When I was growing up in the midwest, family milestones were celebrated with receptions. Graduations, weddings, 25th and 50th anniversaries meant family, friends and acquaintances would gather to congratulate the honoree. Food for the reception usually consisted of a catered cake, mints, and mixed roasted nuts. Coffee and punch were served as beverages.
The mints were my favorite and are so easy to make. This recipe was common at the time and usually went by the name Cream Cheese Mints. Cream cheese doesn’t really sound like it would be very good in mints but it smooths out the flavor so the mints don’t seem overly sweet and you don’t taste the cream cheese. Another nice thing about these mints is that the “dough” can formed into shapes and you have plenty of time to work with it as it doesn’t get hard quickly as it cools like a candy made with sugar syrup. Rose shaped mints colored to match the occasion are the ones I remember but you can also roll this dough and cut it with small cookie cutters or add a little more powdered sugar to make it stiffer and mold it like clay. Plan on two for each adult but four or five for each of the kids!
For the mints above, I used the Wilton Roses in Bloom candy mold. I scooped out 1/2 tablespoon of candy dough, rolled it into a ball between my hands, rolled the ball in a dish of superfine sugar (baker’s sugar), and then placed the ball in the mold. Beginning at one edge, I pressed the ball even with the top of the mold working across the mold and squeezing off any excess dough on the opposite side. After filling all 10 roses I turned the mold over, gave it a sharp wrap on top of a towel on the counter and the roses fell out.
Creamy Mints
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. mint extract
- food coloring (optional)
- granulated sugar (optional)
Makes 30 one half tablespoon sized mints.
- With cream cheese at room temperature, mix all ingredients together to form firm dough.
- Roll out and cut with small cookie cutters or press into molds and pop out immediately. For sparkling candy, roll into balls and dip in superfine or regular granulated sugar before pressing into molds.
- Place on linen towel or other smooth cloth for 24 hours. This allows the surface to dry and a crust to form so candies are easier to handle. Can be stored in air tight container in freezer with sheets of waxed paper between layers.
Candy Clay
- 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. flavored extract (optional)
- food coloring (optional)
- With cream cheese at room temperature, mix 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar with all other ingredients to form firm dough.
- Knead in 1/4 cup additional powdered sugar or as needed to make a stiff, claylike consistency.
- Model into shape.
- Let air dry 24 hours so that the surface dry and a crust forms to make molded shape easier to handle. Can be stored in air tight container in freezer.
If you have been following Kuchen Together, you probably guessed that gazpacho is not an old family recipe. Carrie and I both live in Silicon Valley which has a multiethnic population. When Carrie was in elementary school, the school of 500 had students speaking 17 different first languages. Eating with friends and acquaintances has introduced us to wonderful foods from all over the world and gazpacho is one of them. I’m posting this recipe for the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo which is celebrated here by people of all ethnicities.
There are hundreds, thousands of recipes for gazpacho. This one is the one I use. It has a nice, fresh flavor, a bit of bite and is fast and easy to prepare.
Gazpacho
- 1 46 oz can tomato juice
- 1 small onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 cucumber
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T vinegar
- 2 tsp. hot sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- Peel and seed cucumber.
- Place garlic in blender with 1/2 cup tomato juice and puree.
- Chop cucumber, onion and bell pepper into pieces.
- Add cucumber, onion and bell pepper to blender and fill blender with tomato juice.
- Blend on slow speed just until vegetables are chopped to about 1/4 inch in size.
- Mix all ingredients in bowl and chill.
If you’d like to read about my recent trip to Oklahoma, where I discovered there is not much to do other than eat or wash your car (which I didn’t need to do since I flew there but understand the need for because of the whole dust bowl thing), head on over to my personal blog to read How I Ate My Way Through Oklahoma City.
I never understood who bought those deviled egg serving trays with only 12 or 18 holes for eggs. When I serve deviled eggs I figure 6 for my husband, 6 for my brother, 6 for my son and then that many more for everyone else and there won’t be any leftovers! At a buffet picnic, I can count on the egg tray being empty and the eggs consumed in line before anyone even sits down. A couple of years ago I found a Food Network 24-count Egg Tray that holds 24 eggs with the eggs placed close together. At least one dishware designer understands deviled eggs.
I don’t get very fancy with my deviled eggs. The guys don’t care if the egg yoke has a pretty piped swirl or not. They don’t even care if the yoke mixture is perfectly smooth, a few little lumps are OK. I’ve experimented with decorative garnishes to see which get eaten first. Plain is good, paprika is acceptable, a parsley leaflet is out of the question. Apparently eggs should not be green (or have anything green near them) regardless of what Dr. Seuss says.
Deviled Eggs
- 12 eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
- 1/4 cup prepared mustard
- 1 – 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- paprika, optional
- Place eggs in saucepan, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let sit 20 minutes to finish cooking and cool.
- Cut eggs in half lengthwise and pop out yokes by pushing on the white opposite the cut. Place yokes into a bowl and whites on serving plate.
- With fork, mash yokes. Stir in mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (eggs with Miracle Whip will be sweeter), mustard, salt and pepper.
- Add milk a little at a time to make a creamy consistency.
- Using a teaspoon, fill cavities in whites with yoke mixture.
- Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
What I love about this English muffin loaf is that it has “knooks and crannies” and real English muffin taste just like store-bought English muffins. I bake it in small loaf pans so that when it is sliced, the slices are about the same size as a round English muffin. The best part is that you get almost all center, only the two end slices are covered with crust.
Use the suggestions in Fast Yeast Breads, One Rise in a Warm Oven to make these loaves up quick.
English Muffin Loaf
- 1 T yeast
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- 3 cups flour
Makes one 4″ x 8″ loaf or two 3″ x 7″ loaves.
- Heat milk to 110 degrees. You should be able to hold your finger in it without it getting so warm you want to remove your finger.
- Pour milk in bowl. Add yeast, salt and sugar. Proof.
- Add soda and flour. Beat until well mixed or knead lightly. This dough can be soft and doesn’t need to be kneaded heavily, just enough to mix well.
- Grease loaf pan(s). Place dough in pan(s).
- Let rise until tripled.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans, place on rack until cool.
