The Charmed Kitchen

Thought I would share a few little hints with you. Hope you fine them helpful.

Cutting board in jelly roll pan

When you cut up a pineapple, melon or other juicy fruits do you get annoyed at juices dripping everywhere? Simple solution: Place your cutting board in a jelly roll pan. That way drips are contained and clean-up is so much easier.

Fruit fly trap

Bothered by fruit flies? They seem to turn up out of nowhere. Simple solution: Place a 1/2 cup of cider vinegar in a jar and add a drop of dish detergent. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes. Fruit flies are drawn to the smell and drown in the vinegar.

Leftover chow mein noodles? There are always some in any order of Chinese take-out. Do you just toss the extras? Simple solution: They are still noodles, just fried. You can add them to soup or casseroles. They soften quite quickly in almost any liquid.

Coffee filters in flower pot

Dirt everywhere from potted plants? Simple solution: Before filling a planter with  potting soil drop a couple of coffee filters in first. They will keep the soil from falling out of the bottom of the pot but will still allow water to drain.

Asparagus with Pasta

Wanted a quick dinner tonight. Decided to go through the fridge and freezer and see what I could come up with. I must say this pasta dish was just what I was looking for. It is light but quite satisfying and cooked up in no time. I had frozen quite a bit of local asparagus but fresh would have worked fine, too.

Asparagus with Pasta  

8 oz. uncooked pasta

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Put pasta on to cook. While it is cooking saute onion in skillet in butter and oil until onion is wilted. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add asparagus and saute until asparagus in tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain pasta and toss into skillet with asparagus. Toss to combine, adjust seasonings. Sprinkle generously with cheese and serve. Serves 2.

Banana Bread

Since my grocery store had a lot of ripe bananas marked down I decided to take advantage and buy a bunch- well a few bunches! I made some banana and mashed and froze the rest of the bananas for use later. You can make it the regular way or do what I did and use some whole wheat pastry flour for part of the flour in the recipe. Adds some fiber and does not affect the taste or texture. Enjoy!!

Banana Nut Bread

1 ¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking powder

¾ t. salt

½ t. baking soda

2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter, softened

2 eggs

2 T. milk

1 c. mashed ripe banana

¼ c. chopped nuts, optional

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine sugar with butter and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Beat in milk until mixture is smooth. Beat in flour mixture alternately with bananas. Fold in nuts, if desired. Pour batter into greased 9×5 -inch loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60-65 minutes. Use toothpick to test for doneness. Cool in pan 10 minutes before placing on rack to cool. Store in plastic wrap to preserve moisture. Makes 1 loaf.

Cream Wafers

These are a great cookie for showers., tea parties and the like. Delicate and rich they will melt in your mouth. The secret is the simple, rich dough consisting of just three ingredients: butter, cream and flour.

Cream Wafers

 1 c. butter

1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

2 c. flour

extra fine or granulated sugar

Frosting:

¼ c. butter, softened

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

food coloring, if desired. I sometimes add a few drops of pomegranate juice for a natural tint.

Mix butter, cream and flour well. Wrap and chill at least an hour. Roll chilled dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board.  Cut out into 1½ inch rounds or even little hearts or stars. Transfer cookies to a sheet of wax paper heavily coated with extra fine or granulated sugar and coat both sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and  prick each cookie 4 times with a fork. Bake at 375-degrees 7-9 minutes until lightly browned and puffy. Cool on rack. Mix frosting ingredients. Put 2 cookies together with frosting to make “sandwiches”.

Ethiopian Chicken

With a mix of warm and sweet spices Ethiopian Chicken is full of rich flavor. Easy to make, too. You can make it with any cut of chicken. I used wings in this batch. Traditionally the chicken should be on the bone, but feel free to swap out boneless chicken, if you prefer. Just reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes.

Ethiopian Chicken

1 chicken, cut into pieces or 3-4 lbs. chicken pieces

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, salt and ginger

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/2 c. flour

3 T. oil

2 large onions, sliced thin

1 c. tomato sauce or 2 c. stewed tomatoes

1 c. chicken stock

Combine spices with flour in a plastic bag. Add the chicken a few pieces at a time and shake to coat. Set aside. Add onion to hot oil in large skillet and cook until onions are browned. Add chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add sauce and stock. Cover and simmer 35 minutes, adding water if sauce gets too thick. Serve with a cooked grain such as rice, millet, quinoa, wheat berries etc. This dish is also good served with lentils and cooked greens. Serves 4.

Brown chicken pieces

Add chicken stock

Add tomatoes and simmer

Peanut Butter and Jelly “Pies”

These are a lot of fun and a great way to make pb&j portable. Fun to take camping or on picnics.  Pie crusts are cut into small circles, filled with peanut butter and jelly, sealed and baked. You can use almond butter, if you prefer, and any kind of jelly or jam. Yummy!! Easy enough for kids to help, too.

PB&J Pies

1 (15 oz.) package pie crusts or homemade crust for 2 pies. I prefer homemade

¼ c. flour

1 egg

1 T. water

½ c. peanut butter

½ c. preserves, any flavor

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. On lightly floured surface roll out one of the crusts into a 12-inch circle. Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter cut out about 12-14 circles, re-rolling scraps and set aside. Roll out second piece of dough so you will have about 24-28 circles altogether. Beat together water and egg and set aside. Place a circle on work surface and place 1 teaspoon each of peanut butter and preserves in the center. Brush edges of the circle with egg wash. Place second circle on top and press edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining circles. Place “pies” on lightly greased baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Place peanut butter and jelly on the dough.

Brush edges with egg wash

Seal edges

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired

Fresh Strawberry Pie

When strawberries are in season its a sure bet I’ll be making a pie with some of them. I use a lightly sweetened crust recipe, but feel free to use your favorite crust, or even a store bought one. It always makes a great impression.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Crust:

2 T. unsalted butter, room temp

4 T. shortening- you can use all butter, if you prefer, or even lard

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. salt

 pinch of baking powder

1 1/4 c. flour

2 T. milk

1/2 t. lemon juice

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, salt, baking powder and 1/2 c. of the flour. Continue to add flour in small amounts, creaming each time and adding alternately with the liquid ingredients. Wrap and chill dough at least 4 hours or up to a week. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll out on lightly floured to fit 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Place in pan, trim off excess and flute edge. Chill 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Line crust with foil and weigh down with pie weights, dry beans or rice. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.  

Filling:

1 qt. berries, washed and hulled

1 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. water

1 T. butter

3 oz. cream cheese

Whipped cream, optional

Set aside 20-25 berries to remain whole. Crush remaining berries and combine with sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and add to berry mixture cooking until thickened and clear, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Place mixture in strainer and press through at least 1 cup of glaze. Set aside. Combine cream cheese with the berry mixture that did not go through the strainer and spread over bottom of prepared crust. Dip berries in glaze and place whole berries, point side up, in crust. Drizzle over the remaining glaze and chill. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust

Dip berries in glaze

Place berries on cream cheese mixture

Lemon Meltaway Cookies

These are a great cookie. Light in both flavor and texture they are full of fresh lemon flavor.

Lemon Meltaways

Dough:

1 ¼ c. flour

¾ c. butter, softened

½ c. cornstarch

1/3 c. powdered sugar

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. grated lemon peel

Frosting:

¾ c. powdered sugar

¼ c. butter, softened

1 t. lemon juice

1 t. grated lemon peel

In large bowl combine all dough ingredients and mix well. Divide dough in half and roll each half into an 8- inch roll.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, 1-2 hours. Slice chilled dough into ¼ inch slices and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies are set, but not brown. Cool completely on a rack. Combine frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Frost cooled cookies. Makes 4 dozen.

Strawberries and Cream Bread

This is one of my favorite quick breads. Tender  and full of the sweet taste of fresh strawberries.  The batter will be very thick- don’t worry- it is supposed to be that way. When it cooks the juices from the fresh berries keeps it moist. I always end up making a double batch.One to eat fresh and one to give as a gift or freeze.

Strawberries and Cream Bread

1 ¾ c. flour

½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

½ t. each  cinnamon and nutmeg

½ c. butter, at room temperature

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

 ½ c. sour cream, room temperature

1 t. vanilla

1 c, fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped*

¾ c. chopped nuts, optiional

Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Set aside. In small bowl beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat 1 minute. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just moistened. Fold in strawberries and nuts and place batter in prepared pan. Bake 60-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf. Freezes well.

*  frozen berries are not recommended in this bread.