Recipes

Speaker Series Fall 1995

What do you get when you ask a gay man to do the speaker series food? (And, to make matters worse, a gay man who enjoys reading Emily Post?)

Chocolate Crinkles

• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. confectioners' sugar

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture. Chill several hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350F. Shape dough into balls; roll in confectioners' sugar. Place about 2" apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 7 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake! (6 doz. cookies)

Lemon Squares

• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. butter or margarine
• 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. lemon juice

Heat oven to 350F. Blend flour, butter, and confectioners' sugar thoroughly. Press evenly in 9x13 pan. Bake 20 min. Beat rest of ingredients together. Pour over crust and bake 20 to 25 min. more. Do not overbake! (The filling puffs during baking but flattens when cooled.) Makes 32 squares.

Party Cheese Ball

• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
• 2 c. (8 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese (Cracker Barrel is good)
• 1 Tbsp. chopped pimento
• 1 Tbsp. chopped green pepper
• 1 Tbsp. chopped onion
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• Finely chopped pecans
• Chopped parsley

Combine softened cream cheese with cheddar cheese, mixing until well blended. Add remaining ingredients except pecans and parsley; mix well. Shape into ball. Roll in mixture of pecans and parsley.

Vegetarian alert: many brands of Worcestershire sauce contain anchovies. I use a brand called Wizard's which does not contain them. It is available at most natural food stores.

Dill Dip

• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 3/4 c. sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder, or dried onion, or fresh onion
• 1 Tbsp. dill weed
• 1 Tbsp. Beau Monde (a mixture of salt, onion, and ground celery seed; you can buy this mixture or make your own, grinding the celery seeds with a mortar and pestle)

Mix all ingredients and chill overnight or for a few hours. (Great with raw cut-up veggies.)

Taco Dip

Spread a 10 oz. can of bean dip on a tray. Then mix all of the following in a blender:

• 2 or 3 avocados (use 3 if someone else is paying for it)
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. Miracle Whip
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 pkg. taco seasonings

Layer this avacado mixture on top of the bean dip. Then layer:

• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• a few black olives (cut up)
• A little chopped onion (I use 2-3 Tbsp or so)

Serve with taco corn chips.

To be vegetarian-safe, make sure the bean dip doesn't contain lard (most brands do), and that the sour cream doesn't contain gelatin.

1-2-3 Pastry (Pie Crust)

This pie crust is used both for the pumpkin pie and the Family (apple) pie recipes below.

1 crust       2 crust

1 1/3 c.	2 c.		flour
1/2 tsp.	1 tsp.		salt
1/3 c.		1/2 c.		corn oil
2 Tbsp.		3 Tbsp.		cold water

Mix flour and salt. Blend oil in thoroughly with a fork. Sprinkle all of water over mixture; mix well. Press dough firmly into ball with hands. If too dry, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons more oil.

Flatten dough slightly; immediately roll into 12-inch circle between 2 pieces waxed paper. Wipe table with damp cloth to keep paper from sticking. Peel off top paper; place pastry in pan, paper-side up. Peel off paper; fit pastry loosely into pan. Trim 1/2 inch beyond rim of pan. Fold under and flute.

For baked shell, prick thoroughly and bake 450F (very hot) 12 to 15 min. or until light golden brown. Do not prick if crust and filling are to be baked together.

Pumpkin Pie

Makes 2 pies.

• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 cans (12-13 oz. each) evaporated milk
• 2 9-inch unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine filling ingredients in order given. Divide evenly into pie shells. Bake 15 min. Reduce temperature to 350F and bake an additional 45 min. or until knife inserted near center of piece comes out clean. Cool.

Family Pie (Apple Pie)

1. Fill a 13x9 pan with sliced, peeled apples. Go by feel on the amount, but one of these puppies takes about 3 lbs. of apples, which is about 10 or 15 decent sized apples.

2. Mix and sprinkle over the top:

• 1 c. sugar (or less, depending on how sweet the apples are)
• 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp. flour

3. Dot top with 2-3 Tbsp. margarine

4. Top with the 2-crust pie crust recipe. Make several slashes in crust to permit escape of steam. Bake 425F 45-50 minutes. Turn down to 350F if crust gets brown enough. Always put a baking sheet under the pie; it almost always bubbles over a little.

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