dessert

Cooking Up Fresh Cherry Dessert in the Country

July 6, 2015July 9, 2015 RefreshHer1 Comment

Last Friday I shared about buying fresh cherries recently. I wanted to bake them up into something yummy and I came across this recipe on the Internet…

It turned out to be a not-too-sweet dessert, but a really delicious one. It took me longer to pit the cherries than it did to assemble the crumble. It made six small servings; perfect after dinner with a scoop of ice cream on it!

I found Rainier cherries that look like this…

They have a yellow/red skin and are mild flavored. They were developed in Washington state and are named after Mount Rainier. They are considered to be a premium cherry. This yellowish colored fruit doesn’t stain your fingers when you’re working with them! I loved them. They’re pretty, and tasty and perfect for this dessert of Cherry Crumble! Here’s how it was made:

Fresh Cherry Crumble/Crisp Recipe

makes 6 small servings
For cherry mixture

2 cups pitted, fresh cherries
2 tbsp sugar (this will produce a mildly sweet crumble. add more sugar if you like)
4 tbsp water
1 tsp corn starch

Cherry Crumble — Click on picture to enlarge

For streusel or crumb topping
3/4 cup flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
a pinch of ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted plus more to butter baking dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the pitted cherries and sugar in a saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or untill the cherries are lightly softened. Mix together the corn starch and water and add it to the cherries. Cook for about 1 minute or till the mixture thickens.

To make the streusel or crumb topping, combine the flour, brown and white sugars, cinnamon and salt together. Mix well. Then pour in the melted butter. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until it forms a crumbly mixture.

Lightly butter a baking dish (I used 6 individual sized creme brulee dishes). Divide the cherry mixture among the dishes. Place the crumb topping on top and bake for 15 minutes or till the topping has lightly browned.

Who could resist this:

Have you ever used Rainier Cherries? What did you make? This dessert is fancy enough for a special occasion, but simple enough for a weeknight. Good stuff!

With love from my country kitchen,

What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

April 13, 2015April 12, 2015 RefreshHer2 Comments

What did you bring (to the potluck)?

Ever get asked that when you go to a family or church gathering? I think it’s the most popular question! Who cares where you went on vacation or how you’re feeling after having the flu for two weeks? We want to know what you brought that was yummy for us to eat! (Just kidding!)

A great to-go recipe is sometimes just a simple something like an old recipe. That’s what I took to our church’s Friend Day picnic yesterday. I made a salad that I’ve been making for close to thirty years. Sometimes I forget to go back to those old tried and true recipes! What was I thinking for leaving this recipe in the dust? It’s so delicious, so pretty, and it is made the night before!

What is it? It’s the trusty Seven-Layer Salad. Have you ever made it? Has it been in your recipe box forgotten and tucked away? Why not make it for your next gathering or for your dinner one night this week? You can vary the ingredients you add, making it just what you and your family love. I like it, too, because it takes common foods that I usually have on hand. It stays fresh and crispy with the dressing on top. Put it in a clear bowl so each layer will show off its colors!

Seven Layer Salad – Original recipe – Serves 12

1 pound bacon
1 large head iceberg lettuce – rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed
10 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
In a large flat bowl, place the chopped lettuce and top with a layer of onion, peas, shredded cheese, cauliflower and bacon.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle over salad and refrigerate until chilled.

I did try a new dessert for the picnic…Butterscotch Blondies! I found these in my Cooking Light Baking Cookbook. I seriously don’t miss any of the fat in the “normal” recipe! This is another recipe that has common ingredients .No tofu or agave needed – just less of the normal baking supplies! I love that! These are rich and gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside! All they need is a cold glass of milk!

Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 Egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, firmly packed light brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Place butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Pour into a small bowl, and cool 10 minutes.

Combine butter and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Pour butter mixture over flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; smooth top with spatula. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.

Those blonde brownies are a yummy treat! Don’t wait for a special potluck to make them. You need these this week!

Have you made any of your old recipes recently? What was it?

With love from my country kitchen,

dessert

What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

September 30, 2013April 6, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

Welcome to the country! We have always loved coming home for a meal – country or not. There’s nothing better than coming home to the smell of dinner cooking and enjoying it in the setting of your own home! Even if it’s something as simple as Barbecued Chicken in the crock pot, when you serve it to people you love in an inviting setting, you will be touching hearts, as well as stomachs!

We are enjoying having Alli and her fiance’, Andrew here on the weekends as Andrew comes to intern at our church! My husband told them the only reason they were excited abut coming was due to the food. I’m not sure about that, but I love it when they get excited about what we’re having for dinner!

The cute couple (and a little look into my dining area!). Alli, the author of The Cheerful Closet,
will gasp when she sees I’ve posted this picture of her after she’d changed out of her
adorable Sunday outfit! Oh well, that’as the risk you take when your mother is also a blogger! =)

Barbecued chicken was indeed on our menu, but also a little twist on a potato recipe that I found on Pioneer Woman’s blog. These are Red potatoes that are boiled, then popped into a hot oven to crisp up. They are fantastic! I realized they’re also a good choice for a fast Sunday potato. I boiled them before going to church, then did the second half of the prep when I got home.

Here’s what we had yesterday:

Barbecued Chicken

Hot Crash Potatoes

Corn Saute’

French Bread

Caramel Banana Pound Cake

To do the chicken in my crock pot, I placed the chicken in the bottom then poured barbecue sauce over top. I also add about 1/2 cup of water. I put it on low so it wouldn’t dry out. Mine cooked for about four hours. My crock pot cooks a bit fast, so you may need to adjust the time for yours.

For the Smash potatoes, boil red skinned potatoes in water until fork tender. Place on a baking sheet and smash them down a little flat.

Place them on a baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper them. I added some salt/garlic/rosemary blend I had. Add whatever herbs you like. Place them in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until crispy. Sprinkle with parsley.

This is a simple, but super yummy ending to a meal…

Ingles had pound cake buy one, get one free last week, so I chose a dessert to use that yummy baked- ahead cake. This is a dessert that you just assemble! Place pound cake on a dessert plate, then layer with sliced bananas. Drizzle with warm caramel sauce (I made one up last week, but you could just buy an ice cream topping) and top with whipped cream.

Caramel Sauce:

½ Cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup evaporated milk

In saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Add vanilla and milk. Cook for a few minutes until it thickens a bit. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pastor Encouragement – Pray that your pastor will use wise time management and that he will seek God’s perspective for his schedule, guarding his time against unnecessary interruptions.

Husband Encouragement: Is your husband a forgiving man? Does he keep short accounts of your problems? Express your thankfulness for such a man. Does your husband seem to harbor grudges against you? If so, could there be things you need to change? Do you possibly need to ask forgiveness for an offense?

No matter how your husband handles his heart, you are called to freedom from bitter roots. Take time today to dig them out and remove what’s contaminating your relationship with your husband and with the Lord.

What was on your menu this weekend?

Is anyone giving out encouragement? Are you seeing fruits from it?

Thanks for stopping by my country kitchen today!

With love from the country,

dessert

Freshen Up Friday

September 27, 2013July 19, 2015 RefreshHer12 Comments

To freshen up your Friday, how about refreshment for your home and your wardrobe? My girls have both recently started blogs concerning these subjects!

Whitney’s is about comforts at home. She posted yesterday about creating an inviting front door. It’s true that sometimes people can be confused about which door they should come to when they arrive at your house. Whitney had some good suggestions about your front door making a little announcement that will help guests know where to enter. Check out her good ideas and pretty pictures.

Dressing is an area of life that can be a chore and a bore. We get into a rut of wearing the same pieces with the same other pieces in the same old way. Can you relate? Alli is writing a blog about creating a Cheerful Closet! Now, who wouldn’t welcome that?! She has some great suggestions about accessories, and also adding items to your wardrobe on a budget.

Could I encourage you about one other area of refreshment? It’s called hospitality. Think back to the last time you had folks over (other than family members) for a time of fellowship. Maybe it was recently; if so, I applaud you! If it’s been a while, can I remind you about what a blessing it is to invite people in for fun, food, and fellowship? It’s great!

Fall is an easy time to plan a simple entertaining menu and have folks over. Fry up canned biscuits in oil, then toss in granulated sugar and you’ll have a doughnut that is worth licking your fingers to finish! Pull out the Uno cards (after everyone has washed the sugar off their hands) and laugh and enjoy some great fun. Keep it simple and everyone will want to come again. The point is, you don’t need a beautiful home that’s magazine-worthy. You just need a simple menu and a heart for others. Obey the command to show hospitality. You’ll be refreshed as you refresh others!

If you need a great recipe for a fall dessert, I have a perfect tasting and perfectly simple one for you:

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup margarine, melted, (I reduced this to 1/2 cup and it was great)
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9×13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well, and spread into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture, and pat down. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix, then drizzle with melted margarine.
Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, ( I baked mine about 40 -45 minutes!) or until done. Top with whipped topping when ready to serve.

Now for some encouragement you can serve up…

Pastor Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will be a man of worship and prayer, and that he will lead by example – teaching the congregation how to walk in a close relationship with the Father.

Husband Encouragement: When you look at your husband, what do you see? Strong arms? Hairy chest? Firm hands? Big feet? Rugged chin? Wide shoulders? Compassionate eyes? Broad smile? Whatever his physical size, shape, or characteristics may be, the way you see him has a profound affect. Almost nothing is as devastating to a man as the belief that his wife finds him repulsive. Sadly, many women unwisely criticize their husbands’ bodies.

Have you ever considered how wonderfully God designed men and women? No matter how a man looks—by the standards of the world — a loving God designed them all, and they are all beautiful in His sight. Encourage your husband today by praising his uniqueness.

As you look over your husband’s body, from the tip of his toes to his bald or bushy head, thank God that your husband is “wonderfully made,” then admire your husband verbally.

See you in church!

Be refreshed,

dessert · Pasta

What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

September 16, 2013July 21, 2024 RefreshHer6 Comments

I love it when I can find a dish that would normally be a pretty high fat/calorie dish and it’s reduced on Cooking Light’s site! I stumbled across a Tomato Cheese Ravioli dish last week that was so fresh tasting and yet still had all the “yummyness” of cheese and pasta that we all love.

breadsticks 1

The recipe was super easy to put together.

Cheese Ravioli with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 pound cherry tomatoes
2 shallots, cut into wedges
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces cheese ravioli

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Halve half of tomatoes. Arrange cut tomatoes, whole tomatoes, and shallots on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; toss.
Bake at 425° for 35 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to pan. Bake 10 minutes.
4. Cook ravioli according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain ravioli, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add ravioli to tomatoes; toss. Add cooking liquid, if needed. Garnish with chopped basil.Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; toss.

breadsticks 3

I did my own little bread with olive oil and spices like they serve a Carrabbas. I used a spice mix my daughter brought me for a hostess gift a while back. Wow. I served fresh broccoli alongside, and it made for a colorful addition to the pasta main dish.

Now, how about a great dessert?!

Southern Living’s photo

Have you ever cut out a recipe from a magazine and dreamed about making it? Such was the case with a Chocolate mint Cake recipe I got from a Southern Living Magazine a couple years ago. I LOVE chocolate and mint anything, so when I saw this cake idea, I could only imagine it like a giant Peppermint Patty. I was not disappointed! Since I celebrated a birthday last week and Whitney will be celebrating one in a couple weeks, I decided to make the cake to celebrate both our days while she was home this weekend. We were both happy!

I made a few alterations to the recipe; you’ll see them in italics.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) package light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation: I would recommend baking the cake layers early in the week and freezing them.

Melt semisweet chocolate morsels in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 30-second intervals until melted (about 1 1/2 minutes total time). Stir until smooth.

Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer, beating about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Use immediately, following directions for desired cake.

Pour batter into 2 9-inch cake pans (or 3 8-inch pans). Caution: grease and paper the pans with waxed or parchment paper! How do I know? One of my layers is in the freezer to be used for a trifle! Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks. Spread Peppermint filling between cake layers. Spread Chocolate Ganache evenly on top and sides of cake.

Note:
The addition of hot water at the end of this recipe makes for an exceptionally moist cake.

Peppermint Filling
Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil

Preparation

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in peppermint oil. Refrigerate this filling to it will get to a spreading consistency. Otherwise, it will just run down the sides of the cake layers.
Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache
1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons butter
Preparation

1. Microwave semisweet chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter, and let stand 20 minutes.
2. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. I had to refrigerate for a short amount of time.

Assemble the whole cake a day before and refrigerate it and it will slice perfectly and beautifully!

One more thing before we go…how about serving up some encouragement?

Pastor Encouragement: Ask God to protect your pastor from the evil plots of Satan. Pray that he will not be corrupted as he rubs shoulders with the world in the course of ministry.

Husband Encouragement: Does your husband know that you think he is attractive? What was one of the characteristics in your husband that first drew you to him? Was it a physical characteristic or something else? Was it his gentle, compassionate eyes? Kindness or concern for others? An easygoing confidence? A steadiness that comes from trusting in the Lord? Strength of character in a culture that lacks integrity? Do you see at least a glimpse of that characteristic in him today? Whatever it is, tell him! If you still have any of your old love letters, re-read them for clues to deepen your current level of appreciation for your spouse.

How are you doing with your encouragement challenge? Are you making it a part of each day? Are you seeing the power your words are in prayer for your pastor? In building your husband?

With love from my country kitchen,