Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Pumpkin Crunch Cake



Photos from Patricia Di Bella-Sitler's post in Quick Meals for Busy Girls!
By Patricia Di Bella-Sitler
This is my families ALL TIME FAVORITE pumpkin recipe!! I grabbed this recipe from a co-worker in 2003 and I do it EVERY year. You won't believe it didn't take all day to make it. Don't forget to share this post to your wall for safe keeping!!

◄ Pumpkin Crunch Cake ►
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup pecans, chopped (roasted, candied optional)
1 cup butter/margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour into greased 13×9 baking dish. Layer DRY cake mix evenly on top of pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mix. Drizzle melted butter evenly over the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Serve either warm or chilled with cream!

Our Stoneware Rectangular Baker (#1338) is perfect for this recipe!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Keto Spinach Feta Muffins

This recipe is from the fabulous Ketogenic woman. Check out her website!  
This recipe makes 6 breakfast size muffins.  A man might eat 2 or 3, I was satisfied with one.  You will need a 6 cup muffin tin.  I highly recommend this silicone pan, they pop right out every time!

Recipe: Keto Spinach Feta Muffins

Keto Spinach Feta Muffins
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 slices bacon, cooked
  • 2 cups raw spinach
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 c cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350.  Rinse the spinach under cold water, drain and place in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave the spinach on high for 1 minute. (there will be enough moisture left on the rinsed leaves to cook the spinach).  Set aside to cool.
If you happen to have leftover cooked bacon, you could use that.  But who am I kidding, nobody has leftover cooked bacon.  You will have to chop this bacon up and fry it until it’s how you like it.  Set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together until frothy. Add in the crumbled feta cheese and the grated cheddar cheese.  Once the spinach and bacon are cooled enough, add them to the bowl and mix until combined.
Divide the mixture evenly among the 6 muffin cups.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until muffins are firm.
Nutritional information for each muffin:
Calories 220, Fat 16, Protein 12, Carbs 3   Ratio 71/24/5
Adding a tbsp butter will bring it to 80/16/4.
These Keto Spinach Feta Muffins are a perfect take along to work breakfast, easy to pack and easy to eat.  They actually taste better than the Starbucks wrap, and are gluten free, low carb and sugar free. Can’t beat that!

Baked Low Carb Chicken Tenders

This is one of those mindless recipes... no measuring, the best kind!

Chicken Tenders, rinsed well and dried          
Hellmans Mayo
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Pepper and Garlic Salt

375 Degree Oven

Baking sheet with sides... Spray with Olive Oil or butter so they don't stick


Lay tenders on the baking sheet

Put a coating of mayo on the tenders with mayo ( remember to take out enough so you don't redip with a contaminated spoon - or use a new spoon to get more)

Lightly shake on some of the pepper and garlic salt

Shake on Parmesan Cheese

Turn tenders over and repeat the process

Bake in a 375 degree Oven for 20 - 30 minutes until done .. depending on the size of your chicken tenders.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Twisted Willow Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups mayonnaise
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely diced red pepper
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
Pinch of cayenne pepper
A few grinds of fresh black pepper

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Quiche tips from Watts Tea Shop

He sticks with a winning formula for his custard mix:
 4 parts beaten eggs to 1½ parts half-and-half cream. (For a typical 10-inch pie, he recommends about 2 cups of beaten eggs and 2/3 cup half-and-half.)

He kneads his piecrust dough a little longer than normal to keep the edge crispier and more stable. And he always parbakes the crust before filling (as does Shipley).

At the restaurant he starts his quiches on the convection setting for a crisp crust and then switches to conventional.
How the ingredients are layered makes a big difference, too, he said.
"Some vegetables have a tendency to float more on you," Robinson said. "So if you want ingredients in your quiche all the way from top to bottom, you have to work with the various densities." (And you should always aim for a mix of densities.)
To give an example, he would layer turkey cubes (high density) on the bottom, then some cheese, then veggies like broccoli or cauliflower and then more cheese. Sun-dried tomatoes are right in the middle of the pack for density, he said.
Even the type of cheese needs to be taken into account. "Gorgonzola we put on the bottom, it has water in it, and as it bakes will give off a vapor," Robinson said. But cheddar goes on top, where it "will just melt and caramelize because it's more oily."
Sometimes Robinson will throw in cubed cheddar or Swiss instead of shredded. "Then when you bake it in the oven and cut into it, the cheese kind of runs out."
Tunnel-of-cheese quiche?
Once the ingredients are layered, the egg mixture (custard) is poured in. Robinson fills the shell as full as possible, then tops it off a little more after the quiche is in the oven. "We always want the volume of our quiche to be really high," he said.
And for that garnish.... Depending on flavor, the quiche might be garnished with a drizzle of vinaigrette, a pile of wispy microgreens, some mushroom confit or mayonnaise blended with puréed roasted red pepper. Last week's sun-dried tomato-asparagus-cauliflower quiche was topped with an arugula salad dressed with champagne vinaigrette.
Quiche portions at Watts are "generous:" fully one-fourth of a 10-inch pie. (Folks can also call in to order whole quiches to go.)
Within the last year, both Verduras and Amaranth switched from serving their customers wedges of full-size pies to baking smaller single-serving pies.
"I like the aesthetic better and they're easier to serve," Shipley said. They have been serving 6-inch quiches baked in springform pans but are switching to even smaller quiches, baked in 4-inch deep-dish fluted tart pans, she said.
"The 6-inch quiche is nice to share, but it's too much for one person to grab and go; it's rather gargantuan."
At Verduras, Nowicki stopped enclosing her quiches with a crust, so that her quiches are now all gluten-free.
Small or large, crust or no, what's the secret to turning out a great quiche?
"I'm still working for that perfect quiche," Shipley said.
"You want the texture of the egg (part) to be light. And you also want to be able to use as many vegetables as you can and not have it be watery. And also getting the right amount of cheese so you don't have a heavy brick."
"I started from a disastrous place," she said with a laugh. "I'm getting closer."

STEPS TO PERFECTION

Though we think of quiche as French, it originated in the medieval German kingdom of Lothringer, under German rule, which the French later renamed Lorraine. The name "quiche" derives from the German "kuchen," meaning cake.
For the quiche we know and love today, the one that Americans embraced in the '70s, local chefs offer these tips:
■ To eliminate excess moisture in the quiche filling, lightly sauté most veggies (onions included), and blanch (and thoroughly drain) fresh greens before adding.
■ If using chunks of whole tomatoes, like grape or cherry tomatoes, sauté them a bit first; otherwise when they shrink during baking, they'll create holes in the filling. "People want quiche with no gaps when they cut into it," said Watts chef Jeffrey Robinson.
■ For best results, parbake the crust first.
■ For a quiche with ingredients scattered evenly throughout the filling, use a mix of light and heavy ingredients, and layer them accordingly by density.
■ Use a fine serrated knife to carefully cut wedges of quiche so the edge of the crust doesn't break.

Goetta - German Breakfast Treat

  • Goetta - German Breakfast Treat
     
    recipe image
    Rated:rating
    Submitted By: Sarge
    Photo By: cookin'mama
    Prep Time: 5 Hours
    Cook Time: 10 Minutes
    Ready In: 6 Hours 30 Minutes
    Servings: 20
    "Steel cut oats, ground beef, and ground pork are cooked until thick and soft, chilled until firm, and fried like bacon!"
    INGREDIENTS:
    1.5 quarts water
    1 tablespoons salt
    1 teaspoons ground black pepper
    2.5 cups steel cut oats
    1 pounds ground beef
    1 pounds ground pork sausage
    1 large onions, finely chopped
    1/8 cup cooking oil

    This recipe has been cut in half
    DIRECTIONS:
    1.Bring water, salt, and pepper to boil in a slow cooker set to High. Stir in steel cut oats, cover, and cook 90 minutes.
    2.In a large bowl, mix beef, pork, and onions. Stir into the oat mixture, and reduce heat to Low. Cover, and continue cooking 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
    3.Transfer the mixture to a medium baking pan, and cool until semi-solid. Turn out onto wax paper, and chill 1 hour in the refrigerator, or until firm.
    4.Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cut the refrigerated mixture into thin slices. Cook slices one at a time in the heated oil until evenly brown.


    A couple notes; Those who said they used pin head oats instead of steel cut oats, don't worry, they are the same product. Pls use ground pork shoulder not pork sausage. Sausage changes the flavor to a taste not associated w/ goetta. Great grandmother Shuttlecuttie from Cincy says you also need 1/2 lb of ground calf's liver. Fry in iron skillet w/ Crisco after chilling.

    I am a big goetta fan and this is pretty close. I added some crushed red pepper to give it a little heat without changing the taste. Another thing, don't use anything other than just plain pork sausage or you will alter the true authentic taste. A lot of people commented that it would fall apart. I believe the problem is that there is no gelatin in the mix to hold it together. Recipes handed down within families call for the boiling of either a pork shoulder or butt with the bone and then using that broth for your "steel cut" pin oats. The boiling of the meat (bone) produces the gelatin that ultimately keeps it together. Its a little more work, having the grind the meat and all, but the outcome is significant.
    The true recipe use ground pork not ground pork sausage. Using ground pork sausage will make it taste spicy and the true goetta is not spicy. I have tried both and perfer non spicy. Great recipe though.........
    ***** Just an afterthought - for those who have not tried Goetta. Goetta should be sliced thin and fried until a real, nice, crisp crust forms before trying to turn it. Then it won't stick or fall apart on you when you flip it over. The crust holds it all together and gives it so much flavor and it's never mushy. Goetta always freezes very well, so keep some on hand. Leftover fried Goetta warms up nicely the next day also, even in the microwave (on medium). I hope this helps. Can't wait!



Applejack Pie

Applejack Apple Pie

This is an award winning apple pie that precooks the apples to reduce apple shrinkage while baking in the pie shell.It also thickens the juices to eliminate the need for extra thickeners. The extra flavoring with applejack or brandy gives this incredible apple pie an extra kick.
1 recipe of 9 inch double pie crust
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 1/2 lbs. Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb. McIntosh, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup (less 1 Tbsp.) sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. applejack or brandy
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. sugar
Prepare pie crust recipe. Place in a 9 inch pie pan, letting edges lay over the pan and set aside.
Heat butter in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly add apple slices, sugar and cinnamon and stir to coat apples. When apples begin to steam, reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the apples soften and begin to release their juices.
Uncover apples, increase heat to medium-high and stir frequently until the McIntosh apples begin to fall apart and thicken to a syrup consistency, about 5 minutes longer.
Remove from heat and stir in applejack or brandy and vanilla. Transfer apples to a jelly roll pan and spread out to cool.
Transfer cooled apple mixture to prepared pie shell. Cover with second pastry and flute edges together. Cut 4 vents in center of pie. Brush top of pie with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Place pie on baking sheet and bake at 400 degree for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking for additional 30-35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Grand Traverse Cherry Pie

This outstanding pie is a  prize-winner from Grand Traverse County, Michigan where they really know their cherries.

 Double pastry for 9-inch pie
2 ½ cups tart cherries
1 cup cherry juice
2/3 cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. red food coloring
 Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pie crust and flute edges.
 In medium saucepan, combine cherries, juice, sugar, salt and cornstarch; cook over medium heat until mixture comes to full boil. Remove from heat and add butter, food coloring and almond extract. Let cool. Put filling in pastry lined crust. Dot with butter and top with second crust. Put several slits in top crust, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 400° for 10 minutes;
Grand Traverse Cherry Pie
lower temperature to 350° and continue to bake for additional 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let pie cool completely before serving.

Apple Cobbler Dump Cake

Using two easy ingredients, apple pie filling and boxed cake mix, this apple cobbler can be made anytime of the year. Simply delicious.

2 (21 oz.) cans apple pie filling
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. yellow or butter cake mix
3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
Vanilla ice cream
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large saucepan over medium heat, heat apple pie filling until very hot, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine cake mix and butter; blend at low speed for 45 – 60 seconds or until crumbly. Set aside.
Into separate medium bowl, place 1 1/2 cups cake mixture; stir in walnuts and cinnamon until well mixed.
Add 1/2 cup milk to cake and butter mixture in large bowl; stir until dry particles are moistened.
Spoon hot pie filling into ungreased 13×9-in pan or two 8-inch square pans. Top with heaping spoonfuls of cake batter. Sprinkle with walnut mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and cracks appear dry. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream.

Soon-to-be-Famous Baked Beans

Soon-to-be-Famous Baked Beans

You’ll be famous when you make these delicious baked beans for your next cookout.
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
2 (151/2 oz) cans Bush’s Pork and Beans
1 (15 1/2 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2 oz.) can butter beans, rinsed and drained
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet; drain fat and transfer beef to a Dutch oven or crock-pot. Fry bacon until crisp, reserving drippings. Drain bacon on paper towel and add to ground beef.
Saute onion in reserved bacon drippings until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion to ground beef mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree preheated oven for 40 minutes, or a crock-pot up to 3 hours. Serve hot.
Makes 12 servings

Chipotle's Barbacoa


Barbacoa
Make the irresistible Chipotle’s Barbacoa at home. Great for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or tostadas.
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. lime juice
3-4 chipotle peppers, canned (substitute 1 ½ Tbsp. chipotle chili pepper powder)
4 cloves garlic
4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
1 ½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cloves
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4-5 lbs. beef chuck roast
¾ cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves
 In food processor, combine lime juice, vinegar, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin oregano, black pepper, salt and cloves and process until smooth.
 Cut roast into several small pieces and remove excess fat. In large Dutch oven, heat oil to medium-high. Working in small batches, place meat in hot oil and sear on all sides. Remove seared meat to plate; continue until all meat has been seared.
 Return all meat and juices to Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the meat. Add chicken broth and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 4 hours, turning meat every 30-40 minutes.
 After 4 hours, uncover and continue simmering for another 1-2 hours or until meat is fork tender. Remove meat to large bowl and shred. Spoon sauce over meat to keep moist and juicy.
 Serve meat in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or with tortillas. Garnish with lettuce, onion, cheese, guacamole, and salsa.

Sweetie Pies Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sweetie Pies Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweetie Pie’s Bakery, in Napa, California, is famous for their cookies, pies and cakes. Here is their Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that will become a family favorite.
8 oz. butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
3/4 cup rolled oats, not the instant oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz. chocolate chips
10 oz. pecans
Preheat oven to 340 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In large mixing bowl or standing mixer, cream butter at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down sides with rubber spatula. Cream for at least 5 minutes.
Add granulated and brown sugars to butter and continue mixing until mixure resembles a smooth paste.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between additions. Add in vanilla.
In food processor, grind oats until very fine. Place oats in large bowl and add flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Whisk together all ingredients until well combined.
Add dry mixture to creamed mixture and beat on low speed, just until combined. Add chocolate chips and nuts to dough; mix on low speed, just until combined.
Form into round balls using a cookie scoop and space 2-inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten tops with your fingers or metal spatula. Place cookie sheet on middle rack in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown; do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Orange Pumpkin Spice Cake

Orange Pumpkin Spice Cake
Chef Donnell Chambers of Chambers Cakes and Cookies, shares his fabulous recipe for Orange Pumpkin Spice Cake with us. Donnell was a guest on The Martha Stewart Show and they baked this lovely cake together. Donnell was also a guest on The Food Network, The Neeley’s, and was featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
This is a great cake to take to a summer picnic or a holiday party.
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a nonstick 10-inch tube pan; set aside.
In large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and zest; beat to combine.
Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Add pumpkin and mix until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Drizzle with orange glaze.
Orange Glaze
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
In medium bowl, stir together juice, zest and sugar until thick and shiny. Drizzle over warm cake.

Chicken and Pineapple Teriyaki Skewers

Chicken-Pineapple Teriyaki Skewers
Would you like a little Polynesian twist to your next BBQ? These chicken and pineapple skewers will be a hit.
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes*
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes; place in large bowl with pineapple and red onion cubes.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and oil. Pour mixture over chicken and pineapple. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at least 1 hour in refrigerator, stirring twice.
Remove from refrigerator and thread chicken, pineapple and onion on metal skewers. (Use wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes, if desired.)
Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Grill skewers over direct heat for 5 minutes per side, or until done. Baste with marinade each time you turn skewers.
*Use sirloin or tenderloin steak instead of chicken, if desired.