merry christmas, happy holidays, happy chanukah

chess pies

these tarts are my favorite holiday goodies. i got this recipe when i was in high school from my best friend's mother, dode knepp.(some 50+ years ago)  i think that she had to make an extra recipe just for me. i have made them every year. they can be made ahead of time as they keep well in a tight container and in a cool place.

ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup melted butter

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cup raisins, cooked and drained

1 cup black walnuts, chopped

3 cups english walnuts, chopped

nutmeg

mix first 4 ingredients together. cook and drain raisins and add to the mixture. add all the walnuts. line muffin tins with your favorite pie crust recipe. ( i cheated and bought it this year. it took three packages of the prepared dough for this recipe)

molly the dolly is a big help



i use medium and small muffin tins. they also can be made in regular size muffin tins. i just find them too large.

this recipe made 6 dozen chess pies.

fill the pie crust  3/4 full and sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until crusts and tops are lightly browned.



enjoy!!!



crab meat spread/ an appetizer

today i was going to a party and needed to take a 'dish to pass'. i had a pound of crab meat in the refrigerator and decided to revamp an old recipe that my friend linda gave me some 40 years ago. it has always been a popular recipe. alert everyone that it contains crab meat for those that are allergic.

ingredients
 8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces sour cream
1 cube vegetable bouillon, pulverized ( i use my mortar and pestle)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cajun spice

12 ounces crab meat, picked and drained,(i squeeze it with my hands to get out the excess moisture)
1 cup cocktail sauce
1/2 cup chopped arugula
crackers

place first five ingredients in bowl and mix till it is blended and smooth. i use my mixer.

spread mixture in an 8 or 9 inch pie plate or similar serving piece

spread cocktail sauce on top of cheese mixture.

sprinkle with chopped arugula ( parsley can be substituted but i like the little bite of arugula)

refrigerate till ready to serve.



enjoy!

crock pot/ pot roast

this is a good recipe for this busy time of year. 20 minutes of preparation at the beginning and 15minutes at the end.today i was finishing my Christmas card as it slowly simmered away. i should say i spent the day fighting with photo shop( no lessons). i finally gave up and called the young man across the street as soon as he got home from school. all i wanted to do was print the inside of the card...yikes ! and a big thank you to Adam!! back to the pot roast...

ingredients
3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
2 onions, cut is 8ths
3 carrots , washed and cut in pieces( i do not peel them)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup of dry red wine
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

adjust crock pot to 6 hour setting. sear the meat on both sides in either olive oil or bacon fat. cut up onion and place half on bottom of crock pot. add meat and place onion, carrots, tomatoes and wine on top. throw in bay leaves and cover.

go do your chores for 5 1/2 hours. at this point i turn the potatoes on high, i am making mashed for this dish. mix about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a little water.  in twenty minutes, mash the potatoes. remove meat and veggies from the crock pot and stir in the cornstarch. it makes a nice gravy for the potatoes.

enjoy!!!

pumpkin cheesecake

i will admit it, i have never met a cheesecake that i did not like but this one is a favorite. four stars from me. i have made it for at least 20 years and it has never failed me.

crust:

1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

butter bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. pour in cookie crumbs and rotate so they adhere to bottom of pan. set aside

crumb crust

filling: all ingredients should be at room temperature

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 eggs
1 16-ounce can pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup heavy cream

preheat oven to 325 degrees. in an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and sugars. Add one egg at a time. add pumpkin, cream and spices. mix for 3 minutes and pour into prepared crust very gently.

 bake for approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes or until the filling is set. remove from oven and sprinkle with the pecan topping. return cake to oven and turn oven off ,leaving the cake in the oven until it cools, at least 45 minutes

pecan topping:
1 cup toasted,chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar

saute pecans in a tiny bit of butter till they are lightly browned

chop pecans and add to sugar and butter

 stir ingredients and sprinkle on top of cheesecake. topping is thick but be sure to cover entire surface of the cheesecake. the topping will melt and then harden when it is cool.


the baked and cooled cheesecake



enjoy!!!!

easy pulled pork

sometimes i am lucky enough to get my son to smoke a couple of pork butts for me. it really makes great pulled pork. this is my easy way to make it . it really tastes pretty good. this meal was for 15 people and we had plenty left over. as you can see in the picture below, the meat filled the crock pot.

cut up a pork loin to fit in the pot. pour 1 beer, 1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce, 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning. cover and cook 8-10 hours in the crock pot. sometimes i start it at bedtime and deal with it in the morning.

pork loin, beer, barbecue sauce and seasonings

remove the meat and strain the juices and reserve. discard any fat that remains and either pull the pork apart with your hands or use 2 forks to shred it.

pork shredded with 2 forks

 place the pork back in the crock pot on warm. add 2 cups of the reserved liquid. i always skim off the fat. add additional barbecue sauce. the amount will depend on the amount of meat and taste. i added the rest of the bottle to this batch. it was not heavy with sauce. i always serve the sauce on the side for the sandwiches.

cole slaw

whats a pulled pork sandwich with out slaw. i like mine right on the top. this slaw was made with ready shredded cabbage that i bought in the store. i make my own dressing out of hellman's light mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. this time i cheated. i used the saved juice from my homemade bread and butter pickles and the light mayo. i don't like a heavy mayo on slaw so it was about half  juice and half mayo.



read to eat?

the pork was moist and tender. the slow cooking and added juices do make a difference. try it and enjoy!

manhattan clam chowder

my grandson has a football game today and we are going to tailgate. i checked the temperature yesterday and decided it would be a good day for a chowder. i made it yesterday because i think it gets better if it 'sits a spell'.

ingredients
2 dozen very large chowder clams(cherrystone)
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups of chopped celery
4 carrots, sliced
4 cups chopped, canned tomatoes
6 cups water
6 cups diced red potatoes with skin ( i used fingerling also because it was in the pantry)
2 packets vegetable bouillon
1/2 teaspoon 'tony chagere's cajun seasoning'
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste

wash the clams and shuck them, saving all of the juice. if they are difficult to open, place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and slide them in the freezer for a half hour or so. cut the shucked clams into pieces . i use kitchen scissors but you can use a food processor if you are careful not to pulverize them. strain the juice to make sure that there are no bits of shell. set aside.

2 dozen shucked clams

          chop the onions and celery, slice the carrots and dice the potatoes. set the potatoes aside

veggies

saute the bacon to release the fat and add the celery, onions and carrots and cook ,stirring frequently  until the onions and celery are soft 

sauteing veggies with bacon

add the water, tomatoes, potatoes,seasoning,tarragon and bouillon and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. add the clam juice and return to a simmer. add clams and turn off heat. add parsley and adjust seasonings



fresh parsley from the garden

                                          this makes a big pot of soup but it does freeze well


ready to eat...enjoy!!!!

                                      



my recipe book

birthdays

i am at the stage where i am glad to have them. too many close friends are so longer here to share them with us. as mine rolls around i always think of them and try to count my blessings instead of my age and be grateful for another year.  one of my greatest blessing is to have my children and grandchildren within a mile of us. another is to have my 91 year old mother share my birthday with me



always posies and home made cards
even a flowered shopping bag

  we have two immediate family birthdays in october. our tradition for special occasions is lobster with a bit of bubbly. so it is lobster for 12. some one asked why my recipes were so large...it is 12 or more for most occasions


awaiting their destiny



                           

last garden tomato salad, roasted brussel sprouts, portabella mushrooms




ready for the table




even the youngest knows how to do it

i forgot to get pictures of the potatoes, salad and the marinated, grilled venison. too much bubbly maybe!


and finally, birthday cake

my daughter can bake a cake that is perfection. it's all in the timing. she also  makes a great butter cream frosting,  real butter of course...we did enjoy!

butternut squash and potato soup with roasted garlic

it is a cold and rainy day in central new york. a great day to make a good soup. this recipe was given to me a few years ago but it has been altered to meet the needs and likes of our family. it is now lactose and curry free.

you can take liberties with the proportions of the ingredients. a little less squash or a little less potato does not matter but don't mess with the garlic or onions. i made a recipe and one half so don't be confused with the list of ingredients and the difference in the photos.



 preheat oven to 350 degrees



ingredients

2 medium-large butternut squash

4 large baking potatoes

2 large onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 head of garlic (or more)

6 cups or so chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste



halve squash and remove seeds and wash potatoes. place on cookie sheets that have been lined with oiled foil. place in oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hour or until soft. allow to cool till it can be handled

while the squash and potatoes are baking, cut top from garlic head and place on a piece of foil large enough to wrap it. drizzle a little olive oil over it, wrap and place in oven with the squash and potatoes

chop onions and saute in olive oil until tender. remove squash and potatoes from their skin and place in a container large enough to hold the soup. squeeze the now soft garlic into the mix and add the sauteed onions.

now comes the fun part...puree the ingredients with the chicken stock. ( after using blenders and food processors , i finally treated myself to a portable blending wand...it makes this step so much easier and less messy) add salt and pepper to taste. heat and serve.

i still like the curry so i add it at the table along with a dollop of sour cream. enjoy!

autumn in central new york

a pink hydrangea sporting it's autumn colors

 

it is mid day and the sun is shining and it is 52 degrees fahrenheit. the fall flowers are in full bloom and are lovely. the asters, white and pink anemone, mums are really showing off in the afternoon sunlight. autumn is upon us. 

sedum

the vegetable garden is all but done. a few tomatoes are hanging on, some late planted greens, parsley, basil, and tarragon are still available. the red runner beans are dripping with pods drying in the autumn sun. the last of the canning is done and the last batch of fresh marinara is simmering on the stove as i write this. 



it was a great year for tomatoes. the yellow heirloom and the plum tomatoes have really produced and the plants are still baring fruit. 

the last tomato picture this year...i promise!

 my husband and 2 of the grandchildren picked apples from our tree yesterday. i am not sure of the variety. i bought it when we purchased our home 45 years ago. i wanted a tree for our kids to climb. it has produced so much fruit over the years. my husband made a small dent in the wheel barrow of apples. he made 12 quarts of sauce. a few quarts went into the freezer and the rest got distributed to the family.they all live within a mile.

there are still apples left on the tree and this is what remains after making the sauce.  help yourself!!

easy apple crisp

8 large apples, peeled, cored ,thinly sliced (i like to use a couple different varieties)
1/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons butter,cut in pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar

mix first 3 ingredients and place in a buttered casserole

blend butter, flour and sugar for crumb topping ( i pulse in a food processor). squeeze and crumble for larger chunks of crumbs and place on top of apples

place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until apples are bubbling and top is lightly browned

                                            allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream


ENJOY!

wild rice salad

a really great choice for the gluten free crowd and it is a favorite of our family. it keeps well after it is made so it can be made a day ahead.  serves 10-12   great leftover!

tomato salad and wild rice salad

wild rice salad

1 cup wild rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups boiling water

2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality olive oil

1 large bunch arugula, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup feta cheese ,crumbled
1/2 pine nuts, toasted

rinse the wild rice in cold water and place in the boiling water. simmer till done which will be approximately 40 minutes.
cook the white rice in the chicken stock according to the instructions on the rice package
mix the cooked rice and add the lemon juice and olive oil
allow rice to cool
add remaining ingredients and chill.

easy tomato salad
cut up desired amount of tomatoes( i used plum tomatoes in the picture). add a couple cloves of chopped garlic, good quality olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar (i use white), a few sliced basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste. have some good bread on hand to dip in the juice! do not refrigerate. it should be made ahead for the most flavor. sit it on the counter and give it an occasional stir
enjoy!

gallery@second

a first for me and it is very exciting

8 of my paintings took a ride to harrisburg, pa and just in time for the art walk, which is today.they are in the  'gallery at second'.
http://www.facebook.com/GalleryAtSecond
if you are in the vicinity, take in the 'art walk'.

thanks to the 'love of my life' for helping to get the watercolors ready. he is the official  mat cutter and he makes the frames