Berries and Cream Tart

 Every so often, I'll decide to try HALF of a recipe. Have you ever done that? No, I don't mean reducing the quantity by half. I mean only making a portion of it. In other words, I'll take just the part that I like from one recipe and put it together with part of another recipe and boom, we have a new recipe! This is exactly what I did when I decided to make a red white and blue tart to celebrate the 4th of July. I knew I wanted to do berries and cream, but I didn't want to make just a regular pie crust. I didn't want to do a graham cracker crust either. So I decided to go to Ina's Easy Lemon Tart recipe that I posted a while back and use the shortbread cookie crust. THAT's exactly what I had in mind! It's really easy to make, it's OMG good, and it goes perfectly with a summer fruit and cream topping, perfect for your next BBQ. Btw, does anyone else mix and match recipes like this?  Well, now you know one of my secrets for always coming up with something new!!! Enjoy!


Crust: 
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

Filling:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Topping:
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries


Heat oven to 425ºF.
Grease with butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray, an 8 - 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour sugar and salt. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and vanilla until it resembles coarse crumbs. Scoop up a handful and squeeze it to make sure it easily clumps together. If you have a food processor, just throw everything into the bowl and pulse it until it forms a clump. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (You can use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup to smooth the surface of the pastry.) Pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. (This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes.) Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. (This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.)

When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

 Beat all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread mixture evenly into cooled tart shell. Arrange berries on top. Chill 2 hours for easiest slicing.

Tips:
It's much easier to work with the crust dough if you chill it for a while before you press it into the pan.
I like to use an 11" tart pan instead of an 8" or 9", so I increased all of the crust and filling ingredients by half.
If you're not doing a patriotic theme, use any kind of fruits you like. Ripe peeled peaches or nectarines, kiwi, pineapple, strawberries. ALL fabulous. You could even forget the fresh fruit and top it with your favorite pie filling. Cherry pie filling would be delish!

Pasta with Mushrooms, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts

 Ok, ok,  I know I always say that everything is easy, but seriously, I have to say it again! This is was so easy to make, you won't believe it. You just throw a few sauce ingredients in the pan, toss it with some cooked pasta and boom, there's your dinner. I made it for Chris and Claire because Claire requested something with sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. I found this recipe from and old issue of Bon Appétit and it was exactly what I wanted (well, after I tweaked it a little!) And it was a huge hit! It's as perfect for an elegant dinner as it is for a Sunday summer supper when you don't really feel like cooking. Try it!

15 sun dried tomatoes
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb baby Portobello mushrooms (or more), sliced
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 cup white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb pasta (any kind)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (preferably toasted)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Place sun-dried tomatoes in small bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling chicken stock over them. Let stand until tomatoes soften, about 15 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving soaking liquid. Thinly slice tomatoes.

Spray large nonstick skillet generously with vegetable oil spray. Add mushrooms and onions. Saute for a bit, just until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook a few minutes longer. Add wine, reserved tomato soaking liquid, and sliced tomatoes. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquids are reduced by half and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook, pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. 

  Pour the sauce over the pasta. Add Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Toss, adding a little reserved pasta water if it's too dry. Mix in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 Tips:
I was a little heavy handed with the pine nuts, tomatoes, and basil, because frankly I LOVE pine nuts, tomatoes and fresh basil. Like Mom always said "If you like a lot, add a lot!"
When cooking with wine, be sure to choose a wine that you would drink, and then you can serve the rest of the bottle with dinner! Oh, and  NEVER ever use anything labeled "cooking wine". It's really not very good at all.
Instead of reconstituting the sun dried tomatoes, you can use the ones that come in a jar packed in oil. Just be sure to add chicken stock to the sauce.
To make this a vegetarian dish, simply use vegetable stock or just plain water instead of chicken stock.
On the flip side, you can easily add chicken or sausage. Just cut up the sausage or boneless chicken and saute it before you add everything else to the pan.

Coca Cola Cake

 OK here's another crazy sinful cake that you just have to taste to believe. I got the recipe from my sister, Jeanie. I have no idea where she got it, but like I always say, since she's the one who brought it to me, she's the one who gets the credit for it. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth, this is the cake for you. Not only does it have Coca Cola in it, but it also has marshmallows that melt right into the cake itself, making it the most fudgy moist cake you've ever tasted. I'm not even kidding. This cake is SERIOUSLY moist. Like, BEYOND moist. Like, if a fudge brownie and a cake had a baby, this would be it. I'm talking major fudginess here. Like, "sticks to the knife when you cut into it", fudgy. Do you now understand the caliber of fudgetasticness? Oh, and if you're looking for something that is lightly sweet.....this is NOT the cake you're looking for. I know I know, it's a HUGE splurge, but I'm not suggesting you should have this every day. That would be crazy. But OMG it's so good. You definitely need to pour yourself a tall glass of ice cold milk and try it!

Cake:
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 sticks butter or margarine

1 cup coca-cola

2 tbs. cocoa

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows

In a mixing bowl, sift salt, flour, and sugar in bowl. It a small sauce pot, heat butter, cola, and cocoa to boiling. Pour over flour and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda, and vanilla and mix well. Add marshmallows. Pour into greased 13" x 9" pan. Bake in preheated 325 degrees oven for 45 minutes. Pour icing over hot cake. Cool thoroughly before cutting and serving.

Icing:

1 stick butter or margarine

1 tbs. cocoa

1/2 cup coca-cola

1 lb. box 10x sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Bring butter, cocoa, and coca-cola to a boil in heavy saucepan. Place 10x sugar in a bowl. Pour boiling mixture over sugar and mix well. Beat in the vanilla and chopped nuts and pour icing over hot cake. Cool cake completely before cutting and serving.

Tips:
Most times, I like a chilled, but this cake is DEFINITELY better when it's at room temperature, or even still a little bit warm.
I'm usually not a fan of baking cakes in a 9x13 baking pan, just because I think Bundt pans and tube pans make a prettier slice of cake...but for this one, you absolutely need the 9x13 pan so you can pour the warm icing over the hot cake and then let it sink right in.
I omitted the chopped nuts, because basically sometimes I feel like a nut and sometimes I don't. Do NOT, however, omit the marshmallows. They're crucial to the recipe because they bake into the cake.

French Fry Breakfast Casserole

Ok, so, you ordered take out last night, and they gave you a huge batch of French fries along with your ginormous burger or cheese steak. Then about halfway through your meal, you decide that there's no way in hell anyone would ever be able to eat all of that in one sitting, so you wrap up the other half and put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. If any of this sounds familiar, you already know that the French fries won't be as good the next time around, am I right? The solution? Throw them into a casserole, of course!
 I recently had some leftover French fries and I thought "With money as tight as it is these days, why am I about to throw away perfectly good food?" It just seemed so wasteful. So I decided to do a casserole, and here it is. This is my version of a recipe that I found on another blog. It's really simple, delicious, and quick to throw together. Waste not, want not, right?
Try it!

a couple tbs oil
1 medium onion
1 medium green bell pepper
2 portobello mushrooms
2-3 cups French fries
1 cup American cheese
8 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350F.
Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Add a little oil to a large saute pan. Roughly chop the onion, pepper, and mushrooms into large chunks. Add to the pan, and saute over medium heat. Give them a good 5-10 minutes to really cook down and begin to caramelize. In the meantime, roughly chop the French fries  and add them to the casserole dish to form a layer. When the veggies are cooked, make another layer on top of the fries. Sprinkle the diced or shredded cheese over the veggies. Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper in a bowl, then  pour over all. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

Tips:
I used the ingredients that I happened to have on hand, but add anything you like! Any kind of green veggies would work, such as broccoli, asparagus, or spinach. Use any kind of cheese, or combination of cheeses. Add any kind of meat, like diced ham or sausage, or even ground beef. But just be sure to brown everything in a pan first before you add it to the casserole.
I baked this in a 9x13 dish because I wanted the final product the be thin like a frittata, but you can easily use a smaller dish. Your casserole will be a little thicker and it'll probably take a little longer for it to set up.
Btw, the other blog is called Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker in case you'd like to check it out!

Piña Colada Cheesecake Squares

Ok, so, when I asked My sister, Cathy, what I should make for Casey's graduation party, she said "How the pineapple cheesecake squares that Terri always makes?" And I thought..."wait, how do I not know about this recipe?" So, I called Terri. Apparently she found this recipe in a newspaper years and years ago...like, maybe 15 years ago.. and for some reason I missed them somehow. We were talking and laughing about it at the party, and Kim even said "Don't you remember a couple years ago when I called you and asked if you had that recipe?" And I said to her "And I said NO, right? Because I had no idea what in hell she was talking about! Well, Anyway, here they are. I FINALLY made them and OMG I love them! They were actually called Pineapple Cheesecake Squares, but I since there's coconut, I figured this was a better name, don't you think? I suppose you could leave the coconut out, but that just makes no sense to me. Give them a try!

Crust:
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter or margarine

Combine until fine.
Pat into ungreased 13x9 pan.
Bake at 350 until golden around edges, 14-19 minutes.

Filling:
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
4 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. milk
2 eggs
16 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

Blend cream cheese, sugar, milk & eggs w/ mixer.
Blend in drained pineapple by hand.
Spread over baked crust.

Topping:
2 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c. flaked coconut

Blend butter w/ coconut & sprinkle over top.

Bake for 17-20 minutes at 350.
Cool before cutting into squares.
Refrigerate cut bars until ready to serve.

Tips:
Because there's a LOT of butter in the crust, it'll become very soft and bubbly when you bake it. Just let it bake until it because golden around the edges. Oh, and no need to cool it before spreading the filling on top.
Make sure you let it chill in the fridge for a few hours before you cut it into squares.
When it's time for cutting, I like to loosen the whole batch from the bottom of the pan as much as I can with a large spatula, and then remove half of the batch from the pan at a time. It's just easier to place it on a cutting board and then cut it with a large very sharp knife.

Ina Garten's Chicken Chili

 This recipe is SUPER simple and doesn't take all day to prepare. I saw Miss Ina making it on a recent episode of The Barefoot Contessa and immediately wanted to try it. You know how some recipes are all about slow simmering all day on the stove top? Well, not this one. It's done in under 2 hours and it's SO chunky and hearty! You'll love it! It's also really convenient because you can make it in advance and just reheat it when it's time to serve. It's actually BETTER after it sits in the fridge for a day or two. So, give this one a try! No need to wait for a chilly day to make it a chili day!
Thanx, Miss Ina!

4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)

2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, & large-diced

2 medium yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded & large-diced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves

4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on*
freshly ground black pepper
onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, & sour cream (optional, for serving)

 Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
 Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, and sour cream for toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Joey's Tips:
*Instead of roasting the chicken breasts, I just bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and then pulled all the meat from the bones once it was cool enough to handle. I HIGHLY recommend doing this because it was so easy, I used the whole chicken which was quite a bit, and the meat was SO tender that it fell apart. And if it's a warm day, then there's no need to turn on the oven! Perfect!
If you like beans in your chili, go for it! Just rinse and drain a can of any kind of beans, and then add them to the pot. Red, white, or black beans..... even a regular can of pork and beans, all good! (of course, you wouldn't drain or rinse the pork and beans, but you already knew that, right?)
If you like a spicier chili, then go ahead and double the amount of the spices. I omitted the cayenne pepper and crushed pepper flakes because I don't like the heat, but if you're all about it, go for it! In fact, add any kind of hot peppers you like! Jalapenos, etc, whatever you like! If you're serving a large group, leave the hot ingredients out of the pot, and serve them along with the toppings. Let your guests have the choice!

Dor Stop Raspberry French Toast

 Have you ever seen a show on the Food Network called Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives? It's basically just Guy Fieri going all over the country trying different (usually family owned) food "joints". I have to say, I'm kind of addicted to the show because it's food that I want to eat! I LOVE diner food! It's usually diner food that is bumped up a little, though. It's usually made from scratch, or maybe it'll be about food that is slightly creative, or not exactly the norm, and sometimes it'll be WAY over the top! (Yes, you guessed it, those are usually the things I want to try!) And Guy Fieri kind of cracks me up every time he says something is "out of bounds", or "off the hook", or anytime he refers to "flavor town." Usually when I watch the show, I wait for a place that is close enough for me to visit, but if it's it's too far away, then I try to figure a way to recreate some of the dishes that are served on the show. This is exactly how this recipe came to be. I was watching the "What's For Breakfast" episode which featured a place in the Dormont section of Pittsburgh, PA, called the Dor-Stop Restaurant, (famous for its pancakes and other breakfast creations.) As soon as I saw this dish, I thought "I am SO making that!!" And that's exactly what I did. Basically I just kind of guessed at the amounts of things, but it's pretty straight forward. And wait'll you taste it!!  As Guy said, the crunch is "money" and it tastes like a jelly doughnut exploded! LOL OMG so good! It's definitely a one way ticket to flavor town! So, if anyone at the Dor Stop is reading this, thanx for the French Toast idea! It's really awesome! And if I'm ever in Dormont Pa, I'll be sure to stop by!

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs seedless raspberry jam

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

thickly sliced crusty bread
finely crushed regular corn flakes

In a mixing bowl, cream the cheese and sugar together until smooth. Mix in the raspberry jam until well combined. Set aside.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Dip the slices of bread into the egg mixture, flipping to coat both sides. Then place it in another shallow dish containing the crushed corn flakes, being sure the corn flakes coat all sides. Place in a hot skillet with a little melted butter until it's golden on both sides. Serve French toast with a big dollop of the raspberry cream cheese and then top with a little more raspberry jam. Heaven!

Tips:
I tried it with regular bread, and I decided that the thicker bread was MUCH better.