Recipies
Rita’s Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Make these giant homemade chocolate chip cookies to celebrate the new school year.
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened to room temp
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (or use 1/2 cup all purpose flour)
1 teaspoon of banking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer, or vigorously by hand, cream the butter and the sugars. Beat the eggs in another bowl and gradually add them to the creamed mixture. Add vanilla. Gradually add the creamed mixture to the dry ingredients, slowly incorporate the two. Drop by large scoops on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.*
Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet (remember, the cookies are on the paper), and gently slide the parchment paper on to the kitchen counter to cool. Repeat with a new sheet of parchment paper.
*We use a large spring type ice cream scoop to measure out the cookie dough. Parchment paper can be found in the paper section of your grocery store. It comes on a roll just like wax paper. You will love using it and will never want to be without it. If the kitchen is cool, I like to measure out the cookie dough on sheets of parchment paper in preparation for baking.The glops of raw cookie dough can be individually frozen and stored in a container to be baked at another time. Allow more time for baking due to thawing of the dough.— cookie recipe submitted by Missy Dunham!
Brunswick Stew
In England squirrel hunting was the traditional sport of Saint Andrew's Eve, and since many customs were also transplanted to parts of the United States where squirrel hunting is popular, we suggest a Brunswick Stew.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dried lima beans 2 squirrels*
Salt and pepper
1⁄2 lb diced bacon
2 slices onions
2 cans whole kernel corn
4 cups canned tomatoes
1 cup sliced okra
6 potatoes
1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Soak the beans overnight. Clean and disjoint the squirrels, dust with flour and salt and pepper. Brown lightly in a little fat. Place the meat, beans, bacon and onions in a pot and cover with boiling water. Simmer for two hours. Then add corn, tomatoes, okra, potatoes, Worchestershire sauce and sugar. Simmer for another hour. Mix a little flour with water and stir into the stew to thicken. Taste for seasoning and serve in a large tureen.
* In the event squirrels aren’t in season and the local grocery store is out of stock, rabbit or chicken can be substituted for squirrel.
St. Lucy’s Cats
Saint Lucy's feast day falls on December 13 and is the formal opening of the Christmas season in Sweden. St. Nicholas watches over school boys, and the young St. Lucy protects school girls.
Traditionally, the oldest girl in the family dresses in a white garment with a red sash (symbolizing martyrdom) with a St. Lucy crown on her head. She wakes up early and brings to each of her sleeping family member’s sweet yellow rolls in the form of cats with very black raisin eyes (or Leissi Katter St. Lucy's Cats)
INGREDIENTS:
1 cake yeast or 1 pkg dry yeast 1 Tblspn sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tblsp shortening
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
2 Tblsp saffron
3/4 cup hot water
1 Tblspn chopped citron 6 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
DIRECTIONS:
Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Scald and cool milk. When yeast mixture bubbles add to milk. Beat in shortening, sugar and two cups flour. Cover and let rise. Put saffron in three-fourths cup hot water one hour. Strain and add liquid to dough only for color. Combine fruits, flour and salt. Let rise again. Shape into oval buns with round heads. Add a tail if you wish. Use raisins as eyes. Brush with beaten egg and water and let rise again until it doubles its bulk. Bake in a moderate oven (350°) for 30 minutes.
