Mom's Pepperoni Rolls

Yum!

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/4 C warm water (105º to 115º)
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/4 C sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 T shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 cups flour, divided
• 5 oz package pepperoni
• 1 C shredded mozzarella
• 2 3 oz cans chopped green chilis, drained

Dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Combine milk, sugar, salt & shortening in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until shortening melts. Cool to 105º to 115º. Stir yeast into milk mixture. Add egg and 1 1/2 C flour; beat on medium speed of electric mixer until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover dough & let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. (Mom puts the oven on at 200º for about 5 minutes, turns it off lets it cool a bit (too hot, you'll kill the yeast and then lets in rise in there.)

Punch dough down. Place on floured surface and roll out to an 18- x 19" rectangle; cut into 18 (~3") squares.

Dice the pepperoni. Place about 1 T pepperoni, 1 T cheese & 1 T peppers on each square. Roll up dough, pressing edges to seal; place seam-side down in a greased 13- x 9-x 2" pan. Cover and let rise 45 min. or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350º for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Dad's Grilled Pizza

No one who's ever eaten this pizza has failed to fall madly in love with it. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit, 1997, but has been altered! (Most notably, goat cheese has been removed & sweet Italian sausage has been substituted for spicy.)

Dough

• 1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups (or more) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Combine water and sugar in a food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, then 3 cups flour and salt. Process until dough comes together, about 1 minute.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Sprinkle with rosemary. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 5 minutes.Lightly oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic, then towel. Let stand in warm draft-free area until dough doubles, about 1 hour. To test that the dough has risen sufficiently, push two fingers into it. The depressions should remain.

Punch down dough. Knead dough in bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Stretch out each piece on floured surface to 9-inch round or a rectangular shape which I think is easier to cook on the grill. To prevent the dough from sticking as you stretch it, use flour sparingly; too much will result in a tough crust.

Toppings

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages
• 2 yellow or red bell peppers, cored, lengthwise
• 1 large red onion, peeled, cut through root end into 1/2-inch thick wedges

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Let vinaigrette stand 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate up to 2 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Arrange sausages, peppers and onion on baking sheet. Brush with some of vinaigrette. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill sausages until cooked through and peppers and onion until slightly charred and crisp-tender, turning and basting occasionally, about 12 minutes for sausages and 8 minutes for peppers and onion.

Transfer sausages and vegetables to cutting board. Cut sausages into 1/2-inch pieces and peppers into thin strips.

Final preparation

• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, chopped (optional)
  

Add coals to barbecue if necessary. Place 2 dough rounds on grill. Grill over medium heat until top of dough puffs and underside is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn rounds over. Grill 1 minute. Transfer to baking sheet with well-grilled side up. This side of the dough becomes the surface that will hold the toppings.

Repeat with the remaining 2 dough rounds / rectangles. Sprinkle each with 1/4 of mozzarella and Parmesan. Top each with 1/4 of sausage, peppers and onion, then with tomatoes. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons vinaigrette.

Using large metal spatula, return 2 pizzas to grill. Close grill or cover pizzas loosely with foil. Grill until cheeses melt and dough is cooked through and browned, using tongs to rotate pizzas. Transfer to plates. Repeat grilling for remaining 2 pizzas.

Twice-baked Shrimp Potatoes

Mom made this over the holidays in 2005. It is divine.

• 6 large Idaho potatoes
• Vegetable oil, for coating
• 8 TBSP butter
• 2 C grated cheddar, plus a little more for sprinkling
• 2 C grated Montery Jack
• 2 C sour cream
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled & sauteed in butter (you could add a little garlic, too)
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika (to taste or aesthetic enjoyment)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash & dry potatoes, then gently prick with a fork on the sides. Coat each potato with vegetable oil & bake for about an hour.

Put the butter in a generous-sized bowl. Once potatoes are baked, cut a generous opening in the top of each & carefully scoop out potato with a spoon, putting the potato innards into the bowl w/ butter. (It's easiest to remove potato when hot, but it also hurts to hold a hot potato, so have oven mitts handy!) With a ricer or masher (or mixer, but ricers or mashers are better because mixers can make the potatoes a tad too starchy), mix the potatoes & butter with sour cream, salt & pepper. Fold the shrimp and both cheeses into the mixture.

Carefully re-stuff potatoes with as much mixture as you can. Sprinkle each potato with cheese & paprika. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes - until fully re-heated & a bit browned on top.

Mom's Basic Tomato Sauce

Mom should read this to see if she agrees with it or if I've bastardized this over the years...

• 1 large can (it's the one that's around 30 oz) Contadina crushed tomatoes (I prefer Contadina, but Hunts is okay, too. Just don't use on of those pre-seasoned ones.
  
• 5 cloves of garlic (to taste, I love garlic, so you might want to cut back to 2-3 cloves), chopped finely
• 1 TBSP butter (Use real butter, not margarine. If you don't have real butter, just double the olive oil, but really I think the bit of butter is tres important)
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP fresh basil, chopped finely (you can use dried basil, but generally if I don't have fresh, the sauce just doesn't get any basil & it tastes fine)
• 1 cube chicken bouillon (this cuts the acidity just as well as sugar - you can skip this ingredient if you're going to add meat to it)
• 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano or romano pecorino
  
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil & melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic & cook for a couple minutes, until garlic is slightly golden. Add tomatoes, bouillon, basil, cheese, salt & pepper. Simmer for a couple hours. If you're pressed for time, at least half an hour.

White Lasagna

People who don't like mushrooms like this. It's divine.

lasagna base

• 8 oz lasagna noodles
• 1 ½ lbs small curd cottage cheese
• 16 oz grated mozzarella
• 4 oz shredded parmesan reggiano
  

creamed mushrooms

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 lb mushrooms washed & sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced finely (optional & not in original recipe, but Jen always makes it this way)
  
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup flour
• ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley

Sauté mushrooms in butter & lemon juice until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add flour and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Add milk and parsley, stir frequently until nicely thickened.

In a greased 13x9x2 pan, layer noodles, cottage cheese, creamed mushrooms, mozzarella & parmesan.

Oven-Barbequed Shrimp

You can eat this with your fingers! On a table covered with newspaper. Even as an adult, Jen still thinks this is super cool. It's a crime against nature not to eat this with a big loaf of sourdough bread, thickly sliced & cold beer.

* 2 lbs unpeeled shrimp (medium to large)
* 1 lb butter
* 1 tablespoons poupon mustard
* 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
* ½ teaspoon oregano
* ¼ teaspoon basil
* ¼ teaspoon thyme
* 2 tsp black pepper
* 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
* 1 small onion, grated
* ¼ cup of Old Bays seasoning
* 1/2 tsp tabasco (or to taste)
* 1 tsp liquid smoke (and not a drop more or it will be disgusting - the recipe doesn't work without it, though)

Melt butter in a skilled then add all spices. Preheat oven to 375°. Put shrimp in a baking dish (I generally use my big lasagna pan) and cover with butter & spice mixture. Cook for approximately 20 minutes. Start checking to see if it's done at about 15 minutes. The worst thing you can possibly do is overcook this.

Grandma Nolan's Refrigerator Dessert

No date on this, but I remember it very fondly from childhood.

• 40 crushed Ritz crackers
• 1/4 lb butter, melted
• 2 packages instant coconut pudding
• 1 1/2 C milk
• 1 qt butter pecan ice cream, softened
• 12 oz Cool Whip
  
• nuts, chopped finely & added to Ritz as you wish
  

In a pan, make a crust with the crackers and butter, leaving some of the crackers to the side as a topping. Beat pudding with milk for 2 minutes. Fold it in with the softened ice cream & Cool Whip; spread over the cracker crust. Sprinkle nuts and leftover crackers as a decorative topping. Freeze for 10 hours before serving.

Jen's Orange Julius

There was a summer when we were living at 5488 where I could not stop making these.

3 oz frozen orange juice
1/2 C milk
1/2 C water
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C crushed ice

Put all ingredients in a blender & blend until all the ice chunks are incorporated. Enjoy!

Caramel Ice Cream

This is Pat Nolan's, from 2008. Mom has a note that it's "yummy" which is underlined three times with two exclamation points.

• 2 C flour
• 1/2 C uncooked Quaker oats
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 lb butter, melted
• 1 C walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
• Large jar of caramel topping
• 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
  

Mix flour, sugar & oats together, then stir in butter & nuts. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet & bake at 350 for 15 minutes. While hot, stir with fork to make fine crumbs.

Cool and spread 1/2 of the crumbs on the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Drizzle half of a jar of caramet topping over the crumbs. Cover with ice cream and sprinkle the top with remaining crumbs.

Keep in freezer.

Aunt Ginny's Fruit Dip

This has been around forever and is so, so good.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 C brown sugar
2 T vanilla
2-3 tsp milk, if necessary

Mix ingredients together, using a little milk if it's too thick. Then dip fruit! (You can make this a day or two ahead.)

Coffee Ice Cream Sundae

This recipe comes from Caroline Hadler. Mom made it once for Dan & Laura who raved about it.

Praline

• 2/3 C white sugaer
• 2 T almonds, slivered

Cook sugar & almonds until melted. Pour onto waxed paper. Once cool, break into pieces.

Syrup

• 1/2 C brewed coffee
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 T brandy
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cook coffee and sugar until it melts and thickens (10 - 15 min). Add brandy & vanilla; stir.

To serve: place coffee ice cream in dishes, pour on syrup and then add praline pieces. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top.

English Muffin Loaves

1981 - When we lived in Argentina, Anne Dressler and I would run to our house for these & beg mom to keep making us more slices.

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 6 C flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 T sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 C milk
• 1/2 C water
• Cornmeal

Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda. Heat liquids until very warm. Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make a stiff batter. Spooin into two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 in pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Sprinkle tops with cornmeal. Cover & let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately & cool.

To serve: slice and toast!

Alison's Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

Ryan's wife Alison made these and mom immediately demanded the recipe. 2007

• 1 C brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 C flour
• 1 C chopped pecans
• 2/3 C butter, melted
  
• 2 eggs, beaten

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour & pecans. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine melted butter and beaten eggs. Mix well. Stir into flour mixture just until moisturized.

Fill greased and floured muffin tins until 2/3 full then bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown, about 17-20 minutes.

Consensus around the table was that these taste extra good when you dip them Cool Whip!

Grandma Nolan's Angels' Delight

No idea of the year, but we found this in Grandma's recipe box and mom remembers it being very delicious.

• 6 oz bag of chocolate chips
• 1 square unsweetened chocolate
• 3 T powdered sugar
• 4 eggs, separated (whites beaten stiff but not dry)
  
• 1 C whipping cream, whipped
  
• 1/2 C nuts, chopped
• 1/2 lb Angel Food cake

Butter a 9x13" pan and break cake into it. Melt chocolate chips & chocolate square in top of double boiler. Add sugar and egg yolks one at a time; beat after each one. Add whipped cream, then fold in egg whites. Add nuts. Pour mixture over cake and chill at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. May be served with whipped cream and a cherry.

The Christmas Fudge (a.k.a. "Fantasy Fudge")

The recipe isn't in Mom's handwriting & has no date. We remember from forever, of course, so who knows its origin?

• 3 C sugar
• 3/4 C margarine
• 2/3 C evaporated milk
• 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme
• 1 C chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly (your arm is tired by now!). Remove from heat & stir in chocolate pieces until melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts, vanilla & beat until well-blended. Pour into a greased 13x9" pan. Cool & cut in squares.

Mississippi Mud

Carol Jackson, 1976. Jen has extremely fond memories of this dish. It sounds like it may just be the most unhealthy dessert ever, too, which only argues for its divinity.

• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 C powdered cocoa
• 2 C sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 C flour
• titch of salt
• 1 1/2 C chopped nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 package of mini marshmallows

Melt butter & mix in cocoa. Stir in sugar & eggs, mixing well. Add flour and salt, blending well. Add nuts and vanilla.

Pour into greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven & cover with marshmallows. Return to oven for 10 minutes, remove & then spread icing.

Icing

• 1 1/2 sticks melted butter
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1/3 C cocoa
• 1/2 C evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C nuts, chopped

Sift cocoa and sugar together; add butter, milk, vanilla & nuts. Mix well. Spread onto cake over the marshmallows. Let firm then cut into 1" squares.

Jen's Proscuitto & Pineapple Dip

Jen brought this to the farms 4th of July celebration in 2001

• 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
• large dollop of sour cream
• lots of toasted pine nuts (toast in oven on a baking sheet until golden brown)
• 1/4 lb (or so) of proscuitto, chopped finely
• 2 T crushed pineapple

Mix all ingredients together & serve with crackers or warm, crusty bread.

Danny's Peanut Butter Squares

Part II of Danny's homework exercise! (Click on picture to enlarge.)

Danny's Golden Banana Muffins

Mom remembers Dan sitting at the dining room table at 5488, writing this out as a homework exercise. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

Laura's Crack Dip

From the greatly esteemed Mrs. Laura Korus, 2007

• Softened cream cheese (8 oz?)
• 1 can of Hormel Chili - no beans!
• Shredded Mexican blend cheese (8 oz?)

Spread cheese on the bottom of a pan, cover with chili & top with cheese. Bake in oven!

Shrimp Mousse

From Peg Brown, December 1980

• 7 oz can of shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 C celery, diced finely
• 1/4 C onion, diced finely
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 envelope of Knox gelatin dissolved in 1/4 C of boiling water
• 1/2 C mayonnaise
• 1/2 can tomato soup
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Heat soup to boiling then lower to a simmer. Stir in cream cheese until dissolved & smooth. Add salt and pepper, dissolved gelatin & stir well. Remove from heat.

When cooled, add other ingredients & pour into a small mold. Chill until firm. Serve on a bed of attractively arranged fresh lettuce.

If it falls apart when you're taking it out of the mold, just dump it in a bowl, stir it up & pretend you meant to serve it that way!

Brie Baked in Puffed Pastry

from The Washington Post, December 13, 1989

• 1 round of Brie (1-2 lbs)
• 1 package of frozen puffed pastry, defrosted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• A handful of scallions, chopped & sauteed in butter

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the puff pastry to an even thickness of 1/4 in. Wrap puff pastry around the brie & scallions. Tuck under & cut any extra off. Brush the edges with the egg to help adhere & then brush it all over with the dough.

You can use the extra dough to cut out neat decorative shapes - Mom typically does leaves!

Bake the brie in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

This can be prepared (except for the baking part) and kept in the refrigerator for up to two days in advance.

Mexican Caviar

Carol Sheppard (Annie's friend) brought this to the 4th of July many times, including 2007.

• 15 oz can black beans
• 15 oz can kidney beans
• 15 oz can chick peas (Mom doesn't like these & skips them)
  
• 15 oz can small white beans
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 oz can diced green chilies (or 1 chopped jalapeno)
• 15 oz can of corn (fiesta style is best)
• 1 red onion, chopped finely
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped

Dressing

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T lemon juice
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T salt
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped finely
• 1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro (Carol always adds more)
• 1/2 T ground cumin
• 1/2 T black pepper

Drain all of the canned ingredients & mix everything in a large bowl. In another bowl, add all of the ingredients for the dressing & whisk well. Pour over the rest and stir.

Blue Cheese Ball

From Rhea, not long after she married Mike.

• 12 oz. cream cheese
• 3 oz. Maytag blue cheese (you can use less or more depending on your love of blue cheese)
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 T chopped green pepper
• 1 T pimento, chopped
• 1/2 C crushed pecans (or walnuts)
  

Shape into ball & chill. Roll in the nuts & serve!

Gala Pecan Spread

From an Army magazine Dad used to get. We can't remember its name. We're also not sure of the date, but the newspaper is quite yellowed! We're guesstimating it's from the 70s.

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2-oz jar of dried beef, chopped well
• 1/4 C finely chopped green pepper
  
• 2 T dried onion flakes
• a titch of garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1/2 C chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, dried beef, green pepper, onion and seasonings. Fold in sour cream and mix well. Sprinkle pecans on top & serve with crackers (Sociables!)

Carol Jackson’s Jalapeno Dip

July 1985

• ¾ C sharp cheddar, grated
• 1 5 oz jar of Kraft Pimento Cheese spread
• 1 5 oz jar of Old English cheese spread
• 8 oz cream cheese
• ½ can of pickled jalapenos, diced (Mom only uses a couple of jalapenos and removes seeds, but sometimes adds more - it's all about your personal heat tolerance)
• 1 T onion juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ C chopped pecans

Mix everything together except for the pecans. Form into a ball & chill. Once it's well-chilled, roll in pecans & serve!

Rhea’s Carrot Cake

March 1982

• 4 eggs
• 1 ¾ C sugar
• 3 C grated carrot
• 2 C flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking poder
• 1 ¼ C Wesson Oil
• ½ C chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased pan at 350 for 45 min to an hour.

Icing:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ lb powdered sugar
• ½ stick butter, softened (original recipe calls for margarine)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat ingredients together, you may want to gradually add the powdered sugar so it doesn’t go flying everywhere.

Mom’s Pie Crust Recipe

For a single crust:

• 1 ½ C flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C + 2 T shortening
• 3 T water (should be ice water!)

For a double crust:

• 2 C flour
• ¾ C Crisco
• ¼ C water (should be ice water!)
• 1 tsp salt

Use a pastry blender (or two butter knives) to combine them until the dough is well mixed and crumbly. Be careful to never over mix! Mold into a disk on a floured board, transfer to plate & refrigerate until chilled. Then using flour and a rolling pin, roll it out until it’s of even width and fits the pie pan (this assumes a 9 in pie pan).

For a picture of a pastry blender (which mom described to me as a pastry thingamajigger), it’s here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku6510069/index.cfm

The Pecan Pie

1971, Fort Gordon

• 3 eggs
• 1 C sugar
• ½ C Karo Dark Corn Syrup
• ¼ C melted butter
• 1 C chopped pecans

Set oven to 350. Beat eggs in bowl. Stir in sugar, corn syrup & melted butter. Stir in pecans.

Brush prepared crust (9” pie shell) with small amount of beaten egg, put it in the oven and cook it for about five minutes, maybe less. (This protects the crust from the liquidy filling we’re about to put in to make sure it doesn’t end up soggy. Mom says this is called “blind baking”.)

Pour pecan filling into the pie shell & bake in the center of the oven for 35-40 min. When the outer edge of the crust starts to turn brown, tent it with strips of aluminum foil to keep it from getting any browner.

Grasshopper Pie

1973

• 22 Oreo cookies, crushed (just the wafers, don’t use the middles!)
• ¼ C melted butter
• 7 oz jar of Kraft Marshmallow crème
• 2 C whipping cream
• Green food coloring

Whip cream; set aside. Mix crushed cookies with melted butter and press into the bottom of a Springform pan.

Put marshmallow crème in bowl, add 4 C crème de menthe & stir. Add green food coloring.

Fold whipped cream into above, pour over crust & freeze.

Save some cookies for the top. Crushed candy canes or green sugar look nice, too. Mom has a note on this recipe that says Better Homes & Gardens recommends also adding 2 T of white crème de cacao and she thinks that would probably be divine.

Smoked Turkey Dip

Ft. Benning – sometime in the middle of the 70s

• 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 T grated onion
• I T mayonnaise
• 1 tsp liquid smoke seasoning
• 3 oz package sliced turkey, finely chopped

Combine ingredients; mix well. Place into a shallow bowl and serve with crackers. Sociables (The Brown Family’s official cracker) goes very well with this.