Dinner made from Tastes & Treasures recipes

We love to have feedback from Tastes & Treasures cookbook recipes. Nancy Oswald of Oregon found a Rancho de la Osa menu that pleased her Gourmet Group. She wrote the following note to her friend, Historical League member Jeannine Moyle.

Jeannine Moyle with Nancy Oswald from Gaston, Oregon

Western Horseman Cookbook features Margarita Pie

The Historical League was featured on page 131 of Western Horseman Cookbook with the Margarita Pie from Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. The Pie recipe came from historic Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, AZ. We are pleased to be a part of Western Horseman and share history and recipes.

Chuck-wagon cooking, dutch-ovens, campfires . . . these are the cooking methods of the Old West. The recipes from this cookbook have been featured in the Western Horseman Magazine since 2007. They are now compiled in this inviting book along with stories of cowboys and cowgirls that still ride the range and enjoy all things about horses and ranching.

 

Southwestern Bacon and Cheese Strata

Company is coming and I love to look like I know what I am doing in the kitchen, when it really isn't true. This recipe makes it look simple to cook breakfast for overnight guests. Thanks to historic Rancho de La Osa for giving us the recipe for Tastes & Treasures cookbook, page 118.

Southwestern Bacon and Cheese Strata
Ingredients:
 10 cups cubed trimmed white bread
14 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk or half-and-half
16 slices hone or mesquite-flavored thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard, or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustaard
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeno chile
2 cups (8ounces)shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
Mix the bread, eggs and milk in a large bowl and let stand for 20 minutes. Add the crumbled bacon, white pepper, dry mustard, jalapeno chile, Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese and mix well. Spoon into a 9X13-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 to 10 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and place the dish on a baking sheet for ease in handling and for catching any spills.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the strata for 45 to 60 minutes or until the center is firm and the top is golden brown. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of salsa.

Serves 8 

4th of July Raspberry Pretzel Jello

Top this dish with fresh blueberries and you have a delicious dessert to celebrate our nation's birthday. Raspberry Pretzel Jello has a very similar crust to Margarita Pie from page 124 Tastes & Treasures cookbook, from Rancho de La Osa. You can read all about the wonderful history of Rancho de La Osa as well as their renowned recipes in Tastes & Treasures.

The following recipe has the same great idea with lots of Raspberries. Don't forget to add the Blueberries to make it look patriotic.
Thanks to Natashaskitchen.com for the recipe.


 Ingredients for Raspberry Pretzel Jello Recipe:
6 oz package Raspberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 (8oz) package cream cheese – softened
1 (8oz) package Cool Whip – thawed
1 cup sugar
1 bag frozen raspberries – thawed in refrigerator

How to Make Raspberry Pretzel Jello:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
1. Combine 6 Oz packet of Jell-O with 2 cups of boiling water and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Crush 2 cups of pretzels in a ziploc bag, using a rolling pin.

3. Melt 1 stick of  butter than add 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan. Add pretzels and mix together.

4. Lightly press pretzel mix into a 13×9 -inch pyrex dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then cool to room temperature.

5. While pretzel mix is cooling down, beat 8 oz of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium/low speed until well-combined.

6. Next, stir in Cool Whip using a spatula and mix until well combined.

7. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and go all the way to the edges of the dish to create a seal. You don’t want the jello to leak into the pretzels. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

8. Place  raspberries evenly on top of the cream filling..

9.  Pour Jell-O over raspberries and refrigerate until jello is set.

Very Lemon Bread from Rancho de la Osa

Rancho de la Osa gave us this wonderful recipe for Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The fascinating history of the Guest Ranch is told in the cookbook. It began as a Jesuit mission outpost in the late 1600s. If only those walls could talk . . .

The Very Lemon Bread was almost gone by the time I got to take a photo of Mariamne Moore with her tasty treat. Also volunteering at our cookbook booths, Mariamne has been a tremendous help in promoting Tastes & Treasures and the Historical League.

Our January Historical League meeting was packed and the luncheon was well received.

Very Lemon Bread

Bread Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Lemon Glaze Ingredients:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

For the bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Mix the sugar, butter and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beating until just blended after each addition. Fold in the lemon zest and pecans. Pour into greased and floured 5 X 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the glaze, blend the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cracks int he warm bread that form while baking.

Makes 1 loaf. Decorate with slices of fresh lemons and blueberries. Yummm.

Note: Before adding glaze, it really helps to take a fork and make deep punctures from the top of the loaf pan. Then the glaze flows down through the entire loaf.

When using fresh lemons instead of lemon extract, you need to cut back slightly on the liquid (milk) used since fresh lemons are not as concentrated. We used 1/3 cup milk.

Corn muffins from Rancho de La Osa

Rancho de La Osa Corn Muffins

So many recipes came to us for Tastes & Treasures cookbook that are meant for large crowds. This one makes 4 dozen and I am sure Rancho de La Osa Resort goes through them quickly. The Historical League has toured their kitchen and everything is made from scratch. You can cut this recipe in 1/2 for more “normal” family sizes.

2 cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 cups sugar

20 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk

4 cups all-purpose white flour

4 cups cornmeal

4 teaspoons salt

8 teaspoons baking powder

4 cups grated Jack cheese

4 cups grated Cheddar cheese

4 cups sour cream

1/2 cup finely diced jalapenos

1/2 cup crumbled bacon, optional

Add butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use a mixer and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk. Set aside. Alternating, add buttermilk mixture and remaining dry ingredients to creamed butter ixture. When well mixed, slowly stir in Jack and Cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and bacon. Mix well.

Heat ove to 375 degrees. Heavily grease muffin tins. Spoon about 1/3 cup batter into tins. Bake about 25 minutes or until firm.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Got Lemons? Make Lemon Loaf

The citrus trees are blooming in Arizona, the air is sweet, and most of us are sneezing with allergies. Oh but we have LEMONS. Lots and Lots of Lemons.

Very Lemon Loaf is from Tastes & Treasures cookbook, page 119. It is a delicious loaf from historic Rancho de La Osa in Sasabe, AZ.

Bread Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Lemon Glaze Ingredients

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

For the bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Mix the sugar, butter and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beating until just blended after each addition. Fold in the lemon zest and pecans. Pour into greased and floured 5 X 8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the glaze, blend the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cracks int he warm bread that form while baking.

Makes 1 loaf. Decorate with slices of fresh lemons and blueberries. Yummm.

Note: Before adding glaze, it really helps to take a fork and make deep punctures from the top of the loaf pan. Then the glaze flows down through the entire loaf.

When using fresh lemons instead of lemon extract, you need to cut back slightly on the liquid (milk) used since fresh lemons are not as concentrated. We used 1/3 cup milk.

Make-ahead quiche

Good Morning Quiche

A delicious quiche for company and you can prepare it ahead. Also try Rancho de La Osa's Southwestern Bacon and Cheese Strata, page 118 Tastes & Treasures cookbook, for another make-ahead breakfast recipe.

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet
6 slices center-cut bacon or ham
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 onion)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)
2 1/2 cups fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/2 cup light plain soymilk
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom and sides of a deep 9" X 13" baking pan with nonstick spray. Place dough sheet along the bottom. Firmly press dough into the bottom and corners of the pan. Pierce dough several times with a fork.

Bake until dough just begins to puff up, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on.

If using bacon, fry in large skillet and drain.

Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until broccoli becomes bright green, about 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until water evaporates, 1 - 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Cook and stir until softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, blot away excess moisture, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine egg substitute, soymilk, and cheese wedges, breaking cheese wedges into pieces. Add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until mostly smooth. Chop bacon or ham and add to the bowl. Add cooked veggies and stir well.

Evenly pour contents of the bowl over the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until egg mixture is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Sweet Potato Recipe Becomes a Tradition

What traditional foods do you serve at Holiday meals?
This one was a simple recipe printed in a 1958 Detroit FreePress newspaper but our family began to serve it at every Christmas meal. Our daughter named them "Fat Men with Top Hats" and the tradition was born.

Rancho de La Osa has a delicious Sweet Potato Souffle, page 122 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook. The soufflé is a definite tradition for this historic property in Sasabe, AZ.

Ingredients

2 cups mashed sweet potato

3/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 can pineapple slices

Directions

Mix ingredients and place on pineapple ring using an ice cream scoop. Top with marshmallow and 1/2 cherry. Bake 12 minutes at 400 degrees until the marshmallow is toasted.

Note: Bake 6 minutes, then add the marshmallow and cherry. This helps to keep them from sliding off the pineapple ring. Push the marshmallow down into a hollow in the sweet potato.

Cooking at Desert Botanical Gardens with Tastes & Treasures cookbook

Observe the Arizona Centennial by learning to make the official centennial entrée--piñón crusted chicken with cherry chipotle sauce at Desert Botanical Gardens Feb 5 from 2-4 pm. League member Leslie Christiansen, who will instruct the class, commented, "Toasted pine nuts give this dish a wonderful nutty aroma and texture, and the cherry chipotle sauce is smoky and full of flavor. This mouth-watering entree comes from the historic guest ranch Rancho de La Osa, as does margarita pie. A fabulous, refreshing dessert, margarita pie is the Southwest's version of key lime pie."

These delicious recipes are perfect for entertaining and can be found in the Historical League's award winning cookbook Tastes & Treasures, for sale in the Garden's bookstore as well as www.HistoricalLeague.org.

Sign up for this class at www.dbg.org/education-programs/classes-trips and scroll down to Feb 5 class Centennial Celebration Cooking with Leslie Christiansen.

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Margarita Pie from historic Rancho de la Osa on page 196 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is a big hit with us. This recipe from Hungry Girl is very similar but with lower calorie and some different flavors. Try them both.

Key Lime Pie Frozen Sandwiches

Ingredients: 


1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 

1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar 

1 tbsp. lime juice (key lime, if available) 

2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, broken into 4 squares



Directions:

To make the filling, combine yogurt, sugar, and lime juice in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the freezer for 25 - 30 minutes, until it reaches a soft-serve-like consistency (very thick but soft enough to stir.)


Place two graham cracker squares on a plate with the cinnamon-covered sides down. Give filling a stir and evenly distribute between the two graham cracker squares, about 1/4 cup each. Gently place another graham cracker square over each filling-topped square, cinnamon-covered sides up.



Place in the freezer until filling is firm, at least 1 hour.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe, 1 sandwich): 128 calories, 1g fat, 105mg sodium, 24g carbs, 0.5g
fiber, 16g sugars, 7g protein

Margarita Pie topic on talk radio

The interview with www.blogtalkradio.com/big-blend-radio/2011/07/23/food-history-travel was fun with lots of interest in Margarita Pie and Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe. The hosts did not know the Jesuit mission built in the late 1600 at Rancho de la Osa is the oldest building still in use in AZ. I was nervous about the interview since they know lots of history, so I felt good when I could give them some new information.

The interview was to promote Tastes & Treasures cookbook and Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Historymakers Centennial Commemoration book.

H. Alan Day, co-author of "Lazy B" with his sister Sandra Day O'Connor, preceded me on the talk show. He is such an interesting speaker. Both he and Sandra talked at a Historical League meeting a few years ago and it was fascinating. His passion now is rescueing wild horses and he tells us about this in his new book.

For all you foodies, here is the sought-after Margarita Pie recipe. Easy to fix and looks so impressive.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust

1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons gold tequila

2 tablespoons Triple Sec

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Green food coloring (optional)

For the crust, pulse the pretzels and sugar in a food processor several times to combine. Add the butter in a steady stream and process until well mixed. Press over the bottom and up the side of a 9 inch pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

For the pie, combine the lime juice, condensed milk, tequila and Triple Sec in a bowl and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream. Tint with green food coloring, if you desire a deeper color. Spoon into the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or up to 1 week. Garnish with additional whipped cream and lime slices.

Note: Do not use fat-free or low-fat pretzels in the crust or the crust will not hold together when cutting. You may substitute graham crackers for the pretzels.

We added green coloring but swirled it (not mixed it in uniformly) so it gave a marbled look.

Serves 6 to 8

Margarita Pie Demonstration

The audience loved to learn about Margarita Pie at the AZ History Convention in Yuma last week. Leslie Christiansen is an expert at demonstrating cooking skills and techniques. She made the pie in little sample cups for tasting and added Crystallized Lime Zest for the topping. What a hit and they looked so pretty. Margarita Pie is from historic Rancho de la Osa, the recipe is on page 124 Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

CRYSTALIZED LIME ZEST

Ingredients:
Lime; Lemon or Orange
Salt
Water
Sugar

Method:
1. Wash the outside of the citrus with soap & water, and then dry well.
2. Peel the citrus with a potato peeler or citrus zester. Be sure the peel does not have the off-white and bitter pith. (do not use a micro/plane)
3. If using a peeler- cut peel into julienne strips.
4. Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil, using enough water to cover more than an inch of the citrus zest. Add a small palm-full of kosher salt to the boiling water.
5. Blanch the zest for 1 minute.
6. Pour the zest into a fine mesh sieve, allowing it to drain well.
7. Meanwhile, make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water:
8. Place the sugar in the center of a heavy bottom sauce pan, being careful not to get the sugar crystals up the sides of the pan.
9. Pour the water around the sugar. Gently stir the sugar with a wooden spoon.
10. Bring to a boil- without stirring. When the liquid has completely come to a boil and the syrup is clear, turn off the heat.
11. Add the zest and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the zest is slightly transparent.
12. Meanwhile, place some new sugar in a cake or pie pan. (use 2 pans if making a large amount)
13. When the zest has finished simmering, pour it into a large sieve to drain. The syrup will be thick and sticky.
14. Immediately after the sugar has drained, start to coat it with the sugar;
15. Using 2 forks, scoop up about a large tablespoon full of zest into the sugar. Use the forks to separate the zest into strands, completely coating it with the sugar. This takes time and patience.
16. Move the sugar coated zest into the 2nd pie dish with sugar, coating it again. Continue until all the zest has been coated in sugar.
17. Allow sugar to dry out in the sugar for a few hours, re-coating it a few times.
18. Place finished zest in an airtight container or a zip-top bag. It will keep for a few weeks.

Fixated on Fritatta

What to do with those left over vegetables? Make a fritatta. This one was filled with goodies to make a hearty breakfast.

Using a ovenproof pan or cast iron skillet, saute chopped yellow pepper in olive oil. Add precooked bacon, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, chicken, what ever you have. Pour egg whites over the mixture to barely cover and sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper.

Bake 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Also check out some great Egg Dishes in Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona. Page 195 has a wonderful, easy Breakfast Casserole. And Southwestern Bacon and Cheese Strata on page 118 from Rancho de La Osa has a spicy kick. Enjoy.

Quiche all dressed up

Store bought quiche is often plain and simple. Try this idea with crisp bacon pieces for a lovely presentation. Just add the bacon prior to baking and serve with a smile.

Another option is to make Southwest Bacon and Cheese Strata from Rancho de La Osa, page 118 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook. A little more labor involved but well worth it.


Southwest Bacon and Cheese Strata
10 cups cubed trimmed white bread
14 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk or half-and-half
16 slices hone or mesquite-flavored thick bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard, or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustaard
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeno chile
2 cups (8ounces)shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Mix the bread, eggs and milk in a large bowl and let stand for 20 minutes. Add the crumbled bacon, white pepper, dry mustard, jalapeno chile, Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese and mix well. Spoon into a 9X13-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 to 10 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking and place the dish on a baking sheet for ease in handling and for catching any spills.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the strata for 45 to 60 minutes or until the center is firm and the top is golden brown. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of salsa.

Serves 8