Stromboli Chop Bread

This is a particular specialty of my friend Melissa's, and we have enjoyed it together many times during our three years together in Rochester. Sadly, she's moving to Texas, so I thought I would gather the recipe to carry on the flame of Stromboli Chop Bread.

Stromboli Chop Bread

1 loaf's worth bread dough; Melissa uses frozen, thawed, about 6 hrs
1 t oregano (not ground)
1 c shredded mozzarella
1/4 lb hard salami, cut thickly
3 cloves garlic

Preheat oven to 350 F. Chop up all the ingredients aside from the dough and mix together. Punch down dough, spread it out, and put the other ingredients upon it. Fold it up into a little closed purse. Chop loaf in thick strips one way, and then again on the perpendicular axis. Move the clump of dough to a greased baking sheet (or, I imagine, a sheet with parchment paper). Adjust its form as necessary. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Soba with Smoked Salmon

A dish representative of my healthy-eating quest. I like smoked salmon, but this time I got a different variety which was a little too fishy for me. But I really liked the soba, especially with the pea shoots, and I'd like to eat this again with normal smoked salmon. The earthiness of the buckwheat with the smoke of the fish, the fresh crunch of the sprouts, and the sweet spiciness of the dressing is really quite nice. This recipe is from The Every Day Chinese Cookbook editted by Linda Doeser. The picture of soba is, in fact, the brand I used.

Soba with Smoked Salmon

8 oz soba (buckwheat noodles)
1 T oyster sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T light olive oil
4 oz smoked salmon, cut in strips
4 oz young pea sprouts
2 ripe roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
salt, pepper, chives

Cook soba, it shouldn't take long. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain. Season them with oyster sauce, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add salmon, sprouts, tomatoes, chives. Serve.

Chicken Riggies!

This is a specialty of Utica, NY. A few friends and I had a small dinner party a few days ago and Josh, who is from Utica, made this for us. It may have been how he made it and perhaps I couldn't reproduce how delicious it tasted to me that night, but I sure enjoyed it. The name is silly, as often names of regional dishes are; "riggies" comes from the use of rigatoni.

Chicken Riggies

1 pound rigatoni
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken meat; half white and half dark
black pepper
6 T extra-virgin olive oil, in total
1 large onion, chopped
7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped, in total
2 large cubanelle peppers, seeded, chopped
3 roasted red peppers, chopped
6 pickled hot cherry peppers, seeded
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
about 1/2 c cream
1/2 c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Cook pasta al dente. Reserve 1 c of the cooking water. Cut chicken to bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper. Heat 3 T oil in a large skillet over med high to high heat. Add chicken; brown 7-8 minutes, remove. Add onions, about half the garlic, and cubanelle peppers; season with salt and pepper and cook 6-7 minutes to soften. Add roasted red peppers and cherry peppers. Stir in tomatoes and chicken. Simmer sauce and add about a cup of the pasta cooking water and up to half a cup of cream. Bring heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in cheese and pasta.

Flan

1 1/2 c sugar
1 t water

Over medium heat, stir sugar till hot. Add water, keep stirring, and break up any lumps. When sugar is liquid amber, pour in a custard dish. Coat the dish.

1/4 c sugar
8 eggs
1 t vanilla
12 oz sweetened condensed milk
12 oz whole milk
14 oz evaporated milk

Beat eggs. Mix in sugar, vanilla, and milks. Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours in the custard dish, set in water, at 350. Cool and unmold.

Mom's Stovetop Rice Pudding

1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
2 c milk (part condensed)
2 beaten eggs
1 c cooked white rice
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon

Cook and stir over medium heat for 15 minutes. Reduce heat and cover. Stir occasionally. Cook 8-10 minutes. Add eggs slowly; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add rice. Remove from heat; add vanilla and cinnamon

Marshmallow Treats

Yes, Mom's are better.

7 T butter
16 oz big marshmallows
9 c crispy rice cereal

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cereal. Press into a buttered dish-- but do not press very hard. Cut in squares. I like these with chopped dried apricots added, and even slivered almonds.

Thanksgiving Cranberry Jell-O

I only trust Jell-O when mom makes it. I can't even touch it if a non-nuclear-family member makes it. But for all that, I do love the handful of things Mom does with Jell-O, especially this Thanksgiving standard.

6 oz raspberry Jell-O
2 c water
1 cans whole cranberry sauce
1 c sour cream
1 c chopped pecans

Swirl in sour cream when the rest is partially set.

Caramels

2 c sugar
1 c corn syrup (2 c for popcorn balls)
1 12 or 13 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 lb butter

Boil sugar, syrup, and butter for 5 minutes. Slowly add milk. Don't allow the boil to stop. Cook to firm ball. Pour into greased 8"x8" pan.

Palmieres

I got this recipe from a King Arther catalog and have made it a few times. I think it's fun, and it's always impressive. The cookies are really cute. Although it must be said that at a cookie contest in my BYU ward they lost to a concoction made out of Saltine crackers with evaporated milk poured on them.

2 1/4 c AP flour
1 T dough relaxer (I did not use this. King Arthur always calls for crazy things.)
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
3/4 c butter, cut into 1/4 inch dice and frozen for 30 minutes
3/4 c sour cream
1/2-3/4 c sugar (crystal sugar OK)

Combine dries, cut in batter to even crumbs, stir in sour cream. Gather in ball, half, and set in fridge for 1 hour or more. Take one half. Sprinkle work surface with sugar and roll to 12x10 inches. Sprinkle sugar over, and gently roll from both long sides to create an ear shape. Repeat with other half. Wrap logs and refrigerate 1 hour or more. Use a serrated knife to cut into 1/3 inch slices. Lay on parchment. Bake in 425 oven for 9-10 minutes or until sugar on bottom begins to brown. Turn over, and bake 3-5 more minutes. Watch carefully!

Gingerbread Cookies

These are a favorite of mine at Christmas.

3 1/2 c flour
1 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t cinnamon
3 t ginger
1/4 t cardamom or allspice
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c dark molasses
1 egg
2 T milk

Roll and bake at 350.

Beth Cox's Sugar Cookies

3 1/4 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c milk or sour cream (without additives)
1/2 c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t nutmeg
2 t flavoring

Bake at 350.

Spice Sugar Cookies

3 1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c milk
1 t vanilla
1 t lemon flavoring
1/4 t anise extract
3/4 c butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t mace
1/2 t cardamom
1 t nutmeg
(1/2 t cloves)

Molasses Chews

These are a polarizing cookie, but I adore the bitter/sour/sweet taste of molasses.

1 1/2 c shortening
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c molasses
4 1/2 c flour
2 t baking soda

Cream fat with sugars; add eggs. Mix dries separately. Fold dries into wets. Dip dough balls in plain sugar. Bake at 375.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c shortening
1 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c sifted flour
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1/2 t salt

Cream fats and sugars. Add eggs. Mix dries separately. Fold dries into wets. Form X's with a fork in cookies. Bake at 350.

Soft Coconut Macaroons

Mom, is this your current recipe?

1/4 c flour
2/3 c sugar (+2 T, if the coconut is unsweetened)
1/4 t salt
2 2/3 c coconut
4 egg whites
2 t extract: vanilla or almond or whatnot
1 c chopped almonds or additional coconut

Mix all except egg whites. Stir in whites and flavoring. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

Tea Cakes

1 1/3 c shortening or butter
2 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
4 t vanilla
6 T milk
5 c flour
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
1 t nutmeg

Mix. Chill 30 minutes. Roll THICK. Bake 15 minutes at 350 on lightly greased cookie sheets. Makes about 3 dozen.

Anzacs

4 oz butter (1/2 c)
1 T maple syrup
4 oz flour (1 c)
1/2 t baking powder
4 oz rolled oats (1 c)
4 oz shredded coconut (1 c)
4 oz sugar (1/2 c)

Soften butter slightly, cream with syrup and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Roll in small balls, bake at 350 for 15 min on greased sheets.

Dinner rolls

Mom makes the best dinner rolls in the whole world.
This recipe makes 2-4 dozen, depending on size.

2 3/4 c water
6 T sugar
2 T yeast
3 t salt
1 c dry milk powder
1/2-3/4 c yellow shortening
2 eggs
~9 c white bread flour

Buckwheat Pancakes

These have grown on me over time.

1 c buckwheat flour (toast 1 T)
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c white flour
2 T sugar
2 t malt powder
2 t baking powder
2 c milk
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
4 T oil
2 eggs

Cinnamon Rolls

A great Matheson specialty.

For the filling:
2 c brown sugar
4 c sugar
1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
1 c cinnamon

Cut together. Use 2/3 c., packed, per dozen rolls.

For the glaze:
1 1/2-2 T butter
3 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
3-5 T warn water, added 1 T at a time.

Enough for 2 dozen rolls.

Cardamom Rolls

Makes 2 dozen.

2 1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
2 T yeast
1 T salt
1 c dry milk powder
3/4 c yellow shortening
3 eggs
1 1/2 t ground cardamom
3/4 t orange oil

Corn Bread

I vastly prefer the large-grained, crusty, not-very-sweet-at-all corn bread Mom makes to the cake-like "Northern-style" cornbread which is just silly.

FOR 8" square or 7"x11" pan FOR 9"x13" pan
1 c corn meal 1 1/2 c
1 c flour (white, rye, or whole wheat) 1 1/2 c
1-2 T sugar (white or brown) 1 1/2 - 3 T
1 T baking powder 4 1/2 t
1 t salt 1 1/2 t
1/4 c shortening or oil 1/2 c
2 beaten eggs 3
1 c milk or buttermilk 1 1 /2 c

Bake for 25 minutes at 400 F.

Basic Bread

2 T sugar
1 c very warm water
1 T yeast
~3 c flour
1 t salt
Optional:
1/4 c powdered milk
1 egg
2 T oil or shortening

Pour water over sugar. Dissolve yeast. When foamy, add milk. Alternate 1/2 c additions of flour with salt, eggs, fat. Knead 10 minutes. Double. Punch, form, or rise twice. Bake at 350; rolls: 25 minutes, loaf: 50 minutes.

Focaccia

I like mine with rosemary.

4 c flour
1 1/3 c warm water
1 1/3 t salt
3 T olive oil
1 T yeast
herbs
Parmesan cheese

Mix salt and flour. Dissolve yest. Stir water, yeast, oil into flour. Knead 5-10 minutes. Double. Divide in 2, press into 14" pans. Brush with olive oil; sprinkle on salt, pepper, herbs, and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Coconut Cream Pie

A tremendous favorite of mine; I tried to make it once my first year of med school and the filling did not set up. It was pretty good deeply chilled (frozen and thawed a little). Main values are for a 9" shell; parenthetical values are for a 7"? shell.

3/4 c sugar (1/2 c)

4 T cornstarch (2 T + 2 t)

1/4 t salt (1/4 t)

2 1/2 c milk (1 2/3 c)

3 beaten egg yolks (2)

3 T butter (2T)

2 t vanilla (1.5 t)

1 c coconut (2/3 c)

Put sugar and salt in 2 1/4 c milk and eggs. Scald while stirring. Mix starch into 1/4 milk; stir this in to the rest. Stir and cook till it coats a spoon and looks translucent. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes. In the shell, you can top this with whipped cream or a meringue. It is fun to sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

Grandma's Baked Philly Pie

Cream:
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Add and blend:
2 eggs

In 1 cup of the above batter, stir in:
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 t cinnamon
dash cloves, nutmeg

Layer batters in a 9" graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Grandma's Cream Cheese Pie

I think I need to ask Mom some questions about this one.

9" Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/2 OR 1 c crumbs
6 OR 4 T melted butter
1/4 c OR 3 T powdered sugar
1 OR 1/2 t cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 c sugar
lemon flavoring
8 oz Cool Whip

Mix. Chill.

Topping:
3 T cornstarch
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
1/4-1/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c fruit juice
dash salt
dash citric acid

Sour Cream Apple Pie

For a 9 inch crust.

2 T flour
1/8 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 c sour cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 t nutmeg
1 c chopped apples

Topping:
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c butter
1/3 c flour

Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Add topping and bake for 10 more minutes; or bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes.

Tortillas

I love homemade tortillas!

4 c flour
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 c shortening
1 1/4 c water

Mix flour and salt. Cut in fat. Add small amounts of water while mixing. Knead. Form into 15 balls, cover, rest 15 minutes. Roll out thin, bake on griddle.

Peanut Buttered Popcorn

My favorite sweet treatment of popcorn (along with grandma's toffee popcorn). Why would anyone make Kool-Aid balls with so many other superior options?

3 qt popped corn (1/2 c unpopped)
1 1/2 c dry roasted peanuts
1 c sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 c honey
1 c peanut butter
1 t vanilla

Butter sides of a 1 1/2 qt saucepan. Boil sugar, honey, and syrup, stirring constantly. Boil hard 2 minutes, remove. Stir in peanut butter, vanilla. Coat popcorn.

Fudge

Great memories of fudge, but I'm afraid that the culture of cheat fudges has made me scared to try to make real fudge myself (I don't make the cheat fudges, either, because I like real fudge better).

12 oz condensed milk
2 c sugar
4 T corn syrup
1/2 t salt

Stir until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved. Cook until 234 F and/or it forms a "soft ball" in cold water. Add:

4 T butter
2 t vanilla

Do not stir. Cool to 120 F and beat 5-10 minutes until no longer glosssy. Spread out on a buttered plate.

Snickerdoodles

As a Matheson, I believe in crisp snickerdoodles which yield to a chew when eaten. In fact, it is the remarkable and unique texture of a snickerdoodle I find so appealing, and it is a very sad thing to me that so many people are stuck eating underdone, grainy snickerdoodles.

1 c yellow shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 3/4 c flour
2 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
cinnamon sugar

Cream shortening with sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Mix dries separately; fold together. Chill. Roll in balls. Dip balls in cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375.

Cheese Bread or Rolls

2 3/4 c scalded milk
4 1/2 c grated cheese
4 1/2 T sugar
3 t salt
3 T butter
2 T yeast
1/4 c warm water
9 c flour

Melt cheese in hot milk, along with sugar, salt, and butter. When lukewarm, mix in yeast proofed in water. Proceed as usual for bread or rolls.

Recipe Organization! Or: Why You Will See Lots of Recipes You Know

Over the past few weeks, I've worked hard to organize all my multitudes of papers, etc. I even got a filing cabinet and file folders and everything. Now I'm down to the dreaded "do something else with this" pile. Of course, even this pile can be parsed further, and from it I made a pile of recipes I've collected from Mom, either over the phone or directly from her recipe box when visiting. So I will begin putting them here. Hopefully I'll also be able to develop a tag system that works for me, so I can find the recipes when I want them.