Corn bread in bundt

When we have chili we have to have cornbread with it!                                            
2 cups flour                                                                        
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
8 tbsp sugar
2 tbsps baking powder
2 tsps salt        

wet ingredients

2 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup greek youghurt
preheat over to 425 degrees
place all dry ingredients together in a large bowl

mix all wet ingredients

transfer wet into dry and mix with a wooden spoon
pour into bundt pan an bake 25 minutes or until golden brown .                        

Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
7 oz shredded coconut
8 or 9 oz crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp vanilla

mix oil, sugar and eggs, beat well with mixer.

sift flour cinnamon, soda and salt.

add oil and egg mixture to the flour mixture
mix with spoon, fold in remaining ingredients.

bake at 350 preheated oven for 40 min.

cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese softened
8 oz powdered sugar
1/2 stick butter softened
bit of vanilla
mix all well and frost your cake.

Easy Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients


5 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 quart whole milk

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Melt butter over medium heat, once melted stir in flour until smooth, continue stirring as flour cooks to a light sandy color about 7 min.

Increase to medium high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened by the roux.

Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce to medium low and continue simmering until flour has softened 10-20 minutes.

season with salt and nutmeg.

be patient you will be rewarded by the taste!

Home made chocolate frosting

Chocolate frosting made from scratch is so much better than the store bought, but I usually have all the ingredients in my pantry, plus it's not full of chemicals.

1 stick butter

2/3 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

melt butter and stir in cocoa, alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

add small amount additional milk if needed, stir in vanilla.gives about 2 cups, add more sugar to make stiffer icing. This is excellent.

Cornmeal vinegar crust for pies

Jennie Perillo's crust for 2 9 inch pie crusts

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup ( 8 oz) very cold butter cut into 16 pieces

1 large egg

1.1/2 tsp white vinegar

2tbsp ice cold water

METHOD

add flour, sugar and salt in a food processor bowl. pulse 1-2 times to mix well

add the bits of bitter and pulse a few times until it forms a sandy looking mixture.

add the eggs, vinegar and water, pulse until it forms a solid ball of dough about 8-10 one second pulses. dump the ball of dough onto a floured counter, divinde into 2 equal pieced. roll out circle to fit pie plate.

Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake

Serves 8-10

2 pounds ricotta cheese

1 pound mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

zest from 1 large lemon

1 tsp fiore di sicilia or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp lemon extract

powdered sugar

preheat oven to 325 degrees

generoulsy butter a 9 inch springform pan, the cover bottom and sides with foil.

place pan into a larger casserole dish and pour enough water to come up to the sides of the springform pan by 1 inch.

USING A MIXER BEAT TOGETHER RICOTTA, MASCARPONE, SUGAR until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and yolks one at a time beating between each addition.

Add lemon zest and extracts and mix until well blended. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake 1 1/2 hours.

Turn over off and let sit another 30 minutes. Remove from ob=ven and let cool at room temperature.

Using a sharp knife to help loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the pan and place on a plate.

Refrigerate several hours- sprinkle with powdered sugar and trim with berries.

Simple Crochet Gift Bag

Use 5 mm hook

Any kind of yarn and gauge does not matter

chain 17

Row 1- SC in second chain from hook and across- turn

Row 2- Ch 1- SC in second chain from hook and across-turn

Rows 3-4-5- Repeat Row 2- do not turn work at the end of row 5.

Row 6- chain 1,turn work counterclock wise 90 degrees, work 5 SC along the edge, CH 1, turn counterclock wise 90 degrees, work 15 SC. Chain 1 turn work counterclock wise, work 5 SC, Ch1, turn work 90 degrees work 15 SC. Mark 15 st SC with marker, base of bag is made.

From this point on you will be working in a spiral, at the end of each round, do not turn work, do not join with a slip stitch and do not work chains unless directed to do so in the pattern.

Next round

Starting at the marked stitch SC 3 TOG,work 3 SC, SC 3 TOG,work 13 SC, SC 3 TOG, work 3SC, SC 3TOG, SC to marker.

Work SC in marked stitch, place marker in this new stitch and continue in a spiral until work measures 9 cm in length from the base. Remember to move the marker at the end of each round.

Bag Handles

Starting at marked stitch, work 9 SC, CH 8, skip 8SC, SC in 9th SC., work 8SC, CH 8, skip next 8SC, SC in 9th SC, Sc to marker. ( this is where I found a mistake in the pattern, if you work it up this way the handles do not line up for me, so I just eyeballed it!)

Work a further 3 rounds working SC into each chain space made on CH 8.
Fasten off.

fruit flies

Our home is infested with fruit flies and last summer I remember finding a recipe to kill them off heh heh. You will need one small bowl, one cup of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Place in the spot where you last saw the flies, at the end of the day, gone baby gone!

Pandora Bracelets

In an effort to keep my mind off of food and indulge my insatiable creative impulses I have assembled pandora type bracelets with the authentic sterling silver bracelets but with the much more affordable non pandora beads. Shopping around for beautiful beads is half the fun and assembling them is soo much fun. My Etsy store is up BeaderDenEver, but not functional, that where my DIL comes in! Keep posted for pictures of my creations.

merengue tip

when making merengue for pie, a trick I use is putting my kitchenaid bowl and whipping utensils in the freezer. whips up great swirls.

Fastest growing tree

My Dad lost his beloved Magnolia tree last summer to bugs. If I were him I would plant in it's place a Gleditsia Shademaster. My son planted this tree in front of our house just 5-6 years ago after I had the ugly tree that was there before removed. Now I am not in the habit of having trees removed, but this tree really was offensive to me, it was ugly, had huge unsightly leaves and provided way too much shade for what I wanted for the front of the house. Also it dropped these bothersome pods at one point every summer and frankly I just wanted it out! I have the habit of going around for walks around the neighborhood to get ideas for my landscape needs and improvements. I found this beautiful tree with fern like leaves that are at once delicate and offering dappled shade with the sun sparkling through, the large fronds. This tree was what I wanted in appearance. I also had wanted a fast growing tree, as I had gotten flack from my son for removing the tree in the first place. So I wanted a fast grower but found nothing when a Googled it. This Shademaster has surprised us. It grows 18-24 inches each and every year and has now surpassed the tree that was there before by a foot or two in five short years. Now Gleditsia has at least two types that I am aware of, there is the bright almost yellowy green and the regular green that we are used to when we say "green" Hence shademaster is the one to get. The light colored yellowy green one does not grow as fast. Hope this helps and I know you will just love this tree.

Quick appetizer

Ok so I needed an appetizer that does not have to be baked because I only have one oven and I need to bake the tiropitas the baked brie and asparagus with parmiggiano on Sunday morning. So I came up with this.

1 lb of bacon

2containers sour cream

endives


the only exact item is bacon because I just winged it here.

I thinly cross cut the bacon while in its packaged form, meaning do not separate the strips.
next fry the bacon up all at once in frying pan until brown and crisp but not burned! you will end up with what looks like bacon bits, that what you want

separate the endives and prepare the serving dish you will be using to serve these

fill each endive with sour cream the amount need depending on the size of each endive, smaller ones will require less and larger ones more.

next sprinkle with the bacon bits to taste!


I hope my guest will like these, making them tomorrow morning for Easter Lunch. Christos Anesti!

Roasted chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas
parchment paper
salt, assortment of seasonings

preheat oven to 450 degrees

line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly brust with a small amount of olive oil or cooking spray

drain and rinse the chickpeas and place on paper towels to absorb most of the water

place on baking sheet and roast until they are really puckered and dry about 40 minutes or so

remove and immediately place in a bowl and pour 2 tbsp of olive oil over them, add salt and any other seasonings you wish, eg cumin, garlic, chili powder, a sweet batch could use cinnamon with sugar, whatever floats your boat.

from Lisa at The Cutting edge of Ordinary

Halva ( helva)

We grew up eating this.

Halva

main

1 cup semolina flour (just plain semolina is what it is
125 ML BUTTER
2 tbsp pine nuts


syrup

1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk


cook the main ingredients on med low heat until golden brown in a large pot, stirring constantly. In another pot mix syrup ingredients u til boiled. Pour the syrup very slowly into the the pot with semolina while stirring with a long wooden spoon. The mixture will be bubbly and will spit so be careful. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pot.( it will become doughy) no more than a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat with the lid on and wait 5 min. when cooled fluff with a fork and serve with sprinl;ed cinnamon.

avocado dip

3 avocados mashed
1 lime juiced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tbsp cilanto chopped
2 roma (plum) tomatoes diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pinch cayenne

mix all together refigerate 1 hour.

artichoke dip

1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts

1 cup mayo
1 cup parmesan
1 4 oz can diced green chilies

preheat oven to 350 degrees

combine artichoke hearts, may, cheese, green chilies, mix well and pour into 2 qt casserole. bake 20-25 minutes

flax crackers

1/4 cup flax seeds
1/1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp milk or water
preheat 350 degrees

mix all ingredients well. roll out thin and thinner stil. cut into squares and bake 15-20 minutes flip over and bake 5 more minutes.

healthy falafel

1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas soaked 24 hrs or one can of chickpeas

1 onion
1 potato peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic mnced
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 bunch parsley chopped or 1-2 tbsp dried

process, grind chickpeas bu hand or machine, I use the potato mashe as I like the crunch I get when done this way

process everything else together with the chickpeas and form intoballs and drizzle with oil, bake at 400 degrees abput 45 minutes.

can be served with tzadjiki

Fried Calamari

Everyone's favorite appetiser is easy peasy!

serves 6

1 1/2 pounds squid

8 cupa canola oil

1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch ( keeps batter from splattering)

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp sea salt

lemon wedges

clean squid and remove all inedible bits.

holding squid remove head and tentacles and set aside

rinse squid under cold water rubbing off purplish skin.

pull out and discard "PEN" clear long plastic like skeleton from center of tube

on cutting board, pull off and discard fins from tubes

cut off and discard eyes and head from tentacles, keeping tentacles attched on ring on top

squeeze hard beakfrom center of tentacles and discard

cut tubes crosswise 1/2 inch wide rings and pat dry with paper towels

heat the oil n a deep pot or dutch oven to 375 degrees

meanwhile in a large plastic bag shake togather flour cornstarch, cayenne, salt.

all at once addtentacles and rings to the flour mixture and shake to coat.

transfer to sieve and lightly shake to remove excess flour

fry in batches for 1- 1/2 min until golden

using slotted spoon transfer to paper towels to remove excess oil

tip: if you don't have an oil thermometer

if oil is hot enough it should bubble vigorously after dropping in one piece of floured calamari and should turn golden in 1- 1 1/2 min.

Note; after each batch of calamari is fried please wait til oil reheats to it's original temperature before putting in the next batch otherwise the calamari will be soggy if the oikl is not hot enough!

Fresh Cranberry and Chocolate Chip muffins

for 24 muffins

preheat ovem to 400 degrees

2 cups white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/3 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups fresh cranberries roughly chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/3 cup milk

1/4 butter melted

1/4 cup oil

2 tsp orange zest

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

SIFT flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

STIR in cranberries and chocolate chips.

MAKE a well in the center.

COMBINE milk butter, oil and zest, vanilla, and eggs in a small bowls. MIX.

ADD wet ingredients to center well of dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Do not overmix so that muffins will be fluffy.

Spoon batter in greased muffin tins, 1/3 cupful at a time.

Bake 18 minutes, cool.

@@@ for Tony@@@

Nutella Ice Cream

serves 4

1 cup nutella
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 tspoons vanilla extract

mix nutella and sugar until completely combined then add milk, mix until misture is smooth amd sugar is disolved.

stir in heavy cream and the vanilla. cover and chill until cold.

transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to maufacturer's directions. for a firmer texture, transfer ice cream to a small freezersafe container, pres plastic wrap against the top of the ice cream and freeze for a least 4 hours.

tester's note using the full amount of sugar results ina sweetness similar to most supermarket ice creams. using 1/4 cup sugar or even omitting the added sugar entirely results in dessertcloser to dark chocolate ice cream.