Christmas Cookies Day #4

This recipe has been made so many times and different ways. But I always come back to this one recipe, it is so good!
I have told this story before, but it is one my Christmas memories. When dad would bring in the Christmas tree, mom would start making this recipe along with the Chocolate Surprise Cookies. Decorating the tree and eating these cookies, was part of the beginning of the Christmas season, for me.

Sugar Jumbles

Cream together:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 shortening
1 cup sugar
1egg
Stir in:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together and stir in:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chill dough. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until set but not brown. Bake at 400 degrees F, 8-10 minutes.
Makes 4 dozen 2" cookies.
Can sprinkle with sugar before baking or can iced after the come out of the oven and sprinkle with colorful sprinkles.
We glazed them with white frosting and sprinkle with red and green sugar, or sprinkle with the multi-colored little balls.
Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies Day #3

These are the cookies we make every year, along with Sugar Jumbles. But we call them Chocolate Surprise Cookies. Hope you enjoy them!

Chocolate Marshmallow Drops
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup milk
24 large marshmallows, cut in half
Sift together flour, soda, salt and cocoa, set aside.
Cream shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla until fluffy. Add dry ingredients, alternately with milk.
Add nuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove and top each cookie with a marshmallow half, cut side down. Return to oven and bake 4 minutes longer. When cool glaze with cocoa glaze.

Cocoa Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted with 1/2 cup cocoa.
Gradually stir in 4 to 6 tablespoons hot milk until soft enough to spread easily.

Christmas Cookies Day #2

Another page from the same newspaper as yesterdays. Los Angeles Times Dec 1995! Cookie recipes are Chocolate Macaroons; Macadamia and Coconut Bars. These recipes come from a cookbook by Maida Heatter. I google searched her name and read some fun things about her cooking skills.



Chocolate Macaroons
1 1/3 cups blanched almonds
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch salt
3 egg whites

• Toast almonds in shallow pan in 350-degrees oven for about 10 or 12 minutes, shaking pan or stirring nuts once or twice. Set aside to cool.
• Chop 12 almonds into small pieces and set aside. Grind remaining almonds in food processor with chocolate, sugar cocoa and salt until fine, about 30 seconds. With motor running, add egg whites through feed tube and process until mixed.
• Shape mixture into round cookies about 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper of aluminum foil. Either use pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain round tube or drop from teaspoon. Sprinkle tops with chopped nuts.
• Bake at 350 degrees, reversing sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking, until macaroons feel soft but dry, not sticky, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake.
• With metal spatula, transfer macaroon to rack to cool. Store in airtight container or loosely covered.
  

Makes about 20 macaroons.

Macadamia and Coconut Bars
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 eggs
salt
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
1 1/2 cups salted macadamia nuts
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut, lightly packed

• Wet inside of 13x9-inch pan and line with aluminum foil. Butter foil. Chill pan in freezer or refrigerator.
• Beat butter until soft. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and beat until well-mixed. Beat in 1 egg and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and then, beating on low speed, add 1 1/4 cups flour and beat only until incorporated.
• Place mixture by very small spoonfuls all over bottom of cold pan. Then, with floured fingertips, carefully, patiently and slowly spread dough in even layer all over bottom of pan, re-flouring fingertips often. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand. Do not turn off oven.
• Shake nuts gently in wide strainer to remove excess salt; set aside.
• Sift together 2 tablespoons flour, pinch salt and baking powder; set a side.
• Beat remaining 2 eggs, vanilla extract and remaining 1 cup brown sugar until thoroughly mixed. Beat in sifted ingredients. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups coconut (reserve remaining) and nuts.
• Place mixture by tablespoon evenly over top of bottom layer. Then, with bottom of spoon, spread into smooth, very thin layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup coconut.
• Bake at 350 degrees, reversing pan front to back once during baking, until top is richly browned and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Cool, then cover with baking sheet and turn upside down. Remove pan and carefully peel off foil. Cover with wax paper and another baking sheet or cutting board and turn upside down again, leaving cake right-side up.
• Refrigerate for a few hours or more or place in freezer for about 1 hour. Cut into 32 even bars. Wrap each bar in either clear cellophane or wax paper, or place bars in airtight container with wax paper between layers.
• Makes 32.
  

Christmas Cookies Day #1

Christmas Cookies are really any cookie recipe that you make special for Christmastime. I will put at least 7 days worth of recipes here from my mom's recipe box. Hope you bake at least one of them this Christmas season. So many memories of our past Christmastimes.

Here is an interesting recipe from the box. I google search Billy Goats Cookies trying to find out how this recipe came about. Someone suggested that it is a recipe from possibly the 1940’s or 1950’s. Because they are bumpy and look somewhat like a bumpy goat. I was hoping to find that some mother was reading to their child the story of the ‘3 Billy Goats Guff’. As she was reading, had these delicious date cookies in the oven and called them ‘Billy Goat Cookies’. Well I can imagine can’t I ??? Where ever the name comes from, I really don’t know, but they sure sound like a good cookie. I love dates!

In this article Tracey says she got the recipe from her Aunt Betty and her grandmother before that. This article was from 1995. So I could see where this recipe would at least had to of been from the 1950’s.

Billy Goats (about 3 dozen cookies)

½ cup butter

1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

Dash salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped dates

½ cup chopped walnuts

• Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla extract.
• Sift together flour, salt and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Stir in dates and walnuts.
• Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350˚F until light brown on top, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

On the back of this article was some cool recipes for Hanukkah. So to all of my good friends who celebrate Hanukkah, these are for you! I see Hanukkah is spelled with one 'k' or 2 'k's'. Click on the paper to make it bigger to read. Enjoy!

Christmas Candies Day #7

Last day of putting on some of the recipes collected by my mom of candies. I don't know who is Doris of my mother's friends. So this must of been a lady she worked with at one of her jobs.
Does anyone know if mom made this recipe? Sounds super rich.

Almond Bark Sqaures
24 ounces white almond bark
4 heaping tablespoons peanut butter (1 pound jar) -see note
Heat together in large bowl in microwave until melted. Mix and cool.

Add:
4 cups mini marshmallows
4 cups Rice Krispies
1 pound jar dry roasted peanuts
Mix well and put on buttered cookie sheet.

Note: it seems 4 heaping tablespoons could equal 1/3 cup.

Did google search this recipe and found many different versions of the recipe, here is just one of the sites:
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/729/Almond-Bark-Rice-Krispies-With131682.shtml

Christmas Candies Day #6

If you google search fantasy fudge you will see many, many recipes and different ways to make this candy. So here is the one recipe of Fantasy Fudge that was in mom's recipe box!



Fantasy Fudge
Prep time: 10 minutes
3/4 cup margarine (1 1/2 sticks, I use butter)
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 package (12 0unces) chocolate chips
1 jar marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Microwave cooking time: 12 minutes

Microwave:

• Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-sage bowl on HIGH 1 minuted or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well.
• Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving 5 1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes.
• Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 9-inches square pan or 13x9-inch baking pan. cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.

Enjoy!

Christmas Candies Day #5

Here are the best home-made chocolates I have ever tasted!!! Of course, I might think this because I grew-up eating these! Mom got the recipe from our neighbor, Audrey (who just happens to be my best friend's mom). Boy, in the 60's we sure had good foods! By that I mean good comfort foods and special goodies for the Christmas season. Hopefully, most of you are still carrying on your family traditions and baking! If not, start something you enjoy making just for your family and see if it will continue on.
I hope you will enjoy making and eating these delicious chocolates. They are a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

I just talked to Debbie and she thinks her mom got the recipe from her mother-n-law. So that would be on the Palmquist side. Pretty cool!

The flavors we enjoyed are coconut, wintergreeen, black walnut, vanilla, chocolate, lemon and strawberry extracts. Mom made a few with cherries in them. There is one basic recipe. You can add the flavors you like best. You can't go wrong with any of them.

Enough thinking on it, here is the recipe:

Hand Dipped Chocolates
1/2 pound butter (soft)
2 pound powdered sugar
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
nuts, candied cherries (plain vanilla for cherries), coconut, any liquid extracts

Work butter and sugar together like pie crust. Add can milk; beat by hand until smooth. Divide for flavors (up to 3 bowls is just right) and add nuts or coconut, or any liquid extracts (small drops - depending on how many times you divide the dough for different flavors, anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon). Mix in your flavors and put each into separate bowls. Refrigerate the small bowls for 2-3 days**; covered.
On the second or third day, roll or shape using powdered sugar on hands while shaping. Size of a small walnut. Take the ball and put onto cookies sheets lined with wax paper. Cover and refrigerate again for a couple of days. Put in freezer on morning of dipping. Melt semi-sweet chocolate (or can use almond bark chocolate) over hot water.

To package of chocolate add 2 tablespoons melted paraffin wax, (of course we don't do this any more, that is why I suggested using almond bark or I like to use the Wilton brand of light chocolate disks.)
Can you believe we use wax to dip chocolates in?
Dip candy in chocolate and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheets.

**I shorten this time wise just by refrigerating in bowl on day one, rolling out day 2 and putting in freezer. Then dipping on day 3. After dipping, keep candies refrigerated.**
Today we have many different types of chocolates, light, dark or even white chocolates. Experiment and see which chocolates you like best.

Thanks Debbie for the memories!

Depending on how many flavors you want, you might need to make this twice. Each recipe does 3 good flavors. I have on my recipe that we started making around 1965.
Enjoy!!!

I also decided to add this recipe here as it is also a great candy! These taste close to the See's coconut candy. Notice I said close to, because you can't copy See's candy, they are the best! I don't know how this recipe got it's name, but it sure is a good one. Also received this from a great lady when I lived in Houston, back in 1975.

Martha Washington Chocolate Covered Candy
3 cups nuts
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups coconut
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 pounds powdered sugar
Combine ingredients; roll in small balls and cool on waxed paper in refrigerator.
On day 2 dip in your favorite melted chocolate. Drain and cool on wax paper lined cookie sheets. Keep refrigerated until you serve them.
Enjoy!

Christmas Candies Day #4

Today I am going to put on Granny Mahakian's recipe of Peanut Brittle. Even though we all made this, Granny, just seemed to make it the best. Too many times mom failed, just wasn't her thing. But luckily I caught on and can make it!
This card was in mom's recipe box and as you will notice it is a card Granny gave to mom. It is in my mom's handwriting, as Granny always asked us to write on the cards ourselves so we could read our own writing.
As I read these instructions I don't think you might totally understand it, so I will be showing you how Granny sent me the instructions when I lived in Texas. Granny made peanut brittle ever since I can remember every Christmas. I starting making it from the early 1970's.


Peanut Brittle

2 cups sugar
1 cup clear corn syrup
1/2 cup water
Boil until it spins a thread - add 2 cups peanuts - cook until nuts pop open and syrup turned light golden brown. Turn out fire - add 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1 tablespoon butter - 2 teaspoon soda.
Stir quick and pour out on buttered pan or table - so it will have room to spread.



Here is the copy of the recipe in Granny's handwriting to me:


2 cups sugar
1 cup clear corn syrup (Karo is the kind we like best)
1/2 cup water
Boil all this together until hard cracked stage or until it spins a thread when you hold the spoon up and let the syrup run from the spoon. Now add 2 cups raw peanuts and stir and cook until the syrup turns just the slightest ting of amber color. Turn off fire and put in: 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir and then add 2 teaspoons baking soda and just stir until it foams, don't stir too much or you will ruin it. Just two or three stirs after you put in the soda. Pour out onto a buttered foil paper, the wide kind (meaning heavy duty foil). I think this is the trick is to not stir too much, although I will say I have stirred about 4 to 5 times before I pour it out. Just stir fast and get it poured out if you like the foam. Good luck!

Granny had a nice counter top that she would butter and pour this onto. I buttered a jelly roll pan heavily and this works for me, to be able to crack the brittle once it cools down.
I know that I have posted Granny's copy before, but I just wanted to show how sometimes when we copy down a recipe we write our own way, so we can understand the recipe. Also when I watch someone cook something, I will write down the recipe as I saw it being done.
Enjoy!!!

Christmas Candies Day #3

Making peanut fudge has been long done in our family, every Christmas since I can remember. Granny made the best peanut butter fudge and her recipe is here: http://mymomsfilebox.blogspot.com/2009/11/peanut-butter-divinity.html
The other recipe of my mom's is also there.
And my favorite one that I make, is also posted but I will put it here so that you won't have to keep clicking to the different spots. But first two more recipes that I have found in my mom's recipe box.

Now I realize that this recipe says divinity, but to me when my mom made it for the first, it tasted close to Granny's peanut butter fudge recipe, only a little fluffier. Yummy!
Peanut Butter Divinity
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (mom used creamy)
In 2-quart saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring to boiling. Cook to hard ball stage (260 degrees F), stirring only till sugar dissolves. In large mixer bowl beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually pour syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed on electric mixer. Add peanut butter and beat till candy holds its shape, about 3 to 4 minutes. (Test candy by spooning a small amount onto waxed paper; mixture should "mound" rather than flatten out.) Quickly drop from a teaspoon onto waxed paper. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.


Peanut Butter Fudge
4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk or half & half
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
few grams salt (less than a pinch of salt)
Combine sugar, salt, milk and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook to soft ball stage (236 degrees F). Cool to lukewarm and add peanut better and vanilla. Beat until creamy and pour into lightly buttered 8" square pan. Cut into squares when cool.
Makes approximately 1 pound.

This is my recipe I made before it came onto the marshmallow creme jar or the peanut butter chips bag. But it is like the chocolate fudge from the marshmallow creme jar, except I add extra peanut butter. I have made this recipe every Christmas time since Dec. 1991.

Peanut Butter Fudge



3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
2-4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir together butter, sugar and milk in heavy 3 quart saucepan, bring to full boil stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes over medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in peanut butter chips and peanut butter until melted.


Add remaining ingredients mix until well blended.


Pour into greased pan 9x13". Cool at room temperature, cut into squares. Makes about 3 pounds candy.

Christmas Candies Day #2

I don't remember mom making English Toffee, but she must have, as these recipes look like they have been used a lot. Maybe she did when I was already out of the house and made them for Karen and Kevin, or she just made and ate it when we weren't around, hmmm.....just kidding, mom. The second recipe is from a neighbor who lived across the street from us, during the late 60's and early 70's. Mary Jane and her family lived there while I was in 8th grade, high school and a few years after I moved out.


English Toffee
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 cup butter (2 cubes)
Add later
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 - 6 ounce package semi-sweetened or milk chocolate chips
Stir sugar, water and butter together in a large frying pan.
Bring to a boil for 10 minutes or longer stirring occasionally.
Mixture should turn about the color of peanut butter.

Remove from heat, add vanilla.
Pour onto greased cookie sheet, let cool a little, sprinkle bits of chocolate on top.
Wait 5 minutes until chocolate chips are soft. Spread with knife. Cool, crack and eat!




English Toffee (from kitchen of Mary Jane)
1 cup butter melted in sauce pan
Add 1 1/3 cup white sugar, 1 tablespoon Karo (light corn syrup), 3 tablespoons water.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, watch closely.
When candy reaches 300 degrees F, remove from heat, stir in 1 cup chopped nuts.
Pour onto buttered cookie sheet (13x9").
Cool, only until candy can be handled.

Remove from cookie sheet.
Place on wax paper on back of cookie sheet.
In the meantime melt 1 - 13 ounce Hershey bar and spread over toffee.
Spread with chopped nuts.
Cool, invert with wax paper and repeat Hershey process.


Toffee
This recipe seems to be like the first one (above) only with nuts. I will let you figure out my mom's writing of this recipe. I know what it says, I just thought you might enjoy reading it. Do or you mom write out recipes this way? I do, because I know what it means. I try now to rewrite some of them, so that it is easier to past down to future generations.


Enjoy!

Christmas Candies Day #1

Wanted to get these recipes on for this Christmas season and not let another go by without them.
Merry Christmas and enjoy!

As I was getting ready to type up this recipe, I noticed that it was missing some words, as this was in two pieces. (You will noticed that I taped it up.) Well, I decided maybe, just maybe the little tiny strip of words might still be in the recipe box. Low and behold it was! So I was able to get it taped back in place and type out the recipe. I did google search this recipe and didn't find it anywhere, so I am very glad that we aren't missing any of the words. Hooray! I do remember my mom making and loving any kind of divinity. Adding a wintergreen flavor every so often was delicious! She mostly made the recipes from Granny or the C&H company. Recipes below this one. Hope you enjoy all three.


Wintergreen Divinity
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon wintergreen extract
1/4 cup egg whites (2 average-size eggs)
Combine sugar, syrup and water. Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat, bring to boil. Cover; boil without stirring for 3 minutes. Uncover; put in candy thermometer (if one is used), and continue cooking to265 degrees F, or until a small amount dropped in cold water forms a very firm ball. Remove from heat. Add salt and extract to egg whites and beat until stiff but not dry. Slowly beat in hot syrup, then continue beating until mixture almost holds its shape but is still glossy. (Mom also added a drop of green food coloring to tell this apart from the vanilla flavor divinity.) Turn into an 8-inch square pan lined with waxed paper. Cool, then cut into squares with a warm knife.


This is a recipe that my mom copied from Granny's house. Granny and mom were exceptional good cooks!

Divinity
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup (clear kind)
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites - beaten
vanilla
Cook syrup until softball stage - Beat in half into egg whites on mixer - Cook rest to hard boil stage and add to egg white mixture.
Add add nuts.
*Notes: the egg whites should be beaten stiff. On the vanilla, it is 1 teaspoon. I would suggest 1 cup chopped nuts, mom liked pecans best.




C&H Divinity
2 cups C and H Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon C and H Powdered Sugar
In saucepan mix first 4 indgredients. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook to 260 degrees (hard-ball stage). Meanwhile, beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually pour hot syrup into whites, beating constantly. Beat until candy begins to hold its shape. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar. (This amount of powdered sugar makes a real impovement in texture.) Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper or pour into buttered pan. Let stand several hours until firm. Store in airtight container. Makes about 50 pieces.

Dimples Prune Cake

I just remember this recipe as Prune Cake, so Dimples must be a name of a relative. I wonder who is Dimples. This is a family favorite at Christmas time, Granny would always have a lot of treats for us to eat!



Dimples Prune Cake

This might be an easier way of understanding the recipe:
Grease and flour 2 loaf pans, set aside.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup prunes, cooked and pitted
1 cup nuts, chopped
Instructions:
In a small bowl dissolve the soda into the buttermilk, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, oil and sugar and just whisk this part.
Now add the buttermilk and soda.
Beat the 3 egg whites and fold into the above mixture.
Fold in the prunes and nuts.
Bake in a preheat oven at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Check with toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.

No-Bake Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

I thought I would just go ahead and get some recipes on, even though I haven't made them up yet, someday........


No-Bake Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
2 envelopes Know Unflavored Gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 cup (1/2 pint) light cream or half and half
3 eggs
9-inch baked pastry shell or graham cracker crust
4 cups whipped cream or whipped topping
2 tablespoons coconut, toasted


In small saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute. Sitr over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
In blender or food processor, process cream of coconut, light cream and eggs until blended. While processing, through feed cap, gradually add gelatin mixture and process until blended. Chill blender container until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Turn into pastry shell; chill until firm, about 3 hours. Top with whipped cream and coconut. Makes about 12 servings.

Mom's Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe is not in my mom's box, but I wanted to put it on, as it is her recipe. I also put it on my other blog. Vanilla ice cream was a must every summer. We did have the old hand-crank freezer and then when electric freezers came out we switch over to that. Things have changed since the way I make it, so will be putting on that recipe also. Before mixing this up mom would put the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer to get good and cold. I do remember it was so good, that I started to eat it too fast and would get brain freeze. Of course, we would fight over who got to lick the paddles. Yummy, stuff!

Home-made Vanilla Ice Cream

12 eggs, whole

1 quart cream

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Put all this in a mixer and mix until eggs are dissolved.

Immediately put in ice cream freezer and crank away until done.

*Note: back then we didn't worry about salmonella, so the the eggs were not heated up. This is why I don't use the recipe anymore.

Here is the recipe I have used for about the last 10 years.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean

6 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream, chilled

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk and vanilla bean just to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk. Using a small sharp knife, split open the bean and scrape the seeds into the milk. Discard the pod.

In the top of a double boiler, whisk the yolks with the sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, or until pale yellow. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Place the top of the double boiler or the bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water and cook, whisking constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the custard from the water and stir in the cream.

Chill the mixture for 30 minutes, then pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Makes about 1 quart.

This is a basic French vanilla custard type ice cream. If you just want a vanilla type ice cream you can use 3 whole eggs and follow the same instructions, making sure the mixture as it cooks, that the back of the spoon has a coating on it. Everything else is the same.

Enjoy!!!

Cookies

This recipe I am putting on, as I can't bake it, do to the hot weather. As I don't wish to heat up the house. It has been over 100 degrees for over 30+ days. Starting on the second month worth. Our gardens are drying up. I only have one tomato plant left, every thing the rabbits ate or the heat took over. I have friends who are very worried about their outside livestock. I don't live on a farm, but can see from news reports, that the main wheat and corn crops are pretty much dried up. They are even selling off the cows so that they can be somewhere cooler to finish growing. If you have a chance I suppose buying wheat, beef would be a good idea, as the prices will be going up again.
Ok, enough talk, back to the cookies!!

This recipe looks like it would be similar to the Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes. I went on google search and found similar ingredients to this cookie recipe. There are many different recipes.

My mom received this from a lady named Betty,in Azusa, either at a PTA meeting or a cake decorating class. Betty's phone number was on the paper. This is back when we did phone numbers with a word and numbers, as our are of numbers started with Edgewood and then the number. Remember the song Beechwood 45789, by the Marvelettes? If not, you can look it up on youtube, good song memories there. My sister-n-law just reminded me we also had party lines, too funny!


Translation of the recipes:
Cookies by Betty
3 sticks of butter or margarine, soften
6 tablespoons powered sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Mix first 3 ingredients with hand, until a stiff.
Add walnuts and roll in small balls.
Bake at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes. Take out and let cool on cooling racks.
In a zip bag put in powered sugar. Put in a cooled cookie and shake until covered. Place back on cooling rack.
Serve on a platter or plate.
This should make about 3-4 dozen cookies.

Recipe for the cake:
Jello Cake No. 1
(Use Angel Food Cake Pan)
1 package of Lemon Cake Mix
1 small (4 ounce size) Lemon Jello
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
Mix all ingredients together for 4 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.

Glaze
Mix juice of 1 orange and 2 lemons with 3/4 cup sugar.
Pour over hot cake.
Store in refrigerator.
Serve with whip cream.
If this was Jello cake #1 then where is #2? We'll never know.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Strawberry Pie x's 3!

Have been wanting to make a strawberry pie that was made long ago at the Lompoc Flower Festival. You see our church group made every year a1000 pies for this festival. Lots of helpers to accomplish the task. Usually by Saturday all the pies would be gone. They are that good. I asked for the recipe and a good friend Doris had it. Then I was looking in my mother's recipe box and found a recipe in my grandmother's handwriting. Plus another from the 1950's cookbook by Barbara Stuart Peterson. So I am putting all three recipes here. I chose to make granny's recipe. Before summer is over I hope to also make the recipe from the Lompoc days. Good memories!

Granny's recipe:
Large Strawberry Pie

Crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
Mix well and press into 9x13" pan and bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown. Cool.


Wash 3 or 4 boxes strawberries and drain real dry. Slice on crust (save a few for top garnish).

Let come to a boil and stir the whole time:
2 cups sugar
1 - 6 ounce box strawberry Jello
6 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
Let cool just a little pour over strawberries.


Let cool and cover with large bowl of Cool Whip.
Decorate with whole strawberries.


What I did different. I started this pie for the 4th of July picnic. Before I began I looked to see what strawberries I had on hand, none! I did have raspberries and blueberries, so I went with that. Also I realized I only had enough to make 1/2 of recipe.
I took the berries and thawed and drained them. Using the juice to replace the liquid in the recipe. Well as it started to thicken, I noticed the raspberries were too mushy and didn't hold they shape. So I added the gelatin mixture with the berries and it turned into a lovely jam. The crust recipe makes kinda a big sugar cookie. So I spread 1/2 of the jam mixture onto the crust and put some of the cool whip on top. Too sweet! It tasted good, but I didn't want to be responsible for other people buzzing away. So we tossed that pie. (I am using the other 1/2 as jam.) I knew I couldn't turn on the oven again, as it has been over 100 degrees. So I bought a graham cracker crust and made more of the gelatin mixture. This time I spread some of the gelatin mixture on the bottom, then sliced some strawberries for the next layer, some more gelatin mixture on and then put whole strawberries on top. I was going to whip up some whip cream, but never got around to it. Much better and I will be making this again, but with whip cream.

The other recipes:
This recipe I call Lompoc Strawberry Pie, as I will remember it this way from the Lompoc Flower Festival. If anyone else has a recipe from this festival, please let me know and we will compare. Dates I was there: 1986-1989. But this recipe is much older than that as they (the church ladies) made it way before I came.



RUTH'S STRAWBERRY PIE – (This is Ruth VanCamp's recipe)

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
1/4 cup mashed strawberries
Red food coloring (maybe just a drop)*

Mix sugar and cornstarch together. Add water and red food coloring. Cook over low heat until thick.

Add mashed berries.

Fill bottom of baked pie shell with 1/3 of sauce. Fill shell with fresh whole berries (about a pint). Pour remainder of sauce over whole strawberries.


Let chill. Serve with whipped cream.
*Note: not too much red food coloring is needed, if any at all. I didn't use red food coloring in this pie. And I did like Granny's recipe better, it held up well, although if you want not as sweet, I would suggest this recipe.


Recipe from the book called: 1950's Cookbook by Barbara Stuart Peterson
Strawberry Cream Pie
Serves 6
Ingredients:

1 baked single crust pie shell

4 cups strawberries (1 quart)

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cup cold water (divided)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

Select one cup of the poorer berries, removing stems and washing thoroughly. Place in a pot with the sugar and one cup water. Bring to a boil and slowly boil 15 to 20 minutes. Strain through wire sieve, crushing the berries with a spoon. When all the juice is squeezed from the berries, throw away the pulp (I wouldn’t throw this away, but put in some plain yogurt or in a juice smoothie) and return the juice to the pot. Dissolve the cornstarch in ¼ cup water and add. Stir constantly while adding until the mixture again comes to a boil. Simmer very slowly until it becomes a thick, heavy syrup.

While the syrup is cooking, prepare the rest of the strawberries by washing, removing stems, and removing the little white hard center from the strawberries. This can easily be done with a small, pointed knife. When the strawberries are cleaned and prepared, cut them into halves or quarters, according to the size of the strawberries. Then pour the boiling syrup over them and put into refrigerator to chill.

Whip the whip cream and fill the pie crust with it, spreading level. Then place the cold strawberries and heavy syrup on top of the whipped cream.

Interesting that this recipe is reverse of what I thought. Cream first and then the berries.

Hope you enjoy these and let me know which recipe you like best!

Sugar Cookies

Didn't know that having some teeth pulled would put me out of sorts for awhile. Did bake these sugar cookies before I went to the dentist, but never got it the recipe or pictures on until now. Also a down size is that it is too hot to bake and heat up a kitchen. So I will have to try and see what recipes are in the box for summertime!
Will be putting on all the recipes for sugar cookies, as there are a few and everyone should know how to make your favorite.
I chose this recipe to bake up as it is from a dear friend and a neighbor we use to live by for more than 30 years. I am still best friends with the daughter. In fact Debbie is my BFF. We have known each other since we were eight years old, so that makes over 50 years of friendship! Maybe that is one good thing of getting older, knowing and keeping your best friends.
How I love the Christmastimes we have spent together as children. At the Palmquist house, they would open presents on Christmas Eve and Santa would visit on Christmas morning. In our house, we were allowed to open just one present on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning, along with Santa's gift. But as soon as we were done with opening of gifts, Debbie and I would go to each others homes as see what everyone received. Good times. You see we just lived across the street from each other and the streets weren't very large, so it was like a hop, skip and a jump and we were there! We graduated together, she was my maid-of-honor, and has always been there when I needed her. She also spoiled my two oldest daughters, as we lived close then. Now we live in different states. There are so many good memories, that I could share, but will get on with this recipe from her mom, Audrey.

My moms handwriting, Audrey's recipe, how special is that?

Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup fat (part butter) - meaning 1/4 cup vegetable shortening and 1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chill dough - roll out, cut and bake at 400 degrees - 5-7 minutes.



Glenda's way of mixing the recipe:
In a large bowl, mix with electric mixer: shortening, butter with sugar, until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and milk, mix until smooth.




Sift flour, baking powder and salt and add to creamed mixture.
Chill dough in refrigerator for at least an hour.


Roll out dough on floured board or counter top and cut with cookie cutters. Put onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven (400 degrees) for 5-7 minutes. Watch and don't let burn. The edges will just start to brown as you take them out.

I decided not to use cookie cutters, but just put them on with two teaspoons and made round cookies. They were delicious! As you can see from the first picture, I also made ginger cookies that day. They are posted here: http://domesticatedengineer.blogspot.com/2011/06/ginger-cookies.html

Now for the other sugar cookie recipes!
Again my mom doesn't put on the whole instructions on how to bake. She and I just know and so we use short-cuts to write out recipes. I'm thinking you do too!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, part vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-3 tablespoons milk
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mix: butter, shortening, sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, vanilla, and orange zest.
Sift flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together and add to creamed mixture along with milk. Rolled out on floured board or counter top and cut with cookie cutters. Put onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Watch to make sure they don't burn.


This recipe was printed in the Los Angeles Times sometime in December 1995. It mentions that is originally came from the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena. I wonder if Julia Childs parents were members there, back in the day?? Did she have this recipe?

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
3 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

• Cream butter and sugar. Blend in baking soda, salt and vanilla extract. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
• Combine flour and baking powder and add to creamed mixture, mixing until smooth. Chill dough until firm enough to roll out and floured pastry cloth.

• Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place on greased baking sheets and bake at 450 degrees until cookies are golden, 8 minutes.

Makes 10 dozen medium-size cookies.

Interesting that this recipe add the soda with the wet ingredients verses the dry. I might have to try these and see what difference that makes.
Hope you enjoy these recipes!

Lemon-Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Yep, this is something else made with lemons! I had some extra from the week-end and wanted to use them up. After this there is one more recipe in the box that calls for lemons, so another time. I do love lemon cakes, and was glad to see this recipe and give it a try. I had a dentist appointment this morning and knew it would be hot by this afternoon. I had a couple of hours, so I went to work whipping this up. As I read the recipe as I noticed that it needed to bake for 1 1/2 hours. What? I thought oh no, don't most pound cakes take an hour! This didn't give me as much time as I had thought. As it was baking I kept looking at the clock and saying to myself hurry and bake. Well a little over an hour went by and the cake was not done, so another 5 minutes and I checked again, nope not yet. It was getting time for me to get out the door, and so one last time and I took it out. Waited 5 minutes instead of the 10 it call for to cool down and flipped it over onto the cooling rack and out the door I went. After I got back and frosted it, I just needed to try it out, well I should of been late to the doctors, as it wasn't quite done. It's ok, but needed about 5 more minutes in the oven. Next time will make sure I have plenty of time to bake this.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Lemon-Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 cups sugar (lots of sugar)
1 1/4 cups butter (I only used 1 cup, that is way too much for me)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I like fresh squeeze)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract (I didn't put this in, I just put in an extra teaspoon of the lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon orange extract (again, I used fresh orange juice, about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
3 cups Softasilk cake flour
Lemon Glaze (below)
Beat sugar, butter and cream cheese until fluffy; beat in lemon juice, vanilla, lemon extract, orange extract and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour; beat until smooth.
Spread batter in greased and floured tube pan, 10x4", or 12-cup bundt pan.
Bake until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours; cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool cake completely.


Spread glaze over cake, allowing some to drizzle down side.

Lemon Glaze
1 cup powered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Mix all ingredients until smooth.



I thought it would be fun to show what is on the back of this little recipe.

Crisp Flour Tortilla Chips and a recipe for Fruited Prosciutto Salad With Orange Vinaigrette.
Don't those sound good?? If you can't magnify the picture of these recipes, let me know and I will try to send them to you, via email.
Thanks for stopping by!!