When sisters get together .................. there's always fun with food!

The sisters on a getaway in the Berkshires

My sisters and I got our love of food from our mother. It's a sickness, really.  

Every time we get together, my sisters and I spend half the time talking about food, and the other half eating!

When we stop by each other's house, we KNOW we're in for a food discovery of some sort. Dottie is "forever" going to the cupboard and pulling out a box of crackers or cookies new to the market - "Have you tried THESE??!!" .... Or, she's having us taste-test clementines from two different countries or something.  "Just try a bite of this.  Now try this one!"

As for me, I'm always touting my discovery of a new food item, like quinoa, for instance.  This really impresses my sisters - as if I've just discovered a new planet or something!  Or, maybe, I'm, yet again, parceling out spices from a huge restaurant supply-sized container into little ziploc bags for sharing... which leads into Dottie praising the features of her new plastic wrap!

Marcia's into tea in a BIG way, and when we visit her we have our choice of 18 thousand different flavors, although some may be a few years past their prime.  But then again, so are WE! And then, there is no doubt, Marcia will be looking for something - probably a recipe that she wants to show us - but she just can't find it!  "It was right HERE!" she says. "Oh, for God's sake, I just HAD it!" 

We're all nuts. 

And speaking of nuts...

Have you tried THESE??!!

  Marcia turned me on to them.

Last Sunday, I visited Marcia.  And because she knew I was coming, she made something for us to eat. Surprise!  

For dessert, she served this nice cheesecake with a pineapple topping.

Cheesecake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

2 TB vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups milk

2  8 oz. pkgs, cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

3 TB lemon juice

1 TB vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Remove 1 c. dry cake mix and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine remaining cake mix, one beaten egg and the oil. Mixture will be crumbly. Press mixture evenly in bottom and 3/4 of the way up the sides of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch buttered pan. 

In same bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add 3 eggs and remaining cake mix.  Beat 1 minute at medium speed of electric mixer.  At low speed, slowly add milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix well until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake in a 300 F oven, 45 to 55 minutes until center is firm. Do not overbake.

When cool, top with fruit mixture.  Mix 1 TB cornstarch and about 1/4 c. sugar in a saucepan.  Add either 16 oz. of thawed strawberries or a can of crushed, drained, pineapple and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Keep cheesecake refrigerated until ready to serve. Cut in squares.

Dottie has several specialties in her repertoire that I've adopted.  This easy recipe is one of my favorites.  

Dottie’s Yummy Chicken Thighs

About 3 lbs. of chicken thighs – with or without bone.  Remove skin and fat from thighs.

Place in shallow baking pan.  Pour about 1/2 bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce over.  Bake at 350 for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally.  Turn once.

My sister-in-law, Yen, my brother Brian's wife, beats us all in terms of spending time in the kitchen and being a great cook. Yen starts making huge quantities of food practically as soon as her feet hit the floor in the morning.  She cooks for her own family, her extended family, and privileged, invited guests.  My brother once said, "Yen is just like Mama.  She never stops!"

Yen makes absolutely delicious Vietnamese food, and sometimes Thai and Korean foods, as well.  She's cooked for huge gatherings, serving over 100 people, and has treated my own guests, international students, to her culinary delights.  We all love getting together with Yen whose generosity is never taken for granted.   

This is a dish that Yen has been making for years.  We love it!  It's called "Cha Gio" - pronounced something like "CHAI YUH",  or "Egg Rolls".

Note: Yen claims that this recipe is an imposter. For the real Cha Gio recipe, click HERE.

Egg Rolls

1 lb ground pork

4 eggs

salt and pepper

a dash of soy sauce

3 large grated carrots, or bean sprouts, or cabbage

2 drops of sesame oil 

1 large onion, diced

1 pkg. egg roll wrappers

beaten egg for sealing egg rolls

Mix first 7 ingredients. Place a couple of tablespoons of mixture in an egg roll wrapper. Turn edges in, and roll up. Brush egg yolk on edge to seal.  Deep fry in 1 inch vegetable or peanut oil.  When skin gets bumpy, turn over & turn heat to medium & cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Keep turning.  Drain on paper towels.  Excellent served with a piece of mint or lettuce wrapped around it and dipped in a sweet fish sauce or duck sauce.

And now a recipe from some other sisters!  The Brass Sisters put together a beautiful cookbook entitled Heirloom Baking.  

I saw the Brass Sisters, Marilyn and Sheila Brass, at a cooking demonstration at Northeastern University’s Xhibition Kitchen. I bought three signed copies of their book.

My signed copy of the Brass Sisters' cookbook with 

Mrs. Charles Barker's Blue Ribbon Blueberry Cake ... 

... one of "more than 150 ‘found dessert recipes’ from the late 1800s to the 1980s and from all parts of America, including a wide range of ethnic groups.” (from inside book jacket)

This sweet collection has wonderful photos of desserts, antique cookbooks, sweet designs, and even a section that you can write in, and a pocket to hold recipes.

Here is a recipe for delicious Cranberry-Orange Cream Scones and the story behind it.  The Brass Sisters write:

This outstanding recipe comes from a handwritten manuscript cookbook from the collection of Marion A.Carter and M.E.Carter, that spanned the 1870s through the 1920s.  A narrow notebook with a marbled maroon and grey cover, it was filled with tightly written segments on pages spattered with cooking stains. Since there is more than one handwriting in the book, we guess this was a collection compiled by two generations of the Carter family.

Cranberry-Orange Cream Scones

2 c. flour (plus 1/4 cup for kneading dough)

1 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. butter

2 eggs

1/2 c. plus 2 TB heavy cream

1 TB grated orange zest

1 cup dried cranberries, plumped in 4 TB orange juice

1/4 c. sugar

Makes 12 scones.

1.    Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 425 F. cover a 14 inch by 16 inch baking sheet with foil, shiny side up. Coat the foil with vegetable spray or use a silicone liner.

2.    Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

3.    Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Combine eggs and 1/2 c. of the heavy cream and add to butter mixture.  Add grated orange zest.  Add sifted dry ingredients and stir until a soft dough begins to form.  Squeeze orange juice from cranberries and incorporate fruit into dough with your fingers.

4.    Place dough on a generously floured surface.  Knead gently five times, turning corners of dough toward the center.  Pat dough into a 1/2 inch thick circle.  Using a floured knife, cut dough into 12 equal wedges.  Using a floured wide spatula, transfer each wedge to baking sheet.  Brush wedges with the remaining heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until tops of scones are lightly brown and bottoms are golden brown.  Place baking sheet on a rack and cool about 10 minutes.  Serve scones warm with butter and jam.  They are best when eaten the day they are made.

I've made these scones with blueberries using this suggestion from the Brass Sisters. They are so good!

Sweet Touch – We made these scones also by substituting a heaping cup of fresh blueberries for the cranberries, and they were wonderful. Sprinkle the blueberries on top of the dough after kneading it twice, and then continue with the instructions.

                               Happy Baking!

Live your life!

I just love my children's philosophy.

Although all three boys have completely different interests and personalities, they are similar in one way: they all have the same advice for me.  Here are some of their words of wisdom.   

Live your life!

You worry too much!

 Nothing's going to happen!
Problem solved!

So, on that note... I'm here to say, enjoy yourself!  Live your life!  

For instance, the weather is supposed to be beautiful for the next few days.
You could find a spot to sit outside.
Enjoy a little goat cheese with some french bread. How does that sound?  Maybe some salad...
How about a nice Sauvignon Blanc to go with that?  I recommend Petit Bourgeois.  Yum.

Maybe you'd like to browse through your cookbooks while sipping that wine. I like to do that. After looking at cookbooks for a while, sipping that Sauvignon Blanc, I sometimes end up losing my desire to function.  I'm still hungry, mind you, but I just don't feel like cooking.

I love to look at Nigella Lawson's cookbooks.  What's more, I love to look at Nigella Lawson!  Wowza!  She is GORGEOUS! What's even better than reading her cookbooks though, is seeing her on TV.  Then you can get the FULL Nigella effect with her charming accent and way with words.  

Here's Nigella's delicious Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken.  This will be great with your Petit Bourgeois.  If you begin making this recipe after the sipping of the wine, you'll have to wait an awfully long time before you eat.  I hope you don't fall asleep while it's in the oven.

Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 chicken (approx. 3½ to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces
• 1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
• 2 unwaxed lemons, cut into chunky eighths
• Small handful fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 tablespoons white wine
• Black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Put the chicken pieces into a roasting pan and add the garlic cloves, lemon chunks and the thyme; just roughly pull the leaves off the stalks, leaving some intact for strewing over later. Add the oil and using your hands mix everything together, then spread the mixture out, making sure all the chicken pieces are skin-side up.
Sprinkle over the white wine and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil and put in the oven to cook, at flavor-intensifyingly low heat, for 2 hours.
Remove the foil from the roasting pan, and turn up the oven to 400°F. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30–45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.
I like to serve this as it is, straight from the roasting pan: so just strew with your remaining thyme and dole out.

© 2003 Nigella Lawson

Now if the weather is really warm, some Rosé might be in order.

If you feel like cooking, this dish goes really well with Rosé.  It's quite simple to make.  And rather good I think.  That's something Nigella would say. 

This is a recipe of my own creation.

Basque Chicken

3 chicken breast halves, sliced into pieces about 1/2 inch thick

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/2 small onion sliced

1/2 red pepper sliced

1/2 green pepper sliced

2 large cloves garlic minced

2 TB olive oil

1 TB capers

1/4 c. dry white wine

1/2 ts. salt

1/2 ts. pepper

1/2 TB seeded mustard

1/4 c. cilantro

Saute onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil about 2 minutes.  Add sliced chicken breast and sauté on both sides for a couple of minutes. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  Cook on medium heat, covered, 15 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, capers, wine and mustard.  Stir, turn heat to low.  Add cilantro.  Season to taste.  Serve with plain white rice.

Maybe you'd like to look through some of your old favorite recipes.  Here's a walk down memory lane with some recipes from the Yankee Kitchen... with your host, Gus Saunders.

Now don't go getting all sad and nostalgic on me, especially now that you've had some wine! 

You'll recognize these contributors to the Yankee Kitchen.

Here's a recipe from Jeff.   

 Marinated Flank Steak

  1 medium onion -- chopped

  1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger root -- (or 1/4 ts. dry)

  1/2 cup soy sauce

  2 tablespoons lemon juice

  2 tablespoons salad oil

  2 tablespoons brown sugar

  dash of pepper

  3 pounds flank steak

Combine ingredients in large dish and let stand 5 minutes.  Reserve a small portion of the marinade for basting.  Add steak to marinade, cover and marinate overnight or at least 8 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove steak, discarding marinade. Broil 5 minutes or less on each side, brushing with reserved portion.

And now....  a tried & true recipe from.... B. Roe!   Calamity Jane says, " This brought raves!"

German Cheesecake Pie

   CRUST:       

   11/4 cups flour

   1 teaspoon baking powder

   1/4 cup sugar

   1 stick butter

   1 egg

   FILLING:   

  

  16 ounces cream cheese -- softened

  1 tablespoon flour

  2 eggs

  1 cup sugar

  1 1/2 cups milk

  1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  dash of cinnamon -- optional

Crust: Sift flour and baking powder together.  Add sugar and butter.  Add egg.  Press into a 9" pan.  Set aside.

Filling: Combine first 4 filling ingredients together and beat well.  Add milk and vanilla while beating.  Put crust in oven, THEN pour in filling so it doesn't spill!  Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes.  Cool and refrigerate.

               

Now to our next caller, Mrs. Finklestein.  Hello Mrs. Finklestein!

 Failproof Pie Crust

5 cups all-purpose flour -- unsifted

2 cups vegetable shortening -- (l lb. can)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

Place egg in measuring cup.  Beat and add enough water to make 1 cup.  Combine all dry ingredients and cut in shortening until crumbly.  Add liquid and form into ball. DO NOT KNEAD TOO MUCH.  Shape into 5 or 6 balls.  Freeze in separate plastic wrap and bags.

Makes 5 - 9" crusts    OR  6 - 8" crusts

Here's something to look forward to tomorrow morning.  I hope you have all of these ingredients on hand.

Joining us now is Carmella. 

   Trade Wind Muffins

   20 ounces crushed pineapple in syrup -- drain & save juice

   1/2 cup sliced almonds

   2 cups sifted flour

   1 teaspoon baking soda

   1 teaspoon salt

   3 oz. pkg. cream cheese -- softened

   1 cup sugar

   2 teaspoons vanilla

   1 large egg -- beaten

   1/2 cup dairy sour cream

Grease very well 16 to 18 muffin tins.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Mix flour, baking soda and salt.  In separate bowl, beat sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese.  Add beaten egg and mix well.  Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream.  Fold in drained pineapple.  Bake at 350° for 35 min. or until golden and done.  Cool 5 to 10 min. and glaze.

Glaze:  Combine 1 TB. softened margarine, 1 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar, 1 TB. reserved pineapple juice.  Blend until smooth.  Spread over warm muffins.

~Special Thanks~

     The above Yankee Kitchen recipes were contributed by Calamity Jane,

 chief cook and virtual bottle-washer.

As always, your comments, questions, recipes are welcome at ykconnection@gmail.com

Anita

Memories of Springs Past

When I think back to springtime when I was little, I think of our yard wet with brown grass and patches of new green grass growing; the yellow and purple crocuses popping their little heads up around the bushes in the front yard; and the "peepers" out back.  When my aunt who lived in the city would visit us, she'd say, "I don't know how you can STAND those things!"  We liked them, though they were pretty loud.  The Hockomock Swamp was right behind our backyard, and snaked along the back of our neighbors' yards, too.

I recall my next door neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, working out back in her flower garden.  It was a round-shaped garden with a gazing ball in the center.

I just loved those gazing balls!  Not only that, but Mrs. Johnsons's garden had large glass jugs filled with colored water.  That seemed to be a big thing in the 60’s.  I remember passing front yards and seeing bottles filled with colored water.  I used to tell my mother how much I loved them!  At Easter, after we decorated eggs, I would take the leftover dye and fill old jelly jars that my mother had kept under the kitchen sink.  I'd put them on the kitchen windowsill and see how the light shined on them.  I'm still doing that.  I guess you could say that old habits DYE hard! It seems like such a waste to throw away all those beautiful colors!

I don’t remember how I happened to start visiting Mrs. Johnson, or even how my mother felt about me going over there to visit.  I must have been about 5 years old when I started visiting her.  I remember her house looking and feeling very empty.  She and her husband were old and their children were grown.  I remember her oil paintings of birds that hung on the dining room walls, the shelf in the hall closet with a few old playing cards and toys that she would take down for me, and her delicious, chewy macaroons.  Now, that's a recipe I wish I had today.

Me and my sister Dottie

In honor of Spring and all things new, of Easter and breads risen, of Passover and Seder traditions, here are some absolutely delicious recipes that you and yours will just love.

This recipe is wonderful.  I've often made these cinnamon rolls the night before Easter and delivered them to neighbors for their Easter breakfast.  Thank you to the contributor of this one to the Yankee Kitchen.  

 

Sweet Dough for Cinnamon Rolls & Kuchen

2 c milk

½ c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 ½ ts. salt

2 pkgs. yeast

2 eggs beaten

7-8 c. flour

Scald milk.  Stir in butter, sugar & salt.  Cool to lukewarm.  Sprinkle yeast over ½ c. lukewarm water (110-115 degrees).  Stir to dissolve.  Add milk mixture, eggs & 4 ½ c. flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in remaining flour until slightly stiff.  Turn out onto floured board.  Let rest 5 minutes, covered.  Knead until smooth & elastic (~5 min).  Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).  Punch down & roll out.

For cinnamon rolls, divide dough in half & roll out one at a time into a rectangular shape  about ½ inch thick.  Cover with melted butter.  Sprinkle generously with brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts & raisins.  Roll from long side tightly.  Cut into 1” slices.  Place them touching on greased sheet or round pan.  Cover, let rise for a little bit, but not doubled.   Bake 350 F for 20 minutes.  Do not bake any longer than 25 minutes.  When cool, frost with almond butter frosting.  Makes 36 rolls.

 

Almond Butter Frosting

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

½ c. margarine

~ ¼ c. milk (or less)

½ ts. almond extract

In mixer, combine softened margarine with confectioner's sugar, add almond extract and dribbles of milk until it is at spreadable consistency.

For apple kuchen, divide dough in half.  Roll out into a circle about ¼ inch to ½ inch thick.  Place on greased pizza pan.  Line with apples in a round. 

For filling, combine 1 egg, 3 TB evaporated milk, 3 TB sugar, ¼ ts. cinnamon.  (This is the amount for one kuchen). 

Pour over apples and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar.  Let rise for 20 minutes, covered.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Cut into 2” wedges.

When I feel like making a small amount of cinnamon buns, or don't want to spend a lot of time baking, I make these wonderful sticky buns. 

I first had them on our honeymoon at the Captain Lord Mansion, a gorgeous Bed & Breakfast in Kennebunkport, Maine.  These are so good and easy to make.

Captain Lord Mansion’s Sticky Buns

These treats need to be assembled the night before so they can rise.

Thaw a 1 pound loaf of frozen bread dough.  Slice in half lengthwise.  Cut each half in 6 pieces.  Grease thoroughly the bottom of a tube or bundt pan.  Place in bottom of pan: ½ c. chopped nuts and 2 TB raisins.  Place bread pieces in pan.  Blend together half of a regular size package of butterscotch pudding mix – cook type, not instant, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Sprinkle over bread pieces.

In saucepan, bring to boil – ½ c. sugar, ¾ stick butter and 1 TB brown sugar.  Remove from heat and pour over bread.  Cover pan with cloth and let rise overnight. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand 2-3 minutes.  Turn upside down onto plate & serve.

What is it about lemon and coconut that says, "Spring!"?  Here are two wonderful recipes, again from the Yankee Kitchen, that include lemon and coconut.


My notation on this recipe card says – “Can be made for Passover”.   I brought this dessert once to my mother-in-law’s house for her Passover Seder.  It’s wonderful!

Lemon Whipped Pie

Shell

4 egg whites a room temperature

Dash of salt

¼ ts. cream of tartar

1 c. sugar

1 pkg. grated coconut

Beat egg whites with salt & cream of tartar.  Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form.  Spoon into a 9” pie plate to make a shell.  Sprinkle with  a little coconut.  Bake at 275 for 1 hour.  Let cool.

Filling

4 egg yolks

½ c. sugar

1 TB lemon zest

¼ c. lemon juice

1 pint heavy cream

Thin lemon slices optional for garnish

In a double boiler over simmering water, mix yolks, sugar, zest and juice.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Cool.  Stir occasionally while cooling.  Refrigerate.

When chilled, beat half a pint of heavy cream.  Fold into the cooled lemon mixture.  Put filling in shell.  Beat the remaining half pint of cream, adding a little sugar if desired.  Spread on top.  Sprinkle with the remaining coconut and lemon slices.

 

And now for a fabulous treat that will have you giving thanks to the Lord for your tastebuds.
 
These lemon coconut bars were contributed to the Yankee Kitchen by Mary the Rebel.

 Lemon Coconut Bars

1 c flour

¼ c. confectioner’s sugar

½ c. butter

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. flour

½ ts. baking powder

2 eggs

2 TB lemon juice

1 ts. lemon zest

½ c. coconut

Combine 1 c. flour and confectioner’s sugar and cut in the butter.  Pat into a 9” pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cool.

Combine sugar, ¼ c. flour and baking powder.  Beat eggs, blend into flour mixture.  Add juice, zest and coconut.  Spread on crust.  Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.  Makes 12 bars.

If doubling for a 9 x 13 pan, increase the amount of butter in the crust to 1¼ cup.

And now, Easter gifts from Ann, who may have found the answer to Leslie's request for Cornbread with allspice.  Thank you, Ann!

Ann writes, "I have a cookbook given to me by an elderly neighbor.  It was published in 1938. In it there is a recipe for "Apple Cornbread".  There is a note on the recipe to add 'allspice'."

From Cookbook for all Occasions: Food for Family, Company and Crowd by Jessie Marie DeBoth.

Hot Cornbreads

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp. melted shortening

3/4 cup apple, finely diced

(1/2 teaspoon allspice)

Method:  Combine sifted dry ingredients, add milk and egg,stir until smooth.  Add melted shortening and apples.  Bake in a shallow greased pan 20 minutes in moderate 375° oven.  Cut in squares to serve.

And another cornbread recipe Ann found from Grouprecipes.com that sounds good.

Cinnamon Cornbread

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cups stone-ground cornmeal

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk or milk substitute

1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus some extra

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F.  Oil a 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend, keeping it a bit lumpy.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle extra cinnamon on top, swirling it into the batter slightly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until done. The center should spring back when touched.  Let rest 5 or 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 6.

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter and Happy Passover.

Anita