by jphilo | Jun 17, 2010 | Recipes
Yesterday was an absolutely glorious day, sunny and warm after a week of gloom and rain, so Anne and I took advantage of it. We made out a long wedding shopping list and went to so many stores, we eventually lost count of how many we visited.
We ordered lunch at Panera’s and ate our food and frozen strawberry lemonades at one of the tables outdoors. No bugs, no wind, and just the right amount of sunshine. The food was delicious, and the frosty drinks were tasty. But, the lemonades weren’t nearly as good as the orange juliuses (or is it “jului” like cactus and cacti?) a dear friend in South Dakota taught me to make.
If you’re looking for a good summer drink, not to sweet and not to rich, but very satisfying, give this recipe a try. Most blenders are big enough to hold the ingredients if you double the batch.
Orange Julius
1 – 6 ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put all ingredients in the blender and add 8 – 10 ice cubes. Blend well and serve immediately. Makes four 8 ounce servings.
by jphilo | Jun 10, 2010 | Recipes
Call it what you like – rhubarb or pie plant. As I mentioned before, mine isn’t doing very well this year, but some people have lots of the tart, delicious late spring delicacy.
My mother found this recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook she received when she married in 1951. Other than cutting the sugar almost in half, (cooks in the 1950s were the sugar industry’s best friends) the recipe remains the same. Sorry there’s no photo of the finished product. Between this year’s puny pie plant patch and being on the road and away from my kitchen, I can’t bake a prototype. But if you try out the recipe, take a picture and send it this way. I’ll feature it in a blog post.
Rhubarb Custard Pie
1 – 1 ½ cups sugar 3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons milk ¼ cup flour
¾ teaspoon nutmeg 4 cups sliced rhubarb
Pastry for 9 inch two-crust pie
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place unbaked bottom crust in 9 inch pie pan. Spread sliced rhubarb on the unbaked bottom crust. Mix together sugar, eggs, milk, flour and nutmeg. Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining unbaked crust. Crimp and seal edges. With sharp knife, make 8 – 10 slits in top crust. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbly.
by jphilo | Jun 4, 2010 | Recipes
June’s almost here, which means we’ll soon start collecting our weekly share of fruits and vegetables from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at Wilbur’s Northside Market . I’m eagerly counting the days until we get our first quart of farm fresh strawberries. Assuming that some of you are eager for the sweet June berries, too, here’s a recipe for strawberry freezer jam so you’re ready when summer’s bounty starts coming your way.. It’s always best to be prepared for the good things in life, don’t you think?
Strawberry Freezer Jam
4 c. mashed strawberries
2 3/4 c. sugar
1 box Sure-Jell light fruit pectin
Combine pectin with 1/4 cup sugar, gradually add pectin mixture to fruit. Stir well and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir frequently. Gradually add the rest of sugar, stirring until dissolved. Pour jam into jars and cover tightly with lids. Let stand at room temperature overnight, then store in freezer. Small amounts may be covered and stored in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
by jphilo | May 26, 2010 | Recipes
With all the pie-baking stories I’ve been posting lately, it’s time to throw some crumbs your way. Now this isn’t an invitation for pie and coffee. With all the wedding preparations, I’m not up to that. But I can pass on a recipe, one that received rave reviews at my niece’s graduation party on Saturday.
Of course, your pie won’t taste quite like ours unless you use Grandma Conrad’s Never-Fail Pie Crust, complete with lard not Crisco or oil. Even if you’re counting calories, you can still snitch a piece of this pie. With just one crust, it’s lower in fat. The filling doesn’t require an exorbitant amount of sugar. And being blueberry, it’s high in anti-oxidants, whatever they are. So if you’re hankering for a piece of pie and don’t mind having purple teeth, give this recipe a try.
If you live in my town and don’t have time to make pie, come to the band concert at the Herman Park Pavilion tonight. Our church is providing goodies for the ice cream social. Let the summer begin!
Crumb Top Blueberry Pie
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 1/2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Place in an unbaked, nine inch pie shell. Bake for 25 minutes.
Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour. 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3 tablespoons softened butter. Sprinkle on top of pie. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes more, until fruit is bubbling in the middle. Cool and serve.
by jphilo | May 20, 2010 | Recipes
If you’re like me, you enjoy an egg bake now and then. But eat them too often, and they get old fast. No matter how you vary the ingredients, they all taste kind of the same. But this egg bake is different and has been one of Hiram’s favorites since the day I found it in American Profile Magazine. I think it’s tasty, too, and because it’s so easy, it’s a double fave for me. Give it a try and see what you think!
Green Chile Egg Bake
10 egg
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack chees
2 cups cottage chees
1/4 cup melted butte
1/4 cup flou
1 teaspoon baking powde
1/2 teaspoon sal
2-4 ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add cheeses, butter, flour, baking powder, salt and chiles. Pour into baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until eggs are set. Cool for 10 minutes. Serves 8 to 10, unless Hiram is eating. Then it serves 4.
By the way, if you’re local paper doesn’t carry the American Profile Magazine, you’re missing one of my favorite sources of new recipes. Thanks to the internet, many of the recipes are also posted on their website. Check it out.
by jphilo | May 14, 2010 | Recipes
With Hiram’s half-marathon coming up and me wanting to fit into a suit purchased in November for Anne’s July wedding, we’re trying to eat extra-healthy this month. The secret is to choose meals bursting with flavor. Somehow, when I do that, the tongue manages to fool the stomach into thinking it’s satisfied.
One of my favorite flavor meals is shrimp scampi. Allen taught us how to make it when he was observing one of the Orthodox fast periods. The dish is surprisingly simple to prepare. Allen added color and texture by throwing chopped red peppers and dried cranberries in at the last minute. The main dish was beautiful and tasty, a great combination. Just thinking about it is making me hungry. Time to use my tongue to fool my stomach again!
Shrimp Scampi
1 ½ pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup lemon juice (fresh-squeezed, if possible)
¼ cup dry cooking sherry or dry white wine
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped, sweet red pepper
1/8 cup dried cranberries
Wash shrimp and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Heat butter or oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and place on serving platter. Sauté garlic, green onions, and sweet peppers for about a minute. Add sherry or wine and lemon juice. Cook and stir until liquid boils, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Stir in lemon zest, cranberries and chopped parsley. Pour sauce over shrimp and serve over rice or linguini.
