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Comfort Food Favorites

When you think of good friends and good times, you think of sharing good food.

Our northern comfort Food recipes are simple but time-tested. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we do.


Snacks and Appetizers

Soups & Stews

Main Courses



World's Best Fruitcake Print
Snacks & Appetizers

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground clove
16 ounces mixed candied fruit (2 ½ cups)
3 cups raisins
1 pkg. (8 oz) pitted whole dates – chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz) whole red or green candied cherries
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup pecan halves
½ cup candied pineapple – chopped
4 eggs
1 ¾ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
¾ cup butter (1 ½ sticks) melted then cooled
¼ cup light molasses

Grease and sugar (as opposed to flour) two 10x3 ½ x2 ½ - inch loaf pans.

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Add fruit, raisins, chopped dates, cherries, almonds, pecans, and pineapple; mix well until well coated. Beat eggs until foamy. Add brown sugar, orange juice, butter and molasses; beat until combined. Stir into fruit mix by hand. Scoop batter into two loaf pans filling each ¾ full.

Bake in 300 degree pre-heated oven for approximately 2 hours or until cakes test done. Best to cover pans loosely with foil after baking one hour to keep from over browning. When done remove pans from oven and allow them to cool on racks thoroughly before turning out of baking pans. Wrap in wine-, brandy-, or fruit juice-moistened cheesecloth. Overwrap with foil and store in refrigerator 3-4 weeks for a mellow flavor. (If you can wait that long) Another tip: try making them in mini loaf pans and give as foil wrapped gifts. Smaller pans will shorten baking time. Have fun and enjoy!

 
Pretzel Turtle Treats Print
Snacks & Appetizers

Here is an easy recipe that tastes great and can be a fun project to do with a young grand child. Big “kids” will love them too. It only has three ingredients:

1 bag of Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Snaps
1 box of Rolo candies
1 bag of pecan halves

Cover a cookie sheet with baking parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Place as many pretzels as you can in rows on the cookie sheet leaving a ½” between each pretzel. Top each pretzel with one Rolo candy.

pretzelturtles2.jpg

Put cookie sheet in 250-degree oven for five minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow treats to set for a few minutes to cool, but still soft. Carefully press one pecan half on each melted Rolo. Remove from cookie sheet and transfer to a plate. Put the plate in the refrigerator long enough for them to set completely. Remove from the refrigerator and store in a covered container.

As a tip, Sam’s Club sells Rolo Candy in a multi-pack box, which is cheaper than buying individual rolls. A great gift or party item. Sooooo easy.
 
Layered Sweet & Sour Delight Party Appetizer Print
Snacks & Appetizers

TOPPING

3/4 C. Cooked Chicken, chopped or shredded
½ C. Carrots, shredded
1/4 C. Unsalted peanuts, chopped
3 T. Green onions, sliced
1 T. Fresh cilantro, chopped (I used dried cilantro... 1 teaspoon)
2 T. Soy sauce
1 tsp. Fresh ginger, minced (I used powdered ginger, just a pinch I think)
1 tsp. Sesame oil

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

1/4 C. Brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tsp. Cornstarch
3/4 C. Water
1/4 C. Catsup
2 T. Rice vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
3 drops Tabasco

BASE

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 T. Milk

Combine topping ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Make Sweet and Sour sauce as follows: combine brown sugar and cornstarch, mix well. Gradually stir in water and remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool, cover and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, make base by combining cream cheese and milk... beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly on bottom of 10 inch serving dish or pie plate. Drizzle with about half of Sweet and Sour sauce. Spoon chicken topping mix evenly over cream cheese. Drizzle with rest of Sweet & Sour sauce. Garnish with more chopped peanuts and cilantro (I just used more peanuts and skipped the cilantro here). Serve with assorted crackers.