Dog Days of Summer

August 31, 2016 0

Rotini Salad

This salad uses your favorite infused vinegar in the dressing. Rotini mixed with fresh vegetables creates a light salad perfect for lunch on a busy day. The recipe ingredients can be prepared in advance and the dressing added just before serving.

1/2 cup olive oil

rotinis-alad — Serve for lunch or for a light dinner.

1 cup infused vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2/3 cup sugar

Whisk dressing together until emulsified.

2 cups cooked rotini Continue reading “Rotini Salad” →

August 30, 2016 0

Peanut Ice Box Cookies

This dough needs to be chilled in the refrigerator before it can be baked. You can prepare the dough several days in advance of your event. Simply remove from the refrigerator and bake up a batch while the dough is still chilled.

3/4 cup melted butter

peanut-icebox-cookie — Macadamia nuts may be substituted for peanuts in this recipe. Add some white chocolate chips to change the recipe even further.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

Blend above ingredients together until smooth.

2 1/4 cups four

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda Continue reading “Peanut Ice Box Cookies” →

August 29, 2016 2

Sweet and Sour Spaghetti Sauce

This is an unusual spaghetti sauce. It’s not as sweet as most commercially bought sauces. This recipe makes a big batch that can be frozen until needed.

3 kg tomatoes sliced in large chunks

sweet-sours-paghetti-sauce — Serve topped with your favorite cheese or herbs.

1 large spanish onion

1 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

2 diced garlic cloves

5 bay leaves

bunch of roughly chopped fresh basil (to taste)

thyme leaves (to taste)

1 roughly chopped chipotle pepper Continue reading “Sweet and Sour Spaghetti Sauce” →

August 28, 2016 0

Applesauce Cake

This is my grandmother’s recipe. She used to use chunky home-made applesauce to bake the recipe with. I’ve made my own applesauce and used store bought sauce in this cake. It’s delicious either way.

3/4 cup sugar

applesauce-cake — Omit the nuts if desired.

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg

1 cup applesauce

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg Continue reading “Applesauce Cake” →

August 27, 2016 0

Simple Chocolate Brownies

This is my mother’s recipe. I have memories of coming home from school and smelling these brownies through the window.

The chocolate combined with nuts is delicious yet the recipe is simple enough to make on a busy day.

2 baking squares of chocolate *

simple-chocolate-brownies — This recipe is good with pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup flour

2 eggs

1/3 cup chopped nuts

1 square of baking chocolate equals 1 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp of cocoa.

Place in an oval or square 8x 8 pan and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the batter comes out clean.