Orange Cranberry Bread

This is a delicious quick bread, perfect for this time of year.

In a mixer, beat on high 2-3 minutes:

6 T butter

2/3 C sugar

Gradually beat in:

2 eggs

In a different bowl, mix:

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Combine in another bowl:

1/4 C milk

1/4 C orange juice

Grated zest of one lemon

Grated zest of one orange

Now, add the dry mixture alternating with the liquid mixture on low speed to the butter mixture, just to combined.

Fold in:

2/3 C chopped pecans

1/3 C dried cranberries

Bake in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pan (I just use my 9 x 5 bread loaf pan) for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Sausage Braid

First, let's pretend that I actually took this picture, and made such a perfect braid from refrigerated crescent dough, shall we?

Now, in the realm of reality: I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine a looong time ago. I have fond memories of making it for Toni Harris' shower after Josiah. I made one--and the entire world showed up for what I was expecting to be a tiny Providence shower! More is always better with this recipe.


Ingredients

* 12 ounces bulk pork sausage
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup chopped celery
* 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
* 2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I've been known to use dried)
* 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
* 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

* In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Add cream cheese, green onion and parsley. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted; set aside.
* Unroll crescent dough on a greased baking sheet; seal perforations. Roll into a 12-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spoon sausage mixture to within 3 in. of long sides and 1 in of ends. On each long side, cut 3/4-in.-wide strips 3 in. into center. Starting at one end, fold alternately strips at an angle, forming a braid.
* Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8-10 servings.

(If, by chance, you should just happen to forget to soften your cream cheese, mixing it in with your hands works great and is really fast. Not that I've ever had any such experience...)

Corn Bread

Here are two corn bread recipes that I always go back to. For Katie's birthday dinner I combined the two and was asked for the recipe. So I will explain at the end how I did that.

This first corn bread is the recipe I make all year round.

1 C milk

1/4 C melted butter

1 egg

1 1/4 C cornmeal

1 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Beat milk, butter, and egg in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until moistened. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. If making into muffins decrease the time.

This next recipe is my favorite fall corn bread. I got it from my Autumn cookbook by Susan Branch.

Iowa Corn Bread

1 egg

1 C whole milk

1 T finely grated orange zest

3 T melted butter

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 C cornmeal

1/4 C sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

Whisk egg, stir in milk and zest. Set aside. Sift together dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in milk mixture and melted butter. Pour into a greased 8x8. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with "Bee Butter"

1 stick of butter whipped with 2 T honey

Okay, so I made the first recipe (doubled it) and added 1 T orange juice concentrate, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger.

Luscious Slush Punch

This is the pink punch that was served today at the baby shower. Holly also served it at Erin's shower.

2 1/2 C sugar

6 C water

6 oz strawberry jell-o mix

1 can (46 oz) pineapple juice

2/3 C lemon juice

1 qt. orange juice

2 2 liters of lemon-lime soda

In a large (like a stock pot) saucepan combine sugar, water, and jell-o mix. Boil 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in two separate containers. Freeze until ready to use. Put contents of one container in punch bowl and add one 2 liter of pop. Or if the punch bowl is large put both in with both pops. This makes a lot! A huge punch bowl full.

Delicous Whole Grain Bread

This is a soaked wheat bread recipe from Sue Gregg's website, www.suegregg.com :

1. Blend well in mixing bowl (dough should not be too stiff); lay plastic wrap over top of dough to prevent it from drying out. Cover bowl with damp cloth. Let stand 12-24 hours:
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I use unpasteurized apple cider vinegar)
4-6 cups whole wheat flour (I soak 4 1/2 to 5 cups the night before and knead in more flour as needed in the morning)

2. Blend together and allow to stand 5-10 minutes until it bubbles up:
1/4 cup very warm (but not hot) water
2 teaspoons- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3. Blend following ingredients and work into dough with yeast mixture until well blended:
1/3 cup coconut oil (melt if hard), melted butter, or olive oil (I use butter)
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt

4. Knead 20 minutes, adding flour as needed. (I use my Kitchen Aid for this, and it takes about 10 minutes to knead until it feels right. Also, I tend to need the full 6 cups of flour, but I don't measure exactly. I just add the flour as a I see the dough needs it. I always start and finish kneading the dough by hand so that I can feel it with my bare hands. The majority of the time it's in the mixer though.) Knead until smooth and resistant to kneading action.

5. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, oil top of dough lightly, cover with damp cloth; let rise in a warm place until double, about 1- 1 1/2 hours. If indentation remains in dough when poked with finger, it is ready. (Another tip: I always save my empty butter wrappers to grease pans and bowls etc., so use the butter wrapper that you just took the butter out of for the recipe to oil your bowl and the top of your dough.)

6. Punch dough down gently, turn it over; cover and let rise until double, about 45 minutes. (I will often skip this rising if I am pressed for time.)

7. Divide dough in half; shape into 2 loaves; cover; let rise until almost double, about 20-25 minutes. (Don't forget to grease your loaf pan!)

8. Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Turn loaves out on sides on a rack to cool. Brush with butter, if desired; cool completely before slicing.

*Note: the recipe also says that you can use spelt or Kamut flour although I have never tried this.

Backwood Beans and corn bread

I hate to push down the fudgiest brownie recipe for another bean recipe. Sorry to be the "Debbie downer" of sorts. I made this this week and it turned out to be another cheap, healthy (high fiber!), and easy meal that turns into many meals. The first meal's main gist is pinto bean soup with corn bread. Then I used the left over beans in burritos and then also on nachos.

Backwood Beans (gluten free)

(I named it this because as I ate I couldn't help but imagine a log cabin in the Smoky Mountains, where everyone  is wearing brown tones, barefoot , the brother plays the harmonica, and the sister's hair is in braids.)

Night before:

Rinse and sort 2-3 lbs. dried pinto beans. In a large pot, cover beans with water (enough to let them double in size and still be submerged)

3 hours before dinner:

Dump out water and get fresh. Add a chopped onion to beans and simmer an hour. 

In a skillet, cook:

6 slices of bacon, cut up.

Add bacon and grease to beans (Caution: the hot grease will splatter when it hits the water, so you may want to let it cool a bit first.)

Continue to simmer 1-2 hours. Add water if necessary.

About a half hour before dinner bake:

Corn bread (not gluten free)

Oven: 400

1 C milk

1/4 C butter

1 egg

1 1/4 C cornmeal

1 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Grease an 8x8 or muffin tin. Beat milk, butter, and egg in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients until moistened. Bake 20-25 min until toothpick comes out clean. (15-20 for muffin tin.)

The next day for dinner I reheated some beans on the stove and mashed them. Then I put them and some spinach, cheese, sour cream, and sliced avocados in a tortilla and it made a tasty burrito. And the day after that I spread chips on a cookies sheet, put heated beans on top, sprinkled with cheese and sliced avocado and broiled to heat the cheese and chips. Delicious!

Fudgiest Brownies (EVER).

This is for those of us that love chocolate too much--not just a little more than most, or sometimes when we've had a hard day, but truly deeply and passionately adore it. If that's not you, then just go ahead and back away from the brownie tray and let others have at it. Perhaps *you* can have a Tootsie Roll, or a Hershey's kiss...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use chocolate chips--and it's 4 cups of chocolate.)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs

2 cups granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) a 9 x 13 inch pan. Then line the pan with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl/double boiler placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk (can use a hand mixer) together the eggs and sugar. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla extract.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then fold into the chocolate and sugar mixture until well combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. These freeze very well. (I freeze them to keep from eating continually...they are still quite good. As for the serving recommend, I usually like mine scalding hot straight from the oven, because I'm impatient. Of course, they are delicious however you eat them--even slightly frozen.)


As is usually the case with truly remarkable recipes that I adore, this comes from joyofbaking.com.

p.s. She put this recipe back up because I sent an e-mail of alarm and chagrin that it was no longer there for the rest of world to enjoy. She calls them "fudgy", but I can't resist the superlative.

Turtle Ice Cream Pie

It's even more decadent than it sounds. First of all, you make your own caramel. It's easy and wonderful. Secondly, the crust is about half nuts. Who could resist? Thirdly, three layers of caramel and a ganache topping. Come on...you know you want some. And nobody else is going to make it for you. (Don't look at me, I already made and consumed the whole thing. Digging through my freezer will verify this.)


Ingredients
crust

* 1 1/2 cups pecan halves or pieces (6 to 7 ounces), toasted, divided
* 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 5 whole graham crackers, finely crushed in resealable plastic bag)
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

sauce and filling

* 3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
* 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 pints (4 cups) premium vanilla ice cream, divided

ganache topping

* 5 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
* 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 1/2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
* 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
* Pinch of salt

Preparation

crust

* Preheat oven to 350°F. Using on/off turns, finely chop 1 cup pecans in processor; transfer to medium bowl. Mix in graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Drizzle butter over; blend until evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly over bottom and up sides of 9-inch glass pie dish (not on rim).
* Bake crust until golden brown, about 12 minutes (if crust puffs, press firmly back into place). Cool crust completely. Wrap in foil and freeze at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

sauce and filling

* Bring first 3 ingredients to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves. Boil caramel 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Turn off heat; whisk in butter, vanilla, and salt. Cool completely.
* Slightly soften 1 cup vanilla ice cream in microwave on low in 10-second intervals. Spread ice cream evenly in frozen pie crust; spread 1/4 cup caramel over. Freeze pie until ice cream and caramel are firm, about 1 hour. Repeat with remaining vanilla ice cream in three 1-cup portions and caramel in two 1/4-cup portions. Freeze pie overnight. Cover and reserve remaining caramel at room temperature.

ganache topping

* Combine chocolate, cream, and corn syrup in medium metal bowl. Place over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Cool ganache at room temperature until thick but still pourable, about 30 minutes.
* Pour ganache evenly over frozen pie. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans. Freeze until ganache is firm, at least 45 minutes. Drizzle decoratively with 1/4 cup reserved caramel. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen. Cover and chill remaining caramel.
* Let pie stand 10 minutes at room temperature. Rewarm remaining caramel, stirring over low heat. Cut pie into wedges and serve with caramel.

* test-kitchen tip
To remove the first piece of pie, slide the knife between the crust and the dish all the way around the pie. Then cut out the first slice, being sure to cut through the crust completely.


(Also, many thanks to bon appetit magazine for this recipe. They spoil me.)

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe passed to me from Rena.

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Freshly ground salt and pepper
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or spinach with stems removed and leaves cut into thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds, then add the cream, the zest and juice of 2 of the lemons, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, and cook al dente according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until the pasta has absorbed most of the sauce. Pour the hot pasta in to a large bowl and add the arugula, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4- inch thick crosswise, and add a few slices to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Creamy Grape Salad

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 pounds seedless green grapes
2 pounds seedless red grapes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Add grapes and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans just before serving. Yield: 21-24 servings

Braided Swiss Bread

I made this bread for Easter because it is less daunting than the challah bread I usually make, and this year I needed to simplify. This is delicious and beautiful. I also make this recipe when I am responsible for communion bread, so you may find it familiar.

makes 2 loaves

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1 1/2 C warmed milk (110-115 degrees)

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C olive oil

4 1/2 C flour

Sprinkle yeast on warm milk, add sugar and salt. Let bubble about five min. 

Add oil and half of the flour. Beat until smooth, add remaining flour. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary.

Turn into greased bowl and cover with a clean dish cloth. Let rise about an hour.

Divide dough in half. Cut each half into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth rope. Make 2 braids using 3 ropes for each braid. Place one braid on top of the other, tuck in ends. Repeat procedure for second loaf.* 

Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Now, here are some additions~ 

Right before baking, use a pastry brush to brush on : 

egg yoke, if you want it to have a beautiful dark golden color

egg whites, if you want it to have a gloss

or a whole egg for both color and gloss

*The loaves can be shaped however you want. Sometimes I just roll them and slash them like french bread. This Easter I braided 4 ropes for each loaf and did no stacking. 

Traditional Mexican Salsa

I like this salsa because it is made in the blender, making it super easy and a fun texture.

This one's for you, Meg!

4 fresh tomatoes

1 yellow onion

2 garlic cloves

2 cups canned tomatoes, drained

1 c fresh cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper)

1 tsp salt

4 Tb lime juice

Process all ingredients in your blender on low until your desired consistency. Makes about 1 quart.

A few tips:
1. This recipe tends to turn out really juicy, almost runny, if you don't make sure to get as much liquid out of the diced tomatoes as you can.
2. I also suggest de-seeding the tomatoes to reduce the liquid content even further. (I slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the really wet stuff before chopping them up.)
3. If you want your onions chopped smaller than the rest of it, I throw about half the tomatoes in with the onions and cilantro and pulse a few times, and then add the rest of the ingredients. That way you can avoid large onion chunks without completely pureeing the rest of the tomatoes!

4. This also makes an excellent sauce for mexican dishes (the word 'salsa' actually means 'sauce' in Spanish!) Heat and pour over rice, beans, chicken, or whatever you want!

Black Beans and Rice

Jen and I were talking about serving beans for dinner and she gave me this great idea of how to serve black beans. What I like about it is that there is no meat involved, which is what makes up the cost of most of my bean dinners. 

The night before: Rinse and sort black beans (however much you want...1-2 lbs or so) Put them in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Cover with 3 inches of water. Let soak overnight.

In the afternoon: Drain the water. (This helps cut down on the gaseousness of the beans.) Fill with fresh water and cover beans with a few inches of water. 

Add: 1-2 T bacon grease

1 chopped onion

2-4 minced garlic cloves

salt to taste

Cook on med-low for about 1 1/2-2 hours. Keep an eye on it, don't let your beans boil, this makes them crack. Also, stir them every now and then.

Next: Steam rice (for our fam of 5 I cook 1 1/2 C uncooked rice in 3 C water)

If you have grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, or chips, bring them out. If not, don't worry, it still tastes really good. 

To serve, I put a scoop of rice in the bottom of each bowl and top with the beans, add a sprinkle of cheese, and we all enjoy it. 

Then the next day I usually spice it up a little more, since leftovers are never as good as the first serving (unless they are chocolate cake or chili). This is when I add salsa, sour cream and chips. Or it is also good rolled up in a tortilla. 

I figured this meal, without the extras, costs somewhere around $1-$3 depending on the price you get on beans. And that serves 5, with leftovers!

Gramma-Tamara Mac-N-Cheese

This is my grandmother's recipe with a serious Tamara twist. (I have this strange inability to follow a recipe exactly.) My dad always said mac-n-cheese was kind of bland, so I worked and worked until I came up with this tasty concoction. Enjoy!

Gather up...

1 pkg. elbow macaroni (or any shape that suits your fancy!)

6 Tb. butter

6 Tb. all purpose flour (or GF all purpose flour!!)

2 cloves garlic

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp onion salt

3 c. milk

handful of fresh-grated romano or parmesan cheese (the saltier the cheese, the better. If you want to use only cheddar, I'd suggest adding 1/2 tsp. salt to your sauce.)

2 generous handfuls of grated cheddar cheese (I use sharp for extra flavor)

handful of potato chips (yes, that's right. Potato chips in your macaroni.)

(In case you're bad at math, the ratio for the sauce is 

2 Tb butter : 2 Tb flour : 1 c. milk. 

Now you can make however much you want!)

Cook up your pasta. Drain and let it sit there while you make the sauce. Don't worry, it will be ok.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over med-high heat. Add the flour, the seasonings and the garlic. (smoosh the garlic through your garlic press so it's not chunky. If you don't have one, try to chop it as tiny as you can.) Stir until it starts to bubble. This takes about 5 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the milk gradually, whisking until it is smooth. Return to the heat and bring to a boil stirring often. Once it boils and thickens, remove from the heat and add the fistful of romano/parmesan and one handful of cheddar. Stir until the cheese melts and is smooth. Now comes the assembly.

In a baking dish, layer 1/3 of the pasta, cheddar, and sauce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, ending with the cheddar on the top. (If you like yours extra-saucey, you can use all the sauce, but I always have a little too much sauce and discard the extra.) Hang on to those potato chips just a little while longer.

Bake the macaroni at 350 for 15 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted. Grab those chips and crunch them up. Sprinkle them on top and pop the dish under the broiler for just a minute to get them nice and crispy, and a little golden-colored. This makes for a fun and tasty crunch on top. (Before my gluten free days I liked to use crunched-up Cheez-its as well.) 

Enjoy!!!

p.s... when I make this for us I like to boost its nutritional value a little by boiling broccoli in with the noodles, and adding some flax meal to the sauce before assembly. Add some diced up ham, or hot dogs if you wish, and it makes for a yummy casserole!

Gluten-free note: the Kroger on Timberlake has the best selection of GF noodles I've seen in town. It has the best GF selection for everything, actually. The brand "Tinkyada" is my favorite, and they have lots of shaped noodles to choose from, including elbow- macaroni. But of course, any pasta in any shape will do! 

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

These are fluffy, creamy, and everything good mashed potatoes should be. And you can make them the day before if you want to!! PERFECT for Sunday dinners!

You're going to need:

5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 Tb. butter, divided

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large pot cover the potatoes with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20-25 min or until very tender. drain well.

In large mixing bowl mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients, saving 1 Tb. of butter. Beat until fluffy. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish, and dot the top with the remaining butter. (This is where you put it in the fridge if you are saving it for later.) Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through.

These are so good!!!

Thank You Janet

Janet, this is really beautiful. I love the peachy clean look! Thank you for spicing it up for us.

Bread-Machine Pizza Dough

Combine the ingredients in a bread machine and process as directed. The recipe makes enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas.

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water (105*-115*)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat & 1 cup white)
1 Tbs. active dry yeast

Directions:

In the bread pan of an electric bread machine, combine (in this order) the warm water, olive oil, salt, flour and yeast. Set the machine for Pizza Dough according to the manufacturer's instructions and process through the cycle.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Form each half into a ball and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes. Roll out as directed in the pizza recipe. Makes two 12-inch rounds.

Kitchen Tip from Meg: You can freeze your pizza dough by wrapping in plastic wrap and then flatten a bit to store in freezer till your ready to use. Thaw on counter for most of the day.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Pizza

This is absolutely delicious! Every bite a bite of goodness! (It's from Williams-Sonoma) I'll post the Bread-Machine Pizza Dough recipe that they supplied but you may have your own favorite pizza dough recipe to use instead. Oh and don't grab the handle of the preheated cast-iron pan like I did! Ouch!

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling (I didn't think it needed "extra")
1 red onion, thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Dough for one 12-inch pizza, made in a bread machine (see post above)
Cornmeal for dusting
1/4 lb. goat cheese, crumbled
6 asparagus spears, ends trimmed, spears cooked until tender and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
4 to 6 paper-thin slices prosciutto

Directions:
Place a cast-iron pizza pan in an oven and preheat to 450*

In a saute pan over medium heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stiring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer the onion to a bowl.

Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round. Lightly dust a baking peel with cornmeal and lay the dough on top. (or just wing it like I did if you don't own a peel!) Lightly brush the dough with olive oil and spread the onion on top, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Scatter the goat cheese over the onion. Scatter the asparagus on top and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and half of the oregano.

Carefully slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza pan. Bake until the bottom of the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Arrange teh prosciutto on the pizza, sprinkle with the remaining oregano and drizzle with a little oil. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 2.

Kitchen Tip from William-Sanoma: When buying asparagus, look for firm stalks with tips that are tightly closed. The cut end should look freshly cut and not too dried out. Cook asparagus as soon as possible after purchase. If you must store it, set the stalks upright in a glasss of water (like you would a bouquet of flowers) and refrigerate.

Whole Wheat Bread

I have been making our sandwich bread for quite awhile now, and this recipe is our favorite. 

Makes 2 loaves

2 C whole wheat flour

2 C bread flour (if you are using freshly ground flour you can grind it extra fine for this)

2 T honey

2 packages of yeast

2 1/2 tsp salt

Dump all these things in a mixer. Mix on low and add:

2 C warm water (115 degrees)

4 T melted butter

At this point I like to add in about 1/2 C cooked oatmeal (at Rachel J.'s suggestion). It really helps make the bread moist.

Then, as the mixer mixes, add 1-2 C bread flour until the dough cleans from the bowl. You can let the machine kneed the dough for about 8 minutes, or kneed by hand for 10 minutes. I have found that when I kneed by hand it turns out better, lighter. 

Turn it out into a greased bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise about and hour, or until doubled. Next, punch down, divide, form into two loaves and place in two greased 9x5 loaf pans. Cover and let rise until the dough rises above the top of the pan. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pans and let cool on a rack. Don't be too anxious to cut into it, let it cool a bit or else it will colapse as you slice. Have a warm piece with butter and honey. The rest I usually slice and put in a ziplock and freeze until needed.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

These are soft, chewy, dense, and the easiest cookie you will ever make! And with only 3 ingredients, how can you go wrong?? You really should try these...

Start off by cracking 2 eggs in your mixing bowl. Blend for about a minute so the eggs are smooth. Dump in 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of peanut butter (or any other nut butter!) and blend again. Use crunchy peanut butter if you want some texture. Plop small spoonfuls onto your baking sheet, press with a fork, and bake at 350 for somewhere around 10-12 minutes. Presto! 

This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

*This is a wonderful recipe for gluten-free cookies, since it requires no special ingredients! To ensure gluten-free preparation, use a new jar of peanut butter or a jar designated for gluten-free use, because crumbs from your bread almost always find their way in and contaminate it!

Raspberry Coffee Cake

This is Meredith Wilson's recipe that has been served at showers and I made it for the fondue breakfast, for those of you who stayed.

2 C flour
3 oz
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ C butter
¼ C shorting
½ tsp salt
½ C raspberry jam
½ - 2/3 C buttermilk

Frosting:
½ C powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1-3 tsp milk

In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in cream cheese, butter, and shorting until crumbly. Stir in just enough buttermilk to moisten. Knead 5 strokes. Grease center of a baking sheet 4-inch lengthwise strip. Roll dough on waxed paper 8x15 inches and turn on to baking sheet. Spread jam down center and leave 3 inches of dough on either side. Cut ¾ inch strips all the way up to the jam. Fold strips over to create a braid. Bake 425 for 15 min. Mix frosting in a little bowl, drizzle on top of slightly cooled braid.

Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

This recipe is a wonderful springtime recipe as it incorporates fresh asparagus. It's one of our favorite recipes to make in early spring when the asparagus is fresh and crisp (and somewhat inexpensive!). Although it is vegetarian, it's a very "meaty" dish and is sure to fill you up.

Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
dash ground cloves
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus and mushrooms in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are browned; set aside. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and cloves until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Remove from heat; add roasted asparagus and mushrooms.
In a greased 13x9 inch baking dish, layer four noodles, a third of asparagus mixture, a third of the white sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings

The Mystery

Okay, so 1st born Villager, are you going to reveal yourself? I have tried in vain to figure out who you are and I hear that my one educated guess is incorrect. So...any hints?

Butter Toffee

I got this recipe from Katie's copy of Tasha Tudor's Take Joy. It is easy to make, hard to stop eating, and a gluten free dessert!

1 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C water
1/2 C butter
Melt all these in a sauce pan. Heat to 285 degrees. (I highly recommend a digital thermometer).
Add:
1/2 C chopped cashews
Pour onto a buttered cookie sheet (with sides). Cool.
Melt:
6 oz chocolate chips
Spread on cooled toffee. Sprinkle with some more chopped cashews. Cool.
Melt:
6 oz chocolate chips
Flip the toffee out of the pan. It will probably break into a few pieces. Spread with the chocolate. Sprinkle a little more chopped cashews. Let cool and break into small pieces. Store in an air tight container. Best if eaten within 2 weeks... and with a cup of tea!

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

I was making this batch of creamy goodness this week for Riley and myself, and realized that it was downright selfish of me to keep from sharing it with the rest of you! You should really try this. It's fantastic, and so simple!

Pour about a cup and a half of heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Add a little over 1/4 cup of butter, about 5 tablespoons, and stir until it starts to boil. Turn your burner down to low and simmer for a minute. Add a generous fistful of freshly grated parmesan cheese (It's gotta be fresh! Don't even try the stuff in a can!) to the sauce and whisk until smooth, stirring for another minute. Try to keep from drooling, you're almost done...

Season with pepper and a generous pinch of nutmeg (the 'secret' ingredient), but avoid adding salt, because parmesan tends to be salty enough on its own. Pour over your pasta of choice with another fistful of cheese and toss to coat. This makes enough to cover a 16 oz bag of pasta perfectly.

Go ahead and serve it with extra parmesan and even a little fresh snipped parsley on top for presentation, if you want...

Yum, yum, yum!!

p.s... this sauce is, of course, gluten free. Gluten free noodles can be found at Kroger or health food stores...

Borscht

This soup is really tasty, nutritious, and fairly inexpensive. It has become our weekly winter soup. 

I thought it would be appropriate to post this for Valentine's Day- it is a wonderful pink soup from Eastern Europe.

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

8 cups vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

4 large beets, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 cups chopped white cabbage

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 cup sour cream (I prefer plain yogurt)

1 T. finely chopped dill (only necessary for decorative garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Bring 4 cups of vegetable stock to boil with the garlic and onion in a large, heavy- based saucepan. Add beets, potato and carrots, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours to form a broth.

Next, cool the broth slightly. Chill in pot until cool. Then put in the fridge overnight (this is the key to the depth of flavor). Next day, add the remaining 4 cups of stock, bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Stir in chopped parsley; cook until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar. At this stage, you should choose whether or not to liquidize the soup. I love to blend it to a smooth, deeply colored, thick soup! It is absolutely beautiful.

Serve topped with sour cream (and yogurt) and dill. 

Valentine's Day Treat

It was hard deciding what to post first...How should I make my debut? Should I go humble, or pull out all the stops? I think this recipe falls somewhere in the middle, and is quite appropriate for the Season of Pink and Red into which we are thrown every February--like it or not!

Sweetheart Custard Dessert

• Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
• Confectioners' sugar
• CUSTARD:
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• TOPPING:
• 2 to 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

Roll out each pastry between waxed paper into a 12-in. circle. (I always make my own simple Betty Crocker crust.) Using an 11-in.-wide heart-shaped pattern, cut each pastry into a heart shape. Don't worry if they aren't exactly the same. If one's a bit bigger, just use it as the bottom heart. Place on greased and floured baking sheets; prick with a fork. Bake at 450° for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.
Remove from the heat. Combine the egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in butter. Cover; refrigerate until cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk the lemon custard, then fold in whipped cream.
Place one pastry on a serving plate; spread with half of the custard. Arrange half of the berries over custard. Top with remaining custard. Arrange remaining berries over filling. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over the top. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 8-10 servings.



Our family loves this treat. We all eagerly anticipate its annual appearance on the table.

Spinach Salad

Posted by: Meg
As we anticipate spinach in our gardens in the coming months (or just buy the big tub from Sam's), I thought this would peak your interest.
½ C olive oil
½ C cider vinegar
¼ C sugar
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp celery seed
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp Tabasco

Pour over fresh spinach, red onion, mushrooms, bacon, and eggs

Roasted Garlic Potato Soup

Posted by: Meg
This is our favorite fall soup, but it is nice all winter long.

6 med baking potatoes, peeled chopped
2 TBS olive oil
½ tsp pepper
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped
3 C chicken broth
1 C water
1 C whole milk
Salt
4 oz Colby or cheddar sliced

Oven 425. Place potatoes in baking dish. Drizzle with 1 TBS oil and pepper. Stir to coat. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Turn potatoes with metal spatula, and add garlic. Bake 20 min.
Set a side about 1 cup potatoes.
In a sauce pan, heat 1 TBS oil and cook onion for 5 min. Add potatoes and garlic from pan. Stir in broth and water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer covered 20 min.
Blend soup in blender ½ at a time or in pot with hand soup blender. Stir in milk. Season to taste with salt. Heat through. Garnish with a slice of cheese and the remaining 1 C potato pieces.

Spaghetti Pizza Pie

Posted by: Meg
We have been having spaghetti a lot this month, and I am getting rather tired of it. So last night I changed it up and made it into a spaghetti-pizza pie:

Spaghetti noodles
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
pepperoni

Cook the noodles. Butter a casserole dish. Put noodles in casserole. Pour spaghetti sauce on top (ours was some homemade with ground beef in the sauce) then top with as much of the cheeses you want. Finally, litter the top with pepperoni. Bake at 350 for maybe 30-45 minutes or so.

Whipped Mocha Frosting

This frosting is simply delish! It stays fresh in the fridge for several days, and also freezes well. Warm to room temp before using (don't microwave) and whip with your mixer until it's fluffy again.

Enjoy...

4- 1 oz squares semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 c butter

1 lb powdered sugar (3 1/2 c)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp instant coffee

1/2 c milk

Slowly melt chocolate in double boiler on stove top or in the microwave. Don't overcook it! Set aside.

Stir the coffee into the milk and let sit to dissolve.

Stir the butter in a large mixing bowl to soften. Beat in half of the sugar. Blend in the chocolate and vanilla. Add the remaining sugar alternately with the milk/coffee mixture, beating until smooth and of a good consistency. (This takes a little while. Be patient!) It should be a little light in color, fluffy, and oh-so-delicious! 

A word to the wise: If you try to frost your cake before it's all the way cooled, you will end up with a mud-puddle on the top of your cake. Patience, my friends! (I just found this out this weekend... oops!)

Easy and Delicious Mustard-Roasted Fish

This recipe is so simple and a delicious way to cook fish. For a treat, you can get fresh fish daily at the Blue Marlin on Bedford Ave off of Rivermont. 

4 fish fillets (I have used grouper and mahi mahi)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces creme fraiche

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (I didn't have this and it was fine)

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat oven t0 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with foil, place fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the creme fraiche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 tea. pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. 

Serve! 

I actually halved this recipe for Philip and I and we split one fish fillet... we have found with sides one fillet b/w the two of us is more than enough! So you can take that into account for big or small amounts of people. 

My Kid's favorite Chicken Nuggets

4-6 Chicken Breasts, skinless, deboned, cut into cubes (kitchen shears work great)
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
Breading:
1 Cup Butter Crackers (about 24), crushed
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix all breading ingredients. Dip chicken cubes in melted butter. Dip buttered pieces in the breading until coated and place on a pan covered with aluminum foil. Bake at 400* for 20-25 min. Enjoy!

Creamy Goodness Oatmeal

Posted by: Meg Cooper

Oatmeal?- Yuck! I used to gag down oatmeal because it was a cheap hot breakfast. And then I started soaking to oats over night, and my opinion of oats changed...over night! Here's how you can make oats edible:

The night before:

Place 1/2C uncooked old fashion oats, per person in pot. (Note: to ensure this is gluten free, use certified gluten free oats.)

Add a little less than 1C water per 1/2C oats. 

Squeeze (or pour from store bought jar) a little (like 1/2tsp) lemon juice. 

Give it a little stir. Put the lid on the pot. 

In the morning: 

Turn the burner on. 

Cook, stirring frequently until cooked to your liking. 

Then put the lid back on while you get out the bowls and toppings.

Topping ideas: brown sugar, honey, peanut butter, cinnamon, any dried fruit-crasins, raisens, apricot, or any fresh fruit, chopped nuts, ground flax seed, and a smidge of milk. Creamy, goodness.

Here's to meals shared

Welcome to our cyber church cookbook. This site is dedicated to sharing recipes from the humblest of meals to the grandest of feasts. Our goal is to help one another enjoy the blessing of food, the family table, and the Christian table. Here, let us feast.