a little of each

A family's cookbook

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies November 7, 2013

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 12:46 pm
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Aunt Doris says these cookies are just the thing to bring some cheer and sunshine to a grey day.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup butter softened
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
a few gratings of fresh nutmeg or 1/4 tsp
3 cups quick oats
3/4 cup currants
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

Mix flour and spices. Set aside.

Cream sugars and butter together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mix in two batches, mixing well. Stir in oats. Add the currants and nuts which are optional. The original recipe called for raisins. However, I think the tiny currants are sweeter.

This may seem like a lot of spice but it is a nice blend and not too strong for the little ones. The original recipe called for twice as much spice but this is the recipe I made today and trust me, the cookies are delicious.

The other important thing is to bake them at exactly 11 minutes at 375 degrees. They will look golden around the edges and sort of raw in the middle but that is okay. Let them sit on the baking pan about two minutes before moving them to a rack. I always use parchment paper to line the baking pans, and in this case it makes for very easy removal.

Drop about a tablespoon of batter for each cookie. They don’t spread out a lot. Yield is about 5 dozen.

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Candy Bar Chocolate Brownies June 2, 2013

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 3:31 pm
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Doris saw a tip on “Martha” that would be extremely helpful with this potentially messy dessert: Grease the pan, then line it with parchment paper and grease that as well. When the brownies have cooled, invert the pan on a cake rack and peel off the parchment paper. Normally, these are difficult to get out of the pan neatly even when they are cooled completely, but they are delicious!

 

Ingredients

1 ½ sticks (12 Tbl) unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs (must be at room temperature)

2 Tbl water

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup all purpose flour

10 mini chocolate/peanut candy bars crumbled (Snickers fun size work well). These must be refrigerated about 20 minutes before crumbling.

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 cake pan (aluminum is fine) with butter. With a spoon, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in water and vanilla. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder over the mixture, then mix in. Do the same with the cocoa, adding it in three separate batches. Finally, stir in the flour until just blended. This is a very oily mixture so a mixer would make it impossible to work with. Using a large chef’s knife cut the candy bars in half lengthwise, then in four cross cuts, and then chop them into a coarse crumble. Fold the crumble into the batter thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 30 minutes until the center is set, the edges look a bit crusty and the top of the brownies start to crack a little. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

 

Very Easy Chocolate Pie

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:03 pm
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This is a simply wonderful pie and is very rich. The recipe was given to Doris by the wife of one of Scott’s friends about 15 years ago.

 

Make (please do not buy) a graham cracker crust for an 8-inch pie pan. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes at 350 until toasty. Let cool thoroughly before putting in the chocolate mixture.

 

Melt one large Hershey Bar (with or without almonds) with ¼ cup milk and 8 large marshmallows over water or in a double boiler until oozy. Stir to mix well. When it has cooled to room temperature, combine it with a ½ pint of heavy cream whipped to fairly stiff peaks. Fold the 2 mixtures together and pour into pie crust. Cool or chill before serving.

 

Veal or Chicken in Wine April 8, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 7:58 pm
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Ingredients

2 cans of mushrooms

¼ cup oil

3 lbs veal or chicken, cubed

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 cup white wine, separated

½ cup onion, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 cup sour cream

 

Directions

Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid. Add enough water to mushroom liquid to make one cup. Saute meat in oil. Stir in reserved mushroom liquid, soup, ½ cup wine, onions and oregano and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 ¼ hours. Add mushrooms, sour cream and remaining ½ cup wine. Heat and serve over rice.

 

Tortilla Slaw March 29, 2013

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:33 pm
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From Firebird’s Restaurant via Aunt Doris via Stephanie

Ingredients

4 cups shredded coleslaw veggies (combination of green, red and Napa cabbages along with carrots and green onion)
2 cups tri-colored fried tortilla strips*
1 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
¾ cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients, tossing gently to coat evenly.  Serve immediately!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbl honey
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil

In a blender or food processor combine lime juice, vinegar, honey, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper.  Blend until well-combined.  With machine running, slowly pour in the oils and blend until emulsified.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Before serving, allow to return to room temperature and whisk or shake to re-emulsify.  Toss with slaw and serve right away.  Ole!
*  Take nine corn tortillas (use red, blue, and yellow – very festive looking) and cut into julienne strips.  Deep fry in 350 degree oil just until crisp – about one minute.  Drain well.

 

Cranberry Sour Cream Salad

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:56 pm
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Put the contents of a 16-oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce into a fine sieve and break up the contents so the juice can drain off. Dissolve a small Jell-O package (raspberry preferred) in 1 cup hot water. When it has started to gel (soft gel), mix in the cranberry sauce, 1 cup sour cream, ½ cup finely chopped celery and ½ cup finely chopped walnuts. The coarseness of the chop is up to you. Fold all together and refrigerate. No need to unmold. Put it in a pretty bowl and provide a spoon.

 

Oatmeal Twist Bread

Filed under: Breads — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:48 am
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The following recipe comes from a Mary Margaret McBride cookbook series of 12 volumes published in the late 1950s. It was sold in the supermarket, one volume each week. It is a favorite in Doris’s family, and if you like yeast breads, you’ll love this. It also makes great toast. Makes 3 loaves.

 

Ingredients and Directions 

Pour ½ cup lukewarm water over 2 packages quick granular yeast to soften.

 

Pour 3 cups scalded milk (low fat or non-fat works just as well) over:

1 ½ cups regular uncooked oats

½ cup sugar

1 Tbl salt

1 ½ cups dried currants (not raisins)

Cool to lukewarm.

 

Beat in 3 to 3 ½ cups sifted enriched flour (Doris likes King Arthur’s flour). Beat in softened yeast and beaten eggs. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. (Of course, this is even easier if you have a bread hook for your stand mixer.)  Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed until no longer sticky. Round the dough into a ball, place in greased bowl, cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hrs. Punch down, turn over, cover and let rise again until double in bulk, about one hour. (Doris finds if she puts the bowl in the oven and fills a 9 x 13 baking dish with boiling water on the rack below it, the bread rises quickly.)  Punch down, divide dough into 3 parts; round each part into a ball, cover and let rest 10 minutes.

 

Flatten each dough ball into a long rectangle with rolling pin to break bubbles. Combine ½ cup sugar with 3 Tbl cinnamon and sprinkle this mixture evenly over each dough. Roll up each dough crosswise to form the loaf. Seal edges. Place seam side down in greased bread pans. Brush lightly with melted fat, cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.

 

Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) 40 to 50 minutes until bread is brown and begins to leave sides of pan.

 

Roquefort Dressing March 28, 2013

Filed under: Soups and Salads — alittlemoreofeach @ 8:36 pm
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Nana Hazel had this handwritten recipe in one of her recipe boxes. It called for two teaspoons of paprika, but no one remembers ever having this with paprika.

 

Ingredients

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

3 tsp mayonnaise

2 tsp wine vinegar

milk, as needed

1 tsp. garlic salt

ground pepper

 

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well. Add milk for desired consistency. Serve tossed over fresh greens.

 

Four Carrot Cake December 20, 2012

Filed under: Desserts — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:00 pm
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Ingredients

  • Grate 4 medium carrots (2 cups).

In a large bowl mix the following:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • small amount of fresh ground nutmeg

Add:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil and mix.
  • Stir in the carrots, 1/2 cups chopped nuts, 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in syrup (add the whole thing, do not drain).
  • Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 45 min. at 350.
  • Cream cheese frosting is good on this.
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