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Aunt Neenee's Spinach, Pear, Pine Nuts & Blue Cheese Salad
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One of the best salads I’ve ever eaten and another Christmas favorite for the Stoltz family. Mom/Jean/Aunt Neenee was always the perfect hostess. Picture taken in 1987,
Ingredients
1 to 2 bags spinach leaves (could use a lettuce mix as well)
½ c. pine nuts
Medium wedge of blue cheese
1 large pear
Vinaigrette:
1 large shallot, minced
½ c. canola oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. honey
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. water
¾ t. coarse cracked pepper
1/8 t. salt
Directions
Mix ingredients for vinaigrette together (hint : mix in a covered jelly jar).
Dice pear and marinate in ¼ to ½ c. vinaigrette for at least 2 hours.
Brown pine nuts in a little butter (watch them, once they start to brown it goes quickly). Place spinach leaves in bowl and toss with dressing (to taste). Place spinach leaves on plates and top with pine nuts and pears. Crumble blue cheese over salad.
Great Lime Jello Salad (Or Lime Jello Supreme)
Ingredients
1 small package lime jello
1 cup boiling water
1 small package cream cheese
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped celery
1 carton whipping cream
Directions
(Use small bowl and electric beaters).
KALE AND BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD
A Favorite of Aimee Stoltz
Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 lb. total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino
Directions
DO AHEAD
Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.
Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.
PREPARATION
Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set
aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.
Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 Tbsp. oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds
to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle
almonds lightly with salt.
Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 8–10
Mixed Green Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Feta and Pecans
Ingredients
6 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from half of 1
fresh pomegranate)
1/2 cup (4 oz.) feta or gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below, or use your favorite)
For Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Directions
For Vinaigrette:
In a medium bowl, whisk vinegar with sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in oil gradually (or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine). Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. If not using dressing immediately, cover and refrigerate. Whisk or shake before use to redistribute ingredients.
For Salad:
Combine mixed greens in a large salad bowl with pomegranate seeds, feta/gorgonzola and pecan halves. Toss with half of vinaigrette before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired, adding more of any ingredient or dressing.
Parmesan Salad Dressing
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The St. Louis-Festus Contigent Visit Dubuque - Earl & Grace Manley with Jean Stoltz, 1980
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash dry mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup salad oil
2 tablespoons parmesan, grated
Directions
Mix ingredients together.
Pickled Carrot Sticks
I had to include this recipe (ADAPTED FROM GOURMET MAGAZINE) because it’s just so tasty. My friend Beth Savagian passed it along to me and we’ve been brainstorming about what other veggies we could pickle!
Ingredients
1 lb carrots, cut into 3 1/2- by 1/3-inch sticks (or sliced baby carrots)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup cider or plain vinegar (cider vinegar makes a sweeter, milder brine)
1/4 cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons dill seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Directions
Place carrots in a heatproof bowl. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Pour pickling liquid over carrots and cool, uncovered. Chill carrots, covered, at least 1 day for flavors to develop. Carrots keep, chilled in an airtight container, for about a month.
SALMON CROQUETTES
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Dated March 5, 1925
My Grandmother was born in 1911, grew up in Festus, Missouri and was one of six children. This recipe was included in a wooden recipe box found in my grandmother’s house after she passed away in October (2008). The box had the name Olivia Canepa written inside. Olivia was one of my grandmother’s sisters who died at a very young age.
Obviously this recipe was from a time when the recipe for white sauce was something that everyone just knew off the top of their head.
Photo: Olivia Canepa (undated)
Ingredients
1 ¾ c. salmon
1 c. white sauce
1 egg
salt & pepper
bread crumbs
Directions
Mix thick white sauce with salmon then add seasoning. Put in pan + let cool. Make into balls, roll in bread crumbs, then in egg, then in bread crumbs again. Fry in deep fat.
Sambusak
My brother Michael was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa. When he was in his mid-teens, he took a trip to Israel with our parents. There he completely fell in love with the country – the culture, the people, the history & politics, everything. After returning to the US he requested a pen pal from Israel. A few years later he volunteered for the Israeli army for a summer. (In exchange for his work in the army he received one month free coursework at Hebrew University.) He also was able to meet his pen pal – a young woman named Ravit. They fell in love and were married a few years later (Michael converted to Judaism before the wedding.) They lived briefly in New York City and then moved to Israel. Michael was the Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning for the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (the first time he was PM). Ravit took care of their three sons and also worked as a secretary. In 2007, after 14 years, they moved back to the US because our Mom had Lewy body Dementia.
Ravit’s Mom, Juliette, is an amazing cook and Ravit inherited her Mom’s skills. This is one of her Mom’s recipes.
Ingredients
1/2 a kilo flour
1/4 a kilo ground Chick-peas (Humus)
2 medium onions
Directions
You put the Chick-peas (Humus) in water overnight, then you strain it and put it in new water and cook it until its ready (when it is soft and you can eat it). Then you strain it again and ground it.
You chop the onions very fine and then fry it until it is lightly brown, then you add the ground Chick-peas and mix it together. You add to it 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper and 2 teaspoons of Cumin.
For the dough: You add to the 1/2 a kilo flours 1 spoon of salt, 2 spoons of oil, water according to need (approximately a cup or cup and a half) and you blend it together into a dough. Then you make balls the size of ping-pong balls, you flatten each of the balls and put in each one of them a little of the blended Humus. Then you close the ball and fry it.
Shrimp Dip
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Not positive whether Nancy or Jeanie started making this dip first but it has been a family standard at Christmas for as long as I can remember. My sister-in-law Aimee has mastered the recipe and makes it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I particularly like it when the shrimp are cut into larger chunks. YUM!
Ingredients
Large bag of shrimp – cleaned, cut into chunks (Aunt Nancy’s secret to good shrimp – make the shrimp the day before – after boiling them put them in cold water with lemon juice in the fridge overnight)
1 – 8 oz. Philly Cream Cheese
3 tbsp. Miracle Whip
1⁄4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 tbsp. minced onion
2 shakes Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Dissolve jello in boiling water and add cream cheese. Use electric beaters and whip until chease is dissolved. Place in refrigerator until partially set. Gently fold in pineapple, pecans and celery. Whip cream until stiff and fold in also. Pour into mold or pretty bowl and refrigerate until set.
Taco Dip
Ingredients
1 – 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. sliced ripe olives
1 c. cheddar cheese
1c. mild taco sauce
2 medium tomatoes
Crackers or thick tortilla chips
Directions
Mix the cream cheese & sour cream with a mixer.
Spread in the bottom of a pie dish.
On top of cream cheese & sour cream layer: green pepper, onion, olives and cheddar cheese.
Pour taco sauce on top veggies and cheese.
Top with tomatoes cut into small wedges.
Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Serve with crackers or thick tortilla chips.
Appetizers & Salads
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