Impressive Cupcakes

Cupcakes make a beautiful presentation . . . at weddings, parties, showers, birthdays. I think this fad will be around for a long time since it is so easy to create a unique display and everyone loves the moist delicious cakes. Polly Rosenbaum's 100th Birthday cake on page 136 of Tastes & Treasures would make wonderful cupcakes.

The cupcakes pictured here were served at the home of Nancy Taub for the March meeting of Alpha Delta Kappa teachers group. About 30 teaching professionals meet monthly and enjoy an educational presentation. Zona Lorig and Ruth Mcleod were invited to speak about the Historical League's new Centennial book, Arizona Recollections and Reflections. The Centennial book and Tastes & Treasures Cookbook were well received and sold to the group.

League member Debbie Esquer gave the introduction prior to the presentation of the Centennial book. Debbie is a new Historical League member but very knowledgeable of our mission. We are glad to have her join our group.

Historymaker John Driggs gives us Green Corn Tamales

Green Corn Tamales was the recipe given us by Historymaker John Driggs for Tastes & Treasures cookbook. There is an interesting history behind the recipe. Apparently, John and his wife, Gail, had enjoyed Pancho's Patio restaurant on North Central Ave, above Camelback Road in the 1950's. They knew the owner Elma Van Zandt and she shared her recipe for Green Corn Tamales with them.

Sadly, Pancho's Patio is long gone but the wonderful food Elma created can still be enjoyed today. Recipe on page 128 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Bridal Shower Confections

Decadent chocolate covered strawberries and dessert trays with mini cream puffs and chocolate eclairs were spectacular.

The bride has a degree in fashion design and has created costumes for the theatre so centerpieces of shoes and hats seemed very appropriate.

Who would have thought that alternating red and green grapes on a skewer would look so attractive? Mother-of-the-groom, Pam Fischer, shows us her creations.

Yogurt was the filling in the paper cups served with a strawberry and Meyer Lemon cookie, served by Historical League member and co-hostess Kay Holcombe. Yummmm. They were like a mini version of the yogurt parfait served at Hassayampa Inn in Prescott. Recipe on page 52 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Green Beans with Lemon and Nuts

Vegetables are so tasty alone but embellished with lemon and nuts makes them more like a special treat. Tastes & Treasures cookbook has a wonderful recipe for Herb-Roasted Vegetables thanks to The Cottage Place in Flagstaff. El Tovar at the Grand Canyon also gave us their recipe for Melange of Sauteed Vegetables. Try them all.

Green Beans with Lemon and Nuts
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or pecans

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook beans and garlic cloves in a 4-quart saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Finely mince garlic cloves, transfer minced garlic and drained beans to a bowl and toss with nuts, parsley, zest, oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings.

Approximate values per serving: 70 calories, 5 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 3 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiver, 6 mg sodium, 64 percent calories from fat.

Zucchini Apple Carrot Bread

Eat your vegetables. No problem. Especially when the veggies are in this delicious quick bread with a blend of zucchini, carrots, apples and raisins. Carrot bread recipe on page 197 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is a good one. The recipe below adds even more vegetables.

Zucchini Carrot Apple Bread

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 eggs

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pinch of cloves

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini

1/2 cup plumped yellow raisins

1 cup finely diced, peeled apples

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Drip Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Orange juice as required

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 X 4 inch loaf pans or one Bundt pan. This recipe can also make 18 to 24 muffins. Place pans on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.

In a mixer bowl, blend the sugar, butter, eggs, orange juice and vanilla. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet batter along with the shredded carrots, zucchini raisins apples and walnuts. Spoon into prepared pan(s).

Bake until done, about 1 hour, or until loaves spring back when gently touched with fingers. Cool to room temperature before icing.

Cream Cheese Drip Frosting - Place the cream cheese, butter, and most of the confectioners’ sugar in a food processor or mixer bowl. Blend, adding more of the confectioners’ sugar and drizzling in a bit of orange juice to make it a soft, fluffy topping. Add more confectioners’ sugar or orange juice if necessary for smooth consistency. Frost top of loaf or cake, it will drip down the sides, and garnish with shredded carrots and a dusting of cinnamon before serving.

Makes 8 to 12 servings. Freezes well.

Gifting Tastes & Treasures Cookbook

Lots of snowbirds come to the "Valley of the Sun" in February and March. We were fortunate to enjoy a mini-Michigan Tech University reunion at Dennis and Carol Downey's place in Mesa last week with 6 graduates of the University. It was fun to reminisce and tell stories.

I gave a cookbook to Laura and Mike Hoganson and she was so grateful. Coming from a Forestry major, this comment is appreciated, "Thank you for Tastes & Treasures. It is a beautiful, beautiful cookbook. I have studied every page(!) and am excited to make many of the recipes."

Meatballs with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce, page 165 Tastes & Treasures, is an easy recipe to serve at any get-together. The guys have enjoyed it on their golf trips when I prepare it and freeze the entire dish in a giant zip-loc bag. Before they leave for golf, it is placed in the crockpot on low heat to be enjoyed when they return.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

2 cups undrained sauerkraut

1 16oz can whole cranberry sauce

1¼ cups chili sauce

1¼ cups water

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 pounds frozen cooked meatballs

Method:

1. Allow meatballs to defrost in refrigerator overnight.
2. Combine sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, chili sauce water and brown sugar in a slow cooker and mix well.
3. Add the meatballs and cook on low for 2-3 hours or longer.

Heart Shaped Coffee Cake Celebrates AZ 100th Birthday

Valentine's Day and Arizona's 100th birthday couldn't be any sweeter with this delicious Cranberry Coffee Cake. Historical League member, Kay Holcombe, is creative in the kitchen with the heart-shaped pan for the coffee cake. The Holcombes, married for 35 years, often give each other innovative and unique gifts for special occasions. This is a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day or any event.

Cranberry Coffee Cake pg. 199 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce

Confectioners' Sugar Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons (about) warm water
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Coffee Cake: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Beat the butter in a bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the walnuts.

Spoon half the batter into a greased and floured tube pan, 9 X 13 inch baking pan or bundt pan. Spread with 1/2 of the cranberry sauce. Top with the remaining batter and remaining cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes for the tube pan or bundt pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes for the 9 X 13 pan or until the coffee cake tests done. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and invert onto a serving platter.

For the Glaze: mix the confectioners' sugar, warm water and lemon juice in a bowl until of a glaze consistency. Drizzle over the warm coffee cake. Let stand until set.