ULTRA TENDER PORK RIBS

This is more of a cooking technique than a recipe. I've made country style boneless pork ribs using this technique for as long as I can remember and they are fork tender every time. I am guessing that most of the experienced cooks out there already know this method, but there might be a few younger ones who would like to try this.

Look for boneless country style pork ribs (the leaner the better) in the meat market. An hour before you want to grill, cut them in to sections about 4" long and put in a large sauce pan and enough water to cover them. Add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper.

Bring this to a boil on high. After a few minutes, you will see some "crud" float to the surface. Don't get grossed out, but it will look like this:

Skim it off and throw it away (you may have to do this a couple of times). Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and boil for 45 minutes. Pull one of the pieces of pork out of the pan and see if it is fork tender. If not, boil for another 15 minutes (but no longer). Some pork tends to be tougher than others.

Drain pork and put it into a bowl. Drizzle with enough melted butter to coat each piece. Put the pork onto the barbecue grill and coat with your favorite barbecue sauce. Keep turning and basting until the barbecue sauce starts to crisp up on the edges (usually only takes about 10-15 minutes tops.

These ribs are So flavorful and you don't even need a knife to cut them. I hope you will try this technique.

NOTE: Country style pork ribs are usually cut about 2" wide and 10" or so long. Ask your butcher if you can't find them. Make sure you get the boneless ones (better value).

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PITA BREAD

Pita bread made with a bread machine, what could be easier? The only trick is to roll them thin enough (I didn't roll my first batch thin enough and they were lofty little pillows, but bad minimal pockets). The thinner batch made perfect pocket pitas.

This was a quick fun project and the final results were delicious, you will never be happy with grocery store pita's again.

1 and 1/8 cups warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Put everything into the bread pan of your bread machine, select dough setting and start. Let dough going through first rise.

Turn dough out onto your floured counter. Knead dough a few times then divide into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. With a floured rolling pin, roll each ball out into a 6" circle (dough will be very thin). Lay circles on lightly floured surface and cover with a dry light-weight dish towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes or until slightly puffy.

In the meantime, heat your oven to 500 (yep! 500) and place a wire cake rack into your oven (set it right on the oven rack...no pan please). Gently lift a circle of dough and gently place it on the hot cake rack (bake 2 at a time). Bake for five minutes until they are super-puffed and lightly brown. Remove with spatula and place in a brown paper bag (I just used some lunch bags) and make sure you seal up the bag well (I used a chip clip to seal bags) and let the pita's cool in there. I don't know why this step is necessary, but that is what the recipe calls for. They will look like this:

 When they are cooled, you can split them open or cut off one end. We really enjoyed these and I will definitely make these again.


NOTE: I don't have a bread machine, so I just made the dough in my stand mixer and let it rise for about an hour.

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PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPIE TREATS

A few weeks ago, Heidi at Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi posted a recipe that she called Old-School Peanut Butter Squares. The recipe caught my eye because it does not call for marshmallows (we like marshmallows, but they aren't always in the pantry). The only tweak I made was to substitute some of the sugar for a little honey (I love the taste of peanut butter with honey). I must say the treats were a big hit around here. With mom's packing school lunches these days, I thought it would be a good time to repeat Heidi's super simple and super tasty recipe.

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup white sugar (see note)
1 cup peanut butter
5 cups crisp rice cereal

Combine corn syrup and sugar in medium saucepan. Stir until well blended and cook on medium heat until boiling (stirring occasionally). Let boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix until well blended. Stir in cereal and mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Lightly spray hands with cooking spray and press mixture into pan. Cool and cut into squares.

NOTE: I removed 2 tablespoons of sugar and replaced it with 2 tablespoons of honey.
NOTE: I let my syrup mixture gently boil for a full minute.
NOTE: I found that you don't have to spray your hands with cooking spray when you press down the mixture. If you dampen your hands and just shake them dry for about 5 seconds, it does the same thing without making the treats greasy.

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GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

I have always cooked with canned Ortega mild fire-roasted chilies (if hubby doesn't know they are in a recipe, he magically does not get heartburn lol). However, I have put off the urge to cook with fresh Anaheim chilies because I think he would seriously panic if he saw them. Well, recently, the opportunity to cook with fresh Anaheim's presented itself (hubby wouldn't he home for dinner) so I went for it. They were delicious!!
 

 GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE

 

3 fresh Anaheim chilies
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chopped onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour

Wash and dry the chilies and put them under the broiler for 5-10 minutes (my broiler took about 8 minutes) turning the chilies about once a minute. You want the skins of the chilies to blacken on at least 60% of their surface. Remove them from the broiler and place them in a Tupperware container with a tight lid (this will help steam the chilies) for about 15 minutes. Next step is to peel off their skins, cut open and remove seeds and dice flesh; you should have about one cup of diced chilies (set aside).

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are tender and mellow, then put them in a food processor along with 1 cup of prepared chilies, and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of flour; process until smooth. Transfer to a sauce pan and add the chili powder, cumin, salt and the remaining 1&1/2 cups of chicken broth. Cook until thick and bubbling; lower heat and simmer slowly for about 20 minutes. Use immediately.

While this enchilada sauce can be used on beef enchiladas, it does better with chicken or seafood. The enchiladas pictured here were made with surimi (fake crab). I just chopped the surimi into smaller pieces, mixed it with Monterey Jack cheese and a little of the green enchilada sauce and rolled the filling in tortillas, poured the sauce over them and topped with more cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly. They were light and tasty.

NOTE: I only used 1 teaspoon of mild chili powder. If you like more kick, add more.

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SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

Hubby has a serious sweet tooth; he even likes SOME savory dishes on the sweet side, like this (quick and easy) sweet and sour sauce. It works equally as well with chicken, pork, country style ribs and shrimp.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

 

MEATBALLS
1 pound of very lean ground beef
5 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients and shape into walnut size balls. Bake for 20 minutes at 375, then drain on paper towels.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
In large sauce pan, mix:
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry red chili flakes (I use only a pinch)
(1) 8 ounce can of pineapple chunks undrained

Bring everything to a boil and thicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. When the sauce has thickened, turn the heat down to a very slow simmer and add the baked meatballs. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

NOTE: We don't care for a lot of "heat" in our food, so I use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

NOTE: Bake the meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how large you make them. I turn on the broiler for the last 2 or 3 minutes to give the meatballs some color.

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PEACH PIE and a QUESTION ABOUT CURRY POWDER

Our fall is revving up...the Alaska State Fair is underway and it is the absolute end of our growing season (we will have frost in less than two weeks). What does all that mean? It is finally cool enough to bake to my hearts content, which makes me a happy camper.
Hubby is the pie eater at our house and he likes thinner pies as opposed to deep dish pies, so I started baking his pies in a two piece tart pan. At first I resisted, but soon discovered that the tart pan not only makes a prettier pie, but they are also much easier to serve (no pie plate corners to maneuver around when your cutting that first piece).

CRUST
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup ice cold butter
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Place the flour, salt and cold butter (cubed) into a food processor and pulse a few times until you get fine crumbs. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add 6 tablespoons of ice water. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water (1

tablespoon at a time) until the dough hangs together in a ball. Divide your dough in to two pieces (top crust + bottom crust). Wrap one piece in plastic and put it in the fridge. Dust your counter with flour and roll out the other piece of dough to an 1/8" thickness. Place it in the pie plate (or tart pan). Do not stretch the dough. Place this bottom crust in the fridge while you make the fruit filling.

PEACH FILLING
5 cups of fresh peaches (peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the sugars, cinnamon, flour, salt and peaches (gently) until everything is moistened. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove bottom crust from the fridge and "paint" the INSIDE surface of it with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water ). This will help keep the bottom crust from getting soggy while baking. Pour the fruit filling into the bottom crust and dot the filling with small pinches of cold butter.

Roll out the top crust...place it on top of the fruit and pinch the edges (if you are using a pie plate) or run your rolling pin across the edges if you are using a tart pan. Cut a vent hole in the top pie crust. Brush egg wash over the surface of the pie and sprinkle with white sugar. Bake in a PREHEATED 450 oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 for 30 more minutes. Remove pie from oven and cool at least 3 hours before cutting.

NOTE: When I bake a pie in a standard pie plate (especially glass pie plates) I spray the plate with just a little cooking spray. This helps when it comes time to remove the pie, especially if some of the juices have found their way under the crust. This is not necessary with the two piece tart pan.
NOTE: Mix dough as quickly as possible (when using your hands) so that you don't warm up the butter.
NOTE: When you paint the inside bottom crust with the egg wash, be careful not to get too much of it up by the top edge of the tart pan (or the crust will get glued to the pan).
NOTE: Put a cookie sheet under your pie pan while it is in the oven just in case you have spill overs.

CURRY POWDER QUESTION: I have been looking at some recipes that use curry powder. I have zero experience with curry powder and a quick check on the Internet confused me even more. I guess there are many kinds of curry powders (hot, sweet, etc.). What should I watch for when purchasing curry powder. I want to try a chicken salad recipe that just says " 1/2 tsp. curry powder"...what do I buy? Any suggestions or helpful hints would be appreciated.

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CLASSIC STUFFED POTATOES

I think almost everyone has their own version of stuffed baked potatoes, but for those who don't, I hope you will try this recipe. It is such a versatile dish that you can add just about any ingredient to this recipe to suite your tastes. My favorite version has crisp bacon, sauteed onions, broccoli, cheese, sour cream and butter. It is an excellent side dish for dinner guests because you can make these early in the day and then just heat them up while you are grilling the main course. Stuffed potatoes and a small salad also make a wonderful meal all by themselves.

3 large baking potatoes (1 pound each)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup of butter (divided)
1/2 cup light cream (or less)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
3 slices bacon fried crisp and drained
1 cup broccoli chopped small

Wash and dry baking potatoes. Bake them (unwrapped) in a 375 degree oven for about one hour and 20 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them or use a oven glove to protect your hands. Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise; carefully scoop out pulp and put it into a mixing bowl (try not to tear the potato skins). Saute onions until they are tender and sweet in 1/4 cup butter then add them to the potato pulp. Saute the broccoli until tender and set aside.

Removed a few of the "prettier" broccoli florets to decorate the potato tops and set those aside. Mix the potato pulp, onions, remaining 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, cheese and seasonings until very well mixed. Whip in enough of the light cream to make a consistency like mashed potatoes(you may not need all of the cream). Stir in the crisp bacon and small broccoli pieces with a wooden spoon.
Fill potato skins with this mixture (mounding slightly) and top with a little extra cheddar, decorate with broccoli florets and drizzle with a little butter. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Makes six half potatoes.

NOTE: If you make these earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate them. At dinner time, bake them at 350 for about 40 minutes.
NOTE: These potatoes are also excellent topped with beef stroganoff or Swedish meatballs.

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FUDGY BROWNIES FOR TWO

I whipped these up in just a few minutes today and I must tell you they are delicious!! Moist, fudgy and just right for two huge 4" x 4" brownies (or six small ones). I can also see many other possibilities for these beauties. Do you have last minute company coming? Cut these into 6 small brownies and top each one with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & chocolate syrup for a wonderful dessert or cut these brownies into small pieces and layer them with chocolate pudding for a wonderful last minute parfait. Then, of course, there is always the "I need something rich and chocolate-y late night attack" --these would be PERFECT!!

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray an 8" x 4" x 2" loaf pan (recipe will give you a brownie 8" long 4" wide and 1" thick).

1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 large egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream shortening, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and egg together until smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat until well combined. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Spread mixture in lightly greased loaf pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
NOTE: To help in removing the baked brownies, I cut a piece of parchment paper (wax paper works too) the same size as the bottom of the loaf pan, except I made it twice as long. After the brownies were baked (and cooled for about 15 minutes) I used the "tails" of the paper to hang on to and lifted the brownies out of the pan.
NOTE: I decorated the top of my brownies with some whole pecans and a couple swirls of a simple chocolate glaze, but it isn't necessary. These brownies are super rich and moist, they really don't need any frosting at all.
NOTE: Recipe calls for a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes. My oven took 20 minutes.

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PINEAPPLE WHIPPED CREAM DRESSING

When I was a kid, my mother, bless her heart, made (what she called) fruit salad on special occasions. Her idea of fruit salad was a can of drained fruit cocktail with a little Dream Whip stirred in; if it was a very special occasion, she added a banana. When I started cooking, a good fruit salad was one of the things I wanted to learn how to make.

The other day, Judy from Mennonite Girls Can Cook posted a simple little recipe for a fruit salad dressing that is exactly what I've been searching for (they have the greatest recipes over there). A cooked pineapple flavored whipped cream dressing that I just had to try.

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream (+1/4 cup sugar - my tweak)

Beat the eggs until smooth, then stir in sugar and juices. Cook over medium heat until thickened (stirring constantly). Chill

Just before serving, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form and fold it into the chilled pineapple mixture. Fold the dressing into the salad or serve on the side.

NOTE: The recipe, as written, is ALMOST on the verge of tart (for our tastes), so I added 1/4 cup of sugar to the whipping cream before I whipped it. The additional sugar produces a dressing that is ALMOST verging on sweet (definitely not too sweet). Here is my suggestion: When the cooked part of the dressing has chilled, taste it...if you like it, don't add any extra sugar and just fold it directly into the whipped cream.

If you would like the final dressing to be a little sweeter, add the extra sugar to the whipping cream before you whip it, then fold the two together. Does that make sense?

NOTE: This pineapple whipped cream is super light, fluffy and creamy, it would be great on just about anything (I plan on using it on pound cake). I also have plans for substituting orange juice for the pineapple juice and making an orange flavored whipped cream. TONS of possibilities here!

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HEARTY BREAKFAST SANDWICH

What is that old saying..."necessity is the mother of invention"? Well, necessity was the origin of this simple breakfast sandwich over the weekend. Hubby and I had a leisurely late morning breakfast planned when he received an unexpected phone call and had to meet a client right away. As luck would have it, I already had some potatoes and bacon fried up, so I mixed them into a couple of scrambled eggs, along with some cheese and morphed it all into a grilled sandwich that he could take with him.

1 small potato chopped fairly small (skins on)
3 slices of bacon diced
2 eggs
salt and pepper
2 slices of favorite cheese
2 slices of bread

Fry the bacon first, until it is crispy & drain it on paper towels. Pour the bacon fat out of the pan, but leave just a very thin skim of fat in the pan to fry the potatoes in. Fry the potatoes (make sure they are chopped very small) and drain on paper towels. Wipe the pan out & return the potatoes, crumbled bacon and two large eggs to the pan. Stir everything together, add salt and pepper & cook until soft set (leave the egg-bacon-potato mixture as flat and thin as possible).

Put the egg mixture and cheese slices in between two slices of bread. Butter the outside of the bead and grill like you would any other grilled sandwich.

To make the story short...breakfast interruption was avoided and Hubby was able to take his breakfast with him. He said it tasted great and stayed hot for a long time.
NOTE: Makes two hearty sandwiches.

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GLAZED SPUDNUT (style) DONUTS

For those people who are old enough to know what a Spudnut is...this recipe will be a treat. For those of you too young to remember Spudnuts...let's just say that they were the best donut in the universe. I heard that there are still a few Spudnut shops around, but it appears that they are few and far between.

This recipe (from the Idaho Potato Commission) makes a LOT of Spudnut-style donuts (about 4 dozen) so you might want to half the recipe if you decide to make them. If you are not experienced with yeast doughs, I don't recommend trying this recipe, however, if you have had even moderate success with yeast doughs, I hope you give the recipe a try (it is not a hard recipe at all).

The donuts are very moist, sweet and have just a HINT of lemon. My hubby is a donut (and Spudnut) connoisseur from way back, and he gave these donuts two thumbs up!!

 

 2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening (do not use butter)
1 & 1/2 cups cold instant mashed potatoes
3 eggs well beaten
2 cups scalded milk (cooled to luke warm)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon extract
6 to 8 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Cream the sugar and shortening and beat in the cold potatoes, eggs, cooled milk, yeast water, salt and lemon extract. Gradually add the flour to make a soft dough, knead well. The dough will be quite sticky, but holds together well. It should be a softer dough than bread dough.


 Cover dough with plastic and let it raise in a warm place until doubled in size (this takes a huge bowl and about an hour). After an hour, pull dough out of bowl and onto the counter. Sprinkle with flour and knead it a little to get most of the air out of it. If dough seems really sticky, just flour your board. Roll the dough out to a half inch thickness. Cut with well-floured cutter.


Spray a piece of parchment paper (or waxed paper) with a little vegetable spray and then wipe it down with a paper towel. Cut the paper into squares and put a cut out donut on each square. This will help you when it is time to transfer the raised donuts from the counter to the hot oil (see notes).

 Let the doughnuts raise until they get nice and puffy, then

deep fry the donuts in 375 degree vegetable oil until they are deep golden (mine took about 2 minutes a side). Only fry two or three donuts at a time.
Drain on paper towels. Glaze while still warm

CLICK ON THIS PHOTO FOR BREAKFAST

GLAZE

1 pound of sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Whisk in enough boiling water to make a thin glaze, drizzle over donuts.

And don't forget the donut holes!!!

NOTE: Recipe calls for shortening, I used butter flavored Crisco.

NOTE: Recipe calls for prepared instant potatoes. I prepared my potatoes per the box instructions including water, milk, butter and salt.

NOTE: Recipe calls for a tablespoon of lemon extract. That sounds like a lot, but it leaves just a tiny HINT of lemon flavor in the final product.

NOTE: Recipe calls for 6-8 cups of flour. I used all 8 cups and it was no where near as "solid" as bread dough, so expect a sticky dough.

NOTE: I let my donuts raise on squares of sprayed parchment paper. If you do that, then you can pick up the donut without deforming or deflating it and gently turn it over in your hand and gently peel off the paper before you ease the donut into the hot oil.

NOTE: I have a 2" donut cutter, but it just seemed to make a very tiny donut, so I cut the bottom and top out of a pineapple can and used that as my cutter. I cut out the center of the donut with a tiny cookie cutter.
NOTE: I used my smallest electric frying pan with 3" of vegetable oil to fry these donuts. The electric fry pan allows you to easily adjust the oil to 375 degrees and since you should only fry two or three donuts at a time, the smaller electric fry pan makes sense.

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BASIC HONEY-WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

I know a lot of you are still in the throes of summer heat, however, here in Alaska, mid-August is the beginning of our fall, with night time temperatures in the 40's and day time temperatures between 55 and 65 (we will probably have night time frost in a couple of weeks). Therefore, my thoughts are turning to heartier recipes. If YOUR part of the world is still too hot for baking, I hope that you will bookmark this recipe for YOUR fall season.

I searched long and hard for this whole wheat bread recipe. It makes great dinner rolls, hamburger buns and (best of all) excellent sandwich bread. It is just a basic whole wheat recipe, nothing fancy, but the bread is moist, flavorful and remains fresh longer than most homemade breads. I hope you will try it.

3 CUPS WARM WATER
2 ENVELOPES OF YEAST (or 2 tablespoons)
2/3 CUP HONEY
5 CUPS BREAD FLOUR
3 TABLESPOONS CANOLA OIL
1 TABLESPOON SALT (do not leave out)
3 & 1 /2 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

In your stand mixer bowl, mix the warm water, honey, oil, salt, yeast and 5 cups of bread flour. Mix well and let this stand for 30 minutes (it will get full of air bubbles).

After 30 minutes, mix in 2 cups of whole wheat flour (you'll need your dough hook for this). Work in an additional 1 & 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (1/2 cup at a time) until your dough comes cleanly away from the inside walls of your bowl. This last measurement of flour is flexible. You may only need one more cup or you may need 2 cups, it depends on the humidity in your house (and the moisture level in your flour).

You will know your dough is ready when the inside walls of your mixing bowl are free of anything sticky. When it gets to that stage, let the machine knead the dough for about five more minutes.

After it has kneaded for five minutes, remove the dough from the bowl and spray just a little vegetable spray inside the bowl and put the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled.

After it has doubled, push your fist into the dough and deflate it. Turn it out onto the counter and knead it about half a dozen times to get the air out. If you are making sandwich bread, divide the dough into three sections (recipe makes three loaves).

Roll each section out into a rectangle then roll each rectangle up into a log, pinching the seams and ends shut. Place each "log" into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough raise for an hour or until doubled.

Bake loaves in preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Immediately remove from pan and cool on bakers rack. Brush loaf tops with butter. Don't cut the loaves until they are cooled completely.

If you want to make hamburger buns, pinch off a ball of dough about the size of a lime (maybe just a little bigger). Round it into a ball and then put it on your counter and flatten it to a 5" circle with your hand. Place on greased cooking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it raise for about 30 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or till golden.

If you are making bread rolls, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Round it and place it in a greased baking dish about 2" apart. The dough will expand and touch each other as they raise. Cover with plastic and let raise for an hour or until doubled. Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes or till golden.

NOTE: Just before you cover your dough (at any stage) with plastic wrap, use a minimal amount of cooking spray on the surface of your dough. This will keep the plastic from sticking (and deforming) your dough when you try to remove it.
NOTE: As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, make sure you brush the tops with a little melted butter. This will keep the crust soft.
NOTE: Make hamburger buns a lot thinner than you think they need to be. Don't forget, they will raise even more in the oven and you don't want a bun that looks like a football.
NOTE: Let bread loafs cool completely before you slice them. If you try to slice hot bread, it often misshapes the slices.

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NO BAKE LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

A light and sweet ending to a summer barbecue. This no bake "cheese cake" recipe can be whipped up in a hurry. You can double the recipe and put it into a large sheet pan (for a big crowd). My husband likes to eat this frozen.


CRUST
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup white sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Mix crust ingredients and press onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 325 for about 8 minutes. Cool before filling.

FILLING
Large size Cool Whip
1 small box of lemon jello
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup white sugar
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Dissolve the lemon jello in the boiling water and let it cool to room temperature (don't let it set up).

Beat the cream cheese, white sugar and both extracts together until creamy and smooth. Beat the cooled jello and the cream cheese mixture into the Cool Whip until it is very well mixed. Pour onto the cooled crust and chill at least 2 hours.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a medium size sauce pan and gradually add the water (whisking to mix). Stir in blueberries and bring to a simmer. Simmer until it thickens then simmer one minute longer. Stir in the vanilla. Serve warm or cold.

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HOME MADE TATER TOTS

This recipe is one the kids will get a kick out of...home made tater tots!! Super quick and simple to make, they are a mixture of chopped potatoes, shredded cheddar, egg, flour, seasonings and fried crisp in a little oil. They are excellent dipped in your favorite barbecue or ranch dressing...inexpensive too!!

2 medium Russet potatoes (see note)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (don't pack)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 beaten egg

Peel and cube potatoes into your food processor bowl. Pulse them a few times but don't chop them so fine that they become mush. (First picture is the cube size, second picture is the desired chopped size)

In a bowl, mix the chopped potatoes & 1 cup of loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese. Thoroughly mix in the flour (make sure everything is coated). Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes before you fry them. Heat 1/2" vegetable oil to 375.

Scoop spoonfuls of the potato mixture and compress it a little with your fingers while it is on the spoon. Push the "tater tot" off of the spoon (gently) into the shallow (hot) vegetable oil. Fry until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side). Season with salt while still hot.

NOTE: For those of you who live in Alaska, I don't think our Alaska potatoes would work very well in this recipe (the hold too much water and won't crisp up). Recipe calls for Russet (or baking potatoes).

NOTE: For a variation, I am going to try pepper Jack cheese in this recipe instead of the cheddar. I'll let you know how it goes.
 

 

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THE ULTIMATE (FILLED) PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE

These (crispy on the outside - creamy on the inside) cookies are a hit every time I make them. They are quick to make and delicious to eat, with a sweet peanut butter cookie exterior and a Reese's cup interior...need I say more? These cookies are also a great bake sale item.

1 BAG OF MINIATURE REESE CUPS FROZEN

1 & 1/4 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
3/4 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1/4 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 CUP BUTTER FLAVORED CRISCO (don't substitute)
1/2 CUP PEANUT BUTTER
1/2 CUP WHITE SUGAR
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 EGG
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT


In a large mixing bowl, cream together the Crisco, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until it is smooth and creamy. Next add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Roll this dough into 1" balls and place them in an UNgreased mini-muffin pan:

Bake them at 375 for 10 minutes and they will look like this:

Immediately press a FROZEN miniature Reese's cups into the center of each cookie (pressing down until the top of the candy is at the same level as the top of the cookie).

Let these cool IN THE PAN for about 2 minutes before you try to remove them. To remove the cookies, insert just the tip of a thin knife between the cookie and the pan (the knife will help you lift the cookie out). The chocolate will melt from the heat of the cookie, so it will be messy until the chocolate re-sets. You can speed set them in the fridge.

BE CAREFUL, THEY ARE ADDICTING!!

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SPEEDY WEEK NIGHT CHICKEN DINNER

This quick fix chicken dinner is one of my "go to" week night recipes. I always keep boneless, skinless chicken in the freezer, so I can whip this up in a hurry. It is one of those easy recipes that you can cook with your eyes closed and yet its sweet and (mildly) spicy flavor will please just about everyone. We don't care for super-spicy food, so the ingredients below were designed for us. If you like more spice, just increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes. Leftovers reheat very well in the microwave and make a great hot sandwich the next day.

 Cut 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into nugget size pieces. Roll them in flour, then in beaten eggs, then back in flour. Sprinkle them with black pepper and brown them in about 1/4 cup of canola oil.

 When they are nice and brown, remove them from the pan and drain on paper towels. Wipe the grease out of the pan and add the following:

1 cup of favorite barbecue sauce

1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon honeyscant 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Return to heat and mix sauce thoroughly. When it is bubbly, put the chicken in the sauce and stir to coat all of the pieces (I use a wide flat spatula to turn the pieces in the sauce).

 Lower the heat and let the sauce sink into the chicken and caramelize a little in the pan. The chicken will be ready to serve when the sauce darkens (about five minutes).

 NOTE: I have used chicken breast in this recipe, but it is not as moist and tasty as chicken thighs.

NOTE: Once you have put the sauce on the chicken, keep the heat down and watch it because it can scorch easily.

NOTE: I don't add salt to the sauce because there is plenty of salt in the barbecue sauce.

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