Recipes

This month�s recipes come from members of the National Federation of the Blind of Nevada.

Jeanine Mooers is president of the NFB of Northern Nevada. She is a recently certified Braille transcriber and proofreader. Music is another of her passions. She has been involved with singing, composing, or playing the keyboard all her life. This recipe was handed down to her by her maternal grandmother. She, her mother, and her grandmother make it every Christmas season.

Corn Flake Holly
by Jeanine Mooers

Ingredients:
1 box of corn flakes
1 bag of marshmallows, miniature or regular
1 stick margarine (or more, depending on how much candy you are going to make)
Red cinnamon candy
Green food coloring

Method: Before you start, tear off long pieces of wax paper and arrange on counter or table because, as you make the holly, the pieces have to dry on wax paper before you can freeze them (they freeze really well). In a large microwaveable bowl melt about four tablespoons margarine. Coat the bowl thoroughly with the melted margarine. Add marshmallows and microwave for thirty seconds at a time, stirring until they are melted. Add green food coloring and stir. Then add corn flakes and thoroughly but gently coat flakes with the marshmallow mixture. (The flakes must be on the sticky side.) Melt the remaining half of the stick of margarine and coat your fingers with it. Pick up a clump of corn flakes. Place the cluster of flakes on the wax paper. Each time you pick up a clump of flakes, make sure your fingers are generously coated with margarine or the flakes will stick to your fingers. Press about three cinnamon candies on each holly cluster to represent berries. Be sure to press candy down firmly to make sure it sticks. Let candies dry before turning them over to dry on the other side. Then freeze�these freeze quite well. When adding the corn flakes, do so a little at a time so that they get well coated with marshmallow. Keep adding flakes until they are all coated and just sticky enough to ensure that the candies will stick. The more you make these, the more you get a feel for the way you want them to be. Enjoy.

Fresh Apple Cake
by Jeanine Mooers

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (3 or 4 small) apples, peeled and chopped (I use Granny Smith)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten (1/4 cup egg substitute works well for those who are watching their cholesterol)
1/2 cup oil (you can use a little less)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (chopped pecans are really good in this cake)

Method: Combine sugar and chopped apples in a small bowl and let stand ten minutes. Sift together remaining dry ingredients. Add the well-beaten egg and oil to apples and sugar mixture, then add flour and spices all at once and mix together until well moistened. Then add nuts and raisins and mix well. Batter will be thick. Place in a lightly greased eight-by-eight-inch pan. (You can use any of the cooking sprays if you wish.) Usually when I make this, I double the recipe and then put it into a 9-by-13-inch or 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Bake in 375-degree oven for approximately twenty-five to thirty minutes. Baking time varies depending upon your altitude and oven. When done, it will be a deep golden brown. This cake is good plain or really good topped with vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip. The original recipe recommended a cream cheese frosting, which is very good, but really rich. Hope you enjoy it.

Date Nut Loaf
by Jeanine Mooers

This recipe came from Jeanine�s paternal grandmother.

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling coffee
1 cup chopped dates
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method: Place chopped dates in a small bowl. Combine boiling coffee and soda and pour over dates. Set aside. In a large bowl mix remaining ingredients together. Blend in the date mixture and mix well. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for up to an hour and a half--check after first hour; if it is firm to the touch, it is done. If it needs a little more, keep checking at ten-minute intervals. Place on a cooling rack and remove from pan after cooling slightly.

Persimmon-Raisin Cookies
by Jeanine Mooers

Ingredients:
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 egg
1 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (I use less than a half teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I use a little less)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use a little more)
1 cup nuts, chopped (You can use a little more)
1 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

Method: Beat persimmon pulp with electric mixer until thoroughly pulverized. Mix in soda. In another bowl cream sugar and butter; add egg and mix thoroughly. Sift together dry ingredients and mix into creamed mixture. Then work in the reserved persimmon mixture. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake fifteen to twenty minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cherries or coconut may be substituted for raisins. Yield: two to three dozen cookies.

Soft Pretzels
by Jeanine Mooers

Ingredients:
1 cake yeast
1 1/2 cups water, a little warmer than body temperature, about 110 degrees
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt

Method: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the salt and sugar. Blend in the flour and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Immediately cut it into small pieces and roll them into ropes. Twist the ropes into shapes and place the pretzels on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake immediately in a preheated 425-degree oven for twelve to fifteen minutes or until browned. Serve with mustard if you like. These will not keep long; best to eat them the same day. It is fun for kids to make their own shapes, adults too.

Tuna Casserole
by Frida Aizenman

Frida Aizenman is the diligent and dedicated secretary of the Northern Nevada Chapter. She was born in Columbia.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 can tuna, drained
1 cup uncooked macaroni
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method: Mix soup and milk in a two-quart microwave-safe bowl until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients, except that you should reserve a quarter cup cheese. Cover and microwave on high for fifteen to seventeen minutes, until bubbly. Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Let stand uncovered five to seven minutes before serving. Serves three or four hot or cold.

Chicken and Chinese Sausage Rice Hot Pot
by Alan Chao

Alan Chao is the treasurer of the NFB of Nevada. His family comes from Taiwan and is of Asian Pacific Islander descent. He says that their food is a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian. His recipes are all written in Mandarin, which he did not feel equal to translating. He found this American recipe that is quite similar to one of his favorites.

Ingredients:
3 boned chicken thighs with skin, cut in 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
1 lapchang (Chinese sausage), cut in 1/4-inch disks
3 cups Chinese long grain rice, washed until water is clear and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil
6 cups chicken stock

Method: Combine the chicken, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, cornstarch, ginger, and sausage and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least fifteen minutes. In a clay pot (or saucepan) combine the rice, salt, and oil. On high heat sauté briefly, then add the stock to Fuji (1 1/4 inches above the rice). Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the stock has evaporated to the level of the rice. Add the marinated chicken mixture and cook uncovered in a preheated 350-degree oven for twelve to fifteen minutes before removing from oven. Stir well, cover, and cook on high for one minute, then reduce heat to very low. Cook for an additional ten minutes, then turn heat off. Let stand five minutes before serving.