Almond Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Flour, all-purpose 1 c Almonds, finely chopped 1/2 c Cornstarch 3/4 c Butter; softened 1/2 c Sugar, powdered Combine flour, cornstarch, and powdered sugar; stir in almonds. Add butter; blend with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Shape dough into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten each ball with lightly floured fork. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are only lightly browned. Cool before storing. SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine, May 1974. Typos by Nancy Coleman. Yields 3 dozen
Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients & Directions 3 c Flour 3/4 ts Salt 1 ts Baking soda 2 c Sugar 1 ts Cinnamon 1 c Chopped pecans 3 Eggs, beaten 1 c Vegetable oil 2 c Mashed bananas 1 ea 8 oz. can of crushed Pineapple And juice 2 ts Vanilla NOTE: Combine ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Yields 1 Servings
Lavash (soft) Pita Bread
Ingredients & Directions -NORMA WRENN- 4 c Bread or all-purpose flour 1 pk Dry yeast 2 ts Salt 1 tb Olive or vegetable oil; plus -enough for baking 1 1/2 c Hot water; (120~-130~) Equipment: 1 wok, scoured clean on the outside; an inverted bowl (with gently sloping sides) covered with a cloth over which to rest the bread before it is baked. By Hand or Mixer 15 minutes: Combine two cups flour, yeast and salt. Mix a tablespoon oil with the hot water and pout into the flour . Stir with a wooden spoon or a mixer flat beater to mix well. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a shaggy mass of dough. Kneading 5-8 minutes: Turn from the bowl onto the work counter and knead with a firm push-turn-fold motion until the dough is soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. If under a dough hook, knead for 5 minutes. By Processor 5 minutes: Attach the steel blade. The order of ingredients varies from above. Pour hot water and oil into the work bowl and add the yeast and salt. Pulse on/off to mix. Remove the cover and add 2 cups flour. Process 10 seconds. Add the balance of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, processing each time to blend. Kneading 50 seconds: When the dough forms into a ball and rides on the blade, knead for 50 seconds. Rising 40 minutes: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and put in a warm place (80~-100~) until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. (If prepared with a new fast-rising yeast at the recommended higher temperatures, reduce the rising time by about half.) Shaping 20 minutes: Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and divide into 6 or 8 pieces. First under your palm and then with a rolling pin, shape each ball of dough into a 10″ circle. Place the flattened dough on the back of your hands and carefully stretch the diameter to 15″ or 16″. (The back of the hands are used rather than the fingers, which can tear the dough.) After shaping the dough, dust each with flour and drape them together over the cloth-covered bowl (inverted) to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the inverted wok over a medium-high flame while the dough is resting. The wok is hot enough for the dough when a drop of water sizzles and bounces off the metal. Lightly brush oil over the surface. Baking 18-32 minutes: Place the dough circles, one at a time, on the hot wok. Bake until the dough is browned underneath, about 3 or 4 minutes. Don’t bake until it is crisp (then it becomes a cracker bread!) Turn the dough over and brown the other side. The bread should be soft and floppy. Reduce baking time or lower the heat if the bread is hard. Lift the bread off the wok and fold into quarters while still hot. Place in a plastic bag to keep soft. Continue baking the balance of the breads. Final step: The breads may be served warm. After they have cooled, refrigerate or freeze. This is a marvelous bread to take on a picnic and wrap around meats and other delicacies. It is truly an edible napkin! Yields 6 Servings
Cookies And Cream Cheesecake
Ingredients & Directions 2 c Cream-filled Cookies * 1/2 c Sugar 6 T Margarine, Softened 3/4 c Milk 1 ea Env. Unflavored Gelatin 1 c Whipping Cream, Whipped 1/4 c Cold Water 1 1/4 c Creme-filled Cookies ** 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened * The cookies (24) should be chocolate cream filled cookies and be to as fine as can be done. ** These cookies should be chocolate cream filled cookies and should be coarsely chopped. ——————— ——————- Combine cookie crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Soften gelatin in water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on an electric mixer until well blended Gradually add gelatin mixture and milk, mixing until well blended. Chill until mixture is thickened but not set. Fold in whipped cream. Reserve 1 1/2 C cream cheese mixture; pour remaning cream cheese mixture over crust. Top with cookies and reserved cream cheese mixture. Chill until firm. Yields 8 servings
Orange Angel Food Cake With Caramelized Pears
Ingredients & Directions –CAKE– 1 1/2 c Egg whites, about 12 large 1 1/4 ts Cream of tartar 1 1/2 c Sugar 1 c Cake flour, sifted Pinch of salt 1 ts Vanilla extract 2 1/2 tb Orange rind; chopped – (colored part only) 1 ts Freshly squeezed lemon juice -PEARS- 8 Ripe pears, peeled, cored, – sliced 1/3-inch thick 1/3 c Sugar 1 1/2 tb Fresh lemon juice 2 tb Brandy Pinch of salt This gussied-up version of an old favorite comes from “Stars Desserts” (Harper Collins) by Emily Luchetti. 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. For cake, put the egg whites in large bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Increase to high speed and continue to mix, slowly pouring in the sugar. Continue whipping until the whites have increased to several times their original size and they form soft, droopy white peaks. 2. Remove the bowl from the machine and fold in the flour, salt, vanilla extract, orange rind and lemon juice. 3. Gently scoop the batter into an ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake until top is light brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 4. When the cake has finished baking, invert the pan and allow it to cool. If your pan does not have legs to rest on when inverted, invert the inner tube of the pan onto a bottle. When the cake is completely cool, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove from the pan. 5. For pears, combine the pears and the remaining ingredients in a 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to caramelize lightly and the pears are soft but still retain their shape, 10 to 15 minutes. As they begin to color, stir the pears gently to prevent them from burning. 6. Serve the cake with warm or room-temperature caramelized pears and raspberry sauce, if desired. Chicago Tribune, 6/24/93. Christie Aspegren, February 95 Recipe Club. From Yields 1 Servings
Potato Bread
Ingredients & Directions 3 Potatoes 1 Yeast cake 2 tb Shortening 2 tb Sugar 1 tb Salt 6 1/2 c Sifted flour Cook pared potatoes in boiling water until tender; mash in liquid and heat 2 cups to lukewarm. Crumble yeast in 1/4 cup of the liquid. To remaining liquid add shortening, sugar and salt. Add softened yeast and 1/2 of the flour. Beat; add remaining flour gradually. Knead on floured board until thoroughly elastic. Place in bowl, cover and let rise. When doubled in bulk, divide into 2 parts, shape into loaves and place in greased pans. Let rise again until doubled in bulk. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until bread shrinks from sides of pan. Makes 2 (llb) loaves. From Yields 1 Servings
Hungarian Kiffles (cookies)
Ingredients & Directions 4 Egg yokes 4 c Flour, all purpose 1 ts Salt 2 ts Sugar 1 c Butter 1 Yeast cake dissolved in 1 -cup sour cream NUT FILLING * * NUT FILLING: Combine 1 pound ground walnuts with 1/2 cup sugar; add 2 to 3 beaten egg whites, just enough to hold nuts together. Reserve….. PREPARE COOKIES; Mix flour, salt and sugar together; add butter and mix like pie dough. Add egg yokes and sour cream mixture; mix well. Shape dough like a meatloaf; wrap and refrigerate overnight… The next day, working with small sections of the dough (keep rest cold), roll out as thinly as possible, at least 1/8 inch; use a mixture of powdered confectioners sugar and flour on surface. Cut out diamond shapes, 2 to 3 inches square. TO ASSEMBLE; Place a scant teaspoon of filling on center of each diamond; roll from one corner to another corner; shape into crescent. Bake on top rack of oven at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned; WATCH them carefully… From Yields 6 Servings
