Your Auntie’s Key Lime Pie

Aunt Sharon’s friend Alice’s Key Lime Pie 

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use a whole container of Chobani Greek key lime yogurt)

¼ cup lime juice

 

Whisk together and pour over graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Graham cracker crust

·        1 ½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

·        ⅓ cup white sugar

·        6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

·        ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (Optional)

Directions

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl; mix until well blended.

Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

·        For a baked crust: Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 7 minutes. Cool before filling.

·        For a no-bake crust: Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before filling.

 

I used Danish butter cookies and butter…

 

The Best Cheesecake

This is perhaps the best cheesecake I've made. Allrecipes.com version. Original recipe from Kraft.

Philadelphia Classic Cheesecake (my way)

Crust:

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (8 rectangles are enough)

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 T sugar

Filling:

4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar

1 t. vanilla (accidentally using more doesn't hurt)

juice of 1/2 lemon (my optional addition)

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix crumbs, butter and 3 T sugar until combined. Press firmly onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 1 c. sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in a mixing bowl until smooth.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until just blended.  Pour over crust.  Tap pan a few times on the counter to level and reduce air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven until center is almost set, about 45 minutes. It will look goopy in the center.  Then turn the oven OFF and leave it in the closed oven for an hour.  It will look perfect.

Loosen cake from the pan rim; cool before removing rim.  

Refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

Notes:

• It takes 9 graham cracker sheets to make exactly  1.5 cups of crumbs. They are wrapped in packs of 8. 8 is enough! 
• Also works nicely in a 9" square pan.
• You can eliminate the crust for a gluten-free version. In this case, use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F if using a dark non-stick pan, per Allrecipes.com
• Original recipe says bake 55 minutes (with no off oven wait time) but there is potential of browning or cracking.

Lemonies and Orangies

Elder son has a Meyer lemon tree, so I wanted to make a lemon version of a brownie. They were great. My husband won second place in a baking contest with them. (He felt the first place winner was rigged.)  It works with oranges, too.

The original recipe is from iheartnaptime.net

1 stick butter, softened (recipe calls for salted, I used unsalted with no issues)

3/4 c. granulated sugar

zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1 T fresh lemon juice

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking powder

  for Glaze:

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray, line it with parchment, spray the parchment. In a large bowl with mixer, beat together butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in lemon juice. Add flour and baking powder and mix until combined.

Pour into pan and smooth into an even layer. (Batter is thick, I had trouble with this. The softer your butter, the smoother it will be.) Bake 20-25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.  For glaze whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, them pour over the top, spreading evenly to coat.  Cool completely before slicing into 12 or 16 pieces.

(Because my top was so lumpy, I flipped it over and glazed the underside. It was more porous, so the glaze soaked in more. My husband really liked it this way, and made his prize-winning batch the same way.)

Best Brownies

These are the best.  Recipe from Loveandlemons.com.  

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy

1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. nuts (optional)

1/2 t. salt

2 large eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 T water

1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray, line with parchment, spray the parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add dry to wet and stir until just combined. Pour into pan and smooth top. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Don't overbake! Cool before slicing into 16 pieces.

Pot Roast

Beef chuck or tri-tip

One can diced tomatoes

One packet onion soup mix

Potatoes

Carrots

Sliced onion

Cabbage or Brussels sprouts (optional)

Cornstarch and water (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the meat in a deep large dish/baking pan with lid (or could seal with foil). Pour the tomatoes on and around and sprinkle the onion soup mix over. Arrange potatoes, carrots, onion slices, and optional veg on top. Put the lid on, put it in the oven and bake for 3 hours. 

Retrieve the meat and veg from the pan. Pulverize the remaining tomato bits and liquid with an immersion blender. Or regular blender. Or leave chunky if you desire.  

You may wish to thicken the gravy mixture with a bit of cornstarch (mix a slurry with a bit of water).  

Dad’s Achiote Chicken

Chicken

Aciote paste

Olive Oil

Lemon juice

Minced garlic. 

Marinate in a ziploc bag overnight. 

Grill. 

Greek Octopus Salad

So I don't forget...

lettuce

Octopus (pre-cooked from Costco)
feta cheese
cucumber

tomato

tapenade (or chopped olives)

picked red onions

basil 

oregano

olive oil

lemon juice

white balsamic vinegar

New Jambalaya

After years of making things one way, things sometimes get shaken up.

Husband and elder son had Jambalaya at Cajun Kitchen. It was a saucier melange, served over a scoop of rice rather than having the rice cooked in.

I hunted a few recipes, and Rachael Ray's Everything Jambalaya fit the bill. I left out the chicken, because shrimp and sausage are just right, in our opinions.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 pound boneless, skinless white or dark meat chicken 

3/4 pound andouille, casing removed and diced 

1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 

1 green bell pepper, chopped 

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried 

several drops hot sauce or 2 pinches cayenne pepper 

2 to 3 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour 

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice 

1(14-ounce) can or paper container chicken stock or broth 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) cumin 

1 rounded teaspoon (1/2 palmful) dark chili powder 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) poultry seasoning 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled (ask for easy peel at fish counter) 

Coarse salt and black pepper 

Chopped scallions, for garnish 

Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish 

2 cups enriched white rice  

Cook rice to package directions. Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Cube chicken and place in hot oil and butter. Brown chicken 3 minutes, add sausage, and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cumin, chili, poultry seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp. Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm. Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet. Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice on to the center of the bowlfuls of jambalaya. Sprinkle dishes with salt, pepper, chopped scallions, and thyme leaves. 

Æbleskiver

New Peach Cobbler

You make something the same way for years and then all of a sudden you find a new way of doing it.

Peach cobbler used to be sweetened peaches topped with biscuit dough.

This is even more awesome. The batter starts on the bottom and percolates up through the peaches, taking on delicious peach flavor.  It's from Southern Living, June 1997. 

PEACH COBBLER

1 cube butter. melted
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 T baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups peach slices
1 T lemon juice
ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.  Pour melted butter in 13x9" baking pan. (Yes, that big. It gets puffy.)

Combine flour, 1 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter. Do not stir.

In a saucepan, bring remaining 1 c. sugar, peach slices, and lemon joice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Pour over batter. Do not stir.

Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Aperol Spritz and Negroni

I fell in love with Aperol Spritzs and Negronis on my trip to !taly.

Aperol Spritz

1 part Aperol

2 parts Prosecco

Dash of club soda (I skip this! why dilute?)

Orange for garnish

Negroni

1 part gin

1 part Campari

1 part sweet red vermouth

Orange for garnish

Italian Lemon Pound Cake

This is so good that my co-worker featured it in her newspaper cooking column. Not linking to protect my privacy, lol.

https://delishcooks.com/italian-lemon-pound-cake-this-cake-is-like-a-dream/


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup of sour cream
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons ( about 2 T.)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest.

Mix half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Mix in the buttermilk and then add in the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until the flour disappears. Pour the cake batter into the bundt pan.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake over on a cake platter. Spread half of the lemon glaze over the warm cake so that the glaze can soak into the cake. Let the cake cool completely and drizzle the remaining glaze over the cake.

Lemon Glaze

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon lemon juice, at room temperature

Cream the butter and slowly add powdered sugar and lemon juice. Beat well until the glaze is a creamy smooth consistency.

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Yes, you can have cake for breakfast! This also makes great muffins. The recipe is originally from Alexandra's Kitchen, and I got it from an online friend.

It looks a little scruffy in this brunch picture because I had been nibbling the corners before I remembered to take a picture.

½ cup  unsalted butter, room temperature
zest from 1 large lemon
1 cup  sugar (set aside 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups  all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
½ cup buttermilk, (or 1 t. lemon juice plus milk to make 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream the butter with the lemon zest and the 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter, and stir with spatula to incorporate. Add all of the buttermilk. Stir. Add remaining flour, and stir until flour is absorbed. Fold in the blueberries. (Leave excess flour from the blueberry bowl behind.)

Spray 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray. If you have parchment paper on hand, line the pan with parchment. Spread the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes — 35 min for 9-inch pan , 40-45 for 8". Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes.  Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

This also makes great muffins. They would take a shorter baking time.

Wine-Braised Beef Shortribs

Funny carrot.

But I digress.

Original recipe from Food.com which now seems to be Genius Kitchen.

I did make a few changes. More ribs: I usually allow 2 per person. More carrot because Dad always asks for more carrot. Whole can of tomato paste, because what on earth do you do with the leftovers. Added one package of mushrooms.  Didn't reduce liquid. Cooked around 3 hours.

So here's my version:

Boneless short ribs, 2 per person
1/4 c flour
2 T oil
1 onion, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery rib, cut into 1" pieces
2 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c wine
1 15-oz can chicken or beef broth
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 8-oz package sliced mushrooms
1 bay leaf
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried rosemary
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Salt and pepper the ribs then dredge in flour. Heat oil in frying pan and brown the ribs on both sides. Remove the ribs and put them into your pot roast pot or dutch oven or whatever. Add the vegetables (excluding mushrooms) to the pan and saute for a few minutes until the onion starts to brown. Add the wine, stock and tomato paste and stir together. Add the mushrooms and herbs. Dump all this on top of the ribs. Cover the pan and bake 2-3 hours. At 3 hours the meat will be falling off the bone.

New Tacos?

I know what you're thinking. "Mom, don't mess with the tacos. You learned your lesson with the meatloaf."  But I swear these are really good. Cheater's Chorizo and Chickpea Tacos from the Rachael Ray Magazine.

Cauliflower Mascarpone Gratin

The last time I made this recipe, I used the very colorful cheddar and romanesco cauliflowers. Love those fractals!

This recipe was from Family Style Food. Here's the text, in case the link goes bad. My updates in italics.

CAULIFLOWER MASCARPONE GRATIN

1 large head cauliflower (3 pounds) separated into florets (8 cups)
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese (I have tried cream cheese, it is much heavier)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, rosemary or thyme (or a combination) (dry is just fine)
1 garlic clove, grated on a rasp grater or pressed in a garlic press
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I would use less)
panko bread crumbs

Blanch the cauliflower in a pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes (I cook it in a steamer). Drain well. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 3 -4 quart shallow gratin or baking dish with the butter. Put the cauliflower in the dish. In a medium bowl, whisk the mascarpone, cream, flour, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, herbs, garlic and salt until smooth (I have trouble with the whisking so I heat the mascarpone in the microwave until it's quite soft). Spoon the mixture over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan. I sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is browned and sauce is bubbling. Rest 15 minutes before serving. The creamy sauce will thicken a bit as it cools. 4-6 servings.

Turkey Posole

The original recipe from Martha Stewart.com called for chicken. I've only made it with turkey and halved the quantities because OMG you need some variety in your turkey leftovers and not a gallon of the same thing.

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 can tomato paste (if you don't have a use for the other 1/2, just use the whole can)

1 1/2 T chili powder (or more, to taste)

1/2 - 1 t. dried oregano 

2 cups water

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

2 15 oz cans hominy

3-4 cups shredded turkey

salt and pepper

Garnishes: avocado, sliced radishes, cilantro, tortilla chips)

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook till translucent.  Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder and oregano, and stir in.  Add 2 cups water, broth, hominy and turkey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

It's underneath there somewhere!

Mom's Stuffing

1 box Mrs. Cubbison's cubed stuffing

1 can chicken or vegetable broth

2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped

1 c. sliced celery

1 carrot, grated

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 bag fresh or frozen cranberries

salt

pepper

ground sage

dried thyme

Preheat oven to 350. Empty stuffing into a large bowl. Add broth and stir, set aside for it to soak up the broth. Briefly saute the vegetables in the oil, until tender, then stir into stuffing along with the excess olive oil. (We are not making not the cube of butter version here. Feel free to add olive oil as you choose.)  Stir in the cranberries. Season to your taste. Put in greased 9x13 pan, cover with foil, bake for 45 min to an hour.

NYT How to roast just about any vegetable

Ina Garten's Salmon Cakes

Ina Garten's salmon cakes have become a family favorite.

 

(Also on the plate is Ina's amazingly easy Herbed Basmati Rice and her Tartar Sauce.  And the cheaty part--frozen green beans with french-fried onions on top.) 

But of course, over time I have varied the recipe. I use about a pound of salmon pre-cooked (from leftovers I save in the freezer!), the amount of chopped vegetable depends on what I have on hand, and I use about a cup of ready-made breadcrumbs.

Here's Ina's original recipe, in case the link goes bad. (my changes in italics)

1/2 pound fresh salmon (1 pound pre-cooked)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion) (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups small-diced celery (4 stalks) (maybe less)
1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
3 slices stale bread, crusts removed (1 cup prepared breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the salmon on a sheet pan, skin side down. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until just cooked. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and refrigerate until cold. (If using leftovers you can skip this whole part!)

Meanwhile, place 2 tablespoons of the butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. You should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the bread crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally. (Skip this if you have prepared breadcrumbs.)

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into 10 (2 1/2 to 3-ounce) cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. In batches, add the salmon cakes and fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a preheated 250 degree F oven and serve hot.

2008, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved