Cherry Kuchen bars fresh cherries

I have been looking at this recipe for months and never had a can of cherry pie filling. I got cherries again in the bountiful basket so thought I would give it a try to make the filling.

I used the following recipe.

Cherry Pie filling

5 cups cherries pitted
½ C water
⅔ C White sugar
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
4 Tbsp cornstarch
 ½ tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Cherry Kuchen Bars

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 21 ounce can cherry pie filling (I used the pie filling recipe above.)
• 1 recipe Powdered Sugar Icing   

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the dough. Spread remaining dough in the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. 

Bake for 12 minutes. Spread pie filling over crust in pan. Spoon reserved dough into small mounds on top of pie filling.

Bake about 30 minutes more or until top is light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Drizzle top with Powdered Sugar Icing. Cool completely. Cut into bars to serve.

 
 Powdered sugar Icing

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 3 - 4 teaspoons milk 

 I sure hope you all enjoy these I sure did.

Stuffed peppers

Not a new idea but a classic staple in my opinion, we got the Green peppers in the bountiful basket this week.

Rice
1Lb ground Meat ( I used pork, you can use any you choose)
2tsp Fennel
2tsp Chili powder
2tsp Salt
4 stalks celery diced
1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic grated
1 can diced tomatoes 
1 cup of water
1 ½  Cup rice

Brown the meat about halfway.
Add the onions celery spices and garlic.
Just as the meat is almost brown add the rice and cook for about five minutes stirring often.
As the rice starts to brown add the canned tomatoes and water.
Cover and cook over a medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Prep 5 peppers
Top clean out and wash

Fill with the rice mixture top with cheese and bake or broil.
My husband likes his peppers a little crunchy so I broil them for about 7 minutes.
If you were to bake use a 375º oven and cook about 20-25 minutes till tender and cheese is melted.

Spaghetti Squash and Serloin with Marinara sauce with fried Zucchini

The Spaghetti squash in my Bountiful Basket has been neener neenering me all week.
I woke up yesterday and put that bad boy in the slow cooker with  ½ C. water.
I let the squash cook on high for about 6 hours we will talk more about this later.

Marinara
1 large yellow onion I also had a few green onions I threw in.
10oz Cherub tomatoes
5 cloves garlic
season to taste (I use a pizza seasoning blend no idea what is in it guess I better find out.)
1 can diced tomatoes petites
1Lb serloin steak or your choice of cut
2Tbsp flour
2Tbsp oil separated
1C water or liquid of choice

Slice the serloin into strips and layer the bottom of a heated skillet covered with 1Tbsp oil.
Once browned put the flour in and coat the steak then add the other Tbsp oil brown till slight crisp forms.
Add the onions, tomatoes and garlic cook till the onions are translucent then add the can of tomatoes and liquid. Bring to a simmer and lower to minimum heat and let it cook for an hour or so. I let it cook this long to soften the meat. A better cut of meat may not need as long.

Fried Zucchini 
1 Zucchini I used a small mexican squash and found it to be preferable for this.
¼ C. bread crumbs
½ C. Whole wheat flour seperated in half (regular all purpose is fine also.)
1 large egg

In one bowl put the half of the flour


In another bowl one egg whisked
In the last bowl prepare a breadcrumb mix with half the flour and season it to your preference.
 Peel and slice the squash into thin slices and put in the flour, egg then the breadcrumb mix in that order then put into a heated skillet with about a ¼ in of oil of your choice. Cook till brown turn brown the other side and then place on a paper towel to degrease.


Back to the squash
I took it out and cut it in half, it fell out of the skin guess it was done.☺

To plate I put the squash topped with the fried zucchini a layer of steak cheese I used an Italian blend then top with the marinara.

It was a nice change from the usual pasta and I had the leftovers today for lunch it was great reheated as well.

 

 

Cherry upside down cake

So I got sweet cherries in my bountiful basket this week and though we love them we could not make it through two bags of them. I started looking for recipes for dark sweet cherries I was looking for a pie recipe but this stopped me dead. I always enjoyed Pineapple upside down cake, my mother used to make when I was a child. I made it for my brother before he passed away, it was the last thing he ate and I have not felt like making it since. So when I found this recipe I had to try it.

Cherry mixture

2 Lbs dark sweet cherries halved and pitted.
½ stick of butter
¾ C Brown sugar

Melt butter and mix with brown sugar in the bottom of your cake pan.
Once mixed spread it out and place the cherries face down on the mixture and cover the whole bottom.
Press the layer down to ensure it adheres. I did not make the cake I used a butter cake mix and spread it out over the top and tap the pan to let the air bubbles out. I baked the cake per the recipe but for the last 10 minutes. I lowered the heat from 375 to 350 to allow the inside to keep cooking but the top was already done.

Ha ha Couldn't wait.

Green Chile from scratch

So I had ordered the Mexican veggie pack add on and thought Green Chile would be the best way to use it.
I have never used raw peppers or tomatillos
6 pablano peppers
8 tomatillos
6 garlic cloves
2 Jalapenos
1 large Onion
32oz Chicken Broth or water
1Lb pork cut into 1 in cubes.

Dice all peppers and opnions.
Quarter the tomatillos
Place in a slow cooker for a minimum of 10 hours on low.
You can use a high setting and cook for less time but I prefer the slow method for this.
After being in the crock for 15 hours I took a hand mixer and blended the chile.
Take the cubed pork and add it to a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Brown till almost done and add a ¼ flour coat the pieces and continue to brown.
Brown till crispy and put into the crock pot.
Cook for another 3-4 hours on high then serve over whatever you like.

This version was a little hot for me but the husband really enjoyed it I hope you do as well.

Dirty rice stuffed tomatoes

So I got some really nice vine tomatoes in my Bountiful Basket this week I also got the Mexican Veggie Pack so I used some of the pablano peppers I got to dirty the rice.

Dirty Rice
1Lb Ground Beef
1 large or 2 small pablano peppers diced
3 cloves of garlic (Grated works best)
1 small white onion diced
4 vine tomatoes Topped and hollowed
¼ tsp Cumin (optional)
1 tbsp diced cilantro (optional)
1Tbsp sea salt
4 stalks celery diced
32oz Chicken Broth or water
1 ½ cup long grain white or brown rice
½ cup shredded cheese

Dice vegetables and hollow the tomatoes using an ice cream scoop or large spoon.
Chop the tomato hearts and put them aside.
Brown the ground beef till almost done add onions, celery, peppers and garlic.
Sweat the vegetables till the onions are translucent add in the tomato pieces.
Add in the rice and continue to cook till the rice starts to brown.
Add in the chicken broth and  season to taste cook for about 40 minutes or till the rice is done.

Preheat the oven to broil
Put a small layer of rice in the bottom of a 9in square pan (I used two aluminum bread pans)
Using a large spoon or scoop fill the tomatoes with the rice and place in the pan using the rice to layer the tomatoes evenly on the bottom of the pan.
Top the tomatoes with cheese and broil for 5-7 minutes till the cheese is bubbly.

Tomorrows dinner Chile Verde using all fresh ingredients with the exception of the chicken broth. Never used tomatillos before we'll see how this turns out.

 

Bountiful basket Asian veggie pack.

I got the Asian veggie pack this week and was really excited with it.
I had bok choy, Chinese cabbage, String beans, snap peas, mushrooms and onion.
I also had some ginger and garlic for flavor.

I took and using the micro shredder cut the ginger and garlic down about a 1Tbsp each
I put it in the pan with 2 Tbsp olive oil once the aromas release I added two cut up chicken breasts.
Cook till browned and done through.
I then added the vegetables about a cup and a half of each.
This is your choice but I used lemon chicken stir fry sauce.
Once the veggies sweat down add the chicken cook together for about ten minutes and serve over rice.

I have actually made this twice since Saturday when we got our basket and no leftovers.

This week I get the Mexican veggie pack so we'll see what I come up with.

Plum oat crips Thanks Martha

I had to use the rest of the plums and found this recipe, sorry I did not get pictures of these in time.  Yummy thanks miss Martha for all the great ideas.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 1/2 pounds ripe plums (about 8), cut into 1-inch pieces

I added 1/2 C Cherry vanilla granola for additional flavor.
I also made the desserts personal and ended up with three plum and three apple crisps.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, oats, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until coarse crumbs form.
2. In a shallow 2-quart baking dish, toss plums with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon flour; sprinkle with oat topping. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until topping is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Slacking kind of

So I have been slacking in posting my creations but I have not slacked off on creating them.
I made my husbands co-workers a Apricot Plum tart that was greatly appreciated as it was close to the Armenian desserts from home.
I used the apricots from my Bountiful basket and a few of the plums for an extra layer of flavor.

I like this crust recipe it uses sugar to sweeten the crust.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Tart Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon  salt

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/8 to 1/4 cup  ice water

Mix dry ingredients use pastry blender to cut butter into crumbs. 

Add the water slowly and mix after adding about a Tablespoon, repeat till dough forms. 

I like to refrigerate the dough about 30 min to make it easier to roll out.

Roll into a 13in square and fill the center with fruit mixture.

 

Apricot Filling

1 1/2 pounds fresh ripe apricots (8 large or 14 small apricots)

2   red flesh plums

1/3 - 1/2 cup granulated white sugar (or to taste)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Slice apricots into three of four wedges depending on size. *Dice plums (optional)

Mix with sugar and salt place in dough.

Wrap edges up pinching if needed to secure.

Bake at 405° for 40 to 45 min till golden brown at the edges.

Garnish

1/4 cup (25 grams) chopped pistachios or almonds

Chile Verde

So I slacked Friday and Saturday it was so nice outside I just couldn't make myself stay in and cook even though cooking is like breathing to me. I did however make some noodle soup with corn off of the cob broccoli and romaine lettuce. I was going to use oodon noodles but they were bad in the package. So I used ramen noodles instead. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself, I wish I had added in an egg. Today I made some Chile Verde and I was reminded why this is one of my favorite dishes to make and to eat.

Chile Verde

1 ½ lb. Pork cut in 1 inch cubes I use either pork stew meat or boneless country ribs. If on sale I use sirloin. 

2 large garlic cloves

2 small cans diced green peppers

1 Tbsp Jalepeno (Optional)

1 can of Fire roasted tomatoes diced with garlic (Optional)

2 Tbsp Olive oil

¼ C Flour

32 oz Chicken Broth

Cumin

Heat large skillet or 3 quart pot add half of the olive oil and pork cook till browned.

As the Pork begins to brown add the garlic using a microplane or dice it finely.

Heat till you smell the perfume from the garlic or just before it burns

Add half of the flour and coat the pork and continue to cook till the flour starts to brown.

Add the green chiles and jalapenos cook for about four or five minutes and add most of the chicken broth. If you want add the tomatoes now as well.

Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer.

After about 30 minutes add the remaining broth. Use the remaining flour as a slurry to thicken to desired consistency.

My husband likes his pretty thick like country gravy with hash browns and eggs.

We had a friend over for dinner tonight so I did not get a picture of the plate sorry about that.

On a side note: If you use the tomatoes your Chile Verde will not be very Verde but it will taste great.

Thanks for reading hope you enjoy the recipe I know we do.

 

No cooking today

I have decided with the weather as hot as it is I will let the husband grill tonight.
I will however be thinking of what I can do for dinner tomorrow night.
I am so excited to see what Saturday brings with my bountiful basket.
That seems to have renewed my passion for food and cooking from scratch.
I have several illnesses and cooking from whole raw foods has changed my life.
I hope the recipes I share can help you find a new love for food in its natural form.

See you tomorrow have a great evening.

Chicken Surprise (Gnocchi soup with chicken breast)

So as promised here is what I made for dinner yesterday. We really enjoyed and I can't wait to have some leftovers for lunch.

Sweet pepper and carrot soup with Gnocchi and Chicken breast

5 carrots
3 sweet orange peppers
1 yellow onion
4 tomatoes
2 Tbsp Olive oil
3 Tbsp of pizza seasoning
1 Tbsp salt
32 oz chicken broth low sodium no MSG

I peeled and finely diced five carrots three orange sweet peppers and an onion and let them sweat in a pot with the olive oil on a low heat. I chopped the tomatoes and threw them in seeds and all. I put a lid on the pot and lowered the heat to low and added the pizza seasoning and salt put the lid on and let it simmer for about an hour.

After the vegetables simmered for about an hour I removed 2/3 of the mixture leaving the juice in the pan.
To the pan I added half of the broth and two frozen chicken breasts, I placed the lid back on and turned the heat to medium cooking the breasts for about 2 hours at a simmer.

 In the meantime I had peeled chopped and boiled 4 red potatoes for Gnocchi.

Gnocchi
Start a pot of salted boiling water

1C Mashed potatoes
2C Flour
1 Egg

Mix the egg and mashed potatoes adding slowly the flour. If you use a hand mixer it will turn to crumbs and at that point use your hands to mold the dough into 1/2 inch round tubes. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces and drop into the boiling water. When the Gnocchi starts to float to the top spoon them out.

Once the Gnocchi was complete I added the rest of the chicken broth and most of the veggies. I took about two cups of veggies some hot broth and a few gnocchi put it in the magic bullet and added it to the soup to thicken.
As you can see I did not do anything to the chicken I served each whole with a bowl of the Gnocchi soup.

hmmm....Dinner

Seems I have hit a wall today, not sure what to make for dinner.
I think I will make some Chicken Surprise, why would I call it Chicken surprise?
Chicken surprise is my husbands favorite and least favorite food.
He loves it because it always turns out great.
He hates it because I never note what I put in it.
Today I will try to note what I used and I will post a photo later.
Have a great day and remember food can be a great outlet.
I find great joy in cooking for those I love.

Apple Cider pie

Double layer Crust
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/4 cup butter cut into pieces
1/2-2/3 cup Ice water

Mix flour and salt
Cut in butter and shortening till pea sized
Spoon one or two tablespoons of water in the mixture stir with fork then press sticky dough to side of bowl.
Repeat this process till dough comes together.
I cut the dough into two wrapped in plastic and put in the fridge for an hour.
After chilled take dough and roll out 12" round pastry and roll over rolling pin.
Unroll over pie plate fill then trim the sides.
Repeat process for top layer

Filling

Core and slice 6 cups of apples thinly.
Use 2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Zest of one orange.

Mix flour sugar and spices in bowl.
Add in apples and orange zest.
Mix till coated and place in pie crust.

Top pie as noted above.
Brush crust with milk and sprinkle sugar to add color and sweetness to crust.

Place tinfoil over the edges of the pie crust to prevent burning.
Bake at 375° for 30 minutes remove foil and bake another 30 to 45 minutes till the fruit is done.

Here is mine.

Blueberry cheesecake swirl bars

I was looking through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and found this recipe for blueberry cheesecake swirl bars. I have never made a baked cheesecake so I was a bit apprehensive about trying it.
I am so glad I did though they are so good I wish I made a double batch.
Here is the recipe.

I  recommend making the crust first then make the blueberry sauce.
I was able to use the juice of one fresh orange just enough for the recipe.
After I juiced the orange I strained through a wire mesh basket to keep the strings and pulp out.
I also used parchment paper Vs. foil as I was out it worked just fine.
The only thing I would have done different would be to spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray.