Christmas Cookie Genealogy: Miss Dot's Hello Dolly Squares

Luscious layers!

This week's recipe comes from a family friend by way of my aunt Sara.  Miss Dot was the county historian and even published (albeit locally) a history of the antebellum homes in the county.  When we first saw this recipe, coconut came in cans and was quite the luxury, so these were an especial treat.  The batch I just put in the oven has begun to scent the kitchen, attracting the attention of the Resident Dragon, who will lurk around until they're cool enough to eat.

By the way, Miss Dot, a former school teacher, turned 93 this year.

Hello Dolly Cookies

Sweetened condensed milk binds it together!

1 stick butter
1.25 c. crushed graham crackers
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. pecans or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 c. shredded coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Place in baking dish in layers in order listed.  Bake at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  Chill and cut into small squares.

These are very rich, so enjoy every savory bite!

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Graham Cracker Brittle: Genealogy from Christmas Cookie Recipes

Graham Cracker Brittle makes a festive treat!

Food is more than mere sustenance in the South; in families and small towns, recipes can constitute almost a genealogy of the community.  Recipes nearly always are attributed to individuals and are a tangible, edible reminder of that individual:  Grandmother's Teacakes, Mrs. Malone's Apple Cake (Aunt Nonie's mother), and Miss Leora's Graham Cracker Brittle.

I mention the last recipe because I ran across some at a reception on Sunday.  While nobody could tell me if it was Miss Leora's recipe, I think it must have been.  I received the recipe in a collection my daddy's sister put together for me many years ago.  This recipe is wonderful reminder of two wonderful ladies.

Miss Leora's Graham Cracker Brittle

Line jelly roll pan with foil and prepare with cooking spray.  Line with good quality graham crackers, broken apart.  Sprinkle 1 c. chopped nuts (I prefer pecans) over top of crackers.

Mix 2 sticks melted butter and 1/2 c. white sugar.  Boil for 3 minutes, then pour over crackers.  Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees, checking frequently as these burn suddenly.

Remove from pan immediately and cool on cake racks.  Store in airtight container.  Miss Leora says they freeze well, but mine have never lasted long enough for me to find out!

Normally, I would have pictures for you, but you'll just have to trust me on this one; I'll be making at least one batch this weekend.

Happy holidays!

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Nancy

Blooming Fresh Asparagus

Thrifty Freshness

To keep your asparagus fresh, just treat it like the flower it is!  Trim about 1" off the cut end (leave the rubber bands in place), then stand in a jar or large glass of water.  Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

If you're only keeping for a day or two, a glass or a jar is far less expensive than Crate & Barrel's version!

And don't forget to compost the trimmings!

Bonus recipe:

Roasted Asparagus

Fresh asparagus, pencil-thin, dry stem trimmed
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat over to 425 degrees.  Line a jelly-roll pan with foil, then spray with cooking spray. Alternate in pan so that bloom ends are at the edges.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt.  Roast until blossoms are crispy.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Love

A small pie pumpkin after roasting

Back in October, I roasted a few pumpkins and made puree (see Roasting Life's Pumpkins) in anticipation of making the Resident Dragon's favorite pie for Thanksgiving.  Well, Thanksgiving is here and it's time to put that pumpkin puree to good use.

I froze the pumpkin in 2 cup bags which should be just about the right quantity for a pie.  I've adapted a recipe from Yvonne Young Tarr's The Farm House Cookbook.

Pastry for 2-Crust Pie

Homemade pastry is easy!

2.5 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1.25 t. salt
1 cup (scant) cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup (maybe a bit more) ice water

Mix together the flour and salt, then cut in the butter until the mixture resembles corn meal with a few pea-sized pieces.  Stir in ice water with a fork, but do not add too much.  It should still look somewhat dry.  Form into 2 dry balls, and wrap each in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or so before rolling out on a lightly floured cloth to a 1/8 to 1/4" thickness.  Prepare two 8" pie plates and line with pastry.  Set aside to make filling

Pumpkin Pie Filling

The pumpkin puree is more yellow
 than I expected

2 cups pumpkin puree
1.5 c. light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
5 eggs
3 cups milk

The brown sugar turns dark in the batter

The batter seems very thin but firmed up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together puree, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add eggs and mix well.  Change mixer to lowest speed, and add milk very slowly, as though making mayonnaise, until all is incorporated.  Mixture will be thin.  Divide between prepared pastries.  Bake approximately 1.5 hours or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Allow to cool before serving.  Makes 2 8" pies.

The Resident Dragon, who is a pumpkin pie epicure, lurked around the kitchen until the pies were ready.  It was worth all the effort to see him enjoy the home-made treat.

Love does come in all shapes and sizes--and flavors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

The pie puffs up right at the end.

Kissing Dragons

Twilight at Dragon Hollow
Original Painting by AnnMarie Eastburn copyright 1985
www.ArtworkbyAnnMarie.com
from the Resident Dragon's personal collection

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss a dragon?  Would the kiss be fiery and ferocious, or would it be something . . . more?

We envision dragons to be ferocious, but in many folk tales they are also sensuous and beguiling (and ferocious)!  It's appropriate, then, that the new Savory recipe is called Dragon's Kiss.  It beguiles the palate with a sweet start, but thrills with a fiery finish.

The secret to this dragon's fire is organic tabasco peppers (30,000-50,000 Scovill units), grown here on the farm.  For more about how we grew the peppers, jump on over to our garden blog, Savory LeJardin.


SAFETY HINT:  Don't neglect to wear safety equipment any time you are working with hot peppers:  rubber gloves, eye protection, and sleeves.  I wore a sleeveless blouse and my arms itched for days.

Warnings aside, this savory condiment is well worth the effort!  It's perfect for gifts--perhaps adding a dragon--soft or hard--for that special someone?-- and for spicing up your favorite meals.  Just one taste, and you'll know what it's like to kiss a dragon!

Dragon's Kiss

Even the steam rising from the pot
is muy picante!

1 cup organic tabasco peppers, ground with seeds
2.5 cups white vinegar (divided)
0.5 cups cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
2 t. salt
1.5 T. Monterey Bay pickling spice (tie in a spice bag)
1.33 quarts crushed tomatoes (I used canned)

Combine tomatoes, peppers, and half of the vinegar in a large non-reactive sauce pot.  Cook until tomatoes are soft, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.  Add sugar, salt, and pickling spice and cook until thickened, stirring frequently.  Add remaining vinegar and cook until desired thickness, about 30 minutes.  Ladle into sterilized, hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Adjust two-piece caps and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.  Yield:  about 5 half-pints.

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Bowled Over by Bowl Cake

There's no trifling with the flavor of bowl cake!

I had never heard of a bowl cake until I first ate some on vacation in Kentucky.  I would swear it was at the sublime Patti's in Grand Rivers, but I do not see it on the menu.  Anyway, it's always been a big hit in my family, and it travels well for a pot lucks since it's in a bowl rather than perched on a plate.

A bowl cake is a layer cake is one that has been filled with pudding, frosted with buttercream, then dropped by slices into a larger bowl or 10x13 pan so that the flavors mingle and it becomes a little mushy.

We have a pot luck at church tomorrow, so I'm sharing a family favorite with my church family.  Tomorrow's contribution is Boston Cream Pie Bowl Cake.

Boston Cream Pie Bowl Cake

Cake:
1 Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (there is no other!)
3 eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Prepare according to package directions and bake in a 9x13 pan as directed.

Filling:
1 small package French Vanilla pudding (Jello really does taste the best)
2 cups cold milk

A single layer was split, filled with pudding, then frosted.
You could also layer in a 9x13 baking dish.

When the cake has completed cooking and is nearly cool, prepare pudding according to package directions.  Allow to sit until it has thickened so that it does not run off the cake.  Spread either over the top, or fill between layers.

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
4 heaping teaspoons of cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Watkins double-strength vanilla (there is no substitute!)
1/4 to 1/3 c. milk
1-2 cups confectioners sugar

After you have filled the cake, cream the butter with the cocoa.  Add vanilla.  Add sugar gradually with mixer on low speed so that the sugar does not create a dust storm.  If it becomes "gritty," add a bit of milk or cream to soften.  Spread over top of pudding, and cake.

Slice or spoon into a clear bowl.  Be sure to maintain layers.

Spoon into trifle bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  The pudding moistens the cake, and the frosting chills into delightful  morsels.

Bowl cake can also turn a dry or "cracked" cake into a moist treat.

One of our favorite combinations is yellow cake, French vanilla pudding, sliced sweetened strawberries, and whipped topping.  We've also tried chocolate cake, French Vanilla pudding, and caramel icing.  Your creativity is only limited by your imagination!

Enjoy!

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Roasting Life's Pumpkins

The pumpkins "dimple" when done (top left).

Autumn is my favorite season of the year because the white heat of summer turns golden, and the temperatures cool down.  Autumn means pumpkins, of course.