Community Kitchen

This recipe was sent on by Alice Bradley and it seems like a great recipe to stock in the freezer for the Christmas season entertaining. Thanks Alice.

EMPANADA
2 cups flour
8 oz. regular cream cheese
1 cup butter
Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Stir in the flour.
Roll the dough into a disc.
Wrap in plastic  and refrigerate for few hours or overnight.
Roll the dough into 1/8 in thickness and cut into 2 1/2 inch – 3 1/2 inch circle with a cookie cutter.

Filling:
1/2 cup raisin – cover with boiling water till plump.
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2 lb. ground beef
2  Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. beef bouillon powder or 1 cube
12 large pimento stuffed green olives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.
Heat oil in fry pan and brown
Add garlic and onion and saute
Add flour, mix and add water, beef bouillon and cook few minutes.
Add raisin and olive
Season with salt and pepper.  Let cool to room temperature.
Add 1 tsp. filling to pastry round
Bring edges together to make half round, pinch edges together to seal.
Place on parchment lined cooking sheet.
Do not touch each other if freezing.  Freeze until hard.
Put in container or ziplock bags to keep frozen.
To bake:
Warm the Empanada to room temperature about 30 minutes.
Place on parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake in 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly brown on edge.
Serve with chili sauce or spicy salsa.

MILK CHOCOLATE FUDGE CRACKLES
Tried this recipe from a newspaper ad and loved it so much I made them three times already.  So chocolaty!
1/4 cup Crisco all vegetable shortening or butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup Eagle Brand regular or low fat sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups Chipits milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup icing sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degree F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt shortening or butter with semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Add sugar and then eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition,
Let cool for 5 minutes.
Mix in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.
Add next 4 ingredients: mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours.
Sift icing sugar in a shallow bowl.  Roll chilled dough into 1-1/4 inch balls.
Toss lightly in icing sugar.  Place on prepared baking sheets, about 1-1/2 inch apart and flatten slightly.
Bake for 11-13 minutes or until just beginning to feel firm when pressed in centre.
Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks.
Makes 48 crackles.
**After starting the recipe, I discovered I didn’t have another can of Sweetened condensed milk in my cupboard and I remembered I had a recipe for it and it worked out well.  Keep this for reference:

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
1/2 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp. margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
Put water in blender. add melted margarine and blend for few seconds.
Add sugar and milk.  Blend until smooth.  Makes 8 ounces.
Can be used for any recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!