Ribs With Peaches
These ribs are great for dinner. Just put them in the slow cooker in the morning and when you come home from work you and your family will have a delicious meal. If you are having a party these ribs make a good appetizer.
INGREDIENTS
4 Pounds Pork Spareribs
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
15 Ounces Cubed Cling Peaches With Juice
Preheat your oven to broil. Put the ribs onto a foil lined broiler pan and broil for 10 minutes. Cut the ribs into serving size pieces. Place into your slow cooker. In a medium size bowl combine the brown sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, garlic, kosher salt, pepper and cubed peaches with their juice. Pour the mixture over the ribs and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours. If you don't have a slow cooker then put them in the oven at 250° for 4 to 5 hours. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Serves 4
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
I don’t know a single person that can resist mashed potatoes. The olive oil and garlic are what makes these mashed potatoes so great!
INGREDIENTS
4 Pounds Quartered Red Potatoes
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves
2/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Softened Butter
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2/3 Cup Milk
4 Chopped Green Onions
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fill a large stock pot with water and place the quartered potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Make sure that the potatoes are tender. You will now need to put the olive oil and garlic in either a food processor or blender. Process until the olive oil and garlic are well blended. When the potatoes are done you will need to drain them. DO NOT rinse the potatoes. Turn off the heat and return the potatoes to the stock pot and gradually add the cream, butter, milk, kosher salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes well. Stir in the green onions, garlic olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve nice and hot. These potatoes do not need gravy. Serves 6
Four Bean Salad
This is one of my favorite salads. Quite the guilty pleasure as it does have quite a bit of sugar. Sometimes I like to mix it with a green salad just to change it up a bit. My Four Bean Salad is great for a barbeque, picnic or potluck dinner.
INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Celery Salt
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Minced Garlic Clove
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
16 Ounces Drained Canned Garbanzo Beans
32 Ounces Drained Canned Green Beans
16 Ounces Drained Yellow Wax Beans
16 Ounces Drained Canned Red Kidney Beans
1 Diced Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Diced Red Onion
In a medium size bowl combine the sugar, celery salt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a separate large bowl combine the garbanzo beans, green beans, yellow wax beans and red kidney beans. The beans should be well drained. Add the diced red bell pepper and diced red onion. Toss to combine the ingredients well. Pour the dressing over the beans and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours. This salad needs to marinate. Serves 8
Fresh Corn Soup
I am certainly enjoying the corn harvest and have been making all sorts of corn dishes like corn salad, corn salsa, corn chowder, corn cakes and corn bread. Try making my corn soup with freshly picked corn. Make sure to use the fresh picked corn right away as it does have a tendency to lose some of its sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
1 Diced Onion
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 1/2 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
5 Ears Freshly Picked Corn
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear of corn upright on its wide end, then use a serrated knife to carefully saw down the length of the cob, rotating and repeating until all of the kernels are removed. Set the kernels aside. Melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot. Add the diced onion, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Add the corn kernels and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. In batches puree in a blender or food processor. Pour the pureed soup through a mesh strainer back into the cooking pot. Add the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Stir and heat for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining freshly ground pepper. Serves 4
Single Crust Pastry Dough
If you want to make a double crust then just double the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter – Cut Up
1/4 Cup Ice Water
In a medium size bowl stir together the flour and salt. With either two forks or a pastry blender cut in the butter until the pieces are pea size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ice water over the flour mixture. Toss with one of the forks. Push the moistened pastry to the side of the bowl. Repeat the moistening of the flour mixture by using 1 tablespoon of the ice water at a time until the flour mixture is moistened and you’ve used all of the ice water. Gather the flour mixture into a ball and knead gently until it holds together. On a lightly floured surface use your hands to slightly flatten the pastry. Roll the pastry from the center to the edges into a circle which should be about 12 inches in diameter. Makes 1 pie crust.
Victoria's Peach Jam
I love making peach jam, but I love eating it throughout the year even more! You will need about 3 pounds of peaches for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Peeled & Finely Chopped Peaches
7 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
3 Ounces Liquid Fruit Pectin
In a large heavy pan combine the peaches, sugar and lemon juice. Heat over a medium high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. Add the liquid pectin. Bring to a full boil. Boil hard for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly skim off the foam with a spoon. Ladle at once into hot, sterilized half pint canning jars. Leave a 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and adjust the lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool on racks. Makes 7 half pints.
Oven Fried Drumsticks
These chicken drumsticks will cook more quickly and evenly if you place them in a single layer in the baking pan. If you don’t have a pan large enough then divide the oil and drumsticks between two baking pans.
INGREDIENTS
10 Drumsticks
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Preheat your oven to 450° F. Pour the olive oil evenly over the bottom of a large baking pan (15x10x1 inch). In a large size bowl combine the flour, smoked paprika, ground pepper, kosher salt and garlic powder. Mix well and pour into a medium size paper bag. Add the drumsticks two at a time to the bag. Shake to coat the drumsticks. Repeat until you have shaken all of the chicken. Arrange the drumsticks in the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn once about 15 minutes into cooking. Cook until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Serve nice and hot. Serves 4 to 5
Cipollini Glazed Onions
Cipollini or Italian pearl onions are noted for their sweetness and flat shape. To peel easily, drop them whole into boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to cold water. Cut the root end and gently squeeze toward the stem end.
INGREDIENTS
16 Ounces Cipollini Onions
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
3 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup White Wine
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a medium size sauté pan melt the butter over a medium high heat. Add the cipollini onions and the kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sugar. Cook for 3 minutes to glaze the onions. Add the white wine. Place all of the combined ingredients into a medium sized greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serves 6
Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin
Fall is around the corner and my Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin is the perfect fall dish. It’s easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Thinly Sliced Granny Smith Apples
1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Slices White Bread
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Pounds Peeled and Chopped Sweet Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size bowl combine the apples and lemon juice. Add the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, butter, salt and pepper. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes and then stir the mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes after stirring. Put the bread in a blender or food processor and pulse until you have coarse bread crumbs. In a small size bowl combine the bread crumbs, olive oil and nutmeg. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the potato mixture. Bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
Victoria’s Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Softened Butter
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 1/2 Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a large size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside. In a separate large bowl mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until fluffy. If you are using an electric mixer then beat on medium for 1 minute. On a low speed add the flour mixture a little at a time. Mix for 1 minute. Add the old-fashioned rolled oats and dark chocolate chips and mix to combine. Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of cookie batter on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not over bake. These cookies are best just a touch underdone. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing. Remove and transfer to wire racks to completely cool. Transfer to a cookie plate and just try not to eat them all. Trust me… they won’t last long. Makes about 3 dozen.
