Sticky Buns

 

I recently told my 85+ year old mother about an article in the Washington Post that talked about obtituaries that mentioned what the decesased was famous for cooking, in particular casseroles. She asked me what she'd be remembered for. I told her it was her sticky buns. I don't know why, but I was never a huge fan of these gooey treats, but I remember my dad would slather on the butter and devour a tray of them at Christmas time. My sister recently reported making them, and I asked her to send the recipe. Turns out, my youngest son doesn't like the nuts (the best part in my opinion) but they were universally loved over the holiday.

Mom's Sticky Buns

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 t. granulated sugar

1/4 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

4 c. all purpose flour, divided

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 t. nutmeg

3/4 t. salt

1 c. evaporated skim milk, divided

1/4 c. water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

cooking spray

1 1/4 c. packed dark brown surgar, divided

1/3 c. dark corn syrup

2 T. butter

3/4 c. chopped pecans

1 T. ground cinnamon

1. Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. granulated sugar in 1/4 c. warm water in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups level with a knife. Place 3 3/4 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, nutmeg and salt into a food processor; pulse 2 times or until blended.  Combine 2/3 c. milk, 1/4 c. water, and egg. With the processor on, slowly add milk mixture and yeast mixture through food chute. Process until dough forms a ball, then process for another minute. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes). Add flour to prevent sticking.

2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). 

3. When the dough is done rising, punch dough down and let rest for 5 minutes.

4. While dough is resting, combine 1/3 c. milk, butter, 1 c. brown sugar, and corn syrup in a small sauce pan. Stir constantly as you bring it up to a boil. Remove from heat and divide among two 9" cake pans.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

5. Roll the dough out into a 24 x 10" rectangle. Coat the surface of the dough with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough. Beginning with the long side roll it up jelly roll style. Pinch the seam, but not the ends. Cut the roll into 1" slices and place them cut side up in the prepared cake pans. Cover with plastic wraped coated in cooking spray. Let rise in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours (until doubled in size)

6. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 dgrees, cook for 20-23 minutes. When done, run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert the rolls onto a serving plate.

Ham and White Bean Soup

 I need to perfect this soup -- I've made it a few times, most recently during the Christmas holiday and it didn't turn out great, but I'm willing to try try again until I get it right.

Ham bone, hame shank or ham hocks

2 qt. water

1 T. olive oil

1 onion diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

8 oz. white beans (canned) or dry -- but prepped in the instant pot

Cover the ham bone with water add dried herbs or seasoning to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 1 hour. 

Saute onions in olive oil for 8 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic for an additional minute.

Add beans, onions and garlic, celery and carrots to the ham hocks and simmer for an additional 40 minutes.

Pull the meat off the bones, and remove bones. Season with tabasco and parsley

Summer Berry Tart with Short Bread Crust

I was searching for something on this blog, and saw that I had made a fruit tart at some point, said it was a success, but never recorded a recipe. For Memorial Day this summer, I wanted to try to recreate it since the strawberries and blueberries look so great right now.  So I searched on line and found an easy shortbread crust, then used a custard recipe from the wonderful Mary Berry. Next time, I might skip the whipping cream in the custard, it seemed to be able to stand alone without it. Chef's kiss -- delicious. 

Easy Short Bread Crust

2 sticks of butter softened

2 c. of flour

1/2 c. of confectioner's sugar

Mix ingredients together then press into your tart (or pie) pan. Press carefully to cover evenly and make sure to move crust up the sides of the pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes

Remove from oven and cool completely before filling

Mary Berry's Custard

1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. cornstarch

1 T. gelatin (I used one envelope)

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 cups milk

1 t. vanilla extract

2/3 c. whipping cream (I think this could be optional)

Berries/fruit 

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and gelatin. In a medium bowl with a wire whisk beat the eggs and egg yolk with milk and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into gelatin mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon well. About 20 minutes (mine came together faster than that). Remove saucepan from the heat.

Pour the custard into a large bowl, cool, then cover and refrigerate until the mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula fold the whipped cream into the custard.

Carefully remove the tart from the pan, place on a serving plate. Spoon the custard into the tart crust and top with the fruit or berries.

Greek Chicken

I found this recipe on the interweb, and it had the markings of a winner. We love Cava, and this was like making a bowl at home. And BONUS: it uses the instant pot and can be thrown together in 30 minutes. I was thinking this would be great in mason jars for lunch as well.

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. paprika

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1/4 c. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

juice of one lemon

1 c. full fat Greek yogurt

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

Kalamata olives

1 c. feta cheese (I used flavored feta)

1 c. coucous

salt and pepper

Mince the garlic, cut the chicken, prepare tomatoes and cucumbers set aside.

Mix yogurt with lemon and 1 garlic clove and 2 T. water in a small bowl.

Mix paprika, oregano, pepper flakes and 2 minced garlic cloves with olive oil and 1/2 c. water in the instant pot. Add chicken 2t. of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes and use instant release when cooking time is finished.

Remove chicken from the pot, and turn off the power. Pour in couscous, add 1/2 t. of salt and some pepper mix well and replace lid on the instant pot -- let sit for 7 minutes. 

Create serving plates by layering yogurt sauce, coucous, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken and feta on each plate.

Orecchiette With Spicy Sausage

 I made the Fried Rice Paella and had left over chorizo, so googled a recipe to use it up. I found this to be better than the fried rice. 

Orecchiette pasta
8 oz of chorizo casing removed
2 spring onions slices (white and green)
2 cloves garlic
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 c. grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. pecorino cheese

Cook the pasta in salted water

Start the sausage cooking in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add spring onions cook for about 3 minutes, add garlic and mushrooms for about 3 minutes, add tomatoes for another 3 minutes.

When pasta is done, reserve 1c. of water. Add broth and cook for a minute, stir in pasta and cheese. Add water if necessary. Drizzle with additional olive oil and top with cheese and spring onions.

Instant Pot Salmon with Garlic Potatoes and Greens

 Husband found this recipe for our New Year's Eve dinner. It checked so many boxes -- elegant, easy, delicious, and ONE POT to clean.  Will definately make again.

1 1/4 lb red skinned potatoes, quartered or smaller
4T. butter
4 center cut salmon fillets (5 or 6 oz each)
1/4 t. Paprika
1/2 t. lemon zest
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4c. spinach and arugula mixed

Salt and pepper

Put potoatoes in the bottom of the instant pot, add 1c. water, 2T. butter, season generously with salt and pepper.

Place steamer rack on top of potatoes

Rub salmon fillets with paprika and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, place salmon on top of the steamer rack. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, release steam immediately.

Remove the fish and steamer rack, and turn on saute. When the potatoes begin to sizzle, add garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Stir 2T. butter and season with salt and pepper. When potatoes are tender, smash with a wooden spoon. 

Turn off the heat, and stir in spinach and arugula until wilted. Spoon potatoes onto plates, serve salmon on top of  potatoes. Serve with lemon wedges.