Bread & Butter Pickle Recipe

It is that time of the year when we are harvesting a lot of vegetables from the garden.  We've been inundated with cucumbers and making pickles almost every week.  Our favorite pickles to make are these Bread & Butter Pickles.  My mom has been making them since I was little and we love to eat them on a sandwich with Swiss cheese and spicy brown mustard.

• 25 to 30 medium cucumbers (we have figured about 5 pickling cucumbers per pint jar if you really cram them in the jars)
• 1 large white onion (optional)
• 2 large sweet peppers (bell peppers work well)
• 1/2 cup salt
• 5 cups cider vinegar
• 5 cups sugar 
• 2 tbsp brown mustard seed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cloves

Wash the cucumbers and slice them as thin as possible (about 1/4" or slightly thinner works well). Chop the onions and peppers; combine with cucumbers and salt; let stand 3 hours and then drain any water off. Combine the vinegar, sugar and spices in large pot and bring to a boil. Add the drained cucumbers and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Pack while hot into sterilized canning jars, we use pints, to within 1/2 inch of top. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Recipe yields: 5-7 pints

Eggless Banana Bread

I always find myself letting the last few bananas sit on the counter until they are starting to turn brown just so that I can make this banana bread.  This is a recipe that was passed down from my grandmother that I converted to be eggless.  I love it warm, smeared with soft butter for breakfast.

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 dollops sour cream (a dollop is a heaping tablespoon)
• 1 cup mashed bananas (usually takes about 3 bananas)
• 1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl mix the sugar, nuts, sour cream, mashed bananas, and melted butter.
Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a lightly grease and floured 8x4" loaf pan. I use a glass loaf pan for all my quick breads so that the crust doesn't get too dark.
Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For Father's Day this year I made an updated version of my dad's favorite cake.  It turned out really well and I like the cake/topping ration on this version the best.   It's very sweet and I needed a glass of water when I was done but the pineapple flavor really shown through.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 20-ounce can of pineapple slices or crushed pineapple, drained, reserving 1/2 cup juice
• 4 dollops sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• maraschino cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan. Add the brown sugar and stir well to thoroughly combine. Arrange 6 to 8 pineapple slices in a single layer over the brown sugar mixture. Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each ring. Set the pan aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Mix the sour cream, sugar and 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice. Add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and mix just until combined.

Pour or spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place a cookie sheet on the rack below the cake in the oven. The cake has a tendency to bubble out of the pan.

Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, not any longer or it will stick. Use a knife around the cake to make sure it is loose from the pan, then invert it onto a serving plate.

Eggless Carrot Cake

This is BY FAR the best carrot cake I have ever made. I love the consistency and the little crunch of the nuts. The frosting recipe makes 4 cups which was a little much for my family.

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 dollops sour cream

2 cups flour

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, and sour cream.

Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Mix until smooth.

Fold in the carrots and walnuts.

Pour into a greased 9x13" or two 9" round cake pans.

Bake the 9x13 for 40-45 min or the round pans for 30-35 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool at least 1 hour before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tsps milk

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.

Beat until very smooth.

Flaky Layered Biscuits

I made these biscuits a fews weeks ago. They tasted very good and were fun to pull apart.

Flaky Layered Biscuits

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter
• 2/3 cup cold milk
• extra flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
Using a pastry blender cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in the milk and stir just until the dough holds together. The less mixing the better.
On a floured surface roll the dough out until it is about 1/4” thick.
Lightly flour the dough as needed while you are rolling and folding the layers.
Here's the trick for the layers, fold the dough as if you were folding a letter: fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up and the top 1/3 down over the part you just folded.
Roll the dough out until it is 1/4” thick again and then fold the dough in the same way but perpendicular to the last folds.
Roll the dough out until it is 1/2” thick and cut biscuits with a sharp biscuit cutter. Make sure that you do not twist while cutting as it will make the layers stick together and you won't get nice fluffy biscuits.
Bake on an un-greased baking sheet at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Eggless Cherry Cheesecake

8" pie-size cheesecake

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

Combine graham crackers and butter in the bottom of an 8" spring form or pie dish. Press firmly to line the bottom of the dish evenly.

Filling:

16 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 tbs. corn starch

2 tbs. lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and beat on high until smooth. There shouldn't be any lumps.

Pour onto the crust.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until top starts to lightly brown in some spots.

Let cool and then refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

1/2 lb sour pie cherries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbs. corn starch dissolved in 1 Tbs. water

Heat the cherries with the sugar in a medium sauce pan until they start to simmer and slowly add the corn starch mixture stirring constantly. Let simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat and let cool completely before pouring onto chilled cheesecake.

King Cake

King Cake is a traditional New Orleans cake served at Mardi Gras parties.

Pastry:

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg-replacer

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons water

Colored Sugar:

Purple, Green & Gold

Directions:

Scald milk in microwave for 2 minutes then add butter and let cool until lukewarm.

In mixing bowl combine warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. Add lukewarm milk mixture, the egg replacer, salt, nutmeg and remaining sugar to yeast mixture.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time to the wet ingredients.

Once combined kneed with mixer or by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is very elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled (approx. 1 hour).

Make the filling by combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring approx. 14x20".

Spread the filling mixture on the dough to within about 1/4" of the sides.

Roll the dough up length-wise and pinch the seam to seal.

Pinch the ends of the roll together to create an oval.

Place the oval on a backing sheet that is greased or lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake for 30 mintues.

Forst while the cake is still warm and sprinkle with alternating stripes of purple, green and gold colored sugar.