Pleasant Simplicity: Date Nut Bread

Pleasant Simplicity: Date Nut Bread

Brown Sugar Cake

Brown Sugar Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
4 Eggs
2/3 cup Sour Cream
2/3 cup Water
1/2 cup Oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped Pecans
2 tsp. Powdered sugar

Directions

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

BEAT first 6 ingredients with mixer 3 min. or until well blended. Add brown sugar and nuts; mix well.

POUR into 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 15 min. Loosen 

cake from sides of pan; invert onto wire rack. Remove pan; cool cake completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Footnotes

Sprinkle pan with combined 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon after spraying with cooking spray. Then fill with batter and bake as directed.

Cook’s Country Barbequed Dry-Rub Chicken

Cook’s Country Barbequed Dry-Rub Chicken

(serves 4-6)

3 Tbs dark brown sugar 

2 tsp chili powder 

2 tsp paprika 

1 1/2 tsp pepper 

1 tsp dry mustard 

1 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp salt 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken pieces

1. Rub chicken – Combine brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, pepper, dry mustard, onion powder, salt and cayenne in small bowl. Transfer half of dry rub to shallow dish; reserve. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and coat over and under skin with remaining rub. Transfer to plate and place in refrigerator, covered, for one hour.
   
   

2. Grill chicken – Grill chicken (skin side down) until skin is well browned and crisp (15-20 min)

3. Dredge chicken – Lightly coat skin side of chicken with reserved rub and return to grill, skin side up. Continue to grill, covered, for 15-20 min (until rub has melted into a glaze)
   
   
   
   

4. Rest – Transfer chicken to a plate, lightly tent with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Homemade Pasta

Homemade Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

4 egg

4 tablespoons water (cold)

4 teaspoons olive oil (extra virgin)

2 teaspoons salt

4-8 Cups white flour

Directions:

Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. I usually make a LOT and store in the fridge.

Combine the first 4 ingredients and whisk together well with a fork.

Add 1/2 C flour and mix with fork until all lumps are gone.

Keep adding flour little by little until a non-sticky ball is formed. (You will use between 1 & 1-1/4 C of flour,

depending on the humidity, etc.

Knead WELL about 10 minutes.  Add light coating of flour as needed, until a firm ball is formed.

Allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

Cut off Billiard ball-sized pieces and roll them out flat on a well-floured board.  

Fold thrice (3X) and cut noodles with a sharp knife roughly 4 mm. thick. 

Stretch out pasta and let dry (either hanging or on a plate) for a few minutes up to an hour.

Cook in a pot of boiling, salted water for 2-3 minutes or until the pasta floats to the top.

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Casserole

Begin by slicing 4 medium sized zucchini. You can add several more when you have more zucchini than you know what to do with. If you are having a 4th of July party, double this recipe because believe me..people are going to love it! Next, slice or dice a large onion and add it to the zucchini. I used a big sweet vidalia.

The original recipe calls for a bag of Stovetop stuffing. I don't use that so I threw in a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers and added 3 T. of poultry seasoning (do not omit this seasoning).

Add 4 or 5 grated carrots.

Add 1 cup of sour cream. You can use low fat sour cream if you wish. This recipe easily adapts to low fat ingredients. Add a cup of grated cheddar cheese.

Add 1/2 cup of melted butter. pour it over top

Then add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. You can see that I used fat free.

Add some cracked black pepper and a bit of salt. Stir it all around until thoroughly combined.

Place it in a casserole or heavy pot and bake it for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

It should be golden and bubbling around the edges. This can also be served at room temperature if you want to make it a bit in advance. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Eric!

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Plain tomato soup can be thin and sharp. Adding cream--the usual stodgy solution--merely dulls it. We wanted to tame the tartness without losing flavor.
If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step 2.

Serves 6 to 8

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Lollipop Corn Dogs

Lollipop Corn Dogs

Ingredients:
1 cup of Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup Corn Meal
1 and 1/3 cup butter milk
1 egg
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 package of hot dogs (contains 8)
flour (for dusting)
oil for deep frying

Note: if you do not have Bisquick, any pre made pancake batter will do or you can make your own pancake batter.

Directions:
Cut your hot dogs into thirds (this will give you 24 lollipops).

Mix together the Bisquick, corn meal, and seasoning. Then add your egg and buttermilk. Mix well. The consistency should be like a thick pancake batter.

Next coat your cut hot dog with flour. Then poke a wooden skewer through the hot dog like a lollipop

Dip in the batter and coat well.
Place the corn dog into the hot oil (around 350 degrees). Fry until golden brown. Then place on a paper towel to dry. 

Peach-Stuffed Pork

Peach-Stuffed Pork

YieldServes 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 9 peaches, dried, or 6 ounces store-bought dried peaches
• 1 boneless pork loin (2 1/2 pounds), trimmed
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Peach Jam 
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Coarsely chop store-bought dried peaches if using. Add peaches to water; return to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand for 20 minutes. Remove peaches using a slotted spoon, and squeeze; reserve liquid.
2. Meanwhile, butterfly pork loin: Starting 3/4 inch from top of loin, make a horizontal cut into side, slicing through meat in short strokes and leaving about 1 inch intact at outer edge. Unfold meat (as if opening a book). Cut a vertical slit 3/4-inch deep at seam, and repeat to make a horizontal cut in the opposite direction. Pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet if needed.
3. Stir together a seasoning mixture of salt, pepper, and the cloves; sprinkle some over pork. Spread drained peaches over pork, leaving a 1-inch border on 1 short end. Roll up pork from short end to enclose filling. Tie together with kitchen twine to shape and hold in filling. Sprinkle with seasoning mixture; dust with flour. Place in a roasting pan, seam side down.
4. Bring reserved soaking liquid, the jam, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer for 1 minute.
5. Roast pork for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 138 degrees, about 25 minutes more. Brush with glaze, and roast for 5 minutes more. Transfer pork to a platter; reserve juices in roasting pan. Let rest for 10 minutes. Brush with glaze again.
6. Pour accumulated pan juices into pot with glaze. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, and add remaining 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Add liquid and bits to glaze. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer sauce for 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice.
7. Untie pork; cut into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve with sauce.

Homemade American Cheese

1 tablespoon water
1½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
12 ounces Colby cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon whole milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

1. Line 5-by 4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing excess to hang over sides.

2. Place water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over top, and let mixture sit for 5 minutes. Pulse cheese, milk powder, salt, and cream of tartar in food processor until combined, about 3 pulses.

3. Meanwhile, bring milk to boil in small saucepan. Off heat, stir in softened gelatin until dissolved, and transfer mixture to 1-cup liquid measuring cup. With processor running, slowly add hot milk mixture to cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed.

4. Immediately transfer cheese mixture to prepared pan, pressing to compact. Wrap tightly and chill at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Key Lime Cake

Ingredients

CAKE

1 3-ounce package lime-flavored gelatin

1¹/3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

1½ cups vegetable oil

¾ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup Key lime juice (from about 25 small Key limes or 4 large regular limes)

½ cup confectioners' sugar

CREAM CHEESE ICING

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1 1-pound box confectioners' sugar

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the gelatin, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to mix well.

Add the eggs, oil, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test for doneness by lightly touching the tops of the layers or inserting a toothpick.

Cool the layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto racks.

While the layers are still hot, mix the lime juice and confectioners' sugar and pour it over the layers on the racks. You can pierce the layers with a fork to allow the glaze to soak in better. Allow the layers to cool completely as you prepare the icing.

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake.

The cream cheese icing is optional. This cake is beautiful and tastes great with just the glaze poured over it.

Key limes can be hard to find. Substitute regular lime juice for key lime juice without sacrificing flavor.

Serves 12

Easy French Onion Soup

6 (1 1/4-cup) servings

Ingredients:

Soup

2 tablespoons Butter

4 medium (4 cups) onions, sliced 1/8-inch

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans beef or chicken broth

2 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Croutons

1/4 cup Butter

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic

3 cups cubed 1-inch bread

Topping

6 (3/4-ounce) slices Provolone Cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 3-quart saucepan until sizzling; add onions and 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender (7 to 10 minutes).

Add all remaining soup ingredients; continue cooking until heated through (12 to 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in 13x9-inch baking pan in oven (4 to 6 minutes). Stir in 1 teaspoon basil and 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Add bread cubes; toss to coat. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted.

To serve, pour soup into oven-proof bowls; place 1 slice cheese in each bowl. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Serve with croutons.