Pistachio Nut Cake

I'm a Texan and we love Texas Pecans. Pecans are probably my favorite Nut followed by Cashews, Hazelnuts and then Pistachios. This is a favorite Easter Dessert at our house.

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2 - regular sized Loaf Pans brushed well with Pan Release Mix. (equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil and Flour) I start with 1 C of each mixed well and refrigerated in a jar. I always have it available for all of my baking needs.

1 - 15.25 oz. Box of Yellow Cake Mix

1 - 3.4 oz. Box of Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix

1 C finely ground Pistachio Nuts + additional Pistachios roughly chopped for the Garnish.

1/2 C Sour Cream

1/4 C Vegetable Oil

4 Eggs

1 1/4 C Water

Garnish

Roughly Chopped Pistachios

Confectioner's Sugar.

In a Large Mixing Bowl with a Hand Mixer:

Dry Cake Mix

Instant Pudding Mix

Finely Ground Pistachios

Sour Cream

Oil

Eggs

Water

Beat on Low Speed, just until well combined. (approx. 30 seconds)

Increase Speed to Medium and continue mixing for 1 - 2 minutes.

Divide the Batter evenly into the pans.

Sprinkle evenly with reserved, chopped Pecans.

Bake 30 - 35 minutes. (a toothpick in the center should come out clean)

Remove pans ro a rack to cool completely.

Invert Cakes, (right side up) onto serving platters and dust well with Confectioner's Sugar just prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!

Nelly's "Greek Festival" Spanakopita

This is a great recipe adapted from Food 52. It's a traditional Savory Pastry. It would make a nice entrée for Easter Dinner.

"Nelly started cooking at the age of six, when she joined her mother in the kitchen. “There was nothing else to do in my village!" she told me. All of her recipes come from her childhood home on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece."

Nelly's "Greek Festival" Spanakopita

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
1 - 9" X 13" Metal Baking Dish (you can use glass but I like metal for this recipe)

FILLING:

4 Pounds of Frozen Chopped Spinach, drained and squeezed thoroughly in paper towels.
4 TBS Butter
5 Green Onions, thinly sliced.
1/2 C of Chopped Fresh Dill
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
5 Eggs, beaten
24 oz. of Cottage Cheese
1 1/2 pounds of Feta Cheese, broken into small pieces.
1/2 C Olive Oil

DOUGH:

1 - Package of Phyllo Dough #4 (Apollo brand)
1 - Pound of Clarified Butter

In a Skillet on Medium Heat:
Green Onion
Cook for 3 - 5 minutes.
Transfer to a Large Bowl.
Add:
Dill
Salt
Pepper
Egg
Cottage Cheese
Feta
Spinach
Olive Oil
Fold together with a Silicone Spatula just until combined well trying not to break up the Feta pieces. Try not to over mix.

Butter the Casserole Dish with 4 TBS of Butter.
Unroll the Dough onto a flat surface.
Have a damp Tea Towel available to cover the dough while you're prepare the recipe.

Gently peel back 1 sheet of dough and lay it in the Casserole Dish. It should be placed "crumbled", not stretched out flat. This creates a textured layer.

Brush generously with clarified butter.
Continue this process until you've used half of the Dough, approximately 10 - 15 sheets.

Evenly spread the Filling over the Phyllo making sure to get it into the corners.
Continue buttering the remaining sheets of dough (reserving 3 sheets) with butter and lay them crumpled over the filling.
Tightly wrap the final, buttered layers on top and brush the top layer with butter.

Score the top of the dough about 1/2" deep with a sharp paring knife. Cut into the dough 6 lines X 4 lines creating squares.
Brush again with butter to allow the pieces to remain intact while baking.
Tuck some of the border dough neatly into the sides of the pan using a knife and brush the border with a final coating of butter.

Bake for 1 1/2 Hours until golden brown.

Remove the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut the squares deeply to serve.
Serve warm.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

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Fig Bundt Cake

I'm a huge fan of recipes made with Figs. I think this would make an incredible Easter Dessert.
Eventually I'll consolidate all of my favorite Fig recipes into one post.

"Dried mission figs are a bit smaller and sweeter than the Calimyrna variety. Also known as Black mission figs, they have a deep purple skin that appears black when dried, and a slight pinkish hue on the inside."

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees.
1 - Bundt Pan with a Simple Design. I wouldn't use a very detailed design for this one. Brushed well with Pan Release Mix. (equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil, Flour) I start with 1 C of each mixed well and refrigerated in a jar. I always have it available for all of my baking needs. This mix is a fool proof release for even the most detailed Bundt Pan design.


Fig Bundt Cake:

2 C Water
1 Pound of Dried Mission Figs
1/2 C Amaretto Liqueur (I use Amaretto di Saronno)
1/8 tsp Almond Extract
2 C Dark Brown Sugar
1 C Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
3 C Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Powdered Ginger
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1 C Toasted, chopped Pecans (I toast whole Pecans on the stove in a dry Cast Iron Skillet)
Confectioner's Sugar for Dusting.

In a Saucepan on low heat:
Water
Figs
Simmer just until reconstituted and soft.
Remove from heat.
Drain and roughly chop the Figs.

In a Food Processor:
Figs
Amaretto
Almond Extract
Process until well blended and smooth.
Transfer to a Small Mixing Bowl.

In a Large Mixing bowl:
Sugar
Oil
Eggs
Whisk well.

Add:
Fig Mixture
Mix well.
Stir in, with a Spatula or Wooden Spoon:
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Cinnamon
Ginger
Cardamom
Pecans
Mix well.

Transfer the Batter to the Pan.
Bake for 60 minutes.
Remove Pan to a Rack and cool for 10 minutes.
Invert the Cake onto a Rack to cool completely.

Transfer to a Serving Platter.
Just prior to serving: Dust with Confectioner's Sugar.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

King Arthur Flour's Original Cake Pan Cake

This could be considered  a vintage recipe. It was created at King Arthur Flour. I decided to post a link to the recipe to give it full credit.
I look forward to making it. One of the appealing things about this recipe is that I have recently purchased  8" X 8" and  9" X 9" Square Pans that have perfectly straight sides. I really like them I have no idea why, but I do.

King Arthur Flour's Original Cake Pan Cake

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Hotel Waffle Batter

When we travel, we love Hotels that serve a Continental Breakfast that includes Waffles. For some reason they always come out perfect. We recently returned from a trip and had Waffles at our Hotel. When we returned home we ordered a Waffle Maker like the one the Hotel used. They make thick round Waffles similar to a Belgian Waffle. The Waffle Maker has a handle that flips over so the Waffles bake evenly on both sides and there's a timer to make sure they bake for the proper amount of time, resulting in the perfect Waffle.
Here's a recipe for Hotel Waffle Batter.

Delicious Waffles with Butter and Warm
Maple Syrup.

Hotel Waffle Batter:

6 Eggs
1/3 C Vegetable Oil
1 C Whole Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 C Granulated Sugar
2 C Cake Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 TBS Baking Powder

In a large mixing bowl:
Eggs
Oil
Milk
Vanilla
Sugar
Whisk well.

In another bowl, sift together:
Flour
Salt
Baking Powder
Whisk well.
Stir into the Wet Ingredients.
Whisk well until Creamy Smooth.

Bake according to the Waffle Maker's directions.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Tex - Mex Scrambled Egg Bake

Here's another great Breakfast or Brunch recipe from Texas!

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 - 9" X 13" Glass Baking Dish, sprayed with a vegetable cooking spray.

12 Eggs
16 oz. Sour Cream
1 C Chunky Pace Picanté Sauce
1 C  Fresh Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
1- 4 oz. can of Diced Green Chiles, undrained.
1 C Fresh Grated Cheddar Cheese.

In the Baking Dish, Layer in the following order:
Picante Sauce
Pepper Jack Cheese
Green Chiles
Eggs and Sour Cream whisked together.
Cheddar Cheese
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes.
Serve Hot!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Apricot Glazed, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

I have a couple of  Pie recipes using Cinnamon Rolls for the Crust. They're both very different recipes.
I've researched many similar recipes and here's another favorite that I've adapted for the Blog. You can either purchase the Crust or make your own.

Here are my favorite Apples to use in Pie:
They're listed in order of my preference. All of these will hold up well in a Pie Recipe.
#1- Jonagold
#2- Winesap
#3- Melrose
#4- Honeycrisp
#5- Braeburn

Apricot Glazed, Apple, Cinnamon Roll Pie

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1 - 9" Pie Pan, I prefer Glass for this one so you can see the Cinnamon Roll Crust.

2 - 9" Pie Crusts. Make your own or purchase remade crusts.
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla
4 TBS Butter, melted + Additional for the Topping Apple Slices.
6 Baking Apples, divided.
1/2 C Granulated Sugar
3 1/2  TBS Water, divided.
1/2 C Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves

For this recipe you'll make a Crust, Filling, Topping and Glaze.

Crust:
Roll 2 Crusts together with a Rolling Pin.

In a Mixing Bowl:
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Butter
Mix well.
Spread evenly over the Crust.
Roll tightly into a log.
Cut into 1/2" slices.
Place them between 2 sheets of Parchment Paper and roll out to 1/4" thickness.
Press them into the Pie Pan on the bottom and up the sides (overlapping the rim).
Fold the ones along the rim in half and gently press the edge with a fork to create a decorative edge.
Refrigerate while you make the Filling.

Filling:
In a Saucepan on Medium Heat:
4 - Baking Apples, Peeled, Cored and Roughly Chopped.
Granulated Sugar
2 TBS Water
Cook until tender but not mushy.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Topping:
2- Baking Apples, Peeled, Cored and Thinly Sliced.

Add the Filling to the Pie Pan and spread out evenly.
Top it with the Sliced Apples.
Brush well with Additional Melted Butter.
Bake for 45 - 55 minutes.

Glaze:
In a Saucepan on Low Heat:
Apricot Preserves
1 1/2 TBS Water
Heat just until well combined and warm.
Brush evenly over the Sliced Apples.

Serve individual slices with Homemade Whipped Cream:


Homemade Whipped Cream:

1 C Heavy Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
1 TBS Confectioner's Sugar.
Whip the Cream in a Stand Mixer with a Whisk Attachment.
Beat to Soft Peak.
Add:
Vanilla
Confectioner's Sugar
Beat to Stiff Peak.
Transfer to a Serving Bowl to serve.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!