It's Time to Pick the Apples

We  know the Fall season is soon upon us when the apples are ripening on the trees. Two of our neighbors have generously offered us apples from their trees - all we want to pick. I've made apple sauce, apple bread, and apple crisp. Today is pie day.

I prefer an all butter crust.  My recipe for a two crust pie calls for four Tablespoons of ice water. With an all butter crust, however, three Tablespoons is enough. I add only the amount to the flour and butter mixture for the dough to clump together. Sometimes I use a little vodka or vinegar as part of the liquid for a flaky crust.

The dough is ready to refrigerate while I peel and slice the apples.

With an all butter crust, I have found that it is best to put the pie into a 450 F. degree oven, so the crust can set quickly before all the butter causes it to melt. Once in the hot oven, I cut the temperature to 425 F. degrees. This may also cut the total baking time by a few minutes, so I watch it carefully.

  

 SUCCESS!

With thanks to our neighbors for the apples, and to Addie for apple-picking.

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It's Berry Season!

Berries on cereal? Berries with ice cream? Berry pie? I thought I'd do something different for dessert tonight.

Looking through an old cookbook I picked up while traveling in Georgia years ago, I came across a recipe too easy not to try. Three ingredients, then add the berries.

Blend together one small can of limeade concentrate, one can of sweetened condensed milk, and one regular size Cool Whip. (Well, I substituted REAL whipped cream for the Cool Whip.) That's it! Add strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. Done.

One variation: Spoon mixture into a graham cracker crust.

My inspiration from an old cookbook from the state of Georgia.

Springtime - Here It Comes, Here it Goes

We have had a very mild winter. In early Spring, however, the weather seemed unseasonably cold. And lately it's been downright hot out there - a big change in usual temperatures for us.

The Spring flowers were slow to blossom. Now with the heat, it seems they are not lasting very long. So I've tried to capture their beauty with photos before they would disappear completely until another season in time.

Fragile, fleeting beauty. So, until next year...

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

A friend of mine recently posted a recipe for Rhubarb Pudding Cake. It calls for two cups of chopped rhubarb. This reminded me that I had some chopped rhubarb hidden away in our freezer. I checked. Exactly two cups. This was a recipe I just had to try.

I had all the ingredients. So I preheated the oven to 375 degrees F. and began to make the pudding cake. The best part is that it is mixed by hand. And - there are no eggs. Very easy!

Once the batter is mixed and spooned out over the rhubarb, add a sugar/cornstarch topping. Boiling water is then poured over all.

Then it's ready for the oven.

After 45 minutes, here's the finished product:

When it's cool, it's ready for whipped cream or ice cream. I'll be adding some sliced almonds. Mmmm!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

 2 cups chopped rhubarb

 3/4 cup sugar 

 3 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

 dash of salt

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup flour

1 scant cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2/3 cup boiling water

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spread rhubarb in an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together the next eight ingredients. Add a little extra milk, enough to be able to pour the batter. Pour batter over the rhubarb.
Mix together the sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over the batter in the dish. .
Evenly add the boiling water.
Bake for 45 minutes.
When cool, top with whipped cream or ice cream. (I'm adding sliced almonds.)

Yield: 9 delicious servings

Enjoy!

You know you are from Racine, Wisconsin when…

you can name your favorite kind of kringle (and you just may have some stashed away in your freezer).

Pecan Kringle

you’re thirsty and you ask someone where the nearest “bubbler” is.

you’ve fished off the piers on Lake Michigan.

you’ve “scooped the loop” with friends, just because it was the hip thing to do.

it’s Friday night and you’re yearning for a beer- battered fish fry at the local tavern.

when you want a drink, you know you won’t be heading to West Racine.

you know where “the Junction” is.

you have been in awe of the Iwo Jima float in EVERY 4^th of July parade.

the best birthday cake is a Danish layer.

you visit relatives “up north,” or you have taken a vacation “up north” more than once.

you learned to swim at the Washington Park Pool when you were a kid, and ate a slo-poke sucker while walking back home.

you’ve been to the Franksville Kraut Festival.

you’ve been in actual debates with other Racinians – Is it “Ray-cine” or “Rah-cine”…?

(Count me in with the "Rah-cine" people.)

Gazpacho!

I'm on lesson five of my online Spanish Cooking class. For this lesson I prepared Gazpacho. I was amazed how easy this was.

All the ingredients went into my blender for about a minute. That was it - the Gazpacho was ready to eat. I sampled some, then put the rest in the refrigerator because it is best when served very cold.

Here's the recipe I used:

1  can of whole organic tomatoes, 28 oz.
    (In season, I'd use about 10 fresh tomatoes.)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
8 large pitted olives (or more)
1/2 red onion, chopped

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Puree until desired consistency. Serve cold.

This was the first time I've had Gazpacho. It is refreshing, nutritious, and a great appetizer or accompaniment for most any meal.

This recipe was added to my "go-to" list for quick and easy mealtime ideas. 

So now I'm thinking about summer and planting vegetables - a few tomato plants, cucumber, pepper plants, onion, and garlic. Without doubt - I'm calling it my "Gazpacho Garden." 

Update: I rediscovered this recipe. Yes, these are the veggies growing in my garden this summer! I'll be eager to make this again when the veggies are ready to harvest.

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Thank you!

Valentine's Day - 2016

On Sunday we awoke to a -13 degrees F. outdoor temperature. Brrrr! When I walked into the kitchen, it was a real joy to see fresh flowers in a vase on the table - a Valentine's Day gift from Geo. The bouquet is a sign of Spring-to-come and a bright colorful contrast to our Valentine’s Day frigid weather.

My favorite is the Sweetheart Rose.

While I was taking photos of the flowers, I noticed how the light was reflecting through the glass vase. So I began taking photos of the vase with some interesting results.

Then I went on to take photos of a glass bowl in the dining room.

Our Valentine's dinner plans for going out were changed. We enjoyed dinner at home. 

For dessert? An almond cake, with sliced almonds on the frosting.

Geo tells me the temps are now up to 3 degrees F. Our plans for Valentine's Day dinner are on for today - the 15th.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

Crockpot Pork

Here's another really simple recipe. A friend of mine shared it, so I thought I'd give it a try.

1. Buy pork, one can cream of chicken soup, and one package of Ranch dressing.
2. Dust off the crockpot. (I haven't been using mine in a very long time!)
3. Layer pork and soup in the crockpot and sprinkle with Ranch dressing seasoning.
4. Turn crockpot on to the high setting, and let it cook for about four hours.

That's it.

After two hours of cooking the pork, I added sliced onion, because we really like onion. This is optional. 

Ready for the pot.

Ready to cook.

Ready to eat!

The gravy was excellent with mashed potatoes.

Some days, I just want to keep it simple - very simple.

Squash Soup

I made Squash Soup today. It is so easy, quick, and so good, I thought I'd share.

I had one large acorn squash that I cut in half, seeded, and put into the microwave for about 10 minutes, until it was soft. I removed it from the skin and put the squash into a blender with 2 cups vegetable broth to puree it.

Next I heated the mixture on the stove and added a little salt and pepper, a generous dash of ground ginger, and a little ground nutmeg. Last of all, I stirred in about 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
I ladled the hot soup into bowls and garnished with a little more nutmeg and roasted squash seeds. (The squash seeds are definitely optional.)

Everyone in the family loved it. No leftovers!

It's the first time I made this, and I do hope to be making it again.