Apple Dumplings

My maternal grandmother used to make apple dumplings for me when I was in grammar school. I'd walk to her house every day after school. I have fond memories of sitting at her kitchen table and having a 'snack' of a home made apple dumpling with a glass of milk.

I found this old recipe book at a yard sale this summer for 25 cents! The book was old and moldy. I took it apart and dried the pages in the sun on and off all summer. I finally put it all back together recently and came across this recipe! I have updated it to save time while waiting for Trick or Treaters to arrive. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Apple Dumplings
4 Apples (any variety)
1 Box of pre-made Pastry
1/2 C Sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of allspice
1 Tbsp raisins (opt)
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp Butter (cut in little pieces)
Oven 375 degrees

Core and peel the apples.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, allspice in a small bowl.

Roll pastry in between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/4" thickness. (my sister taught me this trick but she's a pastry expert..she makes her own wonderful dough). Using plastic wrap stops the dough from sticking.

 

Cut 6" squares. Stack cut squares in separate sheets of plastic wrap until ready to assemble dumplings.

 
Put one heaping teaspoon of sugar, a few raisins (opt.) and little dabs of butter in hole of apple.

Fold corners of pastry up to apple and pinch along sides to close.

   The "pinch"         

Place in non-greased baking dish and brush each dumpling with a little milk.Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea..or maybe a glass of ice cold milk!

Portuguese Fava Beans!!

Fava Bean? Think Broad Bean..or Jack and the Beanstalk!

I decided to make a pan of Portuguese Fava Beans the way my maternal Grandmother made them.

I'm going to visit some relatives I haven't seen in a while and thought I'll bring these along for a fun surprise.




The old fashioned way to make the recipe is to start with 'dried' fava beans and soak them overnight.

I buy canned Fava Beans that work just as well if not better.

This is an easy recipe with few ingredients.

Fava Beans

2 Cans Fava Beans
1/2 C Ketchup
1/4 C Green Relish
1 Lg Onion Diced
1 tsp Garlic Salt (I substituted garlic powder)
1 tsp paprika
Oil or Margerine
Hot Pepper Flakes or Tabasco Sauce
Salt & Pepper

Drain Fava Beans reserving liquid. Put liquid aside for later use in this recipe









Dice onion, render in a little margarine or oil over medium heat until tender.









Add Ketchup, paprika, garlic powder. Let pan come back to simmer.









Add Fava beans, relish, salt&pepper, Tabasco Sauce.
If you like it really hot add more tabasco!













Add 1/2 C - 1 C of reserved bean juice.

Note: (Add more or less while cooking if beans seem too thick)

 
Let simmer over low heat stirring on occassion (until thick) about half an hour.






Serve up piping hot!

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant

Another curious vegetable. I couldn't resist buying one of these beauties. They were wrapped individually and so shiny and fresh it was hard to pass them by. I decided it would make a fun blog.

Note: I don't fry the eggplant. I broil it instead.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 Eggplant
3 Eggs
2 C Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 C Grated Romano/Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
pinch of thyme
pinch of basil
1-2 tsp salt
2 C Shredded Italian Cheese (usually bagged in supermarkets)
1 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Jar Marinara/Spaghetti Sauce (24 oz)
1 Can Diced Tomaotes
Cooking Spray (opt.)

Pre-heat oven broiler. Move rack to 2nd shelf down from broiler.


First stem and clean eggplant. Slice about 1/4" thick rounds.









Place on plates and sprinkle each piece with a little salt.

Salt helps to reduce the bitterness from the seeds.

Break 3 eggs into shallow bowl. Mix with a fork and a little water till yolks are blended.
Measure bread crumbs into another shallow bowl. Add 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 C grated parmesan/romano cheese and mix well.






Dip each piece of eggplant in eggwash then into the breadcrumb mixture coating both sides. Place each piece on a prepared baking sheet. I used my Silpat but you can use cooking spray.











Place baking sheet under broiler for 3-4 minutes. Turn after first 3-4 minutes and broil other side. Watch carefully as oven broiler temperatures vary. Adjust time accordingly. Move to a rack to cool.










Turn oven temp back to BAKE 350 and put rack middle position in oven.

Prepare sauce and cheese for layering Eggplant.








Put cheese in two separate bowls.
Tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 1 tsp oregano, pinch of thyme and basil, 1 tsp minced garlic in another separate bowl.

Add a little sauce to the bottom of a 2 Quart casserole. Begin layering, eggplant, sauce, cheeses. Continue layering using all eggplant, sauce and cheese.










Place casserole in 350 degree oven for about an hour or until all is hot and bubbly.



Serve with a piece of garlic bread! Enjoy!

Rhubarb Crunch

Rhubarb? What's that you ask.

Rhubarb is an intensely sour vegetable in the genus Rheum which is popular with many people in a cooked and heavily sweetened form as part of a dessert.

I have a few rhubarb plants in my yard. They have been here for close to 40 years. They are a vegetable that is perennial.
Meaning they come back every year in the beginning of June.

Let's see if they are ripe this a.m.

Nice green foliage with bright red stems...perfect for rhubarb crunch!

(See recipe below)










Now to bring them in to clean.
The leaves are massive! All the leaves must be cut off and thrown away.


Never cook, eat, chew the leaves. They can make you very sick.
Only the stems are edible.



After cleaning they look like this.
Rhubarb is fibrous like celery.











De string some of the rhubarb. The strings are hard to chew and take longer to cook.
Leave as much red skin on the rhubarb as possible.
Cut out any dark spots and cut into 1/2" pieces.











Slice strawberries and add to rhubarb.

Note the frozen strawberries in picture.

I tried to chop some frozen but it didn't work too well.
Be sure to thaw them before use.

Add white sugar. Stir to mix well.









Mix oats, packed brown sugar, white sugar and melted butter till crumbly.

Put rhubarb 8x8 ungreased pan.

Top with brown sugar oat mixture






Bake for about an hour.

Note: I placed the pan on a baking sheet lined with a "Silpat". Any spills will wipe up easily. I wonder if Martha would approve?

Let cool on rack. After cool put in refrigerator.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream
and a scoop of lemon sorbet!








Rhubarb Crunch!

4 cups chopped rhubarb (or about 6-8 good size stems)
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Sliced Strawberries

Crunch
1/2 C Oats
1 C firmly packed Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar
2 Tbsp Melted Butter

1 8x8 pan
350 Degree Oven

p.s. You can purchase Rhubarb frozen in some supermarkets.