Tag: walnuts

Walnut Rounds

With a Taste Reminiscent of Rich Shortbread

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg yolk, from a large egg
1/4 TSP. salt
1 TSP. vanilla
2-1/2 cups sifted flour
1-1/4 cups finely chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg yolk, salt and vanilla until thoroughly blended and fluffy. With a wooden spoon, gradually mix in the flour, then the nuts. Chill for 1/2 an hour or so.

On a floured pastry cloth, with a floured stockinette-covered rolling pin, roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time so that it is about 1/4″ thick.

Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Cut out with a 2″ round cookie cutter. Place about 1″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven until lightly browned – about 10 minutes. While still warm, roll in extra confectioners’ sugar. Cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container between sheets of wax paper. Makes about 5 dozen.

posted by Mountain Republic                                                                 recipe by: unknown

Date and Nut Loaf

I recently ran across this old date and nut loaf recipe. It produces a very delicious, extra moist date bread that I just haven’t been able to get enough of lately. I’ve made it several times in the last couple of weeks. It’s just so darn good!

Did you know that dates are really good for you? I guess my Grandmother did, because I remember that she often made this recipe. Besides being very high in both fiber and potassium, dates are also extremely rich in anti-oxidants.

This date bread smells really good when it’s cooking (I’ve got one in the oven right now!) but it tastes even better!

Did I mention that this recipe is quick and easy? Hope you enjoy. Here we go:

Date and Nut Loaf

Ingredients & Preparation:

  • Pour: 1 – 1/2 cups water boiling water over 1 – 1/2 cups chopped dates (1 – 8 oz. package) Stir lightly. Let cool
  • Mix together in a bowl: 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed), 1 TBSP.  soft shortening, 1 egg
  • Stir in: the dates and water
  • Sift together and stir in: 2 – 1/4 cups sifted flour, 1 TSP. baking soda, 1/2 TSP. salt
  • Blend in: 1 cup broken walnuts
  • Pour: into a well greased 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan. Let stand 20 minutes.
  • Bake: at 350° for 60 – 70 minutes. A toothpick stuck in center should come out clean

posted by Mountain Republic

Enhanced Carrot Cake in an Enhanced Turn of the Century Kitchen

Just park your "brolly" and come into the most interesting kitchen in, well, the United States and Texas.

A delightful family bought a large old turn of the penultimate century home in my village.  The wife, a Canadian transplant and I have cooking and art and music and home restoration and even Canada in common.  She has painted and sanded and worked her way through each room of this manse to bring a new life to an historic home.  Her kitchen is the heart of the “plant” and that is where she embellishes recipes daily.  She is a mother to three but all are in college except one.  She is, therefore, cooking for 3 and often me.

Catherine went out and found period cupboards and hutches to put in the kitchen.  She had the granite kitchen island installed with her sink across from her range/oven.  The brick pillar is what remains of a chimney for an old pot-belly stove.

Harry James is the family’s Beagle mix.  Make no mistake.  He is the king of this castle.  He stays close to the cook because it’s warm and fulfilling in the kitchen.

Large windows overlook the gardens in back of the house.  The pantry can be seen at the far end of the room.Harry James has his own chair at his own large window.

Below, a picture of an interesting lamp Catherine picked up at a garage sale.  She has an eye for prints and old things of all periods and she pulls them all together in vignettes that are fresh and imaginative and completely her own.

Behold, the better carrot cake - a lot like a better mousetrap! It really grabs you if you love fruit cakes.

Catherine loves to tweak recipes and to generally add more of the healthy ingredients to them.  With the carrot cake she baked this week, she added extra nuts (walnuts AND pecans), cran-raisins (in addition to raisins called for by the recipe), extra carrots and, in her one slip from the healthy pathway, she used coconut oil instead of vegetable.  What a moist, sweet cake.  We enjoyed it without frosting.

Just take your favorite carrot cake recipe and tweak it a la Catherine. Bravery in the culinary field of battle should be recognized.  Catherine, this is in honor of  your successful cooking campaigns over many years.  You get a SamHenry heart of appreciation ♥

Banana Walnut Bread

I do most of my baking during the cooler months of the year & quick breads are one of my favorites things to bake.

Quick breads are made with quick acting leavening like baking powder, soda, sour milk or steam, instead of the slower rising yeast.

Many different kinds of breads, muffins, biscuits and corn breads fall into the “quick breads” category, including pancakes, waffles, dumplings & doughnuts.

Today’s “quick & easy recipe” is for Banana Walnut Bread. Ready? Here we go:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups sifted flour
  • 3-1/2 TSP. baking powder
  • 1 TSP. salt (Kosher if you have it)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 TBSP. shortening
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 overly ripe mashed bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

PREPARATION:

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Cream the sugar & shortening together.
  • Stir in the egg, milk & mashed bananas. Mix well.
  • Sift together & stir in the flour, baking powder & salt.
  • Add the chopped nuts to the mixture & stir.
  • Pour into a well greased 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan.
  • Dust the top with cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
  • Let it stand for 20 minutes or so before baking.
  • Bake for about 70 minutes or until golden brown.
  • When done, a toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.
  • Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove loaf & finish cooling on a wire rack. The loaf will have a “crack” on the top. This is normal.

Here’s a look at the finished product

The loaf will be easier to slice when allowed to fully cool, but who can wait that long?

posted by Mountain Republic

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Mom Jones’ Cookies

I remember my Mom made these cookies often when I was a kid.  This recipe was from my Grandmother & dated April 1955. I don’t know who Mom Jones’ was or where the recipe originally came from, but I do know these cookies sure are good!

This is definitely one of my favorite cookie recipes and it makes a good, large batch. I’ve baked these cookies for soldiers that I support in Afghanistan several times. The troops have always liked them, since I’ve heard the hard ones make fine projectiles to use on the Taliban!

I’ve made these many times for our family gatherings as well & they always seem to disappear fast. I remember my Mom used coconut more often than raisins, but I like them both ways. If you’re so inclined, you can add both raisins & coconut or cut the fruit out all together. The raisins tend to caramelize a bit in the oven and with the brown sugar, the cookies have a nice chewy texture.

So they don’t get too hard, I only like to bake them about 10 minutes or so. Let them “set” on the cookie sheet for two minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

This recipe can easily be cut in half. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup shredded coconut or raisins
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 2 cups quick oatmeal

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening & sugars together. Mix well.

Beat in eggs.

Add flour, sifted together with baking powder, baking soda & salt.

Blend in oatmeal, nuts, vanilla & raisins or coconut. Dough will be very stiff.

Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 8 – 9 dozen cookies, depending on size.

posted by Mountain Republic                            recipe from Amy Chenevert