Welcome to My Kitchen

Presidents’ Day is February 20th, and though that day commemorates all United States Presidents, we still see the occasional reference to our first president, George Washington and his chopping down of the cherry tree. For many decades, cherry pie was pre-requisite when celebrating his birthday.

Cherry Raspberry Pie was featured in the July 2011 issue of Family Circle Magazine. The sweet-tart filling pairs nicely with a half butter, half shortening pastry, and though a bit spendy, makes a delicious and showy special occasion dessert.

Cherry Raspberry Pie

Pastry for 2 crust pie

3/4 cup plus 2 tsp granulated sugar

1/3 cup quick-cooking tapioca

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups cran-raspberry juice

3 cups pitted fresh sweet cherries (or a 16 ounce package frozen, pitted, sweet cherries, thawed 1 hour)

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounce container)

1 egg yolk, whisked with 2 Tbsp water.

Roll half of pastry into a 12 inch circle and gently transfer to a 9 inch pie plate. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, the tapioca, corn starch and salt. Whisk to blend. Add juice and stir until smooth. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in cherries and raspberries. Set aside.

Roll out remaining pastry. Use a pastry cutter or pizza wheel to cut pastry into 1 inch strips. Spoon filling into pastry lined pie plate. Weave pastry into a lattice, alternating strips over and under each other. Fold edges under, crimp together. Brush pastry with egg yolk mixture, then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Place pie in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue baking an additional 45 minutes, covering the edge of the pie with foil or pie ring if browning too quickly. Cool at least 1 hour before slicing. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Earl Jinnings, a former neighbor now living in George, WA, shared his recipe for The Best Biscuits. I had to do a little tinkering with the ingredients to get a consistent biscuit because Earl cooks by handfuls and whatever measure is handy that looks about right. This is a good recipe to have in your collection in case you are out of shortening or baking mix.

The Best Biscuits

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

1 scant cup milk

scant 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until just blended. This makes a very soft dough.

Turn out on floured surface and knead lightly. Pat dough to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into biscuits with floured cutter. Place on an un-greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Yield: 8-12 biscuits, depending on size.

Bacon is often called for in savory recipes to add flavor to otherwise bland ingredients. Many times it is just 2, 4 or 6 slices, not the whole package. Here is a slick trick to keep the remainder from drying out or causing a greasy mess in your refrigerator.

Place individual strips 3/4 inch apart on a waxed paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer overnight. The next day fold up the waxed paper with the slices inside, place in a zip closure bag and store in the freezer. Next time you need just a few slices, remove what you need, thaw 15 minutes and cook.

Working my way through all these wonderful dessert recipes that have come in, there seems no end of delicious flavor combinations and preparation methods. There have been numerous requests for Lecia Fink’s Pumpkin Crunch Cake, an easy to prepare dessert made from pantry staples.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

1 box yellow cake mix ( 2 layer size)

*1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease inside bottom of 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle melted butter over the pecans. Place in preheated oven and bake 50-55 minutes or until set. Yield: 12-15 servings.

This recipe may also be cut into smaller portions for serving as finger food.

*Note: be sure to use pumpkin puree, not solid pack pumpkin in this recipe. Solid pack would probably not have enough moisture content for the recipe to turn out well.

Here is a cute and tasty way to use up any abundance of Valentine Candy you may have received. Bake your favorite flavor cake in a 9x13 inch pan or as cupcakes, according to package or recipe directions. Frost with your favorite frosting, white or pink are pretty colors to work with for this.

Carefully cut round or square chocolates into quarters. Place cut side up on surface of frosted cake or cupcakes, mixing the flavors and arranging as you like. Cover until ready to serve. Yield: 12-15 servings or 18-20 cupcakes.

Planning a garden this year? Share your favorite preserving recipes early this year so I have time to test drive and print the recipe while the produce is in season. These recipes and any others may be sent to:

Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159 or emailed to: therecord@odessaoffice.com or dropped in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Be watching for buttercups and Johnny Jump Ups.