The Season's Last Blueberries!

My Aunt Ruthie made our last blueberry pie of the season - and it was WONDERFUL! Even though it was 60 degrees and raining up here in the Catskills - it tasted like summer - and we didn't want it to end!

Summer's last Blueberry Pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell - baked
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
3 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 quart blueberries (to be divided)
2/3 cup water

1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup water



In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend cream cheese with 3 Tablespoons sugar, salt milk, and vanilla extract. Using the back of a spoon, carefully spread this cheese mixture over bottom and sides of baked pie shell, bringing it well up on the sides.

Wash and drain blueberries.

Simmer together for 3 minutes - 1 cup blueberries and 2/3 cup water. Blend and add to boiling mixture - 1 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup water. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Cool.

Save out 1/2 cup choice berries; put remaining 2 1/2 cups berries in baked pie shell. Cover with cooked mixture, and garnish with the 1/2 cup berries. Refrigerate until firm - about 2 hours. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Enjoy the last days of summer - Fall is on the way!

Raspberry Rugelach from the Gingerbread House!

If you tuned in Monday - you read all about one of our favorite neighbors up in White Lake - "Mrs. Margaret". This is her "Gingerbread Cottage", and just like in the fairy tales - Yummy things stream out of that door!



"Mrs. Margaret" is on the right and her sister, Marie, is on the left. These two lovely ladies not only made Israel salad the other day - they made a delicious batch of Raspberry Rugelach. How lucky were we?



Rugelach is a traditional European Jewish pastry, in a small crescent-shape made of cream cheese dough with a filling of nuts, raisins, and cinnamon or raspberry jam. Her sister Marie makes these delicious cookies and everyone enjoys them. On this visit, she got into the kitchen and baked up some delicious rugelach...

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
3/4 cup dried apricots




DIRECTIONS:
1. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter with cream cheese until blended and smooth. Beat in vanilla extract, salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup sugar until blended.
2. With spoon, stir in remaining flour. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. To prepare Filling. In medium bowl, with spoon, stir walnuts, apricots, brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1/2 cinnamon until well mixed.
4. Line 2 large baking sheets with foil and grease foil.
5. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 piece of chilled dough into a 9 inch round, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. Spread dough with 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup apricot filling, gently press filling onto dough. With pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 12 equal wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion. Place cookies on foil-lined cookie sheet, point-side down, about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with remaing dough, one-fourth at a time.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
7. In cup, mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. With pastry brush, brush rugelach with milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

8. Bake rugelach at 325 degrees F on 2 oven racks about 30 to 35 minutes until golden, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking time. Immediately remove rugelach to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container.



*****You can eliminate the apricots and use chocolate chips or change the jam to strawberry. Or not use any jam and just use the cinnamon/sugar and chopped walnut mixture.....be creative!!

Thanks "Mrs. Margaret" and Marie for sharing your yummy recipes with the "Klique"! Come back any time to share more!

Upside Down Peach Muffins!

I really should have called this post "A Peach of a Sister-in-Law"! This is my Sister-in-Law, Chandi. We recently went to Minnesota to visit my hubby's side of the family and got to stay with one of my favorite friends - Chandi. She and her hubby, Joel, just bought their dream home and are refurbishing it. Joel is an artist with his woodworking tools and you can just tell the house is so happy that someone who loves her so much bought her! One morning we got to wake up to these yummy muffins baking in the oven. After one bite - I knew I had to share them with the "Klique". Thanks Chandi for the great week, the yummy muffins and letting us love on that sweet family of yours!




Upside Down Peach Muffins

First prepare the custard cups (approx.18 small size)

6 T butter
1 c brown sugar
3 cups chunked peaches, canned or fresh

Distribute these ingredients amongst the custard cups. For me, the amounts are approximate. I just put a little dab of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar in each cup, I don't actually measure it.

For the batter:

2 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix dry ingred. then add:

1/4 c butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c milk

Top the cups with batter, place cups on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or till browned on top.

Carrier Street Cookies!

My mother grew up very near this house on Carrier Street, in Liberty, N.Y. The home was owned by the Cooper family and the welcome mat was always out. It was purchased by Allan Berube and run as a bed and breakfast, until his untimely death.



The bed and breakfast, when in operation, was a welcoming sight and maintained so nicely by Mr. Berube. He inquired of my mother some of the history from the home and my mom was all too happy to share her fond memories as well as the cookie recipe Mrs. Cooper often made for the children in the neighborhood.



Once Mr. Berube learned of this lovely cookie, he made bags for his guests and attached a copy of the history for his guest to enjoy. The page states: Carrier house is near the site of the old Liberty railway depot. Hoboes, who used to hang around the train yard, came up Cooper Ave. to Carrier and New Street, offering to sharpen scissors and do other work for food. These cookies are from a recipe Bobi Benton ( Ruth Wheeler's Sister) gave me. These were her favorite childhood cookies that Mrs. Cooper shared with neighbors and the hoboes who knocked on her door in the 1940's.



Hobo Fortune Cookies (because they had the good fortune of eating them!)

Sift: 1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup light molasses
1 cup sugar
1 egg

In mixer, mix wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to batter. Stir in 1 cup rolled oats. Shape into balls and dip in extra bowl of sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 36 cookies.



P.S. If you are wondering about the huge chicken in the yard of the guest house....it was purchased by Mr. Berube from the local dairy queen when it went out of business. I bet it made anyones stay "Sunny Side Up"!

Raspberry Cheesecake Trifle!

Remember my "Pharmacist" friend Michelle? The friend I call when my children have a funny rash, or my hubby has out-of-control poison ivy - or whenever I was starting a new round of chemo - I relied on my friend Michelle. Not only is she a wonderful addition to my back pocket of friends, her hubby is an outstanding baker, BBQ'er and cook. It's like getting 4 for the price of one with this friendship.

At Christmas Roy made a decadent Trifle - And about 2 weeks ago- after much asking the recipe came my way. Hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!



RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE TRIFLE

16 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar

1 angel food cake, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 quarts fresh raspberries, strawberries or thickly sliced peaches (I often use a mixture of fresh and frozen berries)
3 Tablespoons sugar

In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Add the sour cream, vanilla and almond extract. In a small bowl, whip the heavy cream, vanilla and sugar until stiff. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cake cubes and coat well. Drain raspberries and add the sugar. Mix well. Layer into a trifle bowl, starting with a layer of raspberries, then a layer of cake/cream cheese mixture. Continue layering, ending with raspberries (five total layers). Cover with plastic wrap and chill well before serving. Garnish with mint leaves and/or whole berries.



Thanks Michelle and Roy for your desserts, friendship and your wealth of information you always graciously share with us!
We love you guys!

Bobi's Bites: Chocolate Drop Cookies!

My dad has only been at the cabin for about ten days but he already feels the need for some comfort food. He asked my mom to bake some of his Grandmother's Chocolate Drop Cookies. Not a problem for all the ingredients were on hand except those "squares" of bitter chocolate. This happens to my mom more than you want to know but in the "Substitutions for Emergencies" section of her TRUSTY recipe book she located the substitute:
1 sq. (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate can be replaced with
3 tbsp. cocoa plus 1/2 tsp. shortening.

Onward with the recipe

Grandma Low's Drop Cookies
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 squares melted chocolate
or 6 tbsp baking cocoa and 1 tsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla.



Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 325-350 ten to twelve minutes until cookies spring back
when touched lightly.

Frost with confectionary sugar icing and decorate as desired.

Cheese Blini's - Robin Sue Style!

Years ago Robin Sue, from Big Red Kitchen, brought these unbelievably tasty morsels to my home. I ate a respectable amount during our get together, but as soon as we were cleaning up I crammed entire fist fulls into my mouth while I walked the plate to the kitchen sink. I HAD to have this recipe. She graciously gave me the recipe - which I quickly passed to my mother Bobi. She in turn makes these pieces of heaven on a regular basis - and always gets requests for the recipe. I told Robin to blog about them - and she didn't remember what I was talking about. How could she forget these perfect little treats? How could anyone forget these cinnamon sugar coated lumps of love?

Adapted from: Kraft Kitchens - 2005

GOOD & EASY
You can't miss with Cinnamon Twist "Blinis"

These Blinis are a great addition to breakfast or lunch and if you need a dessert you can take the Kraft Kitchen Tip and dip half of the Blinis in chocolate. Whenever you need a treat to go, these fit the bill, and so I am off and running with a platter of these to a meeting tonight. These might even work for book clubs or Bible studies. You can have these with bacon and eggs in the morning, or tea and coffee as a snack, they are winners anytime.


1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
12 slices white bread, crusts removed
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar, vanilla and egg. In separate bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and set aside.

Flatten each bread slice with rolling pin. Spread 1 side of each slice
evenly with 1 Tbsp. cream cheese mixture. Starting at short end, tightly roll up. Brush each roll with butter; roll in reserved cinnamon-sugar. Slice each roll into 3 pieces.

Place each piece, seam side down, on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Kraft Tip: Finished, baked rolls can be dipped halfway into melted Bakers Dipping Chocolate.

Rice Crispy Treats - as big as their Face!

My daughter, Jensen, is involved with a group of girls from our church. The group calls themselves the Faithgirlz. I am very excited Jensen is learning how to better cope with friendships, parents and her own emotions through this group. I wish I was given these instructions when I was her age. I still have days, with my friends, that I have to scratch my head and wonder "What just happened there?" I don't think life gets any easier - so filling her proverbial tool bag with helpful solutions can only help Jensen on her journey of life. Last month I volunteered to bring the treat. I knew I had to do two things: Make something tasty and make it as big as their face. Even a bad treat - when made big- seems like the greatest thing! I made three pans. Each pan was a 9 by 13 and I cut them into 6 pieces each. Those are some big treats!



Another "No Fail" idea - which I learned from Big Red Kitchen's Robin Sue, is package it pretty. Even simple treats, when packaged appropriately, seem like a delicacy! Robin Sue introduced me to the wax paper "Pouch" and I have used them ever since. I used my Avery Business card templet to make the tags to staple onto the bags. Just ran them off on regular paper to save money.



What treat do you like to make for your kids clubs?

Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies - Jenny Mac Style!

I ran across a blog the other day that had the most interesting cookie recipe on it. I had all the ingredients on hand and a large dose of curiosity - so I was off to make a batch! I found the recipe on Jenny Mac's Lip Smack blog. Check out her Crazy Cookie Cake Chippers. She made hers beautiful. I made mine fast. Check out the difference.



Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies
Adapted from Jenny Mac's Lip Smacking Crazy Cookie Cake Chippers

18 oz Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips and pretzels
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir dry cake mix, oil/butter, 2 eggs, crushed tortilla chips and pretzels until dough forms.
Spoon batter out onto cookie sheet (I use a mini ice cream scooper to make them a uniform size as shown below)
Bake for 8-12 minutes.
Remove from pan after a minute or so and cool on wire racks!



My oldest daughter, Logan, helped me whip up a batch in about 5 minutes. These were quick, easy and yummy!
Thanks Jenny Mac!



When I make them again - which I will - I will only put in the pretzels. I enjoyed them more than the tortilla chips!

Praline Chex Mix - Always a Touchdown!

The host for a Super Bowl game needs lots of snacks for the guests.
I think you will find this treat special and there is still time to order the
Praline Mix from Savannah Cinnamon Company. Their web site is:
www.savannahcinnamon.com. Check them out HERE!

A small bottle of Praline Mix will make three batches of Savannah
Squares Praline Crunch. My mother knows. She received the Praline
Mix from a couple my dad plays golf with. She immediately ran to the
grocery store for the ingredients and made one recipe after another.
Along with the bottle, she also received a generous sample of Savannah
Squares Praline Crunch which they quickly devoured – she knew a trip
to the grocery store was imperative.

So, order the mix and have pecans, Chex cereal, butter, brown sugar and baking soda ready for the arrival of the Praline Mix. Thank you Fran Hess – you made a golfer and his wife’s day.




Savannah Squares Praline Crunch
Stir together 6 cups Chex cereal and 2 cups pecan halves in
A 13x9 pan. Melt ¼ cup butter and ½ cup brown sugar and
½ cup of Praline Mix. Bring to a boil. Gently cook for 2 minutes,
Stir in ½ tsp baking soda and stir until foamy. Pour over mixture
and stir to coat. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir once during baking.

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style! Part 2

Oh - Just looking at this salad makes me want to make it again. I had clipped this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine in March of 2003 - and this was the first time I tried it - but it won't be the last. My whole family loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up!



Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing:
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 (7 oz) packages fresh baby spinach



1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Place beans in a 2 cup glass measure; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until hot.
2. Combine onions, bell pepper, bacon and spinach in a large bowl. Add syrup mixture and beans; toss well to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 8



Baked Apples:
4 apples - your choice.
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons crushed walnuts
4 Tablespoons butter
Carmel Ice cream topping

Core apples. Place 1 teaspoon brown sugar in each apple. Place 1 teaspoon nuts in each apple. Place 1 Tablespoon butter on top of each apple. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool 10 mintues. When serving, drizzle with carmel ice cream topping.

Note to self: Kids do not accept this as dessert, but rather a tasty "Side".



Don't forget to take a look and see what Big Red Kitchen did with her 20 dollars!

Peanut Butter Brownies!

The title of this blog should really be "Upgrade your Box Brownie Mix". This started with a 99 cent Box-O-Brownies and ends with "Pass me another one please and may I have this recipe" brownie!
I am a peanut butter lover. I got that love from my dad. I grew up in a house in which everything, and I mean everything, was eaten with peanut butter on it. We went through a jar a week. It was no little jar of Jiff either. This was a HUGE glass jar of SULTANA peanut butter. We still talk about the good old days when they made SULTANA peanut butter. We don't know where it went - but no peanut butter will ever taste as good to us. Ahh - the taste of childhood!
I for one, have no problem drowning my sorrows in peanut butter with this delicious recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.



Make a Box-O-Brownies in a 9 by 13 dish. Let cool.




For "Frosting":
 
3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. softened butter
3 oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
3 tbsp. milk


Optional Glaze:

1/4 c. semi-sweet choc. chips
1 tbsp. shortening

In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, cream cheese and milk; beat until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over brownies.
In small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and shortening. Cook over low heat to melt. Drizzle over frosting. Makes 36 bars.



What is a food you miss from your childhood?

Bobi's Bites: Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake!

This is the cake you bake if you want to hear oohs and ahhs. It is worth the time and the nine eggs. Two years ago my Mom read “Esther’s Gift" by Jan Karon, which had the recipe for Orange Marmalade cake. Since that time she has wanted to bake this cake. Esther made these for all her friends in Mitford at Christmas time. However, last year she purchased Jan Karon’s “Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader” which also had Esther’s recipe for Orange Marmalade cake but the ingredients were not the same.



This was the year she was determined to bake it and had to make the choice of which recipe she would use. The recipe calling for three large eggs was definitely tempting, compared to the one with nine eggs. There was another discrepancy – baking soda or baking powder.
She did decide on the one with nine eggs thinking that might be “showier” an expression used by Esther when describing her three layer cake as compared to her two layer cake.



The fresh squeezed orange juice didn’t even sway her opinion as she and my Dad have an orange tree with access to oranges (note picture above of Jensen in Florida on Thanksgiving break).



Because of copyright laws stated in each book she feels she can only direct you
to purchase:
"Esther's Gift, A Mitford Christmas Story" by Jan Karon or
"Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader".

You will love both books and they are a fun read.

Jigglers for your Gobblers!

My kids love Thanksgiving. They don't talk about the amazing sausage stuffing, the sweet potato casserole to die for, or the black bottom pecan pie I can't wait to get my hands on. They love it because they know Gumma is going to make Jigglers! My mom "Gumma", pulls out the cutest cookie cutters and lets the girls get to work. They're not gourmet - they're "Gumma-made" and my kids love her for making them at the holidays.



Start out with some seasonal cookie cutters. In a month the tree cookie cutters and the lime jello will be making their appearance. Tell your grandkids they'll be cutting tree's when they get to your house for Christmas - They'll love it.



Gumma got my girls adorable Thanksgiving aprons and it was time to get to work.



Jello Jigglers
1 (3 oz) Box any flavor jello
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon boiling water

Dissolve jello in boiling water for at least 3 minutes.
Pour into flat bottom dish and chill for 3 hours.
Dip bottom of pan in hot water to loosen jello.