Peach and Raspberry Pie

Two amazing summer flavors, combined to make 

a mouthwatering delicious pie!


Pies are one of my favorite baked goods to create!
And why not take more than one fruit, combine those flavors
and come up with your own unique summer pies.

If you need inspiration, go to your local
farmer's market.

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

Pie dough for a double crust pie

formed into two disks and chilled

9" pie plate

8-10 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 8 slices per peach

1lb. frozen or fresh raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbs. instant tapioca

     In a large bowl add raspberries, sugar and tapioca, stir, add slice peaches and stir let sit 15 minutes.  Meanwhile preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Roll out one dough disk for the bottom crust, and line the pie pan.  Roll out the second dough disk, fill the pie shell with the peaches and raspberries, and top with the remaining rolled out disk.  Crimp edges together, and cut 3 to 4 steam vents in the top crust.  Place prepared pie on a cookie sheet, to catch drips while baking.  Place pie in oven.  Bake for 20 minutes and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for an additional 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is a rich brown color.  

Let cool a few hours before slicing.

Charcuterie Board

All Italian!

All delicous!

All pleasing for all guests!

I love putting together Charcuterie boards with a theme.
This one is Italian, as you may guess!

I have chosen a selection of  three meats,
(prosciutto, salami and capocollo)
Three different type cheeses,
soft, mild, dry or sharp,
( gorgonzola dolce, asiago, and parmiggiano-reggiano)
Three different "breads"
(bread sticks, toasted crostini, rosemary flatbread crackers)

and then some condiments...
Marinated olives, rosemary almonds,
fig preserves, and grapes.

If you love Triple Cream Brie or Camembert, and Comte, then
try making a french themed board,
adding pate or rillette.
Slice a baguette, add some ripe apricots or pears and small green olives.

If you love sharp seedy mustard and pickles,
try making a German or Dutch themed board,
adding smoked sausages, or bratwurst,
Gouda, Edam or Limburger or Quark
heavy rye bread or seeded breads and crackers.
Smoked or dried fish, pears or dried cherries.

The ideas are endless!!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Grilled Garlic Shrimp

It smells so good!

Everyone is salivating, just waiting to eat them!

What a way to start the Father's Day celebration!

A grill full of Jumbo shrimp, and a cold drink, preferably

a beer or glass of white wine!

This is a real treat on Father's Day that I love to prepare for all my brothers!

As Always,

ENJOY!

4lbs. Jumbo Shrimp(8-12/lb.)

shell on and deveined,

frozen at Costco.

1 head of garlic, chopped fine
2 Tbs. kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil

2 gallon zip-lock bags

     Defrost shrimp in the refrigerator.  Drain well on paper towels, patting dry.  Divide the shrimp equally into the two zip- lock bags.  Add 1/4 cup olive oil to each bag, 1Tbs. kosher salt to each bag, 

and half the chopped garlic to each bag.  Seal the bag, pressing all the air out as you close it. 

Mix and massage the marinade into the shrimp in the sealed bag. 

     Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before grilling.

   When ready to grill, skewer the shrimp onto metal skewers.  Put on a hot grill for 2 minutes per side, until pink and cooked through. 

  Remove cooked shrimp from the skewers and serve on a large platter with dipping sauce of choice. 

Provide lots of napkins for your guests, since peeling the shells is a messy job, but oh, so fun!!!

All the garlic and salt on the shells goes on your lips and fingers!  YUM!!!

Leaving the shells on the shrimp while grilling keeps them moist and safe from being too salty!

Plum Jam

Beautiful jars of plum jam. 

Some for the pantry and some to give as gifts!

A big bowl of plums, ready to be made into something delicious!

Bubbling away in the pot.....I thought it might overflow!

I feel fortunate this year that we had a lot of rainfall during the winter.  I have a small
Santa Rosa plum tree in my backyard, and it is so full of fruit, I can only think
the abundance comes from good rains in the winter.

For a few days I had been picking plums, and before we went out of town(not wanting to leave ripe
plums for any squirrels) I picked the remaining fruit that was ripe.
This is the first year since I planted the tree, that I have had such a wonderful crop.

Now......what to do with all the plums?
Plum jam was the answer. Not wanting to bake a big dessert with them since we were leaving.
Jam was the perfect thing, since it can be stored away in the cupboard.
After cutting all the fruit, I could hardly believe, I had 9 cups of fruit.
With big pots on the stove full of jars and lids, and all the sugar measured,
I got right to the job!

Try your hand at jam making this summer!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Bourbon Barrel Cake

What you might find at a Trader Joe's in another state!

Looks delicious to me!

It is always a wonderful surprise to walk into a Trader Joe's in another state, and 

find things that are totally unique to the area. 

In Ohio at a Trader Joe's, I came across this huge central display, right as you walk in!

Bourbon Barrel Cake, in a pretty wood box, and looking delicious!  If  I had a houseful of 

guests, I might pick one up to serve with coffee, for breakfast or an

evening dessert.

Check out the Trader Joe's when you travel out of state, and you may very well be surprised too!!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Greek Shrimp Bruschetta

Refreshing for the summer and 

perfect for a party!

This is a great do-ahead recipe.  The baguette rounds can be toasted a day
or two ahead, and the shrimp mixture can also be prepared ahead and chilled.
If preparing in advance, mix all ingredients together, except the feta cheese.
When ready to serve mix in the feta.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Coastal Living

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3/4-1 lb. small fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• 1 French baguette, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slices

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp and garlic 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp are cooked.
   
2. Transfer to a small bowl and chill.
   
3. Combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in shrimp. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   
4. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; brush bread with remaining olive oil. Bake at 375º for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let breads cool. (Can be made ahead and stored in a zipper bag.) Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon shrimp mixture onto each bread slice, arrange on a tray and serve.
   

 

Roasted Cauliflower

Spread seasoned cauliflower evenly 

on a baking sheet.

Browned and ready to serve.

For a really quick, delicious and healthy weeknight

veggie, to accompany your meal, this will 

always be a go to choice!

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower rinsed and cut into bite sized pieces

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs or panko

1/4 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese

  Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss. You could also put the ingredients in a zip-lock bag and toss.  Spread evenly on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned evenly, and the cauliflower is tender.

Fennel Fig and Almond Bread

Beautifully browned with an intoxicating aroma!

Studded with fig and almond, every bite is full

of interesting flavor.

Making quick breads is fun and easy and a fast 

way to have something wonderful if friends 

are coming for coffee. 

I love all the flavors that are incorporated into this bread

and they are quite unique for a quick bread.

That was also a huge appeal for me in trying this recipe.

You can have banana, zucchini, blueberry, or poppy, at any time,

from almost any store or coffee shop. 

This is the real treat, that you won't find this anywhere, but your 

own home kitchen. 

Toasting the almonds, and crushing the fennel seeds, imparts a heady

smell in the kitchen before the bread even goes in the oven.

I adore figs, and am very fortunate to have a neighbor

with a fig tree.  Frequently, I am experimenting with 

a multitude of ideas on how to use them.

This bread makes me feel like I stepped into an

Italian kitchen, with all of its richness and flavor!

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed 

6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

2/3  cup sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups (8-9 oz) stemmed, diced, white or back dried figs

1 cup (about 4 oz.) slivered almonds, toasted

one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan, greased and bottom lined with greased parchment paper, cut to fit

Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and crushed fennel seeds in a medium bowl and stir well to mix.

In a large bowl (or bowl of a mixer) beat the margarine until smooth then beat in the sugar.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Beat half the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture, then gently beat in the milk about 1/2 at a time. Beat in remaining flour mixture, being careful not to over mix. Use a rubber spatula to fold in figs and almonds.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake bread until it is well risen and a toothpick or narrow knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour.

Cool the bread in the pan on rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it and cool on rack completely.

Auntie Inga's Sticky Chocolate Cake

Something so marvelous, between a flourless cake(the type that melts in your mouth) 

and a fudge brownie. In Sweden it is called, Kladdkaka.

What a fun recipe from a cute little cookbook.  The book has fun 

Scandinavian recipes, plus so much more.

I have enjoyed reading it from cover to cover.

Recipe Source: Scandikithchen the Essence of Hygge by Bronte Aurell

As Always,

ENJOY!

Ingredients

• 100g /1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 medium eggs
• 200g/ 1 cup caster sugar
• 150g/ 1 cup plain flour
• 4 tbsp Fazer cocoa powder (or a good quality cocoa powder)
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (we recommend Tørsleffs) or extract
• A pinch of salt
• Whipped cream to serve

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly
2. Whisk the egg and sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale
3. Weigh all the dry ingredients and sift them into the egg and sugar mixture. Fold in until everything is incorporated
4. Fold in the melted butter until you are left with a smooth chocolate mixture
5. Pour into a greased and parchment lined cake tin. This recipe fits a normal 8 inch deep round cake tin. The cake will not rise, but it will puff up slightly during baking
6. Bake at 180°C/350 F  for around 20 minutes. The exact time can vary, so keep an eye on the cake. A perfect kladdkaka is very soft in the middle, but not runny once it has cooled – but almost runny
7. If you press down gently on the cake whilst its baking, the crust should need a bit of pressure to crack. When this happens, the cake is done. Leave to cool in the tin for at least an hour.
8. Serve with whipped cream, dusted with Cocoa powder.