Hilda's Glums Paska Spread

This recipe is from my friend Hilda. It is a cottage cheese and egg spread to put on Paska. As a young child I didn't appreciate this spread but since tasting Hilda's spread several years ago . .it became strangely addictive.

• 1 - 500 ml container dry cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup room temperature butter
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 small or 2 large hard boiled eggs ..roughly chopped (I make half her recipe which calls for 5 eggs)
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin softened in 1/4 cup warm water

1. In a small saucepan heat the whipping cream and gelatin/water together. Simmer it a few minutes until it has slightly thickened. Don't boil it hard. . just a slight simmer is what you want.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. In a blender or food processor combine all the ingredients.
4. Process until it is is thoroughly combined but still has a bit of texture.
5. Fill a plastic container and put on a lid. ( I like to use a container size that is almost too small so that the lid presses down the spread to compact it slightly. (trial by error is my motto). . or put it in a glass bowl, cover with a plate and put something a little heavy ontop to press down.
6. Chill well .. .and spread thickly on Paska.

Bread for the Journey

For thirty years my Mom prepared the crafts for her two year old Sunday School class.  For Palm Sunday she made these simple construction paper palm trees for the little children to wave as they sang. She loved teaching even the youngest children to sing praises to Jesus and knew that those early lessons would be a stepping stone for their understanding of the whole Easter story. 

The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem happened just as Zechariah had prophesied hundreds of years earlier. 

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

 Zechariah 9:9 

Some people put their coats on the ground and others took branches and covered the ground as they sang "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest."

The same crowds that were waving palm branches and making a path of palm branches for Jesus singing Hosanna, were calling for his crucifixion five days later.  

Let us go into this week with praise and thanksgiving for Jesus and for his sacrifice on our behalf!

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!

Paska

Paska, Books, Lepps Farms...too much excitement for one week. By now most of us are back in our kitchens trying to prepare our last minute Easter Paska.
We all have our favorites and so we repeat them over and over because our families love them. I'm sure by now, you've all tried Lovella's Paska Recipe, which is the recipe that united us, women, together. Thank-you Lovella for a wonderful tutorial.
But today, I will share with you our family's tried and true version, the one that my kids keep asking me to bake, the one in the big pan that feeds the whole family.
What's most important is, that this keeps bringing traditions and families together.
I highly recommend that you check out Ellen's Paska Spread. I will be making this spread this year. When I tasted it, I realized that my grandmother had made it many years ago and  I could still savor the taste.
Remember, it's only Thursday, it' never to late to make Paska...Keep practicing.

• 1 cup milk (1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 - 10 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 10 cups flour.

Kneading Machine Procedure

1. Heat milk just to a scalding level, then add butter which will melt in the milk.
2. Add 1 cup water to the milk mixture and by now this will have cooled down the hot milk.
3. In mixing bowl blend half of the flour with fast-rising yeast, and add salt.
4. Add liquids and blend for 5 minutes on the lowest setting.
5. Combine sugar and eggs and lemon zest into a mixing bowl and beat for several minutes.
6. Add remaining flour and add egg mixture into the kneading bowl, and knead at a high setting till the dough pulls away from the mixing bowl.
7. Dough texture should remain soft.
8. Let the dough rise in the mixing bowl till doubled in size. Cover with saran wrap and towel.
9. Meanwhile, prepare your baking pans with cooking oil or parchment paper.
10. Shape your dough into preferred pans and let rise again for 1 hour or till doubled in size.
11. Bake at 325°  Buns need 20 minutes, while loaves need about 30-35 minutes. Check regularly that the bread does not get too brown on top.   
12. Ice with your favorite spread.

Here's my favorite icing.  I love this one because you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge up to three months. It's also excellent for cinnamon buns.

• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 41/2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2/3 cups shortening
• 1 egg
• 21/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Dissolve white sugar in water. Shake or stir frequently. Set aside. Beat remaining ingredients to the consistency of whipped cream. Beat in sugar and water mixture. Store covered in the refrigerator. Will keep up to 3 months.
Most of our family will slice the Paska and spread it on like butter. So take the extra spread along with you. And you must always add many colorful sprinkles.
Meanwhile, let's not forget the real message of Easter in Paska making, but rather focus on who Jesus is; the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.

Paska Buns

Paska (based on the Hebrew word for passover) is a rich, citrussy sweet bread...baked in loaves or rolls of all shapes and sizes and decorated with icing and sprinkles. It is a traditional Easter bread baked by many generations before me. There are enough paska lovers in our family...that I think this tradition will carry on.

Paska was baked the Saturday before Easter in my childhood home, and on Easter Sunday we enjoyed the nicely decorated fresh paska. Though it is often baked in loaf form, we prefer paska buns over here.  They are easy to transport and share with friends and neighbours.  The following recipe uses instant yeast for simplicity.

 

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 small lemon, zest and juice
• 1 small orange, zest and juice
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons instant yeast *
• 7-7 1/2 cups flour , approximately

1. Scald milk and butter in microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir to melt butter.
2. Grate rind of lemon and orange. Then squeeze juice of each.
3. Combine milk, butter, lemon and orange in a large bowl.  
4. Add beaten eggs, sugar and salt.  Mix well. 
5. Combine instant yeast with 4 cups flour and add to liquids.  Beat until smooth.
6. Continue adding flour, one cup at a time until the dough no longer sticky, but still quite soft.
7. Knead for several minutes.
8. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
9. Form small balls (the size of dinner rolls) and place on well greased pans.
10. Allow to rise once more until doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours. 
11. Bake at 325°F for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
12. Remove to wire racks to cool.
13. Frost with the icing of your choice...and top with sprinkles. 

Yield: 3 dozen paska buns

 * If you have active dry yeast, you might want to use Lovella's recipe, which is very similar to this one.

Yeast doughs that are heavy on milk, butter and eggs tend to rise a little slower.  Have patience!

 

Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Short on oven space as you think about the big meal? Put the scalloped potatoes into a slow cooker hours before dinner and forget about them. This recipe is adapted and doubled from the Mennonite Treasury. It goes well with ham or farmer sausage.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups sliced potatoes or 4 lbs mini potatoes
• 1 thinly sliced large onion
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or 1 can and 1 can cream of celery)
• 1 can milk or light sour cream (using the empty soup can as a measure)
• pepper and paprika

Method:

1. Peel potatoes, if using regular potatoes. If using mini potatoes, no need to peel. 
2. Slice and place half into buttered slow cooker/crock pot. 
3. Top with thinly sliced onion.
4. Mix soup and milk in shaker container and pour half of it over onions.
5. Repeat with potatoes and the rest of the soup mix.
6. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. 
7. Cook on high heat for 1 hour, then turn down to medium and cook for another 4 hours or until potatoes are soft. You can slow this down (7 hours) by cooking on low/medium heat the whole time or speed it up by cooking on high heat the whole time. Once they are done, keep warm on the lowest setting. Serves 10 - 12 

Hash Brown Quiche

The secret to this quiche is a crispy hash brown crust.

Perfect for a weekend brunch. Credit goes to my Daughter in law for this recipe.

• 3 large boiled potatoes, shredded or 24 oz. pkg. frozen hash browns, thawed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup diced ham 
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup Half and Half Cream (or evaporated milk )
• 3 eggs, beaten well
• salt and pepper 

1. Butter a 9 inch pie pan or square pan. 
2. Press Shredded potatoes covering entire bottom and sides of pan. 
3. Brush with melted butter – especially sides and edges.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown.
5. Remove from oven. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.
6. Mix up all remaining ingredients except 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  
7. Pour over hash brown crust. 
8. Cover with remaining cheddar cheese. 
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes – till set.
10. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

 To make in a 9x13 inch pan, increase ingredients 2 ½ times.

No Bake Whipped Raspberry or Lemon Cheesecake Flashback Friday

Today on Flashback Friday I'm revisiting a recipe I originally posted August 3, 2009. The photo I used for the original post was a lemon flavoured version of this recipe. If some of you are looking for that recipe, don't fret....this is the exact recipe, only instead of using lemon jello, I used raspberry jello. In the original recipe I showed it made in a 9x13 pan, and here I've used a 10" spring form pan.

I always enjoyed the meals we had at my parents place. My Mom was a great cook and I can not remember a time when we didn't have dessert. This was one that she made often. It was served with fresh berries in season or fruit she had frozen. It is very light and frothy, making it a perfect dessert after a heavy meal.

Crust:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 2 cups graham crumbs

1. Melt butter.
2. Place sugar and crumbs into the pan of your choice and stir with a fork. Pour melted butter over crumb mixture. Stir together and press buttered crumb mixture over the bottom of the pan. 
3. Bake in 325º oven for 5 minutes. Cool while making the cheesecake mixture.

Cheesecake mixture:

• 1 370 ml can evaporated milk, chilled at least 1 hour
• 1 small package Jell-O (raspberry or lemon flavour)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (if using lemon jello I also add 1/4 tsp lemon extract)

1. Whip chilled milk until thick and frothy.
2. Dissolve Jell-O powder in boiling water. Cool, but do not let it set.
3. Beat together sugar, cream cheese and extract.
4. Combine the three mixtures and beat well.
5. Pour over cooled crust. Cover and place in refrigerator to set. (several hours or overnight)

Amy's Frozen Mock Cheesecake (Vegan, Soy and Gluten Free)

My daughter Amy's favorite dessert is cheesecake. She asked for cheesecake for every birthday for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately she has developed dairy and gluten intolerances and she longs for this beloved dessert. For this birthday she found a recipe and developed it according to her taste and needs. Wow was it ever good, but it needs to be eaten semi frozen to keep its best shape. Whether you have allergies or not, this cake is a keeper and worth a try.

Crust:

• 8 medjool dates, pitted
• 3/4 cups pecans
• 3/4 cups almonds (or any other mix of nuts equalling 1 ½ cups)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Filling:

• 2 ½ cups raw cashews
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, in liquid state
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp coconut milk
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla

*DO AHEAD* - Soak the cashews in water overnight. Soak the dates in water for approx. 1 hour.

Crust:

1. Line the bottom of a round 9” spring form pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, process the nuts, salt, coconut, lemon zest and spices until everything is chopped finely.
3. Drain the dates and add them to the food processor. Pulse until mixed into a sticky mixture. This will not look smooth; you should see small pieces of nuts and dates.
4. Press mixture into spring form pan.

Filling:

1. Drain the soaked cashews and rinse them.
2. Place all filling ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour mixture into spring form pan.
4. Place pan in the freezer and freeze overnight or until solid.
5. When ready to serve remove from freezer and allow the cake to thaw for approx. 15 minutes.
6. Serve topped with fresh fruit, fruit sauce, chocolate sauce or any other topping you can think of. My favourite has always been raspberries!   

Raspberry Sauce:

• 2 cups of frozen Raspberry
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (it brings out more of the natural taste of the berries).
• 1/4 cup of water
• 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch (dissolved in the water)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1. Mix the Raspberries with the sugar in medium size pan. Let sit for a while until the natural juices are released. 
2. Bring to a boil. 
3. Dissolve cornstarch in the water. 
4. Add to the raspberries and cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thick and clear, stirring constantly.
5. Cool, add fresh lemon juice before serving.

Schwartzies

This hash brown dish takes a few minutes to mix and is a good addition to a brunch or main meal. Last Sunday morning I added some peeled and cut farmer sausage in a separate dish with a little water. I covered both dishes, pre-set the oven and we came home to a ready meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (2 lb) frozen hash browns
• 2 cans cream of mushroom
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. fine onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt,
• pepper
• 2 cups grated cheese
• sprinkle Parmesan cheese
• paprika

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then spread into 9x13 or 2 quart Pyrex dish. For four people I do half the recipe in a 1 quart casserole dish.
2. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika.
3. Bake 1 hour at 375° F.
   
   Variation: Add cubed cooked ham or bacon bits.

Ambrosia Trifle

This coconut and fruit filled trifle would make a lovely dessert for Easter. The cake turns our light and airy and can also be used as a sheet cake, layer cake or jelly roll. Using the cream mixture as the filling and frosting.
I'll let you in on a little secret. I was to bring a dessert to a friends 60th birthday tea and thought a spring like jelly roll would be a perfect choice. I baked this cake in my jello roll pan and had all the fillings ready to go. It's turned out perfect other times...but on this occasion the cake began to really crumble and rolling became impossible. Whatever you do, don't panic when this happens. Grab your trifle bowl, or any pretty glass bowl and turn your crumbling cake into a trifle masterpiece. It's your secret...unless you tell....as I did.

Cake:

• 1 white cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well. 
2. Pour batter into greased and parchment lined 9x13 pan.
3. Bake as directed on cake mix box.
4. While cake is cooling make the following filling.

Filling and Cream:

• 1 8 ounce tub cool whip dessert topping
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups fine sweetened coconut
• 2 284ml cans mandarin orange segments, drained well
• 1 398ml can crushed pineapple, drained well
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract (or vanilla extract)
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Stir together cool whip, sour cream, coconut, oranges and pineapple. 
2. Whip cream together with extract and sugar until stiff.

Assembling trifle:

1. Cut cooled cake into cubes. 
2. Layer the cake, filling and cream alternately into trifle bowl ending layers with the cream.
3. Decorate with more sweetened whipped cream, a sprinkle of fancy coconut and mini coloured marshmallows, or decorate with fresh fruit. 
4. Cover well and place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or over night.