Welcome to my Kitchen

Deutsches Fest has come and gone, and after several weeks of preparing, serving and eating German food, most folks are ready to return to lighter fare. Most Odessa gardens seem to have escaped the mid-September freeze, so there are vegetables and fruits still available.

Debbie Buscher shared her much requested recipe for Peach Pudding. Perfect for late Elberta peaches, the recipe fills an 8-inch baking dish, but Debbie reports that she usually doubles the recipe and bakes in a 13x9-inch pan.

Peach Pudding

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 Tbsp soft butter

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

2 cups peeled, sliced peaches

Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup boiling water

Cream together sugar and butter. Combine baking powder, salt and flour and add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk, stirring until just smooth.

Place peaches in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Drop batter by spoonfuls on top of peaches. There will be a little space between spoonfuls.

Combine topping ingredients, except water. Sprinkle over batter on top of peaches. Carefully pour the boiling water over the topping and batter. Bake at 350 degrees about 30-35 minutes. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Debbie reports that if you decide to double the recipe, you may not be able to get all the water into the pan, especially if you are generous in measuring the peaches, but it will turn out fine.

Briana Whitcher, Debbie’s daughter, is an accomplished cook, trying new and flavorful recipes. She shared a recipe for Spicy Three Pepper Fettuccine with Turkey Sausage. This is a spicy, full flavor, dish.

Spicy Three Pepper Fettuccine With Turkey Sausage

1 pound uncooked turkey sausage

4 cups chicken stock

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine

1/2 medium red onion

1 jar (16 ounces) yellow and red roasted bell peppers, drained

1 medium chipotle pepper in adobo sauce plus 1 Tbsp adobo sauce.

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, cubed

Cook sausage in an 11- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, 7-8 minutes or until cooked through, breaking into crumbles. Drain if necessary. Return sausage to skillet.

Add stock to skillet. Cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add fettuccine, cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile coarsely chop onion, bell and chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and garlic. (The recipe suggests using a manual food processor; wear food-prep gloves if you choose to hand chop to protect hand from hot pepper juice).

Thinly slice basil.

Stir pepper mixture into skillet. Cook, covered, 3-5 minutes or until fettuccine is tender, but still firm.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream cheese until incorporated. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in basil and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

Cook’s Tips: For a milder version, use mild sausage, a small chipotle pepper and omit the added adobo sauce.

Tomatoes and cucumbers would be a refreshing side dish with this recipe. Sprinkle sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with minced basil or tarragon and a splash of your favorite vinegar, plus salt and pepper.

My sister, Billie O’Mack of Snohomish, is a creative cook and has developed a recipe for Cucumber Bread, a moderately sweet, gently spiced quick bread that is deliciously moist with the addition of shredded cucumber and Greek yogurt. Don’t tell anyone it contains cucumber and yogurt and they will never know.

Cucumber Bread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups shredded cucumber

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/3 cup Greek yogurt, any flavor

1/4 tsp lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Combine the flour, spices, leavenings and salt in a large measuring cup and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, cucumber, cooking oil, yogurt and lemon extract. Add dry mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to continue cooling. Yield: 1 loaf.

Billie reports that you can use any flavor yogurt without changing the bread flavor.

Note: I had larger cucumbers, so I removed the seeds before shredding. Next I plan to try doubling the recipe and freezing the extra loaf.

Some recipe requests have come in from the Museum German Bake Sale; Key Lime Bars, Orange Cream Bars, Buckeyes and Chocolate Pear Cake. If you were the baker of any of these recipes, please share them by sending them to the contact information below.

Next column will feature a Potato, Chicken and Chard Soup requested recipe, plus any reader favorites that come in.

Share favorite fall recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159 therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in the Odessa Record office. Rake pine needles into you rose beds for a cozy winter mulch.