by jphilo | Apr 13, 2011 | Recipes
Today proved to be one of those days when nothing went as I anticipated, but everything went exactly as God intended it to unfold. So I’m pulling out this easy recipe – hoping it hasn’t already been posted – and passing it along to you.
Fresh fruit salad is a favorite in our family, and the honey-lemon dressing (another one of those gems from my sister-in-law) adds a perfect punch. You can alter it to include whatever fruit is in season or whatever ingredients appeal to your picky eaters. In other words, take this recipe and make it your own!
Fruit Salad with Honey-Lemon Dressing
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 orange, peeled and segmented
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 pear, cored and chopped
1 peach, pitted, skinned and chopped
The juice from half of a lemon
honey to taste (2 – 3 tablespoons)
Wash and prepare three or four of the fruits listed above, or any others you want to add. Combine them in a medium salad bowl. Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl. Stir in honey until mixture is sweet/tart to taste. Pour over fruit and stir. Serves 4.
by jphilo | Apr 6, 2011 | Recipes
Today begins the first in an occasional series about the delicious and eagerly anticipated sweet rolls served during our annual Family Camp Sunday brunch. They all come from the same basic recipe, but each post will highlight a different variation.
I’ll try to link the entries as they are posted, but if I forget please send a kindly reminder comment. Since turning fifty, I rely on kindly reminders to get anything done!
Cinnamon Rolls
In a small bowl, mix and set aside:
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 packages dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
In large mixer bowl, combine:
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Add yeast mixture to large bowl. Slowly add 7 cups flour. Mix with dough hook or turn onto board where last cup of flour is sprinkled. Kneed well. If dough is sticky, you can add up to one more cup of flour. Shape dough into a ball and place in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with clean dish towel or waxed paper and let rise for at least one hour.
Punch down dough and divide into manageable pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangle on an oiled board. Cover the rectangle of dough with butter. Sprinkle with white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Starting on one long edge, roll dough into a log. Slice into 1/2 to 3/4 inch rolls and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Cover rolls with waxed paper or a clean dish towel and let rise at least 45 more minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
by jphilo | Mar 30, 2011 | Recipes
This recipe is one I don’t make often since someone in our house doesn’t like coconut. I might have mentioned that fact in De Lime in De Coconut Cheesecake post, but still refuse to name the accused. Anyway, because of the raging coconut controversy, I only make these cookies when:
- We have company, or
- I’m taking a meal to large family.
So when a friend fell last week and broke her writing wrist, I volunteered to take a meal – partly out of compassion and partly because someone at our house had a hankering for coconut-oatmeal cookies. Of course, that person had to run quality assurance tests on the cookies, several tests in fact, until that person deemed them fit for human consumption. That person, who shall remain nameless, thought they were mighty tasty and hopes you think so, too.
Chewy Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)
2 cups oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar, butter and eggs until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add oatmeal and coconut. Stir well.
Drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 – 12 cookies, depending on how chewy you like them. Makes about 4 – 5 dozen.
by jphilo | Mar 23, 2011 | Recipes
Today’s recipe for Broccoli Cheese Pie comes from my new daughter. She and my son served it when I stayed overnight with them a few weeks ago. It’s tasty, healthy, and easy. I finally got around to making it last week, and it didn’t last long. Hiram loved it and kept going back for more. No leftovers after this meal!
My only addition to the recipe is to let the dish sit for 5 – 10 minutes after taking it from the oven. It’s much easier to get out of the pie pan that way.
Broccoli Cheese Pie
2 tablespoons plain, dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used cayenne pepper instead)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 C cubed whole wheat bread (about 2 slices)
3 C broccoli florets
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 slices canadian bacon diced (simply leave out to make vegetarian)
1 medium onion chopped
1 C grated monterey jack or mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with cooking spray, add breadcrumbs and tilt pie pan to coat the bottom and sides.
Whisk eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add bread and stir to coat. Set aside. Steam broccoli until tender, drain, chop coarsely. Heat oil in skillet add onion (and bacon if desired) until softened. Add onions and broccoli to the egg mixture, then add in cheese.
Pour into pan.
Bake until light golden and set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve
by jphilo | Mar 16, 2011 | Recipes
This post is the second in a series of controversial recipes. You may remember the first recipe deemed controversial, Snicker Apple Salad, because of differing opinions about whether it should be called a salad or a dessert.
Today’s recipe stirs family debate in an entirely different arena. Of course, cheesecake is a dessert, so that’s not the issue. The question is this: Is coconut cheesecake delicious?
The resident coconut lover in this house thinks it’s delicious. The other person who lives here and has a strange aversion to coconut, thinks differently. To break the stalemate, please give the recipe (which came from American Profile Magazine about a year ago) a try, and then leave a comment about what you think. Or, if you don’t have time to cook, stop by our house and sample the one I made. It was more than the two of us could eat, so most of it is in the freezer waiting for company!
De Lime in De Coconut Cheesecake
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
3 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To prepare crust, combine all ingredients in a food processor blender. Process until just blended. Press into bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of a 10 inch springform pan.
Filling:
4 eight ounce packages cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can sweetened cream of coconut milk (in the beverage section at the grocery store)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time; beat well. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat well, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Scrape filling into crust.
Bake 75 – 90 minutes, until center jiggles slightly when pan is tapped. Remove from oven and run a knife around the inside of the pan. Cool to room temperature on wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serves 16.
by jphilo | Mar 11, 2011 | Recipes
Lately, I’ve been doing too much galavanting – supper with old friends, speaking engagements, book club and writers’ group, visits with Mom. Those things have been fun, don’t get me wrong. But they are seriously cutting into my cooking adventures, leaving little time to experiment with new recipes or dust off old ones.
So today, I’m once again dipping into the Family Camp Cookbook. This recipe is a tradition for Sunday brunch which is held after our family church service in the open air pavilion. And while every Family Camp meal is good, this one is a high point for cooks and diners. In addition to several kinds of egg bake, the spread is replete with home baked rolls (cinnamon, caramel, and orange) and platters of fresh fruit. In fact, the thought of Sunday brunch is making me so hungry, I think we’ll have egg bake for supper tonight!
Egg Bake
2 1/2 – 3 pounds bacon OR 1 1/2 pounds ham or sausage
6 – 8 slices of bread with crusts removed
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk
Step 1 – Cook of bacon, ham, or sausage
Step 2 – Grease a 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Step 3 – Then line the pan with:
6 – 8 slices of bread with crusts removed. Sprinkle the meat over the bread slices. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the meat and bread.
Step 4 – Beat eggs and milk together and pour over bread, meat, and cheese.
Step 5 – Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Serve hot.
