Mixed Fruit Crumbles

There's something warm and comforting about warm desserts when the weather is so cold.  With so many fruits being available year-round and a wide variety of quality frozen fruits, it's east to whip one up in minutes. I was cleaning our my freezer and I found a bag of frozen blueberries, and I had (almost) a quart of strawberries in the fridge.  I didn't have to think twice!

Here's what you'll need:
2 c blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 quart strawberries, sliced
1/2 c flour
1/2 c oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 TBSP cold butter
whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray 4 ramekins with cooking spray.

Layer the blueberries and strawberries in the prepared pans.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Use a pastry cutter (or 2 knives) to cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it looks like small peas.

Spoon the mixture over the berries.  Spread to evenly coat.  It may seem like you have too much topping, but as the berries cook, they will let off a lot of liquid.  This crumble will help soak it up.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, until the topping is browned and the juice is bubbling through.

Top with whipped cream (or ice cream) just before serving.  Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

Is there anything better on an incredibly cold, snow-covered day than comfort food?  There's just something about a meal that has taken time to be prepared, filling the whole house with it's aroma, to make us feel loved and important.  So, I whipped up a BIG pot of chicken and dumplings to help me counter the winter-weather blues.

Here's what you'll need:
4 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on
olive oil
salt and pepper
dumplings:
2 c flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c buttermilk
sauce:
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c flour
6 c chicken stock
1/4 c half-n-half
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
Place chicken, skin side up, on a sheet tray.  Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the juices run clear.

Cool slightly.  Remove meat from the bones; tear into large pieces.  Set aside.

Next, melt the butter with the oil in a large pot.

Add the carrot, garlic and onion.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of flour.  Stir well, to coat all the vegetables.

Cook 2 minutes, until thick.

Add chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Keep cooking, over medium heat, until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 15 minutes.  While this is cooking, make the dumplings.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Whisk together.  Make a hole in the center.

Pour the eggs and buttermilk into the hole in the flour mixture.  Stir with a spoon until it looks like thick cake batter.

When the sauce has thickened enough, add the half-n-half.  Return to a simmer.
Drop the dumplings onto the surface of the sauce.  Do not crowd them!

Cover; cook 10 minutes.  Uncover and cook 10 minutes more, until dumplings are fluffy and firm.

Season with salt and pepper before serving.  Serves 6-8.

Enjoy!

Corn Muffins

Nothing goes better with the chili and hearty stews that come with the cooler weather than corn muffins. These are dense and moist, with a really fine crumb, and are best slathered with butter.  But be warned: you'll want more than one.

Here's what you'll need:
3 c flour
1 c corn meal
2 TBSP baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
2 sticks butter, melted, cooled slightly
* makes 15

Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tins with papers.  These just don't work well without the papers.  Even with greased/floured tins it's nearly impossible to get them all out of the pan and have them look nice.

Mix dry ingredients, except sugar, together in large bowl.  Set aside.

Whisk the sugar into the melted butter.  Add milk and eggs, stirring to blend.  Add in the dry ingredients, stirring just until blended.  There may be some lumps.  That's OK; it's better than over mixing the batter.

Use a large scoop to put into muffin tins.

Fill the tins full.  The batter will rise, but it won't overflow the pan.

Tap on the counter a few times to remove air bubbles.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  The tops will be slightly domed, and a toothpick will come out clean.

Cool in pan 10-15 minutes, then remove.  Serve warm or at room temp, with butter and/or jam.

Enjoy!

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes are an American staple, but mashed potatoes top the list.  There's just something about their silky texture and buttery flavor evoke memories of holidays and family times.  Peeling potatoes is labor of love, making me feel like someone spent time on me.  Now people use boxed, or even frozen, mashed potatoes but it's just not the same.

I think one reason people don't like to make potatoes is that they don't know how to measure.  Generally, for mashed potatoes, you need to prepare 1 1/2 medium-sized potatoes per person.  This allows for a generous serving plus a little left over.

These loaded potatoes are a family favorite in our house.  They have taken over at holiday buffets, and sometimes I make them on a weeknight, just to let my loved ones know I was thinking about them and wanted to do something special.

Here's what you'll need for 4 people:
6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 TBSP butter, room temp
1/2 c sour cream, room temp
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp minced garlic
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender when you poke them with a fork.  Drain thoroughly.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sour cream, cheese and garlic.

Add the drained potatoes and beat until all potatoes are mashed and no lumps remain.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, sprinkle the cooked bacon on top.

Enjoy!

Creamy, extra-cheesy mac-n-cheese

I LOVE CHEESE!  What better way to eat it than a big, steaming plate of macaroni and cheese?  As the weather gets cooler, I find myself turning more and more to the oven for meals.  This dish is delicious baked, with all the crusty edges around the top, but it can also be eaten right from the pot.  It's up to you.  But just a warning: this is the most decadent macaroni and cheese you will ever eat.  It's loaded with fat and calories, but in moderation it's great.

Here's what you'll need:
2 c uncooked elbow or small shell pasta
1 TBSP salt
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 c half and half
1 c milk (whole or 2%)
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz shredded Swiss cheese
4 oz shredded smoked mozzarella or smoked Gouda
paprika

Heat the oven to 375.  Grease a 2-quart casserole; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a full boil.  Add 1 TBSP salt and the noodles.  This might seem like a lot of salt, but this is the only chance you have to actually season the pasta itself.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large sauce pot.  Whisk in flour and seasonings.  Cook for a minute.  Whisk in half and half and the milk, stirring until constantly.  Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add cheese and stir until melted.

 
Gently fold the drained pasta into the cheese sauce, mixing just until the noodles are covered in the cheesy goodness.

It's ready to be eaten, as is, but for more deliciousness, bake it.  Spread the noodle mixture in a greased 2-quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles around the edges.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Dreams

Chocolate and peanut butter.  Can there even be a better combination?  This cake is decadent and delicious, which makes it perfect for the holidays.  It's a dark chocolate cake with a peanut butter cheesecake center, all held together with peanut butter cream frosting.  This post is a little longer and more detailed than what I usually do.  Please don't be overwhelmed!  There are a lot of steps, but they are EASY.  And you can do them on separate days to help break it down.

Start with the cake layers.  They can be made pretty well in advance, since they need to be frozen.
Here's what you'll need:
12 TBSP butter
2/3 c brown sugar
2/3 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
2 TBSP brewed coffee
1 3/4 c flour
1 c cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans.  Line them with parchment paper (to help prevent sticking), and grease the parchment.  Set aside.

Your butter, eggs, buttermilk and sour cream need to be at room temperature.  The eggs and butter can sit out on the counter overnight.  In the morning, set out the buttermilk and sour cream.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  This will remove the lumps and lighten the flour, creating a lighter cake.  Set aside.

Whisk together vanilla, buttermilk, sour cream and coffee.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars.  Beat them until their light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, blend well.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture.  Stir just until the flour disappears.  Add 1/2 of the milk mixture.  Repeat, ending with the third flour addition.  Combining it this way creates a finer crumb (cake texture).

Divide evenly between the two prepared cake pans.  Smooth the tops.  Bake at 350 for 27-30 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Then remove from their pans.  The easiest way to do this is to place the rack on top of the cake, then flip the whole thing over.  The parchment paper will help them come put easily.

Remove the parchment paper.  Cool completely.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Freeze, at least, overnight or up to one week.

Make the cheesecake layer next.  It, too, needs to freeze overnight.
Here's what you'll need:
2 8oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
2/3 c sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs, room temp
1/3 c heavy cream, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325.  Grease a 9" spring form pan.  Wrap foil around the outside of the pan.  Place the pan in a casserole dish just big enough to hold it.  Set aside.

Beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar together until well-blended, light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, just blending.  Stir in remaining ingredients until just mixed.  Pour into prepared pan.

Pour warm water into the casserole dish til it comes half way up the foil.  This will keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking.  Bake 40-45 minutes, until the center is set.  Carefully loosen the foil from the edges of the pan.  Lift the spring form pan from the water bath.  Allow to cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.

Leave the cake in the pan.  Wrap the whole thing tightly in foil.  Freeze overnight or up to one week.

Make the frosting the day you want to assemble the cake.  Remove the cake and cheesecake from the freezer.  Unwrap the cakes.

Here's what you'll need:
8oz cream cheese, room temp
1 stick butter, room temp
3/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP heavy cream
3 c sifted powder sugar, sifted

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and peanut butter.

Beat until well-blended.  Stir in the vanilla and cream.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until absorbed.  Turn the mixer to high and beat for 5 minutes.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer, flat side down, on a cake plate.  Spread with 1/2 cup of frosting.

Place the cheesecake layer upside down on the frosted layer.  Remove the parchment paper.  Spread with 1/2 cup frosting.

Place remaining cake layer, flat side up, on top of frosted cheesecake.

Spread frosting, in a thin layer, over the sides of the cake.  This will seal in the crumbs.

Press chocolate chips around the sides of the cake using the palm of your hand.

When the sides are completely covered, gently press the chips into the cake.  Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake, creating a swirling pattern.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.  This is a VERY rich cake, so thin slices are all it takes.

Enjoy!

Pot Roast

With the colder weather approaching, I begin to think of hearty dinners.  You know, comfort food.  Food that "sticks to your bones", as my dad would say.  There's just something about dish, slowly cooking, in the oven to fill the house with a delicious aroma, but it also seems to warm the heart.  There was a bit of a chill in the air today and I had a lot of things to do, so I decided on a pot roast.  With just a few steps to get it ready for the oven, it left me with plenty of time to accomplish other things, but still have a good meal on the table.

Here's what you'll need:
2-3 lb top round roast
1 lb new potatoes (small red ones)
3-4 carrots, peeled, cut into 2" chunks
1 onion, cut into wedges
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
2 c beef broth or water (if meat is frozen, skip the liquid)

Arrange vegetables in a large casserole dish.  Arrange the herbs over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pour the beef both over the vegetables.  Place the beef roast on top.  Sprinkle the beef with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Cover with aluminum foil.  Seal tightly.  Bake at 325 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  I like mine to be fork-tender and falling apart.  If you like your meat firmer, bake it less.  Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes. Remove the herb stems.  Slice the meat and serve with the vegetables.  Serves 4-6.

You can make gravy with the broth, or freeze it for later use.

Enjoy!