in hot water about 12 minutes for large eggs (9 minutes for medium eggs; 15 minutes for extra large).

DRAIN immediately and serve warm. OR, cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water, then REFRIGERATE.





I pulled these next directions off Pinterest. They are pretty much the same as Nana's way, but I liked the way she gets the shells off her eggs:

• 1. Fill a pot with water and set the temp to high. Add desired amount of eggs making sure the water covers the entire egg. Bring it to a boil. DON”T CONTINUE TO BOIL. Once it begins, remove it from the heat and put a lid on it. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
• 2. Ding! Pour the hot water off and immediately fill your pot with cold water. Add as much ice as you can to this water. If it melts in a few minutes, add more. The water should be icy cold when you put your hand in it. If not, continue adding ice.
• 3. After about 10-15 minutes (no set time), pour NEARLY all of the water off reserving about an inch.
• 4. Put the lid on and now it’s time to play bumper cars. You heard me, shake those babies bumping them together back and forth. You’ll look ridiculous, but I promise it’s worth the goofy look so you’re not peeling each one under cold running water. Just continue to shake, shake, shake for about a minute and voila! When you remove the lid nearly all of your shell has fallen off the egg and they EASILY peel off without peeling the egg off.

There you have it. Easy to make, easy to peel.

Chocolate Nutty Delight

I was trying to remember where I was when I got this recipe. I think it was at a baby shower in Okinawa, Japan while we were serving there in the Air Force. I knew right away it was a keeper for our family and it is with us still, some 30 years later. It's just one of those desserts that everyone loves. We have all made this for countless functions and it makes an appearance regularly at family get togethers.

This recipe is for a 9"x13" (regular size) oblong cake pan. *
Preheat oven to 350º.

Crust:

• 1 stick (1/2 C.) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 C. pecans chopped small (Walnuts can be used) (no nuts can be used and it's still good)
  
• 1 C. Flour

In a small bowl, cut flour into softened butter. When the texture is mealy, mix in pecans and turn into a 9x13 pan. Press into bottom of pan and put into oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool.

Cream Cheese Layer:

• 2-8 oz. Cream Cheese softened
• 2 C. Powdered Sugar
• 2 C. Cool Whip or stabilized whipped cream

In a small bowl stir ingredients together until smooth. Mixture should be very easy to pour onto crust. If it is too sticky it will pull up the crust, so be sure and get it about the consistency of cake batter. I soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Spread over cooled crust and refrigerate until cream cheese has firmed up. Food coloring can be added to this layer for seasonal purposes. I usually make this layer green or pink.

Pudding Layer:

• 1 sm. Box Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 1 sm. Box Instant Chocolate Pudding
• 3 C. cold milk

In a medium bowl combine instant puddings and milk. Stir together with a wire whip until smooth. Donʼt wait for pudding to completely thicken in the bowl. Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate.

Whipped Cream Layer:

• 1 Large container cool whip or stablized whipped cream (the non-dairy whipped topping mix in the refrigerated case at Smart & Final works well too)
• Mini chocolate chips or chocolate curls

Spread cream over top of pudding. Sprinkle chocolate chips or chocolate curls to garnish. A grated Hershey with Almonds bar makes a great garnish too. Refrigerate. Serves 12-15

For a Christmas version Candy cane chocolate kisses chopped in the food processor are a yummy addition to the mini-chips or chocolate curls on top.

*If you are doubling this recipe in the big cake pans we love in this family, only do one and a half the recipe for the cream cheese layer.

I have made this in individual servings in clear, plastic 8 oz. cups. I got Pecan Sandie cookies for the crust as they just fit in the bottom of the cups. You could also make several pans of crust and crumble it into the bottoms to keep the recipe more true. I put the cream cheese layer in by loading a pastry bag with it, using a large hole tip. Nana always had large pastry bags around and a wonderful array of tips to choose from. I did the same with the pudding layer and the whipped topping. It made the cutest little parfaits and they are so delicious. A little more work, but serving them was really fun. No cutting and plating and no pan to wash.

Peanut Brittle

Peanut brittle is by far the thing Papa loved about Christmas. He is a peanut brittle man. There is a little store on McKellips Road called the Orange Patch Too. He stops in at this store when he gets a craving for ice cream, as they have a small ice cream counter there. At the ice cream counter are also the fudge, turtles, various chocolates and yep, peanut brittle. Actually, different kinds of brittles are there and it's all tempting. Often Pop would come home from visiting Falcon Field with a small bag of peanut brittle. Nana would make several batches of peanut brittle just to keep on the counter for anyone who might be by, and of course for Papa to snack on.

Butter a 12"x18" (half sheet cake) pan and set aside. A silipat can also be used with great results. A large pizza pan works well also.
In a small mixing bowl combine:

• 1/2 t. Salt
• 2 t. Baking Soda
• 2 t. Vanilla
• Set aside

In a heavy 4 qt. sauce pan combine:

• 3 C. Sugar
• 1 1/4 C. Corn Syrup (light)
• 1 1/4 C. Water

Put on medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a full boil. (about 20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and add:

• 1/2 C. Butter (1 stick) Cut into chunks

Clip on candy thermometer and return to burner. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture reaches 280º or soft crack stage. Add:

• 3 C. raw peanuts

Stirring constantly, bring mixture up to 300º or hard-crack stage. (about 12-14 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in baking soda mixture. Be careful as this will cause steam and you could burn your hand. Pour into prepared pan and cool for 1-2 minutes. Working quickly, begin stretching the brittle from the edges with buttered hands or two forks. As it stretches beyond the pan, allow those pieces to break off and place them on the counter, or onto another silipat. If you turn them upside down, this will cause the peanuts to stay in the middle rather than sink to the bottom of the candy. Continue stretching and pulling off pieces until all the candy has been stretched. Allow to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Panocha (Penuche)

The "blond fudge" Nana would make every year that everyone loves. This and her chocolate fudge were the neighborhood hits every Christmas. Everyone looked forward to her gifts from the kitchen especially when they came in round take-out containers with a bow on the lid.

• 2 C. Whipping Cream
• 1 T. Corn Syrup (light)
• 2 C. Sugar
• 1 C. Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
• 3 T. Butter
• 1/2 C. White Compound Coating* (or white chocolate chips)
• 1 1/2 C. Nuts (usually pecans or walnuts, but up to you)

Butter an 8"x8" pan and set aside. In a heavy 4 qt. sauce pan combine cream, corn syrup and sugars. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush if sugar crystals on present. Clip on candy thermometer and cook stirring occasionally to 238º, or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat. Without stirring add butter. Set aside until it cools to 210º. Without stirring add white chocolate chips. Let stand 1 minute. Add nuts and stir with wooden spoon until smooth. Candy should be thick and creamy. Scrape into prepared, buttered pan. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Cut into squares. Store in a cool dry place. Can be refrigerated.

*Compound coating is a vegetable oil base rather than a cocoa butter base.

Caramels

I'm into Nana's files for Christmas candies she has made and found some good caramel recipes. She taught me to make them too, long ago. It's been awhile. A long while. I did put the nuts in my batch, but next time I make them I won't. I don't like the texture as well, and I really just like the caramel part anyway. Again, personal preference. I didn't have the right size pan, so put them in this dish. Some of my caramels have curved edges, but they still taste just the same.

• 2 C. Light Corn Syrup
• 1 (12-14 oz. can) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 1/2 C. Milk
• 1 C. Whipping Cream
• 1 C. (two sticks) Butter
• 4 C. Sugar
• 2 t. Vanilla
• 2 C. Nuts (optional)

Butter a 9" x 13" baking pan. Glass is best, or maybe a non-stick kind. Set aside.
In a heavy 6 quart pan, combine first six ingredients. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until mixture comes to a boil. If you have sugar crystals on the side, brush the sides down with a wet pastry brush.

Clip on a candy thermometer. Cook, stirring constantly now to 240º, or a soft-ball stage. If you don't stir it now, it will stick to the bottom and burn. The stirring is important. Kind of a lazy stir that keeps the bottom in motion. Once it has reached 240º, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and nuts (if you are using nuts). Pour into prepared pan without scraping sides. Allow to stand at room temperature overnight. 24 hours is good. Turn out onto cutting board and cut into 1" squares or rectangles. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and put into air-tight container. Can also be dipped into dipping chocolate for an even more decadent treat. Makes about 110 pieces.



I made a mistake and got regular evaporated milk instead of the sweetened condensed. Duh, I know, right? The recipe still worked, but took a long time to reach the soft-ball stage. The texture is a little different too. I'm sure if I do it again with the right ingredients they will be fabulous! They still taste good, they just aren't the ones I remember. You live, you learn. The people I give them to this Christmas will like them just the same.

Golden Good Caramels

This recipe is like the one Nana made long ago when we lived on Allen Circle. Our neighbors, the Sherwoods in the next circle over had milk cows and we would get our milk from them. We would go through the rosebushes in the back yard, over to their carport where they had two refrigerators. We would sign the clip-board on top of one of the fridges as to how many gallons we were taking, reach inside for a glass, gallon jar of milk. I loved that milk. No hormones, no crazy processes, just milk from the cow. Nana would sometimes skim the cream off the top and save it to make various goodies. Ice cream in the summer and candies in the fall. Caramels were one of my favorites. Another neighbor, Theresa Robinson had a great recipe for the most delicious caramels and that is the one Nana used. I have looked in her file for a reference to that recipe, but none of them say Theresa's caramels. This recipe is the most like that one of long ago.

• 2 C. Whipping Cream
• 1/2 C. Milk
• 1 1/4 C. Light Corn Syrup
• 2 C. Sugar
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1/2 C. Evaporated Milk
• 1 t. Vanilla

Butter an 8" square baking pan. Set aside. In a 4 cup glass measure combine cream and milk. In a heavy 4 qt. sauce pan combine 1/3 of the cream/milk mixture, corn syrup, sugar and salt. Place over low heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. When mixture comes to a boil, stir occasionally for about 30 minutes until it turns a light tan color. Clip cany thermometer on and increase the heat to medium. Without stopping the boiling action slowly pour in 1/2 of the remaining cream/milk. Stirring constantly now, cook for 15 minutes. Slowly pour in the rest of the cream/milk and the evaporated milk. When temperature reaches 245º, or firm ball stage remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Without scraping, pour mixture into prepared baking pan and allow to set at room temperature overnight. Turn out onto cutting board and cut into squares. Wrap in wax paper and store at room temperature. Makes about 50 pieces.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

Been wanting to try this ever since I found it on LDS Living. I sent it to Taya to try and their family loved it. Made it last night and Grumpy says it's a keeper.
Would easily feed 8.

• 1/2 C. Butter
• 2-3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1/2 C. Flour
• 5 C. Milk (skim is fine, I used half cream)
• 1 Qt. Chicken stock
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 6 Medium baked potatoes, baked and still warm if possible. ( I would use potato pearls or potato flakes in the interest of time and texture)
• 2 C. Swiss cheese, shredded
• 2 C. Chicken, cooked and shredded (rotisserie would be awesome) Even better would be chicken pieces, bitesize and pan sauteed in butter.
• 2 C. Ham, diced (I used sliced lunch ham I needed to use up. I would love a Costco ham steak diced for a chunkier texture though)
• Parsley flakes (a few just for fun)

In a mixing bowl pour about 2 cups of the milk. Add the flour little at a time stirring constantly with a whisk. When all the flour is in, add about a teaspoon of salt and pepper if you like it. Set aside.

In a large stock pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onion and let cook until nice and browned (caramelized). Stir frequently so there's no burning. Add half the chicken stock and heat through. Pour in the flour mixture stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When the mixture is all in, allow the pot to come to a boil. Once there, add the rest of the chicken stock and milk. Allow to heat through stirring occasionally so avoid burning on the bottom. Allow to return to a simmer and soup will thicken. If you like a really thick chowder type soup it should be there. If you want it a bit thinner, add more chicken stock or water. If it isn't thick enough for you, add a bit more flour & milk mixture, but you must make sure the soup comes to a simmer or you will taste the flour.

Now the soup is heated through and is just at a low boil, or simmer. Turn the heat down to medium low and add the flesh of the baked potatoes. If you are using a potato flake product, add the flakes and enough milk or water to make the mixture more soup like. Once you have the consistency the way you like it, throw a few parsley flakes in for color, add your chicken, ham, and cheese. Allow to simmer for about 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Great served with garlic toast, or crackers. A side salad would be excellent and it's a fine dinner.

To reheat for leftovers, you may have to thin with milk, chicken stock or water.

Yummy on these cold days we're having right now.