Fourth of July Pies

Make them Red:

Strawberry-rhubarb or Cherry-rhubarb or Cherry

Make them Blue:

Blueberry

Make them "White":

Apple

Use cookie cutters to help decorate your crusts. 

Brush some cream or egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water to help your crust turn golden

and help sugar sprinkles stick.

Fallen Cake Trifle

My first attempt to make angel food cake from scratch ended in a fallen cake!


But it was still good-tasting cake!

When you have lemons, make lemonade.

So the fallen cake became Trifle

Tear or cut cooled cake into bite size pieces.

Make a batch of cooked chocolate pudding for one pie (you want the thicker version). I used the Make-a-Mix Pudding and Pie Mix recipe.

After pudding has cooled some add 1 cup sour cream–this is a key ingredient. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin and refrigerate.

Have a bowl of strawberries sliced, sprinkle a little sugar or stevia on to help draw the juice and let set for a little while.

When pudding has completely cooled.

Arrange layers in the following order:

1/2 cake pieces on bottom

1/2 strawberries–you can arrange nicely around the outside of the bowl to make it fancy looking

1/2 pudding/pie filling

1/2 cake pieces

1/2 strawberries

1/2 pudding/pie filling

Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.

To serve you can garnish with more strawberries, whip cream, and/or chocolate curls.

Rich Chocolate Beet Cake

This cake is soooo good you won't need to encourage your family to eat their beets when you serve this.

Oven 350°F pre-heat
Spray  and dust or line with parchment paper 9" x 13" pan or 2-9" round pans

Pureed beets with coffee

Prep beets: Blend or puree cooked, skinned or canned beets to equal 2 cups. Pour 1/2 cup cold very strong coffee over the beets.

Mix dry ingredients together in mixer bowl:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Add All the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly–about 1 minute on low speed, scrape bowl, then 2 minutes on medium speed:
Beet puree
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil

Pour into prepared pans. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes,  then dump from pans onto cooling rack if desired. Cool completely before frosting.

Filled with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Frosted with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Dark Choclate Ganache

1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate-place in metal or glass bowl and set aside.

Heat together on low until just beginnning to boil:
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter

Pour over dark chocolate. Let stand about 5 minutes to soften chocolate. Slowly stir until mixture is smooth.

To crumb coat cake. Immediately spread a small amount on all surfaces.

To glaze a cake. Pour over immediately or when only slightly cooled.

To use as filling. Set in refrigerator until partially set. Whip if desired. Spread filling using a butter knife.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

To frost a layer cake or 1/4 sheet (9" x 13") cake:

Soften 1/2 cup butter

Slowly beat 2 cups powdered sugar into softened butter.

Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla and pinch of sea salt.

Continue mixing in 1 cup powdered sugar.

Now add 1/3 to 1/2 cup cocoa powder.

Dribble in 1-2 Tbsp. milk or cream while mixing on low.

Slowly mix in another 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

Add more milk if needed to make spreadable. If too thin add a bit more powdered sugar.

Frost sides first, then the top.  I prefer to keep buttercream frosted cakes in the refrigerator.

Note: If you beat on high after adding cocoa the frosting will lighten in color.

Fave Cookbooks

They are the tattered, torn, smudged, and smeared ones.

Do you have some too?

Better Homes and Garden
Standard cookbook covering the basics. Even most of the index is missing. But I appreciate how the notebook lies open flat.

Make-A-Mix
My daughter-in-laws received this one from me this year for Christmas. Many years ago I borrowed my moms to make the Mexican Meat for burritos. Six months later she gave me my own copy so she could get her's back!

Sue Gregg's Cookbooks Set
How do you turn American white flour-fat-white sugar laden fare into something more healthy? Sue's cookbooks are loaded with good information and healthier recipes that will get you started improving your diet and be springboards for improving your family favorites.

Multi-Grain Overnight Bagels

This recipe owes it start to Overnight Bagels is a recipe from Kim Cahill's No Guesswork Cookbook.

I wanted a healthier version. I added and adjusted some ingredients.

Makes 16
You need two cookie sheets
Bake at 450°F for 12 minutes

Night Before:

In blender, process:
1/3 cup oat flakes (oatmeal)
1/3 cup 7-grain flakes
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (shelled)
Some whole flax seed if you don't have ground to add later

In mixer bowl stir together and let rest till bubbly:
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 Tbsp. yeast

Now put 2 tsp. of olive oil in 1/3 cup measure. Then fill the measure with honey. This will allow the honey to slide out easily.

Add: 2 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-2 tsp. ground flax seed
5 1/2 cups freshly ground Spelt ( about 1 cup) and Bronze Chief (red)  wheat flour
Grains from blender
1 cup Natural White (unbleached)flour

Mix knead in more whole grain flour if needed. This dough should be rather stiff, yet still have a bit of sticky when touched. Cover. Let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough into a 16" log on a greased bread board. Cut into 1" slides. Roll each into a ball. Cover. Let rest 5 minutes.

Shape with a 1 1/2" hole. Place on lined cookie sheets. Eight to a sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning:

Remove cookie sheets from refrigerator and let set for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F

Boil each Bagel for 30 seconds. Drain on wire rack over paper towels.

Bake for 12 minutes.

These freeze very well.