Thanks, Joy (of Cooking) Redux

Last December, I introduced Visual Traveler readers to a Joy of Cooking cookie recipe that was a holiday tradition in both my childhood home and my husband's - Almond Crescents. Then I offered my variation on the theme, Walnut Crescents (http://visualtraveler.blogspot.com/2008/12/thanks-joy-of-cooking.html).

But, this year, I thought I'd also show you how to make these cookies that my older daughter recently said were 'so much better than the ones you made before you changed the recipe.' For instance, here are the cookies when half-baked. This version looks far more like crescents before they're fully baked (above) than after (below).

It's a good idea to place the finished cookies on parchment or waxed paper, atop foil, to completely cool. 'Rolling' each cookie in the powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture requires gentle handling to avoid breakage and a willingness to get your fingers totally covered with this sweet stuff (never a problem, in my case).

After you've coated all of the cookies thoroughly, put them back on the parchment paper for an hour or so, which will minimize them sticking together when you finally place them in an airtight container.

Then comes the best part - eating these Walnut Crescents - which are light and flaky with just the right amount of sweetness. And, if you use your imagination, you can pretend that the bits of powdered sugar landing on your shirt are the gentlest of snowflakes.

Happy Holidays!

Kansas Travel: Pancakes in Liberal

A mural painted on the outside of the City Hall, in Liberal, Kansas, depicts two women running down opposite roads that meet at a 'Y,' as they each carry a skillet. Painted by renowned muralist, Stan Herd, it is a daily reminder of an annual event that has occurred here for more than 60 years.

International Pancake Day began when Liberal residents challenged residents of Olney, England, at a race that began there in 1445. An Olney woman, who was using up the last cooking fat in her house before Lent began (use of the fat was prohibited during the Lenten season), scurried out of her kitchen with skillet and pancake in hand so she wouldn't miss the church service that immediately preceded Lent. She left in such a hurry that she still wore her apron and a headscarf - the latter required for women attending church.

The next year, the women of Olney launched a race in which they each tried to reach church first while carrying and flipping a pancake and, of course, wearing aprons and headscarves. Today, women in the two towns race simultaneously and Liberal's four-day event also includes pancake eating and cooking contests, a parade, English High Tea and other races.

Pancakes have become an integral part of Liberal's culture, and griddle cake lovers have flocked to The Pancake House, on Pancake Boulevard, for more than three decades.

This homey spot offers hearty food at great prices, such as this breakfast of strawberry pancakes accompanied by Canadian bacon, hash browns, a fried egg and coffee, plus an gargantuan helping of whipped cream. Hunters, ranchers, travelers, social workers and families all enjoy breakfast here. Adventurous diners may try chocolate chip or butterscotch pancakes and berry syrups too - or waffles or crepes.

The restaurant also serves sandwiches and a wide variety of entrees. But in a place that serves legendary breakfasts, why would you order anything else?

Orange Cinnamon Bread

According to the Random House dictionary, tradition is "the handing down of beliefs, legends and customs from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice." One Christmas tradition for the family in which I grew up was to have bake-your-own packaged orange cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The scent of these rolls has always meant Christmas to me, and to our now-20-something daughters.

But there's more than one way to enjoy the luscious combination of orange and cinnamon in a breakfast treat. I developed this recipe before my daughters were born and then sold the bread to a small local restaurant for more than two years.

In 1998, a version appeared in the local cookbook, This Place Called Home, A Kansas City Cookbook. I've recently decreased the amount of sugar from my original recipe and substituted whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour. The decreased sugar also seems to help compensate for the slightly 'heavier' consistency of whole wheat pastry flour.

This Christmas, I will offer the bread as an orange-cinnamon alternative. Will my family accept it as a substitute for the packaged rolls that they know and love? Only taste will tell. I'll add an extra half teaspoon of cinnamon and also may add the filling that the cookbook authors suggested (see below) or drizzle a bit of icing on top.

In the meantime, ENJOY this 'traditional' recipe during your own holiday celebrations.

Orange Cinnamon Bread
Makes 8-10 slices

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup sugar (VOE - when printed in a local cookbook, this recipe featured 1 cup +
                                                                                                                                  1/3 cup sugar)
2 eggs, beaten
1 orange rind, grated

1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (VOE - the cookbook recipe used all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or light sour cream)
juice of one orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Cream together butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and then add to butter/sugar mixture, combining well. Add orange rind and yogurt and stir to combine completely.

Pour batter into pan and bake 1-1 1/4 hours, until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack. While the loaf bakes, combine juice of one orange and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour syrup over hot loaf. Cool completely before removing from pan. Keep refrigerated.

filling suggested in cookbook:

Combine 6 ounces of cream cheese with 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon grated orange zest. Pour two thirds of the batter in the prepared pan, top with the filling, then top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl with a knife. Bake as directed until bread is lightly brown and firm to the touch.

Pittsburgh's Primanti Bros.

There's more than one Primanti Bros. restaurant in the Pittsburgh, PA area. But for a true taste of this legendary joint, belly up to the wood-topped counter at their original location, in 'the Burgh's' equally legendary Strip District - several downtown blocks packed with longtime food vendors, wholesalers, and restaurants. A wall-spanning mural just inside the front entrance features caricatures of local celebrities from Mr. Rogers to Pittsburgh Pirate, Roberto Clemente. You can also grab a booth in the back room and chow down.

 

In 2007, the James Beard Awards declared the Primanti Bros. signature sandwich - which originated in the 1930s - an ‘American Classic.'  This hefty combo starts with customer’s choice of meat, from split and flattened kolbassi (kielbasa) to a huge pile of turkey or corned beef, and then adds melted cheese, a mountain of fries with some nicely browned skin, a mound of vinegar-based, coleslaw, and bright red tomato, layered between thick slices of Italian bread. Even the breakfast special has the same toppings.

Sweet and savory, mellow and tangy, soft and crunchy, Primanti Bros. sandwiches come wrapped in waxed paper just as they always have. Visitors who aren't in the mood for a sandwich might try Smallman Street Fries, another hearty meal served on a bed of chili with just the right heat, smothered with melted cheese, tiny bacon bits, and a large dollop of sour cream.

For a side of history with your sandwich, stop by Primanti Bros. in The Strip. Just don’t ask for coleslaw on the side.

Kansas Travel - Queen's Pantry

Nearly 75,000 people live in Leavenworth, Kan., the state's first city. Approximately 9,000 soldiers and their family members live on the Fort Leavenworth army base, and thousands of people call on the post each year, including international visitors.

So it's no wonder that Queen's Pantry, tucked away on a quiet block near the town's main thoroughfare, does a big business.  Open since 1999, the family owned and operated company pays homage to the founder's mother, who is British. The shop offers more than 200 varieties of British tea, from Pumpkin Spice and Raspberry Chocolate Truffle, to Spiced Pear Tart, Spearmint Herbal, oolong and white tea - the largest British tea inventory in the Midwest. In addition, Queen's Pantry sells this region's largest selections of British food and gifts.

Visitors also can purchase hot or cold to-go items from London On the Go. This small, British-inspired deli at the back of Queen's Pantry, offers such classic dishes as Fish and Chips (Thurs.-Sat., only) or Shepherd's Pie. There are plenty of luscious desserts too, including several varieties of cheesecake and baby scones.

For a true taste of Britain in the country's Heartland, Queen's Pantry and London on the Go clearly fit the bill. Not sure when you'll get to Leavenworth? You can order many items online, at http://www.qptea.com/ - but probably not the fish and chips.

Chile Lights & Peppermint Dust

I avoid stores with Christmas decorations as much as possible, anytime before Thanksgiving. But my holiday celebration has begun the next day, for decades, when I 'install' every decoration I own except for the tree ornaments; because we still buy a live tree that happens a little later. Family members and longtime friends know that one of my favorite decorations is the chile lights that always line the entryway between our front hall and living room.

Peppermint - anything - also represents the holiday season to me, maybe because we often ate peppermint ice cream at Christmas in my childhood home. We do the same in our own home, but I've also begun to incorporate peppermint candy 'dust' in multiple desserts.

To make the dust, grab some ear plugs, pour several cups of hard peppermint candy into your food processor and crank it up. The deafening racket only lasts for a couple of minutes before this wondrous machine creates handfuls of sweet pink dust. Last year I found some peppermint ice cream languishing in our refrigerator after Christmas and created Peppermint Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust - http://visualtraveler.blogspot.com/2009/01/peppermint-pie-with-sugar-cookie-crust.htm. Peppermint dust decorated the top.

This year, I dressed up some brownies with the dust, by adding it to chocolate buttercream icing, and then sprinkling more on top. After that I added dust to fudge that I made with leftover chocolate from the brownie icing. Not only does peppermint flavor infuse both desserts, but the dust also adds subtle crunchiness in every bite.

The only problem is that now I've used up all of the peppermints from my holiday candy dish. Fortunately, there's plenty of time to buy more.  :)

What are your favorite peppermint treats?

Turkey Green Chile Quesadillas

This was the first year that neither of our 20-something daughters came home to celebrate Thanksgiving, and we attended a massive potluck dinner at a friends' house. So there was no need to cook a big meal at home on Turkey Day. 

But that didn't stop us from making Thanksgiving foods during the next several days, including crockpot cranberry sauce, date pudding, pumpkin pie, and a 19-pound turkey. After we ate two meals we put half of the remaining meat in the freezer.

This week, I defrosted more turkey and dreamed of warmer weather as the Kansas City area plunged into the season's first deep freeze. I scoured the refrigerator and cupboards for ingredients and then developed this quick and easy recipe. Serve with black beans, a green salad and a margarita.  :)

Turkey Green Chile Quesadillas

Makes two large quesadillas

4 flour large tortillas (VOE - I used whole wheat)

2 cups turkey (or chicken), diced

1/4 cup red onion, minced

1 small can green chiles, pureed

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated

3-4 large Italian canned tomatoes, diced

minced cilantro as garnish

Make filling in a large bowl, combining turkey, red onion and green chiles. Heat a dry skillet to medium and lie one tortilla in the pan. Top with 3/4 cup filling and spread to half inch from the edge. Spread 1/4 cup cheese on top and then put second tortilla on top.

Cook until cheese melts, about 4-5 minutes, *flip quesadilla, and then cook 2-3 more minutes. Remove from pan and make a second quesadilla. Cut both into six pieces. Top with tomato and cilantro. Add sour cream, black olives, and fresh avocado or guacamole for more flavor.

*VOE - I used two spatulas with long 'blades' in order to flip the quesadilla, but I'm not very good at it. If you feel the same way, try making four smaller quesadillas by filling 1/2 tortilla and then flipping other half over the filling to make a half circle. This will make the flipping easier.