Thanksgiving!

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year. Here's the menu:

1. Turkey, of course - 14 lbs in a bag with some poultry seasoning and flour sprinkled on top and a can of Coke over that.
2. Stuffing - made from bread, onions, celery, sage, poultry seasoning, and chicken broth (I'll post the recipe soon)
3. Gravy - made from the turkey drippings and some flour
4. Mashed potatoes
5. Honey-glazed peas and carrots - cooked carrots and sugar snap peas in the crockpot with a little water, then made a glaze of butter, salt, and honey to pour over them
6. Rolls
7. Apple rolls - chopped apples spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, etc, rolled up in a piece of fillo. I'm going to have to play around with this some more.

And then for leftovers:

1. Individual turkey pot pies using the chicken and biscuts recipe
2. Broccoli and turkey cheddar risotto (also made ham and cheddar risotto and herbed mushroom risotto with sage, rosemary, basil, and monteray jack cheese, just because I was in the risotto mood)
3. Turkey chili (recipe below)
4. Apple sauce - cook chopped apples in a little water until soft, put into food processor, add in a little butter, and add sugar to taste. Yum! This will further be recycled into pumpkin applesauce cookies.

Turkey chili
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can ro*tel
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1 can chopped chilis
1 onion, chopped
a bunch of turkey
4 bay leaves
generous amount of chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low all day. Great with tomato chili cheese bread (made by throwing all those ingredients into basic bread machine bread).

Potato soup

Winter has hit NC early this year, so I decided what we needed was a big pot of soup. And when I say big, I mean big - this recipe completely filled my crockpot.

Potato Soup
6-8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 c water
5 tsp/cubes chicken bouillon
dried parsley
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
1-2 c ham, chopped
2 c milk
1 c velveeta, cubed
1/2 loaf queso blanco, cubed

Put the potatoes, water, bouillon, seasonings, butter, and ham in the crockpot and cook all day on low. 30-45 minutes before eating, stir in the milk and cheese.

ETA: I made this again in February '09. I used whipped cream and sour cream instead of milk, and 1/2 loaf of regular Velvetta. It was creamily delicious!

Jax's Birthday

We threw a small party for Jax's second birthday last week.

Menu:
Chicken nuggets (because what two year old doesn't like chicken nuggets)
Fruit salad - canteloupe, strawberries, pineapple, grapes
Pizza rolls
Taquitos and queso blanco con chilis sauce
Airplane cake!

The cake was marbled chocolate fudge cake, made by marbling Better Homes and Gardens' white cake with their chocolate cake. It didn't marble as clearly as I wanted, but it still combined really well for a dense, fudgy cake that was lighter fudginess in some parts compared to others. It didn't last past the day of the party.

Pizza Rolls
Pizza sauce (I made my own with some tomato sauce, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning)
Sausage, cooked
Pizza dough (I broke down and used the bagged mix instead of making my own)
Mozzarella cheese

Mix the sausage into the sauce. Roll out the pizza dough and cut it into squares. Put a spoonful of sauce onto each square, as well as a pinch of cheese. Fold the dough over. Bake at 450 10 minutes or so, until crust is golden. Note: DON'T sprinkle the cheese over the entire sheet. The crust won't stay closed and it'll ooze out all over!

Apple night

I hosted craft night again this month, and the theme this time was apples. Here's the menu:

1. Apple cheddar puffs, half with chicken and half with bacon (made the same way as the spinach artichoke puffs but with shredded chicken or crumbled bacon, grated apple, and cheddar cheese)
2. Apple and red Leicester risotto
3. Apple cranberry crumbcake
4. Baked apples

At the end of the night the only thing left was some baked apples, which I think I'll make into apple enchiladas.

More bread experimentation

Two more friendship bread varieties:

Carrot cake (vanilla with extra cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and grated carrot) with cream cheese frosting

Bumbleberry cheesecake cake (vanilla bread cut in half, sandwiched with cream cheese frosting and leftover bumbleberry filling), great frozen.

Chocolate angelfood cake

I made a chocolate angel food cake for my ungrateful brother's birthday. It was delicious!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake
1 2/3 Cup egg whites (1 dozen)

1 cup minus 1 tbsp cake flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift flour, cocoa & 3/4 c. sugar 4 times. In a large bowl of electricmixer, combine egg whites, salt, cream of tartar & vanilla. Beat on highspeed until whites are stiff and stand in peaks. At medium speed add 1 c.sugar until blended. At low speed, add the flour mixture. Push batter intoa 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Invert at once and lethang until completely cold. Frost with chocolate butter frosting.

Chocolate buttercream frosting

6 tbsp butter, softened

1/4-1/2 c milk

1/2 c cocoa powder

approx. 1/2 bag powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and vanilla in mixer. Mix in cocoa powder. Alternate mixing in milk and powdered sugar until you reach spreading consistency.

Baby shower food

We had a potluck baby shower at work last week. I made spinach artichoke puffs and chocolate cherry polenta cake with cream cheese frosting (next time I'll make just one layer dusted with powdered sugar instead of the cream cheese frosting).

Here's the cake.

And here are the spinach artichoke puffs.

Spinach Artichoke Puffs
4-6 roasted garlic cloves
1-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1-10 oz jar Alfredo sauce
1 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2-8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 pkg puff pastry, thawed

1. Mix everything in an 8x8 inch baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350.
2. Cut each pastry sheet into 36 squares. Place each one into a spot in a greased mini-muffin tin.
3. Once the spinach artichoke dip has cooled, stir thoroughly and put about a tablespoon or so on top of each pastry square. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until the pastry begins to brown at the edges.
4. Serve warm.

Mexican night

Tonight I hosted craft night with a Mexican food theme: flan, chicken flautas and chili con queso blanco sauce, reheated black bean and corn empanadas, fresh homemade salsa, and chili brownies.This is the same flan I made awhile back.

Chicken Flautas
25 small flour tortillas
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
2-3 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 lbs chicken, cooked and chopped (I food processored it)
2-3 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
Mexican/mixed/cheddar cheese

Heat the tortillas one at a time in a large, heavy frying pan over high heat, for 30 seconds on each side. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the cumin and chili powder and cook for another minute or so. Add in the chicken and cook until heated through. Mix in the coriander and remove from heat. Place a large spoonful of filling and a pinch of cheese on each tortilla, then roll up. Line up in a 9" x 13" greased baking dish. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until crispy. Serve with chili con queso blanco sauce for dipping.

Chili con Queso Blanco Sauce
1 can Ro-tel
1/2 loaf queso blanco Velveeta

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until melted.

Salsa
4-5 ripe tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic
4-6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 onion, chopped
salt
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until slightly chunky. Let sit overnight.

Chili brownies - just a hint of the chilis combines really well with the chocolate. Sweet but not overly sweet.

Baked ratatouille with pasta

I've never had ratatouille before, so I'm not sure if this tastes like it should, but it's yummy and that's what matters.

Baked Ratatouille with Pasta
1 small eggplant
1 yellow squash and 1 zucchini, thickly sliced
15 oz chicken, cubed
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2/3 c chicken stock
3 tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and quartered
1 tbsp chopped mixed herbs
8 oz pasta
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

1. Wash the eggplant and cut into 1 in cubes. Put into a colander with the squash, sprinkle with salt, and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the cubed chicken with the soy sauce, garlic, and sesame seeds. Let marinate for half an hour. Saute in a pan with the marinade.
3. Put the pepper, onion, and garlic into a saucepan with the stock. Bring to a boil, cover,a nd cook for 5 minutes until tender. Remove the lid and boil until all the stock has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and herbs and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the rest of the veggies and cook until tender. Season to taste.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente, then drain. Toss the pasta with the veggies and chicken. Transfer to a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 350 until lightly toasted.

Bumbleberry pies

A fellow TFA'er gave me this recipe for bumbleberry pie. I usually make mini ones, as they're a lot easier to eat. I've made them both with the traditional pie dough and cream cheese dough. The cream cheese was a little richer and flakier, but there really wasn't much difference.


Bumbleberry Pie
Filling:
1-2 cups apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
3-5 cups total cups of any or all of the following: strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
3/4 c sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon


Glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp water
sugar


Cream cheese dough:
1 1/4 c flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c butter, at room temperature


Regular pie dough:
1 c cold butter, diced
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 c cold water


Combine all the fruit in a large bowl. If I'm making mini pies, I usually throw all the berries and cherries into the food processor first and turn them into small chunks. Sprinkle in the rest of the ingredients and stir gently.


Roll out half the pie crusts (either one big one or about one dozen of each dough for mini ones). Fill with the fruit mixture (about 2 tbsp for mini ones). Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Cut slits in the top and place over fruit. Seal edges and flute.


Combine the egg yolk and water, then brush over the top crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes (about 5 for mini ones), then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 35-40 minues (about 10-20 for mini ones) or until golden brown. Let cool on rack.

Black bean and corn empanadas

A coworker gave me a ton of corn, so I decided to make some black bean and corn salsa. I had tons of it, so I made some empanadas. I made different dough than I usually do and it was really crumbly, so rather than keep trying to roll it out, I made open-faced empanadas. Warmed up with more cheese on them, they were delicious!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2 c cooked corn

1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-15 oz can ro-tel

chopped cilantro

1 jalepeno, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

several squirts lime juice

2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Risotto fritters

A new cookbook of mine has a recipe for risotto fritters. Basically, make the risotto, let it cool, shape into small discs, refrigerate for 15 minutes, then fry in a couple centimeters of hot oil.

Well, it doesn't work. Maybe my discs were just too big? I tried it after refrigerating them. I tried freezing them. I tried cooking in a skillet with no oil. Nothing.

But, it did enhance the flavor when I tried frying them in olive oil (it was sun-dried tomato spread and granitu cheese - similar to parmesan). It was really yummy, just not what I expected. If anyone knows how to make risotto fritters, I'd love to learn how he or she does it.

Peach pie/cobbler thing

I bought a bunch of fresh peaches at the farmers' market a couple weeks ago. What do you do with lots of fresh peaches? You make a pie/cobbler thing. I took it into work and my coworkers loved it (I would've sent it to daycare but I didn't know how much brandy was left in it).

Peach Pie/Cobbler Thing

Blanch a bunch of peaches (I think I used 11), peel, and slice. Melt half a stick of butter in a large pan, then pour in the peaches, a cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup brandy. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Roll out a puff pastry sheet until it fits your lightly greased pan. Put the pastry in the pan, then pour the peach mixture on top. Bake at 350 until it's bubbly (maybe 30-45 min?). Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Chili

I posted this on Jax's blog back in February, but I thought I'd move it over here in an attempt to consolidate recipes.

Yummy Chili
1 lb hamburger
1 lb spicy sausage (we used venison sausage made by one of my coworkers)
1 onion, chopped
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 small can tomato paste
1 can tomato soup
1 can ro*tel (any variety)
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 bay leaves
chili powder
basil
fresh ground black pepper

In a large, heavy bottomed pan, brown the meat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Pour in all the cans. Add the bay leaves and 10-15 shakes of the spices. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 filling servings.

Thanks a lot, Amish people

I kept one of my Amish friendship bread babies to experiment with (I actually gave the other one away, for the first time since I started). I made four different kinds (I divided each batter in half), all using vanilla pudding, and each was delicious.

1. Plain old chocolate chip, which made six large muffin cookies.
2. Apple and cranberry crumbcake - cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, an apple, and a handful of craisins, topped with a food-processed mixture of a stick of butter, cinnamon, a cup of sugar, and about 1/3 c flour. We sent this into daycare for the assistant director's birthday, and she was very disappointed that she only got one small piece - the kids and other teachers ate the rest! One of Jax's teachers was telling everyone that she gave me the recipe (she's been giving me several that she finds in magazines). Nope, came up with it myself!
3. Spiced vanilla - all the spices of the apple and cranberry one but without those or the topping; it also made six large muffin cookies.
4. Maple pecan - mixed a cup of chopped pecans into the batter, then drizzled maple syrup on the top before I baked them. This made eight tiny baby loaves.

Freezer recipes

One of the advantages to having an extra freezer is being able to prepare lots of meals on the weekend that are quick and easy to heat up on weeknights. Here are some of my favorites, listed here to make one 9"x13" meal or two 8" square meals:

Farmer's Casserole
3 c frozen shredded hash browns
3/4 c shredded Monterray Jack cheese
3/4 c shredded cheddar
1 c diced ham
1 4.5 oc can milk green chilies (I left these out)
1/4 c sliced green onions
4 beaten eggs
1 12-0z can evaporated milk
Salt and pepper

Grease the pan. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom. Sprinkle with cheeses, ham, chilies, and onions. In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, and papper. Pour over potato mixture. Freeze or chill for several hours. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until center is set.

Chicken and Biscuits
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 16 oz cans chicken broth (use more if freezing
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 - 10 oz. package frozen peas & carrots
Bisquick biscuts (follow dumpling recipe on box)

Cook onion in butter till tender, but not brown. Blend in flour & 1 tsp. salt. Add broth all at once. Cook & stir till thick & bubbly; Mix chicken and veggies in a 9 x 13 pan. Pour sauce on top. Spoon bisquick mixture on top & bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.

Stroganoff Loaf
Brown 1 lb. hamburger, add 1/2 cup chopped onion, cook til tender, drain fat. Add 1 pkg. dry Stroganoff mix, 1/2 c milk (substitute for sour cream), 1 can of mushrooms. Cook according to the package (not very long). Meanwhile, toast a loaf of Vienna bread; butter. Spread mixture on bread; place tomato slices & green pepper slices on top. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Bake 7-10 minutes at 375. Since this makes a lot, it's easy to freeze one of the halves before baking it.

Tater tot Casserole
Mix 1 lb browned hamburger and half a chopped onion on the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish. Layer with 1 cup cubed Velveeta. Pour on 1/4 c milk and 1/2 can cream of chicken soup. Next layer 1 package frozen tater tots. Pour on another 1/4 c milk and the rest of the soup. Bake for an hour at 350.

Lasagna
1 lb. hamburger
1 med. onion
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1-28oz. can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder)
1 tsp. oregano
1 lb. ricotta cheese or sm. curd cottage cheese
12 oz. mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
1 small box lasagna noodles.

Brown hamburger in deep, heavy pan. Add onions, cook until soft. Stir in tomato sauce. Stir in next 6 ingredients. Reduce heat, simmer covered about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, simmer 15 minutes. Cook noodles according to package. Place a layer of noodles in oiled 9 x 13 pan. Pour over some of sauce. Add layer of ricotta cheese, then mozzarella cheese. Repeat layer 3 or 4 times. Top final layer with generous amount of parmesan cheese. Bake in 375 oven about 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is melted & bubbly. Let stand about 15 minutes before cutting.

If I'm making a lot of this, I buy a big can of tomatoes and of tomato sauce at Costco, then throw in 2-3 lbs browned hamburger, an onion, some seasonings, and some diced veggies (carrots, zucchini, eggplant, celery, etc) and simmer until it tastes good. That makes enough sauce for about 15 square pans of lasagna and ravioli casserole.

Ravioli Casserole
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
1/4 c dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1.5-2.5 lbs ravioli (we usually just use macaroni or rotoni instead, especially when making little pans - if you use ravioli you get about 6 per pan)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 c Parmesan chese
4 cups marinara or meat sauce (I use the same sauce from the lasagna)
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
12 oz shredded mozzarella

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, wine, salt, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, 5-10 minutes, until thick and creamy. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook ravioli (pasta) according to package directions, Drain and toss with olive oil. Heat oven to 375. Whisk eggs, one at a time, into sauce, then stir in 1/2 c Parmesan. Spread 1/2 c marinara sauce in 4-quart casserole dish. Top with half the ravioli. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and 1/4 c Parmesan. Spread 1 1/2 c marinara sauce over cheese, drizzle with half the white sauce. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients, sprinkling top with remaining 1/4 c Parmesan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

Beef Stroganoff
2 lbs sirloin steak or beef tenderloin
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c minced onions
1/4 c butter
2-10.5 oz cans beef broth
1/4 c ketchup
2 small cloves garlic, crushed
2 t salt
1/3 c flour
2 c sour cream

Cut meat into bite-size pieces. In skillet, cook and stir mushrooms and onion in butter until onion is tender. Remove mushrooms and onion. In same skillet, brown meat lightly on both sides. Set aside 3/4 c broth; add remaining brther, ketchup, garlis, and salt to skillet. Stir to mix. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Blend reserved broth and flour; stir into meat mixture. Add mushrooms and onion. heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Stir in sour cream and heat, but do not allow to boil. Freeze in gallon bags. Serve over rice or noodles.

Salisbury Steak
1 can condensed French onion soup
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 c dry bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and petter
1 tbsp flour
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c water
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp mustard powder

In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 c condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Shape into patties. In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in kethup, water, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard powder. At this point, everything can be frozen (freeze burgers and sauce separately). On eating day, cook the thawed patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat until both sides are browned. Pour the thawed sauce over the meat in skillet. Turn down heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Belgian-style cooking

When we were in the Quad Cities last month, my grandma bought me a Belgian cookbook. After flipping through it, I noticed that Belgian cooking seems to consist of the following: butter, beer, and deep-frying. Using that as my guide, I made a batch of Flemish sloppy joes. Well, actually, I was making sloppy joes and the beer I was drinking (Flying Dog) was disgusting but I didn't want to waste it, so I poured it in. What I ended up with tasted nothing like sloppy joes, so we've decided to call them loosebeermeat sandwiches. I think this is how I did it.
Loosebeermeat Sandwiches

1. Sauté an onion in butter.
2. Add 2 lbs ground beef and 2 lbs sausage; brown slightly.
3. Add half a bottle ketchup, a bottle of beer, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 c brown sugar, 3 tsp or so Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tsp dry mustard. Maybe some white wine too? (All measurements are approximate)
4. Simmer for an hour or so, tasting occasionally.

We froze a bunch of it because it was too much for us to eat all at once. It makes probably 20 sandwiches. To reheat, thaw in fridge overnight and heat slowly on the stove.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...

...and sometimes it rains.

Tonight, while it rained a bit, I tried making strawberry roulade with the Amish friendship bread. I made plain vanilla and baked it in a 9"x13" pan, 3 cups of batter per pan (next time only use 1.5 cups and try a cookie sheet), for about half an hour instead of the full hour. I let it cool briefly (just long enough to make the frosting and puree the strawberries). Then I sliced it in half and frosted one of those with cream cheese frosting (1 stick butter, 1 package cream cheese, and enough powdered sugar to make it spreadable), topped with pureed strawberries (great to have on hand in the freezer, especially if you buy too many at the farmers' market like I tend to do). Roll it up, wrap in wax paper, and chill. Voilà!But when I tried it with the other half it stuck to the waxed paper underneath it when we tried to roll it. So that became strawberry cheesecake cake. I'd already made up the other sliced sheet, so we flipped it onto the second, whole sheet, sandwiching the frosting and strawberries between. I then made more frosting (same recipe), frosted the top, and put more strawberries on top.

More bread flavors

Looking through my Complete Baking cookbook, there are a lot of types of bread I think I can adapt to the Amish friendhsip bread, which I think I may have to start up again because we're down to only about a dozen mini loaves left in the freezer right now. Here are some I'd like to try:

1. Raspberry crumble - add fresh raspberries and grated lemon rind, then for the crumble top use 1 oz finely chopped nuts (I think I'll do granola instead), 2 oz brown sugar, 3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 3 tbsp melted butter
2. Blueberry
3. Apple cranberry - orange juice (maybe in place of some of the milk?), cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, 1-2 apples, 6 oz cranberries (craisins); dust with powdered sugar
4. Pumpkin - 8 oz pumpkin, nutmeg, currants or raisins
5. Maple pecan - maple syrup and toasted pecans with pecan halves on top
6. Cherry marmalade - glacé cherries, orange marmalade, with marmalade brushed on top after they're baked
7. Blackberry almond
8. Orange and honey - use orange juice and grated orange rind
9. Apple loaf - applesauce and currants or raisins
10. Pineapple apricot - dried apricots, chopped crystallized ginger and pineapple, and grated lemon and orange rinds
11. Apple apricot - dried apricots, 1 apple, grated rind and juice of an orange
12. Pear and sultana
13. Saffron and cardamon - plus honey and honey for brushing
14. Bilberry - probably I'll use blueberries because I don't know where I'd find bilberries; top with 4 oz sugar, 1 1/2 oz flour, cinnamon, and 2 oz butter cut into all that

Red Leicester and apple risotto

A Southern Season is having their annual clearance sale this month, so I bought some cheap risotto and had to try it out. I made a basic risotto (chopped onion sauteed in olive oil, 2 cups rice, 1/2 cup or so white wine, 4-6 cups chicken broth), then added a block of red Leicester cheese and a couple grated apples. I think I'll add less cheese next time, but overall it was really yummy. The spinach gargonzola risotto is still my favorite though.

Poundcakes

A while back, a friend gave me an Amish bread starter. We've gone a tad overboard with it at our house, to put it mildly. I discovered that you can either make two large loaves (six mini) and four starters, or four large (twelve mini) and two starters, or six large (eighteen mini) and no starters. You're baking these poundcakes every ten days, so this adds up fast! Fortunately you can also freeze the starters, if you've run out of space in your freezer and already given tons away.

Here are some of the kinds I've made:

• butterscotch
• butterscotch with white chocolate chips
• marble (chocolate and vanilla swirled)
• chocolate
• chocolate with chocolate chips
• chocolate with white chocolate chips
• chocolate with mint chips
• chocolate with peanut butter chips
• chocolate with caramel
• oreo
• cheesecake with cranberry
• vanilla
• vanilla with strawberry chunks
• vanilla with chocolate chips
• vanilla with swirly chips
• vanilla with Kissables (mini Kisses with a candy shell)
• vanilla with caramel chips
• pistachio
• banana
• banana with nuts
• lemon
• carrot, complete with cream cheese frosting

I have given these to my coworkers, parents, friends, Jax's teachers, and TM'ers. Right now, the freezer is beyond full because I made a few last week (34 mini and 1 large, to be exact). They are really yummy! I'm planning on giving a bunch to family and friends we're visiting next week.

A friend's review: "Those were the most amazing cakes I have ever eaten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I love cake :) "

TM Casserole swap

My moms' group is doing a casserole exchange this month for our MNI/O (Moms' Night In/Out). I'm making quiches. I made 6 different kinds:

Caramelized onion, swiss, and cheddar

Hashbrown,sausage, cheddar, swiss, and monteray jack

Tomato, basil, and mozzarella

I also made mushroom and swiss, broccoli and cheddar, and spinach and swiss quiches.

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 stick cold stick butter, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg yolk
Water
Handful of cheese (type depends on the filling)
Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 chopped onion
2 tbsp butter
Any of the following (or a combination of): spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, onions (sauteed in butter until soft, then cooked in 1/4 cup brown sugar for 15 minutes), chopped tomatoes and basil, sausage and hashbrowns
2 generous handfuls of cheese: cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, monteray jack, or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the chopped butter and flour in the food processor, processing in short bursts until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the egg yolk, cheese, and a tablespoon or two of water and process in short bursts until a dough forms. Form into a ball and chill for half an hour.
2. Combine the eggs and cream in a bowl. Beat the eggs.
3. Saute the onion in butter until soft. Add to egg mixture.
4. Saute the vegetables for filling in butter. Add to egg mixture.
5. Add half the cheese to egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Put into a quiche/tart pan. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove beads and back another 10 minutes.
7. Pour egg mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until center is set.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Friday

For Friday we made sausage and cheese bundles.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb sausage (we used a spicy kind)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, or whatever it says on the puff pastry box.
2. Shape the sausage into little balls that will fit into a muffin cup, then smush. Cook until brown.
3. Thaw pastry following the directions on the box. Cut into 12 pieces and lay in an ungreased muffin tin.
4. Put one sausage patty into each tin. Sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese.
5. Fold the pastry over the top and smush the edges together to close it, make a little bundle.
6. Bake about 12 minutes, till pastry is golden.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Tuesday

Tuesday - baked apple pastry bites, made with the filling left over from the apple cinnamon enchiladas.

Ingredients
For the filling:
4-5 apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick butter
Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
For the dough:
1 cup cold butter, chopped into pieces
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
cold water
For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp water
Sugar

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Dump in the apples, sugar, and spices. Stir to coat the apples.
3. Cover and simmer until the apples are soft, about an hour or so. Stir occasionally.
4. Process the butter, sugar, and flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add a couple tablespoons or so of water and process until dough forms. Put in a ball and chill for half an hour or so.
5. Preheat oven to 400.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out a bunch of circles. Cut the same amount with a cookie cutter slightly bigger than the first.
7. Lay the small circles on a cookie sheet. Put a large spoonful of filling in the center of each one.
8. Cut two small slits in each of the bigger circles. Wet the edges of the smaller circles, then set the bigger ones on top. Use the tines of a fork to press them together.
9. Beat together the egg and water.
10. Brush the pastries with the glaze, then sprinkle with sugar.
11. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until tops are golden. Let cool on rack.

Teacher Appreciation Week - Monday

This past week was Teacher Appreciation week at Jax's daycare. We showed our appreciation by taking in food each day.

Monday - flan, also for Cinco de Mayo. We got the recipe from ReceipeZaar, but tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar, caramelized
5 eggs, well beaten
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Several dashes cinnamon

Directions

1. Coat tube pan with caramelized sugar. (Made in the microwave - combine sugar with 1/8 cup water, then microwave for about 4 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't burn. As soon as it's golden, take it out.)
2. Allow to harden, then place pan in container with ice cold water until the caramelized sugar cracks.
3. Mix other ingredient in order, stir well and pour in mold.
4. Place mold in pan with enough hot water to come up to the top of the flan in preheated oven.
5. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until firm.
6. Let cool, then invert& unmold.