Holiday 2009 Cookbook

Transcription

GeneaBloggers
Holiday 2009 Cookbook
Contents
Appetizers and Salads ........................................................................................................................4
Grandma’s Molded Raspberry and Cream Cheese Salad....................................................................... 5
Sausage-Cheese Balls ........................................................................................................................... 6
Yum Yum Salad .................................................................................................................................... 7
Beverages ..........................................................................................................................................8
Christmas Punch .................................................................................................................................. 9
Soups and Stews .............................................................................................................................. 10
Merry Christmas Minestrone ............................................................................................................. 11
Oyster Stew Tradition ........................................................................................................................ 13
Cakes and Breads ............................................................................................................................. 14
Carrot Cake ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Great Oma Margarete’s German Marble Cake ................................................................................... 16
Three Kings Bread .............................................................................................................................. 17
Desserts and Pastries ....................................................................................................................... 19
Banket ............................................................................................................................................... 20
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll............................................................................................................... 22
Candy .............................................................................................................................................. 23
Almond Brittle ................................................................................................................................... 24
Baked Caramel Corn .......................................................................................................................... 26
Date Nut Roll ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Great-Grandma Dagle’s Old-Fashioned Divinity.................................................................................. 28
My Gran’s Peanut Brittle .................................................................................................................... 30
Toffey Squares ................................................................................................................................... 31
Bars and Brownies ........................................................................................................................... 32
Christmas Mincemeat Bars ................................................................................................................ 33
Pumpkin Fudge Brownies ................................................................................................................... 34
Snack Bars ......................................................................................................................................... 35
Cookies ............................................................................................................................................ 36
100 Years in America’s Hungarian Kifli ............................................................................................... 37
Auntie B’s Christmas Cut-Out Cookies ................................................................................................ 39
Butterscotch Crisps ............................................................................................................................ 40
Christmas Kipfels ............................................................................................................................... 41
Gingerbread Cookie Cut-Outs............................................................................................................. 42
Half Moon Cookies ............................................................................................................................. 45
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies........................................................................................................ 46
Peppermint Meringue Kisses.............................................................................................................. 47
Reindeer Cookies ............................................................................................................................... 48
Sicilian Fig Cookies ............................................................................................................................. 49
Sugar-Coated Chocolate Cookies ........................................................................................................ 50
This is the second cookbook
produced by various members of a genealogy and
family blogging community called GeneaBloggers
(http://www.geneabloggers.com
http://www.geneabloggers.com) and we share this
with you in the spirit of the holiday season.
Copyright: the submissions for this cookbook,
Copyright
including all photos and stories, are covered by
the various copyright and licensing policies of
each blogger who submitted a recipe.
Appetizers and Salads
Grandma’s Molded Raspberry and Cream Cheese Salad
Cheryl Palmer, Heritage Happens (http://heritagehappens.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 large or 2 3 oz pkgs raspberry gelatin,
Jell-O brand
• 3 cups hot water
• 1 10 oz pkg. frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Dash salt
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Directions
1. Dissolve Jell-O in hot water, then add the
frozen raspberries, lemon juice and dash
of salt. After thoroughly mixed, put in
refrigerator until it begins to slightly set.
2. Soften cream cheese with a little milk and
add the chopped pecans to cream cheese
and form into small balls. Put cheese balls
into the refrigerator until the Jell-O is
slightly set.
3. Pour Jell-O mixture into mold and drop
cheese balls around evenly. Refrigerate
until ready to serve.
4. Serves approximately 12-16.
Many times during my adventures in genealogy I have been asked
if I would like to participate in a recipe sharing of some sort. This
means a recipe from an ancestor generally. I haven’t participated
in sharing a recipe to this point as I really don’t have many recipes
that have been handed down to me. I do not believe my mother
even owned a cook book, or saved any recipes. I was told her
mother was a great cook, but I don’t have any recollection of her
cooking, let alone having a recipe from her.
I wanted to participate in this event, The GeneaBloggers Cookbook,
and have been trying to think of what recipe I could use. The few
recipes my mother gave to me were very simple ones, not much of
a challenge and not very exciting.
Finally, it dawned on me that I owned a copy a the cookbook from the trailer park where my
grandma, Helen Harding, lived after my grandfather passed away. She participated in most all of
the activities the park had going on, I am sure that helped keep her so young. When time came to
sell them, I had to buy one. How exciting, I do have a recipe or two from a grandmother! This
cookbook was compiled in 1982.
So, I pulled it to see what recipes my grandmother chose to enter. She was a really good cook and
the only other person, besides my mother, that I remember cooking our Holiday meals. For this
reason I thought it was appropriate to enter a recipe of hers! I liked this recipe because ANYTHING
raspberry is a favorite of mine! So, from one cookbook to another, hope you enjoy!
GeneaBloggers Holiday 2009 Cookbook
Page | 5
Sausage-Cheese Balls
Melissa Corley, Bayside Blog (http://baysideblog.wordpress.com
http://baysideblog.wordpress.com)
Ingredients
• 1/2 lb. bulk sausage (I recommend hot
Italian sausage)
• 1/2 lb. grated cheese (Colby and/or
Cheddar works well)
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 1/4 cup (or more) water -- enough so that
the balls form easily
Directions
1. Mix ingredients with hands and form into
balls about 1 inch in diameter.
2. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees (F) for about
10 minutes.
My all-time
time favorite holiday family recipe has earned me quite a
rep among those I’ve met at the parties
partie to which I’ve brought
these tasty appetizers (actually, I’m now required to bring these
to most tailgates, showers and other gatherings). Good thing they
couldn’t be simpler.
Some of my earliest memories of family gatherings feature these
Sausage-Cheese Balls (alternatively dubbed Cheesy Poufs, Snausage Balls and Cheesy Sausage
Nums Nums, by those who have had them).
Below is my mom’s hand-written
written recipe card containing the recipe, which has an (almost)
embarrassingly small amount of ingredients and work involved. They can be incredibly messy to
mix together, but the end result is well worth going through all that.
I have made these with turkey sausage for those who don’t favor pork and they have come out
splendidly. They are practically impossible to mess up. Too much Bisquick and you just end up
with cheesy, sausagey biscuits instead of balls. No problem! Play it off like that’s what you meant
to make all along.
I believe that one of my aunts came across this recipe when she lived on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia. Our family has enjoyed them ever since.
Page | 6
Yum Yum Salad
Sue Tolbert, Nana’s Diggins, (http://rootdigginnana.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 2 small packages lemon gelatin (Jello
brand)
• 2 cups grated American cheese
• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
(walnuts are our favorite)
• 1 small container whipped topping
Directions
1. In a 9" x 13" x2" cake pan or other baking
dish, dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling
water (stir well) and then add 4 ice cubes
to cool the mixture (stir until the ice
cubes are melted).
2. Add grated cheese, pineapple and nuts.
3. Place in the freezer or refrigerator until
“tacky” (20 - 30 minutes). If you forget or
let it set too long, break it up into small
pieces.
4. Fold in the whipped topping, mix well,
smooth out the top and return to the
refrigerator until solid (about 1 1/2
hours).
My mother made this salad on holidays beginning in the 1960’s or maybe earlier. I don’t know
where she got it, probably from a square dance club friend as they were always printing club
cookbooks. This has become a family favorite, so much so that I am not allowed to get by without
making it at Thanksgiving and Christmas or I hear very loud protests. Our family has grown so
large in the past few years that this year I had to make two cake pans full rather than one!
Page | 7
Beverages
Christmas Punch
Travis LeMaster, TJLGenes: Preserving Our Family History (http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 cups water
• 3 packages lemon-lime Kool-Aid
• 2 liters lemon-lime soda
• 3 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice*
• 1 quart lime sherbet
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
Directions
1. About 2 hours before serving, stir half of
the lime sherbet in punch bowl to soften.
2. Mix sugar, Kool Aid, juices and water
together in large pitcher. Stir until sugar
is dissolved. (This could be done ahead of
time and chilled).
3. Blend into the sherbet that is in the punch
bowl. Scoop remaining sherbet on top.
4. Carefully pour in 7-Up or any lemon-lime
carbonated beverage.
*If pineapple-grapefruit juice is not available,
mix 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice and 1 1/2
cups of grapefruit juice.
** Freeze 7-Up ice cubes with drained
maraschino cherries in the middle for color.
One particular holiday tradition that I remember growing up involved special “Santa” mugs filled
with lime-green holiday punch. My grandma Wright started this tradition, I believe, and my mom
still has this punch every year. The kids really enjoy it and so do I!
Page | 9
Soups and Stews
Merry Christmas Minestrone
Denise Levenick, The Family Curator (http://www.thefamilycurator.com)
Ingredients
• 1 package of Merry Christmas Minestrone
Soup Mix
• 7 cups water
• 1 large can (28oz) ready-cut tomatoes,
undrained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 cups assorted fresh vegetables, sliced
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 lb. cooked ground beef, Italian Sausage
or chicken (optional)
Directions
1. Put water in large pot and add bean
portion of soup mix. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 to 1
1/2 hours.
2. Add canned tomatoes (undrained), onion,
and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add
vegetables, tomato sauce, additional
water, and macaroni. Lower heat and
cook until macaroni and vegetables are
tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add meat if
desired, and heat through.
3. Makes 6 to 8 hearty servings.
After years of cookie exchanges, jamfests, and
baking extravaganzas, my friend Terry Jaurequi
and I found a simple and delicious handmade gift
for our friends and work colleagues. We get
together to assemble an enormous batch of
minestrone soup mix, which we then package for
holiday delivery. It is a holiday tradition that is
now firmly established.
Some years we have added a quick bread mix, or
yummy crackers. Other times, we give the mix in a
basket or tote bag with a nice bottle of wine. We
have found that our friends like the soup so well they start asking about it right after
Thanksgiving.
To make the soup mix you will need:
•
•
•
•
assorted dried beans, lentils, peas, etc. (1 1/2 cup per mix)
macaroni (1/2 cup per mix)
2 sizes cellophane bags for packaging – small sucker size for macaroni, larger for mix
Merry Christmas Minestrone PDF cooking instructions to print and add to each mix
(available free at http://www.thefamilycurator.com)
A note on selecting beans: We try to use a nice variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Nine pounds of
beans will yield about 14 packages of mix. We like to use black beans, red kidney beans, small
white beans, pink beans, green and yellow split peas, lentils, garbanzos, baby limas, pinto. We buy
at least 1 pound bags.
Page | 11
To Assemble:
1. Find a huge pot. I use my canning kettle so there is plenty of room to mix things up. Dump
in all the beans, peas, and legumes. Mix well using your hands.
2. Use a glass 2-cup measuring cup to measure out about 1 1/2 cup of bean mixture and pour
into the larger cello bag. A canning funnel is helpful for filling the bags. It’s also a good idea
to set the bags in a roasting pan or some other container that will help them to stand
upright.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of macaroni to each of the smaller bags and fold the top over tightly. Staple
closed if you like. Add the small bag of macaroni to the top of the bean mixture in each bag.
4. Fold the cooking instructions so that the name shows on the front with the recipe on the
back and staple to the top of the bag. Add a ribbon or bow if you like; or place the bag inside
a tote bag with colored tissue.
Page | 12
Oyster Stew Tradition
Joan Hill, Roots’N’Leaves (http://rootsnleaves.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 can oysters
• 2 cups milk
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Daddy heated a small pan of milk (about 1
1/2 to 2 cups milk) to scalding.
2. Then added a can of oysters and
simmered until the oysters were
thoroughly warmed.
3. He then seasoned it with 1-2 tbsp butter,
then added salt and pepper as desired.
4. He served it with crackers. We enjoyed it
immensely.
Five years ago, I gathered many of the family favorite recipes together into a
cookbook, Cooking Up Memories, that I gave to my extended family for
Christmas. I included a recipe for oyster stew, which was a favorite of my father
(Harold McPherson). The sidebar for the recipe was:
“There was probably nothing unusual about Daddy’s Oyster Stew, except that I
didn’t know anyone else who liked it except for the two of us. Then I found out
that it was a favorite of My McPherson Grandpa and Uncles."
A few months ago, I posted to a family website about my
McPherson family’s fondness for this dish. I immediately
heard from distant McPherson relatives in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, and even in my home state of
Oregon. They told me of their McPherson family’s fondness
for Oyster Stew, especially as a Christmas Eve tradition.
Some of these extended family members related how they
counted out the oysters out into each dish, and if there
were extra, only the adults got extra oysters in their bowl.
Now on Christmas Eve, I enjoy my bowl of oyster stew and
smile to myself over this new/old tradition of My
McPhersons.
Page | 13
Cakes and Breads
Carrot Cake
Valerie Craft, Begin with 'Craft' (http://beginwithcraft.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups salad (veggie/canola/etc) oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups grated raw carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions
1. Combine oil and sugar, mix well.
2. Sift together remaining dry ingredients.
3. Sift half of dry ingredients into sugar
mixture, blend.
4. Sift in remaining dry ingredients
alternately with eggs, one at a time,
mixing well after each addition.
5. Add carrots and mix well, then mix in
pecans.
6. Pour into lightly oiled 10" tube (or Bundt)
pan.
7. Bake in slow oven, 325 degrees (F), about
1 hour and 10 minutes.
8. Cool in pan upright. Remove from pan
and frost with orange glaze.
For the three major holidays (Thanksgiving,
Christmas and Easter) there were certain
dishes that each family member was
responsible for. For my mom, one of those
was Carrot Cake. This recipe comes from a
bag of Colonial Sugar. My grandmamma
found it after trying many recipes. She said
that it was the cake closest to what she was
looking for.
For me, the making of this cake is required
for the holidays - even though I don't hardly eat it. If we didn't have this cake on the table, it
wouldn't be the holidays.
Page | 15
Great Oma Margarete’s German Marble Cake
Gini Webb, Ginisology (http://ginisology.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 package vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon
vanilla essence/extract
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2cup of milk (add additional milk
slowly if needed for smoother batter)
• 1/4cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon powder sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease
and flour a fluted tube pan or Bundt pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together
the softened butter, sugar and vanilla
essence/extract until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing
thoroughly after each addition.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, sift and
combine the flour, corn starch, baking
powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to
butter mixture and blend together
thoroughly.
5. Pour half of the yellow batter into greased
pan. Add cocoa powder to remaining
batter and blend. Slowly pour cocoa
batter on top of the yellow batter.
Carefully draw the knife several times
through the batter, creating a marble
effect.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick
inserted comes out clean.
7. Allow cake to cool in pan for 20 minutes,
invert onto a plate or cake plate and
sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
The little girl on a relatives lap is me! Great Oma Margarete (1888 - 1972) sits next to my Opa all
the way to the right. My two uncles Helmut and Adi (twins) are standing along with my cousin
Meggi who was always near and protective, even as I grew older! This photo captures one of the
many visits held on each Sunday!
My Oma (grandmother), my Mom and the author of this blog, grew up on this German Marble
Cake! This cake is my childhood favorite out of any of the German dishes my mom made. Mom
would make this cake just about every Sunday, and I would get to lick the bowl too (best part)! It’s
great with coffee or tea.
Every Sunday afternoon in Germany, tradition would be that the family members would get
together for coffee at my great -grandmother, Margarete Kaiser Saule’s home. This German Marble
Cake was part of that tradition at every visit! Little did she know it would be passed all the way
down to me! Thank you Mom, Oma and great Oma, I will continue to pass this recipe – with
pleasure!
Page | 16
Three Kings Bread
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, Nutfield Genealogy (http://www.nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 packets dry active yeast
• 2/3 cup mixed lukewarm milk and water
(of equal parts)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• grated rind of 1 orange
• raisins and chopped walnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• Candied fruit pieces, cherries, oranges,
etc. and nuts
Directions
1. Sift flour and salt together in a large
mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center of
the flour.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir and dissolve
the dry yeast in the lukewarm milk-water
mixture.
3. Once dissolved, pour the dissolved yeast
into the center of the flour.
4. Stir in just enough flour from around the
bowl to make a thick batter.
5. Cover bowl with kitchen towel; leave in a
warm place, away from draft.
6. In a medium-size mixing bowl, use a hand
mixer or whisk to beat together the butter
and sugar.
7. Put grated orange and lemon rinds, eggs,
brandy and water to the bowl with flour
mixture.
8. Beat flour mixture until it is elastic and
smooth.
9. Beat in butter-sugar mixture and mix
until the dough is smooth. Add some
raisins and walnuts.
10. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and
allow to rise until doubled in size. This
will take approximately 1 1/2 hours.
11. While you are waiting for the dough to
rise, grease a large baking sheet with
shortening.
12. Once dough has doubled, punch dough
down. Lightly flour a clean counter or
cutting board and place dough on it.
Knead for 2-3 minutes.
13. Then, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a
long rectangle, about 2 feet long and 5-6
inches wide.
14. Roll the dough on the long side into a
sausage shape.
15. Carefully place the dough onto the large
baking sheet and connect the ends
together in a ring.
16. Hide a dry bean or a tiny ceramic figurine
in the cake under the dough.
17. Cover with oiled plastic wrap again. Leave
in warm place, allow to double in size,
about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
18. Heat oven to 350 degrees (F).
19. Lightly beat the egg white in a bowl.
Uncover the dough and brush the top of
the cake with the egg white.
20. Decorate the ring with the candied fruit
pieces and nuts.
21. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a
rack before serving.
Page | 17
The foods your family eats at Christmas, or any other holiday, are
passed along from family traditions. My husband is from Spain,
and I learned about Three Kings Bread on my first married
Christmas in Madrid. It’s served on Three Kings Day, which is
January 6th (Twelfth Night), the day the children in Spain receive
their gifts from the Magi. Traditionally there was no Santa Claus in
Spain, and the department stores usually have three thrones for
the three kings instead of St. Nick. In Madrid, there is a huge
parade the day the Kings arrive, and the children put out a box of
hay for the camels, instead of a carrot for Rudolf.
I loved the tradition of the Three Kings Day, so we started
celebrating this with my Yankee family every January 6th. They all
loved it, too, and we always make the Three Kings Bread and have
our big family holiday party. If you live in a town with many Mexican immigrants, you might be
able to buy a “Roscon de Reyes”, but here in New Hampshire there are no such bakeries! We have
had to make our own roscones for parties on January 6th.
This is a photo taken at the 2002 Three Kings Party. We used to celebrate my Dad’s birthday and
his brother, Robert’s, birthday at the party because Uncle Robert was a New Year’s baby and Dad’s
birthday was January 3rd. I cherish this photo because Dad died later that same year, and Uncle
Robert died in 2005. We used the Roscon de Reyes as their birthday cake several times over the
years.
A small prize, usually a porcelain figure of the baby Jesus, is hidden inside the bread. In Madrid,
the breads bought in bakeries can have a prize of any porcelain figure- animals, storybook figures,
or cartoon characters. In some places, the prize is simply a dried bean! All the kids (and young at
heart) will eat multiple pieces of cake until finally someone finds the prize!
According to differing traditions from different regions, the person who finds the prize in the cake
receives an honor such as:
1.
King for the Day (make a paper crown and celebrate)
2.
In Mexico the prize finder holds the next party on Candlemas (usually February 2nd)
3.
The prize finder pays for the cake!
The Following recipe is modified because my recipe (from relatives) is all in Spanish and metric
measurements! You can Google many other variations on the recipe, too. While checking out the
Google results I learned that the “roscones” originally were circular cakes with surprises inside
offered to the God Janus in Roman times (Janus is the origin of our name for the month of January.)
Page | 18
Desserts and Pastries
Banket
Miriam Robbins Midkiff, AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors (http://ancestories1.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
Pastry
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 lb. margarine (good quality)
• 1 cup cold water
Filling
• 1 lb. kernel or almond paste (kernel is
cheaper and tastes as good, says Grandpa)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk (save egg
white for glaze)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze
• 1 egg white
• granulated sugar
Directions
1. To make pastry, crumble or chop
margarine into flour, salt, and baking
powder mixture until mixed fine. Add
water and mix well. Form dough into flat
ball; wrap in waxed paper and chill
overnight.
2. For filling, crumble or chop paste (a
blender or food processor can be used,
says Grandpa, but I used a hand pastry
cutter). Add sugar and flour and mix. Add
two whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla and
mix well. Form into a flat ball, cover or
wrap, and chill in refrigerator overnight.
3. Divide pastry and filling into 8 equal parts
each. Shape pastry dough into an oblong
ball. Roll the ball away from you on a
floured pastry cloth into a strip about 3
inches wide by 12 - 14 inches long. Take
one piece of filling and roll with palm of
hand into a long rope a little shorter than
the pastry strip. Roll the filling onto
pastry.
4. Brush one edge and the ends of pastry
with water, fold the ends over the filling,
and roll the pastry around filling toward
moistened edge. Press lightly to seal and
place each finished roll lengthwise on an
ungreased cookie sheet, seam side down.
Put 4 rolls on each sheet.
5. Beat egg white and brush on top of rolls;
sprinkle with sugar. Prick rolls with fork
at one-inch intervals. Bake in preheated
oven 425 degrees (F)* about 25 - 30
minutes or until light brown. Makes 8
rolls. Slice into one-inch diagonal pieces.
Page | 20
The following is excerpted from my post “Childhood Food Memories,” originally written 15 January
2007 for the 16th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Family Food and Recipes:
My all-time favorite treat growing up (and even now) was banket (bun-KET), a traditional Dutch
pastry with almond paste filling. My grandfather would make it and send it in our Christmas
package from the relatives on my mother’s side of the family. A huge box would arrive, plastered
over with sheets of stamps. Grandpa worked for the US Postal Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and he, along with my dad and myself, collected stamps. The box was a gift in itself! After
Christmas, Dad would carefully cut the cardboard, then place wet towels over the stamps to soak
them off, later to be mounted in our albums. Inside the box, everything was packed in the Sunday
comics, another treasure in itself. We were not regular subscribers to the nearest paper, The
Ketchikan Daily News, and even then, its comics were in black-and-white. The Grand Rapids Press,
however, had Sunday comics in full, glorious color! At the top of the carefully wrapped and packed
Christmas presents would be the banket, wrapped in foil and still semi-frozen. Dad would cut the
pastry into one-inch diagonal slices, and we would enjoy every bite. There never seemed to be
enough!
In 1997, I wrote my grandfather, and asked him for the banket recipe. At that time, he was 81
years old, and I figured I may not have many opportunities to ask him. As a matter of fact, he lived
another 9 1/2 years, passing away just a few days ago, on January 6th [2007]. Every year when I
make this treat for my family and friends, I think fondly of my grandfather, and next Christmas, it
will be with a mixture of loss and joy. I’ve included the recipe here, in this very long blog, as a
tribute to my grandfather. Although complicated, time-consuming, and expensive (almond paste is
not cheap!), the results are worthy!
Page | 21
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
Earline Bradt, Ancestral Notes (http://ancestralnotes.ebradt.org)
Ingredients
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese,
softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Additional confectioners’ sugar, optional
Directions
1. Line a 15” x 10” x 1” baking pan with
waxed paper; grease the paper and set
aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on
high speed until thick and lemon-colored.
Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and
pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is
almost dissolved.
3. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites
until soft peaks form. Gradually add
remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks
form. Fold into egg yolk mixture.
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon
and salt; gently fold into pumpkin
mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for 12 - 15
minutes or until cake springs back when
lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. Turn
cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with
confectioners’ sugar. Gently peel off
waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel
jelly-roll style, starting with a short side.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
6. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese,
butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla;
beat until smooth.
7. Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to
within 1/2” of edges. Roll up again. Cover
and freeze until firm.
8. May be frozen for up to 3 months.
Remove from the freezer 15 minutes
before cutting.
9. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
10. Yield: 10 servings
When we go to my sister's house for our family get-together,
there are some foods that are brought every year, one of the
favourite desserts that my sister-in-law brings is a Pumpkin
Cream Cheese Roll. She doesn't make it, her mother makes it, and
decorates it for her with Christmas picks. She bakes two because
we have such a large family. We split up the leftovers at the end
of the night for everyone to take home, but there hasn't ever been
any leftovers of this dessert. I have bugged my sister-in-law to get the recipe from her mother for
years and finally I found one that tastes almost the same, my husband, says it tastes the same, but,
everything always tastes better when someone else makes it.
Page | 22
Candy
Almond Brittle
Pat Richley-Erickson (Ol’ Myrt), DearMYRTLE’s Genealogy Blog (http://blog.dearmyrtle.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup almonds (instead of peanuts)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
Directions
1. Tammy used tin foil, spread on cookie
sheets with lips on them, to help contain
the almond brittle.
2. In a large pot, use a double boiler and
gather the sugar, corn syrup and water,
bringing to a "hard ball" stage (250 - 265
degrees (F). This means you can drop a
bit of the mixture into cold water, and it
forms a ball. The ball will be hard but you
can still change its shape by squashing it.
3. Add whole almonds, instead of peanuts.
4. Remove from the burner when the
mixture starts to turn from clear to a light
brown.
5. Add baking soda.
6. Don’t worry when the concoction foams
up a little.
7. Pour out onto your foil covered cookie
sheet.
8. The brittle will harden as it cools, and can
then be cracked into smaller pieces.
I’m submitting a recipe for almond brittle that my daughter Tammy made for my dad who
developed an allergy to peanuts, but still longed for some of that old-fashioned brittle
"crunchiness."
Making almond rather than peanut brittle is as easy as switching out the peanuts for the almonds.
My eldest daughter Tammy is the one who thought of it, and whipped some up in the kitchen at
Dad’s home on Overlake Drive.
It was simply marvelous when Tammy brought the brittle in to Dad where he usually sat watching
TV in the family room. The very idea of it brought tears to his eyes. As you can see from the photo
on the right, Dad at nearly 89 years of age had lost a lot of weight, and it was nearly impossible to
get him to eat anything. But Dad just LOVED that almond brittle Tammy made him.
Time during the last few years of Dad’s life were painful and heartbreaking. Its challenging for a
man to lose his hunting dog due to old age and his wife to Lewey Body Dementia, within nine
months of each other, no less. When Tammy came up to visit, she chipped right in and helped with
figuring out ways to keep Dad entertained, despite his confinement to his electric wheelchair due
to the weakening of his body after years of being an active husband, father, grandfather greatgrandfather, physician and bird hunter.
Page | 24
I cannot thank Tammy enough for thinking of the Almond Brittle. Even now, two years after Dad’s
death, I am brought to tears by Tammy’s thoughtful gift and the joy it brought to Dad’s heart.
(Blogging and sobbing are a bit challenging, but I’ll try my best to keep the tears off of the
keyboard!)
Tammy is ever the creative cook in our family. If you look Ol’ Myrt’s Facebook page, you’ll see the
apron I am making her (complete with matching oven mitts) for her Christmas present.
Page | 25
Baked Caramel Corn
Karen Krugman, Genealogy Frame Of Mind (http://genealogyframeofmind.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 6 cups popped unbuttered popcorn
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup, Karo brand
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• Dash of cream of tartar
• Dash of salt
Directions
1. Make sure popcorn is popped and in a
large container that can stand heat. I
would not recommend plastic. I use a
stainless steel bowl.
2. Combine the brown sugar, the Karo syrup
and butter. Place over medium heat. Cook
until melted and boiling. Once boil has
started boil for five minutes. Do not alter
cook time.
3. After five minutes, add remaining items soda, tartar and salt. Mixture will turn a
caramel color & start to foam.
4. Pour hot mixture over popped popcorn.
Stir well making sure all popcorn is
coated.
5. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets.
Place in a 200 degree oven for 1 hour.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a
short time then break apart and place in
containers.
7. Great for gift giving. It doesn’t last long
around here.
Our family are big popcorn eaters. My grandmother for many years made the traditional popcorn
balls, using a recipe very similar to this one. But my kids loved Caramel corn. We tried many
different varieties and brands but none of them seemed to coat the corn and many were grainy
and not well done.
I was a young mother with two little ones and decided to try making it on my own. It took only one
batch for my family & friends to decide that they never would buy caramel corn again. This is the
most requested holiday recipe that I have. I have a list of over 30 people who enjoy this caramel
corn every year and can’t wait to get their container. My daughter enjoys hers so much she took it
to work and was disappointed when it all disappeared within minutes. It’s just a fantastic recipe
and it never fails to get compliments no matter where I take it. Both of kids have asked for the
recipe, although both prefer to wait until I make it. Something about coming from mom’s kitchen I
guess?
Page | 26
Date Nut Roll
Kay Bauman, Kay B's Place, (http://kbea831.wordpress.com)
Ingredients
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pkg chopped dates
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1. Cook sugar and milk to soft ball stage.
2. Stir in dates until melted and forms a soft
ball again in water.
3. Remove from heat, add butter and beat
until creamy.
4. Add nuts, beat until ready to pour on wet
cloth (tea towel) and shape into a long
rolls.
5. Cool then wrap in wax paper. Chill in
refrigerator until ready to slice and serve.
My mother shares how she came to use
this recipe. “When I was working at
Oklahoma State University (ca. 1964), we
had a Christmas party and someone
brought a Date Nut Candy that, when I put
it in my mouth, I was overwhelmed with
sensations of taste and smell that were
clearly out of my memory. I loved the
candy and asked for the recipe. When I
made it, I realized why I’d had those strong
sensations of taste and smell memories: it
was out of my childhood and was
something my mother used to make so long before that I’d forgotten all but that sense of
taste/smell. The sensation of smell was that this candy was poured hot onto a wet cotton dish
towel, wrapped up into a roll and put in the icebox to cool before slicing. As it cooled, the smell of
the candy mixed with the smell of the dish towel.” Once mother became reacquainted with this
candy we had it at Christmas every year, I think.
Page | 27
Great-Grandma Dagle’s Old-Fashioned Divinity
Elizabeth Swanay-O’Neal, Little Bytes of Life (http://www.littlebytesoflife.com)
Ingredients
• 2 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• 2/3 cup chopped nuts
• Red and green sugar (optional)
• Also optional: candied fruit pieces,
chocolate chips, crushed peppermint
pieces
Directions
1. Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in a
heavy saucepan.
2. Stir over low heat until sugar is
completely dissolved; then cook without
stirring to 260 degrees (F) (a little
dropped into cold water forms a hard
ball).
3. Remove from heat and pour, beating
constantly, in a fine stream into the
beaten egg whites. Add vanilla and
continue beating until mixture holds its
shope and becomes slightly dull. Fold in
nuts and other optional items (if desired).
4. Working quickly, drop from a greased
spoon onto waxed paper in individual
peaks. If it flattens out (like gooey
cookies), beat the mixture for another
minute or so. Do not overbeat or mixture
will be too stiff. Top with red and green
sugar (optional).
5. Makes about 48 pieces.
6. Alternatively, fold in candied cherries or
other goodies and pour into a loaf pan.
When firm, serve in slices. Or, spread in a
greased pan and cut into 1” squares when
firm.
7. Store tightly covered to keep the humidity
out.
Every year at Christmas, my grandmother would
serve a strange, white confection called Divinity.
What is Divinity? It’s kind of a cross between fudge
and a meringue cookie. I did a little research,
hoping to find that it was an old, French-Canadian
treat (my Dagles were French-Canadian) handed
down for many generations. I was disappointed to
find that it’s actually thought to be a American in
origin. One of the main ingredients in Divinity is
corn syrup, an American product that came out in the early 1900s.
I never much cared for Divinity as a kid. My grandmother - who got the recipe from her mother-inlaw “Zee” Dagle - made it in a loaf pan and served it in slices. I didn’t like it this way; it included
nuts and candied cherries, and reminded me too much of fruitcake. Years later, I tasted Divinity
that was made in small “dollops” like cookies, which I think tastes much better.
Over the years, I’ve made a variety of holiday sweets and treats, but I’ve never attempted to make
my great-grandmother’s Divinity. So this year, I finally decided to give it a try.
Page | 28
How did my first attempt at Divinity turn out? Unfortunately, not as well as I’d hoped. The first few
spoonfuls weren’t firm enough and spread all over the wax paper like gooey cookies. After beating
for a few more minutes, the mixture firmed up quite a bit, and finally began to stiffen.
Plus, with humidity at 89%, and barometric pressure at just 30.14, our weather conditions were
not ideal for Divinity-making. Sadly, my Divinity refused to set properly, and was just a bit too soft
on the outside for my liking.
Strangely enough though, it tastes exactly like I remember my grandmother’s Divinity tasting. One
bite, and I was transported back to about 30 years ago.
It was a divine taste of Christmas past.
Page | 29
My Gran’s Peanut Brittle
Caroline Pointer, Family Stories (http://yourfamilystory-cmpointer.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter, plus some to butter pans
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-1/2 cups raw peanuts (unsalted)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Equipment
•
•
•
•
Heavy 3-qt sauce pan
Candy thermometer
Wooden spoon
2 large baking sheets (I use 2 old Airbake
ones that are warped)
Directions
1. Butter the 2 large baking sheets and the
3-qt sauce pan.
2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and
1/2 cup water in buttered 3-qt sauce pan.
3. Cook and stir continuously over mediumhigh heat until boiling. Clip the candy
thermometer to the side of the pan
(making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom
of the pan).
4. Now cook and stir over medium-low heat
to 275 degrees (F), or soft-crack stage
(about 30 minutes).
5. Stir in peanuts and stir to 295 degrees (F),
or hard-crack stage (about 15-20
minutes).
6. Remove from heat & remove
thermometer.
7. Quickly, sprinkle baking soda over the hot
goo (yes, that’s a technical term) while
constantly stirring.
8. Then quickly pour the hot goo onto the
baking sheets, dividing it equally. (Good
luck on that “equal” part.
9. Once it’s cool, break into pieces. Then,
hide it. Otherwise, it won’t last long.
I’ve tasted a lot of peanut brittle over the years, and none have ever come close to this my Gran’s
and my Mom’s. The ingredients are simple, but there’s a “trick” to making candy. I never helped
my mom make the peanut brittle, but I watched her every year make batch after batch of it. When
I finally married, that first Christmas after receiving my Birthday Peanut Brittle, I called to thank
her, and I also asked for “the recipe.” I’ve made it every year since. The key to making any candy is
to follow the directions exactly and have everything ready to go ~ time is of the essence. (Plus an
extra set of hands would be nice, but as my mom used to say, “Caroline, people in hell want ice
water, too.”)
Page | 30
Toffey Squares
Elizabeth Powell Crowe, Crowe's Nest (http://blog.epcrowe.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (only
Nestle's!)
Directions
1. Heat oven at to 350 degrees (F).
2. Cream butter. Add egg yolk, salt, sugar
and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add 2 cups flour mix well.
4. Use raised edge cookie sheet. Pat dough
into 10" by 13" pan. Roll well. If dough is
sticky, sprinkle with a little flour.
5. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 20 minutes or
until brown.
6. Remove from oven, and while still hot,
cover with chocolate chips. Note: other
brands do not melt as quickly as the
Nestle's.
7. When chocolate is melted, spread quickly
over all to cover. Then, sprinkle with very
finely chopped pecans. Cut into 1"
squares while warm.
My sister's godmother, Marian Roberts, gave this recipe to Mother years ago, but swore Frances to
secrecy because it was a “Roberts family secret.” Years later Mother found the same recipe on a
package of flour. So she didn't feel so badly sharing it after that. This is a Powell family Christmas
tradition. Goes GREAT with a robust red wine!
Page | 31
Bars and Brownies
Christmas Mincemeat Bars
Sharon Thiessen, Kindred Footprints (http://kindredfootprints.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup seedless raisins
• 1 pkg (9 ounces) mincemeat, broken up
with fork (a little over 1 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot milk
• 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and almond
extract
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees (F). Grease two
oblong pans, 13” x 9” x 2”.
2. Mix brown sugar, eggs, molasses, butter
and vanilla thoroughly.
3. Sift together flour, salt, soda and spices;
stir in to mixture.
4. Mix in hot water. Stir in almonds, raisins
and mincemeat.
5. Spread thin in greased pans. (Dough puffs
and fills in any holes as it bakes.)
6. Bake 12-15 min, or until no imprint
remains when touched lightly with finger.
7. Spread immediately with mixture of
confectioner’s sugar, milk and flavorings.
8. Cut into squares or diamonds. Makes 6
dozen , 2 x 1 1/2” bars.
My mother made these Christmas Mincemeat
Bars every year. The recipe was lost for many
years but re-found with the help of
GeneaBloggers.
Page | 33
Pumpkin Fudge Brownies
Susi Pentico, Susi’s Chatty Performances (http://susischattyperformances.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 4 eggs beaten,
• 1/2 cup oil ( use light olive oil or can use
vegetable oil)
• 1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (prefer dark
cocoa)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg if desired
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease a
13” x 9” x 2” pan.
2. Beat or blend egg, oil, pumpkin, and sugar
then add Bisquick, cocoa and spices last
add chips after in pan and gently mix
about.
3. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 25 35 minutes. Test with a toothpick - insert
in the middle and it should come out
clean.
4. Cool, cut into squares and serve.
Mother loves chocolate and so I played and played until we came up with a recipe that she enjoys
and it has been a hit with many organizations since.
Bisquick is a quick helper but it could be made with flour and baking powder and salt added. Some
people cannot use Bisquick due to allergies.
She had a Pumpkin cake she liked so I sorta combined them both removing butter and bad
cholesterol items and the only difference is not as much fat.
Some people do not want the chips others likes it with 2 cups full and more sugar.
Page | 34
Snack Bars
Greta Koehl, Greta's Genealogy Bog (http://gretabog.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate
pieces
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• Butter or margarine, softened (1 cup + 3
Tablespoons)
• 2 cups pecans, chopped (or more if you
really love pecans)
• Vanilla extract
• 1-3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
Directions
1. In a double boiler over hot, not boiling,
water (or in a heavy 1-quart saucepan
over low heat), mix chocolate pieces,
sweetened condensed milk, and 3
Tablespoons butter, stirring occasionally
until chocolate is melted and mixture is
smooth.
2. Stir in 3/4 cups chopped pecans and 1
teaspoon vanilla. Remove from heat; keep
warm.
13” x 9” baking pan.
4. Into large bowl, measure flour, brown
sugar, eggs, baking soda, salt, 1 cup
butter, and 1 tablespoon vanilla.
5. With mixer at low speed, beat until well
mixed, constantly scraping bowl with
rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium
and beat 3 minutes, occasionally scraping
bowl.
6. With spoon, stir in oats and remaining
nuts until well blended. Press half of
dough onto bottom of baking pan. Spread
chocolate mixture over dough. Drop
remaining dough by teaspoonfuls to cover
chocolate mixture.
7. Bake 30-35 minutes (the original recipe
had a longer baking time, but this seems
to do it for me in my glass baking pan).
8. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Invert pan on cutting board. Cut
lengthwise into four strips; cut each strip
into 12 pieces.
I first found the recipe for these snack bars back
when I was in college. They’re sort of like fudge in
between oatmeal cookies, with pecans in both the
fudge and oatmeal parts. They are one of my
family’s two favorite Christmas desserts, the other
one being Bohemian Kolaches.
Page | 35
Cookies
Page | 36
100 Years in America’s Hungarian Kifli
Lisa, 100 Years in America (http://100inamerica.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
Directions
Apricot Jelly
• 3 lbs. apricots
• Cinnamon
Apricot Jelly
1. Put ingredients in a pot with enough
water to cover them plus about 1 inch
more. Cook for about 45 minutes until
soft, stirring frequently.
2. Mash the apricots. Add sugar.
3. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until very
thick (the longer the better), stirring
frequently.
4. Sprinkle the jelly with cinnamon.
Christmas Cakes
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) sweet butter, at room
temperature
• 6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces sour cream, at room
temperature
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 packet of yeast (prepared by mixing
with 1 teaspoon sugar & about 1/4 cup
milk)
• Homemade apricot jelly
• 1 lb. walnuts (add 4 teaspoons sugar to
each lb. when chopped)
• Confectioner’s sugar
Christmas Cakes
1. Mix flour with butter and then salt and
sugar
2. Make a well in the middle - add egg yolks,
vanilla and sour cream gradually.
3. Mix and knead until smooth (keep
working the dough until ready)
4. Use flour to make it not too sticky (can
freeze - wrap in freezer paper and cover
with flour).
5. Roll out dough. Cut the dough into 4
pieces.
6. Chop walnuts and whip egg whites
7. Roll out one of the 4 pieces of dough. Cut
into individual 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 squares and
fill with a heaping teaspoon of homemade
apricot jelly.
8. Roll each into a horn (crescent). Top each
with egg whites and nuts.
9. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees (F) until
light brown (about 30-35 minutes).
Kifli may also be served with a prune filling (prepared similarly to the apricot filling) or a walnut
filling, although the apricot kind has always been the favorite in my family. If using walnut filling,
add boiled milk to the nuts until pasty, then grated lemon rind.
Page | 37
One of the most enjoyable holiday treats in my childhood memory (counting all the holidays) was
one of my grandmother’s specialties. Everyone in our family calls them “Gramma’s Christmas
Cakes.” When I was a child and the Christmas season rolled around we could always be sure that
these delicious treats would make an appearance. Sometimes we would hear in advance that
Gramma was working on them. (Later in life I learned how labor intensive they were.) Other times
we would be surprised by the sudden appearance of a pretty doily-decorated plate loaded with
the apricot jelly-filled crescent-shaped goodies. Every now and then Gramma’s beloved Christmas
Cakes would make an appearance at Easter, to the great delight of those who enjoyed them the
most.
Inspired to carry on the tradition of baking these holiday goodies, I invited Gramma over to my
home one day to have her teach me how to do it. I learned that day just what a labor of love
Gramma had performed for her family for so many years. With my own small children causing
distractions underfoot throughout the whole process, I gained a new appreciation for my dear
grandmother and her patience and dedication to Christmas Cakes and her role as grandmother
and great-grandmother.
Gramma had learned to make Christmas Cakes by watching her mother-in-law, who had
immigrated to America from northeastern Hungary. Because of this I assumed that the recipe was
probably something from that region. It was only a few short years ago that I learned, thanks to a
letter from a family member of my grandmother’s generation, the true identity of these goodies.
Like so many of our ancestors who emigrated from their home countries and found it more
convenient to Americanize their names, the Christmas Cakes had done the same. Their Hungarian
name was Kifli. I was thrilled to learn this and also to find that recipes for them were found in
many Hungarian cookbooks and orders could be placed for them with Hungarian bakeries even in
the U.S.
Of course, nothing can replace the taste of Gramma’s own version of kifli. With the understanding
that written directions can never replace watching and learning from an expert like Gramma, I’ve
included here my version of Gramma’s recipe for those of you that are interested in giving them a
try.
Page | 38
Auntie B’s Christmas Cut-Out Cookies
Lisa Alzo, The Accidental Genealogist (http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter or oleo (2 sticks)
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 cups flour
Frosting
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Few grains salt
Directions
1. With electric mixer, cream together
butter (or oleo) and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs; add vanilla and almond
extracts and mix well.
3. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add
to mixture and mix well.
4. Let stand in refrigerator for about 30 min.
5. Roll out dough with rolling pin on floured
board. Use cookie cutters to cut out
cookies.
6. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 15 minutes.
Using parchment paper helps to prevent
cookies from sticking to pan (or you can
use non-stick cooking spray—lightly coat
pans).
Frosting and Decorating
1. Beat egg white with electric mixer and
add 1 teaspoon. cold water; beat again.\
2. Gradually add powdered sugar to beaten
egg white and beat until smooth, with a
consistency to pour slightly.
3. For colored icing, divide into small bowls
and add few drops of food coloring of
desired color.
Ever since I was a young girl these cookies have been a “must-bake” at Christmas! The almond
extract provides a unique flavor. You can make these cookies for any holiday (Halloween,
Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, etc.) using the appropriate cookie cutters
.
Page | 39
Butterscotch Crisps
M. Diane Rogers, CanadaGenealogy, or, Jane’s Your Aunt (http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs, unbeaten
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup chopped nuts
Directions
1. Cream shortening (part butter) and sugar
until light. Add unbeaten egg and vanilla.
Beat well.
2. Sift flour, soda, cream of tartar and salt.
Add to creamed mixture.
3. Blend well. Add nuts.
4. Shape into rolls, wrap in waxed paper.
Chill until very firm.
5. Slice thin and bake on ungreased sheet
375 degrees (F) for 8-10 minutes.
6. Makes 6 dozen.
My Na liked to share her recipes - and always made enough
cookies for a party. When she knew my brother and I were
coming, she'd make our favourites. This was one of mine as I
love both butterscotch and nuts.
My Mum, Na's daughter, used some of Na's recipes too, of
course, and had them on cards or odd pieces of paper as
written out by Na on the spot. Now, in turn, I treasure these.
My Na was Amy Estella (IRWIN) SCOTT, born in 1884 in
Newdale, Manitoba, Canada; she died in 1983 in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada.
The photo shows my Na with my Mum in Newdale,
Manitoba, Canada, about 1919.
Page | 40
Christmas Kipfels
Theresa Casteel, Tangled Trees (http://tangledtrees.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 lb butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups flour
• strawberry &/or apricot preserves for
filling
• confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle
Directions
1. Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/2 lb of
softened butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1
egg yolk until combined.
2. Add 2 cups of flour, one cup at a time and
mix and kneed well.
3. Divide dough into two pancake-like
patties, wrap in plastic and refrigerate
overnight.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees (F). Roll out
dough to 1/4-inch on a surface that has
been dusted lightly with flour.
5. Cut into 2-inch squares.
6. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of strawberry or
apricot preserves on center of each
square.
7. Overlap 2 opposite corners of dough to
the center over filling and pinch ends
together then give it a tweak to shape the
cookie into a slight crescent.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly
browned. Remove to wire cooling rack
and dust with powdered sugar.
This family recipe comes from my maternal G-Grandmother Maria Rauner Stosz and her
daughters Theresa Stosz Hack (left) & Anna Stosz Bauman (right) of Segenthau, Austria-Hungary
(now Romania). G-Grandmom Kollain from my paternal side of the family also made these and
called them Horns. These are made every year at Christmas - no exceptions!
Page | 41
Gingerbread Cookie Cut-Outs
Earline Hines Bradt, Ancestral Notes (http://ancestralnotes.ebradt.org)
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
1. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar
until light, beat in eggs and molasses.
2. Stir together dry ingredients and
gradually stir into molasses mixture with
wooden spoon. Mix well, working with
hands if necessary.
3. Divide dough in quarters, shape into disks
and wrap and refrigerate for at least 2
hours or until firm, can be refrigerated for
up to one week.
4. Roll out chilled dough to 1/8 inch
thickness and cut into desired shapes.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool a few minutes before removing from
baking sheet.
Gingerbread House Glue
I have made Gingerbread houses for years and I got
discouraged by the time it took to assemble using icing
to glue the pieces together. I have started making
them again because I’ve learned about a quicker and
stronger glue. I was watching the “Christmas at the
White-house” a couple of years ago and the chef was
making the traditional “Gingerbread White-house” and he was using melted chocolate to glue it
together. How simple is that! It firms up and holds after a minute of being chilled. I just assemble
the houses in front of a slightly open window. I put melted chocolate into a ziploc bag and cut the
tip. When it starts to cool in the bag I put the bag in some hot water, keeping the tip out of the
water or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Rolling out Gingerbread Pieces
I use the bottom of the baking sheet and roll out the dough right on the sheet and cut it. I remove
the scraps and just bake it in the oven. This way, the pieces don’t get stretched by being
transferred to the cookie sheet and the pieces fit together better when glued. You have to score the
cut lines with a sharp knife when still warm. Make sure that your cookie sheet doesn’t warp when
heated, I have a couple of these, they’re still okay for baking cookies but not gingerbread houses.
Page | 42
Cutting Out Gingerbread Houses
I use quilting template graph sheets for cutting out gingerbread pieces. They are plastic and seethrough and the measurements are easy to read. It is easier and more accurate than cutting out
templates from cardboard and trying to get them to fit.
I found the recipe on a Wilton’s forum. I made fondant the old way before for my son’s birthday
cake and it was so time-consuming and the fondant was hard to work with (his birthday is the end
of July so it was humid). This is easy to make and quick, you can have a batch of fondant in 15
minutes! I am going to use it to make decorations for the gingerbread houses, it’s a lot cheaper
than going out and buying candy.
Marshmallow Fondant
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup powder sugar
Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in
a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long
enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At
this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and
it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is
incorporated and I knead it in my hands. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant
roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton’s fondant. You can get this
fondant almost paper thin and it also repairs well. It’s cheap, easy to work with, and tastes great
too. You can make a large batch of this fondant as well by doing this:
Large Batch of Marshmallow Fondant
•
•
•
1- 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows
2 tablespoon water
2 lbs powdered sugar (8 cups)
Do the same procedure as above.
Fondant is used for cakes and candies. It is rolled out and draped over cakes and gives a
professional finish. It can be coloured, flavoured, painted, lustre dusted, transfer pictures, etc. You
can make bonbons by dipping fondant balls in chocolate. I made candies and trim that looks like
eyelet, trees, snowmen, bricks, etc. It is like edible playdough. It dries out and becomes firm and I
just glue it on with icing.
It can be rolled out and used to cover the base of the Gingerbread House too, just take a piece of
tinfoil large enough to cover the cardboard base, crumple it up and then smooth it out, not all of
the way, leave some bumps in it, just no sharp edges, you can make drifts in it with tinfoil too, just
crumple up a piece and shape it, but make sure there is room for the house to sit level. Then you
roll out white fondant to about 1/8 “ large enough to cover the base, place the fondant over the
Page | 43
tinfoil and the bumps in the tinfoil makes it look like snow. Put the Gingerbread house in place and
decorate.
Here is a thread with more tips : Marshmallow Fondant
(http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=77236)
I made Gingerbread houses from this recipe last winter and my grandchildren had so much fun
decorating them that they want to do it again every year.
Page | 44
Half Moon Cookies
Apple, Apple’s Tree (http://appledoesntfallfar2.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspons baking soda
Directions
cookie sheet.
2. Drop dough by 1/4 cup about 3" apart.
Flatten slightly.
3. Bake 15 - 19 minutes until edges begin to
brown and tops spring back when
touched. Remove to wire rack.
4. Can be made much smaller for a cookie
exchange; shorten baking time as
necessary.
5. Frost cookies half white & half chocolate.
In Upstate NY we love our Half Moons and debate
who has the best ones. We never call them black
& whites! That’s their downstate name.
I prefer the buttery cookie with frosting as
opposed to a sourdough cookie with icing.
Page | 45
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lynn Palermo, The Armchair Genealogist (http://www.thearmchairgenealogist.com)
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• 2 cups of chocolate chips
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Cream together butter and brown sugar.
Add vanilla.
3. In a measuring cup add 1 tsp of baking
soda, add one cup of boiling water. Add
water mixture to butter mixture. Stir well.
4. Add oats, mix well by hand. Then add
flour, again mixing well by hand. Gently
add chocolate chips.
5. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment
paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17
minutes or until edges of cookies begin to
brown.
6. Let cool for a few minutes and then move
to cooling racks. They are delicious warm
right out of the oven, or once cooled
package in an airtight container and
freeze.
I am making my famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The first batch is baking in the oven as I
write this post. I wish you could smell them. When I was young, my mother would make these
very cookies. My fondest memories were of coming home from school and smelling these freshly
baked morsels, still warm, moist and tender waiting for us to consume. I began the same tradition
for my own girls. Throughout their school days, they have often commented on how much they
have enjoyed coming home to my freshly baked cookies. Their reactions when they arrived from
school were reward enough. So although only one daughter will be here at 3:30pm today to enjoy
them I am holding true to the tradition. Some will just have to go into the freezer for my college
student.
Why are they famous you ask? Mostly, because whomever I have made them for over the last 30
years always loves them and wants the recipe. Secondly, no matter how many other cookie recipes
I have made over the years this one is always the tried and true favourite. I originally got this
recipe from my Mom. She does not know where it came from. I have lost it many times over the
years but I have made it so often I can recreate it from memory. I have made some adjustments,
each time I lost it, and had to rewrite it. I’m passing this recipe along this Christmas to my
nephew’s wife. She has requested it. I have written it in a recipe book for her and will be wrapping
it with a cookie jar filled with a batch of these famous cookies. I hope you enjoy them too.
Page | 46
Peppermint Meringue Kisses
Cyndi Beane Henry, Mountain Genealogists (http://mountaingenealogy.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
• 3 large egg whites
• 2/3 cup Splenda (or you can use Truvia)
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons finely crushed sugar-free
peppermint candies (about 12 sugar-free
peppermints)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees (F). Line
baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place egg whites, Splenda and cream of
tartar in heatproof mixing bowl and place
over pan of simmering water. Heat,
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
whisking constantly, 3 to 3 1/2minutes,
or until mixture is warm to touch.
Remove from heat and beat with an
electric mixer, starting on low speed and
gradually increasing to high, until stiff,
glossy peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add vanilla; mix until combined. Fold in
peppermints to mixture.
For each meringue, drop 2 tablespoons
batter onto cookie sheet.
Bake 1 hour; turn off oven and allow to
cool in oven 1 additional hour or until
they can easily be removed from
parchment.
Makes 24 kisses
Serving Size: 2 kisses per serving
Dietary Information:
Calories: about 4 calories per serving
Total Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: less than 5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Dietary Fiber: <1g
Sodium: 14mg
Unable to eat anything made with sugar any longer, I had to come with an alternative to the rich,
goodness normally eaten to celebrate the holidays. I wish I could claim this recipe as my own, but
it's definitely been claimed by me for making every year!
Nothing says the Christmas holiday more than peppermint, and this brings that yummy goodness
to those who can't have sugar!
Page | 47
Reindeer Cookies
Earline Bradt, Ancestral Notes (http://ancestralnotes.ebradt.org)
Ingredients
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks) or margarine,
softened
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 3 eggs
• 72 small unsalted pretzels
• 72 candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
• 36 small red gumdrops
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with
an electric mixer on medium to high
speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar, cocoa, cream of tartar, baking
soda and salt.
3. Beat until combined, scraping sides of
bowl occasionally.
4. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.
5. Beat in as much of the flour as you can
with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon,
stir in any remaining flour.
6. Divide into 6 equal portions. Wrap and
chill for 3 hours or until dough is easy to
handle.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll each
portion into a circle 6" in diameter. Using
a knife, cut each circle into 6 wedges and
place 2" apart on cookie sheet.
8. To make antlers, on each triangle lightly
press a pretzel into upper corners. Cut off
about 1" of bottom point, and cut into two
small triangles. Place small triangles, tip
side up, over antlers and press the bottom
part into dough to make ears.
9. Press red gumball into bottom edge for
nose, and chocolate pieces for eyes.
10. Bake in 375F oven for 7 -9 minutes or
until edges are firm. do not over-bake.
Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.
transfer to a wire rack to cool.
11. Makes 36 cookies.
The original recipe didn’t have the one step of cutting the bottom tip and making two ears and the
pretzels fell off. With this modification, the pretzel antlers stay put and the reindeer looks more
like a reindeer. I used melted white chocolate and mini-chips to make the eyes after the cookies
were cooled when I made them.
These cookies are really easy to make and are very festive-looking.
Page | 48
Sicilian Fig Cookies
Tina Sansone, Gtownma’s Genealogy (http://gtownma.wordpress.com)
Ingredients
• Fig Preserves (or other fruit of your
choice)
• Butter
• Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture
• Crescent Rolls (homemade or storebought)
• Nuts
Directions
1. Roll out crescent rolls and pat with butter,
sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
2. Spread with figs/fruit and add nuts.
3. Roll up crescent rolls, again spread lightly
with butter, then cinnamon/sugar
mixture. Top with nuts
4. Cook according to crescent roll
instructions until lightly brown.
My father in law, Michael Angelo Sansone, made
this Sicilian Fig pastry when he was alive. We
topped it off with Vanilla Ice Cream. He had Fig
Trees in his Tennessee back yard and would
preserve them. We used Figs when we made this
pastry, but other fruits can be substituted. His
mother made them for him. Was Sicilian
tradition, also called homemade Fig Newtons.
Page | 49
Sugar-Coated Chocolate Cookies
Melissa Corley, Bayside Blog (http://baysideblog.wordpress.com)
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup.. butter (1 stick)
• 3 1-oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 pkg. nonpareils
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees (F).
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heavy
saucepan over low heat.
3. Combine the sugar, flour and baking
powder in a large bowl.
4. Add the chocolate mixture, eggs and
vanilla; mix until smooth (will be thin).
Cover and chill for 2 hours.
5. Roll into 1-inch balls and roll these in the
powdered sugar.
6. Bake 2 inches apart on lightly greased
cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes.
7. Press one nonpareil onto each cookie as
soon as they come out of the oven.
One Christmas about a decade ago, while visiting my mom, I pored over her cookbooks, recipe
cards and magazine clippings for the dishes I loved so much growing up. I was finally out of
college, with a kitchen I could cook in, and I was desperate to recreate many of those dishes on my
own.
Among the recipes I copied down were several for cookies. Chocolate chip cookies were the
standard throughout the year at our house growing up, but at Christmas... Oh, at Christmas. That’s
when all the special recipes were made -- gingerbread men, chocolate butter cookies (for the
cookie press), peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses on top, molasses cookies, pfeffernüsse
(literally, pepper nuts), almond crescents, we made them all.
My all-time favorite holiday cookies always mesmerized me as a child, the way the powderedsugared crusts of the cookies would split and crackle, revealing the dark chocolate yumminess
inside. And all of this was topped with a nonpareil (Now, how do you pronounce that? Non-peril or
Non-pair-eye?).
Page | 50

Holiday 2009 Cookbook

Transcription

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