The Charmed Kitchen

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

I had intended to make a salad with some fresh spinach, but something told me to go in another direction. Since I already had bacon and shrimp, I decided to just put them all together. With just a few extra ingredients tossed in I ended up with a really good dinner. The shrimp and bacon would have been fine, but the spinach really made the dish better. I didn’t have a lot of time so the fact that it was ready in about 15 minutes was nice, too. I put the pasta on to cook when I started cooking the bacon to save even more time.

Shrimp with Bacon and Spinach

3-4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shallots- or 1 small onion- chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. fresh spinach
8 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ c. sherry
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. grated ginger
½ t. red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. cooked pasta

Cook bacon in skillet until almost cooked. Add the shallots and cook until shallots are just turning brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is wilted down. Add shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are just barely cooked. Add sherry and seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta and serve. Serves 2.
Note: You can add some fresh Parmesan cheese when serving, if you like.

Pizzas made by kids in camp

We started off the week making pizza. The kids made the dough from scratch and rolled out their own pizzas. We made extra dough, so they made calzones, too. Later, we also made sugar cookies in pizza pans and decorated them with melted semi sweet chocolate and M&M’s. To finish  off the day we made 96 cupcakes that will be decorated tomorrow. Great start to the week. The youngest kids in class this week are 8 years old. I was so impressed at how well they all did. One of them asked if we could make croissants- so we are making them later in the week. Here are some more pictures, and the recipe for the pizza.

Homemade Pizza

1 packet active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 2/3 c. warm water
4-4½ c. flour
2 t. salt
3 c. pizza sauce
16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Cornmeal

In bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Add the water and stir to blend. Add flour gradually and keep stirring. Stir until soft dough forms. Place dough on floured surface and knead until stretchy and smooth, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to rest 3 minutes and knead a few more times. Place in bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Dust back of baking sheet with cornmeal and place dough on cornmeal, pressing down a little. Slide dough off sheet and onto a clean baking sheet. Place half of the remaining ingredients on the dough and repeat with remaining half of dough. Add more toppings, if you like and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool a few minutes before cutting. Makes 2 pizzas.

Mini Pizzas: You can also divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll them out into 6-inch rounds. Then let each person make his or her own pizza. Bake a few minutes less than the big pizzas.

Kneading dough

Smiley Face Pizza

Calzones

Cookie “Pizza”

Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

I had been canning blueberry pie filling and I had some left over. It wasn’t enough for another jar or a whole pie. A carton of ricotta cheese inspired me to combine two of my favorite desserts into one, fruit pie and cheesecake!!! I decided to use the ricotta to make a cheesecake- like layer and then use the pie filling as a topper. It worked out great. I will definitely be making this one again soon. Maybe I’ll use cherry pie filling the next time.

Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

Pastry for 2 crust pie- recipe- The crust recipe I used is at the bottom of the page

Cheesecake filling:
1 (15 oz.) carton ricotta cheese, full fat preferred
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
Zest of half an orange
Combine cheese and sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in eggs and zest and set aside.

Blueberry filling:
1½c. blueberry pie filling- I used homemade
Roll out half of the crust and place in 8 or 9-inch pie pan. You can roll out the top crust ahead of time, or even cut into strips for a lattice top. Cover remaining crust to keep it from drying out. Spoon cheese mixture into prepared crust. Spoon the blueberry pie filling over the cheese mixture. Top with the second crust or place strips on in a lattice design. If using a whole crust cut in decorative slits for ventilation. Moisten then crimp edges and shape decoratively or use a fork to seal. Place pie in lower half of hot oven. Bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juices begin to bubble through the slits. It edges start to brown too quickly, cover them with foil. Cool, then chill,  before serving.

Flaky Pie Crust

2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. shortening, chilled – I used chilled coconut oil-  you can also use butter or lard
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water

Combine flour and salt and cut in shortening. Toss in vinegar and water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Use a fork to toss the ingredients together and as soon as the mixture holds together stop adding water. Makes 2. Chill well before using.

Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries

After making dessert crepes the other day I decided to make a batch of chocolate crepes, too. I still had strawberries so that is what I used to fill them, along with some whipped cream. Truth is, you can fill them with all sorts of stuff. I had fresh berries so that is what I used. I added some Kahlua to the batter for a little extra flavor and it worked out just great. Here is the recipe.

Chocolate Crepes

1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
¼ c. cocoa
3 T. sugar
¼ c. Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur or ¼ c. strong coffee
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled

Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 1 tablespoon of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 18.

Strawberry filling: I just sliced a couple of pounds of berries and added a little sugar- about ½ cup- a tablespoon of vanilla and a healthy dash of cinnamon.
When filling the crepes I spooned some berries down the center of the crepe and added some whipped cream. Folded over, topped with a few berries and another bit of whipped cream.

Red Cabbage Overnight Slaw

When I was growing up I had a neighbor, Ruth Stevens, who was like a grandmother to me. I adored her. She loved gardening and animals, and had a gentle quality about her, that I will never forget. I spent many happy days in her garden and learned so much from her. She gave me a version of this recipe. I was about 12 at the time. I still have her recipe, written in her slightly shaky handwriting. When I look through old recipes and come across it, I always think of her, and miss her even to this day.

Great time of year to get fresh cabbage either from the garden or the local farm market. I got some beautiful red cabbage and decided to make a salad to go with a recent dinner with friends. It is meant to be made a day ahead- even a few days ahead. You can make the salad with red or green cabbage or a combination. After a few days in the fridge, if you make the combination of red and green the green cabbage will pick up the color from the red cabbage and the whole thing will look red. Because of the acidity of the cider vinegar in the dressing the red cabbage not only maintains its color, I think it gets a little brighter. With the vinegar dressing the slaw will keep for at least a week in the fridge- it just gets more “pickled” over time.

Red Cabbage Overnight Slaw

inspired by Ruth Stevens

8 cups shredded red cabbage- about 1 medium head

1 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. sugar, or to taste

1 T. celery seed

2 t. dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

Place cabbage in large bowl. In jar with a tight fitting lid place the rest of the ingredients and shake well until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the cabbage and stir to coat. Cover bowl and place in fridge overnight to let the flavor blend and the cabbage soften. Salad will wilt down quite a bit. Keeps in fridge for a couple of weeks. Serves 6-8.

Homemade Bagels

In cooking camp yesterday, we made bagels. This was a real hit with the kids. None had ever made a bagel before, and none of them knew that bagels are boiled in water before being baked. As the class progressed, their bagels looked better and better. I had some really skilled little bakers. Here is the recipe, with plenty of variations, so you can make them, too.

Bagels

4 ½ -5 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 pkgs. Yeast
1 1/2 c. water
2 t. butter
1 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 egg white

Mix 1 ½ cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1-tablespoon salt and yeast in a medium bowl. Heat 1½-cup water with butter and add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add ½ c. flour and beat 1 minute. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Set in greased bowl and turn to grease top. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place 1 hour. Punch dough down cover and let rest 15 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces and form into smooth balls. Cover with towel and let rest 10 minutes. In large skillet heat 1 inch of water to a simmer. Add remaining sugar and salt to water. With floured finger poke a hole in the center of three of the dough balls. Drop into simmering water cooking 3 minutes. Turn over and cook 2 minutes. Turn to first side and simmer 1 more minute. Remove to greased baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Mix egg white with 1 tablespoon of water and brush tops of bagels. Sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake in a 375 –degree oven for 20 –25 minutes. Makes 12.

Variations:
Light Rye: Prepare as above except substitute 1¼ c. rye flour for 1¼ c. of the regular flour.

Whole Wheat: Substitute 1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour for 1 ¼ c. of the regular flour

Herb: Use ½ tablespoon dried marjoram or parsley or 1 teaspoon dried dill. You can also add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. Add herbs to flour/ yeast mixture.

Parmesan: Add ¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese to flour/ yeast mixture.

Onion Bagels: Cook ½ cup finely chopped onion in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Brush onion mixture over the tops of the bagels after they have been baking for 15 minutes.

Sesame or Poppy Seed: Just before baking brush tops of bagels with beaten eggs and sprinkling with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

Extra crusty: Place under boiler (4-5 inches away) for 3-4 minutes, turning once just before boiling. Bagels should not brown.
More Variations

Blueberry: Prepare dough as usual. When you first start to knead the dough add 1 cup of fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries and knead as usual. You will need a little more flour.

Cinnamon-Raisin: Add 1-2 T. cinnamon to flour/yeast mixture. Add ½ cup raisins when you start to knead dough.

Multigrain: To flour and yeast mixture add ¼ c. each wheat germ, oat bran and cracked wheat. You’ll need a little less flour.

Super seedy: To flour and yeast mixture add ¼ cup each pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Also add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds and 1 tablespoon fennel or caraway seeds. You will need a little less flour.

Cocoa: Add ½ cup cocoa powder to flour and yeast mixture. You will need a little less flour. These are great with cream cheese and fruit preserves.

boiling the bagels

Beet Relish

Beets are in season around here and I thought I would share this recipe. I love this relish, and make several batches every year. It is like a sweet pickle relish, only made with beets.  You can add it to sandwiches or salads, and if you put some in your chicken or pasta salads, it turns them the nicest shade of pink. I like to serve beet relish with cheeses and crusty bread as an appetizer. If you have some extra beets laying around, you might want to try it.

Beet Relish

1 qt. chopped cooked beets, about 12 medium

1 quart chopped cabbage, about 1 small head

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped red sweet pepper

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 T. prepared horseradish

1 T. canning salt ( non-iodized)

3 c. vinegar, white or cider- I prefer cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Bring mixture to a boil. Pack hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/4 -inch head space. Seal jars and process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes. Yield about 10 half-pint jars.

Source: Ball Blue Book

Snickerdoodles

In cooking camp yesterday we made cookies, including Snickerdoodles. This is a recipe that has been around a long time and is still a favorite. The kids really enjoyed rolling the dough in cinnamon sugar, before baking. The old version I had, called for shortening, but I use butter instead,  and chill the dough. I prefer the taste of butter in cookies. These are a great light dessert for summer and they travel well, too. A nice treat to bring to your next cookout, picnic or road trip.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ c. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Mix butter, sugar and eggs. Combine next 4 ingredients and add to egg mixture. Chill dough at least a couple of hours. Combine sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowls. Roll dough in 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 9-11 minutes. Makes 6 dozen.