Amish Bread Pudding
by Martin Family Food Admin on Apr.18, 2012, under Desserts, Pudding
This is a classic dessert recipe. Don’t try to make this with skim milk or margarine. The whole milk (or even better half-and-half or cream) and butter are essential parts of the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk (or 2 cups half & half or light cream)
1/4 cup real butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (2/3 cup if not making the sauce)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (Italian or French bread works best)
1/2 cup raisins
Directions:
1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk, half & half, or cream until a film forms over top. Add the butter, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to warm.
2. Soak raisins in warm water.
3. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute or by hand for about 3 minutes. Slowly add warm milk mixture.
4. Place the torn bread in a butter greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.
5. Drain raisins, then sprinkle over torn bread. Pour batter on top of bread.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.
Bread Pudding Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoon real butter
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 tablespoon flour
dash of salt
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour over warm bread pudding before serving.
Barley Risotto with Fennel
by Martin Family Food Admin on Feb.02, 2012, under Side Dish
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 3 h 30 mins
Total Time: 4 h
Ingredients
2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 large fennel bulb(s), cored and finely diced, (or 2 small bulbs), plus 2 tablespoons chopped fronds
1 cup barley, pearl, or short-grain brown rice
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
4 cups broth, reduced-sodium chicken, or “no chicken” broth
1 1/2 cups water, divided
1/3 cup wine, dry white
2 cups beans, green, French-cut, frozen
1/2 cup cheese, grated Parmesan
1/3 cup olives, black, oil cured, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
pepper, black ground, to taste
Preparation
1. Coat a 4-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Crush fennel seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Combine the fennel seeds, diced fennel, barley (or rice), carrot, shallot and garlic in the slow cooker.
2. Add broth, 1 cup water and wine, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the barley (or rice) is tender, but pleasantly chewy, and the risotto is thick and creamy, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours on high or low.
3. Shortly before serving, cook green beans according to package instructions and drain. Turn off the slow cooker. Stir the green beans, Parmesan, olives, lemon zest and pepper into the risotto. If it seems dry, heat the remaining 1/2 cup water and stir it into the risotto. Serve sprinkled with the chopped fennel fronds.
Makes 6 servings
Nutritional Info (Per serving):
Calories: 242, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 474mg, Dietary Fiber: 8g, Total Fat: 6g, Carbs: 36g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Protein: 10g
Carb Choices: 2
Reuben Pizza
by Martin Family Food Admin on Dec.30, 2011, under Entrees, Pizza
Ingredients
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen whole wheat bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup thousand island dressing
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
6 ounces deli sliced corned beef, cut into strips
1 cup sauerkraut – rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a large pizza pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the bread dough out into a large circle about 14 inches across. Transfer to the prepared pizza pan. Build up the edges, and prick the center all over with a fork so it doesn’t form a dome when baking .
2. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden.
3. Spread half of the salad dressing over the hot crust. Sprinkle with half of the Swiss cheese. Arrange corned beef over the cheese, then drizzle with the remaining salad dressing. Top with sauerkraut and remaining Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with caraway seed.
4. Bake for another 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese melts and toppings are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped pickle. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
PB&J Cookies
by Martin Family Food Admin on Nov.30, 2011, under Cookies, Desserts
Ingredients
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup canned white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat peanut butter, such as Better’n Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons agave nectar
3 large egg whites
4 packets (about 4 grams) powdered stevia, such as SweetLeaf
1/4 cup puffed millet cereal, such as Arrowhead Mills
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, add the cranberries. Pour in hot water to cover and allow to soak.
3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the vanilla, cocoa, cannellini beans, peanut butter, and agave. Blend until the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl halfway through blending.
4. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually beat in the stevia. Continue to beat the whites until they are creamy and nearly stiff. Add one-third of the egg-white mixture to the cocoa-bean mixture in the food processor. Blend to combine, about 30 seconds. In 2 batches, fold the lightened cocoa mixture into the egg whites until they are almost fully combined.
5. Drain the liquid from the cranberries and then add the cranberries to the batter. Add the millet. Fold the batter until the cranberries and millet are evenly dispersed and the cocoa mixture is completely incorporated.
6. Drop mounded spoonfuls of the batter onto the prepared sheets. Spread the batter out to form cookies about 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the peanut butter chips on top of the cookies.
7. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans one turn halfway through baking. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
Makes 20 Cookies @ 55 calories each
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Martin Family Food Admin on Nov.13, 2011, under Cookies, Desserts
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Martin Family Food Admin on Nov.11, 2011, under Cookies, Desserts
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.
Pecan Pie
by Martin Family Food Admin on Nov.08, 2011, under Desserts, Pies
Ingredients
Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick), diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Flour, for rolling the dough
Filling:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 cups chopped toasted pecans
1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
Make the dough by hand: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture.
Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don’t let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, and bring the dough together by hand.
Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges, leaving about an extra inch hanging over the edge. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick edge that is even with the rim. Flute the edge as desired. Freeze the pie shell for 30 minutes.
Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
While the crust is baking make the filling: In medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts, bourbon, and the vanilla. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. (If the crust has cooled, return it to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.) Whisk the beaten eggs into the filling until smooth. Put the pie shell on a sheet pan and pour the filling into the hot crust.
Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 40 to 45 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil half way during baking.) Cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.
Puppy Chow
by Martin Family Food Admin on Nov.03, 2011, under Cookies, Desserts
Ingredients
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups Crispix cereal (any flavor)
3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well.
3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.
4. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.
5. Place the powdered sugar in a large zip-lock type plastic bag.
6. Add the peanut butter-chocolate cereal mixture to the bag, leaving enough room for the puppy chow to be shaken (you may have to divide the mixture into smaller batches, coating one batch at a time).
7. Shake the bag vigorously to evenly coat each piece of the puppy chow with powdered sugar.
8. Once the mixture is fully coated, place in a large serving bowl.
9. Coat any additional pieces by shaking the mixture in the powdered sugar filled bag. Add powdered sugar to the bag as needed until all the mixture is coated.
Oven Baked Chicken
by Martin Family Food Admin on Oct.21, 2011, under Chicken, Entrees
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
2 tsp salt
1 3 – 3.5# chicken, jointed or 3.5# chicken pieces
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Combine all the ingredients except the chicken and butter in a large bowl. Brush the chicken pieces with butter, then dip into the crumb mixture. Press the crumbs firmly to the chicken.
Arrange the crumbed chicken on the prepared tray. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake for a further 10 minutes (a little longer may be needed for big chicken pieces). The crumbs should be golden brown and the chicken cooked through.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
by Martin Family Food Admin on Oct.21, 2011, under Cheesecake, Desserts
Servings: 16 servings, 10-inch cheesecake
Prep Time: 12 hours 25 min
Cook Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients
Crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 22 crackers)
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
Filling:
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
Topping:
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 pounds (about 3 large) Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan tightly with foil to prevent moisture from the water bath from seeping into the cheesecake
Crust:
In a food processor, mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven to cool completely.
Filling:
In a food processor or with an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Add the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending until just combined. *Cook’s Note: It’s important to blend well with no clumps as this will make the filling a smoother consistency when baked.
Pour the filling into the crust. Put a roasting pan on a rack in the center of the oven and transfer the cheesecake to the pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan and cover it loosely with foil. Bake until the center moves only slightly when the cake pan is shaken, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check the water level about 1 hour into the baking, adding more water, if needed. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cake pan to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Topping:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the apples and pecans and cook, stirring, until they are coated with butter, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples and pecans to a bowl. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the remaining liquid, stirring often, until it turns a deep amber, about 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat to stop the cooking and add the cream. Be careful, as the cream may splatter. Return the skillet to the heat and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the apples and pecans. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
Spread the caramel-apple mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Use a knife dipped in hot water to cut through the cheesecake.