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. 

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.

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 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. 

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.

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.

Food for the 4th

As the holidays roll around, the traditional food that accompanies them are part of the memories. I don't have any real recipes for some of these dishes, but thought I would list ingredients. Everyone has their own spin on the salads and dishes, so to each their own.

For our 4th, we enjoy coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, baked beans, hamburgers, steaks, chicken, hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake. We didn't have all those things this year, but we have been known to. I fell in love with Grandma Dorothy's coleslaw long ago. I have been making it for years, so this is how it goes…

The Coleslaw

Nana's Way (sweet, almost a little Hawaiian)1 med/lg. Head Cabbage (sliced thin and then sort of diced)
1 16 oz. Can Crushed Pineapple (drained well)
1 med. Carrot (peeled and shredded)
1 C. Mayo
1/4 C. Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dash of Sugar
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, pineapple and apple. Mix well. In another smaller bowl mix the mayo, cream, sugar and salt & pepper. Pour over salad mixture and mix well.

Dorothy's Way (adapted, more like a Texas Coleslaw)
1 med/lg. Head Cabbage (sliced thin and then cut across a few times so it's not too long. More like a fine shred)
1 Bunch Green Onions (slice the green part only)
1-2 Tomatoes (diced. I like Romas, but any kind will work)
1 C. Mayo
1/4 C. Rice Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a large bowl combine the cabbage, green onions and tomatoes. In a smaller bowl whisk the mayo, Vinegar, Salt & Pepper. Pour over cabbage mixture and mix well.

For either salad adjust mayo mixture so the consistency is what you like. Cabbage will sort of shrink down once the mayo goes on. It will shrink a little more as it chills. Best if made ahead of time so flavors can blend. Nan liked them both.

I also grew up with Nana's Potato Salad and love it. She just kept it really simple, so I have too. I sometimes leave out the boiled eggs and the celery because I have a few egg and celery haters in the family. Sometimes I don't and they just have to deal with it. Sometimes they add chopped onions (which I don't like) and I have to deal with it. Family give and take, right?

Nana's Potato Salad
(The way I remember it as a kid growing up)

For about 5 pounds of potatoes:
8 lg. Eggs
Mayo
Mustard
Sm. Can Black Olives
3-4 med. Stalks Celery (optional, diced fine)
Dill Weed
Granulated Garlic
Green Onions
3 med/lg. Dill Pickles (diced fine)

Boil the potatoes until they are just tender when a fork is inserted. I use a large stock pot and about 3 inches of water in the bottom. Drain off the water and put the lid back on slightly askew so the potatoes can cool without drying out. Once cool enough to handle strip off the skins and discard. Dice the potatoes. If you like boiled eggs, hard boil about 8 eggs and set aside to cool. Remove shells when cool and reserve 2-3 eggs for garnish. Dice the rest with an egg slicer first one way, then the other for a fine dice (almost julienne) cut. Drain a small can of sliced black olives. Slice thinly a bunch of green onions (just the green part unless you like a more oniony taste). In a large bowl combine the diced potatoes, pickles, green onions, eggs, celery and olives. Mix well. In a smaller bowl combine the following:

Quantities are estimated depending on personal taste:
2 C. Mayo
1/2 C. Mustard (just the regular yellow kind)
1 T. Dried Dill Weed
1/2 t. Granulated Garlic
1/4-1/2 C. Dill Pickle Juice (to taste and for consistency)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pour over potatoes and mix in well. When the consistency is the way you like it transfer to a serving bowl and smooth the top. Take the remaining eggs and slice with the egg slicer (just one way). Arrange sliced eggs on the top and maybe a few olives if you like. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top and chill. Good if you think to do it the day before as the flavors develop in the fridge. If you like other ingredients, throw them in. Nana always liked to try new things. This is a staple for summer holiday dinners. Love it.

Of course my little bowl of sample is a must. You gotta sample it, right?

Now for the Baked Beans.
Nana pretty much used canned pork and beans as a base. She would drain off the juice, discard the token piece of pork and add her own mixture of things. She added a splash of liquid smoke, a bit of her BBQ sauce, maybe some diced green chiles (or not, depending on the majorities' ability to handle the heat), salt and pepper. She would bake them uncovered for at least 45 mintues in a 350º oven.

Again, there are many versions of baked beans. It's always fun to try a new one, but I keep coming back to the tried and true beans that were such a part of our family BBQs. She always had a can of beans on hand.



I remember the many times we would go out on the sundeck to watch the fireworks. Not a fan of crowds, we didn't often go to the city stadiums for the show, like maybe once in Chandler. I do have many fond memories of the 4th of July celebrations in Queen Creek. We would go out with our ice cream packed in ice and wrapped in a quilt, chocolate cake, fried chicken, salads, etc. and enjoy free corn on the cob and watermelon courtesy of the Barney's and the Schnepf's. Our Schnepf cousins were there as well as friends. There were always great fireworks and it wasn't like a crowded city stadium. It was in the ball field in back of the old Queen Creek Mormon Church and I loved it.