These are the cookies "Grandma used to bake" when my kids were small. Because I have no self-control when there are cookies in the house, I don't bake often.
That's why, when my son called asking for the recipe I had to go on a hunt.
It took a lot of searching through all the little slips of paper in my Mom's old cookbooks, but I finally located it, and thought I'd share.
These cookies are soft and cake-like, so when you layer them in a storage container, slip a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper between the layers. Otherwise they'll stick together.
2 cups raisins, boiled 20 minutes
1 cup of juice from the raisins
3 eggs
1 tsp.soda
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt - set aside.
Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly. Add the juice from the raisins, alternately, with the dry ingredients. Add the raisins and nuts.
Drop by spoonfuls on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Swedish Potato Sausage
Swedish potato sausage is a Christmas Eve tradition at our house. My Mother made it, my Grandmother made it, and her mother made it. Now I make it, and I love it.
Just thinking about it while I was stuffing the casings today made me feel like one of Bob Cratchet's kids - remember how they jumped around squealing in anticipation of the Christmas goose?
Some people think I'm nuts - they don't like it at all. But that's OK, because I wouldn't eat an oyster or caviar if you paid me. (Well, for a million bucks I might as long as I could swallow fast.)
Anyway, if you want to try it, here's what you need:
Sausage casings - you get them from the guy behind the counter at the meat market. I've never seen them on display.
4# pork shoulder - you don't want it too lean
4# beef
8# potatoes
4 smallish onions
2 t. allspice
3 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Grind the meat, potatoes, and onions, then add the spices and mix, and mix, and mix.
(This is a 2-handed job.)
Then stuff the meat into the sausage casings, tying off about every 4 or 5 inches to make individual sausages.
Store the completed sausages in a kettle of water until you're ready to cook them - otherwise the potatoes will turn black. That doesn't hurt the taste, but it looks funky. You can freeze what you aren't going to use immediately.
Drop the sausages into boiling water and let them cook for 45 minutes. You can serve them hot, which is good. But I especially love them cold as snacks. Some people dip them in a bit of mustard.
For me this job is a bit time-consuming, but not difficult. Last year we bought a good grinder with a sausage stuffing attachment. But before that, I used one of those hand-grinders - just like my Grandmother and Great Grandmother used.
Before we got the new "stuffer," I had a terrible time finding something to put the casings on so I could stuff them, and finally purchased a "fat funnel" from the automotive department in the hardware store. That worked, but it was sure messy and it took a lot of hours to stuff 16# of sausage.
Every time I make potato sausage I'm reminded of how my Great-Grandmother did it. She had a grinder, but Grandmother said to stuff the casings she used a hollowed out cow's horn. I suppose that worked better than my little short, fat funnel.
Just thinking about it while I was stuffing the casings today made me feel like one of Bob Cratchet's kids - remember how they jumped around squealing in anticipation of the Christmas goose?
Some people think I'm nuts - they don't like it at all. But that's OK, because I wouldn't eat an oyster or caviar if you paid me. (Well, for a million bucks I might as long as I could swallow fast.)
Anyway, if you want to try it, here's what you need:
Sausage casings - you get them from the guy behind the counter at the meat market. I've never seen them on display.
4# pork shoulder - you don't want it too lean
4# beef
8# potatoes
4 smallish onions
2 t. allspice
3 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Grind the meat, potatoes, and onions, then add the spices and mix, and mix, and mix.
(This is a 2-handed job.)
Then stuff the meat into the sausage casings, tying off about every 4 or 5 inches to make individual sausages.
Store the completed sausages in a kettle of water until you're ready to cook them - otherwise the potatoes will turn black. That doesn't hurt the taste, but it looks funky. You can freeze what you aren't going to use immediately.
Drop the sausages into boiling water and let them cook for 45 minutes. You can serve them hot, which is good. But I especially love them cold as snacks. Some people dip them in a bit of mustard.
For me this job is a bit time-consuming, but not difficult. Last year we bought a good grinder with a sausage stuffing attachment. But before that, I used one of those hand-grinders - just like my Grandmother and Great Grandmother used.
Before we got the new "stuffer," I had a terrible time finding something to put the casings on so I could stuff them, and finally purchased a "fat funnel" from the automotive department in the hardware store. That worked, but it was sure messy and it took a lot of hours to stuff 16# of sausage.
Every time I make potato sausage I'm reminded of how my Great-Grandmother did it. She had a grinder, but Grandmother said to stuff the casings she used a hollowed out cow's horn. I suppose that worked better than my little short, fat funnel.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Chicken Tortilla Soup My way
Last week we went out to lunch and I ordered the soup of the day - which turned out to be Chicken Tortilla. I'd never tried it before and the first spoonful had me grabbing for the ice water. But the more I ate, the more I liked it.
So, I tried to find a recipe. There were plenty of them, but none that had the ingredients I saw in that soup. That's when I decided to just wing it... and I'm really glad there's just enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.
Here's what went into the pot...
First I soaked about a cup full of pinto beans overnight. Then I cooked them until they were close to done. I set them aside until time to start the soup.
Into a crock pot went:
The mostly cooked beans
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can of water
about 1/2 t. cumin
about 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
a few splashes of hot sauce
about 1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 leftover cooked chicken breast, cut into pieces about 3/4" squarish
After it had cooked for a while I tasted it and added a bit more of the cumin, cayenne, and garlic.
To serve, I topped it with finely shredded cheddar cheese and minced green onion.
Yum...
*All the recipes I saw called for cilantro - but since there was none on the shelf and it's 12 miles to the grocery store, I didn't use it. Maybe next time.
So, I tried to find a recipe. There were plenty of them, but none that had the ingredients I saw in that soup. That's when I decided to just wing it... and I'm really glad there's just enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.
Here's what went into the pot...
First I soaked about a cup full of pinto beans overnight. Then I cooked them until they were close to done. I set them aside until time to start the soup.
Into a crock pot went:
The mostly cooked beans
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can of water
about 1/2 t. cumin
about 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
a few splashes of hot sauce
about 1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 leftover cooked chicken breast, cut into pieces about 3/4" squarish
After it had cooked for a while I tasted it and added a bit more of the cumin, cayenne, and garlic.
To serve, I topped it with finely shredded cheddar cheese and minced green onion.
Yum...
*All the recipes I saw called for cilantro - but since there was none on the shelf and it's 12 miles to the grocery store, I didn't use it. Maybe next time.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
World's best pie crust recipe - Sally says so!
Hi all, I'm back.
Got a little side-tracked there, and was actually going to let this blog go and just put all the recipes on the Cooking with Carl website. But I have a bossy kid and he convinced me to change my mind. So, in honor of returning, I'll share a new recipe just given to me by my friend Sally.
She brought it home with her after a visit to her daughter in Minnesota - and she swears that it's the best pie crust she's EVER made - or eaten.
Combine:
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup VERY COLD water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
This recipe will make crusts for 4 pies - and here's the best part. You can make one pie today, roll the remainder into 3 balls, wrap them tightly, and keep them in the freezer until you get the urge to make another pie.
Apparently, this dough is so elastic, you can roll it out thin without it breaking into pieces. My old recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and it only made enough crust for one pie.
I can hardly wait to try this...
Got a little side-tracked there, and was actually going to let this blog go and just put all the recipes on the Cooking with Carl website. But I have a bossy kid and he convinced me to change my mind. So, in honor of returning, I'll share a new recipe just given to me by my friend Sally.
She brought it home with her after a visit to her daughter in Minnesota - and she swears that it's the best pie crust she's EVER made - or eaten.
Combine:
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup VERY COLD water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
This recipe will make crusts for 4 pies - and here's the best part. You can make one pie today, roll the remainder into 3 balls, wrap them tightly, and keep them in the freezer until you get the urge to make another pie.
Apparently, this dough is so elastic, you can roll it out thin without it breaking into pieces. My old recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and it only made enough crust for one pie.
I can hardly wait to try this...
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