MOTHER'S DAY

To all the mothers who follow this blog...

MUFFIN PAN SUBSTITUTE

One of my friends says she does this and it works great.

CLASSIC DOUBLE PIE CRUST FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR

Posting this King Arthur Flour recipe here for my benefit. I want to give this a try.

CRUST

• 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour Blend
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt*
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 10 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter
• 6 to 10 tablespoons ice water**
• *Reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon if you use salted butter.
• **Use the lesser amount of water if you use Pastry Flour Blend.

TOPPING (OPTIONAL)

• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon coarse sparkling sugar

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour and salt.
2. Add the shortening, working it in until the mixture is evenly crumbly.
3. Cut the butter into small (about ½") cubes.
4. Add the butter to the flour mixture, and work it in roughly with your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a mixer. Don't be too thorough; the mixture should be very uneven, with big chunks of butter in among the smaller ones.
5. Add 4 tablespoons of water, and toss to combine.
6. Toss with enough additional water to make a chunky, fairly cohesive mixture. It should hold together when you gather it up and squeeze it in your hand.
7. Divide the dough in half, and gather each half into a rough disk. Smooth the disks; it's OK if they have a few cracks in the surface. Smooth the disks' edges by running them along a floured surface like a wheel.
8. Wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Or wrap in aluminum foil over the plastic, and freeze for up to 2 months.
9. When you're ready to make pie, remove the crust from the refrigerator or freezer, leaving it wrapped. Allow it to thaw (if it's frozen) or warm a bit (if it's been chilled longer than 30 minutes), until it's softened enough to roll, but still feels cold to the touch.
10. Next, measure the bottom diameter, and up the sides of your pie pan. If your pan is 7" across the bottom, and 1 ½" up each side, that's a total of 10". This means you should roll your bottom crust to a diameter between 11" and 12", which gives you enough extra for crimping the edges.
11. Place the crust on a floured work surface; our silicone rolling mat is a fine choice. Roll it to the desired width. See the big chunks of butter? That's a good thing.
12. Place the crust in the pan by folding in quarters and placing in the pan. Or you can simply pick it up with a piecrust lifter, and move it that way.
13. For a single-crust pie, fold the edges of the crust under, and gently squeeze them together. Crimp as desired. It's nice to make a tall crimp, as the filling for a single-crust pie is usually fairly liquid (think pumpkin or custard), and it's good to have that tall "dam."
14. For a double-crust pie, leave the edges of the bottom crust as is (no folding or crimping). Once you've added the pie filling, roll out the top crust to the outside diameter of your pan, and place it atop the filling.
15. Trim excess crust with a pair of scissors, then press the two edges together.
16. Crimp as desired. A simple fork crimp is fast and easy. At this point, it helps to return the pie to the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes; this chills the fat, which ultimately increases the crust's flakiness.
17. Cut a hole in the center of the crust for steam to escape. Or slash the pie's top surface several times.
18. Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar, if desired.
19. Bake... enjoy!
    
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JELL-O PIZZAS

What a fun cool dessert for kids on a hot day or an after school snack. (I can't believe kids are already heading back -to-school!)

2 pkgs (4-serving size) JELL-O gelatin dessert (grape is pictured but any flavor may be used)
2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold water
Frozen whipped topping, thawed
Assortment of small fresh fruit* for topping

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely, about two minutes. Stir in the cold water. Pour gelatin into a 13-x-9-inch pan. Refrigerate at least 3 hours until firm.

To make the pizzas, pour about 4-inches of warm, not hot, water in sink. Dip pan briefly in the warm water, being careful not to get water on the gelatin. Using the rim of a large glass or a large round cookie cutter, cut out the circles. Lift carefully from the pan to serving plates.

Spoon whipped topping over the circles and decorate with the pieces of fresh fruit.

*Suggestions include white and red grapes, blueberries, raspberries, mandarin orange slices cut in half, etc.

Note: Layer the leftover pieces of Jell-O in parfait glasses with whipped topping.

THE BEAUTY OF THIS RECIPE IS THAT YOU CAN USE SUGAR-FREE JELL-O TO MAKE A FUN DIABETIC DESSERT FOR DIABETIC CHILDREN.

APPLE BUTTER PUMPKIN PIE

1 unbaked pie shell
1 cup apple butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 large eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 egg white
Whipped cream for serving
Ground cinnamon for garnish, if desired.

Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the apple butter, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt and spices; stir in the eggs. Gradually add the milk, mixing well using an electric mixer on low.

Brush the inside of the pie shell with egg white, coating lightly; discard any remaining egg. Using a fork make pricks in the bottom of the crust. Pour the filling mixture into the pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 35 minutes or until the center is slightly puffed and jiggles a bit when the pan is lightly tapped.


Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve topped with whipped cream lightly sprinkled with ground cinnamon, if desired. I suggest the cinnamon as it is a blood sugar stabilizer and always a good idea with sweets when it is tasty.

Note: File Photo

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LAYERED PUMPKIN CAKE WITH CARAMEL AND PECANS

I got this cake recipe from a friend's facebook post. It is from Chef Ron Lock and his information is at the end of the post. Haven't tried it yet but I plan to. Perhaps some of you would like to try it, too.

(This cake is a total show stopper. The mixed flavors and textures pecans, caramel and cream cheese make this one of best pumpkin recipes of all time! Enjoy!)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided - 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped Pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in stand mixer, or, beat in a large bowl with a hand mixer.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

Put the cake pans in the oven and bake for 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Remove the cakes from the pans and transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with hand mixer, or stand alone mixer, until creamy. Add in the sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in the whipped topping.

Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers, leaving top layer unfrosted. Do not frost the top layer!

Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/TheChefRonLock

MANDARIN-ORANGE PINEAPPLE CAKE

A friend from Kentucky sent me this cake recipe. Some call it Pig Cake or Pig Pickin' Cake.

1 box Duncan Hines Butter Cake mix
1/2 cup Wesson oil
1 11- ounce can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, oil, oranges with juice, sugar and eggs. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees in 3 greased, floured and lined with wax paper pans for about 20 minutes or until center of the cake bounces back when touched. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on cooling racks.

Icing
1 12 ounce tub of Cool Whip
small instant vanilla pudding mix
1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple

Icing
Drain juice from pineapple and set aside (If the icing seems to be too thick you can use it to thin it out a bit).

Mix pineapple with the instant vanilla pudding. Stir in Cool Whip. Frost the cake according to these directions. Store the cake in the refrigerator. I think it is better the next day.

 — with Dianna Emmert Gillia

CREAM CHEESE PEACH PIE DELIGHT

1 package of white or yellow dry cake mix

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, divided
29 ounce can of peach slices, drained
8 ounces of Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray. In large bowl combine cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Mix until crumbly. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of crumbs for topping. Press remaining crumbs in bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Cut Peach slices into 1 inch pieces. You can use frozen or fresh peaches if you choose but I like canned for this particular recipe because of the short baking time. Spoon into partially baked crust. In large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla extract. Beat with mixer until creamy. Spoon over peaches. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Bake 30 minutes. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source Huffington Post

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

HAPPY FLAG DAY