Easter Eggs

Lots of my friends are becoming "chicken ladies" now. Luckily one of them lives only a couple of miles away. Last week when I was baking a birthday cake, I realized I had only 2 of the 3 eggs needed for the recipe - a quick text to the neighbor "eggs?", the reply - "on my way to town, I'll drop by with a couple of dozen". Who said living in the boonies was inconvenient?
We've learned some things about eggs since buying eggs from the farm instead of the grocery store. The selection is much more interesting! This winter when the hens took a vacation, I brought home eggs from the grocery store. When I opened the carton, ohh, they were all white and the same size - how dull! I've read that for dying Easter eggs brown eggs work best for absorbing the dye color. We are saving that project for next year when Granddaughter is older.
Another thing to know about farm fresh eggs is that they are that - fresh! That was very evident when I made Deviled Eggs last weekend for Easter dinner. Eggs which are not-so-fresh are much easier to peel. If you're buying them from the store, check the carton for the closest 'sell by' date. This is one time when buying the product that is less fresh is better.
From the King Arthur website I learned a few more tricks for hard cooked eggs. One I had not known, but will definitely use again is to prop the carton on its side in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. You may need to secure the top with a rubber band. This floats the yoke to the center of the egg, making a much more attractive deviled egg with the yoke-space to fill evenly in the center of the white. Cooking times for eggs are based on room temperature eggs. So take them out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temp before cooking. If you forget this step, allow them to set in a bowl of hot tap water for ten minutes.
Now here's a good plan for cooking the eggs to just the right firmness. What a mess to undercook the eggs you want to use for deviled eggs and end up with a weepy white and a gooey yolk. Not a safe product to eat either! Place the eggs in a single layer in the cooking pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil. Then remove the pan from the heat and cover with a tight fitting lid. This way the eggs will slowly cook in hot water. No cracked shells and poached whites escaping. Time is important, for medium eggs allow 12 minutes, for large 17 minutes, and for extra large 19 minutes. Then drain the eggs.
Place the eggs in a bowl of ice water to cool. This eliminates the green ring that can develop if eggs cool too slowly. When cool, peel and continue with your favorite deviled egg recipe or refrigerate to use within a week. An easy way to peel the egg is to tap the flat end on a hard surface to crack it and peel under cold running water. Even with using the fresh eggs I had this made peeling easier and only a few wore a mangled surface.
Deviled eggs are a favorite no-think covered-dish-to-take. And there are never any left to bring home! Glad I found that article by King Arthur Flour to learn more about eggs!

Strawberry Birthday Cake

Not the best photo. It was eaten so quickly,
I hardly had time to snap a pic!

This is the season of birthdays for our family! This year's March baking includes  Shamrock Poke Cake, Lemon Bars, Carrot Cake, Coconut Cream Pie, and an added special cake for a sister-in-law. I was glad to have that excuse to make this Strawberry Cake that I'd tasted at church coffee time a few weeks ago. It has a fresh strawberry flavor that is light and refreshing for the season.

Best Strawberry Cake

           

Cake Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) container fresh strawberries

1 (16.5 oz) package white cake mix

3 eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 (3-oz) package strawberry flavored instant gelatin

Icing Ingredients:

¼ cup butter (½ stick), room temperature

4 oz. cream cheese

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon strawberry flavored instant gelatin (reserved from cake)

2 tablespoons strawberry puree

Cake Instructions:

1.     Wash and hull the strawberries and gently puree them in a food processor until chopped well but not liquefied. This will probably produce more puree than you need, but if not add enough water to make 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

2.     Preheat oven to 350° F. and lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix together cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil until well combined. Open the gelatin and measure out 1 teaspoon to save for the icing. Pour the remainder of the gelatin and 1 cup of strawberry puree into the batter and mix well.

3.     Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing Instructions:

        In a large bowl with a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until well combined and all lumps are gone. Add vanilla and mix well. Slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar separately mixing well after each addition. Add 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree and reserved 1 teaspoon of strawberry gelatin and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar if the icing is too thin. Spread over cooled cake. Store in the refrigerator.

More Beef - Tangy Roast Beef

Whatever your hobby or occupation is, isn't it fun to get a new 'gadget'? A new tool, piece of equipment, appliance, or as my husband says "a new toy". My new 'toy' this spring is an electric pressure cooker. I've been hearing about them and seeing mentions on-line, so I did some research and decided this would be perfect for making meat preparations quicker and for making my steel cut oats without 30 minutes of stirring on the range. It does all that and more.
Last week's trial with the new appliance was for Southern Tangy Pulled Roast Beef. An adaptation of a popular recipe I've been seeing frequently. This makes a super tender beef entree and is seasoned with pepperonis for a bit of spice. We didn't 'pull' or shred the roast, just served it with the usual potatoes and veggies. It didn't last long enough to become pulled beef sandwiches.

                               

                       Southern Tangy Pulled Roast Beef 

3-4 pound chuck roast
1 package Ranch dressing (dry)
2 Tablespoons beef bouillon powder mixed with warm water
1/2 stick of butter
1 jar Pepperonis

Place 4 peppers in the bottom of the cookie pot first. Then place the roast on top of them. This lifts the roast off the bottom of the pan to prevent burning and overheating.
Sprinkle the Ranch dressing mix over the roast and add the beef bouillon mixture. Place a few more pepperonis on top of the roast, and around it. Pour 1/4 -1/2 of the pepperoni liquid into the pot. Put the butter (I sliced it to distribute it) directly on top of the roast.
That is it! Now place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook. I determined that 1 hour was the correct time according to similar recipes in my instruction book. Including the prep, time to come to pressure, cooking time, and vent/cooling time the roast was ready in about 90 minutes.

I'm excited about trying other things with my new 'toy'. So far it has done very well with the oatmeal and with other meat dishes I've done. Ask me more if you're considering getting an electric pressure cooker!

March is Ag Month

After lunch, more left for later in the week!

March has been declared Kansas Agricultural Month. Here, in this family, on this ranch, every day is Ag Day! Agriculture is still our state's largest economic driver and a strong tradition throughout the state. Beef is our main agriculture product, and that of many ranchers in Kansas. Kansas has 6.1 million head of cattle (compared to 2.9 million people). Beef is a nutritious choice, providing a high quality protein (helps preserve and build muscle), zinc (healthy immune system), iron (helps the body use oxygen), and many other nutrients. Beef is also an economic choice. Ground beef is one of my go-to's for a variety of recipes. It can be fancy - bacon wrapped patties or lasagna, or simple - sloppy joes or meatloaf. Ground beef adapts well to any cuisine, whether you're hungry for Italian, Mexican, or Asian. 
In honor of Ag and Beef, and Rancher's birthday today, I'm sharing our favorite meat loaf recipe. Easy and satisfying. We often have this on Mondays to also have leftovers and meatloaf sandwiches later in the week. 

Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef

2 eggs
1 cup oats (quick cooking)

1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (6 oz) tomato sauce

Mix ingredients together, form into loaf pan and top with garnishes of catsup and french-fried onion rings. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let set 10 minutes before cutting. 

For a 'fancy' meat loaf, I put one-half of the meat mixture in the loaf pan, spread sour cream and sliced mushrooms over the meat, and top with the other half of the meat mixture. 

The next best thing about Meatloaf Monday, is Sandwich Tuesday! A slice of cold meatloaf fits a sandwich just right, add mustard and pretzels for my favorite lunch. 

Any Holiday Cake Balls

Red Velvet is one of our favorite flavors, and this month I've enjoyed making a variety of treats with this flavor. Here's one more that I did for a community club meeting's covered dish lunch. Cake Balls have been popular for a few years, and can be found in many gourmet candy counters for $3 each or more. Mine are not as 'pretty' as the $3 ones, but tasted just as good! 

Besides Red Velvet for Valentine's Day, this would be a good recipe to celebrate other holidays - For St. Patrick's Day, use Key Lime or Pistachio cake mix; for Easter, a pastel flavor such as lemon or strawberry; the possibilities go on...

Cake Balls                                                      

Ingredients:  

1 pkg. cake mix

water, eggs, and oil for mix

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs. milk

¾ tsp. vanilla extract

2 pkgs. (12 oz) white baking chips

2 tsp. oil

colored decorating sugar and/or decorative sprinkles

Cake: Prepare cake mix with water, eggs, and oil. Bake in 13”x9” cake pan according to package directions. Cool.

Frosting: In large bowl, on medium speed, beat butter until smoth. On low, gradually beat in powdered sugar until blended. Add milk and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Make Cake Ball Mixture: Crumble cake into frosting beat until just combined. Divide mixture into 36-42 portions (a cookie or small ice cream scoop works well), shape into balls. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Prep Coating: Line baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. In a large microwave-save bowl, combine baking chips and oil. Microwave on medium 1 minute, stir. Microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth.  (I did one package baking chips + 1 teaspoon oil at a time).

Dip Cake Balls: Using fork or dipping spoon, dip cake balls, one at a time, into melted baking chips, letting excess drip off. Transfer to lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with decorating sugar or sprinkles. Set in decorative mini-cupcake papers for an extra festive look. 

Another Sweet Dessert

Valentines Day brings out the chocolate and red velvet recipes. Here's a twist on one of my favorites that combines both of these flavors. (see Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls post on Dec. 21, 2103 and Molten Chocolate Cake post on Feb. 15, 2012) I made this on Sunday for a couple of my special guys. Rancher and Son both thought it was very good. Didn't have ice cream, so it is topped with whipped topping.

Red Velvet Molten Lava Cakes                    

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces white chocolate

1 cup powdered sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon red liquid food coloring

2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Set a rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Spray 4 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.

Melt the butter and white chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (or microwave checking every 15 seconds) When completely melted, stir in powdered sugar.

Lightly whisk eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Stir in red food coloring and melted chocolate mixture.

Whisk cocoa and flour in a small bowl to combine, Add to the batter and stir until just combined.

This batter fit into 5 ramekins 

Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the sides of the cake are set but the centers are still soft, 14 – 15 minutes. Let the cakes rest for 2 minutes before serving.

The original directions instruct to invert the cakes onto dessert plates. I never have any luck with this – they don’t hold the shape, so I serve them in the ramekins set on a dessert plate.

 For serving, dust with powdered sugar, you may garnish with berries and drizzle with melted dark chocolate. Also would be good served with ice cream.

Sweet desserts for Valentines Day

Valentines Day always make me think of chocolate and cherries. Maybe the cherries are George Washington, but its all February. And a good combination. The magazines, Pinterest, and Facebook are full of sweet recipes for February, so I know I'm not the only one. We show love of family and friends with food and these two recipes are simple treats to make this week or anytime. The S'More Bars were fun in a cast iron skillet, that would be a good dessert for summer picnics and camping as well.

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies                                

Ingredients:

 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maraschino Cherry liquid

red food coloring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

6 oz jar Maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

3 tablespoons white sugar (or red, or a mixture)

Hershey’s Kisses (about 36), unwrapped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Drain cherries of the liquid, reserving 2 teaspoons of the juice.

Cream butter with a mixer. Gradually stir in powdered sugar.

Stir in cherry juice, red food coloring, and vanilla.

Gradually stir in flour. Mix until just combined.

Fold in chopped cherries.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Gently flatten using a small juice glass dipped in sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the sides are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and immediately press a kiss into the middle of each cookie.

S’Mores Bars                                                            

 Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large milk chocolate Hershey Bars, broken into sections

2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar, beating with an electric mixer until cream. Add egg and vanilla extract.

Beating on low, slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined.

Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9-inch baking dish, or a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Place chocolate pieces over the top of dough, and then sprinkle with marshmallows. 

Bake, uncovered, on center rack 23-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Let bars cool slightly, cut into squares before marshmallows cool completely.