With the holidays upon us, many of us will be gathering with friends and families to enjoy a meal together. And that often means preparing a special treat for the occasion.
At Canterbury Park, we have our own traditions when it comes to tasty delights. Here are a few recipes for the holidays and the stories behind them. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Hours at Canterbury Park
No Bake Mock Strawberries – Shyla Howell Marketing Director
This tasty favorite holiday treat was first introduced to my family in 1960 by my great-grandmother Ina Knudson, who typed the recipe on a 4″ x 6″ recipe card using a standard typewriter for her daughter Jean (my grandmother).
My great-grandma’s note read: “These cookies really add a specialty to the Christmas cookie plate.” While my Grandma Jean still uses the typed recipe card, I click on a Word document to open my favorite holiday cookie recipe.
No Bake Mock Strawberries
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or ground almonds
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 (6-ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• Tube of green frosting
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients except the 3-ounce box of gelatin. Cover mixture and place in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll mixture into strawberry shapes.
Place the 3-ounce box of gelatin in a plate and roll the shaped strawberries in the gelatin until coated. Use the tube of green frosting to make two leaves (or leaf like decoration) on each strawberry.
Makes about two dozen strawberries.
Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!
Russian Tea Cakes – Rebecca Ramm, HR Generalist
This is a recipe from my Grandma Miller, who passed away about 10 years ago. These are a Christmas tradition on my mom’s side, and I know everyone thinks of her when we bake them.
Russian Tea Cakes
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup chopped nuts
Mix all ingredients and form into approximately 1-inch balls. Bake 14-17 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn them over after 8 or 9 minutes. Roll into additional powdered sugar while warm. Cool and roll again.
Doodads – Jennie Palmer, Director of Guest Services
For as long as I can remember, I have looked forward to the tradition of making Doodads for Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Doodads were a kitchen recipe and tradition stemming from my great grandma. My mom had my sister and me helping out in the kitchen when we were very little and this was the most fun we had cooking as little kids.
Now I have four littles of my own and I love getting to pass on this fun experience to them. This year three of the four of them were old enough to get their hands full of butter and flour!
Doodads
Gather leftover pie crust dough pieces after making your holiday pies, or make pie crust dough just for the Doodads. Sprinkle counter surface with flour, then roll dough out into a rectangular shape.
Spread a thin layer of butter across the dough, covering all but an inch around the edges. As kids this was the fun part! We used our hands to spread the butter across the dough and smoothed it out like we were painting.
Next, sprinkle a generous amount of sugar and cinnamon over the same area. Roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll, wet the edge with just a little water and press gently to seal.
You can bake in two ways.
1) Close the ends by wetting the dough, fold over and press to seal. Place the whole rolled Doodad into tinfoil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your Doodad. If I make it this way, I like to add minced apples before rolling it up. Slice into serving sizes after cooked.
2) You can also cut the roll into one inch pieces prior to baking. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I like to set the Doodads out with a bowl of whipped cream for dipping on the side.
Bon appetit!
