Tag: traditional

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Lemon Meringue Pie

What’s not to love about this time-honored dessert? It’s one of my all-time favorites. I’ve amped up this traditional recipe with a bit of extra lemon juice, a ton of fluffy meringue, and a lightly sweetened crust. The only down-side is the long cooling time required between preparation and om nom noms, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 cup Shortening
  • 2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Filling

  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 1-1/2 cups White Sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1-1/2 cups Water
  • 3 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 3/4 cup Lemon Juice

Meringue

  • 5 Egg Whites
  • 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 9 tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together flour, salt, sugar, and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Slowly add water and mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is fairly moist.
  4. On a heavily floured surface, roll dough into a large circle of a suitable size for your pie tin. (I’ve been known to make this pie in a round cake pan instead, to accommodate lots of filling and meringue.)
  5. Turn rolled dough out into pie pan and flute or crimp as desired.
  6. Prick the dough several times with a fork, on both the bottom and sides.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown.
  8. Remove crust from oven and set aside.
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  10. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside.
  11. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together sugar and corn starch.
  12. Add water and place the saucepan over medium heat.
  13. Stir constantly and be patient! It will seem as if nothing is happening, and you will start to lose hope, and then suddenly the mixture will start to turn translucent, thicken, and bubble.
  14. Once bubbling, boil for 1 additional minute.
  15. Put a large spoonful of the hot corn starch mixture into the egg yolks, and quickly mix together.
  16. Stir egg mixture into corn starch mixture, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  17. Remove from heat, and add butter or margarine and lemon juice.
  18. Mix until butter or margarine has melted and lemon juice is completely incorporated.
  19. Pour filling into baked crust. Use a rubber spatula to get every delicious drop into your pie. (Then lick the spatula. Yum!)
  20. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla until foamy.
  21. Gradually add sugar and whip until stiff and glossy.
  22. Pipe meringue on top of filling, ensuring that the meringue is touching the crust all the way around, and the filling is completely covered.
  23. Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until meringue is light brown.
  24. Cool for at least 2 hours before transferring to refrigerator.
  25. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.*

*I know this is difficult, and that the pie with all of it’s lemony-fluffy-goodness is calling to you from the fridge, but cutting into this pie before it has completely set is a decision that is sure to lead to disappointment.

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Softilicious Peanut Butter Cookies

One of my ex-husbands actually told me that he fell in love with me when he tasted my peanut butter cookies. Maybe if I had made them more often he wouldn’t be my ex. Ha! This recipe produces two dozen scrumptious cookies, that are soft, moist, and perfect with a big glass of milk.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) Margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1-3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 2 to 3 additional tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together margarine and peanut butter.
  2. Add white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla, and beat until well blended.
  3. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined. The dough will be stiff and crumbly.
  4. Cover dough and chill in refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Set aside.
  7. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into 24 tight balls, a wee bit smaller than ping pong balls.
  8. Squish the balls between your palms to flatten and arrange on baking sheets.
  9. Using the tines of a fork, press down on each cookie twice, turning the fork ninety degrees between the first and second press to create a cross-hatch pattern.
  10. Sprinkle cookies with a little additional white sugar.
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and immediately slide foil off of the baking sheet and onto a heat-resistant surface to cool.*

*Why is it important to get the cookies off the baking sheet A.S.A.P.? There’s nothing worse than a dry, hard, over-baked cookie. As long as the cookies are still on the sheet, they’re still baking! Removing them immediately so they can cool quickly keeps them moist and soft, and they won’t require dipping in milk to make them edible. In my opinion, dipping anything in milk is just plain disgusting. All of those crumbs, detritus, and sludge at the bottom of your glass?? Yuck!

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Pain au Chocolat

Yes, laminated dough is a “pain” in the ass. (You see what I did there?) However, there’s no comparison between a fresh, warm croissant made from scratch, and a gluey, pale crescent-roll made from a tube of mass-produced faux daux. I’ve made this a fair bit easier by starting the dough in the bread machine, but nonetheless you’ll want to plan on washing your apron after this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Warm Water
  • 1/2 cup Warm Milk
  • 2-1/2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tbsp. Cooking Oil
  • 4 cups Bread Flour
  • 2-1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
  • 18 oz. Cold Unsalted Butter
  • 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Large Egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp. Powdered Sugar (optional)

Directions

  1. Add water, milk, sugar, salt, oil, flour, and yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order listed, and select the Dough cycle.
  2. While dough is doing it’s thing (completely independent of your efforts thanks to your bread machine) place two 6 oz. pieces of butter between two large sheets of parchment paper each. Then beat the living hell out of them, and roll into two 12×18 sheets, keeping them between the sheets of parchment. Refrigerate while you wait for your dough.
  3. When dough cycle has completed, remove dough from pan, and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Split into two equal pieces.
  4. Roll the first piece of dough into a 18×18 rectangle.
  5. Remove flattened butter from the refrigerator and set it on top of the dough, even with the left-hand side.
  6. Fold the right-hand (unbuttered) third of the dough, up over the butter.
  7. Then fold then left-hand (buttered) side over the top. (The result should be a 6×12 rectangle with five layers: dough, butter, dough, butter, dough.)
  8. Roll gently and evenly, maintaining the rectangular shape, just enough to help the dough layers adhere to the butter layers.
  9. Repeat steps 4 – 8 with the second piece of dough.
  10. Wrap both dough and butter rectangles in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least four hours.
  11. While dough is chilling, place two 3 oz. pieces of butter between two large sheets of parchment paper each, and beat and roll each out into a very thin 12×18 sheet. Refrigerate until dough is finished chilling.
  12. Remove one packet of dough from the refrigerator.
  13. Remove from plastic wrap and roll out into an 18×18 rectangle. (This may take a little extra muscle, as the dough may be harder after chilling.)
  14. Repeat steps five through ten.
  15. When ready to assemble and bake, place a large cake tray on the bottom rack of your oven, and move the rack you are going to bake on into the top half of the oven.
  16. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  17. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
  18. Remove one packet of dough from the refrigerator.
  19. Place on a floured surface and roll out into a 12×18 rectangle.
  20. Slice in half lengthwise, and in thirds by width, creating 6 six-inch squares.
  21. Place a small handful of chocolate chips (about 20 – 24) on one end of each square of dough, and roll the dough up over the chips at a slight angle, resulting in vaguely triangular points at each end.
  22. Place shaped dough onto prepared baking sheets.
  23. Repeat steps 18 – 22 with the second packet of dough. (Alternatively, you can keep the second packet of dough refrigerated for another day, and bake a fresh batch tomorrow.)
  24. Brush dough with beaten egg.
  25. As you put the dough in the oven, throw 4 – 5 ice cubes into the cake tray at the bottom of the oven to create a nice burst of steam.
  26. Bake pastry in preheated oven for 12 – 16 minutes until golden brown, turning sheets once mid-way through the bake.
  27. Remove pastry from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.
  28. If you have a sweet tooth, wait until pastry has completely cooled, and dust with powdered sugar. (Optional)
  29. Brew up some strong coffee and enjoy!

Sneaky Trick: Do you find that removing the butter sheets from the parchment is more frustration than you can handle? You can spread softened butter on the dough instead. Just increase your chilling time to at least eight hours each time you chill the dough.

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Easy Éclairs

Éclairs do take a little time to make, but they are completely worth the effort. This classic French recipe is made a wee bit easier by using instant pudding for the filling, but that doesn’t detract from the taste or texture in the least. And this ganache style frosting — c’est magnifique! 

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 4 Large Eggs

Filling

  • 1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix*
  • 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 1 cup Whipping Cream

Ganache Frosting

  • 1 cup Whipping Cream
  • 3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/4 cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar

*Any instant pudding mix will work well. Just be sure to select one that calls for 3 cups of milk, and you’re all set!

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat butter or margarine and water over medium-high to high heat until boiling.
  4. Remove from heat, and add flour and salt.
  5. Mix together until well combined and pulling away from the sides of the saucepan into one large lump.
  6. Place flour mixture in a large bowl or stand mixer.
  7. Stir flour mixture while adding eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each egg.
  8. Put dough into a pastry bag and pipe onto prepared baking sheets in about 12 strips, approximately 1-1/2 inches by 4 inches each.
  9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  10. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until pastries are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on them.
  11. Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.
  12. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine pudding mix, milk, and whipping cream.
  13. Beat for 2-3 minutes until firm and fluffy.
  14. Cover and refrigerate.
  15. In a small bowl, blend together cocoa powder and white sugar with a fork or small whisk until well combined and all of the lumps are out of the cocoa.
  16. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium-high heat until almost boiling.
  17. Remove whipping cream from heat and add cocoa mixture, whisking until smooth.
  18. Add vanilla and whisk to combine.
  19. Slowly add powdered sugar while whisking, and continue whisking until completely smooth.
  20. Keep ganache frosting warm.
  21. By now, your pastry should be completely cooled. Pierce the end of each pastry with a long, thin knife, pushing the knife almost to the end, and wiggling it to create an easy path for the filling.
  22. Fill a pastry bag with chilled vanilla filling and attach a long, thin tip.
  23. Insert the tip deeply into the end of each pastry and fill, drawing the tip back toward the hole you made at the end of each pastry as you go.
  24. Return each pastry to the cooling rack after they are filled, leaving space between each one.
  25. Stir warm ganache frosting again until smooth.
  26. With a large tablespoon, spoon ganache over the top of each pastry, allowing any excess to drip below the baking rack.
  27. Refrigerate to set frosting.
  28. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container, and enjoy within one day for the best texture. (Who am I kidding? These will be gone tout de suite!)

Sneaky Trick: Put a layer of parchment paper under your baking rack before frosting your éclairs to catch any dripping ganache. If you’re a little short on ganache, this will allow you to rescue some of the unused portion that drips through the baking rack, warm it, and re-use it. (Or, you can just snack on it while your éclairs are chilling in the refrigerator.)

 

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Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing

Who says salad has to taste like bland leaves and twigs, or even be low-calorie for that matter? Each serving of this recipe has all the bacon and eggs of a country breakfast, and the dressing is sweet and sassy. Bonus: You can brag to your weight-loss-enthusiast friends you just had a salad for dinner!

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. Fresh Spinach
  • 8 Large Eggs
  • 8 Pieces of Thick-Sliced Bacon
  • 4 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1-1/2 to 2 tsp. White Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
  • 4 Thin Slices of Onion (about 1/8-inch thick)
  • Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions

  1. In a large pot, hard-boil eggs for about 10 minutes.
  2. Place cooked eggs in a bath of cold water with ice cubes, and set aside.
  3. Wash, dry, and remove stems from spinach, and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
  4. Cut onion slices into quarters, and separate into individual pieces.
  5. Using sharp, washable kitchen shears, snip bacon into small pieces.
  6. Cook bacon in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat until well-browned and crispy.
  7. Remove bacon pieces from skillet, and reserve about 4 tbsp. of bacon grease in the pan.
  8. Reduce heat to medium-low and add vinegar, 1-1/2 tsp. sugar, and mustard to the bacon grease.
  9. Whisk until well combined and hot.
  10. Taste, and add up to another 1/2 tsp. of sugar if dressing is too acidic.
  11. Add bacon pieces and onion to spinach, and toss to combine.
  12. Pour dressing over spinach mixture and toss until all spinach is well coated.
  13. Remove eggs from cold water bath, peel, and slice.
  14. Serve spinach mixture on salad plates, and place slices of hard-boiled egg on top of each serving.
  15. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Addendum: Spinach Salad traditionally has sliced, raw mushrooms as well. Feel free to add them if you’re into that sort of thing, but I only like mushrooms when they’re sauteed in butter and garlic, or swimming in red wine sauce.

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Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

It’s a cold, grey, and rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest, which is the perfect time for some filling comfort food. In my opinion, nothing can counteract the clouds like a big bowl of Chicken & Dumplings. Grab a big spoon and warm up from the inside out!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  • 1 Stalk Celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup Whipping Cream
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch, mixed with water
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Shortening
  • 1/2 cup Milk

Directions

  1. Combine chicken broth, chicken breast cubes, frozen vegetables, celery, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a large pot.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. While chicken mixture is cooking, place flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal.
  5. Transfer flour mixture to a bowl, and set aside.
  6. When chicken is cooked, add whipping cream to pot and stir to combine.
  7. Mix corn starch with water, and add to pot. Stir to combine. Cover pot.
  8. Add milk to flour mixture. Mix until well combined and sticky, adding a little extra milk if needed.
  9. Drop spoonsful of dough, approximately 1 inch in diameter, into the pot.
  10. Cover pot and cook until dumplings are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

 

Sneaky Trick: There are a lot of recipes out there that call for the use of “baking mix” (e.g. Bisquick), but it’s very easy (and cheaper) to make your own. In fact, we do a scaled down version of just that in this recipe! You can also make a bigger batch and store it for up to three months. Here’s the full-sized recipe:

  • 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 3 tbsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tbsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Shortening*

*Use vegetable shortening if you plan on storing this, or any shortening or even lard will do if you’re going to use it all right away.

  1. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.
  2. Cut in shortening and pulse again until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal. 
  3. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
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Hamburger Stroganoff

Let’s face it, folks: Hamburger Helper is disgusting! It’ll take you ten minutes to parse out the pronunciation of all of its so-called ingredients. Instead, use those extra ten minutes to make this recipe, which is almost as easy, and has nothing in it you can’t pronounce on the first try.* This also re-heats wonderfully, making it a great go-to meal during your kids’ busy sports, drama club, or livestock show season.

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces Egg Noodles
  • 6 tbsp. Butter or Margarine (divided)
  • 1-1/2 Pounds Ground Beef
  • 1 Large Onion (coarsely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Dried Parsley to garnish

Directions

  1. Cook egg noodles in boiling water until soft, about 6-8 minutes.
  2. Drain noodles, and add 3 tbsp. butter or margarine, stirring until melted. Set aside and keep warm.
  3. In a large skillet, melt remaining 3 tbsp. butter or margarine over medium high heat.
  4. Add onions to skillet and cook until slightly translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
  5. Add ground beef to skillet and brown until the last bit of pink has just disappeared, about 8-10 minutes. Do not drain!
  6. Sprinkle flour over ground beef mixture and stir to absorb all of the fat in the skillet.
  7. Add garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup to skillet. Cook and stir until thoroughly combined and hot, about 4-5 minutes.
  8. Add sour cream to skillet. Cook and stir until thoroughly combined and hot, about 4-5 minutes.
  9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve over prepared egg noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

*Yes, I realize that some of these ingredients may have a chemical or two in them. Just check the labels, make sure you’re avoiding MSG (which for me, leads to the dreaded “Three I’s”: itching, illness, and irritability) and you should be A-O.K.

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Best Ever Banana Nut Bread

They say when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. But, what do you do when life gives you brown bananas? Bake banana bread, of course! With a hint of spice and an abundance of nuts, this recipe is hearty enough to pair with a strong cup of coffee, and so scrumptious that these loaves will disappear fast, leaving only a few tasty crumbs behind. Go bananas!

Ingredients

  • 3 Large Bananas
  • 1-1/4 cups White Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1/3 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Ground Allspice
  • 1 cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped

 

Directions

  1. Move oven rack down one notch lower than the center, so that the top of your loaves will sit in the middle of the oven.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Place four small aluminum loaf pans* on a baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray.
  4. In a large bowl or stand mixer, mash peeled bananas.
  5. Add sugar, butter or margarine, eggs, milk, and vanilla, and mix until well blended.
  6. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and allspice, and thoroughly blend into wet mixture.
  7. Add 3/4 cup of the chopped walnuts, and stir to incorporate into batter.
  8. Pour batter evenly into prepared loaf pans. Each should be about 3/4 full.
  9. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on the top of the loaves, and gently pat into the batter, just enough to make sure they stick.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted through the center of a loaf comes out clean.
  11. Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool. Ensure that the loaves have cooled to room temperature before wrapping.

*You can use one large loaf pan instead. Just increase the baking time by about 10 minutes. However, making this recipe in smaller loaves means it’s easier to share!

 

Sneaky trick: Why do I reserve some of the walnuts to sprinkle on the top? First, the nuts on the top of the loaf stay nice and crunchy, and even get a little toasted, adding a great complementary texture to the soft loaf. Second, the visible nuts are a big red flag for anyone who is allergic to nuts or wears loose fitting dentures, preventing them from getting an unpleasant surprise when they bite into a piece. I’m thoughtful like that.

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Peach Cobbler

There are a ton of different cobbler recipes out there, which might be why there are so many mediocre cobblers. This is a pet peeve of mine: Don’t try to make a dessert with some fruit and a sloppy pie crust and call it cobbler. If you want pie crust, bake a dang pie! Yeesh. This recipe, however, is authentic cobbler perfection! It’s delicious with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even crème fraîche, and so delectable you might want to go ahead and double this recipe right now.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 cups fresh peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced)*
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 3 tbsp. Shortening
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk

* You can also substitute 16 oz. of frozen peaches if peaches aren’t in season, or if the fruit flies got to the ones you left on the windowsill to ripen. Just start cooking at medium low and gradually raise the heat to medium high as the peaches defrost.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray four, 8 oz. ramekins or a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. Combine peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a medium-sized sauce pan.
  4. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil.
  5. Remove from heat and spoon into prepared baking dish(es).
  6. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, 1 tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  7. Add shortening and cut into flour mixture until it resembles very coarse meal.
  8. Add milk and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. It should be lumpy.
  9. Spoon large dollops of batter over fruit, being sure to leave room between the batter and the edge of the dish(es).
  10. Place ramekins or baking dish on a baking sheet lined with foil, as bubbling over is a definite possibility.
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes, until batter is golden and peaches are bubbling.
  12. Serve while still warm, or reheat before serving if prepared beforehand.
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