If you love to cook, you've come to the right place! Every recipe you'll find here has been made by one of us in our home kitchen. Each one is good enough to share with our friends.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Blackberry coffee cake

I found this recipe years ago, when looking for a dessert to make with some blackberries I had (or that's how I'm remembering it anyway.  The name on allrecipes is odd, but the cake is amazing!  It's always a hit and it's easy!  You mix up the dry ingredients, cut in the butter (I use butter not margarine as it calls for), then put some of that aside for the crumb topping - isn't that easy!? - before mixing in the eggs and milk to make the cake batter.  Also, I always add more fruit than the 1 cup that it calls for.  Who doesn't like a bit more fruit!?  As some of the comments indicate, it does take longer than 25 minutes to bake through.  Check it at 25 just to be sure, but it generally takes closer to 50 in my oven.  The cake is very adaptable, I've used raspberries and frozen berries if they're out of season.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup margarine
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 cup blackberries

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of crumb mixture, to be used as a topping for the cake. Mix eggs and milk together and then blend into remaining mixture in bowl.
3) Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle blackberries evenly over the top. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over fruit.
4) Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Wells Cesear Salad

While I've seen many versions of Ceasar salad (I have a small cookbook devoted to them!), this is the version I almost always make.... Many, many years ago at college, while I worked in Dining Hall (as nearly all first years did), I saw one of the cooks making up a batch of Cesaer salad - which I should mention was always a hit when it was put out on the regular salad bar.  I took to making single servings of it for myself when I wanted it but it wasn't out, and then sometimes some friends asked for me to make it for them.  I brought the dish home and it's become one of my family favorites, particularly during holiday dinners.  Because I only observed her making it, I can't guarantee I didn't miss an ingredient, and this is one of those that I've *always* eyeballed.  I have no idea of quantities.

A heart of romaine lettuce (or leaves off a head, but a single heart from a package of 3 hearts makes a nice amount for a dinner for 4)
Some bacon bits - about a palmful, but to taste
Some grated parmesan cheese (using Kraft or store brand is fine), a couple three shakes, again to taste
Croutons, about half a package, give or take
Ranch salad dressing, a good amount, start light and then add as needed, feel free to experiment with other versions of ranch or try a creamy Ceasar

Tear lettuce into bite sized pieces, add bacon bits, parmesan, and croutons.  Pour in some salad dressing - mix well to combine, add more if needed.  Lettuce and croutons should be lightly coated.  Serve immediately.  Can be prepped ahead of time by washing and tearing the lettuce, adding the bacon bits and parmesan and storing bowl in the fridge.  Just before serving, add the croutons and dressing as the croutons will start to get soggy.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Summer Vegetable Cobbler


I have discovered the best recipe on the planet for zucchini. 

This recipe is PERFECTION.  It's patterned after a fruit cobbler, but it is savory.  It sort of reminded me of a meatless chicken a la king.

I tweaked it a little, based on what I had.  I used a green pepper instead of a red one, and a purple onion.  The biggest change I made was because my baking powder expired over 2 years ago.  Instead I used the Bisquick recipe for cheddar biscuits.  (2 cups Bisquick, 2/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar -- I did use fresh basil too!)  I sprinkled a little bit of Parmesan over the top too.

The recipe suggests it is a vegetarian main dish.  I made it as a side dish.  But I could have eaten a whole plate of it!!!

It appeared in the June/July issue of Taste of Home magazine.

Summer Vegetable Cobbler

2 Tbsp butter
3 small zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For biscuits:

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold butter
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp minced fresh basil
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini, red pepper, and onion.  Cook until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Add garlic.  Cook 1 minute longer.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, milk, salt, and pepper.  Stir into pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Spoon into a greased 8-inch square baking dish.

For topping, in a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Stir in cheese and basil.  Add milk.  Stir just until moistened.  Drop by rounded tablesoonfuls over filling.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Mom's Potato Salad


This is my mom's recipe for potato salad, which as far as I'm concerned is PERFECT and is what all potato salad should taste like!

It calls for Nance's Sharp & Creamy Mustard, which is tough to find outside Central New York.  Substitute whatever mustard you like.  Nance's is really tangy, which is what I love about this recipe.  I would imagine a dijon would be a nice exchange.
 
My mom's secret is to rinse the pickle relish so it doesn't make the mayo funky.  My grandma always said the vitamins were in the skins, so you should boil the potatoes skin-on and peel them afterwards.  That is really difficult to do!  I sacrifice any vitamins that might be in the skins and I just peel them first.

Mom's Potato Salad

2 1/2 pounds red potatoes
1/3 small jar of sweet pickle relish, rinsed
2 radishes, finely diced like confetti
1/2 green pepper, finely diced like confetti
1/2 bottle of Nance's Sharp & Creamy Mustard  (I think the bottles have gotten smaller!  Half of a 10 oz bottle wasn't quite as "zingy" as I've made it before!)
Mayo to the desired texture (I only use Hellman's)

Boil the red potatoes whole until they are cooked through, but not mushy.  Rinse them in cold water and let them cool enough to handle them.  Cut in cubes of desired size.

Add relish, radishes, pepper, and mustard.  Stir to combine.  Add mayo until potato salad is of desired consistency.  

Enjoy!