My husband shot this video while I made the last two of fifteen pies for a wedding.
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more about “Making Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie“, posted with vodpod
Impossibly Easy Vegetable Pie
Maybe I’m not the best judge of the quality of meals since I’m on an endless diet and I tend to think anything edible is good, but I really do favor this quiche-type dish and I end up making it a lot b/c it’s satisfying and low in calories (about 200 calories per 1/6th of the whole recipe). Den likes it too and as far as I can remember, he enjoyed it when he wasn’t on a diet (he ate it w/o complaining, anyway), so it’s probably safe for dieters and non-dieters alike.
This is my original version (based on a Betty Crocker recipe off their website), but I came up with this one for our dinner tonight b/c I found some sad looking leeks in the fridge that needed to be used in a jiffy and we didn’t have any milk. Using chicken broth made the meal even more low-cal and worked great!
Broccoli-Leek Vegetable Pie
3 leeks, sliced (white part only)
2 cups brocolli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/4 of a red pepper, chopped (I’d use more for color but this is all I had left)
1-2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
4 whole eggs
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Mix the vegetables with the cheese and spread in baking dish in an even layer. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl until smooth and pour over the vegetables. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until egg mixture is set in the middle and a knife comes out clean when inserted near the center.
Smoky Barbecue Chicken Pizza
After weeks of drooling over The Cooking Photographer‘s beautiful photographs of her weekly pizza creations, I finally broke down and made one myself, basing it off of her Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Bacon.
She actually recommended that I use my smoked cheddar for a pizza when I went to her for suggestions (after purchasing it on the fly with no plan in mind), and I commenced in sifting through her zillions of pizza photos on a Where’s Waldo hunt for those containing smoked cheese. There were several but I was still undecided as to which one to use until she posted her bbq pizza recipe and I thought it would be perfect for a smoky cheese. And it was.
LOL-she calls her recipe a bastardization and I bastardized it even further! If you want to make this, I’d recommend using Laura’s recipe (click the link above) and just subbing some smoked cheddar for one of the cheeses she uses. You’ll most certainly end up with a better pizza (dang it, I wish I’d had scallions!), but I think if you stick to the basic formula (bbq sauce + chicken + bacon = dynamite!) then there’s not much chance you’ll go wrong, no matter what other variations you incorporate.
I used my favorite pizza dough, Kraft original barbecue sauce, yellow onion, red, green and yellow peppers (all precooked & salted), canned mushrooms (drained well), grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, smoked cheddar & mozzarella. I prebaked my crust at 350 for 10 minutes, layered everything on (probably in the wrong order–does cheese go first or last?) and baked it at 450 for 10 minutes–which was just a tad too long-and dug in. Yup. Dynamite!
Next time I might try using the whole block of smoked cheese by itself to kick the smoky flavor up a notch, but at least this way I can make another pizza with the other half. :)
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Update 5-11-09
I made this pizza again, this time using a higher quality barbecue sauce, bacon, chicken cooked in the bacon grease, scallions & smoky cheddar only. I used a doughmakers large size pizza pan and did not prebake the crust. I baked it on the bottom rack at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes and it was perfect–soooooooo much better than the first time.
Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake
I’ve been wanting to make Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake ever since I laid eyes on it on Deb’s smittenkitchen website blog (my favorite!). Several years later, I magically had all the ingredients on hand and although I didn’t have a special occassion to make the cake for, I decided it was now or never!
The batter was billowy and scented with orange and I could tell that some big chocolate chunks were the perfect compliment! I was so excited as it baked and the wonderful smell filled the house. I cooked the orange glaze as the cake cooled in the pan for ten minutes, eagerly anticipating the first bite. But when I turned it over, nothing happened. OH NO. It was stuck! I shook it and shook it, banged and banged. Then finally….
It came loose, looking like the Cookie Monster had gotten ahold of it! My perfect, lovely cake…ruined.
OK, I stirred the chocolate chunks with flour as per the recipe directions. So WHY did they all sink to the bottom and stick to the pan, despite this precaution? I need some help here.
It’s not a good idea for me to be baking on an empty stomach b/c I get cranky when I’m hungry and stress tends to make me overeat. I was so mad when I turned the pan upside down and several pieces stuck that instead of trying to press them back into place as I usually would, I ate everything sticking to the pan in a fit of rage. The cake was wonderful, as expected, and the excessive ratio of chocolate helped calm me down, but I was still upset enough that I couldn’t resist licking all the excess chocolate ganache that dripped off the cake onto the plate below. Mmmm, ganache–the cure for all that ails you!
Anyway, the ganache covered up most of the ugliness, although you could still see dips and valleys, but Den’s co-workers couldn’t care less about the appearance of the treats I send with him, especially when they taste this good. 
Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake
From Barefoot Contessa Parties! (Directions modified by Veronica)
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks
Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Ganache:
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Liberally grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.
3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and apply the glaze to the cake with a pastry brush. Allow the cake to cool completely.
5. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.
Tips and Tricks of the (Baking) Trade
Some of my most basic baking essentials are reusable chopsticks, paper plates and a squirt bottle.
Chopsticks–the rounded end (the top is more square) is perfect for levelling off measuring cups & spoons. Most of my knives don’t have a straight edge and I really like using my reusable plastic chopsticks for this. They’re also handy for stirring coffee. :)
Paper plates–when measuring flour, cornmeal, sugar and powdered sugar, etc–I place my measuring cup on a single paper plate, pour the ingredient into the cup until heaped up, then level it off with a chopstick and let the extra fall onto the plate. After dumping the ingredient into the sifter or mixing bowl, I fold the plate and pour the extra back into the sack or into my measuring cup for the next measure of that ingredient. This is particularly useful for flour, since pouring it into the cup does not compact it the way dipping the cup into the sack does. Compacted flour can make your recipe too dry in some cases, especially with cakes.
Squirt bottle designated for water only–I use this on every cake I bake. Cakes tend to get dry around the edges and it’s very easy to fix by just squirting water directly onto the edges. I NEVER have a dry cake and get lots of compliments on it. Professional bakers use a simple syrup (sugar cooked with water) that they dab onto the cake with a pastry brush, but the water bottle method is so much easier and does not add needless calories or change the flavor of the cake at all. Just makes it more moist.
Carrot Cake
This carrot cake’s official name is “Best Carrot Cake,” but since I have yet to try it (already baked two of them but they’re for Easter so I’ll review it on Monday), I’m going to just call it “Carrot Cake” for now. Usually I approve a recipe before posting, but figured since it’s a popular cake on Easter, I’d better put it up now so that those searching for a recipe would have one, or another one if you’re like me and always searching for something better. :)
The recipe comes from Southern Living. I don’t know, it must be a southern thing, b/c I got the recipe for my favorite apple cake from Paula Deen (Grandgirl’s Fresh Apple Cake from Georgia) and she uses this same method of pouring buttermilk glaze over the cake when it’s hot out of the oven to seal in the moisture. This carrot cake recipe actually is really similar to the apple cake recipe (both have pecans & coconut and the batter has a similar texture) so if it’s anything near that one in taste, it’ll be a keeper.
Southern Living’s Best Carrot Cake
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup packed flaked coconut (or a 3 1/2 oz can)
1 cup chopped pecans
Buttermilk Glaze
Cream Cheese Frosting *
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cakepans, place a parchment paper or wax paper round in the bottom, then grease and flour the entire inside of all three pans. Alternately, if you’re just going to serve it out of a 9×13 pan, just grease the pan and you’re good to go.
Stir together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. About five minutes before the cakes are done, start the buttermilk glaze (click the link above to get the recipe). Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans (I had to give the bottom a good bang while upside down on the cooling rack to shake each loose), turn right-side up again and cool completely on wire racks. The glaze will continue to soak into the cakes while they cool.
While cake is cooling, prepare Cream Cheese Frosting (use recipe above or see note below). Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.
If you wish, you can press pecans or toasted coconut into the sides. If you’re feeling really ambitious, pipe carrots onto the cake using a tip 12 and leaves using tip 352 or 67 (I used the former). Starting at the top of the carrot, use heavy pressure and drag the tip downward, ever diminishing in pressure while moving the tip forward and back to make the ridges in the carrots. Finish the tip of the carrot by just pulling back with no pressure. Add the leaves–I don’t think mine are done right but I put three small on each one.
*The frosting recipe given here is pretty thin and not very condusive to a layer cake b/c it tends to ooze out the sides. My preferred recipe is much thicker and worked well when I used it on the second cake. To make it, cream one stick butter & one (8 oz) package cream cheese (both softened). Mix in a teaspoon of vanilla and a pound of powdered sugar (four cups) and beat until fluffy. *If you’re just going to serve it in the pan, the one give in the link above will work perfectly well.
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Update April 6, 2009
This cake has now been tested and widely approved by grandparents, teens, mothers and fathers, Christians and heathens, health nuts and the obese, carrot cake haters (my husband) and carrot cake lovers (everyone else), dogs, cats and spider monkeys. Well, most of that is true anyway.
This is the moistest (is that a word?) cake I have ever had–and I made it on Tuesday, people. By rights it should have been dried out and awful by Easter but it tasted like I had just made it. (Of course you have to store it in the fridge or freezer.) It is VERY rich and VERY good. So yes, you should have made it and if you didn’t, it would behoove you to find a good excuse to make it soon. I suggest a potluck where a lot of people are attending b/c a little goes long way. And because you’ll eat the whole thing yourself if you make it for your family and I don’t want to be held responsible for your 20-pound weight gain.
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Update 2/12/12: I won a red ribbon for this cake at the 2011 state fair!
Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie
A couple ordered an apple pie from me last month b/c they were searching for someone who could make their son’s groom’s cake, which he chose to be apple pie. They liked it so much they ordered 15 for the wedding and at first I regretted agreeing since it takes me about 3 hours to make a pie from scratch and I don’t have the heart to charge more than $10 a pie, which pretty much barely covers the cost of the ingredients (3 sticks of butter per pie, 8 apples, sugars, etc.) and supplies (pie tin & holder). But now that I’ve made all but 3 of the apple pies, I feel under less pressure and I have no regrets. I love to bake, so if someone is willing to pay for the ingredients, it gives me a good excuse to do it and I don’t even have to eat it which make my waistline happy! I guess this is just my weird way of looking on the positive side of slaving away in a hot kitchen on a warm spring day, my heart pounding with anxiety as I glance at the clock, thinking how little time I have left, and burn my fingers on the oven rack for the thirteenth time.
Anyway, all this to introduce my favorite recipe for apple pie. I know I caught your attention with the three sticks of butter comment, but I think the crazy amount of it just might be the secret to the deliciousness!! That, and the unconventional recipe for the filling. It’ll rock your friggin’ socks off.
Rich All-Purpose Pastry
This is my favorite basic pie crust. It is buttery, flaky, tender, extremely versatile and always reliable. The combination of butter and shortening is a good one–the butter adds flavor, the shortening, flakiness.
*Makes enough for two pies or one double-crust pie
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, cold and cut into 16 pieces
1/4 cup shortening, chilled in freezer
6-10 tbsp. ice cold water (I use a scant 1/3 cup every time)
Mix flour and salt. Cut the butter and shortening in with a pastry blender or food processor until pieces are the size of small peas. Add ice water and mix until it starts to form a ball. Divide dough in half, gather in your hands and gently shape each into a ball, flatten them into discs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. If it gets too hard I leave it on the counter until it’s pliable enough to roll out.
Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie
No, I don’t have a Grandma named Ople. I got the recipe off allrecipes.com so if you want the original version you can look it up there. This is mine, and I have a good reason for every change I made but I won’t bore you with all that!
1 recipe Rich All-Purpose Pastry
8 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour, mixed together in a small bowl
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Roll out one disc of pie dough on a lightly floured surface and arrange in a pie plate, trimming off the edges. Place plate in refrigerator until ready to use it.
Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the apple slices and mix well. Arrange apples in your prepared pie plate and set back in the fridge.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour until no lumps remain. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water and whisk until combined, then bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, leave it boiling over medium heat for five minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out your top pie crust.
Once caramel sauce has boiled for five minutes, pour slowly over the apples so that it can seep down into the cracks and not over the sides. Be careful–it’s really hot! (I’ve burned myself a lot on this stuff, trying to push a bit of overflow back into the crust with my bare fingers–owie!) Arrange the top crust over the apples, trim the edges, fold the edges under the edge of the bottom crust and flute with your fingers. For my tutorial on working with pie dough, including how I flute a crust, you can click here.
Brush the entire surface with the beaten egg, using a pastry brush. I suggest using a silicone brush–it doesn’t mar the surface of the crust and that’s important with this particular pie since the hot caramel softens the dough and makes it susceptible to damage.
Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue baking for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly & crust is browned. Oh, and be sure to use an oven liner or place a baking sheet below the pie b/c it almost always leaks!
Allow to cool overnight on a cooling rack.
Marissa’s Good Peas
At our Weight Watchers meeting this week, we talked about how we were going to make it through Easter and still lose weight…or just manage not to gain.
I’m planning on having the ham and indulging in a small slice of my carrot cake (recipe to come), but I’m also bringing “Marissa’s Good Peas” since they’re filling and low-cal (it has a lot of butter, but I give tips on lightening it up in the directions). Make it with the butter if you don’t care, but either way, they’re a good addition to your Easter spread.
Marissa’s Good Peas
(so named after she gave the recipe to her mother-in-law, who gave it to me)
1 bag frozen peas
1 can water chestnuts
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 stick melted butter
1 small envelope Italian dressing mix
Combine the veggies in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix the dressing mix with the butter and pour over the veggies; stir to incorporated. Microwave until heated through.
*I have made this using only peas, with all three veggies, and as in the photo above–with peas & water chestnuts. They are all good but I actually like it best with just the peas alone. To lighten it up, use Brummel & Brown’s Natural Yogurt spread or something else that has half the calories as butter. You really don’t need an equivalent amount–a whole stick seems like overkill to me. I generally use a tablespoon of the spread for every cup of peas. I don’t use a lot of the dressing mix either–just use it to your tastes.
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On a completely different subject, I have now lost 10 pounds with Weight Watchers. I have been on the program (this is my second time) for 6 weeks now. :)
Lighter Taco Salad
Have you ever had that wonderful white trash taco salad made with Doritos, taco meat, tons of cheese and an entire bottle of Catalina/French dressing? Oh yeah, I believe there may be some lettuce in there also. I personally love the stuff but DON’T love the calorie count. I prefer to splurge on dessert and tend to choose healthier options for my meals.
Well, I don’t see why I can’t have my cake and eat it too, so I took that atrocity of a “salad” and turned it into something I could feel good about eating on what is now almost a weekly basis. It has become one of my favorite go-to meals b/c it’s easy and so tasty. Plus, I like big portion sizes and the bulk of the lettuce allows you to get quite a big plateful for a fraction of the fat and calories in a teeny serving of the real stuff. That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.
Taco Salad
Serves 4
1 lb. ground bison
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 taco seasoning spice packet (or 3 tablespoons homemade seasoning)
1-2 bags of salad
4 oz. Guiltless Gourmet Mucho Nacho Chips or baked Doritos, crushed
1 cup 2% shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup light French or Catalina dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes)
salsa & sour cream for garnish, if desired
Brown the bison over medium heat, drain the broth and fat. Add the beans and taco seasoning, plus 3/4 cup water. Simmer on medium until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the meat with everything but the tomatoes and mix well. Divide between large plates and top with the tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream if you wish.
If you’re only cooking for one or two, just use a portion of the meat and halve/quarter the recipe for everything else. Save the meat mixture in the fridge for your next meal. If you make the whole thing and save it, you’ll have soggy chips the next time you dig in so I wouldn’t recommend that method unless you don’t mind soggy chips. Personally, I must have the crunch!
Zesty Lemon Pound Cakes
It was a race against time to use up the remainder of my buttermilk and I went nutso yesterday (exactly one week AFTER the stuff was supposed to have expired), searching for recipes calling for buttermilk…and I have saved up a surprising number of them, considering how rarely I have it on hand.
I chose three, and I’m happy to report that ALL of the buttermilk got used up before I had to dump it down the drain. I’m one of those annoying can’t-waste -anything-edible people. I will bring in burnt cookies to work b/c the thought of trashing them nearly sends me into an epileptic fit.
Anyway, I made a batch of Buttermilk Dressing (a wonderful dressing that’s low-cal without even trying to be), some Southern Style Oven Fried Chicken and some Zesty Lemon Pound Cakes, which just so happens to be one of my all time favorite spring-time treats.
You can tell from the texture of the batter that the cakes are going to be amazing. It is thick, velvety and almost airy despite its density. The cakes themselves…heavenly. Zesty, sweet, tart, rich, and just like the batter–they’re dense and airy at the same time. You can make them in little bundt pans or just bake it in a couple loaf pans–either way it will be wonderful.
Zesty Lemon Mini Pound Cakes
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3-4 tbsp. (about 3 medium lemons) grated lemon peel
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 mini fluted tube wells.
Melt chips and cool slightly.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and white chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Pour into tube wells.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire racks for 10 minutes.
Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Make holes in cakes with wooden pick; pour half of lemon glaze over cakes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto serving platter. Make holes on top of cakes, pour remaining glaze over.
Veronica's Cornucopia 