It’s a first for me, but seemed pretty darn simple.

In case you don’t know what Pita or Pitta is . . . it’s a round pocket bread.

The “pocket” in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. As the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle. I didn’t search the world over for Pita recipes, I just chose one and made the stuff.  I have a friend who makes this often (KJ) and I need to snatch her recipe as well. It’s always nice to compare recipes and see which one you prefer.  I made my Pita pretty small. I figured this size would be perfect to stuff and make sandwiches.

If you have a Stand Mixer . . . it’s a breeze!

I followed the recipe below exactly, but I did add 2 teaspoons of sugar to the yeast mixture.

A bit of sugar makes yeast pop!

I made 13 small equal size balls.

 Roll each ball out to about 1/4″ thickness.

Try to keep the thickness . . . even . . . so that they puff in the oven.

Let rest on a floured surface, covered with a clean towel or rest on Silpats covered with a clean towel.  Rest for 30 to 40 minutes until slightly puffed.  The recipe says to flip the rounds of dough upside down onto a baking sheet.  (I already had my pitas on the silpat covered baking sheet.  When they had rested for 30 minutes, I did gently flip them over.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (middle of the oven) until light golden.

I also brushed them with a bit of melted butter, when they came out of the oven.  Once cooled, slice one side open and you have “pocket bread!”  It’s fun to watch them puff in the oven.  I didn’t take a picture of them baking, because I was afraid they would lose their “PUFF!”

These were quite tasty, and made the perfect bread shell for my tuna sandwich.  Like I said  . . . I’m not a Pita expert, since these were the first. I might have done it ALL WRONG.  They didn’t go to waste though.  They were all eaten up.

I’m still on the hunt for KJ’s recipe.  I will try it soon. In the meantime, these were pretty darn easy!

I’m picky though.

They can’t be mostly fat and little meat.

That’s why I like these ribs!

These Country Style Pork Ribs are oh so delicious & easy to prepare. This recipe came from Genola Kandler, who was a awesome cook. She cooked for a huge farming operation of hungry men! Everytime I make these ribs….I think of her. You can prepare them two different ways:

On top of your stove – Click here for the Tutorial.

In your slow cooker.  Today, that’s what we are doing.

Let begin . . . shall we.

YOU WILL NEED:

Brown Sugar, Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Ground Ginger, Dry Mustard, 1 small can crushed pineapple with juice. (I double the sauce recipe)

THE MAIN CHARACTER:

EXTRA LEAN – BONELESS – COUNTRY STYLE PORK RIBS –

(My package is 3.14 lbs – with 8 ribs.) Double the ribs for a large family.

*I trim any extra fat – AWAY!

IN A MEDIUM SIZED BOWL, MIX TOGETHER: (I like to double this recipe for 8 to 10 ribs)

(This is the single recipe)

1-Can Crushed Pineapple with juice

1 cup Ketchup

4-5 shots of Worchestershire Sauce

1 cup Brown Sugar (You can also decrease this to 3/4 cup if you like)

1 Teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ginger

Salt & Pepper to taste

Stir it all together and it will resemble this.

LAYER YOUR RIBS IN YOUR SLOW COOKER, & POUR THE SAUCE OVER THEM. STIR WELL, SO THAT THEY ARE ALL COATED WITH THE SAUCE. SALT & PEPPER THEM GENEROUSLY.

If you doubled the sauce, it will look like this.  If you didn’t . . . it will look slightly different.  That’s o.k. My slow Cooker doubles as a roaster oven as well. It will also cook at higher temperatures and it also cooks very hot around the edges.  I have to put the temperature pretty low.  Even though the gauge says Slow-cook 250-275, I will start it out on 200 and probably put it down to 175.

The lid of my cooker also has vent holes.  I don’t want anything to escape at this point (liquid evaporates through holes) so I am also covering my slow cooker with heavy duty foil, before putting the lid on.  Once the ribs are “fall apart tender, and I want the sauce to “thicken a bit more” I will remove the foil and just put the lid back on.

FYI:  If your sauce is not as thick as you would like, (after the ribs are fall apart tender, simply crack the lid, or remove the foil . . . so steam & liquid can evaporate and the sauce will thicken!

I LIKE TO STIR MY RIBS AROUND JUST A BIT, EVERY 30 MIN. OR SO. I do this, because my cooker gets really hot on the sides.  If yours doesn’t don’t worry about it.

My ribs are done in about 4 hours.  In a typical slow cooker, it will take a bit longer. THE RIBS SHOULD FALL APART and be FORK TENDER . . .  OR THEY ARE NOT DONE!

THESE RIBS ARE A GREAT CHOICE WHEN YOU ARE HAVING COMPANY FOR DINNER!!

his response didn’t surprise me at all.

I knew what he would say.

Angel Food Cake.

but . . .

there was an or!

It was this.

This just happens to be another family favorite recipe. We make it often. The recipe calls for Maraschino Cherries & Almonds, but you could substitute if you like. It stays moist and the top crust is irresistible!

I purchased this unique pan quite some time ago, from Target.  It has four different shapes of bunt designs. One of those shapes is a heart, so it was perfect to use for Valentines Day.

After filling the medium sized bundts, I also had enough batter left for 12 tiny little bundts. You don’t need either of these pans, to make this delicious Pound Cake.  Just an ordinary Bundt pan, or even 2 lg. loaf pans will due you just fine.

This size of bundt, seems to be perfect, to share with your favorite person.  The smaller size is perfect . . . just for you!

This Pound Cake also freezes well.  If you’re a chocolate lover, you could put chocolate chips in the batter.  It would also be luscious drizzled with a Chocolate ganache!

Ohhhhhhhh . . . I would like that, but my sweet half would not!  All I did to make them a bit fancier, is fill the hole in the center with sweetened Whipped Cream.  I pulled Raspberries from my  freezer, and plopped them on top of the whipped Cream.  All that picking this summer, pays off in the long run.

It’s delicious on the inside . . .

It’s delicious on the outside!

For the full tutorial on making this pound cake, click here:

Maraschino Cherry Almond Pound Cake

Perfect for your sweet valentine!

Despite my best efforts, I’ve been really slow in posting.

For that . . . I’m sorry.

I also like this dessert partially frozen, therefore it freezes well!

See.

It’s perfect for Valentines Day.

This dessert is rich . . . but not too sweet.

Come on, I will show you how easy it is to make.  You can switch it up!

I like to start . . . with making the shortbread crust.

You could also make a graham cracker, or oreo type crust.

Don’t over-mix, treat it like you were making pie crust.

Pat it gently into a 9×13 inch greased baking dish

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Next make your junket Danish Dessert.

I only add 1 1/2 cups of cold water, because I will be adding frozen raspberries & huckleberries.

like so . . .

Set this in the fridge to cool, while you make the fillings.

I’m actually making two desserts, one to keep . . . one to giveaway.

To the left is french vanilla pudding, to the right is danish junket, and not far behind is the cream cheese mixture.

For my giveaway dessert, I used a springform pan.

If you use a springform pan, it must be very set, or even partially frozen to remove it from the pan.

Start by spreading the cream cheese layer on top of the cooled Crust.

Now spread the cooled danish junket on top of the cream cheese layer.

Spread Cool Whip or real whipped cream on top of the danish junket.

I also sprinkled sliced almonds and toasted coconut on top of my desserts.

Cover with foil, and place in the fridge for several hours.

Or . . . you can pop it in the freezer until it’s set or frozen  . . . whichever you prefer.

It’s Valentine good!

If you want some variations on this dessert, and the recipe . . . click below.

LEMON LUSH & CHOCOLATE LUSH

 It didn’t die after my waffles had baked, it decided to retire in mid-stream!

I had only one option . . . buy a new waffle iron.

I did.

The shiny new model is a Cuisinart 4 slice Belgian, and it’s been working hard lately.

Look what it made today.

Beautiful Crispy Waffle fries . . . or you could call them hash browns.

So good . . . low fat crispy  . . . delicious!

I’ve decided, that my new waffle iron is going to cook more than waffles.

If you could take a bite right now, you wouldn’t be able to tell that they weren’t fried in oil or butter.  In fact, they are so good we have had them several nights in a row. My sweet half was quite impressed.  Come on, grab your waffle iron and we’ll get to work.

Start by grabbing one large potato. You can’t really tell, but this potato is very large.  To the right is my smart new Waffle iron.  It has 5 settings, from low to very hot.  It beeps when it’s ready . . . and it beeps when the waffles are perfectly cooked. To the left of the potato is 1 tablespoon of butter.  I plan to melt it in the microwave. That is all the calories that you will need to add.  Just one tablespoon per potato.  You probably could even get away without any butter!

See that crazy orange contraption?

Let me introduce you to my friend . . . MOULI.

I love MOULI and I use it often.  It’s like an old friend that just keeps on giving.  MOULI comes with several different disks that cut different shapes.  I do have the fancy schmancy food processors with blades, but I still prefer Mouli. I don’t even know if you could still buy these today, but mine has been working hard for at least 20 years, or longer.

As you can see, I used the disk that makes hash brown style potatoes.  That one potato made a lot of hash browns!

I don’t rinse the starch off of the hash brown potatoes, I want that little bit of natural starch to hold my waffle fries together.

Melt that tablespoon of butter, and toss it around in the potatoes. Season them with some salt, pepper and whatever else you might like.

Heat up your waffle iron . . . nice & hot.  I turned it up to #5.

If you don’t have a waffle iron that adjusts in temperature, I’m sure it will still work just fine.  You will simply have to leave them in a bit longer.

Once the waffle iron is ready, spray it with a bit of non-stick spray. Spread the hash brown potatoes evenly across the surface of your 4 slice belgian waffle maker.

Shut the lid . . . and walk away!

Come back in 5 or 6 minutes and take a quick peek.

I notice that my waffle maker cooks much faster on the bottom than the top.

That’s quite alright . . . once the bottom has browned really well . . . Flip it over!

look . . . it’s utterly amazing!

. . . and there you have it.

Low Fat Crispy Waffle fries – literally!

Come back soon for more waffle iron magic.

I’m getting my money’s worth!