Meringue (Pavlova) Wreath

Everywhere I look on the internet, there is a meringue wreath festively decorated with all varieties of fresh fruit, nuts and mint. Since I had leftover egg whites from making Mom’s Homemade Egg Noodles (Mom always made chicken and noodles for Christmas dinner), I decided to one of these gorgeous desserts!

Above - wreath in the shaping process.
Below: - the baked wreath

 

Meringue (Pavlova) Wreath

Meringue

6 egg whites at room temperature (while eggs separated best when cold, the whites whip up to a higher volume if allowed to come to room temp; be sure there are no specks of yolk & that the bowl & whisk are fat free as fat inhibits the formation of foam)

1 teaspoon cream of tarter (acts as a stabilizer for the foamy egg whites)

1 ½ cups granulated sugar (some recipes call for fine sugar so as it is more easily incorporated into the meringue; I just use granulated but you can created fine sugar by blending it in the blender for just a pulse or two)

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups whipping cream + about ½ cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla

Decorative Additions . . . these were my choices

Fresh fruit of your choice – I used blueberries and pomegranate seeds

Nuts – I used sugared pecans*

Fresh mint leaves

Dark chocolate – chopped from a dark chocolate candy bar

Star-shaped sugar cookies

Powdered sugar

 

*Sugared Pecans: Add pecans to a dry, stick-free skillet set on medium temp; throw in some granulated    sugar and stir until sugar crystalizes and then melts. Transfer immediately to wax paper to avoid sticking.

1. Preheat oven to 275° F.Beat eggs and cream of tarter until frothy. 
2. Gradually beat in sugar, adding just a tablespoon or two at a time.
3. Beat until stiff and glossy and the sugar is incorporated — whites should  form stiff peaks & the mixture should not feel gritty if a bit is rubbed between your fingers
4. Draw a circle (use an 8 or 9” cake pan or plate, etc.) on the underside of parchment or brown paper. 
5. Using the circle as a guide, add large spoonsful of meringue inside the circle to form a wreath shape or just spread the meringue on the inside of the circle in a wreath form. I created the wreath with spoonsful of meringue and then made a slight indentation in each to create a place for the whipped cream.
6. Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave wreath in oven until cool.
7. When ready to serve prepare whipped cream and pile over the top of meringue wreath. Then decorate with toppings of your choice and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

Candy-filled Santa Sleigh — Ho Ho Ho!

During the recent ice storm, Mrs. Claus and her elf (AKA  Mom and Me) had some time to work on Christmas projects. Following the directions (with a few modifications) in the winter 2015 issue of Kansas Living, here's what we made . . .

Candy-filled Santa Sleigh
Ingredients:
   2 candy canes
   1 Kit Kat bar
   7 small bite-size candy bars
Equipment/Supplies:
   Hot glue gun
   3 ft. piece of holiday ribbon

1. Turn the Kit Kat bar so that the underside is facing up.
2. Run a bead of hot glue across one of the long sides of the candy bar and immediately adhere a candy cane (see photo below). Repeat on the other side.
   
3. Once dry, turn the Kit Kat over. Then add a dot of glue to 4 bite-size candy bars and adhere to the top of the candy bar (see photo below).
   
   
   
   
4. Position 2 more bite-size candy bars on top of the 4, running these in the opposite direction; glue in place (see photo).
   
5. Divide a 3' length of ribbon in half; position over the stack of candy bars so the ribbon is running over the length of the sleigh. Then run ribbon under the sleigh, crossing it underneath the sleigh; bring the ribbon up the sides and tie a bow.
   

Instructions without photos . . .
Candy-filled Santa Sleigh

Ingredients:
   2 candy canes
   1 Kit Kat bar
   7 small bite-size candy bars
Equipment/Supplies:
   Hot glue gun
   3 ft. piece of holiday ribbon

1. Turn the Kit Kat bar so that the underside is facing up.
2. Run a bead of hot glue across one of the long sides of the candy bar and immediately adhere on candy cane (see photo below). Repeat on the other side.
3. Once dry, turn the Kit Kat over. Then add a dot of glue to 4 bite-size candy bars and adhere to the top of the candy bar (see photo below).
4. Position 2 more bite-size candy bars on top of the 4, running these in the opposite direction; glue in place (see photo).
5. Divide a 3' length of ribbon in half; position over the stack of candy bars so the ribbon is running over the length of the sleigh. Then run ribbon under the sleigh, crossing it underneath the sleigh; bring the ribbon up the sides and tie a bow.

$250 Cookies — Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back in the day when letter writing was the norm, I exchanged letters with my Aunt Waunita on an almost weekly basis. We’d share the ins and outs of our typical week and often included new recipes we had tried.

One week she sent a recipe for $250 Cookies with a note about the story behind the cookie and her recommendation to give them a try.

The story was interesting and the cookies were even better. Since then I’ve discovered that the story is just that . . . a story. Seems it’s an urban myth . . . but the recipe is still one of our favorites.

Since it makes so many—112 to be exact, I often cut the recipe in half.

$250 Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies    Makes 112 cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) butter


2 cups granulated sugar


2 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

5 cups blended oatmeal (measure 5 cups oatmeal  & blend in blender to a fine powder; both old-fashioned and quick-cooking work)


1 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda


24 oz. chocolate chips


1 (8 oz.) Hershey® chocolate bar, grated (I used a dark chocolate bar and prefer to chop it versus grating)

3 cups chopped nuts (either walnuts or pecans are our favorites)


1. Cream the butter and both sugars.
   
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
   
3. Mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. (I like to chill the dough for about an hour at this point.)
   
6. Make golf-ball sized cookies (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon capacity dipper) ; place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used silicon liners in the cookie sheets).
   
7. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes in preheated 375° oven.
8. Remove from oven and a rack.
   

My aunt’s letters were almost always typed and I still have the original copy of her recipe and story. Here’s the story Aunt Waunita shared . . .

“A woman who works with the American Bar Association called Mrs. Field’s Cookies and asked for the cookie recipe. She was told there was a two fifty charge for the recipe. She assumed it was $2.50 and she charged it to her VISA. It was not $2.50 but $250.00. In order to get her monies worth, she is passing the recipe out to everyone. Take a copy and give it to a friend with her blessing.”

Recipe without photos . . .

$250 Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies    Makes 112 cookies

2 cups (4 sticks) butter


2 cups granulated sugar


2 cups packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups all-purpose flour

5 cups blended oatmeal (measure 5 cups oatmeal  & blend in blender to a fine powder; both old-fashioned and quick-cooking work)


1 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda


24 oz. (semi-sweet) chocolate chips


1 (8 oz.) Hershey® chocolate bar, grated (I used a dark chocolate bar and prefer to chop it versus grating)

3 cups chopped nuts (either walnuts or pecans are our favorites)


1. Cream the butter and both sugars.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
3. Mix together flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and blend.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. (I like to chill the dough for about an hour at this point.)
6. Make golf-ball sized cookies (I used a 1 ½ tablespoon capacity dipper) ; place about two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used silicon liners in the cookie sheets).
7. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes in preheated 375° oven.
8. Remove from oven and a rack.

Berry Summertime Parfaits

    Berries with cream — the perfect way to end a summer meal. Use a combination of your favorite berries or fill up a glass with a variety. We take the berries a step further by marinating them in liqueur and topping with chocolate. So pretty – be sure to serve them in clear glass so you can see all the layers — parfait glasses, martini glasses, wine glasses or even orange juice glasses.

     Jean Mohler, who made a similar dessert last summer, inspired this recipe. She served the parfaits along with LaVetra Brown’s Mexican Nut Cookies; the combination was wonderful – sweet berries and cream with delicious nutty cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar. 

Berry Summertime Parfaits              Makes 6 servings

2 cups fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, quartered strawberries) -

   may add sugar to sweeten if needed

1/4 cup raspberry or blackberry liqueur

8 oz. cream cheese or use part (or all) mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream, or use more for a less firm consistency

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

At least 4 oz. “good” chocolate candy bar (we prefer dark chocolate), chopped + more for garnish if desired

1.  Combine berries and liqueur in medium bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.  Combine cheese, 1 cup cream, sugar and vanilla in mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until thick; fold in chopped Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.  Assembly:

Method 1:  Divide berries between 6 parfait-type (or other style) glasses, top with cream mixture and top with additional chopped chocolate bar.

Method 2:  Layer 6 parfait glasses with alternating berries and cream mixture, ending with cream mixture. Top each parfait with additional chopped chocolate bar if desired.  

Purplish-dark green leaves, this plant grows along the ground and spreads rapidly.
Chocolate mint tastes like a "thin mint" cookie or a chocolate peppermint patty.