Friday Baking - on Sunday... Viennese Crescents

I received this recipe from my mother-in-law about 30 years ago.  Dennis loves these cookies (although his favorites are now chocolate chips), but it's fun to make these at holiday time.  Today is a perfect day to make them since it's her 98th birthday!!


VIENNESE CRESCENTS

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or almonds)
1 teaspoon vanilla

~ Mix all ingredients together with a spoon. Don't use an electric beater or hand mixer.
~ Shape into crescents and roll in powdered sugar.
~ Bake in a 300 degree oven for 35 minutes.
~ Remove from cookie sheet and roll again in powdered sugar.

Friday Baking - Ginger Shortbread

I love experimenting with shortbread recipes and this one is a recipe from last Christmas.  It's perfect for the holiday season!

GINGER SHORTBREAD

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup flour, unsifted
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Cream the butter and brown sugar together.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, the ginger, and the corn starch.  Work the flour mixture into the butter mixture.  Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until it is nice and smooth.

Spray your shortbread pan lightly with a non-stick vegetable oil spray.  Firmly press the dough into the pan, working from the center out.  Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread in the pan in a 325 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a cutting board.  If the shortbread doesn't come right out, hold the pan upside down over the cutting board and firmly tap one edge of the pan against the board.  This should loosen the shortbread ind it should drop out.  Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm,

Let the pan cool before washing it in the sink or dishwasher.

On the Menu This Week - Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

1 tablespoon butter

3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

salt and black pepper to taste

1 cup grated medium Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease one 9x13 inch baking pan with butter.  Spread potatoes evenly in the pan.

Whisk together heavy cream, milk, garlic, flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Pour cream mixture over the potatoes. 

Cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil. Continue baking until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. Remove potatoes from the oven and sprinkle Cheddar cheese on top. Return to oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  We're not big fans of garlic so I've used just a little minced garlic instead of the 4 cloves.... or I've substituted shallots or some onion on occasion.  I've used a little nutmeg at times or experimented with various herbs.  I've also used some gruyere in addition to the Cheddar cheese.

Friday Baking - Cocoa Marble Gingerbread

I was going through some of my recipes that I haven't used recently, and found one for Cocoa Marble Gingerbread. It's good plain, or sprinkled with some powdered sugar when serving, or with some homemade whipped cream, or even some vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!

~ Joanne

COCOA MARBLE GINGERBREAD
(Yield: 12 servings)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup light molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
~ Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan.
~ In large mixer bowl, combine shortening, sugar and molasses. Beat
well. Blend in eggs.
~ Stir baking soda into boiling water to dissolve. Add alternately
with flour and salt to creamed mixture.
~ In medium bowl stir cocoa into 2 cups of batter.
~ Add spices to remaining batter in large mixer bowl.
~ Alternately spoon batters into prepared pan. Swirl gently with
spatula.
~ Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes
out clean. Cut into squares.
~ Serve warm or cool with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

On The Menu This Week - Creamy Carrot Soup

This is a delicious soup with a hint of tomato flavor.  When I worked in Greenwich Village in New York City, we had a favorite small restaurant we frequented for lunch called The Front Porch and this is very similar to one of their delicious soup recipes that was always my favorite!

~ Joanne

Creamy Carrot Soup
(Makes 6 servings)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 cups chopped carrots
4 cups water
2 chicken-flavored bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons tomato paste (I usually use about 2 TBSP instead of the 2 teaspoons)
1 ounce uncooked white or brown rice
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk (fat-free may be used)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream, optional

~ Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Add water, if needed, to prevent burning.

~ Add carrots, water, bouillon cubes, tomato paste and rice. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until rice and carrots are tender. Remember that brown rice may take slightly longer to cook than white rice.

~ Pour soup through a strainer into another saucepan and place about 1/2 cup of the vegetables back in the broth. Place the remaining vegetables in a blender container and puree. Add the puree to broth. Stir in milk, salt and pepper. Place pan back on stove and reheat, stirring frequently.

~ Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream.

Friday Baking - Coffee Butter Cookies

These have been one of my favorite cookies for about 30 years (or longer!).  They have a "sandy" texture and just melt in your mouth.  I love using all different flavors of instant powdered coffee when making these.  Like the Chocolate Meltaway Cookies I posted last Friday, these aren't good for shipping.  Enjoy!

COFFEE BUTTER COOKIES
(Yield: 2-1/2 dozen)

~ Sift together and set aside:

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 Tablespoon instant powdered coffee (General Foods International Flavor coffees are perfect!)
1/8 teaspoon salt

~ Cream until softened:

1 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Mixing until well blended after each addition, add dry ingredients in fourths to creamed mixture.
~ Chill in refrigerator about 1 hour.
~ Shape dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place about 1-1/2 inches apart on cookie sheets. With lightly floured fork, slightly flatten cookies, forming a crisscross pattern.
~ Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Friday Baking - Meltaway Chocolate Cookies

Anyone close to me knows that these are my favorite homemade cookies. They're more of an adult flavor, since they're not very sweet... just buttery, chocolatey, and they do melt in your mouth :)  I always make these in double batches since the recipe doesn't make a lot of cookies and they go very quickly!!

MELTAWAY CHOCOLATE COOKIES
(Yield: 4 dozen)

Sift together and set aside:
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream until softened:
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

- Beating until smooth after each addition, add dry ingredients to the butter mixture in halves.
- Form dough into small balls and place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie to about 1/8-inch thickness with tines of fork dipped frequently in water. Form a crisscross pattern.
- Bake at 300 degrees about 12-15 minutes.
- Sift confectioners' sugar over the warm cookies and enjoy!! 

 

Note:  These cookies do crumble easily (no pun intended) so they don't ship well.

Friday Baking - Lemon Shortbread

If you read this blog in past years, you know that I love making shortbread.  I posted the recipes for Classic and Chocolate Shortbread years ago and you can find those recipes here: 
http://joyfulblessings.blogspot.com/2007/07/shortbread-for-dessert.html

Since we're still having warm weather lemon sounds good to me, so I'm planning on baking a lemon shortbread today.  Here's the recipe that we enjoy.  It's good on its own, or also with a scoop of ice cream.  I use a stoneware shortbread pan, but if you don't have one, you can pat the dough into a pie tin, or even roll it out into a circle on a cookie sheet.  Spray the pans with cooking spray first, and be sure to prick the entire surface of the dough with a fork to prevent bubbles forming.

A note... I actually used fresh lemon juice a few times when making this recipe - about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.  I usually have some fresh lemon juice in my freezer in a baggie.  I like to buy lemons, squeeze the juice and then keep in a ziploc sandwich bag.  I freeze it flat, and it makes it easy to break off chunks in an approximate teaspoon or tablespoon size.  I like it much better than the bottled lemon juice.  This system works well if I decide to make something lemony on impulse and don't have fresh lemons.


 LEMON SHORTBREAD

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 yolk from a standard "large" egg
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1-1/4 cups flour, unsifted

Cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.  Stir in the egg yolk and the lemon extract.  Now work in the flour.  Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until it is nice and smooth.

Spray your shortbread pan lightly with a non-stick vegetable oil spray.  Firmly press the dough into the pan, working from the center out.  Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake the shortbread in the pan in a 325 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Be sure that the center is completely cooked, and doesn't look a little "doughy".

Let the shortbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before you loosen the edges with a knife and flip the pan over onto a cutting board.  If the shortbread doesn't come right out, hold the pan upside down over the cutting board and firmly tap one edge of the pan against the board.  This should loosen the shortbread and it should drop out.  Cut the shortbread into serving pieces while it is still warm and sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Let the pan cool before washing it in the sink or dishwasher.

An Autumn Sunday Afternoon

The autumn bird Sings his prayer of peace,

As man and field their labors cease;
God in His Heaven nods His praise
In warm benediction of autumn days.

~ Margaret Freer

We're not having autumn weather (the temperature is about 85), but inside it's been a true autumn day. I've been working on my Prairie Schooler "When Witches Go Riding" design, still hoping to get it finished by the end of the week. I've been working on that while watching football games :)









As I stitched, I started thinking about pumpkin bread, so set aside the stitching for a bit to go make a favorite recipe, Shaker Pumpkin Loaves. I always add mini chocolate chips to one loaf :)








I've noticed that this year my seasonal decorating has been a bit different than other years. I've been leaving up a few of my favorite items like the lantern and the tarnished pewter water pitcher throughout the year, and just putting out a few seasonal items. Here's what I did with the mantel area for autumn.

Hoping you've had a pleasant autumn day, too!

Autumn Projects - Week 3

Here we are at Week 3 of our September craft/decorate-along. How did you do last week? I hope you got something accomplished towards the Halloween or Autumn season.

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"The lands are lit
With all the autumn blaze of Golden Rod;
And everywhere the Purple Asters nod
And bend and wave and flit."
~ Helen Hunt

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PORCH SIDE ENTERTAINING

~ Use bales of hay for seats for guests and toss fall-patterned tablecloths over them.
~ Sprinkle cinnamon inside a jack o' lantern for a delicious fragrance on the front porch.
~ For porch lighting in the evening, use apples and small pumpkins as votive holders.
~ Prepare your favorite chili recipe and serve it outside with an assortment of toppings!
~ Serve Hot Mulled Cider for a crowd ~ made in an automatic coffee maker right on the front porch. Here's a recipe:

HOT MULLED CIDER

1 gallon apple cider
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red hot cinnamon candies
4 three-inch cinnamon sticks, broken
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Prepare cider using a large automatic coffee maker. Substitute the cider for the water. Place the rest of the ingredients in the coffee basket and brew. Serve hot in tin or enamel mugs topped with orange slices. The fragrant aroma of this cider is sure to keep everyone gathered on the front porch.


(From one of my favorite books, 'My Front Porch... An Invitation to the Charm and Tradition', by Alda Ellis, with paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough. The copyright is 1999 by Harvest House Publishing. I highly recommend it!! If you can find it, it's worth owning.)

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"September: it was the most beautiful of words,
he’d always felt,
evoking orange-flowers, swallows, and regret."
- Alexander Theroux, 1981

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ANNIE'S OCTOBER HOLIDAYS LINK

I've always loved Annie's Christmas pages, as well as all the other great things she offers. Here's a link for her October Holiday pages. You'll find all sorts of information, puzzles, quotes and activities for TONS of holidays in the month of October. Enjoy!

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"There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as black as they might be.
The one of them said to his mate,
'Where shall we our breakfast take?' "
~ Anonymous

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This is one of my favorite muffins that my daughter, Jacquelyn likes to bake. I hope you like them as much as we do!!

JACQUELYN'S MAPLE MUFFINS
(Yield: 12 muffins)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

~ In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl combine milk, butter, syrup, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients until moistened.

~ Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes. Test with toothpick to make sure muffins are done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing them from pans, and finish cooling on wire racks.

Autumn Projects - Week 2

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."

- John Updike, September

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APPLE CINNAMON POMANDERS

Do you enjoy the fall scent of apples and cinnamon? Here's an easy craft that will leave your home with the delicious aroma of fall. Make some extras for your friends or family, too!

2 small apples
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (more, if needed)
1/2 cup whole cloves

~ With a large needle or toothpick, pierce holes in the skin of the apple to form a pattern. You can do swirls, circles, lines, or even initials.
~ Place a clove inside each hole.
~ When you have finished with your design, roll the apple in ground cinnamon. (It will stick to the apple because of the moisture released when you poked the holes.)
~ Place the apple in a warm, dry place and allow it to dry for three to six weeks. As it dries it will shrink, and tighten up your pattern.

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"As I lie restfully on this quiet porch, I watch the days swing by,
recorded in this calendared garden before me.
... I know not which is more beautiful,
the June riot of roses and of daisy-snowed fields,
the loveliness of Queen Anne's lace in midsummer,
or the Midas miracle of goldenrod in autumn."

~ Dorothy Scarborough

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PORCHSIDE GETAWAYS

~ Fall is a wonderful season to spend on the front porch. Keep cozy wool blankets, afghans or flannel quilts on a porch swing, and enjoy time outside with candles, books, and mugs of hot cider.

~ Prepare an autumn afternoon getaway on your front porch. Have a steaming mug of your favorite beverage, flannel quilts in earthy fall colors, sweet and crunchy apples, a lacy white cloth and fresh flowers on a side table; an antique letter opener for lingering over the day's mail; a magnifying glass for closer inspection of a butterfly; a stack of classics to immerse yourself in. Stay late to watch the harvest moon rise!

~ Listen to the sounds of fall on the front porch ~ hoot owls, nightingales, howling wind, crunching leaves underfoot, school bells. Hear the laughter of children returning home from school, and the giggles of kids and pets playing in newly raked leaf piles.

(From a favorite book that I highly recommend!!! 'My Front Porch... An Invitation to the Charm and Tradition', by Alda Ellis, with paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough. The copyright is 1999 by Harvest House Publishing. If you can find it, it's worth buying and reading over and over again.)

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"The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple-tart."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

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APPLE DUMPLINGS

6 large apples, peeled and cored
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter, divided
Favorite pastry crust (for a 10-inch double crust pie)

~ Preheat oven to 450 degrees ten minutes before dumplings are ready to be baked.
~ Roll out pastry 1/8-inch thick and cut into six 7-inch squares. Place an apple in center of each square.
~ Fill apples with a mixture of 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons butter.
~ Moisten edges of pastry with cold water and fold up around apples. Press edges together to seal firmly. Prick pastry with fork in several places to allow steam to vent.
~ Chill 1 hour.
~ Combine remaining sugar, cinnamon, butter, and 2 cups hot water and boil 5 minutes. Place apples in 9 x 12-inch baking dish and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, pour syrup over apples, and bake 35 minutes more. Baste occasionally during baking.
~ Serve warm with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon, or fresh whipped cream.

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"Traditionally in the country it has been more of a stillroom or store-room overflow; a place for drying and storing apples in the winter, for festooning drying herbs and flowers scenting the room with summer... "
~ On attics, from 'Folk Wisdom for a Natural Home'

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APPLE BUTTER

I LOVE to make apple butter. We use it on toast, English muffins, biscuits, in crepes, and it makes a wonderful gift. This is the recipe I use. I usually do it in two steps, processing the apples the first day and then putting them in the fridge overnight (or if you don't have time the next day, you can freeze the "sauce" at this point for later use). The next day I make the apple butter and found over the years that I prefer the oven method. You don't get any sticking the way you can with the stovetop method.

I don't have a food mill, and rather than using a sieve I've found that putting it in a blender for a few seconds works wonders and makes the pulp into a nice, smooth sauce. I use a 9x13 glass pan and about every 30 minutes I gently stir it through to distribute the liquidy part and prevent sticking. This really makes your home smell wonderful, and is great if you're in the process of selling your home, lol.

When we were selling our house in northern Arizona several years ago, I was making batches and batches of this to use up the apples from our two apple trees in the back yard. I had processed the apples into the sauce and had them frozen for months. Each day I'd pull out a couple of the bags and make them into apple butter so they wouldn't go to waste and the jars of apple butter could go with us when we moved. Everyone who walked in to see the house commented on the aroma (and loved hearing that we had our own apple trees).

In addition to the aroma, one of my other favorite things about making it is listening to the caps on the processed jars "pop" as they cool after the hot water bath :) I just love that!


APPLE BUTTER

To prepare pulp:
24 medium apples (about 6 pounds)
2 cups apple cider

~ Wash apples. Remove stems and blossom ends, but do not peel or core. Cut into small pieces and cook apples in cider until soft. Press through a sieve or food mill. Measure 3 quarts apple pulp.
****MY NOTE: Since I don't use a food mill, I take the extra time at the beginning and peel and core the apples before cooking them. When they're soft, it's easy to mash them a bit and then put them in a blender.

To prepare butter:
3 quarts apple pulp
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

~ In a large saucepan combine apple pulp, sugar and spices. Cook over a low heat until thick enough to round up on a spoon. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Oven option ~
Combine apple pulp, sugar and spices and pour in a large glass baking dish. Cook in a slow oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until it is thick enough to round up on a spoon. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

To Process:
Ladle hot butter into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps, and process 10 minutes using the boiling-water canning method.

The Blessing of Baking - County Fair Egg Bread

"I am going to learn to make bread to-morrow. So you may imagine me with my sleeves rolled up, mixing flour, milk, saleratus, etc., with a deal of grace. I advise you if you don't know how to make the staff of life to learn with dispatch."

~ Emily Dickinson


On a stitching list there's been a lot of conversation about bread baking. It came up just at the time I was going through the cookbook closet and found two of my bread books, which had been "lost" amongst the books piled in front of them. I spent last night going through both books and plan on baking this old favorite recipe today ~ County Fair Egg Bread. I love it because it makes three loaves, and you can do a couple of variations before baking. It leaves you with bread for today, and some to freeze (or giveaway!). Although I have a bread machine, I still like making this "by hand". I do take an easy step these days though and use the dough hook in my food processor to do the kneading.








COUNTY FAIR EGG BREAD
(Yield: 3 loaves)

1-1/2 cups scalded milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cakes yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs, beaten
About 9 cups flour, sifted

~ Pour the scalded milk over the butter, salt and sugar. Cool.

~ Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and let stand until it bubbles, about 5 minutes. Add the yeast and the beaten eggs to the cooled milk.

~ Gradually add flour to the mixture, beating it in thoroughly. Do not add any more flour than is necessary to make an easily handled dough because you want the bread to be light and tender.

~ Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.

~ Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Shape into 3 loaves and place in greased 8-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until dough is just to the tops of the pans.

~ Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes longer, or until bread is golden.

VARIATIONS:

Wholesome White Bread:

~ Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup, use water instead of the milk, and add 1/3 cup wheat germ.

Cinnamon Bread:

~ Roll a portion of the dough 1-inch thick and spread with melted butter. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and cinnamon. Chopped nuts or raisins may also be added. Roll in a jelly-roll stype and place in a greased pan with the seam at the bottom. Let rise until doubled and bake as for the main recipe above.

Mini Bundt Cakes for Gifts

These three cakes make wonderful gifts for neighbors and friends when baked in mini-bundt pans. You can eliminate the "drizzling" of the liqueurs on the top of the cake, and they're equally as good. When cool, wrap in colored cellophane and add a pretty ribbon. They also freeze well, so you can make several to have on hand when last-minute desserts are needed.

CHOCOLATE-KAHLUA CAKE

1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package (6 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup kahlua liqueur
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons kahlua liqueur
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Combine first six ingredients in mixing bowl and blend well.
~ Pour into greased and lightly floured 9-1/2 inch bundt pan.
~ Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
~ Combine 6 tablespoons kahlua and confectioners sugar.
~ While cake is still warm in pan, poke holes in cake; pour liqueur mixture over top.
~ Allow cake to cool in pan at least 2 hours before removing.
~ Note: For miniature cakes -- depending upon the size -- shorten your
baking time and bake 30 to 45 minutes.

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FUZZY NAVEL CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package (6 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup peach schnapps
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
4 tablespoons peach schnapps
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Combine first seven ingredients in mixing bowl and blend well. Pour into greased and lightly floured 9-1/2 inch bundt pan.
~ Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
~ Combine 4 tablespoons peach schnapps, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and
confectioners sugar.
~ While cake is still warm in pan, poke holes in cake; pour liqueur mixture over top.
~Allow cake to cool in pan at least 2 hours before removing.

~ Note: For smaller pans adjust baking time and bake 30 to 45 minutes.

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GOLDEN AMARETTO CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package (6 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup amaretto liqueur
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
6 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Combine first seven ingredients in mixing bowl and blend well. Pour into greased and lightly floured 9-1/2 inch bundt pan.
~ Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
~ Combine 6 tablespoons amaretto and confectioners sugar.
~ While cake is still warm in pan, poke holes in cake; pour liqueur mixture over the cake.
~ Allow cake to cool in pan at least 2 hours before removing.

~ Note: For smaller pans adjust baking time and bake 30 to 45 minutes.

Onion Soup Lyonnaise

This is my favorite onion soup recipe and I've been making it for years. I believe it first came from one of Julia Child's French Chef television shows back in the '70s, but it's been so long, I'm not sure :) The sugar and the red wine add a wonderful flavor. Enjoy!


ONION SOUP LYONNAISE
(Yield: Serves 6)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
5 large onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
8 cups beef bouillon
1/2 cup dry red wine, if desired
Freshly ground pepper
12 slices French bread, toasted
1-1/2 cups Gruyere or other Swiss cheese, grated

~ Heat the butter and the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the sugar and heat, stirring often, to carmelize the onions to a beautiful golden color.
~ Add the bouillon and wine and season to taste with pepper. Bring quickly to a boil, and boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning, if necessary.
~ Set broiler to 425 degrees.
~ Place half the toasted bread slices in an ovenproof tureen. Cover with half the grated cheese and then pour in the soup. Add the remaining slices of bread and top with the balance of the cheese.
~ Put the tureen under the broiler until the top is browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

(Note: If you wish to serve the soup with the Creamed Mushroom and Cheese appetizers above, omit the bread and cheese step in the soup recipe.)

Creamed Mushrooms with Cheese

This is a recipe my grandmother always loved when she'd come for a special birthday or holiday meal. A few times I made a batch and delivered it to her for a treat. It's a delicious appetizer, and also goes well with onion soup!! I'll add that recipe next :)


CREAMED MUSHROOMS WITH CHEESE
(Yield: Serves 4 to 8)

1 pound morels (wild mushrooms) or small white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
7 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Gruyere or other Swiss cheese, grated
8 one-inch slices French bread

~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
~ Melt the butter in a large skillet and cook mushrooms rapidly over a high heat until they begin to give off steam (about 5 to 8 minutes).
~ Lower the heat and add nutmeg, salt and pepper (to taste). Stir in the cream.
~ Arrange the slices of bread on a baking pan and make a slight hollow in the center of each slice.
~ Spoon the creamed mushrooms over the slices and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
~ Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, and serve.

Bacon-Cheddar Cheese Ball

Here's another easy and delicious snack. I usually leave out the green onions and the pimiento since none of us are real fans of them, but I think they'd give it a very festive look with the red and green :)

BACON-CHEDDAR CHEESE BALL
(Yield: about 3 cups of cheese spread)

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped green onions
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons diced pimiento
3 tablespoons minced parsley

~ Combine all ingredients, blending well.
~ Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
~ Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend.
~ Serve with your favorite crackers.

Monterey Cheese Crisps

I'm going through some favorite recipes as I work on menus for the holidays. I thought one night I might do appetizers and then a soup dinner when my stepdaughter is visiting for a week. I thought that would be fun, and something a little different than the usual dinners. I have three favorite appetizers, and this one is the first. (I'll share the other two tomorrow.)


MONTEREY CHEESE CRISPS
(Yield: 36 to 42 crisps)

These are very lacy and delicate looking, and quite delicious! Your family and guests will think you spent hours and hours preparing them.

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, softened (use ONLY Monterey Jack cheese)
Cayenne pepper or chili powder

~ Cut cheese into 1/4-inch thick slices, then cut slices into circles, using a
1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter.
~ Place cheese rounds 3 inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet (cheese will spread while baking). Sprinkle with cayenne or chili powder.
~ Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Do not overbake!
~ Remove crisps with a spatula and cool on paper towels. Store in airtight
containers.

Apple Butter

"Apple Butter"

It takes a woman's hands to lock
Such sweetness in an old brown crock.
Cooled in a springhouse made of rock
- Apple butter.

It tastes of clover blossoms fanned
By winds that fell upon the land;
Of pinks and phlox, you understand?
- Apple butter.

The apple tree threw out its shade.
Its roots grew deeply in the glade.
From crimson harvest we had made
- Apple butter.

And when I eat it now I see
The mellow arms of that old tree
That generously gave to me
- Apple butter.

Once more across the table's space
I smile into a lovely face
And share with her, in my old place,
- Apple butter.

I guess I'm like the tree that bore
These apples, finding more and more
My roots grown deep in time's rich store.
Pass me, and open childhood's door,
the Apple Butter.

~ Anne Campbell

I love to make apple butter in the fall. I started this tradition when we lived in the mountains in Arizona, and we had two apple trees in the back yard. They only produced a large crop of apples every other year, but that was plenty to make a huge batch of apple butter. We always had enough jars for our own use, and I often added them to Christmas gifts. One of our favorite ways to use it is as a filling for crepes. Just sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar, and they're really delicious!

When we were preparing to sell our home I realized I had several containers of peeled, sliced and blanched apples in the freezer that I was going to use for apple butter, but forgot about. I started working on a small batch each day, and everyone that came in to look at the house always commented on the wonderful aroma :) I managed to use up all the apples in the freezer, and we just packaged up the processed jars along with everything else in the kitchen that was moved.

One of my favorite things about the entire process (which I think I mentioned when I wrote about the jar of peach butter I made last month) is letting the jars cool after their hot water bath, and hearing the little pops of the lids as they set :)

When I first started making this I used a stove method, but I found that I preferred the oven method. There's less chance of the butter sticking, so you don't need to keep watch on it and stir it quite as much.

APPLE BUTTER

To prepare pulp:
24 medium apples (about 6 pounds)
2 cups apple cider

~ Wash apples. Remove stems and blossom ends, but do not peel or core. Cut into small pieces and cook apples in cider until soft. Press through a sieve or food mill. Measure 3 quarts apple pulp.

(A few notes: If you don't have a food mill and prefer not to deal with that, you can peel and core the apples first before cooking in the cider. When soft, run them through the blender or food processor until you have your pulp. Be sure your equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before using!

I'll often do this entire process in one day, and then put the puree in the refrigerator until morning, or place it in the freezer for a later time.)



To prepare butter:
3 quarts apple pulp
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves

~ In a large saucepan combine apple pulp, sugar and spices. Cook over a low heat until thick enough to round up on a spoon. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Oven option ~
Combine apple pulp, sugar and spices and pour in a large glass baking dish. Cook in a slow oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 hours, until it is thick enough to round up on a spoon. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

To Process:
Ladle hot butter into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps, and process 10 minutes using the boiling-water canning method.

(Image: Maureen McCarthy)

Spicy Potpourri

Earth is so kind,
That just tickle her with a hoe,
And she laughs with a harvest.

~ Douglas Jerrold

SPICY POTPOURRI

You may want to make lots of this and use it during the holidays ~ it makes a wonderful gift!

1/2 cup dried apples, cut into pieces
4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 whole nutmeg, broken into pieces
2 tablespoons allspice
1/2 cup whole cranberries, dried
2 tablespoons whole cloves

Mix together and place in a bowl. You can also place some potpourri in small cloth bags and use it as a tie-on for packages.

To Love What You Do

"To love what you do and feel that it matters
~ how could anything be more fun?"

~ Katherine Graham

That quote came to mind this week for me as I started working outside the home for a few hours two days a week, and also when I had a "nesting" day (as my husband calls them) on Friday.

Our daughter began classes in grad school this week, working towards her Master's. Those classes are in the evenings, and she began teaching at a Christian school (our former homeschool co-op we belonged to during our homeschooling years) two days a week. She's teaching 9th grade American History and 10th grade World Literature. Since they still had a few openings after she applied, I offered to teach, too. I have the 9th grade American Literature class.

I taught there a few years ago and really enjoyed working with the high school students, and it's just as much fun now. The kids are great, and I also enjoy hearing about our daughter's experiences in the classes she's teaching. Of course, we've both been spending much of our free time the last few weeks writing lesson plans, homework assignments, and welcome letters. But, now most of the initial work is done, and we're finding other things to add to the previous plans, papers to grade, etc.


With our different schedules each day of the week, I quickly found that meal planning was difficult. So, Friday I spent the day cooking and baking. When my husband walked into the house after work that evening the first thing he mentioned were the various aromas. I told him I had made a huge batch of chili, a huge batch of beef stew (actually, my grandmother's Hungarian Goulash since I use lots of paprika), an apple pie (Mrs. Smith's... I cheated on that one and didn't do "from scratch"), and a cinnamon swirl loaf (also cheating... I used Pillsbury's mix). That's when he said "ah, fall is coming and you're nesting", lol. I told him no, that I was actually stressing about our schedule, but I think perhaps he was right. I have been really focused on autumn these last few weeks!

We had our choice of foods for dinner that night, and then I froze the rest of the chili and goulash in serving-size portions. We emptied, defrosted and cleaned our large freezer in the garage before our vacation, so it was fun to begin stocking it once again. There are three of each meal stored in there now, and I'll be adding to the supply over the next few weeks ~ even if I just make a little extra of each night's dinner and freeze the leftovers.


Yesterday I was still in a cooking mood, so I took four large peaches, peeled them, diced them, cooked them until soft in about 1/2 cup apple juice and 1/2 cup water. When they were soft and much of the liquid was gone, I pureed them in the blender. I ended up with two cups of peach puree. To this I added 1 cup sugar and about 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, stirred it together, and put it in an 8-inch square baking dish. It went in the oven at 200 degrees for about 4 hours. Every hour I'd stir it to make sure it wasn't sticking. When it was nicely thickened, I removed it from the oven, poured it into a clean jar, and popped it into the refrigerator. We love peach butter and will be using some of it in crepes this week!

Usually when I've made peach (or apple) butter I make a large batch. Then I finish it off in a hot water bath so it's safe and can be stored for quite some time. Since I only made the one jar and we'll be using it in the next few weeks, I skipped the bath. Of course, one of my favorite things about canning the butters is listening to the popping sound of the lids as the hot mixture cools. Oh well, maybe I'll do this again in another few weeks making some apple butter. We've been out of that for some time, so it would be fun to stock up once again.


With our new schedules I've been trying to get paper work and letters written during our breaks at the co-op. That's giving me more time at home to work on some crafts and Christmas gifts. I just finished the second design of Prairie Schooler's "12 Days of Christmas" (I apologize for the poor picture... I'll do better next time). This is for a SAL we're doing on a stitching list and we'll make wreaths with the stitched ornaments.

Last night I just couldn't wait to begin another autumn design, so I began stitching Prairie Schooler's "Thanksgiving Comes Again". It seems to be as much fun as "Pumpkin Patch" was. And that reminds me that I still haven't made that one into a banner. Hopefully ~ this week!

What's new in all of your homes? Is anyone else having that "autumn nesting" feeling??