Kitchen Delights 6/9/19

On Friday, my daughters, Michele and Mary, came out to Hanover. First, we went to Vergin Sales in Rockford. What a great selection of chairs and sofas they have. It’s nice to pick out the style you like, and then order a different fabric you like.

After furniture shopping, we went to several nurseries to look at flowers. The beautiful flowers in large pots and the baskets, are what I wanted for outside.

Rhubarb Strawberry Orange Pie

1 unbaked pastry pie shell, plus pastry for a lattice top

3 c. sliced fresh rhubarb (1/4 in. pieces)

3 c. sliced fresh strawberries

3/4 c. sugar

1-1/2 T. instant tapioca (or flour)

1/3 c. fresh squeezed orange juice

1-1/2 T. orange marmalade or orange zest

3/4 tsp. almond extract, opt.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, juice, marmalade and almond extract. Pour into crust, top with strips of dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, lower heat to 375 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until browned.

Bake on a cookie sheet pan, or pie “mot” pan. New, darker pans, bake 25 degrees lower temperature.

Pizza Carbonara

10 oz. tube refrig. pizza crust

1/3 c. finely chopped onion

2 toes garlic, minced

1 T. butter

1 T. flour

1/8 tps. pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. sliced bacon, browned & crumbled

1-1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 green onions, finely sliced

Unroll pizza crust. Press onto a greased 12 inch pizza pan; build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly wit a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour and pepper. Gradually add milk and bouillon. Bring to a boil; stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Spread over hot crust.

On the top, sprinkle with bacon, Monterey Jack cheese and green onions. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 6-8 slices

Marinated Vegetable Salad

2 c. sugar

1-3/4 c. cider vinegar

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 T. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets

1/2 head of broccoli broken into florets

2 med. carrots, grated

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

1/2 c. diced onion

14 oz. can Shoepeg corn, drained

14 oz. can French style green beans, drained

8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts

4-1/2 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Bring top a boil. Remove from heat.

In a large glass bowl, combine all vegetables. Add dressing, toss to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Yield: 25 servings

Simple Rhubarb Dessert

5-6 c. rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced

1-1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. almond extract, opt.

Spray a 9x13 inch glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add rhubarb and strawberries into pan; add almond extract. Sprinkle with sugar, stir to blend together.

TOPPING:

1 yellow cake mix

1/2 c. melted butter

In a bowl, combine the two ingredients. Crumble the mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Yield: 16 servings

Butterfinger Blondies

3/4 c. butter, softened

2-1/4 c. brown sugar

3 eggs

2-1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

5 (2.1 oz.) Butterfinger® candy bars, chopped*

1 c. semi-sweet choc. chips

1 tsp. vanilla

Garnish: melted chocolate chips & chopped Butterfinger® candy bars

*Great using Snickers® instead!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar; stirring until combined. Add eggs, beat until fluffy.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chopped candy, chocolate chips and vanilla. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with melted chocolate and chopped candy.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen

Clean-Up Tip:

• Burnt - and - scorched pans: Sprinkle burnt pan liberally with baking soda, add just enough water to moisten. Let stand several hours, or overnight. You will be able to lift the burnt portion right out. Stubborn stains on non-stick cookware can be removed by boiling 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 cup water together in the pan for 10 minutes.

“A man of words and not of deeds, is like a garden full of weeds.”