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

Appetizer #8 - Carrot Puffs

 The Year of Appetizers

Appetizer #8 - Carrot Puffs

    Okay, so I sometimes will take a picture of a recipe in a cookbook, so I can easily refer to it in making grocery lists. This time around, I did that and then put the cookbook away. I know it was the Waring Blendor Cookbook, but I do not know for sure which year it was published. I "googled' and I believe that the cookbook I have is the one that was published in 1955. This is not the only Waring cookbook which spelled blender as "blendor", but I am pretty sure of the one I have. 

    These puffs were good. They were of a lighter texture than hush puppies, but you fry them just the same (I actually used about two inches of oil in a large cast iron skillet). There are a number of variations you could do with this recipe. Substitute sweet potato for the carrot, add more nutmeg or substitute cinnamon. I am also curious how this would turn out using spinach. I used avocado oil instead of regular vegetable oil, so it was a little "better". Still fried in oil, but better. Lol. 

    My verdict is that these were tasty and I would make them again if I wasn't being careful with fried foods (I don't know what possessed me to make something fried). They were not difficult to make, so if you like fried things, try this!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cooked carrots (cut up in small pieces)

2 tbsp oil

Directions:

Into a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg/cinnamon and salt. Into your blender or food processor, add the egg, milk, carrots and oil over and blend until smooth. Pour your liquid mixture into the dry flour mixture and stir, thoroughly combining. Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. You want them golden. Remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet or plate and sprinkle with salt. Serves 6.

Carrot Puffs

Pie Number 11 - Streusel Cream Peach - Pie

 The Year of Pie

Pie Number 11 - Streusel Cream Peach Pie

    Streusel Cream Peach Pie comes to us from The Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers Cookbook, published in 1978 (the Library of Congress catalog number is 78-142015. This book is comprised of recipes submitted by home economics teachers across the United States. This recipe was submitted by Mrs. Linda Frank of Sam Houston H.S. in Arlington, Texas. Dear Mrs. Frank, your recipe turned out delicious. The only change I made was using canned peaches, not fresh pared peaches. And, I did use half & half (the recipe says cream or milk). Anyhow, try this pie, because I was really happy with how it turned out. 

Ingredients:

3 cans (14 3/4 oz or 15 oz) sliced peaches, drained (the original recipe calls for 4 cups sliced peaches)

1 9-inch pastry shell

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg (the original recipe says this is optional)

1 egg

2 tbsp cream or milk (I used half & half)

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare your pie crust and place crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Arrange peach slices on the pastry. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and the nutmeg and sprinkle that over the peaches. Beat the cream and egg and pour this mixture over the peaches. In a small bowl mix the flour, the last 1/4 cup of sugar and the butter until crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbly bits over the peaches and bake for 35 to 45 minutes (The original recipe says "or until brown" and mine didn't get very, brown at all and I baked it for the full 45 minutes; just don't be surprised if it doesn't brown up). 

The original recipe says to serve warm, but I let mine cool until it was only slightly warm, because I wanted to make sure it didn't fall apart. Top with a dollop or shot of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I added a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. 

Streusel Cream Peach Pie

Pie Number Nine - Barbara Frietchie Pie

The Year of Pie

Pie #9 - Barbara Frietchie Pie

    Who is Barbara Frietchie? What I learned about Barbara Frietchie (Frietchie), December 3, 1776 - December 18, 1862, is that she lived in Frederick, Maryland in 1862. Frietchie, also known as Barbara Fritchie and Barbara Frietschie, is the subject of a poem "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier. Frietchie is alleged to have shaken a Union flag and hurled insults at Confederate troops who were marching through Frederick. There are conflicting stories, but it is said that she did at least wave a Union flag at and cheered for Union General Ambrose Burnside's troops as they marched through. 

    I've seen other blog posts/articles on versions of this pie and it seems that mine did not turn out like some of those. For example, while the flavor sounds like it was the same, mine did not turn out to have two layers. Mine turned out thin and with a chewy consistency. It was a bit hard to cut with it destroying some of the pie crust edge, but that didn't matter, because overall, I really liked it. Served very, cold like the recipe suggested, it was delicious and surprisingly not oversweet. I would definitely make this again.

    The recipe I used comes from 250 Superb Pies And Pastries, published in 1950 by the Culinary Arts Institute and in fact, the black & white photo of the pie, does show what looks like two layers. 

Ingredients:

1 - 9 inch pie crust

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk (I used what I had, which was heavy whipping cream)

2 egg yolks (beaten)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs whites (beaten) 

Sprinkle of nutmeg

Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

Prepare pie crust and line a 9-inch pan with crust. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Cook the sugar, brown sugar, cream/milk, egg yolks and butter in the top of a double boiler if you have one (I used a regular pan and heated on medium-low heat) until thickened. I forgot the "until thickened" part and cooked until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, salt and egg whites. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 425 degrees for  ten minutes, then reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake for forty-five more minutes. Generally if you insert a knife in the center and it comes out clean, you're done. Cool on a rack. Once cool, place in the refrigerator and serve very, cold with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves between six and eight slices.  

Barbara Frietchie Pie

Slice of Barbara Frietchie Pie

Pie Number Six: Jack's Apple Pie

 The Year of Pie 

Pie #6 - Jack's Apple Pie

    Jack's Apple Pie is a recipe by Jack Jadkowski. Jack's recipe is in the Kalamazoo County Fair section of The County Fair Coobook, published in 1994. Jack has won numerous blue ribbons and won a Best In Show ribbon in 1992.  So, my crust didn't turn out great. Rolling dough is not my forte and while the top crust ended up with a nice texture, I did not like how the bottom crust was kind of soft.  I think if it had been thicker, it might have been better.  I also wasn't sure about the 4 tablespoons of butter in the filling. Overall though, and even with the crust problem(s), with the finished product tasted good. Modifications/What I did, in Italics.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

 2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 to 6 tablespoons very, cold water

Filling:

6 to 8 McIntosh or Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 7 Granny Smith apples)

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 generous teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter, softened

Optional Serving Toppings:

whipped cream

vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Make your crust - Combine flour and salt, cut in shortening until the mix resembles course meal. Stir in water a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Wrap in plastic wrap (I had wax paper) and refrigerate while you make the filling. Make your filling - Mix together in a large bowl, the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss the apples in this mixture, making sure to coat all of the apple. Finish your crust and assemble - Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out bottom crust and place it in a 9-inch pie pan. Spread two tablespoons of the softened butter, evenly over the crust. Pour in apples and dot the remaining butter over top. Roll out your top crust. Cover the filling, crimp edges and cut vents for steam. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.  

Jack's Apple Pie

Side View

The piece I had for dinner. It didn't come out of the pan nicely, but it tasted good.
Topped with whipped cream. 

Pie Number Three: Pork and Tater Pie

The Year of Pie

Pie #3 - Pork and Tater

     Pork and Tater Pie.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe which comes from the Favorite Recipes From Southern Kitchens - Meats: Including Seafood and Poultry, published in 1967, but it turned out really well. This recipe was submitted to Southern Kitchens by Mrs. A. Tschoepe Jr, of San Antonio, Texas. I adjusted some of the seasoning, because I didn't have any "savory" seasoning and also because I wanted to. Also, I added nutmeg. It is a two crust pie and although I still struggle with making pretty circles when I roll out my dough, but overall, I am doing good with crusts.  I brushed melted butter on the top crust, before baking and it gave it a nice, golden brown color.  Modifications in italics. Note that the original recipe only calls for salt, savory (1/2 tsp), sage (1/4 tsp), cinnamon, cloves (1/8 tsp) and pepper. The original recipe does not include thyme, Italian seaoning or nutmeg. I really liked this pie. I served with a nice garden salad and it was perfect. So, try this pie!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

1 lb ground pork, browned

2 cups diced potato, cooked

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp oregano

1/8tsp thyme

1/8 tsp Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp pepper

parsley (optional)

Directions:

Sift flour and salt together and cut in shortening until pea-size crumbles form. Sprinkle 6 or 7 tablespoons cold water over the pea-sized crumbles and mix until dough forms (I used my hands to form the dough ball after mixing with the fork). Separate dough into two halves. Roll out one half of dough until about 10 inches round. Loosely lay dough over a 9 inch round pie pan. Cook pork in skillet and drain off fat. Add seasonings and 1/2 cup water. Mix thoroughly until heated through. Pour the meat & potato mixture into the pie pan. Set aside and roll out the second half of dough. Place over the filling. Crimp top and bottom crust together and trim any excess dough. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush top crust with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Serve with sprinkling of parsley flakes. The original recipe says four to six servings. You can get six to eight servings. 

Pork and Tater Pie

Pork and Tater Pie