Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

It's spring in northern New York and the rhubarb is plentiful!!! My friend Donna brought me some of the smallest, sweetest rhubarb I have ever had. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try and after having a piece, I think this is my new favorite rhubarb recipe!!!!

Crumb topping:
4 Tbsp. butter, melted then add
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash of salt
Combine until crumbly... set aside

Butter a 9 inch round cake pan, then cut up  4 Tbsp. of butter and place them all over the bottom of the cake pan.

In bowl, combine 3 cups rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
and 3/4 cup sugar.
Let stand a few minutes.

In another bowl combine
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
with electric mixer until  it is pale and fluffy then add
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp. orange juice.
When combined add
2 eggs, one at a time
Then mix in:
 1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
When that mixture is well incorporated fold in
1 cup sour cream
until it is well combined.

Put the rhubarb mix on top of the butter in the cake pan. Carefully spread the cake batter over top. Then sprinkle the crumb topping on last.
Bake at 350  about an hour till the center tests clean with a toothpick. 

 Let cool for ten minutes then invert on a wire rack to cool.

Snickerdoodles!!!

Isn't it funny how a taste, a smell , even a sound, can take you back decades in a flash?? Well that's what baking and eating snickerdoodles does for me. It is one of the cookies that I remember that my grandmother, Mema, made all of the time.  If I was lucky to be at her home when she was baking, then I got to eat one when they were warm!!! Now that I am all grown up , and the boss of me, I always get to eat the warm cookies !!!!
I do not have Mema's recipe, but this is the one that I have used for years. It is quite different because it uses butter and crisco. I am sure Mema's were made with just crisco because fifty years ago , that is what people used when they baked!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In small bowl combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon . Set aside to roll the cookie balls in .
In large bowl combine
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup crisco
1 1/2 cups sugar
Beat with electric mixer at medium speed  until light and fluffy.
Add
2 eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
Reduce speed to low and add
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Just mix until all the dry ingredients are combined.
Roll 2 Tbsp. dough  into a ball, then roll into the sugar/cinnamon mix until coated on all sides.
Put on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are beginning to brown ... centers will be soft ....
Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before putting on a rack to cool.

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

I was so anxious to try this new recipe I had just come across, that it did not matter that it was warm and sunny outside.  It was the perfect day for grilling, but instead our meal came from a crock pot!!!

1 pkg. [10 oz.] frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out of
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups matchstick carrots
2 [10 oz.] packages refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups Italian blended cheeses, shredded
uncooked lasagna noodles
1/4 cup fresh basil

Combine spinach, chicken, carrots, Alfredo sauce, soup, broth, pepper and 3 cups of the cheese.
 Put a quarter of the sauce in a greased 6 quart crock pot. Then put a layer of uncooked lasagna, breaking them to fit. Repeat layers two more times, then end with a layer of the sauce. Sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese over the top.
Cook on Low for 3 1/2 hours until noodles are soft and the mixture is bubbly and browning around the edges. Remove cover and cook for 30 more minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving..

Okay... I used my 6 quart crock pot but this was done in closer to 3 hours... than 3 1/2 and the bottom was pretty crunchy. It also only filled the crock pot maybe a little more than half way. The next time I think I will make it in the 4 quart crock pot and hope that the bottom doesn't brown !  I did not use matchstick carrots but instead cut small carrots in small rounds. They were a little on the crunchy side. Matchstick carrots probably would have been cooked all of the way through. 

We absolutely loved this casserole!!!!  It is very rich, but so full of flavors and so easy to throw together. This is also the first time I have ever come across a crock recipe that calls for cooking with the top off for a certain period of time.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

How boring are chocolate chip cookies? It seems like they all  taste basically the same. Until now. I just came across this recipe and have made it twice in the last two weeks. These are bakery style chewy cookies.

2 1/2 cups flour
1  1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
2 sticks butter, at room temp
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchments , unless you have fabulous nonstick cookie sheets like mine!
Sift together flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl cream together both sugars, butter and vanilla  on medium speed, until light and fluffy. About 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the eggs and mix NO MORE than one minute. The eggs with NOT be fully incorporated. With mixer at low speed add dry ingredients , in thirds, beating until well combined,about one to two mintues.  Sprinkle in the chocolate chunks , beating until just combined.

Form mounds of about 1/4 cup batter on cookie sheet. I used the large cookie scoop from Pampered chef, leaving about  2 inches between cookies. Lightly tap each mound down with the palm of your hand then sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel.  The first time I made these, I did not have this but was able to find it in Hannafords, so today's batch got a sprinkling of it.. What is it?? It's a really refined sea salt! Sprinkling salt on a cookie??  Well that's my kind of cookie and I have decided that's probably what is missing from most cookies!
Okay.. back to the recipe... Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 min. Using the Pampered Chef scoop, mine only took about 11 minutes to bake. ***** Okay, just found out that I used the  medium scoop... there is a large scoop... so the medium scoop took 11 minutes and the large scoop will take closer to 18 minutes!...The cookies should be golden brown around the edges but still light in the centers. Let cookies cool on a wire rack. Store in air tight container.

If you don't have the fleur de sel, make the cookies  with out it , as they were still the best chocolate chip cookies I have had. Today I even used chocolate chips in them, instead of the chocolate chunks!!!

Skillet Lasagna

I joined a Cooking Club last month. It sounds very formal but it is really just a group of gals who gather at my friend Erin's house every month to cook together. We make one or two recipes together and then get to eat what we have made!!! It is a nice way to meet new people , have a fun evening out and acquire some new recipes! Yesterday Erin sent the group a bonus recipe and encouraged us to make it on our own. I was a bit hesitant... after all .. skillet lasagna doesn't sound that appealing to a gal who make a quite wonderful pan of lasagna.....from scratch. However, being a good sport, I decided I would give it a try today . I was pleasantly surprised by not only how easy it was..... maybe it took 30 minutes from start to finish.... but how delicious it was!!! Both Mike and I agreed that it was a keeper recipe. Lucky for me, Erin had it in text form so I just had to copy and paste, but do check below the recipe to the changes I made to it... Thanks Erin for another great recipe!

1 jar (24-26 ozL) marinara sauce
3 cups water
8 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb bulk hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 oz Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 cup fresh whole milk ricotta cheese (about 8 oz, see Chef's Corner
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Additional grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine sauce and water in (12-in./30-cm) Skillet. Cover; bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in clean kitchen towel and break crosswise into quarters. Stir noodles into sauce. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. As noodles cook, place sausage into (10-in./25-cm) Skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles using Mix 'N Chop. Add pressed garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir sausage into noodles and sauce.

4. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Chop parsley using Santoku Knife; set aside 1 tbsp (15 mL) parsley for garnish. Combine cheeses, remaining parsley and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl. Scoop cheese mixture over noodles using Medium Scoop. Cover Skillet and simmer gently 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and ricotta mixture is heated through.
5. To serve, sprinkle lasagna with reserved parsley and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 470, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 80 mg, Carbohydrate 41 g, Protein 30 g, Sodium 1200 mg, Fiber 3 g
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 3 medium-fat meat (3 carb)

Cook's Tips: Wrapping lasagna noodles in a clean kitchen towel before breaking into quarters prevents them from scattering around your countertop.
The attractive ruffled edge of regular lasagna noodles add to this dish's visual appeal. No-boil noodles can be used instead of the regular lasagna noodles, if desired. Reduce cooking time of noodles to 10-12 minutes; proceed as recipe directs.

Fresh whole milk ricotta cheese is preferred in this recipe for its smooth texture. Look for fresh ricotta cheese at the deli. Drain off excess liquid before using.

(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012
Added 4/21

I ended up doubling the cheese mix and as you can see , the scoops did not cover the top  of  my 12 inch skillet. The next time I make it I think I will spread the cheese over the top of the lasagna, instead of doing the scoops. Also, I added an small onion, diced, to the sausage when I sauted it and I used Italian sweet pork sausage.. turkey sausage is not allowed in this house!!!!!
My friend Amy from the Club just told me that she made this today and browned the sausage then added the sauce and water and cooked the lasagna, all in one skillet! I will do that the next time I make this!!

Sausage Balls

It is Sunday morning and that means that breakfast is more than a bowl of oatmeal or cheerios!!!! One of our favorite breakfast is sausage balls with eggs over easy and toast. My cousin Nena brought the sausage balls as an appetizer to a family gathering years ago. It was love at first bite for me, but then I love just about anything with sausage in it. I started making them every time I served appetizers but then I decided that they would be absolutely wonderful with eggs for breakfast! So here is the recipe, as I have adapted it for my use.

1 tube of Jimmie Dean sausage- I prefer the regular seasoned one
3/4th of cup of Bisquick
2 cups shredded sharp cheese- I use extra sharp
1/2 of a small onion, grated
1 stalk of celery, grated

Mix with hands. Roll into balls. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 min. turning once. Baking time is dependent on how large you make the balls.

Pork and Veggie Soup

Mike's got a really nasty cold and just does not feel well, so I made soup for our dinner.. Nothing tastes better when you are sick than homemade soup!!! By the way.. I always double this recipe... 


1 boneless pork chop, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
half of a ring of kielbasa, sliced and then each slice quartered
1/4 chopped onion
1 rib celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic,minced
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cups chicken broth
1 granny smith apple, diced {I leave the skin on } 
1 red potato, diced [I leave the skin on } 
1/2 tsp Chinese five -spice
1 tsp. honey

In soup pot, in butter, saute the pork chop, kielbasa, onion, celery and carrots over medium high heat until the pork chop is no longer pink... about 5 minutes. 
Add garlic and paprika...cook one more minute. 
Then add broth, apple, potato,and five spice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 15 min.until pork and veggies are tender. Stir in honey... Then serve.