Recipes and thoughts

Dear Friends and Family,

I can tell when I am not exactly up to par: the place gets very messy. Normally, I like to keep things tidy, taking care of the mail immediately, hanging clothes up, trying to keep the living areas neat (though my desk remains a mess). So when I look around and see the things not taken care of, I know I must not be feeling up to tackling the chore. I am very forgiving of myself, though. I know I will have better moments and want to clear things away.

Yesterday was one of those days that didn't get better until rather late. By evening, I was no longer tired, and we watched a movie on TV till 11:00. Sleep was intermittent all night, and thoughts of potato latkes, and the versions I want to try were swimming in my head.

Because of the pattern of these days, I decided not to go to the memorial service for Dick Levin today. I had wanted to be there in support of Muriel, his wife, but it will be better for me to stay close to home.

Yesterday, Arthur asked me for a recipe for pecan rolls—a dangerous choice if weight is a problem: they are so delicious that it's hard to stop eating them. Years ago I would make several batches to give to friends and neighbors. The rolls keep well in the freezer, and 1/2 " slices are the equivalent of a cookie.

Here it is:

Pecan Rolls

1 jar (7.5 oz) marshmallow cream

1 lb confect. sugar, sifted

3/4 t vanilla, more or less

1/2 tsp almond extract or more

Combine these 4 ingredients, kneading in the last of the sugar gradually. Shape into 8 rolls, 1" in

diameter. Wrap each in waxed paper and put in freezer until very hard. May be done a day or more before assembling the rolls.

1 lb bought caramels

about 10 C coarsely chopped pecans, with some left whole

Melt caramels in top of a metal double boiler with a little milk over boiling water. Remove from heat but leave over the hot water as you work with it.

Spread chopped pecans on your work surface.

With a spoon, spread caramel over rolls as you roll them into the chopped nuts. Press nuts into the caramel with your hands, stretching the roll at the same time so that the white middle gets slimmer.

Cool, store covered in cool dry place. Keeps a month.

Or store in freezer indefinitely.

To serve, cut into thin slices.

While I was rooting around for the pecan roll recipe, I found two for kreplach (little crepes). Antoinette, here is one. Dottie, does this compare well with the recipe my mother gave you?

Cheese kreplach

Dough

sift together 7 C flour, salt, 5 eggs, and enough water to make a pliable dough. Roll out on a wooden board and cut into sqaures (2" square? the recipe doesn't say). Place a teasp of cheese mixture in middle. Fold over to make a triangle, squeeze open edges together to seal, making a fluted edge. The sealing is vital or the cheese will leak out during the boiling.

Filling

16 oz. pressed cheese (farmers' cheese?)

1 egg

I am not sure if this is the correct amount of cheese for the amount of dough. If there is dough left over, it can be frozen and used another time.

Preparation

Boil salted water briskly. Add kreplach. Boil uncovered 10 min. Remove from water with slotted spoon. Bake at 350 till brown in a Pyrex dish to which a half bar of butter has been added.

Enjoy!

Love,

Bernice