6 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted
⅔ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
2 to 4 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract, optional
1½ tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
Coarse white sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18” x 13”) baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled. At low speed, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.
Plop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Divide it in half, and shape it into two 9½” x 2”, about ¾” tall. Straighten the logs, and smooth their tops and sides. Sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired, pressing it in gently.
Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Let logs cool about 5 minutes, then use a sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into ¾” slices. Set the biscotti on prepared baking pan, Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, until they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden.
Remove the biscotti from the oven , and transfer them to a rack to cool. Store airtight at room temperature; they’ll stay good for weeks, if they last that long.
from www.kingarthurflour.com
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sicilian Chicken
SUBMITTED BY SANTA FROMM
8 to 10 pieces of chicken
1 head of celery, cleaned and chopped in larger pieces
½ pound of green Sicilian olives, not pitted, smash them up with pitts intact
fresh oregano, to taste
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Olive oil
red wine vinegar only
You can use either dark or white chicken meat depending on what your family preference is. Wash, clean and remove skin of chicken (skin can be left on, if desired). Make certain to pat dry. If you like, lightly salt and pepper each piece. Take your chicken and place in a skillet with olive oil and fresh oregano until completely cooked. After chicken is cooked, set aside.
In the same skillet, cook celery until tender, add red pepper flakes to desired level of heat and Sicilian olives. While cooking add about ¼ cup of red wine vinegar and about the same amount of water. Let that all cook and add the chicken back. Heat completely. Delicious, I serve just with some crusty Italian bread.
This is a family favorite, easy to prepare and actually tastes so much better the day after. I cook by smell and taste, rarely measure when cooking a savory meal. So let your creative juices flow.
8 to 10 pieces of chicken
1 head of celery, cleaned and chopped in larger pieces
½ pound of green Sicilian olives, not pitted, smash them up with pitts intact
fresh oregano, to taste
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Olive oil
red wine vinegar only
You can use either dark or white chicken meat depending on what your family preference is. Wash, clean and remove skin of chicken (skin can be left on, if desired). Make certain to pat dry. If you like, lightly salt and pepper each piece. Take your chicken and place in a skillet with olive oil and fresh oregano until completely cooked. After chicken is cooked, set aside.
In the same skillet, cook celery until tender, add red pepper flakes to desired level of heat and Sicilian olives. While cooking add about ¼ cup of red wine vinegar and about the same amount of water. Let that all cook and add the chicken back. Heat completely. Delicious, I serve just with some crusty Italian bread.
This is a family favorite, easy to prepare and actually tastes so much better the day after. I cook by smell and taste, rarely measure when cooking a savory meal. So let your creative juices flow.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Ever-So Easy Fruitcake
SUBMITTED BY MARIE CUTILLO THOMPSON
2½ cups unsifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (28 oz) jar None Such Ready to Use Mince Meat
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated!!)
2 cups (1 pound) mixed candied fruit
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts ( I use walnuts)
Optional is to add some bourbon to the mix. I add probably less than a ¼ cup to the mincemeat jar, swirl it around and dump into bowl.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Generously grease and flour 10” fluted tube pan. I usually buy 5”x 9” foil pans and make 3 smaller loaf cakes because I give as gifts or take out for company.
Sift together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, blend into dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Turn out of pan. If I am freezing them I just loosen around the edges and freeze in foil pan.
Tips: To store cake, cool thoroughly, wrap well in aluminium foil and refrigerate or freeze. I wrap mine with Saran Wrap a few times and then with heavy duty foil wrap at least twice. I make them in mid November so that by Christmas they have aged a few weeks. If wrapped well and kept in back of freezer they will last a good year and even taste better then.
Back in the late 70’s and early ‘80’s I was a big coupon and label lady. I would send away for every free thing that any food company offered. In 1981 I got this booklet from Eagle Brand products and my in-laws and husband saw this recipe. They had been buying a fruit cake from a company in Texas and requested I try making this one. So I did and they loved it. Soon I was making one for all my in-laws.
Then one year my husband brought some into the Police Dept where he worked and the guys came in wondering what is was they were smelling. That started me making more of them to bring in at holidays so that everyone could have some. Then my Dad (after many years of turning his nose at it) decided to try one piece and then there was another order every year for him.
One year my husband came home and asked me if I would be willing to share my recipe with a baker, a friend was getting married at Christmas. They loved my fruitcake and wanted it as their wedding cake. I know it sounds silly to feel honored by this since I was following a recipe from a book but heck I did.
Now I make them for my son’s father-n-law, he loves mince pie and fruitcake and is thrilled I make him one very year. Funny as it sounds in all the years I have been making them, I myself never ate any until the last 4 or 5 years and I find myself saying every year what took me so long to try it. Hope if you try this you love it as much as the Thompson family has for over 39 years.
2½ cups unsifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (28 oz) jar None Such Ready to Use Mince Meat
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated!!)
2 cups (1 pound) mixed candied fruit
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts ( I use walnuts)
Optional is to add some bourbon to the mix. I add probably less than a ¼ cup to the mincemeat jar, swirl it around and dump into bowl.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Generously grease and flour 10” fluted tube pan. I usually buy 5”x 9” foil pans and make 3 smaller loaf cakes because I give as gifts or take out for company.
Sift together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, blend into dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Turn out of pan. If I am freezing them I just loosen around the edges and freeze in foil pan.
Tips: To store cake, cool thoroughly, wrap well in aluminium foil and refrigerate or freeze. I wrap mine with Saran Wrap a few times and then with heavy duty foil wrap at least twice. I make them in mid November so that by Christmas they have aged a few weeks. If wrapped well and kept in back of freezer they will last a good year and even taste better then.
Back in the late 70’s and early ‘80’s I was a big coupon and label lady. I would send away for every free thing that any food company offered. In 1981 I got this booklet from Eagle Brand products and my in-laws and husband saw this recipe. They had been buying a fruit cake from a company in Texas and requested I try making this one. So I did and they loved it. Soon I was making one for all my in-laws.
Then one year my husband brought some into the Police Dept where he worked and the guys came in wondering what is was they were smelling. That started me making more of them to bring in at holidays so that everyone could have some. Then my Dad (after many years of turning his nose at it) decided to try one piece and then there was another order every year for him.
One year my husband came home and asked me if I would be willing to share my recipe with a baker, a friend was getting married at Christmas. They loved my fruitcake and wanted it as their wedding cake. I know it sounds silly to feel honored by this since I was following a recipe from a book but heck I did.
Now I make them for my son’s father-n-law, he loves mince pie and fruitcake and is thrilled I make him one very year. Funny as it sounds in all the years I have been making them, I myself never ate any until the last 4 or 5 years and I find myself saying every year what took me so long to try it. Hope if you try this you love it as much as the Thompson family has for over 39 years.
Baklava Thumbprints
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Topping:
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup honey
¾ cup chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and aslat; gradually beat tinto creamed mixture. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For topping, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2½ inches apart on parchment -lined baking sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Press a deep indentation in center of each cookie with the back of a rounded spoon. Fill each with honey and walnuts; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Return to oven and bake until edges begin to brown, 7-9 minutes longer. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Topping:
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup honey
¾ cup chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and aslat; gradually beat tinto creamed mixture. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For topping, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2½ inches apart on parchment -lined baking sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Press a deep indentation in center of each cookie with the back of a rounded spoon. Fill each with honey and walnuts; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Return to oven and bake until edges begin to brown, 7-9 minutes longer. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Easter Doll Dough
8 cups flour
7 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
Anise seeds
1 tsp baking powder
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and sugar with mixer. Then add to dry ingredients. Mix to form a soft dough. Rollout using cookie cutters. Brush with egg. Bake at 350 degrees.
Have fun! I use cloves to decorate.
This is a recipe handed down from my Mom’s Mom. We make it at Easter but can be made anytime. Traditional shapes were dolls but I also rollout and use cookie cutters.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Jam and Nut Thumbprint Cookies
½ cup butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
⅔ cup any flavor fruit jam
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or cover with parchment paper.
Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter, sugar and egg yolk. Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then nuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from oven. With thumb or spoon, dent each cookie. Put preserves in each thumbprint, Bake for another 8 minutes.
¼ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
⅔ cup any flavor fruit jam
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or cover with parchment paper.
Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter, sugar and egg yolk. Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then nuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from oven. With thumb or spoon, dent each cookie. Put preserves in each thumbprint, Bake for another 8 minutes.
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