Cranberry Eggnog Cheesecake
Ingredients & Directions Crust 1 1/2 Coconut bar cookies; crushed 6 tb Butter; melted Filling 1 c Sugar; divided 2 Env unflavored gelatin 1/4 ts Salt 4 Eggs; separated 1 1/2 c Dairy eggnog 16 oz Cream cheese; softened 1 tb Orange peel; grated 1 ts Vanilla 1/2 ts Cream of tartar 1 c Whipping cream 16 oz Jellied cranberry sauce For crust Preheat oven to 350 oF Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom & part way up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8-10 min. or until golden. Cool completely For filling: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, gelatin & salt in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Beat egg yolks slightly & and combine with eggnog; gradually stir into gelatin i mixture. Cook over low to med heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved & thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat & cool slightly. Beat cream cheese, orange peel & vanilla until fluffy. Stir in cooked mixture till well blended. Refrigerate until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon. Beat egg whites and cream of tarter till frothy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/2 c sugar; beat till stiff and glossy. Beat cream until stiff peaks form . Fold whites and whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Puree cranberry sauce in food processor or blender till smooth. Spoon 1/3 of cream cheese mixture into crust. Top with 1/3 cranberry puree. Swirl cranberry mixture into cream cheese mixture using a spatula. Repeat layers twice. Refrigerate Several hours or overnight. To serve: Place cake on serving plate. Loosen sides of cake with a spatula. Carefully remove sides of pan. Refrigerate till serving time. Yields 8 Servings
Merry Gingerbread Men
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Butter or margarine; soft 1/2 c Brown sugar, firmly packed 1 Egg 1/3 c Light molasses 3 c Sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 ts Soda 1/4 ts Salt 3/4 ts Cinnamon 3/4 ts Ginger 1/4 ts Nutmeg 1 1/2 c Quaker Oats, uncooked — (quick or old-fashioned) Beat butter until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add egg; beat until light and fluffy. Blend in molasses. Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices. Add to creamed mixture; blend well. Stir in oats. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Roll out on lightly floured board or canvas to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured gingerbread man cutter. Place on greased cooky sheets. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350 degrees F.) 10 to 12 minutes; cool. Decorate with confectioners’ sugar frosting, red cinnamon candies, semi-sweet chocolate pieces and currants. Yields 30 cookies
Greek Tsoureki ( Easter Bread)
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Milk 1/2 c Sweet butter 1 pk Active dry yeast 1/2 c Granulated sugar 1 ts Salt 2 Eggs; beaten 5 tb Orange juice 1 tb Grated orange rind 5 1/2 c Sifted flour Butter; melted Red-dyed, hard-boiled eggs 1/4 c Slivered almonds 2 tb Granulated sugar In a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter over medium heat and scald. Stir until the butter melts, then pour into a mixing bowl. When lukewarm, sprinkle in the yeast, and with fingers or a heavy spoon gradually stir in the 1/2 cup sugar until it dissolves. Then add the salt, eggs 3 tablespoons of the orange juice, and the orange rind, stirring continuously, and gradually add half the flour until the mixture begins to bubble. Continue adding flour gradually by hand; the dough will be sticky, but should not be stiff. Flour your fingers lightly and knead for 15 minutes. Place the dough in a large buttered bowl, brush the dough with melted butter, cover, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in bulk (approximately 2 to 3 hours). Punch the dough down and divide into 2 parts. Divide each half into 3 parts and roll each into a long rope about 10″ x 2″. Braid the three ropes together; pinch to seal the ends if leaving long, or join together to form a long round loaf (see note below). Repeat with the other half of the dough to make a second tsoureki. Place in large baking pans or on a cookie sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk (approx. 1 1/2 hours). Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by mixing the remaining orange juice, remaining sugar, and the almonds in a small bowl. Bake the tsourekia in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and with a pastry brush glaze the tops and sides of loaves. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the color is a rich and shiny chestnut. Note: If using the Easter eggs, tuck them into the center when you shape the loaves, leave until loaves have doubled and bake them with the loaf. After baking, though lovely, the eggs will be inedible. Also in some provinces, the tsoureki is formed with a large braid and a smaller one over it, making a much larger loaf requiring a longer baking time. From “The Food of Greece” by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles. Yields 2 servings
Cornbread With Corn
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Self rising cornmeal 1/2 c Butter or margarine, melted 2 Eggs, beaten 1 c Cream-style corn 1 c Sour cream 2 tb Grated onion Combine and mix well all ingredients. Heat a well greased 9 inch cast iron skillet in a 400 degree ovne for 3 minutes or until very hot. Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minute. Cut cornbread into wedges to serve. From Yields 8 Servings
Watermelon Cake
Ingredients & Directions 1 pk White Cake Mix 1 1/3 c Watermelon (Seedless), cubed 1 pk Gelatin Powder (Mixed Fruit) 3 Egg Whites 1 tb Oil 1/4 c Watermelon Juice 1/2 c Butter 2 c Powdered Sugar 2 pk Cream Cheese, softened Grease and flour a bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix, cubed watermelon, gelatin powder, egg whites and oil. Beat until smooth. Pour into a prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack and frost with watermelon icing. Icing: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add sugar and watermelon juice; stir until blended. NOTES : The watermelon provides the liquid in this recipe. Yields 12 Servings
Pastry Cheesecake Crust
Ingredients & Directions 1/3 c Softened Butter 1 ea Egg 1/3 c Sugar 1 1/4 c Unsifted Flour mix well. Spread dough on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool and fill. Yields 1 servings
Joan's Cranberry-orange Bread
Ingredients & Directions 1 c Milk 1/2 c Oatmeal (regular) 1 Egg 3 c Bread flour 1 ts Salt 2 tb Butter 1/4 c Orange marmelade 2 ts Yeast 1/2 c Dried cranberries, chopped Put everything except cranberries in bread machine in the order listed. . Set on “light” and “mix bread” (for Hitachi) or equivalent. Add cranberries at sound. Make appropriate adjustments for other machines, or methods of baking. This is an excellent holiday bread: very pretty and festive looking. From the kitchen of: Joan Mershon From Yields 999 Servings
