French Pastry Crust

French Pastry Crust

Makes 2 pie crusts or a double crust

Recipe found here

3 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbls white sugar

1 C shortening

1 egg

1 tsp distilled white vinegar

5 Tbls water

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Mix well, then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. In a small bowl, combine egg, vinegar, and 4 tablespoons of water. Whisk together, then add gradually to flour mixture, stirring with a fork. Mix until dough forms a ball. Add one more tablespoon of water if necessary.
3. Allow dough to rest in refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling out.

Comments:
Love it!  Goes great as the crust for Grandma Ople's Apple Pie. After cutting out the crust, I sprinkle the remaining pieces with cinnamon and sugar and cook them for 8 minutes at 425 degrees. 

Apple Pie

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

Recipe found here

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1/2 C. butter

3 Tbls. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

1/4 C. water

8 granny smith apples - peeled, cored, and sliced

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Comments:

Wonderful pie.  Most likely, the sauce will drip as the pie cooks in the oven, so I would recommend covering a cookie sheet with parchment paper and placing it on the rack below the pie.  It makes for much easier cleanup than cleaning your stove.  But trust me, it's worth it. I recommend using the French Pastry Crust recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Modified from this recipe

1 C. butter, softened

1 C. white sugar

1 C. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp hot water

1/2 tsp salt

2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.  Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Add to batter along with salt.  Stir in flour and chocolate chips.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Comments:

Best cookies ever!  We don't really like nuts, so I omitted them from the original recipe, other than that, I didn't change a thing.  They are even chewy the day after you make them.  I wouldn't know after that because they didn't last that long at our house.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Recipe found here

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 C. melted butter

1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 C. peanut butter

1/2 C. packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbls. milk

40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk.  Add the flour mixture; mix well.  Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball.  Cool and carefully remove from pan.

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Modified from this recipe

1/4 C. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/2 C. chopped celery

1/2 C. chopped carrots
1 large potato, chopped

1/2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. white sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. frozen peas

4 C. diced cooked chicken meat

1/2 Biscuit recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook and stir the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in butter until tender.  Mix in the flour, sugar, salt, basil, and pepper. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil.  Stirring constantly, boil 1 minutes, reduce heat and stir in peas.  Simmer 5 minutes, then mix in chicken.  Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish.
3. Prepare 1/2 biscuit recipe and divide into 8 balls.  Flatten the balls on wax paper and place on top of the chicken mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

Modified from this recipe

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

7 Tbls. butter, chilled and cut into thin slices

3/4 C. cold buttermilk

2 Tbls. buttermilk for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.

4. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles couarse crumbs, about 5 miuntes.

5. Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture.  Pour in 3/4 cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.

6. Turn dough onto a floured work surface, pat together into a rectangle.

7. Fold the rectangle into thrids.  Turn dough a half turn, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle.  Repeat twice more, folding and pressing dough a total of three times.

8. Roll dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick.

9. Cut out 12 biscuits using a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter (I just use a cup)

10. Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet.  Press an indent into the top of each biscuit with your thumb.

11. Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 Tbls. buttermilk.

12. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

Comments:

These are wonderful!  Because I had salted butter, they were a little bit strong, so I reduced the amount of butter.  If you are using unsalted butter, you may want to use the full teaspoon of salt.  We especially loved these with honey!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Modified from this recipe 

Serving for 6

2 Tbls. butter

1/2 C. green onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt

1 (6.5 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 C. grated gouda cheese

1/2 C. shredded parmesan

few drops hot sauce

1 pinch ground nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper to tast

1/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in onions and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir garlic into onions and remove from heat.

3. Mix spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese, gouda, parmesan, hot sauce, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.

4. Spoon artichoke mixture into two ramekins.  Top each with shredded mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Comments:

This is fantastic with french bread and our children loved it.  It is best fresh, keep that in mind when making it.  If you don't need serving for six, modify your amounts accordingly.