Almond Tulips

Several years ago, my friends, Danette and Maryanne and I (and a few other people) took a cooking class at Thanksgiving Point. We learned to make several desserts that I have never made since (including cream puff swans). It was a lot of fun. I'd like to do it again sometime. We made gorgeous matching aprons to wear to the class. They were little cocktail dresses appliqued to a butcher apron. We were rather stunning. When the class was over we made our husbands matching cumber buns and bow ties. and had a dinner party.

These were one of the things we made in the class. They are delicious and make a bowl of ice cream a festive treat.

Almond Tulips

(Ice Cream Cookie Bowls)

2 cups egg whites (16-20 eggs)

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ cups sliced almonds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

1 cup water (plus a little if needed)

Heat cookie sheet in oven at 325° for 20 minutes.

Mix butter and water together. Beat egg whites (don’t whip-you don’t want them airy). Add sugar and cream of tartar until stabilized (about 4 minutes). Add all other ingredients. Mix for 6 minutes on low speed (should be the consistency of thin cake batter).

Heavily spray hot pan with PAM. Ladle and spread batter to about 6 inch circles (about ⅓ cup). Bake for 20 minutes at 325° until outside edge is golden brown. Immediately remove from hot cookie sheet and form bowl by draping over an upside down cup until hard.

Dipped Butter Drop Cookies

I've been trying to decide what kind of cookies to make for Cuyler's Mission Farewell Party. I'm pretty sure I'll make necktie sugar cookies and Spanish CTR sugar cookies. I'll probably also make Bowtie cookies (because Cuyler wore bow ties for a long time, just like Dallin). I really like these cookies too. They are pretty and taste really good. However, the chocolate on them doesn't always set up well in the summer so I may not make them. Maybe I'll let Cuyler decide. I'll leave the nuts off some of them, since Cuyler is allergic to nuts.

Dipped Butter Drop Cookies

1 cup Butter

1 ½ cup sugar

2 T. Milk

2 eggs

1 t. Vanilla

2 ½ cup flour (maybe a little more)

½ t. Salt

½ t. Baking powder

Heat oven to 375º

Cream butter, sugar and milk until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto sprayed cookie sheets. (2 inches apart).

Bake 7-9 minutes. Let cool. When cool dip in melted dipping chocolate or melted chocolate chips then in sliced almonds or chopped pecans. Let cool at room temperature.

Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque

A couple of years ago, Allan and I went to Zuppa's for dinner. I ordered the Lobster Bisque. I'm not a big lobster fan, but I loved the soup. I came home and tried to find a similar recipe. This is what I found. It's not lobster and I really don't remember if it is very much like the soup at Zuppa's. But, never the less, I really like it, too.

Tomato-Basil Crab Bisque

4 tablespoons butter

1 lb. Fresh crabmeat

1-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about ¾ - 1 cup)

½ cup chopped fresh basil

2-3 cloves, minced

Scant 1 cup flour

2 ½ cup clam-tomato juice (Clamato juice)

2 cups whipping cream

1/3-1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup bottled clam juice

3 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

¼ t. hot pepper sauce (optional)

¾ cup water

¼ cup lemon juice

Milk

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add crab meat, tomato, basil and garlic. Saute 2 minutes. Whisk in flour; stir 2 minutes. Whisk in clam-tomato juice and cream, ketchup, clam juice and Old Bay seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Cool soup slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in water and lemon juice. Bring to simmer. Add enough milk to make it desired consistency. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.

Berry Slush

We served this slush at Josh and Sarah's wedding reception.

I got the recipe from a lady in our ward. At the Court of Honor for one of her sons, they served this slush. I think it is from the Lion House Christmas Cookbook.

When my older kids were scouts, everyone in our ward made a huge deal about Eagle Scout Courts of Honor. They were almost like a wedding reception. It was kind of crazy. Fortunately, that tradition changed. Now they are more like a normal Court of Honor, honoring several of the boys at the same time and with only slightly more fanfare. It's much better and much easier.

At the Court of Honor for one of the scouts many years ago they served this slush. It was delicious. It is very pretty as well.

Berry Slush

2 cups sugar

3½ cups water

1 10 oz. package frozen mixed berries (or raspberries)

1 cup orange juice

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained

¼ cup lemon juice

2 12 oz. cans 7-up (or more)

Combine sugar and water in saucepan and heat till sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in frozen berries. Add orange juice, crushed pineapple with juice, and a few drops of red food coloring, if desired. Pour into shallow pan (or gallon size zip-lock freezer bags) and freeze. Remove from freezer one hour before serving. Break up with fork till slushy. Fill punch cups two-thirds full with slush. Pour 7-up over. Or mix slush and 7-up in punch bowl. Makes 20 half-cup servings.

Easy Punch

Jacci made this punch for our ward's Young Women of Excellence night a couple of month's ago. We served it for Thanksgiving and again for Christmas. We had cranberries floating in it for the holidays and it was very pretty. It is really easy and very refreshing. Add a little water if it is too strong for your taste.

Easy Punch

1 can frozen white grape juice

1 bottle Fresca

Pebbled Ice

Mix juice and Fresca together Pour over pebbled ice. Garnish with sliced fruit (limes, lemons, cranberries, etc) if desired.

Easy Pecan Logs

Last year, I was asked to teach a class on making Pecan Logs in Relief Society. The pecan logs I usually make are kind of complicated and unless you really enjoy making candy or really love pecan logs, I don't think you will ever make them. So I came up with a much easier version. They aren't quite as good, but they are really delicious for the amount of work that goes in to them. Last night I taught the Young Women in my ward how to make them. They all loved them and had a great time making them.
I bought the instant fondant mix at Bakers Cash and Carry in Murray. I have never seen it anywhere else. I think they buy it in bulk and repackage it there. So, if you don't live in the Salt Lake area, it might be hard to find, thus making these Pecan Logs hard to make.

Easy Pecan Logs

1/2 cup instant fondant mix (available at Bakers Cash & Carry)
1 Tbsp. butter (softened)
1 teaspoon cream (maybe a little more)
2 drops real vanilla

3-4 ounces pre made caramel (Peter's brand is good, also available at Bakers Cash & Carry)
Pecan halves

Put first four ingredients in a small ziplock bag. Knead until smooth. It should be about the consistency of play dough. If it is too stiff add a few drops of cream until the right consistency is reached. If it is too runny, add a little fondant mix. Remove from the bag and roll into a rope about 1 inch thick and 4 or 5 inches long.

With a rolling pin, roll the caramel into a flat rectangle about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Place in the microwave for about 4 seconds.(on a piece of parchment paper) Press pecan halves into the caramel, round side up in rows. Leave about a half inch along the side without pecans. Let cool slightly. Wrap the caramel around the fondant rope overlapping to cover the part without pecans. press edge together. Store in fridge until about a half hour before serving. Slice and serve. It will go hard in the fridge and will crack when you try to slice it. So let it return to room temperature be slicing.

Grandma Martin's Fruit Salad

Thanksgiving at Allan's house, when he was growing up, was different than Thanksgiving at my house. Allan's mother would always have Turkey for dinner and a couple of different pies for dessert. She always had pumpkin pie and mincemeat pie (Allan's dad loves mincemeat). But other than that it was pretty much like her typical Sunday Dinner.
At my house, on the other hand, my mom put out everything. We never had anything that was really fancy. But the table was full of food. My mom opened a can of every kind of vegetable she had. There was always a plate of cheese. Lots of pumpkin pies. There were yams, and just about anything else my mom could find. And there was always fruit salad.
I think fruit salad must have been a Kendell thing. Because whenever we had Thanksgiving with my Aunts, there were always a couple of different bowls of the same fruit salad. Now when we celebrate Thanksgiving with my sisters, there are still always 2 or 3 bowls of the same fruit salad (with a few variations).But I still love fruit salad. I just don't think it is Thanksgiving without it.

Grandma Martin’s Fruit Salad

4-5 apples (different varieties) chopped
1-2 bananas sliced
Seeds of 1 pomegranate (optional)
Grapes cut in half
Any other fresh fruit you like (pears, strawberries, kiwi, etc.)
Chopped nuts (very optional)
1 can fruit cocktail (drain and reserve fluid)
1 can pineapple chunks or tidbits (drain and reserve fluid)
1 can mandarin oranges (drain and reserve fluid)
1/3 cup sugar (brown or white)
2 heaping Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cream

Mix sugar and cornstarch in a pot, add fruit juices from canned fruit. Heat until thick and clear. Let cool.
Whip cream, fold in thickened fruit juice.
Gently fold into mixed fruits. Chill.