Recipes

Love to cook and share great recipes for delicious foods.

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Fried Baby Artichokes

This is a pan full of baby artichokes.  Did you know that they sell regular artichokes and baby artichokes?  When the Brooklyn Italian Grandmother is in the house, she likes a dish that can start as an appetizer and then be carried to the table and continue as a side dish.  That’s why she likes fried baby artichokes.  The trick with this recipe is to get the smallest baby artichokes you can find.  The smallest usually are about the size of a golf ball or a little bigger.  If the baby artichokes are any larger than that, they will require a par boil to make them tender before frying.  Our baby artichokes looked big so we actually par boiled them in water for about 20 minutes before starting the recipe.  Once they had cooled, we took a very sharp knife and cut off the top and cut the stem off the bottom so that it could sit on its bottom without tipping over.  After that, we cut them right down the middle into two pieces.  For the breading, we used a mixture similar to what we made for the stuffing in our cubanelle stuffed pepper recipe.  So sit back and let’s start frying some baby artichokes with the Brooklyn Italian Grandmother.

Ingredients:

  • 15 baby artichokes, cut in half (remember, smaller is better for this recipe)
  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 thin slices of Italian sopressata, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

Mix garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, sopressata, salt and pepper in a bowl and combine well.  Break eggs into a separate bowl and mix with a fork.

Heat olive oil over medium heat until hot.  Coat artichoke halves in egg mixture and then in bread crumb mixture.

Place into heated olive oil and fry until breading is brown and artichoke is tender.  Continue to add more olive oil as needed.

When all of the artichokes are fried, sprinkle with more salt, pepper and cheese and serve warm.

The good thing about these artichokes is that, because they are small, there are less leaves to eat through until you get to the heart of the artichoke.  There is very little waste because the leaves are so small you can eat the entire thing.  Start with these as your appetizer and then move them in to munch along with your main course.  Just like the famous brand of chip…..you can’t eat just one of these fried baby artichokes.  Give them a try.  What are you cooking today in your kitchen?

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Crisp Toffee Chocolate Bars? Cookies? – The Jury Is Out On What To Call Them

This is the fastest dessert recipe we know.  It’s perfect when you find out at the last minute that you need to bring a dessert to dinner.  How about when your kid needs something for school the next morning and it’s 9 o’clock at night?  This will do the trick.  The recipe calls it a bar, but we think of it more as a shortbread cookie.  Because it is like shortbread, the dough is not the same consistency as a regular drop cookie.  The success of this dough is all in your hands.  This dough needs to be pressed into the pan with your hands.  It is also best to start mixing it with your hands when you start to add the flour.  Another tip–start with super softened butter.  If you do, you can mix all the ingredients together in one bowl and a wooden spoon.  What you get at the end is a toffee-like cookie/bar thanks to the butter and brown sugar with the gooey goodness of the chocolate chips.  There is no one in the room that can resist this dessert.  It’s salty and sweet goodness is a hit with everyone.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus more for the pan
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  •  1 teaspoon coarse salt
  •  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  •  2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  •  1/3 cup pecans, chopped
  •  1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Add the flour and mix well to combine.  Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Press the dough into the prepared pan.

Bake until golden and set, about 20 minutes.  Cut into even squares while still warm.

Fast and fabulous.  We made this over Memorial Day weekend for a party that we went to and they were an absolute hit.  Give these a try the next time you want something delicious and don’t have a lot of time.  Let us know too if you think they are a cookie or a bar.  We can’t ever seem to decide.  What are your favorite quick desserts? 

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Funky Italian Stuffed Peppers

This is a cubanelle pepper.  I’ve seen them in the supermarket many times and always wondered what you used them for in cooking.  Well, I know now!  The Brooklyn Italian Grandmother is back, fully jeweled, and is making her version of Italian stuffed peppers using cubanelle peppers.  She tells us that this is her own creation that she has come up with over the years through trial and error.  What is unique about this dish is that you actually start by mixing and frying the stuffing.  Once cooled, the fried stuffing is then placed in the peppers and baked until the peppers are tender.  These are one of those dishes that seem to taste better the next day after all the flavors have settled and melded together.  So let’s join our Brooklyn Italian Grandmother and make some funky Italian stuffed peppers…the cubanelle way.

Ingredients:

  • 5 cloves of garlic, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 thin slices of Italian sopressata, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
  • 6 cubanelle peppers, cut in half and cleaned

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, sopressata, salt and pepper in a bowl and combine well.

  Bling and stuffing!

Heat the olive oil in a skillet until hot.  Put the mixture into the oil and fry it until it becomes golden brown.

  Hot stuff and I’m not talking about what’s in the skillet.

Take fried stuffing out of the skillet and place it into a bowl.  Let it cool until it can be handled.

Stuff each pepper half with the fried stuffing and place stuffed pepper halves into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

  Always wear a ring that matches your baking dish.

Sprinkle each stuffed pepper with paprika.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 25 minutes.  When pepper begins to get tender, remove foil and continue cooking until pepper feels tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 more minutes).  Remove from oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar over each pepper.

You can be the judge here on how you want to serve these wonderful peppers.  They are great as a side dish and they can stand alone on their own and be a wonderful lunch.  In fact, make enough so that they can serve both–side dish and lunch.  I love the savory aspects of the stuffing along with the little flavor punch that the pepper and balsamic vinegar give this dish.  If you are a stuffed pepper lover, this is the dish for you.  What great Italian side dish recipes do you make and serve at your house?

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A Not So Ordinary Hamburger

This is a hamburger recipe with a little punch.  For so many years, a hamburger on the grill was just that.  Hamburger from the supermarket pressed into patties with a little salt and pepper.  While they were good, they weren’t great.  There had to be a way to punch the flavor up just a little.  So here is the recipe we use here on Glen Road that combines several ingredients that make the patty taste great.  It may not have been posted for use over Memorial Day, but we have the rest of the Summer.  We call this recipe our ‘Not So Ordinary’ hamburger.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds ground chuck
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1/2 cup seasoned dry seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup steak sauce (use your favorite)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 3 extra-large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 to 10 hamburger buns
  • Your favorite fixings, for serving

Directions:

Carefully mix the meats, bread crumbs, steak sauce, mustard, eggs, salt and pepper with the tines of a fork, but do not mash them.  Combine them so that the meats and ingredients mix together well, but the meat is light and not packed together.  Lightly form hamburger patties and press lightly into shape.

Prepare a charcoal grill.

Cook the hamburgers for 4 minutes on 1 side, then turn and cook 3 minutes on the other side for medium-rare. Remove to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the hamburgers to rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the buns, cut side down, for 1 minute, until toasted.  Place a hamburger in each bun, plus your favorite fixings, if desired, and serve.

The addition of the steak sauce and Dijon mustard give the hamburger the kick we were looking for in the burger.  Bread crumbs and the eggs help keep the meat moist.  So why go for ordinary hamburgers when you can go for extraordinary?  Give our ‘Not So Ordinary’ hamburgers a shot.  What did you cook this Memorial Day weekend?

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Chocolate Love In A Bowl

This is heaven in a bowl.  Warm, gooey chocolate with a blast of vanilla ice cream.  What could be bad with a dessert like this?  My answer:  Nothing!  If you are a chocolate lover, this dessert is perfect for you.  It is also pretty easy to assemble and bake which makes it a great choice when you don’t have a lot of time.  I’ve made this dessert for a while and I think I got it from an Anna Pump recipe.  Anna Pump is a wonderful chef, cookbook author, baker and innkeeper famous for her Hampton’s bakery, Loaves & Fishes.  She is not what I would call a “famous” food personality like a Martha or an Emeril, but she is often mentioned by many famous foodies as one of their inspirations.  If you don’t know about her, I encourage you to buy one of her cookbooks and enjoy one of her recipes.  She knows how to cook.  One taste of this Brownie Pudding and you’ll understand what I’m saying. 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
  • 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (I have also substituted 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract when I didn’t have a vanilla bean in the pantry)
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish.  Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow.

Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside. 

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds and the cocoa powder and flour mixture.  Mix only until combined. 

With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.  Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan.  Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. 

A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean.  The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.  Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

The part I like about this dessert is the fact that it is part chocolate brownie and part chocolate pudding.  You sort of get the best of two chocolate worlds in one dish with this recipe.  If you are having friends over for dinner, this is a great one to serve…it always pleases.  We hope you like this dessert.  Anna Pump never disappoints.  What chocolate dessert recipes are your favorites?

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The Italian Grandmother Makes Cauliflower Macaroni

 

This is another great recipe from our Brooklyn Italian Grandmother.  It is quick, simple and delicious.  It is perfect for a weekday supper when you don’t have a lot of time to cook.  It also doesn’t use a lot of dishes which is great at clean up time.  We call it cauliflower macaroni, but feel free to use broccoli or zucchini if you like.  Our Brooklyn Italian Grandmother has made this recipe for quite a while and it is one of our favorites.  Our recipe makes a generous portion.  It feeds 4 to 6 people, depending on how hungry the crowd.  There is something so good when you keep the ingredients simple and fresh.  However, while the dish is simple and delicious, feel free to jazz it up with a few pieces of jewelry like our Italian Grandmother always does.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 large heads of cauliflower
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped (use more or less depending on how much you like garlic)
  • 32 ounces of chicken stock
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 2 pounds penne or pasta of your choice (we used whole wheat penne)
  • Grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Clean cauliflower by separating each floret from the stalk and wash under cool water.  Don’t worry about the size of the florets because they will break down when mixed with the cooked pasta at the end of the recipe. 

Clean and chop garlic cloves into small pieces.

  Hot Spring trend…pearls, diamonds and garlic.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add garlic.  Sautee garlic until it is a golden color.

Add cauliflower.  Fill the pan with plenty of cauliflower as it will cook down. 

  A trifecta….three rings in one shot.  Isn’t that Catherine Middleton’s engagement ring on one of our Italian Grandmother’s fingers?

Add chicken stock and the chicken bouillon cubes. 

  Diamond ring alert at 12 o’clock.

Place a lid on the skillet and simmer the cauliflower in the stock until it is very tender.  You can do this ahead of time if you would like.  When the cauliflower is tender, remove it from the burner and set it aside or use it immediately.  If you do set it aside, make sure to reheat before you use it.

Place pasta in boiling salted water and cook until done.  Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. 

Place the cauliflower and broth on top of the pasta and mix with a spoon.  When mixing, the large cauliflower florets will break down into more manageable pieces.  Serve the pasta with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on top.

The pasta is so delicious because there is rich chicken broth at the bottom that is so flavorful after being simmered with the browned garlic.  The garlic and the stock also add so much flavor to the cauliflower as well.  The grated cheese and red pepper flakes also add their own special kick.  Again, if you are not a lover of cauliflower, try using broccoli or zucchini instead.  We’ve used them all and the dish is always good.  The worst part is this–do you use a spoon (for the broth), a fork (for the pasta/cauliflower) or both?  Do you have any easy pasta dishes that you would like to share on Acorns On Glen?

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Spaghetti Carbonara A Little Lighter Than Normal

 

This is spaghetti carbonara a little lighter than what you normally see in an Italian restaurant.  We can’t take credit for it.  The recipe came to us from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide.  Rufus is the hardest working cook we know and his blog inspires you to cook more and think about the food that you eat.  It is a great site and well worth a visit.  He has frequently commented on our posts here at Acorns On Glen so we have spent some time on his blog and found this great recipe that we had to try……mushroom spaghetti carbonara.  This sounded right down our alley and we cooked it up as soon as we had the time.  So hats off to you Rufus and your great recipes and thanks for your support of Acorns On Glen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • ¼ lb pancetta or 3 slices high-quality bacon diced fine.  I used pancetta.

  • ½ cup mushrooms sliced 1/8” thick.  I used shiitake mushrooms.

  • 1 shallot minced

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley
  • ½ cup grated Romano
  • Pepper/salt to taste

Directions:

Beat egg yolk and cream in a bowl. Season with black pepper. Set aside.

Place diced pancetta or bacon in a frying pan.  Over medium heat, render fat and brown meat.  Reserve two tablespoons of drippings.  If using pancetta, add butter if needed.

Saute scallion on low in the reserved drippings until browned.

Add mushrooms and cook as a single layer flipping as needed.  When mushrooms begin to brown turn off heat.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil heavily salted water.  Cook spaghetti to al dente.  Strain and return to pot.  Season with pepper.  While pasta remains hot add egg mixture.  Stir constantly until noodles are coated to cook the egg.  Add bacon and mushrooms to pasta.  Stir well.  Add cheese and mix again.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

YUM!!  What we loved about this carbonara is that it was not too thick and heavy.  You can actually get a better mixture of flavors than the normal carbonara with bacon floating in a heavy mixture of egg yolks and cream.  I guess this lighter version is also pretty good for the heart and waist line as well.  Again, thanks Rufus for the great recipe.  Please check out his great blog and let him know who sent you.  Do you have any lighter-fare recipes that you can share on Acorns On Glen?

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Fleur De Sel Caramels

This is a good little dessert or a nice piece of candy when you are craving sweets.  It’s key ingredient is salt.  Salt is very popular today.  I’m not talking about table salt (i.e., the Morton’s kind), but more the designer salts that have been on the market for quite a while, but have only now seemed to pick up in popularity.  You know, salts like sea salt, smoked salts, imported salts.  If you are a unique type of salt these days, chances are you are in some glamorous recipe.  Which brings me to our caramels.  These caramels are made with fleur de sel.  Fleur de sel (“Flower of salt” in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans.  Traditional French fleur de sel is collected off the coast of Brittany, most notably in the towns of Guérande, Noirmoutier and Camargue.  Due to its relative scarcity, fleur de sel is one of the more expensive salts.  Fleur de sel is often slightly grey due to the sand collected in the process of harvesting the salt from the pans.  Fleur de sel also contains more mineral complexity than table salt.

Its presence in these caramels makes for a delicious taste, mixing the sweet and buttery taste of the caramels with the salty and savory taste of the fleur de sel.  It’s the right balance that seems to keep people asking for more.  I have them on strict rations here on Glen Road, otherwise we would eat the entire pan in a few hours.  Trust me, they are addictive.

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over the sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches deep), combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat.

Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown.  Don’t stir-just swirl the pan.  Be careful, when the sugar mixture begins to turn brown, it can quickly go from brown to burnt.  Once it turns warm golden brown, immediately take it off the heat.

In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture.  Be careful as it will bubble up violently.  Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.

Very carefully (remember that it’s hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

When the caramel is cold, loosen the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the caramel into several 1-2″ lengths and then cut into pieces.  Sprinkle each piece with fleur de sel.  Remember that it’s easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil.

Cut glassine or parchment paper into 4-by-5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. You can also place the slices directly onto a plate or serving platter.  Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels slightly chilled.

We like to serve these caramels on a plate after dinner as a dessert.  If it is a large dinner party, we like to place them out with the other desserts for anyone that wants just a little bite of something sweet.  Most times, however, we just like to make them and eat them when we need a little candy.  Trust me, they don’t usually last too long however you decide to serve them.  Get into the designer salt craze and give these fleur de sel caramels a try.  They are so good, you can’t quit eating them.  Your teeth will be stuck together until the last one is gone…trust us!  Do you have any recipes you can share on Acorns On Glen that contain designer salt in them?

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Salute Spring With A Hummingbird Cake

This is a cake to bake when you want to celebrate Spring.  This is a hummingbird cake which is a great way to salute Spring.  I’ve had the recipe for years from an old ‘Martha Stewart Living’ magazine but I had never made it.  This weekend, I was looking at my actual hummingbird feeders and for some reason decided to make the hummingbird cake.  I guess I will do anything to get a hummingbird to come live on Glen Road.  Other than this cake, we have not been given this opportunity in the six years we’ve been here.  I guess the cake will have to do at this time.

Does anyone know the reason they call this cake a hummingbird cake?  My clipped recipe says that its delicious taste makes people who eat it hum with delight.  It also says that it is as sweet as the sugared water that attracts its namesake.  All I can say is that this is a delicious cake.  The cake itself mixes pineapple, pecans, bananas and coconut into a thick, rich batter.  It is frosted with a delicious cream cheese frosting.  I even took the extra step of making elegant dried pineapple flowers to put on top of the cake.  While the pineapple flowers look difficult, they are actually quite easy.  If you have some spare hours or are obsessed in making an elegant cake statement, the hummingbird cake is for you.  Again, it’s not quick, but it is super delicious.  I wrapped my head around making this cake by thinking of doing it in three stages:  making the pineapple flowers, proceeding to making and baking the cake and then finishing the cake by frosting it.  Let’s start with step one and make the dried pineapple flowers that are used for decorating the top of the cake and are edible as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 large pineapples (I used one large pineapple and got about 12 flowers)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Line baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper.

Peel pineapple(s).  Using a small melon baller, remove and discard “eyes”.  Slice pineapple very thin.  Place slices on baking sheets. 

Cook until tops look dried, about 30 minutes.  Flip slices; cook until completely dried, 25 to 30 minutes more.  Cool on a wire rack. You can refrigerate the flowers in an airtight container up to 3 days.  Note:  For me, the cooking process took about twice as long, most likely due to the fact that my slices were not super thin.  Continue baking the flowers until they feel dry to your touch.  If you take them out and they still feel moist, they are not done yet and need to go back into the oven.  Here are the flowers after drying is complete.

Step two, let’s make and bake the cake.

Ingredients:

  • Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans and racks
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 cups mashed ripe banana, about 4 large
  • 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened (I bought mine at the local health food store from the bins.  It is the only place where I can find flaked coconut without added sugar.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in the center.  Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  Butter paper and dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat oil, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.  Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together banana, pineapple, pecans and coconut.

Add to egg mixture; stir until well combined.

Add flour mixture; blend well.  Divide batter between pans.

Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.  Transfer pans to a greased wire rack.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Run a knife around edges to loosen.  Invert onto racks; reinvert, top side up.  Cool completely.  Assemble cake, or wrap each layer well and freeze (thaw before using).

We are almost there.  Let’s finish with making the cream cheese frosting and putting it on the cake followed by the pineapple flowers.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
  • 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.  With mixer on medium speed, gradually add butter, beating until incorporated.  Reduce mixer speed to low.  Gradually add sugar, beating until incorporated.

With a serrated knife, trim and discard rounded top off one layer.  Place layer on serving platter.  I like to put the bottom layer on top of small rectangles of waxed paper that hang over the side of the cake stand.  When frosting, the wax paper catches any wayward frosting.  When you are done frosting your cake, pull the wax paper away from the cake/cake stand and you will have a sharp edge on the bottom layer and a clean cake stand.

Using an offset spatula, spread top of layer with 1/4 inch of frosting.  Top with other layer.  Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.  Decorate with pineapple flowers, if desired.  Serve at room temperature. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

We’re done.  Take a minute to catch your breath and then dig in to a slice of this delicious cake.  You and your friends and family will not be disappointed.  Why not spend some time to salute Spring in the right fashion?  Bake this hummingbird cake and show Spring how much you love her.  We sure are glad that we did.  What other Springtime desserts do you make at your home?

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When Rhubarb And Strawberries Unite

 This pie always reminds me of Spring.  It is a rhubarb and strawberry pie with a lattice top crust.  Making a pie is always intimidating to me.  It’s the crust.  Either I have a problem rolling it out or I have a problem getting it into the pie pan.  A lot of people tell me they have the same issues, but I keep trying to perfect the art of pie making here on Glen Road.  This pie was a surprise in that for the first time in a long time I didn’t have any issues.  I even put a lattice top on it without making myself nuts.  It must have been the deep breaths and the frequent praying.  The idea of rhubarb and strawberries mixed together in this pie was so perfect for Spring.  I couldn’t wait to get a piece.  We’ve talked about rhubarb and strawberries a lot here on Acorns On Glen.  Spring just seemed the perfect time to mix them together for everyone to enjoy.  Let’s get baking!

 Ingredients:

For crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Up to 10 tablespoons ice water
For filling:
3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices of trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled and halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Directions:

Make crust:  Combine flour, sugar and salt into a food processor.  Using the pulse button, cut in shortening and butter into the flour mixture until coarse meal forms.  Blend in enough ice water (2 tablespoons at a time) to form moist clumps.  Gather dough into a ball; cut in half.  Flatten each half into a disk.  Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling).

Make filling: Preheat oven to 400°F.  Combine first 7 ingredients into a large bowl.  Toss gently to blend.

Assemble pie:  Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface into a 13-inch round.  Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish.  Trim excess dough, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang.  Place into refrigerator so the crust can continue to chill after being worked with in this step.  Chilled pie dough bakes the best.

Roll out second dough disk on a lightly floured surface into another 13-inch round.  Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.  Spoon filling into crust.  Arrange 7 dough strips on top of filling, spacing evenly.  Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction on top of filling.  Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust.  Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal.  Crimp edges decoratively.  Brush glaze over crust.  Place pie back into refrigerator so that it can chill again for several minutes.  Chilled pie dough bakes the best.

Transfer pie to baking sheet.  Bake 25 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.   Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about another 30-35 minutes.  Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

During cooking, it is important to keep an eye on the pie and keep baking until the sauce in the pie gets thick (versus watery in form).  This may mean you will need to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or a crust cover to prevent it from burning.  Once the sauce is thick, you know the pie is ready to take out of the oven.  The sauce will continue to thicken during the cooling process.  You can eat this pie plain or with a scoop of ice cream on top.  Eating something fresh and in season is the eighth wonder of the world.  This pie is the right pick for Spring.  I hope you like it.  What other Spring recipes are you cooking in your home?