Blueberry, Wolfberry, Strawberry Smoothie (my new fave!)
posted by Annie
My husband has been on a bit of a fruit/smoothie kick recently which is infectious. I mean, with all of the good stuff in season, why not? So I’ve been experimenting with fruits, juices, yogurt, ice. And I’ve put together this recipe which is pretty much my favorite.
This recipes includes a secret weapon. It’s a wolfberry (or goji berry) drink called NingXia Red that gives you all pretty much all of the nutrition you’ll need for the day. Perfect! Plus two of my other favorite fruits: blueberries and strawberries. This really tasted like something you would get from Jamba Juice. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts!
Blueberry, Wolfberry, Strawberry Smoothie 1 medium banana ¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries ½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries ¼ cup NingXia Red wolfberry juice ¼ cup chopped ice (can be omitted if you’re using frozen fruit) Combine all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth.Popovers!
posted by Annie
One of my mothers-in-law lives by the great Popover Cafe on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She also has a popover pan. It’s some sort of apparatus, I don’t know how it works, exactly.
But I know I love going to Popover Cafe and I know I love eating popovers. Popovers are sort of like pancakes, but harder and crispier. My oven may be calibrated wrong, so they never get too crispy. Nonetheless, I like have these small pancake-like foods ready all at once (unlike pancakes themselves). And you don’t need any fancy ingredients.
So, not too long ago I had my family over and decided to try this recipe. It turned out great! Much like the famous cafe, I also made some strawberry butter. But to be even fancier I made honey butter as well! Those recipes are also included.
From Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook: Recipes for Cooking Together
Popovers
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes Yields: 12 popoversIngredients
3 large eggs 1 ½ cups milk 1 ¼ cups flour 2 tsp kosher salt 3 Tbsp butter, meltedWhisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour, salt, and butter. Stir the batter until well blended, but don’t overbeat or the eggs will lose their rising power. The batter should have the consistency of heavy cream.
Divide the batter among the cups of a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan, filling them two-thirds full. Do not overfill, or the popovers will not rise properly. Place the pan in a cold oven and heat the oven to 425° F. After 2o minutes, turn the oven down to 350° F and continue to bake until the popovers are billowing out of each cup and golden brown, 12 – 15 minutes more. Serve at once.
Fancy Butters
posted by Annie
From The Pancake Handbook: Specialties from Bette’s Oceanview Diner
Whipped Honey Butter
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup honeyPlace the butter in a bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Beat in the honey and continue to beat until thoroughly combined.
Any-Berry Butter
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed ½ cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, strawberries, or blueberriesPlace the butter and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. On low speed, blend in the berries until just combined into the mixture. Stir in additional sugar if the berries are too tart.
Baked Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon
posted by Annie
Robin Rescues Dinner
Okay, so look out. This is the best soup! When I made it, my husband practically married me again. It’s really just the best parts of a baked potato in soup form. I love baked potatoes, but I never feel like I get enough food with one of them. This soup fills you up, for the rest of the day!
Here’s also what I like about this recipe, let’s say on Sunday night you make baked potatoes. Well, throw in 3 more than you’re planning on eating that night. Use those the next day for the soup. Brilliant!
I got this tip from the awesome book, Robin Rescues Dinner: 52 Weeks of Quick-Fix Meals, 350 Recipes, and a Realistic Plan to Get Weeknight Dinners on the Table
Baked Potato Soup with Cheddar and Bacon
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes (provided you’re starting with pre-cooked baked potatoes) Serves 4 3 Tablespoons butter 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 5 Cups milk 3 reserved baked potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups) 4 scallions, chopped (green and white parts) 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sour cream 4 slices bacon (regular or turkey bacon), cooked until crisp and crumbled Salt and fresh ground black pepper 1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is blended and smooth. Whisk in the milk until blended. Stir in the potatoes and scallions and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 5 minutes. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the cheese, sour cream, and bacon, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Submit a Recipe to All AbodeView all Recipes on All AbodeWFAE 90.7 FM Pumpkin Shortage!
Jeannie962 had a great article discussing the pumpkin shortage that’s going on. Check it out here: WFAE 90.7 FM.
shortage!
Cheaper Alternatives to Canned Soup
Cheaper Alternatives to Canned Soup.
Got this from a reader. Great tips in here for making and storing homemade soup.
Enjoy!
Mom’s Apple Pie
posted by Annie
Judging by the splash marks, Mom's cookbook has been well-used.
My mom had a few of us over on Sunday night. And she was saying how one of the easiest desserts to make is apple pie. That was all I needed to hear. But then once I tasted it, I knew it had to be an entry for All Abode!
She showed it to me from her Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Hers was the fifth edition, printed in 1972. Awesome.
Apple Crumb Pie
5 to 7 tart apples (5 cups) 1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pare apples; core and cut in eighths. Arrange in unbaked pastry shell. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Mix 1/3 cup sugar with the flour; cut in butter till crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or till done. If pie browns too quickly, cover edge with foil. Cool. Pass whipped cream.
How old is your old spice?
posted by Eduardo
Fall is here. It’s my favorite time of the year to cook and try out new recipes. I can already smell the earthy flavors of the fresh roots roasting in the oven and the ambrosial aroma that spices can bring out from any dish. To prepare for this coming feast, I decided to re-organize my spices and in the process I started questioning the freshness of some of my bottled friends. I bought some of these spices when the Spice Girls were coming out with their first album–OK, I had to mention the Spice Girls somehow, forgive me.
I consulted the McCormick’s site, they had some good tips to determine if you must edit your spices and replace them. To remember these tips think CASH (after all it cost some cash to replace this spices)–Color, Aroma, Storage (more…)
Walrus Treats
posted by Annie
These were a big hit at our Beatles Rock Band Party! The name comes from the lyric from “I Am the Walrus” where it says, “Sitting on a cornflake.” So I looked for desserts that had cornflakes in them. Then I amended one a bit to make it more to my liking. They went over big! I made two batches throughout the course of the night. (must be that of the five ingredients, two of them are butter!)
Walrus Treats
yields 12 medium-sized squares
1/3 cup butter 1 (10 oz) pkg marshmallows 4 cups Corn Flakes 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 cup coconutLightly brown the 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and coconut. Melt 1/3 cup of butter and marshmallows over low heat. When melted removed from heat. Add coconut and Corn Flakes to melted marshmallow mixture. Press into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Note: flip the marshmallow bag inside out, put your hand in that so you have a plastic bag glove and use this to press the mixture into the pan. Submit a Recipe to All Abode
