Tea Ring

2 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
¼ cup oil
¾ cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
melted butter
½ cup sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 cup pecans

Sift flour and baking powder together. Add oil and milk. Mix well.

Roll out on a floured surface into a large rectangle ¼ inch thick. Brush topside with butter and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate chips. Roll up jelly-roll fashion.

Curl into a circle. Place one a buttered cookie sheet. Slit top. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for a half hour.

Roasted Squash Soup

1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
2 sweet potatoes
2 large onions
6 garlic cloves
½ T. cinnamon
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 T. garlic powder
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 T. cumin
2 T. oregano
2 T. paprika
2 T. chili pepper
1 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup small pasta

Cut squashes in half and remove seeds. Cut sweet potatoes and onions in half. Put all the pieces in a roasting pan, flesh side up. Sprinkle with spice mixture and drizzle with olive oil. Turn flesh side down, placing garlic cloves under cavity of the squash. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until fork tender.

Cool, then scoop flesh into a pot. Add pumpkin and blend with an immersion mixer. Still blending, slowly add stock. Add heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then add pasta.

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Carmelized Plantain Tart

Plantains are such a common food in many countries across the globe. There are as many ways to serve plantains as there are to serve potatoes, if not more. Here is another plantain recipe that is sweet, deserving of a place of honor on any dessert table.

Carmelized Plantain Tart

4 plantains
½ cup granulated sugar
2 sticks salted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup ground almonds

In the bowl of a food processor, mix vanilla, confectioner’s sugar, and butter together until mixture is creamy. Add flour and almonds and pulse until dough forms. Remove dough from food processor and press gently into a greased tart pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Tart shell will be very light brown in color.

Peel plantains and slice thinly. Drop slices into ice water until all plantains are sliced. Drain plantains and arrange on baked tart crust. Sprinkle granulated sugar over top of tart, and place in 350-degree oven for five minutes. Just before removing tart from oven, turn on broiler and broil tart until the sugar topping becomes bubbly and carmelizes.

Almond Cookies

1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup whole unblanched almonds

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, cinnamon and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in chopped almonds.

Shape dough into two rolls; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Unwrap and cut into slices. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Top each with a whole almond.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10 minutes or until cookie edges begin to brown. Cool on wire racks.

Pinto Bean Soup

I told you we eat a lot of soup during the cold months, didn’t I? J Don’t despair; the warmer days are just ahead and when they arrive we’ll be grilling and eating lighter fare. But, until then…

Pinto Bean Soup

1 pound dry pinto beans
1 gallon water
2 t. salt
1 diced onion
6 chopped jalapeños
2 chopped tomatoes
½ bunch cilantroWash beans and pick over to remove any foreign material. Place in a pot with water and bring to boil. Simmer 1 hour, then add salt.

In separate large stockpot sauté onion in small amount of olive oil. Addonion, jalapeños, tomatoes and cilantro. Cook for several minutes until onions and jalapeños are soft.

Add beans to vegetables. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer soup approximately 1 hour more, or until beans are tender.

Soup can be garnished with chopped cilantro if desired.

Blueberry Sorbet

Just to remind us that spring is just around the corner…

Blueberry Sorbet

8 cups blueberries
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
½ t. orange extract
½ cup water

Puree the berries. Place the pureed berries in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and strain mixture. Allow strained mixture to cool.

Place cooled mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Strawberry Puff Cake

Strawberry Puff Cake

½ cup flour
½ cup milk
½ t. salt
3 eggs
3 T. melted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
3 T. slivered almonds
2 T. confectioner’s sugar
1 T. lemon juice
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add flour to eggs and beat. Add milk, salt, melted butter and 2 T. granulated sugar.

Pour batter into a greased 9” cake pan and place pan in a preheated 450-degree oven.

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

While batter is baking, combine strawberries with reserved sugar.

In a small bowl combine confectioner’s sugar and almonds.

When cake has cooled slightly, remove it from the cake pan. Top with the almond sugar mixture.

Before serving spoon strawberries on top of cake and top with whipped cream.