The Charmed Kitchen

This is some of the bread the kids made in camp this morning. Everyone did great on braiding. I am proud of every one of them!!!

Kale with Bacon

I wanted something fast for dinner and since the garden is full of kale it seemed like a natural ingredient to choose. Had a wilted salad sort of thing in mind. What I ended up having was even better than expected. Smoky bacon, onion and a touch of maple syrup made this a dish I plan on having again soon.

Kale With Bacon

2-3 slices thick sliced bacon, chopped

1 onion, sliced

4-5 cups kale, washed and torn into pieces

2 T. cider vinegar

1 T. maple syrup

dash of hot sauce

2 hard- cooked eggs, peeled and cubed

In skillet cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Remove some of the fat from the pan- leaving about 2 tablespoonfuls. Add onion and cook until golden. Return bacon to pan and add the kale. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until kale in wilted. I don’t mind my kale on the firm side-cook it longer if you like it more tender. Drizzle in the vinegar, maple syrup and hot sauce and stir to coat evenly. Place on a serving dish and top with the eggs. Enjoy!!

Catching Fruit Flies

This keeps coming up in conversations. Super easy to catch/control fruit flies. Place 1/2 cup of cider vinegar in a glass jar or cup. Add a few drops of liquid dish soap. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it. The flies get in and drown in the vinegar soap solution. This is what I caught in a couple of hours the other day. Refresh with new vinegar every few days.

Whole Wheat Biscotti

I love biscotti but don’t love paying the high prices sometimes asked for them. They are super easy to make so I try to make a batch every couple of weeks. I also tend to make a double batch while I am at it. Just store them in a cookie jar. Recipe follows.

Helpful hint: Since biscotti are twice-baked  you bake the loaves part way, then slice and return the sliced biscotti to the oven to finish baking and get really crisp. Problem is you have to turn them half-way through the second bake to be sure they cook evenly. Tedious. Instead- place a cooling rack on the baking sheet then place the freshly sliced biscotti on them for the second bake. The air circulates under them and you don’t have to turn them over halfway through. Simple. 🙂  

Whole Wheat Biscotti

 ¾ c. whole wheat flour

½ c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

½ c. walnuts

¼ c. golden raisins

Combine all.

Add.

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

Shape into loaf 2”x11” on oiled sheet. Bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. Slice thin and place on cooling rack on baking sheet then return to oven, reduce heat to 300-degrees bake 25 minutes. 

Feel free to dip one end of cooled biscotti in melted chocolate or drizzle them with melted chocolate, if you like. You can also change which nuts and dried fruit you use. I also sometimes make these with all spelt flour in place of the whole wheat and white flour.

“Cheeseburger” Cookies

Today it was all about having fun and being silly. The kids made radish mice, cheeseburger cookies, marshmallow bunnies and more. Here are the pictures and recipes/directions for what they made. 

Cheeseburger Cookies

1 package vanilla wafer cookies

1 package Keebler Fudge N Caramel or Grasshopper cookies

2 c. powdered sugar

1- 2 T. milk

few drops of yellow and red food coloring

1 c. coconut

several drops of green food coloring

1/4 c. powder sugar

1 T. milk

sesame seeds

Combine 2 cups of powder sugar with the milk and red and yellow food coloring. This should be the color of cheese. Place the coconut in a small bag and add a few drops of green food coloring. Close the bag and shake well to evenly color. This will be the ‘lettuce’.

To assemble cookies use 2 vanilla wafers (the bun) and one Keebler cookie (the burger). The orange frosting works as the cheese and glue. The coconut is the lettuce. Place a vanilla wafer flat side up on work surface. Place a little dab of “cheese” on the cookie and then a  Keebler cookie. Sprinkle a little coconut on the burger, then some more cheese and the top bun, flat side down. Combine the remaining powder sugar and milk. You should have a thin glaze. Brush this lightly on the top of the finished “burgers” and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Radish “Mice”

Radish Mice

 Radishes

Cloves

Choose radishes with the longest root pieces to be your mice. The roots will be the tails. Set them aside cut thin slices from the extra radishes. These will be the ears. You will need 2 per mouse. In the mouse radishes cut a small slice off one side so the “mouse” will lie on its side. Cut a slit in the top of the radish near the non-root side. Slip in the thin slices to form the ears. Add cloves for eyes and nose. Use these to decorate salad plates and party trays but don’t give them to little children because they could choke on small pieces.

Marshmallow Bunnies

Large and small marshmallows

Toothpicks

Frosting or gumdrops

Skewer small marshmallows on toothpicks to form the ears, leaving enough space to stick them into the large marshmallow to be the head. You can also add another marshmallow on its side for the body. Use cut up gumdrops or frosting for eyes and nose. Broken pieces of toothpicks can be used for whiskers. The bunnies can be used to decorate cakes and Easter baskets but don’t let small children have them as they could choke on the toothpicks. 

Goodie Carrots

2 14-inch squares orange cellophane

green curling ribbon

small dry cereal like Rice Crispies, Fruity Pebbles or small candies

Cut each piece of cellophane on the diagonal, making triangles. Put your finger on the middle of the cut side along the edge and roll the cellophane into a cone, keeping that middle point as the tip of the cone. Tape the inside and outside shut to secure cone. Fill 2/3 full with cereal or candy and twist shut. Tie closed with curling ribbon and curl. Makes 4 “carrots”.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

These are so fun to make for parties. You can add all sorts of fillings and they freeze well, too. If using quick-rising yeast you can also make one in about 60 minutes- start to finish!!!

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

3 ¼ c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 package quick-rising yeast

1 c. hot water

1 T. oil

2/3 c. spaghetti sauce

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1-2 oz. sliced pepperoni

Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Spread sauce down center middle of dough. Top with cheese and pepperoni. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe.  Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle.  Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.

Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, Spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, pizza, assorted fillings. You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.

If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, don’t let dough rise over boiling water. After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen

Brie with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Brie can stand on its own- but sometimes it’s fun to dress it up a bit for parties. I served this 2 pound wheel of brie this past weekend. I sliced it into 3 layers and added the pesto and tomatoes to each layer and put it back together. Wrapped and chilled it until ready to warm in the oven and serve.  I could also have covered it in puff pastry first. Either way this is sure to be a hit when you serve it to guests.

Brie with Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2 c. basil leaves

3 T. Pine nuts, walnuts or pecans

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic

3 T. Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

½ c. sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water and chilled overnight

1 T. oil

1 t. oregano

small wheel of Brie 1-2#

Combine first five ingredients in a blender or processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain tomatoes and chop coarsely. Combine with remaining oil  and oregano and season to taste. Split Brie horizontally into 3 pieces. Spread

One layer with pesto and top with a piece of Brie.  Spread with tomato mixture and top with remaining Brie. Wrap and chill overnight. Serve at room temperature or warm slightly. I warmed it wrapped in foil at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.Wanted it to brown a bit. Goes best with crusty breads.

Mini Cheesecakes with cherries and whipped cream

Just a fun and easy way to make cheesecake. Nice for parties, they bake quickly and leftovers can be frozen. OK, I know, what leftovers???

Miniature Cheesecakes

1 box vanilla wafers

2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

1 can pie filling, any flavor, or fresh fruit

Beat together cheese and sugar then add eggs, one at a time beating each in well. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Use muffin tins lined with foil cups and place a vanilla wafer in each one. Fill about 2/3 full with cheese mixture. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool and top with a little pie filling. Makes about 2½ dozen.

Chocolate version: use vanilla or chocolate wafer cookies. In place of the vanilla use 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, melted and 2 tablespoons of coffee-flavored liqueur. Instead of pie filling top with whipping cream. Chopped nuts or both.

Fresh Rhubarb

First I want to thank Bonnie Twaddle and the staff and volunteers at the Nature Center at the University of Mount Union. Had a great class yesterday and a lot of fun. Everybody there is always so nice. One of the volunteers even brought in extra produce from her garden. After everyone from the class took what they wanted there was a lot of rhubarb left. Several pounds, for sure. My dilemma is what to do with it. Not thinking pie. Want to go somewhere else with this rhubarb. I am looking for ideas, suggestions and recipes.  Open to dessert ideas- but would also like some savory ideas, too. If you were me what would you do with the rhubarb? I’ll post what I do with it. Thanks!!