Wisconsin or Fair Foods--August 2, 2018

I'm a little behind, but August's Recipe Club's theme was Wisconsin or Fair Foods! We celebrated food from Wisconsin, like cheese or cherries, or our favorite fair food, like cream puffs!

Sue S. made "Easy Chocolate Eclairs," a recipe she has been making for years. This is an easy and accessible way to make chocolate eclairs. 

Trudy L. made "State Fair Cream Puffs, " a staple at the Wisconsin State Fair. It's an old recipe from the local paper. They look just as good as the ones you get at the fair!

Josh baked "Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dotted Brownie." He entered this recipe at the Wisconsin State Fair and took 2nd place in the cookie dough bar category! 

Don cooked "Zucchini Boats." Using fresh produce from a local farmers market, this is a creative and light dinner.

Margaret made "Corn Slaw." It's a recipe she got from her coworker and very easy to put together!

Mary A. cooked "Company Meatballs." It's a quick and easy recipe to through together in a slow cooker, especially when using frozen meatballs.

Anna made "Beer Cheese Spread." Another easy recipe that combines all the ingredients together on the stove top. It has some zing from the horseradish!

Sue R. made "Fruit Salad Americana," which she planned on entering at the Wisconsin State Fair this year.It's a fun and festive fruit salad!

Sue R. also baked "Ginger Pound Cake," which she also entered at the Wisconsin State Fair this year. She took 2nd place in the pound cake category!

Margene baked "Cherry Pie Bars." Cherries are grown in Wisconsin so a delicious cherry treat is perfect for this theme!

Marie baked "Pound Cake." This is a recipe she has been making from the 1976 Wisconsin State Fair cookbook.

Karen brought "Pear, Havarti, and Fig Bites." Wisconsin is known for it's cheese, so a cheese appetizer is perfect!

Mary B. brought her "Mom's Beer Bread" recipe. It only takes an hour and any beer can be used. She used MGD.

I made "Cherry Cookie Bars." The dough has some orange zest and juice in it which brightens up the flavor, but I made them the day before and They were a little soggy! 

There were many great recipes shared and more to try next time! Getting hungry? Join us September 6 at 6:30pm at Franklin Public Library. The theme is App Attack--Bring your favorite appetizer or small bite to share.

All you have to do to join is cook a dish from the monthly theme, and bring the dish and the recipe to the meeting! It's as easy as pie! See you soon!

Easy Chocolate Eclairs

Ingredients:

Eclairs

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs

Filling

• 2 (3 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups unsweetened whipped cream or topping from 1 envelope whipped topping mix

Chocolate Frosting

• 1 (6 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate pieces, melted
• 3 tbsp. water (about)
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. In 1-quart saucepan, combine butter and water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture no longer sticks to sides of pan. Remove from heat. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Drop dough by heaping teaspoon, 2 inches apart, onto cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable cooking spray.
2. Bake at 450°F 15 to 20 minutes (until tops begin to brown). Reduce heat to 325°F and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until puffed up and golden brown. (Eclairs will be small round puffs, not elongated like commercially made eclairs.) Remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack.
3. Prepare filling: Prepare pudding according to package directions. In bowl, combine pudding and whipped topping or whipped cream. Mix well.
4. Prepare frosting: In bowl, combine melted chocolate pieces and water. Beat in powdered sugar. Add a little more water, if necessary, to achieve spreading consistency.
5. Slice off tops of cooled eclairs. Spoon filling into bottoms. Replace tops. Spread frosting on tops. Makes 20 to 24 eclairs about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.

Submitted by Sue Stoecker

State Fair Cream Puffs

The "State Fair Cream Puffs" recipe was printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Submitted by Trudy LaFond

"State Fair Cream Puffs." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Print.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dotted Brownie

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Dots

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. butter at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup flour

Brownie

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. flour

Directions:

1. Peanut Butter Dots: With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the peanut butter and butter until combined. Add the sugars and vanilla and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing until fully combined. Form the dough into 24 balls, approximately 1/2 tablespoon each. Place them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2. Brownie: Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 9x13 in. pan. With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and level out with a spatula. Take the peanut butter dots and place them in a 4.6 grid pattern evenly through the brownie batter, pressing them down into the batter as you go. 
3. Bake for 35 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Place pan on rack to cool.

Submitted by Josh Price, won 2nd place in category at the Wisconsin State Fair

Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

• 2-4 zucchini (about 8-10 inches long), split in half
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 of a red pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Scoop out insides of zucchini, chop up, and put in a bowl.
2. Brown the ground beef. Add onion, mushrooms, pepper, ketchup, salt and pepper to pan. Cook in pan for 5 minutes. 
3. Fill zucchini boats with mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.

Submitted by Don Anderson

Corn Slaw

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 (16 oz.) cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine corn, onions, peppers, and carrots. 
2. Combine sour cream, mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over vegetables.

Submitted by Margaret Herrick

Company Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 (24 count) bag of meatballs
• 1 (12 oz.) jar of chili sauce
• 1 (12 oz.) jar of water
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can of sauerkraut
• 1 (14 oz.) can of whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a baking dish and bake at 350°F for 1 hour or combine in a slow cooker. 

Submitted by Mary Arndt

Beer Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. of cream cheese
• 4 oz. finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp. chopped green onion tops
• 1/4 cup beer*
• 1 tsp. horseradish
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Directions:

1. Melt cheeses over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in other ingredients. Continue to cook over low heat another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. May need to add more beer after it sits overnight if too thick.

*NOTE: The beer used was Sprecher Special Amber

Submitted by Anna Restivo

Fruit Salad Americana

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1 lb. strawberries
• 4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz. brick)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 oz. Cool Whip (1/2 of an 8 oz. tub)--low fat or non-fat does not work well in this recipe
• Garnishes--granola, jimmies, mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Prepare berries: rinse well, remove stems, cut strawberries into pieces close to the size of the blueberries. Place berries in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract , and salt. Gently fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture. Fold the fruit into the mixture. 
3. Sprinkle with garnishes of your choice just prior to serving. 

Submitted by Sue Richichi

Ginger Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 2 tsp. grated orange peel
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla 
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and orange peel.
3. In an extra large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with milk. Mix well. Stir in crystallized ginger.
4. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Add 5 minute increments if needed. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
5. Can be topped with powdered sugar or a cream cheese frosting. 

Submitted by Sue Richichi, won 2nd place in the pound cake category at the Wisconsin State Fair

Cherry Pie Bars

The "Cherry Pie Bars" recipe by Alyssa Rivers can be found at The Recipe Critic.

Submitted by Margene McLoughlin

Rivers, Alyssa. "Cherry Pie Bars." The Recipe Critic, https://therecipecritic.com/cherry-pie-bars/. Accessed 4 September 2018.

Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. yellow cake mix
• 1 pkg. Instant pudding mix (serves 4)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a well-greased bundt pan at 350°F for 20-35 minutes.

Submitted by Marie Weber

Pear, Havarti, and Fig Bites

The "Pear, Havarti, and Fig Bites" recipe can be found in Christmas with Southern Living, 2017.

Submitted by Karen Kunzler

“Pear, Havarti, and Fig Bites.” Christmas with Southern Living, 2017. Birmingham, AL: Oxmoor House, 2017. Print.

Mom's Beer Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 oz.) can of beer
• 3 cups self-rising flour*
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

1. Mix beer, flour, and sugar. Put into a greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter over top of dough and bake in a 350°F oven for 55-60 minutes.

*NOTE: Regular flour may be used, but then add 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Submitted by Mary Berendt, her mother's recipe