TWD apple cheddar & apple cinnamon scones...

This really is my kind of recipe...simple, delicious, quick...you get where I'm going with this. The original recipe calls for dried apples & cheddar cheese. While those are wonderful on their own, I thought a little cinnamon and nutmeg in place of the cheddar would make a nice sweet option. I was right. I made half with apples and cheddar & half with apples, cinnamon & nutmeg. The apples in both scones are really just a subtle hint of sweetness that really was tasty.

I have made scones many times before, and I found this to be the easiest recipe yet, and with the same wonderful results as other, more time consuming recipes.

Thanks Karina for the excellent choice! For the complete recipe you can visit Karina at The Floured Apron, or for all of Dorie Greenspan's amazing recipe's, her book , Baking: From My Home to Yours would be a fabulous addition to any kitchen!!

grilled pizza...

WOW! I didn't realize how long it had been since I last posted. There have been quite a few recipe repeats, BBQ's & even a little eating out...

We first fell in love with this pizza on Father's Day & I couldn't wait to make it again.

All you need is pizza dough, store bought or homemade (I lucked out & found balls of dough in the bakery at my grocery store for...$1.50...LOVE IT!!)

Divide dough into individual servings & roll out on a well floured counter. Place dough on the grill (I brushed the grill with a little olive oil first) and cook over med-med low heat on one side. Turn over & partially cook the other side. Have all of your toppings ready to go, remove dough & assemble pizza toppings on the first/fully cooked side. Put pizza back on the grill & cook until the cheese melts.

This really couldn't be easier and is so very, very delicious!

Give this a try this Summer...you'll be hooked!

*to make this even easier just use pita pockets or flat bread instead of dough*

peach raspberry shortcake...

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp cold butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

sweetened, whipped cream

ripe peaches; diced

raspberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Blend in the butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will be sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands and pat the dough out 3/4-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough.
Cut biscuits with any size or shape cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on size of biscuits), until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked. Let cool on a wire rack.

Split each shortcake in half crosswise and place the bottom half on a plate. Spoon whipped cream on top, then place the sliced peaches and raspberries on the whipped cream, then place the other half of the shortcake on top and serve.

This is a very elegant take on shortcake. They are very biscuit-like, and very rich. The sugar sprinkled on the top created an extra sweetness that was really tasty. You could add a little more sugar to the dough for extra sweetness, but try it, as is, first. Also, milk could very easily be substituted for the heavy cream in the dough. The cream made it extremely rich.

When patting out, stick to the 3/4 in to 1 in thickness. Any thinner than that and you will end up with hockey pucks. Try not to handle the dough too much before cutting out. You want the butter to stay cold so they will be light and fluffy.

It would be very cute to cut out with a star, heart, etc. Just remember to keep the dough on the thick side. I used a 2 inch in diameter biscuit cutter that made about 20 servings.

recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa...LOVE her!!

corn...

*corn pudding*

1/2 cup butter; melted

1 can creamed corn

1 can corn; drained

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (8.5 oz size)

1 16oz container sour cream

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl & transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 min. or until lightly golden on the top & set.

I have cut this in half (the full recipe makes A LOT for a side dish) and I have also used fat free sour cream (NO difference in the taste). This is sooooo easy and really tasty!

*creamy corn*

2 tsp butter
1/4 cup green onions, minced
2 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, or fresh corn (no need to thaw frozen corn)
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add corn and sauté 1 minute to heat through (or slightly longer if using frozen corn). Add flour and stir to coat corn and scallions. Add milk and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, until mixture thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.

This was so much better than the canned stuff. I didn't have any green onions on hand so I just used a little chopped onion & it worked fine. Although a little green color in there would be nice!

TWD peppermint cream puffs...

Absolutely divine!

This recipe, chosen by Caroline from A Consuming Passion, was amazing. It was originally supposed to be a cream puff ring. I read that other TWD bakers were having problems with their "rings" collapsing, so I took the petite cream puff route.

I have made pate a choux (or choux paste...or cream puff dough...) many times before, and was anxious to try Dorie's recipe. LOVED it. The cream puffs had the exact flavor a cream puff should have, and were also the perfect consistency...crisp on the outside, moist on the inside.

It was also relatively easy to pull together.

The chocolate on the outside & the crunch of the almonds just added an extra wonderful flavor and texture.

This will definitely be made in my kitchen again, and again, and again...!!

pesto...

Have you tried this??? I've been wanting to try my hand at homemade pesto for a while, but my friend/neighbor introduced me to this little baby & I see no reason to make my own. It is fabulous with multi grain crackers (also from Costco), or...

...mix it in with pasta, add a little grated parmesan cheese (NOT the kind in the green can...) and dive in. This is seriously goooood!

Pesto can be a little rich, and has a quick expiration date because of the fresh basil, so if you don't think you will use it all up before then just freeze half for later (a little olive oil drizzled over the top before freezing helps retain the color.)

southwest chicken lasagna...

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast; cooked & cut in 1 in. pieces
30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 oz chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 medium corn tortilla(s), cut into 2-inch strips
salsa, or taco sauce

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
Place chicken in a large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilis, cumin, and pepper; mix well and set aside.
Arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface. Top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
Bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with salsa on the side.

The salsa on the side really made this yummy. It was very easy to put together, especially if you can cook the chicken earlier in the day. This tasted even better the second day...and I'm not a fan of leftovers!

roasted green beans...

fresh green beans, trimmed

sliced onion

olive oil

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place green beans & onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss lightly with hands. Roast until tender and slightly browned. Turn a couple of times during roasting.

A favorite!!!

TWD La Palette's Strawberry Tart...

I received some little tart pans that had belonged to my Grandma & have been waiting for an opportunity worthy of using them. That opportunity came along with this weeks recipe, chosen by Marie from A Year At Oak Cottage.

This is one of the more simple recipes we've taken on lately at Tuesdays With Dorie, and that is exactly what I loved about it. Sometimes the simple things are the most wonderful. This strawberry tart definitely proves that. No need to mess around with this one in my book...it is PERFECT just the way it is!

The recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan's fabulous book, Baking from my Home to Yours on page 374.

chocolate dipped bananas...

8 bananas (not too ripe)

1 1/2 pkg chocolate flavored almond bark

16 popsicle sticks

sprinkles, decorating sugar, chopped nuts, etc.

small piece of styrofoam

Peel bananas & cut in half. Place on a paper lined baking sheet & freeze for about 30 min. Remove from freezer and carefully insert popsicle sticks. Return to freezer. Melt almond bark according to pkg directions. Dip frozen bananas & quickly top with nuts, sprinkles, etc. Stick popsicle stick end in styrofoam and return to freezer until ready to eat.

My 10 year old twins celebrated their Birthday today with an ice cream bar. We decided to turn traditional banana splits into something a little more special with chocolate dipped bananas. YUM! We had fun making them & we had fun eating them. They went fast! These make a great Summer treat, as well.

banana peach smoothie...

1 can (15 oz) lite sliced peaches

1 medium banana

1 cup milk

1 cup ice

1 6oz can pineapple juice

Mix thoroughly in blender. Makes 4-10oz servings.

BAD picture...fabulous smoothie!

broccoli cheddar quiche...

6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated
1 Tbsp dried onion or 1/2 onion; finely chopped
1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.
Place onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

Looking for something really delicious for dinner?? (or breakfast, or a light lunch) This wasn't even cooking, it was assembling. If your family doesn't like broccoli, make them something else & enjoy this for yourself (it makes fabulous leftovers). If you don't like broccoli (shame on you) substitute for frozen (well drained) spinach, or any combination of veggies. If you are not a fan of Dijon mustard you can cetainly leave it out, it just adds a little zip to the finished product.And guess what? Even with the pie crust, if you limit yourself to one serving...it is low cal & low fat. YAY!!

TWD french chocolate brownies...

Mmmmmmmm! These babies really are a beautiful thing. Surprisingly gooey & fudgy in the middle, despite the crisp layer on the top. Again...mmmmmm! The only changes I made to the original recipe was trading the rum soaked raisins for chopped pecans, and I used semi sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. Have I mentioned...mmmmm yummy?!?!?

Thanks Di for the fabulous selection!!

- makes 16 brownies

-Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.
Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.
Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.
Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.
Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.