Guest Post: Apple Rhubarb Pie

When Lynn asked me to guest blog, I was beyond ecstatic. I mean, it really was a culmination of life events for me. Lynn is just the coolest and the fact that she asked me to guest blog on her cooking blog means more to me than she can ever imagine.

A little about me, the best-guest-blogger-ever (sorry Sara):
My name is Melissa and I am a real housewife of the suburbs of Philadelphia. With my busy schedule of working and doing tireless tasks such as grocery shopping and getting the mail from the mailbox, I like to make a little magic happen... in the kitchen that is! I recently have been obsessive been trying to get rhubarb, even though it is barely in season (I was trying to seriously wow my future parent in-laws with my awesome baking skills over Easter with a serious rhubarb recipe, but much to my chagrin, none was available! Oh the injustice of life! So we got the next best thing.. an iced vanilla cake in the shape of a bunny that could have sent a diabetic to their grave. But the rhubarb has been a burning desire that I just could not squash. Thus, when Lynnie decided to ask me (ME!!!!) to guest blog, I knew what I had to make! So, all you need to know about me is that I am the best!

BUT, I end this little blurb about the best-guest-blogger-ever with a challenge: Paul, my betrothed, can literally do nothing right, not even load the dishwasher correctly, EXCEPT, he makes the best pizza dough this side of Italy. I say for a bit of fun and good natured fun, Paul and Lynn have a dough-off in Lynn's test kitchen. We make the pizza and a blind taste test will ensue. What do you say there Lynn? Are you chef enough?

YELC (Your Even Loving Chef),
Melissa

 

 

Apple Rhubarb Pie: 

This recipe was  borrowed from Cooking Light Magazine, April 2012 issue.

 

Hands on time: about 40 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pie crust (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking Spray
3 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place pie dough on a lightly floured surface; fit to a 9" pie plate.
Spray your pie plate liberally with cooking spray.
Place the pre-made pie dough into the pie plate. Make sure there is enough 'overhang' so you can flute ( I don't know what 'flute' means, so I folded, into what I thought, was decorative).

Combine rhubarb, granulated sugar, lemon juice and apples; toss.

 

 

Sprinkle the mixture with cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of flour; toss.
Spoon (I used a slotted spoon since it was super runny) the mixture into the pie plate with prepared crust.

Set the prepared pie aside.

 

Level 3/4 cup of flour in a medium bowl. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt, brown sugar, and cut up 6 tablespoons of butter and mix (the recipe calls for the use of a pastry blender- whatever that is). I used two knives in a fashion to 'cut' the butter, like one would cut meat. Do this until the mixture resembles a mealy texture, or until your arms get tired (which seriously happened).

 

Stir in the walnuts (Baker's note: chopped walnuts were a full two dollars more, for less. So being the genius that I am, I purchased the larger, whole walnut, measured out 1/3 cap, placed them in a sandwich bag, placed the bag level on a tea towel and beat the pieces into chopped with my french rolling pin.)

Sprinkle the butter/flour/walnut mixture over top of the entire pie. Make sure that you fill in all the crevices with the mixture.

 

 

Bake in the pre-set oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce the heat of the oven to 375 degrees and bake the pie for an additional 30 minutes or until golden brown. I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes, but I have an electric oven. if the crust seems to be browning, you can place some foil around the edges of the pie to protect it from burning.

 

Let the pie stand at least 15 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Frosted Sugar Cookies

We've all passed these cake-like cookies in the grocery store. Some of us might have a hard time walking by them. They're large, soft, frosted perfectly, & topped with the perfect amount of sprinkles. Nadya stumbled upon a picture of these cookies while browsing the 'nets the other day. Since she saw them, she couldn't stop talking about how badly she wanted soft frosted sugar cookies. She mentioned her craving enough that I finally stepped up and made them! I'm happy I did! I found a winning recipe!

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies (From Annie Eats)

Yield: about 2 dozen large cookies

Ingredients

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract
For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart.  Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set.  (Do not overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.)  Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.  (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.)  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Store in an airtight container.

Polenta with Roasted Vegetables & Red Pepper Sauce

I am a pinning machine these days. I'm all up in my social media and Pinterest is my latest obsession. OK I've been obsessed for a couple months now but that's beside the point. Follow me to see what other recipes are being added to my 'Kitchen' board. I find so many interesting recipes on there. Unfortunately, I end up getting super hungry while I'm pinning away but it does give me inspiration for the heart of the home, the kitchen.

This was a recipe I pinned a while back and recently made. I've always been a huge fan of polenta but for being such a fan I never make it. When I came across this recipe which includes polenta and roasted vegetables, I thought to myself  'WIN WIN'! Then once I made it and tasted it I thought WIN WIN WIN!

This vegetarian dish is one that will even please the meat lovers in your life!

Polenta with Roasted Vegetables & Red Pepper Sauce 

Adapted from Self Magazine

1 cup uncooked instant polenta
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or oregano) or 1 tbsp dried
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb green beans, ends trimmed
2 bell bell peppers, sliced
1 medium-large zucchini, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices 

 

Sauce

1 jar (12 oz) prepared roasted red peppers, drained
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, basil or parsley (plus extra for garnish)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta in a stream, whisking to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with cayenne and salt. Coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer polenta to pie plate, smooth into an even layer and let cool 15 minutes. Heat broiler. Whisk garlic, thyme, lemon juice and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with dressing. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange vegetables in 1 layer (or in 1 layer in a grill basket). Broil vegetables about 4 inches from heat until tender and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle polenta with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil polenta in pie plate until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then cut polenta into 8 triangles. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetables, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chives. Serve any remaining sauce on the side. 

Hungarian Shortbread with Rhubarb Jam

I've been curious about rhubarb for quite sometime. I've also been intimidated by it. I only learned about rhubarb a few years ago. I usually see it paired with strawberries over ice cream or in a pie. Every year when it's in season I tell myself that I'm going to buy it and make something with it and then I usually don't BUT this year I did (thanks to Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia)! This week's recipe for Hungarian shortbread called for rhubarb jam but don't worry if you're not a rhubarb fan or if you're having trouble finding it (there seems to be a shortage this year) you can use your favorite preserves. I'm thinking Nutella might even be a good edition for the next batch I make.

 (Making the rhubarb jam)

Believe it or not this was my first time making shortbread. This was a very unique way to make it too! Once you make the dough, you freeze it until firm and then grate the dough with a cheese grater. While I was grating away, I kept thinking about my friend, Sara, who has a horrible fear of cheese graters! 

 

(Right out of the oven) 

The shortbread and the rhubarb jam came together very nicely. Some other bloggers were having trouble with the bottom layer baking all the way through, luckily I didn't run into that problem.  The tartness of the rhubarb jam paired so nicely with the sweetness of the shortbread. All in all, I think this recipe turned out to be a success! 

(The finished product)

Thanks to Lynette of 1SmallKitchen  & Cher of The Not So Exciting Adventures of a Dabbler for hosting this week! Visit their blogs for the Hungarian Shortbread recipe! 

** Tuesdays with Dorie is an online baking group. We're baking our way through Baking with Julia. Visit Tuesdays with Dorie if you'd like to join in the fun! **

Lemon Loaf

Last Sunday was Easter. Last Saturday our local bar was giving away opening day Phillies tickets.....

I hosted a nice little Easter brunch for our two close friends, Melissa and Jack. I prepared as much as I could on Saturday so it would be easy breezy on Sunday morning. The lemon loaf from this week's Tuesday with Dorie made it to my Easter menu. I thought it was a perfect complement to the overall meal. It was really easy to put together. The hardest part was probably zesting the lemons and of course waiting for the loaf to bake. Waiting wasn't hard for me...but it was hard for somebody else (somebody who thought they were going to win Phillies tickets)! That certain someone (cough, cough, Nadya) pulled the loaf out of the oven about 8 minutes too soon. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until Easter morning when the center of the loaf looked rather moist. I tried to save it by heating it back up but that didn't help. I'll have to make the lemon loaf again. The pictures from all the other bloggers look amazing! If I had more lemons on my hand Easter morning I would have started all over. I'll be sure to blog about my lemon loaf success. Until then, check out my fellow Tuesday with Dorie Bloggers and their lemon loaves. 

Lemon loaf failure, topped with glaze

For those of you wondering, we did NOT win the opening day Phillies tickets but we did have a fun time. 

Thanks so much to Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life for hosting this week! I'll be sure to make again soon! You can find the recipe here