SeniorLearn

*Never Fail Squash Casserole
*Never Fail Cranberry Holiday Salad
*Grand Central Oyster Stew
*Sticky Toffee Pudding
*Molasses Sponge Jelly Roll
*Eggplant Caponata (really good on Russian Rye Bread)
*Beggars - (cookies)
*Chocolate Creme De Menthe Bars
*Fudge Balls (easy!)
*Lemon Buttermilk Pie
*Avocado Loaf
*Juany's Plantains or Sweet Potatoes in syrup



*Never Fail Squash Casserole
2 lbs raw yellow squash
salt and pepper
1 stick margarine
1 to 1 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs (saltines can be substitued)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 medium onion, chopped
1 egg
1/2 skim milk

Pre-heat oven to 350. Spray casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray Cook squash until tender, drain well. Mash well, add margarine, salt, pepper, onion, cheese, egg, milk and half the cracker crumbs. Mix well and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle remainder of cracker crumbs on top and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes.

*Never Fail Cranberry Holiday Salad aka Fluff (from Ginny)
1 pkg raw cranberries
2 c miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. nuts chopped (if you like nuts, I leave them out)
1 1/4 c sugar
9 oz Cool Whip

Day before: Wash and grind 2 c raw cranberries. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar and 2 cups miniature marshmallows. Combine and let stand overnight in fridge. Next morning fold in 9 oz Cool Whip and 1/2 c nuts if you like nuts. Refrigerate several hours before serving.
The longer it sets up the better it is, even days later, it makes a sort of syrup which you need to stir into the mix each time before serving. I don't know what nuts would do TO it, but it looks like pink fluff without them, and people absolutely go wild over it. ... from the St. Matthew's Cookbook "I Want Your Recipe," must be 35 years old, from Carolyn Miller

*Grand Central Oyster Stew (from Jean aka Mabel)
The Grand Central Oyster Bar is one of the few restaurants in the FWP that is still in operation today.) It was partof the original Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913 as the largest, most luxurious train statiion in the world. Among oth features were ramps instead of stairs and a hair salon in the women's waiting room. NYC had been famous for centuries for the oyster beds of the harbor and other city waterways. The shores of all five boroughs werecovered in oyster beds and the land was marked by ancient piles of discarded shells. One has been carbon- dated to 6950 B.C. A recipe from the same book

Melt 1/2 oz of butter in double boiler; add1/3 t of salt, 1/3 t of celery salt, 1/2 t paprika, one shake of white pepper, 8 drops Worchestershire sauce, 2 lrg T of oyster or clam liquor (it really says 2 "large" tablespoons, lol.
Boil briskly for a few mins w/ constant stirring. As mixture bubbles high, add 8 lrg oysters and cook 3 mins more, all the while turning the oysters gently. Add 1/2 pint of rich milk and cont to stir. When mixture begins to boil, pour out into a bowl, add a pat of butter and a shake of paprika. Serve w/ small round oyster crackers.

*Sticky Toffee Pudding (from Rosemary)
5oz caster sugar (very fine granulated sugar)
3oz margarine (eg Stork soft blend)
2 eggs, beaten
6oz self raising flour, sieved
6oz chopped dates
1/2 (half) teaspoon vanilla essence
6 fl.oz boiling water
3/4 (three quarters) teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 teaspoons coffee essence (I use "Camp" but I suppose you could use instant coffee dissolved in a little hot water)

Butter and flour a dish - must be at least 1 pint capacity. I use a shallow oblong pottery dish. Preheat oven to 160oC (160 degrees centigrade). Put the dates, vanilla, bicarb and coffee essence into a bowl, pour over the boiling water and leave to cool (doesn't need to get stone cold).

In a separate bowl, cream the margarine and sugar. Add one egg at a time with a spoonful of the measured flour, and beat them in. Add the cooled date mixture, stir well. Fold in the rest of the flour (ie no more beating, just gentle stirring). The mixture may be quite runny.
Pour into the prepared dish and bake in the preheated over for 30-40 mins (sometimes mine seems to take longer - it's done when you press it lightly with your finger and it springs back - shouldn't be soggy in the middle but not burnt either!)

Sauce
4oz margarine (I use block margarine (eg Stork block) for this but I think soft blend would be OK, or you could use butter)
6oz soft brown sugar
1/2 (half) pint cream - single or double, UHT is fine.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan. Add sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and bring slowly to the boil. Pour into a jug and serve.

Both the pudding and the sauce will keep well if you have leftovers. You could also freeze the pudding when cooked and make the sauce later. Enjoy!

*Molasses Sponge Jelly Roll (from Callie)
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses (NOT syrup)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Beat egg yolks until thick. Gradually beat in sugar and molasses. Beat egg whites until almost stiff. Fold into yolk-sugar mixture. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in gently until well mixed. Pour into jelly-roll pan (edged cookie sheet) that has been lined with waxed paper.
Bake at 3751/4 for 12 minutes. Turn out onto waxed paper that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel paper from cake and trim crusts if necessary. Roll quickly with fresh waxed paper inside roll. Cool. Unroll and spread with apple butter - then roll again.

*Eggplant Caponata (from Barbara)
Small handful - about 1/4 cup golden raisins
1 large eggplant, stem removed, and chopped into inch size to maybe a 1/2 inch cubes
Little over a 1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion - she used a whole onion so there may have been a bit more than a 1/2 cup
a clove of garlic, minced
1 cup of diced tomatoes - she only seeded about 2/3rds of the cup and left in some seeds
2 teaspoons a good red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
Nearly forgot the olives - yes a good handful - a bit more than a 1/2 cup of green olives sliced in half across the middle
Handful that was about 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

In a thick frying pan soften the eggplant in most of the olive oil - move them around so they do not stick or brown and cook for about 10 minutes - pull them off the fire before they become mushy when they still have body and you can still smell the olive oil.
place in a bowl - then add the remaining olive oil and soften the red onion - add the minced garlic, then the tomatoes and raisins, let that cook a bit seasoning with salt and pepper - then add the cooked eggplant and stir in the crushed red pepper and the wine vinegar - just heat it through for less than a minute and put it in a bowl to cool stirring in the parsley and sliced green olives. Great on rye bread!

*Beggars (cookies) (from Steph)
Put in bowl.. 2 cups flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Another bowl.. 1/2 cup brown sugar and another 1/2 cup white sugar,, then add 1/2 cup shortening ( either a crisco type or butter if you want, not oil) Creaming together and then adding 2 eggs, one at a time and 1 teaspoon vanilla.Beat until fluffy.
Then add the dry ingredients alternately with 3/4 cup milk.. Blend thoroughly..Then the fun.
Add in one bottle of maraschino cherries halved, 1 cup of nuts,, ( I tend to mix them up), 1 bag of chocolate chips ( any type, semi sweet, or the flavored or even the milk chocolate), , maybe a handful of raisins or dates.. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. well greased and floured.. Bake at 325 for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown.. When cool, make frosting..

Brown 1/2 cup butter over medium heat until deep brown. Remove from heat. Blend in roughly 4 cupos of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla( sometimes almond or peppermint works too), then add up to 2 tablespoons mik.. Beat until smooth.. Frost them and then cut into bars or squares. Very rich indeed. But my families favorite cookie.

*Chocolate Creme De Menthe Bars (from Annie)
Heat oven to 350 degrees
1st layer:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 C. Butter (salted)
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1-16oz can Hershey's chocolate syrup

Mix together and pour into an 11X15 greased pan. (I use a jelly roll pas as I don't like the thickness of the brownies using the 11X15 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Cool completely and refrigerate for 30 minutes

2nd layer:
Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with
5 or 6 tblsp. of Creme de Menthe (if not green, you can add food coloring)
Spread on cake and return to fridge until partially set until partially set and then add glaze.

Glaze:
6 oz. chocolate chips melted with
6 tblsp of butter
Spread over cake and chill for 1 hour.
After allowing to sit out for 1/2 hour, cut into 2" squares (I cut into smaller pieces, 1", because these are so rich.

Store in refrigerator for serving over the holidays.
These can be divided for gifts and saved in the freezer before giving.

*Fudge Balls (from Janice)
Melt about 2 pounds of the bulk chocolate; whip half pint fresh cream; stir together until mixed well; let sit for about two hours until it sets.
Take a spoon full and roll it in your hands to make a ball and then roll in walnut pieces.
Let sit overnight, store in covered container.

*Lemon Buttermilk Pie - from Babi
1c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1 & 1/2 c. sugar
2 tbs. cornstarch
1/4 c. lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon (optional)
1 unbaked pie shell

Mix ingredients in above order. Bake @ 450 deg. for 10 min., then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until firm in center. (20-30 min)

*Avocado Loaf - from Barb
2 cups sifted flour - add while sifting the usual baking powder leavening only this one is half baking soda to sweeten it so 1/2 teaspoon of each and a good dash of salt.
1 cup of liquid - a half to half measure - half mashed avocado and half buttermilk
Mix in 1 slightly beaten egg
Then instead of a half a cup, it is 3/4 cup of sugar
Mix all that together - anything that has baking soda I mix extra well so it does not clump causing someone to bite into that sharp mouthful.
Finish the batter by stirring in the nuts and candied fruits - a cup each so that there are three cups of pretties added to the mixture.
Since pecans are so prolific, we use a cup of cut up pecans - Walnuts would give it a very different flavor that would over-power the avocado but a cup of almonds or hazelnuts could work.
A cup of candied cherries and a cup of pineapple - Two cups of mixed cut up candied fruit would work.
Bake it as a loaf - butter the pan and tap a bit of flour on the greased pan to prevent sticking -
Bake for nearly an hour - when the toothpick or broom straw comes out clean and it is just pulling a bit from the sides - could be as little as 45 minutes but an hour is a good bet. In a medium heated oven as if cooking a chicken. 350 degrees.

*Juany's Plantains or Sweet Potatoes in syrup - from Pedln
3 large ripe plantains or 5 sweet potatoes (half-boiled)
4 Tbs. butter
2 C sugar
1 1/2 C water
1/2 C wine or rum
2 sticks cinnamon

Peel and slice plantains or sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes - boil a little; not the plantains.
Melt butter in deep frying pan. Add plantains. Turn heat to moderate and brown approx. 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Sprinkle with sugar and pour water carefully over them. Boil 10 minutes.
Add rum and cinnamon and cook slowly for 20 minutes.
Increase heat to moderate boil for about 20 minutes longer or until syrup thickens.