Dill Dip with Pumpernickel Bread

My son texted me a bit ago, wanting the recipe for a dip I used to make years ago, to serve with pumpernickel bread. I haven't made it in ages, but my mouth started watering just thinking about it. I went through my recipe box - not there. I went through my old handwritten cookbook from my early days of marriage - not there. I began to freak a little. I called my mom, from whom I'd originally acquired the recipe - she called back with a recipe for Spinach Salad : ),  which is, indeed, great, but not what I was looking for. I went online; I knew it had Worcestershire sauce in it, and none of them did. I finally pulled out all the recipe discs I have burned through the years, and chose the one from 2002, the earliest one I had, and there I found it. So here it is, in case anyone goes looking for a really great (dill) dip recipe.

Dill Dip with Pumpernickel Bread

2/3 c. sour cream 

2/3 c. Hellman's mayo 

1 T. dried green onions 

1 t. parsley flakes 

1 t. Lowry's seasoned salt

1 t. dried dill  

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. celery salt

1 t. Accent

Drops of hot sauce to taste

Combine all ingredients. Flavors blend better if made several hours (or a day) ahead, but it's still good served right away. Serve with dark Pumpernickel bread, cut in 1” chunks.

Food: Velvet Potato Soup

Years ago, Panera served a scrumptious potato soup. My aunt came up with this recipe after trying Panera's soup and getting a nod from a guy who worked there when she asked if the original had this or that ingredient. It is outstanding! My family loves it, and everywhere I've taken it I've been asked for the recipe. Hope you give it a try - perfect for this chilly weather! I usually double the recipe and give some away.

Velvet Potato Soup
Serves 4-6

1 qt. chicken stock
1 medium onions, diced
3-4 ribs celery, diced fine
1 32-oz. bag frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
4-8 oz. diced ham
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
Salt & pepper to taste
1 t. dried chives (or 2 t. fresh, chopped fine)
1/2 t. dried dill weed
2 T. butter, softened
2 T. all-purpose flour

Bring chicken stock to boil in large saucepan. Add onions & celery, and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and milk, and heat almost to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. Add ham to soup. Place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl, and add a ladle or two of the soup liquid. Beat on low until cream cheese is pour-able. Return liquid to soup pot, and add salt, pepper, chives and dill. Make roux by combining soft butter with flour in a ramekin. Drop by spoonfuls into simmering soup. Stir slowly until thickened.

Zesty Pumpkin Soup

Hubby and I were wanting a little taste of Thanksgiving last night, in anticipation of the coming holiday later this week, so I cooked up this wonderful soup in the time it took to bake a loaf of Pillsbury's Italian Bread, about half an hour. The soup is soul-satisfyingly delicious on a cold, late-autumn evening. It would also be a scrumptious start (in small, say 4-ounce  quantities) to a Thanksgiving meal. It is rich and satisfying...I hope you'll try it.

Zesty Pumpkin Soup

Makes 4 regular servings, 8-12 small appetizer servings

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Small pinch ground cayenne pepper

1 15-oz. can 100% pure pumpkin puree

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup of milk

1 5-ounce can evaporated milk

1/8-1/4 cup brown sugar, to taste

1/2-1 t. kosher salt, to taste

1/2-1 t. white pepper, to taste

Garnish: roasted pumpkin seeds or croutons, optional

(Measure out spices into a small bowl before beginning, so you can add them all at once.)

In a 4-qt saucepan over medium heat, melt butter; add onions and cook, stirring often, until almost softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté one minute more. Add spices and stir for another minute. Add pumpkin and chicken stock; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat; simmer for 10-15 minutes. Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor, (or use an immersion blender in the saucepan - my favorite – less to clean up.) Cover blender or food processor tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Slowly add milk and evaporated milk while stirring to incorporate. Stir in salt and white pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more milk to cool it down. To serve, sprinkle the top of each bowl with roasted pumpkin seeds or croutons.

Mmmmmm ... Autumn Cooking

I have wanted to share this recipe for a long while - just never got around to it. It was given to me by my sister-in-law, Jami. It is wonderful with pork.

Spicy Rice

6-8 Servings

Apple cider to replace water for cooking rice, amount according to rice package

3 c. cooked long grain rice, (I like Jasmine rice) according to package*

½ c. raisins, plumped in hot cider

1 T. butter

½ c. chopped celery

½ c. chopped onion

¼ t. ground allspice

½ t. cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

1½ T. brown sugar

1 tart apple, cored and chopped (I used a SweeTango apple - yum!)

½ c. toasted almonds

*Cook rice according to package directions, substituting cider for water. 

Plump raisins in warm water or warm cider to cover for 5 minutes; drain. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and sauté celery and onion until onion is crisp-tender. Add spices and seasonings, brown sugar, cooked rice, and plumped raisins. Heat thoroughly. Stir in chopped apple and remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Great with pork.

In the Mood For...

Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 6

2-3 T. x-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ qts. chicken stock or broth
1 lb. cooked chicken, in bite-sized pieces (rotisserie chicken in a hurry)
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. celery, chopped, about 2 ribs
1 bay leaf
1 T. dried or 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 14-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
Dumplings, recipe follows

In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Sauté a few minutes, then add chicken stock, cooked chicken, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender, about 10-15 minutes. When carrots and celery are almost done, add parsley and evaporated milk. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and add prepared dumplings by tablespoonfuls. Reduce heat to low, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and continue cooking 10 minutes more (liquid should just be bubbling gently). Serve. Store leftovers by separating dumplings from the broth, so that they don't soak up all the liquid.

Dumplings:

2 c. Bisquick
3/4 c. milk

freshly ground pepper to taste

Sage or parsley, if desired

Mix together with a fork just until dough comes together.

Laura's Chicken Pot Pie

You need a 9" deep dish pie plate for this.
Makes 6 servings - Filling is also very good over biscuits.

32 oz. chicken stock

3 lbs. meaty chicken parts (I used to use a pick-of-the-Chix)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced into 1" chunks

2 ribs celery, sliced in 1" chunks, reserve leafy tops

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas & carrots

1 c. fat-free half & half or whole milk

6 T. butter

6 T. flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten in a small bowl

Double Crust (Food Processor method) - from ATK - very easy to roll out.

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

½ c. Crisco shortening, cut into ½" pieces & chilled (easier to use sticks Crisco for this)

1½ sticks butter, cut into ¼" cubes, frozen until very firm

6+ T. ice water (start with 6, add up to 2 more if needed)

In a Dutch oven, bring broth to a boil, adding rinsed chicken parts, onion, carrot & celery chunks, along with celery tops. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for one hour.

Meanwhile, make the crust: In a food processor), combine flour, sugar & salt; process until combined. Add chilled Crisco; process 10 seconds. Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, until it resembles coarse crumbs; transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle 6 T. ice water over mixture all at once. Stir & press dough together using a rubber spatula, and pressing it against the bowl, until the dough sticks together. If it doesn't come together, add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water, one at a time, pressing after each.

Divide into two even pieces. Shape each piece into a 4" disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Lay dough on a lightly floured work surface, and roll from the center outward, into a 12" circle, about 1/8" thick. Between every few rolls, give the dough a quarter turn, tossing a little flour under it as needed. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin, and gently unroll over a deep-dish pie plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill while doing the next step .

Cool chicken in the cooking liquid if time allows. Strain and reserve broth, discarding vegetables. Return broth to heat. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone, discarding skin and bones. Cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a bowl. Cook peas and carrots in simmering broth, according to pkg directions. When cooked, remove from broth and add them to the chicken meat. Preheat oven to 375°. Bring broth to a boil; reduce to 3 cups liquid. Add half and half. Make a roux by kneading together 6 T. butter & 6 T. flour in a small bowl, using your fingers, and working quickly. Drop roux into simmering broth, stirring slowly until thickened. Add chicken, peas & carrots, season to taste, and pour into the chilled crust (or a 2-qt casserole, if serving over biscuits). Top with rolled out 12" diameter top crust. Trim both crusts together so that they extend 1/2" past edge of pie plate. Press the edges together and tuck under, toward the pie plate. Crimp edges. Cut vent holes with a paring knife. Brush with beaten egg, and bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.

Aunt Essie's Plum Cobbler

We went to dinner with some old friends the other night, and I invited them back to the house for some cards and conversation afterward, so I wanted to make a dessert that would please them. I wanted something that would make them feel special, but would still be homey. Once again I turned to my trusty recipe for Aunt Essie's Plum Cobbler. The original recipe was published in Family Circle Magazine as "Essie's Plum Cobbler" and attributed to The Best from Libby Hillman's Kitchen (Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont). It calls for unsalted butter, and no additional salt, but that's not how I bake! For years this wonderful dessert has completed a meal with friends and family, with everyone feeling satisfied at the end. 

*Note: The only changes I've made to it were according to the type of plums available, the method of preparation (I use my food processor, but you can mix it up by hand if you like), the use of salted butter,  and the addition of a little more cinnamon than the original called for. It's goes together in a snap, and tastes like Grammie's been baking (actually, she has!) I hope you give this a try - it's great any time of year, but is a wonderful finish to a fall or winter meal.

Aunt Essie's Plum Cobbler    

For a 9-10" quiche/tart baking dish 

(I doubled the recipe for my Pampered Chef stoneware baking dish, and since I  couldn't get small black plums, which are sweeter than the red ones, I used 5 gigantic red ones, quartered, then each slice cut in half width-wise. I sprinkled 2-4 T. of granulated sugar over the top of the plums before adding the topping, since they are more sour than their black counterparts.                                                          

1/4 cup light brown sugar

5-6 small black plums

1 cup flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 t. Kosher salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 egg

1 stick salted butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream to serve

Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly distribute the brown sugar over the bottom of the baking dish.Quarter (see *note above) & pit the plums, and place them cut sides up over the brown sugar. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt & cinnamon. Add the egg and pulse 5-10 times to make a shaggy dough. Pile the dough over the plums and smooth out evenly. Melt the butter in the microwave (usually 1 minute on high), and pour over the flour mixture. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet (you'll thank me later), and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Let cool 10 minutes before serving with good vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Laura

Homemade Envelope Glue

Here's the recipe for the envelope glue I used in the Daisy card gift set. It smells pretty bad when you're making it, but has no scent other than a slight hint of the "flavoring" you use. I was amazed at how fast it dried. It dries shiny, so it still looks wet, even though it isn't.Took about 5 minutes to dry. I was a little worried about how ripple-y the glued edge was, but I stacked them on top of each other and put them under a couple of HEAVY books (Strong's Concordance was one, for those of you who know what that is - HUGE!) In the morning they were flat and crisp. 

Envelope Glue

6 T. white vinegar

4 packets Knox unflavored gelatin

1 T. extract of choice: vanilla, peppermint or cinnamon are good choices

Put vinegar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over the surface. Stir with a wooden spoon until the gelatin is fully dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in extract. Cool slightly before brushing a thin, even layer onto your envelope, being careful not to extend it past the area where the flap overlaps the envelope. Allow to dry. Clean brush well with warm water & dish soap.

Keep unused portion in an airtight, leak-proof container. It will "gel", so you will need to reheat gently in warm water to melt for reuse. (You could probably microwave it on a low power, too.)

Amish Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

I heard on the news last night that someone in Washington D.C. coined the phrase "Snow-pocolypse", referring to the huge amount (something like 32") of snow that they had dumped on them three days ago. We "only " got 14" here, but it started snowing again early this AM, and isn't supposed to stop until sometime tomorrow, so we currently have about 16" on the deck outside the kitchen door. Puts me in the baking mood. Hubby said he wanted Oatmeal Cookies, so I am baking these for him. The recipe came from a friend, and they are absolutely delish. Good for sharing!

Amish Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 6 Dozen (or more)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup butter

3 cups light brown sugar, packed

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 t. vanilla extract 4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

Powdered sugar for rolling

Sift together the flour, salt, soda & baking powder in a small bowl; set aside. In a mixer bowl, cream the vegetable shortening, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs and vanilla and mix just until incorporated. Add the sifted dry ingredients and oatmeal, and either stir in by hand, or cover your mixer with a clean kitchen towel and beat just until incorporated. Chill for at least 1 hour.

 Preheat oven to 350° F. Scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough, shape into 1" balls, and roll in powdered sugar. Place 2" apart (they spread) on greased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass dipped in powdered sugar. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets.