6
Pecan American
Cookies, Desserts, Bake, Christmas, Thanksgiving, American, Pecan, Fall, Sweet

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar packed
3 teaspoon vanilla
2 Eggs beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups Pecans chopped and grated
Sugar, confectionary

Preheat oven to 375. Soften butter. Mix in sugars and vanilla, then add in eggs and flour. Finally add pecans. (I grate 1 cup and chop the other 2 cups to really get the Pecan flavor thorough each bite.) Use small scoop (1 Tablespoon size) to form cookies on ungreased cookie tray. Bake 11-12 minutes. Dust with confectionary sugar after cooled.

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3
Nuts American
Winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Bake, award winner, holiday, Desserts, American, Nuts, Fall, Comforting

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar divided
3/4 cup cold butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Salted mixed nuts
1 1/2 cups green and red candied cherries halved
1 cup (6 ounces) semi sweet chocolate chips
— CREAM CHEESE LAYER —
1 package Cream cheese regular size (not small)
1/3 cup Sugar white granulated
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

In a bowl, combine flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar; cut in butter until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While bottom layer is baking – make cream cheese layer by mixing the following in a small bowl:

1 regular package of philadelphia cream cheese (not the small size)
1/3 cup of white granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cream cheese layer with electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Spread on crumb layer and then continue with recipe below.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat egg. Add salt and remaining brown sugar.

Stir in the nuts, cherries and chocolate chips.

Spoon evenly over crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield 3 dozen.

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16
Pumpkin American
Low Fat, Winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Bake, Pumpkin, Quick Bread, Muffin, Applesauce, Snacks, Desserts, Brunch, Breakfast, Bread, American, Fall, Comforting

3 1/3 cups Flour all purpose, sifted
2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Nuts chopped (optional)
4 ea Eggs
1 1/2 cups Pumpkin canned
1 cup Applesauce
2/3 cup Water
2 tablespoon Butter (optional for topping)
2 tablespoon Sugar (optional for topping)
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional for topping)

Sift dry ingredients into large mixer bowl. Quickly add remaining liquid ingredients. Mix on medium speed only until dry ingredients are moistened. Bake in two greased 9x5x3 pans in preheated 350 oven for one hour. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Optional: While warm, brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Note: This recipe originally called for 1 cup oil instead of the applesauce. You can make almost any baking recipe lower fat by substituting applesauce for the fat (oil or butter).

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8
Potatoes American
Thanksgiving, Advance, Side Dish, American, Potatoes, Breakfast, Summer, Citrus

2 lbs Potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
8 oz. Cream Cheese or Neufchatel Cheese
1 pkg. Lipton Golden Onion Soup Mix

Peel, cube and boil the potatoes as you would for normal mashed potatoes.  Don’t over cook them, or you’ll start to lose the potatoes into the water.  Test by removing one cube onto a saucer and smashing with a fork.  When it smashes up easily, they’re done.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander, then put in a large mixing bowl.  Add all the remaining ingredients, and whip with mixer.  I suppose you could use a hand masher . . . if you don’t have a mixer, but I’d be lost without my Sunbeam hand mixer!  Add a little water if the mixture gets too dry.
Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving to give enough time for the dried onions in the soup mix to fully rehydrate.

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4
Squash American
Savory Side Dish, Buttery, Side Dish, Squash, American, Beautiful, Vegetarian, Vegan, Winter, Thanksgiving, Fall, Christmas, Bake, Vegetables

2 tablespoon butter plus more for baking sheet
2 medium acorn squash
2 tablespoon light-brown sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Halve 2 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each) crosswise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Slice a small piece off bottom of each squash half just enough to level.

3. Set squash halves, scooped sides down, on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn squash; prick insides all over with a fork. Divide 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar among halves; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Continue to bake until flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

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8
Pumpkin American
Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Cranberry, Pumpkin, Bake, Christmas, Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, American, Sweet

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/23 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup picked-over fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. and butter a loaf pan, 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 3/4 inches.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs, and oil. Sift in flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices and stir just until batter is smooth. Stir in cranberries and spoon batter into loaf pan, spreading evenly.

Bake bread in middle of oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, and cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool completely. Bread may be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Makes 1 loaf, approximately 8 servings.

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16
Cake American-South
Citrus, Cake, American-South, Desserts, Bake, Christmas, Fall, New Year, Thanksgiving, Winter

1 package Yellow cake mix (2 layer size)
2 cups Cold milk
1/4 cups Water
2 4-oz packages Jello lemon flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1/3 cup Sugar granulated
2 tablespoons Sugar powdered

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour batter into greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish.

Pour milk and water into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes and granulated sugar. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Pour over cake batter in dish. Place baking dish on baking sheet to catch drippings, as mixture does bubble.

Bake 55 min. to 1 hr. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 20 min. (Mixture will thicken slightly as it cools.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Spoon onto serving dishes. Serve warm; garnish with raspberries, if desired.

Makes: 16 servings.

NOTE: I tried this with lemon cake mix and also added a lemon glaze which was very good , if you like lemon a lot.

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4
Pork American
Winter, Fall, Bake, Main Dish, American, Pork, Dinner, Bold

1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 8 crosswise pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons margarine divided
1 medium red bell pepper cut into julienne strips
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in natural juice, undrained
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon peeled finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Sprinkle each pork tenderloin piece with salt; press each piece to 1-inch thickness. Heat 1 tablespoon margarine in large skillet over medium heat. Add pork pieces; cook 3-4 minutes per side or until pork is tender. Place pork pieces on serving plate; keep warm.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon margarine and red bell pepper to same skillet; cook about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to low. Stir in pineapple and juice, wine, ginger root, jalapeno pepper and cinnamon; simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup. Spoon pineapple mixture over cooked pork pieces; sprinkle with cilantro.

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4
Pork American
Winter, Fall, Bake, Main Dish, American, Pork, Dinner, Bread, Light

4 3/4 -inch boneless pork chops
1 cup Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and brown chops on both sides, turning once, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle chops with pepper, add broth and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. To serve, top with applesauce and cinnamon candies.

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Lucky for us, when the power went out yesterday this über-hearty two bean soup was already keeping warm in the oven. It was meant to be for dinner, but since it was already hot we had our first bowl for lunch before we sat down to our card game. Thick with potatoes, starchy great northern white beans, fresh green beans, sweet parsnips and carrots, as well as thick chunks of ham hocks, this is a meal-in-a-bowl guaranteed to chase winter (or autumn!) chill from the inside out.

Not sure when it finally stopped snowing last night — it was still snowing when I went to bed at 8:30. This morning the sky is clear as a bell and bright blue, though it’s still below freezing. Surprisingly, there is little snow accumulation considering it snowed over 12 hours yesterday. All there is now is an icy mess. So, still no raking or leaf-bagging today… darn…. See how many leaves are still on the trees? There’s at least another month-of-weekends worth of raking and bagging in those trees. Oh, well, it’ll all have to wait for another day.

This soup is based on a recipe I first tried about a dozen years ago when we lived in Germany. Both the ingredients and method have evolved over time, but one thing that remains intact is the defining contrast of the 2 different beans and the incomparable flavor of marjoram. Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is not an herb that is widely used here in the U.S. so it is something that I still associate with German cuisine. Though a close relative of oregano, marjoram has a sharper, almost pine resin, flavor that makes it quite distinctive. If you must substitute, go ahead and use oregano — your soup will taste good, but will lack the character that belies its European heritage.

For most of the last 3 years we lived in Germany, we used to have mutual language-improvement meetings with a German friend every week. In addition to helping each other with our pronunciations in the other’s language, we were also free to share cultural highlights and dispel myths. One evening, I served this soup to our friend. He was surprised by how much it tasted like a soup his mother used to make, and declared it quite authentic. He used the Pfälzisch (local dialect from the Palatinate region) name for the soup, Brockelbohnensuppe. And that’s still how I think of it when I make this soup.

Guten Appetit!

WHITE & GREEN BEAN SOUP
Inspired by a recipe from The New German Cookbook, by Jean Anderson and Hedy Würz
Serves 8-10 persons

1 lb (450g) great northern beans
2.5 qt/L cold water

Rinse and pick through beans. Soak in cold water overnight.

(If you need the beans in a hurry, place them in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water, set pan over medium high heat and bring to boil. As soon as the water reaches a boil, remove from heat, cover and set aside for one hour to rehydrate.)

For the broth:
1 large fistful of flat-leaf parsley
2 smoked ham hocks or 1 large smoked shank
4 qts/L water
2 bay leaves
1 onion, cut in half
3 stalks celery
2 carrots, scrubbed well

Pick off leaves from parsley stems, and reserve for soup. Put parsley stems and all other ingredients in a 6 qt/L slow-cooker. Set on HIGH and leave for at least 6 hours (I usually leave it overnight while the beans are soaking, and finish the soup in the morning).

Continue Soup:
¼ lb salt pork, cut into ½-inch pieces
3-4 medium, or 2 large leeks (about 1lb/450g), sliced and rinsed well
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 parsnips, peeled and diced
1 lb (450g) green beans, snipped and cut into 1″ pieces
½ lb (225g) red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 tsp dried thyme, or 4-5 sprigs fresh
1 TBL dried marjoram
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Remove ham hocks/shank from broth, strain broth, and return broth to slow-cooker. Separate meat from bones and return meat to broth.

Drain beans, and add to broth. Add remaining ingredients, and set slow-cooker to LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for about 3-4 hours, or until beans soften and are creamy when pressed with a fork. Alternatively, you can do this part on the stove: place all ingredients in a large Dutch oven (8qt/L or more) or stock pot and bring to boil over high heat, then lower heat to simmer and cover for 2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the roux.

To Finish:
4 TBL unsalted butter
4 TBL flour
parsley leaves reserved from making the broth, above

Met butter in heavy-bottomed pan, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add flour, and stir well to absorb butter. Turn heat down to low and cook gently, stirring often, until the roux is the color of peanut butter. This will take about 1 hour if the heat is low enough. Keep aside until needed.

When the beans test ready, remove fresh thyme stems (if using), then add roux to soup. To get every bit of the roux, you can use hot soup broth to clean the roux pan. Roughly chop parsley leaves and add to soup. Stir well to combine, and cook together 5-8 minutes to thicken soup. Taste and correct for seasoning.

Serve immediately, alone or with your favorite bread for the perfect cool weather warm-up. I think a nice hard cider is bestt with this — Strongbow from the U.K. if we can find it, but Hornsby’s Amber is more readily available. Of course, you can’t go wrong with your favorite local brew either!