Lee Bailey's Fettuccini Soufflé

Lee Bailey was a designer whose work was featured in most design magazines throughout the country.
He eventually had his own shop in Henry Bendel's in New York City.

Lee eventually wrote many Food and Entertaining Books.
In the mid 80's I had the opportunity to meet him. I have several of his books.

Here is one of my favorite Lee Bailey recipes.

Fettuccini Soufflé:

1/2 pound fresh fettuccini
1 1/3 C milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 C plus 3 TBS grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 pound Fontana Cheese, grated (1/2 C grated)
1/2 C ( 1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 - 2 tsp. chopped Parsley
6 large Eggs, separated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 1 1/2 - 2 quart Souffle Dish

Cook Fettuccini al dente , about 3 -4 minutes, in rapidly boiling salted water.
Drain

Bring milk to a boil while the pasta is cooking.
Mix drained Fettuccini with hot Milk, Garlic, 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese, Fontina and Butter.
Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
Add Parsley, let cool for 30 minutes.

Add egg yolks to cooled Fettuccini mixture and blend.
Beat Egg Whites with a pinch of Salt until stiff.
Fold carefully into Fettuccini mixture.

Dust the inside of the buttered Souffle Dish with 3 TBS Parmesan Cheese.
Pour the mixture into the dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
During the last 5 minutes, increase the temperature to 425 degrees to form a crusty top.

Lee Bailey passed away in 2003.
I am pleased to have had the opportunity to know him!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Herbed Rice Loaf

This rice recipe is baked in a loaf pan, when it cools completely, it's sliced and served.

2 C cooked White Rice ( about 1 1/4 C of uncooked Rice)
1 (4oz.) can if diced Green Chiles
1 small Onion, small dice
2 C grated Queso Quesadilla Cheese
1 C finely chopped herbs, your choice ( Parsley, Tarragon, Rosemary Thyme) or a combination of any of them.
1 C Butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 C milk

Lightly spray a loaf pan with a vegetable spray

In a bowl, combine:
Rice
Green Chiles
Onion
Cheese
Herbs
Mix well

In a small bowl, blend eggs and milk
Add this to the other ingredients.
Mix well

Pour into the pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.
Allow to cool completely, loosen the sides with a knife and invert onto a serving platter.
Slice the loaf with a sharp knife to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Pecan Wafer Cookies

I enter a holiday cookie contest every year. I've tried to create my own original recipes but it's not always easy. The contest doesn't require that the recipes be original, but I found it to be challenging and rewarding if they are.
This is not an original recipe and not really worthy of a contest, but it's still a great cookie.
It's a thin cookie. It's a simple cookie and since it has pecans, I consider it to be a Texas cookie!
Everything in Texas is better with either pecans or jalapenos!

1 1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar , divided
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C ( 1 stick) butter
1 1/4 C flour
1 C finely chopped pecans

In a sauce pan, bring 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 C water to a boil and boil for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
Let it stand until the butter melts.
Add remaining sugar, flour and pecans, mixing well after each is added.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. The dough should be thick.
Use a cookie scoop (about a TBS of dough) drop onto a cookie sheet lined with either Silpat or Parchment Paper about 2" apart.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 9 minutes.
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Dulce de Leche

A few weeks ago a food blogger was talking about making your own Dulce de Leche. It's basically a Caramel Sauce made from a can of sweetened condensed milk.
I was preparing a menu for a July 4th party which was to include my Frozen Margarita Pie.
It's made with 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.
We have a pantry in our garage and it gets quite hot in there in this brutal Texas weather.
When I opened the can, it had already turned into the most beautiful and delicious caramel, Dulce de Leche. Consequently, I couldn't use it for the recipe so I've been researching the possibilities for a recipe.
Everything I've found appears to be extremely sweet, and I realized that I didn't want to simply pour it into a crust and refrigerate it for a pie that would be topped with whipped cream.
I also knew that I wouldn't make a Cheesecake with it.
Here are the ways that I decided I would use it.

Add chopped pecans, coconut and some powdered sugar to ice a Chocolate Cake.

Spread onto Crepes , fold in half twice to create a wedge and enjoy!

Add to Coffee with a bit of Half and Half.

Make your favorite Brownie batter , pour into a baking pan, drizzle with Dulce de Leche, swirl it around with either a skewer or a knife and bake as directed.

To make your own:
Pre heat the oven to 475 degrees.
Empty 1 (14oz.) can of Sweetened Condensed Milk into a glass or ceramic pie pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pie pan into a Roasting Pan that has boiling water half way up the pie pan.
Bake for 1 hour.
Remove to a bowl and whisk or beat until smooth and use as directed in the suggestions above.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Easy as "Pie"....... Pie, with Coconut and Honey Roasted Peanuts!

These pies were created sometime in the 70's. Some of them were made with a pre- made mix that formed a crust during baking. The ingredients were as varied as they could be, making a variety of them to choose from.
This one magically creates a crust-like bottom but does not use a pre - made mix.
I find these fascinating, somewhat like my Apple Pie.... without a crust recipe, that has become one of my favorites.
They are simple and the end result is delicious.
This is an adaptation of a vintage recipe.

1/2 C  granulated sugar
1/2 C brown
4 large eggs
2 C milk
1/2 C ( 1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 C flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flaked coconut
1/2 C honey roasted peanuts

Serve with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream


Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Process for 1 minute only!
That's it......
Pour into a 10" pie pan , lightly buttered or greased with my Pan Release Recipe.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until set.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Baked Cheese Olive Bites

I hesitated to post this recipe because I didn't think anyone would make them. Now that I have posted vintage recipes, I decided to write about this hors d'oeuvres.

My mother made these when I was a child. I think she served them at every New Year's Eve Party as far back as the mid fifties. I use to eat them like candy.

I remember making them myself sometime in the eighties for New Year's Eve. I also had a retro 50's and 60's party not so long ago and served these.
I still love them and I need to make them again soon.
I don't think I need an occasion anymore.

Cheese Olive Bites:
1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C flour
3 TBS butter
green olives ( the recipe doesn't state this, but the olives are pimento stuffed)
It also never mentioned how many it makes...... and I never added it.

That's one of the things I love about those vintage family recipes that were made often, all you needed to know was that you made them often and it didn't matter if anyone else needed to make them.

My mother in law has many recipes that don't even tell how many cups or tablespoons of an ingredient are needed, she just knew!


Mix cheese, flour and butter together to form dough around the olives.
Place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes.

I started baking them on a Silpat lined cookie sheet.
The next time I make them, I may post the amount that it makes.... or not!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Skillet Apple Cake

I have a vast collection of Cast Iron. It may very well be my favorite cookware. Some of my pieces are as non stick as any manufactured non stick cookware. I always had issues buying non stick cookware. I take very good care of my Cast Iron and it serves me well.
I have many recipes from vintage, to family favorites, and here's just another great Apple recipe.
I grew up in Michigan and we were surrounded by Apple Orchards. My Grandmother had many recipes with Apples as the main ingredient.
This was one of Aunt Faye's family favorites.

Skillet Apple Cake

3/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter

Cream both sugars and butter together in a stand mixer or by hand
Cream them well until the sugars are well incorporated.

Add:
2 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
Continue mixing until well blended

Fold in 4 C ( 2 large)  peeled cored and sliced Apples. ( I use my apple, peeler, corer gadget) I've posted a photograph of it with another Apple recipe) My favorite baking Apples are Jonagold.

Pour the batter into a 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

Remove from the oven and while it's still hot, drizzle the following topping over the cake and return it to the oven to continue baking.

Topping:
2TBS butter, melted
3 TBS milk
1 1/2 C brown sugar
Mix well in a small bowl and cover the hot cake with the topping
Return to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes.

Option:
After the cake is finished baking, top with 1 C chopped pecans or Walnuts.
Serve with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!