by jphilo | Feb 1, 2012 | Recipes
According to the calendar, this is the first day of February. According to the pile of grease-spatted notes on my desk, all the new recipes from our family Christmas celebration still haven’t be shared with y’all. So it’s time to look at another of the delicious treats we sampled when the kids were home.
Today’s recipe for Dutch Baby with Cranberry-Orange Syrup comes from Pam Anderson’s CookSmart column in USA Weekend Magazine‘s December 23-23, 2011 issue. I’d never heard of them before, but knew it would make a hearty, vegetarian breakfast treat. So see what you think of the sweet version of this eggy, puffy pancake and come back next week for its savory companion.
Dutch Baby with Cranberry-Orange Syrup
1 cup skim milk (original recipe calls for whole milk)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup marmalade
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons butter
Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk milk, eggs and salt in a medium bowl; vigorously whisk in flour until mostly smooth with a few small lumps; let stand for a few minutes and whisk again. Or use a blender for instantly smooth batter. (I used the blender method – super easy.)
Bring marmalade, cranberries and 1/4 cup water to simmer over medium heat; continue to simmer to light syrup consistency, just a few minutes; cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile heat butter in a heavy-bottom 10 inch skillet (cast iron works well) over medium heat until light golden brown. Pour milk mixture into skillet. Transfer to oven and bake until puffed and golden brown, 15-17 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil until very puffy and golden brown. (Careful on this step. As the picture shows, it goes from golden brown to that’s-not-burned-it’s-nicely-browned-now-shut-up-and-eat-it in a flash.) Serve immediately from the skillet and drizzle with sauce.
by jphilo | Jan 25, 2012 | Recipes
Today’s recipe comes from a friend. She teaches high school Family and Consumer Science and found the recipe in her school mailbox one day. Being a woman of adventure, she made the soup at home, where it received two thumbs up from her husband and daughter.
Since I’m always on the hunt for new vegetarian recipes to prepare when the fam comes home, she passed it along to me. I made it one night when Mom was visiting. It wasn’t her favorite. No surprise since she likes meat with every meal. But Hiram did like it, which was surprising, since he usually pitches his tent in Mom’s culinary camp. My take? I can take it or leave it, kind of like meatloaf.
Here’s the recipe for you to try. Anne, who cooks quite a bit with lentils, suggests boiling the lentils a little longer than the original recipe suggests. Her suggestion is incorporated in the recipe below. Also, if you have left overs, you may need to add water when reheating this on the stove or in the microwave. The lentils tend to soak up water.
Lentil-Tomato Soup
4 1/2 cups water
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In a large saucepan, combine the water, onion, and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for five minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serves 6.
by jphilo | Jan 18, 2012 | Recipes
Last week you met my niece, Leslie when she shared her recipe for cheddar cheese muffins. Today, she shares the recipe for the other muffins she made for our extended family Christmas celebration. Our celebration got so busy I forgot to take a picture of the corn muffins when they were finished. So you’ll have to be satisfied with the recipe and a picture of the baker scooping the batter into the pans. Don’t you love her red hair?
Leslie, if you can leave a comment about where you found the recipe, please do. It’s always nice to give credit where it’s due!
Cornbread with Corn Kernels
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar (I would cut this down)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cu fresh or frozen corn kernels
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease either a 9 x 13 pan or 24 muffin cups.
Put butter and sugar in a bowl and cream them until light and fluffy with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another bowl, stir together cornmeal, flours, baking powders, and salt. Using mixer on low speed, add to creamed mixture in 2 increments, alternating with buttermilk. Beat until smooth. Fold in the corn kernels until just evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
Pour batter into pan or muffin cups. Bake pan of cornbread for 35 – 40 minutes. Bake muffins 25 – 27 minutes.
by jphilo | Jan 11, 2012 | Recipes
For the next few weeks, Wednesday’s recipe posts will feature foods our family enjoyed during our Christmas celebration over New Year’s. Today’s recipe comes from my niece, Leslie. She’s halfway through her first year of teaching English at a large Iowa high school, and it’s been a great adventure for her!
Leslie is also a talented baker. She made scones for breakfast on the day of our family Christmas celebration and two kinds of muffins for dinner. She’s sharing all three recipes over the next few weeks. Today’s contribution is for cheddar cheese muffins which were delicious. She found the recipe in a muffin cookbook, but I can’t remember it’s name. Leslie, if you read this post, will you leave the name of the cookbook in the comment box so credit is given where it is due?
Leslie’s Cheddar Cheese Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
In largge bowl, stir together cheese and dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together egg, olive oil, and milk until blended. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add milk mixture, and mix until just evenly moistened.
Spoon batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, dry, and spongy to the touch, 20 – 25 minutes. Best served warm with butter.
by jphilo | Jan 4, 2012 | Family, Recipes
Today’s recipe comes from my mother’s mother, Josephine Newell Hess. She made huge batches of this tapioca fruit salad when her 8 children, their spouses, and her 39 grandchildren gathered for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once she was unable to host the gatherings, the recipe was lost for many years. Finally, my sister and I were so hungry for it, we recreated the dish with help from Mom. Now we serve it at Thanksgiving and Christmas and eat it as greedily as hobbits do mushrooms.
Though the recipe below doesn’t make as big a batch as Grandma whipped up in her prime, it’s still enough to fill a large Tupperware bowl. Why make so much? Because we love to eat what’s left over the next morning for breakfast!
Holiday Tapioca Fruit Salad
1 box (8 ounces) large pearl tapioca
4 cups water, divided into two equal parts
1/2 cup sugar
1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 cups chopped walnuts
2 apples, cored and diced
2 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, diced
The night before the meal, put tapioca in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups of water to the tapioca, cover, and let soak overnight.
Several hours before serving, place soaked tapioca in heavy saucepan. Add 2 cups water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until most of the tapioca is translucent and the mixture is very thick. Pour into a large bowl and immediately add pineapple (juice and all) into the thick tapioca. Stir thoroughly. Put in the refrigerator or on the porch to cool.
An hour before serving whip the cream. Add sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl mix the tapioca, fruit, (except the bananas), and whipped cream together. Immediately before the meal, slice the bananas and stir them in, along with the nuts.
by jphilo | Dec 28, 2011 | Recipes
All our kids will be here in a few days (two are here already), so the hunt for tasty vegetarian recipes is on. I found this one while visiting my sister over Thanksgiving. It comes from the November 24, 2011 issue of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The recipe did receive the coveted Hiram seal of approval, a rare feat for a no-meat recipe. I liked it for two reasons: it was tasty and very easy. Of course, I couldn’t follow the recipe exactly. My modifications are noted in parentheses.
Pasta Frittata
4 ounces spaghetti (Does anyone know how to exactly measure 4 ounces of spaghetti?)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (I used a garlic press instead.)
4 egg whites
3 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons light sour cream (I used half and half.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup low-fat marinara sauce, warmed
3 tablespoons julienned fresh basil (I didn’t have this, but it sounds good!)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the spaghetti to al dente, according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Heat oil in 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, but not browned. Stir in the cooked pasta. Remove from heat. Arrange the pasta evenly in the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, eggs, cheese, sour cream (or half and half), salt, and pepper and pour over pasta mixture. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until frittata is set (eggs should be just firm), 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut into six wedges, spoon warm marinara sauce on top of each wedge and garnish with basil. Serve.
