Chocolate Éclairs

I don't know why I don't make these more often.  I remember the first time I made them many years ago, I thought they were the most time consuming, difficult thing to make.  They are not difficult to make.  They are time consuming because of cooling time for the custard.  Start early in the day.

Confession:  In this picture, I cheated and used canned frosting, but the recipe for the chocolate glaze from the original recipe is below.

Choux Paste (Shells):

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Grease 2 large cookie sheets.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat butter, water, and salt until butter mixture boils.  Remove from heat.  Add flour all at once.  With wooden spoon, vigorously stir until mixture forms a ball and leaves side of pan.  Add eggs to flour mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth.  Cool mixture slightly.  

Drop 1/4 cup choux paste onto cookie sheets 2 inches apart (5 éclairs per pan).  Spread each mound into rectangles, rounding edges.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cut slit inside of each shell and bake 10 minutes longer.  Turn off oven. Dry shells in oven for 10 minutes.  Cool on rack.  Meanwhile, prepare vanilla pastry cream and semi-sweet chocolate glaze.

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups heavy or whipping cream

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt.  Stir in milk.  Over medium heat, cook, stirring until mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes.  Boil and keep stirring 1 more minute.

In a small bowl with a fork, beat egg yolks slightly.  Beat a small amount of the milk mixture into the yolks.  Slowly pour egg mixture back into milk mixture, stirring.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and coats spoon well, about 8 minutes (do not boil). To check thickness, lift spoon from mixture and hold up for 15 seconds.  Spoon should not show through mixture.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour custard into a medium-sized bowl.  Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap so it doesn't form a skin.  Chill well, for about 2 hours.

After the custard is chilled, in a small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into custard.

Slice about 1/3 from the top of each shell and fill bottom of shells with cream filling.  Replace tops and spread with glaze.  Refrigerate until serving time.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Glaze:

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk

In a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, melt semi-sweet chocolate and butter, stirring constantly. Stir in powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  Let cool.

Puffed Potato Balls

This recipe came from a church cookbook given to me by Grandma Bernice.  This is a nice way to dress up mashed potatoes when you are having company or just want to make a nice dinner. 

3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 1 pound) (I used Russet potatoes)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 of a 3-ounce package of cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 envelope instant onion soup mix (2 1/2 teaspoons)
Dash of pepper
1-2 tablespoons milk
1 beaten egg
1 1/2 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  

In a saucepan, cook the potatoes in boiling unsalted water for about 20 minutes until they are tender.  Drain and mash.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, butter, green onion, parsley, onion soup mix, and pepper.  Mix well.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk if the mixture is dry.

Shape mixture into 8 balls.  Dip in beaten egg; roll in corn flakes.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until hot and crispy.  

Makes 4 servings.  Easily doubled for a party.

Baby Back Ribs

We have had many dogs and they LOVE to chew on bones.  I do not.  These baby back ribs are easy to make and fall right off the bone.  The first time I made these, I said to Kate, "Tender as a mother's heart," as I gave them a poke with a fork.  "Must be pretty tough," the daughter quips back.  Sigh. 

1 large onion, sliced
2 racks of baby back ribs
1 - 12-ounce bottle of beer
Salt
Pepper
Your favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread sliced onions in a large pan with sides.  Make sure you take the tough membrane off of the bottom of the ribs if there is one.

Place ribs, bone side down, on top of onions.  Pour beer over ribs.  Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and cover with foil.  Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees, then turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven for another hour.  Do not open the oven door.  No peeking!

Preheat barbecue grill to medium heat.  Brush both side of the ribs with the barbecue sauce of your choice.  Here I used Sweet Baby Ray's Chipotle Honey barbecue sauce, which has a little sweetness and a little heat.  

Grill meat side down for 10 minutes, then flip ribs over and grill meat side up for 10 minutes.  Baste liberally with barbecue sauce while grilling. 

Cut individual ribs apart and serve hot.  Serves 4-6 people.

Ty's Man and Beast Burgers

Tyler is quite a great griller and the dogs love it!  Notice that there are five burgers being made in the picture.  The smaller one is the puppy burger--to be shared among our canine family members.

The secret of grilling great burgers?  For our family of four people and three canines:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80% lean--buy it fresh and loosely ground, not frozen or pre-pressed)
Seasoned salt
4 slices of cheese (optional--we use cheddar or Colby)
4 hamburger buns (the best quality you can find)

Divide the meat into 4 large patties (and one smaller one for the canines).  Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch burger.  Do not over-handle the meat.

Make an indentation in the center (because the center tends to puff up when grilled).  Season both sides of each burger with seasoned salt.

We generally use a gas grill for burgers because it is quicker, so preheat the gas grill to a high heat.  Make sure the grate is clean.  Grill the burgers until they are golden brown and slightly charred on the first side (about 3 minutes).  Flip over the burgers and cook until they are golden brown and slightly charred on the second side (3-4 minutes).  In the last half minute, add the slice of cheese so that it melts.  Toast the buns.

Tyler's Tip:  Turn down the flame so you don't burn your buns.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but we make this soup frequently.  I always have ingredients on hand to whip this together.  In one half hour in the morning, this soup can be put together and started in the slow cooker.  When you come home from work/the slopes/the lake (pick one), the house smells warm and spicy.  This is such a simple recipe, that it is a great one to take on vacation.  Imagine coming off the slopes and walking into the RV/condo/cabin/lodge (pick one) and smelling this!  Pass the bowls and  put out the crackers!


1 pound ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain and set aside.

Put the ground beef, chopped onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chili peppers, and taco seasoning mix into a slow cooker. Mix to blend, and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, crackers, Fritos, or whatever toppings you prefer.

Kale-abration Salad

If you don't grow kale in your garden for any other reason, grow it for the Kale-abration Salad.  Or buy kale at your local farmers' market, or the grocery store.

During college, Kate was an intern at a place called NuGenesis and this is a salad from their cookbook.  She grows kale in her garden and the kale in this picture is from her garden.  She makes this salad frequently.

1 large bunch kale (about 8 cups)
1 large clove garlic, finely-minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup Craisins or raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or other nut
1 apple (chopped)

Thinly slice (chiffonade) the kale.  Make a paste with the garlic and salt by mincing garlic and pressing salt and minced garlic with the flat blade of a knife.

In a small bowl, mix olive oil and honey with a whisk.  Add garlic/salt mixture and whisk until combined.

In a large bowl, add the sliced kale, and massage honey/oil/garlic mixture onto the leaves.  Do this for FIVE minutes.  This process tenderizes the kale and removes the bitterness.  Top with Craisins or raisins, apple, and nuts.

Serves 8.

Do Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Recipe from Cousin Janice (Kucera) Brochhausen

This dish is good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It reheats well in the  microwave.

6 slices wheat bread
butter
1/2 pound bacon, diced, fried, drained
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (the kind in a jar)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
6 eggs
milk

Butter the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch pan. 

Butter one side of each piece of bread and put in pan, buttered side down. 

Layer bacon, green pepper, cheese, mushrooms, and onions on top of bread.  

Beat the eggs and add enough milk to make 2 cups.  Pour this mixture over the casserole.  Refrigerate overnight (or make earlier in the day). 

Bake at 350 degrees F, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Honey Oatmeal Muffins

Source:  Cousin Dolores Dawn

This is a recipe from our family cookbook contributed by my first cousin, Dolores.  My mom used to call her DO.  She currently lives in Arizona.  This is a nice muffin to have for breakfast along with some fruit.  The raisins and nuts add texture, sweetness, and flavor.  

2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

In a medium bowl, mix milk, vegetable oil, the egg, and honey.  Add brown sugar and mix until blended.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until combined.  Gently stir in oats, raisins, and chopped nuts.

Fill 12 greased or paper-lined medium-sized muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. 

Makes 12 muffins.

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

The thing about cooking is it is often all about technique.  Simple, good quality ingredients, and technique.  Take for example, the simple biscuit.  These light fluffy biscuits can be whipped up in minutes.  It takes a little practice and a little know how.  It took me about four tries to get these 'just right.'

The most important thing to remember about making biscuits is to not overwork the dough.  Put your rolling pin away.  Gentle, gentle, gentle.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold

1 cup buttermilk (more if needed)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cut the butter into chunks and, using a pastry cutter, cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.  It's just great if you see chunks of butter.  Don't overwork it.  Add the buttermilk and mix gently with a wooden spoon JUST until combined.

If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.  The dough should look more wet than dry.  Be very careful not to over mix it.  If it feels like you should mix just a bit more--STOP!  You shouldn't.

Turn the dough out onto a floured pastry board.  Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about an inch thick.  Fold the dough in half and press it down (lightly).  Repeat this 4 more times.  Gently press the dough down until it's 1-inch thick.  You may have to add a little more flour to the board to keep it from sticking during this process.

Use a two-inch round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds.  You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more biscuits, but they will not be anywhere near as tender as the first ones.

Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Place them so that they are just touching.  Bake for about 9-12 minutes.  The biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.  Do not over bake.

Makes about 12 biscuits.  You can easily double the recipe.

Pepperoni Pizza Roll

"I think this is sexist isn't it?" my daughter asks.  Kate and I were in the kitchen making one of her favorite recipes while the menfolk are in the living room watching sports. 

Guess who was doing the dishes?  Not us.

I sometimes use a bread machine to make the dough, but sometimes it is pretty easy to just thaw out a roll of frozen bread dough.  The recipe originally came from Lora Brody's Pizza, Focaccia, Flat, and Filled Bread From Your Bread Machine.  This is a wonderful cookbook that uses a bread machine to make dough, but then you use that dough to make pizza, focaccia, filled breads, deep-dish pies, flatbreads, crackers, breadsticks, rolls, muffins, scones, sweet breads, dumplings, biscotti, and other desserts.  Here is the recipe for the dough if you'd like to make it in your bread machine, which somehow tastes yeastier.  (Is that a word?)

For the dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in the bread machine in the following order--water, olive oil, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.  Program the machine for Manual, Dough, or Basic Dough, and press Start.  About 10 minutes before the end of the second knead, check the dough.  It should have formed a soft ball.

To finish the roll:

 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (This is Wisconsin--We double it.  Make it 16 ounces.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper
6 ounces pepperoni slices, cut in halves or quarters

When the machine has finished its cycle, remove the dough, punch it down, and roll it out to a 26- by 18-inch rectangle.

In a small bowl, combine the mozzarella, Parmesan, beaten egg, and pepper.  Spread this mixture evenly over the surface of the dough.  Sprinkle the pepperoni atop the cheese mixture.  Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a log.  Transfer the log, seam side down, to a lightly-greased pizza pan or jelly roll pan, curving it into a horseshoe shape.  Tuck the ends under.  Tent the dough with lightly-greased plastic wrap and set it aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. 

Bake the roll in a preheated 350 degree F oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown.  Remove the roll from the oven and transfer it from the pan to a wire rack.  Let the roll cool for 20 minutes before slicing.  

Champagne!

Here's to the bright New Year
And a fond farewell to the old;
Here's to the things that are yet to come
And to the memories that we hold.

How to Select a Bottle of Champagne

Champagne with a capital "C" can only come from the Champagne region in France, which means it also can cause a bit of sticker shock.  However, champagne with a lowercase "c" comes from other areas and is usually called "sparkling wine."  To spot a just-as-good sparkler, look for "methode champenoise" or "methode traditionelle" on the bottle's label.  This means the sparkling wine has been made the same way true Champagne is instead of the time-saving Charmat process, which involves bulk fermentation in tanks and results in a lesser quality wine.

Some people prefer sweeter champagne--some prefer more dry champagne.  Here's a little chart to help you choose:

Brut = The driest and the "standard"
Extra-dry = Less dry than Brut
Sec = Sweet
Demi-Sec = Even sweeter

How to Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine

Let's watch Famous Fat Dave learn how to open a bottle of Champagne.

First a warning from the American Academy of Ophthalmology:  Every year, improper cork-removal techniques cause serious injuries.  A champagne cork can fly up to 50 miles per hour as it leaves the bottle -- fast enough to shatter glass.  At such high speeds, you have no time to react and protect your eye.  That's why it's so important to learn how to open a bottle of bubbly correctly and avoid flying corks in the first place.

Step 1:  Chill sparkling wine and champagne to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or colder before opening.  The cork of a warm bottle is more likely to pop unexpectedly.  Also, don't shake the bottle.  Shaking increases the speed at which the cork leaves the bottle thereby increasing your chances of a severe eye injury.

Step 2:  Hold down the cork with the palm of your hand while removing the wire hood.  (It takes 6 twists to open the wire hood.  Don't believe me?  Count them.)  Point the bottle at a 45-degree angle away from you and any bystanders.

Step 3:  Place a towel over the top of the bottle and grasp the cork.

Step 4:  Keeping the bottle at a 45-degree angle, slowly and firmly twist the bottle (not the cork) to break the seal.  Continue to hold the cork while twisting the bottle.  Continue until the cork is almost out of the neck. 

Note:  Never use a corkscrew to open a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.

Although Kate finds great joy in "sabering" bottles, it's a bit tough on the knife and you will end up with an overflowing bottle.  Save the bubbles!  Save the knives!  No sabering good champagne!