Famous Recipes - Basic Cheese Pastry & Soft Ginger Cookies and others

Basic Cheese Pastry

1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sweet butter 1 cup flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste (optional)

Cream together cheese and butter; combine with flour and salt (and cayenne) until it's well blended and forms a ball. Use in any of the following ways and serve warm or at room temp to adoring friends and relatives.

Variations:

Cheese Wafers: Form pastry into rolls 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate several hours. With a sharp knife, slice rolls thinly. Place slices on lightly greased baking sheets and bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned on the edges.

Cheese-Nut Wafers: Start out as above, centering each wafer with a pecan half before baking.

Cheese-Olive Balls: Wrap 1-1 1/2 tsp pastry around stuffed green olives (depending on size of olives), sealing well. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Chicken-Cheese Tartlets: Substitute Swiss cheese for Cheddar; roll pastry out as for pie shell and cut into 3-inch rounds with a cookie or biscuit cutter. Fit pastry rounds gently into mini-muffin tins; prick with fork. Bake at 425 until golden. Cool and remove from tins carefully. Fill with chicken salad. Each filled tartlet can be topped with a small green grape for an elegant presentation.

Cheese Straws/Twists: Roll dough of your choice out as above. With a sharp knife, cut into pieces about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place on sheets either flat or twist gently once or twice and bake at 400 for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheese Puffs: Form pastry into 1-inch balls. If desired, roll each in paprika, chili powder, cayenne, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, finely chopped nuts, etc. Bake on cookie sheets at 400 until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. To vary this variation, form pastry into 1/2-inch balls and lay them on the baking sheets in clusters of three. Bake as above. These are interesting on St. Patrick's Day if you sprinkle the freshly-baked clusters with finely chopped fresh parsley immediately upon removing them from the oven.

Cheese-Date Balls: Fill pitted dates with almonds, pecans or walnuts, cut or broken to fit as necessary. Wrap each stuffed date with enough cheese pastry to cover completely, sealing well. Bake on lightly greased sheets at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

This recipe from Margaret Roberts appeared in the Pen-Pal forum just a couple of weeks ago, in the November 29 edition to be precise. My mother made a batch for the above-mentioned gift baskets, and we both fell in love with the flavor and texture. They taste like old-fashioned ginger bread, sweet and fragrant with molasses, and the chewy cake-like center on top of a crisp base made them an immediate favorite. Here is how Margaret introduced her recipe:

This recipe has been a family favorite for years. I have been known to use these cookies as birthday gifts for co-workers, friends and relatives. I won't give them the recipe... so they BEG for the cookies. Maybe someday I'll let my niece have the recipe... maybe I'll just leave it in my will... he he. I use less cloves than listed for less of a "bite" to the taste. I also use dairy-free margarine and egg beaters to make these cholesterol free (NOT calorie or fat free though).

Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup butter (or margarine), softened 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters ) 1/3 cup sugar (see recipe)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside. (Tip: I use 1/4 tsp cloves, and 1 tsp cinnamon) in a large bowl beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar until fluffy. Add the egg beaters and molasses, mix well. Stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Meanwhile pour the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar onto a plate (you may need more sugar). Shape dough into 1 1/2- inch balls and roll in the sugar. Place about 2 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. (Tip: cover the sheets with foil to help with cleaning) bake 10-12 minutes or until puffed and light brown. Do not overbake! Let stand on pan for 2 minutes then cool on wire rack. Yield: about 36 cookies.

__________________________________________________

This vodka sauce has been turning up on the menus of trendy restaurants for several years. Use the best quality Italian canned tomatoes for best results.

Rigatoni in Vodka Sauce

2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 Tbs (15 ml) Italian herb mixture 16 oz (454 g) canned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped and liquid reserved 3 oz (80 g) chopped prosciutto or cooked ham 1/2 cup (125 ml) vodka 3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream 1 cup (250 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 lb (450 g) rigatoni or other tubular pasta, cooked according to the package directions and drained

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (large enough to hold the cooked pasta) over moderate heat and saute the onion, garlic, and Italian herbs for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their reserved liquid, and the prosciutto and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vodka and simmer 5 minutes. Add the cream, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked rigatoni and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve garnished with the remaining Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.

__________________________________________________

Leeks in Dill Sauce

Note: This recipe calls for uncooked eggs. If salmonella contamination is a concern in your area, use the equivalent amount of pasteurized egg substitute instead.

8 - 12 leeks, trimmed and thoroughly washed 2 Tbs (30 ml) olive oil 2 eggs 1 Tbs (15 ml) Dijon-style mustard 2 tsp (10 ml) white wine vinegar 1 cup (250 ml) olive or peanut oil 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped parsley 3 Tbs (45 ml) chopped fresh or 2 tsp (10 ml) dried dill Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the leeks in a single layer in a large skillet and add enough water to cover. Add the 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the leeks are tender. Drain on paper towels. Combine the eggs, mustard, and vinegar in an electric blender and process until combined. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream. Transfer the sauce to a small bowl and stir in the parsley, dill, salt, and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the leeks and serve warm or chilled. Serves 4 to 6.

__________________________________________________

Cranberry Almond Coffeecake 16 servings

Cake 8 Tbs butter 1 c. sugar 2 eggs 1 c buttermilk or yogurt 1 tsp almond extract 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 c cranberry sauce (whole berry is preferred) 1/2 c toasted slivered almonds

Glaze 3/4 c powdered sugar 2 Tbs milk 1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, buttermilk and extract. In a separate bowl mix together baking powder, soda, flour and salt. Add dry ingredients all at once to wet ingredients, stirring just to blend. Grease & flour a 9-10 inch tube pan (or Bundt pan). Spoon half the batter into the pan. Spread 1/2 of the cranberry sauce evenly atop the batter, the spread the remaining batter over that. Top with the remaining cranberry sauce and sprinkle toasted almonds evenly over surface. Bake the coffee cake for 55 minutes or until tester is clean. Remove from oven, cool in pan for 5 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by combining the glaze ingredients. Turn the cake out of the pan and drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Let the cake cool completely (or serve it warm if you don't mind crumbling of the cake).

__________________________________________________

Louisiana Dirty Rice Stuffing

2 lbs. Browned Lean Ground Beef 1/2 lb. Cooked Long Grain Wild Rice 2 Bay Leaves 1 cup Diced Celery 1 cup Diced Onions 1 cup Diced Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Chopped Green Onions 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley 2 tsp Chopped Garlic 2 oz. Butter 2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute all vegetables in butter until light golden brown. Add meat and rice to the vegetable mixture and stir until heated through. Put in casserole dish or turkey. Bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees until hot.

Note: Tastes even more flavorful if allowed to set in refrigerator for a few hours to overnight heat and serve.

__________________________________________________

Cranberry-White Chip-Oatmeal Cookie Mix

1 1/2 c. all purpose or unbleached flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 c. crisp rice cereal 1/2 c. white vanilla chips 1/2 c. sweetened dried cranberries 1/2 c. rolled oats 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 c. sugar

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Spoon into 1-quart wide mouth canning jar. Add layers of cereal, chips, cranberries, oats, brown sugar and sugar, pressing each layer firmly in place before adding next ingredient. Seal and decorate jar as desired. Attach copy of Cranberry-White Chip-Oatmeal Cookies recipe as follows:

Cranberry-White Chip-Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg Contents of jar of Cranberry-White Chip-Oatmeal Cookie Mix

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine butter, vanilla and egg; beat well. Add contents of jar; mix until well blended. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sprayed cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets. Makes 24 cookies.

__________________________________________________

Wine-Roasted Turkey Servings: 8

1 turkey 12-15 lbs. 1 cup rose wine 1 small onion -- halved 2 celery stalks -- cut into 2" 1/2 cup butter -- melted 1/4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Prepare turkey for roasting. Pour 1/2 c wine inside body cavity. Insert onion and celery. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan and tie legs together. Tuck wings under or skewer against bird. Insert meat thermometer in inner thigh. Brush turkey with some of the melted butter. Roast @ 325 1 hour uncovered. Combine remaining butter and 1/2 c of wine, orange and lemon juices, seasoned salt, paprika & onion powder. Use to baste turkey frequently during remainder of cooking time. Total time will be about 3 1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 180F in thick part of thigh.

*Note: Wine serves as flavorful basting ingredient and also insures that the meat of this turkey will be moist & tender. Source: Los Angeles Times Cookbook 10/21/93.

**NOTE: Made this again for T. Day 04. I had a 20 lb. turkey and I doubled the recipe for the sauce, then made up one more to finish. This is ALWAYS good!

__________________________________________________

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chicken-recipes-mailing-list/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-famous-recipes/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/free-recipes/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/famous-quotes-/ http://www.recipesrecipe.com/ http://www.worldfamousrecipes.com/index.php/recipes/ Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-famous-recipes/

<*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-famous-recipes/join (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email: mailto:world-famous-recipes-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto:world-famous-recipes-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: world-famous-recipes-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/