The Little Things

Lot’s of sunshine, seasonable temperatures, and the little things made today a perfect fall day in the Finger Lakes.  It was one of those days when I felt like a lot got done.   I baked homemade cinnamon pumpkin (yeast) bread, made an apple pie, AND whipped up a dish of coleslaw for dinner to boot.

Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like spending that much time in my kitchen!

Once I closed the kitchen down for the afternoon I headed out for some fresh air.  These little plants, or should I say weeds, were begging to have their pictures taken.  And so I obliged and I even gave them each a caption.

Sunny and Bright; Yellow and White

More Pink Than Purple

Pretty and Periwinkle

What kind of weekend did you have?  Busy, slow, productive, or not so much?

 

 

 

Toil and Trouble

It’s 2017 and I’m Back!

This post is being updated from 2015 when it was initially written.  That was the day that I flipped the switch and started blogging on a self-hosted site with a paid domain.  And now for the good news…  I’m back!  Blogging back here at my old stamping grounds – yay!

Please continue to stay with me as I share my new recipes, DIY projects, photographs, and my simple country life back here where it all began.

Wish me luck!

Pizza Focaccia Bread – Ready in 1 Hour

This is a new favorite in our house.  A fresh and flavorful pizza bread that can be made and ready to serve in an hour.  Yes, you heard me correctly, 1 hour!   And if you’re intimidated by making bread have no fear…  Seriously, this recipe is great for beginner bread makers.

Pizza Focaccia Bread

3/4 c. warm water

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Toppings

1/4 c. pizza sauce

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

8 slices pepperoni, cut into small pieces

2 dashes of Italian seasoning

Spray a 9” pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add water, sugar, salt, and yeast.  Let sit for a couple minutes.  Add oil and flour; mix thoroughly.  On a lightly floured surface knead dough for about 1-2 minutes.  Place dough in the prepared pie plate and press out.  Poke holes in the dough (as shown below).

Top dough with pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese (as shown below).  Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top.

Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes;  bake for 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

I like to dip this bread in fresh pizza sauce.  It makes a great appetizer, compliments a fresh salad, and can be served with a meal.

Either way, it won’t last long – I guarantee it!

Seedless Black Raspberry Sauce

Last week I shared a post for homemade black raspberry jelly.  We have berries are out behind our house that are free for the picking – and boy are they plentiful this year.  I think all of the rain we had this spring has helped them grow.   It’s hard for me to rationalize leaving these  berries unpicked because they are loaded with healthy antioxidants and are super delicious.  My only problem is that my stomach doesn’t tolerate seeds well so I have to be a little crafty and work around them.

I’m not sure why I didn’t get around to making seedless preserves and sauces before now but all I can say is better late than never.

Seedless Black Raspberry Sauce

3 c. of berries

1 1/2 c. water

Put berries and water in a large saucepan and bring a full boil for 5 minutes over medium heat – stirring often.  Mash the berries in the pan as they soften while cooking them.  (This will yield about 2 cups of juice).

Once the berries have boiled for 5 minutes remove from heat.  Strain the juice through a doubled piece of cheese cloth and discard the seeds and pulp.

2 c. juice

2 tbsp. butter

3/4 c. sugar

1 tbsp. corn starch, plus 1 tbsp. water (mixed together)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a clean saucepan, melt the butter.  Add juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch; bring to a boil on slow heat – stirring constantly.  Cook until liquid thickens.  Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour into container. Makes 1 pint.  Serve warm or cool.   Store in the refrigerator (stir thoroughly before serving, or warm for a few seconds in the microwave).

Use this as a topping on ICE CREAM, MILKSHAKES, PANCAKES, or vanilla YOGURT (like pictured).  One of these days I’m going to experiment and make a homemade black raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing using this sauce and when I do, I’ll share the recipe.

Imagine how happy you’d make a friend, neighbor, or co-worker if you presented them with a small jar of this.  Think Christmas…  I have froze bags of these berries so I can make fresh batches of sauce and jam throughout the cold winter months when ripe berries are hard to come by.

Pick berries and get into the sauce!

I Love Summertime

I love summertime for the songs the birds sing,  the brightly colored flowers we can see and smell, and the warm sunshine that touches our skin. 

Why do you love summertime?

Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie–A Summer Treat!

Grab a fork and a plate for a taste of this Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie.

With the 4th of July weekend here don’t pass up the chance to make one of these deliciously rich and creamy pies.  This pie is easy (no-cook) to make and will wow just about any hungry crowd.  I made a pie for a gathering of six and we didn’t leave as much as a crumb.

Bluberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie (Recipe adapted from Jamie Cookies It Up)

Crust

1 package (not the entire box) of honey graham crackers, crushed fine

5 tbsp. butter, melted

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Put all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix completely.  Press into a pie plate and bake at 375 degrees for about 7 minutes.

Filling

12 oz.  cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. white chocolate chips, melted

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. milk

2 c. whipped topping

1 pint of fresh blueberries ( add an extra half a pint of berries if you LOVE fruit)

dash of salt

In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese and melted chips together.  Add milk, vanilla, and salt.  Mix in powdered sugar and whipped topping one cup at a time until smooth and creamy.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into prepared pie crust.  Refrigerate for two hours before serving.

Do you have plans for the  4th of July?  What are you making for dessert?

Homemade Wild Black Raspberry Jelly

This weekend hubby and I put on our work boots and followed a wet muddy path out behind our house until we got to the wild black raspberry plants.  I have been wanting to make some homemade jelly for a while now and it just didn’t seem right to let these plump juicy berries go to waste.

Of course we had to battle mosquitos, a couple Daddy Long Legs, and some noisy birds that warned us to leave their berries alone.    But in the end – it was all worth it.

I followed this recipe for  Blackberry Jelly that I found posted by Kathy in Florida on Food.com.  If you follow the instructions just as I did, then I think you’ll be eating homemade jelly too!

When I have fruit that has a lot of seeds like these berries do I prefer to make jelly over jam because I can avoid the seeds all together.

This recipe was easy to follow and the jelly making went fairly quickly.  I used a box of SUREJELL for the pectin.  I have always had good luck with this brand and it’s what my mom used long before I started making jams and jellies.  *Cooks note: Remember to skim the foam off the top before putting the jelly in jars.

And did you know there is no written rule that says you only have to eat jelly on toast or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?  Try it on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I am now officially in the jam and jelly making mood.  My next adventure?  To pick cherries and make homemade cherry jam.

Have you ever made homemade jams and jellies?  What’s your favorite flavor?

A Simple and Wickedly Good 4th of July Dessert–Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

Even if you haven’t given  4th of July  dessert a thought at this point I think you might after looking at these pictures of these simple and wickedly good ice cream cookie sandwiches.

Of course you can buy cookies from your favorite bakery to make these but they aren’t the same as using chocolate chip cookies made from scratch. 

I filled these sandwiches with  Edy’s Slow Churned Ice Cream made with 1/2 the fat .  (This is not a sponsored post. )  I’m just sharing one of my favorite products with you.  My new favorite Edy’s  flavor is Mud Pie; coffee ice cream with chocolate cookie chunks and fudge swirl.  I have to admit it rocks the ice cream world. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of margarine, or butter

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 c. mini semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

Makes about 16 cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two  cookies sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl cream together margarine, sugars,  egg, salt, baking soda, vanilla.  Add flour and mix completely.  Fold in mini-chocolate chips.  Drop by dining teaspoon onto cookie sheets about two inches apart.  Bake approximately 8 minutes until cookies are light golden colored and are slightly firm to the touch.  Be careful not to over bake.

Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before making ice cream sandwiches. 

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Old-Fashioned Apple Sour Cream Cake

I was ready to experiment in the kitchen yesterday.  I planned on making something with some Granny Smith apples I had on hand.  I considered making a pie, muffins, bread, and apple crisp, but I couldn’t shake the idea of creating a deliciously moist apple cake.

I started out with a big bowl and worked my way into this delicious cake.  I promise you this cake is super moist (thanks to the sour cream) and will quench any hankering you have for the combination of apples and cinnamon.   What’s even better?  You can don’t need an electric mixer to whip this cake up; simply mix by hand.

I decided to title this recipe as Old-Fashioned Apple Sour Cream Cake because it is the type of dessert my mother or grandmother would have whipped up to serve following one of their delicious home cooked meals. 

Old-Fashioned Apple Sour Cream Cake

1 c. granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 stick of butter, softened

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4  tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and sliced very thin

Cinnamon and sugar mixture – 1/2 c. granulated sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon;  add prepared apple slices and set aside

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8”x8” glass baking dish

In a large bowl mix by hand the sugar, egg, softened butter, and sour cream.  Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and flour; mix until all ingredients are combined.  Don’t over mix.  Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Layer half of the apple slices on top of the batter.  Repeat with remaining cake batter and apple slices.  The apples will be the top layer.

Bake for approximately 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after being submitted into the center of the cake.

Cool slightly and serve warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream, or allow to cool and serve later. 

 

What is your favorite fruit to bake with?