Aunt Ann's Waldorf Salad

For my 16th birthday, a friend gave me a copy of “With Love, From My Kitchen”, which is basically a blank yet organized cook-book, to be filled with the favorite recipes of friends and family members. Since then, I have been slowly gathering the classic family favorites, as well as begging friends to write one or two of their favorites in for me; I like the idea of the recipes being written in their own handwriting, leaving a bit of their personality in my keepsake cook-book.

One recipe that is surrounded by wonderful memories is Aunt Ann’s Waldorf Salad. She wasn’t my aunt, but like most people who visit older people with their nieces and nephews, I called her aunt. We played games on the living room floor with the kids and scrabble at the dining room table, and she served this salad with dinner. I’d never had it before and managed to work up the nerve to ask her for the recipe. (I was still in my most dreadful shy stage back then.) I looked up traditional Waldorf salad, and I’m afraid this has been dressed up a bit, and sweetened with whipped cream. I can’t quite imagine I would enjoy plain mayo as the dressing after eating this.

Aunt Ann’s Waldorf Salad

2 C chopped red skin apples

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 C chopped celery (TINY, in my opinion, is the way to go.)

1/4 C chopped walnuts

1/4 C raisins or chopped dates (dates all the way! Raisins are normal. Dates are extraordinary. Remind me to share Nan’s Date Cake recipe.)

1/4 C red grapes, halved

1/2 C whipped cream or cool whip (give or take a little… taste it and see what you like.)

1/4 C mayonnaise

ground nutmeg

In a medium bowl, toss apple with lemon juice. Stir in celery, nuts, dates and grapes. In a separate bowl, fold together whipped cream and mayonnaise. Spread dressing over the top of the apple mixture (I believe this helps keep the apples from browning if you keep it overnight) . Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Cover and chill 2-4 hours, or overnight. To serve, fold dressing into the fruit mixture.

This badly lit picture of the dressing-covered salad is the last picture I have. I meant to take pictures of it all mixed together, but I made it for our dinner on Resurrection Sunday, and somehow… we ate it all. I think we might have been licking the bowl, but perhaps that’s an exaggeration. Anyway, people really love eating this stuff.

(P.S., as long as you don’t get carried away with it, this recipe is HCG P3 approved.)

Lemon Swirl Cheesecake

I served this for Christmas with my Mom's family. The crust made of Nilla Wafers was a revelation! I've never had cheesecake made with anything but graham cracker crusts, and frankly, there have been times when I scoop out the filling and sort of scatter the crust around the plate to make it look like the remnants were an accident. This crust however, is lighter and altogether more enjoyable. The cheesecake itself is flavored with lemon curd, then large dollops of more curd are lightly swirled through the batter for a beautiful dessert and strong, genuine lemon flavor. The original called for extra lemon extract, but I am not a fan of artificial flavorings. With this much flavor from the real thing, who needs it anyway?



Lemon Swirl Cheesecake

Homemade Lemon Curd
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

Vanilla Wafer Almond Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs
3/4 cup finely ground toasted almonds
2 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp of salt
7 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Reserved Lemon Curd (from above)

Prepare Lemon Curd: In a small saucepan, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl. Drizzle in lemon juice slowly, whisking constantly. When all of the lemon juice has been added, return mixture to saucepan. Add butter and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until curd has thickened. Pour lemon curd into a small bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of Lemon Curd. Press plastic wrap directly onto surfaces of the curd. Cool 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare Vanilla Crumb Crust: In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to toss together vanilla wafer crumbs, almonds, lemon zest, and salt. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan or pie plate.
Bake for 12 minutes on bottom oven rack. Remove from oven and set aside while filling is prepared.

Prepare Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add in the sour cream, vanilla extract and all reserved lemon curd (except for the 1/2 cup set aside earlier). Pour into baked crust. Dollop remaining 1/2 cup lemon curd onto filling and swirl through filling using a small knife.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is just set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, or overnight.

I served this with real whipped cream, barely sweetened, and a raspberry sauce I made last minute, which really complimented the lemon. I'm sure the lemon can stand up for itself, but I was looking for a little more presentation.

Raspberry sauce: 2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed and brought to a boil with about 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste). Add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch and stir til smooth, continuing to cook until the sauce has thickened.

Serves 10.

Cherry Pancakes

Yesterday my mom and I picked probably 18 quarts of fresh sour cherries (all from ONE tree... and it was hard to tell we'd taken any! I can't wait for our own trees to be that size.), and I knew right from the start that I wanted to try recreating my favorite breakfast from Cracker Barrel - pancakes with tart cherries and whipped cream. The nearest Cracker Barrel restaurant is over an hour away - inspiration to make these at home.

First off, I needed a pancake recipe, since my mom's pancakes (which are VERY good by the way ;-] ) are much thinner and a completely different consistency. By doing a little research, I learned that greasing the griddle with shortening can help give the pancakes the crispness that I love at Cracker Barrel. And fortunately, we had some Redi Whip in the fridge left from my sister's birthday.

Here are the results!

Honestly... just as good as Cracker Barrel, only smaller pancakes, so you don't have to make yourself sick trying to eat them all and feel guilty for leaving so much on your plate!


Sorta Cracker Barrel Pancakes

2 C sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
2 eggs
2 C buttermilk

Heat griddle on medium heat while mixing pancakes. Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Beat eggs and buttermilk together in a separate bowl, then add to the flour. Mix well, but be careful not to over-mix - there should be a few small lumps left.
Grease griddle with shortening, then drop batter with a 1/4 C measuring cup, allowing each side to turn golden brown.


Fresh Sour Cherry Topping

I didn't have a recipe, so hopefully this is what I did! :)

2 1/2 quarts pitted fresh sour cherries
1 1/2 cups sugar, or sugar to taste - I like the tartness and flavor, so I try not to over-do the sugar.
2-3 Tbs corn starch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

Heat everything over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbling and thickened. Test for sweetness before serving.


To serve pancakes Cracker Barrel style, lay out three pancakes in a row on a plate, slightly over-lapping eachother. Spoon plenty of cherries down the center and top with whipped cream.

Confession: I ate the left-overs for lunch, too.

Flavors of the Season: Caramel Apple Cider

Now that you all know how to make good raw cider, here's something you can do with the pasteurized stuff (those of you who don't have a juicer) to make it taste better. I admit I used our home-made cider because, well, that's what we have.

Caramel Apple Cider

1/4 C heavy cream
1/4 C brown sugar
3 C cider
1/2 C water

Whip together till stiff: 1/2 C heavy cream
1 Tbs brown sugar

Bring the cream and brown sugar to a boil and add water and cider. Heat until steaming. Serve in mugs, topped with caramel whipped cream.