Apple-Fig Bread w/Honey Glaze

 Apple-Fig Bread w/Honey Glaze

    Grrr. I already wrote this post once, but accidentally deleted it just before I could hit "publish".  This recipe is in the Betty Crocker The Big Book of Bread. I really like this book and have made several recipes from it. I've never made this one, and I'm glad I did not. If you don't have all-spice, do what I did and substitute with a little more cinnamon and some nutmeg. Serve with hot tea or hot coffee.  Serves about 12. 

Ingredients:

For the Bread:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1 cup chopped, peeled apple

1/2 cups chopped, dried fig

For the Glaze:

1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsps honey (Heat slightly in microwave for about 10 - 15 seconds to make it easier to mix)

1 tbsp softened butter

dash allspice (or cinnamon)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare pan by spraying the bottom only of an 8x4 loaf pan with cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat oil and sugar for about a minute. Beat in egg, then egg yolk. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour and milk, alternating and mixing well after each addition. Mix in apples and figs to smooth batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake in oven for 55 to 65 minutes. Test for doneness, with a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the loaf from the pan to remove. Set loaf top side up on the rack and cool completely (about 2 hours). In a small bowl mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar, honey, butter and allspice or cinnamon until smooth. You can add more powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Spread glaze over loaf and allow to set. Serve immediately or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. 

Apple-Fig Bread w/Honey Glaze

Apple-Fig Bread w/Honey Glaze

Pie Number 20 - Sweet Potato Praline Pie

The Year of Pie

Pie Number 20 - Sweet Potato Praline Pie

    Woohoo! It's hard to believe that there are only four pies left in the Year of Pie! I've had some "fails", mostly "successes" and some which have turned out really well. One of those that turned out really well, is this Sweet Potato Praline Pie. The recipe is in Treasury of Desserts. Published in 1993, it contains recipes from several major food brands, including Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Jell-O, Eagle Brand, Duncan Hines and Hershey's. This recipe in particular, calls for Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk and is very, clear about NOT using evaporated milk.  You can use an electric mixer if you have one, but I don't have one and I did everything by hand. I'm not big on pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie, but I am glad I tried this. It was really good.  This recipe includes a praline topping, but if you would rather not use the topping, that is perfectly fine. The pie would be excellent with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I really liked the flavor and texture of this pie and I recommend trying this recipe. 

Ingredients:

1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell (I make my own, but you could use a pre-made pie shell)

1 pound sweet potatoes or yams (cooked & peeled)

1/4 cup margarine or butter (I used butter)

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

Praline Topping (Optional; I know it's in the title, but really if you don't like or can't have nuts, leave this out)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat hot sweet potatoes with butter/margarine; add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, spices and salt. Beat together until smooth. Stir in eggs and pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake 50 to 55 minutes (the center needs to be set). Cool pie and top with warm Praline Topping (below). Serve warm (This was also good chilled with warmed praline topping). Refrigerate leftovers if you have any!

Praline Topping:

1/2 cup whipping cream (unwhipped)

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped & toasted pecans

Directions:

Cook and stir on medium low until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly 5 to 8 minutes or until thickened. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Spoon over a slice of warm (or chilled) pie. 

Sweet Potato Pie (Look at this filling!)

Sweet Potato Praline Pie

Sweet Potato Praline Pie

Sopa Paraguaya (Paraguayan Corn Bread)

 Sopa Paraguaya (Paraguayan Corn Bread)

This dish from Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, published in 1980. I really liked this dish. You could eat this as a main dish or as a side dish like I did. This is like a casserole. I couldn't find a 2 quart casserole dish that the recipe called for, so I used a 3 quart dish and thought that size worked perfectly. I also didn't have all the seasonings in the recipe. I'd thought I had them! That's okay, because I just used more red pepper.  I also used Colby Jack cheese, not Monterey Jack cheese. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup cornmeal

2 tbsp margarine or butter, softened

3 eggs, separated

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used 1 tsp, since I didn't realize that I was out of cumin and allspice)

1 can (8oz) whole-kernel corn, drained

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4oz)

1 small onion, chopped (I used 1/2 of a large onion)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 2-quart (I used 3-quart and it was perfectly fine) casserole dish. 

In a large bowl, stir boiling water into cornmeal. Stir until smooth, then blend in margarine/butter and egg yolks. Stir in milk, cottage cheese, salt, baking powder, spices, corn, cheese and finally the onion. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into corn batter. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serves 9 to 12

Sopa Paraguaya aka Paraguayan Corn Bread

Sopa Paraguaya aka Paraguayan Corn Bread served with tilapia and grilled onion

Week 44 - Fried Spinach Balls

 Fried Spinach Balls

Week 44 of 52

Appetizer #6

    This appetizer recipe is from the Culinary Arts Institute's 500 delicious dishes from Leftovers, published in 1950. It was easy to put together and I enjoyed the finished dish.  I actually only had enough spinach for a half recipe, which gave me eighteen balls.  These are obviously better freshly made. I had leftovers, so had to eat my leftovers and they were still tasty even though not "crispy". I'll give the full recipe below and you can see how easy it is to "half the recipe". Like I said, I enjoyed the finished dish and would make these again.  

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked spinach, chopped

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated onion (I finely minced)

2 tablespoons grated cheese

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup water 

1 bread crumbs for rolling balls in

Directions:

Combine spinach with butter, 1 beaten egg, bread crumbs, onion, cheese and allspice. Let stand for 10 minutes and shape into balls. In a shallow dish, combine the 2nd egg and water. Add the 2nd cup of bread crumbs into another shallow dish. Roll spinach balls in crumbs, then the egg wash mixture and then the bread crumbs again. Fry in hot fat (375 degrees) until brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt while hot. 

Spinach Balls

Spinach Ball