Anna Sultana’s Cannoli Cookies, Christmas Ricotta Cookies, Italian Ricotta Cookies, Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Iced Lemon Ricotta Cookies, Orange Ricotta Cookies, Christmas Cookies / Muriel’s Family Christmas Dinner by Margaret Ullrich

Happy New Year!

Traditionally this is a time for family and friends to gather.
And some folks think it’s just dandy to drop in, uninvited and unexpected.
Well.. you were well brought up and you know what’s expected of you as a host.
You have to smile and they have to be fed.


Cookies are always handy to have on hand for these surprise guests.
Cookies are just a bit of food. Just enough, in keeping with the situation.
Like what should they have expected when they didn’t give you any warning?
A complete dinner, from soup to nuts?


Cookies are also fine after a dinner with invited family and friends.
A slice of cake, especially fruitcake, can seem a bit overwhelming after a big meal, but there’s always room for a cookie, or two.


Ricotta cookies fresh from the oven can also be used as shortcake.
In the summer, Ma didn’t ice the cookies, but topped them with sweetened mashed berries and a bit of whipped cream.
For the aunts and uncles she’d add a dash of booze to the fruit and serve them from a different tray.
Yeah, we grabbed a few.

Hints:
For a smooth texture, make sure your ricotta is well-drained in a cheesecloth lined strainer, for at least an hour, and at room temperature before using.


About the Cannoli Cookies…
Save a few chocolate chips and pistachios to press into the tops before baking.


About the Christmas Ricotta Cookies…
These cookies are light, incredibly moist, and stay soft for days.
Use vanilla instead of almond extract for a traditional flavour.
You can add lemon or orange zest to the dough or glaze for extra flavour.
To keep the cookies from spreading, chill the dough for an hour before baking.

Store cookies in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
Freeze frosted cookies in layers with parchment between layers up to 3 months.
Let them thaw at room temp before serving.

You can make the dough, chill it overnight, and bake the next day.
Or scoop the dough into balls and freeze them.
Bake straight from frozen with a minute or two added to the baking time.


About the Christmas Cookies…
You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, or 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.

               Cannoli Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup sugar
Cream for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Add
1 Cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Mix just until combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
With a spatula gently fold in
3/4 Cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 Cup shelled pistachios, chopped
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Centres should look just underdone.
Cool 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.

For the chocolate drizzle
Place in a small microwaveable bowl
1/2 Cup dark chocolate chips
Melt and stir until smooth.
Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate.

Dust with
confectioner’s sugar
Top with
chopped pistachios (optional)

About 30 cookies


                                                              Christmas Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter, softened
2 Cups sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Add
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla (or almond extract)
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until edges are golden.
Cool on wire racks.

For the frosting
Place in a medium mixer bowl
1/4 Cup butter, softened
3 to 4 Cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 Tablespoon 2% milk
Mix until spreadable.
Frost cooled cookies.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the frosting set before storing.


                                                              Italian Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in
1 large egg, at room temperature
Add
8 ounces ricotta cheese
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Beat until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
3 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until smooth. Add more milk if needed.
Dip the cooled cookies in the frosting.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the frosting set before storing.

About 24 cookies

               Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 Cup ricotta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Cover the bowl and chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Scoop and roll dough into golf ball-sized rounds, then roll each in
1/2 Cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart and bake 12 to 15 minutes, until tops begin to crack.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar (optional)

About 42 cookies


                                                              Iced Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
2 Cups sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
Cream until light and fluffy.
Add, one at a time
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Stir in
16 ounces full-fat ricotta cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients just until combined.
Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Gently smooth the tops with your fingers.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just lightly golden at the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool completely on the sheets.

For the lemon glaze
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tablespoons lemon juice or water
Mix until smooth. Add more liquid if needed.
Dip the tops of each cooled cookie and let the glaze set.

About 20 cookies

                 Orange Ricotta Cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
                                                               Whisk together.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup + 3 Tablespoons ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Add
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon orange zest
Mix until combined.
Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly golden.
Let cool on the sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Glaze or frost, then decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately.
Let topping set before storing.

For the orange glaze
Place in a small bowl
1 Cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons heavy cream or whole milk
1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice
Mix until smooth. Add more liquid if needed.

For the cream cheese frosting
Place in a small bowl
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/4 Cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Mix until smooth.

About 22 cookies

             Christmas Cookies




Preheat oven to 350° F 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.



Place in a medium bowl

3 Cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together.          

 

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Add
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond or anise extract
Mix until combined.
Mixing on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.   
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly golden.
Let cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.                                                               
                                                                        
For the glaze
Place in a small bowl
2 Cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 Cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond or anise extract
Mix until smooth.
Dip the tops of cooled cookies.
Decorate with Christmas sprinkles immediately and let the glaze set before storing.

About 24 cookies

                    ~~~

This was a holiday piece I wrote a few years ago for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’ when we decided to chat about family holiday dinners. 
Being politically correct - and politically sensitive - was just starting around the turn of the century.
It was and is still a part of menu planning.

The family that eats a holiday dinner together… can still be in for a whole lot of trouble.

My friend Muriel still hasn't recovered from last Christmas.

The poor dear had tried to please everybody. Solomon couldn't have pulled that off. Muriel was willing to go with the flow, but she was caught in a tsunami. Her husband Tom is a simple man with simple tastes. He just wanted a roasted bird with stuffing and cranberry sauce.

He should never have had children.


Their eldest daughter, Donna, keeps up with trends. Muriel had asked Donna to bring the appetizers. Muriel expected their traditional celery sticks with cream cheese, crackers and cheese cubes. Donna waltzed in with an oriental party pack and assorted seafood and chicken wing platters. Something for everyone. Uh, huh.
Tom backed off when he saw the egg rolls. "I don't like Chinese."
Donna said, "I got you BBQ chicken wings."
Ignoring her, Tom said, "They don't serve bread." He went to the kitchen for bread.


Then Betty arrived. Betty lives in a commune and supports the rights of everything and everybody… except those of the hostess. Betty always carried tofu because she never ate dairy products or anything with eyes or eggs. Muriel had prepared a nice salad for Betty. Not good enough.
"Were the pickers paid a decent wage?"
"The lettuce had a union label."
"I only eat organically grown food. Did they use manure."
"We had to scrub the carrots with bleach to get the E coli off."
"Oh... okay."
Tom heard E coli and reached for another slice of bread.


Finally their son Bill arrived with his wife Carol and their children, Krystal and Jason. Bill and Carol had every allergy in the book. Bill also had high cholesterol and Carol had her waistline. They avoided the platters of appetizers and drank the water that they had brought.


Krystal, a tender-hearted child, burst into tears when she saw the chicken wings.
"Oh, those poor birdies. Do you know how they treat chickens, Grandma?"

Muriel figured the birds were better off than she was. They never had to make a holiday dinner for the family. But this was her granddaughter.
"Krystal, dear, these birdies lived in a happy place where they laughed and played and sang songs for a long, long time. Then one day they just went to sleep and, just like butterflies, they turned into chicken wings."
"Oh... okay."
Who says the next generation knows it all?
Tom heard Muriel's tale of the laughing, singing chickens, figured she'd finally lost it, and ate more bread.

Ignored by his elders, Jason gobbled a fistful of seafood appetizers and started wheezing. Muriel packed away the appetizers before her children could start a food fight and led them to the main event.


The table looked like a sailboat regatta that had been designed by Martha Stewart. Every dish had a tiny flag listing all of the ingredients. Muriel did not want to have to call the paramedics again. Krystal cried when she saw the turkey.

When Betty reached for the potatoes, Bill said, "But they have eyes". Betty meant to kick her brother, but got her sister-in-law, Carol, who screamed and kicked back. Muriel yelled at her kids. The holiday dinner was just like always. Damn.


After everyone had eaten what they could, Muriel brought out a carafe of hot cranberry apple cider. This was her gift to herself. Seeing all the different coffees at the supermarket had made her go all whoozie. Whatever happened to plain old coffee, black or with cream? Muriel’s children didn't say a word while visions of cappuccinos, espressos and lattes danced in their heads.


Betty was in charge of the dessert. She had created something that was just what the doctor ordered. No eggs, no cream, no butter, and no taste.
Tom just saw a pumpkin pie and it looked fine. He helped himself to a slice, smiled and thought that Betty was returning to the food of her mother.

But, something tasted... off. Maybe a new spice?
"Betty, what's in this pie," he asked.
"Tofu."
"Geez." Tom reached for the bread.


Jason had wheezed throughout the whole meal.
All in all, it had been just another family holiday get together.


God help Muriel. The holidays are back.

Cookies: Fruitcake Shortbread, Shortbread, Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread, Chocolate Chip, Thumbprint, Italian Almond Paste, Raisin Oatmeal, Toffee Doodle, White Chocolate Cranberry / Oh, Christmas Tree! by Margaret Ullrich

Fruitcake Shortbread

Years ago Paul and I would go and chop down a tree as part of our our Christmas celebration.

It didn’t matter how cold it got.
And in Manitoba it can get REALLY cold.
We’re talking -40, which is the same in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
December in Manitoba is the great equalizer.


Okay… we’re not in our 20s, 30s or 40s anymore.
Neither are our friends.
We bought a fake tree around the time we celebrated our half century birthdays.
Who needs a ‘Silver Alert’ sent out for idiot seniors who got lost in the woods while looking for a tree?
Who would search for idiot seniors lost in the woods looking for a tree?

Well, we’re Winnipeggers, so we had to come up with something else to keep ourselves super busy during the holidays.
We now do Christmas Cookie Exchanges.

We stay nice and toasty warm by our ovens and work like slaves for the holidays.
Hell, by the third batch we’re sweating like pigs.
We bake a ton of cookies, trade them, then have a new ton of cookies.
Ho… Ho… Ho…! Happy Holidays!!

Hints:

About the Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies…
It is important that your butter is soft and not cold.
If the dough is dry, you can add some milk, a teaspoon at a time, to bring it together.
Don't add too much milk. The dough will come together if your butter is soft.

Longer baking will create a crisper cookie; shorter time makes a soft, buttery cookie


About the Shortbread Cookies…
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 days.
They will stay in the fridge for 10 days. You can also freeze shortbread cookies.


About the Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread Cookies…
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
These make perfect ice cream sandwich cookies.


About the Chocolate Chip Cookies…
Softened butter and warm eggs help create a smooth batter.
For thicker, chewier cookies, refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before baking.
Take cookies out while their centres are still slightly underdone.

Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg for warm, aromatic notes.
Stir in peanut butter, chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts for extra crunch.


About the Thumbprint Cookies…
Use a variety of jams and jellies - raspberry or strawberry, apricot, grape - for colour.
If your jam is thick, microwave it for 10 seconds.


About the Italian Almond Paste Cookies …
Almond paste is less sweet, and is typically used to make marzipan, as a baking ingredient and as a filling in a variety of pastries.
Marzipan is made from almond flour, sugar, and sometimes egg whites and syrup. It is used to make candy or cake decorations. You may be able to adjust the recipe to use less sugar and use marzipan in place of almond paste.

Store the cookies in a tin that is lined with parchment.


About the Toffee Doodle Cookies…
Starbuck’s Toffeedoodle Cookies, a variation of cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle cookies, is the inspiration for this recipe.
Add an extra caramel flavour to the cookies by browning the butter first.

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a couple hours until soft.


About the White Chocolate Cranberry Bars…
These bars were inspired by Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars.

If you don’t have orange zest add 1 teaspoon orange extract to the cookie and 1/4 teaspoon to the frosting.
Powdered sugar is also known as 10x sugar. Confectioner's sugar has a starch, like cornstarch, added to prevent clumping.

Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or flash freeze them, then stack with parchment paper between, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours, before serving.


                                                    Fruitcake Shortbread Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add
1 teaspoon rum extract (or vanilla or almond extract)
Beat in.
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time
2 Cups flour
Scraping down the sides of the bowl, beat until the dough comes together.
Add
1 Cup finely diced fruitcake mixed fruit
Stir until the fruit is blended in.

Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and form it into a log, about 9 or 10 inches long.
Wrap it in the plastic and smooth it into a smooth tube, twisting the ends tightly to secure.
Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Have on hand
Coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F

Slice the tube of dough into 1/3 inch slices.
Roll edges in course sugar, then place slices on the cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 minutes. They may seem soft, but they will firm up as they cool.
Let them cool on pan for a few minutes.
While they are warm, sprinkle the cookies with coarse sugar, if using.
Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.


                                                    Shortbread Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together into a medium bowl
1/2 Cup cornstarch
1/2 Cup confectioners’ sugar
Add
1 Cup flour
Whisk in until well combined.
Add
3/4 Cup salted butter at room temperature
Using forks, mix in butter to form a soft dough.
Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Preheat oven to 325 °F

Using the tines of a fork, gently press the cookies.
Add sprinkles to the tops of each cookie. (optional)

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cook on the sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.


                                                    Chocolate Chip and Toffee Shortbread Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup salted butter, softened
1/2 Cup confectioners' sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time
2 Cups flour
Mix just until a soft dough forms.
Fold in
1 Cup mini chocolate morsels
1/2 Cup toffee pieces

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Lightly flatten each ball. Chill for 5 to 10 minutes if your kitchen is warm.

Preheat oven to 350° F 

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until firm and lightly golden around the edges.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.


                                                    Chocolate Chip Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a medium bowl
2 1/4 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Stir together, then set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
Cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in one at a time
2 large eggs
Blend in
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time, the dry ingredients.
Stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in, making sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough
2 Cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk or dark chocolate or a mixture)

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Preheat oven to 375° F 

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centres are soft.
Remove from oven.
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Makes 24 Cookies


                                                    Thumbprint Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup margarine
Cream together.
Add
1 large egg
Beat together.
Add
1/2 Cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
                                                               Stir together.
Add
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Stir together.
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time
2 Cups flour
Place on floured surface, then knead, adding gradually
1 to 1 1/4 Cups flour

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Make an indent with your thumb in the centre of each cookie. Fill the thumb print with jam or jelly.

Preheat oven to 350° F

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cook completely.


                                                    Italian Almond Paste Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Have on hand
1/2 Cup sliced almonds

Break into small pieces and place in a large bowl
1 (8 oz) tube almond paste (not marzipan)
Add
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
Mix until crumbly.

Place in a small bowl
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat until frothy.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until a sticky dough forms.
Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, gently flatten, and press a few almond slices on top.

Preheat oven to 325° F

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and tops are just set.
Cool completely, then dust generously with powdered sugar.
Makes 20 cookies


                                                    Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

Place in medium bowl
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Stir to combine.

Place in large mixer bowl
3/4 Cup margarine
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar, packed
Beat to combine then beat in
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Gradually add
flour mixture
1 3/4 Cups old-fashioned oats
2 Cups Thompson raisins
Stir well to combine.

Preheat oven to 375º F

Drop spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart.
Bake 8 to 9 minutes, then cool on wire rack.
Makes 3 dozen cookies


                                                    Toffee Doodle Cookies

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together into medium bowl
3 Cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine in an 8 inch square pan
1/4 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Place in a large mixer bowl
3/4 Cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 Cups sugar
Cream together until light and fluffy.
Add
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until combined.
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time the flour mixture.
Stir in
1 Cup toffee bits

Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, measure out dough, roll between hands to create smooth, round balls.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar to coat, then place on baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Lightly flatten each ball. Chill for 5 to 10 minutes if your kitchen is warm.

Preheat oven to 375° F

Bake the cookies until the edges look golden brown.
Remove from oven and leave the cookies on the pan for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 25 to 30 cookies

                                                    White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper letting some hang outside of pan.
Lightly grease with nonstick spray.

For the Bars:
Place in a medium bowl
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Stir together, then set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
Cream until light and fluffy.
Beat in, one at a time
2 large eggs
Blend in
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
With the mixer on low, add 1/4 Cup at a time, the dry ingredients.
Stir gently until you have a soft cookie dough.
Fold in, making sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough
1 Cup dried cranberries
1/2 Cup white chocolate baking chips
Turn the batter into the prepared pan, press dough to the edges, and smooth top.

Preheat oven to 350° F  

Bake for 15 to 22 minutes, until the top is golden.
Remove pan from oven, place on a wire rack and let cool completely.
Using the parchment paper, lift the cookie out of the pan and place on cutting board.

For the Frosting:
Place in a medium mixer bowl
8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
Cream together until smooth.
Add
1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix until the frosting is fluffy.
Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cookie base.

For Topping the Bars:
Sprinkle over the top of the base
1/2 Cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon orange zest

Place in a small microwave safe bowl
1/2 Cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon coconut or vegetable oil (optional)
Microwave in 10 second increments, stirring after each, until you can stir it smooth. Pour into a ziplock bag and snip off a corner.
Drizzle over the top of the base. 
Let the base sit until the frosting is set.
Slice the base in strips, then in squares, and then cut each diagonally to make triangles.

                                                    ~~~

For another broadcast of our CKUW radio program ‘2000 & Counting’ we planned to reminisce about when we had gone out into the woods to chop down a Christmas tree.
Yes, this was, and is, a popular Winnipeg Christmas tradition.
And, yes, in Manitoba it can get cold enough to make trees brittle!

God, it was cold.

I didn't know it could get that cold.
I didn't know I'd ever be stupid enough to be outdoors in that kind of cold.
I didn't know I'd been stupid enough to marry someone stupid enough to work with people stupid enough to be out in that kind of cold.

It was December in Winnipeg.

Paul and I had grown up in New York City. There people went to an empty parking lot where the trees had magically appeared, like the pre-wrapped ground beef at the local supermarket. No questions asked. No one wanted to get too personal with an ornament that would be out with the trash in a matter of weeks.

At the New York parking lot we'd browse, find a tree we liked and switch the price tag with the cheaper tree which no one liked. Then we'd carry the tree to the clerk, who gave us the fish eye as he noticed the fullness of such a "good find", sighed and took our money. The whole deal was done in ten minutes. Another Christmas had begun.

Apparently, that isn't good enough for Winnipeggers.
Oh, no, they have to get down and dirty with their holiday bushes.


I'll never forget how happy Paul was when he came home and told me we'd been invited to join his co-workers, a group of Winnipeggers, for a real, old-fashioned Christmas experience. If I'd had a clue I'd have realized that giving birth in a barn, unaided, would've been an easier old-fashioned Christmas experience.
We were going to chop down a real Christmas tree, just like our ancestors.

Well, my parents are from Malta, a sunny Mediterranean island. It just wasn't in my genes to know how to dress for a freezing, miserable, forced march through a blizzard-hit forest. The windchill - which I still didn't understand - was in the "exposed skin can freeze in 2 minutes" range.

That didn't sound good, so I said, "Thanks, but no thanks."


Somehow Paul convinced me that his entire future career prospects, our unborn children's college fund, our grandchildren's lives and our golden years' security and comfort would all go up in smoke if I didn't join in the mighty tree hunt.

His Jewish co-workers were going. Everybody, even that ditzy receptionist who always dressed like a showgirl wannabe with skirts up to there, was going.

So, we were going.


God, it was cold.

I thought I had dressed warmly.
That fink, the ditzy receptionist, showed up looking like the Michelin Man. She was ready to march to the North Pole for the perfect tree, if necessary. So were the three other women co-workers. The other wives - who all knew better - had begged off. One was even pregnant. Or so she said.

I was alone with four career women who were full of the 1970s "I am woman, hear me roar" career fever. While they talked shop I felt as welcome as a lump of coal in a kid’s Christmas stocking.

The Jewish co-workers - who I had hoped would keep the tree hunt frenzy within limits - had turned into lumberjacks. They were also ready to march to the North Pole for the perfect tree, if necessary.

After walking five minutes I couldn't feel my toes. We hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot. I was doomed.

I didn't know it could get that cold.
We marched. Finally, someone approved of a tree. The men chopped. The tree crashed. The branches that hit the ground broke off the tree.

I said, "The bare side could be placed against a wall."

The heat from their glares should have restored my circulation. It didn't. We marched. Someone approved of another tree. The men chopped. The tree crashed. It broke.


God, it was cold.

We were doomed to spend all day wandering like Flying Dutchmen on a quest to find the perfect unbreakable tree. The lot was littered with other broken felled trees. Some trees had landed across their comrades in a criss-cross pattern that looked like a cradle.
A cradle, something soft, something to receive and hold...

Hold it… something to catch a damn tree!

Dripping snot and tears had frozen my mouth shut. If I'd had the equipment I would've written my idea in the snow. I slapped my face trying to restore circulation to my lower jaw. Finally my lips parted. I clutched Paul's arm.

"Cradle... tree... cradle," I mumbled and criss-crossed my arms.

The women thought I was pregnant and wanted a homemade cradle. Thank God, months of marriage, misery and love had united Paul's mind to mine. Months of marriage had also taught us that Paul was no carpenter. He knew the homemade cradle idea was bunk. Paul caught on to my pantomime and told the others of my plan.

Someone approved of another tree. It could land on four broken trees. The men chopped. The tree landed on its fallen comrades. It survived.
We marched. Someone approved of another tree. It, too, survived.

Christmas was saved.


God, it was cold.

I didn't know it could get that cold.
I couldn't believe it.
Some fool was planning the next year's tree chopping expedition.

Anna Sultana’s German-Style Chocolate Cake, Kuchen and Gingerbread for Father's Day

Goodness! Next Sunday is Father's Day!
I hope that the weather will be great and that everyone will enjoy the day.

My Pop loved chocolate cake.
Every Sunday after Mass he would pick up one, along with a half dozen loaves of bread, from the Italian bakery.
Because Pop loved chocolate cake I always think of making one for Father’s Day.

Over the years I’ve posted a few chocolate cake recipes.
If you’re curious, just type ‘chocolate cake’ in the Search box and click.
The most popular chocolate cake recipe I've ever posted - it’s received 3,287 visits - is Carmela Soprano’s Baci Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2011/01/carmela-sopranos-baci-cake.html


Maybe your Dad enjoys chocolate cake, too.
It’s been a while since I posted a chocolate cake recipe.
It’s definitely time for me to post another.

An old favourite of mine is Anna Sultana’s Mocha Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2016/02/anna-sultanas-mocha-cake-and-mocha.html

Another is Anna Sultana’s German Chocolate Cake
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2017/04/anna-sultanas-german-chocolate-cake.html

German Chocolate Cake was a recipe Mrs. Kekelia had shared with Ma.
Just like Baci Cake it takes a bit of work, and is delicious.
We’ve been having an awfully hot June and, if you’re like me, a simpler cake is all you can handle.
Simpler doesn’t mean it can’t taste good.
Ma had hot and busy Junes, too, so, she tweaked the German Chocolate Cake and created a simpler version.

If you have the time and energy, well, go ahead and use it.
If you’re looking for simple but good, give this variation a try.


If your Dad isn’t a chocolate fan he might enjoy a slice of Kuchen.
Kuchen (pronounced koo-ken) is the German word for cake, but it’s more like a custardy fruit pie.
Gingerbread is is really easy and really good.

If you, or your Dad, would rather not barbecue, I’ll post some dinner recipes on June 14.


Hints:

To make a substitute for buttermilk for cooking, just place about 1/2 teaspoon vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1/3 Cup soured milk. Stir and use. It isn’t an exact recipe.

About the German-Style Chocolate Cake…
For best results, bring the ingredients to room temperature.

You can make the cake in advance. Let the layer cool completely, then wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to one month.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

About the Kuchen…
Kuchen can be made with whatever fruit is available. Instead of peaches you can use apples, plums, apricots, cherries, berries, pears, whatever you have.
If you don’t have fresh fruit use canned or frozen. All you need is 2 cups of fruit.

About the Gingerbread…
The cake is very moist and makes its own glaze.
You can sprinkle confectioners sugar over it, but it really doesn't need it.


                                                               German-Style Chocolate Cake

For the Cake:

Grease a 9x13 inch pan  

Place in a small bowl
1/3 Cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Lightly beat together and set aside.

Place in a 1-quart saucepan
2/3 Cup water
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa, packed
Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the butter melts. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Sift together into a medium mixing bowl
1 1/4 Cups flour
1 Cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add the warm liquid mixture and stir to combine, about 30 seconds.
Add the buttermilk mixture and stir together for another 30 seconds.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack while making the frosting.

For the Frosting:

Finely chop pecans to make 3/4 Cup
Lightly toast and set aside.

Place in a 2-quart saucepan
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2/3 Cup sugar
2/3 Cup evaporated milk
Pinch salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Stir to blend in the eggs.
Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, then cook, stirring constantly, for another 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
the toasted pecans

Spread the warm frosting over the partially cooled cake.
Serve at room temperature.


                                                               Kuchen

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan

Combine in a small bowl
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon

Place in a medium bowl and stir together
1 Cup flour
3/4 Cup old fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut in
1/2 Cup shortening
Stir in
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
Press the dough across the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of of the prepared pan.

Preheat oven to 400º F

Evenly place over the crust
2 Cups canned sliced peaches, drained (or you can use fresh)
Sprinkle the brown sugar / spice mixture over the peaches.
Bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, place in a small bowl
1 Cup whipping cream
2 large egg yolks or 1 large egg
Beat together to make the custard.

After the kuchen has baked for 10 minutes remove the pan from the oven.
Pour the custard mixture over the fruit, then put it back in the oven.
Bake for another 30 minutes, or until the custard is firm.
Serve warm, topped with whipped cream (optional).


                                                               Gingerbread

Preheat oven to 350º F
Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan

Sift into a medium bowl
2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place in a large bowl
1/2 Cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 Cup sugar (white or light brown)
Cream together and add
1 egg
1/2 Cup buttermilk
1/2 Cup applesauce
1 Cup molasses
Stir in the flour mixture and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean.

                                              ~~~
This is a piece I wrote in 2006 for my CKUW show. Hope that it gives you a chuckle.

I hope all you Dads will have a great Father's Day.

People talk about how Christmas has changed over the years. Well, I think Father's Day has changed even more than Christmas has.

In the fifties, Father's Day was pretty simple. It was a snap to shop for Dads. Moms were hard. There were so many different toilet waters. Lipstick colours changed every year. One year Lucille Ball Red was popular. The next year every lady was wearing Flaming Fuschia. I mean, how was an elementary school kid supposed to know what to get?  
   
Dads were easy. They always needed a pair of socks or another tie. There WAS something about an Aqua Velva man. The bottles of blue water came in a variety of sizes and they were all cheap. If you had to soften Dad up for the report card that was coming, you could splurge on Old Spice or English Leather for a few pennies more.

If you'd blown all your money for Mother's Day - an easy thing to do - you could get another tube of Brylcreme. Those little dabs went fast and Dad always needed another tube so he could look debonair and Mom could run her fingers through his hair.  

Keeping the family car spiffy has always been a Dad's job. Remember when they were unwrapping their presents in the movie A Christmas Story? Dad Darren McGavin was thrilled to get a tin of Simonize for his car. It was big. It was heavy. It was cheap.

That was the Golden Age for Dads gifts. But now? Let's just say that Dads are getting to be as big a problem as Moms are, gift-wise.

I always thought of men as being rough and ready in their grooming needs. I raised a son. He once took a bath, answered nature's call, then went straight to drying everything - and I mean everything - with the bath towel. He thought cutting out a small step would save some time. At least that was his explanation when I asked him about the skid marks on the yellow towel.

Now men have discovered their inner Alan Alda. They know about brands like Nivea. Soap on a rope has lost its oomph. Blades and a can of Barbasol just won't cut it anymore. Guys have discovered grooming sets: shower gels, body washes, face scrubs, after shave balms and a post shave soother that the nice sales clerk swore will control his beard's growth. You know, the same crap and sales pitches they've been throwing at women for years.  

And for the guy who's really into his feminine side, there are events like the Papa-razzi Package at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver. The 36 hour getaway includes an hour-long massage, a facial, foot care, a souvenir shaving kit and a round of golf. The package costs $2,165 plus taxes and airfare if you don't happen to live in Vancouver. Hey, femininity never came cheap.

Tools have always been popular gifts. Something is always getting lost or broken, right? Time was when, after being showered with a 32 piece wrench set, a 14 piece clamp set and a 65 piece screwdriver set, every Dad was ready, willing and eager to wrench, clamp and screw any and everything in the house.

Fellows, I was wondering… if a man receives a 205 piece drill and screw driving set (consisting of screw driving bits, nut driving bits, spade bits, high speed drill bits, hole saws, masonry drill bits, sanding drums and a countersink which, I've been told, are ideal to use on wood, metal, plastic, brick, mortar and concrete) would he really use them all or just stick to a half dozen favourite pieces? You know, the way we women use the same favourite spoons and pans in the kitchen.  Sometimes wretched excess is just, well, excessive.

Speaking of the kitchen, a Dad's cooking used to be basic. Raw meat plus fire equaled hard small hockey pucks served with ketchup and relish in a bun. Raw onion slices were added for the July first weekend. Up to now the most exciting thing I'd ever seen a man do at the barbecue was to stick a can of beer up a chicken's butt so it could stand and roast. It looked almost patriotic.  

Dads made simple basic food. And healthy. No E coli bacteria could ever survive a Dad's barbecue.  

Now folks are dropping like flies because Dads have discovered cuisine. Ketchup and mustard have disappeared. Guys who flunked Geography and can't find their way to their in-laws across town without a CAA trip-tik are now into Japanese, Mexican and Thai recipes.

While at the Liquor Commission, I picked up the freebie Flavours magazine. On the cover it said Sassy sauces for your grilled goodies. Uh, huh. I don't know what my Dad would've thought of things like sorrel-spinach sauce. On salmon, yet.

There was also an article about the joys of salt water. According to the folks at Flavours, soaking food in brine is the key to a killer barbecue. I don't know. I remember one picnic forty years ago when the boat tipped over, everyone and everything fell out and everything got doused with good old salty Atlantic Ocean water. No one thought that was anything worth repeating ever again.

Shish kebabs used to be simple. Meat, onion, green pepper… meat, onion, green pepper… meat, onion, green pepper… until you ran out of everything. Well, now bamboo skewers aren't good enough anymore. Oh, no. One recipe in Flavours should earn a cook a Boy Scout badge. Get this: Peel fresh ginger and cut into several four inch long skewers. Then carve the ginger on one end into a sharp point. If your local grocer is out of long chunks of ginger, don't panic. You can also do the same thing to lemongrass stalks.  

Oh, pull-lease!! If God meant us to spend our short summers carving little sticks He never would've made those nice clean bags of bamboo skewers. Life - and a Manitoba summer - is way too short for that kind of nonsense.     
 
There was a time when a bag of coal big enough to burn down a house could warm the cockles of a Dad's heart. It could keep a fellow busy for a whole summer's worth of Sundays. Now charcoal has some competition. Have you been exposed to Mesquite-Flavoured wood chips? Our neighbour, Lou, really loves mesquite. He chopped some chips up and sprinkled them on the salad. Okay.  Lou isn't quite right in the head. Last week he served up what he called grilled pizza. Uh, huh. Like we didn't notice the take out boxes stacked next to his recycling.  

We have an old gas barbecue that chugs along with 11,000 BTUs. It has been doing a dandy job of turning meat into blackened briquets for quite a few happy family gatherings. Have you seen the new barbecues? When did guys start pimping their grills? The big selling feature for these monsters is how many BTUs are under the hood.  

I checked the dictionary. BTU means British Thermal Units. Well, that was a big help. I needed to get BTU into terms I could understand. I looked around my house and found that my gas water heater has 30,000 BTUs. The heater is plastered with little notes from Furnaceman. Cheery messages like: Third degree burns can occur in six seconds when the water is 60º C. Death is also possible. 

Hmmm… My water heater has 30,000 BTUs and it can get water hot enough to kill somebody.

A Kalamazoo Bread Breaker Two Dual-Fuel grill with an infrared rotisserie cradle system and a side burner has a 154,000 BTU capacity. It has a temperature gauge that reaches 1000º F. It also has nighttime grilling lights. Why? Would a middle-aged hubby, after his 3 a.m. pee, get an uncontrollable urge to wander out to the Kalamazoo and grill a couple of turkeys?

According to the manufacturer, it's geared to the Man cook with fire market segment.    

Middle-aged men, who normally think it's a hassle to reheat leftovers in a microwave, are gathering around these monster barbecues and acting like a bunch of teenage boys. They're checking under the hood, twisting dials and rattling off phrases like "Mounted smoker box… warming rack… hi-dome cooking lid… porcelain coated cooking grid… heat plates" with the same slobbering enthusiasm most had for their first car.

There are also barbecue accessories. I'm not talking long handled forks and aprons that tell folks to kiss the cook.  

The Centro food prep station is a buffet, cooler and more. It can be connected to the barbecue to create a complete outdoor kitchen. Hey, fellas! There's a room that has all this stuff. You're welcome to come and flex your cooking muscles all year round. Sorry the oven only goes to 500º F, but, we girls have been able to crank out complete holiday dinners in it. It's called the kitchen.

Maybe the Discovery Channel was trying to do a public service. They recently had a special on the 1883 Krakatoa catastrophe. When Krakatoa went Kabooie, it produced an ash cloud. The ashes and gases reached 1000º F. Most of the people in a 30 mile radius were killed by the extremely hot air which liquified their lungs.
     
Dads, if some fool gave you the Bread Breaker, think of Al Gore and take it back.
The ozone layer will thank you.
The environment will thank you!
The lungs of everyone within 30 miles will thank you!!

And, most important, the family's burgers and wieners will thank you!!! 

Cheap Eating: Mashed Potato Pancakes, Banana Bread, 1-2-3-4 Cake, Poor Man's Cake, Poor Man's Pudding

Banana Bread

Just got a letter from Statistics Canada asking how we were doing.
Well, wasn’t that sweet of them?

Statistics Canada, formed in 1971, is the Government of Canada agency which produces statistics to help understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture.

Basically they’d like to know how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our financial well-being, and they want us to take part in a survey.
They said this survey can make a difference.
I find that hard to believe but, well, surveys keep the folks in Stats Can employed.

They have quite a few questions…
Are families able to save for retirement and for their children’s education?
Are pension savings adequate as more Canadians move toward retirement?
What financial challenges face those just entering the workforce?

Paul and I are in our early 70s.
Years ago we did what we could to save for our retirement.
Our middle-aged son entered the workforce about 20 years ago.
Frankly I don’t know what we can tell them that'll help, but we’ll do our best.


There have been quite a few news stories about the rising food and gas prices.
This is a food blog and my best hint is to use every bit of the food you buy.
it is hard to know exactly how much to prepare for a meal, or how much fresh fruit to buy.
But the leftovers and over ripe fruit can easily be recycled into something tasty.


Hints:

About the Mashed Potato Pancakes…
This recipe works best with dryish mashed potatoes. If your leftovers are creamy, add more flour for them to hold a patty shape. Do not stir in instant mashed potatoes.

You could also leftover mashed potatoes to make gnocchi:

Anna Sultana’s Gnocchi with Sausage & Tomatoes or with Peas & Pancetta; Homemade Gnocchi
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2022/11/anna-sultanas-gnocchi-with-sausage.html

Carmela Soprano's Gnocchi
https://imturning60help.blogspot.com/2014/01/carmela-sopranos-gnocchi.html

Don’t have leftover mashed potatoes? Make some… NOW.
Peel and quarter
2 pounds or about 7 medium russet potatoes
Fill a large pot with water.
Add
1 Tablespoon salt
the prepared potatoes
Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
Drain well and mash in
4 Tablespoons butter
Let cool to room temperature and mash.
Mashed potatoes can be made up to 3 days in advance for the patties.


About the Banana Bread…
Over the years I’ve posted quite a few banana bread, cake, and dessert recipes.
Just type ‘banana’ in the search bar under my intro, click search and enjoy.


About the 1-2-3-4 Cake…
Sift the flour first and then measure 3 Cups.
This cake is usually baked in three 9 inch round cake pans for 20 minutes.
You can also bake the batter in a bundt pan for 40 minutes.
Use any kind of frosting on this basic cake.


About the Poor Man's Cake…
This classic cake recipe was created during the Depression Era in the 1930s.
You could add nuts, such as walnuts, to the batter.

Adjust the confectioners sugar depending on how stiff you'd like the icing to be.
The cake is also fine without frosting, or with just a sprinkling of confectioners sugar.

                        Mashed Potato Patties

Place in a large mixing bowl
4 Cups mashed potatoes
2 Cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
1/4 to 1/2 Cup flour
2 1/2 Tablespoons chopped chives or dill
Use a large spoon or potato masher to mash the mixture together.

Form a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture into a round, 1/3 inch thick patty.
If the potatoes are too moist to hold a shape, add flour a Tablespoon at a time.
Dredge both sides of the patty in
1/2 Cup plain bread crumbs
Set patty aside and repeat with remaining mashed potatoes.

Place in a large non-stick pan
2 Tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil
Heat over medium heat and, once oil is hot, add patties in a single layer.
Fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, remove then set aside.
Repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil if needed.
Serve hot with sour cream or apple sauce.


                        Banana Bread

2 loaves

Grease well 2 9x5x3 inch loaf pans

Sift together in a medium bowl
3 1/2 Cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Place in a large bowl
5 ounces oil
Stir in 1/4 Cup at a time
1 1/2 Cups sugar
Continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add
4 eggs
Beat well.

Preheat oven to 350º F
Making 3 dry and 2 wet additions, add the flour mixture alternately with
2 Cups mashed, fully ripe bananas
Mix after each addition only enough to moisten the dry ingredients.
Turn into prepared pans.
Bake for 70 minutes or until it tests done in the middle.


                        1-2-3-4 Cake

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Sift into a medium bowl
3 Cups pre-sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
2 Cups white sugar
Cream until fluffy.
Add one at a time, beating after each addition
4 large eggs
Stir in
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350º F

Making 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, add
the sifted flour mixture
1 Cup milk
Just stir enough to lightly blend.
Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes until brown on top and tests done in the middle.
Let cool before frosting.

Easy Chocolate Frosting

Sift together into a medium bowl
3 Cups confectioners sugar 
1/2 Cup cocoa

Place in a clean large mixer bowl
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk, more or less
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat to blend well.
Gradually add the confectioners sugar / cocoa mixture
Mix all ingredients with mixer until smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.


                        Poor Man's Cake

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Place in a large pot
2 Cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
15 ounces raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 Cups hot water
Stirring, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Combine in a cup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water

Stir into the spiced sugar mixture
the dissolved baking soda
3 Cups flour
Stir well to form a batter and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the pan. Frost, if you wish.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Place in a medium mixer bowl
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)
Beat until smooth.
Gradually beat in
2 to 2 1/4 Cups sifted confectioners sugar
Beat until smooth.
Frost cake and top with chopped walnuts (optional)


                        Poor Man's Pudding

Makes 6 servings

Grease a 9x13 baking pan

Place in a medium pot
3 Tablespoons butter
Melt over medium heat.
Stir in
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 Cups water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir over medium heat until well blended, then bring to a boil to make a syrup.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Sift together in small bowl
1 1/2 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350º F

Place in a medium bowl
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
Cream together.
Stir into the creamed butter
the flour mixture
Add
3/4 Cup milk

Pour syrup into the prepared pan.
Drop the dough by spoonfuls over the syrup.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Can be served with berries or chopped fruit and topped with whipped cream.

Anna Sultana’s Lobster Quiche / Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits in a loaf, Shrimp Scampi, Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms / Chocolate Truffles / Valentine's Day

 

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Goodness! Valentine’s Day is next week!
I mean, wasn’t Christmas last week?
It sure feels like it was.

Oh, well… those planning to go to a favourite restaurant have, hopefully, made reservations.
But not everyone wants to go that route.
Celebrate, sure, but for many - especially after following restrictions during the past few Covid-19 years - restaurants have lost their appeal.
It wasn’t that long ago we had to prove we lived in the same house to be able to sit at the same table.


Well, food in restaurants are prepared by humans following recipes.
Recipes that can be followed by everyone.
And, if you cook at home, you won’t need to worry about masks and restrictions.

Hints:



About the Lobster Quiche…
You can also add diced peppers and chopped mushrooms.



About the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits…
Eight large biscuits can fit on a baking sheet. If you’re making smaller biscuits, prepare another baking sheet and make each biscuit about 1/4 cup.
Place the biscuits in the oven as soon as possible after placing them on the baking sheet. Biscuits that wait before going into the oven do not plump up as high as they could.

About the Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits in a Loaf…
The flour coating helps prevent the cheese from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
Slice and enjoy slathered with butter, or serve with fruit jelly or cheese and a cup of tea.



About the Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi…

Allow the pan to cool before adding butter. If the pan is too hot the butter will separate.


About the Chocolate Truffles…
Don't have sweetened condensed milk? No problem. Place in a saucepan
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup evaporated milk
Heat, stirring, until the butter has melted.
Let mixture cool for 10 minutes before using.

                       Lobster Quiche

Preheat the oven to 425º F

Place on a cookie sheet
9 inch frozen pie crust in a pie pan
Place cookie sheet and pie pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove both from the oven and lower heat to 300º F

While the crust is baking place in a medium bowl
2 eggs
Beat eggs and add
3/4 Cup milk
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash of parsley flakes
Mix well.

Place and spread in prebaked pie crust on cookie sheet
3 ounces lobster meat, chopped
5 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 Cup onion, minced
Pour egg / milk mixture over food in pie crust and return sheet and pan to oven.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted an inch from the edge comes out clean.
Let quiche stand 15 minutes before serving.


                       Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet.

Place in a microwave-safe medium bowl
1/2 Cup butter
Heat until butter is melted.
Set aside to cool slightly.

Place in a large mixing bowl
2 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk until well combined.

Preheat oven to 425° F

Add to the melted butter
1 Cup whole milk
Stir well.
Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
Add
8 ounces mild (or sharp) Cheddar cheese, grated
Fold in until cheese is evenly distributed.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of dough and drop onto baking sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until biscuits are just barely golden brown.

While biscuits are baking place in a microwave-safe small bowl
1/4 Cup butter
Heat until butter is melted.
Take out and add
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Stir to combine well.
Remove biscuits from the oven and brush with butter / parsley mixture.
Serve hot.



                       Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits in a loaf

Grease a 9 × 5 inch loaf pan

Cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4 ounces Cheddar cheese
Set aside.

Place in a large mixing bowl
3 Cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk together, then stir in the cheese cubes.
Carefully stir until cubes are covered in flour.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Place in a medium mixing bowl

1 1/4 Cups milk

3/4 Cup sour cream

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 large egg, lightly beaten
Whisk together until well blended.
Fold the liquid mixture into the flour / cheese mixture.
Stir until just combined. Do not over stir. Pour batter into the loaf pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
Let cool 10 minutes and then remove loaf from pan.
Allow to cool for one hour before slicing and serving.



                       Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi

Squeeze for the juice
1/2 fresh lemon
Set juice aside.

Place in a large skillet
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Heat over medium heat. Add
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cook until tender and no longer translucent, then reduce heat.
Remove shrimp and set aside. Add
2 Tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown. Add 

1 1/2 Cups white wine, such as Chardonnay

the fresh lemon juice
Cook until wine is reduced by half. After it is reduced add

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Reduce heat to low, then add 

1/2 Cup softened butter
Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce, then add

1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Stir together and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese


                       Red Lobster Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Butter a baking pan

Finely chop enough to make
1/4 Cup celery
2 Tablespoons onions
2 Tablespoons red bell peppers

Wash mushrooms and remove stems of
1 pound fresh mushrooms
Set caps aside, and chop half of the stems.

Heat in large frying pan
2 Tablespoons butter
Add chopped mushroom stems, celery, onions and red bell peppers
Sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool for about an hour.

Slice into enough pieces to have a piece for each mushroom cap
6 slices white cheddar cheese

Add to the sautéed vegetables
1/2 pound crab meat, chopped
2 Cups oyster crackers, crushed
1 large egg
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix well.

Preheat oven to 400º F

Place mushroom caps in buttered baking pan stem side up.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of stuffing in each mushroom cap.
Cover each cap with a piece of sliced cheese.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is lightly browned.



                       Chocolate Truffles

Yield: 6 dozen truffles

Place in a large saucepan
3 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
Stirring regularly, cook over low heat until chocolate melts.
Remove from heat and stir in 

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Pour into a medium bowl, cover and chill 2 to 3 hours, or until firm.

Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in any of
finely chopped toasted nuts, flaked coconut, chocolate or coloured sprinkles, unsweetened cocoa, confectioners’ sugar or coloured sugars
Chill 1 hour, or until firm.

                                                                                ~~~
In 2004 the gang at CKUW’s ‘2000 & Counting’ decided to give their mature views on Valentine’s Day. I was a mere child of 53, but they allowed me to add my two cents worth to the presentation. Now that I’m 72 I find that some of the ideas are still good.
Wishing you and yours a lovely Valentine’s Day!


Ah, February in Manitoba. Time to heat things up with Valentine's Day. The love in the air is as thick as exhaust fog. Hurrah for L' Amour! If saying L' Amour reminds you of Dorothy, Bing and Bob going on a road to someplace exotic then you've probably eaten your own weight in Valentine chocolates.

And you have the love handles to prove it.

Lighten up. Really. Celebrating love doesn't require a ten course dinner followed by a honking big high-fat dessert. We've just eaten through the holiday season. We all have more cholesterol and sugar flowing through our veins than we need.

Remember those resolutions?

Maybe the poet had the right idea when he wrote, A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou. All you need to add is a lovely country location. Picture it. You and your sweetie enjoying an easy on the waistline picnic. Then, for dessert, laying back and watching the fluffy white clouds floating on the breeze.

Okay… This is Manitoba, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain and can freeze skin in less than two minutes. Let's get real. This is not the time anyone sane sits in the snow.


But, by golly, this is a new millennium. If you're like me, you've followed traditions for over fifty years. It just may be time for a change from the dinner out, followed by a show rut. Why dinner? This is Valentine's Day, not a fundraiser. Are you having a guest speaker? Do you need to plan seating for 500? Do you think love only blooms under candlelight?

Think outside the box.

Why not celebrate with a special lunch or breakfast? It's February. The mornings are dark. The moon doesn't set until 10:00 a.m. Face your chairs west and start humming When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie. Think of Cher in the movie Moonstruck. Who knows what can develop after a candlelit breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, an egg white omelet and mimosas?

And what about that show after your Valentine feast? No problem. Can you say matinee? Let's be honest. Comfortable chairs and darkened theatres have put more than one senior Romeo - or Juliet - to sleep. Please, we hear enough snoring at home. We want to stay awake, see the show, do some cuddling and finish the popcorn. Give yourself a fighting chance. Early or late, the show's the same. Go early.

Life is complicated today. Meetings, odd work shifts, Sunday shopping and relatives, both young and old, have made life a scheduling nightmare. Can your daughter help it if her mother-in-law's birthday is on February 14? Have pity on the girl and go to the family gathering. You already have 20 hours of must-do activities scheduled for the big day. You're seeing red, and not in heart shapes.

Think VCRs. If you can tape and enjoy a show at your leisure then surely you can pick another day for a private celebration. I have friends who toasted the New Year on January first while watching the ball drop on The Tonight Show rerun at 9:00 p.m. Your sweetie is a reasonable soul, right? Be different. It's legal. The Valentine police will not come pounding at your door.

Te quiero.
Je t'aime.
S'ayapo.
Ich liebe dich.

There are many ways to say I love you and to celebrate.
Happy Valentine's Day and enjoy!

Merry Christmas! Christmas Cookie Cake & Cannoli Cake (Cake Mix) / Anna Sultana's Pound Cake & Cannoli Pound Cake / A Big Kid’s Christmas by Margaret Ullrich

                             Happy Holidays, everyone.
                               Wishing you and yours
                a Christmas filled with all you hold dear!
                             Thank you for visiting ~
                                       Margaret

Well, the big day has come!
We’ve made it!
Hope you are having a lovely day, filled with everything you wished for.

You’ve earned it… all that baking, ready for everyone to eat.
Soon it’ll all be gone.
No problem. There’s always something new for you to bake.


Hints:

About the Pound Cake…
You can line a greased loaf pan with parchment paper leaving about a 2 inch overhang on the sides so that you can remove it easily.

Instead of the orange or lemon extract you can use 2 Tablespoons of vanilla or any citrus juice in the cake.

You can use 1 Tablespoon each of your favourite three from the following: orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit zest, finely grated, instead of 3 Tablespoons of one type of zest.
Or you can use half and half, or two to one. Your choice. It’s your cake.

While you’ve got the grater out it wouldn’t hurt to grate a bit extra. You can wrap zest in plastic wrap or aluminum, then place in a container and freeze up to a month.

About the Cannoli Pound Cake…
Instead of the chocolate topping you can top the cake with a Simple Syrup:
Place in a small pot
3 Tablespoons water
Heat until hot.
Add
1/4 Cup sugar
Stir to dissolve.
Stir in
1  Tablespoon lime juice *
1  Tablespoon lime zest, finely grated *
Allow simple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Brush over the completely cooled cake.
Let the syrup soak into the cake at least 15 minutes before serving.

* Instead of lime juice and zest, you can use orange, lemon or grapefruit.

If you’re in a rush, or prefer a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, that works, too.
It’s your cake.

                        Christmas Cookie Cake

Grease well a 9 inch springform pan
Heat oven to 325º F

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 box French vanilla cake mix
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3/4 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoons almond extract
Beat until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool completely.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Place the cake on a serving platter.

Place in a small bowl
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 Cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat together, then drizzle over cake.
Sprinkle with multi-coloured sprinkles.
Allow frosting to set 1 hour before slicing and serving.

                        Cannoli Cake

Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans

Prepare and bake according to package directions
1 box French vanilla cake mix
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling
Place in a large mixer bowl
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until blended.
Stir in
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped or miniature chips

For frosting
Place in a clean large mixer bowl
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese
3/4 Cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 Cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat on medium speed until creamy. Do not over mix.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Spread with 3/4 of filling.
Top with second cake layer.
Spread remaining filling over top of cake to within 1 inch of edges.
Spread frosting on sides and top, covering the area within 1 inch of edges.
Press into sides of cake
1 Cup sliced almonds
Sprinkle over the seam where the frosting and filling meet on the top
4 Tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Refrigerate until serving.


                        Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

Sift together into a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Set aside.

Combine in a small bowl
1/4 Cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
3 Tablespoons zest, finely grated
Set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350º F

Add half of the dry ingredients into the large mixer bowl.
Blend on low speed until just combined.
Add the sour cream mixture and mix until well blended.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend just enough to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 70 to 75 minutes.
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Remove from oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
When cooled, place the cake on a serving platter.

                        Cannoli Pound Cake

Chop finely
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Cut horizontally into 4 slices
1 prepared pound cake

Place in in medium mixer bowl
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding 

1 Cup cold milk 

1/2 teaspoon orange extract or orange juice
Beat 2 minutes.
Stir in
1/2 Cup ricotta cheese
1/4 Cup chopped chocolate
Fold in
1 1/2 Cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Place bottom cake slice on serving plate.
Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the layer.
Place a layer of cake on top and spread the pudding mixture over it two more times.
Top with remaining cake slice.

Place in a small pot
the remaining chocolate

1 Tablespoon butter
Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate are melted and mixture is blended.
Spread on top of cake and allow to drip down sides.
Refrigerate until serving.                              


                                                            ~~~
In 2004 I wrote a story about when I was 5-years-old and worried if Santa Claus would find me after we moved. I read it on our CKUW radio show '2000 & Counting - Older & Wiser'. For a few years it was an annual tradition for ‘2000 & Counting’ and for ‘Better Than Chocolate’.
After I had first read the story we chatted about when we were children and had realized that our parents were Santa’s main helpers. Here is what I remember of that discussion. Merry Christmas!

So, Santa did find me and my nine-month-old sister.

My fifth Christmas was a time of change for our family. I was becoming American. Thank you, Nonni.

Christmases marked the milestones in my family’s changes. The next Christmas, in addition to a sister, I had a 15-day-old brother. Well, it was the 1950s.

That was a huge Christmas for our family. Santa was in a very generous mood that year. Pop was in his glory. He finally had a son, an heir. Pop's dynasty could begin. He was one up on England’s Prince Philip. We had his family's name. Visions of grandsons were dancing in Pop's head. And there'd be hundreds of descendants to come. He'd be another Abraham. In the 1950s all things were possible.

Another thing that was possible was my learning how to read and write. The next year I was able to write my own letter to Santa. I wanted a bicycle. I asked my parents if they thought Santa would give me a bike. Pop said that I'd been a good girl, helping Ma with the two babies. Ma agreed, saying that I was becoming really good at changing diapers and giving bottles. Yes, they thought Santa would grant me my wish.
 
My siblings were also growing and going after what they wanted. While George had barely been aware of his first Christmas, that year he was a toddler and was fascinated by the Christmas tree. He kept trying to grab the ornaments. Every chance he got, he'd climb onto the sofa and reach out to the branches.

We weren't worried. He just sat on the couch and reached.  

Then George figured out that he'd get closer to the tree if he got on the armrest and then reached for a shiny ball or two. I think he'd have done it, if he hadn't lost his balance and landed on the three kings' camel. That camel wasn't exactly built to carry a toddler. No problem. There were more camels in the 5 & 10.


The big day came.  
I got my bike.
It was blue.
I called it Blue Bird.

I was so glad that I had learned how to write and read. I read anything and everything I could, including the labels on Blue Bird. The seat had been made in one country. The tires in another. The frame in yet a third.  

Suddenly, I had an awful thought.  
The parts of my Blue Bird had been made in different countries.  
Not one label said made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made by Santa's elves.   

My parents looked at each other, shrugged, and finally admitted that, yes, my bike hadn't been made by Santa's elves. They had bought it. Didn't I like it? Was blue still my favourite colour?
I admitted it was perfect. But what about Santa? Didn’t he like me any more?

They smiled, hugged me and said I was a big girl. I was too big to still believe in Santa. But, since I was a big girl, it was now my job to help the babies believe in Santa for as long as possible.

I was seven… the oldest… not a baby anymore.

In a way I was proud when they called me a big girl.
But I was also scared.
I wasn’t ready to be a big girl.
I felt like I was George reaching for the shiny balls.
I was afraid I would lose my balance and fall on the camel.