Tanya's Balsamic Garlic Dressing

I am blessed that my brother chose a wonderful, talented, smart, compassionate, kind, dear, thoughtful, fun woman as his wife. It doesn't always work out that way, and I am so thankful. My Sister-in-Law Tanya and I are close friends and love good food. We are always swapping recipes, and if we have a common cookbook, we will call one another and say "Sheesh, if you haven't tried the recipe for such-and-so, you should! It's fabulous!" So, featuring her dressing is, well, very appropriate.

My SIL Tanya, pictured center with my nephew Spencer

at Christmas Eve Dinner where we all enjoyed her dressing.

Victor and I generally use olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper on our salads. It's good for you, doesn't have a lot of those awful ingredients so often found in dressings, and is a lot cheaper ... AND we love it!

But after hangin' with my sister-in-law Tanya over the holidays, I came to love her stand-by dressing as well. It's delish, and she usually makes a decent sized jar of it and uses it for several days. Brilliant!

Here is the recipe in her own words:

Smashed , but not chopped garlic (2-3 cloves). 
4 parts good olive oil, 
to 1 part balsalmic reduction, balslmic glaze, or just a really nice balslmic vinegar.  
One heaping teaspoon of dijon mustard.  
Salt and pepper.  
Voila!  
So simple!


Thanks Tanzerlee!
Love you, Sandstone

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The day has started and so must the cooking. I love cooking together with my mother and sister-in-law. We chit-chat and cook ... and later in the day, even enjoy a glass of wine. Here is what we are having...

• Turkey (of course)
• Mom's stuffing
• Cranberry Bread
• Cranberry Sauce
• Grandmom's Dinner Rolls
• Butternut Squash (Tanya is in charge and I'm not sure what's going in to it ... it will be good for sure!)
• Spinach with crumbled bacon and blue cheese
• Green Beans with shallots, lemon zest, garlic and parsley
• Apple Pie with vanilla icecream

Cranberry Thanksgiving

Cranberry Thanksgiving by Harry Devlin is one of our all time favorite books. It's witty, classic and has a great life lesson in the end. As part of the story Grandma's famous secret cranberry bread recipe is revealed. It's a wonderful recipe and we cook it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. While I know this is top secret and all, I am going to divulge the secret recipe so that you can cook your own. I highly recommend the book -- for several years my mother came into our schools and read the story to our classrooms and brought along some cranberry bread to serve. I have carried on the tradition with my children.

Grandma's Secret Cranberry Bread Recipe

• 2 C Flour
• 1 C Sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 C butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 t grated orange peel
• 3/4 C orange juice
• 1 1/2 C chopped cranberries
• We have always added in 1 C chopped pecans or walnuts when you add the berries.

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice. Stir until evenly moist (but don't over mix). Fold in berries. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean. (in buttered loaf pan)

Other quick bread tips I've learned:

• Doneness tips: when there is a crack at the top of the loaf and edges are starting to pull away from the pan.
• Leave cooked bread in pan for 10 minutes until removing from pan.

Enjoy!

Mom's Raspberry Rhubarb Dessert -- you can call her Joanie

Raspberry Rhubarb Dessert

1 lb (3c) rhubarb

1 10 oz pkg froz raspberries

1/2 c sugar

3 T cornstarch

1 1/2 c flour

1 c brown sugar

1 c quick oatmeal

1 t cinnamon

1/2 c melted butter

Thaw and drain fruit and add water to make 1 C. Combine sugar and cornstarch blend in liquid and cook and stir until thick and clear. Cover, add fruit and remove from heat. Cool. Mix rest of ingredients and put 2/3 on bottom of 9x9 pan, cover with fruit mixture & sprinkle with remaining crumbs. 325 for 1 hour

I have a memory of my mother usually doubling this into a larger 9x14 sized pan.

"Mom's" Lemon Squares ... you can call her Joanie

Here is the recipe for my mother's Lemon Squares. They are the best. They are. Quick. Easy. They have a lighter texture and a very lemony flavor. Often times a lemon square is tough and gummy -- like a gelatin. Not these. Enjoy!

Mom's Lemon Squares

Mix - stir the following with fork or cut with two knives until it looks crumbly

1 C flour

1/2 C butter

1/4 C confectioners sugar

pinch salt

Press into an ungreased 9 x 9 pan

Bake crust at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Mix - I did it with a whisk to make sure all of the flour was no longer lumpy

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 C sugar

5 T lemon juice (originally 3T)

3 T flour (originally 2T)

Pour this mixture over crust when it comes out of the oven.

Then bake for 20 minutes more.

Dust with confectioners sugar after it comes out of the oven.

After they cool, cut into small squares. Eat.

Portuguese Beans

This weekend when we were visiting Victor's parents for Mother's Day my Father-in-Law, who is Portuguese, was giving me a tour of his freshly planted garden. His potatoes are already poking up a good 2 inches out of the ground, as well as his beans. Every year he grows these broad green pole beans that are right from Portugal. They look a lot like a cannelloni bean from Italy. You can eat them when they are young like a regular "string bean" -- they usually cut them in a "French Cut" (but I guess it's really a Portuguese Cut) style, boil them in salted water along with a few eggs (still in their shells). Then, when they are done, the hard boiled eggs are taken out and minced, then mixed with a little balsamic vinegar (one teaspoon or more), lots of olive oil and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the beans. If you're feeling fancy, sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top. One of Victor's favorite summer dishes. When the beans are allowed to grow larger, the beans are shelled and dried -- then used in soups all winter long. Yum. SOOOoooooo .... My Father-in-Law gave me a large baggie of his Portuguese Bean Seeds saved from last year for planting. I'm excited to learn from him how he saves his seeds and to do a little studying on my own. He also gave me some bush Portuguese Beans that look like a light kidney bean. I've never tried growing any other type of bean besides your standard bush green bean, so I'm looking forward to getting into it. Especially because they keep so nicely, are a good source of protein, and are easy to grow. Happy Spring and Come Summer!

Aunt Ruthie's Hummingbird Cake

This is a bunt cake family recipe from my Great Aunt Ruthie. After chatting at a small family reunion down in Maryland about my passion for family recipes, and heritage, she sent me four family recipes in the mail. One of the recipe's was my Grandmom Wohler's Raisin Bread recipe that Aunt Ruthie swears comes out best when she uses the recipe written by my Grandmom's own hand (rather than from a copy). Too Cute. I will write out the Raisin Bread recipe later. Now, enjoy Aunt Ruthie's Hummingbird Cake.

3 C flour, 2 C sugar, 1 t salt, 1 t baking soda, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 C nuts, 1 1/2 t vanilla, 1 1/2 C oil, 2 C mashed bananas, 3 eggs, 1 8oz can crushed pineapple not drained.

By Hand: Mix dry ingredients together, Mix wet ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring with a spoon NOT a mixer. Bake in a greased and floured Bunt pan 300 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cake will crack slightly on top. Cool in pan for 1 hour before removing.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz softened cream cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 lb. box confectioners sugar, 1 t vanilla.

Cream butter and cheese, add sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

After having TASTED this cake now, I can say with confidence ... WOW!!! It got rave reviews at our small group last night. Yumola!!!

Thank you MINDI for saving me when I realized I didn't have enough confectioner's sugar!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are my Valentine's Spitzbubien Cookes! For recipe look under "Cookies", "Family Recipes", or "Recipes". Yum!

Happy Birthday Moose! (and carrot cake)

What a great family night birthday celebration we had at Scott (aka "Moose") and Tanya's house. We were blessed to also have in our company Auntie Alison, Rip and Tim.
From L to R, top to bottom: Dylan, Rip, Orion, Reese, Tim, Tanya, Benjamin, Auntie Alison, Glen, Scott, Ripley, Victor, Sandy, Sue, Rosalie, David.

In the center of the picture is a family favorite that my mom always made for us growing up -- carrot cake. It's Scott's stand-by request for his birthday cake. It is an easy cake to make and always a crowd pleaser. Here is the recipe:

Mix
2 C sugar
1 1/2 C oil
4 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together, then add to the above:
2 C + 2 T flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t (heaping) cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 C chopped pecans

Then, stir in:
3 1/2 C grated carrots (about 7-8 carrots) (if you want to save time, you could buy a bag of grated carrots)

Butter cake pans
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Frosting
Whip together in a mixer:
1 stick butter (use salted, and just don't add any salt)
8 oz package of cream cheese
2 t vanilla
lemon juice to taste
1 box confectioner's sugar

Incredible Cookies

Valentine's Day is coming and here is the perfect cookie. Spitzbubens (Little Rascals), are made traditionally throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I've been eating this cookie for as long as I can remember. Mom can't quite remember just where she got the recipe. It's fabulous. Traditionally we make these around Christmas time. Maybe just because they look festive. You often see these types of cookies at an Italian bakery, and even at "good" Italian bakeries, they look great but taste like cardboard compared to these. They are sandwich cookies that are rolled out and cut with cookie cutters. Usually the lower one is round (for Valentine's Day, use a heart shape) and the top cookie is the same shape as the lower, but with a window. Through the window you can see jam or fruit preserves (traditionally we use apricot preserves, but for Valentine's Day, raspberry or strawberry is perfect.) Sliced almonds are sprinkled on top of the jam, through the window. If you're in the mood to make AND EAT some fabulous cookies, don't even think about it, make these!

Spitzbuben

Cut 1 1/2 C butter into 3 C flour and 1 1/2 C sugar.
Add 1 t vanilla and work ingredients into smooth dough.
Chill thoroughly.
Roll out dough as thin as possible on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out circles OR HEARTS that are about 2" in diameter.
Cut a 1" center out of half of the circles or hearts for the tops.
(this is done, obviously, with a small circular or heart shaped cookie cutter)
Bake rings and rounds on ungreased sheet at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Sprinkle the "tops" with granulated sugar when they come out of the oven.
Spread "bottoms" with preserves.
Assemble the "sandwich"
Sprinkle sliced almonds in center.

Yum. Yum. Yum.
If you want to knock someone's socks off, bake these.
Enjoy!

A friend of mine sent this picture of a similar recipe that she made for Halloween. Cute!

Making Grandmom Wohler's Dinner Rolls

For Thanksgiving I decided at the last minute to make my Grandmom Wohler's dinner rolls. Here is Ripley (3) helping. I got up early in the morning to make Cranberry Harvest Muffins with hazelnuts from Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase for breakfast. (I omitted the figs, b/c I didn't have any and figs seemed a bit heavy. I also added orange zest). (see Victor and Ripley below enjoying them right out of the oven ... ) After the muffins I started dough for the dinner rolls. When they came out of the oven we all starting gobbling them down with butter ... before Thanksgiving dinner! Who can resist freshly baked bread hot out of the oven?! They were wonderful ... and worth it.

For those of you who'd like to try . . . here is the recipe:

Grandmom Wohler's Dinner Rolls

2 C Milk

1/2 C Crisco

1/2 C Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Pkg. Yeast

5 C Flour

1 t Salt

Scald Milk (ie: bring almost to boiling where little bubbles start forming on edge of sauce pan). Cool a little, then add Crisco. In separate bowl, mix together sugar and eggs. Add to milk mixture. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast. Add 3 Cups of flour and stir. Let sit 15 minutes. Add rest of flour a little at a time, adding 1 teaspoon salt with last addition. Stir until you can stir no more, then work with hands on a floured surface until you can stick you finger in and pull it out clean. Make large ball and put in greased bowl. Cover w/ wax paper and let rise until it doubles. Punch air out and let rise again until it doubles. Make rolls (a little over 1 x 2 inches) Set on baking sheet and let rise until double. Rolls: bake at almost 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Bread: bake 325 degrees.

An Old Summertime Treat

Yes, I know it's not summertime. However, my mother at long last dug out an old recipe that I loved as a child. Here it is (copy it and keep it in a safe place until summertime ... it will be worth the wait!) ....

Raspberry Rhubarb Dessert

1 lb (3c) rhubarb
1 10 oz pkg froz raspberries -- fresh, even better!
1/2 c sugar
3 T cornstarch
1 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 c quick oatmeal
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c melted butter

Thaw and drain fruit and add water to make 1 C Combine sugar and cornstarch blend in liquid and cook and stir until thick and clear. Cover, add fruit and remove from heat. Cool. Mix rest of ingredients and put 2/3 on bottom of 9x9 pan, cover with fruit mixture & sprinkle with remaining crumbs. 325 for 1 hour

Enjoy!