Divide dough in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter. Add cut trimmings to the second half of dough. Reroll and cut additional cookies. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until barely brown. Cool 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool.
Makes approximately 30 two-inch cookies.
Note: Can use powdered sugar in place of flour when rolling out the dough.
Glaze
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
¼ cup milk*
Food coloring (optional)
In a large bowl, combine ingredients. Stir in additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until preferred drizzling consistency is met. Tint as desired with food coloring.
To glaze, hold cookie over the bowl of glaze. Use a small metal spatula or knife to cover the cookie evenly with glaze and remove excess. Glaze will harden as it dries.
*Evaporated milk makes for a smoother glaze than cold milk from the fridge.
Note: For more flavor, add ½ teaspoon lemon, almond, or orange extract to the cookie dough and ½ teaspoon of complementary extract to glaze.
Frikadeles with Ruskumsnuz
Frikadeles
1 egg
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green pepper
¼ cup oats, bread crumbs, crushed soda crackers, or flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 pound hamburger
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. (You can combine everything but the hamburger in a blender if you don’t want chunks of onion and green pepper.) Mold into 4 to 6 patties.
Cook in a frying pan on medium-high heat until cooked through, about four minutes per side. Remove from pan and put on paper towel-lined plate to drain grease. (Patties can also be baked in the oven: 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cooked through.)
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Note: If hamburger mixture seems too crumbly, add another egg. Crackers and bread crumbs help it stick together better than oats do.
Ruskumsnuz
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon oregano
2 to 4 cups milk
1 to 2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, boiled whole, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ cups sweet peas (fresh are best, but frozen works too)
In medium-sized frying pan, melt butter. Add flour and stir well until a smooth paste is formed. Add spices, mix well. Add 2 cups of milk and stir consistently until smooth sauce is formed, adding more milk as needed to make a white sauce about the consistency of a pancake batter.
Add boiled and cubed potatoes, mashing them slightly if desired. Add peas. (If using fresh peas, add them at the very end, so that they warm, but don’t cook through.) Salt and pepper to taste. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, place frikadeles on a plate and top with ruskumsnuz sauce.
Note: The best way to time the preparation of these two recipes is as follow: (1) Boil potatoes. (2) While potatoes are boiling, form meatloaf patties while frying pan heats up. (3) While meatloaf is frying, make white sauce. (4) After patties are fried, cover to keep warm. (5) Finish potatoes. Cook until a knife inserted into the center of a potato meets no resistance. Drain potatoes on a dishcloth for an extra light and flaky texture. Dice, add to white sauce with peas. Serve.
Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles
2 tablespoons butter
½ onion, diced
4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth (approximately 8 cups)
½ cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning (or Italian seasoning)
½ teaspoon basil
1 bay leaf
4 carrots peeled and sliced
2 ribs of celery, sliced
2 cups medium-sized egg noodles (or homemade noodles)
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion for 3 min. Add chicken and sauté 2 more minutes. Add broth, water, spices, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Add noodles and return to a boil, cooking 15 to 20 minutes or until noodles are cooked through. (Watch carefully to keep noodles from overcooking.) Salt and pepper to taste before serving.
For added flavor, top soup with grated Parmesan cheese.
Note: Adding a dash of nutmeg with the other spices gives great flavor.
Homemade Noodles
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Add butter, eggs, and milk.
Mix together with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Roll out dough very thin—1/8 of an inch or so. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into strips, the length and width desired (thinner is usually better).
Lift noodles with the blunt edge of a knife, one small section at a time, allowing pasta to drape over the edges of the knife without sticking together. Drop separated noodles into boiling soup one at a time so they don’t stick together. Continue adding until all noodles are in the soup. (There will be a lot of noodles.)
Add additional broth if needed to accommodate the noodles, returning soup to a boil before adding additional noodles. Cook an additional two or three minutes to make sure the most recently added noodles are cooked. Remove from heat and serve.
Serves 10.
Note: Noodles can also be frozen. Cut as directed, then flash freeze on a cookie sheet. Store in an airtight container (a plastic zip-top bag works great) and freeze for up to six months. To use, add frozen noodles to soup as directed.
Wedding Cake Page 25
