Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

INGREDIENTS:


1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Melt together 1 stick butter and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate and take the saucepan off the heat.

2. Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well.

3. Stir in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (In the original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here as well.)

4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F for about 40 minutes.

You can cut these brownies into squares, once they have cooled, and eat them out of the pan, but it is so much nicer to pile them on a fancy plate, from which people are going to eat them with their hands anyway. If you want to smarten up your act you can put a square of brownie on a plate with a little blob of créme fraîche and a scattering of shaved chocolate.

www.epicurious.com

Autumn Applesauce Cake

Ingredients:


1 cup raisins

3/4 cup very warm water (to soak the raisins in and then drain)

3 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons +1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 large eggs

2 cups sweetened applesauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottoms of two 8 x 8 x 2 inch square of 8-inch round layer cake pans OR spray the bottoms with PAM vegetable spray.

In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the warm water until softened (about 10 minutes) then drain off excess liquid.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at low speed, beat together the butter, eggs and applesauce until well blended.  On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until well blended.  Stir in the raisins.  Dividing equally and scraping all of it out, pour into the prepared pans.

Bake in the 350 degree oven until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 – 50 minutes.  Cool cakes completely on wire racks.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

My Southern Heart

Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/2 cup nuts, chopped, if desired (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F.

In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in Bisquick mix, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, d about 2 inches apart; flatten slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Plain Chicken

Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Ingredients:


1 onion, diced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds canned tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme or marjoram
Ground black pepper to taste
1 fresh bay leaf
1 cup water or meat broth

Directions:

In large skillet, cook onion in hot oil until slightly caramelized. Add meat and garlic; brown lightly, do not burn garlic. Add tomato paste, stir for a few minutes until slightly darkened. Add all remaining ingredients.

Simmer uncovered 2 to 2 1/2 hours or till sauce is thick; stir occasionally. Adjust seasoning, remove bay leaf before serving and storing.

www.recipelink.com

Crisco White Frosting (Decorator's Frosting)

1 lb. powdered sugar (4 c.)
1 c. Crisco
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. clear vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Food coloring, if desired

Beat Crisco until fluffy, add sugar, water and flavorings.

Beat this for 5 minutes.


(Enough frosting for one cake, if putting on decorations, double the recipe).

Chantilly Meringuée or Elegant Ice Cream

(Chantilly Meringuée or Elegant Ice Cream
-adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 2 - Julia Child)

Special Equipment Needed

-a stand mixer is very helpful for this recipe. A hand mixer will do in a pinch.

-candy thermometer is very helpful unless you are familiar with finding the soft-ball stage using the ice water technique (which is actually quite easy)

-freezer-friendly containers for freezing the meringuée

INGREDIENTS:

For the Meringue Italienne

2 C granulated sugar
2/3 C water
3/4 C egg whites—about 5-6 large or extra large eggs
big pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chantilly Meringuée

1 recipe of Meringue Italienne
2 C chilled heavy cream
2-4 tsp vanilla extract

Optional: if you want to make this chocolate, 1/2 C unsweetened chocolate + 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate, chopped)

1) To make the Meringue Italienne
Measure out all the ingredients before you start—this makes the process go much more smoothly
-combine the water and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium high heat
-do not mix with a spoon, instead, swirl pan slowly by its handle to mix the sugar and water
-continue to swirl the liquid as it comes to a boil
-continue to swirl until it turns from cloudy to clear
-stop swirling pan, cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer while you beat the egg whites

-in the bowl of the stand mixer, beat egg whites for about a minute—until they start to become foamy
-add the cream of tarter and salt
-beat, gradually increasing the speed to high, until the egg whites form stiff peaks
-beat in vanilla
-stop beating and go to next step

-remove cover from your sugar syrup, and insert candy thermometer if using
-raise heat and boil rapidly
-when the bubbles start to look thicker, watch the temperature or start dribbling drops into iced water
-boil until the mixture reaches the “soft-ball stage”—when it makes a definite but blobby shape when you try to form it into a ball under the ice water, or 238 degrees on your thermometer

-once the sugar syrup has reached the soft-ball stage, immediately start beating the egg whites again on medium speed
-carefully and slowly pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream into the egg white mixture as it beats until you’ve used all of the sugar syrup
-continue to beat the egg whites on medium high until shiny, stiff peaks form out of the mixture and the bowl is cool to the touch—about 10 minutes
-stop beating and set aside

2) to make the Chantilly Meringuée
-beat the cream until it has doubled in volume (don’t beat so long as to turn it into butter)
-beat in vanilla extract
-with a spatula, fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into your Meringue Italienne mixture to lighten it.
-then scoop out the remainder of the whipped cream onto the meringue mixture and fold it in as rapidly and as lightly as possible—you want to try not to deflate the mixture too much
-once the mixture is combined, scoop it into a freezable container (we use a Tupperware container) and place in freezer until you’re ready to eat it. It will take a few hours to fully freeze, but even if it’s not fully frozen, it will still taste delicious

For the optional chocolate version:
-when you come to step 2, making the Chantilly Meringuée, melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until just melted
-beat the melted chocolate into the cream
-then follow the remainder of the Chantilly Meringuée instructions for folding the cream into the meringue mixture.

Eggnog

Yield: Makes 1 quart. Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS:

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 whole cloves
Pinch of cinnamon
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tbsp each of bourbon and rum or brandy, or to taste (can omit for kid-friendly eggnog)
*4 egg whites (optional)

METHOD:

1 In a large bowl, use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat egg yolks until they become somewhat lighter in color. Slowly add the sugar, beating after each addition, whisking until fluffy.

2 Combine the milk, cloves, and cinnamon in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat on medium heat until the milk mixture is steamy hot, but not boiling.

3 Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

4 Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 160°F. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle. (If the mixture does curdle you may be able to save it by running it through a blender.) Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the cloves. Let cool for one hour.

5 Mix in vanilla extract, nutmeg, and bourbon/rum and brandy (feel free to omit for kid-friendly eggnog). Chill.

*Optional: Beat egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add a teaspoon of sugar and continue to beat until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold into eggnog. Note, because of the salmonella risk from raw eggs, it is recommended that children, elderly, and people with compromised immune systems refrain from eating raw eggs such as the optional whipped egg whites in this recipe, unless you use pasteurized eggs.

Simply Recipes

Philadelphia 3 -Step Cheesecake

Ingredients:


2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)

Make It:

Heat oven to 325°F.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs; beat just until blended.

Pour into crust.

Bake 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Classic Cooked Eggnog

INGREDIENTS:

6 EGGS
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 cups milk, DIVIDED
1 tsp. vanilla
Yields: 12 Servings

DIRECTIONS:

BEAT eggs, sugar and salt in large heavy saucepan until blended. STIR IN 2 cups milk.

COOK over low heat, stirring constantly but gently, until mixture is just thick enough to just coat a metal spoon with a thin film and temperature reaches 160°F, about 15 minutes. Do not allow to boil. REMOVE from heat immediately.

STIR IN remaining 2 cups milk and vanilla. REFRIGERATE, covered, until thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight.

INSIDER INFO

A classic recipe for this Holiday drink staple. Use leftovers in pancake or French toast batter.

Secrets of success: Low heat, a heavy saucepan, constant stirring and patience are the keys to making custard sauce. If you increase the cooking temperature to try to speed the process along, the custard is likely to curdle. Stirring constantly, making sure to cover the entire bottom and the corners of the pan, prevents scorching and ensures that the mixture heats evenly.

Watch carefully and test frequently toward the end of the cooking time, after about 10 to 12 minutes. The last few minutes are crucial. Undercooked custard will be thin and watery; overcooked custard will curdle. The difference is a matter of only a few degrees.

Coats a metal spoon: A thermometer is best, but if you don’t have one, use this test for doneness. Dip a metal spoon partway into the custard, then withdraw it. Custard should drip off the spoon, leaving a thin coating that adheres to the spoon. Repeat test as necessary, using a clean spoon each time, until the correct stage is reached.

Beginners may want to cook custard in a double boiler over simmering water. This method takes longer for the custard to thicken, but allows more control and reduces the risk of curdling.

For perfectly smooth eggnog: Pour through a sieve before chilling.

For a richer eggnog: Substitute half-and-half or light cream for some of the milk.

Spice it up: 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg can be stirred into custard before chilling.

www.incredibleegg.org

Foolproof Dinner Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons oil or 3 tablespoons shortening or 3 tablespoons butter, melted
1⁄4 ounce dry yeast (2 l/4 tsp)
3⁄4 cup lukewarm water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and oil, shortening or butter.

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add to flour mixture.

Knead slightly.

Roll out on lightly floured board to 3/4 inch thick.

Cut into rolls and place on greased baking sheet, cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated 450 degree oven 20-25 minutes, until golden.

Chili Con Carne

Ingredients:


1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (16 oz. each) kidney beans, undrained
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can Campbell's Tomato Soup (I use 2 cans of tomato soup)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper

Directions:

In saucepan, brown beef and cook onion with garlic until tender (use oil if necessary). Stir to separate meat; pour off fat.

Add remaining ingredients. Cover; cook over low heat 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Pearl Bailey's Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:


4 c. cooked macaroni
1/2 c. butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 lb. longhorn cheese
1 small can condensed milk
milk (to cover)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Run cold water over cooked macaroni. Put in casserole with butter. Cut half of cheese and put on top of macaroni. Pour on condensed milk. Cover with regular milk till it "swims". Add seasonings. Cut remaining cheese into large slices and place on top. Bake 350° about 1 hour.

(makes 6-8 servings)

Meatloaf Like Cookers

Ingredients:

1/2 medium green pepper diced fine
1 1/2 c. water
1 t. black pepper
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. onion salt
1 can (14 oz.) clear beef broth
3 lb. ground sirloin (do not substitute)
1/2 c. ketchup
3 eggs
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 cans (14 oz. ea.) Franco American beef gravy
dry minced parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a shallow pan simmer green pepper in water for 5 minutes. Drain off and save liquid; set pepper aside. Add pepper, salts and beef broth to the liquid and mix together; set aside.

In a bowl add ground beef, green pepper, ketchup, eggs and onion soup mix. Work together well to blend thoroughly. Shape mixture into 7 small loaves of equal size and place close together in the bottom of a garlic-flavor-non-stick-sprayed Dutch oven.

Pour the liquid mixture over the loaves. Put lid on the pan and bake 350° for 30-35 minutes or til liquids are simmering.

Remove from oven and let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Drain off and save the liquids for other uses such as cooking vegetables or in soup stocks.

Transfer meat loaves to deep serving dishes that fit them tightly. Gently heat the beef gravy and pour over the loaves. Garnish with parsley leaves and serve at once.


(serves 6-7)

Note: you'll notice there is no filler in this recipe as in most traditional meatloaf recipes...no oatmeal or bread crumbs. It appears to be entirely good quality beef. Not one bit of the loaf is dry which occurs when you bake the loaves without the benefit of the liquid in which they are done in above method. These should freeze beautifully for several months.

Gloria Pitzer.

Boston Market-style Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

1 cream celery soup; (10 - ounces)
1 tb Flour
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 tb Butter; margarine or canola
1/2 teaspoon Garlic salt
Salt and pepper
20 ounces Frozen cooked chopped spinach drained
1 small Onion, diced

Directions:

In a saucepan, on medium heat, stir together with wire whisk soup, flour, butter, garlic salt, salt and pepper until smooth and piping hot.

Combine with spinach and onion.

Serves: 4

Source: Gloria Pitzer's Secret Recipes Newsletter

Awesome Meatloaf

Ingredients:


Meatloaf:

1 -1/2  pounds of ground beef (we generally use 80% or leaner)
2/3 cup of plain Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup of tomato juice (optional: use spicy tomato juice or spicy V-8 juice to add a bit of heat)
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of chopped onion

Topping:

4 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of ketchup
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of dry mustard

Directions:

Mix the hamburger, breadcrumbs and juice until well incorporated. Next, add the eggs, pepper, salt and onions and again mix until well incorporated.

Cook in a loaf pan for about 1 hour at 350 degrees on bake.

Mix the topping ingredients together and place on the top of the meatloaf after the one hour cook time and then cook for another 30 minutes.

NOTE: Sometimes we put the meatloaf mix in a lightly greased 9x9 baking pan and spread it evenly in the pan. Adjust the initial cook time to 30 minutes, then add the toppings and finish cooking till done. We call this method "meatloaf squares" and are as yummy as the regular method of cooking it.

RecipeMeme

Tuna Casserole (Lynn's)

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 cup cooked green peas
1 can condensed cream of onion soup
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup (or 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup)
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cans (approx. 6 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 to 1 cup soft bread crumbs (or crushed potato chips or French fried onions)
1 tablespoon melted butter

PREPARATION:

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/2 to 3-quart casserole dish.
Combine the noodles, peas, soup, milk, cheese, and tuna. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon into the prepared baking dish.

Toss bread crumbs with butter and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly and crumbs are browned.

Serves 6.

Recipe Courtesy of Sweetmilk and Tea Cakes©