Tiny Tot Pecan Pies

My Mom liked all things pecan and we used to make these a lot when I was growing up. This sweet treat is one that all my girls agree on as one of their favorites. I started Scarlet,

my youngest, making these in elementary school and she could do them  all on her own by middle school, sometimes not the prettiest but they tasted great.

I like these mini pecan pies even better than pecan pie itself. Samantha (oldest) says it is because it has a better ratio of filling to crust and I agree wholeheartedly! Alexandra (middle child) and I like more crust than pie anyway so I think we should make every pie mini.

Crust

1 C all purpose flour

1/4 t salt

1/2 C butter unsalted

4 1/2 oz. cream cheese

Mix together in a mixer and then chill.

Filling

1 egg slightly beaten

3/4  C brown sugar

1 t vanilla

1 T melted butter unsalted

1 C pecans

1 t southern comfort opt.

Mix together in a bowl with a whisk or fork.

In mini muffin tins take the chilled batter and roll into a ball and then press into the sides and bottom on the tin evenly to look like a pie crust. Fill the cups almost full, they will puff up a bit while baking.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until the crust edges are beginning to brown slightly.

Remove from oven cool a bit and then take out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Brownies

Every year when my girls were young I would make brownies on the first Friday of the first week of school. I figured they deserved a treat and they usually had arranged to have friends over to spend the night. The whole group was always excited to come home to a sweet treat.

They are so easy to make and they don't destroy the kitchen in the process. They are perfect to make while everybody is at school so that they have time to cool completely before somebody grabs one.

My youngest is starting her senior year in college and she attending school close to home so I decided to treat her. This time after seeing so many brownie recipes claiming to be the best, I decided to bake three different ones and let she and her friends decide which recipe is the best. I am making the ones I always make which should take her back to her childhood, another recipe using semisweet chocolate instead of the unsweetened one I am already making and one that I first saw in one of my cooks illustrated magazines that I recently saw adapted on the internet. I had made the cooks illustrated one a few years ago and I didn't care for them. They were just too gooey and you couldn't carry them with yours hands-they needed a plate.

I think the cooks illustrated brownies turned out almost exactly the same as the last time I made them, way to gooey and really hard to cut and plate. I cooked them a bit longer than last time but they didn't firm up at all. They don't have any leavening in them so maybe that is what I don't like. They remind me of some brownies that I made for a Christmas party, it was a Nigela Lawson recipe and they just wouldn't set up so I kept putting them back in the oven with no luck. When I finally had to serve them we scooped out the brownie with a plastic spoon, put a dollop of whipped cream on top and called them reindeer poop. Everybody loved them anyway.

Scarlet definitely recognized her childhood brownies and they are still her favorite. The semisweet version was popular for those that like a lighter chocolate flavor. All you have to do is substitute the Bakers unsweetened chocolate with the Bakers semisweet chocolate.

Brownie Recipe
3 oz. Bakers unsweetened chocolate
2/3 C butter
3 lg. eggs
1 1/2 C sugar
2 t vanilla
1 C all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 C nuts opt.
Melt the chocolate with the butter in a pot on a a very low heat and whisk constantly till smooth. In a bowl beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together with a whisk. Add in the chocolate and whisk till smooth. In a measuring cup, measure the flour then add the baking powder and salt then mix. Add this to the chocolate mixture and stir with a spatula just enough to incorporate. Add the nuts if you are using them.
Pour batter into a greased 9x9 or a small rectangle brownie pan. Bake at 350 for 28-30 min. Cool in pan on wire rack completely then cut in squares.

Here is a picture of all three brownies: orange plate are the brownies that is the recipe above, red plate are the brownies that used the semisweet chocolate, and the blue plate are the cooks illustrated brownies.

Banana Rum Coffee Cake with Browned Butter and Rum Drizzle

I had just made a pound cake that I had been dying to try, it was the pound cake from Chickens in the Road blogger with a pound of everything in it not just a pound of butter. It was delicious even though I opted not to put any kind of frosting or glaze on it but I don't think it needed it at all, it totally stood on its own.
My daughters told me they still preferred my pound cake which is posted on this blog as a citrus pound cake. It originally just had vanilla and nutmeg for flavoring which is delicious but I like the variation of citrus in the summer or the holidays.
Both Alexandra and Scarlet were leaving so I packed up what was left of the cake for them to take in the car. Scarlet and her boyfriend John were driving Alexandra up to Dallas to catch a flight to Spain to visit Samantha, my eldest.
My neighbor, Janis, had surgery and I had intended to take some of the cake over to her to aid in her recovery. Now with nothing to take over, I looked around the kitchen and saw an abundance of aging bananas so I started researching recipes looking for inspiration and this is what I came up with. The original recipe was a barefoot contessa banana cake that I spun off of. This coffee cake is scrumptious and just what I think Janis needed to help her feel better!

Cake
3 very ripe bananas
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 C canola oil
2 lg. eggs
3 T dark rum ( I used Zaya12yr. aged)
2 C all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t  nutmeg, freshly grated

With a paddle attachment beat the bananas on low speed until mashed then add the next 3 ingredients and incorporate. Now add the eggs and beat until smooth. Next add in the rum. Mix the next 5 ingredients together then add to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased and floured 9 in. round cake pan. Sprinkle crumble on top.

Crumble
3 T flour
5 T brown sugar
2 T butter
Cinnamon
In a bowl use a fork to make the crumble pressing the ingredients together into the size of large peas.

Bake in the oven at 350degrees for 45 min. Or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
Cool for 15 min. Then using a plate turn out the cake and then put a plate on the bottom and turn over right side up to cool.

Drizzle
1/2 stick butter
About a cup or cup and a half of powdered sugar
1t vanilla
1 T dark rum
Put the butter in a small pot over med. heat and boil until brown stirring with a spoon occasionally. Take off the heat and add the powdered sugar whisking smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the vanilla and rum. Whisk smooth. Add more powdered sugar until it is a drizzle consistency. Drizzle over the warm cake.

The cake is super moist and fluffy in case you can't tell from the photographs. Really good on the second day too!

Cherry Coffee Cake

I had some left over cherries that were fading fast so decided to make a coffee cake with them. It's the perfect size to accommodate my leftover cherries.

1 1/2-2 C cherries pitted and halved ( I used both Bing and Rainier)

Take the cherries and cook them in a sauce pan on the stove with a splash of water, enough sugar to make them sweet( I used very little sugar since my cherries were already sweet, maybe 1/4 C), and a couple of tablespoons of southern comfort. Cook them until they are thick and soft but not mush. Refrigerate.

1 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/2 C Greek yogurt ( I used Fage)
3 T melted butter
1 t vanilla
Sliced almonds for sprinkling on top

Take the dry ingredients and mix together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl then add the wet to the dry and mix until just incorporated.
Spread half the batter into an 8 inch buttered and floured round cake pan. This will be hard to do just keep gently spreading with an off set knife until even. Take the cherries and spoon them out of the container leaving the excess syrup behind (but don't drain, you want a little bit) onto the batter in the pan evenly distributing. You want to use about 1 C of cherries. Spread the rest of the batter on top of the cherries. Take your time spreading gently, it's okay if some of the cherries peek out a bit. Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. It will be golden brown on top. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edges.

I am lucky I have my grandmother's cake pans that have a scraper built in that runs around the bottom and sides of the pan. Everything comes out so easily!

Icing
1/4 C powdered sugar
1-2 T cream
1/4-1/2 t vanilla
Mix together and drizzle over top of coffee cake.

Cauliflower Risotto

I love risotto and I love mashed potatoes AND I love Alfredo sauce. This recipe satisfies those loves all wrapped up in one AND I get my vegetable!

1 large cauliflower head
1 C chicken stock
1C white wine
1 t salt
4 oz. cream cheese
2 T butter
1 C heaping, parmigiano reggiano
1 T fresh thyme, chopped fine
1/2 C cream
1 clove of garlic (optional) chopped

Cut up the cauliflower in to large florets and discard the stem. In a pot put the stock, wine, and cauliflower florets then sprinkle with 1 t salt. Bring to a boil with the lid on then move the lid slightly off so that some of the steam can escape. Cook until the cauliflower is soft making sure that you still have liquid in the bottom of the pot so as not to scorch the cauliflower. Add more stock and wine as needed. You want a little liquid in the bottom when you are through.

Do not drain. Add the butter, cream cheese, thyme and parm. cheese. If you are using garlic add it in now. Let stand a few minutes with the lid on. Add in the cream. Use a submersible blender and blend until smooth. Taste then add salt and pepper as you like.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This is my favorite summertime dessert because it is cold and refreshing with a milk chocolatey taste. I make this pie at least once every summer and I love to make it for company. Invariably, someone will remark that it tastes exactly like what they used to have as a child when they were at the country club where they were spending their long days of summer.

One summer we decided that we needed to have a taste test and see if the pie was better with dutch processed cocoa or Hershey's cocoa. My friends that were born and raised in Ireland were over and were boasting that they would prefer the dutch processed one and would certainly be able to tell the difference. Everyone preferred the one made with the Hershey's cocoa and no one could tell which one was which, only that they tasted a bit different. I love having taste tests!

The pie crust I am using is my favorite for all my pies, not just cream pies but fruit pies too! I was on the hunt for a pie crust that doesn't use shortening and I ended up down the street at my friend Pam's house. I explained what I was searching for and her mother (Betty) suggested I use her recipe, I did and have loved it ever since. It makes enough for a bottom of a deep dish pie or a top and bottom for a regular pie.

Pie Crust

2 C flour
1/2 t salt
2/3 C unsalted butter
2 t sugar
1 egg yolk
3-4 T cold water
Cut the cold butter into cubes. Mix together the flour and salt. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingers until it looks like crumbs and feels like wet sand. Make a well in the center and add the sugar and egg yolk and start with 1 T water mixing with your hands to form a ball. Add more water as needed but use as little as possible to form the ball. Press into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface forming a circle to fit your pie pan about 1/8 inch thick. Place in pie pan with a little over hang to flute the edges. Place in the refrigerator and chill again so that the dough can relax and not shrink so much when baking.

Prick the pie shell with a fork. Place parchment paper in the pie shell and then place another pan on top to keep the pie shell from shrinking. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes then take out the extra pan and continue baking for 5 more minutes until golden brown.

Let the crust cool.

Pie Filling- I found this recipe 30 yrs. ago in a southern living magazine.
1 C sugar
1/4 C cocoa
1/4 C corn starch
Pinch of salt
3 C milk
3 egg yolks
1 1/4 t vanilla
1 C whipping cream for whipped topping
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Combine milk and egg yolks, beating together, then gradually whisk into dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and boils. Boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla ( you can also add chocolate liqueur, a couple of tablespoons). Immediately pour into pie shell. Cover with waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming. Cool 30 minutes then place int the refrigerator to chill completely.
Beat whipping cream with powdered sugar and 1 t vanilla until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream over pie.

My Grandmother's Carrot Cake

This recipe was my grandmother's recipe and she was known for her cake baking. My mom never felt like she could compete so she honed her abilities with pie baking. Now I have the best of both worlds with recipes and tips from both of them.
Tonight I had a request for a carrot cake and I warned them, if you are used to those fluffy, heavily frosted rectangle carrot cakes, this one is not for you. They assured me whatever kind I made is the kind they wanted so I said,"okay here we go."
This bundt cake is moist, intensely flavored with spices and will stay delicious for days. In fact, it was so moist and good that my grandmother never put any kind of icing on it and when I used to make it for my kids I didn't ever bother icing it either. They loved it just plain. But tonight I will be adding a cream cheese glaze because that is what most people expect. Not too surprisingly, Scarlet, my youngest daughter, upon eating the first piece of cake exclaimed,"I like it better without the glaze!" Everyone else liked the glaze.

1 1/2 C canola oil
2 1/2 C sugar
4 lg. eggs separated
5 T hot water
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t nutmeg, freshly grated
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1 3/4 C grated carrots
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans
Mix oil and sugar on med. speed with the paddle attachment of a mixer. Add egg yolks one at a time then add the hot water and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture on med. speed. Stir in the carrots. Beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment on high into soft peaks then fold into the batter.
Grease and flour a large bundt pan then pour the batter in and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or and hour and 5 min. Check with a wooden tooth pick, it is done when there are just a few crumbles sticking to the toothpick. Let cool for about 10 min. then invert onto cake platter. Pour glaze over the cake while warm.

Glaze
4oz. Cream cheese, softened
1C powdered sugar
1t vanilla
Several tablespoons of milk. Mix together on high in order above adding only enough milk to make it a thick but pourable consistency.

Summer Cheesecake

The first time I ever had real cheesecake was many years ago, the first time I ever visited NYC and I thought it was amazing. Up until that time, I had only eaten the kind you made in a pie pan that my mother's friends were making and I wasn't particularly impressed. The next time I had good cheesecake was one that my sister in law made which was a praline cheesecake which reminded me of the one I had in NYC only better! (I plan to add her recipe to my blog later). She shared the recipe and I bought my first spring form pan so I was in business. The recipe my sister in law had given me was heavy and decadent which I love for winter but I wanted something lighter tasting for warmer days. I found a recipe for a plain cheesecake and changed things around a bit resulting in a cheesecake that tastes light and summery!

Crust
1 C graham cracker crumbs
21/2 T melted unsalted butter
2 t sugar
Mix above ingredients and press into a greased springform pan about half way up. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 min. Take out and set aside.

5 8oz. cream cheese packages
11/2 C sugar
Cream together on med speed of electric mixer.
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
2 t vanilla
3 T flour
5 eggs and 2 egg yolks
Mix in eggs one at a time with the other ingredients on med speed.
1/2 C sour cream
2-3 t southern comfort (this makes a huge difference in the taste)
Mix again. When you remove the whisk from the mixer use your fingers to get the batter off because little pieces of zest will be clinging and you want to stir them back into the batter. Wrap the springform pan with foil. Make sure that no water can seep in. Put your foil covered spring form pan in a larger pan that you can pour water in about half way up the sides. Pour the batter over the crust, filling the pan.  Put the pans into the 350 degree oven and then pour water into the outer pan making sure water will not get inside the foil. In other words you are baking it in a water bath. Bake for 1 hour to an hour and 5 min. It should still be a little jiggly in the middle. Take out, remove from water bath and let cool completely. Run a knife around the edge when you take it out of the oven. After it has cooled take off the rim of the pan. Refrigerate until cold.
This is the picture of one baked in a water bath.

The one below was not baked in a water bath, it has browned on the edges and has risen over the edge of the pan but will fall back in as it cools and it will crack in the middle.

Peter Rabbit Cole Slaw

I love to make this cole slaw in the summer because it is so cool, creamy and a great side dish for fried food. I like to serve it with either fried chicken like I have pictured or with fried shrimp. I gave it this name because every time I make it I think you could find all these things in Mr. McGregor's garden and thats what Peter Rabbit was after.
The cabbage at the store was enormous so I just used half a head but if you find small ones you can use the whole head.
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced
1/2 head purple cabbage, sliced
1 small bunch cilantro chopped, about 1C
1 bunch green onion, about 6
4 carrots slice thinly, I used a mandolin
Enough mayonnaise to coat the slaw, about 11/2-2 C
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t celery salt
Salt and pepper
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and chill.

Sand Tarts

My mother moved to the Rio Grande Valley and specifically Rio Grande City shortly after World War II where my Dad had been offered a job. My parents, a newly married young couple, made new friends and began their life together. They spent quite a bit of time bonding with their friends by partying in Mexico enjoying the food and dancing into the wee hours of the night. Of course nothing ever stays the same and everyone moved on with my family ending up in McAllen but still located the valley. One of my mother's very best friends named Chichi moved back to McAllen from the Dominican Republic after living all over the world. I loved sitting at the kitchen table listening to all their stories. One particular afternoon Chichi served the most amazing sand tarts I had ever tasted, in fact, I had never really cared for them until I tasted these! I told her I absolutely had to have her recipe and she just laughed and said of course!
Years later, planning Alexandra's beach wedding (my middle daughter) we were tossing around ideas for the wedding cake. We all decided it was a bad idea to have a cake on the beach with the sand and wind blowing. Samantha came up with the idea of having sand tarts in a decorated see through cookie canister as part of the table decorations in loo of a wedding cake. These cookies taste very similar to the Mexican wedding cookie so we thought how perfect and they would be protected from any possible blowing sand. We considered buying them but we couldn't find any that tasted as good as the ones I make so Samantha sweetly offered to make them a couple of days ahead and take them to the beach for us.

She totally made a bijillion of them! They were so delicious our guests kept asking where we had gotten them and when we told them we made them they all wanted the recipe!

1 C  unsalted butter, softened
1/3  C granulated sugar
2 t vanilla (I use Mexican vanilla, La Vencedora)
2 C all purpose flour
1 C pecans finely chopped
Cream butter and sugar then add the rest of the ingredients until incorporated. Form dough into a disk then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. Take the dough out and shape into whatever shape you like and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool a bit then roll the cookies in powdered sugar and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies stay good for a long time in an airtight container.

Honey Butter Biscuits

When my girls were little they loved to get the biscuits from Churches Fried Chicken and so I set out on a hunt to find a recipe that would please them as much as those did. I wanted to make them at home anytime I wanted and I wanted to be sure of what went in them. I honestly don't know where I found this recipe and if I might have changed it over the years but these are great biscuits for breakfast or to along with a fried chicken dinner or even some BBQ.

2 C all purpose flour (I used Gold Medal)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t sugar
3/4 t salt
1 C cold buttermilk
8 T or 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 T honey
Pour the melted butter into the cold buttermilk and swirl around with a fork letting clumps form. Next, whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until dough pulls away from the sides and there isn't any dry flour left. Do this gently. Use a 1/4 C measure and scoop up a level amount and drop onto a baking sheet. If the dough sticks to the scoop you can grease it with butter. Bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 min. While the biscuits are cooking, soften the butter then add 3 T honey and whisk until smooth. Taste to see if you like the honey to butter ratio and you can add more honey if you like.
Take the biscuits out and brush the tops with the honey butter and let run down the sides.
You may want to make more honey butter to drizzle on the inside when serving.

As you can see my daughter snagged one of the biscuits before I could even take the picture!

Individual Galettes

I was out of peaches and asked my ex-husband to pick some up for me at costco when he went the next time ( he goes almost everyday). He called me and said they were out but that he almost picked me up some nectarines instead. I was like I'm glad you didn't because I don't like them as much and he laughed and said they are the same thing and I indignantly said no they weren't they taste totally different. Now let me interject here and tell you that he has a minor in horticulture but I still wasn't a believer so I did some research on the internet finding out of course that he was right. I then decided to see if I was the only idiot that thought they were vastly different, apparently, I was.

The article I read explained that nectarines are just a recessive peach and can show up randomly on a peach tree and they have different names for retail purposes. It also said that Europeans preferred white flesh peaches (lower acid, milder flavor and sweeter) while Americans preferred the more robust less sweet yellow peach.

I love doing taste tests and well this is just screaming for one. I wanted the ripest best quality of all fruits involved so I bought peaches both white and yellow and nectarines both white and yellow and let them ripen up to eating perfection. I didn't want my results skewed by a particular fruit not tasting good because of under ripeness or over ripeness. I conducted my taste test and have found that I am in fact pure American and prefer the yellow fruit by far and I also like peaches better regardless.
Now I have a over abundance of fruit and need to do something with the white peaches and nectarines because I don't want to just eat them, that is what the yellow ones are for!

 Any stone fruit would work and a mixture would be good I think but next time it's going to be yellow peaches that is if I can keep from just eating them. This is what I did with the white peaches and nectarines.

5 white peaches and nectarines sliced and then each slice cut in half, my fruit was the size of softballs
3 T sugar
1 T southern comfort
1 t vanilla
Marinate the fruit for a few hours or overnight

Pastry recipe
2 C all purpose flour
14T unsalted butter cold cut into cubes
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C cold water out of the refrigerator
1/2 t salt
1/2 T apple cider vinegar
Mix the sugar and vinegar with the water and put back in the refrigerator. In a food processor put in the flour and salt and mix then add the butter and pulse until there are only small chunks of butter mixed in...just a few times...you want chunks of butter to make the dough flakier. Pour the flour mixture into a bowl and make a well in the center. Take out the sugar water and give it another stir. Pour into the well and mix with a fork until dough comes together and then turn out onto a floured surface and knead forming a disk. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or overnight.
Take dough out and roll out between parchment paper to about 1/8 inch thick. Chill another hour or two. Cut out about 4 inch disks and then roll them out a bit more giving them uneven edges. Place them on a baking sheet.

Drain the fruit.

Place a couple of tablespoon of fruit in the center of the dough disk. Fold over the sides working around leaving the center open securing with an egg wash of 1 T water beaten with an egg. Dip your fingers in the egg wash as you work the sides so they won't fall apart while cooking. Brush the tops with the egg wash and dust with cinnamon and sugar. I sprinkled sugar crystals on top to make them sparkle! Chill them for at least 30 min.

This pic is before baking.
Bake them in a 400 degree oven for about 30 min. They should be golden brown and bubbly.

 

My Favorite Frittata

I have playing around with different combinations to come up with the most amazing one to serve my college buddies for breakfast when they come to visit this summer (we get together and catch up every summer). This is the outstanding winner!
I went to lunch with a friend I have known since high school and I was telling him about this frittata and how I thought he should make it so this recipe is for you Ben.

1/2 lb. roasted grape or cherry tomatoes
1/3-1/2 lb. breakfast sausage (not in a casing)
1 handful fresh spinach
1 clove garlic minced
3 lg. eggs
1/2 C cream (almost)
Salt and pepper
1/2 C parmigiano reggiano finely grated

To roast the tomatoes put them in a small pan and drizzle olive oil over them then salt and pepper, next sprinkle on some balsamic vinegar and put in a 400 degree oven and roast until wilted about 20-30 min. Let cool a bit before you put them in the frittata but you can make them days ahead and refrigerate till you need them.

I used a 8 inch skillet for this recipe which is enough for 2 but if you want to use an 11 inch skillet you will want to triple this recipe but I would only use 1 C of cream with the eggs.

Cook the sausage in the skillet on med. high heat. When cooked through add the spinach on top to wilt and add the garlic then stir around. Next add the roasted tomatoes. While all this is cooking, you can put the eggs in a bowl with the cream, salt and pepper and beat them with a fork or whisk until incorporated completely. Next add in freshly grated cheese and beat again. Pour mixture into the skillet and gently move everything around so that the egg mixture gets under all the ingredients in the skillet and everything is evenly distributed. Grate some cheese on top. Leave alone and let the eggs set a little then take the pan and put it under the broiler with the oven door shut. When the dish has bubbled up and has browned on top take it out and let sit a few minutes to set. You can cut out of the pan or you can try to remove it whole from the skillet on to a plate.
Frittatas taste fantastic at room temperature so just let it sit out and by the end of the day you won't have any leftovers!

Honey Mustard Chicken

I used to make this dish a lot when my girls were growing up because it is quick and easy while delivering a change of pace taste that they enjoyed. Tonight I am using chicken thighs coupled with cauliflower rice which is caulflower that has been pulsed in a food processor to look like rice. It would be good over any kind of rice or sautéed potatoes. My girls preferred me using chicken breasts when they were young and that is a good option too its just that the thighs will be more moist and juicy.

1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 red onion chopped
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1C chicken stock
1/8 C honey
1T mustard ( I used grey poupon but you can use any kind even yellow mustard)
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t curry powder
 In a skillet coat the pan with oil, season the chicken and brown on both sides on med. high heat. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add the onion into the pan with a bit more oil, saute about a minute and then add in the vinegar and reduce a bit. Next add the stock, honey, mustard and spices and stir until incorporated. Add the chicken back in and cover. Cook on low heat for about 20 min. Or until chicken is done. Uncover and add in 1T of flour that has been blended with 1/4 C water to thicken it up. Let cook uncovered until a bit thicker but it will always be on the runny side. Pour over cauliflower rice that has been toasted in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.

Chicken Thighs in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I am making this meal tonight because Scarlet, my youngest, hates creamy mushroom things but she is off in California surfing right now. So yum for me!
This dish is packed with flavor and can stand up to serving it with potatoes or buttery noodles but I am having it with sautéed spinach. I will put the chicken and mushrooms on top and I won't even taste the spinach!

1 pkg. boneless skinless chicken thighs (mine had six)
1 pat of butter and some olive oil
2 giant shallots roughly chopped
1 10 oz. pkg. baby Bella's or crimini mushrooms
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 C white wine (I used Chateau Ste Michelle Pinot Gris)
3/4-1C chicken stock
1C heavy cream
Herbs de Provence
Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper your chicken thighs and add a sprinkle of the herbs de Provence. Heat olive oil in a skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet and let get hot. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. Remove from the pan. Add a bit of oil and a pat of butter to the pan and add in the mushrooms and let brown on one side, give the pan a shake and add in the shallots and seasoning. Sprinkle in about 2 t of the herbs de Provence and then add in the garlic on med high heat. Let cook a bit then add in the wine and let reduce. Next add in the chicken stock and then add the chicken back into the skillet and let cook covered on low heat till the chicken is done, about 20-30 min. Now uncover and add in the cream, stir till incorporated then let cook down uncovered on medium heat until it looks like a gravy. Check seasoning but it probably won't need any adjustment.

Crusty Herb Bread

I love growing herbs all year round but they do so well in the spring and summer that you can use so much of them because they are so plentiful. This bread is so quick and easy with so few ingredients and steps to follow I just love it! Samantha, my oldest, prefers the cooks illustrated no knead bread but this recipe is way easier for me.

1 pkg rapid rise yeast
2 C barely warm water
4 1/3 C all purpose flour
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 short sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
Small bunch of thyme, finely chopped
4 sprigs of fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 t kosher salt

Mix the yeast and water in a large plastic mixing bowl then add the flour, chopped herbs, and then the salt. Combine with a large spoon. The mixture will be lumpy, just make sure everything is evenly incorporated. Cover the bowl with a damp dish cloth and put in a warm place to rise for about an hour. Remember not to use water that is too warm or it will kill the yeast, better to erre on the side of coolness and have the dough take a little longer to rise. I put my dough in the garage since I live in south Texas, outside on the patio would be too hot.
After the dough has doubled in bulk turn the dough out on a floured surface and shape into a  ball. Place shaped dough into a Dutch oven and let rise again with a damp dish towel covering it about 45 min. Preheat the oven to 375. Make sure the oven is up to temperature before you go out to get the dough. Slash the top of the dough making criss cross marks with a sharp knife. Bake until golden brown for about 45min to an hour.
Everybody says let it cool before slicing but I have never done that due to the fact that warm bread fresh out of the oven is simply irresistible to me. It just smells so amazing that I cut a piece immediately and eat it while the bottom is still crunchy and delicious but if you can wait I guess you should...I honestly don't know if it would make it better.

Ratatouille without Eggplant

I can't stand eggplant and the actual definition of ratatouille is stewed vegetables so I just decided to leave out the eggplant. This dish is so easy and every time I make it my girls remark on how they always forget how flavorful it is. Sometimes I think it should be a winter dish because I think of serving soups and stews when it's cold outside but this one is perfectly suited for summer especially if you have a vegetable garden. All the things in this recipe are things you could grow yourself in a backyard garden. Okay maybe not the onion I used but you know what I mean. Oh and just so you know I have a bay bush in my yard, I don't know anybody else who does...bay leaves are in here too!

2 onions chopped roughly(I used yellow 1015 but any kind will do)
2 green bell peppers roughly chopped
3 zucchini roughly chopped
2 yellow squash roughly chopped
2 lbs ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
3 large cloves garlic finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven on the stove over med high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers and just a bit of salt and pepper then sauté until the onion is clear. Next add the zucchini, squash, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and just a bit more salt and pepper. The key is to salt and pepper as you go so each thing is properly seasoned. Cook about 10 min. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper again. Now cover with a lid and simmer for 15 min. You can give it a stir half way through.

I like to eat mine with some homemade herb crusty bread to sop up all the goodness!

Pineapple Fried Rice made with Cauliflower as the Rice

I like this alternative to fried rice because it is much healthier but evokes the same flavor profile without the guilt. I used to make this recipe with rice but honestly I like the cauliflower just as well since I can eat such a massive amount without feeling bad about it!

1lb. Fresh Shrimp cleaned, tails off ( I used lg. but med. is fine)

6 slices of fresh pineapple slices, chopped

1 C frozen peas

7 cloves of garlic chopped fine

3inches of ginger chopped fine

1bunch of green onion chopped and separated, green from white

1 red bell pepper chopped

Toasted sesame oil

Canola oil

Soy sauce

1 cauliflower head pulsed in a food processor until it looks like rice.

In a skillet over high heat put in about a tablespoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of canola oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Salt and pepper the shrimp and throw into the hot oil with 1clove of garlic, turn the shrimp, don't burn the garlic or it will be bitter, and let cook till done. This will take just a few minutes, the shrimp should be pink. Remove from pan.

 Add more of each oil and let get hot. Add in the vegetables, fruit and two cloves of garlic leaving out the green part of the green onions. Saute a few minutes adding in a couple tablespoons of soy sauce then remove.

Add the oils in again and let get hot then add the cauliflower and saute a bit while adding more oil as needed. Take the soy sauce bottle and circle the pan three times pouring in the soy sauce, stir around and continue to saute. Add in the rest of the garlic and go around the pan a few more times with the soy sauce to taste. Add back in the fruit and vegetables and add the green part of the green onions. Stir and taste...adjust seasoning.

Blueberry Boy Bait

I had some leftover blueberries that I wanted to do something with so I decided to make my version of blueberry boy bait. Actually, I really wanted to make a peach cobbler but alas I ate all the peaches, they were just so ripe and deliciously good on their own I couldn't resist. Blueberries, however, never get eaten up and I don't like to eat them on their own. It's probably because of where I live and that we just never get good ones, I guess. Some day I want to go visit blueberry country and eat some right off the bush!

 I saw this recipe several years ago and tried it a couple of times but my family just thought it didn't have enough flavor. My daughter, Alexandra thought adding lemon zest would improve the flavor but I already have the lemon blueberry bundt cake recipe that I love and I just wanted something different. In this recipe, I have made some changes that make it more flavorful and yummy!

2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t fresh nutmeg grated
2 sticks unsalted butter softened
3/4 C light brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
3 eggs
1 C buttermilk
1t vanilla
1T southern comfort
1/2 C blueberries
Topping
1/2 C blueberries dusted with 1T flour
1/4 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and nutmeg. Beat together the butter, and sugars on medium high for several minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in thirds. Mix in the vanilla and southern comfort. Toss the blueberries in the flour and fold into the batter. Pour and spread in the pan then sprinkle the other 1/2 C blueberries evenly on top. Combine sugar and cinnamon and evenly dust the top.
Bake at 350 for about 45 min. or tester comes out clean.

Grilled Chicken and Coconut Lime Rice

Its summer and hot so I am feeling like I want a tropical meal for tonight. The first time I made this meal was for an evening we were spending in our treehouse with friends. I spent most of my childhood in trees and wanted my girls to have the same experience so I asked my husband, at the time, to build a treehouse in a giant ash tree in our backyard for them to play in. Being six foot eight, he constructed what to him was a modest treehouse above the roof line of our house which the girls would access by climbing the tree. What he built in actuality was big enough to later house a fancy grill, swinging dining table hung by chains from the tree limbs and assorted chairs. When the girls were no longer interested in climbing trees he built stairs so that all of us could more easily access it and that's when all the furniture made it's way up into the treehouse.

The best picture I have of the treehouse was taken after the once in a lifetime snowfall on none other than Christmas Eve.

Grilled Chicken
My grilled chicken is the easiest recipe ever. You just marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in wishbone original Italian salad dressing for 1-2 hours. You salt and pepper the chicken just before putting them on the grill and cook them turning once until done. If you don't over cook them they are so juicy with a marvelous grilled flavor. I won't presume to tell you how long to cook them since every grill is different and the size of chicken varies dramatically.
You can use this recipe with kabobs and any kind of vegetable.
I have received so many compliments on my grilled chicken and when I tell them what I use nobody can believe it! Here I have added grilled peppers, onion and pineapple.

Coconut Lime Rice
3C jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk ( I use Goya)
Chicken stock
2 limes zest and juice
Salt and pepper
Cilantro chopped

In a large pot put 2 T oil and the rice on high heat and toast the rice slightly. Add in the coconut milk and enough stock to equal liquid needed to cook the rice as per the instructions on the rice package, the seasoning, and the lime. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer and cook until done as per instructions on the rice bag, about 20 min. Fluff the rice and add the cilantro.

For a low carb option take a head of cauliflower and pulse in a food processor until it looks like rice. Put the cauliflower, 1-2 cans coconut milk and a little stock to cover the cauliflower with liquid. It depends on the size of your cauliflower but you want way more coconut milk than chicken stock. Add in the lime and seasonings and cook uncovered over medium heat until almost all the liquid has cooked out. Add in the cilantro. The texture of the cauliflower will be similar to rice but it will be more watery.
The picture is with the cauliflower not the rice.

Fancy Tuna Salad

I call this tuna fancy because I get it all dressed up before I eat it. Although I do love just tuna and mayo as do two of my girls, we decided when they were older a more grown up version suited us better.

It doesn't matter what kind of tuna I am making this is who always joins me on the counter whenever the sound of a tuna can being opened is heard and I don't even use an electric can opener...

This is the happy satisfied face that makes me smile...

1 can tuna drained

1 green onion chopped

2 marinated artichokes chopped (pull two out of the jar)

1 T capers

1 T finely chopped cilantro

1 squeeze of a half of lemon

2 heaping T mayonnaise

Just dump everything into a bowl and combine. For a larger group you can triple the recipe.

I always serve this on top of an avocado half and with a quartered Campari tomato which has been salted and peppered. My girls love it with ordinary saltines but you can use artisan ones as well.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

This is one of my favorite pound cakes especially for spring and summer. You need to make this cake as soon as the blueberries are in season and you can find the little ones. I found they work the best and are the most flavorful in this one.
This cake almost was named the death cake by Scarlet's friend Andrew because last summer it seemed too many of my friend's parents were passing away. I kept making them to drop by their houses because it seemed the perfect one to take, you can eat it for breakfast or in the afternoon as a pick me up or as a dessert after dinner and don't forget the all important midnight snack, it's the perfect make you feel better cake. One afternoon I was baking it again and Andrew asked if someone else had passed away since I was making the death cake and yes someone had but I refuse to call it this because it is such a happy cake for me.

I made this cake yesterday afternoon and it has not been 24 hours yet and already the cake is completely gone!

2 3/4 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C unsalted butter softened
1 3/4 C sugar or 1 C truvia baking blend
4 eggs
2 T lemon juice
1 T lemon zest
2 t vanilla
1 C buttermilk
1 1/2  C blueberries tossed with 1 t flour
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour a bundt pan. I use a large one but if you are using a stevia blend such as Truvia instead of sugar it only rises about half way up and you could easily use a smaller bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, powder, soda and salt. Beat the butter and add sugar gradually and beat for 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in three additions alternately with the buttermilk then beat on med high to fully incorporate. Fold in the blueberries. Pour in pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. You want the wooden toothpick to come out clean or if their are a few crumbles attached.

Citrus Flavored Old Fashioned Pound Cake

My girls love what I call my summer cheese cake which has lemon and orange zest in it. My two younger girls love pound cake and I thought what fun it would be to make a citrus flavored pound cake for summer. This cake is moist and fresh tasting with bright favors that stays yummy for almost a week. It is so delicious by itself it doesn't even need a glaze on top but if you want to fancy it up you could serve it with a reduced fruit in season/ sauce ( raspberry,strawberry,blueberry,etc.) and ice cream or whipped cream.

Alexandra's (middle daughter) father in law always looks forward to her visits because he just loves all the baked goodies she brings him...so when Father's Day came around she decided to bake this cake and mail it to him since she was unable to visit. I may happy to report the cake made it in great shape and so tasty that she received multiple phone calls from both her mother in law and father in law saying this is their favorite treat to date!

2 C butter, unsalted and softened
2 3/4  C sugar
6 large eggs
3 3/4 C all purpose flour
1/8 t salt
1/2 C milk
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
1 t vanilla
2T southern comfort liquor

Beat butter on medium speed for a couple of minutes then gradually add sugar and beat about 5-7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating just until the yellow disappears. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl then add to the wet mixture alternating with the milk beginning and ending with the flour mixture on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in vanilla, the zest and the southern comfort.
Pour into a large greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour - 1 hour 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick come out almost clean (a few crumbles can be attached just not wet). Cool in pan on wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

For a plain cake omit the zest and southern comfort and add 1/2 t freshly ground nutmeg into the flour mixture.

100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread as Soft as White

I have been experimenting with whole wheat bread recipes and this is the one! It is as soft as white making it perfect for sandwiches. This recipe is adapted from one I found on My Healthy Green Family.
Most of my recipes are old and have been handed down through my family but this blog is also an online recipe book for my daughters (one lives in NYC, one in Gibraltar and the last one is still here in town but travels all over) where they can access my recipes wherever and whenever they want.
I cannot resist cutting warm bread straight out of the oven, the end piece with some butter is my favorite! I wonder, however, if cutting the bread so soon releases some of the heat and keeps the bread from continuing to cook from residual heat and thus making the bread softer as a result...just a thought. So you have my blessing when it comes to cutting your loaf straight from the oven!

3 C whole wheat flour
1 heaping teaspoon rapid rise yeast
1/8 C honey plus 1/4 T
1 1/2 t butter, melted and cooled to room temp.
1/2 t kosher salt

Soak 1 1/2 C flour in  1 1/4 C water then cover with dish towel for 30 min.

At the same time, mix 1 heaping teaspoon of rapid rise yeast, 1/4 T honey and an 1/8 C warm water (just barely warm...too warm will kill the yeast...room temperature will work too). Do not over mix. Place dish towel on top for 30 min.

Melt butter and let cool.  Combine the soaked flour with the yeast mixture and then add the butter 1/8 C honey and the salt.
I used a dough hook but you don't have to and incorporate 1 1/2  C flour. Knead with dough hook or by hand for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes knead 5 more minutes. If you were using the dough hook turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes and then let rest 5 minutes. Knead gently for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.
Place the dough in a greased bowl with the greased side up and cover with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place  until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Remove dough and punch down. Knead a little and roll out dough with a rolling pin into a 7x14 rectangle. Roll up jelly roll fashion tightly with no air pockets and pinch the edge together. Tuck under the ends and place in a greased loaf pan shaping to fit. Cover with damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled and rounded nicely over the top for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 before getting the dough and bake for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow and is just golden brown on top. Remove from pans immediately, run a knife along the edges to loosen from the sides and turn out. Brush the top with butter and cool on wire rack.