Autographed Cookbook

Keepsake items are priceless.

One gift to the hostess was a beautiful photo collage blanket.

Another gift for Sue Wheatlake was an autographed copy of Tastes & Treasures. We all signed the book with memories and messages. It was very well received and a gift that continues to give long after the reunion.

Antipasto travels well

Want a make-a-head appetizer that freezes well? Thanks to Cathy Viant Priest for bringing this tasty spread to a reunion in Michigan.

Antipasto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup marinated cocktail onions, cut in half
• 20 ounces canned mushrooms, drained and minced
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 cup stuffed green olives, minced
• 1 cup black olives, minced
• 1 cup dill pickles, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 2 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, mix the pearl onions, canned mushrooms, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, green olives, black olives, dill pickles, green beans, tuna, ketchup, vinegar and olive oil. While stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Allow to cool completely before transferring to sterile freezer containers, leaving 1 inch of space in the containers. Store in the freezer.
3. Makes 12 cups.
   

Amount Per Serving Calories: 23 | Total Fat: 1.1g | Cholesterol: 1mg

Gifting Tastes & Treasures Cookbook

Lots of snowbirds come to the "Valley of the Sun" in February and March. We were fortunate to enjoy a mini-Michigan Tech University reunion at Dennis and Carol Downey's place in Mesa last week with 6 graduates of the University. It was fun to reminisce and tell stories.

I gave a cookbook to Laura and Mike Hoganson and she was so grateful. Coming from a Forestry major, this comment is appreciated, "Thank you for Tastes & Treasures. It is a beautiful, beautiful cookbook. I have studied every page(!) and am excited to make many of the recipes."

Meatballs with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, page 165 Tastes & Treasures, is an easy recipe to serve at any get-together. The guys have enjoyed it on their golf trips when I prepare it and freeze the entire dish in a giant zip-loc bag. Before they leave for golf, it is placed in the crockpot on low heat to be enjoyed when they return.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

2 cups undrained sauerkraut

1 16oz can whole cranberry sauce

1¼ cups chili sauce

1¼ cups water

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 pounds frozen cooked meatballs

Method:

1. Allow meatballs to defrost in refrigerator overnight.
2. Combine sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, chili sauce water and brown sugar in a slow cooker and mix well.
3. Add the meatballs and cook on low for 2-3 hours or longer.

Banana, Walnut, Blueberry Muffin

Talk about sharing a muffin . . . This one fed all 6 of us traveling in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Made by the Byzantine Friars from the Society of St John in Eagle River, Michigan, this muffin was filled with banana, blueberries and walnuts. Although a little dry, it was worth it.

The Friars sell their home made jams, jellies, muffins and honey at the Jampot down the road from their Monastery. This store is their monetary support and tourists from all over come to their tiny shop. The line to buy their goods on a sunny Saturday afternoon was to the door.

The blueberry muffins from La Posada, pg 62 Tastes & Treasures, are moist and flavorful. Adding banana and walnuts would make them comparable to the Friar's fare.

A different version of Pannukakku, Finnish Pancakes

Talk about presentation, this dish at the Northern Lights restaurant in Houghton, Michigan looked fabulous. But taste was lacking and it was a more bread like consistency according to Pannukakku connoisseur Brian Watts during the reunion at Michigan Technological University. He'd head back to Suomi Bakery and Restaurant for the more custard version.

Looking at Tastes & Treasures recipes, I would bet Cranberry Conserve on page 189 would be a great topping for Pannukakku.

Pannukakku, Finnish Pancakes

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Pannukakku is the premier pancake of Finland. Visiting Houghton, Michigan for a Mich. Tech. Univ. reunion was a great excuse to sample the tastes of the Copper Country. The Suomi Bakery and Restaurant in Houghton has been serving Finnish food for 50 plus years. The crowds at the door every morning are a tribute to their popular cuisine. The formula of using 1/4 cup flour to 1/4 cup milk to 1 egg per serving is basic for Pannukakku but it can be varied with sugar and seasonings to taste. It is more like a custard than a pancake but try them yourself for a taste of the Old World.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cup flour (1/2 C whole wheat can be used)
1-1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter for the baking pan
heavy cream for whipping

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients until no lumps remain. Let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter in a 9×13 pan by placing it in the preheating oven. (Remove pan when butter is melted to avoid scorching.) Brush entire pan with melted butter before pouring in the pancake batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until edges are puffed high and golden. Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Serves 4 – 6

Note There are so many choices to put on top Pannukakku. Experiment with fresh lemons and powdered sugar; raspberries or blackberries or blueberries in syrup. The Raspberry Puree recipe in Tastes & Treasures page 25 would be wonderful. It is an historic recipe from The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff.

Golf and Meatballs

Reunions are fun and this group of graduates from Michigan Technological University get together once a year in Palm Springs to celebrate over golf and food (and a few beers). The Sweet and Sour Meatballs from Tastes and Treasures was an easy dish to send with the crockpot doing the cooking while they were on the links. Rumor has it the bowl was empty with the sauerkraut being a favorite. Gotta love those Canadians. 

  

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS page 165 

 Ingredients: 2 cups undrained sauerkraut 1 16oz can whole cranberry sauce 1¼ cups chili sauce 1¼ cups water 1 cup packed brown sugar 3 pounds frozen cooked meatballs 

 Method: 1. Combine sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, chili sauce water and brown sugar in a slow cooker and mix well. 2. Add the meatballs and cook on low for 2-3 hours or longer. (I think they cooked for 6 hours)