Fabulous Membership Open House evening at Swaback home

Skyfire

Organizers Susan Dale and Pam den Draak

Vern remarks that Ruth McLeod's colors match the guest house in the background.

Despite the dark skies and wind, the Membership Open House on February 23 turned out to be fabulous. Thanks to Susan Dale and Pam den Draak for creating such a lovely event. With so many Frank Lloyd Wright influences, yet distinctly Vern Swaback's designs, this home has unique details, architecture, views and amenities. Vern and Cille Swaback are excellent hosts.

Note Pinnacle Peak in background

Susan Dale and Linda Corderman work on crockpots of Bison Chile and Corn Chowder. 

Recipe from The Palace Bar in Prescott

Davie Garrison and Bonnie Newhoff rearrange patio furniture for guests

Wind and cold did not stop Karen Overton, Pam den Draak, Nancy Knight and
Davie Garrison from setting up the tables and cloths. Those heaters were much appreciated!

Best Bartenders

Bartenders Stan Evans, Larry Baker, Tom Lorig, Chuck Steen

With help from the Historical League support team, we had smiles all around at the Membership Open House at Rancho Joaquina on Oct 23. Thanks to this great crew for pitching in. They set up tables, chairs, moved furniture, then served up wine and song(?)

Mini Cheese Cakes served at Membership Open House

Betsy Davis serving Cheese Cake Bites

Outstanding dessert and beautiful presentation, these are a special treat for company and family. If doubling the recipe, make it one batch at a time.
A recipe for cheesecake can be found on page 170 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Bites
T= Tablespoon
t= teaspoon

Ingredients:
Crust:  
2 T sugar
½ stick butter, soft
¼ t ground cinnamon
9 graham crackers

Filling:
16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 lemons, the zest and juice (not Meyer lemons)
½ cup sugar
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream, to dollop on top

Directions Crust:
Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line two 24 count mini cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners and spray the inside with non-stick cooking spray. 
In the bowl of a food processor place the graham crackers, (broken up a bit) sugar, butter and cinnamon.  Pulse until combined and the mixture is the texture of sand.  Transfer the first recipe to a bowl and make the next batch of crust.  Then proceed below. 
Use a Tablespoon to measure and fill the prepared crust into each mini liner, pressing the mixture down with a small bottle; a Tabasco bottle is the perfect size, or you can use your fingers, too. 
Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove crust from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool.  Make the second batch.

Directions Cheesecake Filling:
Place cream cheese, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in the same food processor.
Process about 30 seconds to combine. Scrape down the inside of the bowl once with a small spatula and then pulse the ingredients again until smooth.  Scrape down the inside of the food processor again.
Use a small ice cream scoop to measure the batter into the cooled crust.  Fill each cupcake liner almost full, about ¼- inch from the top.  Smooth the top with a small offset spatula, spoon or butter knife. 
Bake for 15 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles; do not over bake!
Remove from oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 
Fill the second batch of prepared cheesecake crusts when they are in the cupcake tins; baking just like the first batch, for about 15 minutes.  Allow them to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack; allow to cool completely.
Transfer the cheesecakes to a container; cover; chill for at least 6 hours; even better if they can set up overnight. 
Just before serving, remove the paper from the cheesecake and top with a dollop of fresh sweetened whipped cream and place 1-3 blueberries on top. 

Makes about 48
Thanks to Chef Leslie Christiansen for recipe and detailed helpful hints.

Note: One small 6 oz container of blueberries has about 120 plus berries in it.

Very Successful Membership Open House

Pres. Elect Margaret Baker presents gift to Karen and Mark Goldblatt

President elect Margaret Baker organized a delightful Open House on Oct 23, touring an historic 1924 two-story adobe home, Rancho Joaquina. With a sold out event, Historical League members brought invited guests to learn about the home and 2 acre gardens, enjoy the delicious food and socialize. Margaret thanked the hosts Karen and Marc Goldblatt for opening their home, acknowledged dignitaries present and gave a brief background of the Historical League.

Jackie Berkowitz, Reba Wells-Grandrud, Linda and Lowell Radke, Margaret Baker

Members Hope and Tony Martin with Treasurer Nancy Knight

Leslie Christiansen Chef Extraordinare for Membership Open House

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Pork Chorizo

Parmesan Pecan Salad with Pomegranate on Endive

 Fabulous food was served at the Open House, Oct 23, thanks to the amazing chef, Leslie Christiansen.  She also had wonderful assistants to pull it all together for a beautiful presentation. AND she followed the theme of using all ingredients grown in Arizona or the Southwest.

Rare Rib Eye Crostini with Pickled Red Onion, Menonita Cheese, Drizzled with Cranberry Dijon Glaze

Open House features 5Cs

Orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, dates, cotton, sunflowers, prickly pear, pomegranate, copper plate

Rancho Joaquino was built in 1924, when Arizona had only been a state for 12 years. The historic two story adobe home was a horticulture heaven on 80 acres designed by a landscape architect from California.
In those days, Arizona was known for it's 5Cs: Cotton, Citrus, Cattle, Climate and Copper. They were all prominent in the beautiful centerpieces that adorned the tables on Thursday, Oct 23 for the Historical League's very successful Fall Membership Open House.

Nancy Evans

Pam den Draak

Thanks to Nancy Evans and Pam den Draak for designing the beautiful and meaningful creations.

Historic Home to host Membership Open House

The Craftsman-style Hearn Home on W. Northern is the venue for the 2011 Historical League Membership Open House. Guest Speaker and former Director of AHS Museum at Papago Park, Reba Wells Grandrud, is very knowledgeable about the Sunnyslope area and will tell us

more about the home. We are excited to tour the fully restored

homeand learn all about the challenges and successes of the project complete with

"before and after" photos.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook will be for sale along with Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Centennial

Historymakers Commemoration, Centennial aprons, hats and visors. Several of the foods served are from the cookbook.

Thanks to co-chairs President Elect Pam Ryan and Leslie Christiansen for organizing a lovely afternoon on Thursday, Oct 20.
For more information contact Pam at pardir@cox.net or Leslie at wackomama4@gmail.com

Creme de Menthe Bars

Impress your guests with these decadent bars. They are melt-in-your-mouth good.

Margaret Pogue made these for the Historical League Open House at the AHS Museum, Thursday, October 21.

CREME de MENTHE BARS

1/2 C butter 1 C coconut
4 T cocoa 1 egg (beaten)
1/2 C powdered sugar 1 C nuts (chopped)
1 t vanilla 2 C graham cracker crumbs

Melt butter and add cocoa-then cool. Add other ingredients. Press firmly into greased 9x9" pan.
Refrigerate 1 hour.


Filling: 1/2 C butter 2 t instant vanilla ppudding
2 C powdered sugar 3 T creme de menthe

Melt butter and then add all other ingredients-spread over crust.
Refrigerate 1 hour.

Frosting: 1/4 C butter 6 oz. chocolate chips

Melt together and spread evenly over filling.
Refrigerate 1 hour.

Permanent wave machine at AHS Museum

Billie Jones Kanan's tale of her 1928 visit to a midwest beauty shop for a 'perm' was disastrous enough for her to later recount it in detail: (Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society) .

It took all day, and cost $1 each….First our hair was washed and cut, then we waited and waited. There were women everywhere in different stages of getting beautified. Everyone was waiting….My hair wound up on spiral rods so tight that I thought I would never blink again [and] after the machine that looked like a milking machine was attached to the rods, I couldn't move. [Then] it began to steam and tears rolled down my checks. …[finally] someone got a blower and cooled my head here and there, but my scalp was scalded.

The new Open Storage Exhibit at AHS Museum at Papago Park shows a "Hodge Podge" including a Permanent Wave Machine, a Goat Treadmill, Barry Goldwater's Ham Radio and a large stove for a school to teach the domestic chore of Ironing.

Members and guests viewed the new Open Storage Exhibit during the Membership Open House Thursday, October 21. Guest speaker Wanda Carlack was a wealth of information about early Historical League functions.

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilling vegetables with spices adds so much flavor to the dish. We had fresh corn, tomatoes, onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, fresh parsley, fresh rosemary and fresh basil. Marinating in cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar or lime juice pulls everything together.

Want to really impress guests? Serve the vegetables as an appetizer with these tasty corn cups. The Historical League featured these at the Sandra Day O'Connor Open House held at the AHS Museum.

CORN CUPS

Ingredients:
6 T butter, at room temperature
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup yellow corn meal
1 cup flour
Pinch salt

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and cream cheese.
3. Sift the corn meal, flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
4. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until incorporated.
5. Place on a clean counter an gently knead a few times and divide into 1-inch balls. The dough can be rolled and cut into rounds.
6. Press the ball or rounds into a mini muffin mold, pressing down in the center to fill the mold and form a cup.
7. Bake until light brown and cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and molds to finish cooling on a rack.

Makes about 30 cups

Rhubarb Dream Bars from Open House

RHUBARB DREAM BARS


Crust
1 cup flour
5 T sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature (4 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until just crumbly. Press into the prepared dish.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.

Topping
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
¾ t salt
2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 cups rhubarb, finely chopped

1. Sift sugar, flour and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the eggs and rhubarb, stirring to combine.
2. Spoon rhubarb mixture over the cooked crust and return to the oven.
3. Bake for about 35 minutes.

Two more recipes from Sandra Day O'Connor Open House

So many wanted the recipes served at the Museum for the Open House Oct 21 that I am printing two more for all to enjoy. Lemon Citrus Blondies and Stuffed Medjool Dates. yummmmm. More recipes are coming . . .

LEMON CITRUS BLONDIES

Ingredients: 1 cup butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs
3 T undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate
1 T fresh lemon zest
1½ cups flour
1½ t baking powder
½ t salt
Glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar
2 T fresh orange or tangerine juice
2 t grated fresh orange or tangerine zest
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil, having extra foil pressed over the sides as handles. Spray the sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well.
3. Add the frozen orange juice concentrate and the lemon zest.
4. In separate medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is shiny and feels firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes.
7. While the Blondie is baking, make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest together in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
8. Cool the Blondie on a wire rack. Pierce with a fork, and pour the glaze over entire cake.
9. Lift the cooled bars from the pan using the paper/foil handles. Remove the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares or triangles.
Makes about 24 bars

STUFFED MEDJOOL DATES
Ingredients: 30-40 Medjool Dates (one 2 lb container from Cost Co)
1 lb Chorizo sausage (you won’t need all of it)
1 lb Apple wood smoked bacon (Trader Joe’s)
30-40 toothpicks
1. Remove pits from dates. I use a chopstick to push the pit out.
2. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Set a cooling rack on top of the foil. This will allow the fat to drip off the bacon while the dates cook.
3. Stuff the dates with a little bit of chorizo. I use a chopstick to push the sausage into the date.
4. Cut each piece of bacon into thirds. Wrap a piece of bacon around the date, secure with a tooth pick.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Place the dates on the prepared rack.
7. Bake at 350 F until bacon is crisp, about 20-30 minutes.
8. Serve immediately.
9. Can be reheated on a low oven.

Membership Open House

Guess who is speaking at our Membership Open House? Wednesday, October 21 is the date for the Historical League's Invitation Only event at the AHS Museum. You won't want to miss this. Invitations will be coming later but tell all your potential invitees to "SAVE THE DATE".