The Recipe: Nana's Rhubarb Pie

Filling:
3 - 4 cups Rhubarb
1 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Flour

Use a little more sugar if rhubarb is fresh. You can add orange peel or pineapple. If you freeze fresh rhubarb in 3 - 4 cup portions, let thaw to get rid of excess water or increase flour so that the filling won't be too runny.

Nana's Pastry:
6 cups Flour
2/3 cup Shortening for each 2 cups of flour (approx 1 lb)
2 tsp Salt

Blend well with pastry blender. You can store this in a plastic bag or container in the fridge. This will make 4 small double crust pies.

To make one double crust pie:
Put 2 cups of the above dough mixture in a bowl. Add 5 Tbsp ice water (to ensure dough is cold enough).
Click Here to Read More..

The Recipe: Roasted Butternut Garlic & Apple Soup

1 Medium Sized Butternut Squash
1 Full Garlic
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion
1 Large carrot
1 Granny Smith Apple
4 Cups of Chicken Stock
3/4 Cup of Riesling
½ tsp of Cinnamon
½ tsp of Nutmeg
½ tsp of Cloves
½ tsp of Allspice
1 Cup of 2% or Skim Milk
Salt
Pepper

Start by cutting squash into cubes, drizzle with 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil and coat. Roast cubes for 30-45 minutes @ 350F until tender on a cookie sheet, ensuring the edges do not burn or crisp. Cut the top off of garlic so the top of the cloves are exposed, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper, wrap in tin foil and roast with the squash.

In a stock pot on the stovetop, dice carrots and onion and sautee on medium heat with rest of olive oil, careful not to brown the onions (requires frequent stirring). After about 7 minutes add peeled and cubed apple piece to pot. Once apples, carrots and onions are soft, approx 12-15 minutes, add stock, wine, roasted squash, garlic (let garlic cool and gently squeeze cloves out of there skins) and spices. Bring contents to a boil and cook for a couple minutes to ensure alcohol burned off and reduce to low heat.

Use a hand blender to puree contents of pot, ensuring all lumps are removed. If you do not have a hand blender, you can use a traditional blender (be careful as hot liquid in a blender will create pressure and could pop the lid off, blend small quantities at a time). When ready to serve stir in the milk and salt and pepper to taste, leave on stove top just long enough to bring milk up to heat.
Click Here to Read More..

The Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

The Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins 4 large bananas 3/4 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups spelt flour* 1/3 cup softened butter 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Mash bananas. Add sugar, vanilla, egg, and butter. Blend wet ingredients together. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients and add in chocolate chips. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients being careful not to over mix.

For a convection oven, bake at 360F for approx 18 min (or until toothpick comes out dry). For regular ovens, bake at 375F for approx 20 min.

* can substitute in 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
Click Here to Read More..

Our Kitchen Island

So this is the first post... the biggest question is: why do a blog?

I guess the simplest answer is that I love cooking and people seem to love my cooking. I am told I have a gift and when you have a gift it is always best to share this gift with as many as you can. I also believe that if you do what you love you will be successful, hence with my passion for food and my background in online, it is only natural for me and my wife to combine these efforts and see where they take us. You have to start somewhere....

In addition, it is great way for me to keep track of my recipes and ideas. So this is where it starts.

The plan for the Blog is to post videos of the actual meals I am making for the family (which consists of my wife, Benny almost 3 and Jack almost 1), and add a blog talks about my general thoughts on foods, and cooking and life accordingly.

Click Here to Read More..