Friday, November 2, 2012

Halloween Dip

Get festive with this easy layer dip. Anyone want to recreate it for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Think of the possible images you could design with black olives, green olives, pimento, chopped tomato, corn, red peppers . . .

Ingredients:

Refried beans
Sour cream
Salsa
Shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese
Sliced black olives for eyes, nose & mouth

Directions: Layer these ingredients on the plate and surround with tortilla chips.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has a warm Mexican Bean Dip recipe on page 181 that would work very well also. Get creative!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

SW Three Layer Dip served at Membership Open House

Chef Leslie Christiansen prepared a fabulous table for the Membership Open House on October 22. The historic and authentically restored home of Mary and Scott Crozier on North Central Ave was the perfect venue for these mouth-watering, very appealing appetizers. We are so thankful to Leslie for all she does for the Historical League PLUS she shared this delicious recipe.

As a thank you to the home owners, President-Elect Linda Cathey presented the Crozier's with Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona.

SOUTHWEST THREE LAYERED DIP

Ingredients:
¼ cup cold water
1 package unflavored gelatin (1T loose powder)
Avocado Layer:
2 large avocados, cut into small cubes
¼ cup green onion, sliced about 1-inch pieces
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
2 T mayonnaise or sour cream
1 t salt, or more to taste
1/8 t chipotle powder, or to taste

Sour Cream Layer:
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (low fat is OK, but not non-fat)
¼ cup sweet or yellow onion, finely chopped
Red Pepper Layer:
3 red peppers, (you can use one red, yellow & orange pepper)Roasted in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes; peeled and seeded and rough chopped
¼ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 T mayonnaise or sour cream
1-2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
2  t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
1/8 t chipotle powder, or to taste
1 t salt, more to taste

Directions:
Lightly oil an 8-inch spring-form pan or spray with non-stick spray.
Put the cold water and gelatin in a heat-proof bowl, stir with a fork to dissolve.
After about 5 minutes, place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water; (not boiling) after a few minutes the gelatin will melt.  Keep the bowl on the stove; over the lowest heat.  The gelatin will be divided between the 3 layers.
AVOCADO layer: Put 1 of the cubed avocados, green onion, lime/lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and chipotle powder in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to almost a puree.  Season to taste with salt; add more salt & hot pepper sauce, if desired.
Stir in the 2nd cubed avocado, along with 1 T of the melted gelatin.  Use an off- set spatula if you have one to spread over the bottom of the prepared pan, refrigerate while you make the next layer.
SOUR CREAM layer: Stir together the sour cream, onion & 2 T of the melted gelatin. Season to taste with salt.  Carefully spread over the avocado layer and chill.
RED PEPPER layer: Put the roasted red peppers, onion, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, coriander, cumin, chipotle powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the red peppers look like confetti.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, add more salt if necessary.  Stir in the remaining 1 T gelatin.  Spread on top of the sour cream layer.
Cover and chill until firm, at least 6 hours; overnight is best.
To serve, run a thin knife around the inside of the pan.  Open the spring-form pan and remove the outside ring.  Place the mold- still on the base of the pan, on a decorative platter. 
Chef Leslie Christiansen
To keep the base from sliding place some folded wet paper towels under the dip. 
Serve with tortilla chips or pita crackers.


President-Elect Linda Cathey presents Commemorative book and cookbook to Scott and Mary Crozier.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Inside Hayden Flour Mill

Carolyn Mendoza is amazed at the pipes overhead
There are pipes curving everywhere on the ceiling. Think of gobs of spaghetti and you get the picture. We don't know the function of all those chutes, valves, generators, hoses, ladders, tubing and belts but it must have been very noisy and dusty with flour powder everywhere. What would OSHA think?

 One of my favorite items is the safe. Mary Garbaciak shows us the date of 1849. What stories that safe could tell.

Tour chair Mary Garbaciak points out the 1849 date.

Beautiful Victorian scroll painting inside and out.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Open House a Huge Success

President Pam Ryan and guest Pam Fischer
Sam Cathy, Jim Moyle, Hosts Scott and Mary Crozier


Chef Leslie Christiansen, Jan Hoescher, Judy Blackwell, Sharron McKinney

Bartenders Janie Burke and Mary Garbaciak in front of well tower.
Mary Pat Honey, Margaret Baker check in guests Pam Fisher and Anna Leonard at the entrance.

President elect Linda Cathey presents Tastes  & Treasures cookbook and Arizona Recollections and Reflections to Scott and Mary Crozier.

Delicious Menu created by Leslie Christiansen


Pam Fischer and Mariamne Moore

Tables are filled waiting for guest speaker Mary and Scott Crozier to talk about the history of the home.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Modern day Hayden Flour Mill - outside walking tour

The Hayden Flour Mill was booming after WWII and we learned so much about Tempe history at the Mill on Thursday. Thanks to our great tour chair Mary Garbaciak, we were able to walk all around the building while listening to ASU architect Mark Vincent tell us insider stories.  The new photo/informational lighted signs are also most informative.

Did you know that the Mill is considered Ground Zero for Tempe? All addresses start there.

We are so grateful the City of Tempe owns the building and is working on gaining Historical Preservation Status. It is a most important landmark for the area.

As a thank you to Mark Vincent, Mary presented him with Tastes & Treasures A Storytelling Cookbook of Historic Arizona.

More photos and stories of our trip inside the Mill coming soon.







Friday, October 19, 2012

Tres Leches Cake

Leche means milk in Spanish. Tres Leches Cake is named for the three milks it is soaked in - sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. The heavy cream is also whipped up to use as the topping.

Due to the rich ingredients, it is extremely dense and moist, almost like a custard.

Another favorite cake is Chocolate Icebox Cake, page 80 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:
Combine flour and baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time until well combined. Stir in the 1/2 cup of milk, then gently fold in the flour mixture a little at a time.
Pour batter into a lightly greased cake pan or baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool until it feels room temperature. Turn it over onto a platter with raised edges. Pierce cake with a fork 20-30 times. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.

Cream Syrup
12 oz. evaporated milk
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)
Whisk together the three milks and the rum or brandy if you are using it. Slowly pour the liquid over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Occasionally, spoon the milk runoff back onto the cake.

Whipped Topping
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
In a chilled mixing bowl add heavy cream, vanilla and sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Spread a thin layer over the cake.
Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or garnish with fresh berries.