Ridiculously Easy Candy Treats

Corn Flake Peanut Butter Treats

3 cups corn flakes
3 Tblsp peanut butter
6 oz chocolate chips

Melt chips and peanut butter together, slowly and stirring, in a large pot. Once melted add corn flakes. Mix together gently with a spatula. Don't worry about corn flake breakage!!!
Drop by tablespoons on a cookie sheet and refrigerate till firm.
They keep well. And they are ridiculously tasty for something so easy!

Delicious Easy Fresh Tasting Cranberry Sauce

Triple Cranberry Sauce

1 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup sugar
1-12 oz package fresh cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tsp minced orange zest
2 Tblsp orange juice
3 Tblsp orange marmalade
1/4 tsp allspice

Combine cranberry concentrate and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring till sugar dissolves.
Add fresh and dried cranberries. Simmer till dried berries begin to soften and fresh berries begin to pop, stirring often, 7 - 10 minutes. It's fine if all the berries don't disintegrate.
Remove from heat, add orange zest, orange juice, marmalade and allspice. Mix well.
Cool completely, Cover and chill till cold. Will keep for a week.

Easy and Delicious Cold Weather Bean Soup.

White Bean Soup with Pasta and Rosemary Oil

The Rosemary Oil *
1/3 cup really good virgin olive oil
2 Tblsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or 2 Tblsp dried
2 garlic cloves, sliced

The Soup
4 cans (I usually end up using 6) white beans (cannellini, navy, or a combination; I also use garbanzo, but not alone)
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 Tblsp chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried
1 large onion, finely diced
2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 celery rib, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned, with juice
3 quarts water/vegetable stock/chicken stock **
salt and freshly ground pepper

Parmesan rind (optional)***

1 cup small pasta, your choice

Thin shavings of or freshly grated Parmesan

The Rosemary Oil
Slowly warm the extra virgin olive oil with 2 Tblsp rosemary and 2 garlic cloves until the garlic begins to color, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside till needed. Let it steep awhile, then when ready to use, strain.
*This oil is fabulous added to many dishes. It's also perfect to use for dipping good bread.

The Soup
Drain and rinse beans. Heat the oil with 1 Tblsp rosemary in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook till the onion is softened and starting to color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and parsley and cook for a few minutes more. Add 4 cans beans to pot along with tomatoes and 3 quarts **water/vegetable stock/chicken stock (as the grandchild of the Great Depression, we used H20; however, great flavor can be achieved by using stock, alone or in combination with H20). Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer briskly for about 30 minutes.
Puree half to all of the soup, depending upon how thick you want it, with an immersion blender or a standing blender.
Return to heat.
***I am a big fan of adding a piece of Parmesan rind to bean and veg soups. When you purchase Parm to grind or shave, save the rind, you can even freeze it. Throw it into your soup, it will burst with flavor! Remove rind (if it hasn't dissolved) before serving.
Add 2 tsp or so salt. Continue to simmer briskly another 30 minutes. If you pureed it so that most of the beans are gone, now is the time to add more beans, then simmer very gently while you cook your pasta.

Pasta
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water till al dente, then drain.

Finally
Ladle soup into bowls, add some pasta to each. Drizzle some of the Rosemary Oil over each bowl and add pepper to taste. Cover with thin shavings of Parmesan.

Serve
YUM!

German Potato Dumplings, perfect for Sauerbraten or any roast or stew

Kartoffelklöesse

3 large Russet potatoes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2/3 c flour

1/8 c cornstarch

1 large egg

2 slices sourdough bread (or Italian/French, just make it good bread)

1 Tblsp butter

1 Tblsp canola oil

In a large skillet, heat butter and oil. Trim crusts off bread. Cut bread into 1/2 inch cubes. Scatter in skillet and sauté till golden brown. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt liberally and add unpeeled potatoes. Cook till tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and cool slightly. Peel and cut potatoes into large pieces. Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes.

Mash with a potato ricer (my fave) or fork in a large bowl. Stir in salt and nutmeg. Add 1/2 cup of the flour and all the cornstarch. Using your hands, knead mixture in bowl until smooth. Add a bit more flour if dough is sticky. Whisk in egg with a fork.

Using about 1/3-1/2 c mixture for each in the palm of your hand, add a bread cube and roll dough into a ball around it.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Reduce to a simmer, add 4-5 dumplings and simmer gently till they rise to the surface, approximately 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and keep covered with a damp towel in a warm oven as you cook the remainder of the dumplings.

Two Sauces for Fish

Sauce Gribiche

1 large hard boiled egg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 cornichon
10 small capers, drained
1/4 c parsley
salt
freshly ground pepper

In a medium-sized bowl, mash the egg yolk with the mustard until smooth. Dribble in the olive oil while whisking to make an emulsion. Whisk in vinegar.
Dice the egg white and cornichon. Add to sauce along with capers.
Stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Add vinegar if needed.
Can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Serve at room temperature. Also good over hard-boiled eggs or asparagus.


Beurre Blanc

1 to 2 shallots, minced
8 oz dry white wine
2 oz lemon juice
1 Tblsp heavy cream
12 Tblsp COLD unsalted butter, cubed
salt and white pepper, to taste

Combine shallots, wine and lemon juice in a saucepan over high heat; reduce to 2 Tblsp.
Add cream to the reduction. Once liquid bubbles, reduce heat to low. Add butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat, then off the heat.
Continue whisking butter into the reduction until mixture is fully emulsified and is a rich sauce consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. If not using immediately, store in a thermos (otherwise, it will separate).

Gingerbread and Lemon Curd Trifle with Blackberry Sauce

You really do need a clear glass trifle bowl for this. It's very pretty!

Gingerbread Cake:

3 c all-purpose flour

2 Tblsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tblsp minced crystallized ginger

10 Tblsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c packed golden brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 c molasses

1 c boiling water

2 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Lemon Curd (see previous post for Easy Lemon Curd)

Lemon Curd Filling (recipe follows)

Blackberry Sauce (recipe follows)

Whipped Cream Topping (whipped cream left over from Lemon Curd Filling)

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°. Grease a half-sheet cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper and grease the paper.

Sift flour and next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, till well blended. Gradually beat in molasses, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Mix in grated lemon peel. Gradually mix in dry ingredients.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides. Turn out onto a rack and peel off paper. Cool and cut into 1-inch cubes. You will have more cake than you might want to use.

Lemon Curd Filling

1 recipe (see previous January post) Lemon Curd

2 c heavy cream, sweetened to taste with sugar and vanilla, beaten to soft peaks

Gently fold 1/2 of the whipped cream into the lemon curd until just combined. Reserve the other 1/2 to top the trifle. Refrigerate till ready to use.

Blackberry Sauce

2 pints fresh blackberries or frozen blackberries, thawed

1/4 c sugar

pinch salt

2 Tblsp framboise (raspberry liqueur)

1 Tblsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place blackberries, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan and cook until berries are soft and the sugar has melted. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer into a bowl to remove seeds. Stir in framboise and lemon juice.

Assembly

Using a trifle bowl, start with an even layer of gingerbread cubes, top with 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, then 1/3 of the blackberry sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining whipped cream. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

One of our favorite vegetable soups. Make it truly vegetarian by using veg stock and omitting bacon fat and ham hock.

White Bean and Cabbage Soup

1 1/2 c dried white beans (Great Northern or Navy) or 3 c canned white beans, rinsed

4 T bacon fat, salted butter, or extra-virgin olive oil

1 c coarsely chopped yellow onions

3 leeks, white part only, thoroughly cleaned and thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

8 c chicken or vegetable stock

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 ham hock

1/2 white cabbage, shredded (about 2 c)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1/2 c chopped Italian parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Note: the above measurements aren't written in stone. More or less of any of the vegetables, or additions of your own is your choice; just adjust seasoning if needed. Add more stock or water if more liquid is needed.

If using dried beans, sort through them, discarding any pebbles you find. Soak overnight in water covering them by 3 inches. Alternatively, prepare the beans more quickly in a pressure cooker if you have one, following the cooker directions. Drain before using.

If using canned beans, rinse in a colander.

Melt the bacon fat or butter, or heat the oil in a heavy soup pot. Add onions, leeks, celery and carrots. Cook, covered, over low heat until vegetables are tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the thyme, bay leaf and a grinding of black pepper, then pour in the stock. Add parsnips, ham hock and drained soaked beans; if using canned beans, do not add at this point. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, about 40 minutes. Canned beans can be added approximately 20 minutes into the simmering time, so they don't turn to mush.

Remove ham hock and allow to cool slightly. Cut meat off the bone, cut into chunks and return meat to pot.

Add cabbage, garlic and parsley and simmer another 10 minutes. Correct seasoning and add salt if needed. Parmesan cheese and/or a drizzle of a good extra-virgin olive oil can be used as a garnish for individual bowls.

Easy Lemon Curd - I used this in a Christmas Trifle after adding homemade whipped cream. So light and fluffy. But also great on its own.

Lemon Curd

5 egg yolks (save the whites and add to scrambled eggs)

1 c sugar

4 lemons, zested (have you gotten a Microplane yet?) and juiced

1 stick butter, cut into pats and chilled

Set up a double boiler; or, if you don't have one, add enough water to a medium saucepan to come about 1-inch up the side. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium size metal or Pyrex bowl (necessary if you don't have a double boiler) and whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure lemon juice and if needed, add enough cold water to reach 1/3 cup (I had more juice than that and used it anyway). Add juice and zest to egg mixture and whisk smooth.

Once water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and either pour egg mixture into the top of the double boiler or place the bowl on top of the saucepan (bowl should be large enough to fit on top of saucepan without touching the water, but small enough so that it will fit slightly into the pot and heat the eggs). Whisk until thickened, approximately 8 minutes, or until mixture is light yellow and coats the back of a spoon. Remove promptly from heat and stir in butter a pat at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next.

Remove to a clean container and cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd (this keeps a skin from forming).

Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Easy and Inexpensive Vegetarian Dish!

Bow Tie Pasta with Cauliflower and Butter

1 cauliflower, cut into tiny florets

4 Tblsp unsalted butter (I'm going to try a really good extra-virgin olive oil next time or a mixture of the two)

1/2 c finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (or several Tblsp dried)

2 tsp coarse prepared mustard (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb Bow Tie pasta

1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan, pecorino Romano, or a mixture of the two

1/2 - 1 c pitted Kalamata olives (optional)

1/2 c fresh bread crumbs, toasted till golden (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously. Add cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes. Scoop cauliflower into a large pasta bowl. Add butter, parsley, mustard, pepper flakes and cayenne. Tent to keep warm or place in a low oven.

Add pasta to the boiling water; cook till al dente. Drain in a mesh colander; I don't shake it a lot till the pasta is absolutely dry, I prefer it with a bit of the water clinging to the noodle. Add olives if you desire, grind a generous amount of black pepper over all. Toss with cheese and the crumbs (if desired). Taste for salt.

Serve immediately with a green salad.