Orange Nut Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup oil
Grated peel or one orange
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar in bowl.  Beat eggs in large bowl.  Add milk, orange juice, oil and grated orange peel.  Add flour mixture to egg mixture, mixing well.  Stir in nuts.  Pour into greased 9-inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until wood toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Makes one loaf.

Aunt Ethel's Chicken Noodle Soup

This might be my most used recipe over the years, a hearty yet healthy chicken soup that everyone loves!

1 whole chicken or chicken breasts, about 3 1/2 pounds
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
3 large carrots, cut diagonally into 1/4" slices
2 large celery ribs, cut diagonally into 1/4" slices
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 Tablespoon chopped dried parsley
3 cups noodles, homemade or purchased

Combine chicken, water and salt.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender.  While chicken cooks, prepare vegetables and make noodles.  Remove chicken, reserving liquid.  Let chicken cool, then cut into bite size pieces.  Add vegetables and seasonings to hot liquid.  Cook vegetables until tender, 10 or 12 minutes.  Drop in noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.  Add chicken and heat through.

If you want a thick soup:  Melt 1 cube margarine and stir in 1/2 cup flour.  Stir in 1 can evaporated milk. Reduce heat of soup and stir in milk mixture.  Stir constantly until thickened.

Homemade Noodles:

1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons milk

Add flour to egg, milk and salt mixture.  Stir in flour.  Knead a few times.  Cover and let stand 10 or 15 minutes.  (It will be easier to roll out.)  Roll out to about 18 x 20 inches.  Let dry about 1 1/2 hours.  Cut into 1/2" strips.

Ruth noted the following:  "Aunt Ethel adds a few chicken bouillon cubes but be careful because they can make the soup too salty.  I found that the whole chicken makes a more flavorful soup than chicken breasts & you probably don't need the bouillon cubes to give added flavor."

Cranberries!

In preparation for Thanksgiving I found these recipes that will make a nice accompaniment for turkey.

Spiced Cranberries (top left), Cranberry Sauce (top right), and Quick Cranberry Relish (bottom)




Quick Cranberry Relish


3 large apples (pared and cored)
2 cups cranberries
2 small oranges and 1 lemon (all unpeeled, quartered, with seeds removed)

Put all of the above in a food processor and chop to medium fine.

Add 2 cups sugar and mix well.  Cover and store in refrigerator.  Makes 1 1/2 quarts.  For extra tang add 1 tablespoon horseradish to one cup relish just before serving.


Spiced Cranberries


2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground mace

Wash and drain cranbaerries.  Combine sugar, water, cinnamon stock, cloves and mace in saucepan.  Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes.  Add cranberries and simmer 5 minutes longer.  Remove cinnamon stick.  Chill before serving.  Makes 2 cups.


Cranberry Sauce


1 quart cranberries
2 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water

Cook cranberries and water together until skins of berries are broken.  Rub through a sieve.  Return strained portion to stove.  Add sugar and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes.

Note:  This recipe is exactly what was written by Mom.  I was unsure whether to drain off the water after cooking the cranberries.  I ended up mashing the cranberries through a strainer, using the pulp and the water.  The sauce turned out nice and firm.

Pumpkin Roll Dessert

I can't say how many times I called Mom to get this recipe over the years.  I'd search my recipes and come up empty, thinking for sure I'd written it down the last time I requested it.  Anyway, it made for a good excuse to call and I think she was always flattered when someone asked her for a recipe.

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
powdered sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Beat eggs until lemon colored.  Gradually add sugar.  Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.  Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt; add to egg/pumpkin mixture.  Line a 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan with wax paper, and grease the paper and sides of pan.  Pour batter into pan.

Spread batter evenly in pan and sprinkle with nuts, if desired.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle powdered sugar onto a kitchen towel (a thin, non-terry cloth towel works best).  Turn cake onto towel, and remove wax paper.

Roll up cake and towel lengthwise.

Let cool.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Filling:

6 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup soft margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream cheese and margarine.  Beat in 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla.  Unroll cake and spread with filling.  Roll up again (without towel!) and sprinkle with more powdered sugar.  Cut in half and wrap each roll in plastic wrap.  Chill again for several hours.  Slice into 2 inch servings.

Fruit Dip

1 package (8 oz.) softened cream cheese
1 jar marshmallow cream
The juice of one orange
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Blend all together and serve with fresh fruit.

Note:  I would beat the cream cheese, juice and ginger together first, then fold in the marshmallow cream.  This might prevent the dip from being too runny, which mine was.  For those of you on the East Coast, finding marshmallow cream in the store can be tricky.  It goes by another name (Fluff) and is found on the peanut butter and jelly aisle because New Englanders like to make what are called "fluffer-nutters" (peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches.)  Go figure.

Farfalle Pasta in Asparagus Sauce

We had this for dinner last night and it was really good.  I'm not sure where Mom got this recipe, but it looks like it came from a magazine or was in a box of pasta.

7 to 8 ounces of dry Farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 large bunch asparagus
1/2 cup Half & Half
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cooked diced ham
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Set a large pot of water to boil.  In a separate pot, cook the asparagus just until tender and drain.  Cut off tips of stalks and set aside.  Cut the tough tends off the stalks and place the remaining portion of the stalks in a food processor or blender.  Add the half & half and process or whip to form a smooth cream.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a saute pan and cook asparagus tips and diced ham for 3 minutes.  Add the asparagus cream and simmer at low heat for several minutes.  While sauce is cooking, abundantly salt the boiling water.  Add pasta and cook until "al dente".  Drain the pasta thoroughly, return to pot and mix with the cream sauce over high heat.  Add the grated parmesan cheese.  Taste, seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary.