Centennial book in Braille Library

Wanting to have Arizona Recollections and Reflections An Arizona Centennial Historymakers Commemoration available to everyone, the Historical League is pleased that the book is now in the Braille Library. Fascinating reading about Arizona Historymakers. 

More information below.

 

A Regional Library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress

Linda A. Montgomery
Braille and Talking Book Library Director

1030 N. 32nd Street • Phoenix, Arizona 85008 • 602-255-5578 • Fax 602-286-0444

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Traveling by car for 4 hours, then golfing for 4 days with the "guys" meant I had to send something easy for my husband to take to the college reunion golf tournament. This recipe from page 165 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook was perfect with a Crockpot to the rescue.

Note: the photo of the empty crockpot was taken after all the meatballs were consumed. Apparently they were a big hit.

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

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

Banana Split Bites for Your Valentine

Something fun to make for Valentine's Day. The kids will love it. Tastes & Treasures cookbook also has a delicious dessert - Chocolate Peanut Treats page 162. Yummmm.

Chocolate Covered Banana Split Bites
Makes about 24

• 24 – 1″ pieces from about 1/2 small pineapple
• 2 large bananas, sliced into 24 bite sized pieces
• 12 small to medium sized strawberries sliced in half

• 150g(5oz) good quality dark chocolate (I used 72%) (this is between 3/4 – 1C if using a cup measurement for chocolate chips)
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• chopped nuts or coconut for rolling in (optional)

Chop fruit and assemble into stacks.  Press a popsicle stick through the fruit and freeze until solid.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone mat.  Melt the chocolate along with the coconut oil either in a double boiler or in the microwave using short intervals and stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Once completely melted, remove the frozen fruit from the freezer.  Dip the fruit in the chocolate, let the excess drip off for a minute and then place on the sheet to harden.  If desired, dip the chocolate covered side immediately in chopped nuts or coconut before placing on the sheet to harden.  Once the chocolate is completely hardened (you may need to place in the freezer for it to harden completely), remove from the sheet and place in an airtight container to store in the freezer until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, remove them from the freezer and let sit at room temperature for a couple minutes before serving – if you can wait that long. 
I don’t recommend letting these sit for any length of time at room temperature though as they will thaw and the fruit – especially the banana – will not be pleasant.  Please enjoy these within a few minutes of removing from the freezer.

Cookbook author Donna Roe

Zona Lorig and I met Donna Roe for lunch at her new home with her new hair style. We almost didn't recognize her! She is up and walking and doing very well.

Donna continues to promote Tastes & Treasures cookbook, buying 5 more to give to friends. She did a fantastic job co-authoring the cookbook. Zona was also very involved with the editing and the two ladies worked very closely to create this lovely book filled with history, photos and recipes from early Arizona.

Red Velvet Birthday Cake

Good friends getting together over lunch at Chelsea's Kitchen with Red Velvet Cake - It was so rich we shared it. But Zona Lorig and Joan Robinson and myself agreed it was worth it until I found out it may have 1700 calories!!!! must be the tons of frosting they used.
Celebrating Birthdays can be so decadent!

Red Velvet Cake
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

    * 1/2 cup shortening
    * 1 1/2 cups sugar
    * 2 eggs
    * 2 tablespoons cocoa
    * 1 1/2 oz red food coloring
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 2 1/2 cups flour
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla
    * 1 cup buttermilk
    * 1 teaspoon soda
    * 1 tablespoons vinegar

Preparation:
Cream shortening; beat in sugar gradually. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Make paste of cocoa and food coloring; add to creamed mixture. Add salt, flour and vanilla alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Sprinkle soda over vinegar; pour vinegar over batter. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Bake in 3 8-inch pans or 2 9-inch pans for 30 minutes at 350°.

History:
Although the details are sketchy at best, red velvet cake is not as Southern as many like to think. The story, which began circulating some time in the 1940s, claimed that Manhattan's elegant Waldorf-Astoria granted a diner's request for the recipe, then a short time later sent her a bill in the amount of $100. The angry woman, apparently with revenge in mind, then began circulating the recipe along with the story. Another "baked" legend with the same storyline is the $250 Chocolate Chip Cookie, also known as the Neiman-Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filled Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filled Muffins

Ingredients for Filling: 


4 oz. fat-free cream cheese 

2 1/2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

1 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract



Ingredients for Muffins:
2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

1/3 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)

1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups, or spray it with nonstick spray.



To make the filling, in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese with Splenda, and stir until smooth. Add egg substitute and vanilla extract, and stir until uniform.



To make the muffins, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

 In medium-large bowl, combine remaining muffin ingredients, and whisk until uniform. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until just mixed and smooth. (Batter will be thick.) 

Evenly distribute half of the muffin batter among the cups of the muffin pan, and smooth out the surfaces. 



Use a spoon to form an indentation in the surface of each cup of batter, large enough to hold about 2 tsp. filling. Evenly distribute the filling among the indentations. 

Evenly distribute remaining batter among the cups, and smooth out the surfaces.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 16 - 18 minutes. 



MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Thanks to HungryGirl.com for recipe and stats

Serving Size: 1 muffin (1/12th of recipe)
 Calories: 120 
Fat: 0.5g
 Sodium: 240mg
 Carbs: 23.5g 
Fiber: 3.5g
 Sugars: 5.5g 
Protein.
HG Alternative: If made with an equal amount of granulated white sugar in place of the Splenda, each muffin will have 145 calories, 30.5g carbs, and 13.5 sugar.

Salmon Croquettes

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has several great salmon recipes. My favorite is Salmon Tostada on page 32 from historic El Tovar at the Grand Canyon.

This recipe calls for canned salmon but we had leftover from the grill and it worked very well.


Salmon Croquettes
Ingredients:
1 can (1 pound) salmon, drained and flaked
1 cup corn kernels, canned or cooked
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash ground black pepper
3/4 cups soft bread crumbs 

Direction:
Combine flaked salmon with corn kernels, beaten eggs, ketchup, onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Shape mixture into 12 patties. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet; fry salmon croquettes for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until croquettes are golden brown.
Serves 6. If desired, serve with cucumber sauce or cheese sauce.