Butterscotch Glaze

Pound type cakes with little or no frosting are my favorites.  This glaze is quick and easy, and it doesn't overpower the cake.  I have used this glaze on apple cake, carrot cake, and chocolate chip pound cake.  Adding finely ground pecans might be nice.

Butterscotch Glaze

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add milk or buttermilk and brown sugar, dissolving brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and boil vigorously without stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Stir in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.  Drizzle over Bundt type cake or use to frost a 9x13 inch sheet cake.

Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie

Using the turkey leftovers is the most fun part of having turkey for Thanksgiving. 

Turkey or Chicken Pot Pie

8 cups chopped vegetables:

·         2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

·         4 ribs celery, stringed and thinly sliced

·         4 carrots, thinly sliced

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups liquid (chicken or turkey broth, vegetable broth, water, or a combination of any of these)

2 cups frozen green peas, defrosted and drained

4 cups cooked, chopped turkey or chicken

¼ cup butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

Milk (approximately 1 cup)

Salt and pepper to taste

Pastry for 2 double crust pies

Place single pastry into two 9 inch pie plates or one 9x13 inch casserole; reserve remaining pastry for top crust.

The bottom crust in this case was pieced together, utilizing pastry from a previous endeavor.

In a medium saucepan, place 4 cups liquid and the 8 cups chopped vegetables; bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer vegetables until tender, approximately 30 minutes. 

I started with approximately 1 cup frozen chicken broth and added 3 cups water for cooking vegetables.

 Drain cooking liquid into a 4 cup measuring cup and set liquid aside.  Some of the liquid will have evaporated, yielding about 3 cups liquid.

Combine cooked vegetables, green peas, and turkey or chicken in a large bowl, set aside.

To prepare gravy:  Add milk to vegetable cooking liquid to equal 4 cups.  In the same saucepan in which vegetables were cooked, melt ¼ cup butter (1/2 stick).  Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter and mix until all flour is coated in fat.  Add liquid to fat/flour mixture and whisk well.  On medium heat, cook and stir until mixture is thickened and has just reached the boiling point.  Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add milk to cooking liquid to equal 4 cups.

Pour gravy over turkey/vegetable mixture and stir gently.  Pour all into prepared pie plates or casserole; top with remaining pastry.  Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until pastry is browned evenly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Refrigerator Rolls

This recipe came from my Aunt Mildred, who got it from a friend.  My aunt was one of the best cooks I have known; she always baked her rolls in muffin tins.  I tweaked it a bit to add water temperatures and mixing instructions.

Light and tender rolls! 

Refrigerator Rolls

½ cup warm tap water, 110° to 115°F

2 packages (4-1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

¾ cup melted butter or margarine

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

2 cups warm tap water, 110° to 115°F

7 cups all-purpose flour (more or less)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm tap water.  Use a food thermometer to make sure the water is within the recommended temperature range so that the yeast will be able to do its job.  Set yeast mixture aside.

The water temperature for dissolving yeast should be 110 to 115 degrees F.

In a large microwave-proof bowl, melt butter.  Add sugar, salt, and eggs; beat well with a whisk.  Add 2 cups warm tap water (again, make sure the temperature is correct) to this mixture, along with the dissolved yeast mixture.  Beat well with a whisk.  Add 2 cups flour and beat well.  Add remaining flour, about 2 cups at a time, stirring with a sturdy spoon.  Continue adding flour  until the dough is stiff and sticky. 

Dough should be stiff but not dry.

Cover bowl and refrigerate dough overnight; it may be stored up to one week.


When dough is removed from the refrigerator, it will be light and spongy.

Remove dough from refrigerator and turn onto floured board.  Knead in additional flour until the dough is not sticky.   Shape rolls as desired. 

High tech biscuit cutter, about 2.5 inches in diameter.

 

 

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.

Placed in greased muffin tins or in greased pans. 

Leave a bit of space between rolls to allow for rising.

Let rise until doubled in bulk, approximately 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bake rolls 22-28 minutes or until lightly browned.  Baking time will be influenced by the thickness of the rolls and variations in oven performance.

Variations:  Sometimes I use cooking oil rather than butter; you can reduce the oil and sugar to 1/2 cup each, if you like a less sweet and rich roll.  Brushing the rolls with melted butter immediately after removing them from the oven will make them extra yummy.

Sweet Potato Pie

This is a result of a 2013 Thanksgiving baking frenzy; it is easy to make and very tasty. 

Sweet Potato Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes, without skins

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Mix sweet potato, sugars, eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and nutmeg with a whisk or mixer.  Pour mixture into prepared pastry. 

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix; pretty simple!

Unbaked 9 inch pie crust.

 

Ready for the oven.

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the crust comes out clean.  Serves 8.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe makes a boatload of soup; halve the recipe if you like.  It freezes well; soup in the freezer is like money in the bank. 

 

Split Pea Soup

2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups chopped vegetables:
·         1 bunch carrots, thinly sliced
·         1 bunch celery, stringed and thinly sliced
·         1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 lbs. dry split peas, rinsed
4 cups chopped, cooked ham
1 ham bone
1 gallon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Sauté chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat, simmering until split peas and vegetables are tender and soup is thick, about two hours.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.   

Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

Baked and ready to dunk in a good cup of coffee.

My maternal grandmother always had ice-box cookies baked and ready to serve.  My skinny grandfather slathered butter on his cookies, and the grandkids enjoyed them for snacks.  Before we knew about Salmonella and recognized that eating raw eggs was a bad idea, she always kept a bit of leftover dough for the grandkids to eat raw, straight from the refrigerator. This recipe was always referred to as "Stella's cookies" because my grandmother got the recipe from her sister, Stella.  Why does it call for 6 teaspoons baking powder?  Who know, it doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s what the recipe calls for, and the cookies turn out just fine.

Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

2 cups light brown sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup finely chopped pecans

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream brown sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture; I use the electric mixer on low to do the preliminary mixing.  Add pecans, then mix by hand until the dough is well blended and pliable, resembling the texture of Play-Doh. 

Smooth ball of cookie dough.

Divide the dough into roughly three portions.  Tear off three sheets of waxed paper, each about 15 inches long.  Working one at a time, dust each piece of waxed paper with about a tablespoon of flour, then place a third of the dough on the sheet.  Use your hands to roll the dough into a cylinder, about 1.25 inches thick. 

About a third of the dough.



Wrap the waxed paper around the roll, tucking in ends.  Repeat for each section of dough.  If the cookies are to be baked within a few days, place the dough in the refrigerator and use as needed.  Otherwise, wrap each roll additionally with foil, label and freeze.

Shaped roll of cookie dough.

Wrap rolls in waxed paper.

Wrap again in foil; label, date, and freeze.

 

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Slice dough into pieces about 3/8 inch in thickness; place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned.

Veggie Green Chile Stew

This recipe is not by any means a copy of the Veggie Green Chile Stew served at Eske’s Brew Pub in Taos, New Mexico; rather, it is inspired by Eske’s very delicious dish.  Eske’s serves their green chile stew with ground turkey or without.  Making a green chile stew with vegetables only lends itself to the addition of ground beef, ground turkey, leftover chicken, etc. 

HEB Grocery stores in Central Texas sell hatch green chiles once a year, and I roasted a couple of batches, freezing them for later use.  Canned green chiles can be used instead of the roasted ones. 

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if preferred)

2 medium size russet potatoes, unpeeled, cubed

4 carrots, thinly sliced

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 cup roasted green chiles, chopped

Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

1 tablespoon cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeno in olive oil.  Add chicken broth, vegetables, and seasonings.  Cook until vegetables are tender, about an hour or so.  Adjust cumin, chili powder, and salt to suit your taste.  To make a creamy stew, give it a couple of passes with an immersion blender, just enough to pulverize some of the vegetables.