Lemon Citrus Blondies

Meetings for Children's Holiday Party often involve wonderful foods. This recipe from Ruth Ann Hogan is sure to please any crowd.



LEMON CITRUS BLONDIES

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs
3 T undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate
1 T fresh lemon zest
1½ cups flour
1½ t baking powder
½ t salt

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T fresh orange or tangerine juice
2 t grated fresh orange or tangerine zest

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with aluminum foil, having extra foil pressed over the sides as handles. Spray the sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well.

3. Add the frozen orange juice concentrate and the lemon zest.

4. In separate medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is shiny and feels firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes.

7. While the Blondie is baking, make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest together in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.

8. Cool the Blondie on a wire rack. Pierce with a fork, and pour the glaze over entire cake.

9. Lift the cooled bars from the pan using the paper/foil handles. Remove the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares or triangles.

Makes about 24 bars

Creme de Menthe Bars

Impress your guests with these decadent bars. They are melt-in-your-mouth good.

Margaret Pogue made these for the Historical League Open House at the AHS Museum, Thursday, October 21.

CREME de MENTHE BARS

1/2 C butter 1 C coconut
4 T cocoa 1 egg (beaten)
1/2 C powdered sugar 1 C nuts (chopped)
1 t vanilla 2 C graham cracker crumbs

Melt butter and add cocoa-then cool. Add other ingredients. Press firmly into greased 9x9" pan.
Refrigerate 1 hour.


Filling: 1/2 C butter 2 t instant vanilla ppudding
2 C powdered sugar 3 T creme de menthe

Melt butter and then add all other ingredients-spread over crust.
Refrigerate 1 hour.

Frosting: 1/4 C butter 6 oz. chocolate chips

Melt together and spread evenly over filling.
Refrigerate 1 hour.

Helpful Hints from Leslie

Love these helpful hints on baking from Leslie Christiansen . . .

Egg whites beat up better if they are warmed a little before being whipped. After separating the eggs, place the egg whites in a heat-proof bowl.
I use my mixing bowl, since it's made of metal.
Place a small amount of water in a saucepan and heat it to a simmer- not boiling. (Your mixing bowl can not touch the simmering water, or it will cook the egg whites.)
Place your mixing bowl over the simmering water and use a wire whisk to whip the egg whites until they are the temperature of bath water. It only takes about 45 seconds.
You can use a clean finger to test the temperature of the egg whites.
Now make the meringues (or what ever else you are baking) with your warm egg whites- they will whip up beautifully.

And a tip on baking with whole eggs:
Along the same line, whole eggs are better in baking if not super cold from the refrigerator, too.
This is easier to achieve: Simply place the eggs, still in their shells, in a bowl and cover them with bathwater-warm water. After about 5 minutes, they are ready removed from the water and used in baking.

Minty Chocolate Chip Meringues

Minty CHOCOLATE CHIP MERINGUES from Leslie Christiansen

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
½ t vanilla or 1/8 t pure mint extract or PURE MINT
3-6 oz mini chocolate chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 275 F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Heat a small amount of water in a sauce pan to a simmer.
3. Place egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of your electric mixer. Whisking constantly, warm egg whites over the simmering water until luke-warm.
4. Place the warm eggs whites and the bowl back in the electric mixer stand, add the salt and whip on high speed until frothy, about 1 minute.
5. With the mixer on high, add half the sugar all at once, and beat for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes total.
6. Lower the mixer speed and add the cocoa powder (if using) and vanilla.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips.
8. Use a teaspoon to drop a cookie kiss on the prepared sheet pans.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 275 F. The outside will be crisp and the inside will be a little soft.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the parchment paper.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

*For variety I do not use the cocoa powder and I use the mint extract instead of vanilla.

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

Harvest time with an abundance of sweet potatoes and corn means corn chowder. Candice McLeod made the chowder with her friend Edie. Adding crisp crumbled bacon made it a meal accompanied with tossed salad. Candice "sweated out the red peppers" to enhance their flavor. Recipe and details in Tastes & Treasures on page 96.

Permanent wave machine at AHS Museum

Billie Jones Kanan's tale of her 1928 visit to a midwest beauty shop for a 'perm' was disastrous enough for her to later recount it in detail: (Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society) .

It took all day, and cost $1 each….First our hair was washed and cut, then we waited and waited. There were women everywhere in different stages of getting beautified. Everyone was waiting….My hair wound up on spiral rods so tight that I thought I would never blink again [and] after the machine that looked like a milking machine was attached to the rods, I couldn't move. [Then] it began to steam and tears rolled down my checks. …[finally] someone got a blower and cooled my head here and there, but my scalp was scalded.

The new Open Storage Exhibit at AHS Museum at Papago Park shows a "Hodge Podge" including a Permanent Wave Machine, a Goat Treadmill, Barry Goldwater's Ham Radio and a large stove for a school to teach the domestic chore of Ironing.

Members and guests viewed the new Open Storage Exhibit during the Membership Open House Thursday, October 21. Guest speaker Wanda Carlack was a wealth of information about early Historical League functions.

Portabella Mushroom Appetizer

Appetizers can be very filling. We shared this one with 4 people. The large portabella mushroom was scooped out and filled with roasted red bell pepper, chopped mushroom stem, parmesean cheese, chopped green onion, and spices to taste. Topped with a wine reduction sauce and baked for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with alfalfa sprouts as garnish.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has a yummy mushroom appetizer using regular size mushrooms on page 27. I like to change it up using the large portabella mushrooms. Add the roasted red bell pepper (even cooked sausage) and it becomes a meal.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS page 27

Ingredients
2 lbs large mushrooms
2 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ t dried dill weed
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
2 T breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
2 T breadcrumbs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.

3. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and dice.

4. In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Sauté the chopped mushroom stems and the minced garlic for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

5. Add the cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Add the dill weed, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe into the mushroom caps.

7. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T Parmesan cheese and 2 T breadcrumbs.

8. Bake for 10 minutes or until nicely browned.

Note: You may prepare the mushrooms a day ahead and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

Serves 8-10