Peach Shortcake

Peach shortcake is identical to strawberry shortcake but when fresh peaches are 'in season' ....... yummmmmmm!  I love to substitute them for the berries!

This recipe will make four large shortcakes.   Make them the size you want!

First the ingredients;

Shortcakes:
2 1/3 cup Bisquick
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp butter -- melted
1/2 cup Milk
Sugar to sprinkle on top of shortcakes

Whipped Cream:
500 ml container (2 cups) Whipping (heavy) cream
Sugar to sweeten the whipped cream

4 large ripe peaches

Peel, slice and cut up peaches.  (You can leave them as full slices if you like.)  Place in a good sized bowl and sprinkle with 2/3 c. sugar.  Lightly mix to coat the fruit with sugar.  Let stand 1 hr.  Letting them stand with sugar like this will create a nice juice.  If you're in a hurry, you can always get away with letting them stand for 1/2 hour but you won't have as much juice.  

Preheat oven to 425 F.

I love the shortcakes made with Bisquick!  I use the regular type all the time.  (Sometimes I use this same shortcake recipe, add a few raisins and presto!  Wonderful scones!  My boys love them!)  Bisquick is something I always have on hand. 
For the shortcakes, mix Bisquick, 3 tb. sugar, butter and milk until soft dough forms.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls into 4 mounds on ungreased cookie sheet.  (Or however many you get by making them the size you wish.)

Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  If you've made them larger, it'll take a bit longer.  If you've made them smaller, it'll take less.  Just keep an eye of them. 

We love this dessert while the shortcakes are still warm from the oven.  So, while they're cooking, I usually make the whipped cream. 

Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until stiff. Add sugar to sweeten to your taste.

Split shortcakes carefully with a sharp knife.  They tend to be a bit crumbly so work slowly and keep a flat spatula around to lift them and transfer to plates.  Any bits that break off can be placed on the shortcake before you add whipped cream.  Transfer each shortcake bottom to it's serving plate.

Roughly divide the peaches / juice and half and spoon 1/4 mixture of the first half over each of the bottoms.  Add a good dollop of whipped cream.   Carefully place the shortcake tops on top.  Put another good dollop of whipped cream on top.  Divide the peaches / juice between the four and spoon on top. 

The photo above shows the finished creation. 

Delicious!

Butterscotch Pudding Cake

This is a delicious dessert that's fast and easy to make.  It's a cake baked in it's own butterscotch sauce.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

The original recipe was from war-times when rationing was in effect.  My Mom received the recipe from her sister-in-law, Lucille.  There were no eggs in the recipe and only a total of 2 tbsp of butter.  The cake part was a bit flat tasting though and my Mom changed the sauce recipe to a more butterscotch-y sauce that is awesome.  I changed the cake part to a more tastier cake that has butter and eggs in it.  It's actually from a pineapple upside down cake recipe that I have.  So, here's a totally different recipe from the original "Auntie Lucille's Recipe" that we always knew it as while growing up. 

First the ingredients;
Sauce:
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
Cake:
2/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk

In a 9" x 13" pan, mix the sauce ingredients.  We mix them right in the baking pan.  (Do not use an 8" x 8" pan - it's too small and it'll overflow, creating a truly horrible mess on the bottom of your oven.  Don't ask me how I know this.)

For the cake part, cream butter and sugar.  Add well-beaten eggs.  Sift flour and baking powder and add, alternately, with milk to creamed mixture.

Spoon batter into the sauce.  I'd say pour but it's too thick to pour, so just spoon it in, evenly dropping the batter in.  Once it's in the liquid, do NOT mix or try to spread evenly with a spoon. 

Bake at 375 for about 1/2 hour or until the cake is a beautiful golden brown.  It helps to stick a knife into the middle of the cake section and make sure the knife comes out clean, with no batter residue on it.

Serve while warm. 

PS - the sauce ingredients could also be mixed together and cooked on the stove, stirring constantly, for a wonderful butterscotch ice cream sauce.  My Mom often made that for my Dad to spoon over ice cream, while the sauce was still warm.

Homemade Croutons for your next salad ....

Imagine this ...... a salad filled with your favourite crisp, cold veggies mixed in with the freshest lettuces available.  Your favourite salad dressing is drizzled over top.  There might even be some chunks of cold chicken sprinkled throughout.  You bite into the first mouthful and your tastebuds literally smile when they pick up the taste of warm, freshly made croutons.  Crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside, delivering lots of your favourite zippy spices in that bite.  Delicious!

And sooooooo easy to make!

First, the ingredients;
2 slices of bread
2 to 3 tbsp of butter
1/2 to 3/4 tsp minced garlic, depending on how strong you like your garlic
1/4 tsp butcher's pepper
a few sprinkles of onion powder
a few sprinkles of Lawry's seasoning salt
a few pinches of summer savoury

Those ingredients are not written in stone.  I used white bread but these would be awesome made with a healthy multi-grained bread, especially an artisan type of bread! 

I use the shortcut garlic - the jar of minced garlic you buy at the grocery store.  If you use garlic salt, it will make your croutons very salty.  (I like "very salty" but since being diagnosed with high blood pressure, I had to really cut back on all salt consumption.  Sadly.)

Use your favourite spices and herbs.  The summer savoury I used was an herb I grew in an old garden and still have some.  I like it very much, but the list of possibilities is endless. 

Cut the bread into cubes with a bread knife. 

Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan.  Lightly saute the garlic.   Add the other spices / herbs and swirl the butter / spices / herbs 'round the pan.   

Toss in all the bread, all at once.  Then quickly grab your two spatulas and toss the bread as it soaks up the butter.  Do this fast to get all the pieces coated. 

Constantly toss and move around the croutons.  You have to do this constantly because they're going to burn easily.  Let them get nice and toasted.  See all those crumbs in the pan?  They're great on top of the salad, too!  Don't throw them out - they're full of flavour! 

If you already have your salad ready and on your plate, you can just spoon these over top, fresh and hot from the pan.  Delicious!

Cookie Kick - Now the Chocolate Chocolate-Chip

The proper name for these cookies is actually Hershey's Premium Doubly Chocolate Chip Cookies.  These were my Dad's FAVOURITES!  We always called them Dad's Favourite Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies.  That's what I'll always think of them as.

First, the ingredients;

1 cup butter or margarine, softened to room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (10 oz pkg)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350. In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and nuts, if desired. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until set. Cool slightly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Sorry, I didn't take any shots during the making of these.  Just the delicious little things after they were baked.

Cookie Kicks - First the Shortbread!

I'm on a cookie kick!  So, I thought I'd post a few recipes for some cookie favourites.  The first is for Shortbread Cookies.

I used to be a die-hard traditionalist when it came to shortbread cookies.  Only the old fashioned roll out cookies, which could also be pressed into a mold, were good enough.  Then two Christmas' ago, I made these drop shortbread cookies when I ran out of time.  They are good!  Not as good as the old fashioned recipe I have that came over to Canada from England with my aunts and grandmother.  But still very good when you need a shortbread fix and don't have the time to do the others.  Very, very, very good.  I'm eating one now....

First the ingredients;
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp icing sugar (also referred to as confectioner's sugar)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tsp vanilla

Set the oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack in the middle space.

The secret  to this recipe is beating.  Nothing beats a recipe into submission like a Kitchen Aid mixer!  Put the butter into the bowl and beat for about  five minutes.  (The Kitchen Aid is a lot more powerful than regular mixers so I only beat mine for about 3 minutes.)  It's going to be a beautiful creamy pale yellow.  In the last minute, add the vanilla.

Note:  I once substituted margarine for butter and it did not work out.  The margarine breaks down differently and the mixture was too wet.  Some people substitute it and it works fine.  For this recipe, I would say it's a safe bet to NOT substitute margarine.  Use butter.  And really - would it still be shortbread?  I think not.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl often in this recipe!

Add the icing sugar and beat another three to five minutes.   Ditto for the corn starch.

Add the flour in three additions, beating three to five minutes after each addition.  It should look like this.

Spoon onto cookie sheets with about two inches between cookies.  A two-inch space is the safest bet for cookies. 

My rule of thumb for all cookies is one dozen cookies to one cookie sheet.

Put them into oven, ONE cookie sheet at a time and set the timer for 11 minutes.  That's what the recipe calls for.  (I usually cook them for about 13 minutes.)  You want to remove the cookie sheet as soon as the edges are a very LIGHT brown! 

One cookie sheet was left in a few minutes longer last night (that's what happens when you get caught up watching the Beatles on tv!  tsk.  tsk.  tsk.) and they are a medium brown all over.  They're still very good and edible but not as good as the paler ones. 

Some people like them with jam on top.  Personally, I think it's a slight bit of dessicration but ..... what can you do?

This recipe made three dozen cookies.  They're awesome fresh from the oven with a glass of milk.  They're also even a bit more awesome in the coming days after being stored in an airtight plastic container.  If you can keep them around that long.

Steak Subs

Our favourite steak subs are made with minute steak, sliced thin. I used to use that really thin frozen steak. Paper thin, made for subs. I think it was called Steak Um. I can't find it here in town at all anymore. Sooooo, minute steak has already been tenderized and is just the right thickness. Now, I wouldn't go back to the other. For the amount of minute steak needed in this recipe, I use a piece per person - the size of which you would usually serve each person if you were cooking this as one piece of meat.

The buns in the photo are not regular hot dog buns. They're mini sub buns. In a pinch, I've often used hot dog buns, though. This is one of those recipes where there aren't really any set amounts. I've estimated below, but if you like a lot of mushrooms, use lots. If you like a lot of onions, use lots. If you like your subs hot and spicy, use hot peppers.

First the ingredients;
minute steak, sliced thin
1 large onion (or 2 or 3 small), sliced
1/3 green pepper, sliced
1/3 sweet red pepper, sliced
1/3 sweet orange pepper,sliced
8 oz tray of sliced mushrooms
butter or oil
butcher's pepper
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce, approx. - to your liking
Lawry's Seasoned salt, amount to your liking
Zesty Italian salad dressing
buns
shredded mozzarella cheese, or mozzarella cheese slices

For this step, I have one of my sons do it. (Don't worry - they're 16 and 23 years old so it's not child labour like they'd try to tell you.) By the time they're ready, I'm ready with the filling. If you're doing it alone, you could do this later.

Lay the buns, open, on a baking tray. I line the tray with aluminum foil so that I'm not scrubbing and scrubbing melted cheese off the tray later. When you work about 45 hours a week, you learn shortcuts to avoid unnecessary scrubbing and cleaning. Lining baking sheets with aluminum foil is one of those good shortcuts! Brush the buns with a good layer of the Zesty Italien dressing. Brush it right to the edges or your edges will go brown very quickly.

(This stuff is awesome on buns like this! The funny thing is - I hate it on salads.) Place under the broiler until they're lightly toasted. If they're not toasted enough, they'll look a bit soggy.

I use a non-stick Paderno wok pan but you could use any type of frying pan you have, non-stick or not. Put about 2 or 3 tbsp of butter or oil in the pan as well as the sliced onions, mushrooms and peppers. (The artist in me just loves the photo above! Click on it for a larger view!)

Sprinkle with butcher's pepper and saute. I cook mine over high heat but I'm constantly stirring and tossing with two bamboo spatulas. I find the best way to coat them and cook them is to move them around with TWO of these at the same time. When the onions and mushrooms are cooked to your liking, remove them from the pan - into a bowl and set aside.

Don't clean the pan - just add another small amount of oil or butter. Toss all the meat into the pan and cook. Sprinkle with a bit more pepper, worcestershire sauce and Lawry's salt. Again, I toss with the two bamboo spatulas constantly over medium-high heat.

As they're cooking, they're going to produce some liquid and I like to keep cooking until most of this is gone. (Note: this photo shows way too much liquid, let it cook much, much more than this.)

Then add the cooked veggies and toss to mix.

If you're doing this with no kitchen help, now is the time you could turn the heat to very low and let the pan sit there, keeping warm, while you coat and toast those buns!

Place a good amount of meat / veggies onto the bun, evenly portioning out the veggies. (So your kids won't start on with "he has more mushrooms than me". Even though he's 23 years old. Years, not months. But they're such sweeties!)

Regarding the cheese - I sent Zach, the 23 year old, to the store to get mozzarella cheese for the subs. He thought it'd be best to use slices. Personally, we won't be buying these slices again for this purpose. It's shredded from now on. The melted mozza cheese slices stick to your teeth wickedly! Good, but really sticky. Maybe it was just the brand we bought - but we'll go for the shredded mozza next time.

Cover with cheese and broil until the cheese is melted and just a slight bit bubbly.

Serve! These taste good just like this, or also with a bit of ranch dressing applied now, just after the cheese has melted. If you like Italian dressing, you could add more here. Whatever's your thing! Make it personal.

When I add the ranch dressing, it makes me think of Quiznos. I love Quiznos' prime rib sub but they don't have a branch here in town. I only get to go, rarely, in Ottawa. In the meantime, these are awesome!

Cranberry Roasted Chicken Dinner

This is one of those recipes you just toss together (literally) because you want to cook some chicken but you don't want to just have it plain. Turned out awesome! The cranberry sauce gives it such a nice, sweet flavour. I use homemade cranberry sauce, which is really easy to make. The whole berries in it give a really good texture to the gravy made afterwards. I've put the cranberry sauce recipe at the bottom of this post. (You could also use the canned variety.) This recipe is for two whole chickens - we like a lot of leftovers for work lunches and sandwiches. If you cook one chicken, don't cut down the ingredients. Click on the photo, it'll give you a huge mouth-watering version.






First, the ingredients;
2 whole chickens
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
1 apple, sliced
1 onion, quartered
1 stalk of celery, cut into large pieces
2 Tbsp butter, melted
butcher's pepper
1 tsp sage leaves, crushed
1 tsp summer savoury, crushed
1 1/2 cups water
carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
potatoes, washed and sliced in half lengthwise

Place the chickens side by side in a large roasting pan. Add cranberry sauce to the bottom of the pan. I don't put it on the chicken (it'd burn), just kind of plop it by spoonfuls into the bottom of the pan. Add onion, celery chunks and apple slices. Add water. Don't stir - just pour it in.

Brush the two chickens with the melted butter. Sprinkle on pepper, sage and summer savoury. (I grow these herbs in the summer in little pots around the back porch, dry them and use them all winter. They create beautiful herby aromas on the back porch in the summer, beautiful herby drying aromas in the fall and beautiful herby cooking aromas in the winter.)

Bake for an hour, then add slices or chunks of peeled carrots and halves of washed (but not peeled) potatoes. By not peeling the potatoes, it creates a nice 'shell' that will hold your potatoes together after baking. Cook until the chicken is done and the potatoes / carrots are cooked.

I use a meat thermometer to tell me when the chicken is done. I can't give you an accurate time because I cook mine from frozen but the entire dinner took about 3 hours to cook. (And the smells wafting through the house are heavenly!)

I cook mine from frozen because it's Murphy's Law around here - if you take something out of the freezer to thaw, it ends up not being cooked and thrown out a few days later. Bad and smelly. One of those crazy little things you just learn to live with and work around and cook from frozen. After ten years of this, I'm getting pretty good at making adjustments for flavour and cooking times. One learns out of necessity.


Incredible Gravy;
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 pkg of oxo beef or chicken flavour boullion
3/4 cup cold water

For the gravy, I take the leftover cooking juices along with the chunks of onions and celery and apple slices (which are pretty mushy by this time) and put into a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for it to boil, add flour, corn starch and the package of oxo to the jarr. Pour in the water, put the lid on the jar and shake like mad. This always makes me think of Shake-A-Puddings. (A word of caution, make sure the lid is on tight.) Doing it in a jar like this is fast and once the chicken is cooked and the meal is being served, I'm always in a rush to get the gravy made.

Once the juices are boiling, slowly add the flour/cornstarch/oxo mix, just until you get the right consistency. Stir constantly. You won't be using the entire mix of this, just enough to thicken. Actually, the less you use of this, the less you're watering down your gravy.

I like very textured gravy (which drives my kids crazy - they don't want chunks) so I keep the onion pieces and celery pieces intact. The apple mixes in as well as the berry chunks. Chunky gravy is the best! Textured, I keep saying to my kids as I spoon them out just the liquid. "I don't like chunks in my gravy," each keeps replying. I pretend I don't hear and keep making it 'textured'.













Cranberry Sauce;
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 pkg fresh or frozen cranberries (340 g.)

This is the recipe from the back of an Ocean Spray package of cranberries.

Mix the water, sugar and cranberries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Or at least very ocassionally. Reduce heat. Boil gently for about ten minutes. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Makes about 2 1/4 cups.