Peach Praline Pie

Peaches are still in abundance in the market and this wonderful Amish recipe makes excellent use of them. The brown sugar - pecan topping is lightly spiced with nutmeg and is sprinkled on the bottom of the crust, as well as over the pie, for a truly wonderful ending to any meal. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "New Recipes from Quilt Country" by Marcia Adams.

Blessings...

Recipe:

Pastry for a 1-crust 9-inch pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches, or 5 cups partially thawed and still crisp frozen peaches.

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Praline Topping

1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed (I really like the dark brown sugar)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cold butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" pie pan with the pastry and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and tapioca. Add the peaches, lemon juice, extract, and lemon zest and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.

3. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pecans, nutmeg, and salt.

With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle one-third of the topping into the pastry shell and cover with the peach mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining topping.

4. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the juices in the middle of the pie begin to bubble and the peaches are tender when tested with a fork. Cover the crust after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cool completely on a rack before cutting.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
536 calories each for 6 servings
3 gms. fiber
402 calories each for 8 servings
2 gms. fiber

Overnight Coleslaw

This coleslaw recipe is terrific for a barbeque or potluck because it can safely be out of the refrigerator for a much longer period of time than a coleslaw with mayonnaise-based dressing. The recipe is prepared the night before it is needed, which helps cut down on last minute preparations. I make this recipe routinely; we really like it, and I like the fact that it will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more.    Blessings... 

Recipe:
12 cups shredded cabbage
1  green pepper, chopped
1  medium red or yellow onion, chopped
2  carrots, shredded
1 cup sugar

Dressing:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine dressing ingredients; bring to a boil.
3. Remove from the heat and pour over the vegetables, stirring to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Stir before serving

Yield: 12 to 16 servings
114 calories per 1/2 cup serving
1 gm. fiber
Note: This recipe can easily be cut in-half for a smaller family.

Pineapple-Ginger Gelatin Salad

Here's another very simple creation that helped use up some leftover ginger ale last week. The ginger ale adds wonderful flavor and sparkle to this gelatin salad; a very kid-friendly recipe. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 3-oz. pkg. lemon gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup ginger ale
1/16 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup well-drained crushed pineapple

1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in ginger ale and ginger. Refrigerate until slightly thickened, about 1 hour. Stir occasionally as the gelatin cools and begins to thicken.
2. Add crushed pineapple and stir well, or whisk, to break up the clumps of pineapple.
3. Pour into a 4 cup mold or 4 x 8-inch loaf pan; chill until set. Unmold onto a plate or cut into squares.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
121 calories each for 4 servings
81 calories each for 6 servings

Chai Tea Mix

I love chai tea, so I was buying a prepared mix in order to have it at home. The mix was costing about $5.00 for a 10 ounce can, which didn't last long! Rather than give up this morning treat, I started looking for a recipe that was economical and tasty that I could make in a larger batch at home. The recipe I tried was far to sweet for my taste, it didn't have enough tea flavor, and it was boring when it came to the spice flavors. This recipe is the result of a few changes and adjustments to the original recipe. Blessings...

Recipe: 

3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
1-1/4 cups sugar, more if you like it really sweet
1-1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea, regular or decaf
3/4 cup vanilla powdered nondairy creamer
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground anise

1. Place all the ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor; cover and process for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove lid and scrape down sides of work bowl. Replace lid and process for about 5 minutes more or until the mixture is a very fine powder.
3. Store mix in an airtight 1-quart container for up to 6 months.

To prepare one serving, place 3 level tablespoons in a small mug and add 3/4 cup boiling water; stir well. If your mugs are large like mine are, you will need another tablespoon of the mix for good flavor.

33 calories per tablespoon
Tip: This mix makes a great and economical gift packaged in a pretty container.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Today a friend and I got together for lunch after not seeing one another for several months. We had a wonderful time of visiting over a simple meal of soup, muffins, fruit and a cup of chai. This simple recipe for Cream of Pumpkin Soup has been adapted from several recipes that I have made over the years, none of them really very pleasing and always missing something. The soup is creamy and tastes mildly like pumpkin- pie-in-a-bowl. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 14-oz. cans 99% fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. butter
2-1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin
1-1/2 cups chopped, peeled sweet apple such as Gala or Golden Delicious
1 tbsp. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash ground white pepper
3/4 cup half-and-half

1. In a 3 qt. saucepan, saute' onion in the butter until soft, but not brown.
2. Add the chopped apple and 1 can of broth; bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until apple is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Puree mixture in blender in 2 batches and return to saucepan.
4. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
5. Heat over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Yield: 7 cups
130 calories per cup
4 gms. fiber

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is often a traditional dessert served for the Thanksgiving meal, but for those of us who love this pie, anytime of the year will do! This recipe calls for dark brown sugar rather than light brown or white sugar, which makes the filling very rich, dark, and delicious. Blessings...

Recipe:

9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecan halves

1. Prepare pie crust.
2. In large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla; mix well.
3. Pour filling into prepared pie crust; sprinkle with pecan halves.
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until center is set and a table knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of pie. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Tip: Cover pie with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to prevent over- browning. The filling will set-up as the pie cools.

This wonderful recipe was a favorite of "Dear Abby's".

Continental Peaches

This recipe for fresh peaches is a wonderful accompaniment to meats and brunch dishes. I was a little leery about the idea of baked peaches the first time I made the recipe, but my fears vanished with the first bite, and my husband's rave reviews. The original recipe called for rum extract, which was nasty tasting since it's a strong artificial flavoring, so I substituted the real thing with much better results. Since the alcohol cooks away the flavor of the peaches and brown sugar shines through. Blessings...

Recipe:

3 large ripe peaches, peeled and halved
1 tbsp. rum
1/2 cup sour cream (see note)
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. sliced almonds (honey roasted or toffee are wonderful)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange peaches, cut side up, in a 9-inch pie plate or baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with rum. Spoon sour cream onto peaches. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until sugar caramelizes and almonds turn golden brown. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 servings
Note: The original recipe from the cookbook, San Francisco A La Carte, calls for 1 cup of sour cream, which I thought was way too much. You might like much more sour cream than we did.

Blueberry Crisp

Wonderfully fresh, plumb blueberries are absolutely delicious in this favorite dessert recipe. The brown sugar, oatmeal, and buttery "crisp" topping is enhanced with the warm fragrant taste of nutmeg, and then it's all topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like. If fresh seasonal berries aren't available, frozen work very well. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups fresh blueberries or 16-oz frozen unsweetened berries
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Combine lemon zest and brown sugar in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Gently stir in berries and set aside while preparing topping.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Topping:

2/3 cup regular or old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1. In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
2. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry blender until crumbly.
3. Stir berries again; sprinkle topping over berries.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a light golden brown and bubbly.
5. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
404 calories each per 4 servings without ice cream
6 gms. fiber
270 calories each per 6 servings without ice cream
4 gms. fiber

Summer Peach Crisp

Fresh peaches are in the grocery stores and farmers markets in abundance right now, and this very easy recipe makes great use of their  summertime-best flavor. We love the dessert topped with ice cream but, of course, you don't have to add all those extra calories, if you don't want to. I clipped this recipe out of the food section of my hometown newspaper, The Modesto Bee, many years ago. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, not instant
3 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
vanilla ice cream, opt.

1. Mix peaches with lemon juice, sugar and nutmeg. Spread over bottom of 9" pie plate.
2. Combine flour, oatmeal, and brown sugar in a bowl.
3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and spread over peaches.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until peaches are tender. You can also micro-cook the dessert for 5 to 8 minutes on high. I have never cooked it this way, so I don't know how well the dessert would do.

Yield: 4 servings
Note: I have also added 1 cup of fresh blueberries with the peaches to help stretch the yield a bit.
279 calories per serving without the blueberries
5 gms. fiber
300 calories per serving with the addition of the blueberries
6 gms. fiber
Note: When peaches are beautifully ripe and full-flavored they will cook down and create a pool of juice. The recipe was not written with the addition of cornstarch or flour to thicken the juices, so depending on how ripe the peaches are that are used, the dessert may be very juicy. I drain off any extra juice that we don't want.

Chicken Fruit Salad

This chicken salad is wonderfully cool and refreshing. It is an easy main dish to prepare for the evening meal or lunch during these hot summer days. The combination of pasta, fruit, fruit juice and ginger make this recipe very different from the traditional flavors usually found in chicken salad. The salad can be put together in advance as long as the dressing is not added until just before serving. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 tablespoon finely minced onion, preferably red onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup seedless grape halves

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup cooked elbow macaroni (approx. 3/4 cup uncooked)

In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion and salt; mix well.  Add remaining four ingredients; stir gently to mix.

Dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Pour over salad and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Tip: After draining mandarin oranges, spread them on paper toweling to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Any excess moisture will dilute the dressing.

Cherry-Applesauce Salad

This fresh tasting gelatin salad, with a sparkle, is so quick and easy, and so kid-friendly! Blessings...

Recipe:

1 3-oz. package cherry gelatin or flavor of choice
2 cups good quality natural applesauce (thick, not runny)
1 cup 7-up

1. Heat applesauce in a medium size saucepan, covered, until boiling. (covering the pan keeps your stove top free of applesauce splatters).
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the gelatin; stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
3. Add the 7-up and gently stir until completely combined.
4. Pour into a bowl or 4"x 8" loaf pan; chill until set.

Yield: 8 servings
92 calories
1 gm. fiber
62 calories per serving if sugar-free gelatin and 7-up is used.

Prep. time: 10 minutes
Chill for 4-5 hours

Perfect Chocolate Cake

This beautiful cake has been my husband's favorite cake for as long as I can remember. It is deliciously rich. He would quickly tell you that there is no such thing as too rich, but a little of this cake goes a long way for me. It is chocolate upon chocolate. One layer is split and filled with a rich chocolate ganache and the other two layers are filled with raspberry cream, then it is iced with butter- cream that reminds me of See's chocolate buttercream candy. The original recipe comes from The New McCall's Cook Book. I changed the filling from vanilla to raspberry, my husband's favorite fruit, and add the chocolate ganache, a recipe that I clipped out of a Woman's Day magazine many years ago. This special cake has been a birthday tradition in our family for as long as I can remember. Blessings...

Recipe:

Cake:
1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
2 cups boiling water
2-3/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely; this takes a few hours.
2. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Grease well and lightly flour three 9 x 1-1/2-inch layer-cake pans or line pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
4. In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally, until light - about 5 minutes.
5. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Divide batter in pans making one layer a little thicker than the other two. This layer will be split for the ganache filling.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the two thinner layers together for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time, until toothpick comes out almost clean. Bake thicker layer for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time, until toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Carefully loosen sides with spatula; remove from pans; cool completely on racks.

Raspberry Filling:
1 12-oz. pkg. frozen, thawed raspberries
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup whipping cream

1. Puree thawed raspberries in a blender and put through a mesh sieve to remove seeds. Push the puree with a wooden spoon or rubber scrapper to speed up the process.
2. Add a small amount of the puree to the tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until smooth. Stir the purees together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir one minute or  until thickened. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
3. Whip the whipping cream until stiff; blend in the raspberry puree until completely incorporated. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) whipping cream

1. Place the whipping cream in a small saucepan and slowly heat to scalding (there will be small bubbles forming around the edge of the pan when this happens), being careful not to scorch the cream.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips; cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Cool completely in the fridge, stirring every 15 minutes until mixture is thick enough to spread. This will take about 1 hour. If the mixture gets too thick, just heat it for a few seconds to loosen it.

Frosting:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup light cream or milk
1 cup butter
2-1/2 cups unsifted confectioners' sugar

1. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, cream, butter; stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in the confectioners' sugar.
3. Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice and some water and beat with an electric hand mixer until the frosting holds shape. It will only take about 5 minutes to set the frosting.

1. To assemble the cake, place one of the thin layers on a serving plate. Top with half of the raspberry cream.
2. Split the thicker layer and place one layer on the raspberry cream layer. Top with the chocolate ganache and top with the remaining split layer.
3. Top this with the remaining raspberry cream and then the remaining cake layer. Frost the cake and enjoy. This cake must be stored in the refrigerator. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least two hours before serving to bring it to room temperature.

Yield: 16 servings (or more)

Blueberry Cake Muffins

Blueberry muffins are a delicious breakfast treat, and the fresh berries in the market this time of year are especially good to use in place of  frozen berries because of their firm texture. They are much easier to incorporate into the batter and the batter doesn't turn blue like it does with frozen berries. These tasty muffins are dense and buttery rich with just a hint of nutmeg; a real family favorite. Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%)
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen and drained blueberries

1. Grease 12 medium muffin-pan cups (2-1/2 x 1-1/4-inches).
2. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat butter with sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, occasionally scraping side of bowl and beaters with rubber scraper.
4. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with milk (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until smooth.
5. With rubber scraper, gently fold in blueberries just until combined.
6. Scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each prepared muffin cup. Do not level batter.
7. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden-brown and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Remove pan to wire rack and allow to sit for 3 to 5 minutes before removing muffins to rack to cool completely. If the berries are large and heavy they will sink to the bottom making the muffins heavy. Leaving them in the muffin cups for a few minutes helps to set the muffins for easier handling and removal.

Yield: 12
233 calories each
1.6 gms. fiber

This recipe was adapted from The New McCall's Cook Book.

Freezer Tips

Vacation time is here. Before we pack our suitcases, most of us probably go through the refrigerator to clean out anything that could go bad before we get back home and begin cooking again. This was the case for me a few weeks ago, so in my planning for meals when we returned home, I took stock of what was in the pantry, freezer and the refrigerator. Of course, as we all know, not all food items can be frozen successfully, but a good many do just fine. When preparing food for the freezer, make sure that freezer-safe bags and containers are used. Also, when freezing liquids and food items that have liquids in them, make sure that there is at least 1/2-inch of space at the top of the container for expansion. Here's a few items that I discovered could survive the freezer very well. Blessings...

1. That one remaining glass of cranberry juice.
2. Crushed pineapple in juice tasted wonderful in our carrot salads the week we got home.
3. There was 1/4 cup of salsa left which froze beautifully in a small, air-tight freezer container. It was used in our Salsa Corn.
4. There was an onion in the vegetable crisper that I chopped up for our Southwest Tortilla Stack. The texture of an onion becomes limp during the freezing and thawing process, so use them in casseroles, soups, stews, etc.
5. I had a bit of a bean casserole leftover that I wanted to taste after freezing to see how the beans would fare. I thought they were just fine and would freeze beans in the future when I needed to.

One thing is for sure, we won't know until after something has been frozen and tasted, just how successful they freeze, or not.