Maple Pizzelles

Although I love maple syrup all year long, I especially enjoy maple syrup-related products in the Fall. I had been meaning to try this recipe for some time. These pizzelles are quite delicious. And the maple flavor is very subtle, so even if you are not a big fan of maple, you might still enjoy these pizzelles. 

Every year in October my nephew Rich and his wife Christen host a hayride and campfire through the Naperville Park District. I made these maple pizzelles for the hayride this year. Unfortunately, the hayride was rained out and rescheduled, but we still got together at Rich and Christen's home so I was able to share these maple pizzelles.

Maple Pizzelles

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 3 tsp. maple syrup
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powder sugar for dusting

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar.  Add the butter and maple syrup. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Add a spoonful of the dough onto a heated pizzelle iron. Close and allow to cook for about one minute. Remove each pizzelle with tongs and allow the pizzelles to cool on a flat surface. Dust each pizzelle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!  

Chocolate Dream Cake Torte

Making this cake is easy, but assembling it and keeping a slice upright can be a challenge. The cake is such a good treat, even if the slice falls apart. I think that this recipe came from a box of Dream Whip, a powdered whipped cream product. Although chocolate is the dominant flavor, the addition of instant coffee to the frosting gives the cake a bit more complexity in its flavor. 

When I made this cake, I made one change to the recipe and used whipped topping for the frosting layer between the cake layers. It created a nice contrast to the chocolate. This cake involves three layers of cake, which does make balancing the cake a bit harder. For the two bottom layers, I used a bread knife to remove part of the cake that had somewhat risen in the center to make a flat cake for the next layer.

Chocolate Dream Cake Torte 

• 1 package chocolate cake mix
• 1 envelope whipped topping mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cold water

Combine cake mix, topping mix, eggs, and water in a large bowl. Blend until moistened. Beat at medium speed for four minutes. Pour into 3 greased and floured 8 inch round layer cake pans. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Mocha Fluffy Frosting

• 1 envelope whipped topping mix
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding
• 2 tsp. instant coffee
• 1 1/2 cold milk
• optional frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine whipped topping mix, pudding, instant coffee, and milk in a mixing bowl. Beat slowly until blended. Gradually increase beating speed and beat until mixture forms soft peaks for four minutes.

Assemble the cake using the option whipped topping between the layers. Then, frost tops and sides.  Enjoy!

Pepper Steak

I found this among Grandma's recipes. Because I had plenty of tomatoes and bell peppers from my garden, I figured harvest time would be a great time to test out this recipe. I was glad to be able to use some home-grown vegetables, but don't let a lack of a garden stop you from trying out this recipe.

When I made this recipe, I added more onions than called for because I wanted to use up some of the onions that I had on hand. I also used beef bouillon cube dissolved in one cup of hot water instead of beef broth. The amount of vegetables can be modified to adjust this recipe to your taste.

Pepper Steak 

• 1 1/2 pounds round steak
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 green peppers, cut to one-inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tomatoes, cut up
• 3 or 4 cups cooked rice

Trim and cut meat into strips. Brown in a small amount of oil. Push aside and brown onions. Stir in broth, soy sauce, garlic. Simmer until meat is tender. Add green pepper; simmer for five minutes. Blend cornstarch with cold water. Add to meat gradually. Add tomatoes and heat through. Pour over rice. Enjoy!

Apple Sour Cream Squares

As Fall weather approaches, apples start to become a main feature in food. This recipe for a small cake fits the Fall season nicely as the weather turns cooler. Cakes like this one could be a good addition to a breakfast or brunch and would pair well with coffee. The blend of apple, cinnamon, and walnuts creates a good flavor combination. It might not be the fanciest cake, but it is delicious. 

Despite the cake's name, I actually used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. The recipe calls for walnuts, which was terrific. I also think hazelnuts would be delicious. This cake is best served warm. If you can't eat it shortly after it comes out of the oven, reheat it to enjoy it at its best.

Apple Sour Cream Squares 

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg, unbeaten
• 1 cup diced pared apple
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 cup suger
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Sift together flour, half cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add milk, butter, and one egg; beat until smooth. Stir in apples. Turn into a greased 9-inch round pan or 8x8 inch square pan. Prepare the topping by blending the sour cream and egg. Spoon over batter. Sprinkle with sugar and nuts on top. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Coffeecake

This delicious coffeecake is quick and easy to make. I recently made this coffeecake to bring to Mom's for a Labor Day get together. Because I was also making eclairs, I figured it would be fine that this recipe is just a small coffeecake. This coffeecake was so good that there was just one small piece left at the end of the party. 

The recipe calls for using fresh strawberries. In the summertime, fresh strawberries are plentiful and delicious. But I do think that this coffeecake would be just fine with frozen strawberries that should be thawed before being sliced. Or you could substitute another fruit and still have a delicious coffeecake.

Fresh Strawberry Coffeecake 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Topping

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add milk, egg, and butter; beat until blended. Spread in a buttered 8x8x2 pan. Top with strawberries. For the topping, mix butter, flour, and sugar until resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over strawberries. Bake at 375 for 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Limoncello Cheesecake Cupcakes

Here is another delicious Golden Girls cheesecake recipe. The Golden Girls cookbook has provided a series of excellent cheesecakes, including this recipe. By making this recipe in a muffin tin, they are all set for immediate service. This lemony cheesecake is so delicious.

Limoncello is an intensely lemon alcohol that is often used as a palate cleanser. It can be enjoyed on its own or mixed with other ingredients. If you do not have limoncello, you could use more lemon juice or lemon extract in this recipe. I especially like the use of wafer cookies as a crust. The cookies, although hard, soften up when baked into the batter. 

Limoncello Cheesecake Cupcakes 

• 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. limoncello
• zest and juice of one lemon
• vanilla wafer cookies

Line the compartments of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Place a wafer cookie in each cup. Make the batter  by mixing the cream cheese, sugar, corn starch, and salt together until just creamy and lump-free. Beat in the egg and yolk. Blend in the heavy cream, limoncello, lemon juice and zest. Mix until well-blended. Spoon the batter into the cups. Place another wafer cookie on top of the batter. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Turn the pan around and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake cupcakes inside with the door open for about an hour. Chill the pan in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!

Cabbage Rolls

This year, I planted cabbage for the first time. Now, I have four cabbage heads ready to harvest so I looked through Mom's recipe box for a new cabbage recipe. When I told MDS that we were having cabbage rolls, he gave me a skeptical look. Then I told him to think of the rolls as meatballs wrapped in cabbage. It worked. He really liked the cabbage rolls. This recipe will have to make it into our rotation.

When I made these rolls, I just used ground pork and no ground beef just because I had ground pork on hand and pork pairs well with cabbage. This recipe is a bit time consuming to make. I found peeling the cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage difficult to keep the leaves intact. For this reason, I made eight rolls rather than twelve. But despite the challenge of getting complete leaves, this recipe is worth the effort.

Cabbage Rolls 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 pound ground pork
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 cup cooked rice
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 12 large cabbage leaves
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine meat, salt, pepper, rice, onion, and 1 can tomato sauce. Cover cabbage leaves with boiling water for four minutes to soften; drain. Place portions of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf. Roll up by folding ends over. Place seam side down in skillet. Mix remaining tomato sauce with brown sugar, and lemon juice. Pour sauce over rolls. Simmer covered for one and a half hours. Baste often. Enjoy!