Cranberry Walnut Squares

Perfect as an afternoon snack in the office when you’re looking for that extra energy to get you through the day.  Definitely better than getting something from a vending machine.  You might even bring some extra… because if your office mates find out you’re eating one of these delicious and appealing bars… they’re going to want some too!

These Cranberry Walnut Squares are loaded with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconuts and raisins.

These squares are great for picnics.  As travel foods… And if you have kids… are undeniably healthier snacks compared to a regular candy bar.

Once you have gathered al the ingredients you need… these bars only take minutes to prepare.

Yes… it’s simple and easy… and for a little effort, you will be rewarded with all these goodies.  I’ve used Kitchen Aid mixer in mixing the crust.  And I’ve also used spatula and my hands/fingers.  For those who may not have an electric mixer.

Below are what you need for this recipe:

Crust ingredients: old fashioned oatmeal, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, coconut oil and milk, and ground cinnamon.

These are what you need for the filling ingredients: dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, sweetened flaked coconut, sugar, all purpose flour, dried orange peel (optional) freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs and vanilla extract.

Making the Crust:

Measure one and one half cup of uncooked oatmeal into a food processor.

Pulse a few times until crumbly.

And pour the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Add to the coarsely ground oatmeal the rest of the crust ingredients.

Mix them up with your hands, breaking up the lumps of brown sugar.

Since the coconut oil is solid.  I melted it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  And added 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Add these to the oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture.

If you are using butter… this is where you’ll add the melted butter to the  oatmeal and flour mixture.

Oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture with the coconut oil/milk combination.

Mix until crumbly.

Mix well until soft dough chunks are formed.

*** If using butter, the mixture will be more crumbly and will not form into soft chunks of dough.

Reserve half the crust (soft chunks of dough) for topping.

Meanwhile…

Press half of the crust onto a 9 x 13″ rectangular pan.

Bake bottom crust for 8 minutes.

And while you’re cooling the crust.  Mix the filling.

The Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine dried fruits, walnuts, and flaked coconuts.

And flour and sugar.

Mix.

Add orange juice.

In another bowl.  Beat eggs and vanilla extract.

Add beaten eggs to the dried fruits, flour, sugar mixture.

Stir until eggs/vanilla extract is absorb and a sticky mixture is formed.

Add the filling to the cooled crust.

Press the remaining crust over the filling.

I made small flat patches out of the remaining crust/soft dough chunks, by either pressing them in between my palms or between two pieces of waxed paper.  And then placing the flat patches (crust) over the filling.

And then bake in preheated oven for 28 – 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes of baking…

Completely cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.

Serve as snacks, travel food, in place of lunch, and for kids lunch pack…

The Recipe:

Cranberry Walnut Squares

Crust:

1 ½ cups uncooked oatmeal – coarsely ground

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

¼ cup coconut oil melted

½ cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Measure the coconut oil into a microwavable measuring cup.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Add ½ cup coconut milk to the melted coconut oil In.  Stir.

Ground Old Fashioned Oatmeal in a food processor until coarse.

Empty the ground oatmeal into a large mixing bowl.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix with your hands, crumbling the brown sugar.  Give the coconut oil/milk a quick stir.  And power over the oatmeal and flour mixture.   Mix with your hands until soft chunks of dough formed.  Divide mixture in half.

Press half of the soft chunks of dough into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan… pressing on the corners and sides.

Bake Crust in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.  Remove crust from the oven and cool while you mix the filling.

Filling:

1 (6 ounce) package dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts – chopped

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

½ cup raisins

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup + 1 TBSP. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. dried orange peel – Optional (Available in the “spices section” at your local grocers.)

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

3 TBSPs. freshly squeeze orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 extra large eggs

In a large mixing bowl… combine dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, raisins, sugar, flour, dried orange peel, and salt.  Using a spatula, stir all these ingredients until well combined.  Add the orange juice and stir to coat all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl… whisk together eggs and vanilla extract just until lightly beaten.  Pour over the cranberry – walnut mixture.  Stir with a spatula until all ingredients are combined.

Spread filling mixture onto the cooled crust.

In between your palm, or between two waxed paper, flatten the soft dough chunks into flat patches, and place over the filling.  Press lightly with your hand.

Bake at 350°F for 27 – 30 minutes or until the sides or edges of the crust are golden brown.  Do not over bake.   Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Print a recipe using butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Coconut oil and coconut milk make these squares dairy free.  And it  makes the crust a bit more crispy and less crumbly.  And if it weren’t for the eggs, these bars would be considered vegan.

#2 – Walnuts blend so well with these bars.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Southern Style Banana Pudding

“When my dad used to make this… he’d be in the kitchen for at least half a day.  Making sure everyone knows what he’s doing.  Every move was slow.  Deliberate.  And calculated… He’d make me think I’ve done something good… and for it… I’m being rewarded…”

My husband would often this whenever I make this pudding.

This banana pudding is one of the few desserts that my father-in-law used to make.  In fact…it is the only dessert that I’ve seen him made…

I always have liked it when he made it.  It was so good, there were times when I wish I could eat half the pudding…

My version of this banana pudding is loaded with plenty of bananas and Nilla Wafers.  It is  banana pudding after all, right?  At least this is how I  make it at my home.  Th0ugh I can’t speak for everyone…

We went to a Superbowl Party few weeks ago.  And one of the desserts was Banana Pudding, which was catered by a local barbecue place.  The custard was tasty.  Though I kept looking to see what happened to the bananas and Nilla Wafers…?  They skimped on both of these ingredients.  Not unusual for a restaurant – skimping on ingredients to fatten up their bottom line.

Banana pudding is one of the simplest and easiest dessert to make.  If I don’t count the time it takes to chill the banana pudding before serving, it is fast to make.  It takes about 30 minutes to assemble.

I always use perfectly ripe bananas.  The ones with no brown spots.  But perfectly ripe to eat.

Here’s what you need:

Perfectly ripe bananas.

Large eggs.

But we’re only going to need the egg yolks.

Unless you’re feeling energetic and have some time to spare.  And own an electric mixer.  And want to top the pudding with meringue.

All purpose flour, granulated or fine sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Coconut milk. And water to make 3 cups.

Of course, you can use whole milk, evaporated milk, or soymilk.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  My husband loves his banana pudding with these wafers.  He did not care much for the lady fingers as much as I did…

Or…

Or lady finger cookies.

I have recently used lady fingers for my banana pudding… And I must say it was great! I loved the texture.  Though I learned to increase the sugar next time…

What to do:

Peel the bananas.

And then sliced them into rounds.

Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice over the sliced bananas.  To keep them from browning.

Carefully crack the eggs, one at at time, and separate the egg yolks and whites.

Beat the egg yolks.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a large pot.

Slowly pour coconut milk over the flour, while whisking it.

Turn the stove to medium heat.

Keep whisking until flour and sugar is completely dissolved.

And the mixture thickens smooth  custard.  But NOT boiling.

Technically… this is not custard yet.  Because we haven’t added the egg yolks… But you know what I mean…

The texture should resembles condensed milk.

Scope a small amount of the custard into the beaten eggyolks.

Whisk to combine the egg yolks and custard.

Slowly pour the beaten egg yolks into the custard…

Keep whisking until custard comes to a boil.  And then immediately reduce the heat to low.

Continue whisking for another minute.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Add one teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract.

Whisk to combine.

Add about 1/3 of the custard into a deep dish.  A square or triangle dish is fine.

Spread the custard to cover the bottom of the dish.

Line a layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And top that layer with sliced bananas.

Spread half of the remaining custard over the banana layer.

And cover custard layer with another layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

And top it with the last layer of sliced bananas.

And finally cover the last banana layer with the remaining custard.

You can stop at this point.  If you don’t have the time to make the meringue.  Or simply don’t want to be bothered with the meringue.

At this point… you can now refrigerate this Southern Style Banana Pudding.  And chill it for at least three hours before serving.

And if… you decide to top the banana pudding with a meringue…

Here’s what you need:

I have always made meringues using an electric mixer.  Because I don’t think my arms are strong enough to withstand the continuous whisking of the egg whites until it forms into a meringue.

So therefore, I would highly recommend using an electric mixer.  Unless you’ve got a volunteer to do the whisking…

Otherwise, I will forgo the meringue and just enjoy the banana pudding without it.

But… If you don’t mind this extra step…

Then, I say… go for it!

You’re going to need the egg whites

Granulated sugar.  Extra fine sugar is best.

Cream of tartar.  This will help stabilize the meringue.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

What to do:

I apologize for not having a step by step photo on how to make the meringue…  So I hope the few photos I have here and and the instruction will suffice…

First.  Be sure the mixing bowl is free of oil and lint.

So what I do is right before making the meringue… I wash the mixing bowl with hot and soapy water.  Rinse it with hot water and shake off excess water.

Then proceed with making the meringue.

The meringue should be slightly firm and glossy.

Spread the meringue over the banana pudding (last layer of custard).  And use the back of a spoon to make a design.

You then bake the meringue topped banana pudding in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool over a cooling rack for at least an hour before chilling in the refrigerator.

Banana Pudding using Lady Finger Cookies.

Without the meringue.

Banana Pudding with Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

Without the meringue.

The RECIPE…

Southern Style Banana Pudding

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. granulated sugar

½ cup flour

2 TBSPs. cornstarch

¼ tsp. kosher salt

5 large egg yolks, beaten

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk + water to  make 3 cups

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 package (12 ounces) Nabisco Nilla Wafers

5 – 6 large ripe bananas (ripe but no brown spots) – peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Using a 3 quart sauce pan, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

Turn on the stove to medium heat.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk.  Keep whisking until mixture is lightly thickened.  But not boiling.

Add ½ cup of milk mixture to egg yolks.  Whisk to combine.

Slowly pour beaten egg yolks over the milk mixture, while whisking constantly.

Keep wisking custard until it comes to a full boil.  And then immediately reduce heat to low.  Keep whisking for another minute.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Spread about 1/3 of the custard on the bottom of an 8” x 8“baking dish.

Layer Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And then, layer banana slices over layer of Nilla Wafers.

Spread another ½ of the remaining pudding over the banana layers.

Repeat the same process – by layering the Nilla Wafers and banana slices.

You should end up with a layer of custard as the last and top layer.

How to Prepare the meringue:

4 large egg whites

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

¼ cup + 2 TBSPs. Granulated sugar

Wash the mixer bowl with hot soapy water.  Rinse thoroughly and shake water off the bowl.

Place bowl in the electric mixer and attach the wire whisk.

Add egg whites and beat on high speed until foamy.

Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract.  Continue beating on high speed until soft peaks form – about 2 minutes.

Gradually add the sugar, while the mixer is running on medium speed.  Beat on high speed again until peaks are firm and glossy, but not too dry. (This will take about 1 minute.)

Spoon the meringue over the layers of the banana pudding, slightly pressing the meringue to make sure it is touching the pudding and sides of the baking dish.

Use the back of the spoon to create an attractive design on the meringue.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove pudding from the oven and cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

NOTE on Substitutions:

For my friends in the Philippines who may want to try this recipe… you may have to make do with what is available at your grocery store.  Especially when it comes to the cookies or wafers…

As for the milk… use 3 cups of Carnation Evaporated Milk.

As for the bananas… use very ripe, eating bananas.  I don’t think the “saba” will be good for this.

As for the tools… if you don’t have a whisk, you can use a cooking spoon.   And it might take longer to mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk until they are well combined and free of lumps.  Good luck!

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

If using Lady Finger Cookies… increase the sugar to ¾ cup.  I found that the Lady Finger Cookies are less sweet than the Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  Thus, the sugar increase.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Apple Crumble with Browned Butter

This recipe was inspired by my friend Theresa.  She made this for Thanksgiving and posted an inviting photo on her Multiply page.  She was kind enough to share her recipe.  And gave me permission to share it with you here.  Thank you Tess!

I altered her recipe just a little bit.  Instead of using margarine.  I used browned butter.  I LOVE the smell and taste of browned butter.  And I thought it would be perfect for this recipe.

Also, while I was at the grocery store.  I spotted Ultra fine or superfine sugar that Baker’s used.  So of course I got one and use it for this Apple Crumble recipe.  Instead of granulated sugar.

Here’s Theresa’s Original recipe if you would like to print it as well.

For this Apple Crumble, you will need the following:

When making crumbles or pies, I always like to mix different varieties.  Here I have Granny Smith, Gala and Braeburn.

Peel, core and slice apples.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice.

You really do not need two lemons.  One large lemon usually yield 2 – 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.  And you only need 1 – 1/2 TBSPs.

Superfine sugar.

Ground cinnamon and cloves.

Flour (superfine sugar, and kosher salt).

Browned butter.

~~~

How to assemble all the ingredients…

Pour lemon juice over the sliced apples.  Toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and cloves.

Pour sugar, cinnamon and clove mixture over the apples.

Mix them up.

Brush a 13 x 9 x 2″ baking pan with browned butter or melted butter.

Empty the bowl of apples into the buttered pan.

In another bowl, combine flour, sugar and kosher salt.  Mix them up.

Pour browned butter over the flour mixture.

And mix them up or crumble them with your hands.  Until mixture resembles a sand texture.

Pour crumbly mixture over the apples.  Making sure to evenly spread the it over the apples.

And that’s how it should look…

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F degrees for 45 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Since this is a crumble.  I like my apples tender.  Not crispy.

And that’s how it should look.

And it should taste as good as it looks.

Here’s the recipe.

Apple Crumble with Browned Butter

10 – 12 Apples medium size apples (granny smith, gala and braeburn)

1/4 superfine or Baker’s sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 ½ TBSPs. lemon juice

TOPPING:
¾ cup superfine or Baker’s sugar
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher or maldon salt
1/3 cup browned butter

Preheat oven at 375°F.

Butter a 13″ X 9″ pan.

Peel and core and slice apples.

In a mixing bowl, pour lemon juice over sliced apples.

In another bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.  Pour over sliced apples and mix .  Then pour apples into buttered baking pan.

In yet another bowl, combine together sugar, flour, salt.  Pour browned butter.  Mix until crumbly and sand in texture.

Top apples with the crumbled mixture.

Bake at 375°F degrees for 45 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Or until apples are tender and topping is light golden brown.

Best served warm and fresh from the oven.  May be served with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream on top.

How to Make Browned Butter:

Place butter in small pot with heavy bottom.  Melt butter over medium heat.  Butter will boil and sputter before it turns golden brown.  This whole process takes about 20 minutes.  Please watch carefully.  As soon as the butter turns starts to smell nice, aromatic and nutty and turns golden brown.  Remove pot from the heat and cool before using.  Refrigerate for future use.

Note: 1 cup of butter will yield about ¾ cup of browned butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Browned butter elevates the taste of this apple crumble to another level.

#2 – Mixed apple varieties give this apple crumble a mixed texture, sweetness and tartness.

#3 – You can also make this dairy free.  Since I’ve tested this recipe.  I have also have made a dairy free version, using coconut oil, instead of browned butter.  Slightly different taste.  But it was still good.  Perfect for people who are allergic to dairy products.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Seductively Smooth Cheesecake

I was amazed.  Shocked.  Mesmerized.  And seduced!

Seduced!

I can’t believe it.  I didn’t know a cheesecake had the power to seduce me!

I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving.

This cheesecake was unbelievably good.  Smooth.  Creamy.  Perfect balance of sweetness and a hint of tartness from the lemon juice.

It was addictively good.  Seductively smooth.

I had originally planned of making Pumpkin Cheesecake.  But decided not to because my husband is not fond of pumpkin.  And the last time I made it, Ramon and I were the only ones who ate the whole pan.  Well almost.  Actually Don, my husband’s co-worker and friend made off with a third of it.  I sent him home with a large portion of it.

So for last Thanksgiving…  I decided to make a cheesecake that my husband would want to eat.

I decided on a plain, simple cheesecake.  With basic, simple and very accessible ingredients.  I know it was going to taste good.  I just didn’t know how good.

And when I finally had a slice.  I was amazed on how good it tasted.  I surpassed all my expectations.  And then some.

The proof was when after I had quickly gobbled up a slice.  I decided to try the store bought cheesecake that Don bought from Wal-Mart.  You know the kind.  They come in slices of different flavors: chocolate, caramel with pecans, strawberry, and plain.  I decided to try a slice topped with caramel and pecans.

The difference immediately jumped at me after my first bite of the caramel topped with pecans cheesecake.  It was almost a shock to my palette.  I have eaten store bought cheesecakes before and I don’t remember it being this bad.  I thought it was good.  But then again.  I have never eaten it back to back with a homemade cheesecake either.

The difference in taste was night and day.  I was literally dismayed on how the store bought cheesecake tasted.  It was gummy.  Pasty.  And almost disgusting compared to my homemade cheesecake.  My homemade cheesecake tasted of heaven.  Smooth.  Sweet.  Creamy.  Addictive.  And the store bought ones was like getting slapped in the face! And me waking up from good day dream.

I was taken.

I was seduced.

The store bought cheesecake woke me up and let me know how so much better the home made cheesecake was.  I don’t think I’ll buy cheesecakes from the store ever again.  Not after my taste test experience.

And the thing about this is that… The homemade cheesecake is not hard to make.  In fact, it’s unbelievably easy.  And simple.

I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating.  But you’d have to experience what I had experienced.

I encourage you to do it.   In fact.  I dare you.

And tell me I’m right.  Or wrong.  Or just plain crazy.  Or whatever.

~~~

You’ll need these in addition to the ingredients…

spring-form pan and parchment paper.

For the Crust:

Graham Crackers.  Crushed.

browned butter or melted butter.

Pour browned butter or melted butter over the crushed graham crackers.

Mix it up until butter moisten the crackers.

Press butter moisten crackers into the bottom of a removable spring-form pan.

Wrap foil around bottom of the pan.  Place pan/crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

For the Filling:

Cream Cheese.

Extra fine sugar.

Extra large eggs.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Pure vanilla extract.

Blend cream cheese and sugar with the paddle attachment at medium speed.  Until creamy.

Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Run mixer again for one minute before adding the eggs.

Add egg one at a time.  (Sorry.  This is my only shot and it’s blurred.)

And blend well after each addition.

Add lemon juice.

And vanilla extract.

Beat until smooth and well incorporated.

Pour cream cheese batter into the frozen crust.

Bake cheesecake at 350°F for 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Make the Topping:

Combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Stir with a whire wisk until smooth and creamy

Pour sour cream over cooled cheesecake.

Spread with a spatula.

Return cheesecake to the oven and bake for 7  minutes.

Remove cheesecake from the oven.  Cool for 2 hours.  Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Top with strawberry preserves before serving.

Here’s the recipe:

Seductively Smooth Cheesecake

Crust:

1 ¼ cups crushed graham crackers

3 TBSPs. browned butter or 4 TBSPs. melted butter

Filling:

4 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each)

1 ¼ cups extra fine or baker’s sugar

4 extra large eggs

3 TBSPs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup extra fine sugar

1 TBSP. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ cup strawberry preserves

Bring out the cream cheeses and eggs and have them at room temperature at least 3 hours before making the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper and place it over the bottom of the pan.  Lock the spring-form around it.

To make the crust:

Place 1 ½ sleeves of graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag.  Close the bag.  Pound crackers with your fist to break ‘em up.  Roll a rolling pin over the bag of graham crackers, until they are of sand texture.

Measure 1 ¼ cups of crushed graham crackers into a medium size mixing bowl.  Drizzle the browned butter over the graham crackers.  Mix until butter moisten the crushed crackers.

Press the crust, with the palm of your hand, onto the bottom of the spring-form pan.  Put the crust/pan in the freezer while you mix the filling.

To make the filling:

Blend cream cheese and sugar with the paddle attachment at medium speed.  Blend until cheese is creamy and free of lumps.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Blend again for a one minute.

Add eggs, one at a time, into the cream cheese batter.  Blend well before adding the next egg.  After adding and blending the last egg, scrape the sides of the bowl and blend again for one minute.

Add lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Blend well.

Pour cream cheese butter into the frozen crust.

Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 55 minutes.  (After 55 minutes.  The middle of the cheesecake should still be a bit jiggly.)

Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Leave the oven on.

To make the topping:

In a medium size bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Stir with a wire whisk until smooth and creamy.  Pour over the cooled cheesecake.

Return the cheesecake into the hot oven and bake for 7 minutes.

Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool in wire rack for 2 hours.  Cover cheesecake with plastic rack and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Before serving:

Measure about ½ cup of strawberry preserves and spread over the cheesecake.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Browned butter.  Browned butter makes the crust tastes nutty and smell very aromatic.

#2 – By having the cream cheese and eggs out at room temperature at least 3 hours before making the cheesecake… this is what makes the cheesecake easier to blend.

#3 – Using extra fine sugar and adding eggs one at a time, makes an extra smooth, creamy cheesecake.

#4 – Parchment paper.  By lining the removable bottom of the spring-form pan with parchment paper, before pressing the crust onto it, makes cheesecake slices easy to remove when serving.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Grow Your Wings So You Can Fly

I can’t believe next Thursday is Thanksgiving again.  It feels not long ago since last Thanksgiving.  Or at least that’s how it feels to me.

Last year, we spent Thanksgiving in Tulsa.  With Ramon.  And that year and the first half of this year seems like a big blur in the wind.

We were so busy.

Ramon was in school and I was shuttling back and forth between Abilene and Tulsa, where he was going to school.  And then driving back and forth between Abilene, Dallas-Fort Worth and Tulsa.  The speedometer showed that I drove 5,000 miles in one month.  That’s how insane it was.

For him.  It was such a big change in his life.  Learning how to drive.  Going to school.  And living on his own. With his very own apartment.  And then he had his first car accident.  His car got broken into.  Driving in snow.  Driving in sleet.  Driving in the rain.  Driving at night.  With all of these hurdles in his way.  And yet, he graduated with flying colors.  With a 4.0 GPA.  A perfect grade.  And landed his very first job two weeks after graduation.  All these, in less than a year.  Too much for an 18 year old who has never been away from home, other than an overnight field trip to another city.

Ramon proved to us that he is mentally, emotionally, and psychologically strong.  That he can survive out there, in that big bad world, on his own, when the need and circumstance arise.

He also learned that sometimes, what you thought you are passionate about, and you wanted to do, is not what you had envisioned it to be.  So that you have to make a life changing decision:  pursue the path you are currently standing on knowing that it’s not the right path for you.  Or, take a de-tour.  Turn around and start over.

And then he also learned the value of having a close knit family.  That it’s great to have parents ready on standby.  To have them as your backup.  Ready with open arms.  That whaever happens, they are going to be there to catch you when you fall.  To provide refuge.  A place where you can nurse your wound.  Re-energize your body and soul.  And work on growing your wings.  So that one day you can be ready to fly again.

~~~

Our Thanksgiving menu last year consisted of Baked ham glazed with Apricot-Sherry Sauce, Southern Corn Bread Stuffing, Candied Sweet Potatoes topped with Marsmallows, Triple Berry Pie and Strawberry Tart.

This year we planned on having the same menu minus the Strawberry Tart.  And I think I am going to bake a Pumpkin Cheesecake.  And possibly Pumpkin Cookies.

But for now, let me share with you the Triple Berry Pie recipe.  Something you might consider adding to your dessert list for the holidays.  Frozen berries are available all year round.  The kind I used I bought at Sam’s Club.

I don’t have step by step photos for this recipe yet.  But I’ll be sure to take them in a few days when I make it.

I will share them with you then.

~~~

Last year I made the crust for the Triple Berry Pie.  And you can too.  It’s not that difficult, especially if you have the counter space to make it.   My counter space is very small.  But somehow I manage.

But this year I think I’m going to try a refrigerated pie crust.  Something I have never used before.

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and passed a cold case full of pie crust and decided to buy two packages.  This will save me time.  But I know these is crusts is not going to be as good as the ones I make myself.  But we’ll see.

*Update: January 20, 2011:  I wanted to write a note her regarding this store bought pie crust.  Used this pie crust for the triple berry pie last Thanksgiving.  And the result?  It was a DISASTER!  This pie crust is not suited for this pie.  The pie crust did not brown.  Instead it became soggy.   And then last week.  I tried using the other box that was left in the fridge.  I used it for Cherry Pie.  Using a canned cherry pie filling.  The pie was edible.  But still.  I was highly disappointed on the crust.  It was thin.  And tasted bland.  Still did not come out as good as my home made pie crust.   So that’s that.  I will never, ever use this pie crust again.  Ever!  I will stick to my home made pie crust recipe below.

Triple Berry Pie

Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup vegetable shortening or coconut oil.  (I used coconut oil.)

1 large egg

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

2 TBSPs. Cold water

Combine flour and coconut oil. Blend with a pasty cutter until mixture resemble a coarse sand.

Beat the egg, vinegar, and cold water  together. Drizzle over the flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until the dough is a little sticky, but not gooey.

Divide the dough in half and form into large balls.  Place each ball, separately in a large ziploc bag.  Flatten each ball into a round disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Work with one dough at a time.

Roll each dough into a 12 inch circle.

Line a deep dish pie pan with the crust, overlapping the edges.  Press the crust lightly into the pan, to avoid air pockets.  Set aside while you prepare the Triple Berry Pie Filling below.

Preheat oven at 350°F.

Triple Berry Pie Filling:

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup frozen black berries

OR 5 cups frozen Triple Berry Blend – available at Sam’s Club

¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Pinch of kosher salt

1½ TBSP. butter  (I used 1 TBSP. Coconut oil)

In a large mixing bowlk, combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and kosher salt.

Set aside ¼ cup of the flour and sugar mixture.  And mix the rest of the sugar mixture with the berries.

Spread the reserved (¼ cup) flour and sugar mixture on the bottom crust.  And then spread over the berries and sugar mixture.

Place the top crust on the pie and gently press down to touch the filling.  Do this to avoid air pockets.  Fold the top edges of the crust under the bottom edges and crimp.

Puncture the top crust with eight ½ inch slits to allow air and moisture.

Mix 1 TBSP. sugar and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top crust.

Place the pie in a heavy duty cookie sheet.

Bake pie in a preheated 350°F oven for 50 minutes.

Remove pie from the pan and cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator.

A perfect looking pie.

But we drove 6 1/2 hours from Abilene to Tulsa.  So the pie sat in the car trunk for these many hours.  Imagine all that vibrations from the car in motion.

My perfect looking pie was no longer so perfect by the time we arrived at our destination.  Good thing it still tasted good.  Just no  longer perfect looking.

Serve chilled.

Topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Blowing Wednesday

A mass of dust, world’s momentary slave,

Is man, in state of our old Adam made,

Soon born to die, soon flourishing to fade

(Barnabe Barnes, English Poet)

Today is Wednesday.  Again, I am awakened by the blower outside.  A loud, ear shattering, machine running sound.  That’s the leaf blower.  Instead of it sucking the dirt, it blows it everywhere.  All over the place, which creates a dirty cloud up in the air.

For most people things like this don’t bother them.  But for someone like me, it gets into my skin.  I am highly irritated every Wednesday.  Because every Wednesday, they clean the grounds outside.  They clean! The grounds maintenance crew.  But they sure have a funny way of cleaning the grounds.  These guys, here, they use the leaf blower to blow dirt up in the air – while supposedly blowing the dirt off the parking areas and walkways.  The result?  Cloud of gray and brown particles floating up in the air.  And guess where most of this dirt lands?  Right back down to the ground and right on top of cars, covering them as if a bad dust storm had just hit West Texas.

Dust.  I hate dust.  It’s absolutely disgusting.  I hate looking at it.  Touching it.  That’s why I wait until I couldn’t stand to stare at it any longer before I pick up a rag to dust it off.

They other night I was complaining how much I hate dust.  And both, my husband and son gave me a little education about dust.  They both said that “Dust, inside the house, is really our skin.  We shed.  Our skin sheds.  And that’s the dust everywhere in the house.”

I don’t know.  It is disgusting just thinking about it.  Part of me, don’t want to believe it.  It’s got to be the dust from outside.  Especially the ones they blow out all over the place every Wednesday.  They blow it up in the air and it gets into the chimney; down the fireplace, and into the apartment.  To me this is a more logical explanation of all the dust.  I do believe that we shed.  That our skin sheds.  But not enough that its all over everything in the house!

Whenever we move to another place, especially another state, I always hope that it’s not as dusty as our current place.  I believe Colorado Springs wasn’t as dusty as Las Vegas.  We had a few sand storms while we were in Vegas.  And here in West Texas – is the same way.

West Texas is a bit of a dessert.  There are weeks when it’s very windy, sometimes 40 miles per hour.  So windy in fact, that I struggle not to be blown by the wind at times.  And we’ve have several dust storms.  Where, not only it’s windy.  The wind seems to stir up all the dust and dirt, and anything that can be lifted up from the ground up into the air.

Just like those guys blowing dust all over the place.

Once I made a mistake of having my car washed on Wednesday morning.  It was nice, clean and shiny when I brought it home.  But by the end of the day, it was covered with brown dirt.  I wanted to run around the apartment complex with a stick, and chase the guy with the blower. I so wanted to.  If there’s anything that I hate the most are those blowers and the person that uses it.

I dread going outside every Wednesday.  If I must go outside, I have to be tactical.  I have to have good timing.  It’s like going out in the war zone.  My strategy?  I make sure the blower’s not in front of my door.   They have to be at least 100 feet away.   So I look out through the glass window, listen for the blower sound, and if they are far away enough from my door, I ready myself.  I hurriedly open the door and lock it.  Run to the car, open the door, and then quickly slide myself into the seat and slam the door shut.  Hoping that the door won’t catch my leg.  I hold my breath the whole time, while on the run, from the door to the car.

My husband always asks me – “What is wrong with you? You grow up in the dirt! So all this dirt and dust shouldn’t bother you at all!”

And my reply to him is always – “Well, I am not in the Philippines anymore.  I no longer live in a nipa hut so I don’t have to put up with all this dust and dirt unless I have to.  This is America for god sakes!  This is a country where no rickety house exist.  Everybody lives in nice homes!”

Of course this is untrue.  I was shocked, when four summers ago, we were on our way to Fredericksburg, a German town in Texas, driving down highway 83-84.  Then there they were.  Several rundown houses along the highway.  They were so old and rundown that I had to really focus at them for a few minutes, while driving 70 miles per hour, to see if someone still live there.  I saw chairs out in the porch and car outside.  A sure sign that those houses are still inhabited.

I tell my husband, “Wow, honeyko! Did you see those houses!?  They look so old and seems to be falling apart, but people still live there!”

And his answer was, “Yeah. So?  You’re the only who thinks that America is this perfect country.  That everybody lives in nice homes.  We have poor and homeless people here in America, just like any other country in the world.  The only difference is, people here have more choices and opportunities.  You can rise up from ground zero if you try hard enough.”  “And besides,” he added, “those old and rundown homes? They’re still better than your nipa hut!  You know why?  Because they have electricity, and running water, and TV! You didn’t have that in your nipa hut!”

I have to admit.  Yes, they are.  As bad as those houses.  They are still better than the nipa huts I grew up in.  At least they have running water, and sewer, I’m sure.  And, they probably own the land that their house is built upon.  Most nipa huts in the Philippines are built not on their land.  They are merely sharecroppers.  Those nipa hut dwellers can get evicted by the landowners at any time.  That’s how we were.  We were sharecroppers.  Though the arrangement was not at all bad.  The landowner only demanded that we share half of our harvested rice.  We didn’t have to share our sweet potatoes, cassava, and occasional vegetables.  Though we were willing to share if the landowner stops by and ask.  The landowner did have one specific request: that my Dad take care of the coconut plants scattered around his land.  My Dad was to cut the shrubs and bushes around the young coconut plants so they’ll grow to full size coconut trees, and start producing coconuts.

My Dad did owned a piece of land.  I think it is 16 hectares – close to 40 acres.  He bought it from my Godparents.  But he barely cultivated it.  The guy who owns the land next to ours, keeps extending his marker, stealing a piece of our land every single year.  Each time he has his land surveyed, he moves his fences – a marker, surrounding his land several feet into ours.  And to avoid from having to quarrel with him, which could end up in a bloody massacre, hopefully on the part of that guy, my dad just let him slide.  He let this land-hungry man get away with several infractions, while stealing a piece of our land every year.  I wonder how long will he allow this to go on…?

Again, every Wednesday, the grounds maintenance crew cleans the grounds or so they think.  Personally, I think it’s a waste of money and time.  I can understand them trimming the plants.  But the grounds?  It’s hopeless.  They haven’t figured out how to make grass grow in a lot of areas on the grounds.  In front of our condo, for example.  Right outside our door.  They planted grass outside that small space, about twice already since we been here.  The grass didn’t last.  It was green for about a week, turned brown the following week.  Both times this happened.  So now it’s just bare.  And when it rains, it’s worst.  There is dirt every where.  Dirt washes down into the parking areas and on the walkways.  Because there’s no grass in most places, the soil erode when it rains.  And guess what happens next Wednesday?  They’ll be blowing dirt and dust all over the place again.

I so badly want to tell the manager this “ you know, what your grounds maintenance crew is doing doesn’t make sense.  They blow dirt all over the place and it is counter productive.” But I don’t think she’ll welcome this criticism.   I certainly do not want to ruffle her feathers.  I’m sure she’s going to stop being “sweet” to me in her Texas twang if I do.  So I just put up with it.  I hold it inside.  All this aggravation about dirt.

Sometimes I think – maybe I am just being irrational?

If I am, then so as  the 20 cities in California that ban leaf blowers.  And other states like Arizona, Hawaii and New Jersey which also have laws against Leaf Blowers.

~~~

I want to console myself with this Strawberry Pretzel Salad.

Eleven years ago is when I first ate this.  I was at a ‘pot luck” luncheon in Okinawa, Japan.  Our HR Manager, Beverly Essex brought this dessert.

At first, when I saw it, I kind of looked at it funny.  I mean, eating pretzels and strawberries kind of strange, doesn’t it?  It certainly did for me back then.  I did not plan of having any.  But, when it was almost gone… and everybody was bragging how good it was…  I had a second thought.  I wanted to find out for myself why everyone was bragging about this Strawberry Pretzel Salad.  I thought, hmmmm… I think I better have some of that before it’s all gone.  So I did. Sure enough.  As soon as I took a bite, OMG! All these flavors were dancing in my mouth.  I wanted some more!  And more!  This stuff is addictive.

The combination of salted pretzels, cream cheese, cool whip, gelatin, and frozen whole strawberries, produced an appetizing and unique taste.  Yes, it is weird.  No doubt about that.  But it’s a tasty weird thing.  You really just have to make it to find out for yourself.  Ms. Essex was kind enough to share her recipe with me.  And I would like to share it with you.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Ingredients:

5 cups coarsely crushed pretzels – (I buy a 1 pound bag pretzel with salt.)

1½ sticks or ¾ cup butter – melted

5 TBSPs. sugar

1 (8 ounces) pkg. cream cheese – softened

1 cup sugar

10 ounces cool whip

2 (3 ounces) pkgs. Strawberry gelatin

2½ cups boiling water

2 (16 ounces) frozen whole strawberries

Mix pretzels, butter and 5 tablespoons sugar.  Smooth in 10½ x 15 baking pan and bake 8 minutes at 400 degrees.  WATCH CAREFULLY.  It burns easily!

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until creamy.  Fold in cool whip and spread over cooled crust.  Leave no gaps.

Mix strawberry gelatin, boiling water and frozen strawberries with juice.  Cool until slightly jelled.  Spread over cheese layer.  Chill until set.  Keep refrigerated.

Serve cold.

the whole pan. after it has chilled, and ready to serve.

sort of look weird. but it’s one of those weird tasty stuff.

Tess Kitchen Secret:

I have no secret for this one.  Every ingredient is a critical piece for this dessert as a whole.  Though one thing that stands out is the saltiness of the pretzel and then the sweetness of everything that balances it out.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Would You Ever Live and Work in Sin City?

Before Las Vegas declared a 14% unemployment… we always considered Las Vegas as a place we could move back to if everything turns to shit and we have nowhere else to go.  But now, with a very high unemployment rate, we’re not so sure anymore.  A lot of people lost their jobs, both in the casino industry and in the construction industry.  And in other industries that support the casinos.

Ten years ago, before the recession hit, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.  There were about 5,000 people moving to Vegas each month, and about half of that moving out.  People came from all around the country looking for the good life in Vegas.  Californians sold their overpriced homes and moved to Vegas.  People were moving to Vegas in droves looking for that Vegas gold.

I visited Las Vegas for the very first time on December 1999.  Of course Willie has been there many times before.  We were living in Colorado Springs then… and since my half-sister lived in Vegas and my husband’s best friend also lived there…we decided to visit.

Our first visit was really kind of a survey to see if we like the place… at that time, Willie was only months away from military retirement.  And we need to decide where we were going to move…

As with anyone who’s never been to Vegas.  I was mesmerized by all the glitz and glamor of the city.  The beautiful hotels and casinos, the restaurant scene, the bright lights at night, the 24 hour city life and its possibilities.  The idea of moving to Vegas was exciting…

We decided that it would be better if I moved to Vegas first.  It was March and Ramon was still in school.  So Ramon will stay with Willie until the end of May when school ends.  I could stay with my half-sister, while I look for a job.  So that when August comes… and Willie is able to join us, we’ll have our own place to stay.  I was supposed to stay with my sister until around July so we could save money.  But I couldn’t do it.  Once I started working… I was ready to have our own place.  I have this thing about living with relatives… I don’t like it!  Simply because it reminds me of when I was a little girl when we lived with relatives until my dad got off his ass so we could live on our own.  Living with relatives is never a good thing.  Everyone is excited and happy with the arrangement at the beginning, but after a few months of living in an over crowded house, egos start colliding, insults are hurled to each other, and by the time we moved out… no more niceties left.  Even though my sister and brother-in-law were nice and gracious, and didn’t minded me and Ramon occupying one of their rooms, I couldn’t wait to get our own place.  There’s no place like my own…

Looking for a job in Las Vegas…

Willie’s friend, Jimmy, was supposed to help me look for a job in Vegas, since he supposedly had connections.  That turned out to be a bust.  He didn’t have connections and really couldn’t help.  The best he could do was dropped me off at the Luxor’s employment center and pointed me to the receptionist.

“Hi… I would like to fill out an application…?”

The receptionist didn’t even bother to ask what job was I applying for.  She pointed me to an unoccupied desk with a built-in computer…

“You can go ahead and fill out your application there.  Just follow instructions.”

“Oh… OK. Thanks.”

So I began filling out a form.  Little did I know that the whole process was going to take me three hours!  This place wanted my whole life.  They want to know everything about me and information of everyone who are related to me.  Every one who knew me – my parents, my grand parents, my uncles, cousins… all my friends and exact addresses of places I’ve lived in the last 10 years.  And I think they also wanted to know if had any visible birth marks, the color of my eyes, and my blood type.  Holy shit!  I just wanted a job.  A job in the marketing or human resources department.  They haven’t even hired me and they already wanted all these information?  Answering all those questions felt like I was getting ready to be locked up in a cell.

I wanted to quit half way through.  But my stubbornness got the better of me.  I wanted to finish what I started.  What difference does it makes anyway?  I already gave them my whole life story and more!

When I finished after three hours, I was dazed.  Shocked.  I couldn’t believe all the information that I had just provided them.  All for a lousy job.

“Miss… I am done.”

“OK.   We’ll call you if you’re qualified for the job you applied for.”

Guess what… I did not get a call from this place.  I didn’t think I would.  The whole thing was a total waste of my time.  And the worst is that, they now know all my information.  I felt violated.  I felt like I was just doped.  But the truth is, I can’t blame anyone.  I did it to myself.  I didn’t have to answer all those questions.  I could simply have just walked out.  What have I gotten into?

This was the very first casino I had applied for a job.  I asked myself why did I do it? I did it because I wanted to get a feel on how their application process worked.  Though the other places I’ve applied… they did not asked as many questions as the Luxor has.

Most casinos in Las Vegas have JOB Hotlines where prospective employees can call to access job vacancies.  Now, with the internet, you can access job vacancies online.  I had my time structured.  I would call job hotlines in the mornings and or looked through the job classifieds.  Went to fill out job applications in the afternoons and turn in my resumes.  And in the evenings, I’d write thank you letters to send to people who have interviewed me, and or send follow up letters to check on status of my application.

I’ve always read in books that “looking for a job is a full-time job in itself.”  Those authors were not kidding.  Indeed it was.  Everyday, everything I did had something to do with looking for a job.  I only gave myself a break on the weekends.

Of all the places I had applied… there really only one place I had fixed my eyes on… And that was the Venetian Hotel & Casino.  One of the casinos we went to see when I first visited Vegas.  At that time, Venetian was only a few years old and to me, the most beautiful casino on the Las Vegas strip.  As we finished walking through the lobby, seeing the beautiful murals on the ceiling, and all the beautiful pieces of artwork and decorations… I told myself… I am going to work here.

And so when I finally moved to Vegas, I applied for a Marketing position at the Venetian.  In the casinos, and really, anywhere else for that matter, if you don’t know anyone who would take you in through the “back door,” applying for a job is a long, tedious process.  The Venetian Hotel and Casino had an employment center where people with no connections – “people off the street” fill out job applications.  The application process was like going through a cattle call in production line…

I lined up with dozens of people.  It took me close to two hours to fill out their applications forms.  When I finished, a lady at the front reviewed my application and sent me through for the first screening, where I was given an initial interview by another lady.  When I passed the first interview, I was told to wait for another hour so I could participate in a group interview.  The group interview consisted of other applicants, applying for the same position.  There were 10 of us and two interviewers.  We were all asked the same questions and the interviewers observed how we reacted to each other, and how well we answered each question… After an hour of group interview… I was told I could go home and wait for their call.  The next day I had a call in which they told me I made the cut from the group interview and that they would like to send me for another interview.  This time the interview is going to be with the person responsible for hiring…

Talk about keeping you out, and keeping the rip-rap out!  Holy cow!  I just wanted a job in their marketing department.  A Marketing Coordinator job is just a foot in door, but they certainly screened people for that job as if they were recruiting for a highly guarded, top secret position.  I was drilled as if I was getting recruited by the FBI or the CIA!  Other casinos adapted other techniques too.  I was told by many people that for anyone to get a job at the MGM Grand, you have to sing or dance at the interview… Sing or dance!?

I had also applied at a local casino. A six year old property off Boulder Highway.  A medium size casino whose revenues are millions of dollars a week.  On a busy day, this casino rakes in as much as $8 million dollars…  This is where I ended up working.  They offered me more money than the Venetian.  And you know… money talks, bullshit walks.  I could have gotten paid more.  But I was just too excited to get offered more money than the Venetian.  I have never made that much money before.  All my common sense went out the window. I got stupid.  I shorted myself which I will forever regret while working at this place.

There’s one thing I learned from all these years and all the times I had to look for a job.  Always go for the highest salary, especially if you’re in mid management.  I found this out the hard way.  Once your in… I’d be almost impossible to get a raise, and they will work you like a horse, 10 – 12 hour days.  And on some days, 14 – 16 hours with no overtime… So when it came down to the hard numbers… compared with all the hours I worked.  I was being paid cheap.  Many times I wanted to cry.

Working in the casino, I discovered and witnessed with my own two eyes, how low and appalling humans can become.  They will look you straight in the eye and lie.  They’d cheat  if they could get away with it.  Beg and cry to get what they want.  I’ve seen the desperation in people.  I’ve seen people lost their entire paycheck and couldn’t pay their mortgage or rent, or their car note…  Gambling can turn someone into a zombie.  Empty and hollow inside.  Gamblers always think… today might be the day I could win big!

I was once asked…

“How do you feel being part of a team that conjures up all sorts of “tricks and traps” – promotions, special events, and giveaways to lure the gambling addicts into the casino?”

My answer…

“I felt bad.  My heart goes out to the people who would often gambled their whole paycheck and can’t pay their rent.  I felt bad because some people cannot control their gambling habits.   But after a while, I learned to set aside my emotions.  We were doing what we’re paid to do… and that is to bring people into the casino.  Entice them with gifts and prizes; parties and special events; VIP treatment, and most of all – the possibility of winning big…

… And if you do this long enough, you become numb… and you lost respect for humanity.  And the irony is that… most people who work in the casinos, they also have gambling problems… they become victims themselves… or should I say… they victimize themselves…”

~~~

This Triple Berry Bar is as colorful as the life in Vegas… only uncomplicated and easy to make.  The berries are loaded with fibers and vitamin c… good for your stamina.

Triple Berry Bars

Crust:

1½ cups unbleached flour

4 TBSPs. refined sugar

Zest of 1 small lemon

½ tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter – cut into small pieces

1 large egg  - lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400°F

Lightly grease a 9” x 13” baking pan with butter.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add lemon zest and whisk again.  Add the butter.  Using a pastry blender, blend the flour mixture until the consistency become coarse like sand.  (You can also use your finger tips or fork if you don’t have a pastry blender.

Beat the egg with the vanilla extract.

Drizzle egg mixture all over the blended flour.   Again, with a pastry blender or fork, lightly blend the flour mixture until it clings away from the bowl and you are able to form the whole mixture into a ball.  You should have a smooth and soft mixture.

Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

Bake the crust for 5 – 7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it cool while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. sugar

3 TBSPs. unbleached flour

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

2 cups frozen triple berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)

In a mixing bowl… combine sugar, flour and nutmeg.  Add the frozen berries.  Using a large spoon, gently stir to mix.

Spread this mixture… evenly over the cooled crust.  Set aside while you make the topping.

Topping:

¼ cup butter – cut into small pieces

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup old fashioned Quaker Oats

½ cup all purpose flour

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Using the pastry blender or your fingertips, work the pieces of butter into the sugar, oatmeal and flour.  You should have coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the topping evenly on top of the filling, pressing it lightly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F.

After 15 minutes… reduce the oven to 350°F and bake for additional 25 minutes or until the edges are light brown.

Cool bars completely, about 3 hours, before cutting.

Serve at room temperature.

Pastry Crust

Pastry crust spread on the bottom of the baking pan…

The Filling – triple berries, sugar, flour and nutmeg.

The Topping…

Baked and cooling…

Cooled and Ready…

Tess’ Kitchen Secret:

#1 – When I have extra time… I grind the oatmeal in the food processor for a smoother texture topping.

#2 – The recipe for the bar crust is also excellent for pies – bottom and top crust.  Just double the recipe… and form into two balls…

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Mrs. Terror – Teacher from Hell

Last night I was reading a book about an animal scientist – a woman who thinks in pictures.  She was born autistic and did not speak even at age two.  She credits her family, teachers and mentors for “surviving in the social jungle.”

As I was reading the first few pages of her book, I was suddenly transported back to my fourth grade class with our teacher from hell.  I don’t know why… but somehow the word teacher triggered my memory about Mrs. Terror.  I do not remember her name, that’s why I am simply going to call her Mrs. Terror.  However, I can vividly remember her frame.  She was built square and heavy, with curly, graying hair.  Hers wasn’t a typical Filipino features.  It was apparent that she had plenty of Spanish blood in her genes, with dark brown eyes and thick lashes to boot.  And so we attributed her meanness and being a terror to her Spanish heritage.  She was very mean and abusive to one particular boy in our class who gets very nervous each time he is called to solve a basic math problem on the black board.

“Reynaldo!”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“On the board… write the problem and solve it.”

Reynaldo slowly got up from his chair and started walking to the front of the class – to the black board.  He picked a white chalk and proceeded to write the problem:

5/__ + 1/9 = 2/3

And then he just stood there.  His eyes fixed on the black board.

“Reynaldo.  What are you doing? You wrote the problem.  Now solve it!”

“Fill in the blank!.”

Reynaldo glanced at Mrs. Terror and shifted his gaze on what he had written and just stood there – frozen.

Whoooossssh – Ugk – Powww!

Mrs. Terror hurled a heavy, hard covered, textbook across the room to Reynaldo.

It whacked him on the head.

Reynaldo kept rubbing his head, with tears in his eyes… the book that hit his head is on the floor, next to his left foot…

“Teresita! On the board!”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Help Reynaldo and solve that problem!”

I must have flew to the front of the class, to the black board, I walked so fast.  A little shaken after witnessing what had just happened.  I prayed that she won’t throw a book at me too… and hit me in the head.

Reynaldo’s head tilted to his right, looking down on the floor… not saying anything.  Just standing there.   His face ashen white.  He must have felt totally humiliated getting hit in the head with big, thick book in front of the class just because he couldn’t solve a basic math problem.

I reached for the white chalk and wrote 9 on the dotted line…

“Very good.”

“Now… you see that Reynaldo! The answer is 9.  The fraction is 5/9.”

“Ye – Ye- Ye- Yess, Ma’am.” Finally looking up.

“Now both of you, take your seats!”

This was one of many occurrences during the whole year in fourth grade.
The whole class was in fear.  We were all afraid to have the thick text book land on our head at a high rate of speed.  Though, I do not recall seeing other kids having a book hurled at them.  I only remembered Reynaldo.  For reasons I didn’t know and still do not know, Mrs. Terror always picked me to help him out! And this kid always froze up each time he was called to solve a problem on the black board.  Now…  I wasn’t sure if he stood frozen because he was terrified, or he simply didn’t know the answer to the problem.  I’m thinking he was overwhelmed with fear and it was simply too much that he froze…

In fourth grade I excelled in Math.  The only time I ever excelled in Math.  I was awarded “Best in Mathematics.” This was because I was so afraid of Mrs. Terror.  I was afraid of not knowing the answer to a math problem if she calls me to the front of the class.  So… every night I stayed up, until my eyes were tired and droopy.  I studied the math book inside the mosquito net with a kerosene lamp, with the mosquito net catching on fire at times which explained the holes in several places.  I wanted to make sure I was prepared when it was my turn to solve the problem on the black board.

In her class we did other things too that weren’t part of the curriculum, like watering her plants inside the classroom; pulling and weeding the tall cogon grass in the back of our building; and every Friday, the whole class went to her house.

Mrs. Terror shared a large house made of bricks and stones, with steel roofing, with her husband who was also a teacher.  A high school teacher in the same school.  She didn’t have a housemaid, though she could have easily afforded one.  And that’s why she brought us to her house every Friday afternoon to do all her house cleaning.  The jobs were divided among the girls and the boys.

“Alright girls… here are some rags.  Here!  Take one for each of you.  Some of you can dust the furniture and cabinets.  The others can wash dishes in the kitchen, and sweep the floor.”

We obediently followed her orders.  We all scattered and do our assigned task while she instructed the boys on what they need to do…

“Boys… you take turns scrubbing the floor.  Here…” She began handing out several coconut husks – mature, whole coconuts with the shell and husk split in halves.  Coconut meat and at least ½ inch of the shell removed from the cut part, exposing more husk.  These were cut and made especially for scrubbing wooden floors.

“Some of you boys can cut the grass…  And be sure to sweep the grounds after you finished…”

We spent our Friday afternoons cleaning Mrs. Terror’s house before she let us go home for the weekend…

Comes Monday… and the week started all over again…

Reynaldo still hasn’t overcome his fear of solving a problem on the black board.  Each week he gets hit in the head with thick and heavy, hard covered text book because he couldn’t solve a problem… and the whole class still went to Mrs. Terror’s house on Friday afternoons… This was what happened in fourth grade each week  until the school year was over… And Mrs. Terror finds her new victims…  The incoming students knew what to expect from Mrs. Terror so they are all terrified.  But there’s no escaping fourth grade…

~~~

This cake is one of the easiest cakes I’ve ever baked.  The recipe for this cake was given to me by our neighbor in Okinawa, Japan.  Her name is Janine.  She was a grade school teacher.  Janine was so unlike Mrs. Terror.  She was kind, generous and a great cook.

We have been living next door to each other for six months before Willie met her…

He was coming home for lunch after a bad morning at work. When he pulled up to our assigned parking, he saw a very pregnant woman holding a little boy with her left arm and struggling to untie a mattress off her Jeep with her right.  My husband briefly looked at the woman and proceeded to the elevator… He was tired and wanted to enjoy his hour lunch break.  He planned to take a quick restful nap.  But as he was ascending to the 8th floor, he had a flash back of how it was… when Ramon was very young and how difficult and troublesome it was for me to do anything with a little boy in tow, especially when he wasn’t around.  He felt so bad that when the elevator door opened on the eight floor, he pushed the button to go back down…  He went back out and saw that Janine was still struggling to get the mattress off her vehicle.

“Hi.  Let me help you with that…”

“Oh thank you.  Thank you very much!”

“I’m Janine and we live on the 8th floor, Apt. 8C.”

“I’m Willie.  I think we live next door to you!”

It took Willie almost 10 minutes to untie the mattress.  He took it up into Janine’s apartment and helped her get her old mattress down; tied it on top of her jeep and drove with her to drop it off… By the time Willie got back to our apartment, his lunch break was over… and so he just hopped into his car and went back to work… He did not get to eat lunch that day… and missed the nap he wanted so badly…

The next day, Janine knocked on our door.

“Hi, my name is Janine.  I met your husband, Willie yesterday.  Actually… he helped me get a mattress up here… “

“I brought you guys a chocolate cake… I want to say thank you.  And I hope you all enjoy it …”

“Wow! Thank you very much…”

“Please tell Willie, THANKS…!”

“No problem.  I’m sure he’s glad to help…”

I liked the cake so much that I asked Janine for the recipe.   And now I’d like to share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it…

Death by Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 stick or ½ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 (12 ounces) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar

Sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda twice.  Place in a small bowl.

Beat the sugar and eggs in large mixing bowl until sugar is dissolved.  Add butter and mix into egg mixture thoroughly.

Add sour cream, water, vanilla extract and beat.

Slowly add flour mixture and cocoa powder and beat slowly just until the flour is absorbed.  Do not over beat.  Fold in chocolate chips,

Pour into buttered bundt pan.  Bake at 350F for 50 – 60 minutes.  When cool sift powdered sugar on top.

Serve with French Vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup drizzled on top.

the batter and before baking

fresh from the oven

moist and chocolaty. you can see the chocolate chips buried and  melted throughout.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets

#1 – When using a dark coated bundt pan, the cake will bake faster.  Here, this cake was done in 50 minutes. I use a bamboo skewer to test the doneness by inserting it into the cake.  It should come out with cake crumbs not wet batter.

#2 – When sifting flour, I simply use a medium size fine strainer.  I get the same result.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

All By Himself

Nothing compares to the homemade pies made from scratch.

Nothing.

Well, OK… Fine.

I will admit to one brand.  Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie.

Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie is my husband’s favorite pie.  His face radiates with excitement like a little boy receiving his favorite treat each time there’s a slice of Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie in front of him.

After all these years and countless of Edward’s Lemon Meringue pies, it never occurred to me to ask him why he loves this pie so much?  So one day, I asked him…

“So… tell me Honeyko.  Why do you love Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie so much…?”

“On Sunday mornings, when I was a kid, my dad would go to the grocery store and buy Edward’s Lemon Meringue pie…  When he got home, he’d place the pie in the refrigerator to thaw. And then… he’d wait until that evening when the pie is thawed and ready…”

“Pie on the table… He’d slowly pull the brown oak chair… slowly wiggle his body into the chair until he is comfortable… take a deep breath and slowly pull the pie closer to him.  Fork in his hand, he slowly devours the pie all by himself.  My brother and I will be slightly hiding in the far corner, watching him… He’d eat that lemon meringue pie, bite by bite.  We gulped and swallowed our saliva each time he took a bite.”

“Did he knew you and your brother were watching…?”

“Yes, he knew…”

“And he did not offer you and your brother any?” I couldn’t believe that a parent wouldn’t share food with his kids.  Even animals shared food with their babies!

“Nope, he did not! And we didn’t ask.  If he didn’t offer us any, that means he did not want us to have some at all.  He bought that pie for himself… all for himself!”

I have never made lemon meringue pie before.  I was content in eating the store bought ones like we’ve been doing all these years.  But, I’m like a cat… highly curious and always patting my paws on things.  Of course my OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(self diagnosed) also helps a great deal.  I don’t leave things well enough alone.  Not a good thing sometimes.  My
husband hates it when I keep changing and altering recipes he liked, even when thinks I have perfected it.

Two years ago, few days before Thanksgiving, I decided to try my hands on making my own lemon meringue pie from scratch.    I was very surprised how my first lemon meringue pie came out unbelievably delicious.  The filling had a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.  We quickly gobbled it up in one day.  So… I had to make another one for Thanksgiving.

I discovered that most people shy away from making lemon meringue pies.  I found that most people make lemon meringue pie only after they have gained enough knowledge, experience and confidence in making the other types of pies.  Most people’s fear lies on the very temperamental meringues… and keeping the crust from being soggy once it’s filled.

“Making a pie is the ultimate test of a good cook, it shows technique and heritage,” according to Susan Westmoreland, food editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

For those of you who are avid fans of Food Network’s Emeril Lagasse, Alton Brown or Tyler Florence… they are very specific on their instructions:  keep the mixing bowl oil and lint free… or the egg whites are not going to expand… have the egg whites at room temperature before beating… so you can be assured of volume…

For me… is not so much the fear of making the meringue… but rather simply that it just did not occur to me to make it myself…

Nostalgic Lemon Meringue Pie

1 Prebaked Best Pie Crust Ever – see recipe below
4 ginger snaps (cookies) – crushed

Spread the crushed ginger snap cookies on the bottom of the prebaked pie crust. Set aside.

Lemon Custard Filling:
1¼ cup granulated sugar
6 TBSPs. Cornstarch
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1½ cup cold water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 small lemons)
5 large egg yolks, well beaten
2 TBSPs. Coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 TBSP. Lemon zest

In a 4 quart sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt using a whisk.

Turn the heat to medium.

While whisking the sugar and cornstarch mixture, gradually add the cold water. Stir in the lemon juice.

Blend in the well beaten egg yolks.

Keep whisking the mixture until it comes to a full boil.  Boil for 3 minutes or until thick in consistency.

Remove pan from the heat and stir in the coconut oil or butter until well incorporated with the lemon custard. Add the vanilla extract and grated lemon zest. Whisk until well blended.

Pour lemon custard into the prebaked pie crust, while still piping hot.  Set aside while you make the meringue.

NOTE:  Before beating the egg yolks and blending into the cornstarch mixture… remove the chalazae – a white fibrous cord on each end of the yolk that stretches through the whites. This white cord prevents the yolk from bumping against the shell. And this white cord is a bit chewy when cooked and I definitely do not want this in my lemon custard.

For the Meringue:

Cornstarch paste:
1 TBSP. cornstarch
1 TBSP. granulated sugar
½ cup water

In a small sauce pan, combine cornstarch and granulated sugar. Gradually add the water and stir until cornstarch and sugar dissolve and form into a runny paste.

Turn the heat to medium.

Keep stirring the cornstarch mixture until it starts to boil and form into a clear slightly thick paste. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.  Set aside while you make the meringue.

The Meringue:

5 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 small lemon (about 1 tsp.)
¾ cup granulated sugar

Wash the mixer bowl with hot soapy water.  Rinse thoroughly and shake water off the bowl.

Place bowl in the electric mixer and attach the wire whisk.

Add egg whites and beat on high speed until foamy.

Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract.  Continue beating on high speed until soft peaks form – about 2 minutes.

Gradually add the sugar, while the mixer is running on medium speed.  Beat on high speed again until peaks are firm and glossy, but not too dry. (This will take about 1 minute.)

Reduce the speed to low and add the cornstarch paste, one tablespoon at a time.  Beat on medium speed for another 15 seconds.

Adding the cornstarch paste to the meringue reduces shrinkage and will keep the meringue from collapsing.

Spoon the meringue over the hot lemon custard, slight pressing the meringue to make sure it is touching the custard and crust and also filling any gaps.

If you do not like too much meringue… you may only use half or three fourths of the meringue to cover the lemon custard.

Use the back of the spoon to create an attractive design on the meringue.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 7 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.  This will take about 3 hours.

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Best Pie Crust Ever

(Yield two pie crusts)

Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup coconut oil or vegetable shortening

1 large egg

1 tsp. vinegar

2 TBSPs. Cold water

Combine flour and coconut oil or vegetable shortening. Blend with a pasty cutter until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Beat the egg, vinegar, and cold water  to gether. Drizzle over the flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until the dough is a little sticky, but not gooey.

Divide the dough in half and form into large balls.  Place each ball, separately in a large ziploc bag.  Flatten each ball into a round disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While waiting for the dough to chill…

Lightly grease the glass pie pan or pans, if you are baking more than one pie, with a nonstick spray, butter or coconut oil.  I usually grease the glass pie pan with 1 tsp. coconut oil.  I use a pastry brush to spread the oil on the bottom and sides of the pan.

Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Work with one dough at a time.

Lightly rub flour on the rolling pin.  Roll each dough into a 12 inch circle.

Lightly rub flour on the rolling pin again and carefully wind the circle of dough with the rolling pin.

Unroll the dough, loosely, over the glass pie pan. Then carefully press the dough into to the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim excess dough that hangs over the pan, leaving about ½ inch.  (If the dough tears while unrolling and or pressing the dough on the pan, simply use the excess dough to patch any tears or holes.)

Crimp the edges by pressing it with a fork or pressing it with your finger.

Using a fork, prick several holes on the bottom and sides of the crust.

Prebaking the Pie Crust for the Lemon Meringue Pie or other single crust pies:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Line the pie shell with either one of these:  parchment paper, waxed paper or aluminum foil.  Fill the shell three quarters full with dried beans.

Bake pie shell in the preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.  And, then reduce the heat down to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove the faux filling – dried beans and the lining from the pie shell.

Return the pie shell into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove crust from the oven and cool.

The crust is now ready for filling.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Cherry Cheesecake

It’s Wednesday, a hump day.

I think we all need to take a small break with a huge treat to get us through the rest of the week.  I decided on a cheesecake, with Oreo cookies crust and topped with cherry pie filling.  My son is going to love this too. Cheesecake is one of his favorite desserts, followed by fruit sorbet smoothie and strawberry tart.

He had his first taste of cheesecake almost 12 years ago, back when we were living in Okinawa, Japan.  I was already experimenting with cooking and baking back then.  And I had baked my very first cheesecake – a plain New York Cheesecake.  It had cracked in several places, because of temperature and dry moisture inside the oven, and yet that cheesecake was sweet, smooth, creamy, and finger licking good.  Ramon and I sat down and finished that cheesecake in less than two days.  I don’t even remember if my husband had a slice…

Ramon was only 7 years old at that time, but never forgot how good that cheesecake tasted.  Ever since then, cheesecake became one of his favorite desserts, and often requests it for his birthday.

This cheesecake has everything a child would want.  Shoot, adults want this too. I can eat several slices and not blink an eye.  It has Oreo Cookies for the crust, and cherry pie filling on top!

If you’re worried that it might be a bit difficult to make, don’t be, because it really is not.  Just take your time.  That’s what I do.  I’m actually slow in the kitchen.  That’s because I day dream.  For me, cooking and baking is a form of therapy, a way to relax and be happy. And with this cheesecake… happiness is guaranteed while i devour a few slices…

Anyway… here’s what you need to make this cheesecake.

Equipment:

9 x 3 inch spring form pan

Heavy Duty Cookie sheet

Oven

Standup Mixer (or you can manually mix using a strong wooden spoon)

Food Processor (or any other means of grinding the Oreo Cookies)

Parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan (optional) – but this will make slicing and removing the cheesecake slices easier.

Helpful Tips:

Tip #1:   I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the cheesecake once sliced.

Tip #2:  For crust only covering the bottom and a small portion of the sides of the pan, you will only need about 20 Oreo Cookies instead of 30. (You can snack on the remaining 10 cookies to keep you motivated…)

Crust:

30 Oreo Cookies – finely ground

1 stick or ½ cup butter – melted

Combine finely ground Oreo Cookies and melted butter in a large mixing bowl.  (The mixture should be moist and slightly sticky which is great because it sticks easily on the bottom and sides of the pan.)

Cut out 8½ circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the spring form pan.   (I use the removable bottom of the spring form pan as a guide to cut out the parchment paper.) This will make removing a slice of cheesecake easy.

Filling:

4 – (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1½ cups fine sugar

1 – (8 ounce) tub sour cream

2 TBSPs. all purpose flour

1 TBSP. fresh lemon juice

1 TBSP. vanilla extract

Zest of 1 medium size orange (about 1½ tsps.)

Zest of 1 medium size lemon (about 1½ tsps.)

6 large eggs

Beat cheese until smooth, using the paddle of a stand up mixer.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.  Add sugar and flour.  Continue to beat until smooth and fluffy, again scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Add sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla extract, lemon and orange zest.  Continue to beat over medium speed until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined.

Pour mixture into the prepared spring form pan.  Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for 60 minutes or until set.  Turn the heat off and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the door slightly open, for 1 hour.

Completely cool cheesecake on a wire cooling rack. Cover with foil and transfer cheesecake into the refrigerator and cool at least 5 hours.

Run a thin – flat knife around the pan and then remove the spring form pan (sides only).  Place the cheesecake in a large, flat cake holder.

Topping:

1 – (21 ounce can) Cherry Pie Filling – chilled

Pour the can of Cherry Pie Filling over cheesecake.  Slice and serve.  (When slicing, use a thin, sharp knife, wiping the knife in between slices, to keep the slices clean.)

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess