Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Triple Berry Crisp
Triple Berry Crisp
Adapted from All Recipes
1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups butter
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, gently toss together blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.
3.In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.
4.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.
I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's and Tuesday's at the Table.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Gingersnaps - Sweet Melissa Sunday's
Do you like your cookies chewy or crispy? I like mine soft and chewy! I think that's why I am not a Gingersnap fan. Since I am going to miss next week's SMS, I decided to bake these despite my feelings about Gingersnaps.
As with most SMS recipes, I cut the recipe in half. These were easy to make and use ingredients most of us have in our kitchens. Having read a few of the comments, I set the timer to pull these out a few minutes early. Not sure what happened but I missed hearing the timer. Don't you just love it when you do that? So my cookies were extra crispy. I tried one and they do have a traditional Gingersnap flavor. Since none of us are big Gingersnap fans, I may freeze these for a possible future cheesecake crust.
How about this? Our SMS recipe this week was chosen by The Ginger Snap Girl. You can find the links to the other SMS gals here.
Does anyone have a recipe for Sour Cream Raisin Pie? It's my brother in law's favorite and I want to suprise him with one when we visit next week.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Pink Saturday
Last weekend Tim and I went to the antique show in Walnut, Iowa. It's a street fair of over 300 antique dealers from all over the United States. As we walked the streets in addition to lots of antiques, we saw beautiful gardens. Don't you just love these impatients in the old bathtub?
Couldn't resist sharing this one with you...there is a pair of pink pants on the back of the line :)
I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Throwed Rolls - Foodie Friday
A few months ago, I ran across a copycat recipe for Throwed Rolls on Dine and Dish. Kristin's recipe says you can make these in a bread machine. Having never mastered the art of kneading bread by hand, I decided to make them in my Kitchen Aid. They turned out great. Although we didn't throw any around, they were a wonderful addition to Sunday dinner.
Just Like Lambert's Throwed Rolls
SERVES 12
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry active yeast
1/4 cup tepid water (105-110 degrees)
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten (at room temp)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Combine sugar and yeast in tepid water.
Let stand 5-10 minutes until yeast begins to foam.
Thoroughly mix milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt in large bowl.
Stir in the yeast mixture and 3 1/2 cups of flour, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft, pliable dough.
Turn dough out on floured board and let rest while you clean and butter bowl.
Knead dough gently 4-5 minutes, adding flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and silky.
Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size (1 1/2 hours appoximately).
Butter a 12 cup muffin tin.
Punch down dough.
Pinch off pieces that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, (enough to fill one-half of muffin cup), and roll into smooth spheres.
Place two such pieces in each prepared muffin cup- it will be a tight fit.
Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.
Bake rolls in preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until light brown.
Serve as soon as they are cool enough to throw.
I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Chicken With Beer
I made a few changes to this recipe. Because it was cooking all day, I wanted to have plenty of liquid. I added a little more beer and some chicken stock. I also added potatoes and would have added carrots but I didn’t have time to peel before work. I found this recipe interesting because it used Herbs de Provence. I wasn’t sure exactly what that was so I did some reading. I found several recipes, some with lavender and some without. I like to cook with lavender but I wasn’t convinced the floral flavor was what I wanted for this chicken. My spice drawer contained everything except the savory, so I made my own version of the herbs. This chicken was delicious. It has a nice hint of beer and a beautiful herb flavor.
Chicken with Beer
Recipe adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
About 1/2 cup flour
4 boneless chicken breast halves, with skin on
(I used 2 breasts and 4 thighs)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspooon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves, broken in half
Put the flour on shallow plate or a pie plate. One piece at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, coating both sides and shaking off any excess.
Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. When it begins to sizzle, add the chicken, skin side down and cook until deep golden brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the beer and chicken broth to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan. Pout over the chicken. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. Tuck the bay leaves among the chicken pieces. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 to 9 hours.
Herbes de Provence
3 tablespoons oregano leaves
3 tablespoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon sage leaf
3 tablespoons savory
2 tablespoons lavender flowers
1 teaspoon rosemary
Combine and mix well. Store in a cool, dry place.
I am linking this to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday , Tuesday's at the Table and Tasty Tuesday's.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Chestnut Honey Madeleines - SMS
Funny, I think I've passed up a madeleine pan several times at Goodwill. At the time, I think I wondered what the pan was used for. Of course, the past few weeks when I wanted to find one, there were none to be found. I decided to use a mini muffin tin and it worked great!!
These are delicious, beautiful bites. They'd be a perfect compliment to afternoon tea. I'm hooked, I will make these again. I'd like to experiment with other flavors of madeleines. Who know's maybe I will even find that pan.
Thanks to Debbie of Cafe Chibita for choosing this wonderful recipe. If you check out the other SMS bakers, I am sure you'll find at least one or two of them owns a madeleine pan.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Pink Saturday - Buttermilk Pomegranate Sorbet
I received an email from POM Wonderful offering to send me some pomegranate juice. Who could pass up an offer for free juice? Thanks, POM Wonderful. Until a few months ago, I'd never had a pomegranate or pomegranate juice. If you enjoy flavored vodka, you'll like this Pomegranate Infused Vodka. When squash is plentiful in the Fall, give this Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Soup a try.
Having tried a cocktail and a main dish with pomegranates, I decided to try a dessert. I love the smooth and creamy texture of this sorbet. Using this recipe as a guide, I made Buttermilk Pomegranate Sorbet. The pomegrantes give it a nice tart flavor with just a hint of sweetness.
Pomegranate Sorbet
Makes approximately 7 cups
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups buttermilk
Stir sugar, pomegranate juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk, stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill until cold, at least 4 hours. Process mixture in ice cream freezer, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer to contained with lid; freeze. (Can be made 3 days ahead.)
My notes on this recipe: I added about 1/4 cup of vodka to this recipe. I drizzled it into the mixture while it was freezing. You know how homemade ice cream can be hard to scoop? The alcohol keeps it from freezing too hard.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mom's Beef Stew - Foodie Friday
I love my crock pot/slow cooker. It's funny how slow cookers seem to come and go. I've always been a slow cooker fan. Anytime I can come home after a long day at work and dinner is waiting is a good day for me.
I thought the flavors in this stew sounded interesting and delicious. I decided to omit the potatoes and serve over noodles. I totally forgot the peas, until after we'd started eating. I guess I am not used to adding anything to the slow cooker at the end of the cooking time. This was a delicious, thick stew, tasting much better than this picture looks. When I asked Tim what he thought he said, "It was okay but I like your other stew better!" Me, I liked this stew as well, if not better than the other stew. The Refrigerator Stew has a much thinner broth, almost like a chunky soup. This stew was thicker and almost had no broth. It's a comforting and easy weeknight meal.
Mom's Beef Stew
Recipe courtesy of Not Your Mom's Slow Cooker
8 to 12 small, flavorful potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
4 large carrots, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch lengths
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of any excess fat, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
1 large onion, cut into a total of 6 or 8 wedges
1 large rib of celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick
6 to 8 medium sized mushrooms, cut in half
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of ground cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small bay leaf
2 sprigs flat parsley
One 10 ounce package frozen peas, thawed
Place the potatoes in the slow cooker. Top with the carrots.
In a zippered top plastic bag or a bowl, combine the flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
Toss the beef in the mixtures, shaking off any excess, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining meat.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add the meat, being careful not to crowd the skillet. Turn to brown on all sides. Once the meat is brown, using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker.
When all of the meat has been browned and placed in the slow cooker, add the onion, celery and mushrooms. Stir gently to distribute, trying not to disturb the potatoes and carrots on the bottom.
In a bowl or 4 cup glass meausre, stir together the broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cloves. Pour into the cooker. If the broth is unseasoned, add salt and pepper to taste. Tuck the bay leaf and parsley sprigs into the stew. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
Discard the bayleaf and parsley. Stir in the peas, cover and cook on HIGH until peas are hot, 10 to minutes.
I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
In My Garden
Not everything "In My Garden" is always pretty. We've had so much rain. Whenever we have a lot of rain, we find stink mushrooms in the garden. I thought this one was pretty fun looking. Tim says they really smell...I didn't get close enough to tell.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Red Wine Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Red Wine Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 3 lbs
(I used chicken thighs)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
Juice of 1/2 a sweet lemon (or orange)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried mined onion
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Directions:
-Pound chicken breasts down to uniform thickness throughout (about 1-inch thickness throughout)
-Place in large, deep dish and top with remaining ingredients.
-With tongs, flip chicken and move around to coat evenly.
-Cover and place in fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
-When ready to cook, remove chicken from fridge and place on sideboard to remove chill while starting grill.
-Preheat gas grill on high for 10 full minutes.
-Clear grates, turn heat to medium-low and place chicken on grates n a diagonal.
-Cover and cook untouched until nice grill marks form, about 5 minutes.
-Flip and continue cooking until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
-Flip one more time, on opposite diagonal, 2 minutes before cooking is complete to obtain grill cross-marks, if desired.
-Remove from heat and let meat rest, covered, on cutting board for 3-5 mins before cutting and serving.
I am linking this to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's, Tasty Tuesday's and Tuesday's at the Table.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Chocolate Orange Macaroons - SMS
What a fun and easy recipe to make! Anytime you can mix with you hands, it's just so theraputic! The instructions called for a fine chop on the chocolate. That's hard to do. I ended up with a few pieces that were bigger than others but in the end it was fine. I loved the way the orange and coconut looked together. When I first mixed the egg whites into the mixture, it seemed dry. As I continued to mix, the mixture became more moist.
Seems I always cut SMS recipes in half. This week I made the whole recipe and ended up with 21 cookies. Does anyone ever get the exact number the recipe says? I made one sheet on parchment and one sheet on a silpat. They turned out much better when baked on the parchment. They didn't seem to crisp up as much on the silpat. The bottoms still seemed a little wet.
Of course, I had to taste one. I liked them but wish they had less orange and more chocolate flavor. I loved the texture and richness of the cookies. Next time I would like to try the recipe with lemon zest.
This week's recipe was chosen by Ellen of Blue Tree Green Heart. You can find the recipe on her site. Check out the rest of the SMS bakers macaroons here!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Pink Saturday
Happy Pink Saturday! We're at Tim's family reuinion this weekend in New Ulm, Minnesota. I will visit everyone's blogs when we return!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Rhubarb Pie - Foodie Friday
Our good friend, Lynn gave me a large bag of rhubarb from his garden. The night he gave it to me, we discussed what we thought of when thinking of rhubarb. Lynn’s answer was pie. When I think of rhubarb pie, I think of strawberry/rhubarb pie. I asked Lynn and he said nope just plain rhubarb. I chopped it all up and began contemplating what to make. I made a Rhubarb Betty and had enough to make Lynn his plain rhubarb pie.
I started searching for rhubarb pie recipes and was amazed at how simple they all are. I settled on Martha Stewart’s recipe. I liked that it had a crumble topping instead of a second crust. I wish I could say, I worked on conquering that fear of pie crust with this pie but not so much! When you give someone a pie, you want it to be good, right? To be sure the crust was good; I purchased the ready made kind in the box.
I had leftover rhubarb mixture and crumble, so I made a couple of crumbles. Not being a big rhubarb fan, I wasn’t sure if I would like the crumble. I enjoyed this dessert. It was tart but not too tart and had a nice flavor. Lynn said the pie was awesome and wondered what I was bringing him for dessert next week next week.
I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Snickerdoodle Bars
Snickerdoodle Bars
2 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Filling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Heat oven to 350. Spray or grease the bottom only of a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Beat butter on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with Cinnamon Filling evenly over batter. Dollop teaspoons of remaining batter evenly over Cinnamon Filling. Gaps are okay, they let the filling peek through leaving a fun marbled look.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars.
I am linking this to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's, Tuesday's at the Table and Tasty Tuesdays.
One Year Ago Roasted Dill Potatoes.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Pistachio Linzer Thumprints - SMS
From making the thumbprint with your thumb or whatever finger you choose, to filling the centers with the preserves, these cookies are fun to make. I cut the recipe in half and ended up with 15 cookies. The recipe called for unsalted pistachios. I had salted on the shelf and used them instead. The contrast of the sweet preserves and the salted pistachios is delicious. I didn't have quite enough apicot preserves, so I filled a few of them with plum preserves. Actually, I like the contrast you get with the dark preserves. These cookies were a thumbs up at my house!
The talented and creative Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Creations is our host this week. You'll find the recipe on her blog. The links to all of the other SMS gals can be found here!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Quinoa Salad With Sugar Snap Peas
When you search for recipes for quinoa, you'll find a lot of salad recipes available. I found this recipe for Quinoa Salad With Sugar Snap Peas in my endless stack of recipes torn from magazines.
I come home for lunch almost every day and am always looking for something new to eat. This is a great salad for a summer picnic or family reuinion. It's easy to put together and won't spoil in the heat. The sugar snap peas and the chives add a nice color and crunch to the quinoa. I substituted sunflower seeds for the pumpkin seeds. This salad has lots of possiblities, different nuts or veggies. I think I will try it with asaparagus next time.
I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
In My Garden
We planted this Japanese Lilac four years ago . This is the first year it has bloomed!
I think my lettuce is almost ready to pick. What do you think?
Last summer my husband planted this yarrow plant. I thought it looked somewhat like a weed. It's much prettier this year.
One of my favorite plants in the garden is lavender. I love the beautiful purple color and amazing fragrance.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Spicy Brussels Sprouts
I halved the brussels sprouts, coated them in olive oil and kosher salt and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I didn't have any fish sauce, so I substituted chicken broth. To prevent this recipe from being too spicy, I omitted the red chili. I love the idea of rice krispies being the topping for the brussels sprouts. Having your oil just the right temperature is they key to browning and not burning the rice krispies. Mine was a little too hot and we raced to turn off the alarm so the smoke detector didn't set it off. Seems I do that a lot in my kitchen. I also learned to be really cautious when pouring the cayenne pepper into the already smoking oil. That's one way to clean out your sinuses.
I really enjoyed the sweet and salty flavors of this recipe. Tim said he liked them but preferred this recipe.
I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday's at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.