Hall Family Christmas Coffee Cake

Hall Family Christmas Morning Coffee Cake

Christmas 1988...Stephen was only 20 months old Mark was 6 years old.  It wasn't Pinterest in those days, it was magazines like Family Circle that sparked the homemaker in young mothers.  Page 106 and 107                                                      

This is better than Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes!  Yep, it put me on the map of cool moms.  The boys are now 30 and 25.  Mark has little ones of his own and all of the conversation from my kiddos has been that we need to make more coffee cake this year. 

It really isn't that hard. 

The dough is called Buttery Rich Sweet Dough. 

2 packets of active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup very warm water (105-115 degrees)

Put that in a bowl, stir to dissolve yeast and let stand about 10 minutes to get bubbly. 

Meanwhile in my food processor with the blade in it,

4 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

turn processor on and put in slices of

1 cup of cold butter.

Processor til it has consistency of fine crumbs.  Then through chute of processor lid pour in

3/4 milk

4 egg yolks

yeast mixture from above. 

Keep processor going to doughball forms. 

Wrap your dough in plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. (you can keep it in fridge up to 2 days or freezer up to 3 weeks) 

On Christmas morning, pull your dough from fridge and punch it down.  Turn out onto a floured surface (hint!!!I use powdered sugar instead of flour)  Divide dough in thirds.  (You get 3 cakes out of 1 recipe of dough!) 

Filling:

SO-o-o I tore the pages out and made coffee cakes for friends and family every year since but I lost the page with the fillings.  So I had to fake my own recipes for fillings.

1/4 cup butter softened

1 cup pecans (walnuts or almonds)

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend well in food processor.  Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of cinnamon for a chocolate filling 

Below I scanned the yellowed pages for the Reindeer and Christmas Tree for you.

Don't think too hard.  Roll the dough out, spread with filling then fold the dough into the shape you want.  Follow eggwash instructions and how to bake.  And I love the idea of brushing with melted apple jelly.  Decorate after they come out of oven with icing and red hots and colored sugars/sprinkles. 

Important tip.  I bake these on parchment paper.  Makes it so easy to move from cookie sheet to platter.   Grandson, Christian, and Edith, Gary's mother watch me decorate the Christmas tree.  (Edith makes your Vanilla Butter Sauce every morning.  She gets Christmas morning off.)

Breakfast Pasta Bake with Sausage

6 eggs
1 small carton of small curd cottage cheese
2 tsp chopped parsley flakes
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 jar of Ragu Alfredo Sauce
1 box Oven Ready Lasagna Pasta
1 pound of bulk sausage, browned and crumbled
2 cups of mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350°.
In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add Cottage Cheese, parmesan Cheese, and parsley.
In a 9 inch square baking dish, pour 1/3 cup alfredo sauce over the bottom and spread. Layer dry pasta noodles over the sauce. Next pour cottage cheese mixture over noodles, then layer the sausage on top of that. Spread 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over the sausage. Add another layer noodles. Pour remaining Alfredo sauce over the noodles. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 1 hour. Let stand for 15 minutes to let cheese set up. Cut into servings. Serves 6-9. Freezes well before or after baking.

Original "No-Bake Cookies"

2 cups Sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Put in large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil exactly 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Have ready:
1 cup coconut
2 cup oatmeal, any kind works (except instant!)
6 tbsp. cocoa (this a dark cocoa powder found in baking aisle, not hot chocolate mix)

When 3 min. is up,
stir in
1 tsp. vanilla

and then the dry ingredients. Stir til all is moistened. Take a teaspoon and drop spoonfuls of cookie on a large sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap. Let cool.
Enjoy!

Southern Baklava

Southern Baklava

4 cups chopped Pecans
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In food processor, mix/chop pecans, sugar and cinnamon.

1 16oz package frozen phyllo (filo) dough, thawed
2 cups butter, melted

Brush the bottom of a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Unfold phyllo dough. Keep phyllo covered, removing sheets as you need them.

Layer 10 of the phyllo sheets in the pan 2 at a time, generously brushing each pair with melted butter as you layer, and allowing phyllo to extend up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle about 1-1/2 cups of filling on top of the phyllo. Repeat layering the phyllo sheets and filling twice.

Layer remaining phyllo sheets atop the third layer of filling, continuing to brush each sheet with butter before adding the next phyllo sheet. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top layers. Trim edges of phyllo to fit the pan.

Set in fridge for 30 minutes to set butter to make easier to cut. Using a sharp knife, cut through all layers to make 60 diamond-, triangle-, or square-shaped pieces.I cut squares then cut diagonally across the squares creating triangles.

Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden. Slightly cool in pan on a wire rack.

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Meanwhile, for syrup, in a medium saucepan stir together the 1-1/2 cups brown sugar, the water,orange juice, and cinnamon. Bring mixture to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Pour the syrup over the warm baklava in the pan. Cool completely. Place in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 60 baklava.

My family loves baklava but I wanted to put a spin on it. Use pecans and give it more of a pecan pie flavor using brown sugar in the syrup. It was a hit this weekend for Father's Day Dinner. This is the last piece and it will be gone before the moon comes up.

Arcadian Inn Maple Walnut Cookies

1 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1 cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. maple flavoring
4 tbsp flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup chopped English Walnuts

Cream together the Crisco, sugars, eggs, vanilla and maple flavoring. Add 4 tbsp. flour, salt and soda. Fold in 2 cups flour and walnuts. Drop by teaspoons on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

These are our signature cookies that we keep the cookie jar filled with. Hurshel keeps them on hand in the freezer to bake up fresh for our guests.

Easter Bunny Biscuits

I found these delightful Easter Bunny Biscuits online by Sandra Shields! I must admit, I faked the recipe. I used Pillsbury frozen biscuits that had accidentally been thawed in the fridge! I pulled the dough apart and shaped the little bunnies by hand. Then I put chocolate chips on for eyes and nose.
After they came out of the oven, I gave them a glaze of white frosting, you know, real thin made of powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Gary was in heaven when I took one to him in the laundry room. (Innkeepers spend alot of time in the laundry room)
I didn't get any whiskers on but they were too, too cute and yummy!




Bunny Biscuits

* 1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated Country Style biscuit dough
* Sliced almonds, dried cranberries, and currants

Separate the dough into 10 biscuit circles. One half of the circles will be for the bunny heads and the other half for the ears.

Cut the ear circles in half and attach to the top of the heads, shaping into ears. Decorate the heads with currant eyes, cranberry noses, and almond whiskers.

Bake at 190 C (375 F) for 11 to 13 minutes until lightly browned. Serve with strawberry jam.