Kitchen Comforts

Mrs. Rice's Fresh Berry Pie

Mary Beth made dessert tonight--a delicious fresh strawberry pie!  I love this recipe (made with blueberries is my favorite) because the fruit isn't cooked, so it retains a crisp, fresh texture.  It's not a sticky sweet pie.  And there is no artificial flavor or color the way there is with recipes that call for Jell-o.  Mary Beth is nine.  We made two pies.  I helped her with the first and she made the second all by herself. [6-27-07 ETA: I made this pie this morning and we were a little short of strawberries. I cut a couple of peaches into the fresh berries. Worked like a charm! And now I'm thinking I could tweak this recipe for fresh peach pie:-)]

Baked Pie Shell

1 quart fresh strawberries or blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water (plus some extra for the cornstarch)

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp lemon juice

whipped cream

 

· For strawberry pie, fill pie shell with 3 cups strawberries. (I slice them in half.)

· Crush 1 cup berries in pot. Add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

· Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and whisk slowly into berry mixture. Cook until clear and thickened.

· Remove from heat. Add lemon juice.

· For strawberry pie, pour glaze over filled pie shell. For blueberry pie, pour 3 cups blueberries into glaze and stir until coated, then pour into pie shell.

· Chill and serve with whipped cream.

 

Greek hamburgers

Patrick made dinner last night and he really has a talent for this cooking thing.  He made hamburgers inspired by Rachael Ray.  I was asleep when he started to cook and he set aside a plate for me and brought it to me in bed.  Everyone loved this meal.  Nicholas, the picky eater, said, "I don't even like spinach but I didn't care in those hamburgers.  It tasted so good."  Really, really yummy and once again, he wins the prize for plating. The ingredients list is long but don't be intimidated; an eleven-year-old did this all by himself.

And Lissa, the original recipe was for ground turkey, so it can be made for Scott;-).

Beef Spanakopita Burgers and Fries with Yogurt Dip

2 packages store-bought frozen fries, any variety 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling 2 tablespoons butter 6 cloves garlic, 4 chopped, 2 crushed 2 red onions, 1 chopped, 1 thinly sliced 2 boxes, 20 ounces, frozen spinach, defrosted 2 teaspoons dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm, divided 1/2 pound feta crumbles 4 pounds ground beef 2 tablespoons Emeril's Essence 1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise, plus 2 small, 2-inch pieces of cucumber peeled, trimmed and chopped I- 8 ounce package Cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise Salt and pepper 4 cups good quality plain yogurt 1 lemon, juiced 2 cups spring mix 8 crusty rolls, split Topping: 4 roasted red peppers, drained 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives Preheat oven to directions on the package and bake fries until crisp. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. To one side, add a little and 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter melts, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool. Return pan to heat. Wring the defrosted spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Separate the spinach as you add it to the bowl with cool onions, garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add in feta crumbles then ground meat, Essence seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix and form into about 10 patties, 1-inch thick. Raise heat on pan to medium-high. Add patties and cook 6 miniutes or so on each side. Or grill it all outside! Season the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with salt and pepper. Toast rolls. Place remaining chopped cucumber, the crushed garlic, yogurt, 1 teaspoon oregano and juice of lemon in a food processor. Add a little salt and process the sauce until smooth. Transfer to a small dish and serve with the fries as a dipping sauce. (It's also good on the hamburgers!) Rinse out the processor bowl and return to base. Place red peppers, parsley and olives in food processor, season with salt and pepper and process until a paste forms. Place cooked burgers on roll bottoms. Top the burgers with sliced cucumber, tomato, reserved red onions, and spring mix. Slather roll tops with red pepper and olive paste and serve with fries.  We had watermelon balls, too.

Oooey gooey butter cakes

Once upon a time, a teenaged girl started baking her way into the heart of a certain baseball player.  His favorite treat to find in his locker was Ooey Goey Bars.  Last week, when my friend Jan, came to visit, we were laughing about how much we love the Food Network. Jan's a big fan of Paula Deen (and my children think that Jan and Paula sound exactly alike!).  Today, Paula was baking Double Chocolate Ooey Gooey Butter Cakes.  The high school bars left in a locker weren't chocolate, but had I known it could be done with chocolate, I surely would have done that.  My dear husband, who is now an all-grown-up-former-baseball-player, will be home in time for tea.  He's going to be so thrilled to have CHOCOLATE Ooey Gooey bars!

Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yield: 20 to 24 servings

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus 8 more tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus additional butter, for greasing pan 1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix 1 egg, plus 2 eggs 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 1 stick of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

Bobby's Favorite Dinner

Bobby Convey leaves for Germany soon to play on the US National Team in the World Cup. Bobby loves Spaghetti Carbonara and we make it every time he comes home. Time to carbo-load before the biggest tournament of them all:

2 pounds bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
2  pounds fresh spaghetti, cooked al dente
8-10  large eggs, beaten
2 cups warm half and half or cream

Salt
2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large iron skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the oil except for about a 1/4 cup. Add the garlic. Season with black pepper. Saute for 30 seconds. Add the crispy bacon and the pasta. Stir it all together. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. (Don't let the kids watch if they'll be grossed out). Add warm cream. Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper. Mound into serving bowls. This makes a lot of food but it's good the next morning for breakfast.