Cherry Surprise

We had a bbq Monday. Labor Day and my son-in-law cooked steaks, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, salad and he asked me to make a dessert.  I had been out running most of the day, had to do the Sam's run, was out of flour...eeee gads can't have that!  :)  We also stopped by to see my friend Patsy, she had surgery on her hand Thursday and she was really not feeling well.  So back to the dessert.  I have wanted to try the puff pasty shells so what better time than today since I was in a crunch.  I bought some cherry pie filling and doctored it up.  I added some sugar about 1/4 of a cup and 1/4 cup of red drinking wine and 1 tsp. of almond extract.  I cooked the cherries until the sauce reduced.  I baked the shells, cut the tops off and pushed the inside around so I could fill them.  I then topped them with whipped cream (real whipped cream)....don't they look delish.

 The puff pastry look great don't ya think.  And boy are they yummy.

My youngest grandson AJ doesn't always like desserts, but he told me he wants me to make this for his birthday (which isn't until April  ;)  )He had two so guess they were pretty good.  I think kids can be a good test for foods (sometimes)

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.  Tomorrow is AJ's first football game.  Speaking of which I have a picture to share of Jake, my grandson, in his football uniform.
Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things you LOVE.
Donna

Apple Cinnamon Scones

YUM YUM.........My daughter told me these tasted a bit like apple pie.  She also told me that next time I should add some nutmeg and allspice, so I think I will do that.  My grandsons football team had a bake sale Saturday so I made some things to help.  These were one of the items I made.  I also made some mini English muffins, both regular and cinnamon raisin and hamburger rolls.  I'll post those items at a later time.


Ingredients:
Apple-Raisin Scones
(makes 6 large scones or 12 minis)

1 cup diced apples (or other fruit)
3 tablespoons sugar (granulated)
2 - 3 TBL cinnamon
1/4 cup red wine
3 TBL butter for apples
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, in cubes, slightly softened
2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk

Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

If using larger fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside. Be sure to make the pieces small, or they tend to fall out of the dough. They'll still be plenty prominent in your finished scones.

Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut in butter (you may want to use your fingers to be sure butter is evenly mixed into flour). Stir in fruit; then add cream/half-and-half/buttermilk all at once. Use spatula to gently stir dough until it holds together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Be gentle so you don't break up the fruit and don't overwork the dough. Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky.

Press (pat) the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any fruit peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges, then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. Bake 15 minutes.

 Apples ready for dicing.









Apples with the cinnamon, butter and wine.

Scones ready for the oven

 

Now ready to eat...................................

 

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day...And Find the Time to Do ALL the things you Love.
Donna

Soft Oatmeal Cookies

This is one of my all time favorite cookies.  They are soft and chewy and stay that way (unless you mess with the dough too much when making the shape of the cookie.  Also if you roll them in sugar they will tend to be a little harder)  So guess the option would be up to you if you want a soft cookie or a hard one.  They store well and the dough could be froze for up to about 3 months.  You can also add raisins (what is an oatmeal cookie without raisins I ask?)  and some chopped nuts of your choice.
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 - 1 cup raisins *Optional* 1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped nuts *optional*

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions:

	In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar. or roll in sugar and then flatten with fork (gives a harder cookie)
	Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  Have a wonderful day, and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things you LOVE. Donna

Some Pictures from Maine

While I was in Maine we took a side trip to Vermont to the King Arthur Store.  Here are 3 pictures from there.  Wow this place was like being in a candy store for grown up Bakers.  :)

This is the sign when you first enter the compound.
They have people from all over come here and as you can see also have tour buses at times.  It's a wonderful place with tons of baking needs and also odds and ends.  I of course bought stuff and had them ship it home so it was here when I came home.






This is the Sign that is on top of the entry way into the store.

This is the entry,  oh yes they also have baked goods you can buy and also taste.  They have 3 or so items cooking at different times and you can sample the product.

Inside King Arthur's, now how cute is this!










This is our ATV ride, this was a great ride because it was on an old railroad bed so you could just fly along.

 At times there was dust as you can see

This was our stop before we headed back, as you can see Winnie packs her coffee and cigs.

 Orm, me and Vic.  Orm is Winnie's brother and Vic is one of his good friends.
 I can't remember how long a ride this was, I think it was like 26 miles each way.

 This ride was in Machias, Maine, we went to Helen's to eat. Vic was putting his buff back on, these really help the dust from getting all over your face.

What a fun day this was....loading up to  come home.

 I'll be posting more pictures in the up coming days, between Winnie and I we took over 1000 pictures.
Have a wonderful Saturday and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things you LOVE.
Donna

Pineapple Coconut Galette

This was an experiment.  When I was in Maine I made several desserts and found out that Orm (who I stayed with) loves pineapple so of course I had to make him some yummies with pineapple.  I had first made apple galette from apples I had picked from one of his trees.  Those were yummy also.  I didn't want to make the same recipe just changing the fruit to I decided to add some coconut and  finely chopped nuts.  I cooked the pineapple with about 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4- cup white wine.
I let it cook until it was reduced and the sauce seemed to be a bit thickened.

I used the puff pastry for this as I did with the other Galettes

Frangipane (Almond Cream):
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (42 grams) almond meal (flour)
1 tablespoon (12 grams) all purpose flour
Crust:
1 pound (454 grams) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
Filling:
1 large can pineapple chunks (could use fresh)
2 tablespoons  granulated white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Garnish:
Confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
Softly whipped cream (optional)
Frangipane:  In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar.

and butter until creamy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add the almond meal

and flour and beat until it forms a smooth paste. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. 

Puff Pastry: Once the puff pastry has been defrosted, as per manufacturer's instructions: Unfold one sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut the sheet into thirds with a sharp knife. Then cut each third in half. Repeat with the second layer of puff pastry. Place the  pastries (you will have 12 altogether) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, with an offset spatula or large knife, spread a thin layer of frangipane (about 1 heaping TBL on each pastry, leaving about a 1/4 inch (1 cm) border. Cover and refrigerate the pastries for about 15 minutes. 


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven   Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and lay the pineapple, coconut and nuts on top of the frangipane. 
Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the pineapples are tender and the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. 
Preheat the oven broiler and move the rack to the top shelf of the oven. Lightly dust the tops of the pineapple with confectioners sugar (powdered or icing) and place under the broiler until the tips of the pineapple start to caramelize.  Watch closely and move the pan as needed.  Serve warm or cold with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Makes 12 galettes.
 If you like the Galette's you can really make them with any fruit.  So now I've done 3 versions, peach, apple and pineapple.  Gee what could be next....I'm sure I'll find something.

Have a wonderful day, and Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things you love.
Donna

Pineapple-Raspberry Muffins

These are the muffins that Michael and I made while I was in Maine.  They were delish I must say.  I had taken a strawberry muffin recipe and  change the ingredients because Orm Loves, loves, loves Pineapple AND I had some pineapple left over from making pineapple scones.  Yet another recipe I shall share soon.

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup  milk

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 cups  all-purpose flour

1 cup  granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon  baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup  unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 - 1 1/2 cups crushed pineapple (drain juice)

1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 TBL unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup raspberry sauce

Raspberry Sauce (puree)

1/3 cup white sugar

2 cups fresh raspberries

juice from 1/ 2  lemon

pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Turn the heat to low, and cook, stirring, until the berries become very soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and pass through a fine strainer to remove the seeds. Be sure to press firmly to get all the juice. Mixture will thicken slightly as it cools. Refrigerate until needed.
Directions:
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).  Place rack in middle of oven. Line 16 - 18 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with a non stick vegetable spray.

In a measuring cup mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour

mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. (The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.) Remove one cup of the mixture and set aside in a separate bowl to make the streusel topping. To the remaining muffin batter, gently fold in the pioneapple and lemon zest.  Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. (Do not over mix this mixture or the muffins will be tough when baked.) 

Fill each muffin cup with the batter.  Fill any unused muffins cups with water to prevent the pan from warping.

For streusel topping:  Swirl 1/2 tsp. or so into each muffin using a toothpick.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons  butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 one cup of streusel topping. Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly and looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle a couple of  teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin. (The muffins will be more moist than regular Blueberry muffins) Place in the oven and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 - 22 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 16 - 18 regular-sized muffins.

 

These were awesome.  Micheal took all the pictures except of course for the one of him placing the muffins in the oven.  Sure hope you give these a try and let me know what you think.  Have a wonderful day, and Remember to Always Find the Time to Do all The Things You Love

Salsa Verde Burgers

I recently came across this ingredient and have used it in several recipes.  It gives a very nice added spice to food and dressings.  Give it a try.  Sunday night I was craving grilled hamburgers so I decided to try this in them along with some sauteed onions and garlic, they all came together nicely and the flavor was nice and the salsa made the burgers very moist (another added plus).  My family loves cheese so they also had American White Cheese added.  I served these on homemade burger buns made from this recipe along with my macaroni salad and a green salad. (tomatoes from the garden)

Ingredients:
1- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 can Salsa Verde
1/2 Sweet Onion diced and sauteed
1 clove garlic (for cooking with onions)
salt and pepper

Take enough meat to make the size patty you want, flatten then add about 1 TBL salsa verde and 1 TBL onions.  Mix and form the patty (it will be very moist).  Grille and when just about ready add cheese if desired.  You can add additional onions and salsa if you want.  Enjoy

I'll be posting a raspberry pineapple muffin recipe tomorrow with pictures of Michael the new chef.
Have a wonderful day and always Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things You  Love.
Donna