Blueberry Pie Bread

MDS and I used to get delicious pie breads at a local farmer's market. The pie breads came in many varieties: apple, peach, and cherry. I enjoy all the different flavors, but blueberry pie bread is my favorite. Pie bread turns a basic bread into a sweet treat by dispersing pie filling within the loaf of bread. This bread is terrific fresh out of the oven or warmed in the microwave. And this bread makes excellent french toast.

Pie breads are easy to make at home. I used my Mom's french bread recipe. I also think a brioche bread recipe would be delicious. You can use any type of pie filling. It is easy to make your own pie filling, or, just use canned pie filling. The bread is topped with a streusel that adds a nice touch. Sometimes, the pie filling collects in one place within the bread making it slightly messy to eat. The bread could be assembled by covering small chunks of dough in the pie filling and dropping them into the pan. I found that it is easiest to spread the filling before rolling up the loaf and then twisting the resulting loaf to spread the pie filling around.

Blueberry Pie Bread 

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup water 
• 1 cup blueberry pie filling
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• Dash of vanilla

In large bowl, mix 3/4 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Heat water to 120 degrees and add the butter to the water. Add the water and butter to the flour mixture. Mix well with a fork. At this point the dough should be fairly liquid. Once the mixture is smooth, add in more flour (usually 1 to 1 1/2 more cups) until a soft dough is formed. Then, turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead, incorporating the remaining flour in as you go, for about 8 minutes. The dough should become somewhat elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel (use a damp towel if the weather is dry) and let the dough rise until it doubles, about 2 hours.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Let rest about 10 minutes. Roll out the dough so it is about 12 to 15 inches long. Spread the pie filling on the flattened dough. Then, roll the dough to form a loaf. Twist the loaf several time, then fold in half lengthwise. Place in a greased loaf pan. Cover the dough with a towel and let rise again, for about an hour.

Prepare the streusel stopping by blending together the brown sugar, flour, butter, and vanilla. Crumble the topping over the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

Turkey Noodle Bake

In November, turkey becomes the focus of many menus. And, growing up, after Thanksgiving, it seemed that we were eating turkey forever. So it was not uncommon for Mom to use up some of the turkey in a casserole such as this recipe. After making this casserole, I remember it from childhood. Like many casseroles, this one is super easy to make and is delicious.

When I made this, I used cream of celery soup instead cream of mushroom soup. I notice that Mom's recipe forgot to include turkey in the ingredient list, so I suggest using 1-3 cups of chopped up cooked turkey. The recipe also calls for using frozen broccoli and cauliflower, but fresh vegetables could be used instead. I made this recipe with Swiss cheese, but as the recipe says, other cheeses could be used.

Turkey Noodle Bake 

• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 10 ounces cauliflower, chopped
• 10 ounces broccoli, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Swiss, Muenster or cheddar)
• 1-3 cups cooked chopped turkey

Cook the noodles and drain. In a large bowl, mix noodles, cauliflower, broccoli, soup, sour cream, onion, pepper, cheese and turkey. Transfer to a 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let rest for about ten minutes. Enjoy!

Criner Caramel Popcorn

While I have had caramel popcorn before, I don't think that I ever had homemade caramel popcorn until I was recently at a get-together at Amanda's and Brian's house. Nowadays, parties at the Criner/Isleb house typically involve a wonderful buffet spread of food that is a free-for-all among the many kids and adults gathered. In fact, these get-togethers are much like any Buckley family gathering. Back to the popcorn, which was put out at a recent party. I could not stop eating it. Even when other terrific food was put out, I kept going back to the popcorn because homemade caramel popcorn is so much better than store-bought popcorn.

It turns out that this deliciously addictive caramel popcorn was made by Amanda's Mom, Karen Criner. So of course, I had to get the recipe to share here. The recipe came with some helpful hints. While working with the caramel, it is quite sticky, so use cooking spray or oil on your utensils. Also, do your best to remove any kernels. I tried, but missed at least two kernels, and MDS and I each bit down on one. For my own tip, I struggled to completely coat the popcorn with the caramel. I found that while baking, I removed the popcorn from the oven about every ten minutes to stir to help better coat the popcorn. Although this delicious treat does take some work, it is worth it, especially to enjoy while still warm.

Criner Caramel Popcorn 

• 4 quarts popped popcorn
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Spray a large roasting pan (or two large edged cookie sheets) with cooking spray or oil. Add popcorn and place in preheated oven at 250 degreed while preparing caramel. Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for five minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. Pour over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly. Bake for 45 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed or oiled. Allow to cool and break apart. Store in a tightly covered container. Enjoy!

Pork Chop Creole

While I do not remember this recipe specifically, I see why Mom had in in her recipe box. This recipe is so easy and so delicious. After you get it started, it just needs some time, which frees you up to make other items for a meal, or do nothing at all. I am not sure why this recipe has creole in its name. It does have a similar flavor to many creole dishes, but it does not have celery, which is part of the standard onion, green pepper, celery mix known as the Creole trinity in cooking circles. This recipe would easily benefit from adding celery, so maybe next time I will give it a try to make it a true Creole recipe.

There was plenty of extra sauce left over, so I made some egg noodle to mix in with the extra sauce. You could also use rice or serve some bread to soak up the sauce. Mom's recipe calls for using drippings, which I remember her saving from cooking various meats. I do not save drippings, so I just used olive oil.

Pork Chop Creole 

• 4 pork chops, about one-inch thick
• 2 Tbsps. cooking oil
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope onion gravy mix
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Brown the chops on both sides in the cooking oil in a heavy skillet. Remove the chops from the pan and set aside. Blend the remaining ingredients into the drippings. Return chops to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the chops are tender. Enjoy!

Applesauce Bars

Here is another gem from Grandma Holmes's recipe collection. As you can see from Grandma Holmes's notes on her recipe card below, the result is more cake than cookie. With bar in the name, you might expect this to be chewy like a cookie. This recipe might be better titled Applesauce Cake. Whatever you call them, as Grandma Holmes notes, they are tasty. While I frequently leave out nuts or raisins in some baked goods, I used them this time, and MDS still liked them.

When I made this recipe, it only needed about 35 minutes, not 50 minutes, in the oven. I did not have cloves, so I just used a little more cinnamon. Grandma Holmes' notes on her recipe card say that this recipe is spicy. I did not find it to be spicy, but maybe that is because I did not use cloves. Grandma Holmes also wrote that the topping gets hard. I did not find that to be so, but I might have used a bit too many cornflakes because some of the cornflake pieces did not stick to the top of the bars. I did enjoy the crunch of the cornflakes.

Applesauce Bars 

• 2/3 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 10 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and crushed cornflakes. Set aside. In another bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 8 tablespoons softened buttered, applesauce and vanilla. Blend in the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, raisins and walnuts. Spread batter into a greased 9X9 pan. Sprinkle the corn flake mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into bars. Enjoy!

Tunawich

Why settle for ordinary tuna salad, when you could enjoy these tasty warm tuna sandwiches? Tuna salad is great for on-the-go sandwiches, but these tunawiches are better. There is just something about having a warm sandwich. And, by browning the patties, there is a nice crunch and flavor. The sandwiches can be dressed up with toppings such as cheese, grilled onions or pickles. Although the tunawiches do not really need sauce, they would be good with BBQ sauce or mustard or some other sauce.

This recipe could easily be modified to add different flavors. I think that adding an herb such as parsley would be delicious. The celery adds an excellent flavor, but so too could olives or bell pepper. I substituted Tabasco for the chili sauce, so I used only 1/2 teaspoon. For buns, I used Hawaiian sweet rolls, so I made smaller patties to fit the rolls. Mom's recipe called for toasting the buns, which might be great for other buns, but the Hawaiian rolls were terrific not toasted. The recipe is quick and easy, so this would be great for a busy weeknight dinner.

Tunawich 

• 7 oz. tuna, drained and flaked
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 Tbsp. minced onion
• 1/3 cup mayonaaise
• 2 tsp. chili sauce
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• buns or rolls

Combine the tuna, bread crumbs, celery and onion. Blend in the mayonnaise, chili sauce and lemon juice. Form into patties to fit the buns. Fry in a lightly oiled skillet for about five minutes per side or until browned. Serve on bun with lettuce and tomato. Enjoy!

Orange Rum Pizzelle

I have posted about pizzelles before and will do so again. Here are my posts on standard pizzelles, chocolate pizzelles, or anise pizzelles. This orange rum variation is delicious. To be honest, I did not even taste the rum in the final product and the alcohol probably cooks off, so I think this recipe is fine for kids. As for the orange peel, I used dried orange peel, but fresh orange peel would be great. As with all pizzelles, they are especially delicious when they are fresh off the press and still soft.

Normally, I do not like to have such a specialized item, like a pizzelle maker, in my kitchen, but with so many varieties of pizzelles that can be made, my pizzelle maker does not seem to be limited in its use. I especially use the pizzelle make in summer when it is too hot to turn on the oven to make other cookies. So, if you want to enjoy pizzelles sometime, but do not want to buy a pizzelle maker, invite me and my pizzelle maker over and we can have a pizzelle party.

Orange Rum Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tsp. rum
• 4 tsp. orange peel
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the softened butter, rum, and orange peel. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. The batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.

Preheat the pizzelle maker. Drop the batter onto each plate, close the pizzelle maker and allow to cook for about one minute. Remove each pizzelle to a flat surface to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!