Thursday, June 23, 2011

Popovers!

In the Cocke N' Kettle vein, I thought I'd post a recipe for Popovers. For those who have never had the joy of trying one, they're eggy, bread-muffins that are airy and rich. These have cheese in them, although I think the C-N'-K version did not.

Popovers
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped provolone
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tbsp butter, salt, and pepper until smooth, then stir in cheeses. Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third.
Butter a regular sized cupcake pan with remaining tbsp butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes. Gently stir batter, then divide among cupcake tin (they will be about two-thirds full). Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Bean Dip like Cocke N' Kettle

Those from the area, do you remember Cocke N' Kettle? The most fantastic restaurant ever to exist that closed for no apparent reason? Hmm..??? Ya, I still haven't gotten over it :) My mom (again!) created this replica of the slightly spicy bean dip they used to put on all the tables.


Bean Dip
1 can kidney beans
2 tbsps red onion chopped fine
1 clove finely minced garlic
½  tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp mayo
1 tsp relish
A sprinkle of olive oil
A little sprinkle of red wine vinegar
dash of salt


Mix and chill until very cold. Serve with crackers or small crusty slices of bread.

Stuffed Mushrooms; 2 ways!

Stuffed mushrooms are awesome. They're delicious, and a perfect finger food. I make them with a cracker filling and with a cheese filling. The crab filling is my mom's recipe (are you seeing a theme here?), and the cheese filling I found somewhere, so I can't take credit for it. Enjoy!

Buttery Stuffed Mushrooms
1 can crab meat
1 roll ritz crackers, crushed
4 packages white or baby bella, whole mushrooms
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsps melted butter
2 tbsp mayo

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In rinse and remove the stems of all the mushrooms, BUT reserve the stems of only two packages. You can toss the stems from the other two. Finely chop the saved mushroom stems. Add all ingredients, except the mushroom caps, to the chopped stems and mix well. If the mixture is dry, add a little water. Stuff the mushroom caps and place on a cookie-sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.

 

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
3 pkgs white or baby bella, whole mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 can crab meat, drained
2 tbsps butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems from all the mushrooms, reserving the stems from 2 packages and discarding the rest.
Mince the garlic and mushroom stems. Stir in cream cheese, crab meat, parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet. Top with a sprinkle of parm cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Crabbies

With summer bbq's and the Fourth of July coming up I thought I'd post a few party recipes. Here's the first, Crabbies. My Grandma Dalpe starting making these a long time ago, then my mom took over, and now it's become my tradition! They are so garlicky and cheesy, and the crab adds a subtle sweetness without being fishy. Everyone loves these...


Crabbies
1 pkg English muffins
1 small jar Old English (spreadable sharp cheddar cheese), room temperature
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp garlic powder
1 can crab meat
1 tbsp mayo

Except for the muffins, mix all the ingredients together until well blended. Split the English muffins, and spread about 1 ½ tbsp of the crab mixture onto each muffin half. Broil until brown and bubbly.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Dolmades --- Greek Stuffed Grape Leaves


This yummy dish has become a tradition on my mom's side. She makes them every holiday. Along with her delicious stuffed mushrooms and my Mem's date squares, they've become a staple at our family gatherings. The leaves are tough, so they need to be cooked well. I think they're best at room temperature, slathered in the lemon dip. Enjoy!

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)
1 sm onion chopped
1 lb ground lamb
¾ cup rice raw
1 tsp dry mint, plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper
1 jar grape leaves
1 cup lemon juice
¼ cup of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the rice according to package directions and let cool enough to touch. Add the rice to the raw lamb; you may have too much rice -- you want a little more of the lamb than the rice, but almost even in amount. Add the onion, mint, and salt and pepper.
Unroll and rinse your grape leaves. Carefully, because they rip easily, peal one leaf off the pile and place it flat on the counter in front of you, shiny side down. Add about 1 rounded tablespoon of the lamb mixture (a bit more or less depending on how big the leaves are) to the stem end of the leaf, spreading it out to resemble a log (the goal is to make them look like little cigars or sausages). Roll up one full roll, then fold in the sides. Finish rolling up and place tip side down in a baking dish with a cover (alternately, you can use foil to seal it securely). You want to layer them close together, but don’t pack them too much, because the liquid needs to get all the way to the bottom. Once the dish is filled, pour ½ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup oil over the rolls. There should be enough room on the top for the liquid to boil a little, so don’t fill it to the top. Sprinkle mint all over the top of the leaves and cover. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can serve them hot or room temperature. 
In a blender, add the rest of the lemon juice. Turn on medium-high and slowly add the olive oil to emulsify. That way the dip won’t separate. Serve the rolls with the lemon dip.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Lemon Meringue Pie

This is my Mem's recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie (I hope my family doesn't mind I'm sharing recipes! There are a few secrets I'll never give away....like our pierogi and golabki [also known as golumpki]...) I'll be honest here. Usually I buy the little box of lemon pie filling and make it on the stove at home. That's almost as complicated as making it yourself! It comes out just as good, and it does save some time, but if you reeeaaally want to do the whole thing from scratch, then have at it :)

Lemon Meringue Pie

filling:
1 cooked pie crust
1/2 cup and 2 tbsps sugar
4 tbsps cornstarch
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
3 eggs yolks (reserve whites for the meringue)

Meringue:
9 tbsp sugar
6 egg whites
3/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler, cook ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, and water until boiling. Beat the egg yolks with 2 tbsps sugar. Add quickly to the boiling mix. Cook for one minute. Add the lemon juice and butter. Stir well. Cool completely. Pour into the cooked piecrust. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high until frothy peaks form. Slowly add the sugar while beating on high, until stiff peaks form. Place the meringue on top of the pie. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the meringue has browned. Let cool for 1 hour on the counter. Then, let cool for 6 hours in the fridge uncovered. Then cover, and cool until ready to serve.

This was the pie I made for Easter