Nancy Evans and Chile Fudge Pie

Nancy has worn many hats as a Historical League member with the most important being President, Children's Holiday Party chair several times and Historymaker Gala Co-Chair. Today she wore a birthday hat at Z Tejaz surrounded by family and enjoyed a delicious gooey pie that is described as an explosion of chocolate in a brownie.

She mentioned it was her 29th birthday!


 Tastes & Treasures cookbook has a delicious Chocolate Lover's Delight Pie on page 152. Wonder which pie Nancy likes the best?

Z Tejaz Chile Fudge Pie

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons pureed ancho chilies (*)
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 9 in. unbaked pastry shell

Directions:
*Forancho puree: Ancho chiles are dried poblanos, dark brown peppers found in the produce section of the supermarket.
Remove the seeds and stem from one ancho chile pepper, place in a small saucepan with water to cover.
Bring to a boil and simmer until ancho is tender.
Purée in a food processor.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Melt the butter and let cool to warm.
Toast the chopped nuts until lightly brown.
Beat eggs well and then add sugars and flour.
Beat until smooth.
Add warm butter to the batter and mix well (it is important for butter to be warm so chocolate chips will melt some).
Add chile puree.
Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
Pour filling into pastry shell and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until done.

http://www.food.com/recipe/z-tejas-chile-fudge-pie-109783?oc=linkback

Cashew Chicken

Who doesn't love cashews? Try this tasty dish with our favorite nuts. Another great dish with cashews is found in Tastes & Treasures cookbook on page 150 - Cashew Pea Salad.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth

1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce

1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 cups quartered mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. chopped garlic

8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/8 tsp. each salt and black pepper

1 cup snow peas

1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews

2 tbsp. chopped scallions



Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir cornstarch into broth until dissolved. Mix in soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger.

 Bring a wok (or large skillet) sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir until slightly softened, 5 - 6 minutes. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to the wok. Add snow peas and cashews. Cook and stir for about 4 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.

 Stir sauce mixture, and add to the wok. Cook and stir until sauce has slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. 

Top with scallions, and dig in!



MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe (about 1 1/2 cups)
Calories: 318
Fat: 9.5g
Sodium: 863mg
Carbs: 25g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 33.5g


Thanks to Hungry Girl for recipe.

Sticky Buns Breakfast Ring

Gooey and Delicious. We have two versions of this recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook, the original one on page 78 is from historic El Chorro Lodge.

Here's another version-

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring - Easy and Delicious

Buttermilk Biscuits – 1 1/2 tubes Pillsbury Grands (12 pieces total)
Butter – 3 Tablespoons, melted
Maple Syrup – 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar – 1/3 cup, packed
Cinnamon – 1/2 teaspoon, ground
Pecans – 1/4 cup, chopped (optional)
Walnuts – 1/4 cup, sliced (optional)

•Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
•Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and maple syrup in a small bowl and set aside.
•In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon and nuts (if desired).
•Place about half of the butter and maple syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then, sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.
•Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.
•Top with remaining butter and maple syrup and brown sugar mixtures.
•Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.
•Remove pan from oven, and cool for 1 minute in the pan. Then, invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

Nothing beats fresh fruit pie when in season, although frozen blueberries work wonderfully for this recipe. The photo shows a tradition pie crust but the recipe has a delicious graham cracker crust. They both are great.

Also try Blueberry Muffins from Tastes & Treasures, page 62. It is a recipe from historical La Posada Inn in Winslow, AZ.

Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal

2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers, broken into pieces



3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon


1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread 


Filling

2/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

3 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups blueberries

Optional topping: Fat Free Reddi-whip



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a pie pan with nonstick spray.


To make the crust, in a blender or food processor, grind cereal and graham cracker pieces into crumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl, and mix in Splenda and cinnamon.


In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter and 2 tbsp. water for 30 seconds, or until butter has melted. Add to the medium bowl and thoroughly mix.
Evenly distribute mixture along the bottom of the pie pan, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the pan.

Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. 



In a large nonstick pot, combine all filling ingredients except blueberries. Add 1/2 cup cold water, and mix until Splenda, cornstarch, and salt dissolve. Add blueberries and stir.

Set heat to medium. Stirring frequently, cook until berries have softened and burst and mixture has thickened, 10 - 12 minutes.


Carefully transfer filling to the pie pan. Let pie cool and set, about 1 hour. 

Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Slice and enjoy! 



MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8th of pie)
Calories: 120 
Fat: 3.5g
Sodium: 168mg 
Carbs: 25g
 Fiber: 5.5g
 Sugars: 8.5g
 Protein: 1.5g

Sugar Alternative: Swap out the Splenda for the same amount of granulated white sugar, and each serving will have 191 calories, 44g carbs, and 29.5g sugars.
Thanks to Hungry Girl for stats.

Frozen Blueberries: Thaw them, but don't drain the excess liquid. (The berries might not soften and burst, but the mixture will thicken and the pie will taste great!)

Grilled Pork Loin with Fresh Peaches

The peaches are ripe for picking and abundant in Arizona. Searching for recipes using peaches, I found this one from Williams-Sonoma.

Also tried the Roast Pork Tenderloin on page 44 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook. I substituted peaches for the pears in the chutney from Garlands Oak Creek Lodge in Sedona. Hope they don't mind!

Pork and fruit is a classic combination. This recipe takes that pairing to a delicious new level by grill-roasting a pork loin roast with fresh summer peaches. If you can’t find small peaches, use larger ones and cut each into 6 to 8 wedges.


Ingredients:1 boneless pork loin roast, about 3 1/2 lb.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 1/2 lb. small peaches, pitted and halved
3 or 4 fresh oregano sprigs
Directions:
Using kitchen twine, tie the pork roast at 2-inch intervals and place in a large sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and the 1/4 cup olive oil. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning the bag over once or twice.

 Remove the pork from the marinade and place on a rack-lined baking sheet. Generously season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper.

 Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.



Prepare a grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Set aside. Place the pork, fat side up, in the center of a steel grill roaster.

 Place the roaster in the center of the grill over indirect heat, cover the grill and cook for 30 minutes. Arrange the peaches along the sides of the roaster, top with the oregano sprigs and cover the grill. Cook until the pork is well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 145°F, 20 to 30 minutes more; adjust the burners as needed to maintain the internal grill temperature at 375° to 400°F. 



Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Cut the pork into slices and serve immediately with the peaches.

Serves 6 to 8.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisp

Who doesn't love appetizers? Tastes & Treasures cookbook has several including a favorite - Stuffed Mushrooms on page 27 from The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff.

Love this one with Zucchini!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps 

1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.

Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.

In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.

Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.

Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown. (There is no need to flip them during baking -- they crisp up on both sides as is.)

Updated website for Historical League

We are excited to introduce an updated Historical League website. There are still many things to correct but we are getting close. Zona Lorig and Ruth McLeod work to bring new colors, format, photos and links to www.HistoricalLeague.org. Many other League members have contributed to produce this new look as well as hiring a professional to guide us.

Thanks to Joan Robinson who started it and now Maika Winters as well as all the League members who have helped bring this website to a new level.