Melting Moments

Ingredients
175g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
40g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
175g plain flour
40g cornflour (cornstarch)
Directions:

With an electric mixer, cream butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat for a few seconds.
Sift the flour and cornflour together over the butter mixture and mix until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star-shaped piping nozzle. Pipe into the required shapes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Space the shapes well apart.
Bake the cookies in preheated oven at 180degC for 12 minutes or until they are a pale golden colour. Leave for a few minutes on the baking tray to firm up slightly before transferring to wire rack to cool.
Note: To prevent the cookies from spreading and hold the shape better, after piping, chill the tray of unbaked cookies in the fridge for about 30mins before baking.

Rose Victoria's German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup boiling water
4 ounces sweet cooking German chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 cup sugar ( 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter ( 3/4 cups)
1 cup evaporated milk ( 12 oz. can)
1 teaspoon vanilla ( 1 1/2 tsp)
3 egg yolks ( 4 egg yolks)
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut ( 2 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans ( 1 1/2 cups)

Directions :
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch square pans or 3 8-inch round pans.
Pour boiling water on chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted; cool. Mix sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs yolk, one at a time. Beat in chocolate and vanilla on low speed.
Mix in flour, baking soda and salt alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until batter is smooth. Fold in egg whites.
Divide batter among pans. Bake square pans 40-45 minutes or round pans 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick in center. Cool and top with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.

Coconut Pecan Frosting: Mix sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolks in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 12 minutes. Take off heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Beat until spreading consistency. Allow to cool & thicken before icing cake.

TACO PIE

INGREDIENTS:
5 8″ flour tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
1 16 oz. can refried beans
2 T. taco seasoning
1/4 C. water
1 jar salsa (I didn’t really measure, just used big spoonful’s)
2 C. shredded Colby jack cheese
2 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain the grease, add in the taco seasoning and water. Combine well and remove from heat. I used an 8″ iron skillet for mine, but use whatever you have that might work…Place a tortilla in the bottom of your pan, spread a couple big spoonful’s of salsa over the tortilla, spread some of the refried beans over the salsa, then some of the meat and top with some cheese. Repeat the layers ending with a flour tortilla on top (save some of the cheese for the top). Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered for 6-7 minutes or until cheese is nice and melted and edges of the tortilla are crisp. Remove and top with the green onions and tomatoes before serving. Slice it like you would a pie.

Best Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

(We like ours served with a little marinara sauce and grated parmesan or romano cheese) 

Instructions:

Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.

Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Thick & Creamy Slow Cooker Potato Soup

You’re welcome to serve it up plain…

…or pile it high with all of your favorite toppings. The choices from here on out are totally up to you.  But however you serve it, I’m pretty positive this soup is going to make your day.  Because I’m convinced that a warm, thick, delicious bowl of potato soup always makes life a little better.  :)

Enjoy!

5

YIELD: 8-10 SERVINGS

SLOW COOKER POTATO SOUP

This Slow Cooker Potato Soup recipe is thick and creamy (without using heavy cream), wonderfully flavorful, and made extra easy in the slow cooker!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 slices cooked bacon*, diced
• 3-4 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes**, peeled (if desired) and diced
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 4 tablespoons bacon grease* (or butter)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (12-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional toppings: thinly-sliced green onions or chives, extra shredded cheese, extra bacon, sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add bacon, 3 cups chicken stock, potatoes and onion to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combine.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through.
2. Once the soup has slow cooked and is about ready to serve, cook the butter in a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat until it has melted.  Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined, and then cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Gradually add in the evaporated milk while whisking it together with the flour mixture, and continue whisking until the mixture is completely smooth.  Let the mixture continue cooking until it reaches a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then it should get really thick.
3. Immediately pour the milk mixture into the slow cooker with the potatoes, and stir until combined.  Add in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salt and pepper, and stir until combined.  If you would like the soup to be even thicker, you can use a potato masher or a large spoon to mash about half of the potatoes (while the soup is still in the slow cooker) to thicken the soup up.  If you would like the soup to be thinner, add in an extra 1-2 cups of warmed chicken or vegetable stock.  Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Serve warm, garnished with desired toppings.  Or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  (This recipe will not freeze well.)

*You can either fry the bacon, cook it in the microwave, or buy pre-cooked bacon.  If frying or microwaving, I recommend dicing the bacon before cooking it.  And if you are frying it, I highly recommend saving the bacon grease for later and then using it to make your roux (instead of butter).

**I highly recommend using Yukon gold potatoes, which have the perfect texture and buttery taste for this soup.  But Russet potatoes or red potatoes would also work just fine in this recipe.

***If you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock, omit the bacon, and I would recommend adding in 2-3 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning for extra flavor.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

This tart is a stolen idea from a tomato tart I had many many years ago from a street vendor many years ago.   It was in a sweeter, buttery crust and I loved the combination with the tomatoes. So, I made a sweet shortcrust pastry for the base and filled it with tons of tomatoes and some fresh shaved parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did, it’s the perfect Sunday brunch project!
P.S. You can make this recipe in a pie pan if you would like, but I just bought a tart pan and it worked wonderfully.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

Recipe Note: I like to slice my tomatoes and then lay them on paper towels to suck out excess juice. If your tomatoes are over-ripe, do not use them in this recipe. You want to use firmer tomatoes!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 large eggs

 Directions:

• 4 firm heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt for a few seconds to sift. Add the butter and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the eggs and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.If dough is not forming, you can add a splash of milk, but it should come together without. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom and set aside. (You can also use a pie pan if you prefer.)Lightly flour dough and counter. Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching).Lay dough loosely into prepared pan. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. This will help with the dough shrinking.Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the tart crust and fill with pie weights (or can use dry beans). Bake for 12 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper (pinch up all four corners of parchment paper and lift all at once) and bake for 6-8 minutes more, until lightly golden.Sprinkle bottom of pastry with parmesan cheese. Cover with tomato slices, arranging to cover as evenly as possible. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and top with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!
   

Easy Classic Basil Pesto

Easy Classic Basil Pesto

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Classic Basil Pesto, an easy homemade delicious pesto recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 ounces fresh basil (about 4 cups) (50 grams)
• 5 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (32 grams)
• 2 tablespoons Pecorino Cheese (13 grams)
• 1/3 cup olive oil (72 grams)
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts (heaping soup spoon)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

1. Place food processor container and blade in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
2. Meanwhile wash and dry fresh basil leaves.
3. Remove container and blade from refrigerator.  Add 1/3 basil leaves, half the salt, one third of the olive oil and pulse to combine.  Add another 1/3 basil leaves and pulse to combine add remaining basil leaves and pulse.
4. Add pine nuts, Parmesan Cheese and Pecorino, another one third olive oil, remaining salt and pulse to combine, add remaining olive oil and garlic, pulse on high to combine.  Serve over cooked pasta. Enjoy!
5. **Makes approximately 1 cup pesto, I served half over 3 cups cooked Penne Pasta with a little olive oil drizzled and tossed.  Left over Pesto should be refrigerated.....