I was going through my pantry and found a jar of applesauce I had canned last Fall. I remember my Mother always serving applesauce with a pork roast so I decided to cook a roast I had in the freezer. I wanted to spice it up a little so I put together this rub recipe. I added the cinnamon because I thought it would go well with the applesauce. I was not disappointed.

Spice and Herb Crusted Pork Roast

The Rub:

2 T. coarse sea salt

1 T. paprika

1 T. dried parsley

1-2 cloves minced garlic

2 t. fresh grated ginger

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. fresh ground pepper

Combine all the rub ingredients.

1 pork roast- I used a 3 1/2 pound pork sirloin roast- bone-in.

Spread the rub over the roast, pressing in to help it stick. Place pork roast in a roasting pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 2- 2 1/2 hours. Serves 4.

This rub would also be nice on poultry. Maybe I’ll try it on duck the next time.

 

 

 

A friend mentioned to me recently that she was trying to eat more vegetables, but having a hard time. I don’t think she is alone. A lot of people know they should eat more vegetables, or have kids that won’t eat veggies. A simple way to eat more veggies is to add them to other dishes. Most people I know love potatoes. Well, if you add veggies to a potato dish, maybe, at least, they will try it.  For this dish I just sauteed up some onions, added potatoes and then the beans. Served it to a friend at dinner. It was eaten right up. Since my friend doesn’t eat bacon I didn’t add it, but it would make a nice addition.

 

Green Beans with Potatoes

2 T. oil- or butter or even bacon fat

1 large onion, sliced

4 potatoes, sliced, peeled, if you like

1-2 c. chicken stock

1 lb. green beans, washed and ends trimmed

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet and cook onion until tender. Add the potatoes and cook until potatoes start to turn a little golden. Add one cup of stock and cover skillet, cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add beans and cover skillet, cooking until beans are tender- you might need more stock. Season to taste and serve. Serves 4.

I wanted to use some frozen blueberries in a dessert and decided to add them to my cupcake batter. The result was wonderfully moist cupcakes, full of berries. To top them off I made a simple buttercream frosting, but added some orange zest and just a little orange juice. These were a bit hit last night.

 

Blueberry Cupcakes

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk

Heat oven to 375. Grease 18 muffin tins or line with paper liners. Beat butter until fluffy and beat in sugar until light. Beat in eggs then beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt. Mash 1/2 cup of the berries and stir into batter. Beat in half the flour then beat in half the milk and repeat. Fold in remaining berries and spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes or until springy to the touch. Makes 18. Frost once cooled.

Orange Buttercream

1/3 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 oz. milk                                                                                                                     1 oz. orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the milk, juice and zest. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Beat in additional milk, if needed, to make of spreading consistency.

I spent the day cleaning the yard. A friend was helping and we were certainly going to be hungry when finished. I wanted a dish that could be a side salad or a main dish and require little prep time. After checking out my freezer, fridge and pantry I made this artichoke and tortellini salad. I had some frozen cheese tortellini that only required 5 minutes of gentle simmering.  A can of artichoke hearts, garlic scapes and a large scallion rounded it out.  The zest and juice from fresh limes added some extra zip.

Artichoke and Tortellini Salad 

1 lb. cheese tortellini, cooked and cooled

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. chopped garlic scapes*

1/2 c. chopped green onion

zest of 1 lime

juice of 2 limes

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

hot sauce to taste –  I used about 2 teaspoons

salt and pepper to taste

Combine tortellini and artichoke hearts and set aside. Heat oil in skillet and cook scapes and green onion until crispy- about 5 minutes. Pour skillet contents into tortellini mixture, including the oil. Add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings,. Chill at least a couple of hours. Serves 8 as a side dish, 4 as a main dish.

*garlic scapes are the stems of garlic plants that are cut off the garlic plants to produce bigger cloves. They taste like garlic and look like curly green onions. If you don’t have garlic scapes add extra green onion and some fresh minced garlic to the dish.

I love kale and enjoy it all year long. Even though it is Spring we’ve had a few chilly days so I decided to use some kale in this hearty and very simple stew.  For fresh herbs I cut some chives from the garden, but use what you like and have on hand. I think the chives gave my stew a little taste of Spring- even if the temps outside are saying otherwise. I know in a few weeks I’ll have kale of my own to harvest from the garden.

 

Kale and Bean Stew

1½ lb. kale leaves, center ribs removed

3 T. oil

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. dry white wine

2 (15 oz.) cans beans, rinsed and drained- I like butter beans

4-5 cups Vegetable or chicken stock

1 t. dried savory or thyme

1 bay leaf

1 T. white balsamic vinegar

2 T. fresh chopped herbs – I used chives

Blanch kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop kale leaves coarsely. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Cook vegetables and garlic until tender but not browned. Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add 4 cups of the broth, beans, savory and bay leaf and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes more. Add more stock if stew is too thick. Add vinegar, fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.

 

 

If you like apple pie  you’ll like apple galette, too. I actually find a galette easier to make. Rather than doing the whole pie pan thing, for a galette you just roll out your dough and then add fruit to the middle. Fold up the sides and bake. Easy as pie, well easy as galette. I made my own crust but you can used pre-made crusts, if you prefer. You can serve with ice cream, whipped cream or dusted with powdered sugar.

Apple Galette

Flaky Pie Crust

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

3/4 c. shortening, chilled

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.

Filling:

5-6 medium apples- I used Jonathan, Gala and Macintosh

2/3 c. sugar- plus extra for sprinkling

3 T. cornstarch

1 T. cinnamon

1 T. Lemon juice, plus extra for treating the apples

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. salt

Prepare dough. Roll half the dough into a 10-inch circle- repeat with remaining dough. Keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to use. Peel and core apples and slice thin. Place apples in water with lemon juice added to prevent browning. Drain apple slices well and place in a bowl. Toss with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and seasonings. Place one of the crusts on a baking sheet. Pile half of the prepared apples on the center of the crust. You should have about a 2-inch circle of dough around the edges that is uncovered. Fold edges of the crust up over the apples pressing lightly to hold in place. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Repeat with the remaining crust and apples. You will have a little liquid in the bowl from the apple mixture- save that for now. Place the galettes in a preheated 425 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down heat to 350 and bake for another 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. While galettes are baking take the liquid left from the apples and cook in a small saucepan until thickened- it will take a minute or two. This will be used to glaze the galettes. When galettes come out of the oven brush the apples with the thickened  glaze.  Cool on wire rack. Makes 2.

I make scones pretty often. There is nothing quite like the taste of fresh baked scones. Plus, baking them makes the house smell wonderful. These scones are baked in round cake pans. They come out looking great and tasting great, too. If you don’t have buttermilk just add a little lemon juice to regular milk. Perfect breakfast for this weekend.

 

 

Cranberry-Buttermilk Scones

3 c. flour
¼ c. plus 2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) chilled butter, cubed
3/4 c. dried cranberries
½ c. buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 t. water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour with ¼ c. sugar, baking powder, and salt. Rub in butter with finger tips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries. Combine milk with 2 of the eggs and beat together. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture and stir until dough begins to form into a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10 stokes until dough holds together. Grease 2 nine inch cake pans. divide dough in half and place one piece in each cake pan. Press dough out evenly. Combine remaining egg with 2 teaspoons water and beat until well mixed. Score top of loaves with sharp knife into 8 wedges each. Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, turn onto plates and cool right side up. Cut along score marks. Serve warm. Makes 16.

I must admit that for me, the difference between a scone and a biscuit is sometimes hard to see. Both use the same ingredients, for the most part. They can be rolled and cut out the same way, too. I often say that scones are like biscuits, but with more stuff in them. Scones are often sweeter, too. This recipe is a tough call for me. I was given the recipe by a friend a long time ago. She called them Cream Scones. I could easily see calling them Cream Biscuits, instead. Whatever you call them, these little gems are tender, flaky and super easy to make.

 

Cream Scones

2 c. flour
1 T. sugar
½ t. salt
1 T. baking powder
1 c. heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add cream to form soft dough. Knead lightly on a floured board until dough sticks together. Roll to ½ – ¾ –inch thickness and cut with 2-inch biscuit cutter. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting, handling dough as little as possible.* Place on baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Makes 8-10.

* Instead of rolling them out and cutting into rounds, I pressed the dough into an 8-inch square. I cut the square into 4 smaller squares. I then cut and “x” across each of the four squares, making 4 triangles ( 16 in all). Bake as directed above.

I wanted to make peanut butter pancakes the other morning. I really like the whole pb&j flavor combination but I didn’t have any grape jelly.  I did have some red grapes in the freezer and I decided use them to make a syrup. The combination was really good. I started by making the grape syrup. I took 2 cups of frozen grapes and set them in a small skillet with about 1/4 cup of sugar, a little cinnamon and some fresh grated nutmeg. I let this mixture cook over medium high heat until the grapes were tender and the liquid in the pan had created a syrup. I didn’t need to add water as the frozen grapes gave off their juices as soon as they started to heat up. With fresh grapes you might want to add a little water to get the whole process going. It took about 15 minutes in all. While the grapes were cooking I made the pancake batter and began cooking the pancakes. When the pancakes were done I topped them with a few grapes and a drizzle of the pretty grape syrup. Not a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – but something so much better.  Sometimes it pays to think outside the box.

 

Peanut  Butter Pancakes

 

1 c. buttermilk baking mix, like Bisquick or Jiffy mix, I make my own

2 T. sugar

1 egg

1/3 c. peanut butter

2/3 half and half

1/4 c. water

Combine baking mix and sugar and set aside. Whisk together remaining ingredients until smooth and add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Heat and lightly oil skillet and use 1/4 c. of better for each pancake. Cook over medium heat. Turn when edges appear dry. Makes 8.

 

I was making cupcakes for a program with kids and I decided to make some with strawberries. As you might expect, they were a big hit. The berries add sweetness and color in a delicate, natural way. I used frozen berries I had gotten in season last year. It was the last of my berries so I am really looking forward to strawberry season later this year.

Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing. Makes 12.

Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

Pinch of coarse salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not over-mix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream. Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes.