Persimmon and Cranberry Crumble

Another surprise in my Bountiful Basket a few weeks ago was some persimmons.  While they taste really good fresh, I thought there should be another way to eat them.  I found a recipe for a persimmon and cranberry crumble.

It turned out really good.  Just a little tart, and mildly sweet.  Plus most of the cranberries didn't break open, so you would get a pop in your mouth every once in a while.  I served it with ice cream, and it was perfect.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Gather your ingredients:
10 very ripe persimmons, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon

For the topping you will need
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix the persimmons, cranberries, honey, coconut oil, cloves and cinnamon in a bowl, and transfer to an 8 inch square pan.  Mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, coconut oil, ginger and cinnamon and sprinkle over the filling.  Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Crock Pot Steak and Mushroom Soup

Another soup that I tried with the extra mushrooms I got in my basket was Steak and Mushroom Soup.  I added some potatoes to it and it made a very hearty soup.

To start you need:
2 slices bacon
2 pounds steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup chopped onions
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cups potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 cups beef stock
1 tsp each thyme, oregano, sage
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

Fry the bacon, and then remove it from the pan and crumble it into the crock pot.  Brown the steak in small batches so the pan doesn't cool off too much, and add browned steak to the crock pot.  Saute the onions and mushrooms in the pan next.  When they are done, add the Worcestershire sauce to de-glaze the pan, and then add to the crock pot.  Add potatoes, stock, seasonings, bay leaves and salt and pepper to the crock pot and stir.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  You can serve it this way, or you can remove about a cup of broth and mix it with the yogurt or sour cream and add back in.  I forgot this step, and the soup still tasted really good.

Carmalized Onion and Mushroom Soup

I got about a pound and a half of mushrooms in my Bountiful Baskets this week.  I love mushrooms, but I needed to find a variety of ways to use them.  The first recipe I found was for a mushroom and onion soup.  Since it was snowing this weekend, soup sounded good, so I thought I would try that.  

The soup turned out great, and I must say it was very delicious with some french bread, and a little Italian Cheese blend on top.

You will need:

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 tbsp coconut oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp thyme

5 cups beef broth

1/2 tsp salt

dash pepper

1 bay leaf

In a large saucepan, heat the oil, then add the onions.  Cook and stir over low heat for about 10-15 minutes until the onions start to caramelize.  Blend in the flour and cook until the flour is golden.  Add the mushrooms, broth, salt and pepper.  Cook until the mixture over medium high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat and add thyme and bay leaf and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and serve.  This was a really simple, and warming soup.

Simple and Healthy Spaghetti

I keep looking for low-carb options for some of my favorite foods.  One of which is spaghetti.  Thanks to Bountiful Baskets, I found that you can substitute spaghetti squash for spaghetti noodles.  That is really good because then your meal is mostly vegetables, which is so much better for you than carb loaded noodles.  I cook the spaghetti squash ahead of time, and then store it in the fridge until I am ready to use it.

I also put some diced fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions in my sauce to get a few more veggies in there, and then I throw in some Italian sausage or ground turkey.  I use store bought spaghetti sauce and add some of my own seasonings to help make it taste more like homemade.

Tomato Basil Tilapia

I have been busy, and have not been able to post some of the new recipes I have tried, but I am hoping to get a few up today.

Here's a good recipe I have tried many times.  If you like fish, this is really simple and quick to make.  I serve this with some seasoned rice, and put some of the drippings from the fish onto the rice.

I borrowed it from Paula Dean over on Food Network:

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 (8-ounce) tilapia fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a shallow 1-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.

Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper. Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the fish, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until fish flakes easily with fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over fish and serve immediately.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

So I have decided to try my hand at homemade vanilla extract.  It sounds pretty simple, 1 ounce vanilla beans (about 8 beans) per cup of vodka, then you shake and wait... 6 months to be exact.  We'll see if I have the patience to wait that long.  (You can also use a similar process to make orange, lemon, and other flavored extracts.)

I am making a couple batches to see if I can find the best recipe.  The first batch I make will have 10 vanilla beans per cup vodka.  The next batch will have the recommended 8 vanilla beans per cup, and then 12 beans per cup.

Clean out your bottles (preferably darkened ones to keep the light out) and lids. (I found some bottles on Amazon that were fairly inexpensive.  I also found a really good price on vanilla beans on Amazon.)  Slice your vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and then scrape out the caviar (seeds).  Put the caviar in the bottle, and then slice the beans in thirds, and put them in the bottle.  Now add your vodka, put the lid on and shake.  If you are making several batches, you will want to label your bottle.  I also suggest putting the date on there so you know how often to shake it and when it is ready to consume.

In my research I did not find anything to suggest that you should go for one variety over another.  The only thing I found was that it was recommended you get 80 proof vodka.

Now for the shaking part, shake the bottle(s) daily for the first week, and then shake it every other day for the next 3 weeks.  At this point it is ready to use, but if you really want some good extract, have some patience and shake it a couple times a month or so until the 6 month point.  At 6 months, you can strain your beans out, and you now have some pretty awesome vanilla extract.

Don't throw the beans away after you strain them, because if you let them dry out, you can still put them in some sugar and make vanilla sugar.  I use this in my homemade root beer in addition to throwing in a couple vanilla beans, and it makes for a very smooth tasting root beer.

Orange Cranberry Apple Pie

After trying my hand at one cranberry pie, I decided to try another one.  We all know that orange and cranberry go fairly well together, so I decided to try that combination in a pie.  I found a recipe for an Orange Cranberry Apple Pie.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Now you will need:

4 medium sized apples (cored and sliced)
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups cranberries, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and put into a frozen pie crust.  (If you have too much filling for the pie, you can always set it aside and eat it later.  That's what I did.)  Now for the topping, you will need:

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oats

I combined all these ingredients into a food processor, and processed it until blended.  If you want a smoother topping like mine, you can put the oats in before you blend it, or you can put them in after you blend it to maintain their structure.  Sprinkle this evenly over the pie.

Now to bake.  I recommend putting the pie on a cookie sheet so it doesn't spill over into the bottom of the oven.  Bake it for 30 minutes, and then pull it out and cover it loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake for another 30-45 minutes until the apples are soft when you insert a knife in the pie.  Pull it out and let it cool first.

I like this pie so much better than the Lemon Ginger Cranberry Pie because this one is less tart and has a refreshing apple pie sort of taste.  I hope you enjoy this pie as much as I have.

Lemon Ginger Cranberry Pie

So it has been a while since I have had a chance to try something new.  You know how life goes, one minute it's super slow, and the next it's really busy.  This weekend I was able to try a few new recipes, and to try out cooking with cranberries.  I was searching for things to do with cranberries, and after my success with the Lemon Ginger Cranberry Bread, I thought I would try a Lemon Ginger Cranberry Pie.  Like always, I find it very useful to get all of your ingredients out before you start to cook.

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (About 4-6 lemons)
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
3 whole eggs
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 frozen pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Once preheated, bake the frozen pie crust for 10 minutes.  Now for my favorite part, making the custard filling.  In a double boiler, mix all the ingredients except the butter, olive oil, and cranberries.  Stir constantly until the custard thickens.  About 10-15 minutes.  Remove the custard from the heat, and add the butter and olive oil, mixing until the butter is melted.  Add the cranberries and mix until well incorporated.  Pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the top of the pie has a nice golden color to it.  Pull it out and let it cool on a wire rack.  It is good while it is still warm, and with some vanilla ice cream.  The pie is a little tart, but still a good fun way to use my cranberries from Bountiful Baskets.

Mulled Apple Cider

I love this time of year when the trees change color and we walk on crunchy leaves.  I also love the fresh cider that we can get too.  I went to a local orchard, Zollinger's, and bought some of their delectable fresh cider. 

I love spiced cider, and with some trial and error I believe I have come up with one of the best recipes.

To start, pour one gallon Apple cider in the crockpot.  Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3-4 oranges (quartered), and 2 linear (quartered).  You can either create a spice pack for the spices, or just put the spices in whole, and fish them out later. 

To make the spice pack, take a piece of cheesecloth, and put 2-4 cinnamon sticks, 12 clove buds, 12 allspice berries,and about 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg.  Tie the cheesecloth shut and place in the cider.

The rest is easy, cook it on low for 2 hours, and keep warm until ready to serve.  This also tastes good cold, so feel free to chill and serve later.

Lemon Ginger Cranberry Bread

I have a lot of lemons from Bountiful Baskets a few weeks ago, and I decided to get the cranberry extra this week (24 pounds of cranberries).  I am pretty excited to try new recipes that call for cranberries!   I was looking for some recipes that called for cranberries and found one that also called for some of my excess lemons.

This bread is as visually stunning as it delicious because the bread is a pale yellow with bright red cranberries throughout.

This recipe is very moist, and has a light sweet taste with hints of lemon and ginger intertwined with tart cranberries and crunchy almonds.  For starters you will need to preheat your oven to 350 F.  If you don't already have toasted chopped almonds, once your oven is preheated you can place your chopped almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp fresh ginger, ground
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 tsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1 1/2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup toasted almonds

Combine the lemon juice and milk in a bowl and set aside.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.  I used my Bosch mixer.  Mix the dry ingredients, and then add the butter and mix until it looks like small crumbs.  In a separate bowl, combine the milk mixture, ginger, vanilla, egg and lemon zest.  Then add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.  Mix in the cranberries and almonds.  Pour the batter into a loaf pan, and bake for 65-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let it rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to allow it to completely cool.  Serve and enjoy!

An oldie but a goodie...

I made this recipe up on my own, and so I don't know what to call it other than Potato Corn Chowder.  It is so made up that the recipe changes based on what I have.

Here is the basics, and you can add whatever else you want.

Chicken
Corn
Potatoes
Onion
Fresh garlic, pressed
Broth of some kind (I used no salt added vegetable broth this time, but I have also used chicken bullion)
Milk
Grated cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

I start out with a little butter or oil of some kind to sautee the onions in.  I like adding bacon, so I cooked up a pound of bacon, and sauteed the onions and garlic in some of the bacon grease.  I then added some celery, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn, chicken, potatoes, and butternut squash.  I added some vegetable stock, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary, and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes until the veggies were still just a little firm, then I added about some milk, and about a pound of shredded Italian cheese blend.  I mixed it all up, and used some flour and water to thicken it and then seasoned with salt and pepper until it tasted good.  I have also added nutmeg and cinnamon to this, and it gives it a nice taste as well.

This is such a simple meal to make, and since I make it with whatever I have in the fridge, it is a great way to finish up some of the vegetables from my Bountiful Baskets each week.  Not to mention on these colder nights, it warms you through and through.

Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

I got a few acorn squashes in my Bountiful Baskets last week, and I couldn't decide what to make with them.  I found a great recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash Soup, and thought I would give it a try.  Roasted Squash of any type just sounds great, and since it is a little chilly outside and snowing, soup sounds really good.  This soup is a little sweet, and with the pepper it has quite a kick to it.  I really enjoyed it, but I put in way too much heat for my liking.  (I did adjust the recipe from what I did to make it a little less spicy.)

First you need to roast the squash.  Preheat the oven to 400 F, and then cut your squash in half and seed it.  Coat each half with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet skin side down.  I used a Misto sprayer to spary the olive oil on.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes.  Once cooled, you will need to scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.  (You could probably do this ahead of time, and just let it sit in the fridge until needed.)  Now you will need to gather the rest of your ingredients.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 onion, chopped (red or yellow)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cups vegetable stock

Now the fun begins, heat the olive oil in a stock pot.  Add the carrots, apple, shallot, and onion, and sautee until tender for about 6-8 minutes.  Once tender add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil stirring frequently.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat, and either using an immersion blender, or a regular blender, puree the soup.  Once puree'd, add salt and pepper to taste.  Now serve and enjoy.  This should warm you up on the upcoming cold winter days.

Depending on the spiciness you want, you can include, omit, or increase the cayenne pepper.  I also tried it using roasted anaheim peppers, and that was pretty good too.

Garlic and Lime Rice

This was very easy to do.  You can see a picture of it in my other post Lemon Balsamic Chicken.  I have about a dozen limes left over from my Bountiful Baskets and decided I would make some garlic lime rice to serve the chicken on.  I used my rice cooker, so this recipe is even easier to make.

1 scoop rice
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic minced
1 lime cut in half
1 tsp olive oil
dash of salt and pepper

Place the rice in the rice cooker and rinse it if needed.  Add the required water.  Add the remaining ingredients, and stir.  Make sure you squeeze the juice out of the lime when you put it in there.  Cook it in the rice cooker, and then enjoy!

Lemon Balsamic Chicken

I haven't made anything with Balsamic Vinegar in a while, so I decided I would look for a recipe I could use it in.  I came across a recipe that uses some of the many lemons I got in my bountiful baskets, and balsamic vinegar.

Sorry it doesn't look like much, but it was great with some garlic and lime rice.  Talk about a great combination.  I started by making the chicken, and then while it was cooking, I made the rice, and they finished at about the same time.  To start, preheat the oven to 400 F.  Now gather your ingredients.

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 tbsp minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp tarragon
Salt and pepper

Warm the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, and add the garlic.  Cook for about 1 minute making sure not to brown the garlic.  Turn off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, tarragon, and 1 tsp salt.  Pour into a 9x13 pan.

Arrange the chicken breasts in the pan, and then brush the chicken with the sauce in the pan.  Now sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken breasts.  Drizzle with a little extra balsamic vinegar.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is done.  Pull it out and cover it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  Serve it hot over some Garlic and Lime Rice like I did, and maybe throw in some green beans for a complete meal.  Make sure you spoon some of the juices from the chicken over the rice too, it makes it so much better.

You could also cook this in a crockpot, I would suggest just throwing everything in the crockpot, and then letting it cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on low.  It should turn out just as good.

Drying Herbs

I purchased a couple of herb packs from Bountiful Baskets this week, and was trying to think of the best and fastest way to dry them.  I have tried drying them in a dehydrator before, but I didn't feel like doing all that work this time, so I thought I would get something to hang them from the ceiling.  I went to Lowe's to see what they had, and couldn't find anything, they suggested I try the local kitchen store (Kitchen Kneads).  I went there, and found they don't carry them either, so I told the clerk what I was looking for, and she suggested a pasta dryer.  I checked it out, and I think it is going to work.  Right now I have all of my herbs drying on that, and I think it will work well, I just need to keep the air circulating so it doesn't get too moist and end up molding.

This is one side of it, and it is just great.  I used butcher's twine to tie the ends together, and then hung them from branches up-side down.  I am pretty excited to see how well it works.

Here is another view of it.

Double Chocolate Heaven...I mean Pomegranate Cookies

Since I have a few pomegranates, and I really liked the Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies, I thought I would also try this recipe.  I LOVE these cookies.  I love the chocolate, and the hint of sweet pomegranate, not to mention the dark cookie accented by pink arils.

To start, preheat the oven to 350 F.  To make the cookies, you need:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (I used solid coconut oil since it is about the same consistency, or you could use more butter.)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz bag semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup pomegranate arils (about 1 medium pomegranate)

I used Ulga, but you could mix the butter, shortening, white and brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Beat on medium-high speed until creamy.  Now, in a separate bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Then slowly add to the butter and sugar mixture.  Now you can add the chocolate chips.  Add the pomegranates last, and mix them in as little as possible to prevent bursting them.  Place them on a pan in about 1 1/2 inch balls.  They will not spread much while cooking, so you can place them closer together.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

They are very rich, and delicious, and they taste great dunked in milk, so grab a glass of milk and start dunking.

Update 11/5/12:  I tried using 1 cup coconut oil, and that worked just as well, if not better.  I also tried using scented coconut oil, and found that it gives it a nice hint of coconut.  From now on, I will be using the scented coconut oil to make them.

Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies

I have a half dozen or so pomegranates in my fruit bowl, and had no idea what to do with them.  Eating them is fun, but 6 of them by myself is a bit much.  Then I saw a post on Bountiful Basket's blog for Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies.  It sounded pretty simple, and like a good excuse to break in the cookie paddles for Ulga, so I thought I would try it.  I think I might have put a few more pomegranate arils in the recipe, but it was like eating a chocolate chip cookie with a sweet and crunchy suprise.

First preheat the oven to 375 F.  Then you will need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup coconut oil (you could use another 1/2 cup butter, but I like substituting a healthy alternative when I can)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

12 oz chocolate chips (either dark chocolate or white)

1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils (about 2 medium pomegranates)

Mix everything except the chocolate chips and pomegranate arils until well blended.  Slowly add the chocolate chips, mixing after each addition.  Then add the pomegranate arils 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.  Spoon onto a baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Then enjoy!

First Recipe Request - Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is the first recipe that I have had someone request!  I think this is my all time favorite pumpkin desert.  I have even decided that I will start a new tradition, and have this instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  I recently found the recipe I first used and fell in love with, and so I will share this one with you, and at a later time share my new Maple Cheesecake discovery.

For starters, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Then you assemble the crust.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (Each pack of graham crackers turns into about 1 cup of crumbs)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

For an easy way to make crumbs, put the graham crackers and ginger in a blender or food processor.  Then dump them out, and mix in the melted butter.  Press this into the bottom of a 10 inch cheesecake pan, and bake for 10 minutes.  Set the crust aside and mix the filling.

5 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tbsp vanilla
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup maple syrup (I prefer grade B because it has a stronger maple flavor)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice

In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Mix in the remaining ingredients.  Now, pour the batter over the crust, and bake in the oven fro 65-75 minutes.  The top should be light brown, and the center should have a slight jiggle to it.  At this point you would pour the sour cream topping over the cheesecake and bake it another 10 minutes.  Otherwise, pull it out and cool it on a rack for at least 2 hours.  Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

When you serve it, you can serve it with whipped cream, which is really good, or a sour cream topping that I borrowed from my other pumpkin cheesecake recipe.

For the sour cream topping, you need to mix 1 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tbsp maple syrup.  You will need to pour this over the cheesecake just after the cooking time, and bake it for another 10 minutes, then continue to cool it.  And of course the most important step is to cut yourself a slice and sit back and enjoy!

A Glass of Bliss (Brazilian Lime-Ade)

I received a lot of limes for a couple weeks in my Bountiful Baskets, and wasn't sure what to do with them.  Then I remembered the most delightful and refreshing drink I had had at a local Brazilian Grill, a Brazilian Lime-Ade.  I searched online for a recipe for it, and found that it was a lot simpler than it sounded.  All you need is:

2 limes, juiced and zested
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
1-2 cups fruit, fresh or frozen (optional)

At this point, just put the lime juice, lime zest, sugar, milk, water and fruit in a blender, and blend.  Then pour and serve.  It is so simple, and it is always refreshing.  I shared it with my roommates, and they asked almost every day for more.

If you want it sweeter, you can always add more sugar.  If you don't want it fruity, you can omit the fruit.  I use frozen fruit normally because that is what I have a lot of, and the original recipe called for ice to help chill it.  I will drink a glass when I am feeling like a snack, and this seems to tide me over until the next meal.

Dutch Apple Cheesecake v 2.0

I mentioned in my last post that Ulga has helped me juice a lemon for a cheesecake, and mix a cheesecake.  After mentioning making a cheesecake, I figure I should share the recipe with you.  I started out with one recipe that was very rich and good.  (I could only eat one slice ever few days it was so rich.)  Since this is not very diabetic friendly, I decided to alter it a little, and eat a smaller slice.


The final product, and definitely worth the wait.

First off you need to place an oven safe container of water in the oven to help prevent cracking.  Now preheat the oven to 325 F, you need to make the crust.  The crust calls for:

2 cups graham crackers, finely crushed
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

I have found that one sleeve of graham crackers when blended makes about one cup, so I crush two sleeves graham crackers and add them to the blender.  I then add the other two dry ingredients to the blender and blend until fine and well mixed.  (You can always crush them by hand, but they don't come out as fine.)  I then add the melted butter until it is well mixed.  Spread it evenly inside a 10 inch spring form pan.  Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes to help harden it, and remove some of the excess moisture.  Next I make the apple "layer."

6 small apples (any variety works, but I have used golden delicious since I have a tree in my back yard)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 sup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 lemon juiced (save the peel for later, you will need the zest)

I have an apple peeler corer slicer that I use on the apples, and then cut them in half.  I put the apples in a bowl, and add the other ingredients.  Then mix them and set them aside.  The sugar and other dry ingredients will pull the juices out of the apples, and make the cheesecake taste that much better.  Set this aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.  You will need:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon (from earlier)

Make sure all your ingredients are warmed up to room temperature as this will make for a smoother cheesecake.  Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, and honey on medium high speed until smooth  (This is where Ulga came in handy, I just put it all in there and mixed.)  Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the eggs one at a time and mixing between each addition.  Now you can mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.  Beat until fully incorporated.  Add the apple mixture to the filling.  Once this is fully mixed, you can pour it into the spring form pan, and tap it gently on the counter to push any air bubbles to the surface.  Now you are ready to make the Struessel topping.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then add the butter until you get a good paste.  Spread the struessel topping over the cheesecake.  I generally take a chunk, and 'tear' out pieces to spread over the cheesecake.

Bake the cheesecake at 325 F for 35 minutes.  Then, without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 250 F and continue to bake for 1 hour.  At this point, do not open the oven door, just turn off the heat and leave it sit there for another 2-3 hours.  (It will continue to cook and cool.)

Now you can open the oven door and take the cheesecake out.  Let it cool completely on the counter, or some other safe place.  Make sure you take a knife around the edge of the spring form pan to loosen it from the sides.  Put it in the fridge and let it sit overnight.

I know making cheesecake it a long process, but it is worth it.  Now you can eat the fruits of your labors, and enjoy a slice of Dutch Apple Cheesecake!

The Naming of the Bosch

I have been looking at purchasing a stand mixer for many years now, and have been split between purchasing a Bosch or a Kitchen Aid.  Some of my friends would say Kitchen Aid because they really like the attachments, and like the look.  Other friends have told me Bosch because it is very durable, makes great bread dough, and has some really good attachments.  As I have researched over time, I found that I tended to favor the Bosch, so I went to a local kitchen gadget store to purchase a stand mixer.

I was pretty much set on the Bosch when I went in, and asked the clerk to show me where they were.  She was very helpful in pointing them out, and answering questions about the sale they had going on for the Bosch, and the attachments that you could get for them.

I saw the Kitchen Aids sitting next to the Boschs, and decided I would see what the difference is between the two.  The clerk gave me the best description I have ever heard.  She told me that having a Bosch in your kitchen is like having your grandma in there cooking with you.  Having a Kitchen Aid is like having a supermodel in your kitchen.  She said that the Bosch is very durable and gets the job done well while not always looking that stylish.  The Kitchen Aid looks great, and gets the job done, but tends not to do as good of a job, or last as long.  That settled the debate for me.  I went with the Bosch.

My roommate over heard the analogy, and said that it was like having a "burly German grandma" in the kitchen with you.  He decided we should come up with a burly sounding German name for my "burly German grandma."  We tossed around a few ideas, and settled on "Ulga."  So now my Bosch mixer is named Ulga, and boy does she get the job done.  I really enjoy working with Ulga, and finding new uses for her.

So far she has mixed a cheesecake, juiced a lemon for the cheesecake, sliced cucumbers for a salad, and shredded carrots for a salad.  I can't wait to try to make pomegranate chocolate chip cookies with her tomorrow, and bread at some point this week.  Ulga is turning into a great purchase for my kitchen, and a great tool to deepen my passion for cooking.

Balsamic Vinegar Marinated Tomatoes

For my first recipe, I figure I will post the one that helped me rediscover my passion for cooking.  This is the first year in my house that I have had the time to plant a garden, so I was a little overzealous in planting it.  I planted 9 tomato plants, so I had a lot of tomatoes to use.  I searched online for recipes using tomatoes.  I found this one, and had heard a lot about balsamic vinegar so I figured I would try it.

I have found that gathering the ingredients so all I have to do is to measure and add them makes things go so much faster and less stressful.  So to start thinly slice one small or medium onion and soak it in ice water for 30 minutes.  This allows the bitterness to soak out of the onion.  The longer it soaks, the milder the onion flavor.  Now get the rest of the ingredients out.

1 small or medium onion (from above)
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 to 1 cup chopped fresh basil
6 tomatoes thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese (optional)
French Bread (optional)

Now that the ingredients are gathered, it is time to assemble them.  Make sure you have drained and dried the onions.  Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, oil, water , sugar, salt pepper, and garlic.  Stir in the basil and parsley.

Finally it's time to assemble.  Layer half the tomatoes in a shallow dish.  Then layer half the onions.  Drizzle half the sauce over this, and then repeat.  Allow this to marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

You can serve the tomatoes on their own, or slice the french bread, and put some tomatoes, onion and Parmesan cheese on it.  I really like it with the french bread and Parmesan cheese.  It makes a really good snack or light meal.  Enjoy!