Category Archives: How-To

How-to Make Rolled Sugar Cookies:

How-to  Make Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ready for serving and eating.

St. Patrick’s Cookie Celebration Ready for eating.

 Frosted sugar cookies are popular at holiday time.  You see red hearts for St. Valentine’s Day, Christmas trees and candy canes at Christmas, chicks and bunnies for Easter, and green shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Cookie Celebration. The Sugar Cookie Recipe enclosed is from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, 1971. Here is a short How-To in photos for St. Patrick’s Shamrock Cookie Celebration, Rolled Sugar Cookies. 

 How-To for Rolled Sugar Cookies

Rolling out the sugar cookie dough

Rolling out the sugar cookie dough

Rolling the sugar cookie dough on a cloth prevent it from sticking as it would on a bread board.

Cutting the shamrocks.

Cutting the Shamrocks.

Keeping the cookie cutter in a bowl of sugar keeps it from collecting cookie dough.  This technique for making  shaped sugar cookies is the same for other rolled cookies.  Use this as a guide for those valentine hearts, candy cane or Easter bunnies.

A perfectly cut shamrock for coloring.

A perfectly cut shamrock, ready for baking.

Bake the rolled sugar cookie at 375°F for 7 to 8 minutes.

Using Easy Creamy Icing

Using Easy Creamy Icing

This is an easy confectioners’ sugar icing with green food coloring and flavored with vanilla.  Consider using red food coloring and cinnamon oil for valentines, or peppermint for red and white candy canes.

Ready for serving and eating.

Ready for serving and eating.

The recipe for Sugar Cookies, also called Mary’s Sugar Cookie Recipe and the Easy Creamy Icing is at link  http://wp.me/p38mXe-79.

 

Julia Ann, cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes for your cooking experience.

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Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce: How-To

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Pears are a favorite fruit at our home.  We like the Red Anjou Pear used in salads or fresh slices, though rarely cook with them.  Cinnamon spiced apple sauce is a favorite too, so decided why not make Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce.  I have several old cookbooks, 1940s, and 50s, they did not have recipes for pear sauce.  There was pear jam, preserves,  jelly or pears mixed with other fruits for chutneys.  So, I made the pear sauce as I do  spicy apple sauce.

 How-to  for making Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Red Anjou Pears

Red Anjou Pears

The Anjou pears are sweet and juicy as well nutritious. One fresh medium size pear has 100 calories. They are fat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-free and provides soluble fiber.  Pears are an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.

These pears were from the local grocery, I don’t know where they are grown locally.   Wash them good to get any pesticides off the peel even before peeling them.

Peeled Anjou Pears

Peeled Anjou Pears

After peeling each, I put  them in a pan of water with a tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent the pears browning.  I find it easiest to use the vegetable peeler.  When all peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces before cooking.

While placing them in the sauce pan, water and seasons, a picture was forgotten.  I added enough water to cover and added another tablespoon of lemon juice to the water, again to prevent the browning, also adds a little extra flavor.  Recently made another 2 pints of the Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce and added about 2 tablespoons of orange juice when cooking.

After the pears were boiling for about 5 minutes, I added the ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  They were on the hard side, needed to ripen a little more, so I simmered them about 30 minutes or more until tender and softened.  Cooking will vary to the ripeness and your preference.

Cooking Spicy Red Anjou Pears

Cooking Spicy Red Anjou Pears

When they were cooked tender, I added a teaspoon of vanilla.  They were cooked more than in the above photo.  While still hot, put 1/2 to 1 cup pears in the blender to puree.  I pureed them more than I had preferred for this first time.  Having some lumps of pear in the sauce is more to my liking.  Again that is your preference.

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Julia Ann
A cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice flavored sauce made from Red Anjou Pears. A tasty side dish to have with pork, chicken or vegetarian as salad or dessert. Serve with cottage cheese.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 5 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Red Anjou pears
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups water to cover pears again more or less to your preference
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg or ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Wash and peel pears.
  • Core and cut into 1/2 inch pieces into a pan of water with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
  • Drain the pears and put into 4 quart sauce pan.
  • Add water to cover pears, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
  • Add the sugars and salt.
  • Cook to boiling for 5 minutes.
  • Add the cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
  • Cook for 30 minutes, longer if preferred for a softer pear.
  • Remove from heat; add the vanilla.
  • Puree in small batches 1/2 cup to 1 cup of to the thickness preferred.</span>
  • Pour into bowl to store or pour into clean sterile pint jars.
  • Refrigerate until use.

Notes

Orange juice can be used in place of the lemon juice when cooking the pears...... Julia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® brings you great recipes for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® All rights reserved.
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2 Pints of Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

2 Pints of Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

The 4 pears actually made about 2 1/2 pints or 5 cups of sauce.  The sauce had to be sampled to see if it was sweet, spicy, good and edible.   It was!   The jars were refrigerated until used. The sauce did not last long, it was more pears and another batch of Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce.

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Spicy Red Anjou Pear Sauce

Consider these dishes for the menu:

 

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Julia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® brings you great recipes for your cooking experience. ©2007-2021 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.”Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® All rights reserved.

 

– 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

 

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Making Refrigerator Cookies.

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

The Oatmeal Coconut Crispies are a refrigerator cookie.  The dough is softer;  it is formed into “logs” about 2 inches in diameter, wrapped  in wax paper and refrigerated for several hours or overnight.  When ready to bake,  the log dough is cut into 1/4 inch slices and baked. Refrigerator cookies have a rich flavor, lightly browned, uniform thin slices and a crisp, crunchy texture. This recipe is  from the original Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, 1963

How-To Make Refrigerator Cookies

Wrapping Cookie Dough Logs

Wrapping Cookie Dough Logs


Slicing Cookie Dough

Slicing Cookie Dough Log in 1/4 Slices


Oatmeal Coconut Crispies ready to bake

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies ready to bake

The Oatmeal Coconut Crispies are good cookies to freeze for later.  Baked cookies can be stored frozen for 9-12  months.  Having baked cookies  on hand in the freezer is handy to have available whenever there is a request to furnish cookies for a special event, tea, drop-in visitors or spoil your co-workers.  I have never kept a bag of cookies that long!

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

The Valentine Sweet Sugar Cookies  and the Shamrock Cookies were rolled cookies.  After mixing the dough, it was refrigerated for a few hours, then rolled at room temperature and cut out with cookie cutter, baked and iced.  Using a cookie cutter makes the same size and shape, depending how thick they are cut will vary the texture from soft to crisp.  They are baked until lightly browned and have a rich delicate flavor.

Valentine Sugar Cookies

Valentine Sugar Cookies


Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Oatmeal Coconut Crispies

Julia Ann
A refrigerator crispy cookie with favorite flavors of oatmeal and coconut, a good cookie to serve and freeze for later.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup flaked coconut

Instructions
 

  • Into large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla, cream until fluffy.
  • Into smaller bowl, measure the flour by dipping method.
  • Add the soda and salt, whisk to blend.
  • Stir into the shortening mixture.
  • Blend in the oats and coconut. The dough will be soft.
  • Divide the dough in half.
  • Form the dough into logs with a 2 inch diameter.
  • Wrap in wax paper, refrigerate overnight.
  • Heat over to 400 F.
  • Line baking sheets with parchment paper or light grease pans.
  • Cut the log into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Bake 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.
  • The cookies do spread, allow 2 inches between cookies.

Notes

This is adapted from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, 1963.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Cookies are such a handy snack.  The only trouble is it can be too handy to nibble on  all day.  “I just ate one …… at a time.”  Haven’t you heard that from your children, or yet, your own thoughts. 

Suggestions for more cookies:

 

Olive Oil Coconut Sugar Cookies

Olive Oil Coconut Sugar Cookies                                  Olive Oil Coconut Sugar Cookies

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies                                                 Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Grand Canyon Hermit Cookies

Grand Canyon Hermit Cookies                                             Grand Canyon Hermit Cookies

Visit these sites: Simply Recipes,   Sally’s Baking Addiction,   Shugary Sweets

 

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinaboxJulia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice®  bring you great recipes for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.”  Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox®. All rights reserved.

 

Roast Beef Dinner

Roast Beef Dinner for Two

Roast Beef Dinner for Two

Roast Beef Dinner for Two

Having a Roast Beef Dinner is a big event at cookbookinabox’s  house.  Several reasons which many probably may identify . Health is our biggest reason, fat,  cholesterol is higher in red meats.  Expense, it is more expensive to have choice cuts on a regular basis.  Meatless meals is often our choice.  However, there are times when a nice Roast Beef Dinner brings good memories and is comfort food.  

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Grandmother’s Cast Iron Dutch Oven

We have the cast iron dutch oven that was my husband’s grandmothers.  It had made a long trip through Texas when the family travel by horse and wagon in the early 1900’s. So it is always a treat and fun to use this kettle.  I also like to use this kettle for soups as well.

Beef Bottom Round Roast

Beef Bottom Round Roast

Since there are only 2 of us in the home, I bought a small beef bottom round roast under 2 pounds.  The recipe was adapted from Joy Of Cooking’s, Beef Pot Roast, cooked in a convection oven instead of the stove.

Preparing the beef roast for the oven

After baking the beef roast and removing to a plate to keep warm, I decanted the juices and fat into a fat separator.  I poured off the juices into a measuring cup, and poured about 4 tablespoons fat back into the dutch oven to make the roux for gravy.  I used the juices and added cream to make 2 cups for the liquid to the 4 tablespoons of fat and  4 tablespoons of flour.

Making the roux for gravy

Roast Beef Dinner

Roast Beef Dinner

Julia Ann
A special Sunday Dinner Roast Beef, tender, juicy to be enjoyed with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pound beef bottom round roast
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup onions finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots finely sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups beef stock or bouillon
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • GRAVY
  • 4 tablespoons fat
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cups meat juices
  • cream to make 2 cups liquid

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 F.
  • Trim off fat, make cuts into the side of the meat to prevent curling
  • Flour all sides of the roast.
  • Heat the oil in the Dutch oven.
  • Brown the roast on all sides.
  • Add the onions, carrots, and broth to the roast.
  • Cook about 5 minutes.
  • Bake in the preheated oven 2 hours or until meat is tender, to 155 F to 165 F for medium well.
  • Remove meat from pan to a dish; cover to keep warm
  • GRAVY
  • Strain off the vegetables.
  • Decant the juices and fat into a fat separator.
  • Pour off the juices, on top, to a measuring cup, add cream to make 2 cups liquid
  • Pour 4 tablespoon fat and juices to the Dutch oven, stir to loosen the bits and pieces of the meat.
  • With a whisk, add the flour, stirring until blended.
  • Gradually add the 2 cups of the liquid, stirring with the whisk to smooth.
  • Simmer the gravy up to 10 minutes to thicken.
  • Taste and correct seasonings as needed.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon thyme.
  • Serve over the meat and potatoes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Roast Beef Dinner for Two

Roast Beef Dinner for Two

The Roast Beef Dinner menu

Marinated Vegetable Salad
Mixer Whole Wheat Bread
Roast Beef and Beef Gravy
Mashed Russet Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus
American Persimmon Cake

 

Visit these links:      Simply Recipes – Roast Beef;            allrecipes – All American Roast Beef

 

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinaboxJulia Ann and  cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes for your cooking experience.  ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery®  cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “ Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox®. All rights reserved.
            

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkins and more pumpkins:  Holiday Treat

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll ready for Halloween

Pumpkins for Halloween continue into pumpkin pies, breads, cakes, cookies and muffins for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You don’t think of a pumpkin dessert for New Year’s Eve.

Nienaber'sFarm Market

At Nienaber’s Farm Market

The Pumpkin Roll recipe is a favorite of many community cookbooks or in the Sunday newspaper recipes.  I have used it for several years as it was given to me by a friend.   I finally read the label on Libby’s® Pumpkin l and there it was.  So I  give Libby’s credit for this easy and attractive dessert.  Of course over time, cooks have tweaked it to their taste of hand-me-down recipes.

Baked Pumpkin Roll Cake

Baked Pumpkin Roll Cake, a sponge cake texture

HOW-TO DO A PUMPKIN ROLL

The cake of the pumpkin roll is a sponge cake; it has a light, springy texture, like a sponge. The batter is baked into a thin layer in a jelly roll pan. Many sponge cakes use eggs as the leavening agent, this recipe has 3 eggs plus  baking powder and  baking soda.  Having ingredients at room temperature is important habit for baking.  If using separated eggs as in some sponge cakes, the egg whites whip to more volume at room temperature. 

It is important to  have the 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch baking pan greased and lined with parchment paper also greased and floured before using.  This enables the thin flat cake to come out of the pan for easy rolling. I use a damp cloth to turn the cake onto, roll up and cool in the refrigerator for one hour. Don’t get the cloth too damp as it will tear up the cake. Some recipes advise using flour or powdered sugar to  turn the cake on and let it cool at room temperature.  When removing the sponge cake from the oven, place the pan on a wire rack for 1 minute to cool and slightly pull away from the sides of the pan; run a knife around the edge.  Turn the cake onto the prepared cloth, peel the parchment paper off.

The short end of the  cake is rolled up in the cloth to set the shape as well as to let it cool.  I cool in the pumpkin roll in the refrigerator 1 hour, then  remove and unroll the cake to be filled. Spread the filling within 1/2 inch of the edges.  It will fill to the edge  as the cake is rolled up.  Carefully roll up the cake and filling, pulling the cloth from the cake.  Place the pumpkin roll  on a serving platter, seam side down.  Powder sugar can be sprinkled on top just before serving.  The sugar will dissolve into the cake if sprinkled too soon before serving.

I do not make 2 pumpkin rolls as a rule.  Since we had a Halloween Party to attend, I doubled the recipe and made the 2 rolls, putting them in a 9 x 13 cake pan for carrying.  They were a hit in the dessert line, just add a bit of whipped cream. One roll will make 10, 1/2 inch slices. 

2 Pumpkin Rolls Ready for the Halloween Party

2 Pumpkin Rolls Ready for the Halloween Party

Pumpkin Roll

Julia Ann
A popular autumn dessert of moist Pumpkin Cake Roll filled with cream cheese and powder sugar filling.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • CAKE
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • FILLING
  • 6 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Jelly roll pan 10 x 15, greased, lined with parchment paper, greased and floured.
  • Preheat over to 375 F.
  • Sift together all the dry ingredients, set aside.
  • In large mixer bowl, combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice.
  • Beat on high speed for 5 minutes.
  • Gradually add dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture beating until smooth.
  • Pour into the prepared pan.
  • Bake 15 minutes at 375 F.
  • After baking flip cake on damp cloth, roll up from short end, cool in refrigerator 1 hour.
  • Combine cream cheese, vanilla, butter and powdered sugar.
  • Mix until blended and smooth.
  • Assemble Pumpkin Roll:
  • Unroll the cake on the cloth.
  • Spread filling on the cake leaving 1/2 inch from the edges.
  • Reroll the cake, peeling away the cloth.
  • Lift roll on serving plate with the seam side down.
  • Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving sliced cake.

Notes

This recipe can be doubled to make 2 pumpkin rolls. 2 1/2 cups batter will be needed to fill the 2 jelly-roll pans and 1 3/4 cups of filling for each roll.--------------
Julia Ann and cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipesfor your cooking experience. ©2007-2018Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “ Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabox® All rights reserved.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Serving of Pumpkin Roll with Whip Cream

Serving of Pumpkin Roll with Whip Cream

Enjoy these pumpkin desserts.

Pumpkin Bread – cookbookinabox

Pumpkin Bread

cookbookinabox – Pumpkin Bread                                                                                                             

Simply Recipes – Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Sally’s Baking Additions – Whole Wheat Mini Pumpkin Muffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netta Belle's Choice cookbookinaboxJulia  Ann cookbookinabox® in partnership with Netta Belle’s Choice® bring you great recipes  for your cooking experience. ©2007-2018 Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery cookbookinabox® “Reg. U.S. Pat. & Trdmk. Off.” Reg. “Trade-marks Canadian Intellectual Property Office. “ Netta Belle’s Choice® The Art of Gourmet Cookery® cookbookinabook.  All rights reserved.