Coconut Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Cookies have always been part of my Christmas celebration! Growing up in North Dakota, there was always the Scandinavian favorites such as Krum Kake, Rosettes, Fatigmand and Butter Cookies. There were plates of wonderful sugar cookies, some sugared and baked and some frosted and decorated! Both of the Christmas programs that I participated in, the Gardner School and the Sunday School Christmas at the Nora Lutheran Church served cookies afterwards for all to enjoy! I am a participant in Georgia’s Annual Cookie Party, where 10 of us bake and bring 10 packages of cookies to exchange. After appetizers, we do a tasting of all the cookies. It is always a good time for all and another Christmas tradition to look forward to every year! Today I am sharing the cookie I made this year. Enjoy!

COCONUT CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIES
Makes 30 Cookies

1 cup coconut, shredded
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup golden brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup milk chocolate toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Toast coconut by baking 8 to 10 minutes, stirring with a fork every two minutes till lightly golden. Cool completely before adding to cookies.

Measure butter and sugars into a 4-qt. mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low till blended. Add vanilla and eggs and beat till fluffy. Stir in flour, soda and salt with a spoon. Add coconut, chocolate chips and toffee bits. Use a 1 ½-inch scoop to drop the cookies. Lightly roll and place 2” apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or till lightly browned and set in the center. Cool on the cookie sheet 5 minutes. Slide the parchment paper to cooling racks and cool completely.

Indian Corn

Halloween is fun! “Trick or Treat” did not work for us out in the country as no one wanted to drive miles between houses to get candy! The only house we went to was our Grandma Ethel and we were never disappointed with the candy and homemade popcorn balls we received at that stop! After posing for the annual picture, it was on to the party! Our community had a big party at the school in town with games and costume contests, all with popular prizes! My favorite part of the party was the Haunted Room. In the adjoining room to the kitchen, a wood “coffin” was set up with a “corpse” that we went around and reached in, with the help of costumed assistants, to discover the different body parts. I never did find out what I actually had put my hands in as I completed the “tour of the corpse!” The mother’s served a nice snack including sandwiches, bar cookies and Halloween punch. Everyone received a big bag of candy on our way home. Farm gardens produce lots of Indian corn, pumpkins and gourds for fall decorations and our Halloween party was no exception! Indian Corn is easy and a perfect dip for chips at autumn parties!

I
INDIAN CORN
Serves 6

1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
12-oz. bottle taco sauce
12-oz. Steam in the Bag frozen yellow corn

Brown onion and ground beef in a non-stick, covered 3-qt. chef’s pan, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Drain. Stir in taco sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. Microwave corn 4 minutes. Stir into beef and simmer 5 minutes longer. Serve hot with white corn chips.

Bird Seed Salad

With research on sunflower products and the health benefits associated with them, sunflowers became a preferred cash crop. That brought grain storage and a summer job for my brother, sister and myself. Cleaning the steel bins was a dirty job! It was hot inside the bin and very dusty. The summer humidity would make the dust cling in the air and get all over you when sweeping. If any rain had come in through the vent on the top, the sunflowers would mold and have to be scraped off the concrete floor with a shovel. Natural oil in the sunflower seeds made the floor slippery so care was taken with all the tasks! My favorite part of the job was chasing out the field mice. Luckily, we had farm cats to help get rid of them!

Today’s recipe is Bird Seed Salad. There are many versions of this recipe and this is my favorite. I reduced the sugar in the dressing by half. Celery replaced raisins to reduce the sweetness and add more crunch. Mix the greens and dressing right before serving.


BIRD SEED SALAD
Serves 6

1 cup mayonnaise or mayonnaise-type salad dressing
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
½ cup red onion, chopped
12-oz. pkg. hickory smoked bacon slices, fried crisp and drained
2 lbs. fresh broccoli crowns (about 3 small)
1 cup crisp celery, cut into 1/2-inch slices
½ cup shelled, dry roasted sunflower seeds


Measure mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar into a 2-qt. mixing bowl. Whisk till smooth. Stir in onion. Crumble bacon into the bowl and mix. Cover and chill 1 hour or till served.

Use kitchen shears to cut broccoli flowerets off the stem into a salad spinner. Cut larger flowerets again to make bite-size pieces. Discard stems. Add the celery and rinse under cold, running water. Spin till dry. Pour into a 4-qt. salad bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour. Add sunflower seeds. Toss with dressing. Serve cold.

Tater Tot Beef Skillet

August for my family meant harvest time and the long hours involved with it. Everyone in the family participates whether it be preparing the meals, filling the equipment with fuel, driving the grain truck or actually running the combine equipment. My first baking experience came with making cakes or cookies to be taken out to the field for the morning and afternoon lunch breaks. Along with the sweet treats, simple sandwiches are served with coffee and Kool-Aid. The big meal of the day is served at noon at home and called “dinner”. Most of our field workers outside of family were high school students. When asked how they liked what I made, it was always positive. In hindsight, it may have been that they valued their summer jobs! Whether it was good or it wasn’t, I continued to try new recipes! Thanks Corky, Mike, Jeff, Bruce and Jim for the vote of approval! Meat and potatoes are the noon staple during harvest. Today’s recipe was the first casserole I learned to make and is still a favorite. Served with a salad and a steamed ear of fresh corn from the garden, it is an easy meal for busy times!


TATER TOT BEEF SKILLET
Serves 6

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lbs. ground beef
1 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
32-oz. pkg. Tater Tots seasoned, shredded frozen potatoes
1 C. milk
10 ¾-oz. can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
Freshly ground black pepper

Brown onion and ground beef in a non-stick, oven-safe 4-qt. chicken fryer, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute longer. Scatter Tater Tot’s in a single layer over the meat. Measure milk into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in soup. Ladle over the Tater Tot’s. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Caramel Nut Brownies

July 9 - July 17 is the Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo, North Dakota. I exhibited as a Gardner Gleaming Girl 4-H Club Member for 8 years. Our club always had a fair booth and I entered baked goods, sewing or crafts, depending on the projects of that year. For 4-H members, everything entered received a ribbon. Blue is the best. The majority of items receive a red ribbon and if an item is not very good, it was awarded the white ribbon. The only white ribbon I received at the Red River Valley Fair was on a craft project. It was a nature picture. I cut dried weeds and cattails out of the ditch by the driveway to our house and glued them on a piece of wood. Shellac was sprayed over the entire picture to finish. Actually, I sprayed it with shellac multiple times because I thought the extra shine would help it look better! It was on display all week at the fair, adorned with it’s white ribbon! My last baking entry was Caramel Nut Brownies that awarded me a Blue Ribbon. Other than reducing the butter by 1/4 cup, this is the same recipe I entered in the fair in 1971!

CARAMEL NUT BROWNIES
Makes 24 Squares

14-oz. pkg. caramels
1/3 C. evaporated milk
½ C. unsalted butter
18.25-oz. pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
1/3 C. evaporated milk
1 C. walnuts, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter the bottom only of a 9x13x2-inch non-stick baking pan. Unwrap caramels and melt with 1/3 C. evaporated milk in a 2-qt. saucepan on low, stirring occasionally.

Microwave butter in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup on defrost for 2 minutes or till melted. Stir in cake mix and 1/3 C. evaporated milk. The dough will be thick. Spread half the dough in the prepared pan using a silicone spatula to level to a thin layer covering the entire pan bottom. Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle with walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour caramel over all. Crumble remaining unbaked dough in small pieces evenly over the top. Continue baking for 20 minutes or till the edges begin to pull away from the pan.

Cool. Cut into squares. Store Caramel Nut Brownies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for later.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Cheer, Cheer, The Gang’s All Here! Congratulations to the Arizona State University Baseball Team and their 22nd appearance in the College World Series! My work-study job in college was working as a tutor for members of the baseball team. It was more directing than tutoring but at the end of the day everyone was legally eligible to play! We won the NCAA Championship one year and were the NCAA runner up the second. Both years that I attended the CWS we were in the winners bracket, which meant we did not play till evening and had time during the day to travel around town and try new eateries. I drove up since I was heading home to North Dakota for the summer after the series. Having a car there made getting around much easier! A favorite for lunch was Spaghetti Works in Old Market Omaha. The restaurant is a converted loading dock and served the salad out of the back of a Model-T truck. The food is great and it is All-You-Care-To-Eat!

Today’s recipe is converted from a favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. I added more garlic for flavor. Blending naturally thickens the sauce. Enjoy!


SPAGHETTI AND MEAT SAUCE
Serves 6

1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 C. water
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
6-oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb. ground beef
2 links sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
13.5-oz. pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
5-oz. pkg. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded

Stir together oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, bay leaf, water, tomatoes and tomato paste in a non-stick, 4-qt. saucepan. Pour oil into a non-stick, 3-qt. chef's pan. Stir in onion, green pepper and garlic. Sauté on medium till firm tender. Add to tomato mixture. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Blend the sauce with an electric hand blender till smooth and thick.

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef and sausage in a non-stick, 3-qt. chef's pan, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain. Stir meat into the sauce. Cover and simmer 20 minutes longer.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Serve hot, topping each serving with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Sugar Buns

Peggy’s Dakota Kitchen is honoring Memorial Day! My earliest memories of preparation for Memorial Day always include my Grandma Ethel Dullum. I helped pull weeds and prepare the family graves at the Nora Lutheran Church Cemetery for their Memorial Day wreaths. They were usually artificial flowers, sometimes on a cross, with a stake to mount them near the headstone. It was an early message of the importance of remembering those that have gone before us! Our local American Legion post was named after Grandma Ethel’s cousin Helmer Ellenson who was killed in action in 1918 during WWI. I always had a part in the Memorial Day service either singing or playing in the band. Memorial Day had family members carrying the colors and participating in the gun salute. It is tradition that every member that served in the military and has passed on, whether it be during wartime or afterwards, be represented with a white cross mounted in the grassy area outside the building. Roll Call of each soldier’s name, in order of passing, is read before the gun salute.

Today, I honor my family and friends for service. A special “Thank You” to Marlys (Aunt and Godmother) Dullum - Army, Walter (Cousin) Ihnken - Army, Kelly (Friend) Clark - Air Force and Darrell (Friend) Bowen - Navy.

MEMORIAL DAY ROLL CALL

Palmer (Grandpa) Dullum - Army
Omer (Grandpa) Barker - Army
Howard (Dad) Dullum - Navy and Air Force
Elmer (Great Uncle) Ihnken - Army
Blaine (Uncle) Dullum - Air Force
Bill (Friend) Diffley - Army Rangers
Harmon (Uncle) Barker - Army
Cecil (Uncle) Barker - Marines
Butch (Friend) White - Army
Cyndy (Friend) Bonner - Air Force

After the Memorial Day Service, Grandma Ethel’s Happy Thot Homemakers Club served coffee and donuts. Today’s recipe is a baked donut that is perfect with a cup of coffee! My sister and I starting making these in 4-H when we were in elementary school. I deleted 2 Tbsp. of the butter leaving plenty to brush the tops before dipping in sugar.

SUGAR BUNS
Makes 12 Sugar Buns - 2 Per Guest

2 C. all-purpose baking Mix
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ pint (1 cup) whipping cream
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Sugar for dipping (¼ cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms of 12, non-stick, standard-size muffin cups.

Whisk together baking mix, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a 2-qt. mixing bowl. Stir in cream and egg with a silicone spatula till mixed. Let dough rest 5 minutes. Use a 2-inch ice cream scoop to measure the dough and drop one bun in each prepared muffin cup. Level each scoop with a straight-edge spatula before releasing. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Brush the tops of each bun with melted butter then dip in sugar. Serve warm.

Chili-Mac Skillet

As the school year comes to a close, reminders of the wonderful meals provided through the hot lunch program at Gardner Elementary School lead to today’s recipe. The menu was always written on a chalkboard as you entered the school and climbed the stairs to enter the school building. Looking back, we were “green” when no one knew what that was and fresh food cooked in the schools happened for us long before “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution!” Since there were only about 50 students in grades 1-8, the cook was a Mom and the meals were homemade. Wilma Maley, Violet Colwell and Donna Vinje worked their magic in creating a great lunch for us every day! Donna made homemade cinnamon rolls that were to die for! Since some of the students had religious restrictions for meat on Friday’s, there was Tuna Noodle Casserole. Much of the government subsidies for school lunch programs in the 1960’s was beef so there was roast beef, sloppy joes and many versions of hamburger hot dish! Today’s recipe is a re-make of Chili-Mac. Whole wheat elbow macaroni is substituted for the original white elbow macaroni. The salt is reduced by 1 teaspoon and the sugar by 5 teaspoons. A teaspoon of chili powder was added for flavor. I use whole wheat elbow macaroni made from durum wheat grown on the northern plains of Montana and North Dakota!

CHILI-MAC SKILLET
Serves 6

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
28-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
8-oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni

Brown ground beef in a non-stick, covered 3-qt. chef’s pan, breaking up the beef as it cooks. Drain. Stir in onion and garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, sugar, salt and chili powder. Stir in macaroni. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir. Re-cover and cool 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Scotcheroo's

Today I am talking basketball, state tournaments and good memories surrounding this game! I lettered in basketball in high school. I was slow, a bad shot and only played about two minutes in my career. I joined the team to be social and travel to all the games. You can imagine my shock when I was called in to play! This was during the early 1970’s when girl’s basketball in North Dakota was considered “renegade” because the North Dakota High School Activity Association had stopped sanctioning the sport after the 1960 season. In 1974 it was sanctioned again for both Class A and Class B schools.

Basketball was always popular at our house. My mother, Connie Barker Dullum, was a starting guard on the Gardner, North Dakota state championship basketball team in 1950. Gardner continued to be a powerhouse winning state in 1955, 1956 and 1958.

For schools in North Dakota, selling bar cookies and coffee as a fundraiser was a staple between A and B team games as well as during halftime. There were always favorites like Brownies, Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies and Rice Krispie Treats. The Chocolate Frosted Rice Krispie Bars aka Special K Bars aka Scotcheroo’s sold right away! I pre-measure the peanut butter and cereal so they can be added to the syrup quickly. Cook the syrup just till it begins to boil - any longer makes a tough cookie. Dip the fork in cold water to prevent sticking when pressing the cereal in the pan. Enjoy a family and community favorite!

SCOTCHEROO’S

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with non-stick foil.

Measure corn syrup and sugar into a non-stick, 3-qt. chef’s pan. Cook on medium till the mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and stir till smooth. Fold in cereal till completely coated. Pour into prepared pan. Level in the pan, pressing to ¾-inch thick with a fork.

Measure butterscotch chips and chocolate chips into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave, uncovered on defrost for 5 minutes. Stir till the chips are melted and smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and spread to cover. Cool at room temperature for 2 hours or till the chocolate hardens.

Lift foil from pan to a cutting board. Cut cookies into 12 squares for a bake sale or 24 squares for a cookie tray. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pasta Ring Fruit Salad

Welcome to Peggy’s Dakota Kitchen! I hope each visit here is a pleasure! I am including recipes I prepare today with reminiscences of the past. No matter what I cook and how I entertain, there is always the connection to family, friends and growing up on a North Dakota farm!

I am still going through Winter Olympic withdrawal. I enjoyed coming home from work and watching the games! With so many of the competitions close, I stayed up every night till the end of broadcast! As a kid, I would try to emulate the speed skaters going up the frozen driveway to wait for the school bus. Slightly bent over with one arm swinging back and forth for momentum, it was a quicker trip than the regular walk! As a family, we also had a Tudor Tabletop Rod Hockey Game. We played it for years and was our favorite toy! The puck was on a bearing that made it roll quickly and the pet’s loved it! The trick was finding it when you wanted to play! My favorite Olympic moment this year was during the closing ceremony when oversized cut-outs of the table hockey players were brought out. Adding the gold medal on each was the perfect touch!

Today’s recipe is Pasta Ring Fruit Salad. This is a great winter fruit salad that can be used any time of year. It has been a favorite of mine for years and I even had it served at my high school graduation reception! I removed 3 eggs and reduced the sugar by half for the dressing. Regular whipping cream is substituted for heavy whipping cream and the powdered sugar to sweeten it was reduced by half. The pasta rings are tiny circles of macaroni that are approximately 1/4-inch wide and 1/8-inch thick and are called “rings” on the box.

PASTA RING FRUT SALAD
Serves 6

20-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
1 egg
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups pasta rings
15-oz. can mandarin orange segments in light syrup
15-oz. can fruit cocktail in juice
½ pint (1 cup) whipping cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Pour pineapple into a 6” mesh strainer and drain into a 2-qt. non-stick saucepan. Pour pineapple into a 4-qt. mixing bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, sugar, flour and salt into the pineapple juice. Let sit 5 minutes. Cook on medium, whisking till the mixture boils and is smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Measure 2 qt. water into a 4-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook pasta rings for 8 minutes or till firm tender. Pour into a colander and rinse under cold, running water for 30 seconds. Drain. Pour into 4-qt. mixing bowl with the pineapple. Drain mandarin oranges and fruit cocktail and stir in. Fold in cooked dressing till coated. Pour into a 2-qt. covered container and chill 8 to 24 hours.

Before serving, use an electric mixer with beaters and beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in a chilled 1-qt. stainless bowl till stiff on medium. Scrape pasta mixture into a 4-qt. mixing bowl and fold in whipped cream. Serve cold.