Green Bean Casserole

The classic holiday side dish! 

This classic holiday side dish is a favorite and takes only minutes to prep. I know, because I've made it every year since I was a teenager, and that was a lot of years ago. This is the original recipe from last century...oh, my, did I just say that? Okay, gonna stop explaining now. LOL!

Green Bean Casserole is the perfect side dish with turkey or ham and, in my mind, makes the perfect addition to any holiday meal. It's only 6 ingredients and takes just minutes to prepare.

My computer still won't upload my own photos, so again, I had to search the net. This is a great picture of this famous and delicious casserole. 

Ingredients:

2 cans (14 oz.) cut green beans

1 can (10.5  oz.) condensed mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1-2 cups crispy fried onions (canned) divided

Preheat oven to 350' F.

In a 1.5 qt. casserole, combine soup, milk soy sauce and pepper. Stir in green beans and half of the onions.

Bake for 25 minutes or until hot throughout.

Top with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes more.

Yields: 10 servings

Be encouraged!

"The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand." Psalm 121:5

Chocolate Ribbon Pie

 A Quick and Easy Dessert

This past Sunday, we celebrated my daughter's and her husband's birthdays, and this year I decided to bake two pies...my daughter's favorite Banana Cream and an experiment for my son-in-law! Don't worry, I love him, and he loves to try new desserts I make. LOL!

This pie looked so pretty in this picture I saw online (left) and chocolate is a favorite of Mike's. I knew right away that was the perfect "new" pie for him! I was right (yay) he loved it and so did everyone else. That's always a relief!

There are many different flavored puddings to try on this recipe...and I'm thinking I'm gonna try them all! LOL! You can also use a cookie crust, refrigerated pie crust or graham cracker one. Any one of those choices will make a delicious pie.

(Disclaimer) I did take photos, but something is wrong with my computer and it won't let me download them. Ugh! The above pic is pretty much how mine looked, except my crust was a homemade one.  I also have a picture of my daughter and son-in-law holding their pies. I'll keep trying to figure out what's wrong and change the above picture to my own.

Ingredients:

Use your favorite 9" pie crust, or make your own.

Cream Cheese Layer:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. milk

1 cup whipped topping

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until smooth. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Spread evenly onto crust. 

Pudding Layer:

3.9 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix

1 3/4 cup milk

In a small bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes. (I use a wire whisk)  Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Pour over the cream cheese mixture and chill until set.

Just before serving, garnish with remaining whipped topping and chocolate shavings for sprinkles.

Yields: 6-8

Be encouraged:

"In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world."   -John 16:33

Crescent Cheese Danish

Hooray for those versatile crescent rolls!

With this recipe, you'll be able to safe yourself a trip to the bakery and still have delicious semi-homemade Cheese Danish.  I found this recipe partly on the Pillsbury website and another called "My Incredible Recipes". They both looked great, so I combined what I like best about each.

Anyway, this is my version and I hope you'll give them a try for your family and friends on a chilly, Autumn weekend. Danish and a cup of coffee or tea sounds like the perfect way to start the day!

Ingredients:

1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter, fully melted and 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar, mixed together

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F

In a medium bowl, use a mixer to combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until well combined. Set aside.

Remove dough from can; do not unroll. Using serrated knife, cut dough into 8 equal discs. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Press each slice into 3-inch round, leaving ridge around outer edge. Use your fingers or a small measuring cup to create a small wall around the edge (to hold the filling).  

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese spread and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Spoon about 2 teaspoons cream cheese mixture on center of each dough round; spread slightly. 

Using a brush, take the melted butter and  brown sugar mixture and brush over each Danish. Dollop equal amounts of the filling into each of the Danish.

(OPTIONAL) Top the cream cheese with lemon curd, cherry, blueberry or strawberry filling! If using a raspberry jam, a few slivered almonds on top would be nice too.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Let cool and add drizzles of glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1 1/2  Tbsp. milk

In a small bowl combine all 3 ingredients and stir until smooth, then drizzle over each warm Danish.

Yields: 8 delicious Danish
 
Be encouraged:

"He restores my soul." Psalm 23:3

Blueberry Hand Pies

A New Favorite Dessert

My neighbor loves to bake and share her goodies with the neighborhood. So, a couple of weeks ago, she showed up at my door with Blueberry Hand Pies!  I had never had a hand pie before and blueberries are a favorite fruit of mine, so how could I refuse?  I mean, I would never want to offend...LOL!  I found this photo online because I ate mine before I thought of taking a picture, sorry!

Anyway, a week or so went by and she invited me over to help make Apple Hand Pies.  Oh yes, without hesitation, I was at her house by 9 AM the next morning. We made the pies a little differently by filling and folding them corner to corner, then crimping. We ended up with 16 of these wonderful pies! 

She had the filling all ready to go, and said she used 2 apples, chopped up with cinnamon, a little nutmeg and sugar. My brain immediately started thinking of adding caramel, walnuts, raisins...well, you get the picture. Heehee.

This recipe is from the King Arthur Baking Company, and let me tell you, that site has a lot of tasty looking food on it.  I encourage all my fellow "foodies" to take a look!  

Invite a friend over to make these with you, they are so fun to do together! 

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry:

2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
16 Tbsp. butter, cold (2 sticks, cut up)
1/2 cup sour cream

How to Make the Pastry:

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.  Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in larger, pea-sized pieces.

Add the sour cream, and stir until the mixture starts to come together in chunks.  Turn out onto a floured work surface and bring it together with a few quick kneads.

Pat the dough into a rough log and roll into an 8"x 10" rectangle.  Dust both sides of the dough with flour. Then starting with the shorter end, fold it in three...like a business letter.

Flip the dough over, give it a 90 degree turn on your work surface and roll it again into an 8"x 10 rectangle. Fold it in three again.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before using.

Filling:

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen                              

2 Tbsp. corn starch or 1 Tbsp. Instant ClearJel

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

To Make the Filling: (This can be made the day before)

 

If you're using fresh berries, rinse and drain well.  Place fresh or frozen berries inn a saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch with the sugar, and pour over the berries. Add the salt and lemon juice, stirring to combing.

Place the saucepan on a burner set to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the small amount of liquid in the bottom of the pan comes to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture starts to thicken...about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.  You can make the filling ahead of time, and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.  

Preheat oven to 425'F; place a rack on the middle shelf.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To Assemble the Pies:

Roll dough into a 14"x14" square. With a straight edge and pastry wheel, or a 3 1/2" square cutter, cut out sixteen 3 1/2" squares.

Divide the fill among eight of the squares, using about a heaping tablespoon for each; a slightly heaped tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of each filled square.

Use a knife to cut a vent into each of remaining eight squares; or use a decorative cutter of your choice.

Top each filled square with a vented square and press along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.

Brush the top of each pie with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet . (If at any time during this process the pies become sticky and hard to work with, simply refrigerate them for about 20 minutes or until firm.)

Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes, until they are a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Store pies, lightly wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

Yields: 8 delicious hand pies!

Be encouraged!

"You are chosen and loved" Ephesians 1:4

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Pignolata Soup

Best Italian Soup Ever!!!

Probably, you've never heard of this soup...maybe you can't even pronounce it.  Don't worry, though, you don't have to speak Italian to enjoy this fabulous holiday soup that my family lovingly calls "The Soup Trap"!  Why?  What would make it a "trap"? 

Well, no one can seem to eat just one bowl of this soup, it's like you're "trapped" into having seconds, maybe even thirds.  But, when served as the first course of an Italian holiday dinner, beware!  You'll be too full to eat the rest of the wonderful holiday dishes coming your way!  

The first time they used the term "soup trap" was when we had company, and they asked for another bowl.  My son and grandson-in-laws both exclaimed at the same time, "Noooo!   It's the soup trap!"   Okay, I practically fell off the chair, laughing.  But, our guests still went for that second (and third) bowl, bless them!   

I can't explain how good this is because it's not like any other soup I've ever had, and my mom and her siblings were the only ones in our family that made it, that I know of.  This is NOT the Italian Wedding Soup...it's so much better!

*Before you start, look it over because there are quite a few things you can prepare in advance.  I do!  Make the noodles, fry them and freeze up to 3 months ahead, boil, chop and freeze the escarole weeks/months in advance.  I mix all the meatball ingredients the day before and make about 50-60 little meatballs to drop into the boiling soup.

This recipe probably isn't for the novice cook, but, how will you learn if you don't try?  LOL!   A "mom-ism" from long ago!   The one thing I can promise is that you won't be sorry you've learned how to make this soup! 

Directions:

Pignolata "Noodles"  (pictures below) I double this for my crew.

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour 
4 Tbsp. water

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.  Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten eggs and water; mix.  Mixture should form a stiff dough. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3-4 minutes.  Cover dough ball with plastic wrap while you work with small pieces.  Cut off a small piece at a time.  Shape small portions of the dough into long ropes, about the width of a crayon.  On a floured surface, cut into half-inch pieces and lay on a floured board until ready to fry.

Preheat 1 " of oil to 350'F. in frying pan (I use a deep fryer).   Then, carefully fry dough a small amount at a time.  (If the oil is too hot, the noodles will pop like popcorn...not a good thing.)

These can be done weeks before and frozen in a plastic bag after they've been fried and cooled.




A beautiful dough

Rolled into 1/4" wide strips

Cut into small pieces

It's a process...

Fry until golden...do not let brown.  You can use a deep fryer or a pan.

Soup:
3-4 lbs. beef from short ribs, or chuck and a soup bone, if you can find one!  Sometimes I just used the scraps I've trimmed from steaks. and had frozen, just for this soup.
Water to cover beef and up to 1/2 the pan (about 8-10 cups).  
Bring water to a boil and skim across the top, to remove scum from meat, until clear.  

Add to beef broth: (You can add more of anything here, celery, carrots...etc)
2 large stalks celery
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
1 can beef broth (or more depending how much soup you're making)
1/4 cup tomato sauce or 2 whole tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 bunch of escarole (cleaned, pre-boiled, drained well and chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Add celery, carrots and onion, tomato sauce/tomatoes and broth to cover all.  Simmer for 2 hours on low.  When meat is tender, place on a plate to cool; take out celery and carrots, set all aside.  When cooled enough to cut, dice the celery and carrots, and beef.

Strain the broth into another pot, then add the chopped vegetables, cut up pieces of beef; and the escarole.

Bring back to a low boil, and add your pignolata noodles, and let simmer until they are tender.

*You can add more beef broth, tomato sauce or veggies, depending on your family's tastes.

Meatballs: (add these last)
1 lbs. ground beef
1/4 lb. ground pork
2 Tbsp. finely minced fresh garlic (sometimes I use Granulated  Garlic)
1 large egg
1/2 c. grated Romano Cheese or Parmesan
1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
3/4 c. bread crumbs with 1 c. water (approx.) to make soft, not soupy
salt & pepper to taste

Mix ground beef, pork, garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley together in a large bowl until blended. (Use your hands to mix meatballs, never a mixer.)

Add enough water slowly to the bread crumbs to make them moist and soft, but not soupy!   Mix bread crumbs into meat mixture 1/2 at a time.  (Use more or less for desired texture.  It's all about how it feels to the touch.)   Mix should be soft, but firm enough to form a nice round ball.

Do not fry these meatballs, but take small amounts (approx. 1/2 teaspoonfuls) and roll into bite-size balls.  Drop them into the simmering soup.  They'll cook in the soup, plump up and rise to the top when done.  Make sure to add these the last hour. If cooked too long, they tend to fall apart. 

Hint:  I get my soup cooked and ready the night before, then into the fridge until our holiday dinner.  It's even better warmed up and a lot less hassle on the big day...after all, you probably are preparing tons of other yummy foods too!



Be encouraged:
"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble."  -Psalm 59:16