Fruit Cup aka Sploosh

It's fun this time of year to look back and remember holidays past. I think that is part of the excitement of the season, remembering not only the new things planned but also the family and friends you have enjoyed previous holidays with.

In my case one particularly fond memory is of my grandmother. She always welcomed us in to her kitchen. She taught me how to microwave eggs with velveeta in her little pyrex dishes. I now see those same dishes in antique stores and they make me smile.  She also had us kids devein and peel the shrimp for the shrimp cocktail she served on holidays.  A few of the things I remember most though besides the shrimp cocktail were glazed carrots, key lime pie, and fruit cup.

Fruit cup sounds like it should be a simple thing and it some ways it is. And yet it's wonderful alongside all the rich treats we typically indulge in on Christmas. One thing that makes it special is the way it is prepared. The oranges and grapefruit are peels are sliced off around the fruit to separate the segments and then the fruit peeled out from between them.

Using a serrated knife, slice around the peel. Don't make the swatches too large. It's faster but you lose more of the fruit that way.

Slide the knife down the side of the segment all the way to the center trying not to cut through the center.

Once you have the knife in the center use it to pry the fruit out of the segment.

Like most of my recipes, specifics aren't important. Which is good, because I don't have them. The strawberries in this are the frozen kind that come in sugar syrup. You can buy two size, small or large. Whichever one you get depends on if you are making a lot or a little.

5 lb bag of oranges, more or less
1 - 2 grapefruit
1 small tub of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Segment the oranges and grapefruit according to the description above. Add the strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld a little bit and enjoy. Or let sit overnight, because advanced prep is something I love this time of year.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette II

I was excited when I made this, it was the delicious accompaniment that dinner needed that night. And I thought maybe I would come and post it over here. As I was looking around over here, it has really been a while since I used this regularly I noticed I had already posted a strawberry rhubarb galette before. The reason I had forgotten was that it was good, but nothing really special and not where near strawberry rhubarb pie. But this version was and I can't wait to make it again. 

For starters I made my own crust. It's a totally different type than store bought crust is and it made a works of difference here. Also the filling was a lot fuller and chunkier. 

Crust Recipe

I really liked that crust recipe. I made a second one a few days later with apple pie filling and caramel mixed together and baked and it was just as good. Before baking though I brush the crust with cream and sprinkle with large sugar. It helps the crust turn golden and it looks pretty. 

It was a last minute idea to make, and I didn't have all the ingredients I would have normally used so I had to improvise some but it worked out perfectly.

2 c. frozen rhubarb

1 c. frozen berries, thawed slightly and chopped

1/2 a small box of strawberry jello

sugar taste

2 Tbsp tapioca starch

I tossed everything in a bowl and stirred it up before making the crust. You want it to be sticky and no powdery bits left before you add it to the crust. 

Two things I learned, the hard way.

1) Put the crust on the pan you are baking it on, not the one you rolled it out on, before adding the filling. Once you add it, you can't move it. 

2) You don't want the filling to be frozen solid when you add it. It will stiffen up the crust and cause it to break when you fold it over. If that happens the filling can leak out making a sticky mess, but also burning on the bottom of the pan. 

Play around with it, have fun, it accommodates whatever filling you want to make.

Peach Salsa

6 large ripe peaches

6 slices of pickled jalepenos, like for nachos, chopped

1/4 c. red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 small amount of chopped fresh cilantro, about 1 Tbsp chopped

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp jalapeno liquid from the jar of slices

Heat the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until reduced by at least half. Whisk in the honey until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the jalapeno liquid. Set aside to cool

Peel and chop the peaches. 

Combine the peaches, red onion, red pepper, jalapenos, cilantro and balsamic vinegar sauce.  

Stir to combine. 

Serve with chips or over pork chops. 

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

5 c. fresh blueberries

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp water

1 1/2 tsp instant clear gel

Place half the blueberries in a large bowl and mash lightly. I started to use a potato mashed but it mushed the blueberries too much, I like them to only be broken up a bit but not a paste. Add the sugar and remaining blueberries and continue mashing until most of the blueberries are at least somewhat squished. Add the water and lemon juice, stir for a minute and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the clear gel over the top and stir again for another minute. Let stand for ten minutes and serve.

I love the use of the clear gel because it thickens the sauce around the berries without having to cook them at all leaving it so they are still fresh. This can be made with fresh strawberries as well. Slice the strawberries instead of mashing them and skip the water. Let the sliced berries sit with the sugar for about 20 minutes and then add the clear gel until thickened.

This is great over ice cream, in crepes, or just in a bowl with whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Thank you pinterest and Mennonite Girls Can Cook. It only took me 2 months to find rhubarb, but find it I did and now we have a tasty new recipe. 

1 crust

1 lb rhubarb

3/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1/2 pkg. strawberry gelatin powder

2 Tbsp milk

1 - 2 Tbsp pearl sugar

I used a store bought pie crust and just rolled it until it was slightly larger. Any homemade pastry crust will work. Transfer to a baking sheet.

Slice the rhubarb and toss with the sugar, flour and gelatin. 

Place in the center of the pie crust, leaving an inch and a half around the edges. 

Fold the crust up over the fruit and brush the crust with the milk. Sprinkle with the sugar. Cover the crust with tin foil and bake at 375 until the fruit is baked. Remove the foil and and continue baking until browned. I baked mine for 35 minutes, removed the tin foil and baked an additional 7 minutes.

Let cool mostly and serve. 

Coconut Limeade

1 small (5.46 fl oz) can coconut milk

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp coconut extract

2 limes

2 can ginger ale, chilled

Stir together the coconut milk, sugar, and 

coconut extract until the sugar is dissolved. 

In a large glass combine 1 can ginger ale, half of 

the coconut mixture, and the juice of 1 lime.

Serve immediately. 

Serves 2 - 4

Lemon Berry Pie

This is a combination of three separate pies all brought together in one pie crust. The base is the lemon sour cream pie from the other day, with key lime added and then topped with a fresh strawberry pie. Feel free to make this with all lemon or with equal parts lemon and lime for a more distinct key lime pie flavor. Blue berries are also good in place of the strawberries for a lemon blueberry pie. Just switch the gelatin to blackberry or lemon flavored. If you go the lime route add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar, I like it on the tart side but the rest of my family agreed they would have appreciated it slightly sweeter.

1 pie crust

Lemon layer:

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemon juice (minus 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp key lime juice (Or orange juice concentrate)

1/4 tsp Penzys lemon peel (or zest from 1/2 lemon)

Strawberry Layer:

1/2 c. sugar 

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 c. water

1/2 packet Strawberry gelatin powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced

Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the lemon layer. Once the crust has baked for 20 minutes pour the lemon and sour cream mixture into the crust and bake an additional 20 minutes until the lemon looks mostly set but not totally solid. 

Chill for 2 hours

In a small saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin powder and the lemon juice. Let cool slightly and toss with strawberries. Gently spoon over chilled lemon layer. Chill another hour or until ready to serve.

Lemon Sour Cream pie

This is a pinterest find I made and wanted to share, it originally comes from Sacramento Street. Cause it was super simple and very tasty. 

I changed a few things. Instead of Greek yogurt I used sour cream since I already had that on hand and I used my almond crust recipe. I followed their baking directions though. I baked it for 15 minutes, let it cool for 5, then added the filling and baked until it was done. Mine only needed to bake for 18 minutes. Also I think fresh lemons and lemon zest would be best in this but I was feeling lazy so I used bottled juice and Penzys dehydrated lemon peel. 

This is great with just some fresh whipped cream or with a fruit topping, any berry pairs very well with this. 


This is where I would have put a picture if we hadn't eaten it before I got around to taking one

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/4 tsp Penzys lemon peel

Crust

Whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and lemon peel. Whisk in the lemon juice until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 18 - 25 minutes until set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. Salt

½ c. slivered almonds, coarsely chopped

1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 to 4 Tbsp. Water

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Press into a shallow 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before adding the lemon filling and baking.

Fruit and Oat Muffins

This was created to use up a whole bunch of different odds and ends in my kitchen, so it's a jumble of flavors. My kids loved them and all had several right away and all of them where gone within the hour.

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. honey

1 egg

2 brown bananas, whole

3/4 c. white flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. oats

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 oz. apple sauce

Preheat the over to 350

Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. When combined, beat in the honey, egg, and 2 bananas.

Next beat in the soda, salt, and cinnamon. 

Then beat in the white flour, whole wheat flour, and oats. Add the apple sauce and mix just until combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners and fill 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350. I only had to bake these for 15 minutes because I used mini muffins. This made 3 1/2 dz. mini muffins.

Frozen Crumble Pie

Apple Crumble pie with my moms home bottled apple pie filling

This has been my week of freezer cooking. 

So I wanted to share this little gem with you as well. 

It's not a freezer to oven thing, it does take some work,

but the hardest part is already done. 

To add nuts reduce the oatmeal to 1/2 c. and 

add a 1/2 cup nuts of your choice.

1/2 c.unsalted butter

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. oatmeal

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Large batch

6 sticks unsalted butter

6 c. brown sugar

4 1/2 c. flour

4 1/2 c. oatmeal

3 tsp. cinnamon

3 tsp. salt

Mix everything together really well. 

Sprinkle the mixture flat on a cookies 

tray and freeze until solid. 

When solid put into a freezer safe bag and freeze until ready to use. 

To use

1 pre-baked pie crust (optional)

2 can pie filling

1 recipe of frozen crumble

Pour the pie fillings in the baked crust and top with the frozen crumble. 

Bake at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes or until the crumb topping is browned and crisp. 
If you wish to make this without the pie crust to make cobbler, 
pour the pie fillings into the bottom of a glass baking dish and 
top with oat mix. Bake the same as with the crust

Fluffy Blueberry Oat Pancakes

3 3/4 c. milk

5 1/4 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1/3 c. baking powder

1 Tbsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

5 eggs

2/3 c. oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2/3 c. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats

1 (48 oz) bag blueberries, thawed

In a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, and oil. Set aside

In a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine the two bowls and add the remaining ingredients. The lemon juice will make it foam a bit, thats supposed to happen, that reaction makes them light and fluffy. 

Cook in a no stick pan over medium on both sides until golden. 

I made mine kinds small and I got 6 dozen out of this recipe.

To freeze them lay them flat in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. When they are frozen solid put them in a freezer safe bag.  I like to re-heat mine in the toaster, otherwise they are kinda soggy.

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded Or Leftover

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 c. bean sprouts

1 carrot, sliced with peeler so they're really thin

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Crispy chow mein noodles 

Kraft Light Asian Sesame Dressin or your favorite Asian salad dressing

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning,
let them cook for a couple of hours and put them in the fridge until dinner time. 

Toss together the romaine and bean sprouts. Top with the carrots.

Layer the cucumbers and mandarin oranges in a ring on the top. 

Shred the chicken and place in the middle, pour the noodles in a ring around the chicken.

Serve with the salad dressing.

Cranberry Orange Bread

I used two eggs in this but I think next I want to try it with three,
It didn't rise as much as I would have liked.
I also would have like the craisins in smaller pieces, 
so either chop them or drop them in the vitamix. 

 2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 c. craisins

1/2 c. sour cream

2 eggs

1 orange

4 Tbsp butter, softened

3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine the craisins and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the craisins are plump. Drain and set aside to cool. 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and butter. Add the zest of the orange. Juice the inside and add enough water to  make 1 1/2 c. liquid. Whisk into the sour cream mix.

Mix together the flour mix and the sour cream/ orange mix. Stir in the craisins, and nuts if using. 

Grease 4 mini loaf pans and fill halfway with batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until browned on top. 

Port au Fino Salad

 My family isn't very big on traditional cranberry 

sauce, so we serve this every year instead.

1 (3 oz) box cranberry jello

1 (3 oz) box raspberry jello

1 c. boiling water

1 c. red grape juice

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 large apple, cored, peeled, and grated

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1 c. sour cream

Powdered sugar to taste

Place to two packages of jello in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the whole berry sauce and stir until it is mixed in. Add the pineapple, apple, pecans, and red grape juice. Pour into a 9x13 and chill until thick but still viscous. Stir and continue to chill until set, at least 5 or 6 hours. 

Before serving mix together the cream cheese and the sour cream. Add powdered sugar to taste. I don't really like tons, just enough to make it slightly sweet and less tangy but not quite frosting. 

Spread the cream cheese mix on top of the cranberry layer and garnish with more chopped pecans.

Fresh Blueberry Peach Pie

This is another recipe from my mom.
She used to make it in the summer when the peaches where ripe.

One time I didn't have the lemon jello on hand
(this is also good for people who avoid pre-processed stuff)
just make a lemon curd and toss the fruit with that.

Pie Filling

1 c. sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 c. water

¼ c. lemon flavored gelatin powder

4 c. sliced peaches, peeled

¾ c. blueberries

Pastry Shell

Sweetened Whipped Cream

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the water. Bring to a boil over medium heat; stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and translucent. Remove from heat, and add gelatin, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Cool.

Combine peaches and blueberries in a large bowl. Add gelatin mixture; toss gently.

Spoon into prepared pastry shell.

Cover and chill 1 hour or until set. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Pastry Shell

1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. Salt

½ c. slivered almonds, coarsely chopped

1/3 c. vegetable oil

3 to 4 Tbsp. Water

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Press into a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Peach Kuchen

This has a crumbly shortbread crust, a warm peach filling, and is topped with a baked custard. Well worth the annoyance of working with cold butter.

After I made this I was thinking it would be great with a tropical twist. I would add some lime zest to the crust, replace the mangoes with peaches, and use come coconut milk in place of some of the sour cream, maybe even a little coconut extract in there too.

Crust
3 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 sticks of butter

Combine all the dry ingredients and cut in the cold butter until the dough becomes crumbly. I actually freeze my butter and grate it in. I then stir it a little to coat the butter with the flour mix and the then squish it a bit with my hands.

Top that layer with either
1 dozen ripe peaches, skins removed and sliced thin
OR 2 (29 oz) cans of sliced peaches
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes

For the custard combine
3 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour on top of the peach layer, sprinkle with another
1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

And bake at 400 for another 30 minutes or until the top looks puffed and set.

Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting and enjoy warm or cold.

Key Lime Pie

It seems like every time I turn around a see Key Lime Pie on another blog. It's becoming and epidemic, and I think I caught whatever it is. Or it could just be that Key Lime pie is really tasty. Or a tradition in my family. It's one of those things

We have it every Easter, and there has been some debate as to whether we had it at Thanksgiving too, some people remember it along side the turkey and others seem to think thats outrageous. Either way the pie still tastes good.

Crust options on this are pretty much whatever you want. I like a pastry crust, others swear by a graham cracker crust. I recently saw a recipe for key lime pie that used rice chex cereal to make a gluten free crust.

1 pie crust, baked

12 oz. Key Lime Juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs Green food coloring (optional)

Bake the pie crust until cooked.

Whisk together the milk, lime juice, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs. I added 3 drops of food coloring to mine but thats totally optional.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let sit on the counter for half and hour and then chill for 4 hours before cutting.

Some people like chantilly (whipped) cream on theirs.
I think it ruins the pie.

Triple Apple Muffins

2 1/4 c. flour
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt (scant)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. apple sauce
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. apple juice concentrate
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. wheat germ

Mix the dry ingredients, stir in the the wet ones. Pour into muffins pans and bake at 30 for 25 minutes or until done.

Crepes

(I filled mine with key lime curd, fresh sliced strawberries, and Chantilly cream)
(Also the seam is supposed to be on the bottom so it looks prettier, it doesn't change the flavor though so don't worry if you forget)

The first time I ever had a crepe was at my friend Susans house. Since then I have had a lot of fun experimenting with different fillings. By far my favorite is still a little lemon juice and powdered sugar on top. But other ideas include

Fresh Strawberries
Whipped Cream
Lemon Curd
Nutella
Strawberry mousse
Pumpkin Chiffon
Caramel, chocolate, whipped cream and pecans
Really anything you think sounds good

Then there are all the savory fillings you can use
Eggs and bacon
Asparagus
Chicken and ham in an herb cream sauce
Also a fun way to revamp leftovers

But anyway, here is the basic recipe

1/2 c. water
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
pinch salt
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 c. flour

I blend all the ingredients but the flour together until smooth and then blend in the the flour.

Heat a no stick pan until hot. Add about 1/4 - 1/2 c. batter to the pan and swirl to thin the batter. Cook just until it doesn't stick to the pan, flip and cook another 10 seconds or so.

Remove from pan and keep warm

The pan is really important here, it has to be a no stick pan.

Strawberry Cream Lemonade

1 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
5 limes
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp strawberry Italian soda syrup
1 c. frozen strawberries
1 can lemon lime soda

In a blender add the lemon juice, sugar and water and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Cut the limes in half and then fourths, leaving the peel on.

Add to the blender and pulse for a few seconds 5 times and then strain.

Add the milk and syrup and mix in then add the strawberries and blend until smooth.

Add the can of soda and mix until blended.