Colorado Cream Pie

 COLORADO CREAM PIE

        So, here's the second recipe I've tried from the cookbook which started this all.  Colorado Cream Pie; recipe submitted by Mrs. Oliver Grimes.  It feels like pie crust has been the bane of my existence.  I've had crust not turn out well. Partly, I think because I'm not good at rolling it out; I've been scared to even try.  This time I used a recipe for a 9 or 10 inch double crust; I only needed one crust but the recipe for the single crust said that if you were doing a 9 inch pie, you should use the bigger recipe.  The pie crust recipe is on page 70 of my copy of the 1960 (1965 5th edition) Better Homes & Gardens "Dessert Cook Book".  I have a zillion dessert books in my cookbook collection, but I bought this particular cookbook, solely because it is exactly like the one my mom had. On a side note, my dad did most of the cooking when we were growing up and mom cooked on her days off. Sometimes she made chocolate cream pie with merengue for my dad (his favorite) and that recipe is in this cookbook.  I haven't been brave enough to make the chocolate pie, because when I make it, it will probably taste like her pie and that will make me cry buckets.  I've only had chocolate cream pie with merengue once in the almost 30 years she's been gone, where it tasted like her pie.  And that was at the old Stone's Restaurant in Marshalltown, Iowa, where some of my family is from.  

    Anyhow, back to my Colorado Cream Pie.  The ingredients are sugar, flour, butter, milk, vanilla, salt and two eggs (separated).  You cream the sugar, flour and butter, add the egg yolks, milk, vanilla and salt; mixing well. The recipe directs you to stiffly beat the egg whites and fold them into the other mixture.  Once that's done, you pour the filling (it was very, thin) into the unbaked crust.  It was the perfect amount for my 9 inch pie pan (Pyrex glass), so if you try this recipe, use a 9 inch pie dish. Much like a lot of recipes in these old cookbooks, pan size, no oven temperature was given and no baking time was given.  It only says "bake in a moderate oven, until inserted knife comes out clean. I used 350 degrees and started with 35 minutes. At 35 minutes, the filling didn't seem anywhere near being set, so I didn't even check it with a knife. I did another 10-15 minutes baking time.  I set the pie pan on a slightly elevated cookie rack, did the knife check and it was perfect.  I used an elevated cookie rack to cool, because I figured it would help it cool faster.   

    I probably could have let it cool a little longer and I don't remember how long I did, except I think it was about 1 1/2 hours or so. When I cut into the pie, I was able to easily remove a slice. The filling was "soft" if that makes sense, but it did not run all over the place, so I consider that a success! The pie crust was the only thing I wasn't super happy with.  It was not 100% cooked all the way through.  Close.  I think if I'd rolled the crust thinner, the crust would have turned out better.  Even with that, I was pretty proud of that crust.  It didn't bubble up anywhere and I thought the texture was fine.  

    Overall, I was really happy with this pie.  It tasted really good. Sweet, but not too sweet and it had a nice, not overpowering vanilla flavor  And, it was good today (of course I had to test that out). I just covered the pie pan and put it in the fridge.  Will I make this again? Another 100%, "Yes"!!!! And, let me know if you try it.  

Porcupine Balls

 Porcupine Balls

        So, I finally made something from the cookbook which got me to start this blog. I made  Porcupine Balls.  I think I'd heard of these before, but hadn't ever considered making them.  This recipe calls only five ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs sausage, 1/2 cup uncooked rice, 1/2 cup milk, onion and sage. Including tomato sauce to pour over top, there's six and there is a note to 'flour' them, so if you want to do that, it's seven ingredients.  I somehow missed that part and didn't flour mine and they turned out fine.  

    The directions are to mix in the order they are listed, make small balls, flour and pour the sauce over them.  Bake slowly for 2 hours.  The recipe doesn't give a pan size or an oven temperature, which I've found in old, cookbooks like this one, there isn't always a pan size and directions are sometimes really unclear. But, I decades ago (like this cookbook is approximately 80 years old), so many more women regularly cooked every single meal, twenty-four/seven and they probably just knew what to do.  

    I used regular sausage that comes in the little tubes, white rice, 1/2 of a medium onion (diced) and I didn't have sage, so I used Italian seasoning mix (2 teaspoons in the mixture and sprinkled some on top). I didn't flour the balls and I used a tiny can of tomato paste, which I thinned out with water to about 2 cups and added a small can of tomato sauce. 

   A small ice cream scoop was used to make the balls and I really liked the size they ended up being. I didn't use any cooking spray on the pan, but I guess you could. It turned out fine without it.  I had the common sense to use the largest baking dish I had (11"x14", I believe) and I still had to squeeze them in there.   After I'd placed all of the balls in the baking dish, I poured the tomato sauce I mixed up over top and placed the pan in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees.  I ended up taking them out about 12 minutes early.  They were perfect and my house smelled really good! 

    What would I do different? I would try using minute/quick rice or maybe even pre-cooked rice and I would play around with using a hotter oven and cooking for a shorter length of time. I think you could absolutely make these ahead of time and store them without the sauce, refrigerated or even freeze them. Obviously if you freeze them, you'd need to ensure you thawed them out before baking with the sauce.  There's definitely some possibilities for changing things up a bit.  Like, my using the Italian seasoning, not just sage, was an excellent decision.  And, I sprinkled a little bit of parmesan on top when I was ready to eat. I made brown rice to go with mine, but you could easily to some kind of pasta or mashed potatoes. I think you could also make some delicious hot subs with these.  Just add some extra sauce and cheese. 

    I ended up with 20 sausage balls. For me I had 4 in a serving with a side of brown rice. You could have 4 - 5 servings, depending on whether or not you want 4 pieces of 5 pieces. 

    Would I make this again? Oh my gosh, 100%, yes!!!! It tasted really good and wasn't greasy at all, which I'd kind of been expecting.  

    A huge "thank you" to Mrs. Ray Sheeley, who submitted this recipe back in the early 1940s.  

    

Lemonchick's Blackbean-Corn Salad

Lemonchick's Blackbean-Corn Salad

    I wanted to do something simple for healthy lunches/dinners this weekend and remembered a salad I used to make.  This recipe is totally adjustable dependent on your tastes; add more or less of something or substitute a different kind of bean even.  Using canned beans & corn and prepared pico de gallo instead of all fresh ingredients is way less time consuming (there's no shame in using canned ingredients).  To start, I gathered all of my ingredients together and washed and chopped half of a bunch of cilantro (stems and all). I drained and rinsed one can of black beans (I used a low-sodium variety, but I like to rinse them anyhow) and then scooped the beans into my mixing bowl. Next up was draining and rinsing a can of corn and you guessed it, scooping that into my bowl. I let that sit while I cubed up 5oz queso fresco cheese.  After putting the cubed cheese into the bowl, I added about 1 cup of prepared pico de gallo (finely diced tomato, onion, jalapano and cilantro) to my bowl. Using my favorite wooden spoon (Yes, I have one), I tossed the ingredients together, before adding the extra cilantro I had chopped.  I added the juice of one small lime, poured my concoction into an airtight container and then placed it in my refrigerator. 

    When I was ready for lunch today, I washed a bit of regular, plain ol' iceberg lettuce garden salad mix and put it in a bowl.  I scooped about 1/2 cup  of my blackbean-corn salad mixture onto the garden salad (I'm not sure; it  may have been more; I didn't use a measuring cup). I sprinkled some black pepper on the salad and drizzled buttermilk ranch dressing over top. I also added a little drizzle of hot sauce. If I had had tortilla strips, I would have added some for a little crunch.

    How'd it turn out you ask? Good.  I enjoyed it.  The only major thing I would have done differently, would be to have used the whole 10oz of queso cheese, because I love cheese and would have liked cheese in more bites. 

    So, if you decide you want to try this salad, remember like I said, you can adjust ingredients as you like. Do you like pinto beans better? Use pinto beans. If you don't like onion or cilantro, you could leave those out as well, but I definitely  suggest adding diced tomato.  Don't like tomato? Leave tomato out. Do you like spicy?  Add extra, diced jalapeno. Don't like queso fresco? Use shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar. And, you can use a different salad dressing if you like.  I should add that although this recipe is vegetarian, shredded chicken or carnitas (shredded roasted pork) would be delicious on this. You could even use sliced steak.  This salad is also good as a side dish if you don't like lettuce.  

*I present to you Lemonchick's Blackbean-Corn Salad*

Ingredients:

1 can black beans (rinsed) or about 1 1/2 cups cooked (dried) beans

1 can corn (rinsed) or about 1 1/2 cups cooked corn off the cob

1 cup pico de gallo

1/2 bunch of cilantro (rinsed and chopped)

5oz or more of queso fresco cheese

As much of your favorite lettuce/salad mix/spinach that you like

Ranch dressing to taste or try another flavor, because it is your salad after all

Optional: 

Pepper to taste

Hot sauce (I used Tapatio) to taste

Shredded chicken/pork 

Sliced steak

Boneless Pork Ribs & Basil Garlic Spread

 Boneless Pork Ribs & Basil Garlic Spread

    This isn't a recipe, it's just something I made. These two items do not go together; I just wanted to talk about the boneless pork ribs I cooked last night in my large, cast iron skillet. This story starts with some seasoning I bought at the Dallas Farmer's Market on Saturday. I didn't realize it, but I heard someone say it was "Small Business Saturday", so I'm happy that I was supporting some small businesses which operate at the market. 

    First up, I was happy to find that a small business, Brother's Products had a booth there.  Brother's Products used to have a booth at my local farmer's market and I have enjoyed the products I have purchased from them. They have feta cheese, flavored olives, hummus (flavored & plain) and my favorite product, is their Basil Garlic Spread.  The spread contains fresh garlic, fresh basil, lemon, olive oil & salt. The 8oz container was $6 and will last a month in the refrigerator. If you love garlic, you would love this.  This time around, I spread it on toast, because that's what I had on hand, but you could put it on anything you wanted. 

    Second, I taste tested some "Spice & Chili Mix" seasoning from Arial's Spices, a business new to me. It had a really good kick, so I bought a 4.8oz jar for $7.  The Spice & Chili Mix has ghost pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili pepper, paprika, onion, garlic, salt and select natural herbs. And then, this is now where the boneless pork ribs come in.  Last night I sprinkled the seasoning on the boneless pork meat which I had thawed out. I browned all sides in my pre-heated cast iron skillet. I didn't measure the seasoning because I wasn't sure how spicy it would be with what I had put on.  It is easier to add flavor after the fact and pretty impossible to remove it, so I was being sensible. After I had browned all sides of the meat, I covered the pan with a lid and turned the heat to low.  I've no idea how long I cooked it (I'm kind of "loosey goosey" if I'm not using a recipe), but when I was sure it was thoroughly cooked, I poured some Aldi store brand, barbecue sauce on it.  I'd thought the barbecue sauce would go well with the seasoning. I maintained the low temperature and just heated the barbecue sauce.  

    The verdict? The meat was good, but I'd hoped for a little more 'spicy'. So, when I ate my leftovers today, I added a little extra seasoning.  No biggie.  Am I excited to use this seasoning on more things? Yes.  Would I also be interested in checking out their other seasonings? Also, yes.  

    Lastly, please support your local, small businesses and if you ever get the chance to go to the Dallas Farmer's Market (mostly market right now, not so much veggies/fruit) or if you happen to see them at another Dallas area market, I highly recommend Brother's Products and Arial's Spices.

Cacio E Pepe Pasta Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta and Chicken

 Cacio E Pepe Pasta Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta and Chicken

    So, I was at the store recently and saw a product by Lotito Presto called "Cacio E Pepe Pasta Sauce Starter" (in English, it's a pasta sauce with sun dried tomatoes, pecorino cheese & black pepper.  On the lid, it says that it is a "traditional Roman recipe".   I decided to give it a shot, because there is no shame in using a sauce starter. Plus, I thought if I liked it, I could try and recreate it.  It's very easy, cook your noodles (I picked angel hair); put the dry sauce mix in a bowl; when your noodles are done, reserve one cup of the water you cooked the noodles in and drain your noodles.  Add the cup of water to the mix and stir.  Add the sauce to your noodles, stir and you are ready to eat.  It was just me tonight, so I just put my noodles back into the pan and added the sauce.  I also, diced up some chicken breast and cooked that with a little bit of garlic.  I stirred in the chicken after mixing the sauce and noodles.  I also added some red chili pepper flakes to the top of my bowl.  

    Back to the use of a starter sauce mix.  We've all seen sauce starter or meal starter kits at the store and like I said earlier, there is no shame in using a starter.  They're great to have on hand if you are pressed for time.  Plus, you are still cooking a meal, just with some of the ingredients already mixed together.  

    So, did I like the finished pasta dish?  Yes! Would I buy this product again? Yes.  Will I try to recreate it on my own? Also, yes, especially because I don't remember which store I found it at. The container of dry sauce starter mix is 6oz, so I'd use about that much cheese and there wasn't a lot of sun dried tomato, so I could add more or less to my taste. Will I try it with parmesan cheese? Probably.  Will it be just as good? I'm sure it will be.  

Crazy Cake - Success!!!

CRAZY CAKE!!!! 

           I made the Crazy Cake recipe which my grandmother submitted to that cookbook, referenced in my last post. I had to guess at oven temperature and pan size since it wasn't included in the recipe, then I started at the beginning (always the best place to start) by pre-heating my oven to 350 degrees, greasing and flouring an 8x8 square baking pan and collecting my ingredients.  I mixed the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa together. Then I added my wet ingredients one at a time, stirring after each addition and ending with the egg (the batter ended up nice and thick).  I spread the batter in the pan and you know what? It looked like I guessed correctly on the size, so  I popped the pan into the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes.  

        When the timer went off and I opened the oven, my first impression was that it looked awesome (It was pretty perfect looking) and it smelled good.  When I pulled it out and gently pressed on the top of the cake, it felt firm and I was confident it was completely cooked. I sat the pan on top of a wire rack for it to cool. Eventually, I cut into the cake and put a corner slice on a plate for myself. The cake was nice and moist and was completely baked, so I was spot on, on the baking time and the pan size (Go Me!!!).  Before I taste tested and just for fun, I actually used a measuring tape to see how tall/thick the cake had gotten and it was two inches.    

        Now, to the actual taste testing. Like I said, the cake was nice and moist.  I thought the flavor was so-so and it wasn't very, sweet. That said, I was okay with the fact that it wasn't super sweet. I had just hoped for a little more flavor. I didn't do a frosting on the cake, because I wanted to try it without.  I think it would be good with frosting. Because it's not overly sweet, a thick, sweet frosting would be fine.  Warmed, it would be a great vehicle for a scoop of ice cream, custard or mousse.  

        Overall, I was pleased with "Crazy Cake".  Would I make it again? Yes.  Would I try adding a little more flavor and/or experiment with different flavors like mocha or peppermint? Yes. Can you now try "Crazy Cake" because the 8x8 pan and 30 minutes at 350 degrees worked? Yes. I'd love to hear how it turns out of you make it. 

Pics below. 

Crazy Cake

 CRAZY CAKE

    It's been awhile since I posted.  Life has gotten busier.  I have a new boyfriend and I have a brand new Little Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  So, it's exciting times.  But, I started this blog for a reason and wanted to make a post, so I pulled out the Cook Book which started this all and was searching for a recipe to make this week.  It's time to start making something from it, even though I haven't finished drafting that list (that will take forever!).  

    So, I'm searching recipes and I land on page 55 and a recipe called "Crazy Cake". I look at it and the instructions are simply to "Put mixture together".  There's no direction as to what size pan or how long to cook the cake.  Truly a crazy, cake. Then, I look a the name of who submitted it, and it is my very, own grandmother!!!!  Like I said my great-grandfather (grandma's dad) was the minister of the church whose ladies created the cook book.  So, this week I will make Crazy Cake, starting with an 8x8 pan, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and no matter how it turns out, I'll share pics.  Recipe below:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup cocoa