February's Cooking Group

Fondue is a great way to add variety to your meals. Below are some fun fondue recipes courtesy of Maria Dowdle.

Breakfast Fondue

1 Can (15 oz) sliced peaches in juice

1/3 Cup maple syrup

2 TBL whipped light cream cheese

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch cinnamon

12 whole grain mini pancakes, mini waffles or French toast fingers, warm

Combine peaches, maple syrup, cream cheese, vanilla and cinnamon in a blender or food processor until smooth. Its okay if there are a few lumps of cream cheese showing; they will disappear when you cook the peach mixture in the next step.

Pour the mixture into a pot. Place on a stove over medium high heat, stirring often until cream cheese melts and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Serve in a big bowl surrounded by whole grain pancakes, waffles, or French toast fingers for dipping.

Classic Cheese Fondue

1/2 TBL butter

3/4 Cup shallots, minced

1/4 tsp sugar

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

1 1/2 Cups dry white wine

2 tsp kirsch (a clear cherry brandy), or cognac

1 TBL corn starch

2 Cups Emmental cheese, coarsely grated

2 Cups Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated

salt

white pepper

nutmeg

**To make the fondue alcohol free: Replace the wine and kirsch with 3/4 cup chicken stock and 3/4 cup milk.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and sugar; saute until shallots are caramelized, about 8-10 minutes Transfer the shallots to a dish. Rub the inside of a heavy medium saucepan with the garlic. Discard the garlic. Add the wine to the pot and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the kirsch. The wine mixture should barely simmer, but must be at a simmer for the cheese to melt properly. Bubbles should break at the surface. Place the shredded cheeses and cornstarch in a sealable plastic bag. Shake evenly to coat the cheese with with cornstarch. Add the shallots tot he wine mixture. Gradually add the cheese to the wine mixture. Add handfuls at a time, stirring until the cheese melts and is smooth. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Serve with French bread, cubed chicken, fries, granny smith apples, blanched broccoli, or blanched asparagus spears.

Cooking Fondue Without Alcohol

Why are the so many recipes with alcohol?

There are a few reasons why alcohol or beer is added to fondue. First, the flavor; second, for its acidity, which helps keep the cheese from becoming stringy; and third, to lower the boiling point of the cheese and keep its proteins from curdling. The second point, the acidity, is the easiest fix. Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice to the fondue pot. You can probably get around the third point by using harder and higher-fat cheese. The flavor issues is a little trickier. You can try adding water or milk and adjusting the spices. -Article found www.ochef.com/876.htm

Fondue Bourgiugnonne

2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes

2 cups vegetable oil

salt

pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 TBL horseradish

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Sauce-Combine the sour cream, mayo, horseradish, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Makes about 1 cup of sauce.

In a fondue pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until is registers 375 degrees on a deep frying thermometer.

Transfer the pot to a fondue burner with a high flace.

Have guests skewer the beef with a fondue fork, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook to your liking - 1 minute for rare, 2 minutes for medium-rare, and 3 to 4 minutes for well-done. Serve with the horseradish sauce.

Chocolate Fondue

1 Cup cocoa powder

1/4 Cup water

1 1/2 Cups sugar

1/4 Cup corn syrup

1 Cup heavy cream

2/3 Cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Sift the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl, and set aside. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the water, sugar, and corn syrup for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the heavy cream. Pour the cocoa powder into the mixture and blend with a whisk until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate. Pour into a fondue pot and keep warm. You can use pound, cake, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, marshmallows, oreo cookies, etc.

Piedmont Fondue

1-1/4 lb cold Italian Fontina cheese, thinly sliced

1 Cup milk

1 Cup Cream

4 TBL butter at room temperature

6 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 white truffle, thinly sliced or 1 to 2 TBL truffle oil (optional)

slices of crusty bread or cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Lay cheese slices in a 4-cup bowl, overlapping them slightly. Pour the milk and cream over the cheese. Let stand for at least 2 hours, or overnight. When ready, drain the cream and milk and measure out 1/2 cup. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and milk over low heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Stir in the butter.

Put cheese in a double boiler over simmering water and stir constantly until melted. Gradually stir in the cream and milk until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in egg yolks. The mixture should thicken slightly. Immediately transfer to a warmed fondue pot. If using, scatter the truffle slices or drizzle the truffle oil on top. At the table, skewer bread slices onto forks and dip into fondue, or spoon the fondue over individual bowls of rice to eat with a table fork. Because of this dish's egg content, it should be maintained over a very low flame and eaten immediately. Serves 4-6

January Cooking Group

Thank you Maria Dowdle for hosting a wonderful cooking group at your home. Below are her famous roll and cinnamon roll recipes.

Beverly's Rolls (Maria Dowdle's Rolls)

3/4 C Milk

1/4 C Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1/4 C Butter

2 TBL Yeast

1 Egg

2 3/4 C Flour

1/2 Warm Water

Activate yeast in 1/2 C warm water and sprinkle a tsp of sugar over the top. While you are waiting for that to froth, scald milk in a saucepan. Take off of heat and add butter, sugar, salt and the egg to cool down the mixture. Add enough flour to make a SOFT dough. This dough would be too soft to knead with your hands, just lightly mix. DO NOT KNEAD! Cover with moist warm towel and let rise in a warm place until double (about 30 minutes). Punch down dough. Pour some flour on countertop and poor mixture onto the flour and incorporate the flour just enough that it isn't too sticky to handle with your hands. (The less you knead the more flakey the rolls will be.) Roll out and use a pizza cutter to cut into triangles and roll them like a crescent. Place on a greased pan. Let rise until doubled again (30 minutes). Bake 400 for 15 minutes.

Maria quadruples this recipe for her family and it makes 2 cookie sheets full of generous size rolls. She estimates that this recipe would make about nine rolls. (that would just cover me)

Maria's Cinnamon Rolls

Use the above dough recipe but instead of cutting them into triangles, roll the dough out and pat softened butter all over the dough. (One thing I observed, is that I melt my butter and pour over the dough. This other way, the cinnamon rolls turned out more gooey. I loved it!) Generously sprinkle brown sugar over the dough followed by a sprinkling of cinnamon. Roll the dough into a log and cut with with a knife or string to make the rolls. Place on a greased pan and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 13 minutes.

Maria also made CREAM CHEESE FROSTING. Sorry but this is the recipe - 1 cube of butter, 1 8oz block of cream cheese, some vanilla (maybe 1 tsp), and some butter flavoring (maybe 1/2 tsp), then add your powdered sugar. Add it until you get the consistency that you want. That is Maria's secret to her recipes. Her advice is to try out a recipe and taste as you go along to see what you like, and make it your own. I know, I know, I hate that too. I like precise measurements, but the more flexible you get, then more confidence you get with your cooking and substitutions and so on. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did. Thanks again Maria!

November Cooking Group

Thank you Susie Cottle for hosting a wonderful cooking group and for sharing your apple pie filling recipe with us. Also, thank you for the yummy lunch that you provided. The recipe for the Apple Pie Filling is as follows:

6-8 lbs apples, peeled and sliced

4 1/2 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. nutmeg **this is optional**

1 tsp. salt

1 C. cornstarch

3 TBL lemon juice

10 C. water

2 tsp. cinnamon

In a large pan, mix sugar, spices, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water and cook until thick and bubbly. Add lemon juice. Pack bottles with sliced apples 1/2 full then cover with mixture and repeat.

Wipe rim of lid and seal with canning lid. Process in hot water bath for:

Quarts=20 minutes

Pints=15 minutes

When ready to use, open and pour into a pie crust shell and bake. Another option is to make apple crisp

Apple Crisp Topping:

1 cube butter

1 C. flour

1 C. brown sugar

1C. Oats

Melt butter and mix other ingredients. Place over apple pie filling and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350

October Cooking Group

Lee Middleton was nice enough to share his pie crust recipe. Check out that beautiful pie. The recipe is as follows:

Pie Dough

From Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas, founder of San Francisco Baking Institute (www.sfbi.com)

260 grams of pastry or all purpose flour (abount 2 cups)

13 grams sugar (about 3 1/4 tsp)

5 grams salt (about 1 1/4 tsp)

182 grams cold unsalted butter (a little less than 14 tbsp)

80 - 110 grams ice cold water (8 tbsp)

Combine the dry ingredients and stir. Add the butter cut into 1 tbsp chunks, cut into the flour with a pastry cutter until the butter is between 1/4" and 3/8". Small sized butter (corn meal sized) reduces the flakiness and creates sandiness or mealiness which I find unpleasant. Larger chunks make flaky crust. Too large chunks make handling the dough difficult.

Add 6 tbsps of the water and stir together with a fork to moisten the flour mixture. Add more water as needed (and it will likely be) by the tablespoonful to prevent getting the dough too wet. You want it to come together with a little effort, just barely getting the last of the flour to stick. Knead in the bowl just enough to make sure all comes together. Over-kneading makes a tough crust.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled through, 1 - 24 hours.

To make pie shell remove dough from refrigerator 20 - 30 minutes before rolling to allow dough to move under the rolling pin. Cut about 2/3 of the dough apart from the rest and shape into a round before rolling out to fit the pie plate. Place in pie plate and trim off the excess. Shape the edge into a pleasant shape.

Shape the remaining dough into a rectangle if making a lattice top and roll out to longer than the pie plate is wide and cut into 3/8" to 1/2" wide strips and intertwine to make lattice over top of filling.

Bake at 450F for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350F for the remaining time for a fruit pie. Time will depend on depth and quantity and choice of filling. A deep dish apple pie can take 45 minutes or more at 350F. The corn starch thickened juices will require at least 180F to gel.

PS

Roll remaining dough out to fit into the bottom of another pie plate, don't worry about how thick the dough is, which has melted butter in it. Dip the rolled dough into the butter and turn it over. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, turn over and sprinkle other side as well. Bake with pie above until cinnamon dough is caramellized and cooked through, about 1/2 hour total but check to be sure. When it is cool enough to eat, gobble it up before anyone else gets wind of it.

October Cooking Group

We had a wonderful cooking group last week. Thank you Tammy Hamm for demonstrating three easy and yummy pies. The recipes are as follows:

Coconut Cream Pie

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 Cup cold milk

1 carton frozen whipped topping (thawed)

3/4 to 1 Cup toasted flake coconut

1 pie shell

In a mixing bowl, beat pudding and milk on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in 1/2 whipped topping and 1/2 of coconut. Pour into crust. Spread remaining whipped topping, sprinkle with remaining coconut. "Refrigerate until serve."

Toasting Coconut: Place coconut into preheated oven on an ungreased cookie sheet, cook only until tips just turn golden, then stir coconut and return to oven until golden brown.

Cherry Cheesecake

1 8oz. pkg cream cheese (softened)

1 3oz. pkg cream cheese (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 carton frozen whipped topping (thawed)

1 pie crust

1 can cherry pie filling

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; spoon into crust. Top with pie filling. "Refrigerate until serve."

Chocolate Mousse Pie

1 7oz. milk chocolate bar with almonds

16 large marshmallows

1/2 cup milk

2 cups whipping cream (whipped)

1 pie crust

Place candy bar, marshmallows and milk in a sauce pan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool, fold in whipped cream; pour into crust. "Refrigerate until serve."

September Cooking Group

This month for our cooking group, everyone brought a soup to share. I must say, this was one of my favorite cooking groups. I didn't taste anything I didn't like. I came home quite full! It was great. The recipes that were shared are as follows:

Zucchini Soup (Kris Kearsley)

2 cups chopped onion

2 Tbls butter

4+ cups sliced zucchini

3 cups chicken or veg. broth

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil

Season to taste with a combination of salt, pepper, cayenne or Tabasco, nutmeg, cumin, curry. I like to use Garam Masala which is an Indian blend of spices. You can find it in the spice section of any grocery store.

Cook onion in butter until soft. Add broth and zucchini and simmer until tender. Add basil and spices. Blend with an immersion blender or do batches in a traditional blender till smooth.

Optional: Add ½ cup of cream, milk or half-and-half for a creamier texture. Garnish top with shaved parmesan, cheddar or sour cream.

This also freezes well.

Clam Chowder (Susie Cottle)

2-3 Potatoes (peeled and cut)

1/2 Onion (finely chopped)

1-2 Celery (sliced)

**Pour clam juice over and add a bit of water and simmer until vegetables are done.

1 Cube Butter

1 T. Sugar

3/4 Cup Flour

1 qt. Half & Half

2 Cans Clams

**Cook until think, then add to vegetables.

Minestrone Soup (Susie Cottle)

5 Slices Bacon (cut up)

2 Celery Stalks (chopped) 1 Carrot (Chopped) 1 Cup chopped onion

3 Medium Cloves Garlic

1 28 oz. Can peeled Italian Style Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley (chopped)

6 Cup Chicken Stock or Bullion Cubes

1 10 oz Can Red Kidney Beans, (drained and rinsed)

1 10 oz Can White Beans, (drained and rinsed)

1 9 oz Can Garbanzo Beans, (drained and rinsed)

1 tsp. Dried Basil

1 tsp. Oregano

1 1/2 Cup Small Seashell-Shaped Pasta

Parmesan Cheese

Saute bacon in large pan for 5 minutes until crisp. Add onion and celery to bacon drippings. Cook until vegetables are soft but not brown. Add carrots and garlic. Cook 2 minutes longer. Add tomatoes, parsley, chicken stock, beans, basil, and oregano. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the pasta shells and cook for 8 minutes longer. Add more water if soup becomes too thick. Ladle in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (Susie Cottle)

2-3 Chicken Breasts

1 tsp Celery Salt

1/2 tsp Poultry Seasoning or 3 bouillon cubes

2 carrots (sliced)

1 Onion (chopped)

2 qt Water

1 tsp Onion Salt

2 Celery (chopped)

Combine all ingredients ad boil 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken and cut into thumb size pieces. Cook noodles in broth for 20 minutes. While cooking noodles make cream sauce.

Egg Noodles

2 Egg Whipped until fluffy

1 Cup flour

Stir until stiff and mix well. Roll out thin and cut in 2" long by 3/8 inch wide

Cream Sauce:

Melt 1 Cube Butter

Add 3/4 Cup Flour

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Stir and heat until bubbling. Bubble for one minute. Then add 1 quart milk. Finally, add sauce and meat back to noodles and broth. Stir together and serve.

Favorite Taco Soup (Ranell Williamson)

1 Pound Ground Beef

1 Large Onion, Chopped

1 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes

1 16 oz Can Kidney Beans, undrained

1 16 oz Can Whole Kernel Corn, undrained

1 Package (1/4 Cup) Taco Seasoning

Corn chips or fritos, grated cheddar cheese, and sour cream

In a large soup pot, brown beef and onion; drain. Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn and taco seasoning. Simmer for 1/2 hour, uncovered. Serve topped with chips, grated cheese and sour cream.

Cheese and Broccoli Soup (Ranell Williamson)

4-5 Potatoes, cubed

2 Cups Carrots

1/2 Cup Celery

1 Cup Onion

1 1/2 lb. Broccoli

Put first four ingredients in a pan with 2 1/2 cups water. Cook everything till tender. Add broccoli, cook 7 more minutes.

White Sauce: 1/3 cup butter, 2 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Melt butter, add flour, pour in milk all at once. Cook over medium heat till thick and bubbly. Dissolve 6 bouillon cubes in 2 cups water. Add to white sauce. Cook till thick. Ad 1/2 cups cheese Add white sauce to the vegetables. Don't drain the vegetables. Add cubed chicken if desired.

Creamy Corn and Potato Chowder (Tamera Dowdle)

2 TBL Butter

1 Large Onion, finely chopped

1 Rib Celery, finely chopped

5 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels

1 Large All-Purpose Potato, peeled and diced

1/2 to 3/4 Tsp salt, to taste

1 Cup Heavy Cream

3 TBL All-Purpose Flour

Pepper to taste

Fresh Dill or Parsley for garnish, chopped

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or medium soup pot. Stir in the onion and celery. Partially cover the pan and cook the vegetables over moderate heat for 9-10 minutes, stirring occasionally Add the chicken stock, corn, potato, and salt and bring the mixture to a low boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 7 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and flour. Stir the mixture into the soup with the pepper. Bring the soup back to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with herbs.

Meatball Alphabet Soup (Tamera Dowdle)

Meatballs:

1/2 Cup dried Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

2 TBL Onion, minced

1 Garlic Clove, minced

2 TBL Fresh Parsley, minced

2 Tsp Dried Basil

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Pepper

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

1 Pound Ground Beef

Soup:

2 TBL Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, finely chopped

1 Celery Rib, finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced

5 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Cup Crushed Canned Tomatoes in puree

1 Tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 Tsp Salt

pepper to taste

1/3 cup alphabet pasta, dry

1. First make the meatballs. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic, herbs, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix in the egg. Then add the ground beef, mixing well with your hands. Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls. (you should get about 4 dozen)

2. Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray or a small amount of vegetable oil. Place the meatballs in the skillet and cook them over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, turning them often so they brown evenly, until the centers are only slightly pink.

3. For the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan or medium soup pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Partially cover the pan and cook the vegetables over moderate heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and spices. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-low heat, then add the pasta.

4. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer until the pasta is almost cooked, then transfer the meatballs to the pot and simmer gently for 3 minutes more to finish cooking the meatballs. Makes 6 servings.

Chupe de Pollo con Chipotle (Tamera Dowdle)

1 7 oz Can Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce

1 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cups Chopped Onion

1 Cup Chopped Carrot

1/2 Cup Chopped Celery

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme

6 Garlic Cloves, Crushed

6 Cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 lbs Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts

2 Medium Red Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 15.5 oz Can White or Golden Hominy Rinsed and Drained

1/4 Cup Whipping Cream

1 Cup Chopped Seeded Plum Tomato

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

1/2 Tsp Salt

8 Lime Wedges

1. Remove 1 chile and 1 tsp adobo sauce from can, reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Finely chop chile; set chile and sauce aside separately.

2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped chile, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); cook 7 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, and cool slightly. Shred chicken with 2 forks; cover and keep warm.

3. Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place one-third of broth mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed broth mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure two more batches with remaining broth mixture. Return pureed broth mixture to pan. Stir in potatoes and hominy; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in chicken and cream; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in reserved adobo sauce, tomatoes, cilantro and salt. Serve with lime wedges. Yield: 8 servings.

August Cooking Group

Sorry this post is so late. We had a yummy cooking group last month. Tammy Hamm taught us some wonderful dessert recipes. They are simple and soooo delicious. Thank you Tammy!

Snichen

2 Cups Flour

2 Cubes Butter (grated)

1 Cup Cream

Mix well then chill

Roll out 3/16" to 1/8". Cut into strips or triangles. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 425 for 12/15 minutes.

Topping:

Blend together lemon juice and powdered sugar

Glaze the cookies.

Toffee

1 Cup Walnuts (crushed)

1 Cup Butter

1 Cup Brown Sugar

Milk chocolate Chips

Sprinkle 1/2 cup walnuts on a buttered cookie sheet. Mix butter and sugar in skillet, bring to a boil, for 12 minutes stirring constantly. Pour over walnuts, then place chocolate chips (spread out evenly). Then sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the melted chocolate. Let cool, and cut into pieces.