Last weekend the rains stopped for about 5 minutes, so I was able to take my son out for our annual strawberry picking adventure before the season was over. We ended up with 4 quarts (which I thought was pretty good considering a 4 year old's attention span). Plenty to make into a variety of tasty treats. We started with the standard strawberry shortcakes (biscuit kind for me). Then I started searching for something a little different. My search led me to this a blog were I found not one, not two, but three great strawberry recipes. I started with the Strawberry Muffins so we could have some quick breakfast treats to grab in the morning. Then I spotted the Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal bars, which I promise to make as soon as I can raid my friend's patch of rhubarb. Finally I had planned to make a strawberry pie to take to a 4th of July picnic this weekend, but then spotted a recipe for this Berry Crostata. Looks like a pie, tastes like a pie, but sounds like it is easier to make then a pie. My perfect combination. The only downfall of my find was that I saw what a recipe blog should look like; great photos, knowledgeable information, and postings more then once every two weeks. So for humor come to The Baker Babe but for great recipes go to "A Recipe a Day". Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Potluck Part Two - Chewy Flapjacks
Not thinking that my pasta dish was enough for the past potluck I had, I decided to add a dessert to the mix. Since I had done my cookbook research, I found a unique recipe in The Cookie and Biscuit Bible called Chewy Flapjacks. Basically it looked like making a simple granola type bar with LOTS more sugar. I was faced with the dilemma of not having enough oatmeal, so decided to cut the recipe in half. My version also added orange flavored craisins to the mix. In the end I ended up with slightly sticky bars with great citrus flavor. I am happy to report that they were a hit and my potluck reputation at work has been established. Enjoy!
Chewy Flapjacks
1 cup butter
Finely grated rind of one large orange
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup craisins or raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 11x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Put the butter, orange rind, syrup and sugar in a large pan and heat over low heat until butter melts. Add the oats and raisins to the pan and stir to mix. Put the mixture into the baking pan and spread evenly to the edges. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just beginning to color around the edges. Leave to cool in the pan. Once completely cool, lift out of pan and cut into little bars.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Walnut Pesto Pasta - Potluck Perfect Dish
Potlucks used to be the common way for family, friends and work events. Everyone would bring a homemade dish, showcase their recipes and have a nice relaxing meal. Ladies and gentlemen, those days are over. When a potluck was announced at my work last week, you would have thought they were announcing layoffs the stress level was so high. People wondering what they should bring or for most of them what should they buy. Some wanted themes and others wanted to just run. On my end it came to the night before and since time had run out for me to run to the store, I was faced with attempting to make something from my pantry or doing the store run on the way to work in the morning. I decided I would take my cookbooks out for 5 minutes of inspiration and soon after I had my a-hah moment. Since I wanted a dish that didn't need to be heated up and would be a little different, I decided to make Walnut Pesto Pasta. It was quick, easy and got to feature my newly planted basil. Normally I am not one to experiment with new ideas when shared with others, but luckily this turned out great plus I found a new way to make pasta that I can jazz up in different ways for future dinners (adding chicken or different veggies to it). Did I also mention that it has the super foods of walnuts and olive oil in it, making it a perfect, perfect, perfect summer potluck dish for you. Enjoy!
Walnut Pesto Pasta
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups your choice of pasta
Cook pasta as directed and set aside. Toast walnuts in the microwave on High for 2 minutes, stirring after 30 second intervals until toasted. Place walnuts, basil, olive oil, garlic and pepper in a food processor and chop for about 1 minute. Toss pasta with pesto and enjoy either warm or cold.
