Schnepf Farm has lots of history

What a treat to stop at Schnepf Farm in Queen Creek with members of the Historical League. Owners Carrie and Mark Schnepf were delightful. Carrie is a fifth generation Arizonan from the Bigg family in Mesa. She has wonderful stories about growing up in the valley and we hope to have her become more involved with the Historical League. Turns out they sold 5 acres to the Olive Mill which the League toured also. Zona Lorig and Carrie posed with Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Schnepf Farm is an agri-tourism destination with tours on hay rides or mini train through the peach orchards. Blossom time is beautiful. Harvest time is even more fun as you can pick those fresh peaches right from the tree. It is a very family friendly place with Princess Buttercup, the golden laborador, greeting you at the door.

Carrie makes the BEST "melt in your mouth" peach cinnamon rolls ever. Made from scratch, she kneads the dough by hand. This hard work may explain the reason she is in such great shape. She also makes fresh pies, cookies and muffins. Mark Schnepf has a large tray of fresh pies for their country store. League member Kay Holcombe with friends Barb Kurth and Shellie Rudow are eager to share a family size peach cinnamon roll.

A great supporter of history, Carrie was thrilled to see our cookbook and is now selling them in her Country Store. We look forward to May 8-9 at Schnepf Farms when they host the Peach Festival.

Getting Healthy at Olive Mill

Olives are good for you. We learned a lot about the health benefits of EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, on our tour in Queen Creek of the Olive Mill.

Five years ago, Schnepf Farms sold a part of their land to the Olive Mill and owner Perry has made it a destination. The tours are short but very informative. Mary Parker stands next to the Olive Press. At the bottom of the photo is the red valve where the oil drips. To ensure the freshest oil, the olives are pressed within 24 hours of harvesting. This press works for 16-hour shifts during that time. One thousand pound flats of olives go through in a season.

The Olive Mill in Queen Creek has made history by being the first in Arizona to make Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We brought the cookbook to show them. They were impressed and bought a case for their gift shop.

The grounds are lovely for picnics. Forty League members attended the tour and enjoyed the lunch. Jeannie Fletcher and Pam Ryan also announced our overnight tour will be an exclusive visit to Rancho de La Osa in Sasabe. That is a great destination since it started with Father Kino in the late 1600s and has a chapter in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Cookbook Review on Amazon.com

Nice to know that Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona is traveling around the globe. Here is a review posted on Amazon.com

"I've just returned from vacation in Arizona. I sampled a "taste" of this cookbook while visiting Karchner Caverns Gift Shop, and knew I had to have my own copy. Inside there are interesting stories about the various historic hotels and restaurants that feature recipe selections from their menu. There are also recipes from folks who have lived in Arizona, including Barry Goldwater, that met with rave reviews from patrons or family members. I tried a salmon recipe that was excellent, and plan on trying a good many more. The stories attached to each recipe(s) are also gems in their own right."

By Raphaela M. Consigli April 2009

Arrival of 3000 cookbooks

Friday was a big day with the delivery of 3,000 cookbooks from the FRP warehouse in Tennessee. Thanks to the wonderful volunteers on the cookbook committee, we inventoried, labeled boxes, checked for defects and stored all these books at the Museum. We are so grateful for the very industrious "worker bees". Pictured are Ruth McLeod, Jeannine Moyle, Ruth Ann Hogan, Carolyn Mendoza, Sharron McKinney and Linda Corderman.
Thank goodness Linda's daughter preprinted labels for all the boxes. Carolyn and Linda recorded each box into the filing system.

Next step - Sell books.

Betsy Davis Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Can't you just smell that wonderful aroma of lemon bars baking in the oven?

Betsy Davis is great about contributing food to the Historical League functions. This was her recipe from the February meeting. It was finger licking good. Sweet and Tart.

Crust
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 sticks butter

Topping
2 cups sugar
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs well beaten
1 heaping Tbs grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix flour and powdered sugar together. Cut in butter until well blended. Press mixture over bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan. Bake about 25 minutes until lightly browned.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the remaining ingredients and spread on top of the baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Betsy’s Note: if they come out too runny, I haven't baked them long enough or didn't have the oven all the way preheated when I started the baking. If I make sure the oven is at 350 and bake them for 30 minutes, they come out fine.

Jeannie Fletchers Fancy Brownies

Jeannie brought these decadent chocolate treats to the Historical League meeting. The presentation was so attractive and they were delicious. I will definitely make these for a special occasion.

FANCY BROWNIES or Double Frosted Brownies

4 oz. UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE
1 C. BUTTER
2 C. SUGAR
4 EGGS
1 C. FLOUR
1 tsp. VANILLA
1/2 tsp. SALT
1 C. chopped PECANS or WALNUTS
3 C. CONFECTIONER'S SUGAR
2 T. melted BUTTER
LIGHT CREAM or MILK
4 oz. SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE
2 T. BUTTER

Melt the unsweetened chocolate with the butter in a large bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove-top. Beat in the sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the flour, vanilla, salt and nuts. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Combine the confectioners sugar with 2 T. melted butter adding enough cream or milk to make a spreading consistency. Spread on the cooled brownies and let set. Melt the semisweet chocolate with 2T. butter and spread on top, carefully spreading a thin layer with the back of a spoon until completely covered. Refrigerate or freeze. Cut into bars with a serrated knife and serve at room temperature.

Kathleen Fischer's Black Bean & White Corn Salad

This was a big hit at the Historical League meeting in February and I have found lots of variations of it. Kathleen made it easy and pretty.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Salad:
2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 cup frozen white corn, thawed
1 diced red pepper
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Best if made the day before.
8-10 servings as a side dish

For another variation try Tastes and Treasures Black Bean and White Corn Salad with Ancho Cilantro Vinaigrette page 183