Easy Cherry Pie

I have tried many different pie recipes in the past. My favorite homemade pie I have made would have to be the meringue-rhubarb pic I created last summer. Although this was delicious..it took a full afternoon to make it, and the crust was a little bit thin. So, today my grandma and decided to whip up a cherry pie that would be a lot less time consuming then a from scratch one. (we say that we made this mostly for my dad who goes nuts for a good cherry pie, though I think we both did it mainly so that we could have a slice for desert tonight!) I have never been a huge fan of not from scratch baked goods (other then tollhouse chocolate chip cookies) so I was a little bit apprehensive when Muz (my grandma) showed up with only two ingredients, those being:
Comstock more fruit cherry filling
Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix

The crust was so easy to make, all we had to do was:
1. mix the packet mix with 1/3 cup of cold water
2. Flatten ball into 2 rounds on floured surface. Roll 1 1/2 inches larger then upside-down 9-inch pie plate.
3. Fold in half and place in plate. Press firmly on bottom and side (do NOT stretch).
-To make the latice (crossed pieces of crust on the top) we used this link, which shows a video with step by step directions on
how to do it!
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Making-a-Lattice-Top-Pie-Video/Detail.aspx
I really recomend making this easy pie if you are in the mood to create a good dessert and you do not feel like slaving away in the kitchen for 5 hours. This pie ended up being so delicious that it rivals most of my other favorites that were all made from scratch! Stop by a grocery store and pick up the two ingredients and you are already half way through with the baking process. Good luck!

A much needed post- A new way to make crunchy toast!

A panini grill in my kitchen has made cooking and grilling sandwiches a whole new, and delicious experience! Whether I am in the mood for a simple grilled cheese, (by the way I found this amazing cook book that is called "Great Grilled Cheese" and has tons of amazing gourmet or classic grilled cheese recipes-I can post more information later but for now I will stick to two different sandwiches) or a more complex sandwich with rarer cheese, roasted vegetables and maple-glazed barefoot contessa bacon, I can always count on my handy-dandy minature grill to work the magic that im in desperate need of. I almost always use whole wheat bread when making paninis, liking in particular the crunchy, baguette-like bread from the bakery section of the Village Market.

I will often walk into the house from being out, and I will find my older sisters fiance and my other sister's boyfriend desperately grilling some quesadillas, or sandwiches with anything else they can find at that moment.., using the one and only panini maker. Everyone in my family loves the sandwiches it produces, and the best part about the machine is that it is as simple as just plugging it in, waiting a minute or two, sticking your sandwich in, waiting 30 seconds, and then your good to go. Anyways, to get to the point... today I made two paninis, one being a goat cheese and asparagus grilled sandwich, the other being a pesto, fresh tomato, and fresh mozzarella sandwich.

These were so simple to make and took me no longer the 4 minutes to create and cook. I love to experiment with different ingredients, and you can find great panini recipes on epicurious.com or www.squidoo.com/Panini-sandwich-recipes. Panini grills usually cost anywhere from $40-$90, and are SO worth the buy. I have probably made 200 sandwiches on that grill and it has reinvented my lunch making experience. So either order on line from amazon for $51.93

or head down to your towns local cooking utensils store, and purchase your panini grill today.

Shrimp Etouffee- Cajun Classic (not to mention delicious) Meal

I only realized once pacing the isles of my towns small "Village Market", that I had forgotten to either find or think of a good recipe that I could use for dinner tonight. I was discouraged and was thinking of just calling my dad for the ingredients to one of his famous chicken dinners when I spotted a few food magazines to the left of my grandmas favorite chocolate fudge swirl ice cream. I found todays recipe from a magazine called "Cooking Light", having decided almost immeadiately on a shrimp dish on page 136. This is what the ingredients were -all of which (excluding the green onions) I either found in my kitchen or at the market.

Ingredients:
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
cooking spray
VEGETABLES:
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I used steak sauce)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (I did not use these)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat parsley divided (did not use this when I made it, and it still tasted great)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 30 shrimp)
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice (I used Texmati Long grain low fat)

Directions:
1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Cover and remove from heat.
**before doing this you should chop all of the vegetables and measure them. (I used a food processor)
2. Melt 1/4 cup butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to pan; cook 8 minutes or until very brown, stirring constantly with a large whisk. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup broth mixtrue to pan; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining 3 cups broth mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth; set aside

3. Melt remaining 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter in a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add all of the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes stirring every once in a while.

Stir in 3/4 cup water. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper to onion mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved broth-flour mixture and sause to pan, stirring well to combine; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, 1/4 cup parsley, and shrimp; cook 3 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice.
Yield: 6 servings

This recipe has a delicious blend of thai and carribean flavors that is filling but not so much food that you feel overwhelmed. Depending on how much of the Cajun spices you put in, you can control how hot/spicy the final meal is.
**The magazine recomends serving this with a dry rose wine from Spain: e.g. El Coto Rosado from 2006.
If you prepare most everything during the day it saves a lot of time and labor for the hours before you want the meal cooked.
If you would like to serve this dinner with a side I recomend serving it with Snow Peas, Bok choi, or shaved esparagus. This is a time consuming meal but it is definitely worth it as I recieved rave reviews from my mom, dad, and grandmother!!!
Enjoy-

Crepe Escape!

My first blog entry will focus on a delicious breakfast that I made just this morning for my whole family. A few days ago I discovered a crepe maker at a nearby small cook supply store called Cooks Nook.
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp14796-1374.html (link to the actual maker that I purchased)
I had my first crepe when on a ski trip in France over the Christmas of 2004. I immediatly fell in love with this thin pancake-like treat, enjoying it as a temporary escape from my frost bitten fingers and toes and the treacherous mountain trail I had to get down after lunch... I devoured at least 6 more before my trip back home. Before today, my only other crepe making experience was at summer camp two years ago when I took a cooking elective which focused mainly on breakfasts. I urge you to escape like I had and now often will in either the fresh, sweetness of a desert or breakfast basic crepe or the strong, filling flavors in a lunch or dinner Whole Wheat Crepe. Enjoy!!

1. Whole Wheat Crepe
-Fill with:
* melted goat cheese and greens
* fried egg and cheddar cheese
* salmon and cream cheese
2. Basic Crepe
-Fill with:
*fresh fruit mix with strawberries, blueberries, rasberries, and bananas with cream filling (see recipe)
*fresh fruit mix as seen above with chocolate filling (see recipe)
*apply each filling to half of the crepe and then put on plate and fold once. Sift some powdered sugar on the top
of the crepe and if making for desert put some vanilla ice cream on side of plate.

Whole Wheat Crepe:
(recipezaar.com)
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2/3 c. milk
2 tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk, butter, and salt until well combined- about 20 seconds
2. Sift the flour into a medium size bowl or a 2 quart measuring cup, then add the liquid mixture, beating until well
combined- about 1 minute.
3. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let stand for at least 1 hour refrigetated or at room temperature. (Will keep,
refrigerated, for up to 4 hours.

Basic Crepes:
(allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to
combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using
approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface
evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the
other side. Serve hot.

Creme Filling:
Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 c. confectionary sugar
1- 1 1/2 c. Cool Whip
Directions:
1. Combine creamcheese and confectionary sugar, then fold in the Cool Whip.
2. Use a spoon or knife to spread approximately 1/4 of filling on the crepe when cooking. *the crepe cooks super
fast so you have to do this immediately after you put the crepe on the maker!

Chocolate Filling:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. reduced calorie butter
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add cocoa and water; stir until smooth. Cook over low heat until mixture begins
to thicken (do not boil).
2. Remove from heat; add vanilla and powdered sugar, and stir until mixture is smooth.
3. Apply this filling to the crepe in the same manner you used for the creme filling.


*I reccomend warming the plates you put the crepes on for about 4 minutes.