Rhubarb Cake

Thumbprint Cookies

Sparkling Rosemary Punch

Buffalo Springs Hot Chicken Salad  
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
10 ½ ounces condensed cream of chicken soup
¾ cup celery, diced
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
½ cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp onion, minced
½ lemon, juiced
10-15 potato chips
1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
Pepper, to taste
4 oz water chestnuts  

Note: For variation, substitute bread crumbs or cornflakes for potato chips; add ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Swiss cheese with potato chips.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon into 8x12 baking dish. Top with crumbled potato chips. Bake for 20 minutes. Serves 6-9.Back to Index

Holiday Fruit Salad
Drain juice from pineapple (see fruit recipe below)
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp ground lemon verbena, optional
½ tsp ground nutmeg  

Mix dressing ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cool. Mix with fruit mixture below.  

Fruit Mixture:
1 dozen medium red apples, peeled and sliced
Juice of one lemon
1 large can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits
1 pound red seedless grapes
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, not chopped  

Combine all of the above ingredients together. Then mix with dressing above.  

Optional: Sprinkle salad with pomegranate seeds for a festive look.

Note: Can be served on a bed of mixed salad greens drizzled with raspberry vinaigrette. Back to Index

Holiday Cranberry Apple Cobbler
5 cups sliced peeled apples or pears
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup cranberries
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon dried lemon verbena, ground (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix apples, sugar, cranberries, tapioca, cinnamon and water in large saucepan. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture comes to full boil. Pour into 2 quart baking dish. Dot with 2 Tbsp butter.

Mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon verbena in large bowl. Cut in ¼ cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk until soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoons onto hot apple mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped topping. Makes 8 servings. Back to Index

Country Stew
(From our book The Simmering Pot: Soups, Stews, & Chilies)
2 cups chopped chicken or turkey, cooked and skinned, deboned and chopped
1 1/2 pkg. baby lima beans (10 ounces)
3 (11.5 ounce) cans V-8 juice
1 (16.5 ounce) can shoe peg corn, drained
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp pesto or 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
Tabasco to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp vinegar

Sauté onions and celery in butter. Add other ingredients, except chicken and herbs, and cook until beans are almost done. Add meat and herbs and simmer about 30 minutes. Makes 10 servings.

Apple Gingerbread
This is a nice fall and winter dessert served with a lemon sauce.
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Put 4 cups peeled and sliced apples in a 12x18-inch pan. Sprinkle with one cup of sugar (or less) and simmer about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 
2. While this is cooking mix sugar, molasses, and butter. Add eggs and mix. Sift flour with dry ingredients. Add to first mixture. Blend. Add boiling water and mix again. 
3. Pour batter over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. 

Lemon Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat in saucepan till clear. Add 2-3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 tsp lemon rind, 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more), dash salt. Back to Index

Victorian Currant Cakes
(From our book The Season of Advent: Herbal Symbolism, Projects, Garden Designs and Recipes.)
1 cup currants
½ cup brandy, heated
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp butter
1 heaping cup sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups flour

1. Soak currants in brandy for 30 minutes; drain and reserve brandy.
2. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and yolk with spices and mix well. Add 2 tsp reserved brandy and the currants and mix thoroughly. Gradually add enough flour to make a smooth but light dough.
3. Wrap in waxed paper and chill 1 hour.
4. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll between floured hands to balls about 1 inch in diameter.
5. Arrange on a buttered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork.
6. Bake in preheated 350° oven for about 10 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Back to Index

Sparkling Rosemary Punch
2 handfuls rosemary sprigs
2 cups water
1 liter ginger ale, chilled
12 ounces frozen orange pineapple juice, reconstituted

1. Combine rosemary and water in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring. Simmer 5 minutes. Cover and allow to cool. 
2. Strain out rosemary. Combine with orange pineapple juice and stir well. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. Add chilled ginger ale and serve. Back to Index

English Trifle
21 ounce Angle Food cake cut into 1/3" thick slices
4 Tbsp Sherry, Amaretto or Flavored Brandy, or to taste
½ cup strawberry preserves
1 pint fresh/frozen strawberries
1 large package vanilla pudding, cooked (do not use instant)
1 tsp Lemon Verbena, dried and ground
Cool Whip or Whipped Cream
1 tsp Rosewater or to taste

1. Cook vanilla pudding, according to package directions. Add lemon verbena.
2. Line bottom of dish with angel food slices. A pretty clear glass serving dish is nice for presentation.
3. Sprinkle Sherry over cake.
4. Combine strawberry preserves and strawberries and blend well to make a sauce.
5. Spread half of the sauce over slices of cake.
6. Spread half of vanilla pudding over sauce.
7. Repeat a layer of cake, sauce (reserve 1/8-1/4 cup for decorating) and pudding.
8. For the top layer, spread cool whip or whipped cream , flavored with the rosewater. Back to Index

Rhubarb Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 cup half & half
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan.
2. In mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add egg and rosewater, and beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine half & half and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
4. In another bowl, blend flour, soda and salt.
5. Add liquid and dry ingredients alternately to creamed butter mixture.
6. Fold in rhubarb.
7. Pour into prepared pan.
8. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over batter.
9. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until cake tests done.
10. Top with a custard sauce and garnish with a sliced strawberry. Back to Index

Thumbprint Cookies
3/4 pound butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
2 large or 3 small egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Beat until fluffy the butter, sugar and salt. Add egg yolks one at a time and then add vanilla and rosewater. When all blended well, add flour. Do NOT over blend. 
2. Chill dough slightly. Make balls by hand, small marble size and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press center of cookie with thumb (or utensil). Place your favorite jelly or jam in the indentation and bake in pre-heated 350 oven for 8-10 minutes. Yield: 12 dozen. Back to Index

Pumpkin Nut Cake
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin
6 eggs
1 cup pecans
3 cups flour
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix butter and sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, salt, soda, and spices. Add to egg mixture. Mix well.
2. Add pumpkin, nuts, milk and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with dollop of whipped cream with orange oil.
Note: Can be baked in two loaf pans for gift giving. This cake freezes well.  Back to Index

Rice Krispie Cheese Wafers
2 sticks butter
3 cups sharp cheese, grated
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground rosemary
3 cups Rice Krispies
Cayenne pepper to taste (¼ tsp)

Mix butter and cheese by hand.  Add remaining ingredients and make into small balls.  Press with fork on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-17 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 5 dozen.  Back to Index

Almond Flan
Serves 8 to 12

¾ cup sugar
2/3 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 ½ 14-ounce cans Eagle Brand Sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk (Optional: scale milk w/handful of lemon balm, cool and strain)
3 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle level.

Put the sugar in a round 9x3-inch metal cake pan. Place the pan directly over medium heat on the stovetop to caramelize the sugar. (Use heavy oven mitts or tongs to handle the pan.) Heat until the sugar liquefies, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do not touch the sugar, which is extremely hot. When the sugar is golden brown, remove the pan to a rack and let cool and harden.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and process on medium speed until well blended. Pour the custard mixture over the prepared caramel. Place the cake pan in a larger, deeper pan and pour about an inch of hot water around the cake pan to make the water bath. Cover the flan loosely with an aluminum foil tent and place the larger pan in the oven.

Bake for 1 ¼ hours, or until the flan is set in the center and no longer jiggles. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.

To serve, run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the flan. Put a platter 10 inches in diameter (or more) over the pan and gently invert it, so that the flan is left on the serving platter. Scrape up any caramel left on the bottom of the pan and pour it over the flan. Cut into triangular wedges and serve.

Notes:

·        If you don’t have Mexican vanilla, which is especially heady, ordinary pure vanilla extract will be fine.

·        When making the caramel, it’s best not to stir the sugar any more than you have to, or it may seize up and harden.

·        A 2-inch-deep cake pan will also work here and makes it slightly less likely that the flan will fall apart on its slide to the serving platter.

·        You can also make the flan in a springform pan. Just be sure to wrap the outside of the pan tightly with aluminum foil so that no water seeps in.
Back to Index

Cheesy Squash Casserole
Serves 8

2 pounds green zucchini or yellow squash, sliced and halved
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup chopped green or red pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese 
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
Pepper
1 tsp dried Oregano, ground
Buttered bread crumbs

Cook squash until tender; drain well. Add remaining ingredients. Taste for seasoning.

Place in a greased 1 ½-quart casserole . Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until set in the center.