Pretzel-crusted Peanut Butter Pie

My husband loved the sweet-and-salty combo.  I've been making peanut butter pie for years, but this is the first time I gave it a pretzel crust.  It really did take the dessert to a whole new level.  It's not too salty.  It's not too sweet.  But it is oh so delicious.

Here's what you'll need:
3/4 c finely crushed pretzels
1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
3 TBSP sugar
5 1/3 TBSP melted butter
1/2 c peanut butter
3 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk
1 8-oz tub whipped topping, thawed
1 c mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the pretzel and graham crumbs, sugar and butter in a large bowl.

Mix until it looks like sand, then pour into a 9-inch pie pan.

I use a glass to press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.

Bake at 425 for 8-10, until lightly golden.

Set on a rack and let cool completely.

Combine cream cheese and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat until combined and fluffy.

Beat in the powdered sugar.  Add in the milk.  Fold in the whipped topping, mixing well.  Spread in the cooled pie crust.

Use a knife to coarsely chop the peanut butter cups.

Spread evenly over the top of the pie, gently pushing them into the filling.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.  Serves 8.

Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic

I was having friends over for dinner tonight and needed a vegetable.  As I walked through the farmer's market, I thought I might be out of luck until I came across these baby Brussels sprouts. They're SO cute!  I decided a quick saute would be best, and I was right.  They were so delicious and took almost no time at all.

Here's what you'll need:
2 slices bacon, diced
1 qt baby Brussels sprouts
2 TBSP water
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Brown bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy.

Remove the bacon from the pan, keeping the drippings in the pan.  Add the Brussels sprouts and toss until they're all coated in the bacon juices.  Add the water.  Cover and let steam 1-2 minutes. Uncover.

Add the oil and return the bacon to the skillet.

Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts soften and brown slightly.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I had an abundance of Poblano peppers this summer.  Most of them were fire-roasted and made into salsa.  I like chiles rellenos, but they seem more like an appetizer than an entree.  I was talking to a friend at work about it one night and she told me her mom stuffs the peppers with potatoes and ground meat.  Sounded like an entree to me!  This is what came out.

Here's what you'll need:
6 large poblano peppers
1 TBSP olive oil (or bacon grease)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled & cut into small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Ancho chile powder
2 c shredded cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese

Lightly roast the peppers over a burner or grill, just until a little charred.  Remove from heat.

Use a sharp knife to cut off the stem end and remove the seeds from each pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the ground meat and the onion.  Cook until the meat is browned and the onion softens.

Add the garlic, potatoes and seasonings.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes begin to soften.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Stir in the cheese.  Spread a shallow layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.  Use the remaining meat mixture to fill the peppers. Arrange the peppers in the dish.  Lay the remaining tops around the peppers.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are fork-tender and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.  Serve with sour cream.

Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon

I broke in my new cast-iron dutch oven today.  I figured a classic french dish was just the thing to do it.  This hearty, beef stew-like dinner has a lot of steps, but that doesn't translate into being hard. Take your time.  Follow the steps and success is pretty much guaranteed.  But it IS French, and it's incredibly rich.

Here's what you'll need:
6 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
2-3 lbs lean beef roast, cut into 2" cubes
4-5 small carrots, cut in half
1/2 onion, root end in-tact
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBSP flour
3 c red wine
2-3 c beef stock
1 TBSP tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 sprigs fresh thyme (1/2 tsp dry)
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP butter
8 oz baby portabella mushrooms
2 TBSP fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450.

Saute the bacon in the olive oil in the dutch oven until crispy.

Remove the bacon; drain on a paper towel.

Reheat the oil and grease in the pan.  Add about half of the beef cubes.

This step is not about cooking the beef.  This is to develop some crust and coloring on the meat. When the meat is browned, remove to paper towels.

Repeat this step with the remaining beef.

Add the carrots and half onion to the pot, again just getting some color on the vegetables.  This adds an unbelievable depth of flavor.

When the vegetables are caramelized, remove them to paper towels.  Discard the remaining oil from the pot.

Put the beef and bacon back into the hot pot.  Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and flour.  Place the pot in the oven.  Cook at 450 for 4 minutes.

Stir the beef and cook another 4 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 325.

Stir the wine and enough beef stock to cover the meat into the dutch oven.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Add the onion and carrots.

Cover; put the pot into the 325 oven and bake until the meat is fork-tender, 3-4 hours.

When the meat is cooked, remove from the oven.  The sauce with be pretty thick.

Drain the meat combo over a bowl.  Return the sauce to the pot; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the sauce has reduced by about half.

Remove the onion, sticks from the thyme and the bay leaf from the meat.  Place the meat and carrots in a dish; cover.

Saute the mushrooms in the butter in a small skillet, until pretty crispy.

Layer them over the meat and carrots.

Top with the reduced wine sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.  We just ate it with crusty, well-buttered bread.  If you're going to go French, you might as well go all the way.

Serves 4-5.

Enjoy!

Peach Puffs

Peaches are in season right now.  There are so many varieties to choose from, each with different colors and levels of sweetness.  All of them delicious.  I've been buying them at the farm stands regularly.  That means we're eating a lot of peaches, so I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  These pastries are perfect. They're just the right size to hold in your hand, with a not-too-sweet filling and flaky crust.

Here's what you'll need:

4 TBSP sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb peaches, diced
3 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP milk
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine 3 TBSP of the sugar and the vanilla in a bowl.

Add the peaches, and toss to coat them.

Stir in the flour and set aside.

Combine the remaining 1 TBSP sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Pour the milk into a third small dish.

On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry until it's 15x10" rectangle.

Cut the pastry into 6 squares.

Put one piece of pastry on the parchment paper.  Use a pastry brush (or your finger) to moisten the edges of the pastry.

Put about 1/2 c of the peach mixture in the center of dough piece.

Pull up the opposite corners together.

Then pull up each side, pinching the seams together as you do.

Finish by twisting the ends together at the top.

Repeat with the remaining pastry squares.

Brush the tops of the pastry with any remaining milk, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temp.  Note:  they are best on the first day.

Enjoy!

Judy's Dill Pickles

When I was growing up my sister and mom would can all sorts of things, from jellies and sauces to various pickles.  I love pickles!  Especially dill pickles.  But I never tired to make them on my own.  My daughter asked me to do it just about every summer.  I guess I just thought it was going to be hard and too much work; it seemed that way to the child me.  Plus, they seemed to make endless amounts.  Hundreds of pickles.  All-day canning marathons.  This year, I was feeling brave and decided to just try it on a smaller scale.  I found the recipe my sister wrote for me way back.  The result: SO easy!

Here's what you'll need:
15-18 cucumbers, 3"-4" inches long
3 c white vinegar
3 c water
6 TBSP salt
1 bunch fresh dill, divided into 6
12 garlic cloves, cut in half
6 tsp mustard seeds
6 pint-sized canning jars (wide mouth are easiest) with lids and rings. sterilized

Combine the vinegar, water and salt in large saucepan.  Bring to a boil.

Place 1/6 of the dill, 4 garlic halves and 1 tsp mustard seeds into the bottom of each sterilized jar.

Remove both ends from the cucumbers, and cut them into spears.  I put the smaller ones into 6, the larger ones into 8.

Stuff the cucumbers into the jars, filling as full as possible without sticking out of the jar.

Ladle the brine into the jars, leaving 1/2" at the top.  Wipe the rims, then top with a lid and ring.  Hand tighten.  Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.   Transfer the jars to the counter to cool.  Let rest 24 hours.  Check seals.

Store in a cool, dark place.  Makes 6 pints.

Enjoy!