Homestyle Cooking Around The World

Nutmeg Sour Cream Drops

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 03:52:00 +0000

These cookies bring back memories of my grandmother. She loved to bake and cook and almost always had some type of cookies on hand in case anyone stopped by to visit. She often made these in the winter months, and I remember eating these many times over the years when visiting her. The cookies are not hard to make but icing of the cookies and putting on the nut topping takes some extra time. However, the extra work is worth it because the icing and little bit of nuts on top just take these little gems over the top. They are perfect for a special gathering or just to have with some tea or coffee. If you keep them in a sealed container, they will keep for quite some time or you can freeze them and thaw later if you need some sweets on hand.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg (I used 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and did not think it was too strong)
1 1/2 packed brown sugar
3/4 cup shortening or butter (I used butter)
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Browned Butter Frosting:

3 tbsp butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar (10x)
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Sift your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl
In a large bowl, cream together the butter or shortening and sugar, then add in the eggs
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and add in the lemon peel, lemon juice and sour cream
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.
Cool on a rack
Prepare browned butter frosting as follows- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir until brown.
Remove from heat and slowly beat in sifted confectioner's sugar (10x), milk and vanilla.
Spread frosting immediately while still warm on the cookies
Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top of the cookies while the frosting is still warm

Waldorf Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 18:16:00 +0000

Anyone remember Waldorf Salad from years gone by? Well, even though I have seen it in older cookbooks, I don't remember eating it until just recently. My sister in law asked me to make one and bring it to a family birthday party. So after perusing the internet and reading through my vast collection of cookbooks, I tweaked some and came up with my version of the Waldorf Salad. For the party, I made up a big batch, expecting to bring home leftovers and enjoy them over the next few days. When I opened the dish at home later, I was shocked to see it almost finished off!

The basic salad consists of usually apples, celery and nuts with either raisins or grapes. The dressing varies a little but is usually mayonnaise and/or sour cream, or yogurt. I initially wasn't sure about using mayonnaise in the dressing with yogurt but it went together very well. Also, I have decided that I prefer to use a variety of apples since you get all the different nuances of apple flavor working together.

I have varied the dressing a couple ways and each is equally delicious. The first time I made the salad, I used equal parts mayonnaise and vanilla yogurt. The second time, I only had about 2-3 Tbsp before I ran out of mayonnaise. So I just added that to enough sour cream to equal the vanilla yogurt and it was still very good. Try both of the versions out! As a side note- the amounts may vary depending on the size of your fruit and I often eyeball my amounts. I like to use about 1 part celery: 2 parts grapes: 3 parts apple.

Makes about 10 cups

Ingredients:

6 apples, variety of types coarsely grated or chopped
4 ribs of celery hearts, chopped
1 pound of grapes, halved or quartered if large
1 cup chopped walnuts (even better flavor if slightly toasted before chopping)
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup mayo or sour cream or mixture of both

Directions:

Chop the fruits, celery and nuts.
Mix together the dressing ingredients.
Pour over the fruit and mix well.
Refrigerate until serving.

Russian Black Bread and a Pastrami, Egg on Russian Black Bread Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 22:08:00 +0000

I have always loved hearty and rustic breads because they seem to have so much flavor. So when a friend told me about trying some homemade Russian Black Bread, I was excited to try making it also. Since I wanted to be sure to have a really rich, dark bread like dark pumpernickel bread, I increased some of the ingredients from other recipes I found. I absolutely love the seeds in this bread! They really add to the texture and flavor. This recipe was adapted from one on Allrecipes.com and a couple other ones that were a little different. Additionally, if you have whole rye berries (whole rye grains), try adding 1/2 cup (that have been softened by soaking or cooking) to the dough when almost finished kneading for a wonderful chewy texture. After this came out of the oven, everyone was in heaven eating it warm with butter. Later, it was wonderful made into a Pastrami Egg Sandwich with Thousand Island Dressing (a half-wink to the Reuben sandwich). I also made this in my bread machine but it can also be mixed/kneaded with a stand mixer or food processor (or by hand) and then baked in a large loaf pan. This is the perfect bread to have with a hot bowl of soup!

Makes 1 loaf- 1 1/2 pounds

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups rye flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp coconut oil or butter
2 Tbsp black strap or regular molasses
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1 Tbsp caraway seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp dried onion flakes or 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Directions:

Place ingredients into the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
Use Whole Wheat setting, regular crust.
After baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan and allow to cool on wire rack for about 1 hour (or as long as you can resist!) before slicing or the bread will be gummy.
If making by hand and using instant yeast, mix yeast with dry ingredients and stir in wet ingredients until the dough is no longer very wet and able to be kneaded.
If using Active Dry Yeast, you need to rehydrate the yeast by mixing it in 1/4 cup of the warm water and proofing first- wait until it gets a little bubbly.
Then mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until worked together well. Cover with a bowl and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes. Cover and place in warm place to double in size. (It may not completely double if using this much rye flour.)
Punch dough down and knead for about 5 more minutes.
Place in greased bread pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 45-50 minutes.
If desired, baking sheet may be used that has cornmeal sprinkled and then dough put on the sheet with top of dough ball slashed diagonally a couple times with a sharp knife.

Here is the perfectly sublime sandwich that was so good! Use Thousand Island salad dressing on both slices of bread, then layer slices of pastrami, add a semi-soft yolk fried egg (well seasoned), slice of cheese- pepper jack or a creamy cheese is good, thin slices of onion. A little sauerkraut layer would be wonderful, also!

Zucchini Pineapple Bread with Pineapple Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 19:15:00 +0000

Here is yet another favorite zucchini recipe. I grew up eating (and still love) spiced zucchini bread with pineapple and sometimes raisins or dates in it, but I love the simplicity of this recipe. It is so moist, like most other zucchini recipes, but the pineapple really shines through in this sweet bread. The pineapple glaze also adds another pop of pineapple flavor that is just perfect! This bread is best a day or two after being baked (if you can keep it hidden that long)- store in a plastic bag and then glaze it an hour or more before serving, allowing the glaze to dry some and not be so sticky. The other thing I love about this recipe is that it makes 2 loaves- and you will find that both are eaten so quickly that you will be glad you made 2 loaves since nobody is going to stop at one slice!

Makes 2 loaves - about 20 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup oil (coconut oil is great)
3 cups flour (I used ½ white wheat flour and ½ all purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple, juice drained and reserved
¾ - 1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups shredded zucchini (I peeled mine)- seeds also removed if large
¾ cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp pineapple juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease and flour 2 bread loaf pans; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil- or use mixer on low until combined, then increase to medium speed for 1 minute.
Add in pineapple, zucchini and nuts and mix together until completely combined.
Gradually add in dry ingredients.
Divide half of batter between the 2 prepared bread loaf pans. Drop pan on hard surface a few times to even out the batter and help bubbles come to the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.
Cool breads in pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto cooling rack to finish cooling.
To prepare the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add in reserved pineapple juice, adding the juice gradually, 1 tablespoon first and then 1 teaspoon at a time. If you want the glaze firmer to stay on top of the bread more, do not add as much liquid. Combine well and pour part of glaze over top of the cooled loaves and wait about 10 minutes for the glaze to thicken some. After glaze has dried a little on the bread, add any remaining glaze to add another layer, also scooping up any glaze that has drizzled down over the sides. This will be thicker and can be spread over top of the loaves again. Let loaves set until glaze is not sticky wet. Slice and serve or store in a covered container (if putting in a bag or covering with plastic wrap, the glaze will soften and stick to the plastic). I wait to apply the glaze until before serving as it becomes very wet and sticky in the bag/storage container.

*If you desire to make it a piña colada sweet bread- add ½- ¾ cup of sweetened shredded coconut into your batter with the shredded zucchini, but the coconut will make the loaf a little more dry. So adding a couple Tbsp's of pineapple juice may help the loaf still be moist. Otherwise, remove the loaf from the oven immediately- may be finished sooner.

**This bread is wonderful frozen and later thawed, glazed and served.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 04:30:00 +0000

While I am not a chocolate cake fan (I like cakes with fruit and other add-in's), this cake has changed my mind. It has a moist and fudgey consistency, unlike many chocolate cakes that I find are more dry and lacking in flavor. Of course, the moisture comes from the zucchini that totally disappears in the cake, especially if you peel it before shredding it. What sets this recipe apart from other chocolate zucchini cakes is that is uses more zucchini and includes vanilla and cinnamon, which adds something special to round out the chocolate flavor.

I found that 4 cups of shredded zucchini equals about 1 large zucchini or 3/4 of a super-large one, minus the center pulp area with the seeds. If you are using smaller zucchini, you probably do not need to remove the seeds unless they are large. Since we are often finding those big zucchinis that have somehow been missed until they are enormous, this is just about the tastiest way to use up one of those over-sized veggies. There have been a couple people that tell me adamantly that they do NOT like zucchini, but when they tried this cake (through a little deception) they were amazed that something this good would have THAT in there-- and even went back for more. (I just love tricking people into eating veggies that they thought they didn't like!)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups peeled, grated zucchini (I let the zucchini drain in a colander while preparing the cake but did not press the liquid out of it.)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
3/4-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of 11 oz bag)

Icing:

1 stick butter
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
6 Tbsp milk, half and half or cream
1 lb box or package of confectioner's (powdered) sugar (sifted or it clumps up later)
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Grease 9x13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.
Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and then fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips (nuts also if including).
Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes- time depends on how wet the zucchini is. So start checking about 45 minutes but may need to go as long as 1 hr.
When toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out pretty clean, remove cake to cooling rack and begin preparing the icing.

Icing:

Boil butter, cocoa, milk and cinnamon in a medium saucepan, whisking constantly. (Don't worry if the butter fat separates some. Just keep stirring and then move on to next step- it will all come together in the next step.)
Whisk in sifted sugar while stirring and then vanilla. Stir well to combine.
Allow to sit and thicken for a few minutes off the heat, then pour slowly over the warm cake. (If it has thickened too much to pour, then use a spatula to spread over the cake.)
Garnish with nuts if desired.

Greek Inspired Pasta Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 03:37:00 +0000

We have had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and this was yet another recipe born out of necessity. In addition, we were given lots of eggplant and also had zucchini overflowing our kitchen counter. While I have plans for the extra zucchini, I wanted to make something that would use all of these vegetables. Today I was feeling in the mood to make something Greek. So after looking through my Greek cookbook, I saw a recipe for Eggplant Meat Sauce, which became my inspiration for this dish. This dish requires a little chopping but really comes together quickly and is so rich and flavorful. One of the things I love about Greek meat dishes is the addition of cinnamon. It adds a unique flavor and warmth that to me is simply addicting. This dish is also wonderful if you make the sauce ahead of time, refrigerate and then reheat, adding in cooked pasta when ready to serve. The flavors will be even better! Also, if you don't have fresh tomatoes, just use a large can of diced or crushed tomatoes with their juice.

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:

3/4 pound of ground meat- lamb, beef (I used venison, which worked very well)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced or minced
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 large green or colored pepper, diced
4 Tbsp butter/olive oil mixture (I used half butter and half olive oil)
2-3 Tbsp dried parsley, or 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp dried oregano, crushed before adding
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pepper to taste
salt to taste (I used Goya's brand Adobo seasoned salt mixture)
3-4 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups diced fresh tomatoes (including juice)
3 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 pound #2 ziti or pasta of choice, cooked for about 2 minutes less than directions state on package

This pot is almost full with all the veggies and meat, but everything will cook down.

Adding in the tomato paste- When I open a can, I freeze any extra paste for use later.

Directions:

In a large covered pot, brown the meat with the chopped eggplant, onion, garlic, zucchini, pepper, butter/oil. As the meat begins to brown, add in the seasonings and tomato paste. Stir around until the paste becomes fragrant.
After all the meat and vegetables have browned/softened, then add in the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and sugar. Cook covered over medium high heat for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down, then simmer for another 15 minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.
Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. Cook the pasta as instructed above in salted water. When pasta is ready, use a hand strainer and put directly into the sauce pot. (Don't worry about some pasta water being added- it will thicken the sauce somewhat.) Lift and fold the sauce around the pasta and then allow to simmer for another 5 minutes to further meld the flavors.
Garnish with feta cheese and/or a shredded hard Greek cheese, or may use grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Also optional is red pepper flakes.

This is good with a Greek salad or a simple side of sliced cucumbers, a dip made of lemon juice, a little mint, parsley and dill (or tzatziki sauce) and some olives.

Banana Rhubarb Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 21 May 2014 22:12:00 +0000

Ever have a bunch of food items that are going south quickly? Well, we had a bunch of bananas that ripened too quickly and I also needed to use up some frozen rhubarb... You know, when the freezer still hasn't been cleaned out and the next season's harvest needs to be put in soon! So I had an "A-ha" moment and realized I could kill two birds with one stone- and was this ever good! My daughter was even begging for some of this bread toasted with butter- our new way to enjoy sweet breads. Of course, if you really have a sweet tooth, you may glaze the top with a simple glaze, but I enjoy the simple flavors of the bread.

While on the subject about rhubarb, let me just say that I find people are often not very fond of the tartness of it, but it is something that blends so well with other flavors- both savory and sweet. If you do not like rhubarb, try substituting it for any of the berries and adjust the baking time.

Makes: 1 loaf, approximately 10 slices

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil or butter (I used a mixture)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1 /2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3-4 large bananas)
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour (I used 1 cup white, 2/3 cup white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (See note below)
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs and oil, beating well. Add in the milk, bananas and vanilla and mix again.
Sift together in a medium bowl the dry ingredients and then combine gradually with the wet ingredients.
Stir in the rhubarb and nuts.
Pour into greased and floured bread pans.
Bake approximately 55-70 minutes (checking regularly after 55 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out dry.
Cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then turn out of pan onto rack to finish cooling.
After cooled, place in plastic bag to preserve moisture.

*Note: I used frozen rhubarb and included most of the rhubarb juice. If you are using fresh rhubarb, there will not be all the extra liquid but it will be inside the fruit and come out during the baking process. So check your bread as it nears the 55 minute mark and onward to make sure it does not dry out/overbake. I also used glass bread pans, which seem to bake hotter/make the crust darker. So you will need to turn the temperature down about 25 degrees if using glass pans.

Easy Garden Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 09:00:00 +0000

This is another one of my favorite brunch casseroles and it is perfect for those times you have a bunch of different vegetables and want to throw together something satisfying and balanced in no time at all. It can easily be an easy lunch or dinner with a salad, as well.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped zucchini (about 1 smaller)- you can always add more
1 large tomato, chopped- about 1 cup, or may use chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1 medium - large onion, chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup baking mix of choice
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt (may use a seasoned salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend, crushed in palm of hand (or 1/2- 3/4 tsp oregano, crushed)
2 eggs
cheese of choice for topping - I like Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Mozzarella
green onion and parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease square baking dish- 8x8 or 9 inch pie plate (I doubled everything and put in 13x9 inch pan because I like leftovers!).
Sprinkle chopped vegetables and parmesan cheese evenly over baking dish.
Stir baking mix, milk, salt, pepper, seasoning and eggs together and pour over top of the vegetables and cheese.
Bake uncovered about 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to wire rack and sprinkle with cheese for topping. Cool 5 minutes and then garnish with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro and sliced green onions, if desired.

*This is also wonderful with 1 cup cooked chicken or sausage added in with vegetables when assembling the casserole.

[Adapted from Bisquick Breakfast and Brunches recipe booklet, 1999]

Perfectly Simple Fruit Cake or Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 18:49:00 +0000

I was given this recipe years ago by a coworker who brought in this cake made with fresh peaches and I just fell in love with the simple flavors. I have changed it a little over the years and find it is the perfect basic recipe that can be adapted in many different ways. Originally, the recipe called for cinnamon to be sprinkled on top of the cake instead of a crumb topping. While that version is delicious and simple, I have added a cinnamon crumb topping with a simple glaze for the apple version I made for this post. Either way, it is a wonderful moist cake that is perfect for any occasion. Try substituting all different types of fruit and use the crumb topping, or leave it off- it will be sure to please everyone! This can also be made into sweet bread using 2 bread pans and adding about 10-15 minutes to the baking time, checking regularly.

Makes 16-18 servings
Ingredients:
Cake:

3 eggs, beaten well
2 cups sugar (may use 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 granulated sugar)
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (or may use apple pie spice if using apples)
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups flour
3 cups fruit- peaches (sliced or chopped), apples (chopped), blueberries, pears, or variety of berries, etc

Crumb Topping (optional):

1/3 flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Glaze: (optional)

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp vanilla
2-4 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease (2) 8x8 inch or (1)13x9 inch baking pan or (2) bread loaf pans.
Mix eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Sift the dry ingredients together in another bowl and add into the wet ingredients, combining well.
Stir in fruit.
If not using toppings, then pour batter into prepared pan(s) and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (2 Tbsp sugar mixed with 1 1/2 -2 tsp cinnamon). Bake for about 45 minutes, checking after 35 minutes (if using loaf pans, bake for about 45-60 minutes but start checking at 40-45 minutes)- until toothpick inserted in middle comes out pretty well clean.
If making the crumb topping, combine the dry ingredients and then use a fork to cut in the butter until it resembles peas. Sprinkle over top of the batter waiting in the pans. (This can be made ahead before starting cake batter). Bake as instructed above.
After the cake is cooling on a wire rack, combine sifted confection's sugar and vanilla and milk, stirring until smooth. Start with the lesser amount of milk and gradually add more by tablespoons until the desired consistency is obtained. Pour over the cake/bread after it is cooled.

Italian Escarole Turkey Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 02:49:00 +0000

I am a huge soup lover and really love ones that are easy to put together. This is one of these types of soups- if you have some greens (any type of salad greens, really) and leftover turkey or chicken, you can put this together pretty quickly. While this soup makes a larger pot, I like to have some leftovers and if you are a small family, put part of it in the freezer for another meal or two. It is a perfect cook-ahead meal. If you haven't tried escarole, be sure to give it a try. I just love having different types of greens wilted in soups.

Serves- 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably with Italian herbs)
1 15oz. can white beans, drained
8 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
2-3 cups rice
2 heads escarole
fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large stockpot, sauté onion, carrot and celery in oil until onion is becoming translucent. Then add in minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add in tomatoes, beans, broth, seasonings and turkey.
Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare rice and escarole.
Cook the rice per instructions on the package, seasoning it well.
Wash the escarole well and chop it.
When rice is cooked, add in escarole to soup and allow to wilt for a couple minutes. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.
To serve, put a large rounded spoonful of rice in a soup bowl, then ladle soup over top and garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Good with crusty, rustic bread for dipping in broth.

Shared with:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 3-27-14

Scottish Raisin Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 05:19:00 +0000

This bread and recipe was given to us recently from my mom and has become one of my husband's favorites. Sometime in the past few months, I discovered the idea to toast sweet bread and add a little butter (I know, I'm probably a little slow!). Well, this bread is a perfect candidate and is just the thing for a snack or with a cup of tea (insert favorite hot beverage). When I toasted this bread, I let it go a little longer because it is so dense and I wanted it a little crispy. Was it ever good! The toasting really brings out the sweetness of the raisins and adds more flavor to the nuts and oats. You could also add some jam or other toppings, but I don't feel it needs anything else.

I have not found a recipe quite like this before and was excited to share it here. The only place I was able to find a somewhat similar recipe was over at Always In The Kitchen. As the author of that site noted, this recipe may not be Scottish- but it sounds nice, and Scotland brings to mind oats and raisins (or currants), right? My recipe has much more oats and a little more sugar (still is not very sweet)- but these recipes do not have any oil. For a stronger molasses flavor, I used about 1/2 black strap molasses. So put your spin on it and give it a try! (By the way, if you don't have a toaster oven, be very careful trying to toast sweet breads in a regular toaster without some type of a sleeve for toasting as the slice will probably fall apart and you will be burned trying to remove it.)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/3 cups buttermilk or soured milk
2/3 cup molasses
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used quick oats and it was fine)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 cups raisins, dried currants or craisins, or a mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F- (25 degrees lower if using glass baking pans).
Mix eggs with sugar in a large mixing bowl, then add in the milk and molasses.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add into the wet mixture.
After mixture starts to come together, add in the nuts and dried fruit.
Divide the batter between 2 greased loaf pans.
Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry- start checking around 50 minutes if top of bread appears less moist

*My mom told me, after I originally posted this recipe, that she got it from What's Cooking At Myrtle cookbook by Levia Lerch. I increased the liquids since the bread seemed too dry. If you find it takes too long to finish baking, you can decrease the liquid to 2 cups buttermilk.

Easy but Amazing Bolognese Sauce (Meat Sauce)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 04:43:00 +0000

This is the sauce to make when you are short on time and need something full of flavor. Although I have typically kept a stock of store-bought spaghetti sauce on hand and add in herbs and other items to give it more flavor, I have been looking for recipes to make more things from scratch and be more in control of the ingredients in our food. When I saw this sauce recipe from Kristin Porter (Best-Ever Bolognese Sauce), I was impressed with how easy it looked and is similar to how I made some homemade sauces in the past. I have adapted this recipe and was so pleased with the flavors- totally worth a little extra effort over opening a jar and pouring it in a pot.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound ground beef (or may use part or all Italian sausage)
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or a little more)
1 cup half and half or milk (not lowfat)
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed in palm before adding
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp salt (or adjusted to taste)
1 pound pasta of choice

Directions:

Brown meat and vegetables together in large covered pot until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. If meat is very fatty, you may drain off/sop up some of the extra fat.
Add in the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and cook uncovered on medium-high for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened somewhat. If it is too bubbly, keep lid on partly so moisture can still escape.
Cook pasta according to directions and then drain, adding some of the sauce to mix with the pasta and flavor it prior to serving. Serve with parmesan/romano cheese and a little oregano sprinkled on top.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 04:46:00 +0000

This pie is a wonderful mix of a custard pie with an apple pie and is one of my new favorites! In our family, my mom's apple pie is a must at every winter family dinner. Recently when I had an overabundance of apples, I went through my recipes to look for something different to try and found this recipe that my mom gave me years ago but I had never gotten around to making. I am SO GLAD I finally tried it because it is a real keeper! Since I made the Impossible Pie some time ago and discovered a new-found love of custard pies and all the different ways to work custards into desserts, this pie was right up my alley-- and not that difficult.

unbaked pie with custard and apple before crumb topping was added

Finished pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 9-10 inch pie crust
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2-3/4 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of apples
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups chopped apples

Topping:

1/3 cup brown or white sugar- or a mix (I used all brown)
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup cool butter
1/3 cup crushed nuts (walnuts or pecans work well)

Directions:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
Chop apples and set aside.
Prepare unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
Combine eggs, sour cream, sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp flour, vanilla and nutmeg and stir until smooth.
Add in apples and pour into the prepared unbaked crust.
Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine topping ingredients using a fork to cut the butter into other ingredients until it is combined into pea-sized clumps.
Sprinkle over top of pie when finished with 1st 15 minute bake and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until filling is set when you lightly jiggle pie.
Cool completely and serve alone or with whipped cream, ice cream or caramel syrup. Refrigerate leftovers.

Adapted from a Taste Of Home recipe.

CranApple Deep Dish Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 23:01:00 +0000

This delicious combination of apple pie and apple crisp are worth the little extra effort and is the perfect autumn and winter dessert. I made this recipe and was going to share it with everyone this past fall but a lot has been happening over the past few months. My husband went through major surgery (having part of his pancreas removed), which took a long time to recover from-- but we are thankful that it was not cancerous. Now that everything is settling down, I hope to get back to sharing a few recipes that I have enjoyed lately.

I had an inspiration for this recipe when I was making an apple dessert and couldn't decide if I wanted to make apple pie or apple crisp. Since then, I have seen a number of apple pan pie recipes but nothing quite like this. The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute many other fruits for the cranberries, fresh or dried. If you use dried fruits, plump them up some by covering them with water and heating them for about 5-10 minutes. Of course, this dish is just asking for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too! Since I used cranberries, it is a little tart. So if you like your dessert very sweet, increase the brown or white sugar.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Single unbaked pie crust pastry for 10 inch pie
3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp white sugar
1 ½-2 tsp apple pie spice
2 Tbsp minute tapioca
3 Tbsp water
2 cups or ½ bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen (or may use 1 cup dried craisins)

Topping

¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup flour
¾ cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp oil
1/3 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Roll out the pie crust to fit 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan and spread out in pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugars, spice, tapioca, water and cranberries. Put mixture in pie crust.
3. Prepare topping by mixing dry ingredients and cutting in the butter, adding the oil until mixture clumps together. Put topping over the apples and fold the edges of the pie crust over top of the sides of the pie.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40-50 minutes or until the pie is bubbling and apples are tender.
5. May drizzle with caramel sauce or glaze made of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk and 1/8 tsp cinnamon and/or top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Eggnog Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 02:49:00 +0000

These pancakes are the best! ....at least that is what my kiddos said. 'Tis the season for all things eggnog and since we needed to use some up and it was time for the weekend pancakes again, I decided to tweak one of my favorite pancake recipes to include eggnog. I added cinnamon chips, but there are a number of other things you might add in to take it to another level- like orange zest and chocolate chips. Have fun experimenting with these!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups eggnog (or liquid of choice)
1/4 cup oil or butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice or juice of 1/2 lemon
cinnamon baking chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine milk, oil and vanilla extract. Stir in the sugar.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together egg and lemon juice.
Add the dry ingredients and egg mixture to the liquids and stir only until largest lumps are mixed in.
Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes- you may start cooking right away but the pancakes made from the batter that has set is a little fluffier.
Preheat griddle to medium-high and use butter or coconut oil to oil the surface. Pour out approximately 1/4-1/3 cup for each pancake and sprinkle the baking chips over each pancake as quickly as possible so the pancake cooks up and around the chips.
When each one is starting to bubble and the bottom edge is golden brown, flip it over and cook for an additional couple minutes or until golden brown.
Butter each pancake while still warm and serve with syrup or your choice of toppings.
If you are making a large batch, you can keep them warm by placing them on a wire rack inside of a baking pan and put in the oven at the oven's lowest setting until serving.

Zucchini Potato Tart

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:53:00 +0000

This is the perfect lunch or light supper dish and is wonderful with different meats-- or leave the meats out entirely, if you prefer. I love how the tomatoes take on a roasted flavor as it bakes. This dish is a real breeze with a mandoline slicer- have I told you how nice this tool is? I have fallen in love with it for thinly slicing garlic when I sauté vegetables, slicing carrots thinly for salads (my kids don't love big chunks of anything hard to chew- eating a salad will take forever!). I also love to use this slicer for the veggies in this dish. I'm so crazy that I almost took it to my parents house when I went for a visit the last time because it is cuts down on prep time so much! Anyways, back to the recipe-- check this out and give it a try and see my notes at the bottom.

Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:

1 pie crust
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini squash, thinly sliced
1 large or 3 small potatoes, thinly sliced (may leave skins on)
1 medium or large onion- I used a mix of red and sweet onion, diced
1/4 pound ham, diced (may use bacon or other meat)
1 cup shredded cheese of choice- I used mix of cheddar and monterey jack
1 large tomato or 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
oregano, divided, crushing in palm of hand before sprinkling over tart
seasoned salt/pepper
celery salt
2-3 Tbsp milk
5 eggs

Directions:

After your vegetables are sliced, cover the potatoes so they do not brown.
Place pie crust in a deep dish 10 inch pie pan.
Begin layering about half of each of the vegetables except the tomatoes, seasoning well with salt/pepper and herbs between each layer.
Then sprinkle top of vegetables with onion and cheese and then ham or meat.
Repeat layers, seasoning each layer well until all the squash, potatoes, onion and meat is in the pie.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with 1/4- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt/pepper and then pour over the vegetables in the pie crust.
Arrange tomato slices over the top and sprinkle with more salt/pepper and crushed oregano. Cut a couple smaller slices into 1/2 to make crescent shapes and place them in the center to form a swirl or pinwheel effect.
Fold the top edges of the pie crust over the pie.
Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 1 hour- 1 hour and 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender to fork. Remove foil for the last 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle more cheese on top if desired.

*Note: If you want this to bake quicker, sauté the squash and potatoes with a couple tablespoons of butter or oil for about 5 minutes until they are just beginning to soften. Then follow the recipe as above. This will shorten the baking time by at least half.

Enjoy!!

Blueberry Buckle (coffeecake)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 17:37:00 +0000

This is one of the recipes I remember my mom making throughout my childhood and I always thought the name was so funny. It wasn't until just recently when I was watching Alton Brown on "Good Eats" talk about his Blueberry Buckle and how a Buckle was actually an old-fashioned coffee cake that I understood the name. Don't ask me to explain or remember how the word "buckle" has anything to do with a cake!

Anyways, I love this cake because it is easy to make, full of fruit and a dense but moist cake that is a perfect treat for any occasion. I don't remember my mom ever putting a glaze on top, but it adds a nice touch. I also added the almond extract to the cake and put vanilla in the glaze, but you could use whatever flavor you like in the cake and glaze-- lemon or vanilla would be great, even coconut and mix some coconut in with the crumble topping. Also, try this with 1/2 cup chopped nuts added in the crumb topping, as well. This cake is just perfect for switching up the flavors and fruits! So give it a try and have fun with it.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening (I use palm oil shortening), or you may use another oil
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp almond extract (if using vanilla- increase it to 1 or 1 1/2 tsp)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups well drained blueberries

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup soft butter

Glaze:

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp milk, more if needed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix sugar and shortening together until well blended. Add in egg and wisk together. Stir in the milk and extract.
In a smaller bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Mix into the wet ingredients in thirds.
Fold in the blueberries carefully so as not to break up the berries. Batter will be very thick.
Put in a greased 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan and press out to the corners of the pan, making sure it is pretty evenly distributed in the pan.
In small bowl previously used for dry ingredients, mix together topping dry ingredients and then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until dry ingredients have combined well with the butter- should be little clumps without a lot of extra loose flour mixture.
Sprinkle evenly over top of the cake batter in the pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
While cake is cooling on a wire rack, mix up the ingredients for a glaze, adding milk 1Tbsp at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. If it gets too wet and runny, add more sugar. Cover glaze until cake cools.
After cake has cooled completely, use a spoon and drizzle the glaze over top of the cake, back and forth. Cut and serve!

Party Mini-Quiches

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 20 Jul 2013 05:00:00 +0000

I made these mini-quiches recently for a garden party. These are really a quick version of quiches since they do not have a pastry crust. Instead they are made with a baking mix that gives them more of a muffin consistency. However, these are still light and not too dry. If you want to make them even more egg-like in consistency, try using more egg and less baking mix. This recipe is also wonderful for all different vegetable and meat variations. Since I didn't have bacon when I made these, I made them vegetarian, but they would have been even better with a little crispy bacon. The great thing about making them in mini-muffin pans is that they are great for tea parties or other occasions when you do not want to worry about utensils.

Makes approximately 24-36 depending on muffin size and number of add-ins
Ingredients:

5 eggs
2/3 cup baking mix
1 onion chopped
2 Tbsp half and half (may use light cream or whole milk)
1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1/2- 3/4 tsp dried oregano (crushed in palm)
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a pizza blend)
1 medium pickled sweet red pepper, finely chopped
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
2-3 small mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped

Directions:

Beat eggs in large bowl.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Grease mini-muffin tin- if it is not non stick, then you should use the baking spray with flour.
Fill muffin tins using small cookie scoop and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool in the pan.

Italian-style Quinoa Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 22:54:00 +0000

I have been falling in love with quinoa lately. It is such a power-house of nutrition and yet is so versatile. It also cooks quite fast. So when some friends and I were meeting at a beautiful historic home nearby for a garden party, I had planned to make arancini (rice balls), but I had not realized until it was too late that these are actually from leftover risotto. So from lack of pre-planning, I was forced to make some last minute changes and found these quinoa patties from wholeliving.com. I decided to go with an Italian theme and play off the parmesan cheese. All in all, I was really pleased how well they turned out. It took a little practice to find the right consistency but don't worry too much about it since the parmesan actually helps makes a nice crust as it cooks. I almost thought the patties were a little easier to cook when they were a little more moist. As always, feel free to leave out any seasonings or ingredients and add in some you really like, instead. I really loved the way the patties took on a roasted tomato and basil flavor and the parmesan added a nice subtle flavor.

Makes approximately 24 cakes
Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp chopped dried onion (may use 1 finely chopped onion)
1/2- 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning blend
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed in palm of hand
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped grape/cherry tomatoes
6-8 large basil leaves, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup whole grain bread crumbs, more if needed
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Cook quinoa as directed- bring broth to a boil and add in the quinoa, onion and lemon pepper seasoning. Stir well and cover. Allow to cook approximately 15 minutes, or until all the quinoa seeds are opened and soft. Stir and allow to cool somewhat.
In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir together.
Mix in the partially cooled quinoa.
If it is too wet, add in more bread crumbs gradually. If it is too dry, add in water, tablespoon at a time. Allow to stand for a few minutes.
Form mixture into patties 1 inch thick and shallow fry over medium heat about 3-5 minutes each side (until medium golden brown). (I found it was easiest to make a ball and then place in the hot frying pan and flatten gently with the back of a spoon, then use the spoon to firm the patty's edges.)

Rhubarb Cherry Coffee Cake with Caramel Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 00:55:00 +0000

This is another great rhubarb recipe that I adapted from a Taste of Home magazine. Since I had some tart cherries that were not really enough to make something by themselves, I decided to add them into the cake with the rhubarb. In addition, I opted to use some cinnamon and vanilla in the cake, as well as some chopped nuts in the topping. Feel free to leave the cinnamon out and just add vanilla. The original sauce recipe also calls for double the amount of ingredients, but I felt that even using only 1/2 the original amounts made more than enough caramel sauce. Feel free to substitute any other fruits such as apples/cranberries, mixed berries, pears. Enjoy this very moist coffee cake anytime of the year by using seasonal fruits or even frozen fruits!

Ingredients:
Cake-

1/2 cup shortening or oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups finely chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1 cup cherries, coarsely chopped

Topping-

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (may use other nuts instead)

Sauce-

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla; beat well.
Combine flour, cinnamon and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
Fold in rhubarb and cherries.
Pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan.

Topping:

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.
Cut in the butter until crumbly. Combine the nuts. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

For Sauce, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve with warm coffee cake.

Shared with the following:
Inspiration Monday Party
Our Sunday Best Link Party #5

How To Perk Up Jarred Salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:00:00 +0000

While I have written before about how I love fresh salsa and there is nothing that can beat its flavor, I also know that fresh salsa is quite expensive to buy and even make any time of year, especially in the winter when so many of the items are not in season. So I LOVE shopping at Aldi's for fresh produce because it is so much cheaper. I can find grape tomatoes and avocados, among other things, at about half the sale price at other stores. Jarred salsa makes a great snack and is much cheaper but really needs a little something more to enhance it. I love avocados, but not alone, and they are a great super-food. So one of our favorite ways to eat them is chopped in salsa. Also, I am a great fan of cilantro and it is affordable any time of the year. Lately, we have been hooked on this recipe and I thought I would share it with everyone here. Here's to spring and getting a salsa garden going!

Ingredients:

2 cups of salsa
1 15 oz. can of corn, drained or 2 cups of fresh/frozen cooked corn, drained
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained or 2 cups of cooked black beans
2 avocados, cut into small chunks
cilantro, chopped (according to taste)
lime juice (according to taste), may substitute lemon in a pinch
1 small- medium chopped red onion, or whatever type you have on hand
Handful or more of grape tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together and allow flavors to combine for a couple hours- although I found this quite addicting when I was tasting during preparation!

Succotash

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:35:00 +0000

Succotash is a dish that immediately takes me back to my grandmother's house. She seemed to regularly make this and would offer us some when we came to visit. I came to enjoy this dish very much and eventually joined her in a mission to find the beans when local growers stopped growing them for the markets around us.

This dish was especially popular years ago with farm and country folks. The dish is based on beans (often lima beans) and corn. However, the version my grandmother always made is quite different- she always used a shell bean.

The shell beans that my grandmother and great grandmother used seem to resemble closely the cranberry bean- the shells were a red and cream/white variegated pod and the beans also had a similar creamy background with reddish swirls around the bean. When dried, they are often anywhere from a tannish/red flecked color to a darker reddish/brown color. These beans can be difficult to find- I was not able to find them for many years after I married and moved away from the area where I grew up near my grandmother.

For this reason, my grandmother tried to find farm markets that would sell the shell beans so she could make her succotash the "right way"- she actually canned the beans together with fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob. The two would cook together during the canning and the flavors would be so concentrated. After I married, she gave me some beans to plant in our garden, with the idea that we would share some of the harvest with her. So I decided to can the beans and corn together- when I finished canning, I thought I was doing something wrong because almost all of the juices came out of the jar and everything cooked into a solid mass. When I was talking lately with one of my aunts about this recipe, she told me that this is how the jars of beans/corn come out. Anyhow, I do know that the flavor was different than just cooking the beans and then adding in the corn.

My grandmother grew up in a poor family where most of the children spent their teenage years working on nearby farms because the family needed the money and could not really afford to feed and clothe everyone. This is one of the family dishes that was passed down from her mother and could be made with things from the garden that were inexpensive and yet filling.

If I do not have the home-canned beans and corn, I found that you can get a pretty close flavor by pressure cooking the beans (saves a lot of time and there is no need to soak the beans first) and then simmering the beans and corn together for an hour or two. If you do not have a pressure cooker, try cooking the beans in a crockpot on high for about 6 hours. This is a very simple dish- my grandmother only used the beans, corn, salt and pepper, and some canned milk at the end. Now, on the other hand, I have never been one to leave a simple recipe alone! So I have almost always sauteéd some onions and celery to put in the succotash, added chunked potatoes to make it more of a main course soup and added some other seasonings.

These beans were quite red (usually the beans are more of a brown color when cooked) and colored the succotash. They still taste the same. The corn was farm-fresh grown and frozen white corn that is very sweet.

Servings: about 8-10

Ingredients:

1 pound bag of cranberry beans or similar shell beans
1 quart bag (or 4 cups) of frozen or fresh sweet corn with juice
3 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
chicken soup base or broth
water
1-2 large onions
2-3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
seasoned salt/pepper
1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
evaporated milk or cream

Directions:

Cook the beans as instructed on the package, or cover beans in a slow cooker with about 2-3 inches of water and cook on high in a slow cooker for 6 hours, or in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes. Drain beans from liquid.
In a dutch oven style soup pot, sauté onions with a couple Tbsp of olive oil until they become translucent.
Add in the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the beans, sweet corn, chunked potatoes and enough water/broth to cover all the ingredients. If using water, add in a few bouillon cubes or a few Tbsp of soup base.
Season with salt/pepper and dried parsley.
Simmer together until beans and potatoes are soft.
When finished cooking, add in milk/cream gradually until broth is milky-- if you use a whole can of evaporated milk, it will be quite thick. If you desire a thinner succotash, you may need to add a little more water to thin it out. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed.

*We recently ate succotash (made for this picture without the potatoes added) over top of mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

If you are only cooking for a couple people, cook up the entire recipe and then freeze half of the succotash for another time- although it is best frozen if you do not add in the potatoes.

Plain Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:27:00 +0000

This is another one of the nice little foods we had at our cooking club tea party recently. One of the members shared her family's old recipe that she remembers being served at her aunt's home many times when she was young. This is a simple muffin (I was struck by the idea of a plain muffin when she shared them with us at first!) but is wonderful with jam or lemon curd as we had them at the tea party. They are not very sweet- just a hint of sweetness. Since they are easy to make, they are great to make for something different for a snack or tea-time.

Makes 1 dozen regular sized or 36-48 mini muffins (depending on amount used)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp melted butter, shortening or oil
optional: 1 tsp vanilla
optional: confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, beat egg slightly and add milk and fat, as well as vanilla if using.
Sift together dry ingredients and then add into the liquids.
Beat about 1/2 minute just until all the flour is mixed throughout the batter.
Prepare greased muffin tins and fill half full. Bake at 375 degrees about 15-20 minutes for regular sized muffins or 8-12 minutes for mini muffins (start checking about 3-5 minutes before time ends in case your oven temperature varies.) They should be light golden brown.
Cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool longer.
May be served warm or cool with jam or other toppings. Dust the tops with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Blueberry Scones... a tea party... and reminiscing about Victoria magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Our cooking club had a wonderful tea party at my house the other evening. This was our first one together, and the table was overflowing with the massive array of treats. Since having this tea, I read If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes and was so inspired to take moments with my family and friends to celebrate life and relationships in this way.

Somehow, in the midst of this, I was taken back to my late teens and early adult years when I spent hours poring over the "Victoria" magazines that came every month. This was truly something that shaped my tastes for clothing and decorating, although I would not say that I really decorate or dress in that style today. However, there were timeless and classic qualities about much of the clothing, decor and furniture. There is something pretty and restful about the magazine and the way it encouraged people to have a place of beauty to relax in either alone or with others. I would also dream of traveling someday to many of the beautiful places across the countrysides of England and France, among others, that were featured in those pages. It is funny that in the intervening years, getting married, moving away from my hometown and later stopping the subscription because I was overrun by magazines and needing to save some money, I still could not bring myself to throw out or give away the old copies. They were always so wonderful and enjoyable to reread. Right now, they are sitting in boxes in the garage, and all these last 5 years, I kept trying to get up the nerve to de-clutter and get rid of them. Instead, I think I am going to put them on a shelf in my soon-to-be organized office so they will be more easily accessible for relaxation and inspiration.

So, enough with my memories. I want to share my latest scone recipe that I made for our tea party and have been really enjoying. I loved them when they were fresh, but they are also very good days later. Just keep them stored in an air tight container in the fridge and then toast them when you want to have some. The outside becomes just slightly crispy like they just came out of the oven and the inside stays moist, tender and so flavorful. This is my new favorite snack or breakfast with tea or coffee after my youngsters are fed and I have a few minutes to sit and relax.

Serving: 16 mini scones or 8 regular sized
Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3-4 Tbsp sugar, divided
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
2/3- 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon peel
coarse (decorator) sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease cookie sheet, or may use a smaller rectangle baking dish
Sprinkle fruit with 1 Tbsp of sugar and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and remaining 3 Tbsp of sugar.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or a fork (or just your fingers!) until chunks are very small pea-sized.
Whisk together the cream, 1 egg, vanilla extract and lemon peel and then add into the dry mixture.
Stir until the wet and dry ingredients begin to come together. If there is a lot of flour left in the bottom of the bowl, add a couple Tbsp of cream to the bowl and mix it all together.
Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead the dough a few times just until it holds together and some of the extra flour from the bowl has been incorporated in.
Press or roll out into a rectangle or press into the rectangle pan if using one. Divide into 4 equal sections, pressing straight down with a sharp knife. Then cut diagonally across each section, pressing straight down.
Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush over top of the scones.
Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Bake 12-15 minutes just until the outside is golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes-- wonderful served warm with lemon curd.

Parts of this recipe was inspired by Lady Behind The Curtain's scones.

This was shared on the following:
I Should Be Mopping The Floor party #55

Tortellini In Vegetable Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:10:00 +0000

This was my latest brainstorm recipe that turned out so well that my husband and I could hardly stop eating this. I had a lot of different vegetables that needed to be used up, not enough time to thaw some meat and wanted to do something easy before I had to run off to work in the evening. It turned out that the veggies I had worked wonderful together for this dish, but I really think you could use all different types of vegetables and have a great dish. The cooking time for this is less than 30 minutes and would be a great weeknight meal if you have the veggies already prepped.

Serves about 6 (or 4 adult servings)

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned and finely chopped, including the upper stems
1 pint size container of grape tomatoes (or you could substitute 1 15oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice)
1 large onion or 2 small-medium onions
2 medium carrots, medium diced, or may use baby carrots chopped
2 large celery ribs, chopped
2-3 mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
palmful of Italian seasoning/herb blend
salt blend like Goya Adobo with pepper
1 pound pasta of choice
cream or half and half
2-4 large handfuls of spinach, chopped (or may use 1/2 small package of frozen spinach); may use another type of greens
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
2-3 low fat string cheese sticks, shredded and then chopped (optional), or may use handful of shredded mozarella cheese
chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a large covered skillet, generously drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with seasoned salt blend and crushed Italian seasoning. After it has begun to cook and soften a little, cover the pan so the juices do not evaporate out. Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.
While the veggies are cooking, start the pasta water. Liberally salt the water. Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than the recommended time as it will cook in the sauce at the end.
As the veggies become tender as you desire, add in the cream gradually until the sauce is lightly creamy- I used about 1/4-1/3 cup.
Add in the chopped spinach.
Pull out about 1 - 1 1/2 cup of pasta water as the pasta is finished and set it aside.
Add the cheeses to the vegetable mixture and then add in the drained pasta.
Combine everything together and add in as much pasta water as you need to make enough sauce to cover the pasta. Cover the pan as it cooks together for a couple more minutes.
Garnish with parsley and serve with a garlic bread or other warm rustic bread.

*Note- if using more sturdy greens in place of spinach, add them in with the vegetables at the beginning since they need more time to cook.