Month: August 2016

My Dad’s Peach Upside-down Cake

Ingredients

4 T butter

1 cup brown sugar

3-5  peaches sliced depending on size.

1 1/2 cup flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/3 cup butter softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 t vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º  Grease sides of 9 inch round cake pan.

Place butter and brown sugar in baking pan  on low heat and cook until sugar is melted. Cut peaches into half inch slices and place on top of brown sugar mixture.

Combine and mix the dry ingredients in small bowl.

In medium bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well. Add milk and dry ingredients in by thirds until all are combined.

Spread the dough evenly over the fruit. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool 5-10 minutes. Recommended to run a knife around the edge of the pan before turning over onto serving platter. Serve with whipped cream with nutmeg. 8 servings.

Note: My Dad loved to bake peach upside-down  cake when peaches were in season. This  is his recipe. He also made a delicious apple pie.

 

 

White Bean Rosemary Pasta Soup

A delicious,healthy, easy to make soup with lots of beans and pasta with a delightful rosemary garlic broth. P.S. The conchiglie pasta captures the beans.

 Ingredients

1 medium sweet onion chopped

1 cup fine diced carrots

1 cup fine diced celery or 3 stalks

3 T olive oil

2 cans cannellini beans drained and washed

1 can garbanzo beans drained and washed

5 cups vegetable broth* or chicken broth

1/3 cup crushed tomatoes – Pomi Crushed if available

6 rosemary stems tied*

1/4 t crushed red pepper

1 1/2 cup Conchiglie* shells or large shell pasta.

Salt and pepper

Directions

In medium sauce pan sauté onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups of broth, beans, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Cook over medium high heat for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 3 cups of broth and pasta. Bring to boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Remove rosemary stems.

Serve with toasted rosemary bread or sourdough for dipping and a green salad.

Notes

* We use Swanson’s ® vegetable broth when we are having a vegetarian meal. It does not have a heavy carrot influence.

* I love Rosemary. Most people would use 1 or 2 stems.

* Conchiglie shells are usually hard to find in our grocery stores but are preferred in this soup. The on-line stores have them or use large shells.

 

 

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 cup mashed bananas or 3 medium

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup of canola oil

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped pecans optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400º  12 well muffin pan 15″ by 11″ 1 cup size. Use standard size baking cups. Spray with Pam® and place in wells.

Combine in separate bowl the dry ingredients, mix and set aside. In medium bowl add wet ingredients and combine. Add in dry ingredients and nuts. Stir until dry ingredients are moist.

Fill the baking cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle comes out dry.

 

Graham Cracker Crumb Cake

Ingredients 

Cake

2 sticks of butter or 1 cup softened

2 cups granulated sugar

5 eggs

2 cups

2 t baking powder

1 t vanilla

1 cup drained crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Frosting

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter softened

16 ounces or 1 box confectioners sugar

2/3 cup drained pineapple

1/2 cup chopped nuts optional

Directions

Grease and flour two 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans or spray with Pam® Baking. Preheat oven to 350º

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs in medium bowl. Add in graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, vanilla, pineapple, nut , and coconut. Mix until combined. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 40 minutes or until cake testers inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cake and then frost.

Frosting

Combine butter, confectioners sugar, and pineapple. Once combined then mix until creamy. Frost the cake and sprinkle numbers around the sides.

Note: A nice moist cake with a sweet tangy frosting.

 

 

 

Aunt Kate’s Chocolate Cake

Ingredients 

1  4 ounce box chocolate cook and serve pudding

1 box Devil’s food cake mix

1 12 ounce package chocolate chips

1/2 cup warm water

8 ounces sour cream

1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs

Directions

Bundt pan prayed with Pam® Baking spray. Preheat oven to 350º

Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl except chocolate chips

Add wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.

Note: Aunt Kate usually serves this with ice cream and raspberry coulis. My favorite topping was chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  Aunt Kate is in her nineties, lives alone on her farm, and still is baking goodies.

E’s Couscous Salad

Ingredients

1 box Near East® Original Couscous

2 cups vegetable broth

1 T olive oil

1 cucumber diced

1 package green onions chopped

1 tomato diced

1 can black olives diced

1/2 cup red pepper diced

1 cup feta crumbled*

2 T olive oil

Paul Newman® Italian Dressing

Salt and pepper

Pine nuts toasted

Directions

Serves 6-8

Bring broth and oil to boil. Add couscous then cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes then remove cover and fluff. Concurrently add all vegetables, Feta, and black olives to salad bowl and toss with Italian dressing and set them aside to marinate.  Add couscous to vegetables . Add olive oil and mix. Add additional Italian dressing to sufficiently coat and season salad. I add a few tablespoons at a time so ingredients are coated but not drowning. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pine nuts sprinkled on the top.

Note:

We serve this with grilled salmon, corn salsa,and a huge green salad. For dessert frozen raspberry jam with vanilla ice cream.

*President® Feta and Greek fetas are recommended. Drier with a nice crumble for salads. Danish types are creamier

 

Potato Leek Soup with Green Beans

A different approach to potato leek soup. Crunchy vegetables with a velvety broth.

Ingredients

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 onion large diced

1 cup leeks sliced

1 red pepper diced*

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 cup celery diced

1 T parsley chopped*

1 1/2 T flour

4 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups diced potatoes

1 bunch of thyme tied

1 1/2 cup green beans rough chopped

3/4 cup milk*

(Optional) 1 chicken breast left over chopped

Salt and pepper

Directions

Melt butter and olive oil in large saucepan. Add in onions,pepper, garlic, shallots, and celery. Sauté 5-10 minutes until vegetables are al dente. Stir in flour. Add broth and stir until combined.

Bring to boil and add potatoes and herbs. Cook medium low for 8-10 minutes.

Add  green beans and cook about 10 minutes until green beans al dente. (Can add chopped chicken at this step) Remove thyme. Add milk, chopped parsley, and  season to taste.

Serve with artisan bread and a green salad on the side.

Notes

*Red pepper- Yellow or orange can be substituted

*Parsley-I have substituted cilantro when I have had herbs to be used.

*Milk-I use 2%.

We like our vegetables crispy. I taste during the cooking process so the vegetables do not get soft.