SANDRA'S OLD-FASHIONED CHERRY PIE

One fabulous dessert that's not too difficult to prepare
and is so very, very satisfying!

Serves: (6 to 8)

Prep:

Bake: 45 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

Pie:

1-1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 (14.5 oz. cans) pitted red tart cherries, drained,

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pkg refrigerated pie crusts (Pillsbury: 2 will be enclosed)

Crust topping:

2 teaspoons milk

1 teaspoon granulated sugar + 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set a 9" glass pie plate aside.

Lightly dust working surface with flour, gently unroll pastry, and use a rolling pin to slightly enlarge, just enough so pastry is a bit larger than pie plate. Repeat for top pastry crust.

In a large bowl, mix sugar and flour. Stir in cherries; fold to incorporate, and spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over cherries.

Cover with top pastry. Brush with a pastry brush the inside of crust (not edges) with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut slits cut in top pastry crust; seal and flute.  Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover edge with 3" strip of foil to prevent excessive browning; return to oven and continue baking for 25 more minutes, until golden brown and juice bubbles through slits in crust..

Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving with French vanilla ice cream. ~ Enjoy!

SANDRA'S DECADENT GERMAN-STYLE BAKED APPLES

This recipe was created due to an 
influx of wonderfully
delicious apples I had on hand...

[Today (12-18-11) I just found that 
two sites re-posted my recipe 
and this photo @ the following links:
1) Driving and Dining; and
2) What's for Dinner]

Also, at http://aquieterstorm.tumblr.com/page/44

Servings: (4)

Prep: 10 Mins.
Bake:  1 Hr.

INGREDIENTS

4 organic apples (I used Cripps Pink – also called Pink Lady; fall apples from Washington)

4 tablespoons fireweed honey

1 tablespoon butter, room temp.

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (I used half of a scraped organic bourbon vanilla bean)

1-1/2 teaspoons organic ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon organic ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons chopped candied pecans

1 teaspoon chopped organic crystallized ginger

Optional:

--French Vanilla Ice Cream

--Caramel Sauce

--4 Whole Maraschino Cherries, with stems

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour ¼” deep of lukewarm water into bottom of a square 8”x8” baking dish, and set aside.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

Cut the very top off of the apples and scoop out the core; leaving a well while taking care not to cut all the way through the bottom.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove a strip of peel around the middle outer diameter section of each apple (so they can breathe while baking).

Method in which to prep
the apples

Equally fill each apple with stuffing mixture from small bowl. 

A filled apple

Place filled apples in the prepared baking dish. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for 20 additional minutes, or until apples are tender to your liking.

Fresh out of the oven
dripping in gooeyness

Serve the baked apples while hot in individual bowls, top each with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle them with caramel sauce, and top with a maraschino cherry. – Enjoy!

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Tip:  I prep all the ingredients beforehand to make assembling a breeze, except for the apples that I do lastly to prevent oxidation prior to baking.

MOSCOW MULE COCKTAIL HOUR

This refreshing beverage was served 

to my husband sometime ago by a 

friend while on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. 

We recently made this cocktail 

while eating dinner and watching a 

Mariners game with an out-of-town 

guest here in Juneau.

(BTW: The recipe is listed directly on 

each Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer bottle.)

Servings: (4)
Prep: 5 Mins.

Posted: by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

6 ozs. (jiggers) vodka
2 fresh limes, halved crosswise and juiced, reserving 4 squeezed lime halves
Ice cubes
4 (12 oz.) chilled Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beers
--(A bottled, non-alcoholic beverage found at Fred Meyer in the grocery section)

METHOD

In a glass pitcher, add all the ingredients and toss in the squeezed lime halves, give it a good stir, and pour into 4 glasses. – Enjoy!

SANDRA’S APPLE STREUSEL PIE topped with FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM

My latest version of this apple pie 
has become our all-time favorite...

Servings: (8)

Prep: 20 Mins. |
Cook/Bake:
Crust 5 Mins.;
Filling 10 Mins;
and Pie 1 Hr.

Posted by Sandra

*Streusel crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (1-1/2 sticks)

**Pie filling:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine-grained kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 gala apples (or granny smith if you like a more tart apple pie filling)

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

It's hard to wait for 1 hour, although it's a must
for the pie to properly set

*Streusel crust: Combine dry ingredients for the crust in a medium bowl.  Work butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles the size of small peas. Reserve 1 cup of crust mixture for topping. Pack the remainder into a 10” pie dish, pushing crust evenly into bottom and up the sides using the bottom of a flat measuring cup. Par-bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside on cooling rack.

**Pie filling: Meanwhile, whisk together in large saucepan (before heating to prevent lumps) the dark brown sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, cinnamon, water, butter, and lemon juice, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and occasionally stir for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the vanilla extract.

Peel, core, and slice 4 gala apples. Add the apple slices to the sauce, and fold to combine. Gently spoon the apple filling over the crust, and evenly sprinkle top of filling with reserved crumbs. Bake streusel pie for one hour. Remove from oven, and let stand on cooling rack to set.

Serve with a scoop of French Vanilla Ice cream - Enjoy!

SANDRA'S FABULOUS FRESH PEACH CRUMBLE

The absolute delightful dessert
where you'll savor every bite, seriously...

Servings: (12)
Prep: 15 mins. |
Bake: 1 hr. 15 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain kosher salt
5 cups fresh peaches, blanched to peel, and sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

***Crumble
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/4 cup glazed pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried blueberries
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine-grain kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into cubes

METHOD

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 13”x9” baking dish with butter flavored oil, and set aside.

To make the peach filling, in a large bowl stir together brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and kosher salt. Add peaches and gently toss to coat. Mix together cornstarch and lemon juice, and vanilla, and then stir into peaches to incorporate. Add the filling mixture into the prepared 9”x13” baking dish, and evenly spread mixture out. Dot with 1 teaspoon of butter by breaking into pieces beforehand.

To make the crumble, in a medium bowl combine dry ingredients, add in 1 stick of butter chilled cubes and combine with pastry cutter or fork, until the dry mixture is the size of small peas.

Top peaches with half of the crumble topping. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake Peach Crumble, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add the remaining crumble topping, and reduce heat to 325 degrees and finish by baking, uncovered,  for another 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes to set Peach Crumble before serving. - Enjoy!


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Tip: I serve this Peach Crumble warm with french vanilla ice cream and/or fresh whipped cream.

SANDRA'S RHUBARB N’ STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE

A very tasty dessert with French vanilla ice cream
or alone with a steaming
cup of coffee or herbal tea...

Servings: (12)
Prep: 15 mins. |
Cook: 40 mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 egg, at room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup whole milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
2 cups fresh rhubarb, finely chopped
1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and finely chopped, then drained through a sieve

**** Crumble Topping
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9”x13” baking dish by spraying it with buttered baking spray, and set aside.

In a large bowl, with a hand-mixer cream together butter and both sugars, and beat in egg and vanilla.

In another medium-size bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add sifted ingredients while mixing in, in 1/3-increments alternatively with the buttermilk into the large bowl of creamed mixture.

In a small bowl, toss the chopped rhubarb and strawberries with 1 tablespoon flour, and then fold them into the cake batter (this is so they don't float to the bottom). Spoon batter into the prepared baking dish, and gently smooth the surface of the cake.

In a another small bowl, cut 2 tablespoons of cold butter pieces into flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon for topping ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter, just until combined and crumbly, about peas size; and set aside in refrigerator to keep cold for 20 minutes.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes - removing halfway through cooking process to sprinkle with the cold topping mixture. When cake is finished baking, place baking dish on a cooling rack to cool for a couple of minutes; cut and and serve. Enjoy!


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Tip: I love to serve this with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream, or fresh whipped cream. You can also substitute using fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or numerous other fruits...the possibilities are endless.