Posted on 05/19/2017 3:47:18 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Well, we’re back!
I thought we’d do something different this week, and post the recipes that our friends and family like the most and always request.
I have two that I’ve routinely taken to potlucks and parties that are always asked for again. The first is Olive Cheese Balls – a pimento-stuffed green olive wrapped in cheesy pastry. This is a very old recipe that has always remained popular, and is very easy to do. It’s one pastry that I do make in the food processor rather than manually cutting the fat and cheese into the flour , and I make the balls/puffs the easier way, by just pinching a bit off of the dough and forming it around the olive. (The pic above comes from Betty Crocker; but the recipes for this are almost all identical; sometimes a modest pinch of cayenne is added to the dough.)
Olive Cheese Puffs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Blend together in food processor:
2 Cups grated Cheddar Cheese
½ Cup Butter (or Margarine)
1-1/4 cup of Flour, salted to taste
Process until dough comes together in a ball. Chill before forming puffs.
You will need a jar of small to medium sized pimento stuffed olives.
Puffs can be formed by pinching off small balls of dough, patting into a circle, and forming the circle around a green olive. Or, dough can be rolled out to ¼ inch thickness, cut into 2 inch squares, and each square wrapped around an olive.
Place Puffs on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.
To freeze unbaked, freeze on cookie sheet and remove to freezer containers when frozen. When ready to bake, allow 3-5 minutes extra baking time. These are every bit as good when frozen this way and baked later.
There is always the odd person who doesn't like olives, and in that case you can just form the dough into balls, leaving out the olive. You will want to double the recipe in that case, and might add the good pinch of cayenne.
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The other recipe that I receive repeated requests for is Chicken and Dumplings. I use the America’s Test Kitchen recipe, and make the dish the night before. I do this on the stove-top, and once the dumplings are done I take them out and store them separately. At the party, I carry the chicken mixture in a crockpot, and add the dumplings to heat up about ½ hr. before serving:
Here, step by step, is the recipe from ‘A Feast for the Eyes’:
http://www.afeastfortheeyes.net/2010/12/chicken-dumplings-american-classic-from.html
(My husband would like credit for being the one who actually executes this recipe – he’s got a great ‘quenelle’ technique going on, when making those dumplings ;-)
-JT
And at the end of every great meal
Sticky Toffee Pudding (SERVES EIGHT)
Date Puree
375g (12.5 oz) dates, with stones removed
375 ml ( 12.5 fl oz) water
Toffee Sauce (we make 1 1/2 times the sauce because it keeps in the fridge & is Yummy)
640ml (22 fl oz) heavy cream
340g (12 oz) sugar
130g (4oz) unsalted butter
Sponge
130g (4oz) unsalted butter
375g (12.5 oz) soft dark brown sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
450g (15 oz) white bread flour
10g (1/3 oz) baking powder (sifted into the flour)
3g (1/8 oz) bicarbonate of soda (sifted into the flour)
HOW TO MAKE IT
1) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius, or 350 fahrenheit.
2) Make the date puree by simmering the dates in water over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until they are soft and the water has almost evaporated. Process them in a blender until they are smooth.
3) Make toffee sauce. Pour half the cream, and the sugar and butter into a thick bottomed pan and mix well. Bring the sauce to the boil stirring with a wooden spoon, and continue until the sauce is golden brown. This will take a while, and needs an eye kept on it to stop it boiling over or burning. When it goes golden brown, remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, and then whisk in remaining cream.
4) Grease and line a baking tin, measuring approximately 30 x 24 x 6cm deep with baking parchment. Now make the sponge. In a food processor or mixer, cream the butter and sugar with the paddle on a medium speed until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs slowly , taking care the mixture doesn’t separate. (If this happens, add a little of the flour and continue mixing for a minute or so.) Then fold in the sifted flour mixture slowly until smooth. Finally, add the warm date puree and mix well.
5) Spread mixture into prepared tin, and bake for about 50-60 minutes or until the sponge is firm to the touch. Allow to cool - it can be left in the tin. Remove, the sponge from tin and trim the outside edges. Cut it horizontally into three, then reassemble it in the baking tin, spreading two thirds of the sauce between the layers.
6) Once you have reassembled the pudding, reheat it in the oven at 175 celsius, 350 fahrenheit, for 15-20 minutes, then cut it into eight equal servings and top with remaining toffee sauce.
Ya got me!
Out of curiosity, how easy is the cleaning?
On the bright side, at least the food is all but guaranteed sanitary by that point.
It cleans up without too much bother. I initially worried that it would rust as it dries, but that hasn’t been a problem.
Where I worked back in my 20-30’s, if it was someone’s birthday, they got a cake. A few of us that liked to bake started taking turns making cakes. My mom got this recipe from a teacher friend & I made it for one particular guy’s birthday. He loved it so much (& it was a hit with everyone else as well) that he would request it - the last year or two I made it, I had to make two - one for the group & one for him. I quit making it for folks at work because it was just too popular & then the pressure was on to bring it all the time.
It’s Just Apples Darlin’ Cake
[Question: Is there alcohol in this cake? Answer: It’s just apples, darlin’]
Nuts - sprinkle in bottom of Bundt or tube pan:
1 cup of pecans or almonds, chopped fine or grated in blender.
Apples - mix together & set aside:
4-5 large cooking apples - peel & slice 1/4 - 1/8 in. thin
3 teaspoons cinnamon
7 teaspoons brown sugar
5 teaspoons heavy cream
fresh nutmeg (grated over all apples)
Batter - mix together following ingredients about 1 minute:
1 box yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines or pound cake mix)
1 (3-1/2 - 3-3/4 oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup rum (dark rum is best)
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Glaze:
1/2 stick margarine
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum
Melt together in a small pan and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Directions:
Pre-heat oven at 325°
Grease and flour a Bundt pan well
ASSEMBLE:
Pour a little batter in the Bundt pan - about 1/2 inch
Layer 1/2 apple mixture over batter.
Pour rest of batter over apple layer.
Layer the remaining apple mixture over the batter.
BAKE:
For 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes at 325°
Turn cake out on a plate, cake stand, etc. after 10 minutes or so
Cool cake and glaze
Thanks for sharing. Definitely going to try that recipe.
We made those when I catered. People liked the older retro recipes we occasionally served for hors d’oeuveres.
Yes; it’s one of those ‘oldies’ that always pleases. I’ve had people say “Did you make those? I’m addicted!”
My favorite winter dessert. YUM!
Its a lot of work but everyone loves it.
Sounds delicious!
We have a really special asparagus in the garden...it is purple and grows with stalks up to 1 inch. It is really good raw. The stalks are tender and sweet. Not anything like what we all know as asparagus!
We bought three plants several years ago. It is spreading. Wish I had a garden full!
Asparagus is always an early crop. This year we are getting 2nd and 3rd cuttings.
Most things are best cooked less. Eggs, raw is best. Beef, the less cooked the better (steak tartar is healthy). Same for Veggies, except asparagus...the food value of asparagus is best cooked.
From Venus, or one of those plant only eaters?
Jest jerkin' yer chain........
Je’s a weed-eater. Really good guy, and a stunniongly good guitarist. Just came back from a month tour of Europe, and a three month tour of Asia. But he’s a weed eater! Healthy though!
This is a very popular Southern meal. The chicken is not low calorie! I have made this for a crowd and it is always well received. People here in the South really like cake for dessert, but I usually serve fruit for dessert with maybe a bit of ice cream.
https://saramoulton.com/2014/07/jean-andersons-oven-fried-chicken-with-sides/
I went to a bourbon tasting event a while ago. I took this with me and it was gone very quickly.
I have collected a series of menus using bourbon and plan to make a dinner featuring it. People really like bourbon here in the South.
http://beyondfrosting.com/2014/11/03/sweet-potato-cake/
My mother boiled everything to death and diced salads to nothing pieces. As a result, I became the chief cook and bottle washer at a very early age. It was a matter of survival. To this day, she’s only allowed to bring a fruit salad to Thanksgiving. Of course, she ruins the salad. She’s told every year to NOT add avocadoes to it but she does anyway and insists on leaving it for us. It goes straight to the trash.
Same with the delicacy fantasy. Back then I used the Le Seur peas for pea salad. Guess the mayo (mayo, cheese, peas) covered up the small sized peas better than the regular canned peas.
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