Chris's Ginger Snaps

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup Turbinado sugar

Put the butter in a bowl and place in a low oven until melted. Blend the melted butter with a whisk and chill in the refrigerator until it is solid but still very soft. Use a measuring cup to portion the butter.

Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend the butter and sugars until light, fluffy and whitened. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Scrape the bowl as required. Wrap the dough in wax paper, plastic or place in a covered bowl and chill in the refrigerator until firm or overnight.

Place about 1 cup of Turbinado sugar in a bowl. When the dough has chilled sufficiently, use a small ice cream or pastry scoop to portion the dough and place into the sugar. Shake the bowl to roll the dough balls around, coating them thoroughly with sugar.

Place the coated dough balls on a baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. With the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly. Dip the glass in the residual Turbinado sugar if the cookie dough sticks to the bottom of the glass. A faster way to flatten:

After the dough balls are placed on the baking sheet, place a sil-pad over them and with another baking sheet press down to flatten all the dough balls at once.

Bake for about 14 minutes or until the cookies feel slightly firm. The longer the cookies bake, the more crisp they will be. Cool on a wire rack.

Add minced candied ginger to the dough for added texture and spice.

Curt’s Hot Fudge

Ingredients

1 oz/cube Baker’s Chocolate

¾ cup Sugar

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 Tbsp Corn Syrup

Dash of Salt (about ¼ Tsp)

¼ cup Milk

2 Tsp Vanilla

1. Melt Chocolate on stovetop on medium heat
2. Add butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt
3. Blend on Medium
4. After blended, add milk and bring to a boil.
5. While it is boiling, keep checking thickness.  When barely thick, take off the heat.
6. Add Vanilla, blend.
7. Let sit 5-10 minutes, serve over ice cream.

Reitha's Minestrone Soup, Milan Style

Ingredients:
1 Cup kidney beans (canned) (drained)
1 Cup uncooked rice (or barley)
1/2 Cup olive oil
2 #2 cans canned tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
4 Cups chopped spinach (frozen)
2 Pinches sage
Salt and pepper to taste
4 quarts prepared soup stock
2 sliced onions
2 T chopped parsley
4 stalks celery, diced
4 Cups shredded cabbage
4 Cups chopped carrots
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese

In large pot saute in hot oil garlic, onion & fresh vegatables for 10 mins. Stir. Add rice, beans, salt & pepper and soup stock. Cover. Simmer until beans & rice are tender (approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours. SERVES 12 to 16.

(NOTE: You can also add meat to the soup. Slices of cooked beef taste great - added by Matthew Revak)

Whole Filet Mignon Roast

Choose a Filet Mignon tenderloin roast. Mine was 5+ lbs., silver skin removed.

Preheat-heat oven to Convection Roast @ 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you uses a non-convection oven preheat to 450. F.

Place the roast on a rack in a large roasting pan.

Using your hands, rub the roast with Canola Oil or Mild Olive Oil.

Make a dry rub of Garlic Powder, McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning or Kosher Salt crystals & Ground Black Pepper. Using your hands, rub the roast with Canola Oil or Mild Olive Oil. Then, using your hands, coat the entire roast with the above dry rub.

Place roast in oven with temperature probe set for 130 degrees internal temperature. Probe should be placed in center of roast halfway through meat. The ends should be medium while the center sections should be medium rare. Since we made this roast way in advance of dinner, we took it out when the probe reached 120 degrees internal temperature and let it rest. Then, placed it back into the 425 degree oven to let the temperature come up to 130 degrees. Before serving, you must let the roast rest for 15 minutes to allow the juices to be retained in the meat. We placed the cut slices of filet into a service warming tray next to heated gravy boat of beef au jus. Since the roast is cooked at such a high temperature, and we were feeding a large group, I opted for packaged au jus gravy to serve with it.

This was a collaborative effort with Kathy, Andy, & Christopher

Potato Casserole

serves 10

2 pounds frozen hash browns, julienne, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup white or yellow onions, chopped
1 pint sour cream
10 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine completely thawed potatoes plus 1/2 cup butter.
Mix soup, onions, sour cream, grated cheese, salt/pepper
Combine with potatoes.
Place in greased 9" x 13" casserole pan.
Mix crushed Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Place Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes mixture on top of potato casserole.

Bake 45-60 minutes (Check @ 45 minutes for doneness) dish should be bubbling and topping crunchy.
Submitted by Kathy Revak from a recipe of Anna Dos Santos

Watergate Jell-O Salad

1 large can of Crushed Pineapple
1 small package of Lime Jell-O
1 small package of Jell-O Instant Pistachio Pudding
1 small container of Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 small container of Cool Whip

topping:
3-4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise (optional)
Toasted, chopped nuts such as Pecans, Almonds, Pistachios, or Cashews (optional)

Empty large can of crushed pineapple into a bowl. Add Jell-o into bowl, mixing thoroughly. Do the same with the pistachio pudding. Stir in cottage cheese, Fold in Cool Whip (reserving a little Cool Whip to stir into the mayonnaise and "frost" the salad later). Pour the Jell-o mixture into a 8"x 8" baking dish. Chill overnight. Frost with the mixture of the reserved Cool Whip and mayonnaise. Sprinkle with chopped, roasted nuts.
Submitted by Kathy Revak from a found recipe of Lani Yoshimura's

Red Bell Pepper Relish

6 red bell peppers (cored and cut into chunks)

1 cup Heinz plain or Nakano brand white vinegar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt

Place prepared chunks into blender with vinegar and chop. Add sugar and salt. Simmer all ingredients in a pot for 45 minutes.

In a separate cup, whisk together 2 teaspoons of corn starch and 2 teaspoons of water.
Slowly drizzle corn starch mixture into red bell pepper relish, stirring with whisk until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and thickens a little.

Makes 3 batches. Place cooled relish equally in three glass jelly jars. It's great for gift giving and freezes well. Just defrost in the refrigerator overnight when you want to use one. Pour cold relish over a block of cream cheese and serve with various crackers.

edited by Kathleen Revak