Who's Reading?

Here we are well into the month of April, and that means we have just a few weeks left to read "The Five Thousand Year Leap". I guess I'd better get crackin'! This is a real departure for us as it's not a novel...but educational, even inspirational, in a patriotic sense. We could use some of that right now.

Grandma says that our next book "Cotillion"  won't make us think so hard because it was chosen purely for entertainment.

It was fun seeing Tori and Ali here in St. George at Grandma's house on Sunday!  (They were down for for Ali's dance team competition.......which they won!) During dinner Tori mentioned a really good recipe for a salad, and that discussion led to the idea that we could be sharing things like recipes, and family news, and even pictures, on this blog. 

So how about it? Want to share your favorite recipe or news item? You could either send it to me directly through email and I'll put it on the blog, or you could send it as a comment to this post. Can I volunteer Tori to be first with her salad recipe?

In the mean time..........be reading "The Five Thousand Year Leap".....okay? AND it's not too late to comment on Jane Eyre!

Love,

Aunt Louise

PS Has anyone seen the new Jane Eyre movie yet? I'd like a review from someone I trust before I pay money to see it.

RECIPES

TORI'S SANTA ROSA VALLEY SALAD

• 1 box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain &Wild Rice (Original Recipe) cooked with seasonings according to directions on box
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 chicken breasts – cooked and cubed (seasoned with salt and pepper)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 oz Chinese pea pods or snap peas
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
• Lettuce for garnish (optional)

Dressing:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar 

To mix the dressing, be sure to use a cuisinart or blender of some sort (I use a handheld blender) to emulsify the dressing so that it does not separate when being stored.  I am too lazy to emulsify by hand.

This is a great salad to prepare ahead of time the night before.  To do so, prep the salad dressing, rice, and chicken.  Combine about 2/3 of the dressing with rice and chicken and store in refrigerator overnight.  Reserve the rest of the dressing to toss last-minute with salad.  Also ahead of time, prepare the peppers, onions, wash and pull strings off of peas, and chop and toast pecans, storing each in baggies until last-minute tossing.  You could also juice the lemons ahead of time and store the juice.  Last-minute , dice the avocado and put some of the lemon juice on the avocado before tossing in salad to keep the color.  Combine the rice/chicken mixture, veggies, remaining lemon juice, and remaining dressing and serve!  Each recipe serves about 8 people.  The large bowl that I made for the shower was a triple recipe – served about 34 people for luncheon.  When I double or triple the recipe, I usually cut down a bit on the pecans and avocados. 

TORI'S RASPBERRY PRETZEL SALAD:

2 c. crushed pretzels (not too fine, leave plenty of chunks!)  
2 T sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c sugar
1 pkg cream cheese
1 8 oz. carton cool whip
1 (6 oz) pkg raspberry jello
2 c. boiling water
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple with juice
1 pkg frozen raspberries

Mix crushed pretzels and 2 T sugar with melted butter.  Line in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.  Cool.  Cream together cream cheese and sugar, fold in cool whip.  Spread over pretzel crust and cool.  Dissolve raspberry jello in boiling water.  Add pineapple and frozen raspberries.  Chill until thick but not set.  Pour over cream cheese layer.  Chill until set.  

My 2 cents... I like my pretzel layer thicker, so I usually double it.  I also think the recipe tastes better (of course)  with real whipping cream instead of cool whip.  Make sure when you are putting the cream cheese layer in the pan that you "shore up" the sides.  You don't want any of the jello to leak down to the crust.  Also, err on the side of the jello being more set than runnier when you pour it on.   I've used other fruits and other jello flavors that we've really liked.  Just make sure that the fruit you choose is cut into small enough pieces.  


TORI'S "MY FUDGE"(This is actually a lot like Carnation's recipe, but I've tweaked a few things)  

2 T. salted butter (melted)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk (a little tiny bit less is best)
2 c. mini marshmallows 
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips  
1 t. (plus a little bit more) vanilla
1 t. mint extract (optional)  or sea salt (optional)  

Line 8x8  pan with foil. Combine butter, sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan.  (Have the rest of the ingredients measured and combined before going to the stove...including the mint extract if you prefer, but not the sea salt).  Stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat and continue stirring for 3-5 minutes- until it pulls away from the pan as you are stirring.  Remove from heat and immediately stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are melted and the fudge starts to lose it's shine.  Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle the top with sea salt (optional-- I do not like the sea salt option if I've added the mint extract!)  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to evaporate excess moisture.  You may need to remove the fudge from the foil and flip over to "dry out" the other side.  The texture should be so that you can touch it (or cut it) at room temperature and not have it leave fudge on your fingers (or knife).  (It should go without saying, but your fudge may absorb gross refrigerator odors- clean out your fridge before you put your fudge in there!!)  

(In case it's useful to anyone else, I make about 20 batches of this at Christmas to give away to neighbors and friends with some other homemade candies, so I have on my recipe card that for 10 batches you need 3 bags marshmallows, 1 pound butter, 7 bags chocolate chips, 4 cans milk and about 8 lbs. sugar.)  

THANKS TORI! THESE SOUND SO GOOD!

I hope we have more coming from some of you other great cooks.......and I know you're all great cooks!!!

AUNT LOUISE'S BUTTER ROLLS

Dissolve 2 tablespoons yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

In mixing bowl combine: 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup warm water

Add: 3 well beaten eggs & yeast mixture

Sift & Add: 4 1/2 cups flour & 2 teaspoons salt

• Stir well. Put in greased bowl and cover tightly with sprayed plastic wrap.  Put in fridge for a few hours or over night. 
  
• Melt 1 1/2 -2 cubes of butter. 
  
• Punch down and roll out dough on well floured board 1/2 at a time, to the thickness of pie crust. 
  
• Spread approximately 1/2 square of melted butter on rolled dough. (Sometimes I use a pastry brush, and sometimes I just pour it on and spread it with the back of a spoon or clean fingers.) 
• Roll like a jelly roll, and cut in 1 1/2 inch sections (use serrated knife or dental floss). 
• Dip in melted butter and place in muffin tins. 
  
• Cover lightly with sprayed plastic wrap and let raise for approximately 2 hours. 
  
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. (You may need to cover them lightly with tin foil if they are browning too quickly.)
  
• Don’t let them sit in muffin tins too long after taking from oven. 
  

Should yield at least 2 dozen rolls.

Mother Hinckley's Visiting Teaching COCONUT BREAD

Grease and flour 3 medium loaf pans. (I use 3”x 6 1/2” aluminum loaf pans) 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat 4 eggs.

Add: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup oil, 2 tsp. coconut flavoring, 1 cup buttermilk*, 1 cup flaked coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans. Stir.

Add 3 cups flour sifted with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir well.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in loaf (barely) comes out clean. (Don’t overbake.)

While baking bring to boil 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons butter in small sauce pan, or cook for 5 minutes on medium.  Take from heat, and add 1 tsp. coconut flavoring.

Spread hot glaze over warm bread and cool.**

*I use the powdered buttermilk so here I just add 1 cup water then add the powdered buttermik to the dry ingredients to be sifted.

** I usually put the loaves on a cookie cooling rack which is over some waxed paper, then the icing can run down and off the loaves onto the waxed paper and I can keep dipping it back upon the loaves until it begins to set up. I use both a spoon and a pastry brush to spread the glaze. Be sure to put the glaze on the sides of the loaves as well as the top.

If you like coconut you will LOVE this bread!