Jewel Box Cookies

Jewel Box  Cookies

Ingredients:

•	1 cup plus 2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
•	1/3 cup sugar
•	1/2 cup butter, softened
•	1 large egg yolk, beaten
•	1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•	1/4 cup Cherry Preserves, or your favorite jam or preserves

Directions:

1	COMBINE flour and sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until coarse crumbs form. Add beaten egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until dough holds together.
2	SHAPE into small balls using half teaspoonfuls. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Make small indentation in center of each cookie. Chill 20 minutes.
3	HEAT oven to 350°F. Fill each cookie with scant 1/4 teaspoon jam, jelly or preserves. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until just golden around the edges.
TIP	For added sparkle, unbaked cookies may be rolled in coarse bakery sugar crystals available from my shoppe before being placed on cookie sheet to chill.  Pin It

Every Lady's Cook Book

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Party Wraps With Cream Cheese And Salami

Shared with me from a good friend at Group Recipes

Ingredients

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• 1/2 of an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion or snipped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• Dash ground black pepper
• Salami, Pastrami&Pepperoni Tortilla Wraps (see recipe) or Fig&Cranberry Wraps (see recipe)

How to make it

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• 1. For spread: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, green onion, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours.
• 2. Let spread stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Use spread to make Salami, Pastrami & Pepperoni Tortilla Wraps or Fig & Cranberry Wraps.
• Makes 16 appetizer servings (2 slices each)
• ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
• Salami, Pastrami & Pepperoni Tortilla Wraps
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the Savory Cream Cheese Spread evenly over each of four 10-inch plain or flavored flour tortillas.
• Evenly divide and layer 8 ounces thinly sliced sopressata salami or prosciutto, 5 ounces thinly sliced pastrami, corned beef or cooked beef and one 3-1/2 ounce package sliced pepperoni atop one half of each tortilla.
• Carefully roll each tortilla tightly into a spiral, starting with the edge with the meat.
• (For make-ahead, wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 to 24 hours before serving.)
• To serve, if made-ahead, let wraps stand at room temperature for 10 minutes; remove the plastic wrap. Trim ends off wraps; bias-slice each wrap crosswise into 8 slices. If necessary, secure with toothpicks. If you like, arrange on shredded lettuce.

Chocolate Kisses Truffles

Liners available in our webstore, the gold is now available Photo courtesy of Betty Crocker

 A lovely use for our mini liners we sell in our web store! I do not often use a mix for anything but I must say these turned out amazing and I will put them on my cookie exchange list every year! I love when a new tradition is born, don't you?

Ingredients

• 1 pouch Betty Crocker® Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup brute 80% Cocoa
• 60 HERSHEY®'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates, or cherry HERSHEY®'S KISSES unwrapped

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, egg, flour, cocoa, almonds and extract until soft dough forms.

Shape dough into 60 3/4-inch balls; wrap each around a milk chocolate candy. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Re-roll cookies in powdered sugar. Store tightly covered. About 5 dozen cookies.

Neapolitan Style Lasagne

This is a fantastic recipe with great chef tips, Neapolitan food has always intrigued my palette and I hope you enjoy this recipe that was given to me as much as I have enjoyed it. You can find more recipes, I have learned by clicking here NEAPOLITAN 

Easy dish to make ahead for Thanksgiving! That is what I do.

Servings 8

For pasta

• 1 lb all-purpose flour
• 5 oz eggs
• ⅜ oz extra virgin olive oil
• salt to taste

For filling

• meat sauce
• pork sausage, sautè
• ricotta cheese
• egg, hard-boiled
• mozzarella cheese
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese or grated romano and parmesan mix

Preparation

1 hour preparation + 40 minutes cooking

Step 1

In a small casserole, gently fry the chopped lard with the oil and the chopped vegetables. Add the minced meat. Meanwhile hard-boil the eggs. ( be very careful not to over boil the eggs, see chef tips below)

Step 2

Brown the mixture for a few minutes, pour the wine over it, sprinkle with the marjoram and season with salt & pepper.

Step 3

When the wine has evaporated, mix in a small amount of flour and leave to cook for some minutes. Then add the tomatoes and finish cooking for about 1 hour, if necessary thinning with a little stock.

Step 4

While the sauce is cooking, make the fresh pasta. Roll the dough out into a very thin sheet and cut it into 4x6 inches rectangles. Cook the rectangles in abundant boiling salted water. Once they are cooked, drain them and cool them immediately in cold water.

Step 5

In a buttered oven dish, arrange the pasta in layers, dressing each layer with the meat sauce.

Step 6

On top of the sauce, uniformly distribute the sausage (previously fried in garlic and parsley) cut into in small pieces, the ricotta, the hard-boiled eggs in wedges or slices and the mozzarella in cubes.

Step 7

Close off with a sheet of pasta and sprinkle grated Parmesan on top. Put the dish into a moderate oven (350°F) for around 40 minutes. Once it is cooked, well-browned on the surface, leave it to rest before serving.

Chef's Tips

The eggs must be immersed in boiling salted water and left to cook for 9 minutes. In this way the yolk does not become green.
Then they should be cooled immediately under running cold water, so that they can easily be shelled. When the pasta is immersed in boiling water it must be stirred immediately, to avoid the sheets sticking to one another. It is a good idea to leave the lasagna to rest after cooking, so that the pasta absorbs any excess moisture. In this way the portions may be cut more regularly and uniformly.

Food history

Carnevale (Carnival) is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent and is associated with catholic faith.
The Italian word Carnevale derives from Latin Carnem Levare (to remove meat): the forty days of Lent serve to commemorate the Passion of Jesus and many foods, such as meat, are forbidden.
Before Lent, people take a large celebration and Carnival recipes are generally rich and nourishing.

Sweet White Bread

Sweet White Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. (very important)
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. (make sure room is warm when rising your bread)
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Turtle Cake with Cream Cheese

This cake has got to be hands down a recipe I found and ran with it, and never stopped running! A great holiday favourite, and truly there are no turtles in it. So if you happened to be one of those kids (like me) and a couple others I have met online, who witnessed the Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr make turtle soup with a live turtle,  and then murder your brothers innocent turtle, all in the name of the art of cooking, well then this will make you grin for sure!

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• 1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
• 1 18.25-ounce box chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into pieces, room temperature

Frosting

• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup purchased caramel-flavored topping or dulce de leche topping

Preparation

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal cake pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over bottom of pan. Combine cake mix, 1 1/4 cups water, oil, and eggs in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until mixture is moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar (mixture will form clumps); stir in cream cheese. Whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour cream cheese mixture in large ribbons atop cake batter in pan. Using knife, swirl mixture into batter (do not overmix).
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center (in cake part only) comes out clean, about 50 minutes (bottom of cake will be very moist). Cool cake in pan on rack. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup pecans over cake.

Frosting

• Mix sugar and cocoa in medium bowl. Bring milk and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; add powdered sugar mixture and whisk until melted. Add chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Mix in vanilla.
• Drizzle warm icing over cake. Let stand until set, about 2 hours. Drizzle caramel topping over. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.

Italian Lemon Slice

Italian Lemon Slice

A Cupcakery dot com

3 c flour
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 c oleo or (butter)
1 c sugar
1 t. fresh lemon juice (also grate rind of lemon)
3 eggs
Sift flour, baking powder & salt You can add anise powder here if you like it, I do not. In large bowl cream butter, sugar & flavoring, beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture. Mix well, turn out onto flour table and knead for a few minutes, add flour a little at a time so it won’t be sticky. Divide into three or four balls. Roll each ball into a 1″ diameter cookie rolls (logs). Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle top with colored sugar & press down slightly before baking or roll each log in coloured sugar. Bake 350° 25 min.  Slice about 1/2″ slices while still warm. ( I use a serrated knife that you would slice bread with) Spread on paper towel covered cooling rack to cool. You can also sprinkle with confectioners sugar when sliced. It is pretty. Store in airtight container.

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties Source: Cooking dot com and adapted by Lyndsay Zoratti
I made this recipe so many times this summer, and will have to say it is a fave of all our customers and me!  Try tucking a rolo, or a maraschino cherry in each one. Ohhh boy! Makes approx 5 dozen
INGREDIENTS 1 cup peanut butter* 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened 3 cups confectioners' sugar 5 dozen miniature pretzel twists (about 3 cups)    Rolo candies, maraschino cherries optional 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips 1 tablespoon vegetable oil               DIRECTIONS In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar until combined. Shape into 1-in. balls; You can tuck rolo candies, or maraschino cherries in each one and they are soooo good! Press one firmly on each pretzel. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until peanut butter mixture is firm, about 1 hour. In a microwave-safe bowl or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and oil. Dip the peanut butter ball into chocolate. Return to baking sheet, pretzel side down. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator. *Please Note: Reduced-fat or generic-brand peanut butter is not recommended for use in this recipe. You must also use BUTTER or the balls will not harden correctly. We also tucked maraschino cherries in some ... YUMMY!

Macaroni Montparnasse

Macaroni Montparnasse
adapted from America's cook book 1942
1 package (8 oz.) macaroni (home made twisted is best)
i medium-sized onion, sliced
6 tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, sliced into 6 slices at deli
Cook macaroni until , al ˈdɛnte Cook onions and tomatoes 10 minutes; add salt, pepper, garlic and macaroni; mix well and turn into 6 greased cups or a large casserole. Bake in hot oven (425 F) for 10 minutes; cover top with a layer if Swiss cheese, and bake 10 minutes longer, or until cheese has melted and browned. 
Serves  6


How easy is that being French Enjoy!