Peach Cobbler

I love warm fruit desserts this time of year.  The fruit is fresh and at it's peak of flavor and baking it warms the house since we are getting cool weather now.  Other than one bad experience with having peaches for dinner, peaches are one of my favorite fruits to bake.

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner and I offered to bring dessert.  I made this peach cobbler, took it out of the oven as we left the house for dinner so it would still be warm when we were ready to eat it.  The topping is a crumbly, scone-like topping and it is so good with a dollop of ice cream melting over it.  I took these pictures right out of the oven and then what was left after dinner.  While my husband and friends are used to me taking pictures of our food, I wasn't sure about at a dinner party.

I will say, I work one of the ladies who went to the dinner.  We were in a meeting and she started the meeting with telling me, again, how much she loved the cobbler (her words were, "It was perfection" not to brag but it was good and it made me feel good for her to say that).  I guess it was a hit.

Peach Cobbler
fruit filling:
6 lbs. peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3-1/2 cup sugar, depending on peaches and your taste
 cobbler topping:
adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook
2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 c. heavy cream

Pre heat oven to 350ºF.  Butter 9 inch deep dish pie plate.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Drop in the butter and, working quickly, cut it in with a pastry blender.  You should have various-sized pieces of butter, from sandy patches to pea-sized chunks, and some larger bits as well.

Pour the cream over the flour mixture and toss together with a rubber spatula, until you have a soft dough; it is better o have a few dry patches than a tough dough.  The dough will be soft and sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper and cover with another sheet.  Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a 9 inch round.  Place the dough on a baking sheet, still covered, and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Combine peach slices with the sugar, toss to mix.  Pour into prepared pan and press fruit down.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and gently place on the fruit filling.  Cut a decorative vent in the middle.

Bake for 60-70 minutes until the top is golden and puffed and the fruit is bubbling with juices.  Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.


August 31, 2012     Daylight 14 hours, 40 minutes, 9 sec.     Temp. 58ºF

Banana Bread and putting up wood for winter

Putting up wood for the winter is a big job.  Dave spends a lot of time cutting wood, bucking it up, splitting it, and then stacking it so it can dry.  We use about 6 cords of wood every winter in the new wood stove.  Because it is more efficient it saves us about 2 cords of wood a winter.

A cord of wood is 4 feet high, 4 feet deep, and 8 feet long.  We have about 3 cords here, stacked 6 feet high.

This year Dave had some wood delivered.  It came in 8 foot lengths.  Dave had to buck it up, split it and stack it (notice I said Dave, I didn't help).  It is a huge job, and he'll be sore for the rest of the week, so will my brother in law, back door neighbor and oldest son since they all helped.

Sunday morning's project, stacking this split wood.

They got it all cut into lengths, some of it stacked and all of it split between Friday afternoon and all day Saturday.  Sunday Dave spent the day stacking this pile.  It was cold and rainy, so not very fun work.
I thought a warm treat was in store for him (and I had a pile of bananas that were very ripe) so I made banana bread.

Dave next to the wood pile.  It is about 6 feet high and 42 feet long.  Dave looks thrilled to be doing this in the rain.

Dave was anxious to get this wood stacked.  He wants to leave for moose camp next weekend and the house rule is we have to have more wood at the house than he has at camp.  I think the house is a couple cords short.

Banana Bread

adapted from Baking Boot Camp

1/2 cup walnuts

2 c. all-purpose four

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and lightly mashed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Topping
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. oat bran
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease and flour a 9 inch loaf pan.  Toast the nuts in a skillet over high heat, stirring frequently, until the nuts give off a good aroma and are just starting to brown.  Immediately transfer the nuts to a a bowl and cool completely.  Chop the nuts coarsely.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, add cooled, chopped nuts.  Ina another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the honey, grated orange rind and bananas and mix until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, to the banana mixture, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix until blended.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture all at once.  Stir until they are just blended into the batter. pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Mix topping ingredient.  Sprinkle topping over top of banana mixture.

Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until the bread begins to shrink from the edge of the pan and the center of the loaf springs back when lightly pressed.  Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then ease the bread out of the the pan and continue cooling on a rack.

August 29, 2012     Daylight  14 hours, 53 minutes, 27 seconds     Temp.  53ºF

Salmon Cakes

While salmon hot off the grill, is my favorite way to eat it, I also really enjoy salmon cakes.  These are like the meatloaf of Fairbanks, everyone has their own way of doing it and it is a little different every time, depending on your mood and what you have handy.

I keep mine very simple so the flavor of the salmon shines through.  I eat these cold, on a big bed of lettuce for lunch or warmed up and on a toasted bun with some tarter sauce for a heartier spread.  I use what ever salmon is left over from dinner to make salmon cakes, then freeze them for lunches.  Sometime I make extra salmon when we are grilling just so I have these ready to grab from the freezer in the mornings.

Salmon Cakes
I tried hard to keep track of what I did when I made these.  Remember, like meatloaf, it doesn't have to be exactly the same every time.
1 cup cooked salmon,  broken into small pieces (you can use a 7 oz can of salmon and adjust as needed)
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 c. breadcrumbs
2 egg whites

Heat oven to 350ºF.  Place cookie sheet in oven to heat.
Saute onions until soft.  Add onions, mustard, breadcrumbs and egg whites to salmon.  Mix well.  Using a 1/2 cup or an ice-cream scoop, scoop out salmon mixture and form into patties. Remove cookie sheet from oven, spray with non-stick spray. Place patties on cookie sheet and place in oven.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn patties over and bake 5 more minutes.

August 27, 2012     Daylight  15 hours, 7 minutes, 8 seconds     Temp. 53ºF

Salmon on the grill

To say I eat a lot of salmon is an understatement.  I eat salmon one or two nights a week and then for lunch two or three days a week.  I love the stuff.

Last year, my brother-in-law went fishing down on the Kenai and brought home his limit of salmon and stored it in my freezer.  They were filleted and vacuum sealed, they were lovely.  This year a friend gave us some Copper River Reds.  They are so beautiful and delicious.  Dave filleted them and vacuum sealed them and they sit in the freezer for a winter of feasting on salmon.

Dave won't eat salmon.  Or, I should say, doesn't care for salmon.  He will eat smoked salmon but he says he ate more than his share growing up.  I am the only one at home that will eat the salmon (if you don't count the dogs and they just get the skin).  I did share some at work, but really I am hoarding the rest for myself.

I will grill a fillet and have some for dinner, then cut it into 'me serving size" portions and wrap it, freeze it and have it ready for lunch.  All I need is some salad and I top it with a piece of salmon and I am in heaven.

There are countless ways to top the salmon but my favorite is pure maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  Brush it on top and grill.  The salmon is sweet with a little kick at the end.  It is the perfect way to prepare it especially if you are going to use the salmon for another recipe like salmon patties or salmon salad for sandwiches (recipes to follow).

I know I'm very spoiled when it comes to my salmon.  I know my salmon is fresh, I know it is wild and I know people down in the real world pay big bucks for it and I get it for free.  If you are ever in town, stop by, I'll have Dave throw a fillet on the grill and we'll have a delicious dinner.

Salmon on the Grill
1 salmon fillet
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Preheat grill and turn one side off.  Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels.  Mix syrup and cayenne pepper.  Place salmon on "off" side of grill, brush with syrup mixture.  Close lid of grill and let salmon cook for about 7 minutes.  Baste with syrup mixture a second time.  Close lid and grill another 7 minutes, or until fish is cooked through.
Serve.

August 21, 2012     Daylight 15 hours, 47 minutes, 53 seconds     Current Temp. 61ºF

Nutella Meringue

It is amazing how good you feel after you've been sick!  I am not a sick person by nature, but last week I was thrown for a loop, or thrown loopy.  I got vertigo and the world spun around and around for about a week. (Dave says he has always known I was a little dizzy, now there is a medical diagnosis to go along with it)

Well, the spinning is gone, I'm back on my feet and to celebrate, I drank champagne and made Nutella Meringues.  You just can't get any better than that.  

I have decided that these are true health food.  Meringues are basically egg whites and a little sweetener.  Egg whites are good protein.  Nutella states in the advertising that is a healthy...and I believe everything I hear in commercials so protein and a healthy chocolate/hazelnut addition.  How can you go wrong?  If nothing else, when I eat these crispy, chewy meringues I am happier and that is good for anyone's health.

Nutella Meringues

from Cream Puffs in Venice
Yields 15 to 20 meringues (depends on how big you make them)

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch of cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Make sure you have one oven rack in the bottom third of your oven and one in the upper third of your oven.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Set up a double boiler (a pot with another pot on top or a heat-proof bowl on top) and put the Nutella in the top of the double boiler. Warm the Nutella through and then set aside while you make the meringue. (You could warm the Nutella in a microwave but I don’t own one so you’re on your own if you do use one.) Let the Nutella cool as you make the meringue.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Beat on medium-high speed until they are completely foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and the salt and continue whipping at medium-high speed until when you lift the whisk attachment, soft peaks form. This should take a few minutes.

Once you have reached the soft peak stage, increase the speed to high and begin adding the sugar a few spoonfuls at a time (this should take a few minutes).

Once all the sugar is in, the meringue should be very thick (almost stiff) and when you left the whisk firm peaks should remain.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and drop in all the Nutella. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the Nutella into the meringue three or four times. You’re aiming for a swirled effect so don’t overmix. This will also help avoid deflating the meringue.

Using two spoons, drop the meringue onto the parchment-lined baking sheets in large dollops.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and rotate the trays. Bake for an hour.

After an hour, check the meringues. If they are completely dried out then turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for a few hours to cool with the oven. If the meringues still look a bit “wet”, then continue baking for another 20 minutes or so. Either way, once fully baked, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a few hours.

When you remove the meringues from the oven they should be completely dry and cool and will sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

The meringues will keep in an airtight container for a week.

Enjoy!

August 15, 2012     Daylight  16 hours, 29 minutes, 1 second   Current Temp: 67ºF

Cabbage Salad

This is a big bowl of happiness.  Cabbage salad with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.  I love it, I especially love the fact that I grew the cabbage and carrots.  The dressing is a light vinaigrette made creamy with a little non-fat yogurt.

I made this for dinner after a long day in the garden, pulling spent plants, harvesting veggies, and pulling the never ending chickweed.  It was crunchy, sweet, tart and oh, so good.  We'll be eating this a lot for the next couple of weeks.

Cabbage Salad

1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
2 Tbsp. sugar or honey
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup non-fat greek yogurt
handful of sunflower seeds
handful of dried, sweetened cranberries or cherries

Mix green cabbage, purple cabbage and carrots together.  Set aside.

Mix sugar or hone with vinegar, stir until sugar is dissolved, add oil and whisk.  Add yogurt and whisk until smooth.  Pour over cabbage and carrots, mix well and let sit for about 30 minutes.  Add cranberries and sunflower, mix.  Keeps several days covered in the refrigerator.

YUM!

August 13, 2012     Daylight  16 hours, 42 minutes, 48 second     Current Temp: 62ºF

Zucchini and Cheese Tart

Because I have more zucchini than I know what to do with, and because this is kinda' like a pie (for pie summer), we have a zucchini-cheese tart.  I make this a lot this time of year.  I always have the ingredients on hand and can whip one up for part of dinner or if someone stops by to visit.  It is perfect because it uses up some zucchini and in such a flavorful way, you don't mind eating zucchini (again).  Dave will even ask for this once in a while.

I totally cheat and use a box pie crust, so I always have one handy this time of year and the zucchini comes from my garden. The tart looks a little different each time depending on the green or yellow zucchini and if I have any ripe tomatoes in the greenhouse.  I have also added thin slices of onion to change it up a little.  The spreadable cheese can change depending on what you have or what you like.  I usually use a garlic herb blend, but I have made it with plain cream cheese and just added some garlic powder and chopped basil from the greenhouse.

On a sunny day, we take our tart and a good glass of wine and enjoy it on the deck.  If it is rainy, Dave will make a fire and we'll be toasty warm in the living room, enjoying the joy of our harvest.

Zucchini and Cheese Tart

2-3 medium green zucchini, sliced thinly
2-3 medium yellow summer squash, sliced thinly
1/2 container spreadable cheese (like Boursin), garlic herb flavor
1 crust pastry
1 Tbsp. milk or cream

Roll pastry into a 12-14 inch circle. Place pastry on large sheet pan with parchment paper.  Spread cheese on pastry except for about 2" boarder.  Place zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes in overlapping circles, covering the cheese.  Fold edge of pastry over the edge of the vegetables.  Brush with milk, bake at 450º F for 15-20 minutes until pastry is golden brown and vegetables are soft.  Cool slightly.  Cut into 8 pieces.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Tips:
Use thinly sliced tomatoes and add to the tart.  Mine aren't ripe yet, so no tomatoes here.

As soon as you pull the tart from the oven, add about 1 Tbsp. more blue cheese, it gives it a bright, strong blue cheese flavor.
August 8, 2012     Daylight  17 hours,  17 minutes, 24 sec.     Current Temp.   55ºF

Moose Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

Yes, zucchini again.  That's what my husband is saying right about not.  I had these two gianormus (yes, that is a real word) zucchinis.  I cut one in half, shredded it and used it for the chocolate zucchini cake and the other half I stuffed for dinner.

I have a friend who stuffs her zucchini with rice, dried apricots, pistachios and herbs, it is wonderful.  But a meal without meat is not a meal, according to my husband.  So I stuff mine with moose sausage, cheese and marinara sauce.  You can stuff your zucchini with anything you want (and if you leave your car unlocked, I'll unload about 17 lbs. of overgrown zucchini).

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini
1 large zucchini, cut in half length-wise and seeds scraped out
1 lb. moose Italian spiced sausage, or Jimmy Dean or your favorite sausage
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
1-2 cups good marinara sauce, depending on preference

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Rinse zucchini, cut in half and scrape out seeds and some pulp to make a good sized well.  Place on foil covered baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.

Brown sausage in skillet.  Cook and chop into medium sized crumbles.  Add parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and up to 2 cups of sauce, stir to combine.

Mound sausage mixture into well in zucchini half.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes.

Tips:
Some people chop the center of the zucchini and mix it in with the filling.  I don't because I don't like the texture of the seed center.

If your zucchini really rocks, you can cut a thin slice off the bottom to make it more stable.

August 3, 2012     Daylight  17 hours,  52 minutes  8 sec.     Current Temp. 61ºF

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Around the first of August, everyone is very careful to lock their cars in Fairbanks.  No, we don't have a rash of break-ins or car jackings, we have zucchini.  The days are long, the zucchini grows, and grows, and grows.  If you are careful and cut your zucchini when they are small, you are usually o.k., but skip one day (or week, in my case), and you have monster zucchinis that overtake your garden.

I do love zucchini, I make zucchini tarts, shred it and put it in muffins, ribbon it into salads, slice it for stir fry, and bread it with panko and Parmesan cheese and bake it.  I'm sure I'll share all these recipes with you and then some.  But, when one goes wild and it is just too big to slice and cook, I'll shred it and make chocolate zucchini cake.  I am trying to increase my veggie intake.

Zucchini plants in the first planter.  See the small yellow summer squash hanging on the side?

I got this recipe from my grandma McFadden.  It is an easy one, where you mix a few things together, top with chocolate chips and bake.  It doesn't need frosting with the chocolate chips on top and it has a deep chocolate flavor thanks to the cocoa powder.  I'll freeze extra shredded zucchini so I can make this all winter.  And considering the fact that all my neighbors know to lock their cars, I'll have plenty to freeze.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
from Grandma McFadden

For Cake:
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. oil
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. yogurt
2 1/2 c. flour
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cup zucchini, grated

Top with:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 c. nuts

Preheat oven to 325ºF.
Mix all cake ingredients  together. Pour into prepared 13x9"pan.  Top with sugar, chocolate chips, and nuts.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Random picture of the Oregon boys and their chicks in California.

August 1, 2012     Daylight  18 hours,  6 minutes, 3 seconds     Current Temp.   66º F

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

I know most of you are in the middle of the warmest part of your summer.  But, summer in Fairbanks is winding down.  One of our neighbors even had the nerve to mention some yellow leaves they saw on the ground.

Our tomatoes are beginning to produce lots of red beauties, the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are all ready to harvest (always all at the same time), the farmer's market is full of produce, and we start to put our yard away for the winter.

Huge broccoli ready to be harvested.

We begin by cutting back the plants that have flowered out, the irises, the lilies, the delphinium, the yard starts to look a little bare.  We save the hanging baskets until the very end, but sometimes it is hard to tell when to pull the plants.  We can get a hard frost in August or we can wait until mid to late
 September with just a few nights where you cover your plants.  The last few years have been on the warmer fall side, I'm not complaining.

The lilies after they were cut. Click here to see them in full bloom.

Dave worked hard this weekend, getting caught up from us being in the real world, and the beginning of putting away the yard.  He really doesn't have a sweet tooth, but this is one cookie he loves.  I mixed this up, baked a dozen and put the rest in the freezer to bake later.  He ate one and I gave the rest to the boys across the street.  Dave complained I gave them all away!  Won't he be surprised when I pull fresh, warm cookies from the oven after dinner for the next couple of weeks.  He works hard, he deserves it.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
adapted from Celebrating Cookies, Leisure Arts


1 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
2 c. white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in macadamia nuts and white chocolate.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes.  Cool cookies slightly on baking sheets, transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies


Tips:
I keep my chocolate and nuts in the freezer.  Just add them to the cookie dough frozen, it helps skip the step of putting them into the fridge for 1/2 hour for the butter to firm up and helps prevent the cookies from spreading so much.

I use a #40 scoop for my cookies so I got about 4 dozen cookies instead of 6.

Random picture of the blond boy and the DIL (Daughter In Law) from our trip to the real world.

July 30, 2012     Daylight 18  hours, 20 minutes     Current Temp. 65ºF

Light Cheesecake

We just returned from a week in the "real world."  The blond boy got married and a week in San Diego for the festivities was wonderful.  The two Oregon boys drove down with their chicks, and the Alaska boy flew down a couple days after us.  A baseball game for the rehearsal dinner and a lovely wedding looking over the beach made for a fun fabulous wedding week.  I'll post pictures later, and do a slide show, and a lecture...

The curly haired boy had his birthday last weekend. How did they grow up so fast (and I haven't aged a day!).   I was very thankful to be able to spend it with him in California after the blond boy's wedding.  We had an amazing week with our kids and families and I'm sorry to be back in Alaska away from the "real world" and the boys.

The curly haired boy loves cheesecake.  That is what he wants for his birthday, no regular cake for him.  This year I had to purchase a cheesecake since we were in a rental house and had a very busy schedule.  But, I love cheesecake too and I don't love all the calories, so I made a lower-fat version that rivals any cheesecake I've ever made.

This cheesecake uses some very smart swaps, like 1% cottage cheese, blended in the food processor until smooth, 1/3 less fat cream cheese and non-fat Greek yogurt.  A hit of lemon zest brightens up the flavor and makes it the perfect cheesecake for fresh berries.  Even the curly haired boy would love this, and he is picky about his cheesecakes.

Light New York Cheesecake
adapted from Cook's Illustrated, The Best Light Recipes

Crust
7 graham crackers
1 cup fiber one cereal
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 Tbsp. water

Filling
16 oz. 1% cottage cheese
16 oz. 1/3 cream cheese
8 oz. low fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
zest from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temp.
Berry topping, optional

1) for the crust: Preheat oven to 325ºF.  In food processor, process graham crackers and fiber one until fine crumb stage.  With processor running, add melted butter and water, pulse food processor to mix until all crackers are coated.  Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown.  Cool on wire rack.

Increase oven temp to 500ºF.
2) for the filling:  Meanwhile, line a medium bowl with a clean dish towel or several layers of paper towels.  Spoon the cottage cheese into the bowl and let drain for 30 minutes.

Process the drained cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth and no visible lumps remain, about 1 minute, scraping down the work bowl as needed.  Add the cream cheese and Greek yogurt and continue to process until smooth.  Add the sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue to process until smooth, about 1 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the processor running, add the eggs one at a time and continue to process until smooth.

Being careful not to disturb the baked crust, spray the insides of the springform pan with vegetable oil spray.  Set the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet.  Pour the processed cheese mixture into the cooled crust.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Without opening he oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 200ºF and continue to bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the cheesecake reads 150ºF, about 1 1/2 hours.

Cool on a wire rack until barely warm 2-3 hours.  Run a knife around the edge of the cake and remove the ring.  Refrigerate until cold at least 3 hours.

Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with fresh fruit or berries.

July 23, 2012

Barbecue Sauce

I have made this sauce for years.  Everyone would ask for it but I wouldn't share it, I was going through my stingy phase.  But, I would make batches and give as gifts.  Pretty soon everyone would ask for a batch for their special occasions.  My brother in law loved the sauce and he would request it for all kinds of meats, ribs, chicken, flank steak, then he would come over for dinner and look through the garbage can to see if he could figure out the ingredients for the sauce!
Finally, about 5 years later, I told him his retirement gift would be the sauce recipe.  On the day of his retirement picnic, he came over and I put the magazine I got the recipe from in front of him.  He just laughed and said by this time he would just come over and eat it at our house.  So, after years of hoarding this recipe I'm going to share...and ask forgiveness of all my friends who asked for the recipe and I said no.  I didn't make it up (I never said I did) and it is so good, once you try it you will make it over and over.

Barbecue Sauce
adapted from Simply Perfect grilling 2005

1 Tbsp. butter
1 Vidalia onion or other sweet onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10 oz. jar apricot spreadable fruit
1 12 oz. jar chili sauce
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add onion; cover and cook for 13-15 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.  Uncover; cook and stir ovr medium-igh heat for 3 to 5 minutes more until onion is golden.

Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds more.  Stir in apricot spreadable fruit, chili sauce, mustard, vinegar, molasses and worcestershire sauce.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently.  Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Makes about 3 cups.

Tips:
The original recipe called for peach simply fruit, I can't find that in Fairbanks so I use apricot.  Using peach jelly or jam (with all the added sugar) makes it too sweet for me.

I have thought about trying fresh peaches and cooking them down, but have never gotten around to it, so if you try it let me know how it turns out.

I have put this on everything from beef, pork, chicken, and salmon.  I didn't like it on salmon though.

I often make a double batch and freeze half of it so I always have some on hand.  We seldom buy barbecue sauce from the store (unless I've been lazy).

July 20, 2012

Grandma's Beans

I was pretty selfish about sharing good recipes for a while.  I wasn't always that way, I used to always share but then...
My grandma Stejer was a wonderful cook, I have many delicious memories from her kitchen.  One of the dishes she always made was this bean dish.  We loved it, the sweet and sour sauce with the salty bacon and sweet onion and all those different beans.  Grandma would make a double batch and often that is all I would eat, I love them so much.
Everyone that ate them would ask for the recipe and when we were invited to dinner the request would always be, "Will you bring Grandma's beans?"
I would bring the beans and the recipe, good food is meant to be shared.
One day, I received one of my favorite cooking magazines.  I had a cup of coffee and was happily reading through it when I came across my grandma's bean recipe and the person who submitted it said, "I got this from a friend in Alaska."  Well, it pissed me off kind of made me a little angry.  She had not mentioned the fact that this dish came from my grandma, that my grandma lovingly made this for us all the time, and my "friend" had her name attached to the recipe for all the world to see.  Why this made me so angry, I don't know, but it did.  I think credit needs to go where credit is due and it was my grandma that should have gotten the credit (even thought I'm sure she got the recipe from someone else anyway).  Well, my thought process is never completely logical, jut ask my husband, and from then on I was very stingy with my recipes.
So, here is the recipe for Grandma's beans.  I got the recipe from my Grandma Stejer (her picture is here) and they are delicious.  All summer I made them for cook-outs and in the winter I make them to serve with warm bread from the oven and it is the perfect meal.

Grandma's Beans
from Grandma Stejer


8 bacon slices, fried until crisp, drained and crumbled
4 large onions, peeled and cut into half rings
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 (15 oz) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can green lima beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (1 lb. 11 oz.) can New England Style baked beans - undrained

Place onions in skillet, add sugar, mustard, garlic, salt and vinegar.  Cook 20 minutes, covered.  Place rinsed and drained beans in a dutch oven or roaster pan, top with undrained New England Style beans. Add onion mixture to beans, stir well.  Add crumbled bacon and bake at 350ºF for one hour.

Tips:
Start with 1/2 cup brown sugar and go up to your taste.  I love sweet and I use 1/2 cup.

Any type of baked beans will work if you can't find the New England Style.  I can't in Fairbanks and I use a country "grilling" type can of beans.  Just use something you would like, although I've never used a spicy kind.

When baking I usually bake for 30 minutes covered then 30 minutes uncovered.  It keeps a lot of the sauce but reduces it some so it is a little thicker.

In the winter, I mix this up and put it in my crock pot on low.  Add a loaf of crusty bread and dinner is ready when I get home.

July 18, 2012