Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

I found this recipe in the cookbook "Our Favorite Recipes", put out by the Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary school. It was submitted by Monika Sawatsky. When I told her that I was posting the recipe, she said that it is her families favorite and I would have to agree. It is one of our favorites as well. Imagine waking up to the aroma of freshly baked apples and cinnamon with a faint scent of freshly brewed coffee in the air, birds singing in the distance. Sounds so enticing doesn't it. Well you can create this kind of morning for your family or guests. Come on join me, put the coffee on and let's get baking!

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use half whole wheat)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I decrease it to a 1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt (do not double if you double the recipe)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples (2 medium)
• 2 cups raisin bran
• 3 tsp. cinnamon, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. sugar

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping.
3. Add chopped apple ( I leave the skin on), cereal and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix well.
4. Combine eggs and milk
5. Add to apple mixture
6. Stir lightly, just until moist. Batter will be lumpy.
7. Fill 12 greased muffin tins.
8. Blend reserved crumbs with remaining cinnamon and 2 tbsp. sugar.
9. Sprinkle over muffins.
10. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Peach Custard Pie

I adapted this recipe from CD Kitchen online.

Preheat your oven to 425 F.
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell

Peel and slice enough peaches to fit into the bottom of the shell, they will float about a bit once you pour the custard on top but it won't affect the outcome.

I used 5 peaches each one cut into eight.

Custard

• 1 cup of 5 % unflavoured yogurt
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and beat until smooth. I had my food processor out so I whipped it up in there. A blender would work perfectly too.

Pour the custard on top of the peaches and bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes.

Lower temperature to 375 and bake for an additonal for 30 minutes. The original recipe does not ask you to lower the temp, but I did, so you probably don't need to.

Meanwhile make your streusel.

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar

Combine with a pastry cutter until you have it combined and made crumbs, refrigerate until you are ready to put it on the pie. (I found it easier to crumb after it chilled a bit)

After the pie has baked for 1/2 hour and the filling is somewhat set, drop the little pieces of struesel on top of the pie.

Continue to bake until the streusel is golden brown, about another 15 - 25 minutes.

Remove the pie to a cooling rack and serve warm or completely chilled.

Smooth Vanilla Cheesecake

I've always loved the smooth creamy taste of a baked cheesecake.

I've experimented with many different methods and I've found the secret.No cracks. . . not a one.

It is one of the easiest and classiest desserts to serve.

• 1 1/4 cups graham wafer crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 
2. Roughly cut a piece of parchment paper to fit larger than a 9 inch springform pan. Lay the parchment paper on to the bottom and put the edge around and squeeze the pan shut leaving the excess paper on the outside of the pan. I do this because it makes it really easy to transfer onto a serving plate once it is very well chilled. .
3. Mix together the crumbs and the butter and press into the pan. I use a flat bottomed glass to make it nice and smooth and firmly pressed.
4. Bake the crumbs in the pan for about 10 minutes or until they are a bit fragrant.

• 4 packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a squeeze fresh lemon juice

Topping

• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Make sure that all your ingredients are room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 500 F. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on low for a minute or two until it is smooth and creamy.
4. Add the salt and the sugar and beat another minute or two until it is smooth. Never beat the cheese to death. Incorporating too much air will cause your cheesecake to rise and then fall and the .. .well you know what happened to humpty dumpty.
5. Stop your mixer in between to scrape down the sides so that all the cream cheese and sugar is evenly mixed.
6. Add the flour and mix until incorporated, not more than a minute. 
7. Crack the eggs into a bowl and at room temperature. Add one egg at a time. They'll naturally slip in one at a time if you don't dump your bowl to quickly.
8. Mix the eggs in just until smooth. Add the cream and and the vanilla and lemon juice another mix for half a minute.
9. Take your pan with the cooled crumb crust and wrap it in heavy aluminum foil.
10. Gently pour the cheesecake batter into your pan and set it in the 500 degree oven. Set your timer for 10 minutes. At 10 minutes turn your oven to 200 degrees. Bake for another hour and 10 minutes. Don't peek.
11. While the cheesecake is baking, stir together your sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
12. After the hour and ten, the cake should be fairly set.  Open up the oven and pour your topping on your cake smooth it out and put it back in your oven for another 10 minutes.
13. Put an instant read thermometer in the center of the cheesecake. Your aim is to have it read 150.
14. The total baking time shouldn't be more than about an hour and a half up to an hour and forty minutes but you really need the instant read thermometer to help you with knowing when it is done. The jiggly in the center is also a good judge but it is hard to get it perfect with this test. 
15. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it sit in a draft free room temperature spot for a few hours and then chill it completely in the fridge.

Blueberry Sauce

• 2-3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sugar or to taste
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine all this and cover and put in the microwave for a minute, stir and cook for another minute or two until bubbly.
2. I also made some raspberry coulis which is 2 cups of raspberries and a half cup of sugar in the blender. .
3. Pool a little raspberry sauce on your plate, put on your cheesecake and cover with a good tablespoon or two of blueberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream for good measure.

Lattice Work Pies

I could not remember the last time I tried doing lattice work on a pie, so I thought it was time to just try it. And it really is easier than it looks. I most recently tried it with a rhubarb pie and then a mixed berry pie, which I will give the recipes for, but the main idea here is to give a pictorial on how to assemble and create the top.

Roll our your favorite double pie crust as usual, fitting the first into the pie dish so that the edges come up quite high. I like to give the base a light egg wash before filling it with fruit. Adding some lemon zest to a berry pie enhances the flavor. I mix the dry ingredients and spoon them over the fruit, then just shake and tap the dish.

Roll our your second half the same size and cut strips.

Taking every other strip . . .

loosely lay them on the fruit  the same way, starting with the smallest  so that they fit the size of the pie. Leave the ends alone.

Beginning with the next smallest, lay it the opposite direction,
lifting every other strip you cross. Repeat with each strip following the size pattern
and alternate how you begin each row . . . whether the strip goes over or under.

 

Once you have the pie covered, fold the ends under the bottom crust and  flute the edges. Give it an egg wash and dust with coarse sugar if desired.

Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

• 5 cups, slightly peeled, chopped rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 1 egg

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over rhubarb, allow to sit a few minutes and drain.
2. Mix sugar and flour and then stir in the egg.
3. Mix fruit with sugar filling and fill pie crust.
4. Cover with second pie crust, lattice work or your favorite crumble mix.
5. Bake at 375 F for 60 - 90 minutes, until filling bubbles through slits. (I like to freeze them raw, the longer baking time is for frozen pie)

Mixed Berry Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blueberries
• 3 cups mix of raspberries, blackberries and/or pitted cherries
• lemon zest
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp tapioca

Method:

1. Do a light egg wash on bottom shell and fill with fruit. Add a sprinkle of lemon zest and cover with sugar/flour/tapioca  mixture.
2. Cover with top, adding slits if not doing lattice work. Apply a light egg wash.
3. Bake at 375 F for 60 - 75 minutes, until juices bubble through slits. Will take about 15 minutes longer with frozen pie.



Sour Cream Raisin Pie

I like raisin pie but often find them a little too sweet. So if you feel the same then this is the pie for you. I like the creamy and tart flavor that sour cream adds to this pie.

• 2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pastry for 8" pie, double crust, unbaked

1. Combine raisins, water, and sour cream in saucepan, bring to boil and cook for 4 minutes until raisins are plump.
2. Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Stir this into the raisin mixture, continue to cook and keep stirring until thick.
3. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool slightly.
4. Pour into an 8" unbaked pie shell. Cover with top crust and cut slits to vent.
5. Bake in a 425º oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden in color.
6. Cool, serve with vanilla ice cream. Delicious.

Bread for the Journey

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And whatever you do, whether in word of deed, 
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Colossians 3:17

My daughter, hearing me tell of my joy in putting together a particular photo album, commented that it seemed to her this was my way of giving thanks to God. Although I had not thought of it in that way, it did ring true in my heart and I have come to see how we've been given certain interests, not only for our own pleasure, but as a way to see God's ways in our life and a means to show our gratitude to Him.

This past week I was in line at the grocery store when the elderly man ahead of me did not have enough cash to pay for his groceries. He was just telling the cashier to take something off, when the lady behind me handed a ten dollar bill over to help him out. I stood there, thinking to myself, "Now this lady is giving thanks for what she has, by sharing it." Isn't that how we should live?

So whether you decide on a random act of kindness, set a beautiful table, crochet a blanket, bless someone with a song, fix a flat tire, write a thank you card or celebrate a milestone  ... life has endless opportunities for each of us that are more meaningful when we see our own particular service as a way of acknowledging what God has given us.

And what about when things don't go as planned?  How do we give thanks in all things?  Maybe our ultimate show of gratitude is in trusting God that He has a better plan. When others see an unwavering faith, that too is a way of giving thanks because we recognize God's power and wisdom in His perfect timing.

May I learn to allow daily small things to be opportunities to show a grateful heart ... in word and deed.

photo thanks to Jen Giesbrecht

Beets with Herbs & Butter

 It's the end of July which tells you that most of my produce is ready in my garden.

This week we have been enjoying beets.

You either love them or hate dislike them.

Here are some scrumptious ways to eat fresh and colorful beets.

Raw ~ Slice them up and serve them with a sprinkle of chile and lemon.

Soups ~ Make a traditional Ukrainian Borscht. 

Roasted ~ This is my all time favorite.  They are tender and juicy.

In a Salad ~ Today beets are making a statement in many salads. 

Pickled ~ Pickled beets have been around forever. Enjoy the tangy vinegar taste.

Desserts ~ yes, you can even enjoy a velvety beet cake.

 A quick trip to the garden:

• Hand pick the smallest ones.  They are tender.
• Wash them, cut down the foliage leaving a stem of three inches.
• Boil them for 30-40 minutes.
• Drain the water and slip off the skins with your hands.
• If you prefer to keep your hands clean, you can also use a paper towel.
• Add fresh herbs as they complement their natural sweetness.
• Add a touch of butter, salt, and pepper with a quick squeeze of lemon.
• Beets keep for quite a while in the fridge if you remove the greens.

What's your favorite recipe for beets?

Tuna Melts

For this recipe I usually use canned tuna, but if I happen to have left over grilled salmon, I will use that. You can use the bread or buns you have on hand or add some extra home-made goodness by making your own French Bread. If you have not tried this recipe I need to tell you again how easy it is. I substituted half of the white flour for multigrain.

Ingredients:

• thick slices of bread
• 1 (120 gm) can of tuna
• 1 - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons taco sauce or salsa
• 2 small pickles, chopped fine
• grated or sliced cheese

Mix tuna, mayo, taco sauce and pickles. Spread on bread and cover with grated or thinly sliced cheese. Bake at 350º F until cheese has melted.

Farmer sausage meat buns

Try this recipe to make a little something for the family to take along for their work / school lunches.
I made the dough a little higher in fiber, used low fat cheese and low sodium farmer sausage. You can try turkey sausage or garlic sausage.  Really any sausage you have on hand can be used.

Dough:

• 1 1/2 c. oats
• 3 c. whole wheat
• 3 c. unbleached flour
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 pkg. instant yeast
• 1/4 c. oil (can be left out)
• 4 c. of really warm water

1. mix all the dry ingredients including the dry yeast
2. add water and incorporate well.
3. add more unbleached flour as necessary to make a soft dough
4. knead about 10 min.
5. let dough rest about 20 min.
6. divide dough in 64 equal pieces

Filling-

• farmer sausage, cut into 64 equal pieces
• cheese cut in 64 sticks
• mustard

1. flatten out each piece of dough and put in a little mustard, a piece of sausage and cheese.
2. fold up sides and pinch the seams together, place seam side down on a parchment lined baking pan.
3. some cheese tends to melt out and it makes for easier clean up.
4. let rise about 1/2 hour. bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

64 sounds like a lot, but the kids have them polished up in no time!

ENJOY!

Trudy's Granola

Living healthy becomes important as we have so many choices today.
I have a sister-in-law who always shares some wholesome healthy recipes.
I started making this granola a few years back,
and this has become one of my staples in our home for our grandkids.
He calls granola, "Crumbs"
Whenever the little one is hungry he says,
"Oma, can I have some yogurt with Crumbs?"

5 Cups Quick Oats
1/2 Cup Sesame Seeds
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
1 Cup unsweetened med-coconut
1 Cup Sunflower seeds
1 Cup almonds
1 Cup cashews

Mix all these ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl.
I make sure that I chop my almonds and cashews coarsely.
In fact I use any nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts etc. that will equal two cups.

In a small bowl, I mix the following ingredients.
2 tsp. almond flavor
1/4 Cup water
1/4 Cup oil (not virgin oil)
3/4 Cup honey
I stir these ingredients and blend them together with my Brown mixer.
It makes the right consistency.
Then mix the wet ingredients with the dry.
Stir till all the ingredients are moist.

Bake in the oven in a 9x12 cake pan at 350'
Stir every three minutes for up to 30 minutes.
I prefer my granola crunchy.

When cool, pour Granola into a container and freeze.

Serve over yogurt, add some fresh berries,
(In winter I add frozen berries)
Cover with a large spoonful of Granola.
This has been a life saver for many a quick healthy snack.