Plum Galette

Because I discovered that galettes are fun and we had a bajillion plums and my best friend's family was visiting and they love plums. Enter the plum galette. 

Crust ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Crisco
2 Tbsp. ice water
Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and crisco. Cut Crisco through with knife and combine with flour. Combine until Crisco is combined with flour mixture. Add water and roll out on a flat, flour coated surface. Lay flat on parchment paper

Filling ingredients: 

1 1/2 pounds of plums

3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
2 Tbsp orange juice

dash of salt

3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. raw sugar

Directions:

1. Quarter plums and mix with the 3/4 c. sugar, water, orange juice, salt and flour. Place in the middle of the pie crust and fold up the edges.
2. Brush pie crust with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 400 for 45 - 50 minutes.
3. Serve with vanilla ice cream (duh).

Cherry Galette

One day we got cherries from the CSA. But, not enough cherries to make a pie, and they weren't sweet enough to just eat. The solution: cherry galette. Or a small, flat pie. 

Recipe adapted from Grandma's recipe book and Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Crust ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Crisco
2 Tbsp. ice water
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. raw sugar


Filling Ingredients:
2 c. pitted fresh ripe tart red cherries,
3/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and crisco. Cut Crisco through with knife and combine with flour. Combine until Crisco is combined with flour mixture. Add water and roll out on a flat, flour coated surface. 
2. Mix filling ingredients and place in the middle of the pie crust.
3. Fold up edges. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar
4. Bake at 400 for 50 to 55 minutes until crust is golden (I would bake on parchment paper to minimize the mess.)

Peach Crumb Pie

Because sometimes you can't just make the same peach pie over and over again no matter how delicious it is. and a crumb topping makes everything, everything better.

Recipe adapted from Grandma's recipe book and Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Crust ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Crisco
2 Tbsp. ice water
Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and crisco. Cut Crisco through with knife and combine with flour. Combine until Crisco is combined with flour mixture. Add water and roll out on a flat, flour coated surface. Lay in pie pan and patch cracks (let's face it, they happen).

Filling ingredients: 

5 c. sliced peaches (8 peaches, maybe - I mixed yellow and white peaches)

3/4 c. - 1 c. sugar

dash of salt

3 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1. Boil peaches in large pot for 1 minute, then peel, core and slice. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and fill pie. Top with crumb topping (below). Bake at 400 for 45 - 50 minutes.
2. Serve with vanilla ice cream (duh).

Topping ingredients:

1/3 c. sugar

3/4 c. flour

6 T. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly. Top the pie.

Plum Upside Down Cake

How many variations of plum desserts are there? We're well on our way to finding out.. This time my childhood best friend was visiting and we whipped up a plum upside down cake - with only minor burns ensuing. The plums created a delicious pseudo frosting and the sponge cake was perfect.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart and Drizzle and Dip

Ingredients
10-12 red or purple plums
6 Tbsp. butter
9 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions

1. Cut plums into quarters and remove pits. heat 6 Tbsp. butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until it sizzles. Add plums and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add 9 Tbsp. sugar and cinnamon. Cook stirring frequently, 10-15 minutes. Remove fruit with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Remove pan from heat and save syrup.
3. Butter and flour a 9 1/2 by 2 inch round cake pan. Arrange cut fruit with cut edges down. 
4. Return syrup to medium heat and boil until thick with large bubbles. Immediately pour over fruit and set aside.a
5. Preheat oven to 325. Beat 1 c. butter and 1c. sugar until light and fluffy. Add almond extract and eggs one at a time, allowing to fully combine between each addition.
6. Pour over plums and cook 1 hour.
7. Let cool, run a knife around the outside edge and invert.

Peach Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

I'm on a quinoa craze right now. At first, I was terrified of quinoa. I mean, how do you even say "quinoa" ? As it turns out, it's keen-wah. Regardless, I'm a starch and carb-loving midwesterner at heart. Quinoa wasn't one of my things. Until I tried tabouleh, recipe to follow in weeks to come. Now, I'm on a craze and decided to have it for breakfast with some of our CSA fruits.

Ingredients
1/4 c. quinoa
1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 peach
hand full of sliced almonds
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1. Mix quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until all of the water is evaporated. 
2. Fluff quinoa and move to a separate bowl. Mix in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Top with fruit and almonds. Enjoy warm!

Guacamole (for a crowd)

My guacamole brings all the boys to the yard. (except that I broke up with boyfriend a few weeks ago, but he really did like that guacamole.) Anyways, my roommate used to say that in college and then demand I make guacamole. So this is my treasured guacamole recipe. I think nothing is better than a few simple, fresh ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 avocados
2 garlic cloves, minced.
salt
3/4 lime, juiced

Directions:

1. Peel, pit and mash avocados. Add garlic, salt and lime juice. Serve with chips. NOM.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

A couple summers ago I was a personal chef for an elderly couple. The first meal I ever took them? These delicious pan-seared Parmesan crusted pork chops. And the recipe is practically fool-proof...practically, of course. I've made them time and again for various occasions. They're even easy enough to cook in a dorm/college apartment kitchen with a half-sized stove.

Disclaimer: I have no idea where my mom got this recipe, but I got it from her.

Ingredients:
4 bone-in pork chops
1 1/2 c. unseasoned panko crumbs
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. flour
salt & pepper
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. ground sage
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Beat eggs and pour into a separate. In another plate, mix panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and sage.
2. Dredge pork chops in flour until completely coated, followed by egg and finally Panko mixture.
3. Melt butter and mix with oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook pork chops for 2 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer pork chops in pan to oven and cook for 20 minutes. (Note: Pork chops should reach an internal temperature of 150.)

Peach Pie

Peach pie (aka summer incarnate) is one of my favorites. I say that a lot. I guess I like food (aka why I'll never have a six pack). But, back to peach pie. My grandma's crust recipe and our fresh CSA farm peaches. Yuuuuuuum. A dash of cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg and just enough sweetness.

Recipe adapted from Grandma's recipe book and Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Crust ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. + 1 Tbsp. Crisco
2 Tbsp. ice water
Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt and crisco. Cut Crisco through with knife and combine with flour. Combine until Crisco is combined with flour mixture. Add water and roll out on a flat, flour coated surface. Lay in pie pan and patch cracks (let's face it, they happen).

Filling ingredients: 

5 c. sliced peaches (8 peaches, maybe - I mixed yellow and white peaches)

3/4 c. - 1 c. sugar

dash of salt

3 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1. Boil peaches in large pot for 1 minute, then peel, core and slice. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and fill pie. Bake at 400 for 45 - 50 minutes.
2. Serve with vanilla ice cream (duh).

Canadian Bacon & Scrambled Egg Pancake Muffins

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. More often than not, I would rather eat breakfast food than anything else. As such, I love trying anything new. And anything in a muffin pan. Enter my new love interest: Canadian bacon and scrambled egg pancake muffins. Dipped in syrup. Done.

Recipe adapted from: Better Homes and Gardens, April 2012

Ingredients:
4 slices of Canadian bacon, cut in sixths
5 eggs
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon in large skillet until it's brown on both sides. In a small bowl lightly beat 3 eggs, 2 Tbsp. water and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook eggs in a hot skillet over medium heat without stirring until eggs begin to set on the bottom and around edges. With a spatula, lift and fold for uncooked portion to flow underneath. Cook until set but still moist. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
2. Brush twelve muffin cups with cooking spray. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Combine milk, oil and remaining two eggs in a separate bowl. Stir into flour mixture. Fold in scrambled eggs and cheese. Spoon into muffin cups.
3. Place two bacon pieces on each muffin. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until light brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan on rack. Run a table knife around edges of muffins to loosen; remove from pans. Serve with syrup. Serves 12.

Ranger Rick Cookies - Happy Father's Day

I'm so so late on this - clasically behind. For Father's Day, we always whip up a batch of some of my dad's favorite goodies. This year, I broke out my grandma's recipe for one of my dad's favorite cookies - Ranger cookies.  In my mind, my grandma called these cookies "Ranger Rick Cookies" for my dad, but apparently I made that up. Anyways, they're sweet and chewy and nutty and crunchy - basically a wonderful cookies, especially as a snack during a hike or kayak session.

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2+ tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1 c. quick oats
1 c. shredded coconut
2 c. corn flakes
1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla
2. Add eggs and beat
3. Add the dry ingredients and stir unti combined
4. Drop by the rounded tablespoon on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 15 minutes at 350 (rotate pan with 3 minutes left on timer)

Blueberry Pancakes

I LOVE PANCAKES. Plain. Chocolate chip. Peanut butter chocolate chip. Banana. Cinnamon vanilla. Pumpkin. and especially blueberry pancakes in the summer. My dad has making these pancakes for as long as I can remember.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c. milk
2+ tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients.
2. Mix together wet ingredients; add to dry ingredients and gently whisk until just moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Over medium heat, pour 1/3 c. batter and let cook until bubbles stop popping. Add blueberries, flip and brown on the other side.

Apple Tart

Many, many months ago (enough for boyfriend and I to have broken up and gotten back together twice in the time frame), I was invited to boyfriend's house to celebrate his father's birthday. Now, I love to give gifts, but boyfriend forebode me from buying anything. So I decided to bake something, but what? As it was fall (and boyfriend's mom is lactose intolerant), apple something seemed like the only option. But, as boyfriend purports his mother's apple pie as the best it seemed foolish to make one and seemingly compete. I opted for a fun, rustic apple tart. The difference between this and apple pie, which seemed so huge and important at the time and so miniscule in retrospect, an apple tart is flat.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple.

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. Crisco
2 Tbsp ice water
5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 c. sugar
2+ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and crisco together with a fork or fingers until it clumps together into little balls
2. Add ICE water and mix until it forms a ball
3. Roll out pie crust into a large, rough circle
4. Mix apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel in a bowl. Arrange apple mixture in center of pie crust. Fold edges over apple mixture, making pleats around the outside. (Note: I used an excess of cinnamon because I think it is wonderful. The prescribed 2 tsps however is a reasonable amount.)
5. Brush pie dough with egg. Bake 20-30 minutes or until crust is golden and apples have lost some of their crunch.