Quick Picnic Fix

Strawberry season is already coming to a close and I am loving my new strawberry huller gadget.  I have been making stuffed strawberries as yummy treats for us at home and today I am taking them to a picnic.  I think they will be a great finger food on such a hot day.

Stuffed Strawberries

"Pretty" strawberries

8 oz package of cream cheese per 2 pounds of strawberries

1/2 cup powdered sugar per each package of cream cheese

Vanilla to taste

Variation ingredients - coconut flakes, grated chocolate, crushed pecans

How to make them:

• Rinse and dry strawberries 

• Hollow out the strawberries with a strawberry huller.  

• Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together with a mixture until creamy.  I use a stand mixer and mixed for a few minutes to get an icing like consistency.
• Put filling in a pastry bag or something like that - I used my Pampered Chef "Easy Accent Decorator"

• Dip in coconut flakes (or grated chocolate or nuts) if wanted

•  Refrigerate until you use them.  

Ready to go!!  

Variations -
Dip tops in something like coconut when you are transporting so they don't smear up against each other
You can dip the strawberries in melted chocolate after they are filled
Add pineapple puree and coconut to the cream cheese mix for colada strawberries
Add some pecans

Un-scratch Sunday

As we wait on the verge of finding out if we are actually moving and if we will have health care for all, I found myself looking at my unused fluted cake pan.  This poor pan has spent at least six years in our home, never used.  Well today is your day, because all of this angst (and my pounding hangover from the comedy club bender) have me craving comfort food. 

Since the fluted cake pan is from Pampered Chef, I decided to check out their website for a recipe.  I found this recipe for Choco-Peanut Butter Swirl Cake that uses a box cake mix.  I usually look down on those Sandra Dee-like made from a box recipes (they are almost as bad as anything from Rachel Ray).  But my pounding head is not going to allow for anything more today. So here is my interpretation of this recipe -

Fluted Chocolate Peanut Butter Love

Cake:
1 Boxed vanilla cake mix, I used a Dr.Oetker Vanilla cake mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup of water
3 eggs
4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate, I used Ghirardelli
dash - about a teaspoon heavy cream

Glaze:
3 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter
about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the cake mix, peanut butter, water, and eggs using a stand mixer.  Beat on high until well incorporated.
Grease a fluted cake pan (I used butter flavor crisco because it was hanging out in the fridge)
Pour half of the cake batter into the pan
Break up the chocolate in a bowl, put in the microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir with a fork until it is all melted (you may have to heat it more, I used a ceramic bowl so I didn't have to).  Stir in the heavy cream, then add to the remaining cake batter and beat until well incorporated.

Gently pour the cake batter onto the top of the cake batter already in the pan.  Swirl with a butter knife if you want the swirly look.  Bake until done, about 45 minutes or so.

Cool for 10-15 minutes then flip onto a plate.

In a small bowl whisk together the peanut butter and cream (starting with a little and adding more to get the right consistency), add the powdered sugar.  If needed add more peanut butter and cream to get the right glaze-like consistency.

When the cake is cooled (or not so hot if you are impatient) cover with the glaze.

Enjoy!!!  Wash away your angst with chocolate and peanut butter.

City Chicken in the Borough

I had never heard of city chicken until a friend's baby shower last fall. I nibbled on a delicious delight on a stick that was very good, but was it chicken?  I was told it was pork but it was called "city chicken".  At home I did some digging on the internets to find that it originated during the Depression when pork was cheaper than chicken. 

Fast forward to last Christmas in Tennessee...

My mother-in-law was reminiscing about eating city chicken as a child so I offered to make it for dinner the day after Christmas.  I did a search of various recipes and came up with the following recipe.  I made it with beef and chicken the first time, the beef was a HUGE hit with my father-in-law.  My husband likes the pork so I have been sticking with that lately.

City Chicken

• 1.5 to 2 pounds of pork or beef, I used a pork tenderloin because it was on sale
• 1 cup of cracker (or bread) crumbs
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 2 tsp chicken seasoning
• 1 egg
• dash of half and half
• 1 red pepper in chunky slices
• 1/2 sweet onion in bite size pieces
• 1 bouillon cube
• 1 cup of hot water
• 2 tsp soy sauce
•  bamboo skewers
• 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil - enough to coat the bottom of a saute pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Step 1

Cut the pork (or beef) into about 1 inch cubes.  Place on skewers.

Step 2

Beat the egg and half and half together, place on a plate.  Combine the cracker crumbs, chicken seasoning, and paprika, place on another plate.  Roll the skewers in the egg, then the break crumbs.

Step 3

Brown the skewers in a saute pan with the canola oil on medium.

Step 4

Place on a roll pan or 13x9 pan.  Add the pepper and onion over top/around the skewers.  Dissolve the bouillon in the water, add the soy sauce.  Pour in the bottom of the pan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

 

 

Notes - 

I haven't been able to find quite the right length of skewer, so I have been cutting the ones I bought at the grocery store so they are more manageable length. 

The sauce is wonderful with some mashed potatoes.

Local - Organic

I didn't do so well today...

The organic red peppers were from the grocery store (shameful)

Cracker crumbs were made in town (and yet they were the most expensive on the shelf?!?)

Pineapple leftovers

We greeted the return of Lost with fresh pineapple and strawberries.  A week later we were still eating the pineapple which is forever for my low threshold of refrigerator holding times.  I was thinking of making something savory with it, but the snow left me craving a baking experience.  Pineapple upside down cake is the first thing that came to mind, so I scoured the internets for a recipe.  I found this recipe at Epicurious, I lacked all of the ingredients so I improvised the version below...

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Upside down part:

• Quarter of a fresh pineapple (or more if you have it)
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, ok I had some light, some dark

Cake part:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon Malibu rum
• 1/2 cup orange juice and the scant amount of pineapple juice left
• 2 tablespoons Malibu rum for sprinkling over cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Melt butter in a 10-inch iron skillet, add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring with a whisk, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Artistically arrange pineapple (cut into smallish pieces) on top of sugar mixture.

Sift together flour, ginger, baking powder, and salt. 

Beat butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla and rum. 

Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in orange juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating until light and fluffy.

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake until done, about 45 minutes. Let cake rest in skillet for 5 minutes. Sprinkle rum over cake.

Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (be careful). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet to the top of the cake. This happens, don't freak out, just glob it back on and you won't be able to tell.

I think the use of Malibu rum (which is coconut rum) and OJ gave this cake a nice fruity taste.  Steve definitely wants me to make this again!

Brunswick Stew on yet another snowy day

Another cold snowy day here, so I decided it was time for more stew to warm us up.  This northerner had not heard of Brunswick Stew until she married into a somewhat southern family.  Steve grew up eating it, so I decided to learn how to make it and carry on the family tradition.  My recipe is a combination of several recipes I researched to determine the basic ingredients.  I am using a crock pot today, you can also use a dutch oven on the stove.

Brunswick Stew

• 1 whole chicken (mine is from Dave Dietz's stand at York Central Market)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 1/2 cups of broth from the cooked chicken
• 1-28 oz. can of whole tomatoes peeled tomatoes 
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 quart yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1-14 oz bag of frozen lima beans (or fresh if you have it)
• 1-14 oz  bag of frozen corn (or fresh if you have it)
• 2 tsp medium hot chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 bay leaves

Step 1 - Place the chicken and water in crock pot, salt and pepper to taste.
Cook the chicken in a crock pot on high for 5 hours or until internal temperature is 165 degrees
Cool.  This time I cooked the chicken the night before and placed in the refrigerator over night.

 Step 2 - Strain the broth from the crock pot.  Add to crock pot with tomatoes, bay leaves,chili powder, and cumin

Step 3 - Add the pepper, onion, and potatoes.  Crank up the crock pot to HIGH.

 Step 4 - While that is cooking pick the meat off of the chicken and set aside.

Step 5 - After 2-3 hours (to allow the potatoes to cook), add the chicken, corn, and lima beans.  Turn to low and cook for 2 more hours.

 

The snow continues...

Notes:
Tomatoes, you can use what you have - fresh, diced, whole with puree

Spotlight on Local and/or Organic:
Potatoes and chicken - local
Tomatoes and red pepper - organic
Do the lima beans count- they were Hanover??

Chili is Love

Chili is love and it really doesn't have a "recipe" in my book.  Here is how I make it, more or less plus or minus a pepper or some meat.  I use Penzeys Spices in most of my cooking.  I stand by their medium hot chili powder as the cornerstone of my chili.

Chili

• 2- 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1- 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• Red Pepper - sometimes a green pepper
• 2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• one big can or 3-15 oz dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Sweet Onion
• Ground beef, browned - about 1.5 pounds
• Penzey's medium hot chili powder
• Ground Cumin
• Fresh ground pepper

Drain and rinse the beans

Place the diced tomatoes and sauce in crock pot (on low)








Add spices







Saute diced pepper and onions in canola oil

Add beans and sauteed onions and peppers to tomato/spice mixture 

Brown beef

Add to crock pot

Cook on low for 4-5 hours

Mushroom Heaven - Melting Pot Mushrooms

Have I said how much I LOVE mushrooms?  I call these Melting Pot mushrooms not because the recipe is ripped off from the Melting Pot, but because they make your house smell like the Melting Pot. Yum.
I am going to serve these with a nice steak, mashed taters, and snap sugar peas.


Melting Pot Mushrooms

2-8 oz packages of Baby Bella (Crimini) Mushrooms
1 cup of red wine (this time I used a 2005 Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais-Villages)
1 Knorr beef bouillon cube
1/2 stick of butter
2-3 garlic cloves
Freshly ground pepper

Rinse off the mushrooms.

  

Place in a crock pot, add wine.

Crumble the bouillon over the mushrooms, add crushed garlic, butter slices, and freshly ground pepper.



Cover and put on high on low for 7 to 8 hours.  Take the lid off half way to let the liquid condense.