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.
Country Plum Tart
Just spoon the filling in the center of the pastry circle and leave a 2 inch boarder around the filling. Gently fold the pastry edge over the filling. Pleat the pastry as necessary to keep it flat against the fruit. Use the parchment to lift the pastry. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
INGREDIENTS
1 Recipe For A Single Crust Pie
1/4 Cup Sugar
4 Teaspoons Unbleached Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Ginger
2 Cups Sliced Plums
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Cinnamon Sugar
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Prepare the pastry for a single crust pie. On a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper roll the pastry into a 13 inch circle. Slide the paper with the pastry onto a baking sheet and set aside. For the filling you will want to get a large size bowl. Stir together the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the slice plums and lemon juice. Toss until well coated. Mound the filling in the center of the pastry. Leave the outer 2 inches uncovered. Fold the uncovered pastry up over the filling. Pleat as necessary. Sprinkle the filling and pastry with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 50 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden. You may want to cover the edge of the tart with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Makes 1 Country Plum Tart and serves 4. 
Basic Herbed Salad Dressing
A good salad requires a good homemade dressing. Here is my recipe for a good Basic Herbed Salad Dressing. If you’re not a garlic fan then feel free to just leave it out.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Basil
1 Finely Minced Garlic Clove
In a large size bowl whisk together all of the ingredients. Let the dressing sit for an hour at room temperature. Pour onto your favorite green salad, toss and serve. Makes 1 serving.
Farfalle With Mushrooms
If you’re looking for a quick Friday night dinner then look no further. Here is a delicious and quick meal to close out the work week.
INGREDIENTS
12 Ounces Farfalle (or Bow Tie Pasta)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Chopped Onion
2 Cups Sliced Portobello or Fresh Mushroom of Your Choice
5 Minced Garlic Cloves
4 Cups Thinly Sliced Fresh Spinach (Optional)
2 Teaspoons Fresh Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
In a large pot, filled with water, cook the farfalle according to package directions. Make sure not to overcook the pasta. Drain, but do not rinse. Rinsing pasta is a big no no in Italian cooking. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. You will want the mushrooms to be nearly tender. Stir in the spinach, thyme, kosher salt and pepper. Cook for another minute. Stir in the cooked farfalle and toss gently to mix. Transfer to a pasta bowl and sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan cheese. Serves 4
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.
Sentimental Sugar Cookies
I grew up making and eating these delicious Sugar Cookies. Sentimental Sugar Cookies are great all year round cookies as well as holiday cookies. You can use colored sugar on the top or leave them plain.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
1/2 Cup Shortening
2 Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Egg Yolks
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
Preheat your oven to 300° F. In a large size bowl beat together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer on high for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Beat until well combined. Now beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Turn your mixer to low and beat in the flour. Remove the beaters and shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Place the cookie balls 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes until the edges are set. Make sure not to let the edges brown. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 3 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Decorate with colored sugars if you desire. Makes 48 cookies.
Easy Baklava
Here is an Easy Baklava recipe. You will find phyllo dough in the freezer section of your grocery store. This dessert is sure to become a big hit with family and friends.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Phyllo Dough
1 Pound Finely Chopped Walnuts
1 Pound Unsalted Butter
1 Pound Honey
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Cups Water
Preheat your oven to 350° F. You will need an oblong pan that is the size of the phyllo sheets – approximately 9×13 inches. Generously butter the pan. Add 8 sheets of phyllo dough to the pan. Butter the phyllo dough. Add a thin layer of nuts and then add a layer of phyllo dough. Make sure to generously butter each layer of the phyllo dough. You will want your phyllo dough covering each layer well. Alternate the nuts and plyllo layers until you end with the phyllo dough. Make sure to use ALL of the butter. Cut the Baklava into diamond shaped pieces before baking. Make sure that you cut all the way to the bottom of the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Keep an eye on your baklava as you don’t want it overcooked. You will want the Baklava to be golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool, in the pan, on a wire rack. Now it’s time to make the sauce. In a large size pan cook together the honey, sugar, cinnamon sticks and water. Bring to a boil and make sure to skim off any foam. Allow the mixture to boil until it is quite thickened. Taste test the sauce. If you need to add an additional 1/2 cup of sugar than go ahead. When the sauce is thickened, allow to cool. Remove the cinnamon sticks and throw them away. Pour the cooled sauce over the baked Baklava. Makes about 3 dozen.
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
Apple Dumplings
It’s apple season so let’s make Apple Dumplings.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Water
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Butter (Cut Up)
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2/3 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Half & Half
2 Tablespoons Chopped Raisins
2 Tablespoons Chopped Walnuts
1 Tablespoon Honey
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
6 Green Apples
2 Tablespoons Butter
Preheat your oven to 350° F. You will want to make the sauce first. In a medium size pan combine the water, the 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Finally add the 1/2 cup butter, stir, remove from the heat and set aside. Next you will want to make the pastry. In a medium size bowl combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until the pieces are pea size. Do this using either a fork or a pastry blender. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the half & half over part of the flour mixture. Gently toss with a fork. You will now push the moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening the dough with another tablespoon of half & half. Repeat until all of the dough is moistened. You may not need to use the entire 1/2 cup of half & half. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to an 18×12 inch rectangle. Cut into six 6 inch squares. In a small bowl combine the raisins, walnuts and honey. In a separate bowl stir together 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon and set aside. Core and peel the apples. Place an apple on each pastry square. Fill the apples with the raisin mixture. Sprinkle with the sugar & cinnamon mixture. Dot each with a 1 teaspoon of butter. Moisten the edges of pastry squares with water. Gather the corners around the apples. Pinch to seal. Place the dumpling in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Heat the sauce, again, to boiling and then pour over the dumplings. Bake (uncovered) for 1 hour. You will want the apples to be tender and the pastry to be golden. Spoon the sauce over the warm dumplings and serve. Serves 6
Waffles
Getting the lightest waffles is much easier if you separate the eggs. Mix the yolks into the butter, milk and wet ingredients. Beat the egg whites separately until they are stiff and then gently fold them into the batter just before cooking them on a hot waffle iron.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
2 Eggs
1 3/4 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
In a medium size bowl combing the flour, sugar, baking powder and kosher salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and then set aside. In a separate medium size bowl combine the milk, oil, vanilla and egg yolks. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until the batter is moistened. Don’t worry if the batter looks a bit lumpy. Beat the egg whites in a small size bowl until they are stiff. Gently fold them into the batter. Pour the batter onto a preheated and lightly greased waffle iron. Close the lid quickly and do not open until done. When your waffle is done use a fork to lift the waffle off of the grid. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm. Makes about 14 waffles.
