Pie filling in a jar

Take a look at this morning's project.  I've been wanting to trying canning my own pie filling since seeing a few different recipes on Pinterest and finally made a couple test batches.  Cathy and I made apple and peach and I can't wait to try them in pies next week.  

If the pies turn out well these will definitely be holiday gifts, and my next batch will be in bulk.  I love peach pie but rarely make it because I hate peeling peaches.  However I could manage doing a whole bunch in one day if it makes me a years worth of pie filling.  This pie filling would also make great cobbler, pancake topping or ice cream topping.  

2 quarts apple, 2 pints apple, 2 quarts peach, 1 pint peach

Corn Dogs

Last week Allison had pneumonia and I had truly terrible allergies. My husband was wonderful over the weekend, letting me rest and have some quiet time so I can face this week with my energetic toddler. As a treat for all of us I made corn dogs for lunch on Sunday. Kevin gets to take credit for this since he was looking over my shoulder at Pinterest Saturday night and said "you should make that".

Recipe (adapted from www.chef-in-training.com):

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (or to taste)

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp honey

1 package hot dogs

2 cups vegetable oil for frying (this is approx, depends on size of your pan, need about 2 inches depth for oil)

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until 350, or until a drop of batter will sizzle and brown.  This will take several minutes.

2 While oil heats combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl - cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder

3. Add in milk, egg and honey, whisking to combine

4. Cut hot dogs into halves or thirds (your preference)

5. Dip each hot dog piece into the batter, making sure to cover completely, and place into hot oil 1 at a time.  

6. Cook in batches (I had 4-5 pieces cooking per batch) until golden brown and delicious.

7. Use tongs to pull out of oil and set onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool 1 minutes.

8. Serve with ketchup, mustard or your favorite sauce.  

By cutting the hot dogs into smaller pieces (I cut mine in half), I was able to use a smaller pot and therefore less oil than if I needed room for full length hot dogs or including a stick.  

Chef Allison

Finished snack mix

Last night Allison asked to cook. It took me a minute to come up with an appropriate dish and decided to make trail mix. Allison had so much fun, she wanted to make another batch right away.

I pulled out a big mixing bowl, wooden spoon and lots of treats. To avoid potential messes I poured each ingredient into a small plastic bowl for Allison to dump into the mixing bowl. We used roughly 1 cup each of: marshmallows, M&Ms, mini pretzels, goldfish, Cheerios, and Chex.

Ingredients

So excited to cook

Chicken fried steak fingers

cooked 90 seconds per side

Both Allison and Kevin loved this Pioneer Woman recipe. I was looking for a quick dinner and had some cube steak in the freezer. Allison ate almost 3 whole ones, she thought they were chicken nuggets and gobbled them up with lots of ketchup.

I cut the recipe in half, but was generous with the spices in the flour mixture.  I also added some our favorite steak seasoning for extra flavor.  They turned out so yummy, we didn't even need gravy or dipping sauce.

I love that it was something rich and a special treat, but took less than 20 minutes start to finish.

Here is the link to the recipe on Pioneer Woman's websites:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/07/steak-fingers-with-gravy/

My assembly line

Dried Strawberries

I love Pinterest and looking for project and recipe ideas. This week I've done two projects off Pinterest ideas - one turned out great, and one spectacular fail.

Major fail - dried/dehydrated strawberries!

Mine after 3 hours

The idea is simple - 3 hours in a very low oven (210 degrees). Mine we still puffy after 3 hours. After 3.5 hours I cranked up the heat to 275 - I needed this to finish do I could get dinner in the oven! I gave up after 4.5 hours, my strawberries weren't dried out, the juice burned and my pan might be ruined. Yuck!

Here is the original link:
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/dried-strawberries-ruscalleda/


How they were supposed to look:                                                         How mine looked:




                                                             

Thumbprint Cookies

 I rarely make shaped cookies because, really they just take too much time.  I can have a batch of chocolate cookies made start to finish in 45 minutes.  However, after having a few raspberry thumbprint cookies at a recent church event I've been craving those buttery cookies.  I emailed the event coordinator to see if she remembered who made them only to find out she had brought them.  Yay for Lisa.  She calls them Sweetheart cookies.  Regardless of the name, they are one of my new favorites.

I made mine a little smaller (36 cookies), and using spark recipe calculator, mine came out to 75 calories a cookie - I skipped the chocolate drizzle and only put powder sugar on a few.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter softened (do not substitute margarine)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk 

1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 tbsp jam/fruit preserves - warmed (I used strawberry, my favorite)

Optional:

Powdered sugar for dusting

2-3 ounces melted semi sweet chocolate (not chips) for drizzling

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease cookie sheet or use a silpat.  In a large bowl cream butter and sugar 2 minutes.  Add egg yolk, beat on medium speed for another minute, dough should be pale and fluffy.  Stir in flour by hand until dough comes together.  Use a cookie scoop or roll dough into 1 inch balls (will make roughly 2 dozen cookies).  Spray the handle of a wooden spoon with non-stick spray then use it to make indentions in the cookies.  Fill with 1/4 tsp warmed jam (warming it will make it easier to scoop and fill cookies).  Bake 13-15 minutes (take off 1-2 minutes if you make smaller cookies).  The jam will shrink considerably during cooking, so refill each cookie as soon as you pull it out of the oven.  Move cookies to wax paper to cool.  

If desired dust warm cookies with powdered sugar and melted chocolate.  Dip a fork in the melted chocolate and gently wave back and forth.  Be careful - it's easy to get overly enthusiastic and have chocolate end up everywhere!

For a slightly more complex flavor you could add up to 1/2 tsp almond or other extract at the same time as the egg yolk.  I love the simplicity of the flavor just as the recipe is, but have fun experimenting.  Because it is so simple, you will get the best results with good quality ingredients.  

Mongolian Beef

I'm behind on recipe posting, but this recipe is a definite winner.  I love Chinese food and have been wanting to learn how to make a few dishes at home because we don't have a lot of good options close by.  Plus making it at home usually means less salt and calories (at least that's what I tell myself).

I made this last weekend and was very impressed.  I added mushrooms, since that's how Pei Wei serves it and served it with sticky rice and steamed broccoli.  The sauce had great flavor, similar to Pei Wei/P.F. Chang but the texture was slightly off.  I think if you pureed the sauce and strained it, you would get the texture closer to the restaurant.  I finely chopped the garlic and used a micro plane to grate the ginger but it wasn't quite fine enough to match the restaurant sauce - though still fantastic.  Not sure I would go through that much effort in the future, but its an option.

Here is the original recipe, although some of the directions were vague, so I have adapted it (below):
http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2008/01/mongolian-beef.html

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger, finely minced or grated
2 Tbsp. garlic, finely minced or grated
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 lb. flank steaks
½ cup cornstarch
3 large green onions
optional: 8 oz mushrooms (quartered or large sliced), 2 heads broccoli, or other vegetables
rice for serving


Make the sauce by heating 1 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.  The sauce can be made ahead of time.
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. In a ziploc bag mix the beef slices and cornstarch, then shake out the excess with a colander. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok or skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's hot, but not smoking (Tip: put the end of a wooden spoon into the oil, if bubbles form the oil is ready to cook). Add the beef to the oil and saute for 60-90 seconds on each side.  Depending on the size of the skillet it may take 2-3 batches to get all the meat cooked.

Use a large slotted spoon or tongs to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, add back the meat and any vegetables, add the sauce, and green onions, then cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes.  The sauce will thicken up as it mixes with the corn starch in the beef.  Serve hot over rice.  

Not so Superbowl snack

Just out of the oven - certainly looked yummy

A couple weeks ago I saw a recipe for baked buffalo chicken bites and thought it would make a good Superbowl snack.  Since we were staying home to watch the game I wanted to make bar food type snacks, but liked the idea of baked not fried, easier execution, and less calories means I can still have dessert too, right?

I served them with both ranch and blue cheese dipping sauce.  Would have been nice to know ahead of time that Kevin hates blue cheese!  Anyone want an almost full bottle of blue cheese dressing?



Here is the recipe: http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/09/24/buffalo-chicken-bites/

      

Turns out it was better in theory than execution.  It took a fair bit of effort, and Kevin and I weren't impressed.  First I mixed the dough (left picture), then made patties (middle), then the dipping for a crispy coating- flour, egg wash, and crushed corn flakes (right).  I bought the corn flakes the day before but they tasted stale - not sure if it was the baking time, or if they had been sitting on the Kroger shelves for eons?  I'm glad I tried it and it kicked my craving for anything 'buffalo' until next Superbowl rolls around but I wouldn't recommend it.  If you do try it I would switch out panko crumbs for the corn flakes.  Oh well, this week I'm baking for a cookie sale fundraiser at Church, I saw a lemon cookie recipe this morning, maybe we'll try that for this weeks new recipe.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

My dad hates brussels sprouts, so I was never forced to eat them as a kid.  I don't blame him because I think my grandma boiled most vegetables.  I think the first time I ever ate one was at Joshua's in Wells, Maine - the favorite restaurant of our honeymoon.  Of course those brussels sprouts came from the chef/owner's backyard garden, but I hoped the pioneer woman's holiday recipe for roasted brussels sprouts would turn out something ok with the ones I could find at Kroger.  

Here is the recipe link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/brussels-sprouts-with-balsamic-and-cranberries/

I cut her recipe by a third since it was just us and had a laughable mistake along the way.  The brussels sprouts turned out great - Allison actually ate half a dozen or more.  I liked the cranberries mixed in, though Kevin would have preferred it without.  My problem was the balsamic glaze - I cut the ingredients by a third, but didn't make any changes to the cooking time and way overcooked it.  It thickened so much when I went to go drizzle it I had to chip it out of the pan.  So instead I put the pan in the sink to soak with hot water and we had ours minus the glaze.  Laugh with me and learn from my mistake.  

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This is what happens if you cut if before it cools

I had very good plans to make a savory dish this week.  In my fridge are ingredients for both balsamic glazed brussel sprouts (pioneer woman recipe) and shrimp jalapeno hush puppies (Pinterest).  However Wednesday night I succumbed to either bad allergies or a cold.  This weather can't decide if its winter or not and the result is killing my sinuses.  

So any elaborate cooking over the past few days has gone out the window.  We did however have some frozen blueberries left over from last summer and I found this recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago, so here was my excuse for something quick and easy to make sure I still managed to get in a new recipe this week.

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/

This one I made straight from the recipe and it turned out fine, nothing super special.  It would be good for a brunch, or a weekend breakfast, but not sweet enough to count as a dessert for me.  I will say the batter was incredibly thick, much more than I expected, but it came out very pretty.  I have adapted it below. 

 Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter softened
zest of 1 large lemon 
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tbs for topping
1 egg, room temperature
1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease or coat a 9 inch pan.  

Cream butter, lemon zest and 1 cup sugar until fluffy.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  

Toss blueberries with 1/4 cup flour (this will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom).  

Mix the rest of the flour with the baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.  

Add the flour to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating each one with buttermilk.  

Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the pan and top with remaining tablespoon of sugar.

Bake 35 minutes, testing with a toothpick - mine took longer.  Cool 15 minutes before serving.  

If like me you don't keep buttermilk on hand you can make it:  add 1 tablespoon vinegar OR fresh lemon juice to 1 cup milk, stir and let sit 5 minutes.  Done.  I usually put the vinegar in my measuring cup, then add the milk to get 1 cup for a precise measure.  

Beer Bread

This one is dangerous.  My dad sent me the recipe after he saw it in the Houston Chronicle in November. Here is the link I found, but its an easy one to google: http://www.chron.com/life/food/article/Kitchen-to-kitchen-Beer-Bread-2307013.php

Start to finish in 1 hour.  This is a great way to make a
simple dinner feel special.

I used Miller Lite since it was in the fridge and I didn't want to touch any of Kevin's 'good' beers.  Only change I made versus the link was to add an extra tablespoon of sugar.  Even though I served the bread with beef stew I wanted it a little sweeter to turn leftovers into breakfast toast and it was great both ways.  I say this recipe is dangerous because it will be ready to go before your oven finishes preheating and its incredibly addictive.  I've already made 2 batches this week, and have it on my menu for next week to go with my mussels steamed in white wine to soak up all the delicious sauce.  Now that I've corrected the issue of my pantry not stocking self rising flour I'm only an hour away from fresh bread at any given time.  I probably need to take up several calorie burning hobbies to offset this.

Do not use a whisk as pictured - it took longer to get all the
batter out of the whisk than to mix the batter.  Just use a spoon.  Trust me!

Recipe:

BEER BREAD

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

12 ounces beer

1/4 cup butter, melted

Batter took under 1 minute

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, sugar and beer until blended.

Spoon into lightly greased 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes. Pour melted butter over the top and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until done. (my oven needed the full 10 minutes)

Remove from pan after about 5-10 minutes.

Caramel Apple Cake

I love to cook and especially bake, but I tend to fall back on the same recipes that I know from memory or know will be winners with my family.  For 2012 I'm making a commitment (note how I avoid the word resolution) to try a new recipe every week and share the results here to help keep me motivated.

You can just see the pecans through the caramel glaze on top

My first new recipe was a Caramel Apple Cake recipe I adapted from a recipe I found on Pinterest.  Here is the link to the original: http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/09/caramelly-appley-delicious.html
I made two cakes last week, one for me and Kevin, and then one for a girls brunch, so got to play with the recipe a bit.  I increased the apple, chose to grate it (personal preference - I think it gives you more apple flavor per bite), and added raisins.  When I made it in the smaller dish it was too thick and got dried out as it baked.  It's pretty enough and moist enough you could skip the glaze, or dust it with powdered sugar in a time crunch or if you wanted something to freeze (also skip the powdered sugar if freezing).  We definitely enjoyed it and I hope you will too.

All my ingredients and equipment

Apple Cake:

• 1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 5 apples, peeled and grated - any kind you have on hand, I used a mix
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup pecans chopped 

Brown Sugar Glaze:

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

  

Out of the oven - before glaze

 For the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an   9x13-inch pan and set aside.

 In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt   and cinnamon.  

 In a large bowl, mix the eggs until light in color and foamy  (2- 3 minutes with an electric mixer). 

 Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.

 With a spoon stir in the apples, raisins, and flour mixture and  stir until just combined. 

 Pour batter into prepared pan, top with pecans and bake for  30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes  out clean.  By placing the pecans on top they toast while the  cake cooks saving the extra step of toasting the pecans and  then mixing them into the cake batter (plus they look pretty on  top).

 As soon as the cake comes out of the oven prepare the glaze.  

For the glaze: Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes.

Spoon the hot glaze over the still hot-from-the-oven cake. Let the glazed cake cool completely before serving.  

Variations:

• Depending on the flavor you want to bring out, you could try substituting maple extract for the vanilla
• Substitute pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon for a more complex spice flavor
• Kevin has suggested a cream cheese frosting as an alternate to the caramel

Buttermilk Marble Cupcakes

Second try on the cupcakes. These came out amazing - yes the missing one is the one we got to taste test. Both Allison and Kevin approve so we have our birthday cupcake!  And this was without even frosting them.

For those who don't share my chocolate addiction I will make some just buttermilk cupcakes with strawberry frosting.

Birthday Cupcakes - Test batch 1

Angel Food cupcakes -
 top with fudge frosting, bottom with strawberry

Yesterday on Allison's 11 month birthday I made my first batch of test cupcakes for her upcoming cupcake themed 1st birthday party.  

Good thing I tested them!  I thought it would be fun to make angel food cupcakes, but about half of each cupcake stuck to the paper.  They turned out more like cupcake tops with frosting.  Yummy but not really what I want.  The homemade frosting came out pretty well.  

So on to the next recipe. . .