Rehearsal Dinner & Wedding
Tomato Pie (serves 8)
4 tomatoes peeled and sliced
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ c. chopped green onion
1 9-inch pie shell (prebaked)
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. grated mozzarella and Cheddar cheese (combined)
1 c. mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer tomato, basil and onion in pie shell. Salt and Pepper. Mix cheeses and mayo, and spread on top of tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned
Baked Rice Casserole (serves 4)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper (chopped)
1 stick butter
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c. uncooked white rice
2 c. water
Ground black pepper
Sauté onion and pepper in butter, and add bouillon cubes. Stir until dissolved. Combine rice and water and add to mixture. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with pepper and bake for 45 minutes.
Crabmeat Soufflé
2¼ c. celery, chopped
12 slices white bread
1 ½ green pepper chopped
¾ onion, chopped
3 ½ - 4 c. crabmeat
1 tsp/ seasoned salt
¾ c. mayonnaise
6 eggs, beaten
4 c. milk
Cook celery in small amount of water for 10 minutes. Drain and put aside. Cube 6 slices of bread and layer in the bottom of a 10x15” baking pan. Mix green pepper, onion, crabmeat, salt, mayonnaise and celery. Spoon mixture over bread crumbs. Cube remaining slices of bread and layer in casserole. Beat eggs, add milk and continue beating until frothy. Pour egg and milk mixture over all. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Bake in 350-degree oven for 60—75 minutes. Serve immediately.
Fruit Pizza
Refrigerated sugar cookie dough (20-24 cookies)
8-oz. Softened cream cheese
½ c. sugar
8 oz. Thawed Cool Whip
1 tsp. Lemon juice
Fresh fruit, sliced (strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, mandarin oranges, etc.)
½ c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. orange juice
¼ c. lemon juice
Press cookie dough onto greased baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 10-20 minutes at 325 degrees until lightly browned. Mix together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in Cool whip and stir in lemon juice. Spread on cooled crust. Arrange fruit on top in an attractive design. Make glaze by combining remaining ingredients in a saucepan and cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Spoon glaze over fruit. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cut into wedges or squares and serve.
Baklava
1 lb. Thawed filo dough
1 lb. Butter melted
Syrup (Cook until liquid is clear, stirring frequently. Then cool):
3 c. sugar
1½ c. water
Juice from ½ lemon
1 c. honey
Combine and set aside:
1 lb. Walnuts ground
3 T. cinnamon
½ c. sugar
Line bottom of buttered 9 x 12” pan with 10-12 layers of filo, rushing melted button on every layer. Sprinkle a thin layer of nut mixture on top. Cover with 3 more layers of filo, brushing each with melted butter. Sprinkle with more nut mixture. Repeat process until all nut mixture is used – usually about 4 layers. Cover with remaining filo, buttering each layer. Chill 25 minutes. Cut pastry into small squares, and brush again with melted butter. Bake in 325-degree oven until slightly browned (about 1- 1 ½ hours). Remove from oven and pour enough cooled syrup over hot baklava until syrup is completely absorbed.
HINTS: When working with filo dough, place on waxed paper, and keep covered with either waxed paper or a damp dish towel. Air will dry out dough. Bake first half of time in lower rack of oven, then move to middle rack. If too brown, cover with foil to prevent browning. Keep baklava covered with foil, never plastic wrap. Allow 24 hours to sit before cutting again and removing from pan.
Lemon Sugar Snaps
¾ c. butter, softened
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 egg
2 T. finely shredded lemon peel
1 pkg. 2-layer size lemon cake mix
Coarse granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in cake mix. Stir in cornmeal and lemon peel.
Using 1 T of dough per cookie, roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Brownie Bites
3 eggs
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ c. cooking oil
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
Sifted powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, chocolate, oil, baking powder and vanilla on high speed until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in about 1 cup of the flour, then use a wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Shape into 1-inch balls, roll in powdered sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet – about one inches apart.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are crackled. Transfer to cool completely. Roll in additional powdered sugar to store. If storing in freezer, do not roll in additional sugar until cookies are thawed – about 15 minutes.
Fruit Slice Cookies
1 c. softened butter
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
Food coloring – yellow, green and red
1 ½ tsp. grated lemon peel
1 ½ tsp. grated lime peel
1 ½ grated orange peel
Colored sugars – yellow, green and orange
Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
For one part, work in a few drops of yellow food coloring and lemon peel. To another part, work in a few drops of green food color and lime peel. To another part, work in a few drops of yellow and red food color to make orange and add the orange peel. Leave the remaining part plain.
Shape each colored dough into a roll – 2 inches in diameter and 4 inches long. Divide the plain dough into 3 equal parts and roll each part into a rectangle (6 x 4 inches). Wrap the rectangle around each roll of colored dough; pressing firmly together. Roll each in matching colored sugar. Wrap and chill at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut rolls into 1/8 inch slices and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cut each slice in half, separate and bake 6-8 minutes or just until set. Immediately remove from baking sheet. This recipe makes lemon, lime and orange sliced cookies that look like their candy store cousins.
Ambrosia Bars
Crust:
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. finely chopped slivered almonds
½ c. packed light-brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. butter, chilled, cut into pieces
Filling:
1½ c. sweetened flake coconut
2 c. granulated sugar
¼ c. flour
4 eggs
½ c. orange-pineapple juice
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, extending over short ends.
CRUST: Place flour, almonds, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Place in prepared baking pan; with floured hands, pat into an even layer.
FILLING: Sprinkle half of the coconut evenly over crust. Whisk together flour, sugar, eggs and juice until well blended. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or more until top is set. Cool in pan, then refrigerate to chill. Loosen sides with a small knife; using foil, lift bar out of pan. Slide bar off foil with spatula. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into 24 bars.
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4 tomatoes peeled and sliced
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ c. chopped green onion
1 9-inch pie shell (prebaked)
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. grated mozzarella and Cheddar cheese (combined)
1 c. mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer tomato, basil and onion in pie shell. Salt and Pepper. Mix cheeses and mayo, and spread on top of tomatoes. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned
Baked Rice Casserole (serves 4)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper (chopped)
1 stick butter
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1 c. uncooked white rice
2 c. water
Ground black pepper
Sauté onion and pepper in butter, and add bouillon cubes. Stir until dissolved. Combine rice and water and add to mixture. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with pepper and bake for 45 minutes.
Crabmeat Soufflé
2¼ c. celery, chopped
12 slices white bread
1 ½ green pepper chopped
¾ onion, chopped
3 ½ - 4 c. crabmeat
1 tsp/ seasoned salt
¾ c. mayonnaise
6 eggs, beaten
4 c. milk
Cook celery in small amount of water for 10 minutes. Drain and put aside. Cube 6 slices of bread and layer in the bottom of a 10x15” baking pan. Mix green pepper, onion, crabmeat, salt, mayonnaise and celery. Spoon mixture over bread crumbs. Cube remaining slices of bread and layer in casserole. Beat eggs, add milk and continue beating until frothy. Pour egg and milk mixture over all. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Bake in 350-degree oven for 60—75 minutes. Serve immediately.
Fruit Pizza
Refrigerated sugar cookie dough (20-24 cookies)
8-oz. Softened cream cheese
½ c. sugar
8 oz. Thawed Cool Whip
1 tsp. Lemon juice
Fresh fruit, sliced (strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, mandarin oranges, etc.)
½ c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. orange juice
¼ c. lemon juice
Press cookie dough onto greased baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 10-20 minutes at 325 degrees until lightly browned. Mix together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in Cool whip and stir in lemon juice. Spread on cooled crust. Arrange fruit on top in an attractive design. Make glaze by combining remaining ingredients in a saucepan and cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Spoon glaze over fruit. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Cut into wedges or squares and serve.
Baklava
1 lb. Thawed filo dough
1 lb. Butter melted
Syrup (Cook until liquid is clear, stirring frequently. Then cool):
3 c. sugar
1½ c. water
Juice from ½ lemon
1 c. honey
Combine and set aside:
1 lb. Walnuts ground
3 T. cinnamon
½ c. sugar
Line bottom of buttered 9 x 12” pan with 10-12 layers of filo, rushing melted button on every layer. Sprinkle a thin layer of nut mixture on top. Cover with 3 more layers of filo, brushing each with melted butter. Sprinkle with more nut mixture. Repeat process until all nut mixture is used – usually about 4 layers. Cover with remaining filo, buttering each layer. Chill 25 minutes. Cut pastry into small squares, and brush again with melted butter. Bake in 325-degree oven until slightly browned (about 1- 1 ½ hours). Remove from oven and pour enough cooled syrup over hot baklava until syrup is completely absorbed.
HINTS: When working with filo dough, place on waxed paper, and keep covered with either waxed paper or a damp dish towel. Air will dry out dough. Bake first half of time in lower rack of oven, then move to middle rack. If too brown, cover with foil to prevent browning. Keep baklava covered with foil, never plastic wrap. Allow 24 hours to sit before cutting again and removing from pan.
Lemon Sugar Snaps
¾ c. butter, softened
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 egg
2 T. finely shredded lemon peel
1 pkg. 2-layer size lemon cake mix
Coarse granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and egg with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in cake mix. Stir in cornmeal and lemon peel.
Using 1 T of dough per cookie, roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar, and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Brownie Bites
3 eggs
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ c. cooking oil
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
Sifted powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, chocolate, oil, baking powder and vanilla on high speed until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in about 1 cup of the flour, then use a wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Shape into 1-inch balls, roll in powdered sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet – about one inches apart.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are crackled. Transfer to cool completely. Roll in additional powdered sugar to store. If storing in freezer, do not roll in additional sugar until cookies are thawed – about 15 minutes.
Fruit Slice Cookies
1 c. softened butter
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
Food coloring – yellow, green and red
1 ½ tsp. grated lemon peel
1 ½ tsp. grated lime peel
1 ½ grated orange peel
Colored sugars – yellow, green and orange
Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
For one part, work in a few drops of yellow food coloring and lemon peel. To another part, work in a few drops of green food color and lime peel. To another part, work in a few drops of yellow and red food color to make orange and add the orange peel. Leave the remaining part plain.
Shape each colored dough into a roll – 2 inches in diameter and 4 inches long. Divide the plain dough into 3 equal parts and roll each part into a rectangle (6 x 4 inches). Wrap the rectangle around each roll of colored dough; pressing firmly together. Roll each in matching colored sugar. Wrap and chill at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut rolls into 1/8 inch slices and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cut each slice in half, separate and bake 6-8 minutes or just until set. Immediately remove from baking sheet. This recipe makes lemon, lime and orange sliced cookies that look like their candy store cousins.
Ambrosia Bars
Crust:
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. finely chopped slivered almonds
½ c. packed light-brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. butter, chilled, cut into pieces
Filling:
1½ c. sweetened flake coconut
2 c. granulated sugar
¼ c. flour
4 eggs
½ c. orange-pineapple juice
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, extending over short ends.
CRUST: Place flour, almonds, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Place in prepared baking pan; with floured hands, pat into an even layer.
FILLING: Sprinkle half of the coconut evenly over crust. Whisk together flour, sugar, eggs and juice until well blended. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or more until top is set. Cool in pan, then refrigerate to chill. Loosen sides with a small knife; using foil, lift bar out of pan. Slide bar off foil with spatula. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into 24 bars.
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