Grandma Larson’s Elephant Ears
1 pkg dry yeast soaked in 1/4c luke warm water
2 cups flour
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oleo
1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
1 egg yolk
2 T softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Melted butter
Nuts?
Mix flour, 1 1/2 T sugar and salt. Cut in butter as for pastry. Combine milk, egg yolk and yeast. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours in refrigerator. Turn dough onto a floured board, punch down. Cover with cloth and allow to rest 10 minutes. Roll into a 10×18 rectangle. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Spread soft oleo evenly over dough; then evenly sprinkle edge to edge with cinn/sugar mixture. Roll as a jelly roll and cut into one inch thick slices. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle a tsp of the cinn/sugar mix on a 5 inch round of wax paper and then roll out dough slice to size of wax paper. Flip from wax paper onto ungreased pan, keeping 2 inches apart. Sprinkle top with a bit more cinn/sugar mixture. Bake 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Cucumber Sandwiches
16 slices high-quality soft white sandwich bread (about 1 loaf), crusts removed
1 English cucumber
8 ounces cream cheese , softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked black pepper , to taste
Peel the cucumber in stripes and cut into 1/8-inch thin slices using a mandolin or sharp knife. Place the slices on paper towels and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let rest for 15-30 minutes to extract moisture. Pat dry with clean paper towels.
In the meantime, make the spread. In a medium bowl, using a handheld mixer, blend together the softened cream cheese, mayo, dill, chives, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt.
Spread one side of each slice of bread with the herbed cream cheese.
Layer cucumber slices over half of the bread slices. Season with fresh cracked black pepper, to taste. Top with remaining bread slices, cream cheese mixture down. (At this point, you’ll have 8 full sandwiches.)
Using a sharp Chef’s knife, cut each sandwich into quarters, pushing through the bread down to the bottom.
Serve right away and enjoy!
