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.

Sherry's Chicken Salad

This is a recipe I got from a friend and then tweaked it my way. We have taken this yummy sandwich filling to the lake countless times, to the dunes, made it for wedding showers, wedding receptions, baby showers, and many and varied luncheons. It is a crowd pleaser and we have enjoyed it well.

Quantities are just guidelines as we all have our personal tastes. I will try to estimate, but just make it to your taste.

• 10 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

In a large pot, put about a quart of water. Rinse the chicken off and put into pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat a little. Let it simmer on a low boil for about an hour so you know the inside gets done. Remove from heat. Take the chicken out and put in a colander to drain. (This way you can save your chicken stock if you need some) If you have a Bosch, put on the wire whips and put one chicken breast in the bowl. Hit the moment speed a few times. Add a couple more breasts and repeat. You can do about 5 breasts before you have to empty the bowl. (I put the chicken in ziplocks to cool). Try not to get it too fine, chunkier is better. Repeat until all the breasts are shredded. This only works if the chicken is hot. Once it cools it is too dense and will damage your wire whips and your Bosch. Pretty amazing though - I love doing this.

After chicken has cooled put it in a large bowl. Add in:

• 4 C. shredded Cheese (I use longhorn or Colby) I like the fine grate, but regular works well too.
• 2 Bunches chopped Green Onions (just the green part)
• 1 C. diced Celery (this is optional as some my family hates celery)
• 1 Can (around 14 ozs) Dole Pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple (drained) Do not use fresh pineapple. Found out the hard way the acids react to the chicken badly. Very badly.
• 1 large Bunch Red Seedless Grapes (cut in half lengthwise). We like a lot of grapes, so this is definitely personal preference on quantity.

Mix well.
In a medium mixing bowl combine:

• 4 C. Mayonaise
• 1 T. Salt
• 1 t. Granulated Garlic
• 1 1/2 t. Curry Powder
• Pepper if you like it, but not much

Pour over chicken mixture. Work into mixture thoroughly. Consistency should be loose with enough mayo, not compacted. You may need to add more mayo to get the right consistency. Refrigerate overnight and let the flavors combine. When you get it out to use it, you may have to loosen it up. A little more mayo maybe thinned with a bit of milk or cream works well.

Serve in croissants, on your favorite bread, or just in a bowl on a bed of lettuce.

The quantity above will serve a family, plus. When I do this recipe for the smaller cocktail size croissants, I plan a regular size ice cream scoop for a serving size. You can get about 50 servings from this quantity.

Nana's Roast Turkey

Nana always made such delicious turkeys. And not always for the holidays. We used to laugh that Papa was a true turkey junkie. He does love a good turkey. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure Nana was up early getting the turkey prepped for roasting. I remember big roasting pans in the oven, and then when they were available to buy, roasters on the counter that freed up the oven for other things. She would shop for a Butterball turkey most years, but then decided there were other brands that did just fine too. As the turkey sales became more competitive, she would get a great deal on more than one, so she would have one in the freezer for sometime. I know she made turkey dinner on Father's Day now and then because of Papa's addiction to a good turkey. (and dressing, etc.) She also decided the 12-16 lb. turkeys were more tender, so she would roast 2 smaller ones as opposed to the traditional 20 pounder. Any left-over turkey that was not consumed in a couple of days went into her famous pot-pies. She would make up several small pot pies and freeze them. They were so very good. Another of Pop's favorites.

Nan's tricks of perfecting her prep evolved over the years and became the following:
The night before she would mix up a brine recipe and get the turkey into it overnight. There are lots of brine recipes to choose from. Hers was just a simple brine.

For about a 16 lb. Turkey

• 1 C. kosher salt
• 1/2 C. Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Gallon Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock), or water.
• 1 T. black peppercorns
• 1/2 gallon ice water (more if needed).

Combine all brine ingredients (except the ice water) in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat. Cool to room temp and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

There are brining bags available at the store which make it much easier. Follow manufacturer's direction on amount of liquid content for the bag. A five-gallon bucket can be used if you have no bag. Place turkey in bag or bucket and pour the cooled brine mixture in. Add enough ice water to cover turkey and place in the refrigerator, or if it is cold enough, in the garage maybe. Needs at least 6 hours to brine well.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Pat the bird dry with paper towels. Stuff with your favorite dressing recipe, or add aromatics to the cavity. Loosen the skin on the breast of the bird. Do not remove the skin, just loosen it from the breast meat so you can get your fingers in-between the skin and the meat. Nana would make a paste of softened butter, a little flour, salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic. She would then work the paste between the skin and the meat. Then she would rub any left on the outside of the skin over the breast. In the early days she would then put tin foil over the breast before putting it in the oven. When the counter top roasters were on the scene, the foil didn't matter anymore. Even better are the Reynold roasting bags that she used even in the counter-top roasters. No more basting. The bags hold the juices and make clean up even easier. Roast at lower temps (200 or 250) for a longer amount of time, or at 350 for a shorter time. Use a table for temp/pounds of meat to determine cooking time. The counter top roasters usually get the birds done in less time. A meat thermometer is good also. 161º inside meat temp is recommended.

Turkey should rest for about 15 minutes after removing from the roaster before carving.

Some aromatics for the cavity if you are not stuffing with dressing:

A peeled onion and some garlic cloves are the simplest.

Nana found this recipe online and wrote her additions and tweaks to it:

• 1 Red Apple, sliced
• 1 Onion, sliced
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 C. Water
• 5 Sage leaves
• 2-3 Sprigs Rosemary
• Vegetable Oil

In a saucepan combine first four ingredients. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to steep until cool. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Coat the whole bird with vegetable oil for a really brown turkey.

Nana's Turkey Dressing

I wanted to get Nana's recipe for dressing on here as I see there is nothing posted for the hallowed holiday of Thanksgiving.

Nana's Simple Dressing

1 Box cornbread croutons (or cornbread made ahead, broken up and dried out) Nana was good to make her cornbread ahead of time. We would have soup or beans and cornbread about a week before Thanksgiving. She would then break up the cornbread and put it into large bowls to begin drying out. You have to stir it up once in a while so it all dries and doesn't mold in the bottom.

Other breads she would dry out to make a good combination for the whole were:
a bakery white bread
a bakery wheat bread
some leftover hotdog or hamburger buns
or leftover rolls.

A few days ahead she would break it all up (about the size of large croutons) in a big metal bowl to start drying out. If it wasn't dried enough by the day before she would put it in the oven on 200ºF. Stir often so it drys uniformly. Should be like croutons when done.

1 Cup chopped celery. She always pulled the strings down the backs and even scraped the backs a little (to take the bitterness out), sliced it lengthwise and then across for a good dice.

2-3 Chicken Breasts. Nana got to where she didn't like to boil the neck, and innards of the turkey to dice up for the dressing. She started boiling a chicken breast or two to put in the dressing instead. Much more convenient and then the kids don't think you are putting weird stuff in the dressing. When cooled dice and save the water (now chicken stock) for later.

1 Large Onion. Also diced rather small. Green onions can be added also if your family likes them.

3-4 Cloves Fresh Garlic. (optional) I added this as my family likes garlic.

2 T. Poultry Seasoning
Butter (at least 3 sticks)
Salt and Pepper
Eggs
Chicken Broth or Water

All measurements are guidelines. More or less of anything is just personal preference. I never saw her measure anything in this process. It was mostly a tried and true combination of quantities that went into each batch through the years.

In a really big bowl combine all the dried breads. It looks like a lot, but it does "cook down" and gets less volume as the eggs and broth or water is added. Put in the onions, green onions, garlic (if you are using it), celery, diced chicken breasts, and salt and pepper. Mix it all up well.

Now dice up at least 1 stick of butter (I use two) and add it to the mix in the bowl. Take a couple of eggs and slightly beat them before adding them to mix. Kind of getting a moister consistency now. Add in some chicken broth or stock. She would add about a cup at first and then more by small increments until she got it to the consistency she liked. It should be crumbly still, but if pressed together would stay a little. She made it a little on the dry side at first knowing that once in the turkey it would absorb the juices as the turkey cooked. She would stuff the turkey loosely so it wasn't so packed in and had a little room. After the turkey was stuffed she would add a little more stock to it for a moister consistency and put into a sprayed or buttered casserole dish for baking later. She would dot the top with more diced butter. After all, it is mostly bread and butter, right? She would bake covered at 350º for about an hour. We all looked so forward to her wonderful dressing. It was better than the turkey, or the potatoes. I do love dressing.



This is sadly the only picture I have of our Thanksgiving prep this year. Or any year. I don't remember to get the camera out while doing the prep, probably because my hands are doing the prep! This is what it looks like in the drier state before stuffing the turkey. It is moister looking (and feeling) after more stock is added for the pan dressing.

Chicken Poblano Soup

Found this wonderful soup recipe on the LDS Living (Magazine) site. They do a contest every year for the best soup recipe and this year's winner is this tasty soup by Wendy Stock from New Mexico. I made the recipe as she wrote it and have put my ideas in as well.

Chicken Poblano Soup

The advance prep ingredients:
1 Roasted Chicken (I used 3 boneless, skinless breasts)
3 Poblano peppers, veined, seeded, and diced
2 cups cooked rice (I put a little chicken bouillon in with the water in my rice cooker)



Roasting the chiles in the oven on Broil-Hi (top rack about 4-6 inches from the top element). Turn the chiles over to ensure a good blistering on all sides. After roasting, pull the foil around to completely enclose and let sit for about an hour. This sweats the skins loose. I cut around the tops and pulled out the seed pod and veins. Then I hold the chile under cold running water and remove the blackened skins. Now they are ready for dicing. You can also roast them on a BBQ or gas stove burner. Just check the internet for how to roast chile peppers. These chiles are very mild. I will probably add in some green chiles for some more hot in the future. I like Hatch chiles too. The Orange Patch in Mesa gets them in once a year, already roasted and ready to skin. They freeze well and are wonderful.





I had chicken breasts, so I put them in the oven for 45 minutes covered and then took the foil off for 30 minutes so they would brown a little. Left-over Lipton chicken (I make that for dinner on Sundays often) would work well here, or even chicken bottled in the pantry. I'm going to try a rotisserie chicken next time.



The rice is in the rice cooker, and I assembled the rest of the ingredients. (not all pictured) Once the chicken, chiles and rice were done, the rest went pretty fast.

In a large saucepan, or a medium stock pot combine:

1/4 C. Olive Oil
1/2 t. Cumin
1/2 t. Thyme
1 T. Chicken Bouillon
salt and pepper to taste
Mix well.
Add:
1/2 Bunch Cilantro (pull off the leaves and discard the stems). Chop as fine as you like.
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
2 C. Carrots (diced or chopped) About 2 carrots depending on size.
The diced poblano chiles

Place pan over medium heat.
Stir often and cook until onions begin to carmelize and the carrots are tender.
(I had to add a tiny bit of water to allow the veggies to steam a little and not burn)



Next add:
3 Quarts Chicken Broth (or Chicken Stock)
1/4 C. Butter (1/2 a stick)
1/4 C. Flour
I mixed the flour with a little of the chicken broth so it wouldn't lump. You could also use cornstarch in place of the flour.
Stir all together.

With two forks pull the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the soup.

Last, stir in:
2 C. Cooked Rice
1 sm. Bag Frozen Corn

The little tortilla strips available at most stores now would be good garnish. I will most likely use at least 1 more quart of chicken stock for a more brothy soup. So good. Grumpy and I had this last night and it was fabulous.

Nana's Creamy Icing

Nana's small version of the recipe she used to make for all those wonderful wedding cakes she made. It does well in the fridge and freezer and she used to keep some on hand all the time to do a birthday cake, cupcakes, etc. so she didn't have to make it up every time she wanted to make something a little special. She always said to use cane powdered sugar rather than sugar beet kind. Her reason was that the cane sugar dissolved well and the sugar beet sugar seemed to have little lumps in it and they would clog her decorating tips. She also used Watkins brand vanilla as she liked a real vanilla. I know Shar's carries this brand in both the brown vanilla and the white vanilla. Good tasting icing and easy to decorate with.

Creamy Icing

1/2 C. Water

3/4 C. Sugar

4 egg whites

10 C. Powdered Sugar

2 2/3 C. Crisco

2 t. Vanilla

In a saucepan combine the water and the sugar and bring to a boil for 1 minute, or until the mixture is clear.

Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl (your K5 bowl if you have a KitchenAid) using the wire whip attachment beat the egg white slightly to break them up. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have about 4 cups in the bowl. Now start alternating the cooled sugar water (simple syrup) and powdered sugar into the bowl until all the water and powdered sugar are in. Mixture should be a nice creamy texture.

Add in the Crisco and the Vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. 

Cover with a lid until it is used. Will keep quite a while in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. 

Nana's Good, Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

To add to the Chocolate Chip Cookie collection is of course Nana's recipe that she made all the time. She loved to bake and would always have some kind of treat around for snacking on. I know Papa loves these cookies too.

In the K-5 bowl with the batter or whipping attachment cream together:

1 C. (2 sticks) butter

1 C. shortening

2 C. brown sugar packed

1 C. sugar

4 eggs (add one at a time)

3 T. corn syrup (light Karo)

4 T. water

2 t. vanilla

In a separate bowl whisk together:

5 1/2 C. flour (bread flour can be used as the high gluten content makes for softer cookies).

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

Change attachment to the dough hook and gradually add in the flour mixture until all is just moist.

Fold in:

6 C. (3 12oz. packages total) Chocolate Chips (Nana liked the milk chocolate kind) or part Chocolate Chunks.

1-2 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

Drop by a small ice cream scoop (cookie scoop) and flatten a little onto ungreased baking sheets. Nana favored baking parchment so cookies never stuck. Silpats work well too. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheets for a couple of minutes and then remove to a wire cooling rack. When just cool, put in ziplock gallon bags, or other airtight container to keep fresh. 

Yeild: about 6 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies–Ghirardelli Style

I am posting the tried and true recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies from the makers of our favorite chocolate chips. Ghirardelli, Nestle, Hershey, they are all good. Some of us like semi-sweet, some milk chocolate, some white chocolate, but they all make great cookies. 

Here is the Ghirardelli recipe for cookies:

Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dry

2 1/4 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Mix together in a bowl and set aside

Wet

Cream together on medium speed:

1 C. butter, softened

3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar, packed

Add to mixture on low speed:

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla

Change to dough hook, or cookie paddles and gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture.

Stir in:

2 C. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 C. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Drop by tablespoon or cookie scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets. Parchment or silpats are a good choice too. 

Preheat oven to 375º (I don't bake my cookies that high, usually 360º as I like the middles done and not doughy.)

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. 

Yeild: about 4 dozen

Chocolate Chip Cookies–Nestle Toll House Style

This recipe is almost exactly like the Ghirardelli one. This is the one I grew up making and love, love, love it. Nana later refined and perfected her Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but this one works well too. She always made her cookies in her KitchenAid K-5, so the instructions are for that method.

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dry ingredients:

2 1/4 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Whisk together in a bowl and set aside.

With the batter or whipping attachment cream together on medium speed:

1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 C. granulated sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar (packed)

On low speed add:

2 large eggs (one at a time)

1 t. vanilla extract

Change the attachment to the dough hook and gradually add in the dry ingredients until all mixed together.

Stir in:

2 C. (12 oz.) Nestle Toll House Semi-sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 C. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Parchment or silpats work wonderfully for never stick to the pan cookies.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Yeild: about 5 dozen.

For high altitude (5,200 feet); increase flour to 2 1/2 C. Add 2 t. water with flour and reduce both granulated and brown sugar to 2/3 C. each. Bake drop cookies for 8-10 minutes.

Strawberry/Citrus Salad

This is the same crazy good Spinach Salad that came to Lacy's Bridal Shower and Wedding. Malea found it, made it and we are all addicts now.

Spinach Salad

1  head of lettuce

1 bunch or bag of spinach (preferably baby)

3/4 lb. of sliced mushrooms

3/4 lb. of grated swiss cheese

1 red onion, diced

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

sliced strawberries (up to you how many)

In a frying pan combine:

1/2 c. sliced almonds

3 T. sugar

Cook sugar and almonds over low heat until almonds are golden brown. Watch closely as the sugar will liquefy and can burn fast. Spread on wax paper or silpat to cool.

When almonds are cool toss into salad greens.

Dressing:

3/4 T. poppy seeds

1/3 C. white sugar

3/4 C. olive oil or veg. oil

1  T. grated onion

1 t. salt

3/4 C. vinegar, apple cider kind is fine

2 T. prepared mustard

Blend ingredients in blender and pour over salad right before serving.

Valentine Sugar Cookies

Such a good recipe. A great find on the the internet. Nana did not have a tried and true sugar cookie recipe in her file, but had one from the food network, so I will post that one also. Meanwhile this recipe makes soft, moist sugar cookies that are so good. The dough holds its shape well too, so if you are using big cookie cutters, they don't break trying to put them on the cookie sheet to bake. I did use a spatula to help and it worked great. 

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 C. Sour Cream

2 C. Sugar

1 C. Shortening

4 Eggs

1 t. Vanilla

6 C. Flour

3 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Baking Soda

1 t. Salt

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients until everything is well mixed. Let the dough chill for about 15 minutes.

Form dough into small balls, or use fun cookie cutters. When rolling dough, use a floured surface and dough should be rolled to about a 1/4" thick. 

Bake until LIGHT golden brown - no more than about 10 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, they may seem underdone, but they aren't. Just let them cool on the pan and you will find that they are perfectly soft and moist. I baked mine on a silpat for 11 minutes as they were on the large side. If you prefer sugar cookies that are a little crunchier, just bake them a little longer and maybe roll your dough a tad thinner.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

This recipe is one Nana found from the Food Network. She had a great eye for good recipes, so this one will not disappoint I'm sure. 

1 C. Butter (unsalted)

1 C. White Sugar

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

1 t. Vanilla

3 C. Flour

2 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Salt

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and vanilla. In a second bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture about a cup at a time. Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.

Roll out dough to about 1/4" thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. You might want to leave out this process if you are going to frost your cookies. Bake on parchment lined sheet pans, or on a silpat. Oven should be preheated to 350º. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Remove from sheet pans to a rack to cool completely. 

Walnut Chicken Salad

Another of Nana's sandwich spreads from her wedding catering days. People loved her little sandwiches because the fillings were so yummy. 

1 Whole Chicken (cooked and diced)
or 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

cooked and diced

1 C. Celery (chopped)

1 C. Walnuts (chopped)

2 T. Diced Pimentos

1/4 C. Dill Pickle Relish

Salt & Pepper

1 C. Mayonaise (approximate measure)

Sour Cream (optional)

If you love cheese you can always add grated cheese to this recipe. 

She never made it with cheese as it just made it more expensive to make. 

In a mixing bowl combine chicken, celery, nuts, and pimento. Toss until well blended.

In a smaller bowl combine mayo, pickle relish, salt & pepper maybe a little sour cream and a sprinkle of pickle juice. Stir with a wire whip until blended. Pour over chicken and mix well. Adjust mayo and ingredients to taste. Good to make ahead as flavors will marry well. If spread needs to be loosened up, use more mayo or sour cream until the consistency is good. 

Great on different breads, Nana would use pullman loaves sliced lengthwise instead of the normal crosswise slices to make her wedding sandwiches. She would put a long wheat slice down, put on the spread and top it with a long white slice. Then the crusts were cut off all four sides. Then she would cut it in half lengthwise and pull the left half up slightly taller than the right. Now she would take the electric knife and cut diagonally across both sides making the sandwiches have diamond shapes. I remember cutting so many sandwiches once I lost feeling in my thumb and index finger for a few days. I can't even imagine trying to do it without an electric knife. 

Green Chile Cheese Pimento

Nana's cheese filling for the "little sandwiches" at wedding receptions and luncheons. It is addicting and certain people have been known to just eat it with a spoon. Here it is from her files…

2 lbs. cheese (long horn, cheddar, nothing too sharp)
1/2 small jar diced pimentos
1 small can diced green chiles
1/2 t. tobasco or other hot sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder (optional)
mayonaise
pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Shred cheese with a regular size grate. The fine shred is too fine. In a large bowl toss cheese, pimentos and diced green chiles. In a small bowl mix about 1 1/2 C. mayonaise with the hot sauce and if you wish the garlic powder. Add about 1/4 C. dill pickle juice and blend well. Pour over cheese mixture and mix well. The mayo and pickle juice measurements are pure speculation. I just put in what I think, taste it and decide if it needs more of anything. Salt and pepper to taste. I don't add any pepper and rarely add any salt. Best if made the day before your planned use so flavors can blend well. Often the cheese will sort of "soak up" some of the moisture. To loosen up the mixture to spread on sandwiches, or to use as a dip for crackers just add some pickle juice, or maybe some cream or half & half. Even a little more mayo will sometimes do the trick. Up to you.

The Best Potato Soup Ever!

One of the family favs, I need to give Aunt Leslee credit. Her home is forever open to guests, she is the ultimate hostess. There is always something on the stove or in the fridge for whoever is there and is hungry. She made a big batch of this wonderful soup when we were up there visiting one fall and I had to call her later for this soup recipe. She said she got it from a church cookbook, but had a few alterations all her own. I bought the book and copied down her way. I just made a few gallons of it for Lacy's wedding and everyone seemed to like it, so here is the recipe tried and true.

12 medium potatoes
1 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. butter or margarine
2 C. cream
3 C. milk
1 T. salt
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, finely sliced
1 pound bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel and quarter potatoes and place in a large pot. Fill pot with water just to cover potatoes. Put on lid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Saute chopped onions and butter or margarine until onions are tender and browned. Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Add cream and stir together. Mash potatoes until mixture is smooth. Stir in milk, salt and onion/butter mixture. Return pot to stove and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully to avoid scorching. Turn down heat if necessary. Use cheese, green onion and bacon for topping each bowl as it is served. Makes about 12 cups.

Leslee's way:
just peel a couple of potatoes and saute with the onion and butter until tender. Make a couple of packages of the mashed potato flakes (of course with more water or milk for a soup consistency) in a large pot. Add chunky potatoes/onion/butter mixture to pot and add the rest of the ingredients. more cream=thicker soup. more water = thinner soup. I think Leslee puts the green onions, and the bacon into the soup. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, more bacon crumbles, whatever. The bacon bits from Hormel/costco are just fine.

Sherry's speedy for a large crowd way:
Get 1 package (per Gallon of soup you are making) Ore-Ida diced (hash browns) frozen potatoes. NOT the O'Brian kind, just plain. Saute the onions in the butter until tender. Add a little more butter to the pan and saute the hashbrowns just a tad. Not to full browned state, just tender. Then follow the rest of Leslee's way and the soup is delicious and pretty quick. When boiling the water for the potato flakes, you can substitute chicken broth for more flavor.

Broccoli Cheese Chicken

I tried this recipe out last week and everyone liked it. I remember Stacie making this for her family in years past and thought it would be a good menu item. I followed Stacie's recipe except I didn't grill the chicken (no guys were home and I don't know how to grill), and I used fresh broccoli because I didn't have the frozen kind. Oh, and I at least doubled the recipe (and maybe a little more) because we like leftovers for lunches.



Getting the chicken ready to saute. I probably should have cut the chicken up a little smaller, but it was good anyway. I used the wonderful garlic infused oil I got from Bob and Syd. The chicken was pretty darn good just on it's own. Very tasty.

1 cube butter
1 med. onion, diced
1 10 oz. pkg. chopped broccoli
1 1/2 C. uncooked minute rice (don't use regular rice!)
1 c. diced, cooked chicken (grilled is best)
1 c. milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. velveeta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
 
Saute onion in butter, then mix in broccoli and rice till coated with butter.  Add remaining ingredients, except chicken, and stir till cheese has completely melted.  Add chicken.  Put into lightly greased casserole dish and bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Some more of the ingredients as I got ready to put this all together.




I took the chicken out and set it aside after it was done.



I grew out of the pan, so after I knew the rice and the broccoli were well coated with butter, and the velveeta was melted, I transferred it all to a big bowl. Then I mixed in the soup and milk until everything was well mixed and then transferred it all to a baking dish.



We all loved the casserole. I think I might try it with real cheese next time, and top it off with a scant layer of cheese because I am not a huge fan of velveeta. And for Grumpy and I, I will not increase the recipe. It would be plenty just the way it is for us.

After talking to Summer, we think either buttered bread crumbs or maybe even crushed up canned french fried onions would be good on top.

Really a good dish for big families too. The broccoli was awesome, and we liked the chicken sauteed too. I really should learn to grill one of these days.

The All Time Favorite…Mac & Cheese

I remember when Grumpy and I were dating and I decided to make him dinner. I asked him what he wanted to eat and he said Macaroni and Cheese. I was pretty shocked, but went and got a couple of boxes of Macaroni and Cheese. When he arrived for dinner and saw I had made boxed mac & cheese he was very rudely amused. I asked him what he expected and he said you know - cook the noodles and make a sauce and it goes in a casserole pan to be baked in the oven. I didn't know these things as we never had mac & cheese at our house. (Papa was not a fan of pasta dishes in those days). So I decided to learn to make "real" mac & cheese. Found a recipe for a basic cheese sauce and came up with one of our families favorite comfort foods. It is the number 1 requested item for birthday dinners, hands down. I will be making this for Ryker on Sunday for his birthday dinner, so thought I would post the how to. I no longer use a recipe, so went online to find a basic cheese sauce recipe and tweaked it to be what I do. I usually make Mac & Cheese in an oversized casserole pan, like a lasagna pan as leftovers are never a problem. 

Fill your baking pan up to a generous half full of your dry macaroni. Regular size elbow roni works, but we have found we like the larger elbow roni pasta. Put your water on to boil and pour a little olive oil in it. Boil the noodles until tender. Remove from heat and rinse throughly in cool water. Return noodles to your large pasta cooker, or put them in a large bowl. Set aside. 

Make the Cheese sauce. The recipe below will make enough for a normal 9x9 cake pan size. Adjust the quantities according to the size pan you are making.

Basic Cheese Sauce Recipe 

Yield 2 Cups (I double this and then some for our large pans of Mac & Cheese)

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated mild Cheddar Cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended. If you want a thicker sauce increase flour, if a thinner sauce is required add more milk
Makes 2 cups. I always put in a bit more cheese than called for. I like a cheesy sauce. 

Pour Sauce over noodles and mix well. If the sauce is fairly thick, I sometimes add a little water to get it consistency I like to bake. Spray your baking dish with Pam or some kind of cooking spray. I put half the noodles in the pan and layer a generous amount of grated cheese on top. The rest of the noodles go in and a really generous layer of cheese tops it off. Bake at 350º uncovered for about 30 minutes. I sometimes let it bake a little longer to get a lightly browned, crispier cheese on top. 

The other shocker that night at dinner long ago with Grumpy was to find that he liked ketchup on his mac & cheese. I couldn't fathom that, but then again don't knock it 'til you try it. I have grown very attached to my ketchup and roni. All our kids and many of our grandkids are fellow addicts. Grumpy graduated to salsa instead of ketchup which is not bad, but I like the ketchup still. 

Of course we must have frozen peas with Mac & Cheese because that is just how it's done. Still and forever I suppose. Nana used to like to come over and eat when I made this. I think even Papa Kanaga likes this now. Gramma Dorothy still makes her version (the one she grew her family up on) of Mac & Cheese for the many times she takes dinner in to people. I'm happy I get to make this for Ryker, and all the other grandkids who love their Mac & Cheese. 

Chocolate Icing - Simple and Sweet

I am going to write out the recipe for Nana's Chocolate Cake icing.  Freaks that we are, we love this icing on a german chocolate cake (or a milk chocolate cake; not so much anything dark chocolate), put the cake into a glass and pour milk over it.  Scoop it up with a spoon for a little bit of heaven.  Hey, don't knock it if you haven't tried it.  It's kind of like a chocolate cake milk shake, only not as cold as ice cream. It is something my Dad brought to the marriage. Cake in milk. Who'ave thought?

I guess you could be boring and eat it on a plate with a glass of milk, but now you have to wash two things instead one.  Here goes:

4 T. butter or margarine (the stick kind)

4 T. Hershey's cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla

powdered sugar

a little bit of milk

In a saucepan ( on low heat) melt the butter and stir in the powdered cocoa until dissolved.  Add vanilla and maybe 2 T. milk.  Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar until dissolved and creamy.  Keep adding powdered sugar and milk until you have enough to frost your cake and it is thick and creamy. I learned the hard way to remove the pan from heat while mixing the milk and the sugar.  Only put it on the heat long enough to melt the sugar into the mixture now and then.  If the mixture gets too hot it will set up like concrete and you will have to use a jack hammer to eat it.  (Yes, it was embarrassing when I did that very thing, and took it on a picnic to impress a date.)  I usually double the above quantities for a two cake mix cake in a long pan.  The measurements are just a guideline, you can use more butter or vanilla to taste.  It take less than a quarter cup of milk total to almost a whole poly bag of powdered sugar.  

Variation: If you make it without the chocolate in it, it is great icing for sugar cookies.  You may have to warm it up a little as you ice the cookies to maintain a good spreading consistency.  Of course you can color it any color for this.

I know Nana used to sometimes make up a small batch of this chocolate frosting and put it between graham crackers or vanilla wafers for a treat for the kids/grandkids. Of course there were always "dibs" on licking the pan, the spoon, spatula, whatever.

It's not hard to make, just takes a time or two to get the hang of it. Lick the spoon, the pan - Gotta love it

Nana's Fried Chicken

Ahhhh, Nana's fried chicken. So many memories of her wonderful fried chicken. I remember her old square sunbeam electric frying pan. She would pack it up, along with potato salad, chocolate cake, and some bread and off we would go to cook lunch at the barn for Papa when he was farming in Queen Creek. Everything went on a table he had up in the barn and she would fry chicken. When it was done, she would make her wonderful chicken gravy and we would tear up a piece of bread and put that milk gravy over the top. Holidays like the 4th of July, Easter, Father's Day, etc. were often fried chicken with all the trimmings. She made awesome mashed potatoes too. I made fried chicken today for our house full of sickies. It is the second most often requested birthday dinner from the grandkids. I found myself thinking of Nana's advice when I was learning how to make fried chicken, so I thought I would post her tried and true method.

She would start with a cut up frying chicken. We most often use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I still think chicken tastes better when I do it with the bones in it. She would do a whole batch of legs once in while as Papa really likes dark meat.

Of course the chicken was always washed clean and salted and peppered. Then she would get out a paper sack, put about a cup of flour in it and drop a few chicken pieces in it. Gather up the top of the sack, and shake it a few times. Now coated in flour, put it in a skillet with some hot oil in it. I now use extra virgin olive oil, Crisco Vegetable Oil, or whatever else you like will do. I put the heat on medium and let it heat up before putting the chicken in. I also use a bowl with flour in it, or even a ziplock to dredge the chicken in as paper sacks are hard to come by these days. I occasionally put a little powdered garlic in with the flour for our tastes.

Nana always said to brown the chicken light brown on both sides and then put a lid on the skillet so the inside of the chicken would get done. I assume the steam created by the lid on would cook the chicken through. Don't put it all the way on the pan though. Set it cock-eyed so there is still air getting into the pan. If the lid goes all the way on, too much steam is created and the crusty part of the chicken comes off in the pan leaving you with naked fried chicken. Not good. As she acquired good pans, she moved from the electric skillets to a good stainless steel frying pan with a heavy bottom. The chicken really browns well in those kinds of pans, and some are even called chicken fryers.

She always said to make sure the chicken is on the fire for at least 30 minutes so it is done all the way through. If the chicken is done, but not as brown as you want it, take the lid all the way off and let the chicken get brown. I turn it often so both sides get really brown.

I love all the little crunchies that get left in the pan that make the gravy so good. Once the chicken is all done and out of the pan, turn the heat up a little and if you need to deglaze the pan, now is the time. Just put a little water in the pan and it will loosen all the crunchies that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. I use the dredging flour to add to the chicken drippings. Brown the flour good and add some milk. I keep adding flour and milk (sometimes some McCormick Chicken Gravy Mix I keep on hand for more chicken flavor) until I get enough gravy to make me happy. Milk will thicken the gravy and water will thin it. If you have the quantity you need, but it is too thick, just add a little water. Salt and Pepper it and you are done.

I have made many memories over the years with my kids and fried chicken. I know it has been on many a lake trip, many 4th of July dinners, lots of Sunday dinners and is very often the choice of grandkids for their birthday dinner. Today it was comfort food for the sickos in the house that are trying to get better. I wish I had thought to take some pics, but I didn't.

Simple stuff. I love that it is something she taught us to love. I will never forget those days eating chicken for lunch with my dad on the farm. She always went "to the trouble" to do those things for us.