Stuffed Cabbages

today i am making stuffed cabbages.  we were talking about them recently and i really got into the mood.
i bought nice fresh cabbages at the farmers market.  normally, one would go to steelton, pa. and purchase
heads of cabbage that have been soaked in a brine......however, today i am just using the regular cabbages.

i used to boil the whole heads of cabbage til the leaves were soft and pliable.  then someone told me about
microwaving the outer leaves and smaller heads so that is what i have been doing and i find it makes things
move right along.

after microwaving the leaves, i trim the center rib so it will lay flat and be really pliable.

the filling is seasoned ground beef (salt and pepper) and a small amount of uncooked rice.  to one lb.
of ground beef i use about 1/2 c. of uncooked long grain rice.

laying the cabbage leaf flat on the board, i put a small amount of beef at the top middle of the leaf, about
1/4 cup.  (if the leaf is very large, you might want to put more meat filling in).

then turn the left and right sides in and roll up.  you should have a nice firm little packet.

i take the tough outer leaves of the cabbage head and line my pot. i put a little bit of water over these leaves. then i put some sauerkrout on the bottom of the pan over the leaves.  then i start stacking my packets and putting more sauerkrout on top of each layer of packets.  

then i put some tomato sauce over all the packets and the sauerkrout and bring to a boil.  then i turn the

heat down and cook for several hours.....til the cabbage is nice and soft and the sauerkrout is really cooked.

typically, these cabbages are served with mashed potatoes.  it really is sort of a winter item but, as i said,

after we were talking about them i just had to make them.  i will be putting these in freezer bags and freezing

them for the fall/winter.  all i will have to do is defrost and heat up!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

this is to die for!  i made this for our luncheon

it is from simplyrecipes.com and is so easy!

fruit mixture:

4 1/2 c. rhubarb stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 c. strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1/2 c. white granulated sugar
2 T. quick cooking tapioca
1 t. grated orange zest, chopped

cobbler crust:

2 T. white granulated sugar
1 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

preheat oven to 350*.

in bowl, mix the rhubarb and strawberries with the sugar, tapioca and orange zest.
set aside to blend for 30 minutes to an hour.

in bowl, combine 2 T. sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  cut butter in with fork
or pastry blender til mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  stir in milk and egg til just
moistened.

pour fruit into 2 quart casserole dish.  drop batter on fruit.  bake in 350* oven for
35 minutes til cobbler crust is browned.

serve with freshly whipped cream.

zucchini fritters

i am preparing zucchini fritters for a luncheon for friends tomorrow.  the recipe i am using is

from simply recipes which i got off the internet:

2 medium zucchini, coarsely grated on box grater
1 t. kosher salt
2 scallions (i used a small amount of finely chopped onion)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
olive oil to fry

after grating the zucchini and lightly salting it, i let it "rest" and then squeezed the liquid out of it.
i then added the onion, pepper, egg.  then i stirred in the flour mixed with the baking powder.

i put the olive oil in the cast iron frying pan and let it get real hot.  using a large spoon, i dropped
the batter into the pan and lightly spread it with the spoon so as to flatten it.  i used a timer and
did about 3 minutes on each side.  then i drained the fritters on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

i also lightly salted the fritters as they were draining on the towels.

these are so scrumptious!  i think bob and i ate half of the fritters while i was making them!  it's a
good thing i doubled the amount i was making!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I have been buying rhubarb in new york city (garden gourmet for 6.99/lb.!!!) and in harrisburg and
making rhubarb sauce, which little katie kelly has always loved!.....now she is pushing the bowl (or
throwing the bowl!)....so i thought for memorial day weekend i would make a strawberry rhubarb
pie....

i got this recipe off the internet from food network....most of the recipes i checked out were very
similar....

Crust:
2 c. all purpose flour, plus additional flour as needed
1/2 c. cake flour
3 t. sifted powdered sugar (10-x)
1/2 c. shortening (crisco)
1/4 c. salted butter
pinch salt
1 egg
2 t. vinegar
1/4 c. ice cold water

using 2 pastry blenders, blend the flours, sugar, shortening, butter and salt.  whisk the egg, vinegar and water in a 2-cup measure and pour over the dry ingredients, incorporating all the liquid without overworking the
dough. toss additional flour over the ball of dough and chill.  divide the dough into 2 disks.  roll out one piece of dough to make a bottom crust.  place into pie dish.  put dish in refrigerator to chill. preheat oven to
425*.

Filling:

2 1/2 c. chopped red rhubarb, fresh (1/2 " slices)
2 1/2 c. de-stemmed,. washed and cut strawberries (in large pieces)
1 1/2 c. sugar ( 1 1/4 c. for high altitude)
2 T. minute tapioca
1 T. all purpose flour
1/2 t. grated lemon zest, chopped
1/2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla extract
3 T. butter, cubed small
1 egg white beaten with 1 t. water
large granule sugar (bakers' sugar)

mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, flour, zest and juice of lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla.
mix well in large bowl and poiur out into chilled crust.  dot top with butter.  brush edges of pie crust
with egg white wash. roll out other piece of dough and place over filling.  crimp to seal edges.  brush
with egg white wash and garnish with bakers sugar.  collar with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 15
minutes.  decrease temperature to 375 degrees and bake an additional 45-50 minutes, or til filling
starts bubbling.  let cool before serving.  (filling may bubble out so be sure to place pie pan on baking
sheet)

Easter Meat Pie

Italian Easter (meat) Pie is a tradition my husband grew up with.  The Intrieri family would make the pies
every Good Friday.  Since my husband was best friends with the son, Robert, he was able to partake
of their wonderful cooking!  I will be making these pies this Good Friday in keeping with the tradition.

This is Angie Intrieri's recipe:

Italian Easter Pie, makes 5 pies

dough:
 6 cups flour
 1-1/2 cups crisco
 6 eggs, well beaten
 1 t. salt
 water***add enough to make a soft dough (4-5T), roll thin

filling:

2 lb. ricotta cheese
8 raw eggs, well beaten
12 hard cooked eggs
2-1/2 lb. cooked ham, diced
1 small mozzarella, diced
1 stick pepperoni, casing removed, diced
chopped parsley
salt and pepper
romano cheese, to taste

1.  put all ingredients in large bowl and mix well.
2.  roll dough thin to line pie pans.
3.  divide filling evenly among pans.
4.  roll dough thin to top pie pans.
5.  brush top doughs with egg yolk glaze (1 egg yolk + 1 T. water)
6.  slit dough for air vents.
7.  bake 350-375* (depending on oven) for about an hour.  should be golden brown.

can eat warm, room temperature or cold

Cut Out Sugar Cookies for Easter

easter is just a week away!.....the time is surely flying by!
today i am getting a start on cleaning the house so i won't have so much to do at the end of
the week when i will be busy baking.

i am going to be listing several recipes and photos on foods which we prepare for easter.

i am making the dough for the cut out sugar cookies for easter.  this dough must rest in the fridge for
overnight before rolling out cookies.  then the cut cookies must rest in the fridge for several hours.
for this reason i am making the dough today, freezing it and i will take it to new york city with me
and roll and bake there and then bring the cookies home for easter.

i was thinking i might use some of the cookies as name place "cards" for our easter dinner.  (we shall
see how much time i have left at the end of the week!) i will be rolling out bunnies, carrots, eggs and
flowers.

here is the basic recipe:

2 c. all purpose flour (no need to sift)
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1 stick butter (no salt), at room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 egg, large
1 t. pure vanilla (not imitation)

1.  mix dry ingredients in bowl and set aside.
2.  cream butter, add sugar and then egg and vanilla, mixing well.
3.  slowly add dry ingredients, making sure to incorporate.
4.  wrap dough in saran and chill overnight.
5.  roll dough out and cut into desire shapes and place on parchment lined baking sheets. cover with saran.
6.  chill cut out dough for at least 2 hours before baking.
7.  preheat oven to *350.
8.  sprinkle sanding sugar onto cookies if desired and bake 8 - 12 minutes, depending on oven, til
edges are golden.
9.  cool on rack.  will keep for several days if kept in tight tin.


we got this recipe from martha stewart and therefore always called it "martha dough"....we would use this
same dough for our linzer tarts, which are absolutely delicious!

Grasshopper Pie for St. Patrick's Day!

this is the yummiest!....i have made this for st. patrick's day for many years now.  grasshopper pie is
a take on a drink served back in the 1950's and  it is a cinch to make.
 
1 Oreo Pie Shell (found in bakery section of food store)
1 (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese, very soft (take out several hours prior to use)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. creme de menthe
1/4 c. creme de cacao
1 (4 oz.) frozen cool whip

Beat cream cheese til light and fluffy.  Slowly add small amount of condensed milk and continue beating.
Scrape bowl to incorporate all the cream cheese.  Then slowly add remaining condensed milk.  When
nice and smooth, add the lemon juice and the creme de menthe and creme de cacao.  Fold in cool whip.
Let chill in fridge 30 minutes.  Mound into pie crust and freeze for several hours or overnight.  Garnish
with Shaved Chocolate.  Serve right out of the freezer.   Enjoy!