Margarita Pie at March meeting

Birthdays aren't often celebrated with the Historical League but every once in a while we make it special. Reba and Zona have birthdays very close together so a Margarita Pie seemed in order.

Using fresh ingredients, i.e. limes, would be easy, right? Wrong. It takes a lot of limes juice to make 1/2 cup so I added fresh lemon juice. It poured easily into the pretzel crust.

This is a wonderful dessert for company because you can make it days ahead and freeze it. Decorate with lime slices and it looks very professional.

However, frozen pie does not transport well. I put the finished pie on a bed of ice to keep it cold. The Margarita Pie looked more like Margarita Pudding by the time it was served as dessert but the plate was licked clean.

MARGARITA PIE

Pretzel Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Pie Filling
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.

Serves 6 to 8

Mines and Mineral Museum announcement

From Historical League President Ruth Ann Hogan
"The Governor announced (Friday Feb 12) that the Arizona Historical Society will be managing a new Arizona Centennial Museum which will be created at the Mines and Mineral Resources Museum building. The Museum will focus on the five C's of Arizona: cattle, cotton, copper (mining), citrus and climate (tourism) and those groups will raise the money. A consulting firm specializing in museums has been retained and has done the initial drawings and planning pro bono. This museum will have an exciting and dynamic presentation of Arizona's history with frequently changing exhibits and many hands on exhibits to interest all ages.
I have not seen any newspaper accounts of this announcement but I do hear that the word is out there. The Capital Times reporter was there so perhaps someone can send us that announcement. I suggest that you look on the web at this site:
http://azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/PR 021210 CentennialMuseum.pdf
There are many decisions to be made and the Five C's Group have to collaborate before they can proceed and begin to raise money. The Governor predicts that this Museum will be completed in the year 2012.
The League is perhaps the strongest group in the AHS and I know that we will continue to support the Museum in Papago Park and will come through all of this with shining colors. We are a hard working and flexible group of enthusiastic history promoters and will forge ahead with whatever hurdles we are presented with. Another adventure for us!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!"

March guest speaker

We look forward to a visit by Paul Messinger to the Historical League Monday, March 1. He will talk about the resting places of some of the Valley area pioneers and notable citizens.

Paul was reared on a local dairy farm, in what is now downtown Scottsdale. He is a former Scottsdale city councilman and State Legislator and is a honored oral Historian. Paul is the founder of Messinger Mortuaries.

Love these great photos I found on the internet. Paul is a great supporter of history.

Nacho Salad

There are many variations of Cowboy Caviar but this one is very different. League President Ruth Ann Hogan named it "Nacho Salad". We worked up an appetite after inventorying 3,000 cookbooks at the Museum so this was a welcome lunch.

It was created by combining three recipes - Black Bean and White Corn Salad page 183, and Cowboy Caviar page 180, and my friend, Gina Day's recipe. Kathleen Fischer told me to make it the day before so the spices marinate. Served with tortilla chips it is perfect for a Super Bowl party or any gathering.

Vinaigrette
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Salad
1-2 bunch(s) cilantro, trimmed
3 (14 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 ounce) package frozen white corn
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 (4 ounce) can diced chiles
12 black olives chopped
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
8 ounces (1/3 less fat) Neufchatel cream cheese
1/3 cup fat free Half & Half
2 ripe avocados mashed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 hard boiled egg

Vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper, chiles in a jar. Shake well.

Salad: Combine beans, corn, onions and black olives in a salad bowl. Pour vinaigrette over and refrigerate for 2-12 hours.

When ready to serve, blend Neufchatel cheese, Half & Half and mashed avocados together. Spread cheese/avocado mixture onto large platter with sides. Drain salad mixture well, then layer over cheese/avocado mixture.

Top with circle of shredded cheddar cheese, circle of chopped cilantro and fill center with chopped hard boiled egg.

Children's Holiday Party Wrap Up meeting

What a fantastic group of women that organize this December event. We always meet after and discuss new ideas, ways to improve and just have fun. Despite the downturn in the economy, the event made approximately $5,000 profit for the AHS Museum bringing joy and laughter to 250 children, parents, grandparents and friends.

Pam den Draak served us a lovely Strawberry Spinach Salad with slivered almonds while co-chair Carolyn Wood was busy baking quiche. Tobe Daum and Betsy Davis helped serve the luncheon. The venue was the L Ron Hubbard home in Paradise Valley with beautiful views of the west face of Camelback Mountain beyond the pool. A version of this spinach salad is in Tastes & Treasures (page 151) with carmelized pecans and poppy seeds.


Children's Holiday Party volunteers - You Rock!

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.