Large Clear Punch Cup For Serving
½ C Olive Oil (extra virgin is best)
2 T Salt - 1 T Black Pepper - 1 tsp Oregano - ½ tsp Garlic Juice
Mix everything together well. Do NOT refrigerate. Serve with crisp, raw, vegetables.
Olive Salad
(Keeps well covered in refrigerator)
Large Plastic Container with Lid
¼ Lb Dried Italian Olives (calamatas)
¼ Lb Large, Pitted Green Olives
¼ Lb Greek Olives
Medium Jar Hungarian Pepper Rings -- 1 Tin Anchovies with Capers
1 Small Sweet Onion, halved and sliced thinly
¼ C Corn Oil
1 tsp Oregano Flakes, Crushed -- 1 T Crushed Hot Pepper Flakes
1 T Garlic Granules -- 1 T Salt
Place everything in the container, cover with lid and shake gently to mix. Store in refrigerator.
To serve, remove from refrigerator several hours before use, make sure everything is mixed well, place salad in glass bowl. Best when made several days in advance.
Italian Potato Salad
(Make day before using)
Large Plastic Container with Lid
5 Medium Potatoes, Peeled, Cubed and boiled until just tender. Drain & cool under water quickly.
2 Stalks Celery, Large Dice -- 1 Medium Onion, Large Dice
½ Bell Pepper, Large Dice -- ¼ C Black Olives, Sliced
¼ C Spanish Olives, Sliced --
1 Can Yellow/Green Beans (or either one), Drained DRESSING
¼ C Corn Oil - ½ C Cider Vinegar - 1 T Oregano - 1 T Salt ¼ tsp Paprika - 1 T Garlic Granules
Place all vegetables into plastic container & pour dressing over. Mix Very well by reversing covered container back and forth gently, adjusting vinegar as needed. Cover and Chill.
Just before serving, toss salad again, then cube One Large Ripe Tomato, and fold into salad. Serve in pretty glass bowl, Garnish with parsley and whole Spanish Olive.
Broccoli Salad
(Best made 24 hours before serving)
Qt Size Microwave Bowl -- Large Bowl of Ice Water
Mixing bowl with Lid
½ Lb Fresh Broccoli Flowerets, rinsed well - ¼ C Water - ½ T Salt
Toss above three ingredients together in Microwave Bowl, Cover and Micro for 6 minutes on High, or until just tender.
Drain and immediately plunge into ICE WATER to stop cooking.
Drain again very well, working carefully to keep flowerets intact.
Place Broccoli into container with lid.
DRESSING:
2 Cloves Garlic finely minced - 3 T Oil - ¼ C Lemon Juice
1 tsp Salt - ½ tsp Pepper
Pour over broccoli in container. Toss gently to mix well. Cover & refrigerate at least 3 hours. Serve in your favorite bowl with Lemon Slice garnish.
Carolyn’s Christmas Jello Mold
(Male the day before, frost day of serving)
Large Bowl for Mixing
1 #2 Can of Crushed Pineapple, drained very well, reserve juice
1 Family Size Lime Jello Stir and Dissolve completely in
2 C Boiling Water
Stir in 2 C COLD Ginger Ale
Add: 3 Large Bananas, Sliced -- Large Pack Mini Marshmallows
Pour into Teflon Bundt Mold or Pyrex 9 x 13 Cake Dish
Cover with Saran and refrigerate over night.
FROSTING
(Make pudding day before using)
PUDDING:
Beat 1 Egg in Top of a Double Boiler (or use a small saucepan to fit over hot water pan)
Blend in ¼ C Sugar - 3 T Flour - 1 C Reserved Pineapple Juice
(Add water to juice if necessary to make a full cup)
Cook over boiling water, either in double boiler or another saucepan.
Stir constantly, scraping bottom and sides often, until thickened to pudding. Cool 10 minutes.
Cut up a 6-0z pack of Cream Cheese into small pieces and add to pudding, beat well until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Serving Day
Prepare 1 Packet of DREAM WHIP according to package instructions, beating until quite stiff.
Whip Pudding/Cream Cheese mixture into DREAM WHIP until well absorbed. Frosting should be thick, creamy and airy. Refrigerate until needed.
Remove jello from Bundt mold by loosening the edges with a thin knife, then dipping the mold to just below rim, into hot water for about 15 seconds. Place damp serving platter over top of mold and invert. If jell-o does not come loose in about 10 seconds, place a hot towel over the mold and rap gently on the sides and top of mold.
You can also serve from the container, if you use the Pyrex cake dish, or it, too, can be removed from the dish onto a fancy serving platter. Refrigerate a while to bring back to full gel.
Frost molded salad generously on all sides and top, swirling into peaks; or heap the frosting on salad in Pyrex baking dish. Keep chilled until serving, but do not cover.
Decorate with maraschino cherries and pieces of mint leaves to make Xmas "berries".
Homemade Noodles
(Serves 8 as a full dinner)
TWO DOZEN EGGS OF NOODLES DRYING FOR THE HOLIDAY
Large Bowl for Mixing
Towel or Tablecloth and Flat Surface for holding dough strips
Noodle Machine For Rolling and Cutting or - Rolling Pin and a Very Sharp Knife -
Large Paper Bags for Holding Cut Noodles
8 Eggs -or- an 8-Egg container of Egg Beaters -or- Half of Each
2 T Corn Oil - 1 tsp Salt - 4+ C All Purpose Flour
Mix Eggs, Oil and Salt in Blender until thick and frothy, about 5 minutes.
Place 4 C Flour in a large bowl, reserving rest to be used if needed. Make a ‘well’ in center of flour.
Pour Egg Mixture slowly into the flour 'well', stirring and mixing until a stiff dough begins to form. Use more flour as needed to make sure the dough is very stiff.
Turn Dough out onto floured board and KNEAD about 5 minutes, until well mixed and elastic.
Place Dough in floured bowl and cover with clean napkin or towel. Let stand about one hour, then knead again. Make noodles by hand or machine as follows.
MACHINE METHOD
Divide dough into four pieces & knead flat.
Divide each piece into four pieces again (16 pieces) knead flat.
Set up Noodle Machine and place roller dial into the widest slot.
Place the large clean towel over the work surface to hold strips.
Begin rolling dough, processing only 4 pieces at a time.
Rotate among the four pieces, rolling on each slot and placing dough on towel after each roll.
(For extra fine noodles, slip slot above the last spot and roll on tightest pressure)
Cut Strips to approximately 6 to 10 inches in length.
After the final roll, run noodles through finest cutter, catching them and spreading them loosely on bag.
Make sure you cut just before the edges of strips start to dry, but not when dough is sticky.
Repeat the process for all 16 strips.
(For thicker noodles, do not roll so many times, cut on wider cutters. Remember noodles rise when cooked.)
HAND CUT METHOD
Divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead each piece into a flat, round shape.
Roll one piece at a time with rolling pin, to desired thickness... paper thin for very fine noodles.
Sprinkle the sheet of dough lightly with flour & roll up jellyroll fashion. The more turns to the dough, the longer the noodle.
Cut in thin slices, very fine, with an extremely sharp, long bladed knife. Toss Cut Noodles onto bags loosely.
(This method takes some skill. You might try doing just two eggs of noodles a couple of times first.)
Squid Sauce
Large Sauce Pan
¼ C Olive Oil - 3 T Minced Garlic - 3 Large Onions, diced
30 Oz water - 60 oz Tomato Sauce - 1 T Garlic Granules - 1 T Sugar 2 T Salt - 1 tsp Pepper - 1 tsp Basil
2 T Parsley Flakes - 1 Bay Leaf
5 Lb of Cleaned Squid
Sauté Onion and Garlic in Olive Oil slowly in pot, stirring frequently until onions are cooked down by half, golden and sweet. (This takes about a half hour--must be done slowly so as not to scorch the onions.)
When onions are golden, Add everything else BUT the Squid and simmer slowly for several hours +/-, stirring often, until very thick. (This can be done several days before needed; cover and store in the refrigerator.
Two Hours Before Serving
Defrost Cleaned Squid in cold water. Go through squid again to make sure all cellophane spine is removed and it is all very clean. Rinse and Drain VERY well. If heads and bodies are not separated, do so at this time.
Pat the squid dry on paper towels.
Add Heads and Bodies of Squid to the SLOWLY simmering sauce.
Stir well and cook one more hour, uncovered, so that sauce will thicken. (Squid lets out water as it cooks)
DO NOT BOIL or squid will toughen.
Serve on the side with the Fine Home Made Noodles.
Mother/Daughter Fruit Cake
3 Boxes Flavored Dessert Bread Mixes (suggestions: Nut, Date, Cranberry-Orange, Apricot; mix/match)
3 Eggs beaten well - ¾ C Oil - 1½ C Orange Juice - 1½ C Apricot Brandy (or other fruit flavor liqueur)
16 Oz Mixed Candied Fruit + 4 Oz Halved Red/Green Candied Cherries + 2T Candied Lemon/Orange peels - 6-8 Oz broken pecans
WHOLE PECANS
Mix all BUT WHOLE PECANS thoroughly, divide into 2 oiled bundt pans. Bang pans on counter to spread evenly and remove trapped air.
Lightly press Unbroken Pecan Halves into the mix all around the circle of the pan, about 20 halves per cake.
Bake in pre-heated 350° oven for 45-55 min. Cool completely on rack. Remove from pans when slightly cooled.
While cooling, prepare glaze of ½ C Orange Juice Concentrate (no water added), ½ C Apricot Brandy and a splash of Light Corn Syrup.
When cakes are cooled, cut Cheesecloth pieces large enough to cover a cake, rinse cheesecloth under cold water and squeeze dry. Then soak the Cheesecloth in the glaze mixture
Cover the cakes with the cloths and wrap cakes tightly in foil, then plastic bag or place in airtight tin. Keep them covered and occasionally re-wet the cheesecloth with the glaze mixture. Store in refrigerator to keep from molding. For best flavor, make several weeks before serving.
To dress up cake before serving, unwrap and brush with mixture of light corn syrup, OJ concentrate and Brandy to make it shine. Tuck holly into the center opening and serve on a tiered cake dish. It's not your everyday old fruitcake, after all!
Bunny Scenarie’s
Two-Hour Nut Roll
(Kolachi)
FILLING (Prepare First)
Grind 1 Lb Walnuts very fine in grinder or blender
Add: 2 C Sugar - ½ C Brown Sugar - Small can of Condensed Milk 2 T Vanilla to the ground nuts in a large bowl.
You should have a thick nut paste that can be easily spread. Add milk carefully if it gets too thick as it sits.
DOUGH (This does not need to rise before making rolls)
2 Packs Quick Rise Yeast - ½ C Very Warm Milk - ½ Lb Butter
13-Oz Can Evaporated Milk - 3 Large Eggs - ½ C Sugar - 1 tsp Salt
1 T Vanilla - 6+ C Flour
Dissolve 2 Packs Quick Rise Yeast in ½ C very warm milk & set aside
Heat Can of Evaporated Milk, to steaming.
Dissolve one pound butter in hot milk.
Let cool to very warm
Stir the yeast mixture into the butter and milk.
Beat 3 Large Eggs very well in large bowl with mixer.
Slowly add ½ C Sugar beating constantly.
Add 1 T Vanilla & mix again.
Meanwhile measure out about 6 C sifted flour.
Begin combining the flour a cup at a time, alternately with the milk/yeast mixture, to the beaten eggs. In first cup add 1 tsp salt. Start with flour and end with flour.
You can use the mixer until it is too stiff to work, then switch to wooden spoon. Use more or less flour, as needed to make a dough that will ball up and be workable without being sticky. (Amount of flour will depend on size of eggs, etc.)
Turn dough out on lightly floured board. Knead gently until it forms up and can be shaped into a ball. Flatten ball slightly and cut in 8 equal pieces. Shape pieces into round balls...let sit under a bowl.
Immediately begin to form nut rolls. (I recommend rolling them out on a sheet of waxed paper or better still, parchment paper. You can easily flip the paper over to make the dough roll over into a jelly roll shape and it prevents tearing of roll.)
Roll each piece of dough out on the lightly floured paper until it is about 1/8" thick. I shape mine in rectangles, because it is easier to seal the ends.
Brush the dough with melted butter. Spread thinly right to the edge with nut mixture. (Mixture rises a bit in cooking so too much bursts the dough.)
Roll up jelly roll style, but more tightly. Seal the ends by pressing dough together and tucking the closed end under the top fold of the roll.
Place the rolls on a foil covered cookie sheet (this makes it easier to remove to cool), 2 to a tray. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 20 min.
Brush tops with melted butter, sprinkle lightly with sugar & bake in preheated 350° oven until golden brown.... (About 20 minutes.)
Remove from oven; lift foil and all onto a cooling towel or cloth. After a few moments of cooling, roll the Kolachi off the foil to finish cooling. After thoroughly cooled, store snugly wrapped in foil, then plastic bag. Keeps very well a week in refrigerator, 6 months or more in freezer.
Crispel
(Sugared Fried Dough)
Best When Made on Day To Be Served; does not keep well.
1 Pack Dry Yeast(fast rising is best)
¼ C Very Warm Water + 1T Sugar - 1 C Scalded Milk
½ C warm tap water - ½ C Sugar - 1 tsp Salt - 2T Corn Oil
2½ C Flour +/-
Dissolve yeast in ¼ C very warm water and 1T Sugar, set aside.
Scald the milk and add the ½ C warm tap water to it in a large bowl.
Add the ½ C Sugar, Salt, & Corn Oil to the Milk Mixture. Stir Well.
Add the Yeast Mixture, stir.
Beat in 1½ C Flour with wooden spoon very well. Cover and let sit for 20 Minutes.
Add enough Flour to make a Stiff Dough (about 1 C). Mix well.
Turn out on floured board and knead until elastic and smooth.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to oil on all sides, cover and let rise until doubled.
Punch down & let rise to double again.
Heat about 2 inches of peanut oil to 375 in a large skillet, or deep fryer.
Cut dough into 3 inch pieces; stretch and poke hole in center to make donut shape.
Fry in oil, several at a time, turning, until raised and light brown.
Drain well on paper towels. Immediately shake in paper bag with granulated sugar. Place on large tray and let cool.
Shake in sugar bag again after all are fried and sugared the first time.
(This goes easier as a 2-person operation... one to fry, the other to sugar.)
Mound in lined basket or bowl, cover with plastic bag until serving time.
This recipe will serve 8 easily, but it is very popular. Recipe can be doubled, tripled.
Fried Whiting
(Filets or Bone In)
Large Skillet or Deep Fryer -- Large Cookie Sheet
Large Paper Bag - Paper Towels - Waxed Paper
Peanut Oil (best) or Shortening
5 Lb Whiting Fish, cleaned (Whole or Filets (usually found frozen) Thaw and Cut into 3-Inch Pieces
2 C Flour - 1 C Plain Bread Crumbs - 1 T Garlic Granules - 1 T Salt
1 T Pepper - 1 T Parsley - 1 T Dried Basil, crushed - ½ C Corn Meal
3 Large Eggs beaten - ½ C Water - 1 T Grated Parmesan
Begin heating 2 inches of oil in fryer to 375° while breading fish.
Beat the Eggs well, beat in the water, 1 tsp each of the Garlic, Salt, Pepper & Parmesan.
Put the flour on a large sheet of waxed paper; mix in the rest of the seasonings.
Reserve Bread Crumbs and Corn Meal
Prepare another sheet of waxed paper to hold floured fish, and cover a large cookie sheet with another piece of waxed paper.
Begin by rolling all the Fish Pieces in the Seasoned Flour until well coated, place on the sheet of waxed paper.
Add the Bread Crumbs and Corn Meal to the remaining Seasoned Flour. Mix well.
Dip each floured piece of fish into the Egg Mixture, roll in Bread Crumb Mix, & place on Cookie Sheet.
Store in refrigerator until ready to fry. (Best when fried just before eating).
Fry in hot oil in batches, about 2 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fish.
Drain on paper towels on bag.
Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce on the side.
(If you have room, you can keep the fryer going and everyone can cook to order!)
Traditional Christmas Fruit Punch
Six-Quart Punch Bowl
Ice Mold
Ice Mold (Make several days ahead
Fill a plastic bowl or other mold ¾ full of water. Add 1 small jar of Maraschino Cherries, juice & all and stir.
Freeze until solid. Can be removed from mold and stored in freezer in plastic bag until needed.
PUNCH
4 C Very Strong Tea - Small Can Frozen OJ
2 Large Cans Hawaiian Punch (red)
1 Can Apricot Nectar or Juice - 2 Qt Ginger Ale
1 Qt Rainbow Sherbet
Chill all the Liquids before making Punch
Just Before Serving: Mix together all of the chilled fruit juices in the Punch Bowl, stirring well.
Add the chilled Ginger Ale, carefully. Stir once or twice. Carefully insert the Ice Mold.
Drop Scoops of Rainbow Sherbet liberally all over surface of punch. Serve.
(You can make 2 smaller punches, one at a time, by halving the tea, juices, ginger ale and sherbet, and using a second time over the same ice mold.)
Eggnog
Large Serving Pitcher or Punch Bowl
12 Large Eggs Beaten to a froth or blended in blender
1 Qt Heavy Cream - 1 C Sugar - 1 Oz Vanilla or Rum Flavor - Nutmeg
Beat the Sugar into the Eggs until Dissolved.
Add the Cream, beat 5 minutes.
Stir in Flavoring.
Sprinkle with nutmeg when served.
Alcohol of choice can be used (usually rum) in place of or in addition to flavorings.
There are now on the market many good types of commercial eggnog, when caught with unexpected guests.
Memories of Rosolio
White and Green Crème De Menthe can easily be found ready made, now…but I have never been able to find Rosolio. Neither can I find the base to make my own, as Dad and Grandpa did. I’d like to breathe that savory aroma, and have that nippy, sweet taste touch my tongue just once again, but for now I’m left with those fond memories of Rosolio on that Christmas Eve, long ago.
(UPDATE)Last Christmas I finally found the Rose Base for Rosolio. Not the 'oil', but the essence, so I made my own Rosolio! I used the base in proportion to a fifth of vodka (instead of the pure alcohol Gramps and Dad used, heheheh) and I thought it was wonderful. However, looks like there's going to be rosolio around longer than I am. Nobody else 'cared' for the rosy essence..so they never got past it to the wonderful spicy heat of it on the tongue.
The bottle will still go up on the sideboard with the Anisette and Creme De Menthe though. And I'll bet some day when I'm gone, they will be telling the story of "Mom Makes Rosolio"!
If any reader sees something they'd like a know-how on that I haven't included in the recipes...just ask. I'll try to get it here in time for 'your'
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