Classic Blueberry Pie

It was Pi Day on Sunday, so we had to comply. 

Our pie didn't look as yummy as the one above, 

but Scott did a great job at cutting out the symbol

 on our 'cheater' store bought pie crust

image and recipe from here

We just got a good deal on a bunch of blueberries so that was our pie of choice. 

It would have been better to do a homemade crust, but the filling was good!

Classic Blueberry Pie
Pastry
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2/3 c. plus 2 T. shortening
4 to 6 T. cold water

Filling
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/2 t. ground cinnamon, if desired
6 c. blueberries
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. butter or margarine, if desired

Preparation
In medium bowl, mix 2 c. flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blueberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. 

Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

Tips
You can taste the difference! Pie crusts made with self-rising flour differ in flavor and texture from those made with all-purpose flour.
Bake this pie in a fun pie plate, or use a disposable pie pan to take this dessert anywhere.
Rise to the occasion! If using self-rising flour, there is no need to add salt.
Of course you can use canned or frozen blueberries. Use 6 cups of either, choosing unsweetened frozen blueberries and partially thawing.

BBQ Southwestern Chicken, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cream of Celery Soup, Maple Almond Macaroons, Brenda's Yummy Ranch Dressing

Emery, Carter and Mawna K!

BBQ Southwestern Chicken

1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar, apple or white
1 T. instant minced onion (dried)
2 t. McCormick Culinary Barbecue Spice (18oz for $11.77 Amazon/Walmart)
(This is a 1988, discontinued spice, reintroduced one year ago!)

Simmer for 10 minutes on stove top then pour over 2 1/2 lbs bone in chicken parts and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Bake less time for boneless, skinless thighs or for cut up boneless skinless breast meat. Serve over rice. 4-6 servings.


Stuffed Bell Peppers (or Casserole)
1 cup rice (white or brown) cooked according to directions and set aside

Sauce:
1 onion diced
1 T. oil
2 c. Bertoli Rustic Cut Marinara (or other including Costco's)
1 c. beef broth
1 T. balsamic vinegar (or more)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes

Peppers:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley (1 1/2 TBS dried)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/8 t. ground cayenne pepper
4-6 large red, yellow, orange bell peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onion and oil over medium heat until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce, broth, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir 1 minute. Pour sauce (reserving 1 cup for top of peppers) into a 9x13" baking dish and set aside. Brown beef, then add tomatoes, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir in cooked rice and mix well. Stuff bell pepper halves with beef mixture and place in baking dish. Top each half with 1 TBS of reserved sauce. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20-25 minutes until the peppers are tender. Let rest 5 minutes and serve. I don't use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but you may add 1 cup to the meat mixture and/or sprinkle some on top of the peppers before baking.

***For easier eating (children) or quicker cooking, you may dice the peppers and mix them with the sauce and meat mixture before cooking! Yum!

Mother's Day 2020

BEST Cream of Celery Soup

1/4 c. butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 c.)
2 c, very finely chopped good quality flavorful celery 

(about 5 large ribs, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
1 large clove garlic ,minced
1/3 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c. good quality chicken broth
1 1/2 c. whole milk (or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream for even tastier results)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/8 t. freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and milk/cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.
If used as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. Makes 4 servings.

One batch of this soup is roughly the quantity of 2 cans prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup. Enjoy as a stand-alone soup or use in any recipe calling for prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup. Basic, but delicious!

Maple, Almond Macaroons
3 c. dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. fine almond flour
1 c. maple syrup
1/3 c. coconut butter or slightly less oil
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 t. salt

Combine all in a bowl. Use a small scoop, large spoon, or hands to spoon rounds of dough onto hydrator screens and dry for 12-24 hours at 115 degrees until the outside is crisp. You may also dry them in the oven on the lowest temp for a few hours. ***You can make coconut butter by blending unsweet coconut really well. Lemon zest and a little lemon juice can also be added to make lemon/coconut macaroons... May also dip in chocolate after drying :)


Brenda's Yummy Ranch Dressing
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. parsley
1 t. dried chives
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Mix then add milk, 2 T. at a time, stirring after each addition until of desired consistency.

by Karen & Brenda, Barbara's daughters

Easy Fresh Lemon Squares

recipe and image from here
My book group met virtually for the second time this week.
Right before I was set to going the Webex meet up, the doorbell rang.
The host had driven to our houses and had her teen son delivered a lemon bar.
Such a fun surprise! And so yummy. I asked for the recipe

Easy Fresh Lemon Squares

Shortbread base

1/2 c. butter* (softened) 

1/4 c. powdered sugar 

1 c. flour 

1 pinch salt

Lemon filling

2 eggs

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 t. baking powder

3 T. lemon juice

1 pinch salt

zest of 1/2-1 lemon (1/2 - 1 T.)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350° (175°). Lightly grease and flour an 8x8 inch (20x20cm) square cake pan or line with parchment paper.

SHORTBREAD BASE

In a medium bowl, beat on medium speed the butter and powdered sugar until combined then add the flour and beat again until a soft dough forms (approximately 1 1/2 minutes). Pat evenly onto the bottom the prepared baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.

LEMON FILLING

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, beat together, the eggs, granulated sugar, baking powder, fresh lemon juice, pinch of salt and zest. Pour over warm base and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes (until the centre is set, I baked mine for 25 minutes, may need to go a bit longer), Cool in pan, (you can also chill in the fridge for 1 hour for easier cutting), cut into squares and remove from pan, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Author Notes:

* I always use salted butter, if you use unsalted then increase the salt to 1/4 t.

You may want to refrigerate the Lemon Bars before cutting as it makes cutting the squares easier.

You know when Lemon Bars are done when you gently shake the pan and the filling is set and no longer jiggles. 

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Servings: 16 squares 

Nutrition:  

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Mini Fruit Pizza Cookies

I saw these online and thought they would be a fun version 

of the typical large pizza-sized treat.

image from here

Fruit Pizza

Crust
1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c flour

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. baking soda

Cream together all ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Roll the dough out into either 2 9x13 pans or a large rimmed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Filling

1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

2 T. fruit juice

Cream these ingredients together and spread over the baked and cooled crust. Then decorate the pizza with cut up fruit. Strawberries, bananas, kiwi, grapes, peaches, apples, canteloupe, pineapple, etc.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

large version recipe by Jill, other fab cookie recipes here.

Rainbow Bowl with Peanut Dressing, Immunity Boosting Soup, Avocado Chocolate Pudding

My friend Cami & I attended a healthy cooking class

at our local Adventist hospital.

It was fantastic, and instructor Emily

shared great recipes, information and tips.

Here is her website if you want to learn more.

All of the recipes were delicious.

I previously posted a coconut avocado chocolate pudding.

It is actually good! Here's a link.

Click on each recipe for a bigger picture.

Swedish Pound Cake

One of my college roommates gave me this recipe.

My actual recipe card came up missing,

but I think this is the exact replica!

SWEDISH POUND CAKE
1 c. sugar

4 eggs
1/4 c. oil 

1 c. flour
1-1/2 t. almond extract 

1/2 t. salt

Beat eggs and add sugar gradually. Add other ingredients. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes in small loaf pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top while hot. (You can double recipe and make in a bundt pan.)

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/swedish-pound-cake-379118

"Fried" Ice Cream, Chimichangas

recipe from here

Kirsten & Scott came to visit a day after their 29th anniversary.

We helped to extend the celebration with chimes (one of Kirsten's favs),

and a simplified version of Mexican Fried Ice Cream.

"Fried" Ice Cream
1 pint ice cream (such as Breyers Delights Vanilla Cupcake Ice Cream)

1-1/2 T. butter
1-1/4 c. corn cereal, crushed
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 t. granulated sugar
Whipped cream, for garnish 

Sprinkles, for garnish
4 maraschino cherries, for garnish

recipe from here

Line a small sheet tray with parchment paper and place in freezer. Scoop ice cream into 4 balls and place on prepared sheet tray. Keep in freezer while making cereal mixture.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add corn cereal and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cereal turns golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Place on a shallow bowl and let cool.

Remove ice cream balls from freezer and roll in cereal mixture. Top with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry, and serve immediately. Yields: 4 servings.

Our notes: 
We used plain vanilla ice cream to scoop 20 little balls so each person had 4. Then we had toppings to choose from: whipped cream, caramel, chocolate and maraschino cherries. No sprinkles! We decided to add more cinnamon the next time we try it, and possibly double roll the ice cream to get more toppings.


If you DO want to try frying ice cream here’s how to do it:

Scoop ice cream onto a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Place 3 large egg whites in a bowl and beat with a fork until frothy. Place corn flakes, cinnamon, and sugar in another bowl.

Roll ice cream in egg whites and then in corn flakes, pressing to coat. Place back on baking sheet and freeze for 4 hours or until completely solid.

Heat a large pot of canola oil to 375°. Working one at a time, fry ice cream for 20 seconds. Top and serve immediately!

Chimichangas
flour tortillas
chicken, pork or beef
onion
salsa
cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream

Put meat in crock pot and cook with onion and salsa for 12-24 hrs. Shred meat and set aside.

Roll meat into tortillas a flat burrito-style and secure with toothpick.

Fry chimis in about a half inch of oil at 350 degrees. They only need a minute or so on each side to brown, as the meat was pre-cooked. Serve with remaining with remaining ingredients.

Zucchini Enchiladas, Blackberry Mousse

recipe and image from here

August is the time to use blackberries and zucchini from our garden.

I like how both of these turned out! Ian isn't a big zucchini fan,

so I did a couple in corn tortillsas.

I also added olives to the top of the enchiladas.

Zucchini Enchiladas
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 large onion, chopped 

kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. chili powder
3 c. shredded chicken
1 1/3 c. red enchilada sauce, divided 4 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack
1 c. shredded Cheddar
Sour cream, for drizzling
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
add lime juice

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and season with salt. Cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic, cumin and chili powder and stir until combined. Add shredded chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce and stir until saucy.

On a cutting board, use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to make thin slices of zucchini. Lay out three, slightly overlapping, and place a spoonful of chicken mixture on top. Roll up and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini and chicken mixture.

Spoon remaining 1/3 cup enchilada sauce over zucchini enchiladas and sprinkle with both cheeses.
Bake until melty, 20 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream and cilantro and serve.

Notes: my small zucchini (4 in.) worked better than the seedy large (8 in.), though it was hard to roll up the enchiladas. After filling a 7x10 in pan, I put my remaining chicken mix in a pie pan, topped will all the remaining zucchini, then more chicken, then sauce then cheese.

We had this mousse at book group. Yum!

Dan Johnson made it, and his wife DeDe brought it to share.
I had a hard time straining the berry mix through my fine sieve.
I ended up using a colander, and living with a few seeds.

Blackberry Mousse
1 t. unflavored gelatin
3 T. cold water
1 c. blackberries
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg white
3/4 c. heavy cream

In small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1 T. of the water; let wait until softened (5 min). In blender, puree the blackberries with 2 T. water. Strain the blackberry puree into saucepan (about 3/4 cup). Add suga & boil then simmer mixture over medium heat, stir occasionally for about 5 min to reduce. Stir in softened gelatin. Let mixture cool. Beat egg whites and fold into cooled pureed mixture. On a other bowl beat heavy cream until softly whipped. Fold cream into berry mix and refrigerate until chilled. Enjoy with lemon cookies, fresh fruit, or whatever sounds good, or eat it as is.

Blackberry Hand Pies

recipe and photo here

Blackberry Hand Pies

1 package {2 crusts} refrigerated pie dough
       (or Mom's recipe from Barbara Doney cookbook tab above)
12 oz {2 containers} fresh blackberries

1⁄4 c. sugar

3 T. all-purpose flour

1 T. lemon juice

1⁄2 t. cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

additional sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 375 F, and line two baking sheets with parchment.

First, prepare the filling. Rinse the berries well, cut them in half, and place them in a medium bowl. Add in the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and flour, and mix well.

On a well-floured surface, lay out the pie crusts and gently roll them out to 1⁄4" thickness.

Using a large cookie cutter or other round object, cut out circles about 5 inches across.

Place the circles of dough on the baking sheets, and spoon about 1 tbsp of filling in the center of each.

Fold the dough over, and press the edges firmly with your fingertips to seal. Using a knife, gently cut 2-3 small slits on the top of each pie. Brush them with the beaten egg, and sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and flaky. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!

Serves: 10

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins.

Total time: 35 mins.

Easy Coconut Cream Pie

recipe and image from here



Ian noticed we had a chocolate pie crust in our food storage,
and thought we should make a coconut cream pie.
We'll see how they taste together.

Easy Coconut Cream Pie 

3/4 c. sugar
3 T. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
3 c. whole milk
3 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut, toasted, divided
1 T. butter
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in milk; cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

2. Remove from the heat; gradually stir about 1 cup of hot mixture into beaten eggs. Return all to saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat until nearly boiling. Reduce heat; cook and stir about 2 minutes more (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in 1 cup coconut, butter and vanilla.

3. Pour into pie shell; sprinkle with remaining coconut. Chill for several hours before serving. 

Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe Notes:
Put the lime in the coconut by stirring in 1 teaspoon grated lime peel after removing sugar mixture from the heat.
This filling is super easy and delicious in a graham cracker crust.

Dee's notes:

I followed the changes in a recipe comment and replaced 1T. of flour with cornstarch. Also, I separated the eggs and made a meringue with the whites and a little sugar. Finally I carefully browned the meringue with a little coconut on top. And if that wasn't enough, I didn't have whole milk, so used 2%, didn't have enough sweetened coconut, so used some unsweetened. Scott thought I was turning into his mom with substitutions. That would be a compliment!!!

Maple Walnut Upside Down Persimmon Cake

recipe and image from here

Scott found this recipe and wanted us to try it.

We waited until the persimmons were soft 
and blended them with a little water.
I made the mistake of putting the puree´ in the fridge 
and it came out as quite stiff.
I chopped it up as much as possible while mixing,
and we were not surprised you could barely taste the mild flavor.
Still, a yummy and very nutty cake.

Maple Walnut Upside Down Persimmon Cake

maple walnut glaze
3 T. unsalted butter
3 oz. maple syrup, preferably grade b
2 T. light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 c. walnut pieces

persimmon cake
4 T. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. kosher salt
1 large egg 

1/3 c. persimmon puree
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/3 c. buttermilk

To make the glaze, place the butter into a small sauté pan and melt it over low heat. When melted, add the maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Raise the heat a little to bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently for 1 minute.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8" cake pan. Pour the glaze into the cake pan and tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the walnuts evenly over the glaze and set the pan aside while you prepare the cake.

To make the cake, cream the butter with the brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl until it gets lighter in color and a little fluffy.

Add the egg, scrape the bowl and mix well.

Add the persimmon puree, scrape the bowl and combine the ingredients so that no streaks of a
different color remain.

Place the flour and baking powder in a sifter and sift it over the top of the batter in the bowl. Fold the flour in a few times but not completely.

Sprinkle the buttermilk over the batter and fold together until completely combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan carefully so that you do not disturb the walnuts. Using a small decorating spatula, spread the batter evenly in the pan taking the time to smooth out the top of the cake.

Bake in the center of the oven until a tester inserted in the cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. 

Place a serving plate upside down over the top of the cake. Carefully invert the cake onto the plate. Allow the pan to remain for a moment so the nuts and syrup can drip out. Remove the cake pan and if any nuts have stuck to it, scrape them out and cover the naked spots on the cake with them. Allow the cake to sit for about 15-20 minutes before serving. Makes 1 (8") cake

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, Green Chili Pumpkin Soup

recipe and image from here

Today I'm posting a couple more recipes I want to try, but haven't yet.

Scott won't go for the Pumpkin Soup,

but said he is looking forward to the Cheesecake Strawberries!

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
24 strawberries (medium to large)
8 oz. light cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1. Remove the tops of all the strawberries and and cut out a cone shape from inside the middle of each strawberry with a paring knife - a little well to be filled with cream cheese mixture.

2. Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Fill a ziploc bag with the cream cheese mixture (filling it into one of the corners). 

3. Twist the top of the bag and snip the corner of the bag with the filling.

4. Squeeze filling into each strawberry and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

YIELD: MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN STRAWBERRIES

recipe and image from here

Green Chili Pumpkin Soup
4 oz. diced green chiles, divided
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. cilantro
1 small onion, diced
1 t. oil
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can vegetable broth
1/2 c. water
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. ground red pepper


1) In a food processor, combine 1/2 of the chiles, sour cream and cilantro. Process until smooth. Set aside.

2) Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and remaining chiles. Saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and red pepper. Cook for 1 minutes or until fragrant.

3) Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If soup is not smooth enough, use an immersion blender to make it smoother…this is totally optional!

4) Swirl sour cream mixture into soup just before serving.

The sour cream mixture adds a cooling component and a little tartness to the the soup. I think it is the perfect compliment. Plus, you can get this to the table in under 30 minutes which means it is the perfect weeknight meal for fall and winter too.

Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie

image and recipe from here

I have raspberries ripening and rhubarb ready,

and plan to try this for our book group next month.

Raspberry-Rhubarb Slab Pie

3-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 c. butter
3/4 c. plus 1 to 2 T. 2% milk
1 egg yolk
2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
5 c. fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained
3 c. sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

Vanilla icing:
1-1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
5 to 6 t. 2% milk

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Whisk 3/4 cup milk and egg yolk; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.

2. Divide dough in two portions so that one is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

3. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out larger portion of dough between two large sheets of lightly floured waxed paper into an 18x13-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up sides of pan; trim pastry to edges of pan.

4. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberries and rhubarb; toss to coat. Spoon into pastry.

5. Roll out remaining dough; place over filling. Fold bottom pastry over edge of top pastry; seal with a fork. Prick top with a fork.

6. Bake 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

7. For icing, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve a drizzling consistency; drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares.

Editor's Note: If using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 45 min. + cooling

YIELD:24 servings

Pineapple Coconut Whips

recipe and image from here

We had three weeks of 'heat' for the Northwest. 

These were awesome!

Pineapple Coconut Whips (or Dole Whip Copycat)
5 fl. oz. unsweetened almond milk
5 fl. oz. coconut milk
1⁄2 c. pineapple juice
21⁄2 c. fresh pineapple chunks, frozen
1⁄4 t. stevia (or sweetener of your choice), optional
1 pinch
salt

Add ingredients to blender jar in order listed. Blend on medium mow for 20 seconds then increase speed to medium high (speed 6) for another 30 seconds or until smooth. You may experience cavitation during blending. If so, you can wait until it catches again or stop blending, remove the jar, shake the contents back down to the blade, replace it and continue blending.Transfer pineapple mixture to a large plastic bag and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes. Cut off one tip of bag and pipe into serving dishes.

VARIATIONS

You can replace any or all of the frozen pineapple with another frozen fruit. Some of our favorite combinations are:
Pineapple Strawberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Mango (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Blackberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Raspberry (1 c. of each)
Strawberry (2 c., omit pineapple juice)

Make a Tropical Whip by omitting almond milk and using 10 fl.oz. of coconut milk.

You may use other milks with this recipe, just know it will change the taste and the texture.

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

image and recipe from here

I saw this recipe posted by our local farmers market. 

I want to make this. I want to make it for our book group, 

for our anniversary, and every other event.

 Actually, I'd love it if someone made it for me! 

If you give this a try, let me know!

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. vanilla yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt)
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 c. good-quality cocoa powder
3/4 c. milk (I prefer whole, but skim milk will work fine)
1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 big bunches of green or red grapes
1 pint raspberries
1 homemade whipped cream recipe (you can decrease sugar if you prefer)
Store-bought chocolate syrup
1 T. confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare (spray or butter and flour) two 8-inch round cake pans.

Warm the coconut oil in microwave for up to 30 seconds; you want it softened or even melted (but not hot to the touch).

Pour coconut oil into stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Add in brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

With mixer on low, slowly add a third of the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture, alternating with the milk. Keep alternating until the dry ingredients and milk are gone.

Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Divide batter between two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean. (Cooking times can vary depending on quality of ingredients and weather conditions.)

Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.

To assemble cake:

Rinse all fruit so that it is shiny and clean.

Prepare whipped cream (and prepare chocolate sauce if you are making from scratch).

Place one cooled layer of cake on cake stand and cover in about 3/4 cup of whipped cream. Place a strawberry that is a about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high in the center of the cake, upside down. This will help the whipped cream to not schmoosh out when you place the next layer on. Now take some of your fruit and spread it around the edges of the cake. Because this is a naked cake, you will want to pay attention to how you place the fruit on the edge.

Once cake is covered in fruit, place next layer of chocolate cake on top. Starting with a bunch of grapes that are still attached to the vine, place grapes on cake and then start building up around them. Fill in with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, and place a few more grapes around to balance the color. Finally, place some strawberries around the edge and maybe even one on top.

Drizzle chocolate sauce over cake and chill until ready to serve. If you want to add confectioners’ sugar, sprinkle immediately before serving.

Meringue Fruit Shells

I made these sweet little meringue fruit shells

for book group this month.

They were so easy to make up ahead.

To serve, I had dishes of fruit

(fresh pineapple, strawberries, grapes, kiwi,

cantaloupe and blueberries)

so each person could fill it with what they like.

I also had some whipped cream for a topping.

I did pick, sugar and freeze mint leaves for garnish…

but forgot them in the freezer. C'est vie!

The funniest thing about this post,

is that I've had the recipe since 1984 (really, I checked!)

and never made them until now. Give them a try!

Baked Alaska

Kirsten's (Barbara's daughter) family came to visit

Scott's (Barbara's son) family.

Ian enjoyed being with his cousins

(4 of Barbara's 28 grandkids!). 

We had a dinner to celebrate being with family,

and…

McKay's return from his mission in Hungary

Logan's return from his mission in Argentina

Ian's 7th birthday

Lauren's high school graduation,

and acceptance to BYU

[click on image for a larger view]

I've decided just to scan favorite recipes, as ugly as they are.

Maybe someday I'll go in and type everything… !

This is a recipe I had since?? I don't know when. 

This time I substituted a brownie mix for the bottom layer,

made peppermint ice cream from vanilla ice cream

and crushed leftover candy canes,

and saved the six egg yokes to make

our favorite chocolate pudding three times!

Everyone enjoyed the dessert.

We are currently out on the San Juan Islands

enjoying Cheryl (Barbara's daughter)

& John, along with cousin Christian.

No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Pumpkin Delight Dessert

I thought you'd enjoy this delish recipe. 

It's SO yummy for fall with the pumpkin flavor.

Go to this link for the recipe.

Carissa, wife of Barbara's grandson Erik

:::::

'

I saw this recipe and look forward to trying it this fall.

I hope to share with friends, as Scott is not a big pumpkin fan.

Go to this link for the recipe.

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp, Bosc Pear Cardamom Crisp

recipe and picture from here, adapted from here

This recipe smells so good as it's in the slow cooker. 

The topping was not quite as crisp as using the oven, 

but the convenience was nice. 

I haven't tried the pear recipe below yet, 

but love cardamom and look forward to tasting it.

It's from our pear supplier.

Happy Autumn!

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) cold butter, diced, plus more for greasing slow cooker
6 very large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (can use 10-12 smaller peaches)
1 T. cornstarch
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts (if using), cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and cut into the dry ingredients with your hands or a pastry cutter until a crumbly, leaving a few remaining pea-sized pieces of butter.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 3-quart cooker. Place sliced peaches in the bottom and sprinkle with the cornstarch and add the extracts. Stir to combine making sure all of the cornstarch is dissolved. Top evenly with the crumbly mixture.

Set slow cooker to LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or HIGH for 1 1/2 hours. When lifting the lid off the slow cooker, be careful not to let any water from the lid drip down onto the crisp or it can get soggy.

Spoon into bowls and serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream

Yields 4-6 servings.

Bosc Pear Cardamom Crisp
Filling:
8-10 medium bosc pears, peeled and chopped
3 T. lemon juice or 1 lemon juiced
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/2 t. ground ginger
Pinch of salt
8 T. butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Put pears in large bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Gently stir. Add pears into 6 8-oz jars leaving 1/4 headspace.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add butter and use fork to blend until crumbly.
3. Spoon topping over pears to cover. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until pears are cooked through and the topping is light brownEnjoy!!
PS--You can freeze this crisp filling for a quick easy treat throughout the winter. Thaw and just add the Topping! (Dee note: I freeze Rhubarb Crisp after it's baked, topping and all, so I think it would work for this one.)


by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Fruit Tart

This was so delicious and so easy to make. It is not as healthy as it looks. 

I could remake the recipe using a delicious nut crust and 

a coconut cream sauce and it would still taste very delicious.

by Cheryl, Barbara's daughter