Pimento Ham Pasta Salad and Herb Dressing

July 20, 2011 by
 
I know what you’re thinking.  ANOTHER salad recipe? How many salad recipes do you need Holly?
Well, as I’ve said before, I love salads. 
Green salads.     Pasta salads.    Entree salads.     Side salads.   Any salads.
  As long as the ingredients you start out with are fresh you can have something wonderful. 
I love this dressing.  It goes well with just about anything.  It’s so much better than store bought and I bet you can make it faster than digging your store bought dressing out of the fridge. ; )
 
The other thing I love about salads is they are inexpensive ways to feed a group, and they are great for having company over since it’s something I can have ready to go in the fridge and don’t have to cook while I could be visiting.
 
PASTA SALAD:
1 lb mini fussili, or pasta of choice (cooked al dente and rinsed with cold water)
2 oz can pimentos, undrained
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely diced cheddar
1 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup mayonnaise
 
Make one batch of herb dressing (recipe below) and whisk in the mayonnaise.  Combine all other salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently with dressing.  If too dry add a little more mayo or sour cream.

HERB DRESSING:
1 tsp dried parsley, or 2 T chopped fresh
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream (or substitute 3/4 cup buttermilk for sour cream and milk)
1/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
3 T powdered buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp garlic powder
 
Whisk all together or combine in a blender.
 
Recipe Source:  Pasta salad by My Stained Apron, Herb dressing inspired by The Herbal Kitchen, one of my favorite cookbooks
Filed Under: Pasta, Salad / Dressings Tagged With: , , ,

Strawberry Jam

July 18, 2011 by
I love to can jam.  I know canning can be intimidating to some, but it really is simple as long as you follow the guidelines.  Especially when making jam, since you don’t use a pressure canner, but a boiling water bath canner.  I wanted to share a good website for beginners, or those who haven’t taken a class in awhile and don’t know the most current safety guidelines.  The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource.  I love their book, So Easy To Preserve, since it has safe recipes and lots of info on canning everything you can think of.
When canning, always remember that what was once considered safe may not be now.  For instance, steam canners, while you can still buy them, do not kill harmful bacteria.  And your great aunt Gertrude’s salsa recipe is probably not safe either.  Always use a trusted source.
These include So Easy To Preserve, along with the recipes on their website
The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, or the Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving (Note: You may have an older Ball Blue book, these are outdated and contain some unsafe recipes)
Between those three books I can always find what I’m looking for.
But if you have questions, give your local extension office a call, they are always helpful too, and usually offer some canning classes you can attend for a small fee.
I talk about my favorite pectin here, and they also have a hotline that is super helpful.
So as strawberry season comes to an end I’m looking ahead to making freezer raspberry jam, our favorite. : )
Filed Under: Canning

Blackberry Fool

July 11, 2011 by
As I’ve said before I’m quit the fool for fools, and this was the best I’ve had yet!  We are living it up in berry country here, the strawberries and rapberries in our garden our doing amazingly well.
I’m anxiously awaiting the blackberries to come in season, and I always use up any in our freezer to make room for the new seasons berries.  The flavor in this fool was so good!
We love blackberries so this was the perfect dessert for us.  I can see me making it when friends come over for dinner, or bbq’s, or just cause!  It can even be made overnight, stored in the fridge, and you can just pull them out when it’s time to serve.  I think they would be cute served in jelly jars too.
BLACKBERRY FOOL
2 cups blackberries (8 oz) fresh or thawed frozen
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp instant clearjel (optional, just stabilizes the whipped cream so you can make it ahead of time)
1 tsp vanilla
Puree the blackberries with the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a blender or food processor.
Press through a fine-mesh sieve (if the seeds are offensive to you). My Vita Mix pulverizes the mixture, so I can’t even notice the seeds.  Set aside 1/2 cup of the berry puree.
Whip cream with powdered sugar and clearjel to stiff peaks. Add vanilla.
Fold the blackberry puree into the whipped cream, leaving some streaks.
Drizzle with reserved 1/2 cup of berry puree. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.
Serves 8.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Everyday Food

Filed Under: Desserts, Irish

Oreo Trifle

July 7, 2011 by
 
My mom used to make an oreo dessert when I was a kid and I came across the recipe one day and thought it would be fun to make it again.  Of course, then I realized I didn’t have everything!  But I dug through my pantry and was able to make a variation.  And we liked it even better!  This is a fun one to make with kids, it is so easy and quick.  And if you don’t have chocolate pudding, you could also use vanilla (that’s what’s in the original recipe actually).
 
OREO TRIFLE
 
8 oz cream cheese
2 medium container cool whip
1 lg box chocolate pudding (prepared according to package directions)
1 package Oreos (set aside 5 cookies)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
 
In one bowl, mix together the oreos and butter.
In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese, one of the cool whip, and prepared pudding.
Layer in a trifle dish in this order:
First, half the oreo mixture, then half the pudding mix, then the remaining container cool whip.
then the last half of the oreo mix, remaining pudding mixture, and top with the remaining 5 oreos (chop first).
For best results, chill for at least a few hours or overnight before serving.
Filed Under: Desserts

Coleslaw

July 6, 2011 by
 
We are really enjoying the summertime this year, especially since we’ve had alot of craziness the last couple weeks.  It’s always nice after a crazy week to throw something on the grill and whip up a salad or two.  I’ve been playing around with coleslaw and finally made one that my hubby liked.  (Me too. : )  If you don’t have pickles in your fridge then what’s wrong with you?!  just substitute some apple cider vinegar.  Happy summertime!
 
COLESLAW
 
1/2 head cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 T juice from pickle jar
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
 
Whisk together mayo, pickle juice, and sugar in a small bowl.
Toss cabbage, carrot, and red onion together in a large bowl, pour dressing over and toss together.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: ,

Simple Berry Flummery

June 29, 2011 by
Flummery.  Just the name makes me smile.  It remains one of my favorite desserts and it is so easy to make and adapt.  I had an abundance of fresh berries and the fridge and couldn’t resist making a batch.  But the berries were so good plain I couldn’t see macerating them, like I do usually in Berry Flummery.  So I opted for a simple layering and we loved it, I could see these being perfect for a 4th of July spread, especially with the red, white, and blue colors.  You can even make these the day before, just throw in the fridge and pull them out to serve.
SIMPLE BERRY FLUMMERY
Makes approx. 8 small or 4 large
2 cups cream
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp instant clearjel, optional*
2 T vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal(or quick oats)
4 cups fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
Spread oats on a dry baking sheet, toast at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Whip cream, and before it gets to soft peaks, sprinkle in instant clearjel and confectioner’s sugar. Continue whipping to soft peaks. Stir in sour cream, vanilla, and 2/3 cup of the oats.
Layer in parfait glasses, putting a spoon or two of the cream mixture, berries, and continue layering, (this size of glasses you use will determine how many layers).
End with a dollop of the cream mixture. Sprinkle tops with the 1/3 cup remaining toasted oats.
*You don’t have to use the instant clearjel, but it stabilizes the whipped cream, so you can make it ahead of time and not worry about it losing its body or getting runny.
Filed Under: Desserts, Irish

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with fresh berries and honey drizzle

June 28, 2011 by

I was looking at all the berries in our fridge and trying to decide what all I should make with them when I saw the vanilla beans in the pantry.  I have been wanting to make a cheesecake recipe that was as easy to prepare as it is delicious and attractive.   I hate fussy recipes when they don’t seem to do that much.  So I made an experiment, and was totally amazed by how good it turned out! This is by far the easiest and best cheesecake I have ever made or had, I hope you’ll agree!  And I thought the colors are perfect for a 4th of July spread too.
VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE, WITH FRESH BERRIES AND HONEY DRIZZLE
Crust:
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 T sugar
pinch salt
4 T unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake:
3 (8 oz) boxes cream cheese (I use neufatchel)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
To serve:
assorted fresh berries of choice
1/4 cup raspberry jam
2 T honey
Make Crust: stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
Gently stir in melted butter.  (Your fingers will work best)
Pat into a greased 8″ springform pan (you could also use a 9″ pan), cover bottom of pan and about halfway up the sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Let cool while you make filling.
Make cheesecake: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl for a few minutes, until creamy.
Add sugar and salt, beat a few more minutes until light.
Add in scraped vanilla bean, mix briefly.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing on medium for 1 minute after adding each egg.
Add sour cream and mix until combined.  Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack, then finish cooling in the fridge for at least 4 or 5 hours, or overnight.
To serve: Top cheesecake with berries (I used an outer ring of strawberries, and blueberries and raspberries in the middle. Combine jam and honey in a small saucepan just until combined.  Drizzle over berries.
Filed Under: Desserts

Vanilla beans, and vanilla sugar

June 28, 2011 by
I heart vanilla beans.  They are one of those amazing ingredients that make everything they touch magical.   They can last for a couple of years, and I love having them on hand.  Want to know how to use them?
Using a small paring knife, cut in half lengthwise.  Then use the back of the knife to scrape out all the amazing goodness. : )  For recipes that call for vanilla extract, just remember that about 1/2 of 1 bean is equal to 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  Only, it tastes WAY better!
What to do with the pod? Wait! Don’t throw it away! You can simmer it with something to add vanilla flavor, like a berry sauce, or my favorite, make vanilla sugar!
Just throw it in a jar with some sugar and leave for a week or two.  You’ll have sugar infused with vanilla flavor when it’s ready! 

Filed Under: DIY / How to..., Uncategorized

Patriotic Italian Sodas

June 27, 2011 by
 
If you’re anything like me, you’ll LOVE the Bake It Pretty website.  I can always find a few things I CAN’T live without : ) One such item is the miniature milk bottles.  I was so excited to get them in the mail, and thought they’d be perfect for a festive drink this 4th of July.  I didn’t measure, but I think it’s pretty safe to say you’ll be fine winging it.  And if you don’t have the fancy glasses, regular will do : )
 
PATRIOTIC ITALIAN SODAS
Ice
Torani syrup, I used Blue Raspberry and Raspberry
Club soda (or 7-up or something similar)
half and half or heavy cream
Whipped cream
 
Put a few ice cubes in glass, pour a small amount of Torani syrup over ice.
Add club soda…
Then a little milk….
Top with some whipped cream, a fancy striped paper straw, and a fresh raspberry. : )
Filed Under: Drinks

Italian Bread Rolls

June 22, 2011 by
 
I love this Italian Bread recipe, and adapted it for rolls with great results.  They’re perfect for sandwiches, individual French bread pizzas, or just plain served with pasta and maybe olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  And make them as big or small as you like, just adjust the bake time accordingly.
 
ITALIAN BREAD ROLLS
 
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T active dry yeast
1 T sugar
2 T melted unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups flour
1 egg white, beaten
 
Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let bloom 5-10 minutes.
Add the butter, salt, and 2 cups of the flour.  Mix until combined well.
Add up to 2 1/2 cups additional flour until dough comes together.
Knead for a couple of minutes on lightly floured surface.
Place in oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let rise about 30 minutes, or double in size.
Shape into 4-6 oblong rolls and place on a greased baking sheet.
Brush with egg white.  Let rise 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or lightly golden.
 
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Filed Under: Bread, Yeast