Mud Pie Cookies

This is a recipe my mom told me about when she gave me a box of Nonna's old recipes.  She said they were one of her favorite cookies and Nonna used to make them for her when she was young.  She was surprised when I told her I had never had them before.  When I found the recipe card in the box, I knew I had to give them a try.

What makes them unique is the almond extract.  I am a huge fan of almond extract in cookies, namely spritz, but I had never had them in a chocolate cookie before.  The cookies are delicious, and I can see why my mom liked them so much when she was a child.  I can definitely taste the almond extract, but it is not overpowering.  The cookies aren't overly chocolaty either.  They are very light and chewy, which is also an interesting combination.

I am so glad I found these cookies and it is always nice to add a delicious recipe to the cookie arsenal.  This being a family recipe makes it much more special.

Mud Pie Cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

½ cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
4 tablespoon cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup evaporated milk.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream sugar and shortening, add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Add milk and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoon on greased baking sheet and bake at 350˚ for 8 to 10 minutes.

Bone Marrow Dumpling Soup

I always love it when my mother-in-law makes bone marrow dumpling soup.  I guess I'm not the only one, my husband and his sister told me they used to fight over who was served the most dumplings after counting them floating in the broth when they were younger.  I had to learn how to make these.  Here's the secret family recipe, you'll see the hand's of Francine and Madame Sutter. 

You'll need:

The marrow of 5 beef bones

3 shallots

tiny bit of nutmeg

pinch of salt

lil' pepper

one egg

4-5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour 

3-4 tablespoons of dried, fine breadcrumbs

Tablespoon or so of chopped fresh parsley (we didn't have any)

Here's what to do:

Remove the marrow from the bones

Incorporate three shallots, minced finely (here with the aid of a Moulinex.) 

add the salt and pepper

touch of nutmeg

in goes the egg

Now, mash it all up with a fork.

Add the flour and breadcrumbs.

Adjust the amount of flour and breadcrumbs, a lot depends on the amount of marrow in the bones, size of egg.  Mix until it's consistent and firm.  

Once rollable, take a handful and roll it out onto some breadcrumbs.

Form a snake and cut little two centimeter morsels.

Roll between palms until mini balls are formed.

Put in lightly boiling water or broth or soup for 8-10 minutes, until they float to the top. 

They plump out and get so delicious.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Tuna Nooda

Tuna noodle casserole!  (groan)  I know, I know, it doesn't sound very exciting.  However, making the whole thing from scratch elevates this casserole from blasé to breathtaking.  Well, maybe not quite breathtaking, but it is delicious.

It was a Friday night.  Valerie was serving Ari his dinner and he asked her what we were having.  She responded, 'tuna nooda casserole'.  We all got a good chuckle when she misspoke, and little did she realize she renamed the dish at that very moment.  We dropped the casserole, and just call it 'tuna nooda.'  For a while, Valerie thought we were making fun of her when we said it, but we really did just like the name.  Plus, it's a lot more fun to say.

The mild, subtle flavor of the tuna with creaminess of the noodles paired with the tender sweetness of the peas and carrots all combined with the salty crunch of the crumbly topping makes this a delightful meal.  We always serve it with some fresh baked buttermilk biscuits, and rarely have leftovers.  I came up with the recipe myself because most of what found on the internet called for cream of mushroom soup; which I do not like to use.  I usually just make the dish from memory, but I wrote down the recipe last time I made it, and I am happy to share it. 

Tuna Nooda

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked macaroni

2 5 oz. cans of tuna

1 16 oz. bag of frozen peas and carrots

Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

3 cups milk

Topping

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup crushed club crackers

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Cook the macaroni 1-2 minutes less than directed on package, drain and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Whisk flour, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper into butter and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.  While whisking, slowly add milk until it is all incorporated.  Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, stirring occasionally. 

While the sauce is thickening, make the topping by adding all ingredients to a small bowl and incorporate butter with your fingers until well combined.  Set aside.

When the sauce comes to a boil, check seasoning and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat, add the frozen peas and carrots, tuna (drained), and macaroni and stir to combine.  Pour  into a 9x13 serving dish and evenly distribute the topping over the mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Making Cheese

Raw milk at my favorite farm is quite cheap and really good. Two liters of it went into a tupperware container with a lid. Cream formed on top day 2, and by day 4, the milk had become solid enough to put into cheese cloth to allow the excess liquid to drain off:


Once strained, sliced on a plate, we drizzled it with a vinaigette and devoured it as an appetizer! It was very tender and creamy with a just a little bit of acidity.

I'd like to make this cheese (or fromage blanc?) again soon, it's so easy and healthy. I know those cows at the farm eat only the best grasses, the omega factor must be off the charts.
Bon appetit!

Blog Eats Time

This is really neat Eva! How auspicious too, because Jeremy and I just made pizza from scratch last night! I guess that could be the first recipe I post! :0)

Welcome to Family Tree-Eats!

I talked to my sister Katie one night on the phone. She was making bread for the first time. Over the length of our two hour conversation she discovered yeast bubbles and the wonderment of a doubling in size.
What fun baking can be together, even over the phone!

It is in this spirit of familial sharing that Luke and I wanted to collect recipes from each family member to be published into a book.
On further thought, we opted for this congenial blog where we will let the posts come in, meld together, rise, at their own pace. The resulting body of posts could then eventually be made into a bound volume if everyone wishes.

Posts are responses to the question: What’s cooking, Family? And can be related to culinary successes, adventures, experimentations and memories.
So, welcome to Family Tree-Eats!