Rhubarb Custard

Yesterday I shared a hot dessert for a cold winter's day.  Today I'm sharing another.  I love rhubarb.  This year I should be able to harvest some thanks to my sister Wendy.  She helped me replace all the plants I lost (I lost every plant.  Come to find out you have to retransplant them because if you don’t they have a life span of about 12 years).  I love rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp and rhubarb custard.  I can’t say I like one over the other.  I like them all.  So I’m sharing my rhubarb custard recipe with you in celebration of my love of rhubarb.  I can’t wait for spring.

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

5 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

Custard:

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups raw rhubarb

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the crust ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Pat crust mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. (It doesn't look like enough at first, but it will cover the bottom. Just keep patting.) Bake crust for 15 minutes.

Combine custard ingredients in order given. Mix well. Pour custard over crust and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes until custard is set and top begins to lightly brown.

You may serve warm or cold.  I prefer it hot.  Add a dollop of whipped cream to garnish it.   

Stay warm, be happy and may God bless you and yours.

Hot Molten Lava Cake

In the winter, I love hot desserts.  A hot cobbler or this is one of my favorite ones.  You have to make it just before you serve it which sometimes is a little more demanding than other dessert, but it is so worth it.

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 large eggs

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chopped

4 tablespoons flour

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon—or for a mint version, substitute 1¼ teaspoons peppermint extract for the cinnamon

Whipped cream for garnish (1 pint heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract)

Raspberries and mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease eight 4 ounce muffin tins, cake molds or ramekins.

Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring constantly. Once they are completely melted, set aside and cool.

Combine the sugar and eggs and whisk until pale and fluffy. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until completely blended. Whisk in the flour, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix well.

Pour the batter into the cake molds and bake for 14 minutes at 350°F.

While the cakes are baking you can whip the cream. To one pint heavy cream add 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar as the cream begins to thicken, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla and a few grains salt.

Remove the lava cakes from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, invert the molds onto individual dessert plates, garnish with raspberries or  mint leaves and serve immediately. You may also serve with whipped cream or ice cream and have hot and cold.

It was just raining here and the temps are in the 30's.  Would be a great warm treat tonight.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.  

Corn Bread

I have two corn bread recipes to share with you today.  You can pick which sounds the best to you.  Make up a pot of ham and bean soup and you are good to go.  The second recipe was given to me by my Aunt Eva who is over 90 years old.  She was kind enough to write down some of her favorite recipes in her own hand for me to add to my recipe boxes.  Make sure you get your mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas to write down important recipes for you to share with your kids.  I treasure mine. Some are pretty stained from use.  I scanned a couple to preserve them.

Buttermilk Cornbread

2 eggs

1 c. butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

½ tsp. baking soda

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl combine the eggs, butter, sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda. Add the corn meal, flour, and salt and mix well.

Combine all together. Spray an 8 X 8 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with butter and/or honey.

Aunt Eva’s (Gohlmann) Healthy Corn Bread

1 ½ cup corn meal

½ cup spelt flour (you may use regular flour if you don’t have spelt)

¼ cup Splenda or sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

1 egg

¼ cup water

3 tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix your egg, water, olive oil and baking powder and soda.  Add the corn meal, flour, sugar, and salt.

Spray a 8 X 8 baking pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.  

Beef Stroganoff

I bought some minute steak when I got groceries Friday and with the cost of beef, I want to extend it to make it go a little further, so I’m making beef stroganoff.  I’m pretty traditional when I cook and I stick pretty close to this recipe when I make it.  Some times I use stew meat, but today it is minute steak.  I want the meat to break down so I like to cook it in the crockpot low and slow.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

1 to 2 lbs cube steak or minute steak, cut into one-inch pieces

2 cans condensed mushroom soup

1 cup finely chopped onion (you can also use a packet of Lipton onion soup)

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 14 oz. can beef broth

8 oz. button mushrooms (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

In a crockpot, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream about half an hour before serving, stirring every ten minutes or so to break up cream cheese (I like to use the whipped cream cheese).

Boil your egg noodles until they are al dente.  Add them to the mixture for noodles to soak up the flavors.  Leave for about 30 minutes.

If the sauce is not thick enough for you, add some cornstarch and water slurry.

Makes 6 generous servings.

It is suppose to get above freezing today, but not much.  A good day for meat and noodles.  

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.   

Polish Pierogies

Here is another international dish you can serve with Polish Kielbasa Sausage.  The beautiful thing about pierogies is that you can fill them with almost anything you can think of.  The traditional Polish stuffings are potato and cheese, cabbage, mushroom and onion or two types of sweet pierogies, blueberry and apple.  You can decide what you want in your stuffing. 

Here is a pierogie dough to get your started.

Pierogie Dough

1 1/2 cup flour, plus additional for dusting

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tbs. vegetable oil

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup water, to seal the pierogies

Traditional Potato Cheese Filling

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbs. butter

Splash of chicken broth or stock, milk or cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by making the potato filling by baking the potatoes in a 400 degree oven until you can insert and remove a knife or fork with no resistance.  Once the potatoes are done and have cooled a bit, but are still hot, peel them and run them through a ricer or just mash them by hand.  Melt the butter and add cheese until melted. Add your potatoes and mix until they are smooth and creamy but a little on the thick side.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and chill.

Pierogie Dough

To make the dough, start by dumping the flour onto a counter or other work surface and make a well in the center.  Crack the eggs into the center of the well and add the salt, oil and nutmeg.  Using a fork or your fingers, gently stir the eggs and gradually combine it with the flour until you start to form a dough.  You're looking for the dough to be well combined, somewhat heavy for it's size and just a little bit tacky.  Add a little water to the dough if it's still a little dry.  Add a little more flour if it's too wet. 

Chill the dough for a bit, just so that it's easier to handle, and then roll out 1/4 of the dough onto a floured surface into a thin layer.  Using a large biscuit cutter cut out circles.  Using a rolling pin, roll out those circles even more so that the dough is thin but still has a good amount of strength to it.  Remove potatoes from the fridge and pinch together about 2 tablespoons of potatoes into a half moon shape.  Place the potatoes on half of the pierogies.  Using your fingers, wet the perimeter of the dough, fold over the non-potatoed side of the pierogie and pinch all sides tightly.  Repeat this process until the potatoes are gone.

To cook, boil a large pot of salted water.  Carefully dunk a couple of pierogies into the boiling water.  Do this in small batches (no more than 5 or 6 at a time) so that they will cook evenly and not stick together.  Cook them until they float, carefully strain them and set them on a plate to dry.  Fry them up in a little butter so that their exteriors get a subtle little crunch to them.

Variation - You may also add a little Polish sausage and chopped onion in the butter to add additional flavor and color.  Sprinkle with green onion for additional flavor and color.

 Hope you have enjoyed a little trip to Poland.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours. 

 

Breakfast Pizza

Sunday brunch idea for the day is a breakfast pizza.  Doesn't this look good?  Everything you need for a breakfast in one dish.

1 can crescent rolls

5 or 6 pieces cooked bacon

1 cup fried broken up cooked breakfast or Chirico sausage

1 medium potato, peeled and shredded with a cheese grater

1 cup shredded cheese

4 eggs

¼ cup milk

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Fry up your bacon or use pre-cooked.  Drain on paper towel and let cool.  Using a kitchen scissor cut 1 inch pieces.  Fry up your broken up sausage and also let drain on a paper towel.

Boil a potato with the skin on until it is ½ cooked.  Do not over cook it.  Time will depend on the size of the potato.  Peel the potato after it has cooled.  It peels easily.  Grate the potato or if you like you can use a cup of unthawed frozen hash browns.

Separate the crescent roll triangles on a baking sheet and press together to form a round crust. Crimp the edges to form a rim. Make the rim as large as possible to avoid the egg mixture from overflowing.

Cook crust in the oven 5 minutes.

In a bowl whisk and scrabble together your eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Sprinkle your pizza with the shredded potato, your bacon, sausage and cheese. Pour egg mixture on top.

Cook 15 to 20 minutes until egg is set.

Apple Crisp Pizza

I’m still trying to use up some of my canned apples, so here is a breakfast fruit pizza for you.

1 can crescent rolls

1 can of canned apples

1 tsp. cinnamon to canned apples if needed

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup salted butter

Drizzle 

1/2 cup caramel topping

  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay out your rolls in a circle and pinch together.  Roll pastry to thin out and bring together.  Fold up the edges to give the pizza a bit of a raised crust. Arrange the apples in a single layer over the pie crust to completely cover it.

Cook crust in the oven 5 minutes.

Using your hands, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl.. Sprinkle topping evenly over the apples.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges of the dough are nice and brown. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle with caramel topping.   Cut into pizza slices and serve warm with ice cream.  

Variation:  You can make this with cherry, blueberry, or strawberry pie filling also   (what ever fruit you have in a can).  Peaches would be nice too, but don’t forget to add a little cinnamon. The drizzle should be nothing more than a simple runny frosting glaze of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.  You could also make it a cream cheese frosting by adding cream cheese.  Make it running enough to flow out of a plastic bag; cut a hole in the corner and drizzle on top. 

Set out both pizzas with some fresh fruit and you have a beautiful breakfast or brunch buffet.

Enjoy your Sunday.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours. 

The Bacon Bowl

I’m sharing some of my very favorite bacon dishes (literally on the first one).  In honor of the Super Bowl, I’m having my own Bacon Bowl.  We’ll make the bowl, fill it and serve it with more bacon recipes. 

Bacon Bowl

Cover a paper plate with a paper towel, then line the exterior of the bowl used to create the bacon bowl with paper towels (I used 2). Take three slices of bacon (or turkey bacon) and drape them over the paper towel covered bowl to form what looks like a star. Next weave the remaining 2 slices of bacon in and out of the draped pieces. Cover with another paper towel and microwave for about 4 minutes. Remove carefully from the microwave with oven mitts and gently remove the outer section of paper towel. Lift the bacon off the bowl form and gently remove the paper towel from the inside. Here is an idea.  Fill the bowl with Bacon Nuts.  You can use them in many different ways like a salad or for fresh fruit, but I’m turning this blog into my Bacon Bowl for the Super Bowl.

Bacon Nuts

16 oz. pecans halves

12 oz. package thin-sliced uncooked

1 egg white

2 tsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. cold water

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Butter flavored cooking spray

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried pepper flakes (optional for those loving heat)

Cook your own bacon for best results or you can use pre-cooked.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil with a sheet of foil an inch or two longer than your cookie sheet.  Crimp the foil around the center ends of the sheet, but leave the corners loose.

Spread the pecans in a single layer then place the cookie sheet with nuts on the center oven rack, close the oven door fully and roast at 350F for 8 minutes.  Set a timer for 8 minutes and while the nuts are roasting so you do not forget them.  When the timer sounds, reduce the oven temperature to 250F degrees and remove the cookie sheet from the oven.

Remove the nuts to a bowl. Leaving the nuts on the hot cookie sheet may overcook them.

Cook your bacon.  For best results the bacon needs to be crispy.  Use thinly sliced bacon.  Chop up the bacon and put into a hot pan.  Drain on a paper towel when crispy and let cool.  Put in a food processor.

Combine the chopped bacon, the sugars and the 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon in the food processor.  Pulse to blend. The bacon should be reduced to a fine chop (the size of half a grain of white rice).

Transfer approximately 3/4's of this mixture to a large bowl and reserve the balance in the food processor bowl.

Separate an egg and save the white.  Add the maple syrup and the cold water and whisk the wet works until frothy.

A lot of folks will crack the egg on the rim of the bowl which can drive bits of the shell into the egg.  BTW, if you're wondering what to do with the yoke, it can be refrigerated or frozen and later added to another recipe that calls for yokes, or do as my dog Goody suggests and add it to your dog's food.

Just to confirm, you did catch the part about reducing the oven temperature to 250F degrees, right?  Good.

Add a new piece of aluminum foil to your cookie sheet as in Step 2.

Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.

Line up your egg wash bowl, the sugar-bacon mix bowl and your foil-lined cookie sheet.

Add all the pecans at once to the egg wash and stir to coat.  Cover every nut.

Spoon the egg-covered nuts into the 3/4 of the sugar bacon mix in a large bowl leaving behind any egg wash that's clinging to the bowl.  Stir to fully coat with the sugar bacon mix.

Rinse the egg wash bowl and wipe it dry.

Transfer the fully coated nuts to the clean bowl, leaving behind any wet egg wash residue, and add the reserved 1/4 of the sugar bacon mix to the nuts and fold gently to coat.

Transfer the coated nuts to the foil-lined cookie sheet and spread into a single layer.

Place the cookie sheet onto the center rack of the 250 degree F. oven and roast for 25 minutes.

Open the oven and slide the rack and cookie sheet out of the oven and immediately top the hot Pig Nuts with the salt and the red pepper flakes. 

Remove the nuts from the sheet into a bowl.  Stir the nuts to mix.  Taste test to see if they need more seasoning. 

To store place in an air-tight container.  They can and should be frozen if you are not using right away but I bet you will not have to store them.

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Chile Shrimp

Here is another wonderful bacon recipe to celebrate bacon. 

This is a super fast and super easy recipe that everyone will love. It makes an impressive appetizer and is terrific for parties and special occasions (think Superbowl or Bacon Bowl).

It uses pre-cooked bacon which I like because it saves time and mess. If you are using raw bacon, do not over cook.  It should not be fried crisp

Look for sweet chili sauce found in Asian foods section of many supermarkets.

24 skewers or toothpicks

12 slices pre-cooked bacon

24 cooked & peeled jumbo shrimp

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts (Optional)

Soak the skewers or toothpicks in water for about 5 minutes.

Cut each slice of bacon in half. Wrap bacon around the middle of each shrimp and secure with a skewer or toothpick.  You can leave the tail on or remove it.

Brush the wrapped shrimp with sweet chili sauce on both sides. Place shrimp in a broiling pan and broil briefly until bacon is lightly colored, turning once.

Dip both sides of each shrimp lightly in chopped macadamias. You can return them to the broiler for a few seconds to toast the macadamias, but it's not necessary.

Makes 24 pieces of Bacon Wrapped Sweet Chili Shrimp.

Bacon Hot Wings

12 chicken drumettes

6 pieces of bacon

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Shakes of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each bacon slice in half. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.  Wrap each chicken drummette with a ½ piece of bacon and secure with a wooden pick.

Stir together brown sugar, onion and garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and two shakes of your favorite hot sauce (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce).   Use a fork to mix and moisten your flavored brown sugar.  Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp.  Test your chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure drummettes are at 160 degrees.  Drummettes come in many sizes.  The smaller the drummette, the shorter the baking time, so check during the baking process. 

Take out the toothpicks before serving.

If you like it hot, you can always add more hot sauce.

These wings are sweet and hot, making them a great appetizer if you like that combination. 

Variation:  You can always take it another direction and replace the Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and add powdered ginger for an Asian flavor.  These are baked, but you can also do them on the grill, making sure you turn on all 4 sides.

With my love of bacon and chocolate, I had to try these.  I’m hooked.  They are super simple.

Chocolate Bacon on-a-Stick

  

Pretzel Sticks

Chocolate bark or chips of any kind

Bacon crumbs (fresh or store bought)

Melt your favorite chocolate in a double boiler.  I like to use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Chop the bacon in a food process or use store bought bacon bits.  As always, I like the pre-cooked bacon.

Dip ½ of each pretzel stick into chocolate and then into some bacon crumbles.

Let them set up on some parchment paper to cool.

The salty pretzel had already been hailed as a great vehicle for chocolate.  Adding the salty bacon takes them over the top. 

Bacon Turtles 

You'll really think me made now but how about bacon turtles?

Rolo Candy or caramels
Pecans
Pre-cooked and cut up bacon bacon
Melted chocolate chips

Fry cut up bacon until it is crispy and set aside on paper towel to drain.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Heat you oven to 200 degrees.

Put a Rolo (or caramel on the parchment paper and put it in the oven for 10 minutes to melt.

In a double boiler, melt a cup of dark chocolate chips.

When you take the the caramels out hot, put your 5 pecans on them right away pressing them down into the caramel.  Top with a piece of cut up bacon and a spoon full of melted chocolate.  Heaven is awaitin'!!!!

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There are so many recipes out there that you can use bacon in.  You just can’t seem to go wrong if you put bacon in it.

Be happy.  Hope your team wins.  May God bless you and yours.