Beer Bread-2

I have been making the same beer bread recipe for years, which is posted on the blog, but when I saw this recipe in a recent spice catalog I knew I had to give it a try to compare. I'm sure glad I did! This recipe is a keeper, and even a little better than the other recipe. The thing we really like about this bread is that melted butter is poured over the top of the loaf before baking to make a wonderful rich, crunchy topping. The butter also seeps down around the loaf, making it rich and delicious. So much so, that we didn't feel the need for more butter when we enjoyed the bread with our Beef Barley Soup, recipe posted on 12/11/12. I hope you might try this recipe soon for your family, blessings...

Recipe:

3 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tbsps. baking powder
1-1/2 tsps. salt
1 12-oz. bottle of beer, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, melted for topping

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees if using a metal loaf pan and 350 degrees if using a glass pan. Lightly grease 5 x 9-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir to mix well. Add the beer and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Pour the melted butter over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until bread tests done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool slightly before slicing.

Yield: 12 slices

Hearty Beef Barley Soup

This soup recipe is another one of our favorites. It is indeed a hearty soup, and a complete meal with bread and maybe a salad. The recipe doesn't make a large batch, it only serves four, but could easily be doubled for a larger family. I have another recipe for this soup in an Amish cookbook that serves twelve, which I cut down for six, so I could also post that recipe at some point in time. I love the combination of tender beef chunks and barley in this recipe, and it is ready to serve within an hour.

The bread is a new Beer Bread recipe that I just tried. It is excellent, and I will post it later this week, blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin, or tri-tip steak, also called culotte steak in my market. The tri-tip steak is very tender and juicy.
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3-1/2 cups beef broth or more
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tbsps. minced parsley

1. In a large saucepan, brown beef until juices evaporate, stirring often. (Add a little oil if needed) If there is a lot of juice, and the beef is brown, just add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking.
2. Add broth, carrots, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in barley.
3. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until barley is tender. Stir in parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Turkey Potato Pie

When the Thanksgiving weekend is done and if there is leftover turkey stored in the freezer, this casserole is an easy dinner fix. This recipe is similar to a turkey pot pie in that the turkey and vegetables are combined in a creamy sauce, but it is easier because the casserole is topped with a wonderful combination of mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese instead of the pie crust. A simple dinner salad completes your meal, unless of coarse, dessert is in order. For us, this is always the case, even if it is nothing more than a cookie or two. Blessings...

Recipe:

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tbsps. butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 cups chopped cooked  turkey
1 10-1/2 oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups hot mashed potatoes (mashed with butter and milk)

1. Cook and stir mushrooms and onion in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, tarragon and pepper.
3. Gradually add broth and milk; cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.
4. Reduce heat to low; stir in turkey, vegetables and 1 cup of the cheese, simmer 5 minutes.
5. Stir 3/4 cup cheese into hot mashed potatoes.
6. Spoon hot turkey mixture into a 1-1/2 qt. casserole dish; top with potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serves: 5-6

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

If you haven't guessed by now, I love cranberries and it doesn't matter what time of the year it is, but it is especially true during the holiday season. I clipped this recipe out of a Family Circle Magazine years ago and it is probably my favorite cranberry muffin.
The cranberry and lemon flavor is bright and zesty; perfect for breakfast or snack. Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries
1-1/4 cups sugar, divided
3 cups sifted unbleached flour
4-1/2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsps. grated lemon rind
2 eggs
1 cup milk

1. In a small bowl, combine the chopped cranberries and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pecans and lemon rind.
3. In a small bowl, beat eggs until light; stir in milk.
4. Add liquid all at once to flour mixture, stirring just until moist with a spoon. Stir in cranberry mixture.
5. Spoon batter into greased medium-size muffin pan cups, filling each 2/3 full.
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done with a toothpick. Be careful to not over bake as they will get very crumbly. Cool on wire racks or serve warm from the oven.

Yield: 1 dozen
Note: 2 cups whole fresh cranberries will result in the 1-1/2 cups chopped called for in the recipe.

Peyton and Snowball Cookies

Our son and his family, along with my Mom and my brother, came to our home for Thanksgiving this year. Saturday evening, after a dinner of pizza, our son and daughter-in-love went to a hockey game leaving our grandchildren with us. We were thrilled with the opportunity of having one-on-one time with them. My three year-old granddaughter loves to help in the kitchen and since we aren't together nearly often enough, I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass by. We headed to the kitchen as soon as the baby was settled, and began our project. Peyton called these cookies Snowball Cookies. You and I know them as Russian Teacakes or Mexican Wedding Cakes. The recipe is simple, but so messy, so for her to call them snowballs fit in with the "snow", powdered sugar, that was everywhere. After we were done and the cookies were cooled, I let Peyton choose a cookie tin from my collection so we could make a gift for her parents. I then got out some Christmas note cards and she chose one to sign for them. She was so excited about the gift we made for Mommy and Daddy, and Grandma was thrilled to have had the opportunity to make a Thanksgiving memory with her granddaughter. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
additional powdered sugar for dipping

1. In a large mixer bowl, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. While mixer is running on low speed, slowly add flour and salt; mix until completely blended. Stir in nuts.
3. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. These cookies do not spread while baking.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown.
6. Roll cookies in powdered sugar while hot, cool completely on wire racks. When cookies are cool, roll again in powdered sugar.

Yield: about 40 cookies

Chunky Apple Spice Cake with Vanilla Butter Sauce

A few weeks back I was thumbing through an old Taste of Home Cooking School Magazine and I came upon this apple cake recipe. The recipe  sounded so good for a Fall meal with the apples, pumpkin pie spice and allspice baked into an easy single layer cake and then topped with a warm, buttery, vanilla sauce. Thankfully, my family agreed as I made it for our Thanksgiving Eve meal together. We added the whipped cream and made it even a bit better, in our opinions. Our three year-old granddaughter agreed, which touched this grandma's heart. You know how little ones can be picky? Well, there was none of that with ham and apple cake for this meal. Blessings...

Recipe:  

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups peeled and chopped Granny Smith or Gala apples (I used Galas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
Whipped cream, if desired

Vanilla Butter Sauce:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsps. vanilla extract

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla just until blended. Set aside.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, allspice and salt in another bowl. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in apples and nuts.
3. Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

To prepare sauce:

1. Combine butter, whipping cream and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
2. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
3. Serve cake warm with sauce and whipped cream. Yummy!

Serves: 9

Pork and Lentil Cassoulet

This is a very hearty and easy recipe for the slow cooker that I adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe.

Recipe:

1 lb. pork shoulder (I use inexpensive pork shoulder steak)
1 cup chopped onion
2 small, or 1 large, cloves garlic, minced
2 tsps. olive oil
2-1/2 cups beef broth
1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped carrots
2  ribs celery, thinly sliced
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
1-1/2 tsps. Bouquet Garni
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

1. Trim fat from pork and cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large nonstick skillet brown pork in olive oil. Add to slow cooker.
2. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook for 1 minute; add to slow cooker.
3. Add broth, undrained tomatoes, carrots, celery, lentils, Bouquet Garni, salt and pepper to slow cooker. Stir well; cover and cook on high heat for 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours (8 hours or more if cooking on low setting).
Check carrots, celery and lentils for tenderness.

Yield: 6 servings
Note: I serve this cassoulet over rice