Molton chocolate cake

Lemon Blueberry Pie

Ingredients
9″ graham cracker pie crust
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
1 can(s) (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 box (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding mix
2 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 c lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 can(s) (21 oz) premium blueberry pie filling

Directions
1 -Combine cream cheese, condensed milk and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until smooth. Add pudding mix, lemon zest and lemon juice; mix until well blended.

2-Spoon about half of the LUCKY LEAF Premium Blueberry Pie Filling evenly into bottom of graham cracker crust. Spoon lemon-filling mixture on top and spread evenly. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

3-Spoon remaining Lucky Leaf Premium Blueberry Pie Filling on top just before serving. Garnish with fresh lemon zest if desired.

Garden

Turkey Sandwich

Quick and Tasty

Shred turkey
Slice or tablespoon of cranberry sauce
Thinly sliced apple
Thin slice of cheddar cheese
Serve on chewbatta or English muffin

Growing Tomatoes

After the last frost set your tomato plants outside to start adapting to the environment.

Your plants should be about ten inches high without flowers or fruit.

Prepare a hole about eight inches deep.

Put a banana peel in the bottom of the hole and cover it with a little bit of compost or potting soil.

Strip off the lower leaves and put the plant into the hole.

Fill in with soil that has been amended with compost.

Fertilize with Vitamin B

Roots will grow from the entire buried stem.

Grandpa’s Layered Buttermilk Biscuits

Note the layers that you get by folding.

INGREDIENTS

3 C Flour (Spelt or other high-protein)
1 TBL sugar
2 TBL dried milk
1 TBL Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
– Sift together dry ingredients
1 egg
12 TBL COLD butter in tabs
1 1/2 C COLD buttermilk
2 TBL melted butter for layers

For Drop Biscuits, you can just mix the ingredients and drop them into rustic piles.

STEP BY STEP

Pulse the butter with half the dry ingredients in a food processor.
Add the COLD buttermilk and mix briefly using your hands – or better yet a bench scraper – DO NOT OVERMIX or biscuits will be tough.
Roll flat, fold in thirds and repeat a total of FOUR TIMES – Folding, but not kneading. Brush each layer lightly with butter before folding.
Your final mat should be about 9×12 inches.
Cover and let it rest in the fridge for an hour
Put on floured surface and cut the edges of with a VERY sharp knife.
– If using a circle cutter DO NOT TWIST the cutter. This will crimp the edge and flatten your biscuits, Cutting the edge off also affects how well the biscuit layers can rise and separate.
Cut the remaining mat into squares.
Put on baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
Brush lightly with melted butter or spray with spray shortening
Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes – Turn tray around about halfway between cooking

Avocado Salsa

CLICK HERE for Avocado Tips and Tricks.

Ingredients:
1/4 Red pepper, fine dice
1/4 Green pepper, fine dice
1/4 Medium Red onion, fine dice
1 green onion, finely sliced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp. Garlic, minced
1/2 juice and zest from 1 Lemon
2 TBL Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
To taste: Ancho Chile powder
To taste: Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large avocado, finely diced

Directions:
1. Place peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic, lemon, cilantro, and seasonings in a mixing bowl and mix well. Adjust seasonings.
2. Add avocado, fold in gently and check seasoning again.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Halve the avocado. You may have seen people hack the seed with their knife. Be very careful if you do this, because it is very easy to get your finger too.
I prefer to slightly squeeze the avocado, and the seed will nearly pop out.
You can score the avocado right in the skin, then just scoop it out with a spoon. Here is a video by Expert Village.
If you are making a lot of guacamole, after you halve the avocado, press it through a bread drying rack that has metal struts going both directions creating a grid. Just press the avocado through this into a bowl.
You can also scrape an avocado against the side of a glass. Here is a video by Crazy Russian Hacker.
I am from Ohio. Back east avocados are called mangoes. Bell peppers are also called mangoes. Here in Arizona mangoes are called mangoes, avocados and called avocados and bell peppers are called bell peppers.
To ripen an avocado, place it in a bag with a banana.

Kitchen Gadgets

There are certain gadgets and things that should be in every kitchen. Some are nice-to-haves but some are essential. Here is Grandpa’s list of things that you need for your kitchen, with a rating of 1, 2 3, or 4 pomegranates. This translates to (1) OK if you like to own gadgets, (2) This is really helpful, but only if you have enough space to store it, (3) You should really try to make room for this, and (4) After using this a few times, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. Click on the item name to be taken to Amazon.com t(or other) o order one.


	Microplane Grater	This is good for zesting lemons, oranges, nutmeg, cheese and many other things. You will use this fairly often.
	OXO Good Grips Y Peeler	Any peeler is a must-have, but this is the one that I like. Don’t invest too much money cause they will become dull after a year or two of normal use. Just throw it away and get another one when this happens – don’t try to sharpen it.
	Zester
	Digital Kitchen Scale
	IR Gun Thermometer	This SOUNDS like it is just a fun toy, but I use mine several times each week. This is good for pancakes (350º) scrambling an egg (300º) making caramel (385º) and setting the temperature of your bath (105º). I also use it to test the pavement to see if it is too hot for my dog without her booties (120º)
	ThermaPen by ThermoWorks	A thermapen is used to
	Wireless Cooking Thermometer

	Paring Knife
	Bread Knife
	Chef’s Knife
	Bench Knife
	Crinkle Cutter

Chocolate Buttercream

Dulce de Leche

DIY from scratch

This is a great topping for cakes and ice cream.

Place a can of sweetened condensed milk (with the label removed) on its side in the bottom of a stockpot filled with water, and covering the can completely with water, plus about an inch. Replenishing the water as necessary to keep the can totally submerged. This prevents the can from bursting.

LONG AND SLOW METHOD – CONSISTENT RESULTS

Keep the closed can at a low simmer for 3-4 hours.

Using tongs, transfer the can to a wire rack and let cool completely before opening.

Drizzle the caramel over the ice cream or use it as a filling for sandwich cookies.

Leftover dulce de leche can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight tight container and re-warmed in a double boiler or microwave.

FASTER DULCE de LECHE

If you are in a hurry, pour the condensed milk into a casserole, then put the casserole into a larger baking pan with hot water coming up about halfway. Cover the casserole with foil and bake at 350º for 90 minutes.

Here is another recipe

Alternate Recipe

Step 1: Heat the sugar over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan or 2-quart saucepan. Stir constantly using a rubber spatula. Within a few minutes the sugar will start to liquify and turn amber in color. Keep stirring until the sugar fully dissolves into a brown-colored syrup.
Step 2: Turn the flame down low and add the sweetened condensed milk (keep stirring as you’re adding it) and then add the butter and vanilla extract. The caramelized sugar will start to harden and bubble when you add the ingredients. Keep stirring, the mixture will become smooth again after 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Carefully transfer the dulce de leche to a small bowl or mason jar. Let it cool slightly.

Energy Bars

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE AND CLARIFY

Biscotti – COLLECTION

Biscotti is essentially twice-baked bread usually served with some kind of toppings on top.

Practically any bread can be baked, sliced, and baked again, then topped to create a tasteful biscotti.

Mix dough recipe to the left and bake for 35 minutes at 300º – for nearly round biscotti, wrap the dough in parchment paper in a roll, then staple the ends of the paper. Bake as directed.
Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 3/8 inch slices.
Put onto a baking tray and then bake at 300º for 25 minutes.
Be creative with toppings.

Another good biscotti is using hazelnuts.

Boil 2 C of water, then add 1/4 C baking soda.
Boil 2 C hazelnuts for 3 minutes – you will get a lot of foam and black water.
Dump nuts into colander and rinse.
The skins will rub right off.
Bake the hazelnuts at 350º for 15 minutes.
Chop for this recipe.

Vegetable Fries ~~ 4

Eggplant Fries

Skin and cut spears
Brush with EVOO
Dredge in 1/2 C flour
Dredge in 1 C flour, 1/4 C beer, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 tsp cornstarch
Fry in peanut oil heated to 365º till golden brown
Serve with tzatziki sauce

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 C yogurt, 1 tsp sesame oil, 3 leaves ginger, salt, thyme, oregano and marjoram to taste

Sweet Potato Fries

Zucchini Panko Fries

Parsnip Fries

Pintxos

Pintxos (pronounced PEEN chose) have been around in Spain for many years. They are now catching on in the United States. It is essentially a TAPAS which is a more common word.

A TAPAS literally translates as a small top. Drinks were served with (bartender’s choice) of a tapas plate on top, so that it would keep the bugs and flies out. Not quite as necessary as before there was indoor plumbing, tapas is still served in most restaurants and bars in Spain. The picture link below shows lots of food on most of the plates. A tapas in Spain would be a few pieces on the plate, and would run you a dollar or two.

Aceituna is the Spanish word for olive. These are frequently served on the side, just as we are served taco chips at a Mexican restaurant.
Boquerones are anchovies. They are usually lightly picked or in a heavy cream. They will frequently be served on top of biscotti or a cracker.
La Gilda is the toothpick on which the aceitunas and boquerones are skewered along with a guindilla pepper.
Montaditos are small sandwiches served with shaved slices of Iberican Ham, which is a staple in most Spanish kitchens.
Morcilla is Spanish pork blood sausage. No my favorite, but at least I can say I’ve tried it.
Pulpo IS one of my favorites. Octopus – grilled and served in a small pool of guajillo tomato and pepper salsa

A collection of photos of different types of tapas would fill my entire computer, so here is a GOOGLE LINK that will allow you to view hundreds of different tapas. If you have an even mildly active imagination, you will see plenty of these that you could create for your next party or potluck.

Crepe Breakfast Cake

Make a stack of crepes – about 6-8. Keep them under a damp towel after cooking so that they don’t dry out.

Here is my CREPE RECIPE.

Step by Step – Be Creative

Stack the crepes on a serving dish and layer one crepe, then spread a thin layer of cream cheese.
Another crepe and then jelly.
Another crepe then Nutella or drizzled Nestle Chocolate Syrup
Another crepe and a thin layer of scrambled egg
Another crepe and more cream cheese
Continue until you feel you have made enough to feed everyone.
End with a a crepe on top.
Carefully cut them into eight wedges and serve with syrup or honey.

For a lunch crepe (ala quiche style) substitute chicken, egg, turkey or tuna salad for some of the sweeter ingredients. Perhaps a layer of Romaine lettuce

Alternate layers or toppings are: caramel sauce, mocha whipped cream, regular whipped cream, chocolate pastry cream, flavored pudding, bananas, jam, chocolate ganache, slivered almonds, etc.

Photo from Martha Stewart magazine, but this is Grandpa’s recipe.

Strawberry Slab Pie

Cranberry Bread