Thursday, June 29, 2023

Strawberry Muffins

I picked up this recipe when our family was picking strawberries at a U-Pick-Them farm.  It was in a pamphlet next to the checkout register.  It brings  back so many memories of our family's annual strawberry picking parties.

3/4 cup coconut
8 ounce strawberry yogurt
3 eggs, blended
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4s cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the first seven ingredients in a large bowl until blended.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking oil.

In a separate bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until moistened.  (If you over stir, you will have tough muffins).  Spoon the batter into the greased 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  






Sunday, June 25, 2023

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes


Recipe stolen from Rachael Ray

I'm sad to say that our family typically makes pancakes out of a box.  They are blah.  They aren't very nutritious.  They have no substance.  Corrective action needed.  Turning to Rachael Ray with a delicious pancake recipe that this family is going to use frequently.  They are flavorful.  They are nutritious.  They will stick to your ribs all morning!  Here is the recipe.

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces, 1/4 cup, chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed up
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup, melted, plus additional for buttering skillet
Maple syrup or honey, for drizzling


Rachael Ray's tip:  If you cannot find really ripe bananas, just nuke them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and they will become super soft for mashing.

Mix dry ingredients, the first 7, in a bowl.  In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients, the next 4.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the mashed up bananas and the raisins.  Stir in the melted butter. 

Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush with additional melted butter.  Cook pancakes, each about 1/3 cup, until bubbles form on the top, then turn.  Cakes will cook in about 2 minutes on each side.  Keep pancakes tented with foil as they come off the griddle to keep them hot or put them in a 200 degree oven.  Serve with drizzled honey or maple syrup.

My Tip:  These have both brown sugar and bananas in them, so they will burn if cooked on too high of heat.  Keep the temperature of your pan a little lower than medium.  Low and slow.  Also, they are a little tricky to flip, so spreading the batter out a little when you put on the griddle helps.

Makes about 12 pancakes, serves 4.

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes


Source:  Fine Cooking Magazine

Crispy on the outside--tender on the inside.  Get the smallest potatoes you can find.

12 to 15 baby red or yellow potatoes (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Boil the potatoes:

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water.  Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt to the water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wooden skewer.  Make sure they are cooked through but don't overcook.  The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dish towels on your countertop.  As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dish towels.

Flatten and cool the potatoes:

Fold another dish towel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Repeat with all of the potatoes.  Don't worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil.  Transfer the flattened potatoes carefully to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature. 

Roast the potatoes:

Remove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead.  Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature at 400 degrees.  Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 teaspoon of salt and pour olive oil over them.  Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they are well coated on both sides.  Roast the potatoes until they are crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes if using a convection oven, 30 to 40 minutes if roasting conventionally, turning over once gently with a spatula or tongs halfway through cooking.  Serve hot.

Make ahead tips:

Do the busy work--boiling and flattening the potatoes up to 8 hours ahead of time.  Let potatoes cool completely and store them on the pan, lightly covered, in the refrigerator.  Then all you have to do at the last minute is coat with oil and salt and roast.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Spinach Cheese Bread



Source:  Bon Appétit Magazine

I have been making this recipe for many years.  As long as Pillsbury keeps making Crusty French Bread Dough, I will continue making it!  This is a great snack; a great appetizer, and a great go-with for a main-course soup or salad.  Even people who don't like spinach, like this bread.  Do you suppose it's because it has three kinds of cheese in it?

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to remove moisture
1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
1 11-ounce tube refrigerated Pillsbury Crusty French Bread dough

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter a heavy large baking sheet.  

Mix spinach, beaten egg, milk, mustard, and garlic salt in medium bowl.  Mix in mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and fresh white breadcrumbs.

Unroll the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a 13-inch square.  Cut the dough in half, forming two 13 x 6 1/2-inch rectangles.  

Spoon half of the filling in a narrow strip lengthwise down the center of each rectangle, leaving about 1/2-inch border on short sides.  Fold one long side of each rectangle over the filling; fold over the second long side of each rectangle, enclosing filling completely and overlapping first side slightly.  Seal seam of each loaf.  Seal short ends.  Arrange loaves, seam side down, on prepared sheet.  Using a small sharp knife, cut crosswise slits at one-inch intervals through the top of the dough.  

Bake the loaves until they are golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Run a metal spatula under the loaves to loosen. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool.  Cool 15 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Tyler's Tomato Relish

Tyler modified this recipe of Gordon Ramsay's.  (Now that's confidence!)  This is a tomato relish that Tyler makes for steak sandwiches.

1/2 red onion, diced
1 mild pepper (Anaheim), diced
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (I used half small yellow tomatoes in this recipe)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
Heat high-sided skillet pan on medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to pan.
Dice pepper and onion. Add to pan and heat until onion just starts caramelizing.

While onion and pepper are heating, slice the tomatoes and add to pan when onion is ready.  Add enough olive oil so that the vegetables are half covered by the oil.  Add salt and sherry vinegar. Raise heat to medium high and stir occasionally.

Relish is done when olive oil reduces by 2/3rds and the tomatoes have peeled out of their skins.  

Keep warm until served over steak sandwiches.


Thursday, June 8, 2023

Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet

Nearly Friday!  Thank goodness!

For today's potions class, we will tackle a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet.  The Brandy Old Fashioned is considered the unofficial state cocktail in Wisconsin.  Having an Old Fashioned is a taste of home.  (We tried getting one in Aspen.  Yikes.  Very bad.)  In Madison, Wisconsin there is even a pub called The Old Fashioned (http://www.theoldfashioned.com/).

Old Fashioneds were originally made with whiskey.  In 1893, at the Chicago World's Fair, a new brandy distiller (Korbel) was sampling their spirits.  They began pouring the classic whiskey cocktail with brandy.  The German crowd from Milwaukee loved it.

To make a proper Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet:
  • Put a sugar cube or one teaspoon of sugar in the bottom of a highball glass.
  • Add three dashes of Angostura bitters.
  • To add a little more fruit flavor, add a splash of cherry juice, and muddle  an orange slice and cherry with the bitters and sugar.
  • Add 2 ounces of brandy.  We use Korbel.  Stir it until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Fill the rest of the glass with ice.
  • Top off with 7-Up.
  • Add a garnish of an orange slice with a cherry or two.
Steve prefers Whiskey Old Fashioned Sweets with olives.  That works too, but a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet is very Wisconsin.  Wisconsin in a glass.  It makes you want to grill up some brats---in beer. 



Sunday, June 4, 2023

Brunch Egg Bake


Source:  Taste of  Home Magazine

This recipe is good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

3 cups (12-ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 jar (4.5 ounces) sliced mushrooms (I used fresh, sauted)
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/3 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced fully cooked ham
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
8 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Combine the cheeses; place 3 cups in an ungreased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch glass baking dish and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms, red pepper and onions in butter until tender; drain.  Spoon them into the baking dish.  Sprinkle with ham and remaining cheeses.


In a large bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth; stir in the eggs, parsley, salt, basil, and pepper until blended.  Slowly pour over cheeses.   Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.  12 servings.