Recipe Wednesday! CONGRATS! Wedding soup and cookies, in honor of my bro + new sis!

The family nuptials we attended this weekend have me thinking of recipes that celebrate wedded bliss. These two are a match made in heaven! (The people AND the food!)

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup seashell pasta
3/4 cup diced carrots

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls and set aside.
In a large stockpot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in the spinach, pasta, carrot and meatballs. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente, and meatballs are no longer pink inside. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
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ITALIAN WEDDING COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for rolling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.
Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-20 min. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.
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"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."
~Mignon McLaughlin

VOICI! Two Truly FRENCH recipes - Bread-machine BRIOCHE + Filled French CREPES

Bonjour! I love fancy breads, and I love them MORE when I can make them so easily! This rich, eggy BRIOCHE takes only 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake. The CREPES are a classic, and wonderful filled with rich PASTRY CREAM and fresh fruit. Try them also for LUNCH, filled with diced ham + shredded swiss cheese, or shredded chicken + sauteed mushrooms. Délicieux!

FRENCH BRIOCHE
(for the bread machine)
[brioche machine à pain]

Ingredients:

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 egg white
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Place the first seven ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by your manufacturer. Select dough cycle.
Turn finished dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead 5 to 10 times. Separate into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll with hands into strips. Braid or twist strips together. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk together 1 egg white and the water. Brush onto the top of the loaf.
Bake in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.
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FILLED FRENCH CREPES
[crêpes fourrées]

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 Tbs butter, melted

Directions:

Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Fill with pastry cream (recipe below) and fresh fruit.
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PASTRY CREAM FILLING
[crème pâtissière]

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

BEAT egg yolks well in medium bowl or glass measure; gradually stir in milk until blended.
MIX sugar, cornstarch and salt in large heavy saucepan. GRADUALLY stir in a small amount of milk mixture, making a smooth paste. Gradually stir in remaining milk mixture until blended.
COOK over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, 20 to 25 minutes. BOIL and stir 1 minute. REMOVE from heat immediately.
COOL quickly: Set pan in larger pan of ice water. STIR occasionally and gently for a few minutes to hasten cooling. STIR IN vanilla. PRESS piece of plastic wrap onto surface of pastry cream to prevent "skin" from forming. REFRIGERATE until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
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JOUIR! [Enjoy!]

Bien manger est la meilleure vengeance!
[Eating well is the best revenge!]

Itching to PLANT? Here's the current calendar for Moon-phase/sign planting!

With this warm weather, everyone wants to be outdoors, and gardeners are ready to plant and start those seedlings! Here's the next 2 month phase calendar for planting...

MARCH 2012

5th-8th A Most Barren Period, Best For Killing Plant Pests Or Doing Chores Around The Farm.
9th-11th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Fine For Sowing Hay, Fodder Crops, And Grains. Plant Flowers.
12th-13th Excellent Time For Planting Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now, And For Starting Seedbeds. Good Days For Transplanting.
14th-16th Poor Planting Days.
17th-18th Any Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now Will Do Well.
19th-20th A Barren Period, Best Suited For Killing Pests. Do Plowing And Cultivating.
21st-22nd Favorable Planting Days: First Day For Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Salsify, Turnips, Peanuts, And Other Root Crops. Good Day For Transplanting. Last Day For Aboveground Crops. Both Days Good For Planting Cucumbers, Melons, Pumpkins And Other Vine Crops, And For Setting Strawberry Plants.
23rd-24th Cultivate And Spray, But Do No Planting.
25th-27th Favorable For Planting Crops Bearing Yield Above The Ground.
28th-29th Seeds Planted Now Will Rot In The Ground.
30th-31st Best Planting Days For Aboveground Crops, Especially Peas, Beans, Cucumbers And Squash, Where Climate Is Suitable. Plant Seedbeds And Flower Gardens.

APRIL 2012

1st-4th Grub Out Weeds, Briars, And Plant Pests.
5th-7th First Day Good For Planting Corn, Melons, Squash, Tomatoes, And Other Aboveground Crops. Last Days Favorable For Planting Root Crops. All Days Favorable For Sowing Grains, Hay And Fodder Crops, And Planting Flowers.
8th-9th Good Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Radishes, Turnips, Peanuts, And Root Crops. Also Good For Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, And Other Leafy Vegetables. Start Seedbeds. Good Days For Transplanting.
10th-12th Barren Period. Do No Planting.
13th-14th Favorable Days For Planting Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Radishes, Onions, And Root Crops.
15th-17th Excellent Time To Kill Weeds, Briars, Poison Ivy, And Plant Pests.
18th-19th Favorable Days For Planting Root Crops, Extra Good For Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants. Good Days For Transplanting.
20th-21st Poor Planting Day. Break Ground Or Cultivate.
22nd-23rd Favorable Days For Planting Beans, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Peppers, And Aboveground Crops.
24th-25th Poor Days For Planting, Seeds Will Rot In The Ground.
26th-27th Plant Tomatoes, Beans, Peppers, Corn, Cotton, And Other Aboveground Crops. Plant Seedbeds. Start Flower Gardens.
28th-30th Grub Out Weeds, Briars, And Other Plant Pests.

Good luck with your gardens this year, and have fun getting dirty! :)

Recipe Thursday! SUPER FAST desserts for your family or a bake sale!

When time is of the essence and you need sweets FAST!
Try these two go-to zippy desserts!

QUICK COCONUT PIE

Ingredients:

12-oz. can of evaporated milk, minus 4 Tbsp.
1 stick of butter or margarine, melted
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
7-oz. bag of shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together and pour into two unbaked pie shells. Bake until firm — about 35 minutes.

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FAST LEMON BARS

Ingredients:

Crust:
1-1/3 cup crumbled vanilla wafers
2 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp flour
Confectioner’s sugar, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a two-quart tbaking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients and then press into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes and remove. Whisk together all filling ingredients and then pour over the crust. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until center is set. Cool and serve room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled, dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before refrigerating to fight condensation.

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"Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything."
~Wyatt Earp

Recipe Wednesday! Zesty Citrus...Slow Cooker Marmalade + Lemon Butter Cake

Hiya Folks! These are my kind of recipes - just a few ingredients, simple, classic and DELICIOUS! Just mix, cook and enjoy...wonderful smells to warm up your kitchen, and a taste of fresh citrus in season...what's not to like?

SLOW COOKER ORANGE MARMALADE

Ingredients:

4 large navel oranges
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water

Directions:

Trim off the stem and navel ends of each orange.
Cut it in half and slice either by hand or in the food processor fitted with the 4mm blade into 1/8″ slices.
Place oranges, sugar and water in the crock pot.
Try to push the oranges down so they are covered as much as possible.
Cover and set on high and cook for 8 hours.
Remove the cover and set to low and cook uncovered for another 2-3 hours until the syrup is thick.
Spoon into jars and refrigerate.
Perfect on English muffins!

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LEMON BUTTER CAKE

Ingredients:

1 lb. salted butter
4 cups sugar
12 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ounce bottle of lemon extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Cream the butter and sugar together, then add in a single egg at a time, making sure to mix well after each one. Gradually add the flour. Mix in the lemon extract last and then pour into a large Bundt pan, greased and floured.

Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool thoroughly before eating. To dress it up, drizzle with a glaze made of powdered sugar thinned with a little milk and vanilla...and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest!

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"When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out - because that's what's inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside."
~Wayne Dyer

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange."
~Vincent Van Gogh

Happy FEBRUARY! Time to plant! TURN that Phone Book into little seed pots

It's that time of year again you walk out your front door and there at your feet is a bag with a heavy phone book in it. Many people just toss them out but instead do something awesome with it.. make little seed pots!!!

"Ingredients"
(What you need:)

~ 1 phone book
~ 1 short and fat shot glass (if you want to make different sized pots you can do shot glass sized, wine bottle sized, etc)

"Directions"
(What you do:)

~ Start by taking a sheet of phone book, fold it in half.
~ Wrap it tightly around your shot glass leaving an overhang.
~ Fold in the overhang around the bottom of the glass, creating a bottom.
~ Press the shot glass onto a hard surface.
~ Slowly pull up glass leaving a little pot.
~ Fill with potting mix and plant seed.
~ Keep moist, ad wait for it to grow!
~ When ready to plant into the garden, plant the whole thing. (it will decompose)

*TIP* I use a dab of white glue if it looks like it won't stay together, or if
I use 2 thicknesses of paper.

Swimming in Applesauce? Clear the pantry shelves with these...

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Hello everyone, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you as well! Due to our BUMPER crop of apples this year, we spent a lot of time this past fall CANNING applesauce! We use ours served as a chutney over pork, as a base for apple pies and crisps, on waffles and pancakes, stirred into hot oatmeal with cinnamon + nutmeg, and as a substitute for oil in recipes for muffins & quick breads to CUT DOWN on FAT! So here are two of OUR family favorite recipes to use up your stockpile too:

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SIMPLE APPLESAUCE PIE
(VERY old recipe!)

1 c. sweetened applesauce
(I stir in brown sugar to taste!)
1 c. whole milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten

Mix all ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes, then lower to 350 F for 35 minutes, or until custard is set. Cool, cut, enjoy!
Keep refrigerated.

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OLD-FASHIONED APPLESAUCE CANDY

4 c. applesauce
2 c. sugar
2/3 c. red cinnamon candies
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. cold water

Add sugar, cinnamon candies and applesauce to saucepot. Cook on medium, uncovered,
for 45 minutes. Soften gelatin in the 1/4 c. cold water, and add to pan. Cook 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into greased 8" square pan. Cool. Cut into squares, and dip each in granulated sugar. Store, covered, in a cool place for 1 day. Makes 18 pieces.

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AND, if you need to whip up applesauce first, try this:

CROCKPOT APPLESAUCE

Peel and cut a 1/2 peck bag full of granny smith (or similar) apples, and another 1/2 peck bag of a sweeter apple. Mix them together in a large crockpot, along with a bit of fresh lemon juice, a strip of lemon peel, and one cinnamon stick. To sweeten, you can add brown sugar and slowly bake down the apples to the consistency you like. Easy!

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"Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce."
~Natalie Goldberg