Raisin Sheet Cookies

Original Recipe

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup water

Bring raisins to boil in 1 cup water. Add shortening and baking soda. [Warning - the baking soda will fizz up, this is expected.] 

Mix dry ingredients into raisin mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Use cookie pan (9 1/2 X 14).

Frost with powdered sugar milk while still warm.

Did it Work?
They were rather tasty with a nice spice level, but they have a tendency to dry out rather quickly. See below for my fixes.

Modifications
Milk for water. Replacing the water with 1 cup of milk (I used 1%) made a significant difference to the moisture level of the bars. The next morning they were still edible and soft, rather than dry and unappealing.

Sugar. Like so many things, I changed out white sugar for brown. Both ways are nice, but the brown sugar adds a flavor dimension and a lovely tan color to the batter.

Frosting. The recipe calls for "powdered sugar milk", basically a glaze made up of powdered sugar and milk. Basically, I start with a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix in a couple of tablespoons of milk to make a smooth glaze and then drizzle it on. The cookies are tasty with it, but also do just fine without it.

Harvey Wallbanger Pie

Original Recipe

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. lemon juice

3 slightly beaten egg yolks

1/3 cup Galliano liqueur  

2 tbsp. vodka

3 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1 9 inch pastry shell, baked and cooled

2 orange slices

In a saucepan combine unflavored gelatin, the 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Add orange juice, lemon juice and egg yolks, mix well. Cook and stir over medium heat until gelatin dissolves and mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Stir in liqueur and vodka. Chill until partially set (consistency of unbeaten egg whites).

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form (tips curve over). Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating to stiff peaks (tips stand straight). Fold into partially set gelatin. 

Whip cream to soft peaks; fold into gelatin mixture. Chill mixture until it mounds when dropped from a spoon. Turn into cooled pastry shell. 

Chill until firm, 4 -5 hours. To garnish make cut in orange slice from center to peel - twist and interlock. Place atop pie.

Did it Work?

We have a winner! I originally tried this pie because the whole idea sounded intriguing (possibly disgusting) and I had a birthday party full of people to test it on. The pie turned out so much better than I thought it would, both alcoholic and tasty. The orange and lemon juice balance out the Galliano and insure the pie is neither too sweet nor too rich. With a stand mixer this is easy to put together and it lends itself well to being done in conjunction with other dishes.

Modifications

For once, absolutely none. Just go make the pie. You can thank me later.

Sour Cream Cookies

Yes, it has been a while. I have been busily trying out recipes from the box, but I just never seemed to find the time to sit down and write them up. We'll see if I can improve on this track record. To start back off, a simple, straightforward cookie.

Original Recipe

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shortening (or butter)

2 cups sugar

1 egg

6 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp.

Roll, sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees.

Did it Work?

Pretty much. This is a very plain-looking cookie, which a few eaters described as a cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread. It makes a huge batch, so it is a great recipe for those times when you find yourself needing to back for large groups or multiple events. Since these are a cut-out cookie, they are ripe for decorating with whatever strikes your fancy and they could be easily spiced up with a myriad of additions (extracts, nuts, frosting, etc.).

Modifications

Flour. I used less flour than called for, about 5 cups and still ended up putting in a couple of tablespoons of milk because the dough was quite dry. This feels like a recipe developed in a much more humid place. Like any other cookie, try not to overwork the dough. Use your eyes and if it does not want to come together, a little milk will help.

Rolling. As mentioned, this makes a huge amount of cookies. You will need to divide the dough and roll in batches. Rolling out to 1/4 inch gives you a thicker, softer cookie that really only browns around the edges. If you go thinner, you will get a crunchier cookie that takes a beautiful brown color and a different taste. The batch is so big, I say do both and please everyone.

Baking Time. My batches took about 10 minutes on average.

Swedish Corn Pudding

Original Recipe

1 can cream style corn

2 cups milk

3 eggs

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. pepper

dash salt

2 tbsp. butter

Melt butter in baking dish; add flour, beaten eggs and rest of ingredients. Bake in slow oven til set - about 30 minutes.

Did it Work?

The original recipe did not give me what I wanted. The canned corn lent a flavor I wasn't fond of and the cooking method gave me a leaky, broken pudding. Once I made the modifications discussed below, I was much more fond of the result. It was very easy to put together and was something a little different for an office potluck.

Modifications

Pan Size: I used an 8x8 baking dish, since anything larger seemed too big for the job. A smaller pan would give you a thicker pudding.

Cooking Method: I bumped the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cooked the dish in a water bath for about 45 minutes. The end result was a much smoother texture and no broken pudding.

Fresh Corn: The kernels from three or four ears of corn, plus 1 tbsp. of cornstarch was an excellent replacement for the canned corn. Simply mix the kernels and the cornstarch together and add them to the egg mixture. This will yield a crunchy result in the final pudding.

If you want less crunch and a stronger corn flavor, cook the corn with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water until the corn is cooked through and most of the water has evaporated. Mix the corn with the cornstarch and proceed.

You could probably use frozen corn as well. I suggest getting cut kernels and pre-cooking them before adding them to the egg mixture.

Lime Meltaway Cookies

Original Recipe

3/4 cup butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for coating

zest of two limes

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. lime juice, strained

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Then mix in lime zest, vanilla, lime juice, flour, cornstarch and salt until a dough forms.

Roll dough into two rolls about as big around as a quarter. Wrap in wax paper or parchment and freeze or chill about 4 hours. Slice the rolls. Bake the slices on a parchment-lined cookies sheets 12 to 15 minutes. Place on racks and when almost cool, coat with powdered sugar.

Did it work?

Like a charm. These were tasty, resembling a lime shortbread and went over well at my 4th of July party, a tea party and at work. One of the best things is that a whole batch can easily fit on two cookies sheets and be done in one round in the oven.

Modifications

Lime juice. I used 3 tbsp. of lime juice rather than 2. This was mostly because this is what I got out of one small lime.

Lime zest. I am pretty sure the original recipe was using larger limes than I was. I ended up using the zest from 3 small limes, though I think 2 large ones would also do the job.

Slices. I sliced my cookies about 1/4 inch thick. This seemed to work nicely.

Coating the cookies. The cookies will cool quickly, so don't wait any more than 10 minutes before starting to coat them in powdered sugar. I used a loaf pan with a layer of powdered sugar in it to contain the mess.

Pictures

Fresh strawberry ice cream

Original Recipe
3 cups thinly sliced strawberries
About 1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup milk
2 eggs
dash salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Toss sliced berries with enough sugar to sweeten, about 1/2 cup.
Whirl in blender with milk until smooth, set aside.

In large bowl of mixer, beat eggs, remaining sugar, and salt until thick and light colored.
Beat in berry mixture, corn syrup, cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until blended.

Freeze until almost firm. Beat until smooth. Freeze again, then beat again.
Turn into chilled 9 x 9 inch baking pan or 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Freeze until firm, then cover airtight.

Garnish each serving with a strawberry. Makes about 1 - 1/2 quarts, or 8 servings.

Note: Reduce sugar to 3/4 cup if strawberries are very sweet.

Modifications
Yes, I used an ice cream maker. My modified procedure:
Once all ingredients have been blended, pour into ice cream maker, per manufacturer's instructions. After ice cream has been mix-frozen for the suggested amount of time (~20 minutes, in my case), scoop into smaller containers for freezing. Made ~2 pints.




This is definitely the best ice cream I've made at home.

Ice Box pickles

(click for full version)


I've done quick pickles before, but the vast majority of recipe's I've seen are for spicy, vinegary dill pickles. This is the first quick-pickle recipe I've seen for sweet bread-and-butter pickles. I had to try it. To be truly obsessive, I tried three recipes at once: this one, a refrigerator pickles recipe I had tried previously, and a generic quick pickle recipe. All three are now in my fridge, with tasty (but different) results.



Original recipe:
6 cups sliced cukes
1 cup sliced onions
Cover with water and let stand 3 hours

Drain &
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp celery seed
Mix. Stir till sugar and salt are dissolved.
Pour over cukes.Cover
Store in refrigerator. Delicious and keeps for months.

Notes:
I assume "drain &" means the water is reseved and mixed with the vinegar. I had trouble visualizing a brine based on 1 cup vinegar and 2 cups sugar and no water.

I did a half-recipe of this - enough for a four-cup mason jar - and similar amounts of the other two recipes. Two large english cucumbers were sliced into chips and spears and divided between these three recipes.

Ice Box Cukes (Isllah's recipe box): ~3 cups water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar (half recipe)
Refrigerator Pickles (Instructables): ~2 cups water, 1/3 cup vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar
Quick pickle (Serious Eats): 1 1/2 cup water, 1 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar

Flavorants for each recipe:
Ice Box Cukes: onion slices, celery seed
Refrigerator Pickles: dill, peppercorns, ground pepper, garlic
Quick Pickle: dill, ground pepper, garlic

The taste test:
The Ice Box Cukes were sweet, and definitely a good replacement for pre-made "bread-and-butter" pickles. Next time there's a gathering involving burgers on a grill, I might bring a small batch of these. Perhaps without the onion - I'm not sure I liked how that combined with the sweetness. These are good pickles to put on burgers and sandwiches.

The Refrigerator Pickles were ... ok dills. Not spectacular, just kind of middle-of-the road. These are the pickles I've made before.

The Quick Pickle, however, was strong. Not just vinegary, but the garlic and dill and pepper also came through very strong. I'll definitely be reusing and adapting this recipe for dill pickles. Next time I may add some chinese chilis, and maybe some cumin. I might even dial the vinegar back a little bit, or use a slightly better vinegar (since vinegar is such a huge ingredient for this kind of pickle). These are the pickles to snack on out of the fridge.