Rhubarb Crunch Cake

 

Growing up, this was always a dessert we looked forward to when rhubarb was in season. This is my mom's recipe and was probably handed down to her from her mother. Vanilla ice cream is a must to go with this tart yet sweet dessert.

Ingredients

Crumb Base & Topping:

1 cup sifted flour

3/4 cup uncooked oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Fruit & Syrup Mixture:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup water

4 cups of rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces (If I don't have enough rhubarb I sometimes use raspberries too.)

Directions:

Mix together crumb base and topping ingredients until crumbly. Press half of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9x9 greased pan. Cover with cut rhubarb. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, water, and vanilla. Cook, stirring until thick and clear. Pour over rhubarb. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Don't forget the ice cream! :)

Fruit and Jello Jiggler Sea Creation

 The three year old little girl I nanny had a sea creature birthday party so I made her a Jello Jiggler treat. It took me awhile to think of edible things I could use for the treat but was happy with the results. It's a little busier than I would have liked but I know how much she would appreciate the gummy fish addition.

Things needed

Sheet pan

Cooking spray

2-6 oz packages of blueberry jello

1 orange

1 plum

2 or 3 mandarin oranges

Grapes

Raspberries

Black food marker

Gummy fish

Directions

As you can see I used half of a large orange for the crab's body and part of the other half for it's pinchers. The legs and rest of it's pinchers are made with mandarin oranges, with halves of a grape for it's eyes. I used food marker for the pupils on the eyes but you could easily use a little frosting and chocolate chips. The jelly fish is half of a plum for the body and the other half cut into legs. The gummy fish came from Oriental Trading. I put the bodies of the crab and jelly fish in place after spraying the sheet pan and then carefully poured in the jello. About an hour before the jello was totally set I added the rest of the items, pushing them in a little so they would stay in place.

Jello Jiggler Recipe

https://www.squirrelsofafeather.com/jello-jigglers/#mv-creation-1-jtr

I doubled the recipe.

Olive Dip aka Botox Dip

This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law Jean, who refers to it as Botox Dip because of the salt content, although I don’t use as much salt.. I have made a few minor adjustments. It is a real crowd pleaser and a great thing to bring to a party as an appetizer. Jean always served it with Fritos, which is also my chip of choice for this dip, but you could serve it with crackers, pretzels, or any other chip of your choice. I find this dip highly addictive, so beware!

Ingredients

Cream Cheese 8 oz (softened)

Pimento Stuffed Green Olives 5 oz (I use either Lindsay Manzanilla or Trader Joe's Manzanilla olives)

Whipping Cream 4oz

Mayonnaise 1 TBLS

Worcestershire Sauce 1 TSP

Garlic Salt 1/2 TSP

Kosher Salt 1/4 tsp (about)

Garlic Powder (to taste) 

Directions

Chop jar of drained olives and set aside on paper toweling. Place softened cream cheese in a bowl along with a few drops of whipping cream, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, and Kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to whip until creamy. In another bowl whip the remaining 4 oz of whipping cream until stiff. Add half of the whipped cream to cream cheese mixture and whip together. Fold in remaining whipped cream and TBLS of mayo. Fold in green olives. Add garlic powder in sprinkles to taste.

 

 

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

 

This delicious homemade salad dressing is from a recipe I got from my sister Miriam. It's a keepere!

Ingredients

    3 cloves garlic, minced

    3/4 cup mayonnaise

    3 tsp. anchovy paste

    1/4 cup grated Parmesan

    1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

    1 tsp. Dijon mustard

    1 tbsp. lemon juice, or more to taste

    salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, best overnight. I sometimes add a bit of half n half to thin down the dressing.

Pretty Pink Pig Pumpkin

 

This year for Halloween the little girl I nanny was dressing up as a cow and her parents and dog got in on the fun by dressing as a farmer, sheep, and pig. I decided to make a pig pumpkin to go along with the theme. I used little styrofoam balls that I cut flat on 2 ends of balls for the feet and nose.

 

Brisket of Love

 

This brisket makes the perfect comfort food dinner and is a family favorite! I find it a great meal to serve for guests and can be served over garlic mashed potatoes or on rolls. It tastes delicious with Trader Joe's roasted *Les Petites Carrots of Many Colors. What makes it extra nice is that it can be made ahead and frozen and brought out as needed so that you don't have to fuss if you have guests.

Ingredients

5 lb. beef brisket flat

Spice Houses "Brisket of Love" seasoning

6 cups of beef broth-divided (I use Better than Bullion)

4 Tbls. butter

1/4 cup flour

Directions

1.  Set oven to 350 degrees

2.  Dry off all sides of brisket flat with a paper towel

3.  Season all sides of brisket liberally with "Brisket of Love" seasoning

4.  Place brisket in roasting pan, fat side up, and place in oven for 1 hr.

5.  Take brisket out of oven and add about 1&1/2 cups of beef broth to the bottom of the pan (about 1/2 

      inch of broth) and cover with foil. 

6.  Place the pan back in the oven and turn oven temp. to 300 degrees and roast for another 4 hours. If

      using a smaller or larger roast you will need to adjust time to 1 hour per pound which includes the 1

      hour at 350 degrees.

7.  Trim off fat slice and then cut into chunks and put back into juices and refrigerate over night. If you

      are making the same day putting it in refrigerator for a number of hours will help to allow the beef

      to soak up the fat and juice which is important for flavor.

8.  Make a roux by melting the butter and adding flour, stirring steadily for about 2 minutes. Gradually

     add 4 cups of beef broth, stirring constantly to create a gravy. Season the gravy with "Brisket of Love" 

     seasoning to taste.

9.  Add gravy to brisket and shred beef further to distribute flavor.

10. Cover pan with foil and return pan to oven and heat at 325 for about 45 minutes or until sufficiently 

       warmed.

11. Serve over garlic mashed potatoes or with your favorite rolls. Yum!

French Canadian Split Pea Soup

 

With Easter coming upon us, it's always nice to have a good split pea soup recipe on hand to make use of that left over Easter ham. This is a recipe shared with me by my sister Gina with a few changes. I've tried a number of different recipes over the years but this is my favorite. I think I especially like it because it isn't quite as thick as some I've tried in the past, and the flavor is delicious. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

1 pound dry green split peas

1 meaty ham bone

1 cup chopped onion

(optional) small bundle of fresh thyme

1 generous teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sliced carrot

1 cup chopped celery 

2 slices of bacon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Rinse peas. In kettle mix peas, ham bone, onion, Better Than Bouillon, salt, pepper, thyme bundle, and 8 cups of water. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1&1/2 hours, stirring often. 

Remove ham bone and chop meat. Return meat to soup, add carrots and celery. Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Cook bacon till crisp, drain and crumble. Stir bacon, cream, and butter into soup, heat through. Makes 8 servings.