Blueberry Pie

I've tried a few different recipes for fresh blueberry pie but the one out of the 1989 Betty Crocker cookbook is the best. 

Recipe...

Buy 2 ready made pie crusts for a 9 inch pie

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (if desired)
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice (store bought or fresh squeezed)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter (you can use salted or unsalted)

Heat oven to 425 degrees
Prepare your bottom pastry in the pie pan
Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and then stir in blueberries
Pour blueberry mixture into pie crust and sprinkle lemon juice on top
Cut up butter into small pieces and place all over top of blueberries
Cover with top crust and cut slits into top
Press edges of top and bottom pie crusts together
Cover edges of pie with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil. Remove foil last 15 minutes of baking

Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust - 35 to 45 minutes

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I made an egg wash and added pink course sugar since I couldn't find my clear course sugar.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think.

Thanks, Jearise

Crepe Recipes (easy verses regular recipe)

I tried two different recipes and I have to say it's best to take the long road instead of the easy road.

I made the easy recipe first and tried it twice with two different variations but it still made more like pancakes instead of crepes. I finally took the good things out of the Betty Crocker recipe and added them to the easy recipe and it made the crepes much better.  If you want a quick crepe recipe that only makes a enough crepes for four people, this will work but follow my variations of the recipe.


Easy Crepe Recipe: 

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs

Combine all dry ingredients and then mix in milk, vanilla and salt plus and 2 eggs.  Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until it's a thin runny consistency without lumps.

Heat a small round non stick pan over medium low heat. 

Pour a round amount of batter in the pan and then swirl the batter around in the pan to thinly coat the whole bottom of the pan.

When bubbles form, time to flip the crepe. Crepes cook fast so be ready!

Put your favorite filling in your crepes and serve. 

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Betty Crocker Crepe Recipe taken from the 1989 cookbook.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Mix all dry ingredients and add in milk and butter plus vanilla. Finally blend in eggs.  I have mixed this in a bowl and then added it to a blender and blend it to make sure there were no clumps. I also found it's easier to pour from the mixer carafe. 

Heat a small round non stick pan over medium low heat. 

Pour a round amount of batter in the pan and then swirl the batter around in the pan to thinly coat the whole bottom of the pan.

When bubbles form, time to flip the crepe. Crepes cook fast so be ready!

Put your favorite filling in your crepes and serve.

I found this Citron Tea at our local H Mart. It's a type of orange marmalade that is perfect for the inside of the crepes.

Fruit Pizza

I used packaged puff pastry to make this fruit pizza. It makes the fruit pizza taste like cream cheese strudel with fruit. The family LOVED it!

Recipe:

Crust...

cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray
refrigerator puff pastry, rolled out out on a cookie sheet and bake according to package directions
*Leave rolled out pastry in the over for around 10 minutes. You'll need to check it so it doesn't over bake.

** The package directions on the brand I used were for filled puff pastry baking and I realized to late that leaving the pastry in the oven for the full 15 to 20 minutes was too much.

Let the pastry cool completely. It'll be easier to spread the cream cheese mix on and easier to get the pastry off the pan once cut into squares.

Cream Cheese Spread...

1 package cream cheese (8 oz package) softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Fruit Topping...

2 kiwi peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup halved or cubed strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries

**Stay away from fruits that turn brown like bananas and apples.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cooled puff pastry and then add cut up fruit.

Cut your fruit pizza into squares and serve.

NOTES...

You can use a sugar cookie recipe for the crust just follow the recipe and pat out in a round pizza pan and then bake according to recipe temperature and time.

You can also use the packaged sugar cookie recipe and just do as above.

As always, if you try this recipe or have tried another one, let me know how it went.

Deep Fried Shrimp

I love shrimp but always steam it because it's an easy peasy recipe for me but tonight I thought I would try deep frying it instead. I found the recipe I used in my Betty Crocker 1980's cookbook and thought I would give it a try.

I learned a few tips while making this so follow along and the recipe is at the end.

I had one pound fresh shrimp with shells on so the first thing I did was take the shells off. Trick to this is to pinch the tail until that comes off and then take the rest of the shell off.

The recipe says to get your oil heated as you are prepping. I was using a cast iron Dutch oven and discovered the oil got too hot way before I was done prepping the shrimp.

I found that the flour mixture that is used first in the recipe can be combined in a bowl and poured over the shrimp and then the flour mixture bowl can be used again at the end to put the fried shrimp in once you fried them.

Sorry the pictures blurred. I usually take multiple pictures to ensure a good one but didn't this time. Yikes!

I found it's easiest to put only a few shrimp in the egg mixture at a time and then the key to not having the bread crumbs clump on the shrimp is to shake the excess egg off before dredging the shrimp in the breadcrumbs.

I also found using a spoon to spoon the breadcrumbs over the shrimp was a lot easier then trying to move them around in the breadcrumbs.

Finally, make sure to use a thermometer that reaches at least 375 degrees. I couldn't find mine for the first batch and they were a little on the overdone side. I also discovered that my shrimp cooked in less than 2 minutes like the recipe calls for. That could be because of using the cast iron Dutch oven and because I only cooked small batches at a time. You'll know they're done when they break apart from the clump that they are in when you first submerge them and float to the top. You'll be able to see the brownness of the breadcrumbs.

Here is the recipe...

Deep Fried Shrimp

Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
1 pound shelled shrimp
2 eggs, beaten (the recipe says slightly beaten but I think it's better to beat them fully.)
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Progresso parmesan breadcrumbs.)

Get oil ready in deep fryer or dutch oven. Turn temperature on low to begin. Once shrimp are ready to fry, get oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.

Shell shrimp.

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat shrimp with flour mixture; dip into beaten eggs, and then coat with bread crumbs. 

Fry until golden brown around 2 minutes or less.

*Recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook revised edition 1989.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you try this recipe.

iKon i Decide CD Unboxing

Chicken and Spinach easy recipe

I love making fancy recipes but I also love the ease of a quick and easy one and I find Campbell's soups to be a big time saver that makes a terrific comfort food meal.  Here is another one for you to try.

Ingredients for this simple recipe.

1 regular sized Campbell's Cream of Chicken with herbs soup
1/2 soup can of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 T. olive oil
4 T. butter
1 bag (22 oz) Tyson already grilled Chicken Breast Strips

1/2 bag of frozen spinach

1 lb. bag of thin spaghetti

Directions:

Cook chicken according to package directions. You can throw it in the pot frozen with the olive oil and let it thaw out and heat in the pan. Break up chicken into small bite size pieces as it becomes tender.

..Place chicken on the side when it's done cooking

Cook spaghetti according to package directions and place on the side.

Using the same frying pan, add 4 T. butter, minced garlic and mushrooms.  Cook them until tender but not overcooked. Add this to the cooked chicken.

Add can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken with herbs soup to same frying pan.

Measure out a half a can of heavy whipping cream and add to soup.

..Use the whisk to mix soup 

Add in grated parmesan cheese and continue to whisk until it's melted.

Add salt, pepper and any other seasoning to taste.

Mix chicken, mushrooms and garlic into the cheese and soup mixture and stir it altogether.

Dump a half a package of frozen Spinach on top. Place a cover on it and let it simmer a few minutes until the spinach is thawed and heated through.

Take off the cover, mix everything together and serve!

A simple comfort food recipe that is fast and yummy. 

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS WITH CAMPBELL'S SOUP

I went looking in the refrigerator and found a pound of sausage, three cups left over rice, and three green peppers and a red one. What to make for dinner with this? Stuffed green peppers.

This is a quick and simple recipe that is a family pleaser.

RECIPE

3 cups cold rice

6 bell peppers

1 pound ground sausage

1 half sweet or white onion

1 package of mushrooms

2 cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup

1/2 soup can of milk

1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds and ribs.
• Place the peppers cut side down in a brownie or cake dish. 
• Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the dish.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
• While peppers are cooking, prepare the sausage as directed on package. Break the meat up while cooking.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. 
• Add chopped up mushrooms to the sausage and onion mixture and cook that also.
• Add the rice and mix everything together
• Add two cans of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup and 1/2 soup can of milk. 
• Mix everything together and then add in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir everything until the cheese is melted.
• Remove the peppers from the oven and drain off the water. Turn the peppers over and fill each one with the sausage and cheese mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. 
• Sprinkle extra shredded cheese on top of each bell pepper and serve.

If you try this, let me know in the comments what you think. 

Enjoy!

Jearise