Cherry-Pistachio Tea Cakes

Cherries are in season right now and I am always looking for a way to incorporate ingredients at their peak into my cooking.  Recipes that are quick and easy that can be whipped up in a moments notice always appeal to me.  Cherry-Pistachio Tea Cakes don't even require a mixer, it is mixed by hand.  In my opinion, there were 2 adjustments that needed to be made in the recipe; I believe the cherry must be pitted for people to enjoy biting into this tea cake and the cherry needs to be added later in the baking process if you want it to sit on top of the cake as food network magazine pictures.

Picture with stems and pit

My first batch I did as instructed per the recipe and added my cherry with the pit and stem at 8 minutes into baking.  I found that my cherry sunk into the middle of the tea cake and that when I bit into the tea cake I hit a cherry with a pit that I either needed to pick around or spit out.  I don't want to have a disclaimer on my baked goods about choking hazards.  The flavor was delicious so I decided to try again.  If you want the cherry to sit on top of the tea cake I would add it at about 12 minutes into baking process but my preference is to pit my cherry (which is not as pretty for decorative purposes) and put it in at the 8 minute mark.  This way you bite into your delicious tea cake with a sweet baked cherry in the middle. Cherry Pistachio Tea Cakes are a great brunch addition or to whip up and invite a girlfriend over for coffee, tea and great conversation.

Note: I apologize that I don't have a photo of my second batch with adjustments the kids must have gotten the best of me that day. I will add an updated photo when I make these again.

Apple Turnovers

Warm apples in a buttery pastry pulled out of the oven transform a house into a home. 

As I type I can smell it all over again and I just can't help but smile.  We are currently selling our house and I thought what else can I do to make my house special and not one to forget.  I have been cleaning and straightening every day for multiple showings - not an easy task for a stay-at-homer with 2 young kids.  I love the way my house smells when I bake and I thought what can get more American than apple pie? Although, I needed something that was not messy and didn't require a fork!  I found a quick and easy recipe for apple turnovers.  They were a cinch since you use frozen dethawed puffed pastry.  I used a large spoonful of apples in each square and then folded them over. There were a ton of apples leftover so I refrigerated them and made a second batch a couple days later.  Perfect!

Spinach and Blue Cheese Souffle

This recipe is one of my husband's favorites; he said that if he had his way he would eat this every morning for breakfast.  The first time I ever made a souffle I was so nervous that it would not puff and it would be a complete failure. Souffles definitely have a reputation of being complicated and touchy; but I figured "hey so am I, I can do this."  Gruyere souffles were my first attempt and they turned out great, no problems at all.  I think souffles are much like the French - they get a bad rap.  Do not be scared of souffles. If you follow the instructions to the letter, I promise you they will turn out and puff just like you picture them.  As soon as you take them out of the oven they begin to deflate, so you must bake and serve immediately. 

Blue-cheese and Spinach Souffles

One nice thing is that there is a lot of do-ahead work that can make you seem like a master chef.  The souffle base can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, that way all you have to do is whip up your egg whites and fold them into your base before baking.  I have become quite comfortable making them and have been able to add my own flair.  I have added ham to the gruyere; used goat cheese; but by far my favorite is blue cheese and spinach!

Follow the recipe exactly but instead of adding the gruyere add 5 oz of roquefort crumbled (or the blue cheese of your choice) and 10 oz of cooked and drained spinach.  I saute my spinach in a bit of butter and olive oil with a smashed garlic clove.  Make sure that you really squeeze the water out of the spinach before adding to your base.  Try this recipe I promise you won't be disappointed!

Homage to Betty

My son hopped in the car his last day of school, and I asked him what he wanted to do now that school was out for the summer.  He said that he wanted to go to Grandma's house.  My heart was so filled with happiness that of all the things to do and want, he wanted to go visit his Grandma.  Since I could not make the trip to PA, I decided to share my love through food and make him a classic meal that my Grammie made all of her grandkids and that I have wonderful memories of helping her cook.  She always made stovetop macaroni and cheese, and I always remember it being the creamiest, cheesest thing that I ever put in my mouth. 

Oh my gosh was it good?! Simple; but to a kid just the best.  The wonderful thing about my Grammie was that she never got stressed or short with us and always let us help.  I think this is so important.  I am such a control freak about some things, but I love cooking with my kids and letting them screw up and add their own flair to things and using it all as a teaching experience of ingredients, measurement and following direction. 

This stovetop recipe is so easy and basic, but I learned so much from watching my Grammie.  I learned to add the cheese off the heat and have the temperature on low so that the cheese didn't get stringy or ball up.  I learned to make sure you cook the flour taste out of the roux and cook the noodles to al dente. (see recipe below)

French Breakfast Puffs and my Grammie's Sifter

I fell in love with cooking as a young girl in that beautiful kitchen on Pilgrim Drive. My Grammie had another recipe that she made all the time and that all of her daughters, grandkids and their friends often remember; French Breakfast Puffs. They are a simple delicious breakfast or brunch item.
I serve them often because you always have these ingredients on hand.  What could be bad about a muffin dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Serve these with coffee or tea and you will get rave reviews.

Macaroni and Cheese 

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup of whole milk

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper

1 tsp of ground mustard

2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 lb of dry pasta of choice

In one pot, boil heavily salted water for the pasta (should taste like sea water).  Follow package instructions for al dente pasta. 

In a second pot, melt butter and whisk in flour.  Whisk until you have cooked flour out about 1 to 2 minutes.  Add milk slowly while whisking and whisk over medium low heat until thick.  Add salt, pepper, and mustard.  Next, add cheese off the heat and turn heat down to low and whisk until smooth.  Add pasta to the cheese sauce and serve.  I like to add a few chopped chives on top for color and flavor.

Surprise Hit

It was a lazy Sunday morning, daddy was on the links and the kids were looking for something sweet.  Donuts were on their mind and I wasn't interested in getting everyone dressed for a morning run to Dunkin' Donuts.  There were 3 very ripe bananas on my counter and I remembered a recipe for Banana-Cream Cheese Breakfast Cakes. 

The Kitchen Aid came out and the kids and I went to work.  This was a quick and easy recipe, my only complaint was I had to clean my mixing bowl a couple of times and had a few too many bowls.  The recipe said that it makes 12 muffins but I found that I had batter for 24.  It is critical that you don't overfill the muffin tin with batter.  I have a tendency to do this to make sure I use every last bit, but please take my advice: practice restraint!  The cream cheese mousse is delicious, but I found it did not penetrate all the way into the middle of the muffin.  It sat a bit on top, sort of like a black bottom cupcake.  Next time I might try to cook the batter a bit before piping the mousse to see if I can get a little deeper into the muffin.

The recipe is pretty cut and dry. I pulled these babies out and I thought 'Eh, they are ok'.  My kids ate them up.  These muffins are something I would definitely make a day ahead since they ended up tasting better the next day.  I was truly surprised at how good they tasted for how nondescript they appeared.  These little gems are wonderful and worth every bit of the extra washing at the sink.