Peace Diaries Workspace

XI. United States

Chapter 37: Rosement, Pennsylvania

Rosemont School of the Holy Child

Teacher: Margaret McCloskey

	Student: Christopher A. SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS Ingredients 2 lbs small clams (washed and scrubbed) 1 cup dry white wine 1 cup water 1/3 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 onion, finely chopped 3 1/3 cups canned Italian Tomatoes (drained and chopped) 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley 1/8 tsp chili 3 tbsp butter Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 1/3 lbs fresh spaghetti or 1 lb dried Recipe Place clams white wine, water and 1 tbsp. oil in a large pan. Cover and cook over high heat. Boil the liquid until roughly 1 cup remains. Add with white wine. Strain through cheesecloth. Remove. In a large pan heat remaining oil and sauté garlic and onion until golden. Add clam juice and let it evaporate a little before adding tomatoes, parsley, chili, and butter. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cook spaghetti in boiled salt water. Transfer to warm bowls, top with sauce and serve with a small slice of butter on the top of each dish but no cheese. Essay A recipe that is important to my family’s background is spaghetti with clams. It is a special food symbolizing tradition in our family. My family is Italian and Italians have many different traditions. Italy is a country located in Europe and it’s a beautiful and historical one. Italy is known for its food. The significance of the recipe in my family is that it has been passed on for generations and hope that the family will continue it. It is also significant to us because it is used as one of the seven fishes at the Christmas Eve meal. It is an Italian tradition and it is important to know how to make it for future generations. This recipe is special to me because it’s something that my Great-Great-Great Grandparents once began and I will hold responsibility for carrying on the family tradition. I will be in charge of keeping traditions going on for my Italian family. This recipe is also very important because it is used at the seven fishes. The seven fishes is a meal that is held on Christmas Eve. It is celebrated with the whole family. The seven fishes have a reason for being held around Christmas time. The fish stands for Jesus feeding us. The symbol of the fish is used many times in the bible symbolizing Christianity. We go to my grandmothers every year knowing that we are having the same dinner at Christmas Eve that binds us together like a family.
	Student: Peter B. DEVILS FOOD CAKE Ingredients for CAKE 1 Package Duncan Hines Deluxe 12 Devils Food Cake Mix 1 Package Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix _ Cup Crisco Oil 1 _ Cup Water 4 Eggs Ingredients for ICING 1 Cup of Water 2 Egg Whites _ Teaspoon Salt 3 Teaspoon of Fruit Juice _ Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Recipe for CAKE Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease well and then flour pan. Blend all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Bake at 350 degrees. Cake is finished when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Approximate cooking time is 50 minutes per layer. Recipe for ICING Beat 4 to 5 minutes over double boiler. Apply uniformly to pound cake surface. Essay The recipe I chose was a pound cake. This recipe is German and has been in my family for many years. My family has carried this recipe through many years dating back to my Great-Great-Great Grandmother on my Father’s side. This recipe is very special to me because it symbolizes family togetherness and many days when I was feeling upset this dessert has cheered me up. This cake is also my favorite food. I remember my dad telling me about the first time that he tasted the cake. He said that he did not like it for a long time but gradually began to like it. So when the cake was brought before me, I remember thinking that it was going to taste terrible but it did not. In fact I liked it so much that I asked for it every night for two weeks. My family still jokes about that time. Another time I had a friend over and for dessert we had the cake. He tasted it and said he was full. The next time I saw him he told me he thought the cake had tasted bad. We argued for an hour over that point and sometimes we still do. This recipe has been preserved and honored for many years inside my family and although the people who eat it have changed, the tradition of serving it never will.
	Student: Kaitlin B. TISHON FLATS, WELSH COOKIES Ingredients 3 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 4 tablespoons nutmeg _ lb. lard (margarine) 1 cup sugar 1 egg _ teaspoon salt Raisins Recipe Mix all dry ingredients first, and then rub lard through as for pie crust. Put currants in and mix thoroughly. Wet it with milk and egg (beat egg and fill cup with milk). Don’t put all the milk in at once, just wet it gradually as you do for pie crust. Roll out (not to thin). Cut, grill, let cool and eat. Essay My family recipe is Tishon Flats. These cookies came from Wales and have a very unique taste to them. This shows my family’s heritage by the way it tastes, which is unique to Wales, and where it originated. My great, great aunt Jenn used to make these cookies for a church fundraiser every year and my mother would get to eat the ones that weren’t sold. When I was little my mother made them for me at Christmas time. My mother now associates Tishon flats with her aunt Jenn and Christmas time. Tishon Flats taste is different from regular cookies because it is more of a scone taste but they are very good. I have not had Tishon Flats for a while and since I was so small when my mother made them, I don’t associate many memories with them. I could tell that this is a very old recipe because of the list of ingredients. Instead of margarine my great, great aunt Jenn put in lard which is the old word for margarine. This recipe is old and takes a lot of work to make. It has been around for along time. My great great, aunt Jenn was the first person to write it down and my mother still has the recipe card that she originally wrote it down on. This is a very special recipe to my mother and I think it will probably be passed down to me so I can make them for my children.
	Student: Nailah B. COLLARD GREENS Many families have important occasions in their lives, which are celebrated by family recipes. Examples of these special days are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and other family gatherings. The recipe that is special to my family comes from the southern part of the United States. It is an old tried recipe used with much success. My recipe is very special to me because it has been passed down from generation to generation. Many memories come to mind when I think of this recipe. One is the first time I tried to make it. I almost destroyed the wonderful treat. The most important ingredient is salt. Without this element the dish is not preferable. Different cultures have different delicacies in food. In conclusion I believe that if people can respect the food in my culture I will respect theirs. I also believe that people should try more foods and not just things that they are accustomed to.
	FOOD FACTS: ABOUT THE CARAWAY SEED Caraway seeds come from a plant that is native to Europe and western Asia and has been cultivted since the Middle Ages in Sicily to northern Scandinavia. Used as both a flavoring and an aid to digestion, during the Elizabethan England and also during Egyptian times this seed would be an ingredient for soaps and medicines. Resource: http://www.aaessentials.com/oils/caraway.html http://www.foodproductdesign.com/archive/2001/0601sr.html
	Student: Regina B. IRISH SODA BREAD Ingredients 4 cups of flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1/2 teaspoons of salt 2 tablespoon of sugar 3/4 cups of raisins 2 teaspoons of baking soda 2 cups of buttermilk 1 tablespoon of caraway seed Recipe 1. Mix all dry ingredients and raisins. 2. Then add milk and then brush the top with butter. 3. Bake it in a greasy iron pan for 1 hour, at 325 degrees. Essay This recipe originally came from Ireland. In the 1800s, Irish Soda Bread was popular particularly among farmers in isolated areas. They could not always find "strong flour" which worked with yeast to make dough rise. But, Irish farm wives discovered that baking soda could make the dough rise with the kind of flour they did have. So, they replaced yeast with the baking soda. That’s how Irish Soda Bread got its name. Then they found that baking soda needed an acidic ingredient to make the dough rise. Most Irish Soda Bread recipes include buttermilk which is acidic. Although the bread did not result in high loaves, it made very good bread. Many variations exist for Irish Soda Bread. It can be made with raisins, herbs, caraway seeds, and other ingredients. Immigrants from Ireland brought the Irish Soda Bread recipes to America. My great-grandmother came to America in the early 1900s. She taught my grandmother how to bake this recipe for Irish Soda Bread. This recipe is special to me because it reminds me of my grandmother. My grandmother loved to cook. For dessert we would have lots of choices of what we would like to eat. Sometimes we would have Irish Soda Bread.
	Student: Elizabeth C. CUBAN SANDWICH This specialty sandwich has made its way all the way from Cuba. It is definitely one of my favorite dishes. This family tradition started with my Cuban great aunt, Tia Cuca (short for Carlotta- Charlotte) When I was little I remember having her cook me the tasteful dish. My Cuban grandfather and I used to split the sandwich. As I grew I could finish the sandwich all by myself. This past summer I had a Cuban Sandwich that was not homemade for the first time. Instead of being more Cuban, it seemed to be more American. It was definitely not what I expected! The cheese was not melted and the ham and pork were way too thick. So were the pickles! But another favorite part of the sandwich is the plantains. Although they go on the side of the section, they are always good and crispy. Another favorite part of the sandwich is the pickles. When I was little I would sit on the counter and steal the pickles that Tia Cuca would cut into a neat little pile. When she reached for the pickles, she would yell "Where did they go?" of course in Spanish. I would then say "I don’t know?" with my mouth full of pickles. Then she would laugh and laugh.
	Student: T.J. C. SHEPERD’S PIE Recipe Usually made with leftover (previously cooked) lamb or beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. 1. If no leftover mashed potatoes available: Wash and pare 6 medium-sized potatoes. Cook covered for 20- 40 minutes in 4 cups of boiling water until tender, then drain well. Mash potatoes with potato masher or use electric mixer. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of milk. Beat until the potatoes are creamy. 2. If no leftover meat available: Cut 1 _ cups of lamb or beef into small cubes; season with salt and pepper. Chop 1 medium sized onion. Put meat and onion into a skillet, in which you have melted 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time for about 20-30 minutes. 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Spread meat (and gravy, if available) in large baking dish. Cover meat with mashed potatoes; cover potatoes with melted butter. Bake until potatoes are browned. Essay Shepherd’s Pie is a dish that is made from roast beef or lamb, potatoes, and gravy. These form into a thick stew, which is delicious. It has great significance in my family, and other Irish families because it was a way of avoiding hunger for many families that did not have much food to spare. Shepherd’s Pie originated in Ireland. Shepherd’s Pie, unlike many countries’ famous foods, was created out of need, not want. Shepherd’s Pie was used to stretch meat and gravy even longer, because meat was very scarce. The three main elements in Shepherd’s Pie are potatoes, meat, and gravy. The main ingredient, potatoes, was abundant in Ireland, which made it very easy to find potatoes to make Shepherd’s Pie. There is not a planned recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, because it was usually made from leftovers. Accordingly, the amount of each ingredient can change, making each person’s Shepherd’s Pie a little different. Meat was scarce and only eaten on special days, and Shepherd’s Pie was regarded as a special meal, because it had meat in it. Even though Shepherd’s Pie was used to help food last longer, most people love its taste. While I was doing research for this topic I learned a lot about my families’ history. I knew nothing about the history of Shepherd’s Pie, and the effect it had on my family and other families before I began this report.
	Student: Bianca Lynn D. SPICY SPAGHETTI Ingredients 1 package (16 oz.) Spaghetti 3 pounds of fresh ground beef 1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil 2 jars (26 oz.) red tomato and Roasted garlic sauce 1 green pepper (diced small) 1 onion (diced small) 1 garlic (diced small) 3 tablespoons of sugar Recipe 1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. 2. While spaghetti cooks, heat oil. 3. In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add ground beef and sausage: cook and stir until peppers cook for 2 to 5 minutes drain fat. 4. Add pasta sauce to skillet; add sugar; reduce heat; cook and stir 10 minutes. 5. Drain spaghetti: combine with sauce mixture. Essay Birthday Dinners – Spaghetti with Spicy Sausage, Ground Beef & Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce with garlic bread has been my family’s birthday celebration meal for over 25 years. Each month my family gathers on Friday evening to celebrate all family members born in that month. We ate spaghetti because it was a dish my grandmother made that everyone enjoyed. It wasn’t expensive to make it and it fed a lot of people/because I come from a big family. My grandmother made her sauce like the Italians made it an Italy. She took pride in the freshly made tomato garlic sauce. She would peel, boil, cut, strain the tomatoes, and then jar them. She also used fresh garlic and onions. Now my mother uses Ragu tomato & garlic sauce. I remember this past September, my mother was the host for the birthday dinner. September is a big month because we have seven birthdays that month. We made Italian bread in the bread maker, then we put butter and garlic on it and baked it a little longer. It was a surprise when my mother put out jars of homemade sauce just like my grandmothers. This was the first time she shared with me the reason why we had spaghetti every birthday dinner. Unfortunately I’ve never had my grandmother’s sauce because she died when I was 6 months old, but if it tasted like the sauce my mom made that day I see why we have it every birthday dinner. It put Ragu to shame.
	Student: Gretchen D. GERMAN MARBLE CAKE Ingredients 1 cup butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 packet Oetker Vanillin Sugar About 1/3 cup milk 3 level tbsp. cocoa A well heaped tbsp. milk 2-3 tbsp milk Recipe Oven: preheat to 350 / Baking time: 50-65 minutes. For cake mixture, cream the fat and gradually add to it the sugar, vanillin, eggs, and flavorings. Mix and sieve together the flour and Backin and add to the creamed ingredients alternately with the milk, but use only as much milk as to give a firm dropping consistency. Grease a ring or loaf baking tin and dust with bread crumbs. Fill 2/3 of the mixture into the tin. Add the sieved cocoa and the sugar to the remaining 1/3 mixture, and mix with enough of the milk to give again a firm drooping consistency. Spread the dark mixture over the light, then draw a fork down and around though both mixtures and swirl together. Serves 10 people.
	Student: Katherine D. IRISH SODA BREAD Ingredients 4 _ C flour 3 T sugar 1 T baking powder 1 t salt 6 T butter 2 eggs 1 _ C buttermilk Recipe 1. Preheat oven at 350 F. Grease well a 1 _ quart round casserole 2. In large bowl — mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt 3. Cut butter in with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal 4. with fork- beat eggs slightly — remove it and reserve 5. Stir buttermilk and remaining egg into flour mixture until flour is moistened. Dough will be sticky! 6. Turn dough onto flowered surface. With floured hands- knead about 10 strokes to mix thoroughly. Shape dough into a ball Place in casserole. 7. In center of ball- with sharp knife- cut a 4 inch cross about _ inch deep. Brush dough with reserved egg 8. Bake 1 hour, 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes With Raisins Prepare as above except: Reduce flour to 4C. Before stirring in buttermilk and eggs- add 1 _ C dark raisins then buttermilk and eggs. Essay For my recipe I chose a recipe for Irish Soda Bread. My family and I use this recipe every year for St. Patrick’s Day. The recipe came from Ireland. Since the recipe came from Ireland it has a significance to my family because my mom is one-hundred percent Irish. My grandmother gave the recipe to my mom, and they both use it on St. Patrick’s Day. The bread has something unique about it because you are supposed to put a cross in the center of the bread. There is no story or folktale related to Irish Soda Bread. This recipe is important to me because I wait every year to make the bread with my mom and grandmother. This is a special tradition that we have had for a long time. My grandmother told me that she would use the same recipe every year when she would make the bread with her mom who was from Ireland. I also think this recipe is important because it is a family tradition. This recipe is important to me and it is a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. That is why I chose Irish Soda Bread for my family recipe.
	Student: James F. TURKEY STUFFING Ingredients 3 loaves of bread broken into pieces 1.5 cups of chopped onions 2 cups of chopped celery 2 cups butter 2 cups of chicken broth 4.5 tsp poultry seasoning 1.5 tsp pepper Salt to taste Recipe 1. Combine bread, poultry, seasoning and pepper into large bowl. 2. Sauté onion and celery in butter until tender. 3. Add to bread mixture and spoon to a casserole cover and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hr. (For 20lbs turkey) Essay In our family we have turkey and stuffing at all of the family holidays. The stuffing recipe has been handed down from my great grandmother. The recipes country of origin is the United States. The significance of turkey stuffing is that it is a very important part of a truly American holiday, Thanksgiving. This recipe is special to me because we eat it on Thanksgiving and also on Christmas, two holidays filled with family and great memories. Stories that I associate with turkey stuffing usually involve my great grandmother and my grandfather Doane. While sitting around the table, our plates full of food, we heard stories of my great grandmother’s childhood. There is no step in the food preparation that is unique or reflective to my culture. The origin of this recipe has a story. In 1889 my great grandmother was six when her parents died. She was sent to live on a farm in New Jersey. The farm took in boarders on the weekends to supplement the income. She had to earn her keep. She was taught how to cook a turkey and make stuffing. In those days stuffing was a way to use up stale bread. In those days they wasted nothing. Every weekend, she had to go out and kill the turkey herself, and then she prepared a turkey and stuffing dinner for the guest. She was a great cook at an early age. It is my grandfather’s favorite food. This recipe has been passed down and now it is my favorite food.
	FOOD FACTS: MARYLAND CRAB TRIVIA Crisfield, Maryland in the United States is known as the "Crab Capital of the World." A quaint town on the Eastern Shore is responsible for supplying the entire world with crabs for both hard and soft shell variety. Resource: http://www.mdisfun.org/press/mdtrivia.asp
	Student: Christopher G. MARYLAND STEAMED CRABS Ingredients 1 dozen live crabs Water Vinegar 1 beer (optional- the alcohol will burn itself out) 3 tablespoons of salt 2 _ tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning Recipe Carefully place live crabs in pot with a raised rack. Rack should be 2 inches high. Add equal quantities of water and vinegar to just below the level of the rack. Layer the crabs. Sprinkle each layer of crabs with a mixture of the Old Bay and the salt. Cover and steam until crabs are red. (About 20-30 minutes) Essay This dish is from Maryland. Maryland is a big state for crabbing because of the fact that there are a lot of crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. My dad was born and raised in Maryland and fishing for crab is a Geckle tradition. All the Geckle’s and extended family love crabs. This recipe is special to me because when I was little my dad let me help make them. I enjoyed watching the crabs swim in the sink while we were waiting for the water to boil. My favorite story that goes with this recipe is when we were making the crabs and my dad let one run around on the floor. We all had shoes on and because it was a little crab, it couldn’t hurt or bother us. We all knew what they were but my dog didn’t. Because my dog, Cody, had never seen the crabs close up, he got curious. He went over to it and started to hit it with his paw. The crab got angry and snapped at him and he hid under the table. Fortunately either my dog had good reflexes or the crab had bad aim because he missed Cody. Then the crab ran behind the refrigerator. It was really hard to get it out because it was totally awake. The reason it was bad was that the crab was not cold. When crabs are too cold they don’t want to move. Two main ingredients used to make crabs are beer and Old Bay seasoning. Both provide special flavoring when steaming the crabs. This recipe tastes very good. It would please any crab lover. It is a fun, family project to go and select, clean and make the crabs. You should try it.
	Student: Colleen H. IRISH SODA BREAD Ingredients 5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour _ cups sugar 1 _ teaspoons salt 1- Teaspoon baking soda _ butter 2 _ cups light and dark raisins (optional), soaked for 15 to 20 minutes and drained 3 tablespoons of caraway seeds 2 _ cups buttermilk 1 egg, slightly beaten Recipe 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9x5 inch bread pans. 2. Stir together the sifted flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Cut in butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. 3. Add buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir until well moistened. Shape dough into two loaves and place in the pans. 4. Bake for one hour. Test with a toothpick for darkness. Put coal in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer from wire rack to cool. Essay Irish Soda Breads’ country origin is Ireland. The significance of my recipe to my culture and family background is that it was something that my grandmother, my great grandmother made and my great, great grandmother made together. It was a traditional food they made together. This recipe of Irish Soda Bread that came down from my great, great grandmother is a family tradition. What memories do I associate it with? I do not have any memories or stories of Irish Soda Bread but my mom does. She said that she remembers going over to my great grandmother’s house and bread just coming out of the oven with real butter on it. Is there a step in food preparation that is reflective and unique to my culture, religion, or recourses? Yes raisins were never part of the original recipe although they are used in store-bought Irish Soda Bread. In the original recipe they put in caraway seeds. Does the recipe have a story or folktale about its origin? No, not that I am aware of. There is no soda actually put in the Irish Bread but baking soda is put in it. You use coal in the making of the bread. It is used by putting the coal in pans and is left there for three to five minutes, and then you transfer the coal to a wire coal rack. You also have to mold the bread like they do in bakeries.
	Student: Steve H. LINZEN GRUFFIN COOKIE Ingredients 1/2 lb sweet butter 1/2 lb margarine 4 egg yolks 1 cup sugar A few drops of lemon juice 1 tablespoon salt 7 cups flour 1/2 pint sour creams Recipe 1. Mix and let sit 15 minutes. 2. Roll out into dough _ of an inch thick. 3. Cut with cookie cutter. 4. Put on greased pan. 5. Spread on egg whites. 6. Sprinkle with nuts and sugar. 7. Bake at 350 degrees. Essay Linzen Gruffin Cookies originated in Germany and were often made by my grandmother’s family who originally came from Austria. My grandmother learned the recipe from her mother, and then passed it down to all seven of her daughters. Now it is a common food at family get togethers, and, they were made at everyone of my many cousins' Christenings. This recipe is special to me because it reminds me of all the time I’ve spent with my cousins and other relatives since it was made so many times. So whether it was a reunion or a birthday party, a wedding or our grandparents’ anniversary, despite the constant change in the number of kids in the family the cookies are usually there. The cookies are simply butter cookies covered in powdered sugar and nuts but something this simple can be very good when made by my grandmother. And when I see the cookies, the first thing I think of is being at their house having a good time with my cousins. So as you can see the cookies are not only special to me because of what they are, but more the memories and traditions they hold are significant to me. That is why these cookies are relevant to my family background. This is also why something as simple as they are could mean so much to my family and me.
	Student: Erringer H. CHEESE CAKE Ingredients for CHEESE CAKE 3 Small boxes of Cream Cheese _ pint of sour cream 1 pint of cottage cheese _ cups of sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Ingredients for PIE SHELL _ pound of melted butter About 16-18 zwieback cookies (rolled into crumbs) Mix with butter Line pan with mixture Directions for CHEESECAKE Keep it in the bowl until the shell is done. Directions for PIE SHELL After the shell is done pour the cheese mix into the shell and then bake it at 350° for 30 minutes. Leave in the oven to cool. Essay The recipe I chose to do for this essay was the recipe of my Grandma Freese’s cheesecake. Cheesecake originally came from America but my Grandmother was German (Her mother was born in Germany.) This recipe is very special to me because my Grandma Freese died a couple of years ago so I cherish anything that she once had. A story about this recipe is an event that happened many years ago when my mother was my age or younger. For Thanksgiving they were going to have my grandma Freese’s recipe of cheesecake. There wasn’t enough room in the freezer so they put the cheesecake onto the shelf into the garage to keep it cool enough to eat. So the mischievous mud puppy named Mud jumps up onto the shelf and eats up the delicious cheesecake till the last crumb. Till this day no one in our family will put a cake in a room or place where a dog can get it. I enjoyed doing this essay because I learned more about my family history and I learned how to make a yummy cheesecake. The other thing I enjoyed doing in this essay was looking at recipes my Great Grandmother loved. I got to look in her recipe book and got to see how we both had many things in common by just liking the same recipes. I wrote this recipe in favor of my Great Grandmother, Grandma Freese.
	Student: Madeline K. IRISH CHRISTMAS CAKE Ingredients 1 1/3 cup butter 5 eggs 1 1/3 cups currants 2/3 cup raisins 1/3 cup cherries Mixed spice 1/3 cup ground almonds 1/3 cup sultanas 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup regular sugar 2/3 cup peel 1/3 cup chopped almonds 3 cups flour 1/3 cup milk 1 good cup of orange juice Recipe Cream butter and sugar well, mix in the eggs to a smooth cream after adding each egg fold in flour and ground almonds and spice and mix well. Add other ingredients and add enough milk to obtain correct consistency. Line 9 inch cake pan with paper. Place cake mixture into pan and bake in moderate oven (150-200) for three and a half hours. Remove from pan and cool. Brush with apricot jam. Line sides and top with almond paste. Cover and decorate with icing. Serves 10-12. Essay Fifty years ago, my grandparents left Ireland in pursuit of a better life. They brought with them the customs and traditions of their Irish culture. These customs are shared throughout my family and we have adopted several of them. Whenever our family enjoys an Irish dish, I recall our vacation in Ireland last summer. Throughout the trip, our knowledge of our heritage grew, as we toured the country visiting castles and experiencing some of Ireland’s natural beauty. We attended an authentic Irish banquet in a setting from the middle ages. The Irish people have managed to enter the new world and still preserve their ancient culture. The Irish Christmas cake is an important part of Irish culture and a song was written about an unfortunate event during its making entitled, "Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake." The lyrics for the refrain are: "There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that work up a fine stomach ache That could kill a man twice after eating a slice Of Miss Fogarty’s Christmas cake." My Irish heritage makes up a large part of who I am. It influences the beliefs and customs of my family and my everyday life. The Irish Christmas cake is one of many Irish recipes, and despite popular opinion, corn beef and cabbage is not one of them.
	Student: Brendan L. RICE PUDDING Ingredients 1 cup white rice (not quick cooking) 1 qt water Pinch of salt 2 tablespoons of butter 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 cans of evaporated milk 1 tsp vanilla Recipe 1. Wash rice and cook until all water disappears and rice is soft. 2. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs-sugar and beat well and add milk, mix well. 3. Add butter and vanilla to cooked rice. Then add egg mixture to rice. Bring to full boil. 4. Put in a dish to cool and sprinkle with cinnamon. Essay The dish that I chose to write about is rice pudding. The significance of this recipe to my family background is that my great grandmother started to cook it for her daughter who cooked it for my dad. Now my mother makes it and it has been passed down for generations. This recipe is special to me because whenever I hear someone say it or eat it I think of my dad because he loves it so much. There is one story I think of when I hear about rice pudding. It is about when my family and I went down to the shore and we went to a shop that sold rice pudding. My dad had to buy it and he loved it. He enjoyed eating it and when next year came my dad could not wait for it. When we went down to the place where the shop was but it was closed. That year my dad went out trying to find rice pudding that tasted as good but we never found any. There is a step of preparation of rice pudding that requires rice and you cannot use quick cooking rice because it won’t work. We are not sure where this recipe started but we think it is English. When I first heard about rice pudding I thought it would be like a normal dessert but it is a treat. It has been passed down for generations. Every generation has learned to love it. I think it will continue to be passed down for a long time.
	Student: Madeline N. GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE Ingredients for CAKE 1/4 cup chopped Unsweetened chocolate 1/4 cup chopped Semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup water 1 cup unsalted soft butter 1 1/2 cup sugar 4 large egg yolks 4 large egg whites 2 cup flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Recipe for CAKE Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Melt both chocolates with 1/4 cup of water over simmering water. Cream together butter and 1 1/4 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the melted chocolate. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/chocolate mixture, alternately with milk and vanilla extract. Beat egg whites, whip in the 1/4 cup sugar until stiff, and fold it into the dough. Put the dough into a buttered and floured cake pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool before filling and icing. Ingredients for FILLING 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup sugar 3 large egg yolks 1/3 cup unsalted butter 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup toasted chopped pecans 1 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut (lightly toasted) Directions for FILLING Add heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 10-12 min. Remove filling from the heat and pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Add butter, salt, pecans and coconut. Ingredients for ICING 8 oz semisweet chocolate, (chopped) 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoon light corn syrup 1 1/2 oz unsalted butter Directions for ICING Add heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 10-12 min. Remove filling from the heat and pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Add butter, salt, pecans and coconut. Ingredients for RUM SYRUP 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 oz dark rum to taste Directions for FINALE 1. Heat sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Cool and add rum to taste. 2. Cut the cake into 4 layers. Divide the filling into 4 equal parts. Starting with the bottom layer, brush the cake lightly with the rum syrup. Spread 1/4 of the filling on the layer making sure to get the filling all the way to the edge. Place the next layer on top. Repeat the process to the top layer. Ice the sides of the cake. Chill cake before cutting. Essay My Heritage – I come from a very diverse family. I am mainly German but I am also English, Scottish, and even Native American. I chose a recipe that reflects my German Culture. In my family our traditional birthday cake is German Chocolate, we use a recipe that has been handed down though family generation after generation. I get my German heritage from both of my parents. My father’s mother is almost 100% percent German and mother’s father is also one hundred percent German. In my family we use this cake as our traditional birthday cake. This creates a lot of memories for me, because birthdays are always crazy but fun in my family. I remember watching my mom while she made the cake and sneaking a lick of chocolate while she wasn’t looking, and always getting to lick the bowl if it was your birthday. The only down to this dessert is that we all love it so much that we eat so much and get sick because it is so rich. But that doesn’t stop us from eating it the next time it is made. There is no doubt that my family loves our German heritage but we definitely like our German chocolate cake. If you ask anyone in my family what is most special about our German heritage we would say the great memories we share but German chocolate definitely come in second.
	FOOD FACTS: LANGUAGE INFLUENCES CULTURAL FOODS Legend from the United States Congress says that German missed becoming the official language of the United States by a single vote in 1795. Studies show that the type of native language that is spoken is a reflection of our values and of our culture. Image, what would the all American dessert by in the United States – perhaps it would be strudel versus apple pie! Resource: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/question.htm
	Student: Marisa S. THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE Ingredients 5 pounds of pork butts 5 teaspoons of fennel seeds 5 teaspoons of red peppers 10 tablespoons of red wine 10 tablespoons of water 10 sausage casing Recipe Grind the pork butts into smaller chunks. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Put the mix into a sausage stuffer machine. Push sausage through the machine into the casings. Tie the end of casings to keep the sausage inside. Cook in a frying pan covered with water for a hour and a half. The sausage will then be ready to eat. Recipe The Italian sausage recipe started with my great grandmother in Italy. The recipe has been passed on through generations in our family. This sausage serves an important meaning in our family. This recipe is significant to our culture because it’s a traditional dish eaten by Italians. My family and I eat the sausage for special events and holidays. The meal does not seem complete if we do not include the sausage. The recipe is special to me because it has been a tradition that had been handed down through generations. My grandfather and his brothers get together to make sausage for the holiday meals. The sausage that my grandfather makes is excellent and I have not found another kind of sausage that can beat it. I remember the first time I had sausage. My dad cut up the sausage and put it on the freshly baked Italian bread. I watch my dad eat his sausage and something was different about it. I notice that he had dunked his sausage sandwich into his coffee. It tasted so good and it made me feel grown up. My dad told me it was a family tradition. From then on, I dunked my sausage sandwich in my dad’s coffee. We eat sausage all the time at our house. Even though it takes a long time to make, the end result is priceless.
	Student: Matthew T. GREAT GRANDMA’S MARINARA SAUCE Ingredients Olive Oil 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced 3-4 35oz cans Italian tomatoes Fresh Basil Oregano Salt & Pepper Recipe Put one can in at a time, liquefy cans of tomatoes in blender. Pour blender contents into vegetable mill and process. Set aside. Pour olive oil into large pot, enough to cover the bottom. Heat over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and brown. Remove garlic. Allow oil to cool for a few minutes, then carefully add milled tomatoes. Stir over medium high heat. Add basil, pepper, salt, and oregano to taste. Heat to boiling. Let simmer on low heat for half-hour, stir occasionally. Serve over any pasta. Essay My Special Italian recipe – The recipe that I chose is my Great Grandmother’s Marinara Sauce. My family heritage is mostly Italian, French, and Irish. This recipe comes from Italy, where my father’s side of the family originated. My Great Grandmother Emilia and Great Grandfather Frances came to the United States in the early 1900s. The significance this recipe has on my family background is that it is a major type of sauce served in Italy and the U.S.A on pasta everywhere. It is a basic pasta sauce that is not sweet. The blend of ingredients in this sauce is just right. This sauce transforms the taste of any pasta from good to WOW! This recipe is special to me because it has been passed down through generations. Both my Grandfather and my dad know the steps to make the sauce. Just by watching my dad make it, I have now acquired the steps to the recipe too. Someday, I will show my children how to prepare this special sauce. The memory I associate this sauce with is remembering summer afternoons, smelling the tempting aroma of this sauce being made. It is almost like the steam of the sauce forms into a devil tapping my shoulder saying, "Eat the sauce." It smells delicious and it is. Though there are no stories or folktales about the origin of this recipe, it is special to me nonetheless. Somehow, I feel connected to my Italian heritage and to the ancestors who came before me–both in this country and in Italy.
	Student: Kate T. BELGIUM CHOCOLATE MOUSSE Ingredients 1 - 10 by 5-inch block of Belgium chocolate 16 eggs (2 eggs per small bar) Add milk to however makes the chocolate smooth and thick Servings: Feeds about 15 people Recipe 1. Break up chocolate into tiny pieces and put it into a bowl. Add some milk to it and then put it in the microwave until melted. (About 2min.) 2. Separate eggs. Put whites into one bowl and the yellows in with the chocolate. (Be sure to stir right away or the yellow will cook.) 3. Beat whites until you can flip the bowl upside down and it will not come out. 4. Add the whites and the chocolate. (Add whites spoon by spoon and stir slowly) 5. Put bowl of chocolate mousse in the refrigerator. Essay As you can see Belgium Chocolate Mousse comes from Belgium. My mom’s side of the family is from Belgium, and most of my relatives live there. Every Christmas my sister, Lara makes the mousse. It is a very big tradition in my family. My sister always lets me help make it and every year while she isn’t looking I steal some chocolate. This recipe is very special to me because we only see our relatives from Belgium once a year or once every two years. When my sister and I are making the chocolate mousse it reminds me of all my relatives who live in Belgium. When making this mousse I have many memories and stories that I recall. One of the first Christmases my sister and I had made the mousse, we were turning the bowl upside down and all the egg whites fell to the ground. It was horrible, we almost had to start over. I get so excited to make the mousse not only to eat it, but because I think it brings my sister and I closer each year. I think the Belgium chocolate really reflects a unique part of the preparation. I think that if the mousse were made with any other kind of chocolate it would not be as good. Even though my recipe does not have a story or folk tale about its origin, it is still considered the best recipe to my family.
	Student: Paul V. BIRYANI RECIPE Ingredients 2 cups Basmati Rice 1 cup Milk 3 lbs. Mutton or Chicken 2 Tbsp. Garlic 2 Tbsp. Ginger pieces 3 Tbsp. Small Onion pieces 8 Green Chilies 1 tsp. Chile Powder 2 Coriander 2 tsp. Saha Jeera 1 cup Grated Coconut 4 Tbsp. Almond or Cashewnut 8 Cardamom 8 Cloves 3 big pieces of Cinnamon 1 cup Chopped Corriander _ cup Mint Leaves 1 Lime 1 _ lbs. Onions 1 _ cups Curds 1 _ cups Ghee 1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds Recipe Wash the rice and then drain the water out. Cut the meat into pieces. Then grind the garlic, green chilies, and small onions and separate it from the other ingredients. Next, grind the chile powder, saha jeera, and coriander together. Cut the onions into thin slices. Cooking First fry the onions to light brown in 1 _ cup of ghee. Cook the garlic and all the other masala. Then put cinnamon and half of the cloves with the rest. Next cook the meat. Then pour the curds, salt, and leaves, which is mixed well, with the meat.Cook this in a small fire till the meat is soft and there will be little gravy left. Take it off the fire. Mix the coconut, almond or cashew nut, and poppy seeds in milk and then add lime juice and crushed fried onions. Next, parboil the rice in salted water and add the remaining spices. Then drain the water out. In an aluminum dish, smear a little bit of ghee, and then spread the meat without gravy on the rice. Pour the leftover ghee out. Next, sprinkle gravy and ghee on the rice. Then, put the rice in the oven for roughly 30 minutes. Then serve with fried onions on the top. Serving: 10 people. Essay Mmm! I smell tasty Biryani being cooked. I love its spicy smell and when you eat it, you feel like you’re eating in the finest Indian cuisine. Let me tell you how Biryani reflects to my culture and past. I go back to India, which is where Biryani was created. It was made by the Muslims, which I’m not, but probably one of my ancestors was a Muslim. Biryani is mainly made up of rice, which is an item found in most Indian food, meat, and many spices. It is significant to my culture because it is used in many functions. This is a custom my family follows even now. This brings up an experience I had in India last summer. My family was having a get together party that night, so in the afternoon we killed a turkey. At night, my dad, cousins, and I roasted the turkey outside in a big fire. I put in sticks and palm leaves to keep the fire going, or should I say I was playing with the fire. During all this, the girls prepared everything else. Then it was time to eat Biryani, turkey, and cake. The taste of Biryani is irresistible and mouth watering. It makes me unique from some people but also the same with others. You can see why the Biryani dish is so influential to my culture and past for many reasons and I hope to continue this tradition, which lasted in my family for centuries.
	FOOD FACTS: COCONUT TRIVIA There are more than 20 billion coconuts produced each year. Resource: http://www.foodreference.com/html/fcoconut.html
	Student: Kristine W. VEGETABLE SOUP Ingredients 4 cups beef stock 6 large carrots, diced 2 large onions, diced 1 pound frozen string beans 1 stalk celery, diced 1 whole red pepper, diced and seeded 1 whole green pepper, diced seeded 20 ounces can of whole tomatoes 4 cups of chicken broth 4 cups water 1 small yellow squash, diced 1 head broccoli cut in 1" pieces 1 head cauliflower cut in 1" pieces 1 cap lima beans 1 cup spinach, diced 1 cup uncooked pearl barley Recipe Bring beef broth, chicken broth, and water to a slow boil over a medium flame. Add all remaining ingredients except the spinach. Cook for two hours on low heat. Add spinach and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8. Essay For as long as I can remember my family has always had a special vegetable soup. This vegetable soup is not only healthful, but also absolutely delicious! This recipe is not only a tradition but also a part of my family background. My family had originated from all over Europe, but a large part of my family background and this fantastic soup is from Ireland. One of the main ingredients is potatoes, and you should remember the great potato famine that took place in Ireland a long time ago. My grandmother makes her scrumptious soup every fall and winter at family get togethers! Every time we are enjoying our meal my dad always tells us the story of the old head coach of Villanova came over to his house after Villanova’s basketball practice. When he saw my grand mother’s vegetable soup on the kitchen counter, he began to eat the soup, which he thought was delicious. Little did he know that a few minutes before my grandmother had been mixing it with dog food. Everyone was too afraid of the impact to tell him what exactly he was eating. To this day he doesn’t know that he had eaten a meal for my dad’s dog Shep. This is my family’s special vegetable soup, and the way my family and I remember, in our minds, and in our hearts.
	Student: Mary Ann W. VEGETABLE SOUP Ingredients 1 package of Beef Short-Ribs 1 package of Beef soup bones/marrowbones 2 medium onions 4 stocks of celery 4 large carrots 3-4 medium potatoes 1 small wedge of green cabbage (shredded) 1 cup of cut green beans 1 bay leaf 1 _ Tbs of Worcestershire sauce 1 _ Tbs of ketchup 1 large can of tomato puree Salt & Pepper _ cup of sugar Recipe Fill a stock pot _ full with cold water. Add the beef short ribs and bones; season with salt & pepper. Add 1 whole onion, 1 stalk of celery and 1 carrot. (all whole) Add bay leaf, cover and let simmer for 4-5 hours. Strain broths into clean pot, cut remaining vegetables desired size, add tomato puree, ketchup & Worchester sauce. Season with salt, pepper & sugar. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Eat & enjoy. Essay The vegetable soup that my mom makes very often is a recipe that has passed down through generations. It is an old Welsh and Irish soup that has a mixed background. I remember helping my mom make the soup with all of its spices and helping put the vegetables in. My grandfather gave my mom the recipe when she moved to Philadelphia, and her mom taught him how to make it. Homemade soup and bread are a family tradition, since my grandfather was a little boy. He used to live up in Scranton and I can still remember going up to visit him, and he would be waiting in the kitchen making soup. When he died my mom kept on making his soup at our family gatherings and just daily. Now that I am older and able to cook my mom is teaching me to make it. Our soup has many memories to it that will stay with us through our lives while we make it. Whenever we make it we remember our grandfather and all that he did. It’s almost like a scrapbook of all our memories, like when we added too much salt and forgot the bay leaf. Let’s just say we ate out that night! I hope that passing this recipe to someone will let them know about our culture and how recipes like these, that have been passed down through generations, can hold your memories and bring your family together.
	FOOD QUOTES: GOOD & BEAUTIFUL SOUP "Only the pure of heart can make good soup" – Beethoven "Beautiful soup! Who cares for fish, game or any other dish? Who would not give all else for two pennyworth of beautiful soup?" – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Resource: http://www.foodreference.com/html/qsoup.html