Spicy Crackers

Loretta/Annette shared these yummy crackers with us at camping.

Ingredients:

1 box Crackers (Saltines) - all 4 sleeves
1 cup canola oil
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix  (or Spicy Ranch)
1-2 tbsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

Put crackers in a large glass jar (like a extra large pickle jar).
Mix oil/dressing/pepper in a bowl
Pour mix over crackers.
Lay jar on side and roll every 10-15 mins until oil absorbed.

Lemon Snowball Cookies

Rosy shared these yummy cookies with us on Xmas 2015.

Rosy's Receipe Tweeks

Add juice of one lemon

Ingredients

• 2 cups (282g) all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp (24g) cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (8 oz) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (84g) powdered sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons (about 4 tsp)
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (68g) finely chopped almonds
• 1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar, for coating

Directions

• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch and salt, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter on medium speed until creamy, about 20 seconds. Blend in 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Mix in lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract. With mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combine. Stir in almonds. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees halfway through chilling.
• Scoop dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and roll into a ball, then place balls on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2-inches apart and bake in preheated oven for 16 - 18 minutes (these are a cookie that I think are best when they aren't moist in the center so I'd say don't under bake them. These actually are a cookie that are meant to be dry. Dry but a melt in your mouth kind of dry). Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes then while cookies are still warm, pour 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a bowl and roll cookies in powdered sugar. Transfer to a wire rack to cool then once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar once more, this time to generously coat (I pressed it into the powdered sugar to give it a thick coating). Store cookies in an airtight container.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Almond Brittle

Ingredients:
3 c. whole almonds
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 TBSP butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Salt

Directions:
Combine almonds, sugar, and butter/margarine in heavy skillet.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till almonds are toasted and sugar is completely dissolved, about 15 minutes. There should be no sugar lumps left.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla. WARNING: it will splatter, Be careful!
Spread nuts on sheet of foil.
Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Cool completely...then break into pieces.  Sometimes I'm not ready to break them all up but as soon as they're cool, I put them in a covered container or in ziplock bags because they get sticky if they are left out.

I have never made these in anything but a cast iron skillet, cause that's what my Momma used.  Also, I've never used butter either...I use imperial margarine.

         
   

Masa for Tamales

**** DRAFT ****

Ingredients:

1 lb Crisco

3 tbsp salt

1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh squeeze)

3 tbsp baking powder

20c. water (hot tap)

4.4 oz Masa (dry)

8 oz dry corn husks 

 

Directions:

Soak husks in water and remove any hairs.

Add Crisco, salt, lemon juice and baking powder to mixer.   Cream until it passes float test. (Float test is when a small amount is placed in a cup of water and it floats.)
Remove half of the mixture and place into a separate small bowl.
To the mixer, add half of the water (10 c.) and half of the masa (2.2 oz).  Mix well until masa forms.
Remove mixture from mixer bowl and place is large bowl.
Return second half of Crisco mixer to mixer bowl and add remaining water (10 c.) and masa (2.2 oz). Mix well until masa forms.
Move mixture to large bowl.   Hand mix two batches together.

Shake water from husks and allow to drain.

Add masa to slick side of husks.  Use tortilla press to help spread it out.  Fill with desired filling.  Fold.

Place in a steamer with open end up.  Approx 1 hour.

Banana (Apple) Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups  flour (all purpose)
1 1/4 cup  sugar
3  eggs
1 cup  margarine (melted)
1 tsp  cinnamon
1 tsp  vanilla
1 tsp  baking powder
1 tsp  baking soda
1 cup  ripe banana (mashed) or applesauce
1 cup  raisins or walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour for a standard loaf pan.  A toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle.

Storage:
Best way to store bread is wrapped in plastic wrap.  If you want to freeze it, then put the wrapped bread in a freezer Ziploc.   It freezes great!

DO NOT USE butter.  It won't taste the same.  Mama Chana used Imperial margarine.

Below is a spreadsheet of quantities up to 6 times the recipe.  Let's face it!  I don't think we have ever made just one batch!!  :-)  

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse (Food Network).

My tweeks:
   I skip the liquor
   I have used lime peel/juice instead of lemon and it is just as good.  Orange might be good also.   
  Use any jam flavor you like.
  Use a small ice cream scoop to form balls.
  Use parchment paper instead of butter to line baking sheet


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or 1/2 cup jelly
• 1 tablespoon Chambord raspberry liquor or 1 tablespoon kirsch
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

    1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    2.   Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.
    3.   In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord.
    4.   Stir to combine.
    5.   In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.
    6.   In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
    7.   Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
    8.   Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form.
    9.   Gather the dough together into a ball.
    10. Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls.
    11. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.
    12. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball.
    13. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture.
    14. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes (start watching the cookies at about 12 minutes though esp. since each oven is different).
    15. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Hello Family and Friends!  
I have started this blog as a place we can all share the recipes we know and love.   So many recipes come to mind.