24 Dec 2010 52 New Year resolutions!

After marriage, Jan learned to cook. At the same time, she began a long journey of cutting out recipes from magazines, cookbook favorites, even recipes on back of coupons and assembling them in photo albums. For years the collection has grown and evolved into volumes of recipes for soups, salads, appetizers, a chicken category, beef and pork, seafood, vegetables, casseroles, and then there are the volumes for baking, candy and more!

While convalescing following recent surgery, Jan came up with the concept of once a week selecting one of the recipes from her collection that she had never cooked before, and trying out a new dish.

“While visiting with my mom a few days ago, she told me she had spent an entire day looking back through her albums, trying to select something different,” Jan said, explaining that the tradition of collecting and searching has been carried on from one generation to another. So has the prospect of actually cooking the dish but for

Jan, the challenge is to prepare one a week for the next year — 52 new recipes!

“It’s really a matter of planning,” said Jan. “I always used the excuse that I had no time, or did not have the ingredients.” This will be part of the challenge, to plan ahead.

We asked Jan to share with us a few of the anticipated creations from her recipe collection — 501 LIFE readers might want to try them too! Happy New Year to Jan Newcomer!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup of finely chopped pecans
Graham crackers

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.
Note: (Can be made a day before serving by leaving it in a container in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll it in a ball with plastic wrap.)

White Chunky Chocolates

12 oz. white chocolate morsels
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup roasted salted peanuts
½ cup roasted salted cashew pieces

In a medium, microwavable bowl, melt the white chocolate, stirring once, for about 45 seconds. Stir in raisins, cranberries, peanuts and cashews.
Spoon the mixture into 2 flexible ice cube trays, hitting the trays on a counter to remove any air pockets and to level out the mixture. Refrigerate until set for about 30 minutes. 
Flex the trays to remove the candies.
Makes:  20       
Prep:  15 minutes plus chilling       
Cook: 1 minute

Molasses Spice Cookies

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg
Granulated sugar for rolling

Whisk together the flour, soda, spices and salt.
In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar and molasses. Add the egg and beat 1 minute more. Blend in the flour mixture until you have a soft dough.
Divide in half; wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Shape teaspoon size portion into balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes, until flattened and crackle-topped. Cool.
Makes 5 ½ dozen.
This classic holiday sweet is as good with espresso as it is with milk.

Great Grandma Davis Recipe
(Betty Crocker’s Pie Parade)
Lemon Chiffon Pie

½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
4 egg whites
½ tsp. cream of tarter
½ cup sugar

Blend first 5 items thoroughly in saucepan. Cover over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in grated lemon rind. Place pan in cold water; cool until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.
Fold into a meringue made from the last three items. Pile into baked pie shell. Chill several hours until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.