Recipe File

The 2008 million-dollar-winning recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off® is this fresh take on an old favorite created by Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, Maryland

Ingredients
1/4 cup Fisher® Dry Roasted Peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup Domino® or C&H® Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup JIF® Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Domino® or C&H® Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create ‘n Bake® refrigerated peanut butter cookies, well chilled

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls.
3. Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.
4. Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/4-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough.
5. Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

A runner-up in a 2007 recipe contest sponsored by Plugrá European Style Butter, this recipe exemplifies what Chef Trip Kadey means when he says that compound butters are “a wave of the future when it comes to using butter… Compound butters are a beautiful way to add a burst of flavor to entrees, vegetables or desserts.”

Ingredients
2/3 cup chopped pecans
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 cup Plugra Unsalted Butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
Instructions

• Toast pecans in dry small saute pan over medium heat until pecans start to brown.  Stir often.  Add garlic and lemon zest, cook until fragrant, using caution to avoid burning zest or garlic.  Remove from pan to cool.
• Transfer cooled mixture to bowl of food processor.  Add basil and hot sauce; process until smooth.
• Add softened Plugra butter, salt and pepper.  Process until well combined.
• Use immediately or transfer to a 10-inch by 10-inch piece of wax paper; rolled tightly to create long tube shape.  Wrap with plastic and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
• Cut into coin-shaped pieces and use to top grilled fish, steak or chicken; toss with steamed vegetables or hot pasta; or spread over warm bread.

Some traditional Turkish flavors are found in this dish from The Cook-Ahead Cookbook by Cynthia MacGregor. Used by permission.

Servings: 3-4.

1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 cup freshly grated ginger
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced, pitted kalamata olives
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small eggplant, peeled, thinly sliced and slices quartered
1 cup cooked rice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oven to 350°. In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, wine and Worcestershire sauce.

Place lamb, onion, garlic, rice, seasonings and olives in a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Add 1/2 of the tomato sauce mixture and knead together thoroughly with your hands.

Press 1/2 of the meat mixture evenly into pan. Layer eggplant evenly over meat. Press remaining meat mixture over eggplant.

Add yogurt and feta cheese to remaining tomato sauce mixture, stirring to combine. Spread it over meat mixture. Bake for 1 hour. Cut into servings with a
pancake turner.

Freeze each portion wrapped in aluminum foil.

Reheat in a 350° oven in same foil on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes.

“My Christmas was bean soup without bread. The boys are not seeing a good deal of fun,” wrote Johnny Jackman in his diary 130 years ago.A trooper in the 9th Kentucky of the Confederacy, Jackman’s lean Christmas was shared by thousands of other young American men in 1863. Food supplies for the armies of the Civil War were usually limited to the basics and deprivations were common. If they filled their journals with reviews of their meals it was because these events were often the highlight of an otherwise dismal day.

In 1864, Jackman’s Christmas holiday was a little brighter: fresh pork, baked sweet potatoes, hardtack.

Civil War historian William C. Davis has compiled an authoritative record of the conflict’s cuisine, describing the menus of the camp commissaries and how selected dishes were prepared. Published by Running Press, Civil War Cookbook combines historic photographs and reportage with handsome studio portraits of meals and kitchen accoutrements. More than four dozen authentic Civil War era recipes are included, from Southern gumbo and rice bread to Yankee doughnuts.

The sweet potatoes Johnny Jackman referred to in his diary may have been prepared as sweet potato pudding for holiday fare. Here’s the recipe Davis found:

Sweet Potato Pudding

6 medium-sized sweet potatoes (white or orange-fleshed)
1 C milk
1 C sugar
3 eggs
Juice of a lemon
1 tsp cinnamon

Boil the potatoes for 30 minutes until soft and mash with the milk to a smooth consistency. Add the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and cinnamon, and beat until smooth. Pour into a shallow, lightly buttered dish and bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Source:

Civil War Cookbook
A Unique Collection of Traditional Recipes and Anecdotes from the Civil War Period
by William C. Davis

(from The Cook’s Tales: Origins of Famous Foods and Recipes by Lee Edwards Benning)

3 medium-size onions, thinly sliced
2 T butter
1 T flour
2 C consomme’
4 C water
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C scalded milk
6 slices stale French bread, lightly toasted
2 T melted butter
1/4 lb. grated Gruyere cheese

Cook onions until golden brown in butter. Sprinkle flour over them and stir until it is incorporated and free of lumps. Add consomme and water. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. Add milk, the secret ingredient. Put a slice of buttered bread in the bottom of a heatproof soup bowl, pour soup on top, and sprinkle with cheese. Place in 450 degree F oven until cheese is melted. Serves 8.

(from The Cook’s Tales: Origins of Famous Foods and Recipes by Lee Edwards Benning)

3 lbs of flour
grated nutmeg
2 oz. ginger
1 lb. sugar (dark brown)
3 t pearl ash (a.k.a. potash, baking soda) dissolved in cream
1 lb. butter
4 eggs

Knead it stiff. Shape it to your fancy. Bake 15 minutes.

Katie Spencer of Taylorsville, Utah, received the grand prize in the 10-Minute Mainstays recipe contest sponsored by Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking magazine.

Ingredients
6 frozen breaded spicy chicken breast strips
one 6-ounce package fresh baby spinach
one medium tomato, cut into 12 wedges
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup fresh baby carrots
one 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
# one 11-ounce can Mexicorn, drained
# 3 tablespoons salsa
# 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
# 3 tablespoons prepared ranch salad dressing
# 2 tablespoons shredded Mexican cheese blend

Heat chicken strips in a microwave oven according to package directions.

Arrange spinach on individual plates, top with tomato, green pepper, carrots, beans and corn. In a small bowl, combine salsa, barbecue sauce and ranch dressing.

Place chicken over salads. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

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Excerpted from The Church Ladies’ Celestial Suppers and Sensible Advice by Brenda Rhodes Miller. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission of HP Books.

Use Dungeness, snow crab clusters, or dressed blue crabs in this recipe.

A very hot fire guarantees that the crabs will cook quickly. Put a stick of butter in an ovenproof dish right on the grill so you’ll have melted butter for dipping.

Ingredients:

12 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 pounds crab in the shell
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Chop 6 sprigs of the thyme. Combine the olive oil, chopped thyme, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the crabs to the bowl and rub the olive oil mixture into the shells and meat. Stick the remaining sprigs of thyme into the crabs. Put the butter in a heatproof pan and set on a hot grill to melt. Add the crabs to the grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes, basting with the melted butter, until their shells turn red. Lower the grill temperature to medium-low, turn the crabs over, and baste again with the butter. Close the grill lid and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the shells are slightly charred. Serve with mallets, cocktail forks, and crackers to get the meat from the shell. Use the remaining melted butter as a dipping sauce.

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Recipe and photo courtesy of National Pork Board

This hearty soup is easy to put together just before serving. Serve with buttered rye bread, celery and carrot sticks and fresh fruit.

Ingredients
* 2 boneless pork chops, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 cup cooked wild rice
* 1 15 1/2-ounce can great Northern beans, drained
* 1 15 1/2-ounce can chick peas, drained
* 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
* 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
* 1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
* Chopped parsley

In 4-quart saucepan sauté onions and pork in oil over medium-high heat until onions are soft and pork lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients except parsley; bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

To make one cup cooked wild rice, bring to a boil 1 1/3 cups water (or broth) with 1/3 cup wild rice; cover, lower heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes. Refrigerate until using.

Serves 6

Wine suggestion: Serve with a soft red like Merlot.

From The County Fair Cookbook by Lyn Stallworth and Rod Kennedy.

(Stallworth and Kennedy collected more than 200 “down-home” recipes from food booths, exhibit barns and blue ribbon prize-winners across the country and compiled them in their cookbook along with descriptions of nearly 100 county fairs.)

Grandma Dykstra’s Apple Cake

In Grandview, Wash., the Yakima Valley Junior Fair is held for four days in mid-August and is run by 4-H and FFA members. Located in “The Fruit Bowl of the Nation” and surrounded by orchards, the fair naturally features many apple-based cooking contests.

Denise Dykstra, a 4-H member, won a blue ribbon for the following dessert at the Junior Fair in a competition sponsored by the Washington Apple Commission.

2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 t vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 cups peeled, sliced Washington apples
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking soda and salt and beat for 1 minute. Beat in the remaining flour, then fold in the apples and walnuts. Spread the batter in a greased 9×11x2-inch baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Makes 1 cake.