Mom's Kitchen
Southern Living has a correction on their website to a recipe for
Icebox Rolls that was in their April 2004 issue.
The recipe in the magazine called for boiling the water and shortening over high heat for 5 minutes. According to the website, this may cause the mixture to ignite.
This is the corrected recipe:
Icebox Rolls
1 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups bread flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, melted
Pour 1 cup boiling water over shortening in a large bowl, stirring to melt shortening. Let stand 30 minutes or until completely cooled.
Stir together yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a glass measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Beat eggs at medium speed using a heavy-duty stand mixer; add 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add shortening mixture and yeast mixture. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add 5 cups flour, beating until blended.
Cover and chill dough 12 hours or up to 5 days.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Make a crease across the middle of each dough round with a knife, and fold in half; gently press edges to seal. Place rolls on lightly greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Brush rolls evenly with melted butter.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush again with melted butter, if desired.
Yield: Makes 3 to 4 dozen
March 28 is Black Forest Cake Day
Classic Black Forest Cake from FoodTV:
For the Cake:
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the filling:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups kirsch
2 (15-ounce) cans dark sweet pitted cherries in heavy syrup
2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the Frosting and Garnish:
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons sugar
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, shaved
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, warm the milk and 2 teaspoons of the butter together over medium-low heat. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip, beat the eggs and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and tripled in volume, about 8 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the warm milk mixture. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a small mixing bowl. Add half the flour mixture to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly until smooth. Repeat with the other half. Add the vanilla and mix gently. Grease 2 8" round pans with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour the cake batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cake springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, then gently flip it out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Let cool completely.
For the filling: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Stir in 1 cup of the kirsch and stir to mix. In another saucepan over medium heat, bring the cherries to a boil in their syrup. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup kirsch and add to the cherry mixture. Whisk until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, carefully cut each cake horizontally in half to make 4 layers. Brush the tops of all the layers with equal amounts of the sugar syrup. (You will not need all of the syrup.) Let the liquid soak into the layers for about 30 minutes. Place the bottom layer on a large cake plate. Spread 1 cup of the filling evenly over this layer, then top with a second layer of cake. Spread 1 cup of the filling evenly over it. Repeat the same process with the third layer and another cup of the filling. Top with the fourth layer. To Finish: Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder into a medium size bowl. Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer until incorporated. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the boiling water and mix until smooth. Let cool. Combine the cream, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form. Ice the sides and top of the cake evenly with the chocolate frosting. Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the cake and sprinkle with the chocolate shavings. Slice and serve the cake.
Quick Black Forest Cake from All Recipes.com:
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix with pudding
3 eggs
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together: cake mix, beaten eggs, almond extract, cherry pie filling and 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Stir until just combined. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
Bake in a 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and let cool.
To Make Glaze: Heat 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, butter or margarine, and milk in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once semisweet chocolate chips are melted and mixture is combined stir in confectioners' sugar.
Spread glaze over cooled cake. Serve cake as is or with whipped cream and a cherry.
Black Forest Cake Cocktail from Cocktail.com
1/3 ounce cherry whiskey
2/3 ounce Swiss chocolate almond liqueur
6 ounces hot chocolate
Mix in Poca Grande glass, top with whipped cream. Garnish with a cherry and chocolate sprinkles.
Recipes for Easter:
From
MSNBC, Recipes for Easter and Passover: Smoked Salmon Layer Cake, Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Matzah Brie, Roasted Rack of Veal with Fresh Thyme, Figs, Oranges, Black Honey and Walnuts, Brisket Chef Salad, Honey I Shrunk the Apple, and the one I like best:
Classic Chocolate Mousse in Easter Egg Shells
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
10 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
3 jumbo eggs, at room temperature, separated
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of hot, not simmering water, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat, keeping the bowl over the pan of hot water.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
In a large, grease-fee bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at low speed -- beat the egg whites until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high and continue to beat egg whites until they form stiff, shiny peaks.
Remove the bowl from the pan of hot water. Stir in the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture until well combined. With a large rubber spatula, fold one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites. In a chilled medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at medium-high speed -- whip the cream until soft peaks start to form when the beaters are lifted. Do not over beat the cream. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. A few white streaks may remain.
Take your hollowed out colored Easter eggs, and place the chocolate mousse mixture into each egg and serve at each place setting.
Easter Breads from
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans).
All about eggs with egg recipes from
The Sun-Sentinel (Florida).
About.com: Family Crafts has instructions for making
garden stepping stones. You can make several with about $3.00 worth of supplies instead of spending about $20.00 for a kit that only makes one stone.
I haven't tried this yet. The stones need to sit inside for a couple of days to harden...at our house that means every stone we make will end up with the addition of cat paw prints. (Unless we actually
plan on having one with paw prints, in that case the cats won't come within 10 feet of the stones.)
Odense has recipes using almond paste
online, in
text, pdf, and Word formats, and
by email.
Almond Shortbread Cookies46 - 2 1/2 inch cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 box (7 oz) Odense Almond Paste, grated
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk (optional)
Sugar sprinkles (optional)
With an electric mixer, beat butter on high for 3 minutes or until very soft and light in color.
Add grated Almond Paste and sugar. Mix on low speed until combined. Turn mixer to high and beat a full 5 minutes or more, until almost white colored and fluffy. Mix in vanilla.
Gently stir flour into mixture until just combined.
Spoon 1/2 of dough onto a 15" long piece of wax paper. With hands, press dough out to a 1/4" thickness. Top with wax paper. Lightly smooth top with rolling pin. Keeping wax paper in place, lay dough on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining half of dough and chill for one hour to firm.
Preheat oven to 325F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or foil.
Work with one piece of dough at a time, keeping other half refrigerated. Cut out shapes and place on cookie sheets 2 inches apart, dipping cutters in flour if sticking. Repeat until all dough is used. Keep unbaked cookies refrigerated until ready to bake.
Bake plain or brush tops with milk and sprinkle with green sugar. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are firm and bottoms are very light golden. Cool on wire racks.
St. Patrick's Day Recipes
Guinness.com has a few recipes including one for
Beef & Guinness:
BEEF 'N' GUINNESS®
ingredients:
4 pounds corned beef brisket
1 cup brown sugar
1 Guinness® Draught in a bottle
Method:
Preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Rinse the beef completely (in water, not Guinness®) and pat dry.
Place the brisket in a roasting pan. (If you don’t own one, buy the disposable kind at the supermarket.) Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat the entire beef, including the bottom. Pour the bottle of Guinness® beer around and gently over the beef to moisten the sugar.
Cover with tin foil and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Wait 5 minutes before slicing.
Note: If you’re feeling very ambitious (and want to seem very Irish) you can add veggies right into the pan during the last hour of cook time. Add cabbage, small potatoes (you don’t have to peel them, just cut them up), onion, carrots, etc. You may need to add a little more beer with your vegetables.
St. Patrick's Day Recipes offers a nice collection from beverages through desserts.
About.com: Southern U.S. Cuisine has a good selection of Irish recipes along with links to history, crafts, coloring pages, clip art, and e-cards.
Allrecipes.com also has a selection of St. Patrick's Day recipes.
The
Arizona Daily Star has bake sale tips. The article also has a few recipes including one for Whoopie Pies and for Dump Fudge (they really need to give it a better name.)
Whoopie pies Makes 2 dozen sandwiches
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Filling:
1 stick ( 1/2 cup) butter
2 cups marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. Line 2 baking pans with silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until well-combined. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
Using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop, place cookies onto lined baking pans, 12 per pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
Spread 2 tablespoons of filling onto each cookie. Sandwich together with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Dump fudge
Makes up to 2 dozen pieces
1 box powder sugar
1/2 cup cocoa (or peanut butter)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 stick margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dump everything except vanilla into 2- or 3-quart bowl. Do not mix.
Microwave uncovered on high for 2 minutes.
Stir mixture, then add vanilla. Spread in greased 8-inch square pan.
Place in freezer for 30 minutes, then cut in 2-inch squares.
If you have a young daughter, The
Sun-Sentinel has an article you may want to print out and file away -
How to Make a Barbie Doll Cake. There are printable instructions, step-by-step
illustrated instructions, and
photos of finished cakes. I'm copying the instructions here because newspaper articles have a way of disappearing after a short time.
Here are Dale Koppel's step-by-step instructions for creating a Barbie Doll Cake at home.
STEP 1
Prepare batter for any flavor two-layer cake; feel free to use a mix. Bake in 2 (8-inch-round) cake pans according to package directions.
Pond's Tip: Even though I make my cakes from scratch, using a box cake mix is fine.
STEP 2
Cool the cakes on wire racks according to package directions. Then slice each cake crosswise into three layers (that's a total of six layers).
STEP 3
Put frosting between the layers so the finished cake is as tall as Barbie measures. You can do this in a deep cake pan so the layers line up well.
Pond's Tip: Measure the Barbie you're going to be using from her hips to her toes (yep, her tippy toes). That's how high your finished cake will need to be. Use a frosting mix and prepare it according to package directions -- any flavor will do. The frosting should be thick enough to stabilize the stacked layers.
STEP 4
Wrap the outside of the cake with a layer of wax paper, so that the layers are perfectly straight. Freeze the cake overnight or until it's solid.
Pond's Tip: When frozen, the cake can be manipulated without it breaking.
STEP 5
Use a pair of tongs to cut a hole in the stacked layers from top to bottom. The hole should have the same diameter as the Barbie doll.
Pond's Tip: If the hole is too small, and you have to force Barbie into it, the cake will crack when it defrosts. So, make sure the hole is big enough.
STEP 6
Remove cake from pan if you used a pan for stacking the cake layers. Trim the top of the cake to create a skirt shape.
STEP 7
Wrap the doll in plastic. Insert Barbie so that the cake comes just up to her hips.
Pond's Tip: If you wrap the doll in plastic wrap, it will keep the doll from touching any part of the cake. And Barbie will be a lot cleaner when you take her out of the cake.
Another Pond Tip: "Keep a blouse on your Barbie, so you only have to decorate the cake part as the skirt."
STEP 8
Remove the wax paper from the cake. Use a decorating spatula to spread frosting over the cake and create Barbie's skirt. Use a pastry bag with decorative tip of choice to decorate further.
Pond's Tip: Be creative. Use more than one color of frosting. Embellish it with colored sprinkles and candies. Use your imagination.
From ABC7 in Chicago:
Chocolate Fondue12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1-cup heavy cream
1/2-cup light corn syrup
Put the chocolate in medium bowl. Combine cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over the chocolate and, using a rubber spatula, stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the fondue is smooth. Dip whatever you like into fondue-- strawberries, banana chunks, cubes of cake, dried apricots, whatever!
