Monthly Cooking Thread - August 2021

[Liz]

One bite of these delightful dessert bars will have everyone asking for more. Sugar cookie dough mixed with oats and lemon zest provides the base for these bars, and a fresh berry filling topped with more cookie dough, chopped almonds and a white chocolate drizzle makes them really shine.

Cookie Base and Topping 1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough 1/3 cup quick-cook oats 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2By Pillsbury Kitchens Updated September 21, 2020 Make With Make With tablespoons chopped raw almonds Filling 3 cups fresh mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) 1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips Heat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch square pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. 2 In large bowl, crumble cookie dough; stir in oats, flour and lemon zest until well blended. (DO NOT EAT RAW COOKIE DOUGH AFTER COMBINING WITH FLOUR.) Reserve 3/4 cup mixture for topping, and transfer to small bowl; stir in almonds, and set aside. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown and center is set; cool 10 minutes. cup of the berries; mash slightly with potato masher or fork to release some of the juices. Expert Tips Lining the pan with foil makes removing the bars from the pan very easy, and makes cleanup a breeze, too! Fresh berries vary depending on the season. Some may be very juicy, while other times may not be as juicy. Adding cornstarch to the sweetened berry mixture ensures the extra juices are thickened during baking. Cutting the bars is made easier by refrigerating before serving.

[Liz]

Mocha-Frosted Graham Cracker Brownies

ING cup chopped nuts 4 cups graham crumbs 1/2 cup sifted conf 2 Tb instant coffee 2 cups chocolate chips cup evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla

METHOD Combine nuts, crumbs, conf. Heat coffee, chocolate chips, and evaporated milk on low, stirring smooth. Offheat add vanilla. Reserve 1/2 cup chocolate mixture. Mix rest with crumb mixture: pour into well-buttered 9-inch square pan. Spread reserved chocolate over top to glaze. Chill. Serve in small squares -- very rich.

Source: Toledo Blade newspaper - Dec 7, 1965 - Google newspaper archive.

[Liz]

Smashed Potatoes

With a sturdy tumbler, smash on sheetpan potatoes boiled in their skins, drizzle with olive oil, s/p, bake till crispy.

Serve topped with shredded Cheddar sour cream, bacon bits.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Jamestown1630]

That’s why they have to add so much sugar to ‘fat-free’ prepared foods. There’s no ‘there’ there.

[Liz]

This yummy easy Caramel Cream Pie became a instant classic when made in the movie Christmas With The Kranks.

Caramel Cream Pie

9-inch graham cracker crust
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk, caramelized
7 oz jar marshmallow cream
8 oz container whipped topping

Scoop caramelized sweetened condensed milk into bowl. Fold in tmarshmallow cream. Pour into pie shell. Chill several hours or overnight.

Serve topped with whipped topping.

[Liz]

LIGHT, LEMONY AND LUSCIOUS, THIS ELEGANT DESSERT IS SPECTACULAR.

CREAMY LEMON SUPREME

INGREDIENTS Crust 12 lemon creme-filled sandwich cookies, finely chopped 3 tb butter, melted 1 lemon Filling 2 lemons 1 package (2.9 ounces) lemon cook and serve pudding 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups water, divided 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

DIRECTIONS Lightly spray Springform Pan with nonstick cooking spray. For crust, finely chop cookies using Food Chopper. Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter in Small Batter Bowl. Press crumb mixture into bottom of pan. Cut 6 thin slices from lemon; cut each slice in half. Place lemon halves against inside collar of pan with cut side touching crust. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

For filling, zest lemons to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons zest, juice lemons to measure 1/2 cup juice. Combine pudding mix, sugar, 1/4 cup of the water and egg yolks in (2-qt.) Saucepan; stir until blended. Stir in remaining 1 3/4 cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full boil; remove from heat. Set aside 1/2 cup of the pudding; cool slightly. Whisk butter and lemon juice into remaining pudding saucepan; cool 15 minutes, stirring twice.

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Whisk in reserved 1/2 cup lemon pudding and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping; spread over crust.

Stir remaining lemon pudding mixture and spoon evenly over cream cheese filling, spreading gently. Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Run Paring Knife around edges; release sides. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and lemon zest. Serve in wedges.

[Liz]

Healthy dietary intake associated with better cognition in older adults (vitamin E, lysine, Omega-3 and -6 helps)
Medical XPress / U of Kentucky / Neurobiology of Aging ^ | Aug. 26, 2021 | Jenni Ho / Valentinos Zachariou et al
FR Posted8/26/2021 by ConservativeMind

Research conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine suggests that higher intake of specific nutrients is associated with lower brain iron concentration and better cognitive performance in older adults.

The study was recently published in the Neurobiology of Aging and highlights the important balance of non-heme iron for optimal neuronal function. Excess non-heme brain iron has been associated with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. High levels of brain iron can also be seen in normal aging, where they have been correlated with poor cognitive performance.

A key question is whether age-related increases in brain iron and related cognitive declines can be slowed by environmental factors, such as healthy dietary intake. To explore this question, the research team evaluated the relationship between nutritional intake, brain iron and cognitive performance in a group of healthy, older adults between 61 and 86 years old.

The team was able to address the question using a variety of methods including computer assessments to quantify working memory performance, questionnaires to obtain nutrition information and an in vivo MRI technique called quantitative susceptibility mapping to measure iron concentration in brain tissue.

Consistent with previously published work, the results indicated that increasing age was associated with higher levels of brain iron concentration and poorer working memory performance. However, those older adults with high dietary intake of nutrients commonly found in nuts, soybeans, olive oils, and fish (such as vitamin E, lysine, DHA omega-3 and LA omega-6 PUFA) tended to have lower brain iron and better working memory performance than expected for their age.

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...

[Liz]

A Salmonella Outbreak Has Spread To 17 States; Linked To Italian Meats
NPR ^ | August 26, 2021
FR Posted on 8/26/2021, 3:24:27 PM by BenLurkin

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is investigating two salmonella outbreaks in 17 states that are linked to Italian meats like “salami, prosciutto, and other meats that can often be found in antipasto or charcuterie assortments.”

There is an active investigation underway, but no recalls have been announced.

As of Tuesday, 36 people had fallen ill and 12 were hospitalized, the CDC said. The numbers could be higher, though, because many who have salmonella symptoms don’t seek medical care. It also takes three to four weeks to figure out whether a sick person is part of the outbreak.

Epidemiologists are working to determine whether the two outbreaks are from the same source. In speaking to those who fell ill and were able to provide information, several varieties of meats such as salami, prosciutto, coppa and soppressata were reported.

The CDC is recommending that those at high risk for getting salmonella “heat Italian-style meats to an internal temperature of 165°F or until steaming hot before eating.”