Rhubarb Custard Pie

Need a recipe for all that extra rhubarb?!

Rhubarb Custard Pie

2 egg yolks

1 c sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp melted butter

2 1/2 c chopped rhubarb

Beat egg yolks with fork. Add sugar, flour, and butter. Blend together. Add rhubarb and stir together. Put mixture into pie shell. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Make it as a double crust pie, or put a meringue on top.

Enjoy! It's very easy and very yummy.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I made Broccoli Cheddar Soup for the first time tonight. And it won't be the last.

Ingredients

1/2 c finely chopped onion

1/2 c butter

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 c chicken broth

3 c milk

3 c chopped cooked fresh broccoli

1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese or more

Saute onion in butter until tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper.

Cook, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly.

Add broth and milk. Heat but do not boil until thickened.

Stir in broccoli.

Heat through.

Stir in cheese until melted.

Do not boil.

Serve hot and garnish with shredded cheese.

This soup was delicious! I'm not kidding. We served it with a french baguette and filled our bowls a second time.

Sorry...no picture. :(

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I received a forwarded email on Friday. It included a recipe that was supposedly sent because a woman had visited a large department store and had been charged a large amount of money for a recipe that she thought was only costing her a few dollars.

Whether or not the email was true, I tried the recipe and the cookies are really good.


1 cup butter
350 g chocolate chips
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup Grated Cadbury chocolate
2 1/2 cups oats
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Chocolate and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees (180 C).

Cookies for Santa

Brittany with her decorated cookie.

I have made Sugar Cookies every Christmas for Santa since I was a little girl. I have continued the tradition with my own children.

My daughters enjoy baking and decorating these cookies. My husband and son enjoy eating them.

Sugar Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir together flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat butter and shortening for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat till fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Working with 1/2 the dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 375 oven for 8 minutes or till done.

You can sprinkle decorating sugar on the cookies before you cook them or we like to icing them after they are cooked and cooled.

To make it easier, I buy white icing and divide it into separate small bowls and use food coloring for fun decorating.

Enjoy!

Pre-Baking and Pie Crust Recipe

I am very blessed to have two weeks off at Christmas!

I felt so spoiled to be able to be home all day today.

I finalized my wrapping this morning. Except for my stocking stuffers, I am finished!

I spent half the day baking. Well, more like pre-baking. I never actually turned on the oven. I made pie shells and tart shells and put them in the freezer to later fill and bake. Pies are so easy once the shells are already done and I prefer to make them myself. I found an easy basic recipe early in our marriage and I've always stuck to it.

Basic Pie Crust (single crust)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
3 to 4 TBSP cold water

In a mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 3 TBSP water over mixture, gently tossing with a fork. Add one more TBSP of water if needed. Mixture needs to all be moistened. Form dough into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface flatten dough with hands. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Easy pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. (Do not stretch.)

Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry and flute edge. Prick bottom and sides with tines of a fork. Bake in a 450 oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

For double-crust pastry prepare as above, except use 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2/3 cut shortening and 6-7 TBSP cold water. Divide dough in half.

My mom taught me to roll out my pastry on a clean tea towel. After you're done you just shake the loose flour into the garbage and throw the towel into the laundry. Makes for a quick clean up.

I'll be making blueberry and pumpkin pies for Christmas and coconut cream for Christmas Eve. These are all of my husband's favourites. The sure way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

My mom will make raspberry pie. It's her specialty and she's famous for it.

I used miniature tart tins for the tart shells. Mini tarts are great to put out with cookies and squares and so easy to fill. My daughter Sarah loves jam tarts - fill your unbaked tart shell with raspberry jam and bake. When I make butter tarts I always have to fill at least one shell with jam to keep her happy.

What are your favourite desserts for Christmas?

Apple Crisp

Tonight I have my ladies' group meeting in my home and I've made Apple Crisp. I made an extra large dish because my family will want lots of left overs.

I like to use MacIntosh apples in my Apple Crisp - they cook up very tender.

I've experimented with my recipe over the years. I've found that if I double or one & a half times the amount of the topping it's an even bigger hit.

Here's the original recipe:

Apple Crisp

1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
6 medium apples
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350F. Combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and dash salt. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. Peel, core and slice fruit to make 5 to 6 cups Place fruit in a 10" baking dish. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Sprinkle crumb mixture over all. Bake in oven for 40 - 45 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream and enjoy!

Awesome Banana Muffin Recipe

My family loves these. I first made these muffins using my Muffin Mania cookbook that was a wedding shower gift. After we moved last summer I couldn't find my cookbooks (until a month ago). Who would have thought to look in the garage?? I didn't. While my cookbooks were awol, I had found my same recipe on a blog CatCanCook.

3 or 4 Large bananas, mashed (the more bananas the moister, so I use 4)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 slightly beaten egg

1/3 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Mix the mashed banana, sugar, egg and butter together. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour. Mix wet and dry ingredients all together, being careful not to over-stir! Pour into greased muffin tins, and bake in 350 degrees oven for approximately 20 minutes. Mmm! You can add chocolate chips or nuts, if you like.

Sunday

I'm baking some yummy chocolate chip cookies. My favourite recipe is a copy of Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookie recipe. When I lived in Toronto, I used to frequent her cookie stand. They are soo good.

You can find it at:

Top Secret Recipes

I'd post a picture of the finished cookies, but while looking for my camera I realized that my husband and son took it with them to their hockey game. (Maybe it's better that I don't post a picture...you'd be over here eating them up on me. - They are pretty tasty.)

Since my husband (the Children's Pastor) was away this morning. Jodie and I were left in charge of the children's ministry. Let's just say that we ended before Pastor did this morning.

Jodie was beginning to close his lesson and I checked my watch. 11:25. Okay, still a couple of more things to do, so we should be good.

We completed our lesson and everything that would normally entail. My watch now read 11:45. Good. Church is supposed to end at 11:45. I ended in prayer and then opened the doors and wished all of the kids a good week. (Our service ministers to 6-12 year olds and is in the same building as the adult service. This age group is not required to be picked up by their parents.)

Within a couple of milliseconds, Mr. Usher came down the hall. He was smiling, but a trifle concerned that we were not able to tell time. I smiled as soon as I saw him. I knew that he wasn't coming down the hall just to say 'hello'.

Pastor's service was finished a good 20-25 minutes after ours. I'm sure that next week, when pastor hubby is back, our children's service will end at the same time that Pastor's service does. This way my husband can feel appreciated and that we are not vying for his job when he isn't there.

P.S.
I was kidding about not sharing my cookies. Feel free to pop over. I've got plenty. Mmmm.

Rhonda Y

Rhonda's Recipes

Macaroni and Cheese

2 c elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 c milk
2 c shredded sharp cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. For cheese sauce, in a saucepan melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir till thickened. Add cheese; stir till melted.

Put macaroni in casserole dish or roasting pan. Pour cheese sauce over and thoroughly combine. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Bake uncovered in oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Rhonda's Recipes

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 c sugar
1 3/4 all-purpose flour

3/4 c cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 tsps vanilla

1 c boiling water

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. In large mixer bowl combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Remove from mixer; stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool.

Buttercream Frosting

6 tbsp butter

1/2 c cocoa

2 2/3 c confectioners' sugar

1/3 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

In small mixer bowl cream butter. Blend in cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Blend in vanilla.

I've been making this cake for years. It is soooo good and very easy. I found it in the Hershey's cookbook.

Rhonda Y