Cherry Pie

Another family favorite. I still make my own crust, so time consuming. This year made cut-outs from the left over pie crust dough to add some festivity.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Oregon Fruit Red Tart Cherries packed in water, drained, reserving juice from one can
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2- 10" Pie Crust (blog: 1/4/2014)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Whisk together cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Mix in reserved juice and cook over medium heat whisking often until thickened and clear. Remove from heat. Add almond extract. Set aside for 10 - 15 minutes and then add the drained cherries.

Line a 10-inch glass pie pan with one crust. Add the filling. Top with the other crust and flute edges together. Vent crust. Brush the entire top with milk. This allows for even browning. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.

Cool completely before slicing.

Printed

Cheese-Stuffed Shells

Definitely reserve for special dinners. Cannot go wrong with this dish. If you want to cut the richness; eliminate the Besciamella Sauce and just use Marinara Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 box pasta shells

Cheese Filling:

• 32 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• salt & pepper to taste

Besciamella Sauce:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoon flour
• 2 1/2 cup half and half (heated to lukewarm)
• 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt & pepper to taste

4 cup Marinara Sauce

Directions:

Prepare pasta shells according to package direction. Fill with Cheese Filling.

Cheese Filling: Combine all ingredients.

Besciamella Sauce:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and whish till bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Return to heat. Simmer gently until slightly thickened. Add seasonings/cheese and remove from heat.

Lightly grease a 13x9-inch pan and add a thin layer of Beciamella Sauce. Place filled shells on top. Add rest of Beciamella Sauce and spoon on Marinara Sauce. Cover with foil.

Bake at 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes. More if made ahead; about 15 minutes.

Allow to stand before serving.

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

This is from a Denver Junior League cookbook, Collage. Been making it for years. Very good, my family likes it. If you want to spice it up; serve with Green Chili Sauce (blog: 4/12/13). That would be my choice. Use the filling with corn tortillas for a Gluten-Free deal. The Green Chili just about makes ANYTHING from good to EXTRA ordinary...

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 onions (one peeled & quartered to cook breasts & one chopped for filling)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces green chili, diced
• 1 cup green chili salsa (I use Roberto, spice depends on guests)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 5 teaspoons ground cumin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 12 flour tortillas
• 10 ounces Monterey jack, shredded
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Garnish: avocado, tomato (optional)

Directions:

Fill a large stock pot with water. Add quartered onion & salt. Bring to a boil. Add chicken breast and simmer until cooked; about 35-40 minutes, depending on how large the breasts are. Remove, cool and chop into bit-size pieces.

In a medium skillet, melt butter. Cook chopped onion and pepper until soft; about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken, cheddar cheese, green chili, salsa, cilantro and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. If tortillas are not a room temperature; soften gently in the microwave. Place one tortilla on a flat surface and place 1/3 cup of the filling along on edge. Roll up and place seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Sprinkle with Jack cheese. At this point, maybe prepared one day in advance.

Combine cream and broth and pour evenly over enchiladas. Cover pan with foil and bake 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven.  Remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes or until bubbly hot.

Garlic Red Pepper Focaccia

This recipe makes 2 round focaccia disks. Best to cut with a pizza cutter and served right out of the oven.

Ingredients for bread:

• 1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoons honey
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cool water
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions for bread:

In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water; allow to stand until frothy. Stir in the olive oil, honey, flour, salt and parmesan. Knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly grease a small bowl and place dough in the bowl; turning over to grease other side. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled; about 45 minutes. 

Ingredients for topping:

• 2 tablespoons dried crushed chili peppers
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions for topping:

Combine the chili peppers, parmesan and garlic in a small bowl. If you do want the bread so spicy; I eliminate the fresh garlic and dried pepper flakes and just sprinkle dried garlic granules on top.

Preheat oven to 425-degree oven. 

Punch down dough and divide in half. Press dough into a well-greased round pizza pan. Repeat with other piece of dough. Or press into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking sheet. Dimple the top of each. Brush 2 tablespoon olive oil onto each and spread the combined topping mixture evenly over top of each.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Printed

Pumpkin Bread

The best pumpkin bread recipe ever!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup pumpkin (if double recipe use 1-15 ounce canned pumpkin)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

In a small bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves with a fork or whisk.

With an upright mixer, cream the shortening and sugar. Add the beaten eggs and pumpkin. Mix till fluffy.

Combine the milk and vanilla. Alternate the dry ingredients and the milk mixture with a spoon until well combined. Whip with mixer until fluffy.

Fold in nuts if desired.

Pour batter into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake at 350-degree oven for about one hour. Test bread in middle for doneness.

Allow to cool and turn out on wire rack to cool completely.

Printed

Spiced Pecans

The pecans melt in your mouth, easy to prepare and make a great gift.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300-degrees.

In a large bowl beat the egg white and 2 tablespoon water until frothy. Toss the pecan halves into the mixture until coated.

Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the pecans; coating evenly.

Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with a lightly greased piece of parchment paper.  Add the coated pecans spreading into a single layer.

Bake for 15 minutes. Stir pecans and return to a single layer and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely. The pecans will harden once cooled. 

Break up the hardened pecans and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Bobonne's Birthday

All the family came over for a family picture shoot. Lea Ann Byrne Photography did the pictures for us. Who would have thought we would be outside in the morning on November 9th taking pictures without even a jacket on! That is Colorado for you...

Lunch Menu: Mimosas, Deviled Eggs (blog: 4/12/13), Fall Salad (blog:11/17/13 ), Chipotle Shredded Pork (blog: 4/12/13), Turkey Chili & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie (blog: 11/17/13 ) and Ginger Cookies (blog:11/17/13).

I served the Chipotle Shredded Pork open faced on lightly fried corn tortillas with shredded provolone and chipotle sauce on top. Heated in a 350-degree oven until hot.