Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 pounds ground beef and/or lamb (see note)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see note)
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or thyme or oregano)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 pounds mashing potatoes (use your favorite potatoes)
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions:

Heat half of the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and carrots. Cook over a moderate heat until softened. Set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pan, add the meat and cook until lightly colored, approximately 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, stir, and cook for an additional minute.

Add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bay leaf and stir. Add the onion mixture, stir and bring to boil, then gently simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. Add a little more broth if it becomes dry.

Remove bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place potatoes into a large saucepan of salted water and bring to boil. Cook over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes or until soft.

Drain potatoes, return them to the pan, add butter, and mash with a little milk. The mash needs to remain firm. Beat with a wooden spoon to make potatoes fluffy.

Spoon the meat filling into a lasagna size pan. Spread the mash over the top. Fluff the mash with a fork. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden.

BookClubCookbook.com

Schrafft's Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a heavy, medium-sized saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
When the mixture begins boiling at the edge of the pot, stop stirring. Bring to rolling boil and allow to boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Pour in the cream and stir well. Stir in the vanilla.

The sauce may be served hot, warm or at room temperature. If it gets a little grainy or lumpy, reheat gently and stir vigorously with a whisk.

Notes:

To make the classic Schrafft's Butterscotch Sundae, Schrafft’s recommends using Häagen-Dazs ice cream and Blue Diamond roasted, salted almonds. Chop the nuts coarsely and use about a heaping tablespoon on each sundae. Need I say that whether you prefer chocolate, vanilla or coffee ice cream, the sauce and nuts are a sensational topping for any of these flavors.

BookClubCookbook.com

Schrafft's Hot Fudge Sauce

Makes 1 scant cup

The sauce can be reheated or kept hot, preferably in the top of a double boiler.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons non-alkalized cocoa (such as Hershey's brown label)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon salted butter
Few drops malt vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, mix together until smooth, the cocoa, sugar, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream.

Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of cream, the light corn syrup, chopped chocolate, butter, and a few drops of malt vinegar.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the mixture reaches 220 to 225 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, then allow to rest about 3 minutes.

TheFoodMaven

Boiled Dressing

INGREDIENTS:


1⁄4 cup cider vinegar
1⁄4 cup water
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon colman's dry mustard
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Pour the vinegar and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Put the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, mustard, flour, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Very slowly, pour the boiling vinegar/water into the egg yolk mixture, a small amount at a time, whisking well to make sure the vinegar/water mixture and the egg yolk mixture combine - you don't want the eggs to cook.

Pour the dressing back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it thickens and begins to bubble.

Remove from the heat and add the butter, whisking until it is melted and absorbed into the dressing. Whisk in the cream and cool completely.

Cover and refrigerate. Will keep for 2 weeks.

*  This was used as a mayonnaise or to dress salads.

Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock

Salsa

Ingredients:


12 lrg tomatoes peeled and cored
3 bell pepper (remove stem and seeds)
3 med. onions (peeled and quartered)
10 cloves garlic (peeled)
5 to 8 peppers (jalapeños) with seeds

*Chop in processor leave chunky

Add:

1 tbs chili powder
3/4 c vinegar
2 tbs plain salt
2 small cans tomato sauce
9 tbs Accent (MSG)

Directions:

Add all together and boil for 30 minutes.

Put in jars.  Put lids on and turn jars over on top of lids, for 30 minutes then flip right side up.

The jars will seal as they cool down.   Makes 7 to 9 pints.

The Best Recipes of All Time

Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 lemon
3 celery stalks
1 bay leaf
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts in a large saucepan that fits the breasts in one layer and pour over the broth. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pot, then drop in the juiced skin. Break up one celery stalk and add it to the pan with the bay leaf. Add enough water to cover the chicken breasts if needed, then place over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F. internal temperature), about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate to cool.

2. Make the dressing while the chicken is cooling. Beat the eggs in a medium sized saucepan, then beat in the sugar. Stir the flour into the water to make a paste, then add it to the eggs. Add the vinegar and salt and stir to fully combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the dressing thickens to the consistency of runny pudding. Pull the pot of the heat, and stir in the butter, a small piece at a time, until each piece is melted before adding the next. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Finely chop the remaining two stalks of celery and place in a large bowl. Dice the chicken into small pieces and add the bowl with the almonds and parsley and stir to combine. Spoon in the dressing a bit at a time and stir to coat the chicken until you have a consistency that suits you. You may personally not want to use all the dressing.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and chill until ready to serve. The salad will keep for two days.

The Christian Science Monitor

The Best Hot Chocolate

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk
1 cup half-and-half cream
¼ cup good-quality Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Place milk and half-and-half in a saucepan and heat to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, stir together the cocoa powder, sugar and cinnamon. A few teaspoons at a time, stir enough hot milk into the cocoa mixture to make a smooth paste. Scrape cocoa mixture into saucepan with the milk and simmer 2 minutes; do not let it boil. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into small serving cups and place 4 mini-marshmallows on each serving, or spritz them with whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Gale Gand