3 Generations in League Aprons

Thanksgiving cooks in their Historical League aprons: Beth Blumit Dieterle, Joan Robinson-Blumit (member) and Kathryn Dieterle, age 3. Aprons come in 3 sizes - child, junior and adult. Sharp-looking and easy to wash, League aprons make great gifts.

Scottsdale ArtFest 2009

Scottsdale’s annual ArtFest is always a good venue for the League to sell cookbooks, and it helps League coffers even more because the organization waives the rental fee. Last weekend (11/21 & 22) Carolyn Mendoza and her assistants Mariamne Moore, Lindy Isacksen, Margaret Pogue, Brigitte Warnke and Joan Robinson-Blumit sold 67 books, 2 adult aprons, 1 junior size and 1 child size. Ruth Ann and Phil Hogan assisted in breakdown of our booth on Sunday.

Carolyn’s batch of Tastes & Treasures granola (recipe page 196) was a big hit and I’d say it convinced more than one shopper to make a purchase. Displaying the photo of El Chorro Lodge’s sticky buns (recipe page 78) also attracted visitors to the League’s booth.

Thanksgiving Day with ABC Cake

We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends from Calgary, Alberta and British Columbia even though their celebration was in October. The turkey was done to perfection and Georgia prepared all the trimmings. Eight of us enjoyed the weather with appetizers on the patio, then the BIG meal followed by a hike up the mountain to watch the sunset. A little wine to toast the day was great although I don't know why we carried the stemware up that mountain of rocks. Dessert beckoned us home in the twilight and we enjoyed ABC Cake pg192 on the patio around a roaring fire. A dense, moist cake filled with dried cranberry and dried apricot and hint of banana, it was a great way to end a beautiful November day in Arizona.

Apricot-Banana-Cranberry Cake (ABC Cake)

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
6 ounces dried cranberries
6 ounces dried apricots, chopped
1 1/4 cups walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Beat the sugar, bananas, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until blended. Add the buttermilk and butter and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture. Fold in the cranberries, apricots and walnuts just until combined.
Spoon the batter into a buttered and floured 12-cup bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto the wire rack to cool completely.
Serves 16

Rhubarb Dream Bars from Open House

RHUBARB DREAM BARS


Crust
1 cup flour
5 T sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature (4 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until just crumbly. Press into the prepared dish.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown.

Topping
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
¾ t salt
2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 cups rhubarb, finely chopped

1. Sift sugar, flour and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in the eggs and rhubarb, stirring to combine.
2. Spoon rhubarb mixture over the cooked crust and return to the oven.
3. Bake for about 35 minutes.

Two more recipes from Sandra Day O'Connor Open House

So many wanted the recipes served at the Museum for the Open House Oct 21 that I am printing two more for all to enjoy. Lemon Citrus Blondies and Stuffed Medjool Dates. yummmmm. More recipes are coming . . .

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

STUFFED MEDJOOL DATES
Ingredients: 30-40 Medjool Dates (one 2 lb container from Cost Co)
1 lb Chorizo sausage (you won’t need all of it)
1 lb Apple wood smoked bacon (Trader Joe’s)
30-40 toothpicks
1. Remove pits from dates. I use a chopstick to push the pit out.
2. Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Set a cooling rack on top of the foil. This will allow the fat to drip off the bacon while the dates cook.
3. Stuff the dates with a little bit of chorizo. I use a chopstick to push the sausage into the date.
4. Cut each piece of bacon into thirds. Wrap a piece of bacon around the date, secure with a tooth pick.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
6. Place the dates on the prepared rack.
7. Bake at 350 F until bacon is crisp, about 20-30 minutes.
8. Serve immediately.
9. Can be reheated on a low oven.

Cookie recipe from O'Connor Open House

These were a big hit and looked so pretty. Renee Donnelly did a fantastic job with them.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT COOKIES

Ingredients:
1¾ cup flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
½ cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
½ cup sugar (to roll the cookie balls)
1 9 oz package chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped (like Hershey’s)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer place the hazelnut spread, butter and both sugars. With the mixer on medium speed, cream for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Do not over work.
6. Roll the cookie dough into small, walnut sized balls.
7. Place the ½ cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll the balls in the sugar, pressing a little so the sugar adheres.
8. Place the cookies on the prepared sheet pan about 2 inches apart. Bake for 6 minutes.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and quickly press a chocolate kiss in the center of each cookie.
10. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 1 more minute. Watch to be sure the kiss doesn’t melt.
11. Remove cookies from the oven; allow cookies to rest for a few minutes on the sheet pan, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
12. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

New Member Orientation/Pumpkin Spice Cake

Very few visitors to the Museum are privileged to enter the Archives and see the variety of artifacts stored there. How about a wire skirt pleater from the early 1900's or props from the Wallace & Ladmo TV set? A behind-the-scenes tour was conducted by Dr Peter Welsh to twenty new Historical League members. They were also introduced to League chairpersons, then savored a "make your own Cobb Salad" with all the fixings, and delicious desserts including a mouth watering Pumpkin Pie Cake.

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can ( 30 ounces) pumpkin pie filling mix (must use flavored pie filling,
not pure pumpkin)
1 box (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Whipped cream for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and pumpkin pie filling mix. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over batter. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix. Cover with chopped pecans. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, being careful not to let pecans burn. Can cover with aluminum foil near end if pecans start to get too brown.
Cake may still move slightly in the middle when done (like pumpkin pie). It sets up as it cools. Cool completely. Cake is better if made the day before serving or at least in the morning if you plan to serve in the evening. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 8 servings.