Mediterranean Pasta Salad from Bonnie Newhoff

Thanks to Bonnie Newhoff for bringing this flavorful pasta salad to our October meeting. The recipe is from Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Tuna and Basil
Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad Ingredients:2 cups fusilli or penne
6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
Salt to taste
2 large tomatoes chopped, or small grape tomatoes
Sliced kalamata olvies
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stacked and thinly sliced
1 (7-ounce) can oil-pack tuna, drained and flaked
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or chopped
Capers, drained and rinsed

Directions for the viniaigrette:
Whisk the vinegar, basil, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking constantly until the olive oil is incorporated.

Directions for the salad:
Cook the pasta using the package directions and drain. Toss the hot pasta with a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Blanch the green beans in a small amount of boiling salted water in a saucepan until tender-crisp and drain. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and drain.

Layer the pasta, tomatoes, olives, basil, green beans and tuna in a large salad bowl, drizzling each layer with some of the vinaigrette. Toss lightly and top with the hard-cooked eggs and capers.

Serves 4.

Cookbook featured at AHS Museum

This new display in the AHS Museum lobby

drew my interest! Cookbooks are timeless . . .

Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona is available at the AHS Museum gift shop in Papago Park. $24.95

Individual Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

How cute are these individual cakes!

Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

Cake Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 C white sugar
4 Tbsp pineapple juice
2/3 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick or 4 Tbsp)
2/3 C brown sugar
1-can pineapple rings
6-maraschino cherries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
BAKE TIME 10-15 min
In a mixing bowl, add eggs, white sugar, and pineapple juice. Beat for 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and turn mixer back on for 2 minutes.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Stir on low heat for one minute.

Spoon a layer of the warm brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin, then place a pineapple ring on top. Add a cherry in the middle of each pineapple. Pour cake mixture over to fill muffin tin 3/4 of the way full. If you are using regular muffin tins, you will need to cut down the rings to fit or just use pineapple tidbits.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pumpkin fans will love this easy to fix, moist cake.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can Pumpkin Puree
1 10 oz can Evaporated Milk
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs (slightly beaten)
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted
1 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers or pecans (walnuts are good too)
1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking/baking spray
In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine.
Pour into your prepared pan.
Sprinkle your entire box of cake mix on top, followed by your nuts or graham crackers and toffee chips.
Pour your melted butter evenly on top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly browned.

Notes
serve with ice cream or whipped cream

Recipe adapted from: cookiesandcups.com

Rosie's Apple Pie

My kind of recipe . . . easy and delicious.

Karen Swanson made her Mom's Apple Pie recipe to the October Historical League meeting. It was gone very quickly!

Rosie's Apple Pie

Ingredients:
6 peeled apples (medium)
1 small package raspberry jello
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter

Directions:
Slice apples in pie shell and sprinkle jello over apples.
Combine sugar and flour and butter. Crumble over apples.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin - fruit or vegetable? Enjoy all the wonderful recipes you can make while you decide because pumpkin time is here. Great Pumpkin Cookies recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is delicious. This pumpkin recipe below is also worth it.

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Buttered Rum Glaze


• Ingredients for Bread
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk (warm)
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Buttered Rum Glaze 
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp rum * or vanilla extract
• 
  
• 
Directions
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add warm milk, return to stove and heat through.Pour the milk and butter mixture into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool to warm (about 100-110 degrees F). Add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
• While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
• When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan, bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.
• To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.
  
  Thanks to www.sunnysideupsd.com

Jack-O-Lanterns Stay Fresh

Here's a little trick to keep your Halloween Carved Pumpkins looking great for weeks. Not sure if it

works in the Arizona heat but will try it this year!

Don't forget to save the pulp of your pumpkin (or buy canned pumpkin) for Great Pumpkin Cookies. Recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

After you scoop out and carve your pumpkin, dip it in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp:1 gal mix). The bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer. Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks.”