Rice Krispie Treats, always popular and easy

 Grease 13x9 pan

Premeasure in separate bowl

• 6 c. rice krispies

Melt in giant microwave safe bowl

• 3 T. butter in microwave

Add, coat with melted butter, and melt in microwave. Stir in between 30" microwave until nice fluid consistency

• 40 marshmallows

Then stir in premeasured rice krispies and mix quickly but thoroughly, then tip into greased 13x9 pan.

Pat with greased hands to spread out. If your house is cold it will set up quickly.

Easy 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies, naturally gluten free

 Learned how to make these as a kid from up north neighbor. I think her name was Mrs. Weisman

15' @350F

Stir together

• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1 c. sugar

Then put flattened rounds on cookie sheet and make press with fork tines to make cross fork design if desired before baking

Coconut Macaroons

 from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25787/coconut-macaroons-iii/

15' @ 350F

Blend together

• 2/3 c. flour
• 5.5 c. flaked coconut ( >7oz>14oz)
• 1/4 t. salt

Then stir in and mix well

• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 t. vanilla extract

Press between 2 spoons and drop onto cookie sheet to bake

Chocolate Snow Drops

Very delicious but original recipe didn't work well. Do not double recipe. Dough climbs up mixer blades. Here's my modification to try next year. Added 1/4 c. flour to make it run less.

20' @ 325F

Blend together, then set aside

• 1.25 c. flour
• 1/2 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
• 3/4 t. salt

Cream till smooth and fluffy

• 1 c. butter softened
• 1/2 c. sugar

Beat in

• 2 t. vanilla extract

Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll into small balls, place on parchment lined cookie sheet 2" apart, then bake.

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original recipe from Our Wisconsin magazine Dec/Jan 2023

Pfeffernusse, German Peppernuts cookies

Here is a modified recipe to try again next year. I added pepper because it's supposed to have pepper. Increased flour by 1/4 c and decreased ground walnuts by 1/4 c. Dough was too sticky and ran flat when baked in oven.

About 10-15' @ 350F, on parchment paper lined pan. Cookies may be fragile when hot.

Blend together

• 2.25 c. flour
• 1 t. anise seed (ground)
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 t. black pepper

Then add and put aside

• 1.25 c ground walnuts

Beat until well blended

• 1/2 c. butter melted
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. + 2 T. brown sugar
• 2 T. molasses

Beat in

• 2 eggs

Beat in

• 1 t. grated lemon peel
• 2 t. lemon juice

Gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition.

Roll into four 1" in diameter logs, Refrigerate 2 days for flavors to blend. Then put flattened rounds on cookie sheet and bake.

Optional Glaze (can dip cookies in it?)

• 2.5 c powdered sugar
• 3-4 T. hot water
• 1/4 t. cardamon 

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I got this recipe from Our Wisconsin Magazine Dec/Jan 2023. It tastes very good but didn't work very well.

I'd like to make these again. I've substituted almond flour for toasted ground blanched almonds since it is now available.

This recipe is from The Complete Spanish Cookbook by Jacki Passmore. My book is getting a little beat up.

Blend in bowl

• 2 c. flour
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 c. almond flour

In separate bowl cream together

• 1 1/3 c. butter or lard
• 1/2 c. sugar

Then blend in 

• 1/4 c. Cointreau or Grand Marnier (I may have used a tsp. of vanilla extract in the past or any good tasting liquor. I don't remember adding this ingredient.)
• 1 egg

Work in flour mixture to make crumbly dough. 

At this point the recipe says to roll out to 3/4" and cut into oval shapes. I think it would be easier just to chill dough slightly, roll into ball and pat into rounds.

Bake 20' @ 325F, let cool then dust with confectioners sugar.

Italian Lemon Cookies

 ref: https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/lemon-cookies/

These are super lemony and good. Their texture reminds me of polvorones. I've rewritten the recipe with notes.

About 10-15' @ 350F until lightly browned. 

Use parchment paper! Let cookies cool before gently moving off parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Cookies are very delicate and crumble easily. (This is the first time I used parchment paper and it works very well.)

Blend together

• 1.25 c flour
• 1/4 c + 2 T cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1 T lemon zest (about 1/2 lemon) ( I generally used peelings cut very fine.)

In large bowl beat on medium speed until fluffy

• 3/4 c + 2T butter (softened)
• 1/2 c powdered sugar

Then add and mix with strong spoon to form dough

• 2 T lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• flour mixture, half at a time

Dough is sticky, can add 1-2 T of flour but I didn't.

Now this is where I change directions.

Roll dough into 3-4 logs about 1" in diameter using plastic wrap and fridge for about 1 hour. If you let them sit in fridge overnight like I did they will have to warm up before you can form them into flattened rounds on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I used plastic to keep the dough from sticking to my hands.

Then I didn't bother changing oven temperature. I just baked about 15' at 350F until lightly browned.

Once cool, top with lemon glaze

Lemon Glaze

• 3 T fresh lemon juice (strained)
• 1.5 c powdered sugar
• lemon zest (I didn't use)

I put the lemon glaze on so they would be less crumbly. It added a very nice flavor. Might not have needed it for that reason because by the next day cookies were less crumbly.

Breadmaker sourdough

 Regal Breadmaker K6725

Put in breadmaker per breadmaker instructions. Once mixing watch and adjust dough as needed. Watch mix and rise for optimum loaf.

• 5 oz sourdough starter
• 2.5 oz water or other liquid
• 1 T butter (butter paddle well) cut into pieces (optional for tenderness)
• 2 c bread flour
• 3/4 t salt
• 4.5 t sugar
• 1 T buttermilk powder (optional)
• 1 t active dry yeast (on top of flour away from liquid and salt)

Dough cycle once or twice. Then light bake.

The 4 cup loaf is too high and doesn't fit in the toaster. However when I cut recipe in half the loaf doesn't rise properly. Maybe the small volume is more affected by the winter temperature of our house which is about 65F. What seems to work is 2 cycles, dough cycle followed by basic cycle. (French and wheat don't seem to be long enough.)

Chocolate covered peanut butter bars

 Line 8x8 pan with plastic wrap

Filling:

Cover

• 2/3 cup raisins with water

Heat 1 minute in microwave and let soak until raisins plump up

Grind to powder in food processor

• 2 cups regular (NOT steel cut) old fashioned oatmeal

Hand mix together in medium bowl

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 c maple syrup

Then mix in ground oatmeal and plumped up raisins.

Pat into 8x8 pan.

Topping:

 

Mix together in small - medium microsafe bowl

• 4 T cocoa powder
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 T butter or oil

Slowly add to minimize lumps

• 4 T milk (any kind)

Cook in 15-30 second bursts until a drop of topping forms a ball when dropped into cold water. Basically it's a fudge topping but less sweet.

Spread on top of filling. Let cool, then cut into squares. Can lift right out of pan with plastic wrap to cut if desired.

I added oatmeal as a filler and plumped up raisins for a better less gooey mouth feel. This is pretty easy to make and tasty.

Fish Soup

From: "365 Easy Mexican Recipes" by Marge Poore p. 40. Recipe with changes below.

Heat in soup pot

• 3 T. oil

Add and cook until begin to soften about 3-5 minutes. (I usually add one at a time while chopping the next.)

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs with leaves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed in garlic press

Add and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until potato is barely tender, 6-8 minutes.

• 1 t. dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 2 small potatoes, 1/2" dice
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and dice (or 1 small can whole tomatoes, diced with juice.)
• pinch crushed hot red pepper
• 2/3 c. white wine
• 4 c. chicken broth, water, or fish stock....

Meanwhile cut into 1" pieces, then add to soup

• 1 pound firm thawed, white fish fillets such as cod, snapper, or halibut. (I've even used shrimp)

Add and cook 5-7 minutes until fish is opaque throughout.

• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (previously frozen is fine.)

Remove and discard bay leaves if you used them. 

Stir in

• 1 T lime juice (I just use the juice and scrapings from 1 lime. It's probably more than 1 T.)

Taste and season with

• 3/4 t. salt (might not need if canned broth used.)
• 1/8 t. pepper (I usually just grind pepper on top till it tastes right.)

Serve hot.

Easy Empanada Dough

This is tasty but we prefer the croissant type dough.

From: https://lasaucykitchen.com/how-to-make-empanada-dough/

Cream together

• 1 c. softened butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Add and mix until well combined.

• 3 c. flour

She has 3 methods of making the circles

1. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut out with 4" circle cutter
2. Make dough balls about the size of your palm and press in tortilla press between 2 sheets of plastic.
3. Make dough balls about the size of your palm and roll out into 4" circles about 1/8" thick

Empanada Pork, green pepper, and onion filling

Combine

• 4 t. paprika
• 8 T. olive oil
• 1 T. minced parsley (dried is fine.)
• 1 large garlic clove (minced)
• Salt

Add and mix well, making sure each strip of meat is well coated on all sides. (Just squishing in ziplock bag doesn't work. Need to work well with hand. Marinate several hours or overnight.

• 3/4 pound pork shoulder or loin cut in strips less than 1/8" thick and 2.5" wide.

Next day

1. Heat in skillet

• 2 T. oil

2. Add and stir fry 1 minute

• 2  green peppers cut in strips

3. Add, then lower heat, cover and cook until the peppers are tender, about 15 minutes. Then remove from skillet.

• 1 T water

4. Heat in skillet

• 2 T. oil

5. Add and saute over low heat, covered, until tender but not brown. Then remove from skillet

• 2 medium- large onions, thinly sliced

6. Turn heat up to high and quickly cook a couple strips of meat at a time like you are doing a stir fry. Remove from skillet as they are cooked so they don't overcook.

• Marinated meat.

7. Add and scrape up tasty brown bits from bottom of skillet

• 2 T. white wine

8. Return meat, onions, green pepper to skillet. Mix well. Cook about 1 minute. 

9. Add to taste

• about 1 t. salt

Empanada Croissant type dough

This is based on a recipe from "Tapas, the little dishes of Spain" by Penelope Casas, pp. 105-106. I thought that I had lost the recipe and the book it was in but I am so glad that I found it again.

I've made some changes to the recipe which I'm recording here. I only make these in cool weather. This year I had trouble with getting the butter soft enough to spread as this kitchen is rather chilly.

Makes about 30-40 empanandas depending on size. I usually use a 5-6" straight sided bowl to cut out the circles.

350F about 30 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and smells good.

I usually make this dough twice in order to have enough for the meat filling. Doing that works better than doubling the recipe. 

Turnover Dough

1. Mix together in large bowl

• 3 c. flour
• 1.5 tsp salt

2. Then incorporate in

• 3/4 c. cold water
• 4.5 t. vinegar
• 2 egg yolks

3. Work with your hands until the dough forms a smooth ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and let sit 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough into a 10 x 15 inch rectangle.

5. Spread 1/3 of the 1 cup of butter over the dough with rubber spatula

• 1/3 c. butter

6. Fold one side over the top, then fold over the other side business-letter? fashion. I do not understand this direction so I fold one third over from left side, then fold one third over from right side to end up with 3 layers.

7. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes

8. Repeat steps 5-7

9. Repeat steps 5-6 and refrigerate for 1 hour

Now it's ready to roll out and cut out 5-6" circles for filling.

10. Roll out to approximately 1/8", cut out 5-6" circles. Put on parchment paper (works best but can use foil) lined pan. 

11. Brush along circle edge with some beaten egg to help empanada seal.

12. Put a generous tablespoon of filling on 1 side of circle. Fold dough in half to make half circle. Press with fork to seal edge.

13. Once pan is full, brush top of empanada dough with beaten egg to help brown.

14. Bake at 350F until done.

Lazy 3 ingredient raw brownies

Process in food processor as fine as everything will go. May still have bits of walnuts but it still tastes fine. 

• 6 T. unsweetened cocoa
• 2.5 c. dates
• 1.5 c. walnuts

Then press in 8x8 pan. Then I usually cut into squares and freeze so I can have little bits here and there so it doesn't go stale.

Optional Date Frosting 

Put

• 16 dates

into 

• about 1/2 c. nut milk

Microwave about 30 seconds to 1 minute to get hot. Let sit for about 10' to soften

Process softened dates in food processor with

• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t salt
• milk from soaking if needed

Then put processed date mixture back in microwave and heat in 30 second intervals till it thickens.

Apply to brownies while hot and let cool.

Note: To be more efficient can soak the dates in hot milk while making brownies. Don't really need to clean the food processor between brownies and date frosting unless little brownie bits in the frosting bother you.

I think the original recipe came from https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/the-ultimate-unbaked-brownies-raw-vegan/

My previous recipes:

• https://katsrecipes.blogspot.com/2020/03/raw-brownies-with-date-frosting.html
• https://katsrecipes.blogspot.com/2018/01/chocolate-brownies.html

Irish Soda Bread made with buttermilk

 I was inspired to make this after watching the Hillbilly Kitchen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx9mjh0Tigs

It was easy to make. I made 1/2 recipe. It was a very dense bread, sliced and kept well. It didn't seem to rise much if at all. Next time I will put into 4x8 loaf pan and use parchment paper.  (This bread tastes sweeter than GF version.)

(See GF soda bread notes http://glutenfreekat.blogspot.com/2022/05/gluten-free-irish-soda-bread-with.html )

Combine dry ingredients

• 2 c. flour
• 3/4 t. baking soda (original was 1/2 t. I think it rises a little more with 3/4 t.*)
• 1/4 t. salt (original was 1/2 t.)

Make well and add

• 1 c buttermilk
• 1/2 egg (Optional. Supposed to lighten bread.**)
• 1 T butter (Optional. Supposed to moisten bread. I didn't do. Bread was fine.)
• sugar (Optional. Not needed. Bread was sweet.)
• raisins, currants (Optional)

Stir, don't overmix, should be crumbly. Squeeze together with hands until stuck together. Not perfectly smooth is OK. OK to leave crumbs behind in bowl.

Shape into round shape. Put in floured cast iron skillet without touching sides. Cut cross to bless bread and slits to let the fairies out. Cross and slits are supposed to help bread rise. Use your fingers to brush buttermilk left in measuring cup on top of bread. Can also brush on beaten egg if you want to. I didn't.

Let bread rest while you preheat oven to 425F.

Bake 15' at 425F. Then turn oven down to 350F and

Bake 30-60 minutes at 350F until bread is cooked in middle and sounds hollow when tapped.

Brush top with a piece of butter. Supposed to keep the crust from being too hard. (Definitely works)

• *5/6/22 Increased baking soda to 3/4 t while decreasing salt to 1/2 t. Maybe slightly better rise. Bread might be a tad more crumbly? but still sliced well and tasted good. I wonder what would happen if I slightly kneaded the bread instead of pushing it together.
• **5/7/22 Added egg. Rose higher. Made a cake like bread with yellow inside. Both versions still taste good.

Posole Rojo

 Got this recipe and some dried peppers from our friends Tammy & Dave. Very delicious!

Chile Sauce

Destem & deseed, soak till soft, about 30'

• 3/4 c dried chiles de arbol
• 4-5 dried ancho chile

Transfer to food processor, blend till smooth, strain through fine mesh, and discard solids

• soaked chiles from above
• 3/4 soaking water
• 2 smashed garlic cloves
• 1/2 t salt

Meat

Rub 

• 2 lbs pork roast butt (fatty meat, but can skim off fat) (Pork loin too dry)

with

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt

then set aside.

Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat

• 2 Tbsp veg oil

Add and cook till soft, about 5'

• 1 large onion chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Push vegetables to one side of pot and increase heat to medium high.

Add seasoned pork to other side of pot and sear till lightly brown on all sides about 5'.

Stir in

• 2 c water
• 8 c chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Bay leaf (optional)
• 1/2 - 3/4 c of above chile sauce to taste

Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, turning the pork a few times until tender, about 3 hours. (I just put in a 325F oven for 3 hours.)

Stir in

• Three 15 oz cans white hominy, drained and rinsed (I don't think I rinsed them)

Continue to simmer, uncovered until pork starts falling apart, about 1 more hour.

Remove bay leaf

Transfer pork to cutting board, roughly chop and return to the pot.

Can add some water or broth is posole is too thick.

Season with salt if needed.

Serve with assorted toppings and the remaining chile sauce.

• dice avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onion, diced/sliced radishes, fresh cilantro