"Tuesday's with Dorie"... Whole Wheat Bread

I really like this recipe. It came together very easily and taste fantastic. I think the malt helps to give it a richer wheat flavor and yet, you don't get that heavy dry taste that you often get with whole wheat bread.

You can check out other great TWD recipes at "Tuesday's with Dorie". Come join the group and bake with us!

National Cheeseburger Day!

       So what actually makes up just a plain old fashioned Cheeseburger and what fixin's do you like to put on yours?
        Historically, "It's as American as, well, American cheese. But that’s as far as the patty’s origin gets narrowed down. Various eating establishments (mostly in California) claim to have invented the cheeseburger. The Pasadena Sun did due diligence in investigating the burger’s background and while it heavily leans toward one over the other, it’s left undecided. The front runner for the American classic is “The Rite Spot” in Pasadena, California. Legend has it, one of the cooks there, Lionel Clark Stenberger, slapped a piece of cheese on his burger and the rest was history. The year was around 1924, but could have been more like 1927. Backing up this assertion, the other main family laying claim to cheeseburger’s fame reportedly worked at the Rite Spot before going out on their own. While it took some American ingenuity to slap meat on some bread and render it a hand held sandwich, the concept of the patty itself was brought to the United States by German immigrants who had become fans of the Hamburg Steak. This cheap, chopped or roughly ground beef was mixed with fillers like breadcrumbs, suet and onions, bound with eggs and seasoned with nutmeg. The meat, often salted and smoked for preservation, was brought over to the United States by immigrants on the Hamburg America Line and became a popular menu item on New York City restaurants that catered to German sailors and European immigrants, hungry for the flavors of home. Time Magazine's Josh Ozersky asserts in his 2008 book, "The Hamburger: A History" that the modern day incarnation of the formed patty between two halves of a bun is "an American invention" with endless regional variations like the Connecticut steamed cheeseburger, Mississippi slugburger or Oklahoma onion burger. Various inventors have laid claim to that innovation, from Charles "Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen, a vendor at the Seymour Fair in Wisconsin in 1885 and Fletcher Davis in Athens, Texas in the 1880s, to Frank and Robert Menches at the Erie Agricultural Fair in Hamburg, New York in 1885 (they also take credit for the invention of the ice cream cone at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904), or possibly Louis Lassen at Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut in 1900."
       Aside from all the history rumors, I believe that cheese burgers date back way before that, Any time man takes meat and slaps it between two pieces of bread, you have a burger... right? and they have been doing that since the beginning of time. :)
      My favorite way to eat a burger all depends on my mood. I love a thick juicy burger prepared using the same recipe as I use for my meatloaf. I like to mix a combination of meats like ground beef, pork and turkey.  Some grated carrots and onions, sauce, seasonings and bread crumbs, using an egg to bind in all together. Next, I get very creative with all the things I add on top... I have never made the same burger twice!

"Tuesday's with Dorie"... Nectarine Chiffon Upside Down Cake

This was a crazy cake, but tasted amazing. For the most part I found the recipe to be simple just time consuming. Which in, by no means, is a bad thing... It was easy to assemble and smelled delicious while baking. Mine drooped a bit in the center and yet I found it to be completely cooked all the way through. I am not sure that I would make this same recipe again, I am more of a southern cobbler type girl. :)

You can check out other great TWD recipes at "Tuesday's with Dorie". Come join the group and bake with us!

Peach Wedding Punch - Davis Wedding

We had a very wonderful and successful evening. It was our first official catering event here in Myrtle Beach and it went off without a flaw. We made all the food for the buffet, we also provided the dividing wall and extra touches. Our menu included a Chocolate Fountain with dip-able goodies like, strawberries, cherries, marshmallows, pineapple, bananas and oreos. We also served chickens salad filled cream puffs, veggie tray, peel & eat shrimp, baked cheese & southern style pimento cheese ball with crackers, and our new...

 

 

Peach Wedding Punch

1 container of Tropicana Peach Orchard Punch
1 (2 liter ) bottle Sprite
1 cup V-8 Splash Tropical Blend

Chill all at least three hours before serving, this makes one full punch bowl and for 200 people you will need at least 4 punch bowls full. Also if you would like to add the fruited ice ring that you see pictured, it is very easy to do, but remember it needed to be put into freeze the night before.

To make the ice ring, we use a bunt pan with a center cone. Place all of the following in the bottom of the pan, cover with water (about 4 cups) and freeze until solid.
1 large can of Mandarin Oranges drained
9 maraschino cherries
9 mint leaves
5 slices of limes
5 slices of lemons

Zucchini Relish

10 cups ground unpeeled zucchini 2 cups ground unpeeled yellow summer squash 1/2 ground carrots 4 cups ground onion 6 tablespoons canning salt 1/2 red bell pepper, ground 1/2 green bell pepper, ground 6 cups white sugar  Place the zucchini, squash, carrots and onion in a large, non-metallic bowl, and sprinkle the salt over the top. Use your hands to evenly mix the salt throughout the veggies. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, drain the zucchini mixture in a colander, and rinse well under cold water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside. Place the red and green bell pepper, sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch into a large pot. Add the nutmeg, turmeric, celery seed and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the drained zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, sterilize 7 one-pint jars and lids to hold relish. Pack relish into sterilized jars, making sure there are no spaces or air pockets. Fill jars all the way to top. Screw on lids.  Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with boiling water. Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.  Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).

2 1/2 cups white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Zucchini Bread

About a week ago a friend of mine gave me this gigantically huge zucchini and I haven't really had any time to do anything with it. So today, we are making zucchini bread out of half of it and the other half will be zucchini relish tomorrow.

My favorite Zucchini bread recipe came from my Aunt... This is delicious zucchini bread made with ground zucchini, ground up with one of the old hand grinders. I love my grinder, it beats any modern day food processor.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded raw zucchini
• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preparation:

I like to make this recipe using my hands...
Rest ground zucchini in vegetable strainer for about 10 minutes, squeeze gently to remove extra liquid. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, and oil together. Stir in the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and nuts, mixing just until all ingredients are combined and moist. Add drained zucchini. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350°, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes clean. 

Blackberry Pie

Yesterday morning on Facebook, Pillsbury® had posted this very yummy looking Blackberry pie picture and recipe that caught my eye. In reading through the recipe, it sounded very easy and had a little different twist on a traditional pie. So I picked up some fresh blackberries, I thought about it all morning and I drooled over it all afternoon. After much patience and waiting, it was finally dessert time and I was very sadly disappointed. It was overly sweet and very pasty tasting. I would have much rather just had a big piece of traditional Blackberry pie. 



1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box

1

 cup cold water

3

 tablespoons cornstarch

1 

cup sugar

3 

tablespoons corn syrup

1 

box (1.4 oz) blackberry-flavored gelatin OR 1/2 box (3-oz size) (3 1/2 tablespoons) black cherry-flavored gelatin

8

 drops blue food color

4

 cups fresh blackberries

1 

container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Extra blackberries for garnish, if desired

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Bake pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, mix water and cornstarch; add sugar and corn syrup. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and slightly thickens. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin and food color. Cool completely in refrigerator, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Mix in blackberries. Spread in baked shell. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Serve pie with topping and extra blackberries. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Makes 8 servings