Coast2CoastRecipes http://coast2coastrecipes.com State Recipes for the official food symbols and top agricultural products. Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:49:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Cranberry Filled Cookies http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/cranberry-filled-cookies/ http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/cranberry-filled-cookies/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:09:22 +0000 admin http://coast2coastrecipes.com/?p=908

History of the Cranberry

Massachusetts Cranberry Shortbread Cookie - photo by Deborah Austin

Massachusetts Cranberry Shortbread Cookie - photo by Deborah Austin


The cranberry, along with the blueberry and Concord grape, is one of North America’s three native fruits that are commercially grown. Cranberries were first used by Native Americans, who discovered the wild berry’s versatility as a food, fabric dye and healing agent. Today, cranberries are commercially grown throughout the northern part of the United States and are available in both fresh and processed forms.

The name “cranberry” derives from the Pilgrim name for the fruit, “craneberry”, so called because the small, pink blossoms that appear in the spring resemble the head and bill of a Sandhill crane. European settlers adopted the Native American uses for the fruit and found the berry a valuable bartering tool.

American whalers and mariners carried cranberries on their voyages to prevent scurvy. In 1816, Captain Henry Hall became the first to successfully cultivate cranberries. By 1871, the first association of cranberry growers in the United States had formed, and now, U.S. farmers harvest approximately 40,000 acres of cranberries each year.

Source: Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association

Adoption of the Massachusetts State Berry


After two years of lobbying and petitions, the fifth-grade class on the North Shore that worked towards making the Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) the State Berry was thrilled when the legislature finally officially adopted the Cranberry in July of 1994.

Ingredients for Cranberry Filled Cookies

  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 4 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
  • 1 (3”) Cinnamon Stick
  • 1 tablespoon Lavender
  • 1 teaspoon Cardamom, ground
  • 2 pkg. Pre-made Sugar Cookie Dough

Directions for Cranberry Filled Cookies

  1. Combine cranberries, sugar, lavender, cardamom, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, stirring.
  2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes.
  3. Remove and discard cinnamon stick, then carefully transfer the cranberry mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot mixtures).
  4. Cool the mixture in the refrigerator until completely cold.
  5. Roll out 1 log of cookie dough until 1/4” thickness is achieved consistently.
  6. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out dough and transfer to a baking sheet, leaving 1/2” space between each cookie.
  7. Place 1-2 t of the cranberry mixture in the center of each cookie.
  8. Place another piece of round dough on top of the mixture and pinch the edges of the cookie together. (center of top piece can be cut out in a shape, if you choose.)
  9. At this point the cookies may either be frozen to be baked at a later date, or bake in a 350*F oven for about 10-15 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Yield:
25-35 servings

Source: Jessica Drakulich, Johnson & Wales University

]]> http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/cranberry-filled-cookies/feed/ 10 Five-Minute Cranberry Sauce http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/fiveminute-cranberry-sauce/ http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/fiveminute-cranberry-sauce/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:32:25 +0000 admin http://coast2coastrecipes.com/?p=904 Vaccinium macrocarpon) the State Berry was thrilled when the legislature finally officially adopted the Cranberry in July of 1994. ]]>
Cranberry Sauce - image courtesy of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association

Cranberry Sauce - image courtesy of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association

After two years of lobbying and petitions, the fifth-grade class on the North Shore that worked towards making the Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) the State Berry was thrilled when the legislature finally officially adopted the Cranberry in July of 1994.

Cranberry Juice was also adopted as the official State Beverage of the Commonwealth on May 4, 1970.

Ingredients for 5-Minute Cranberry:

  • 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • fresh lemon juice (1/4 lemon)

Directions for 5-Minute Cranberry:

  1. Gather all ingredients.
  2. Place cranberries in a saucepan with ¼ cup of water and cook over low heat until cranberries are soft and begin to pop.
  3. Add the sugar and mix well.
  4. Let simmer until mixture begins to thicken.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
  6. Place in serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
  7. Serve cold.

Source: Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association

]]> http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/fiveminute-cranberry-sauce/feed/ 2 Oven-Baked Spicy Vidalia Onion Rings http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/ovenbaked-spicy-vidalia-onion-rings/ http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/ovenbaked-spicy-vidalia-onion-rings/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:59:21 +0000 admin http://coast2coastrecipes.com/?p=900

State History of the Vidalia Onion


According to the Vidalia Onion Growers Association:

Georgia farmers united in the mid-1980’s to seek both state and federal protection of the growing region and the Vidalia brand name. The following legislation was passed during this historical time:

1986 – Georgia’s state legislature gave the Vidalia onion legal status and defined the 20-county production area.

1989 – Vidalia onion producers established Federal Marketing Order No. 955 for the crop. This USDA program created the Vidalia Onion Committee and extended the definition of a Vidalia onion to the federal level.

1990 – The Vidalia onion was named Georgia’s Official State Vegetable. The name “Vidalia” had also been trademarked and is still owned by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.


Ingredients for Spicy Vidalia Onion Rings


This delicious Vidalia onion ring recipe will bring a bit of spice and fun to a hamburger dinner. It’s a fun change from chips or fries.

  • 1/2 cup White Lily Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 large Vidalia Onions sliced into 1/4 inch rings
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, melted, or non-stick cooking spray
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions for Spicy Vidalia Onion Rings

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Grease baking sheet with spray.
  3. Combine meal, pepper, paprika in a large zip lock plastic bag.
  4. Dip Vidalia Onion slices in milk and place in the plastic bag with mixture. Seal and shake until well-coated.
  5. Place in a single layer on the pan.
  6. Drizzle with melted butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and turn slices over with spatula. Return to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until browned and crisp.
  9. Drain on paper towels.
  10. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Source: The Vidalia® Onion Committee

]]> http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/07/ovenbaked-spicy-vidalia-onion-rings/feed/ 6 Maple Sugar Candy http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/06/maple-sugar-candy/ http://coast2coastrecipes.com/2010/06/maple-sugar-candy/#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:04:08 +0000 admin http://coast2coastrecipes.com/?p=634 Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), became the official tree of both Wisconsin and Vermont in 1949. New York followed suit and adopted it as the official state tree in 1956. Vermonters enjoy the sugar maple so much that as of April 26, 1994, the sugar maple went into effect as their Official State Flavor.

One of the benefits of having the Sugar Maple as the state tree is being able to enjoy its delectable sugar maple candies in the fall

Each year, usually in March, Indians would go to collect sap from maple trees and make sugar and maple syrup. Native American’s discovered long ago that maple trees have a sweet sap that can be drained from the tree and boiled to make syrup and sugar. They used an adze (like an ax) to make a cut in the maple tree’s bark. A short stick was pushed into the opening and the sap ran down the stick and into a bucket (usually a bark pan or wooden bowl) below.

Mothers would make candy for their children by folding little cones of thin birch bark and filling them with sugar. They also made molded candies. First they would carve the shapes of animals, moons, and stars into wooden molds. Then they pressed soft sugar into the molds. When the sugar hardened, they wrapped it in thin pieces of birch bark.

Source: Nez Perce National Historic Trail, USDA Forest Service

You can make an easy maple candy. This recipe makes about 30 candies.

Ingredients for Maple Sugar Candy: