Monthly Archives: February 2015

Tomato-Basil Bisque

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I guess I must be missing my backyard garden full of ripe, off the vine, tomatoes.

AWWWW…

I know spring will come and I can start planting again. When I can start enjoying all the bounty that a backyard garden has to offer.

BUT, in the meantime, it is super cold outside and I miss those tomatoes.

Wha-laaaaa, Shazaaammm…Hocus Pocus….

I will make Tomato Bisque.

Lets see if I did my kitchen math right……missing tomatoes plus freezing cold weather equals Warm and Delicious Tomato Bisque.

Looks like it adds up to me!

Though my math skills are lacking…just ask Oldest Daughter who is a walking calculator.

Anywho, I have been saving this little gem of a recipe for some time and this past week was the perfect time to cook a batch up. Actually I made two batches. Yes, me and the kiddos ate the first batch right up, so I made another.

Yes, I have problems like that. : )

Here is all the things you need to make this easy, creamy and delicious Tomato-Basil Bisque.

You will need, tomato juice, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, whipping cream, celery, carrots, sugar, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and pepper.

First thing you do is start chopping. I chopped the carrots first.

Then the celery.

Next, I did the onion and lastly I diced up the garlic.

In my large sauce pan, I sauted the celery, carrots, onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons of butter.

Suate the vegetables until they get tender but do not brown.

Now, you can add in the tomato juice.

Then you add the chicken stock.

Add in the diced tomatoes.

Add in the tomato paste.

Sprinkle in the basil.

Then the oregano.

Lastly, add the pepper.

Stir and simmer the soup for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are really tender and the bisque starts to thicken.

With a blender, food processor or an immersible blender, blend the bisque, a half batch at a time, until smooth.

When you blend it, the color lightens up and the bisque is very smooth.

Now, put the bisque back into the sauce pan.

Pour in the whipping cream.

Sprinkle in the sugar.

Stir the cream and sugar in. Heat the bisque through.

Lookie lookie, the bisque is all ready. Nice and thick and cream and deliciously easy to make.

If you are missing your fresh garden tomatoes, this bisque might be the perfect substitute.

Enjoy!

Becky

Tomato-Basil Bisque

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped, yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups of tomato juice

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup diced canned tomatoes

1/2 can of a 6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup whipping cream

4 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or to taste

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute celery, onions and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Do not brown.

Add in the tomato juice, chicken broth, undrained diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. It will start to thicken.

Take the soup off of the heat. Pour half of the soup into a blender or food processor. Blend the soup until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Return all the pureed soup back into the saucepan. Stir in the whipping cream and sugar. Bring the soup back to a slow simmer and heat through.

Stir in the fresh basil.

Now it is ready to serve.

Makes about 8 servings.

Here is other post you may enjoy:

                   

Lime Cake                                Chocolate Shortcake Brownies         Broccoli Rice Casserole

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

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Do you like to go and pick berries?

You do??

I do too!!

I love to pick berries. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and of course blackberries.

One of my favorite memories of picking berries was way back when Oldest Daughter was about 2 years old. My older sis Niener Wiener and I, went to my Aunt Pat and Uncle Larry’s house way out in the country to pick wild blackberries. Aunt Pat gave us careful directions of where to park the car and the best place to climb over the barb wire fence. Bet you all did not think I could climb over a barb wire fence. Well, actually you don’t climb over a barb wire fence, not unless you are like 7 feet tall…..if you think about it, you will understand why. To get over the fence, you actually pick a place in the barb wire fence that is kinda loose and stretched out and you put your foot on the one string of barb wire fence, while you hold the other string way above your head and you climb through. It helps to have someone hold the top string so you can concentrate on not getting your bottom caught on a barb. Worse comes to worse. I have even shimmied under a barb wire fence if you can find a good place were the ground sinks down.

Anywho…I was talking about picking berries not climbing fences. I get off track so easily… : )

Niener Wiener and I made it through the barb wire fence and walked across a long field until we spied our beloved wild blackberries. We have already crossed a one lane bridge over a creek, parked the car on a gravel road, climbed a barb wire fence…now we just have to watch out for thorns. Wild blackberries are full of thorns. It helps to wear long sleeves and to take your time. Niener and I picked until we pretty much picked all the branches clean and headed back to Aunt Pat’s with our haul of juicy berries. We were hungry, bleeding and hot.  Aunt Pat had bowls of Campbell’s tomato soup waiting for us for lunch. We had picked so long, she about gave up on us stopping for lunch.  We had so much fun. I remember making my first batch of blackberry jelly from those berries.

It was a great day.

So many precious memories.

I want more of those days!

So, because I love blackberries, and Company loves blackberries, and it is one berry that Oldest Daughter does not particularly like of because of the seeds….please…..really……I am always looking for new recipes for blackberries. I seen this Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler recipes and I could NOT pass up giving it a try.

Well not just one try….I made it three times to get it just right.

Just for you!

Here is what you need to make this simple cobbler.

You will need about 4 cup of blackberries, sugar, butter, almond flavoring (sorry I forgot to put it in the picture) salt, buttermilk, baking powder, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice.

First thing you do is put the blackberries in a medium size sauce pan.

Pour in your sugar.

Add in  your lemon juice.

A small amount of almond flavoring.

A dash of salt.

Time for the cornstarch for thickening.

Some yummy butter.

Last but not least, pour in the water.

Over medium heat, cook the blackberry filling mixture until it bubbles and becomes thick.

Pour the filling into a 9 by 9 baking dish.

Now it is time to make the dumplings. I used my little pulse blender to make my dumplings, but you can you your pastry cutter to add in the butter.

First thing I did was measure out the flour and add it into my little blender. You can do this in a bowl.

I added in the sugar next.

Added in some salt.

Next, I added in my baking soda.

I mixed the dry ingredients together for a couple of pulses to mix the dry ingredients together. You can do this in your bowl with a spoon. Then I started adding in my butter.

I pulsed the cold butter a few times to get the dumpling mixture to look grainy. You can cut in your butter with a pastry blender if you are not using a little blender.

Add in your buttermilk. Only add in enough buttermilk to make a soft dough that you can spoon out.

Dollop  your dumplings on top of the blackberry filling.

I sprinkled sanding sugar on top of the dumplings to give them a sweet top and to add a little crunch. Put the cobbler in the oven, preheated to 350 and bake for 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the dumplings are cooked through.

Don’t you want to take a bite?

You have to pick some blackberries first.

Or….buy some at the store. : )

Enjoy!

Becky

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

Recipe Adapted from Old Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

Blackberry Filling:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 cup water

4 cups blackberries

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Dumplings:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter cut into squares

Sanding Sugar optional

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, cook all of the blackberry filling ingredients, on medium heat, until the filling becomes thick. Pour the filling in a 9 by 9 baking dish.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until they are small pea size pieces. Stir in the milk or buttermilk until the mixture comes together. If you feel that dumplings are a little dry, add in some milk a tablespoon at a time.

Spoon the dumpling on top of the filling. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is light brown. (make sure the center dumplings are cooked all the way through).

Serve warm with some ice cream or by itself.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here are a few other blackberries recipes you may want to try.


Oatcake with Blackberries and Blueberries

Blackberry Jam

Regular Blackberry Cobbler


Coconut Cream Pie

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What is your favorite pie?

Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple, Peach……..?

If you asked me that question I think it would have to be Coconut Cream Pie.

I am just NUTS over CocoNUT Cream Pie.

While I was attending college, there was this truck stop down by the interstate that made the most fabulous pies. My college friends and I would get a car load of girls together and drive, whose ever car had gas in it, to the truck stop just to get a slice of pie. Their pies were homemade by some pie angel in the kitchen who knew just how to make a meringue stand up, sweet and perfect on top of all those glorious pies. The selection of pies would tempt you to try every one. I think during the four years I was at college I finally managed to try each one, at least once, or twice…or three or more times. : )

Over the years, I have made several different recipes of a Coconut Cream Pie. I am always looking for “THE ONE” recipe that taste like the pies me and my college friends, sampled, drooled and laughed over. I am not sure how we ate that much pie and still fit in our jeans. But, we did! Those were good times!

In a cookbook, I just happen to buy at a flea market, (one of my favorite places to buy cookbooks) I found a recipe for Coconut Cream Pie. It was pretty basic, had all the ingredients that you would have in your kitchen and the recipe was mentioned as being delicious in the forward of the cookbook. The cookbook was a fundraiser that moms at a church submitted as their favorite recipe. Who can pass up a recipe that said it was a delicious pie….and a coconut one at that.

NOT ME!

So………….I have made it 4 or 5 times now in the last couple of weeks.

Don’t fall in a faint….I did not eat that many pies. I made them for my family, friends and for super bowl.

My dad, who knows his pie, (he should as he is 96 and has eaten millions of pies, well close to a million hehe) said it was the best Coconut Cream Pie he has eaten.

Well, let’s just say , I am no longer looking for a Coconut Cream Pie recipe.

I have found “THE ONE” that taste like  the pies that I remember eating and loving so much!

I hope you love it as much!

Here is what you need.

You will need half and half or whole milk, corn starch, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, (I used real vanilla paste) eggs, graham cracker crust or a regular pie crust pre-baked and of course coconut.

In a medium sauce pan add in the sugar.

Now, add in the flour.

Next the corn starch.

Now, the salt.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Now pour in the half and half.

Whisk until smooth. Now turn on the heat to medium and continue stirring until the filling gets thick.

Separate your eggs. Save  your egg whites for your meringue.

In a bowl put the egg yolks. Mix with a smooth to make smooth.

When the custard gets thick, add a couple of tablespoons of the custard to the eggs yolks and mix in. This is tempering the eggs which brings the temperature up so when you add the eggs they do not cook immediately into scrambled eggs in your custard.

After tempering your egg yolks, add them to the custard. Whisk the egg yolks in as you add them.

Continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes or until the custard becomes very thick and bubbles. Be sure and still the whole time.

Take the custard off the heat and add in the coconut.

Now add in the vanilla. I used real vanilla paste, because I love the flavor and the specks of vanilla bean in the custard.

Pour the filling into a 9 inch graham cracker crust or a pre-baked regular crust.

Using the left over egg whites, make a meringue. I will post the one I made that did not weep later this week.

Bake the pie in a 325 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meringue gets all toasty and pretty.

Now, all you have to do is wait for the pie to cool before you can cut you a big slice.

If you like pie, as much as I do, I hope  you give this pie a try!

Becky

Coconut Cream Pie

Adapted from Old Church Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups half and half or whole milk

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Graham Cracker Crust or a Baked Pie Crust

Meringue or Cool Whip for the top of the pie.

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, flour, salt and cornstarch. Add in the half and half and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the custard is very thick. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks. Add a  couple of tablespoons of the cook custard to the egg yolk  and stir. This will temper the egg yolks and bring the temperature up before you add the yolks to the hot custard. Quickly add the tempered yolks to the custard and whisk in. Continue to cook the custard until bubbles and the custard is very thick. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla and coconut. Stir in. Pour the custard into a graham cracker crust or a cooled pie crust and top with a meringue or cool whip.

Does this make you want a piece? It makes me want to go back into the kitchen and make some now.

Yes,  I am a little NUTS over CocoNUT Cream Pie!

Here are some other recipes you might like:

                   

White Chicken Chili               Farmers Favorite Oatmeal Cake         Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

 

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