Grandma's Italian Cheese Cake

In addition to having many of Mom's recipes, I also have a number of her mom's recipes. Now, I do not remember Grandma making this particular cheesecake recipe, but when I saw the main ingredient was ricotta cheese, I had to give this one a try.

As you can see in the photo in Grandma's own handwriting, her recipe calls for four pounds of ricotta cheese. So, when I made this recipe, I cut the recipe in half; and, still I had two cheesecakes. Not that there is anything terrible about having too much cheesecake. Grandma's recipe is a bit sparse on directions. There is no mention of what pan to use. For cheesecakes, it is common to use a springform pan with removable sides. I do not own springform pans, so I just used an 8-inch round pan and a 9-inch round pan. Be sure to thoroughly grease the pans.

This cheesecake recipe does not call for a crust, but, if you wanted, you could add a classic graham cracker crust or a crust made from amaretti cookies. Also, you could add either lemon or orange zest or almond extract for a different flavor. I have seen similar recipes online that recommend draining the ricotta. I did not do that this time, but I might consider doing so next time.

Italian Cheese Cake

• 2 pounds ricotta
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 250. If needed, drain the ricotta. Mix together the ingredients for three minutes (per Grandma). Pour into a well-greased pan (one springform pan or two 8-inch round pans). Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow to thoroughly cool or refrigerate overnight before cutting. Enjoy!

Mint Patties a.k.a Toothpaste Cookies

Another mainstay of Mom's annual Christmas cookie plates was the mint patties. But us kids always called them toothpaste cookies because they are minty like toothpaste and their soft consistency is a bit like toothpaste. But that is where the similarity ends because these mint patties are loaded with sugar. Maybe that is why I always loved these tasty treats.

Now, these mint patties are technically not cookies because there is no need to actually bake them. They are like the inside of a Junior Mint, just without the chocolate. They are simple to make, but do require some time after they are made to dry out. The dough itself reminds me of Play-Doh because it is so easy to shape, such that you could make them into any type of shape, and use multiple food colors to create patterns or shapes. Here, I followed what Mom always did and made the patties using the tines of a fork to make a pattern.

No Cook Mint Patties

• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• food coloring

Thoroughly blend the butter, corn syrup, peppermint extract, and salt. Add the sugar and mix with a spoon and/or hands until blended. If you want to have different color patties, divide the dough now. Add 1 or more drops of food coloring and blend until you have the desired color.

Shape about one tablespoon of dough into a round ball. Place on wax paper and flatten using the tines of a fork. Let the patties to dry for several hours. Enjoy!

Kolacky Cookies

I remember Mom making kolacky cookies at Christmastime. The kolacky is a Czech cookie, and has several spellings. I pronounce it "Klotch-key."

The cookie has several variations, so I should not have been surprised when I looked in Mom's recipe box and found four different recipes for kolacky cookies. When asked, Mom immediately said that she always made the cream cheese kolackys, so that is the recipe here. As for the filling, any sort of fruit preserve will work, so pick your favorite. Mom's recipe calls for adding a little lemon or almond extract to the preserves, creating a nice flavor overall for the cookie.

There are several ways to form the cookies. I remember Mom using the thumbprint method, in which the rolled dough is cut with a round cutter, then using your thumb, make a small indention in the center for the preserves. Another method involves one more step of pulling together opposite sides and pinching the dough to form something of a basket for the preserves. Another option is to use a two-inch round base, with preserves in the center, then a top, also two inches, but with another circle of one inch removed from the center so the preserves peek through. Still another option is to use the thumbprint method, but then fold the unbaked cookie in half and press the edges with a fork to seal. No matter how you form the kolackys, they will be delicious.

Kolacky Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 cup flour

Filling options

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves  + 1/2 tsp. lemon extract; OR
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves + 1/2 tsp almond extract

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Blend in the sugar, then the flour. Roll out the dough to 1/16 inch thick. Cut into desired shape and place onto baking sheet. Place rounded 1/4 tsp. of filling in the center of each cookie. Form shape of cookie, as desired (see note above). Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

With another December comes another Christmas cookie recipe. Although this recipe is technically for a bar rather than a cookie, Mom used to make these for her annual cookie plates that she gives out at Christmastime. These lemon bars make a great addition to a plate full of cookies, or can be anytime on their own. MDS's Grandma also used to make lemon bars to be included on her cookie plates. Clearly lemon bars are a Christmas classic.

Lemon bars are very easy to make. Be certain to thoroughly grease the pan. When Mom made these, if the bars did not come out cleanly, those broken bars were for us kids to eat. So, of course we loved the fact that they were difficult to remove.  But next time I make lemon bars, I will likely use parchment paper to line the pan to make it easier to remove the bars. When I made this recipe, I did not have any lemon flavoring, so I just use a little extra lemon juice. They were still so tasty.

Lemon Bars

• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. lemon flavoring

Spray and 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray. Mix together 1 cup flour with the butter and powdered sugar. Pat the mixture into the pan, using a spatula. Be sure to evenly spread the mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, baking powder and lemon flavoring. Pour onto the baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes. Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to cool, then cut into bars. Enjoy!

Turkey Frame Soup

After Thanksgiving, there are always tasty leftovers to be enjoyed, like turkey sandwiches or curry turkey. My favorite leftover is the turkey frame soup that Mom always made.

It's called turkey "frame" soup because it starts by boiling the entire frame of your Thanksgiving turkey in a big pot. (This year our turkey was bigger than our pot, so I had to get MDS to break the turkey's carcass in half.) By the time you're starting the soup you've already cut off the big pieces of meat for Thanksgiving dinner and set aside more meat for turkey sandwiches, but as Carl Weathers once said, there's still plenty of meat on that bone. So you'll end up with a very meaty soup.


There are many variations to this soup. In the recipe below, I have added a can of diced tomato that Mom does not use. When used in conjunction with oregano, it makes it more of an Italian soup. If you prefer, instead of oregano, you could use basil, majoram, or thyme. As for the vegetables, Mom usually used a frozen "soup mix," which is what I used. You could use any standard soup vegetables, fresh or frozen, such as celery, carrots, parsnips, onions, broccoli, or any other vegetable. This recipe makes a lot of soup, so I usually freeze some, because, just as you can get sick of turkey leftovers, you can get sick of turkey soup leftovers.

Turkey Frame Soup 

• 1 meaty turkey frame
• 2 cups chopped, cooked turkey
• 1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 cups soup vegetables
• 1 1/2 cup medium noodles

Break the turkey frame in half and place it is a large Dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for about two hours. 

Remove the turkey frame. When the frame is cool enough to handle, cut the meat off the bones and coarsely chop. Add additional meat to equal about 2 cups, and set meat aside. Strain the broth through a sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth; discard any solids.

Return the broth to the Dutch oven. Stir in the undrained tomatoes, bouillon, herb, pepper, and vegetables. Return to boiling then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in noodles and turkey. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes more or until noodles are done. Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole

Can you have Thanksgiving dinner without green bean casserole? Some families do it, but in our family something would be missing from Thanksgiving if green bean casserole wasn't on the menu. Mom's recipe for this casserole is fairly standard. And, of course it is very easy to make. I could not find this recipe among Mom's written recipe, but she was able to rattle off the ingredients without even pausing. You could use fresh green beans, if you want. But this recipe was perfectly designed for canned green beans.

What truly makes this dish special is the french fried onions. Some get mixed into the casserole and some are left on top to get super crunchy. I know this recipe calls for 2 cups, but I actually used more than two cups when I made this recipe. This dish could be made anytime of year, but for whatever reason it has become a Thanksgiving classic, that, in my family is saved for that one time each year.

Green Bean Casserole

• 1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• dash of salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 cans (14 1/2 oz.) canned green beans, drained
• 2 cups french fried onions

Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together the soup, milk, salt, pepper, green beans and 1 cup french fried onions in a 1.5 quart casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the mixture. Then, top with the remaining french fried onions. Bake 5 more minutes. Enjoy!

Pastitsio

My mother-in-law recently shared with me a favorite recipe: Pastitsio. Patti explained that they had first tried the dish at a church fair at a Greek Orthodox Church in Urbana, Illinois in the late 1960s. And, as it happens, the local newspaper published the recipe a week later. Lucky for us that Patti found that recipe and shared it.

Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish. As Patti explained, it is very easy to make, but the downside is that it uses every pan in the kitchen. To me, all that cleanup is worth it for this tasty meal.

This recipe is the standard Greek version of the dish. Other variations might use lamb or veal instead of beef, or, other spices, such as allspice. But, I stuck to Patti's recipe here. You cannot go wrong with this recipe, and do not skip the cinnamon or nutmeg. As Patti says, they make the recipe. Patti also suggested that the dish can be prepared in advanced, and even frozen, just to be defrosted and baked when you are ready to serve it.

Pastitsio 

Meat Filling:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

 Cream sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 eggs

8 oz. elbow macaroni (about 2 cups raw), cooked according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and add 3 oz. grated Romano cheese.

For topping: 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In a large skillet, brown beef with onion until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add salt, pepper, tomato sauce and cinnamon. Simmer until quite dry. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in flour. Stir in the milk gradually and heat to boiling. Add the seasonings. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Gradually add a bit of the hot cream sauce, then return eggs to to the remaining sauce in the pan, and stir thoroughly. Stir 1/4 of the cream sauce into the macaroni/cheese mixture.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8" square baking pan and spread half of the macaroni mixture into the bottom. Top with all of the meat sauce, then all of the remaining macaroni. Pour the remaining white sauce over all and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. Serves 4 - 6. Enjoy!