Cream Together:
1 cup grated almonds
1 lb butter
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
Add:
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
Chill dough for several hours. Roll out on a well floured surface till very thin. Cut out with a small round cutter. Bake at 250 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. Cool cookies. Sandwich two cookies together with 1/2 teaspoon currant jelly.
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 strips bacon, finely chopped
2 c. drained tomatoes (28 oz. can)
2 c. cooked lima beans (up to 1 1/2c. dry)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1/4 c. mayonnaise
buttered bread crumbs
Cook first 3 ingredients together slowly 5 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Add tomatoes and simmer slightly. Add seasonings and mayonnaise. Blend gently. Place in greased casserole with buttered bread crumbs on top. Refrigerate until use. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 30 minutes. (Can use croutons for topping. Don't add them until time of cooking.
Dough:
3/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
3 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
3 lbs. Thinly sliced peeled apples
1 cup of Sugar and cinnamon to taste. (A heavy sprinkling like for apple pie)
Chopped nuts (1 cup or enough for a light scattering, but not chopped too fine)
1 cup of dried bread crumbs (this will absorb the apple juice to keep it from being soggy)
1/2 cup or more Butter (enough to dot over the apples here and there)
Raisins (optional)
Mix thoroughly, let dough rest until easy to handle. Meanwhile, flour an entire cotton tablecloth - this will be your work surface. First roll, then gently stretch by hand over floured tablecloth. Stretch till paper thin. It'll be tabletop big. Spread filling ingredients evenly over the dough, leaving sealing edges on both sides and a little at the far edge. Roll lengthwise by lifting the tablecloth as you roll up the strudel. The roll will be thick (3 to 4 inches) and very long. Carefully lift it from one side, sliding the cookie sheet under it as you go. Form a large "U" shape on the pan. Prick it with a large needle to let out some of the steam of the baking apples. Bake at 400 till golden and flaky - about 20 to 30 minutes. Cut into slices or wedges when cool.
12 medium sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups sugar (or to taste)
1 large can evaporated milk
2 sticks oleo
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
5 large eggs
miniature marshmallows
Wash potatoes and lay on cookie sheet or pan. Bake for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. Then turn over and bake about 20 to 30 more minutes. You can check with a fork to see if they are done. While potatoes are still warm, peel and put in large mixer bowl. Add oleo as potatoes are put in bowl. Add half of milk and start beating. Slowly add the rest of the milk, the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Remove beaters several times and remove strings which have accumulated on beaters. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more milk or butter if needed. They may be placed in plastic containers and frozen at this point. To cook, thaw if frozen. Spray casserole with Pam, pour in potatoes and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until set. Remove and cover with marshmallows. Return to the oven, let rise and brown slightly. Serve immediately.
1 Large can Pumpkin
11/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tablespoons flour
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
5 cups milk
Mix sugar, flour, spices and salt with eggs. Mix Pumpkin and milk(use 1 can Evaporated milk, add regular milk to make 5 cups) Mix two mixtures together..fill your favorite pie crust shells and bake in 400 degree oven for 50 minutes,or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cooking times may vary with your oven. This will make 2-3 pies depending on pie plate size.
3/4 c. green olives (sliced)
1 c. diced celery
2 Tsp. oil
1 lb. hamburger
3/4 c. chopped onions
10 oz. canned tomatoes
2 c. wide noodles
1 c. diced Cheddar cheese
Brown hamburger. Add chopped onions and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sliced olives, and noodles. Cover tightly and cook until mixture comes to a boil. Remove cover, add cheese, and stir. Cover and cook slowly about 20 minutes until noodles are cook thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.
CRUST:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 t. vanilla
1/4 c. honey
1 c. flour
FILLING:
8 oz. of cream cheese
1/4 c. honey
1/2 t. vanilla
TOPPING:
1/3 c. honey
4 c. apples peeled and medium/thinly sliced (I use golden delicious)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. almonds coarsely chopped
Cream fat, honey and vanilla, blend into flour, pat into greased 9 spring form (bottom and up sides enough to accommodate filling and topping). Combine cheese and honey; mix well; add egg and vanilla, mix and pour into pastry lined pan. Place sliced apples on top of the filling (in circular pattern) sprinkle with almonds, and cinnamon and drizzle with honey as uniformly as possible.
Bake 10 minutes at 425 and then turn down to 400 for an additional 25 minutes (approximately). Cool and refrigerate.
1 lb. real butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
5 cups flour
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the flour one cup at a time, allowing it to blend completely before adding the next cup. Divide evenly into 3 cake pans, pressing dough down evenly all around. Decorate the edges of the rounds with tines of a fork. Pierce several times in center of rounds to allow steam to escape. Bake at 300 degrees for about 1 hour, until edges start to brown and center is firm. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans and allow to cool completely (I can never wait that long!) Break into bite size pieces, and enjoy!! Makes wonderful holiday gifts in festive wrapping!
4 oz (125 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 Tbs (45 ml) Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp (5 ml) dry mustard
2 Tbs (30 ml) chopped chives
2 Tbs (30 ml) chopped parsley
1 Tsp (5 ml) fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 - 6 salmon steaks or fillets, about 6 - 8 oz (175 - 225 g) each
2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil
Combine the butter, mustards, herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Roll the mixture into a log about 4 inches (10 cm) long and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm. Rub the salmon steaks with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a grill over moderate heat and cook, turning once, until the flesh is firm to the touch and opaque throughout. Place a 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick slice of the butter on each portion. Serves 4 to 6.
1/2 lb. margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 or 2 eggs
3 cups flour sifted together with 1/2 tsp. soda and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
walnuts (chopped)
Mix together. Form into logs. Chill (or freeze) till firm. Slice and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.
How to Choose
Buy the lobsters the day you want to cook them and refrigerate them immediately.
Pick from the best seafood market near you or, if possible, from a lobsterman or lobster company. Decide on the size of lobsters that you want, but buy healthy lobsters instead of ones that are a specific size. Do not buy lobsters under one pound or over five pounds.
Only buy lively, freshly caught lobsters. Look for sprightly lobsters with long antennae.
Find one with a hard shell.
This one may be obvious, but do not stick your hand into the bag of lobsters -- it can be very painful!
How to Prepare
If you are going to grill, bake or panfry a lobster, and aren't too squeamish, you're going to need to kill it first.
Techniques for cutting a live lobster:
Place the lobster so that it is facing you and put the tip of a knife or cleaver (Chinese cutting knife) in the center of the lobster, about where the tail begins. Make sure that the claws are not in the way of the knife and forcefully split the lobster. Then turn the lobster around and do the same to the tail. Pull out the head sac from both sides with your hands. Then remove then intestine which will most likely only be in one of the halves. Use surgical tweezers to do this.
Use the back of a knife or a cleaver to top the claws so that their shells break.
If you need to quarter the lobster, follow the first two steps, but then remove the claws and knuckles by cutting where the claws meet the carcass. Then tap the claws until they crack. Then with the top of the knife, cut the lobster where the tail and carcass meet.
How to Cook
Grilling lobster is a good option if you're having a barbeque. The flavor is smoky and it's not as messy as boiling a lobster. First split the lobster and remove the head sac and intestine. Crack the claws and brush butter and oil all over the lobster. Put the lobster with its shell side down on a grill of medium-hot coals. So that you don't lose any of the juices, do not turn the lobster over during grilling.
Boiling is the most popular way to cook a lobster. First make sure that you cook the lobster in salt water. You can make the salt water yourself if you don't have access to ocean water. The pot should be large so that you can stir the lobsters while they are cooking. There should be 3 quarts of water for every 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of lobster. Use ocean water, or add 1/4 cup of salt to every gallon of fresh water. Bring the water to a boil and then add the lobsters. A two-pound lobster should take about 15 minutes to cook.
Steaming a lobster is sometimes better than boiling one. Steaming makes the meat very juicy and tender and gives it a better flavor. A lobster can be steamed in a pot on the stove, on a grill, in an oven or in a microwave. Make sure that you add salt if you are using fresh water.
Pan roasting a lobster is tasty and provides your guests with an easy way to eat it. You will need to quarter the lobsters and then saute them over very high heat. Then put the pan in the oven and cook for about 2 minutes.
How to Eat
So that you are not embarrassed the next time you decide to indulge, read on to learn how to remove the meat from the lobster.
Tools to use:
You will need a nutcracker or shears, lobster fork or a small fork, a small rolling pin, bibs and plenty of wet naps.
Hold the carcass and the tail in separate hands and twist to break the two pieces apart. Remove the tail fins by pulling towards the top of the tail -- they will come off easily. Some meat will be attached to the tail and some can be removed by squeezing.
Separate the knuckles from the carcass and the knuckles from the claws. Remove the meat from the knuckles by cracking the shells or by cutting the shells open with shears. Take the meat out by taking hold of the small lower section and shaking it until it snaps. Then tap the center of the claw until the shell cracks. The meat will most likely come right out when you open the claw.
Snap off the legs with your hands. Break each leg in half at the joint and push a small rolling pin, if you have one handy, over them at the tip to make the meat pop out.
To remove the meat from the carcass, lift the carapace off from the back. Crack the remaining carcass off to break it open. Then crack the pieces again. You can remove small chunks of meat between the gills and the cartilage. Note: Be sure not to eat the gills and the cartilage as they are inedible!
1 ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices, or canned pineapple slices, drained
1/2 cup (125 ml) tequila or orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
Marinate the pineapple slices in the tequila for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Place on a grill over moderate heat and grill for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Sprinkle with brown sugar and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
6 to 7 LB Brisket
2 pkgs. Onion Soup Mix
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. Garlic Salt
6 Bay Leaves
Place brisket (fat side down at first) on 2 large pieces of Reynolds wrap, sprinkle one side with garlic salt, one package of onion soup mix, 1/2 the Worcestershire/soy mixture, and dot with 3 of the bay leaves. Place two more large pieces of Reynolds wrap on top, then a cookie sheet, and flip. Remove top 2 pieces of Reynolds wrap, and season top the same way. Now place wrap on top and fold edges together tightly. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 3 hours, checking after two. You should be able to insert a fork easily. Leave top wrap off for 1/2 hour to brown.
1 kosher chicken 3-4 lbs cut into eighths (go to a kosher butcher, or some supermarkets have kosher packaged chickens)
3 scraped carrots cut into thirds
1 whole medium onion
2 stalks celery (optional)
1/2 bunch fresh dill (do NOT use dried dill weed)
Clean chicken, put into a dutch oven, cover with water up to 1/8th from the top of the pot. Add carrots, onion, and celery. High heat until water starts to boil, then lower flame to between medium and simmer. Cook uncovered for 50 minutes, add fresh washed dill (including the stalks), continue cooking for 15 minutes. Take out dill and throw away. Enjoy! I sometimes make matzo balls following the directions on the box of matzo meal and serve them in the soup. I also cook fine noodles and serve it with the soup as well.
2 cups of large firm berries
2 cups of sugar
Day 1: Wash berries. Place a layer of berries in kettle,( I go a like modern here and use a Teflon pot. ) Then a layer of sugar until you use them all. Let stand over night.
Day 2: Bring slowly to a boil and cook about 10 minutes. then let stand overnight to plump the berries.
Day 3: Cook until slightly thick. (they get thicker when cold ) Seal in hot jars with sterilized lids. Turn upside down for a faster seal.
