Friday, May 20, 2016

Triple Berry Crisp

I made this recipe for my son's Robotics Club banquet.  It went over very well. I think it was a success because most of the other desserts were store-bought. None of the other desserts were made with fruit, either. It is an easy dessert to make and turned out to be very tasty. I upped the sugar from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup.

Triple Berry Crisp
by Mario Batali

2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Limoncello
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crisp Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Raspberry Gelato or Vanilla Ice Cream (to serve)
powdered sugar (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 9 x 9 baking dish with butter.

2. In a large bowl, gently toss together the berries and sugar. Make a slurry with the Limoncello and cornstarch. Stir into the berry mixture and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

3. Distribute the Crisp topping evenly over the berries and bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden on top.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

5. Serve warm with a scoop of raspberry gelato or vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar.

6. For the Crisp Topping: Whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined. Blend in the butter with your hands for pastry blender until pea-sized.


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Baker's Chocolate One Bowl Brownies

This is the original recipe taken from the box of Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate. I started making these brownies when I was 11 years old. It is a tried and true brownie recipe. Enjoy!

BAKER'S ONE BOWL Brownies
Recipe by Kraft
Prep Time: 15min.
Total Time: 50min.
Servings: 24 servings

This BAKER'S ONE BOWL Brownies recipe is the one that gets handed down through the generations. You'll know why after one bite.
What You Need
·         1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
·         3/4 cup butter or margarine (1-1/2 sticks)
·         2 cups sugar
·         3 eggs
·         1 tsp. vanilla
·         1 cup flour
·         1 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Pecans (optional)
Make It
Tap or click steps to mark as complete

·       Heat oven to 350°F.
·       Line 13x9-inch pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Spray foil with cooking spray.
·       Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
·       Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely. Use foil handles to remove brownies from pan before cutting to serve.
·       Tip: For cakelike brownies, stir in 1/2 cup milk with eggs and vanilla. Increase flour to 1 1/2 cups.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Ingredients: (what you will need for the best buffalo chicken dip recipe):

·         1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast (or approx 2-3 large chicken breasts)
·         1 cup of ranch dressing ( Hidden Valley, Kraft, or Wishbone)
·         1 cup of Franks Original Red Hot (do not substitute this please)
·         1 8 oz block of cream cheese (do not use fat free, 1/3rd less fat OK)
·         1 package of fancy shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
  •     Green onions (optional)
You will also need the following items to dip into the best buffalo chicken dip... Bite size tortilla chips, celery, wheat thins, Triscuits or a combination of all of them.

Here are your step by step instructions:
  • Boil your chicken breasts on the stove in a medium to large sauce pan, on medium heat about 30 to 45 minutes or until cooked all the way through and pre heat your oven to 350 F.
  • While the chicken is boiling cut the cold cream cheese into cubes and place them into an 11.5" x 8" x 2" Pyrex style baking dish lightly misted with buttered flavor Pam.
  • Evenly sprinkle the fancy shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese cubes.
  •  Pour the 1 cup of ranch and the 1 cup of Franks Red Hot on top of the cheesy mixture and place the dish into the oven uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes.  You will want to stir the mixture after about 7 to 10 minutes and put it back in the oven and bake an additional 7 to 10 minutes and stir until mixture and cream cheese is well mixed together.
  • While the mixture is baking and your chicken is done boiling you will want to shred your chicken. The best way to do this is by putting the pan into the sink and running cold water over the chicken to speed up the process, once cooled you may hand shred the chicken into a bowl.
  • After the cheesy mixture is done baking and mixed together well you may now add the chicken, simply pour the chicken on top of the mixture, carefully stir the mixture well and cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Once baked you can carefully pour into your serving bowl, garnish with green onion and celery and enjoy!

Friday, February 5, 2016

Crockpot Beef

I modified this recipe from the short rib recipe I posted a long time ago.  It is a new family favorite.

2-3 lbs beef (chuck, bottom round, or brisket all work)
4 onions roughly chopped
1 bag baby carrots
3 stalks celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped or garlic paste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry red wine (merlot or cabernet)
2 cups beef broth or stock
3-4 tablespoons flour

I sometimes do this when the beef is still frozen - doesn't seem to matter.

Salt and pepper the beef.  Put all vegetables (including garlic) in bottom of slow cooker/crock pot. Place beef on top of the veggies. Pour wine and broth over top of beef. I usually cook it on high for an hour or two and then switch to low and cook for approximately 6-8 hours. Remove the beef from the pot, then I remove all the veggies and strain the broth. Put the broth into a small pot and whisk in the flour until the sauce thickens. I pour the sauce over the beef and put it back into the slow cooker on warm until everyone is ready to eat. The meat is usually falling apart. I tend to discard all the veggies and serve with other side dishes like mashed potatoes and green beans or whatever your family likes best.

Enjoy!