Living 2 Eat |

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Dear Foodies,

Today in America, you may be happy or you may be sad.   But, we are all Americans and must unite.   History has been made and until our new leaders have made themselves unworthy of our respect and honor, let us all give the new team a chance.

There is no better symbol of America than Grandma and apple pie.   Below is Grandma’s apple pie recipe.    Bake it and share with someone of the opposite political persuasion and find some common ground.  

We are all Americans!  May God bless all of us. 

Ben

Grandma’s Apple Pie

Incredibly delicious hot with vanilla ice cream or, an old Yankee touch, a slice of cheddar cheese.

6 cups peeled, sliced apples (Idared, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Granny Smith)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

Preheat oven to 450°F.Combine apples and lemon juice in mixing bowl. Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour sugar mixture over apples, and stir to coat. Spoon filling into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Dot with butter.

Transfer top pastry to top of pie, trimming off excess. Fold edges under to seal, and flute rim. Cut slits, decorative or not, into top pastry for steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F, and bake for 45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Texas Cooking, a great place for Southern and Southwestern dishes.   www.texascooking.com  

Growing up in Immokalee, Florida, I can remember each Halloween visiting the home of Orville & Margaret Rainwater.   Mrs. Rainwater would spend many hours making candied apples for the countless kids that would ring the doorbell and belt out…  ‘trick or treat’.   

In these store bought days of bulk candy from wholesale clubs, it makes my memories of Mrs. Rainwater’s homemade Halloween treats all the more special.   Of all the nice things I remember about Mr. & Mrs. Rainwater, this memory is one that lasts a lifetime.

Old Fashioned Candied Apples

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups corn syrup

1/3 cup cinnamon candy

1 cup water

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cloves

3/4 tsp red food coloring

6 apples

Remove stems from apples, wash, and pat dry. Insert a wooden skewer in each apple, running through the apple from stem end to base without protruding all the way through the bottom end.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon candies, and water in medium-sized saucepan. Cook until candies dissolve, stirring constantly. Be careful not to boil. Add cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and food coloring. Mix thoroughly. Boil mixture to 300F using a candy thermometer without stirring.

While mixture is boiling, generously prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray so it’s ready ahead of time. As soon as mixture reaches 300F, remove it from heat and quickly dip each apple-one by one-into the mixture until it is thoroughly coated.

Set coated apples, standing on their bottoms with skewer pointing up, on baking sheet until mixture hardens. Let apples reach room temperature before eating.

`

This recipe was awarded the status of Grand Champion at the 1987 Illinois State Fair — perfect for an interesting twist this holiday season.

Pumpkin Lemon Pie

Pie Crust:

3 cups flour

1 cup Crisco

1 egg, beaten

5 tbsp water

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp salt

Pie filling:

2 eggs, slightly beaten

16 oz pumpkin, canned

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ginger

1 1/3 cup half and half

Sour Cream Layer:

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon peel, grated

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Pie crust:   

Add water, vinegar and salt to beaten egg; mix well, set aside.

Cut Crisco into flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add liquid and mix until dough forms. Roll out or store in icebox.

Pie filling:

Mix all ingredients of pie filling. Pour into pie shell. Bake 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F for 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.

Blend sour cream, brown sugar, lemon juice & lemon peel. Spread mixture over pie. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans.

Serve warm or cold.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Sunday Night Dinner brought us this cake, click here for the very easy recipe.

For those who can fully appreciate a great cake like this, but do not have the energy to bake there is great news… head to Cracker Barrel.  They have a seasonal dessert – Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake — and it is wonderful.   And, they will sell you an entire sheet cake uncut for $20.   I can personally guarantee you that no one would know that you did not bake it yourself.

Old Fashioned Coca-Cola Cake

Cake:

2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups small marshmallows

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup Coca-Cola®

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons Coca-Cola

1 box (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift sugar and flour. Add marsh- mallows. In saucepan, mix butter, oil, cocoa, and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. Pour into a well-greased 9 x13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

To make frosting, combine butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners’ sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract and pecans. Spread over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares and serve.

*The cake recipe was contributed by Lee Avery Catts to “Atlanta Cooknotes”, published by The Junior League of Atlanta.

Fending off some tough competition in the Dixie Classic Fair’s Creative Collards Contest, Dinah Reece of Pfafftown, North Carolina won with her collard-greens cake.

Dinah Reece of Pfafftown (NC) prevailed with her collard-greens cake to take first prize. Reece’s cake is “like a cross between an apple cake and a carrot cake,” she said. It’s flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, and studded with raisins and chopped pecans.

 For more on this most unique Winston-Salem Journal story, click here.

Collard Greens Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil, divided use

4 eggs, divided use

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups cooked fresh collards, drained and finely chopped

2 cups raw apples, cored peeled and finely chopped

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup raisins

¾ cup chopped pecans

Cream-cheese frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened

2 pounds powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup pecans

Milk

 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three round, 9-inch cake pans.

 Beat sugar and ¾ cup oil in electric mixer until well combined. Add 2 of the eggs and the vanilla; mix well. In a blender, put remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining 2 eggs and all of the collards. Blend until smooth, until tiny flecks of collards remain visible. Stir collard mixture into batter along with the apples.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Use 2 tablespoons of flour mixture to toss with raisins and pecans. Stir remaining flour mixture into egg mixture; mix well. Fold in the flour-coated raisins and pecans.

Divide batter into the three prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until done.

Cool the cake in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.

 To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, to reach desired frosting consistency.

Assemble and frost middle layers, sides and top of cake.

NOTE:  To get the collards finely chopped, use a food processor.

My family and I went to Key West about 22 years ago and discovered Key Lime Pie. We tried every Key Lime Pie in every restaurant, so thru the years I have recreated some and added my own touch to make the most fabulous Key Lime Pie of all time!  In fact, it is so popular that during the holidays, my friends start calling and ask for me to make them one (or two!).

There are many variations but I will give this one. Remember, you can change the tartness if you like by not adding so much at one time and gradually taste it when adding it in.  I happen to like it tart.

Debbie Sampson

Miami, Florida

Artsports.com

Debbie’s Most Fabulous Key Lime Pie

.

1 pre-made graham crust pie-shell (the small one)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks (save the egg whites)
1/4 cup Nellie’s Key lime juice
1/2 tsp of vanilla
3 tbsp sugar

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 42)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
8 cups hulled strawberries, divided
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine wafer crumbs, sugar, vanilla and butter; press into a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until set and barely beginning to brown. Cool.

2. Quarter 2 cups strawberries and combine with 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat while mashing strawberries. Cook about 2 minutes or until very juicy. Push mashed berries through a sieve, pressing with a spoon and discarding solids that remain. Measure juice and add water to measure 1 cup.

3. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in strawberry juice and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Boil 1 minute or until translucent. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

`

This decadent recipe comes to you from the 1999 Spokane (Washington) State Fair.  I can guarantee you this recipe will make you a star!

Pecan Cheesecake Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Filling ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine flour, brown sugar and butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture is crumbly, 2 – 3 minutes.  Stir in pecans by hand.   Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture; set aside.

Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine all filling ingredients in small mixer bowl. Beat at low speed until well mixed, 2 – 3 minutes. Spread filling over hot, partially baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is set.

Cool completely; cut into bars. Store refrigerated.

Yield: 25 bars

This has just become a guilt free food… pecan pie is healthy!

Recently, several studies have found that nuts, including pecans should be included in your daily diet to help boost your immune system.  A study completed at the University of Florida found that pecans are loaded with antioxidants that fight heart disease and cancer… as per Durden Pecan’s.

Tennessee Whiskey Pecan Pie

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup light (or dark) corn syrup

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp Tennessee whiskey

1 1/2 cup pecans, whole

1 - 9 inch pie crust, unbaked

In bowl, stir together first 6 ingredients until well blended. Stir in nuts.

Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350F for 50 - 55 minutes.

Cool before serving.