Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups AP flour

In large mixer bowl combine all ingredients except flour. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low and add flour. Beat until flour is incorporated.  Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough at least two hours before rolling. Bake at 375 F for 7 - 10 minutes.

Orange-Cranberry Scones (Blue-Ribbon Winning)

These scones won a blue ribbon at the Kentucky State Fair in 2019!

2 cups White Lily all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 tsp fiori di sicilia (I recommend the one from Homemade Baking)

Zest of 1 organic orange

1/2 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Zest orange.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in dried cranberries.
4. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, zest, fiori di sicilia and egg until smooth.
5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. (If you have time, freeze for 30 minutes. Turn the oven on after 15 minutes.) Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

From Simple Scones on Allrecipes (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/79470/simple-scones/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8&isMetric=false)

Rice Bread

I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe from, but it's delicious! It's a dense and delicious loaf whether made with white or brown rice, but my preferred rice is Aldi's Specially Selected Basmati Brown Rice. I used two cups of whole wheat flour the last time I made these and it was still delicious!

2 T yeast
2 T sugar
1/4 cp water
2 T shortening
2 tsp salt
1 cp milk
1 1/2 cp brown rice, cooked and cold/room temperature
5 cp flour
3/4 cp dry milk (optional--I recommend Nido dry whole milk powder)


Combine all ingredients except for the flour. Beat, adding enough flour to make a workable dough. Turn the dough out and knead, adding more flour as needed. Let rise twice and shape. [I usually just let it rise and then punch it down and shape it and let it rise again and then bake it. It sounds like you should let it rise again, but I never have enough time.]

Bake in two greased 8" x 4" loaf pans at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or till they sound hollow when tapped [or are 190 degrees inside].

Morello Cherry Glaze

1 24-oz. jar of dark morello cherries
2 1/2 T cornstarch
2 T powdered sugar

1. Drain the cherries well, reserving the juice.
2. Whisk the cornstarch with a small amount of the cherry juice.
3. Put the powdered sugar in a small pan and pour the remaining cherry juice into the pan, whisking to stir. Bring to a boil.
4. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and stir till translucent and thick.
5. Meanwhile, arrange the cherries on the cake surface and then pour the glaze over the cherries. (It might also be a good idea to baste the surface of the cake with some glaze and then arrange the cherries in it before pouring over the rest of the glaze.)

You may instead mix the cherries into the glaze and then spread the mixture over the surface of the dough, for instance if you are making a cherry galette or kuchen.

You may also wish to add a bit of almond extract.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

I have to confess that I'm taking this recipe from another website: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pumpkin-zucchini-bread. It states on that website, "Originally published as Pumpkin Zucchini Bread in Bountiful Harvest Cookbook 1994, p25." So it looks like it's just one of those recipes that gets handed from one person to the next. Now, I did a bit of tweaking, and I read in the comment that other people did similar tweaking, so I guess it's also one of those recipes where everyone has their own version. 

I'm copying it here because the other website is annoying to read on a cell phone and I want to be able to find it quickly. I have to state a word of warning about this bread, though: it is SO delicious that you may not be able to keep from eating several slices a day and then, there's two loaves, so... I ended up eating practically a whole loaf myself in one week and gained four pounds! There's just something so... comfort food, earthly, homey about it that I just wanted to wallow in it. 

I tried making an even healthier version, but it took all the best taste out of it. I've put my additions in parentheses. Some people also added chocolate chips, but that would make it more fattening, not less. I have tasted pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and it is indeed delicious but... well, maybe if you were giving it as a gift.


3 lg eggs
2 cp sugar (1 3/4 cp Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar--brown sugar might also be good)
1 cp canned pumpkin
1 cp butter, melted (3/4 cp butter + 1/4 cp unsweetened apple sauce)
1 T vanilla
3 cp AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (2 tsp)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
(1/4 tsp allspice)
1 cp shredded zucchini (2 cp)
1 cp chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans (although I think maybe 8x4 might work)
3. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
4. Stir together eggs and sugar
5. Add pumpkin, melted butter (slowly if still hot), and vanilla and stir well
6. Gradually stir in dry ingredients
7. Stir in zucchini and nuts
8. Divide evenly between the pans
9. Bake 45 - 50 minutes or till loaves test done with a toothpick inserted in the center
10. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before turning out

NUTRITIONAL FACTs
1 slice: 176 calories, 9g fat (4g saturated fat), 35mg cholesterol, 147mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (13g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g protein.

Flammkuchen--Tarte Flambée--Flame Cake from Essen & Trinken Magazine

I've gotten into using this dough because it is just so incredible! The first time I made, we were in absolute ecstasies! The second time was a big disappointment. So... a word of warning--follow the directions exactly. You'll think the dough is too dry, but just keep working it. Do NOT add part of the flour and then add more till it seems like a normal dough.This crust is delectably thin--almost like a cracker. I also prefer this combination of faux-schmand and crème fraîche with cumin and salt and pepper mixed in, but I don't bother with red onions.

From the magazine Essen & Trinken (Eating and Drinking)

Serves 4

Dough 15 g fresh yeast (2 tsp active dry) 50 ml lukewarm water 375 g flour 150 ml buttermilk 1 ½ tsp salt 4 T olive oil	Topping 70 g red onion 70 g onion 120 g bacon, sliced in 3-5 mm “sticks” 150 g crème fraîche (cream, slightly warmed, mixed with a bit of buttermilk and left on the counter, loosely covered, till thickened) 200 g schmand (2 parts cottage cheese to 1 part cream cheese in food processor) Salt, pepper 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Time: 55 minutes topping prep, 25 minutes baking, and 2 hours rising	Nutrition: per portion 760 cal 18 g protein 43 g fat

Preparation:

1. If using fresh yeast, break it up before adding it to 50 ml lukewarm water. Put the flour in a bowl and make an indentation in the middle. When the yeast mixture has bubbled up, put it in the indentation in the flour and pull a bit of the flour from the edge over on top of it. Add the buttermilk, 1 1⁄2 tsp salt and the olive oil and mix and then knead on the work surface till the dough is smooth and of the correct consistency. Form dough to a ball. Put it in a bowl and let rise, covered with a damp cloth, in a warm place for 2 hours.

2. Put the oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven with the cookie sheet to 250C (500F).

3. Prepare 4 pieces of parchment paper and 1 piece of plastic wrap in the same size as the baking sheet (ca. 40 x 30 cm). Knead the risen dough and form it into a roll. Cut it into 4 equal portions. (Cover the portions which are not being rolled out so they don’t dry out.) Lay one portion of dough on one piece of parchment paper and roll out to ca. 2 mm thick. You may put the parchment paper on something to keep it from sliding away or hold onto one edge with your abdomen against the work surface or have someone hold it out for you, as it will want to slide away or roll up. (It’s a frustrating process but well worth the effort!) You may want to work each portion of dough, coming back to them for another round of rolling. Resting will help the gluten to relax and make the rolling easier. Keep them covered with the plastic wrap at all times when not being worked so that they don’t dry out. Don’t worry about the shape of your dough!

4. While the dough is resting, cut up the onions into very thin rings (or grate it). Cut the bacon into very thin strips. (I recommend frying the bacon till it is halfway done.) Mix the crème fraîche with the Schmand, some salt, pepper and cumin.

5. Spread ¼ of the crème fraîche mixture on each portion of dough (prepare one, put it in the oven, prepare the next, and so on), leaving about 1 cm around the edge free, and then sprinkle with ¼ of the onion and bacon. Put the dough on the parchment paper in the oven onto the hot cookie sheet and bake 7-8 minutes. 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cookie

Great for sandwich cookies but the dough is difficult to work with, so it requires a bit of patience. I love this recipe because they retain their straight edges, which I think has a very nice look. The cookies are somewhere between soft and hard,which is also nice.

1 egg, large
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cp (240 g) AP flour
1/2 cp (60 g) powdered sugar
1/2 cp (100g) brown sugar (or cut down to 60g for less sweet cookies)
1/2 cp (43g) Hershey's dark cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cp (192g) Crisco

• Sift dry ingredients.
• Cream Crisco. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
• Chill dough for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Roll half of dough out between two sheets of plastic wrap. Remove top layer and cut into shapes--2" or smaller is easier to handle. Use an offset spatula to remove bits of dough and to pick up the cookies. Lift the bottom layer of plastic wrap if necessary. You may have to mess up a few cookies before you get the feel of working with this dough. If it rips, you can always patch it on the cookie sheet.
• Place cookies on parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for ca. 8 minutes. You'll just have to trust that they're done--don't overbake them. Remove cookie sheet from oven and set it on a cooling rack. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for at least 2 minutes (or even till they're cool) before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Poached Eggs

This recipe comes from an article on the NPR website by Janet A. Zimmerman. This is the best way I've found to poach eggs! I just use a smallish pan and guess at the amounts of salt and vinegar. The problem is that I never can remember whether it's more salt or more vinegar!

1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 T salt
Eggs--as fresh as you can get them

Crack the eggs into strainers to remove excess whites. Bring a sufficient amount of water to boil (at least an inch over the eggs when they sink down to the bottom of the pan). Add salt and vinegar and turn down the temperature. Simmer for three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain briefly by touching the spoon to a paper towel. Enjoy!

Marshmallow Fonadant

I copied all of this from the Wilton discussion group. Everything you need to know about Marshmallow Fondant! Thank you to those wonderful people who share their knowledge!

Marshmallow fondant is fabulous! I love the taste and it is very easy to work with. Wilton fondant is wonderful to work with but just tastes awful!!!!! I can't bring myself to place it on a cake and go through all that work for someone to give a horrible "face" and peel it off and eat the buttercream icing that lies below.

The recipe is as follows:

Marshmallow fondant

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 tbsp water

1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugar

Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy. Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is incorporated and I knead it in my hands. This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant. You can get this fondant almost paper thin and it also repairs well. It's cheap, easy to work with, and tastes great too.

You can make a large batch of this fondant as well by doing this:

Large batch of Marshmallow fondant

1- 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows

2 tbsps water

2 lbs powdered sugar (8 cups)

Do the same procedure as above.

Tips for success from Bunny:

I add any flavor Lorann Oil flavorings to this. Something that will compliment my cake well. What I do is cut back on the water and add about 1/8 tsp Lorann flavoring. You can certainly add more (especially if I make the large batch) for a more of a pungent flavor, just adjust the water amount accordingly. *****The more liquid you add to this will make it stickier to work with. Try to be accurate in measuring the liquid.*****

Stickiness??????

If it is way to sticky to work with then cut back on the amount of liquid that you used by about 1/2 tsp. This will help.

Let it sit out and "air dry" for about 10 minutes.

Use a small amount of Crisco on your work surface and hands. A little goes a very long ways so don't go over board with the Crisco.

Knead the dough with a spoon!!!!! Do not attempt to pick it up and knead it too soon. This dough is hot when comes right out of the microwave!!!!! I say this because I have had people contact me saying they received a burn from it. I can almost knead it fully with a spoon.

Dough that is not in use must stay covered with plastic wrap or it will dry out. Or place it in a Ziploc bag. That works too.

Dried out Marshmallow fondant: place it back into the microwave and nuke it for a few seconds to revive it back to its original state. The bigger the batch the more time on the microwave. Example: small batch 3-5 seconds.......large batch about 10 seconds. Microwaves vary too so keep that in mind.

Coloring: well I have experimented with this several different ways. If I want to make the whole batch of Marshmallow fondant one color then I have added the color, just Wilton paste color, Americolors, or Chefmaster colors.....any will work for this, when I pull the bowl out of the microwave when it looks "soupy". Stirred it up and then added the powdered sugar. Otherwise I have added it after it has come together and kneaded it in by hand. I use plastic gloves too when I do this, because otherwise your hands are never the same!!!!

You can work with this just as you would the regular fondant. Pizza rollers cut this very well. Ribbon cutters work fabulous too for this. I can make bows and drapes, push molds etc with this. I love the taste of this stuff. Great on the pocketbook too!!!!!!

If I left anything out please feel free to contact me. If anyone wants to add to this message PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO. This way newcomers and old timers here have a reference to do a "search" on.

The outer perimeter will dry somewhat, but it doesn't dry rock hard like I had happen to me with the regular fondant. I roll this very thin. Be careful not to add too much powdered sugar or you might have problems with cracking. To prevent the cracking issue just rub it with a tiny bit of Crisco. I usually put some Crisco on my hands, just enough to give it a gloss look to it, and then knead the dough a little and that helps if it wants to crack on me. You can add a couple of drops of water too to replenish it back.

For Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant:

Add 1 oz melted chocolate.

1 tbsp cocoa powder to the basis recipe.

For White chocolate Marshmallow fondant:

Add 1 oz (maybe 1 1/4 oz) good quality white chocolate, melted to the basic recipe above.

I use this if I want a white chocolate flavor and a "white" color.

1 cup of mini marshmallow = 100 small or 10 large

Chocolate fondant..........I add good quality chocolate to my marshmallow fondant. I prefer Lindt or Ghirardelli. It just makes it taste better. I want everything to be palate pleasing. You can add candy melts if you so choose. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Just depends on your taste buds.

Using big marshmallows? I have gotten a response back from a decorator and said that they tried it and had bad results. I have not personally tried it myself. I stick with the mini marshmallows. Actually....in my grocery store the mini ones cost less too. Odd? I know........

Molding? YES!!!!!!! I have had great results with this. I use push in molds and basically anything I can get my hands on. I dust the ball of fondant with cornstarch before I push it in the mold OR I place a "gloss" of Crisco on my hands and roll the ball between my hands and then press it into the mold. This helps for easy release.

Cornstarch VS. Powdered sugar? Well I did an experiment after hearing RuthMarie had such great results with the cornstarch for rolling out the marshmallow fondant. This did work rather well for me. Big THANK YOU TO RUTH MARIE for posting her results and tip of the cornstarch. It makes total sense to use cornstarch as an alternative to powdered sugar as cornstarch is what is on marshmallows to begin with. Don't misunderstand me I still use the Crisco too when rolling, molding..........to prevent stickiness.

I do want to clarify something here though. I AM NOT TAKING CREDIT for this recipe. I got this from a dear friend of mine by the name of Amie. I am not quite sure where she obtained this from. I met Amie at an Iowa Day of Sharing that I hosted......and we had a blast!!!! She brought all the supplies to make this and extra balls of fondant for all in attendance to play with that day. I was so intrigued by this I went home and "played" with the fondant. I wanted to see exactly what I could do with it. It has been a big experiment for me and allot of trial and error. I now just love this stuff. So the credit goes to Amie.

make sure you add extra water when you use the larger marshmallows

For starters please except my apology for not getting to this sooner. I am back up to the busy season at work and putting in 65+ hours a week, PLUS taking care of the kids, hubby, and house. I try to log back in on the weekends if I can to catch up, but sometimes things get a little hectic around my house. So I am sorry if this is late in answering your questions. If you don't hear from me just drop me a line at home and I get that daily with updates from my hubby.

Okay.........Marie Louise: I don't make a lot of large batches of the Marshmallow fondant. I strictly stick with the small batch as it fits my needs. I don't have a lot of orders for the whole entire cake covered in fondant. It is not a huge seller in my neck of the woods. I use it more so for decorations and molding and such. When I have made the large batch it has worked for me to do it just as the recipe states. I totally understand where you are coming from in your question. What you can do if you question the amount of powdered sugar is try to make it with less and see what results you have with it. Please keep me posted to your results as I love to hear the comments. Like I say......I haven't had a problem. I just stick to the recipe. As for the chocolate fondant....... I prefer to use melted chocolate. I like the texture that it gives. I have tried to use just the cocoa powder and did have good results with that. I sifted the cocoa first before adding it into the fondant. Then I have also tried to add both melted and sifted powdered cocoa together. That also did work fairly well for me too. I was just experimenting with it and what ingredients that I had on hand for that particular day. All worked well, but my choice is the melted way.

Jenn 2179: How are things going on the second attempt?

Misseyek: I use just plain old water to attach my fondant pieces to one another. It works like a charm. I have never had a problem doing it in this manner.

Christine: You're very welcome. I bet your cake will be the hit of the party. It sounds fabulous!!!! Your little one's face will light up and that is such a great feeling as a cake decorator......not to mention a MOM too.

Maggie: Most companies now a days list directly on their package that there is the risk of an allergen in their product. Whether or not you might think it shouldn't have say for instance peanuts/nuts in a product they always list on their package that there might be the risk of them in existence. It is a disclaimer. That way if someone gets sick (or violently ill) they can't be sued. In some companies they make more than one product and even though the production lines might be 100 yards away from one another there IS still that risk that it is floating in the ventilation system of the plant.

Some Wilton instructors require you to use the Wilton fondant. If that were the case then I would follow their guidelines. You will get the feel for how it is to work with and such and set the ground work for your knowledge with it. However, you can inquire that you have a new recipe and that you would like to try it in class. Never can hurt to ask right?

I store my fondant in a Ziploc bag OR I wrap it in plastic wrap. If it is unused and sits out.....uncovered........ it will dry. Same rules apply for this fondant as does Wilton's.

Mocha Almond Petit Fours

Almond Cake:

8 oz almond paste

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ sticks butter, soft

4 eggs

½ cup cake flour

½ cup bread flour

--Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare 12x18 sheet pan by greasing and lining with parchment paper.

--Soften almond paste by beating it for several minutes with the paddle. Add a little egg to soften, then add the sugar and butter and cream till very light, about 7 minutes.

--Pour the eggs in very slowly, taking about 5 minutes over all.

--Stir in the flour and spread into the pan. Spread out and bake till firm, about 20 minutes.

--Remove from oven, let sit in pan 5 minutes and remove from tray. When cool, cut in thirds.

Prepare simple syrup:

½ cup hot espresso

¼ cup sugar

3 T cream de cocoa

--Mix all ingredients till the sugar is dissolved.

Prepare the ganache filling:

8 oz bittersweet chocoate

2 oz milk chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

--Boil the cream and then pour over the chocolate. Stir till combined and let cool to room temperature.

Assemble the petit fours:

--Brush one cake layer with simple syrup and then spread some ganache on it. Top with next layer and repeat twice.

--Freeze cakes overnight.

--Cut cakes into desired sizes.

Prepare ganache fondant:

2 cups cream

2 cups bittersweet chocolate

2 tsp vanilla

--Boil cream, pour over chocolate and combine. Add vanilla.

Pour ganache over cakes, which have been placed on a wire cooling rack. Decorate as desired. Suggestion: chocolate covered coffee bean.

Black Forest Petit Fours

cake:

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 ½ cups sugar

1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 large eggs

¼ cup strong coffee (or 3 T espresso powder and ¼ cp warm water)

¾ cup yogurt

• Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare 2 9 X 5 loaf pans by greasing and lining with wax paper.
• Combine all the dry ingredients together. Add softened butter and beat for 2 minutes on low.
• Combine all the wet ingredients together. Add these to the flour-butter mixture one-third at a time, beating for 2 minutes on medium speed between each addition.
• Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

simple syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup kirschwasser

• Heat and stir till sugar is dissolved.
• Set aside to cool. When cooled add kirschwasser.

filling:

1 jar tart cherry preserves

• Mince in food processor.

• When the cakes are cool, cut them into ⅜” slices and brush the tops with syrup.
• Spread a thin layer of cherry preserves over half of the slices and top with the other slices.
• Place slices on cookie sheets and put in freezer.

ganache fondant:

2 cups cream

2 cups bittersweet chocolate

2 tsp vanilla

• Boil cream, pour over chocolate and combine. Add vanilla.
• Reheat on low as needed.

buttercream:

1 cup water

2 tsp almond extract

2 tsp clear vanilla extract

2 tsp butter flavor

3 cp Crisco

¼ tsp popcorn salt

2 T meringue powder

4 T cornstarch

4 lb powdered sugar

• Pour flavorings in a cup. Add water to equal 1 cup. Stir in salt.
• Cream Crisco till smooth.
• With mixer on low, slowly add flavorings and water.
• Add meringue powder and cornstarch. Cream together well.
• Add sugar in two batches, stirring to incorporate.
• Beat till smooth.

assembly:

• Drain juice from maraschino cherries and place on paper towels.
• Remove cake slices from freezer. Using a 1 ¾” round cutter, cut each (sandwiched) slice into four rounds.
• Place rounds on cooling rack over a rimmed cookie sheet.
• Pour ganache over cakes, making sure all sides are covered. When pan is empty, move the cooling rack over to the other cookie sheet and scrape the fondant back into the pan. If there are any crumbs, pick them out with a knife or toothpick.
• As soon as the cakes are dried, slide a thin metal spatula underneath them and transfer them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet for decorating.
• Pipe a swirl of buttercream on each cake and top with a maraschino cherry.
• Makes 24 1 ¾” petit fours.

Susan's Ratatouille

This recipe comes from a book Susan bought in Germany called Knoblauch Kueche, which means Garlic Cuisine, and everything is made with garlic. We enjoyed this recipe many times and she made it for me again when I was in NZ visiting her. It is simple but so good!

For 6-8 people.

2 big onions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
4 T olive oil
2 medium-sized eggplants, cubed
3 big red bell peppers, seeded and cut in strips
2 medium-sized zucchini, sliced
650 g ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 T sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley, minced
Cheese, grated (parmesan) (optional)

Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat ca. 15 minutes till translucent. Add eggplant, red pepper and zucchini .Stir and then let cook 30 minutes covered, till the vegetables are soft. Add tomatoes and sugar and simmer another 5 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with parsley and cheese (optional).

Spinach Quiche

This is actually called Spinach-Ricotta Pie from Moosewood Cookbook, but I generally don't use ricotta and I think of it more as a quiche so... I'll give the original recipe (which I don't think I've ever tried, so I can't say how it is, except that everything I've had from this cookbook tasted great), and then I'll tell you what I usually do :-)

Crust
1 cp flour (all AP or mostly AP and some whole wheat)
1/3 cp cold butter
3 T cold buttermilk (or water)

Cut butter into flour (I also add some salt). Add buttermilk and stir. Form a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least one hour.

Filling
1/2 lb chopped spinach
1 small, diced onion
butter
black pepper
salt
1/2 tsp basil
1 lb ricotta cheese
3 beaten eggs (I just crack them into the bowl)
3 T flour
1/2 cp grated sharp cheese
dash nutmeg
1 cp sour cream
paprika

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out crust and put in pie pan or quiche form. Sautee first six ingredients. Mix everything together, blending well. Spread into unbaked pie shell. Top with sour cream, spreading to edges of crust. Sprinkle with a generous amount of paprika. Bake for 40-45 minutes and serve piping hot.

Other options:

• use cottage cheese instead of ricotta
• use a combination of cottage cheese (about 1 cup) and feta (about 7 oz)
• use feta only
• use feta and cheddar cheese
• use a block of cream cheese (or neufchatel) mixed with some yogurt instead of the sour cream
• use more spinach (I've used 12 oz to 24 oz! In the last case, I should have added another egg.)

If you try anything else, please let me know!

Kidney Bean Salad

My mom made this growing up, and I could seriously eat at least half of this recipe below if no one (including my conscience) stopped me! It is absolutely more-ish! Addictive! Just a note about ingredients: I had searched for years in vain for a pickle that tasted like the ones my mom used when I was growing up. Then my niece Devin made a comment about the pickles at the deli counter being somehow different than what you got in a jar, so I tried one, and, eureka, that was it! Also, about the mayonnaise, I was always a die-hard Hellman's fan. Until I tried Duke's. It's incredible. So close to homemade. It really makes a difference if you can find it. Enjoy! (125g = 111 calories)

2 15.5 oz cans kidney beans
1 large dill pickle
4 T mayonnaise

Drain the beans and rinse in a colander. Put beans in a medium bowl. Chop pickle in pieces the size of the beans or smaller. Put pickle in bowl with beans. Add mayonnaise and stir.

Jalapeno Garlic Cheese Spread

This won a ribbon at the fair in 2012. Oddly enough, I'm not so crazy about it but my mom absolutely loves it--especially in the summer!

3 cloves garlic

2 green jalapenos

2 red jalapenos

8 oz sharp cheese, room temp

dash of salt

dash of Worcestershire sauce

¾ tsp chili garlic paste

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

Combine garlic and jalapenos in a food processor. Add cheese in bits. Add rest of ingredients.