Date Pinwheel Cookie

 https://cannedpeachesproject.com/date-pinwheel-cookies/

Date Pinwheel Cookie

Yield: 4 large logs, yielding about 1 1/2 dozen cookies each. 

Vintage date pinwheel recipe from my Great Grandma Little. Makes a lightly sweet and soft cookie that has long been a family favorite. 
INGREDIENTS  

For Date Filling:

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 lbs. pitted dates, roughly chopped

For Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup soft butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 5 cups all purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS

Make Date Filling:

• In small pot over medium low heat, heat sugar, water & chopped dates. Let cook until sugar melts and forms a syrup. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break up dates more, and make a thick paste.
• Pull off the heat and cool to room temp.

Make Cookie Dough:

• In large bowl, or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. 
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
• Add dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Divide dough into 4 equal portions.

Assemble Pinwheels:

• Roll out each lump of dough onto parchment, until 1/2" thick. Use a knife to square up your dough (scraps can be saved and used for to make a mini log, with extra filling).
• Spread an even layer of date filling on dough, leaving one of the short ends bare to make for easy sealing. Don't use so much filling that it's hard to roll up, but it's also the good stuff, so don't skimp. (I actually recommend using *slightly* more filling than what is in the picture)
• Tightly roll up your log, rolling toward the end you left bare. Press to seal.  Wrap up in parchment paper, and let chill in fridge for a few hours.
• Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 325, and line baking sheets with parchment. Slice logs into 1/2" thick rounds. Place on prepared sheets, and bake until lightly brown, about 15 minutes. 

Italian Meatballs

https://cannedpeachesproject.com/calabrian-wisconsin-meatballs/

Calabrian-Wisconsin Meatballs

These perfect Italian-American meatballs have stood the test of time, with the perfect, meaty, cheesy texture. Delicious simmered in tomato sauce, or fried up and eaten with freshly buttered bread.

INGREDIENTS  

• 4 cups bread, preferably Italian bread with the crusts removed
• 7 eggs
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or microplaned
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 3 cups grated pecorino romano, or other hard, salty Italian cheese (parmesan works nicely)
• 1 T salt (more or less to taste)
• Neutral tasting frying oil, as needed.

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Take the bread, and either process in a food processor into bread crumbs, or tear with hands until it's in small pieces, no bigger than a 1/2". (If bread is quite soft, you might find it easier to tear into pieces.) Place finished bread crumbs or pieces into small bowl.
• In large bowl, whisk together eggs.
• Add rest of ingredients and bread into large bowl, and mix together thoroughly, using hands.
• Once you have a homogeneous mix, test for seasoning. Do this by either frying a tiny portion of the mix in a pan, or cooking in microwave. Check for salt level, and adjust accordingly.
• Roll into balls. Size the balls so you get approximately 25-30 balls per pound of meat (about 75 balls for this recipe). They should be about 1 1/2" across.
• Heat a frying pan to medium heat, and pour a shallow layer of oil. Working in batches, fry the meatballs until cooked through, about 8-12 minutes. If you'd like to test with a thermometer, internal temp should read 140 degrees.
• Remove from oil, and place on paper towel to drain.
• Meatballs can either be simmered in tomato sauce and served over spaghetti, or served "Warren-style," which is fresh out of the frying pan, with a side of bread and butter. Both are very delicious.