Turnovers

These are awesome!  I made them last night for Bart, Irene and Michael.  Michael asked me to make another batch for him to bring home, and for the recipe to share with his mother.  I did, and showed him how I made them, too.

1 pkg refrigerated pie pastry
1 jar preserves - I used blueberry and apricot.  They also suggest peach.  I would love to try rhubarb strawberry preserves in it.
2 Tbl fat free half and half (orig. recipe calls for milk)
original recipe calls for sprinkling cinnamon sugar on cooked turnovers, but I made frosting.
Frosting:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp lemon flavoring
2-3 Tbl vanilla coffee creamer
Mix sugar and lemon.  Add creamer slowly, until desired consistency is reached.  Keep it thick, but able to drop from a spoon.

Cut each pastry into 4 wedges.  Place preserves in the center of each - orig. recipe calls for 1 Tbl, but Irene prefers more.  Just don't put in so much that it oozes out all over the pan, or it's a pain to clean up, and gives the turnover a little burned flavor.  Moisten edges of pastry with water.  Fold pastry over filling; press edges with fork to seal.
Place turnovers on cookie sheet - orig recipe says "ungreased," but I would suggest aluminum foil over pan, and spray it with butter flavored Pam.  Cut a small slit in the top of each.  Brush with milk (or half and half).  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown.

Frost.  Serve warm.  Yield: 8 servings.
The picture is of turnovers Irene and Lizzie made from homemade pie crust, and they added diced apples and chopped pecans, which were delicious!

Savory Beef and Noodles

Quick, easy, and tasty.
1 pkg egg noodles, cooked
1 lb ground beef, cooked over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain.
1 can condensed French onion soup, undiluted
1/2 cup beef gravy
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces
Add soup, gravy and mushrooms to meat.
1 Tbl flour
1 Tbl water
Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Mix flour and cold water.  Add to meat mixture.
Cook and stir 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Serve over hot egg noodles.
4 servings
Served to Bart 5/26/12, who would like to have it as a regular menu item.

Quiche

This can be made with lots of variations.  I made it this morning for Bart and my parents.
6 eggs, well mixed
1 cup milk
1 Tbl Adobo
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated cheese - swiss or cheddar or gruyere, etc.
5 slices bacon, cooked and diced (about 1/2 cup cooked meat of some kind)
3/4 cup asparagus diced and cooked in microwave with 1/4 cup water for 3 minutes
1/4 cup diced mushrooms, fried in bacon grease for 3 minutes
(or any other 1 cup of cooked vegetables in total)
2 Tbl diced chives
1 pie crust

Put pie crust in pie pan.  Mix eggs, milk, and spices.  Add other ingredients and pour into pie pan.
Cook at 350 degrees about 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Swirled Raspberry & Chocolate Cheesecake

from Taste of Home Apr/May 2012 p. 66
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c confectioner's sugar
1/3 c butter, melted
1 c fresh raspberries
1/2 t sugar
3 pkg (8 oz ea) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 t vanilla
4 eggs, separated
1 c semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
Additional raspberries

1. Place greased 9-in. springform pan on double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil (18 inches square).  Wrap foil around pan.
2. In bowl, combine cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar and butter; press onto bottom of pan.  Place raspberries and sugar in blender; cover and process until smooth.  Strain.
3. In bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Add egg yolks, beat on low just until combined.  Remove 1 Tbl; stir into raspberry puree.  Remove half of remaining mixture to another bowl; stir in chocolate.  In bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  With spatula, fold half into chocolate mixture until blended.  Pour over crust.
4. Fold remaining egg whites into plain cream cheese mixture; spread over chocolate layer.  Drop raspberry mixture by spoonfuls over top; swirl with knife.
5. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to larger pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until center is just set.  Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil.  Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen from pan with knife.  Cool 1 hour longer.  Refrigerate over night.  Remove rim.  Serve with fresh raspberries.

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but will this summer when my wild raspberries are ripe.  Mom wanted me to write it down so she can use it this fall for a fund raiser for Friends of the Berne Library.

menu for the next week

Wed: Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, grilled sausages, rhubarb sauce, green salad
Thurs:Babi Kecap (see Aug blog entry), rice, stir fried veggies, inc. asparagus
Fri: (we have company) Pork Loin with Potatoes - recipe to follow, green beans supreme, Lemon Pound Cake

Sat: (we have company) Beef Wellington (see Feb blog entry), Yorkshire Pudding, scalloped parsnip and potatoes, chocolate cake
Sun: (I'll be at a baby shower all afternoon) leftovers
Mon: egg rolls (see Sept blog entry), stir fry beef and broccoli
Tues: Lasagna(see Nov blog entry), French bread, green salad

Aunt Millie's Applesauce Cake

Millie’s Applesauce Cake (or Rhubarb Cake)

9x13 pan, 350 degrees, 45-60 minutes

Cream together:

¾ cup Crisco

2 cups sugar

2 cups applesauce

2 tsp baking soda

Mix.

Add:

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

½ tsp salt

Mix.

Add:

 3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

Mix.

If you like, add ½ box raisins and/or 1 cup chopped nuts.

Bake in greased and floured 13x9 pan.  Rhubarb sauce can be substituted for applesauce.

This recipe is from Millie McDermott.  Aunt Millie (really a distant cousin) cleaned our house twice a week when Mom was teaching school.  We all loved her, and miss her.

My Mom used to make this often when I was growing up.  It was the stand by dessert for when we didn't have any eggs.  Mom always used home made applesauce, which is so much better than store-bought it's like a completely different food.  I'm making this with rhubarb sauce this weekend.  

Rhubarb Sauce:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar or brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 cup water

Heat over low heat until the rhubarb is soft.  Sweeten to taste - some rhubarb needs more, some less. This can be canned or frozen, and keeps for a long time in the fridge.

Chicken Taco Bake

2 cups coarsely crushed corn chips
1 can refried beans
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Taco cheese, divided
1 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tsp Mexican or taco seasoning
1 green onion, sliced
1 tomato, chopped

Place corn chips in a greased 2 qt casserole dish - wider rather than deeper (rectangular or oval is good)
Place the refried beans in a small saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.  Remove from heat and mix in 1 cup cheese and salsa.  Pour over chips.
Toss the chicken and Mexican seasoning; sprinkle over the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with tomato and green onion.
Yield 4 servings
Served 5/8/12 to Bart and Irene, who both loved it.

Rhubarb Raspberry Kuchen

In the 1990s, I was a stay - home Mom, and did daycare in my home.  One of the families - the Boones - gave me a cookbook called The American Country Inn and Bed and Breakfast Cookbook, Vol. II.
This is a recipe from that book that I have made almost every year since:
Rhubarb Raspberry Kuchen - from The Washington House Inn in Cedarburg, Wisconsin

1 1/2 c sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 cup lard or Crisco
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
2 Tbl milk
1 - 3 oz pkg raspberry gelatin
6 cups 1/2 inch sliced rhubarb
*******
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
6 Tbl butter

Grease a 13x9-inch pan.  In a medium bowl sift together the 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp of sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the 1/4 cup of butter and lard with a pastry blender until the mixture resemble coarse meal.
In a separate bowl blend together the egg yolk and milk; then add to the flour mixture.  Pat the dough into the pan and sprinkle with the dry gelatin.  Arrange the rhubarb on top.
In a small bowl combine the 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 6 Tbl of butter for a streusel topping.  Sprinkle over the dough.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Serves 12

Turkey Green Bean Casserole

This is similar to the green bean casserole everyone makes.  Bart and I loved it, but Irene still would rather use leftover turkey to make Souper Soup.
3-4 cups frozen green beans, microwaved or simmered until just done, or 2 cans french cut green beans.
If the beans are very long, cut them in half or they will be too hard to scoop out of the dish when serving.
2 cups cooked turkey, diced or cut into chunks
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream (We use fat free)
1/2 pkg French Onion Soup mix (original recipe calls for the whole package, but I thought it was too much)
1 pkg dry stuffing mix, cooked to pkg directions
optional - shredded cheese (I used Gruyere), and French Fried Onions - both to sprinkle on top

Directions: After cooking beans, spread them in the bottom of a greased 2 qt casserole dish.  Cover with turkey.  Mix soups, sour cream, and onion soup mix and pour over turkey.  Top with prepared stuffing mix.  Sprinkle with optional ing.
Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through.
Note: I didn't have sour cream, or even plain yogurt to substitute, so I added mayonnaise and milk.  It worked fine, but no doubt wasn't as healthy for us as the fat free sour cream would have been.
Served for family dinner with fresh salad, and chocolate chip rhubarb muffins for dessert, on 5/2/2012 to Bart and Irene.

Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
 1/4 tsp salt
 1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips
 3/4 diced fresh or frozen rhubarb

TOPPING
1/2 cup chopped pecans
 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1Tbl cold butter

 In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. in another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and rhubarb. Fill greased muffin tins or paper lined muffin tins two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for five minutes, before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield 18 muffins.