Profiteroles

This recipe is a Salud recipe... very good!

Pate a choux dough:

1 cup water

pinch salt

2 oz butter

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup flour

4 eggs

Chocolate glaze:

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375. Combine the water, salt, butter, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove pot from heat and stir in flour all at once, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Return pot to the stove and cook over medium heat until the dough begins to come away clean from the sides of the pan.

Place dough in the bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed between each addition (with a paddle attachment).

Put dough in a pastry bag and pipe 1/2 inch high (balls for profiteroles, 4" long for eclairs) on a baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Bake shells 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Turn off oven. Make a slit in each shell and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, allowing the insides to dry out.

Chocolate glaze:

Heat cream in a small saucepan until just simmering. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let come to room temperature before using.

Slice profiteroles in half and place a scoop of gelato (or pipe some whipped cream inside) in the center. Cover with the top of the shell and drizzle with or dip in chocolate.

Pizza rolls

This is such a great idea! So versatile!

Pizza Rolls

1 refrigerated rectangular pizza crust

fillings (toppings and cheese)

olive oil or melted butter

salt, pepper

grated parmesan

marinara sauce (for dipping)

Stretch the dough into a 8x12" rectangle. Divide into 24 squares (4x6)

In each square, put a little cheese and a little topping. For mine, I made half red pepper and goat cheese and the other half ham, pineapple, and mozzarella... I just kind of put in enough to fit. Then fold the corners of each square and press to seal so you have a little dough ball. Put into a baking dish (a 9" round worked well) seam-side down. Brush the top of all of the stuffed dough balls with melted butter or olive oil and then sprinkle salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown. Serve with warmed marinara and maybe some more grated parm. YUM!

Dark Chocolate Nut Cookies

I just made this easy recipe and the cookies are delicious!

Dark Chocolate Nut Cookies

¼ cup butter, softened
1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc.) coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together butter and sugar; add egg and beat until smooth and creamy.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir in the chopped nuts.

Bake for 8-10 minutes (be careful to not overbake). Allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, then move to cooling rack.

Mmmm Pot Pie

We used this recipe as a guide to make Chicken Pot Pie the other night... it was delicious!!

Delicious Pot Pie

2 unbaked pie crusts

5 small/medium red potatoes, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cups shredded/chopped rotisserie chicken (I even tossed in a little extra Thanksgiving turkey... you could use all turkey if you wanted, or omit meat for a veggie pie)

heaping handful of frozen peas

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom and it was quite tasty)

salt and pepper

Unroll one pie crust into a pie plate, prick with fork, and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté onion in butter until tender, add peas and carrots and sauté for a a few minutes.

In a large bowl, combine onion, carrots, peas, chicken, and cream of mushroom soup. Drain potatoes and mix in bowl. Pour mixture into the pre-baked pie crust. Next, unroll the other pie crust on top, folding up the overlapping edges. Brush the top crust with a little milk or a beaten egg (this is just for looks... either will do). Now cut 4 slits in the top crust to let air escape. Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

VEGETARIAN OPTION: omit meat, use a cream of veggie soup, and make it a veggie pot pie!

Easy Carrot Cake and C.C. icing

I just made this recipe and not only does it taste delicious, but the aroma coming from the oven was incredible! I cut the recipe in half and just used one dish. Here's what I did...

Carrot Cake

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 + 1/8 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1/4 cup raisins (I let them soak in water for a couple of minutes so that they would "plump up")

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9" round or 8" square dish. Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, soda, powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir in carrots and raisins. Bake for 35-45 minutes. While it is cooling, make this icing:

Cream Cheese Icing

4oz cream cheese... or a 75g"carré frais" if you are in France :)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Allow the cream cheese and butter to soften. Beat together the butter and cream cheese with vanilla. Add powdered sugar a little at a time to maintain a smooth consistency. Spread over top of cake and sprinkle with raisins or nuts, if desired.

For best results wait until the cake has completely cooled... I'm always to impatient for that, though :-) Thus my non-smooth icing coverage:

Veggie Goat Cheese Pasta

Veggie Goat Cheese Pasta

We made this last night and it was surprisingly easy and tasty. It would be good cold as a cold pasta salad, as well. I got the idea from this recipe, but then improvised and added based on what was at the market and what we had at home.

whole wheat pasta (we used spaghetti, but next time I think we'll use a short pasta like penne or even bowtie)
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1 small/ medium zucchini, cut into small slices and in half
1 small red pepper, diced
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 fresh goat cheese round (about 3 oz)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli (we steamed it in the microwave), and sautee the zucchini with a little bit of olive oil for just a couple of minutes. Throw the red pepper and carrots in the sautee pan for a minute to heat them up. Drain the pasta and either return to pot or pour into serving bowl. Mix in veggies and crumble in the groat cheese. Serve immediately, or chill. YUM!

Golden Sweet Cornbread

I have always made "Jiffy" cornbread, so I had to find a recipe to make it here in France. I made this recipe for our chili supper last night and it was a big hit with all the guests. Here's the recipe:

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Grease a 9" cake pan. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Gradually add the egg/milk/oil mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Let sit for a couple of minutes before pouring into cake pan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with chili or serve with butter and honey for dessert or brunch.

Pizza Bianca

I found little pizza dough rounds at the grocery, so tonight we had little pizza biancas. I mostly followed this recipe. They were really good! They would also make good appetizers.

Pizza Bianca

1 pizza dough (or individual doughs!)

1 1/2 cups fresh goat cheese

1-3 tablespoons milk, if needed for spreading

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 small mushrooms, sliced (I used Paris)

1 medium tomato, diced

3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, crumbled (or grated)

Place dough on a cookie sheet. Mix the goat cheese and minced garlic. If the cheese is too thick to spread, add milk. Spread cheese onto crust, going nearly to the edge. Top with vegetables, then mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until cheese has melted and crust is beginning to brown.

Coq au vin

When I was in college, Dr. Prill, the main French teacher, and her husband would have the French students over once a semester for a huge French feast. We would walk in and breathe in the wonderful aroma of the traditional French stew, Coq au Vin. Traditionally this was rooster slow-cooked in wine to make the meat more tender... I have always had it with regular chicken. This recipe can be adjusted based on the time you have to prepare it... for a crockpot: cut the liquid in half and cook on low for 6 hours. For a dutch oven, use 2/3 of the liquid and cook on the stove on low for 3-4 hours. If you only have an hour or 2, follow this recipe using a stock pot(adapted from this Whole Foods recipe and this Emeril recipe and another recipe I did at a Salud class that I cannot currently locate) :

Coq au Vin

serves about 6

(adjust ingredients and quantities based on your preferences... you really can't go wrong!)

-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

-a pie plate filled with flour (about a half cup), seasoned with salt and pepper

-1/2 lb thick bacon, diced

-a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

-2 cups chopped yellow onion (if you are slow-cooking, just cut into quarters or sixths... you can also use pearl onions)

-1 lb white, button, or baby bella mushrooms, quartered

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 shallot, diced

-2 or 3 carrots, cut into chunks

-2 cups chicken broth

-3 cups red wine

-2 sprigs thyme

Coat chicken on both sides with seasoned flour and set aside. Fry bacon until crispy, and move to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Brown the floured chicken in the bacon grease, about 2 minutes per side. Set chicken aside. Adding olive oil when necessary, sautee the onions until tender, and place in a stock pot. Brown the mushrooms, add to pot. Sautee shallots and garlic, add to pot. Sautee the carrots, add to pot. Cover the vegetables with broth and turn burner on medium-high. Add chicken, bacon, wine, and thyme and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour (or turn burner lower and simmer longer). Remove thyme before serving.

You have several options for serving... serve in a bowl as a stew, serve on a plate over couscous, mashed potatoes, or beside a crusty baguette.

Roasted Butternut Squash

This is such an easy fall side!

Roasted Butternut Squash

-1 butternut squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out

-for savory, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

-for sweet, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon

Place the two halves cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet (so you don't have a sticky mess like I did!). Roast at 400 for 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the squash. The butter/oil will fill tend to fill the "bowl" of the squash, so baste every 15 minutes or so.

Once cooked, you can cube, mash, or eat right out of the skin... you can actually eat the skin, too, if you want!

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

Super long name, but not super difficult... I combined a few different quiche recipes and it turned out okay... I only used 1 round of fresh goat cheese- next time I'll use two.

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

-1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

-1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

-1 unbaked pie crust

-2 rounds fresh goat cheese (about 6-8 oz)

-3 eggs

-8 oz crème fraiche

-salt and pepper

-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

-toasted chopped walnuts

Sautee the zucchini in butter or olive oil until tender, set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out sautee pan and reheat. Toast the walnuts until slightly browned... be careful not to walk away, they burn quickly! Set nuts aside. Roll pie crust into a pie dish and sprinkle with 2/3 of the goat cheese. Lay zucchini over cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped spinach until well coated. Pour mixture over the zucchini and top with remaining goat cheese and finally walnuts. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Apple Pear Crumble

I made this for breakfast... it could be dessert, too!

Apple Pear Crumble

2 apples
2 pears
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 T. sugar
1/3 C. (40g) flour
1/3 C. rolled oats
1/3 C. (60g) dark brown sugar
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground ginger
a few grates of nutmeg
pinch salt
2.5 T butter

- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly great an 8x8 casserole dish or pie plate.
- Chop apples and pears into 1/2in (1cm) cubes. Place in bowl, pour on lemon and sugar and toss to combine. Transfer to baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, spices and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and drop into the bowl. Use your finger tips to work the butter into the flour mixture, rubbing it between your fingers until the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the topping is golden and the fruit is tender. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Sauteed Califlower

Made this Whole Foods recipe last night... very good! Crunchy with great flavor!

Sauteed Cauliflower

2 Tablespoons finely diced walnuts

1 Tablespoon Romano cheese (we used Parmesan)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 cups chopped cauliflower florets

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon water, if necessary

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat and saute cauliflower with salt and pepper for about 6 minutes, adding water if it starts to dry out. Combine walnuts and cheese in a small bowl. Stir cheese/walnuts in saute pan and cook for additional 2 minutes so that cauliflower is lightly coated. Serve warm.

Spinach Quiche

Doug made this for supper last night... it was really good! It is another recipe from Pamela.

Spinach Quiche

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed

2 T. minced scallions or shallots

2 T. butter

salt, pepper & nutmeg

3 eggs

milk (enough to make 1-1/2 cups with the eggs)

1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

8" baked pie crust

Saute spinach & scallions in butter until tender; season to taste with salt, pepper & dash of nutmeg; let cool briefly. Combine eggs & milk; add to spinach. Sprinkle cheese in pie crust; pour in spinach mixture to within 1/8" of rim. Bake in upper middle level of oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 min, until quiche has puffed & top has browned. Serves 6.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart

We had this yummy dish as part of our supper tonight. It is a recipe from Pamela.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart

1 piecrust

1 T. Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon or similar)

3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

5 oz. soft goat cheese

garlic powder, oregano & basil

2 T. olive oil

Place piecrust in a tart dish; prick with a fork; spread on mustard; arrange tomato slices in concentric circles; crumble cheese on top; sprinkle with a little garlic powder, oregano & basil; drizzle with oil; salt & pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 min; lower heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 20 min. Serves 4.

Double Crust Apple Pie

I saw this recipe a few weeks ago on Whole Foods' blog, and I finally tried it today. Yum! And SO easy! I think I'll make it again for the church potluck Sunday since it is different than a pie you would typically have in France.

Double Crust Apple Pie

-2 pie crusts

-2 tablespoons flour

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-2 teaspoons cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-6 apples (I used 3 gala and 3 granny smith... or you could throw in a few pears if you wanted), cored and sliced

-1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

-1 tablespoon milk

-1 teaspoon raw sugar

Lay one pie crust in a pie dish. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add sliced apples and stir until apples are coated with sugar mixture. Pour into pie crust and dot with butter. Lay second crust on top and cut slits for air to escape. Press edges of the two crusts together. Brush milk on the top crust and sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Mushroom Gruyère Quiche

We made this quiche this weekend and it was pretty good ! I still had a lot of mushrooms from the market, so I only used those (rather than the mixture)- they were white. Next time I might add a little bacon to it, but it was good just as it was. I liked the oven roasting method... it was much quicker and easier than browning in batches in my tiny sauté pan like I did for the mushroom bacon tart. Additionally, I don't have a kitchen scale, so I just kind of guessed on the amount of mushrooms. And I didn't have thyme so I used some herbes de Provence and some fresh Italian parsley. And one more thing- I didn't prebake the shell.

Here's the recipe:

Mushroom Gruyère Quiche
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size

1/4 pound portobello mushroom caps, diced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, cut into quarters
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 frozen 9-inch pie crust, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 ounces gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss cut mushrooms with onion, olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until cooked and firm. Remove from oven and set aside. Prick pie shell all over with a fork. Prebake shell for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Whisk together heavy cream and eggs with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine roasted mushrooms, onion, gruyere and thyme. Spread this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell in an even layer. Pour cream-egg mixture over the mushroom mixture, ensuring that all of the mushroom mixture is covered. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fresh Mushroom Appetizer

This recipe is from my Aunt Kaye. We made it tonight and it was really good! Perfect for extra fresh mushrooms!

Fresh Mushroom Appetizer

-fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used white)

-olive oil

-fresh lemon juice

-salt and pepper

-fresh Italian parsley

Slice mushrooms. Mix equal parts good virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt pepper, minced parsley, toss! Serve on a plate with a fresh baguette!

Mushroom and Bacon Tart

We had this for supper tonight… it was surprisingly good!

Mushroom and Bacon Tart

3 slices bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cups (10 oz) thinly sliced white mushrooms

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 pie crust

2 plum tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick

3 oz (3/4 cup) cheddar cheese, grated (I used Emmental since you can't really find cheddar in France)

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add garlic and onion to skillet and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to bowl. Melt ½ tablespoon butter in skillet and add half of the mushrooms, cook until golden on edges and softened. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining half butter and mushrooms. During last 30 seconds of cooking, add cream and Dijon mustard. Add to bowl. Place pie crust in pie dish and pour in the bacon/onion/mushroom mixture. Tuck in tomatoes into mixture and top with cheese. Fold sides of crust over and brush with beaten egg. Cook at 375 for 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Plum Apple Pie

I am making this pie right now with plums and apples from this morning's market. Here's the recipe...

Plum Apple Pie

-2 pie crusts (one for top, one for bottom)

-1 pound plums, stones removed, sliced

-3 large apples, chopped

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more to dust top of pie

-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 teaspoon water

-1 teaspoon milk

-1 egg yolk

Roll out pie crust into pie dish. Trim edges and brush border with water.

Mix sliced plums and chopped apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit mixture and then mix well until coated evenly. Pour fruit into pie crust. Place second pie crust on top. Trim edges and press the border to the first pie crust. In a small bowl, mix the milk and egg yolk. Brush the egg wash over the top pie crust. Cut slits in top pie crust to allow air to escape. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top of pie crust. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 for an additional 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is soft and bubbly.

Mmmm!

Guacamole

We love to make homemade guacamole! We prefer the mild version, so we don't add any hot peppers.

Guacamole

2-3 ripe avocados

1 garlic clove

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped tomato

salt and pepper

Remove pit from avocados and scoop out centers. Mash in a bowl. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Stir in diced tomato and onion. Serve with tortilla chips.

***Avocados will turn brown quickly... the best way to preserve guacamole is to lay saran wrap directly on the guacamole and then cover the entire dish again and place in fridge. The lime juice should also help.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Doug made this yummy pizza tonight... here's how it works (adapt to your tastes):

BBQ Chicken Pizza

-prepared pizza crust (store bought or homemade)

-BBQ sauce

-thinly sliced red onion

-diced cooked chicken

-chopped fresh cilantro

-grated or chopped mozzarella

Spread prepared crust onto cookie sheet or pizza pan/stone. Spread BBQ sauce all over crust (leave a 1" border around the sides to avoid a mess). Sprinkle toppings all over pizza and top with mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Yum!

Plum Pecan Quick Bread

I have an abundance of plums, so I tried another new recipe... here's the original recipe.

Plum Pecan Quick Bread

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-zest of one lemon

-1 cup all purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-pinch of salt

-3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3/4 cup milk stirred with a tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice)

-1 1/2 cup fresh plums, pitted and diced

topping:

-1 tablespoon sugar

-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine sugars, oil, and zest. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate slowly adding flour mixture and buttermilk to the sugar mixture until smooth. Add diced plums and pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Sprinkle topping on loaf.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and place on cooling rack until completely cooled.

***NOTES:

-In case you didn't notice, this recipe is eggless (yay Troy!)

-This recipe was very yummy, but...

-the diced plums sank to the the bottom of the loaf, so it was crunchy on top but mushy on the bottom... if I make it again, I'll probably pour half the batter into the loaf pan and then add the diced plums to the remaining batter and pour into the pan.

Plum Galette

I have made this twice in the last week! The recipe is Martha Stewart... you can see the original "fancy" recipe here.

I didn't use all her ingredients or do all of her steps... here is my adapted recipe:

Plum Galette

-1 prepared pie crust (if you are in a store where you have a choice of pie crusts, look for one that is specifically for tarts or fruits... pate sucrée or pate sablée)

-1 tablespoon sugar

-1 tablespoon all purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-5 cups of pitted plums, sliced about 1/4" thick

-1 large egg

-1 teaspoon water

Unroll pie crust into pie dish and prick with fork. Place plum slices in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour flour mixture over plum slices and mix well until evenly coated. Place coated plums into the pie dish and fold the excess pie crust over the sides of the plums. Mix together the egg and water in a small bowl and brush the egg wash on the folded pie crust. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown and plum mixture is bubbling.

Cake Mix Cobbler/ Crumble

This is a good recipe if you are short on time... plus the ingredients are all things you can keep on hand. Call it a "cobbler" for dessert, and "crumble" for brunch, as well :)

Cake Mix Cobbler/Crumble

2 cans crushed pineapple

1 can cherry pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350. Drain pineapple and spread in 9x13 dish. Spread cherry pie filling over pineapple. Spread entire box of cake mix over fruit. Melt butter and drizzle over cake mix. Bake 45 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Strawberry Ice Cream

I love making homemade ice cream... I have a Kitchen Aid freezer bowl attachment that I keep in the freezer, so it makes homemade ice cream a simple treat.

Strawberry Ice Cream

3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup whole milk

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups strawberries

1) Mix egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, milk, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook just to boiling (do not boil!), stirring constantly. Pour mixture into chilled bowl. Refrigerate uncovered 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 24 hours.

2) When batter is cooled, stir in whipping cream, and vanilla.

3) Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions. (For Kitchen Aid, turn to stir speed for 15-20 minutes)

4) While ice cream maker is working, mash 2 cups strawberries with ½ cup sugar, using potato masher or food processor until juicy and slightly chunky (not pureed).

5) Add strawberries during last few minutes of mixing. Remove ice cream from freezer bowl/machine and spoon into a freezer safe container. Eat or freeze immediately.

For a lower fat recipe, substitute 2% milk for the whole milk, and half-and-half for the cream.

Galette de Banane

Galette de Banane

1 refrigerated pie crust

3-4 bananas

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon gound cinnamon

1 Tablespoon water

4 Tablespoons butter and extra for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 450º
2. Place pie crust on baking sheet, brush both sides lightly with melted butter, prick with fork
3. In small saucepan, stir brown sugar, cinnamon, and water over medium heat. Stir in butter until melted.
4. Slice bananas diagonally ¼” thick and arrange in overlapping circles on the crust.
5. Brush the brown sugar mixture evenly over the galette. Bake 10 minutes or until shiny.
6. Cut warm galette into wedges, serve with ice cream.

This is a traditional Mardi Gras recipe- yum!

Chicken a la King

recipe from Pamela...

Chicken a la King

6 T butter, melted

6 T flour

1 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 cup diced chicken*

3 oz mushroom pieces

1 red pepper, diced

10 oz frozen peas and pearl onions

Place chicken in a pot of water with 1 bouillon cube and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, blend flour, slat, and pepper in the butter and cook over low heat, stirring until bubbly. Remove from heat; add 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth (from pot), and milk. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Serve over cornbread.

*can also substitute canned tuna

Chevre Burgers

Recipe from Pamela... yum!

Chevre Burgers

5 ounces soft goat cheese

3 tablespoons green onions, white part only, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

3/4 lb ground beef

Mix goat cheese, green onions, salt and pepper. Make 8 patties out of the ground beef. Place a dollop of the herbed goat cheese on 4 patties (you will have extra cheese left over- use it to spread on bread, etc.) Place remaining 4 patties on top of dollops and press around edges to seal. Broil 3" from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side. Serves 4

serve with roasted potatoes, crusty baguette, and green salad

Bananas Foster

This recipe is from Jeff Mankin.

Bananas Foster

1 cup brown sugar

½ stick butter

2 bananas, sliced

1 Tablespoon rum flavoring

1) Let brown sugar and butter simmer in skillet.

2) Stir in bananas, add rum

3) Serve over ice cream

Banana Bread

This is my mom's banana bread recipe... I always make it when we have over-ripe bananas!

Banana Bread

1/3 cup butter, plus a little to grease the pan

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2-3 ripe bananas

1 ¾ cups self rising flour

A little orange juice

1) preheat oven to 350º (325º if dark pan), place loaf pan in oven while it is heating.

2) melt butter for 30 seconds in microwave (not fully melted)

3) Mix butter and sugar together, add egg. Mix until fluffy.

4) Place bananas in measuring cup, mash down and add enough orange juice to make 1 cup

5) Mix banana mixture with egg mixture and add self-rising flour until just combined.

6) Remove pan from oven, rub butter over hot pan

7) Fill pan, cook for 45 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

The hint of orange and the buttery edges make this recipe really tasty!

Carrot Souffle

This recipe is from my friend, Caroline. The baby food is a great shortcut!

Carrot Souffle

2 cups mashed cooked carrots or 2 large jars baby food carrots

1 stick butter/margarine, melted

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs well beaten

1/3 teaspoon cinnamon

Put carrots in mixing bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients one at a time.

Pour mixture into souffle or casserole dish. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 for 35 minutes.

Chocolate Pie

Chocolate Pie

1 pie crust

½ cup milk

½ cup whipping cream

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated or broken up

2 eggs

2 Tablespoon sugar

Bake piecrust according to package directions. Bring milk and cream to a slight boil; add chocolate. Beat eggs with sugar; add to chocolate mixture; pour into baked piecrust. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Canned Peach Cobbler

I usually keep a can or 2 of peaches on hand so that I can make this easy pantry-staple dessert anytime. For fresh fruit, see here.

Canned Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 cans sliced peaches, slightly drained

Melt 1 stick butter in 9x13 pan. Place sliced peaches in dish with butter. Mix together self-rising flour, sugar, and milk. Pour batter over peaches. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

*To make an 8x8 size, cut the recipe in half.

Sauteed Summer Squash

1 1/2 cups sliced yellow squash

1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper


Heat oil in sautee pan over medium heat. When oil is heated, sautee onion until tender, translucent, and sweet. Add squash and sautee 3-5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

more of Doug's pics here