Marionberry Pie (and how to make a lattice crust)

October 4, 2011 by
It’s official.  Summer is gone.  But luckily my freezer has been replenished with a plethera of berries to last through the winter, and then some.
My hubby’s favorite pie is marionberry, and I can’t say I blame him. : )
So I always make sure we have some stashed in the freezer for a winter berry fix.
If you don’t have access to them in your area, all I can say is I’m sorry.  They are soooo delicious.  They are similar to blackberries, (only better!) so I would substitute those if you don’t have any.
MARIONBERRY PIE
1/4 cup clearjel* (or flour)
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
zest of 1 lemon (or orange)
6 cups marionberries, fresh or frozen
1 T lemon juice
pie crust, a double batch of my recipe, or enough for a double crust
Egg wash (egg mixed with 1 tsp water)
sanding or coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Fill bottom of pie pan with crust, leaving an overhang.
Mix in a large bowl the clearjel, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
Toss in the berries and lemon juice.  Pour in pan.
Roll out remaining pie dough on lightly floured surface and cut using either a knife or crinkle edge pastry wheel. (I like my strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide).
Lay half the strips out on top of pie, leaving space equal to the the width of strips in between each strip.
Starting at one end, fold back every other strip and lay a strip going to opposite way. Like so:
Fold strips back down:
Now do the same, alternating which strips to fold back:
When you get about halfway I find it’s easier to start working from the other side, from the middle out.
Brush with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until bubbly and golden. (Check occasionally and cover with foil if top crust is getting too dark.)  Cool before slicing.
Recipe Source: My Stained Apron
*Clearjel is a modified cornstarch that works well for pie making, but feel free to substitute an equal amount of flour if you don’t have it.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Pie

Morning Buns

September 16, 2011 by
It actually rained a tiny bit tonight. Hooray! I am so excited for fall and winter.  And this is the perfect thing to welcome in fall.  Warm cinnamony bread in the morning (that I can make beforehand too!) with some Evil Hot Chocolate makes for very happy faces around here.  This is originally from the King Arthur Flour blog, and in that recipe they bake it in a tree form but a 9 by 13 pan works great.
This is the perfect Holiday breakfast recipe, since it can be thrown in the oven while you enjoy festivities.  And I have found if we have company it’s really nice to make a few days ahead so we can have it on hand for an easy breakfast.
HOLIDAY MORNING BUNS
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 T baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 T sugar
2 to 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
Coating:
7 T butter, melted
cinnamon and sugar for rolling
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Add 2 cups of the cream all at once, then stir until the dough comes together.
If needed, add more cream to bring dough together.
Knead lightly just to make sure there are no dry spots.
Break of pieces of dough about the size of a ping pong ball and roll each piece in the melted butter, then the in the cinnamon and sugar.
Place the balls into a pan in a single layer (I use a 9 by 13 inch glass dish, sprayed with non-stick spray).  By the time you are done they should be touching, but not overlapping.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put in the freezer overnight, or up to a week. (Just wrap the foil again in foil if freezing longer than overnight.
The next day take the pan out of the freezer and let them sit at room temerature while you heat your oven to 350 degrees.  (Don’t worry, they don’t need to thaw).
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until they are cooked through.
If they have been in the freezer longer than overnight, they may need 65 to 70 minutes.
(You may need to tent with foil after 45 minutes so the tops don’t overbake).
Dust liberally with powdered sugar (if desired) and serve immediately.
Filed Under: Bread, Yeast, Breakfast, Holiday Recipes

Roasted green beans

August 11, 2011 by
I like to roast.  A lot.
It is my favorite cooking technique.  How else can you quickly and easily turn fresh vegetables into delicious dishes without adding hardly anything?
I love that the flavor of the green beans is really what is highlighted.
Make sure you start with really fresh green beans, as their flavor will only be as good as what you start with.  I hope these make it on your list of go-to side dishes- we love them!
ROASTED GREEN BEANS
Fresh green beans, ends trimmed
Drizzle of olive oil
Sprinkle each of salt and pepper
Toss all together and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Toss halfway through.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes

24 Hour Layered Salad

April 15, 2011 by
I can’t believe Easter is almost here! These last 6 weeks have been a complete whirlwind, but our kitchen remodel is finally starting to wrap up!
This is one of my favorite holiday side dishes, part because I love my vegetables, part because my Mom made it when I was a kid at holidays too.  I love having a few dishes on the holiday menu that I can make the day before but still taste delicious.   If we’re having a lot of family over I will make a double batch, and you can serve it as is or toss together lightly just before serving.
24 HOUR LAYERED SALAD
Recipe source: my Mom
  
4 cups torn lettuce
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tomatoes, cut in thin wedges
2 carrots, shredded (about 1 cup)
1 stalk celery, sliced thin (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sliced radishes
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, muenster, or other)
Put greens in a tall bowl, top with mushrooms, then peas, and the rest of ingredients (following the order listed).
Spread Buttermilk-Herb Dressing evenly over top of salad, sealing to edge of bowl.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill for 4-24 hours.   Yield: 6-8 side dish servings.
BUTTERMILK-HERB DRESSING:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T buttermilk
1 T fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
1 T fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Stir everything together.  Cover & stir in the fridge up to 1 week.  Makes 1 cup.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Salad / Dressings

The Tale of Three Piglets

February 1, 2011 by
Once upon a time there were three little piglets, and each met a different but equally delicious fate…
PUFFY PIGLETS
Cocktail sausages
puff pastry
1 egg
poppy seeds
Thaw puff pastry and using a pizza wheel or knife, cut into strips long enough to wrap around your sausages and about half the width, so some sausage pokes out at both ends.
Wrap sausages and place on a baking sheet (I line mine with a silicone mat)
Beat egg with 1 T water and brush puff pastry.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until pastry is lightly browned.
BBQ PIGLETS
Cocktail sausages
BBQ Sauce
Bacon
Cut bacon in half or thirds, (depending on length of bacon), you want the strips long enough to overlap when you wrap around sausages.
Dip sausages into bbq sauce, wrap with bacon, and use a toothpick to secure. Dip in BBQ sauce one more time, then place on baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
STICKY PIGLETS
Cocktail sausages
bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1 T unsalted butter
Combine brown sugar, honey, and butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Cut bacon in half or thirds, (depending on length of bacon), you want the strips long enough to overlap when you wrap around sausages. Wrap sausages in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet.
Brush with sauce and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.

Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Holiday Recipes

Homemade Wheat Thins (and variations)

January 3, 2011 by
Here’s that cracker recipe I promised when I posted the Cheese Ball recipe.  They are by far the best I’ve made and the variations I came up were a huge hit.  Wether you make the Sundried tomato and basil, garlic and herb, cheddar bacon, or just plain, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll be happy.  They really are super easy to make as well and way cheaper to make than buy.  And I don’t know about you, but I always feel better knowing what goes into our food, rather than trying to decipher an ingredient list.
HOMEMADE WHEAT THINS
adapted from everyday food storage, variations by My Stained Apron
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I use white wheat)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T dry buttermilk powder (or use buttermilk in place of water)
2 T seeds (sesame, poppy, flax, or mixture), optional
1/2 cup water (or buttermilk if you aren’t using the buttermilk powder)
3 T oil or melted butter
For sprinkling the tops: Kosher salt, garlic seasoning, extra seeds, etc.
Mix dry ingredients together, then add the wet and mix together to make a soft, sticky dough.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes so the wheat can absorb the moisture.
Sprinkle the top with a little flour, then divide dough into half.
Place dough on a silicone baking mat and top with a piece of plastic wrap and roll out very thinly, to the edges. (about 12 by 16 inches)
(If you don’t have a mat, just roll out on a sprayed underside of a baking sheet)
Cut into squares with a pizza wheel and set silicone mat inside a baking sheet.
Sprinkle with desired topping or a combination of a couple.
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes.  Break apart and enjoy!
VARIATIONS:
GARLIC:
Add into dough: 2 tsp no-salt garlic and herb seasoning
Sprinkle tops with: additional garlic seasoning and kosher salt
SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND BASIL
Puree together in a blender then add into dough:
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
2 T dried basil
2 cloves garlic
extra 3 T water
Sprinkle tops with: kosher salt
CHEDDAR BACON
Puree together in a blender then add into dough:
1/3 cup very finely chopped cooked bacon
1 T onion powder
1/4 cup cheese powder
extra 3 T water
 
Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Holiday Recipes

Cheese Ball

December 29, 2010 by
I’m a little behind these days, so it’s no surprise I didn’t get around to sharing this recipe in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  But it’s also great for New Year’s or any other party you have coming up.  We actually served it at our wedding reception many a year ago. : )
And I’ll share my homemade cracker recipe pictured here, promise!
My personal preference is to form smaller balls, about 1 1/2 inches across and that way I can have a variety to serve, some rolled in pecans, some in parsley, and some in bacon.  And it makes serving much easier and looks better too.  This is my mom’s recipe she’s made for many, many, many years.  It’s been served on holiday’s since I can remember, family weddings, etc.  And everyone always loves it and wants the recipe. I’ve changed it only slightly, leaving out the green bell pepper, and adding bacon occasionally.  And my mom only served it rolled in nuts, but we all really like the new varieties as well.  Feel free to get creative with yours, I think it would be good with sun dried tomatoes mixed in, or maybe some smoked cheese, etc. Have fun experimenting and Happy New Year!
CHEESE BALL
Recipe adapted from my mom
1 lb. shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 cups)
8 oz cream cheese
2 oz jar pimentos, drained
1 T chopped onion
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp lemon juice
dash salt
1 T sugar
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon, optional
For rolling: 1 cup finely chopped pecans, cooked bacon, or parsley
Combine all ingredients (expect for nuts) in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
Process until well blended.  Can be shaped into one or a couple large balls, or a log (which you can slice), or a bunch of smaller balls.  Roll in nuts, bacon, or parsley.  YIELD: one 5″ Cheese ball
Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks, Holiday Recipes

Strawberry Slush

December 27, 2010 by
This is my go-to punch recipe.  Since we are an alcohol-free household, we’ve tried out a few alcohol free punch recipes, and this is our favorite.  I make it for most holidays and it’s always a hit. And it’s perfect for New Year’s Eve.  A friend gave me the recipe, and the only change I made is cutting the slush mixture in half.  We just thought it was almost too sweet that way.  But still good, so if you like your punch super flavorful, feel free to double the amounts for the slush mixture. (So you double the sugar, water, jello, pineapple, lemon, and orange juices. Still seperate into 2 bags, and serve each bag with one 2 liter of 7-up).
STRAWBERRY SLUSH
Recipe adapted from Janice R.
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups water
3 oz pkg strawberry jello
3 cups pineapple juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups orange juice
2 (two liter) 7-up, for serving
Combine the sugar, water, and jello in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.
Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice.
Let cool and divide into 2 ziplocks.  Freeze.
To serve, put one bag in punch bowl and pour a 2 liter of 7-up over slush.
(If it is frozen hard and you need it to mix quickly, just microwave contents of bag for a couple of minutes to soften, then pour 7-up over it.)
Filed Under: Drinks, Holiday Recipes

Cranberry Sauce

December 24, 2010 by
I don’t care for the canned cranberry sauce.  I mean, how are can lines appetizing?  Am I alone here?
This is how I like it.  And I make it every holiday this way.  I know there are a few options here for ingredients, but I love to use what I have on hand.  If I have an apple, that goes in.  If not, I always have berries in the freezer ( I do live in the Pacific Northwest, after all!)  And honestly, I love it both ways.  You could even add both if you like!  And make sure you taste as you cook and make sure it’s to your sweetness liking.  You can always add more sugar if it’s too tart.   Merry Christmas everyone!
CRANBERRY SAUCE
Recipe by My Stained Apron
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar (I like to use brown, but white is fine as well)
12 oz cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice (or 1/2 cup additional water)
zest of 1 orange (about 1-2 T)
2 cups blackberries (frozen is fine) OR 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
Put everything in a pot over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until cranberries have popped and cooked down a bit.  If you want it thicker, let cool to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes.
Filed Under: Holiday Recipes, Sauces / Condiments

Springerle

December 10, 2010 by
Meet the new love in my life. Springerle.  They are dense little German cookies, a silky soft dough is imprinted with an image and left out to dry overnight.  This hardens the image so that it will maintain all of its little details as it bakes.  You can get the molds in all manner of designs, the one I used was ordered from King Arthur Flour, but is made by House On The Hill. (Wish I had ordered from them, for the same price they sell the exact one, but with 2 additional images!)
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making them for some time now, and I got very worried when I was making my first batch.  I used King Arthur Flour’s recipe and it was like a brick. I couldn’t even roll it out!  After a quick call to Ute, my mom’s German friend, I had another batch going that looked MUCH better.  Sure enough, when I baked them the next day they turned out perfectly.
I love how cooking and art meet so well at times, and Springerle is definitely one of those times.
I keep daydreaming about making a trip to Germany just to buy enough Springerle molds to fill a large suitcase! (I’m sure that will happen soon, just after I attain the Nobel Prize)
SPRINGERLE
4 large eggs
1 pound powdered sugar
1 pound flour
2 tsp anise*, optional (extract, oil, or flavoring)
Beat eggs and sugar well, until they turn into a light and airy cream.
Add the flour and anise, mix until smooth.  Rest dough for 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 parts. The dough will feel sticky.
Lightly dust dough with flour, it should feel silky.
Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.
Dust mold lightly with flour and press into dough to leave impression.  Cut out using either a knife, pizza wheel, or decorative wheel.  If your image is a circular one, you can cut out using a biscuit cutter or fluted circle, etc.
Carefully place cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Don’t spray with cooking spray or anything)
Leave cookies to air-dry for 8 to 24 hours, depending on size.
Bake at 300 degrees for 12-18 minutes ( again, depending on size)
Cookies should become pale golden on bottom but the top shouldn’t get any color on them.
As they bake, you should see “little feet” form, that’s where the cookies rise up at the bottom.
*You could also substitute lemon flavoring or extract, or really any flavoring you want.
Don’t forget the 2 most important ingredients in Springerle.. Time and Love!
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Filed Under: Cookies, German, Holiday Recipes