Nancy's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

When I post a recipe with strawberries and rhubarb, it is tempting to tell you a story that this is is old family recipe, handed down through the generations. But it simply isn't. In fact, it's just a concoction of my own. Sorry the recipe isn't an heirloom, but I hope that it taste is good enough to pass on. :-)

• 1 10oz. package frozen rhubarb, partially thawed
• 1 lb package fresh strawberries, washed trimmed and sliced
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• extra sugar for sprinkling
• 1 package refrigerated pie crust.

1. Place bottom crust in pie tin, dock it, weight it and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. While the crust is cooling, mix in a large bowl, the rhubarb, sliced strawberries, sugar, cinnamon, salt, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
4. Place mixture in the baked bottom crust.
5. Cut the top crust dough in strips about ¾ in wide.
6. Criss-cross the strips on the top of the pie. Use the extended ends of the strips to seal the top to the bottom.
7. Brush the criss-crossed strips with egg white.
8. Sprinkle the dough strips with two tablespoons of sugar.
9. Bake on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
10. Reduce heat to 375 and bake 45 minutes.
11. Turn off oven and let cool on the rack.
12. Refrigerate.
13. When completely cool, cut and serve.

Nancy's Apricot Stuffed Celery

• 8 oz. cream or neufchatel cheese
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 18 dried apricot
• 6 ribs of celery

1. Clean celery under running water and dry. Trim and discard ends. Cut celery into pieces about 3 inches long.
2. Process apricots in the food processor until finely chopped.
3. Using a glass bowl, soften cream cheese in a microwave, 30 seconds at a time on High until softened consistency.
4. Stir into the softened cheese the brown sugar and salt.
5. Add the chopped dried apricots and stir.
6. Fill celery sections and place on plate.
7. Cover and chill until time to serve.

Nancy's Brussel Sprouts

One person thought it looked good and I did actually like it even though no one else in the house liked it, so I will post the recipe.

Nancy’s Brussel Sprouts

• 14 baby brussel sprouts
• ½ teapoon olive oil
• 1 strip of bacon, cooked on a paper towel until crisp in microwave and crumbled
• 1 teaspoon Old Dutch sweet and sour salad dressing
• ¼ teaspoon refrigerated minced garlic (from a jar)
• ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

1. Microwave the brussel sprouts in covered dish for three minutes.
2. Slice the brussel spouts so they are in ribbons or slices.
3. Saute brussel sprouts in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.
4. Add garlic, Old Dutch salad dressing and toss.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, and crumbled bacon.

Serves 2.

A Different Kind of Sundae

I asked my family what they wanted for dinner and being a tease, my son said a sundae. So, here's what I made.

Layer gravy, mashed potatoes, and roast in a sundae dish. Top with a grape tomato.

Below is the recipe for homemade mashed potatoes.

This is a good way to use up leftover roast.

Nancy’s Mashed Potatoes

• 10 medium potatoes, peeled
• ½ stick butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup fat free milk

1. Quarter potatoes
2. Cover potatoes with water.
3. Boil potatoes approximately 20 minutes.
4. Drain potatoes well and return to pan.
5. Add the butter or margarine.
6. Add the salt.
7. Using potato masher, mash well.
8. Add milk and stir well.
9. Serve with gravy if desired.

Nancy's Roast Beef with Root Veggies

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 beef roast, approximately 3 lbs. – I use angus eye of round, but any good roast will do.
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 tablespoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

• 12 potatoes, peeled, washed, and quartered
• 3 large onions, peeled washed, quartered and separate at least some of the sections.
• 1 one pound bag of baby carrots.

1. Spray roaster pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Rub roast on all sides with the salt and pepper that has been measured. The measurements are exact that are listed. It produces perfectly seasoned results.
3. Separate the cloves in the bulb of garlic. Crack the skins of the cloves by placing a knife on each one and smashing it. Peel the skins off and discard them. There should be about 12 cloves of garlic.
4. Cut each clove into 3 to 5 slivers.
5. Cut ½ inch slits into roast on all sides and slip slivers of garlic into each one.
6. Rub the roast with butter or margarine.
7. In a bag, place powdered sugar and flour and shake to mix. (The powdered sugar only serves as a browning agent, not to really sweeten it.)
8. Place roast in the bag and shake to cover.
9. Place the roast in the roaster. And dump any extra flour/powdered sugar mixture into the roasting pan.
10. Remove top oven rack, place the roaster on the bottom rack on the lowest position possible.
11. Create a tent over the roast with aluminum foil.
12. Cover roaster pan with lid.
13. Bake at 275 degrees for 3 hours.
14. Remove lid of roaster and foil of roaster.
15. Bake for 1 hour longer at 275.
16. Add vegetables and 1 and ¾ cups water.
17. Cover with foil and roaster lid again.
18. Bake for 1 hour longer.
19. Remove foil and roast, placing meat on plate.
20. Stir vegetables to make sure they are well coated.
21. Return the open roasting pan with vegetables to the oven for 30 minutes more.
22. While vegetables continue to roast, let meat rest on plate for 15 minutes.
23. Slice roast. It will appear that the garlic just sort of disappeared (although you will see the slits in the slices of meat.
24. Plate meat on serving plate. At the end of the 30 minutes, stir the vegetables one more time.
25. Using serving spoon, plate vegetables.
26. Add gravy that has formed from the roasting pan.
27. Serve and enjoy.

Nancy's Tiramisu

Garnish:

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for each top and bottom
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon for each top and bottom

Loaf:

• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup very hot water
• ½ cup Kahlua
• 12 dry ladyfingers (cut crosswise)

1. Beat thoroughly the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, and 1/3 cup powdered sugar.
2. Mix ½ cup very hot water and Kahlua and place in a separate bowl.
3. Cut the 12 dry ladyfingers crosswise. This will allow the liquid to penetrate the ladyfingers.
4. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
5. Cut a piece of waxed paper to shape and place in the bottom of the loaf pan.
6. Spoon enough of the cheese mixture to cover the bottom of the pan.
7. Soak one at a time ladyfingers in the Kahlua mixture for 30 seconds.
8. Place in the pan so that as the Tiramisu is sliced that you can see rounds of the ladyfinger sticks.
9. Cover with some more of the cheese mixture.
10. Repeat the layering with some more of the soaked ladyfingers
11. Cover with some more of the cheese mixture.
12. Keep repeating this procedure until all the ingredients are gone (the cheese mixture should be the top layer).
13. Sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve on the top layer of the Tiramisu.
14. Sprinkle cinnamon through the sieve on the top layer of the Tiramisu.
15. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate, at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
16. Remove waxed paper and invert loaf of Tiramisu on a plate.
17. Remove the layer of waxed paper of the inverted Tiramisu.
18. Sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve on the inverted top layer of the Tiramisu.
19. Sprinkle cinnamon through the sieve on the inverted top layer of the Tiramisu.
20. Slice and serve with fruit (optional).

Glorified Pork Chops

• 1-2 pounds pork chops or a pork tenderloin sliced into ½ inch – ¾ inch medallions
• Adolph’s seasoned meat tenderizer
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Canola or olive oil
• 1 can reduced fat Cream of Celery Soup
• 1 8oz container of lite Sour Cream
• ¾ cup of fat free milk

1. Sprinkle pork with tenderizer on all sides and let rest for 15 minutes.
2. Shake pork pieces in a bag of flour.
3. Pour enough oil to keep from sticking on the bottom of a skillet and heat to medium high.
4. When oil is hot enough to cause meat to sizzle, placed floured pork in skillet.
5. Salt and pepper pork pieces as much as you typically do to other meats. Brown floured meat.
6. Turn pieces and repeat salt and peppering. Brown other sides of floured pork.
7. Place lid on frying pan and let cook on medium to low heat for about 10 minutes.
8. Remove pieces of pork to plate.
9. Dump rest of flour in skillet and let brown. After flour is browned, pour any extra oil off.
10. Add the Cream of Celery soup to the browned flour bits and stir.
11. Add the Lite Sour Cream and stir. Add the milk and bring heat to just under boiling. Do not let this mixture boil or it will curdle.
12. Remove from heat.
13. Add the pork chops (medallions) back to the pan and stir to make sure they are coated.
14. You can use the extra gravy on fried potatoes or mashed potatoes if you wish.
15. Serve.
16. Enjoy.