Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
I am not sure why I never combined ladyfingers with strawberries before. Using them together in this dish made a wonderful dessert- that was also very easy. It was something between a trifle and a shortcake so I called it both!
I want to just say something about ladyfingers. There are two types I see in stores around here, soft or crisp. The soft ones are smaller and cake-like and found in bakeries in grocery stores. Like sponge cake. The other ladyfingers are crisp and larger. I find the crispy type at Italian stores and sometimes at specialty grocery stores. The ladyfingers you want for this recipe are the larger, crisp ladyfingers.
I was happy with how it came out. The ladyfingers were soft, not mushy. They actually were kind of fluffy. The flavors blended so nicely. Great summer dessert. Light and refreshing, but a little rich, too. I made vanilla pudding, but make life easier and just use store bought or instant from a box- if you prefer.
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle
1½ – 2 pounds strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
½ c. sugar
24 ladyfingers
1 recipe vanilla pudding- recipe follows
¾ c. Hazelnut chocolate spread
Whipped cream or whipped topping
Combine strawberries with the sugar and set aside. Make the pudding, if you haven’t already. You can use premade pudding. You’ll need 2-3 cups of pudding. I had some leftover from the recipe I made. In a 9×9-inch baking dish, place one layer of the cookies. You might have to trim them a little to fit. I had 2 rows of 6 cookies, but I had to break off a little for the second row to fit. Spoon over half of the strawberries, with some of the liquid in the bowl. Spread a layer of pudding over the berries. For the next layer, spread some of the hazelnut spread over each lady finger before putting it in the pan. When you put them in the pan, place them with the spread on the under side. Add another layer of the pudding, then top with the rest of the strawberries. Cover and place in fridge until ready to serve. You can do all this up to 2 days ahead. Before serving, remove cover and top with whipped cream or any whipped topping you like. Serves 6-8.
Vanilla Pudding
1 c. sugar
½ c. cornstarch
½ t. salt
3 ¾ c. half and half
1 T. vanilla- or a little more
2 T. butter
Combine dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk in half and half and vanilla until well mixed. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble and get thickened. Mixture will get pretty thick. Turn down heat to keep it from scorching. As soon as pudding is thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Place pudding in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use. Makes about 4 cups.
Blueberry Chef Salad
This is one of those salads that is good any time of the year. A local produce market had the most beautiful blueberries this week. I decided to enjoy some of them in this salad.
The dressing is a honey French type dressing. It really makes the whole salad work. You can add the berries to the dressing, or serve them on top of the salad. I topped it with cashews, but you could add croutons, if you prefer.
Blueberry Chef Salad
Dressing:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 t. paprika
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cups blueberries
Salad:
6 c. torn salad greens
12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips
1 c. cubed cheese
1/2 c. cashews
In blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in berries and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve, arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing and cashews then serve. Serves 4-6.
Cherry Bombs
These little treats make a great addition to your 4th of July party. They are simple to make, with only three ingredients. You can make them in no time at all. It is a fun treat for kids to make, too.
Think of the cherry bombs as a type of candy. A simple, sweet treat that can be served just as they are. They can also be used to top a cake or other dessert. You can even garnish a cocktail with them. I did the same thing with strawberries, but “strawberry bombs” did not have the same ring to it.
To make the cherry bombs, you will need cherries, white chocolate and blue sugar. If you don’t have blue sugar, you can put granulated sugar in a bag, add a few drops of blue food coloring, seal the bag and shake it up. The sugar will turn blue. You could also use blue sprinkles.
Wash and dry off some large, sweet cherries. Melt white chocolate, stirring until smooth. Dip the cherries in the white chocolate, then the blue sugar. Place on wax paper to firm up. Store in fridge.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
I make broccoli salad pretty often, but sometimes like to switch it up a little by adding cauliflower. The result is a salad that has a great mixed of flavors, colors and textures. The addition of bacon also adds a wonderful smoky flavor. Certainly, feel free to omit the bacon for a vegetarian salad. With or without the bacon, this is a great salad for the warmer days ahead.
Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into bite- sized pieces
2 broccoli crowns, cut into bite- sized pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. shredded cheese- I used a sharp cheddar
8- 10 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup of mayo – or more according to your taste
salt and pepper to taste
Steam the cauliflower and broccoli until just tender/crisp. About 5 minutes in a microwave steamer, 6 minutes in a conventional steamer. Place in a bowl to cool down then combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine well. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Serves 6-8.
Cherry Lemon Ice
After making lemon ice recently I had thought about variations. What else could be added to the base recipe? I decided to try cherries because I love the way cherry and lemon tastes together. I was not disappointed. The cherries took my lemon ice to a whole new level. And the color!!! This may be one of my favorite frozen desserts ever.
You can use sweet or sour cherries for this recipe. I reduced the sugar from my original Lemon Ice recipe. Taste it before freezing and adjust sweetness to your preferences. Keep in mind, it will taste less sweet after freezing.
I am definitely making this recipe again. Besides just enjoying it as a dessert, you can add scoops to cocktails or non alcoholic drinks.
Cherry Lemon Italian Ice
2½ c. water
1 c. sugar
1¼ c. lemon juice*
Zest of 2 lemons, optional
2 cups pitted cherries
Combine water and sugar in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and zest, if adding, and stir until well combined. Add the cherries. Place in a food processor or blender and process until cherries are liquefied. Since I knew I was going to be processing the ice in a food processor after freezing, I didn’t bother to blend the mixture up first. I just made the lemon ice base, tossed in the cherries and through it in the freezer. It really is about how smooth you want it to be.I knew I didn’t mind a few small flecks of cherry. Freeze.
You have options here. You can place the mixture in a shallow tray- preferably one with a tight lid- and place in the freezer. Or you can put the mixture in any shape container with a tight lid and freeze. It kind of depends on how you plan to serve your ice, once it is frozen. Some recipes call for stirring the mixture every 30 minutes as it freezes. Then to serve it, you just scrape over the surface with a heavy spoon for a grainy ice- a granita. This is one option and a tasty one. Works best in the flatter, longer container.
Another option is to just freeze it. Once frozen, allow the cherry lemon ice to soften a few minutes, then break into chunks and place in a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth- then serve or put back in the freezer until you want to serve it. You can even repeat the food processing part another time for a smoother end product. This is what I did with this batch. I wanted a sorbet – like texture.
If you didn’t have enough choices already, you can also put the mixture in an ice cream machine to freeze. This method will also give you a sorbet like final product.
No one way is best- it is just what you like. Makes about a quart and a half.
* you can use lime juice and zest instead, for lime ice- or even use them together.
Super Party Sub
We made this sandwich in class the other night. When the weather gets warm and you don’t feel like cooking, a big sandwich is a nice option. Its a nice blend of meat, cheese and veggies. Of course, you can swap out the ingredients to suit your own taste.
I ended up baking the bread we used because I could not find the right shape loaf I wanted. I know, defeats the purpose of not cooking, but it was well worth the effort. I made my herb braids, recipe follows, but I didn’t add the herbs this time. I also subbed a couple of cups of spelt flour for the white flour.
We used a hard salami for the meat and Swiss cheese. It seemed a nice combination. So here is the recipe.
Super Party Sub
3-4 T. Italian dressing
1 loaf French bread (1 pound)
2 c. shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced thin
1 sweet onion, sliced thin and separated into rings
or 2 sweet peppers, seeded and sliced thin
about 24 slices of good quality luncheon meats. I like to use smoked and regular turkey or turkey ham and turkey pastrami. Roast beef and corned beef are also favorites. Pick what you and your family like. We used a pound of the hard salami because the slices were small and why not?
8oz. sliced cheese
Slice bread lengthwise and brush with a little of the dressing on the bottom half. . Arrange the lettuce on the bread topped with the tomato, onion, or pepper slices and drizzle with the rest of the dressing. Top with the meat slices and then the cheese. Replace the top of the bread and wrap in plastic wrap or foil until ready to serve. Use long toothpicks to secure slices. You can serve with extra Italian dressing on the side. Serves 8.
Braided Bread
5 ½ -6 ½ c. flour I used 2 cups of spelt flour to replace some of the wheat flour
2 packages quick rising yeast
1 T. honey
2 t. salt
¼ c. olive oil
2 ¼ c. hot water
In a mixing bowl combine 2 c. of flour with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Beat with electric mixer 4 minutes then add 1-cup additional flour and beat 1 minute longer. Stir in flour ½ cup at a time until soft dough forms. Turn onto surface and knead, adding flour gradually until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to cover. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Turn dough onto surface and cut in half. Cut each half into thirds. Roll each piece of dough into an 18-inch rope. Loosely braid three ropes together and repeat with the remaining dough. Place on greased baking sheet and cover until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Makes 2.
Variation: Whole wheat: Add 2 cups of whole-wheat flour to replace 2 cups of white flour. Also try adding ¼ c. of wheat germ, oat bran or 2 tablespoons of seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, etc.)
Regular yeast can be used, but rising times will be longer and water should be warm, not hot.
Firecracker Chicken
Sometimes the best recipes happen when you don’t have time to plan. This is one of those recipes. Even better because it only uses 4 ingredients. Fun for the 4th of July, too.
I needed an appetizer, but didn’t have extra time for prep. I also did not have time to go to the store, so I used what I had on hand. I had some boneless chicken breasts. I could also have used boneless thighs or even chicken wings. I used what I had.
I cut them into strips and poured a bunch of hot sauce over them. Put them in the fridge to marinade overnight. The next day I just tossed the chicken strips in breadcrumbs and fried them in a little oil. Served with extra hot sauce on the side, they were a big hit.
Firecracker Chicken
2 lbs. boneless chicken
3/4 c. hot sauce, plus extra when serving
2 c. bread crumbs
2 c. oil, for pan frying
Cut chicken into strips and place in a bowl. Pour over the hot sauce and stir to coat evenly. Cover and chill overnight, or even for a couple of days. Place bread crumbs in a plastic bag. Place a small handful of chicken in the bag and shake to coat. Place on a plate and continue with the rest of the chicken. Heat oil in skillet to 350- 375 degrees. Fry chicken in several batches- you don’t want to crowd them in the skillet- that will make the oil cool down too much. Fry for a minute or two per side. Remove to platter lined with paper towels and cook the rest of the chicken. Keep chicken warm until ready to serve. Serve with extra hot sauce on the side. Serves 8 or more as an appetizer, but can be served as a main dish, too.
Homemade Calzones
Calzones are traditionally made with Italian/pizza type fillings, but you can fill them with all sorts of other ingredients.
I like to get creative when making calzones. I often use what I have on hand. I think about what ingredients would go well together.
Calzones are wonderfully portable, and great to pack for lunch. They are also great food to serve at parties.
I like to make a batch and freeze some of them. I use one of three recipes for dough, listed below, then swap out fillings depending on what I am in the mood for. Get creative and have fun.
Basic Homemade Dough
This recipe is enough for 8 large calzones, more if you make them smaller.
1 packet active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 2/3 c. warm water
4-4½ c. flour
2 t. salt
In mixing bowl combine yeast with 3 cups of flour, sugar and the salt. Add the warm water and stir together, mixing well. Gradually add more flour 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.
Assembly: Divide into 8 or more pieces. Cover pieces until ready to roll out. Roll out a piece of dough into an 8-inch circle. Add fillings to half of the dough and wet edges with water. Fold over and press edges firmly to seal. Cut a couple of slits in top of calzone to allow steam to vent. Repeat with remaining dough.
Finishing /Baking: Place calzones on greased baking sheets. Cover calzones and allow to rise 30 minutes or so. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Variations:
Whole Wheat: You can add 1-2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour to replace the same amount of white flour for a whole grain calzone.
Rye: Add 1-2 cups of rye flour to replace the same amount of white flour. This is great for the Reuben calzones.
Fillings: Traditional fillings could include shredded mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, cooked sausage, chopped onions or peppers, pizza sauce (some prefer to serve sauce on the side) olives or anything you might top a pizza with.
Note: For any filling, use ingredients that are cold or at room temperature. Meats should be cooked as they won’t cook in the baking process. Vegetables should be cooked as raw veggies will give off water and may make your calzone soggy. If using a sauce, make sure it is on the thick side. Sometimes I brush the dough with a little oil first to keep the dough from getting soggy.
Toppings: You can brush the top of the calzones with an egg wash if you like for a shinier top. Apply just before baking. If you want, you can also sprinkle the tops with seeds- but use an egg wash to make sure the seeds will stick.
Ham and Swiss Calzones
1 recipe calzone dough, rye variation preferred
1 1/2 -2 lb. thin sliced ham- more or less
3/4 lb. sliced Swiss cheese
Thousand island dressing- recipe follows
1 egg , beaten
In the middle of the dough place 1 1/2 ounces of the Swiss cheese, a spoonful of the dressing and 2-3 ounces of the ham. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and make a few slashes with a knife to help steam to escape while baking. I put 2 baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking 2 at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8.
Thousand Island Dressing
Combine equal parts of ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish. You likely need at least a cup for this recipe. I made extra so the sandwiches could be dipped in extra dressing, if desired.
Reuben Calzones
1 recipe homemade dough, rye version
1½ -2 lbs. sliced corned beef
½ lb. sliced Swiss cheese
2 c. rinsed and drained sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Caraway seeds, optional
Make dough and assemble 8 calzones dividing the ingredients among them. Dressing can be added in the calzones or served on the side. Use an egg wash and sprinkle on a few caraway seeds , if desired. Makes 8.
Curried Vegetable Calzones
1 recipe calzone dough
2 T. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 c. sliced carrots
1c. chopped cauliflower
1 c. green beans, sliced
1-2 T. curry powder, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion until tender. Add the rest of the veggies and cook until tender. Sometimes I cover the pan and turn down the heat to steam them. Once veggies are tender drain and set aside to cool. Season to taste with curry powder and salt and pepper. Divide mixture among 8 calzones. Makes 8.
Spinach and Artichoke Calzones
1 recipe calzone dough, whole wheat works well in this recipe.
1 can (about 15 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
1 package (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed, and drained well
2 c. shredded mild cheese or 1c. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. lemon juice
Salt and hot pepper sauce to taste
Combine ingredients and mix well. Divide among 8 calzones. Makes 8.
Freezing Calzones: Note: you can freeze them baked or unbaked. Just place calzones on wax paper on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until frozen. Remove from baking sheet and wrap in plastic wrap, foil or wax paper and place in freezer bags. Label and place back in the freezer.
If you freeze them unbaked- thaw in fridge overnight- unwrap but cover loosely with plastic wrap and a towel. Thaw in fridge at least 8- 12 hours. Place on greased baking sheet and place on counter at room temperature for another hour or two, covered with a towel. Bake in oven as normal.
If you freeze them baked- you can heat up in a microwave- about 3 minutes per calzone. You can also warm them in a conventional oven. Place on baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Cover with foil if it starts to get too brown.
Compound Butters
I enjoy making flavored, or compound butters, all the time. But even more so this time of year. My herb garden is growing wildly and there really is nothing better than the flavor of herbs, picked fresh out of the garden. Chop them up, add to some butter and you have a great spread for all sorts of foods. Now that local veggies are here, I have even more reason to make some herb and butter blends.
I like to make several batches, shape into rolls and wrap in plastic wrap. Now I can freeze them and just cut off a piece whenever I want. This is also a nice way to preserve some of this summer freshness for the cooler days ahead.
Herbal or spicy butters can add flavor to any meal. They can be used on breads, crackers, veggies, meats, or fish. Flavored butters can also be molded into shapes for special occasions. Here are the recipes for the butters in the picture.
Compound Butters
All recipes are for use with one stick (½ cup) butter.
Soften butter slightly to make mixing easier. Roll into logs, balls, or press into molds. Finished butters can be rolled in herbs, spices, or nuts for a decorative appearance. Chill several hours or overnight before using. Keep butter wrapped tightly in waxed paper for freshness. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Flavored butter keeps in the fridge for 1 – 2 weeks. Makes ½ cup.
Basil Butter: 3.T. finely chopped fresh basil leaves, 1 t. lemon zest, Excellent on pasta, bread and veggies.
Chive Butter: 3 T. snipped chives, ½ t. lemon zest. Good with fish, poultry, carrots, and potatoes.
Chili Butter: 1½ t. chili powder, ½ t. cumin, ½ t. garlic powder. This is good on breads, beans, grilled chicken, or popcorn.
Curry Butter: 1 t. curry powder, 1 t. fresh lime juice. Use on lamb, poultry, rice, and veggies.
Dill Butter: 2 T. fresh snipped dill, 1 – 2 t. fresh lemon juice. Good with chicken, potatoes, carrots, seafood, or rice.
Mint Butter: 2 – 3 T. fresh chopped mint leaves, 1 t. fresh lemon juice, ½ t. lemon zest. This is great with lamb, peas, chicken, or vegetables.
Parsley Butter: 2-3 T. chopped parsley, 2 t. lemon juice. Lovely on breads, veggies, seafood and chicken.
Sage Butter: 1 T. fresh sage leaves, chopped very fine, or 1 t. dried sage, 1 t. each lemon juice and lemon zest. This is excellent with chicken or pork dinners. Great on breads and rolls, too.
Thyme Butter: 2T. fresh thyme leaves, 1 t. lemon zest. For veggies, meats breads.
Spiced Cherries
These cherries are so good, I am already wishing I had canned more of them. I was inspired by my cousin, Laurie, who needed spiced cherries for a recipe she wants to make.
I first thought about the spices I wanted to use. I didn’t want to overpower the cherries, but I wanted the spices to complement the flavor of the fruit. In the end I used cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, fenugreek, cloves and some cracked black pepper. You certainly can play around with spices you use.
Once I decided which spices I wanted to use, I steeped them in boiling water. Kind of like making tea. Then I strained out the spices and used the spiced water in the syrup for the cherries. I could just have added spices to the cherries when I canned them, but I didn’t want stuff in the jars I would need to strain out later. I also knew the spices would get more intense over time, if left in the jars. By making a tea and tasting it, I knew what level of spice I would have in the final product.
The spiced cherries can just be eaten, right out of the jar. They can also be drained and added to fruit salads or used to top desserts. You can also use them to bake with. They aren’t overly sweet.
They would make nice gifts, too.
So here is my recipe for spiced cherries.
Spiced Cherries
7 (3-4 inch) cinnamon sticks
2 T. fennel seeds or 2 star anise
2 T. fenugreek seeds
1 T. whole cloves
1 T. cracked black pepper
5 c. water
11 lbs. sweet cherries, but sour cherries can be used
3¼ c. sugar
Zest of 2 limes or lemons
Juice of 2 limes or lemons
Place spices in a large pot and turn heat on to medium. Toast spices in pot for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should be able to smell them. Watch so they don’t burn. Add the water to the spices, bring to a boil, and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Longer cooking is fine. Fill water bath canner with water and heat up water to a simmer. In the meantime, pit the cherries. You should end up with about 4½-5 quarts of pitted fruit. You can hold pitted cherries in a bowl of water with a little ascorbic acid in it, to prevent browning. Set aside. Remove the spiced water from the heat. Strain out the spices and discard them. Measure the spiced water and add enough fresh water to equal 5 cups. Return water to pot with the cherries (drained if they were in water), sugar, zest and lime juice. Bring mixture to a boil. Fill pint jars with cherries and cooking liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids until fingertip tight. Place jars in water bath canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by 1-2 inches. Place lid on canner, and start timing when water returns to the boil. Process for 15 minutes. Remove jars from canner and place on a cooling rack or towel, in a draft free area. Once cooled, check the lids to make sure they are sealed. Remove bands and wipe down jars. Label and store. Makes about 9 pints.
Times and procedures all used NCHFP guidelines.
Jars cooling down
