Sweet Potato Souffle Celebrates Halloween and Birthday

Halloween in our neighborhood became a potluck this year with 17 neighbors joining us on the front patio to hand out Halloween candy to the Trick or Treaters. Many neighbors came in costume or wore hats to celebrate the season. The children were so excited to dress up, loved the attention and had only one house to go to on the block to fill up their bags with candy.

Since we had just harvested sweet potatoes from the Master Gardener class, my contribution to the potluck was Individual Sweet Potato Souffle pg 172 from Tastes & Treasures. This is one of Rancho de la Osa's recipes and I can understand why they like it. It was a big hit with the Halloween crowd at the party. I made two recipes because I had purple sweet potato as well as orange ones and the colors are so vibrant. It was also a birthday celebration for my girlfriend so the Individual Sweet Potato Souffle doubled as a birthday cake with candles.

Individual Sweet Potato Souffles pg 122

4 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
6 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 (12 ounce can evaporated skim milk, or 1 1/2 cups heavy cream)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 teaspoon orange extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender. Maintain the oven temperature. Peel the sweet potatoes. Place in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating constantly. Add the flour, evaporated milk, salt and flavorings and beat well. Spray eight 4 ounce individual ramekins with cooking spray. Fill halfway with the sweet potato mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the souffles comes out clean. Cool in the ramekins for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plates or serve in the ramekins. Garnish each souffle with a pecan half.

Serves 8

Sandra Day O'Connor/ League Open House photos

Smiling faces all around as Sandra Day O'Connor greeted friends and fans at the new Exhibit Opening/Historical League Membership Open House Oct 21. Dr Peter Welsh points out highlights of the exhibit to Justice O'Connor, including a poster from her career.
Barbara Barrett was instrumental in procuring and moving the O'Connor House to the AHS property.


Justice O'Connor visits with Family Circus artist and fellow Historymaker Bil Keane.

Part of the Historymakers Hall exhibit includes photos and artifacts of Justice O'Connors career, even a Barbie doll in judicial robe.
Greg Novak, Justice O'Connor and Bil Keane. Marilyn and Robin Parke with Barbara Barrett.

More Photos of Sandra Day O'Connor Open House

Hustle and bustle were the buzz words as the Historical League put the finishing touches on tables, centerpieces, name tags and delicious recipes from Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Pat Faur and Margaret Pogue arrange name tags at the welcoming table. Linda Wegener opens boxes of crystal plates.

Pat and co-chair April Riggins share a moment with Sandra Day O'Connor during the event.


Pecan Squares pg 172 were "melt in your mouth" good.

Great Pumpkin Cookies pg 162 had hints of nutmeg, cinnamon and chocolate chips.

Cookbook Recipes served at Sandra Day O'Connor Exhibit Opening

Preparing for this special exhibit opening has taken months but it was well worth the effort as 250 people filled the Museum foyer enjoying the displays and sampling the tasty appetizers and desserts. Leslie Christiansen was the director in the kitchen making sure that everything was presented perfectly on crystal plates with doilies. After all her training and now teaching at Classic Cooking Academy in Scottsdale, she has become an excellent chef, teacher and caterer. Kay Holcombe works at precision cutting the Chocolate Mint Bars while Leslie swirls icing on Great Pumpkin Cookies pg 162. These photos are just a few of the delightful delicacies served Wednesday, Oct 21 at the Arizona Historical Society Museum. Love the Cowboy Caviar pg 180 served in corn chips. Pam Ryan and Kay Holcombe enjoy a laugh during the hectic prep time.
There were speeches in the Steele Auditorium with Sandra Day O'Connor giving an inspirational talk. She is, indeed, a wonderful role model.

O'Connor House Papago Park

Last evening the League hosted their annual Membership Open House featuring guest speaker Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Afterward, Justice O'Connor cut the ribbon on the museum's new exhibit, "Sandra Day O'Connor, A Citizen for All Seasons." Attendees were then encouraged to tour the O'Connor's adobe house, moved from its Paradise Valley location and now situated adjacent to the Arizona Historical Society Museum on park grounds.

Justice O'Connor and her husband, John, lived in their adobe house for over 25 years, leaving it when they moved to Washington D.C. following her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Here are some interesting excerpts from the house brochure:

"To make good adobes, you need a compound with quite a bit of clay in it to hold its shape, and you also have to a bit of straw and other things to make it all hold together.

"We [she and her husband, John,] decided to get the adobe for our house from a pit in the Salt River bed.

"We hosted many dinners -- for family and friends, colleagues, foreign visitors, members of Congress, and other distinguished people.

"In every instance, a bit of food and drink on our patio helped bridge any tension and helped the conversation."

AZ Biltmore Hotel Tour October 15

A visit to Phoenix for health issues in 1910 gave Warren McCarther the idea to build in Phoenix. Joined by his brother, Charles, in 1914 they started the first Dodge car dealership, then the first radio, KTAR, giving free radios to ranchers so they would advertize on the radio, then the first recreational vehicle "Wonderbus", a dodge truck with extra seats for tours to Sedona, Indian Reservations and the Grand Canyon. 

Small wonder that the first high-quality hotel was next on their list. With a proposal of $1 million they sold stock certificates and William Wrigley bought $50,000 worth. The property was 600 acres and 8 miles from Phoenix with no water or electricity. 

The architect was their brother, Harvard trained Albert Chase McCarther, who had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. The original library now houses historic photos including the key dropped from an airplane for the grand opening. The original Belgian linen tapestries are still gracing the walls of the Gold Room along with the restored 24 K gold leaf ceiling. These designs are a tribute to the Zuni and Hopi and Navajo tribes. The Aztec Room is accoustically perfect and was the sight of many elegant dances. Guests had to be "invited" to check in and arrived by train with steamer trunks, children, nannies, nurses, and other servants and stayed "for the season" (often 3-6 months). 

The rich and famous were often seen. Carole Lombard and Clark Gable were married at the Biltmore and he lost his wedding ring on the golf course. The original pool is called "Marilyn's pool" since she was photographed so many times there. Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" by "Marilyn's pool." Half of the Historical League tour group pose in front of the waterfall/ water slide designed by Vern Swaback, a Historical League member. Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland woke up guests with an imprompty piano session after a performance at Gammage Theatre. Billy Joel was recently a visitor and warmed up the piano again. Ogiliva Wright donated the original glass window creation from her husband called Sahuaro forms and Cactus Flowers. 

Keri Christian, one of the knowledgeable historians at the Biltmore conducted this fabulous tour. If you get a chance, sign up for one of these fascinating visits through this bustling hotel in the heart of Phoenix.

Green Salad with Shrimp

The breeze coming through the doorway is heavenly right now. Thank goodness for fall and temperatures finally dropping in Phoenix. The table at the Historical League meeting is decorated with harvest and halloween to help us get into the spirit of the season.

This salad sounded so delicious probably because I love marinated shrimp and avocados so I decided to make it for the League meeting.

Green Salad with Shrimp page 174 Tastes & Treasures Cookbook
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 or 3 avocados, sliced
2 pounds small shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 bunch spinach, trimmed
1 head romaine, trimmed and leaves separated
1 head iceberg lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated
1 pound bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled

Combine the oil, cottage cheese, onion, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, peppercorns and cayenne pepper in a blender or food processor and process until mixed. Combine the cottage cheese mixture, avocados and shrimp in a bowl and mix gently. Chill, covered, for 8 to 10 hours. Rinse the spinach, romaine and iceberg lettuce and wrap in damp clean kitchen towels. Chill for 8 to 10 hours.
Tear the greens into bite-size pieces. Combine the greens and the shrimp mixture in a salad bowl and mix gently. Sprinkle with the bacon and serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10

Note: This is too much oil for my taste so recommend cutting it in 1/2. I also pureed the cottage cheese mixture for a l-o-n-g time but it still separated when I poured it on the lettuce. Not a pretty picture. This salad tasted great but not the best looking presentation. Too bad.