Would like your advice/ideas

Well, there's a recipe that uses cream cheese in the dough, and there's the ORIGINAL YEAST dough. Pole *here* likes both. And the filling HAS to be Solo brand... hard to find in Tennessee..... :D Noreen

Yes Gemini, you were VERY polite and smiley! So, your wonderful politeness will be rewarded, but first the story:

When my (now ex-) husband and I moved with our little boy to upstate NY, a new friend found out that we didn't have any family to go to at Christmas time, and invited us to her parents' house for Christmas Eve buffet (it eventually became the Christmas evening buffet). Grandma Morris had the same menu every year, as I described it in my email. My task that first year was to make the fruity snow salad, which was her son's favorite. I also added the kielbasi to the tradition - Grandpa Morris was not supposed to eat it because of a heart condition, but he did that one day every year and loved every bite of it! This became our family tradition until my husband and I divorced - the boys were older teens.

Now I make the dinner on Christmas Day. Even though Nick and his wife (now ex) had 4 places to go to on Christmas, he always insisted on coming to my house for this meal. He was a good sport - he would eat at every house, too! Such sacrifice!! ;-)

Here's the recipe:

Fruity Snow Salad

1 envelope unflavored gelatin 2 TB lemon juice 4 oz cream cheese 1/4 c. mayonnaise Large can fruit cocktail, drained 1/2 c. pecans or walnuts (I use walnuts, lg. pieces, and more like 1 c.) 1 c. heavy cream, whipped with vanilla and 10X sugar

Soften gelatin in lemon juice and dissolve over hot water (I do this in the microwave - use low setting and do it for only about 10 seconds at a time). Soften cream cheese and blend in mayonnaise.Stir in gelatin, fruit cocktail and nuts. Fold into whipped cream. Either put in fancy dish to serve or in mold. This sets up very quickly. It does not last very long - I have never had leftovers. Be careful - when you add the gelatin, sometimes the stuff all curdles and looks a bit like cottage cheese, but it ALWAYS tastes good, and it is pretty much hidden in the whipped cream. I find the name brand fruit cocktail works best - there is more fruit.

Another favorite: Cranberry Ginger Chutney (if you send me an email I will send it as an attachment, all ready to print out formatted and in color as a recipe card).

1-1/2 c. fresh cranberries 16 dried apricots, quartered ¾ c. packed brown sugar 1/3 c. dried currants 2 Tb. Minced peeled fresh ginger 2 Tb. Cranberry juice cocktail ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste) (I also like to add walnuts to this, you can substitute raisins, dried cherries, etc).

Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to high and boil 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cool. Can prepare up to 1 week in advance; store in airtight container. Makes about 1 2/3 cups. Note: I substitute dried cherries for the apricots and/or currants. I also find that I need to increase the liquid so that the final product is not too solid and dry.

Grandma Morris' baked beans - she would make up a huge batch of these for the church fall festival every year. People stood in line waiting for her beans, and they were usually sold out in less than 30 minutes.

1 lb navy beans 1 tsp salt 2TB dry mustard 6 TB sugar 1/2 lb salt pork, diced 4 c. cold water.

Wash beans, check for stones. put all ingredients in order into a bean (2 qt, I think) pot, cover and bake 8-12 hours in a 225 degree oven. Stir every once in awhile so you don't have a layer of uncooked beans on the top. I make a double batch and do it in a crock pot - tastes just as good.

Bon apetit! Susan

Thanks! I saw quite a few afghan books in the Jo Anns, and this title sounds familiar...I spent some time in my Printshop today and designed the placement of the colors. Now, I will determine the patterns and their placement. Don't you just love computers?

Susan K

Wooly i like Muffins ,,, got addicted when we lived in Manchester UK ,inthe 80s ,,,,, mirjam

Ps Wooly , i think it has nothing to do with Genes ,,,, i tried somne Israeli recipes in UK , and they didn`t work ?? wrong water ??? mirjam

No but my father in law (step father in law actually) was from Poland his name was Sikora sadly we lost him to cancer two years ago.. I have just picked up a white silk rose which is custom to puton his grave at this time of year cheers......Cher

Mirjam.... I'm not sure if it was homemade fudge, or cakes, or what exactly it was that my Mom would say if the weather wasn't just right it wouldn't turn out properly. I was only a little girl when I remember hearing her say this, which is why I can't remember which thing it was.

Gemini

Oooh, thank you, Susan! :o)

Gemini

*hugs*

Gem

Hi Susan,

Prayers going out to your brother and your family. You made the right decision not to drive down there on Friday even though we didn't get that much snow.

Now, I do the comfortafghans like Aud. I single crochet around each square then join them with do the same to join them. Some of the squares are knit and some corcheted and this makes them all the same. I haven't knit an afghan in years so I never did the it any other way.

Good luck with the strips and hope your cold is getting better.

Hugs,

Nora

{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Susan K

Gemini ,, your words echoed a long forgotten saying of my OMA , about the weather `pushing` down the rising of the Challa [ the Shabat Bread] ????? mirjam

:o) I'm glad that you mentioned the Challa (that is breaded egg bread, right?). I found a recipe in a magazine and made that *once*. It turned out beautiful and very tasty.... but I'm not a patient person when it comes to cooking things, and that bread took the entire day (or it certainly seemed like it) to prepare before even getting it into the oven to bake. My parents both loved it, and my Mom was so proud of how it turned out (just like the pretty picture in the magazine) that she gave one to a friend as a gift. Only because it took so long to make, I never made it again! ;o)

Oh, I also remember distinctly my Mom saying as we were coming into the house "Don't slam the door, I have a cake in the oven!" because the loud sound would make it fall in the center.

Gem

New York City pizza, bagels and good Jewish rye bread are not to be found anywhere else in the US (close, but not the real thing) - except New Jersey, which is only a suburb of NYC. Most people you talk to attribute that to the water. However, I don't even WANT to think about what's in the water that would make such a difference ;-) (this is the public health person in me - after having written far too many reports on "bugs" - can you say "cholera"?).

From what I understand (and what's written in some of my bread books) the amount of humidity in the air determines the amount of water/flour you use that day. Interesting concept...

Susan K

I always (well, almost) make babka, which is a bit like challah, although a bit more moist, I think? Mirjam? It doesn't seem to take ALL day. Also, for those of you who have bread machines, I have a a recipe for a similar bread - it is mildly sweet, has raisins, eggs, milk, etc. It turns out well in the machine and is about as easy as it gets. But, there is no real substitute for baking bread the traditional way. Great therapy! Especially when DH (well, I don't have one of those anymore) is being incredibly stupid. Just slam that dough on the board! Especially lovely when clouds of flour rise up onto your face and fall onto the floor...

(Okay real bread bakers - I admit to having "sold out" - but it's a great way to bake bread and avoid paying $3.50 for a large loaf! - costs me $1 for

2lb loaf if I can get the bread flour on sale.)

Susan K

:o) But first you have to enjoy cooking... I don't fall into that category. I cook because I have to... and once in a great while because I want to. LOL

Gem

I know that my roll dough really is sensitive to the weather. I use my mother's recipe and it says to add flour until it "feels right" and that is the truth. There is no one measurement that works - sometimes it is more and sometimes less depending on the humidity etc. It just takes practice knowing how it should feel. Fortunately she used to let me help her kneed the dough and shape the rolls.

Neat to know that about bread and rolls. I am thinking (partially because I got a recipe from a friend that is very similar to what I remember watching my Mom do when she was making her homemade fudge) that it was fudge that my Mom was talking about when she said it didn't set right if the weather was humid.... or something like that.

I know my oldest sister says if she is not in the right mood when she tries to make tarts, they do not turn out right at all. I don't know (or think) it has to do with the weather though, but it might. ;o)

Gemini

I have had Cake `falling down` when a plane flew over my house !! mirjam