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.

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.

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!

Oh So Good Chicken (chicken rice casserole with salsa and sour cream)

My cousin mentioned a few weeks ago (on facebook) that she was planning to make this dish for dinner that night.  I asked and she found the recipe for me and I'm so glad she did.  It's a fairly easy dish to throw together and very tasty!  I used regular (as in not minute) rice as that's what I had in the cupboard.  I used an 8 oz package of pre-sliced mushrooms (which yields slightly more than the two cups the recipe calls for, but I like mushrooms), and two 4.5 oz cans of chicken.  Yes, cooking the chicken myself would have probably given it a slightly better flavor, but with the sour cream, salsa, and cheese, it wasn't that noticeable (and certainly easier since I didn't have any leftover chicken on hand).  I also guessed at the 4 oz of cheese, just used about half (well, a little bit more than half) of the package.  The recipe doesn't state (and none of the comments I looked at really said) the size of the casserole dish.  I ended up using a big mixing bowl to get everything evenly incorporated, but my square baking dish (approximately 8x8, 2 quart).  One comment did mention adding some chips (to make it more presentable, which I don't think is necessary - it looks fine the way it is!) but which I think would be tasty.  Others also mentioned adding black beans, black olives, corn, green onions, and hot sauce - which I think would make for a very different dish!  Alas, I've gotten out of the habit of blogging recipes, so I completely forgot to get a picture!  (edited 8-18-13 to add photo - recipe shown doubled, in a 13x9 dish).

INGREDIENTS:
4 teaspoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sour cream
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
2 cups cooked white rice
8 ounces boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms.
2. Combine mushrooms, sour cream, cheese, salsa, rice, and chicken. Place in a greased casserole dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes.

Orange Blueberry Freezer Jam

I've never made jam of any kind before, so trying a freezer recipe first seemed like a good idea.  This recipe is simple and uses just a few ingredients.  Right now the jam is still sitting at room temperature, so I haven't tried it yet, but I DID lick a bit of it from the bowl and it tasted amazing!

This recipe is from the August/September 2013 issue of Taste of Home.  It is shown on a toasted baguette with a slice of brie.  YUM!

Orange Blueberry Freezer Jam

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 medium orange
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, crushed
1 pound (3 oz) liquid fruit pectin

Rinse four clean 1-cup plastic containers with lids with boiling water.  Dry thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place sugar in a shallow baking dish and bake 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, finely grate 1 Tbsp peel from orange.  Peel and chop orange.

In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, warm sugar, grated peel and chopped orange.  Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the pectin.  Stir constantly for 3 minutes to distribute pectin.

Immediately fill all containers to within 1/2 inch of tops.  Wipe container rims.  Immediately cover with lids.  Let stand at room temperature until set, up to 24 hours.  Jam is now ready to use.

Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 12 months.  Thaw frozen jam in the refrigerator before using.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

This recipe was inspired by one I saw in the June/July 2013 issue of Simple & Delicious.  The filling is more like what I use to make Buffalo Pasta Chicken Bake.  I took what I liked from each recipe and made up my own!

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

4 flour tortillas
1 package of chicken tenders, trimmed
1-2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot or 6 baby-cut carrots, diced
2 Tbsp oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
salt & pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (to your taste - I use Red Hot Buffalo flavor)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
blue cheese, ranch dressing, or sour cream for serving, optional

Cut tenders in half and cook in 1 Tbsp oil with 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper.  Cook until browned on both sides and there is no more pink in the middle.  Remove from pan and shred or chop.  I use the Pampered Chef chopper which is FANTASTIC.  Mix in hot sauce.

In same pan, pour in remaining 1 Tbsp oil.  Cook celery, onion, carrots and remaining garlic clove until vegetables are tender, but still crunchy.  Stir into chicken mixture.

Lay a tortilla on a large dinner plate.  Fill one side with 1/4 of the chicken mixture.  Top with cheese.  Fold in half and place in panini press, holding it down for 10 seconds.  Cook for 1 minute and 15 seconds, or until golden brown.  Repeat with each tortilla.