February 29, 2008

Happy Leap Day!

I just have to wish everyone a Happy Leap Day! It only happens once every four years you know. I've always found this day interesting, a testament to bad mathematics and keeping with traditions...even if said traditions are not as efficient as they could be. But hey, if we as a society placed great emphasis on efficiency over tradition, we'd all being using the metric system, driving hovercraft that run on gravity and speaking Esperanto. No worries on that, so fear not, all you inch-and-pound-loving masses out there!
No recipe today, sorry kids, just a snarky commentary on Leap Year. Be good!

February 25, 2008

Candied Orange Peel

This book really has useful information

My oh My! This has been a crazy month, I tell you. Maybe you've noticed my conspicuous absence, and maybe you haven't, but I've missed me! lol Even today I don't have alot of time to chat, so I decided to post a vintage recipe for candy. I love my old cookbooks, filled with food from a bygone era. Food definitely has fashions, and recipes go in and out of style. Also, frugality is a fashion that comes in and out of style as well, depending on the economics of the times. I personally respect recipes that are frugal, and come up with clever uses to make the most from our food. All food is life and I feel that I owe the life I consume, and I have a responsibility to, at the very least, make the best use of it we can and not waste. So that's why I appreciate recipes like I'm going to share for Candied Orange Peel. Yes, as in peel, that you normally throw out, being made into something tasty! That's my kind of frugal.

This cookbook, part of a set, belonged to my Grandmother, and my Mother thought she remembered that they were obtained via coupons that were given out at grocery stores for purchasing food back in the day. Edited by Ruth Berolzheimer, the director of Culinary Arts Institute, (unfortunately, I couldn't find out any other information about said lady and said institute apart from other cookbooks) my book was printed in 1954, but there was a copyright for 1941 & 1949. It really has a wealth of useful information, such as tables of sugar temperatures, syrup tests, how to blanch nuts, clarify syrup, make fondant and marzipan, spin sugar and dip chocolates. I think that candymaking is sort of a fickle, and laborious process and that's probably why it's mostly bought today, rather than homemade. However, with the increase of questionable ingredients in our food supply, it might be kinda nice to know exactly what's in the candy we eat. So worth making at home kids!

Candied Orange Peel

4 large navel oranges
sugar
cold water

Peel oranges and cut the rinds into pieces of uniform size, about 1 inch long, by 1/4 inch wide. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring almost to the boiling point, but do not boil. Pour off the scalding water and repeat this process two more times. Add to the peel its own weight in granulated sugar, cover with cold water, and boil until no sirup shows in the saucepan when it is tipped. Spread on a buttered platter, and roll in sugar when partially cooled.

Lemon peel may be candied in the same way.

The peel of oranges, lemons or grapefruit may be candied in larger pieces as halves or quarters if a longer cooking time in the sirup is allowed. Dry thoroughly before packing in airtight containers.

February 5, 2008

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hershey's Chocolate Town Cookies "They're Different!"

This is the recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies in the Universe, Multiverse, or any Verse you can come up with. I don't like soggy, cakey chocolate chip cookies, and these cookies are the the cure for that. Delicate and crisp, mmm pure chocolate chip cookie delight. This old bit of paper has been the recipe that my Mom and my Gram have used for my whole life- I know you can't tell by it's wonderful, pristine state of preservation. Anyway, I'm not sure how old this recipe is, and I'm not telling you how old I am, so...go make some cookies. They're good, but use butter. Shortening is nothing but a blob of goo assaulting your recipe with it's fatty taste!-lessness!!!



Hershey's Chocolate Town Cookies

Cream...1/2 cup shortening (Butter, butter, butter!!!!)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, ...until light and fluffy

Fold.......1 egg well beaten and beat entire mixture

Sift.........1 cup and 2 level tablespoons sifted flour, 1/2 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt

Add........Sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture and stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1 package Hershey's Semi-Sweet Dainties and mix thoroughly.

Drop.......By small spoonfuls on greased baking sheet.

Bake.......In moderate oven 375* F, about 10 minutes.

Yield.......50 cookies.