a
Gifts From The
Kitchen
It’s that time of the year when
thoughts focus on sharing special
feelings with friends and family.
There’s no better way to express
these sentiments than with home
baked gifts.
When preparing baked goods to
give as gifts, choose recipes that
have a festive look and are pleas
ing to most palates.
Create additional holiday bak
ing fun by inviting children to par
ticipate in the creative process.
Many tasks, such as measuring
ingredients, rolling dough and
decorating, can be delegated to
children with some supervision.
These activities can also be used to
teach valuable lessons about
counting and fractions.
The finished confections will
taste all the sweeter for the extra
dash of love and care that went into
their preparation.
RAKED CARAMEL CORN
1 cup butter
'A cup com syrup
6 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups firmly packed brown
sugar
1 teaspoon salt
'A teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in
brown sugar, com syrup, and salt
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil without stirring for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in baking
soda and vanilla. Gradually pour
over popped com, mixing well.
Turn into 2 large shallow baking
pans. Bake in 250 degree oven for
one hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool
completely.
Break apart and store in airtight
container.
Michelle Ryan
Dauphin Co. Dairy Princess
PING PONG CANDY
Boil together in electric frying pan:
2 cups molasses
2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 sticks butter
Boil over medium heat for about
30 minutes. Add 1 cup black wal
nuts and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour
into buttered BxB-inch pan. (The
syrup looks curdled). Cool. Cut
into squares and wrap in wax
paper.
Cordelia Wolfe
Seven Valleys
F Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share
them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you
include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingre-
I dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
| Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O.
) Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office
j one week before publishing date.
j December
14- -Holiday Cookies ,
21- Fireside Treats
28- Ideas For Leftovers
} January
4- Lo-Cal Recipes
Bone On The Range
HOLIDAY RUM TORTE
Cake:
VA cups all-purpose flour
1 A teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
I'A cups sugar
V* cup milk
'/ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling and Frosting:
2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners
sugar
2 tablespoons almond liqueur
V* cup whole-milk Ricotta
cheese
'/> cup light mm, divided
1-ounce square semi-sweet cho
colate, divided
'/< cup chopped toasted almonds
Chopped candied fruit, if
desired
Finely grated chocolate, if
desired
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For cake, combine flour and bak
ing powder; set aside. Beat eggs in
small mixer bowl until thickened,
4 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to
medium and gradually add sugar,
beating until lemon-colored, about
5 minutes. Add flour mixture to
egg mixture. Beat until combined.
Heat milk and butter in small
saucepan until butter melts. Add to
batter, beating until combined. Stir
in vanilla. Pour batter into well
buttered jelly roll pan. Bake 15 to
20 minutes. Cool cake in pan on
wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen
sides and remove; cool complete
ly. Cut cake vertically into 3
pieces, each IOxS-inches.
For filling and frosting, com
bine whipping cream, sugar, and
liqueur in large mixer bowl. Beat
until almost stiff. Add Ricotta and
beat until smooth. Place one cake
layer on serving plate. Sprinkle
with 'A of the rum. Spread with
about 1 cup whipped cream mix
ture. Sprinkle with 'A grated cho
colate. Repeat with next layer. Top
with last cake layer. Sprinkle with
remaining rum. Frost top and sides
of cake with remaining frosting.
Press almonds onto sides of cake.
Pipe any remaining whipped
cream mixture through a pastry
tube with a fluted tip along top
edges of cake. Refrigerate at least
4 hours or overnight. Just before
serving, sprinkle candied fruit
down center of top of cake. Dust
fluted frosting lightly with choco
late. Slice and serve.
Easy on the cook, this fabulous Holiday Rum Tone can be made ahead, frosted, and
frozen. The whipping cream and Ricotta cheese frosting survive the rigors of freezing
unscathed.
CARAMEL MINI-POPCORN
BALLS
24 squares vanilla caramel
candies
1 tablespoon water
5 to 6 cups popped popcorn
In large mixing bowl, place
unwrapped caramels and water.
Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Stir. Continue microwaving on
high, stirring every 30 seconds,
until caramels arc melted. Add
popcorn; toss until well coated.
Wet hands; shape mixture into
balls. Wrap each popcorn
ball in‘a sheet of crystal clear plas
tic wrap. Makes 18 popcorn balls.
MAMMA
HOLIDAY SNACK MIX
3 cups cinnamon toast cereal
2 cups chocolate bear-shaped
graham snacks
2 cups peanuts
VA eups red and grten candy
coated chocolate pieces
In large mixing bowl,’ combine
cereal, graham snacks, peanuts,
and chocolate pieces. Pour mixture
into container with lid. Makes: 16
to 18 servings.
For an instant gift, top a jar of
holiday snack mix with a spectacu
lar plastic wrap bow. Place snack
mix in clear containers with lids
and decorate lids.
(Turn to Pag* B 8)
Featured Recipe
Cheese, a nutritious, delicious food, is available in countless shapes,
sizes, and flavors. To help consumers make cheese choices, the Ameri
can Dairy Association has produced The Complete Cheese Handbook.
This colorful, 20-page booklet offers a variety of information, includ
ing a cheese lover’s guide to selection, tips for choosing and storing
cheese, cooking guidelines for a variety of cheeses (including low-fat),
suggestions for designing a cheese board with taste and visual appeal,
cheese nutrition information, and tasty cheese recipes.
For a copy of the booklet, send a self-addressed, stamped envelop to
Complete Cheese Handbook, Dairy and Nutrition Council Mid East,
3592 Corporate Drive, Suite 114, Columbus, OH 43231.
Here is a recipe from the booklet.
CHEESY MUSHROOMS
24 mushroom caps, about 2 inches in diameter
Fresh lemon juice
Melted butter
'A cup crushed herb-seasoned croutons
1 egg
A teaspoon red pepper sauce
VA cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
VA cups shredded Cheddar cheese
'/] cup minced green onion
14 cup minced green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped pimento, drained
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully scoop out stem of
mushrooms. Dip caps in lemon juice, then melted butter. Place hollow
sides up on baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed croutons. Combine
egg and red pepper sauce in small mixing bowl. Beat until thick and
lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Stir in cheeses, onion, green pepper,
and pimento. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon cheese mixture in each
mushroom cap. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve
immediately.