Monthly Archives: April 2012

TWD:BWJ Hungarian Shortbread

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 14 reading plan per day

Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday 2 Samuel 1-4,   Tues 2 Samuel 5-8,
Wed 2 Samuel 9-12
Thursday 2 Samuel 13-15,
Friday 2 Samuel 16-18
,
Saturday 2 Samuel 19-21,
Sunday 2 Samuel 22-24

Blessings as you read!

Tuesdays With Dorie is an on-line baking group that is baking their way through the Dorie Greenspan book, Baking With Julia. Today, Hungarian Shortbread  is the seventh recipe we have baked together.  Across the top of my webpage you will find a tab called RECIPES. I have added a TWD: Baking With Julia category and there you can find a link to the blog post for each recipe.  Two times a month 400+ bakers bake the same recipe and blog the experience.  Per the rules, only the two hosts for each recipe post the actual recipe.  Today, our hosts are Lynette of 1smallkitchen and Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler…  Please visit their websites for the recipe or you can buy a copy of Dorie’s book by clicking on the Amazon link I have provided to the right of this post!

Last week I received a sneak preview of  my friend Carmen’s creation …

Can you believe how fabulously delicious this looks? Yum!  You can find more of Carmen’s kitchen delights at Baking is my Zen!  Now, what can I say about Hungarian Shortbread?  How about “ought oh, trouble.”  Rhubarb.  The filling in this recipe is home-made rhubarb jam.  I know what you are thinking … just make the jam.  Not so fast.  I like rhubarb. I grew up in Nebraska with rhubarb always growing somewhere nearby.  My brothers and I would snap it off, brush it off, and chew away … making a big ‘ol sour face as we ate!  As it turns out, my southern-born and raised Chief Culinary Consultant wasn’t fed ANY rhubarb as a kid and now believes anything that requires the addition of strawberries to make it palatable, isn’t worth eating.


This notion just tickles me so much considering this is the same man who will bring in a big ‘o mess of weeds (aka collard greens) for me to cook up and serve with every meal :)   We really are a product of our environment.  I don’t eat weeds, he doesn’t eat rhubarb.  Strawberries — that is middle ground for all of us in our household.  So I hope you will forgive me for substituting the strawberry sauce in place of the rhubarb jam nestled into the buttery shortbread layers.

Dorie tells us that for most bakers, shortbread dough is known for its stick-to-your-fingers stubbornness and can be quite tough to work with. As I am finding out with Dorie’s recipes, she has taken the difficulty out of such recipes as this shortbread.  The dough is mixed quickly, shaped into balls, and frozen for 1/2 hour or so.  I froze mine over-night.(Overachiever)   So when I was ready to grate it … well, it took a bit to cut up the dough balls.

Then the dough is grated  into the cake pan (I chose a 10″ round spring- form pan).  I used my Kitchen Aid to grate and it worked beautifully.

At this point the recipe calls for layering with the dough, jam, and topping with the dough. However, before making my shortbread, I spent some time reading comments from TWD:BWJ bakers who had already baked their shortbread.  You can read the comments HERE.  From the comments I decided to pre-bake my bottom layer for about 15 minutes before adding the jam and the top layer. I then added the strawberry jam and top layer.  Into the oven it goes!

Immediately as you remove the pan from the oven, the top is dusted with confectioner’s sugar.  How simple is this?

My chief culinary consultant’s report — “wow, this is goood!”
My sous-chef dish-washing mom said, “oh honey, this is absolutely the most delicious dessert.  What a great job you did!”

Husbands and moms … just the best critics in the world :)

This is a keeper recipe that I will make again and again – definitely trying it with some blackberry jam!


P.S. I cut this piece of shortbread fairly soon after it came out of the oven.  It looks a bit “gooey” but actually was quite done and just a perfect texture.

First Bites:

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

Salsa Cornbread and the 16th Annual National Cornbread Festival

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 14 reading plan per day

Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday 2 Samuel 1-4, Tues 2 Samuel 5-8,
Wed 2 Samuel 9-12
, Thursday 2 Samuel 13-15,
Friday 2 Samuel 16-18
,
Saturday 2 Samuel 19-21,
Sunday 2 Samuel 22-24

Blessings as you read!

Today starts the 14th week in our walk through the Bible this year. If you haven’t started … it’s not too late. Just start where we are today. Each week I will post the reading plan for that week. It only takes about 15 minutes per day and I am finding a closer walk with God each and every day.

Laurie at Simply Scratch recently posted this picture of her Bacon, Pear, & Raspberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich in honor of National Grilled Cheese Month.  National Grilled Cheese Month?  Who knew?  Well, now we do!  Thank you Laurie for bringing this to our attention — and btw – this sandwich looks awesome!  Love the multigrain bread!
So many things to learn and so little time. For example, did you know there is a National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee?  This national festival held its 16th annual event this weekend.  As you might expect from a cornbread festival there is everything from Arts and Crafters, lots of entertainment, celebrities (I am pretty sure I saw Barney Fife and Abraham Lincoln) and a big ‘ol cornbread cooking contest! 
South Pittsburg is the home of Lodge Manufacturing.  I do love cast iron cooking!  Two years ago I submitted a couple of original cornbread skillet recipes for the contest.  Apparently, they weren’t original enough because I didn’t even make honorable mention! ha! ha!  Guess I should have FRIED those recipes :)   But, I digress …  having never actually attended the festival, we decided to head south and check it out.  South Pittsburg is nestled in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley.  The day dawned clear as a bell with temperatures 10 degrees above normal making it an 80-something degree day!  Perfect for a cornbread festival!
  
Right away this lovely lady was giving us a sample of Salsa Cornbread.  And the recipe, easy as 3 – 2 -1.

  • Three cups cornbread mix (like Martha White packaged mix)
  • 2 cups Salsa – your choice
  • 1 cup water
    Mix until moistened, drop by spoonful on to a hot oiled griddle.  Cook until set.  Flip over and cook on other side.  They tasted quite good~!


The one recipe we definitely were not going to get is Patsy’s very secret Famous Cornbread Salad recipe.  I asked. She said “it’s a secret”.  End of story….   Not so fast. Patsy’s Cornbread Salad was posted June 29, 2008 on the Foodie With Family website.   I can’t say for 100% sure, but the salad looks the very same as the secret salad we tasted at the festival :)   I suspect it wasn’t a secret before if became famous :)
Moving on through the several, several thousands of people, there was “Barney” who brought lots of smiles and laughs to those old enough to remember the real Barney Fife, Don Knotts.  Barney was entertaining folks in a booth that was selling “look-alike” food!  I did a double take when I realized these beautifully crafted plates of food are actually candles.  It is one thing to make and bake in the kitchen, it is an entirely different craft to fashion look-alike food into candles!  Wow!
                                         Blueberries and Ice Cream
                                                  Fresh Apple Cake
                                             Cherry Cheesecake
These candles were the only “zero calorie” foods that we saw!  Have you ever heard the saying “in the South they fry everything!”???  Nah, we don’t fry everything…. almost everything.

However my big learning curve came when I discovered that apparently we DO fry Oreo Cookies!

And candy bars … yes, candy bars!


And all of this frying is not to be out done by those Bloomin’ Onions and Fried Green Tomatoes!


What did we eat?  Collard greens (my Chief Culinary Consultant), Pinto beans, cornbread and one of the best Chocolate Meringue Pies I have ever eaten!  Our day ended at the Lodge Cast Iron store … of course!  Since Lodge Cast Iron is made in South Pittsburg, Tennessee they have a wonderful company store.  They offered tours and lots of shopping!  I use a cast iron skillet quite often when cooking on the BBQ grill.  A cast iron skillet is perfect for grilling onions, fried potatoes, or even chicken on the Barbie!  I especially like cooking chicken breast in my skillet on the grill.  The chicken stays moist and tender, browns really nice and still has the flavor from the BBQ grill.  I also like to bake in a cast iron skillet.

All-in-all a fun day, a really great festival to attend,  and my purchase — you ask?  National Cornbread Festival Winning Recipes 1997-2011 cookbook.  I’ll be sharing it with you!

Wishing you a blessed week and Happy Cooking!

Weekend RoundUP April 28

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 13 reading plan per day

Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday 1 Samuel 1-4, Tues 1 Samuel 5-10, Wed 1 Samuel 11-14,
Thursday 1 Samuel 15-17, Friday 1 Samuel 18-21,
Saturday Samuel 22-25, Sunday 1 Samuel 26-31
Blessings as you read!

Happy Saturday! It has been a busy week at our home. We are in the middle of a small remodeling project.  I say small because the conversation started out something like this. “Hey! Let’s make the cabin (a free standing one room building on our property) into a guest room.” Oh good idea!  “Then when we have company they will have some privacy and their own space.” Really good idea!  Simple…  Yep….  Nope…  Because soon  we are talking like … “we’ll frame in a little bathroom, move a little electrical … do a little painting.”  You get my drift?  I am quite sure you know exactly what happens when you start a “little” remodel project.  I have spent more time with a tape measure and paint brush this week than with a fry pan and a skillet.
Before picture … stay tuned for the after pictures!

Since I haven’t been doing all the baking this week I want to share some fab websites that I love cruising for the love of good pictures, inspiration, comfort, and peace.Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting … doesn’t it look awesome?  This outstanding brownie recipe can be found at The Brown Eyed Baker.  Thank you Michelle for letting us drool over this picture!

Thick and Chewy Nutella Chunk Cookie Bars were all the rage this week at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures.  D0 you get the idea I am hungry for chocolate?  Seems like plenty of others are baking and eating chocolate this week :)   Here are a few chocolate creations I have bookmarked for you from my own recipe files.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Chip Mousse Cupcakes with Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

Tuesdays With Dorie recipe: Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

If you missed any of these recipes just click on the picture or the recipe name and you will have a link to that recipe.  I hope this has been a blessed baking week for you and a wonderful weekend ahead.

Chicken Tetrazzini


Mom’s Fruit Salad

and my personal favorite:
Lemon Icebox Pie

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

Dessert of the Week – Lemon Icebox Pie

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 13 reading plan per day

Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday 1 Samuel 1-4, Tues 1 Samuel 5-10, Wed 1 Samuel 11-14,
Thursday 1 Samuel 15-17, Friday 1 Samuel 18-21,
Saturday Samuel 22-25, Sunday 1 Samuel 26-31
Blessings as you read!

Last week I told you a bit about being “hen and chick” challenged through the years. I really enjoy watching my little garden multiply and I hope you like these pictures too.  A big shout-out thank you to Carmen at Baking is my Zen for showing me how to put together pictures in a collage like this.  Carmen has a wonderful website filled with beautiful food pictures and recipes!  If you want to jazz up your digital pictures, check out the free software at Big Huge Labs. It is easy and lots of fun.  Speaking of pictures — last week Mary at Deep South Dish had the audacity to post a recipe for Lemon Ice Box Pie.  As if the whole LEMON and then ICEBOX followed by PIE wasn’t enough to get my attention she followed it up with this:
Wowza!  I can see the creaminess of this pie with my eyes and my taste buds are really aching to taste the sweet and tart.  I love Lemon Icebox Pie and I really like it after it has been in the freezer for a bit, kinda half frozen – half creamy.  The old-timey (southern slang for “original”) version of lemon icebox pie used raw egg yolks in the filling.  I prefer eggs that are cooked,  so this version sans the raw eggs is perfect for me!  I have been blabbering on about this recipe since last week when I first saw her post.  Last night my chief culinary consultant and sous-chef dish-washing mom said “enough talk — make it!”  So I did.
I made a graham cracker crust in a 9″ pie plate.  Zested some lemons.  Oh how I love my microplaner … what did I ever do without it?  Mary suggests a packet of Lemonade Koolaid in her recipe.  I have Tang on hand – from Mom’s Fruit Salad!  So,  I added 1 tablespoon of Tang to my mixture and after tasting the end result, I won’t make it again without Tang.  The tangy flavor (sorry, couldn’t pass up the pun) blends so well with the lemons and sweetened condensed milk the result is a perfectly sweet and tart mixture.  The Nilla wafers add a tasty and finished look to the pie.
Once everything is mixed and in the pie crust you have a couple of choices.  Into the freezer for about two hours and the pie will be set, creamy and only slightly frozen.  This is how my chief culinary consultant likes to eat his Lemon Icebox Pie.
But for me, there is only one way to eat Lemon Icebox Pie … and that is after it has been in the freezer for 8 to 24 hours.  I love biting into the tangy frozen mixture and tasting the sweet and tart and very cold pie!
After waiting 24 hours for the perfectly frozen dessert I was half-way through before I remembered …. THE PICTURE :) !!!  Summer’s coming- keep this one close at hand!

Many Blessings and Happy Cooking!

Lemon Icebox Pie

Serves 8
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 24 hours
Total time 24 hours, 15 minutes
Website Adapted From Deep South Dish
Lemon Icebox Pie made with sweetened condensed milk, whipped topping, fresh lemon juice and zest, gets an extra tangy boost from the addition of a Tang!

Ingredients

  • 1 Homemade or Commercial Graham Cracker Pie Crust*
  • 1/8 cup Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup Juice of 3 lemons
  • 1 Tablespoon Tang
  • 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 can)
  • 8 ounce Cool Whip (thawed and divided)

Optional

  • 16 Vanilla wafer cookies

Directions

1
To make a graham cracker crust, combine 1-1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, about 8 planks or roughly one package, with 1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter, and press into a 9" pie plate. Can use as is, or bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for about 5 minutes to toast, if desired. Can also substitute a cookie crust, or prebaked regular pastry crust.
2
Zest and juice the lemons, setting aside a pinch of the lemon zest for garnish. In a medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Tang, whisk until smooth.
3
Remove about 1/2 cup of the whipped topping from the tub and set that aside in the refrigerator for garnish. Gently fold the remaining whipped topping into the lemon mixture until well blended. Pour this into the crust and place vanilla wafers all around the rim of the pie plate. Place pie into the freezer for several hours, or preferably overnight, before serving.
4
Before serving, let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes to thaw. Spread the reserved whipped topping over the top of the pie, leaving just a small edge around the outside. Garnish with the zest. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, or re-freeze.

Note

(1)  TANG or a packet of Lemonade Kool-Aid  provides a little color and extra tang but you can eliminate it for a less tart lemon flavor. For a more vibrant color, add a drop or two of yellow food coloring to the filling.

Tip: To make it easier to remove from the pan, grab a large skillet or pan and place a small amount of very hot water in it. Gently set the pie plate into the hot water, taking care that water does not go over the rim! Let it sit for about 30 seconds, and this will help to release the crust for easier serving.

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