Roasted Grape Tomato and Mushroom Pasta

Cherry tomatoes will soon be ripe on the vine and in the meantime, I have been buying the little cartons of grape tomatoes in the produce section.  Pairing them with mini Bella mushrooms makes a delicious beginning to a quick pasta dish.  You could do this completely vegetarian but I like to fry some boneless chicken breasts in the pan first to add flavor to the sauce.

• 3 cups sliced mini Bella or button  mushrooms
• 3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to your liking)
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• a handful of fresh basil and parsley mix chopped
• 5 cups baby spinach . .more or less ...if you like more wilted greens. .add more
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Spaghetti noodles for four

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil. I don't use parchment paper here because I don't' want to waste any of the juices that eventually seep through the paper. ..but not the foil.
3. Slice the tomatoes and put them in a medium-sized bowl and add the mushrooms and garlic
4. Toss together with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
5. Spread the veggies in a single layer over the cookies sheet and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
6. Roast about 40 minutes or until the juices have been released and the veggies are beginning to caramelize.
7. While the veggies are roasting. . . preheat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil and the chicken. 
8. Brown on both sides and then cover leaving the lid tilted over the pan so that you don't steam the chicken but still keep the heat in. 
9. Heat the water for your pasta and cook it while you finish your sauce.  Reserve one cup of pasta water.
10. Turn the heat to medium and cook the breasts through.  Remove to a plate and keep warm in the oven.
11. Add the cream to the pan to deglaze it. Stir for a minute to scrape the bits off.
12. Add the veggies and the juices from the cookie sheet into the large skillet.
13. Add the reserved pasta water to the skillet.
14. When the pasta is al dente. .drain it.
15. Add the spinach and the herbs  to the pan and stir one minute until it wilts. 
16. Serve the veggies and chicken over the pasta and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the dish.

Pretzel Dessert

This pretzel based dessert with an orange filling is delicious and simple to make. After the first bite my g'daughter said 'this is so good'.

Crust:

• 1 cup pretzels, crushed, I used my food processor
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar

1. Crush pretzels in the food processor, add sugar, and melted butter and pulse till combined. If you don't have a food processor crush pretzels with a rolling pin, then add sugar and melted butter and stir till combined.
2. Pat crust into an 8" baking pan and bake in a 400º oven for 10 minutes.
3. Cool on wire rack.

Filling:

• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Combine the filling ingredients (minus sour cream) in a large microwave safe bowl and whisk until smooth.
2. Microwave on high till it thickens, stirring frequently. Takes approximately 7 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool.
3. Once cool fold in sour cream and pour filling into crust. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
4. To serve top with whipped cream and decorate as you wish. Sprinkled with a little grated orange peel adds a nice tangy flavor. 

Anything Fruit Squares (Easy Platz)

This platz is quick and easy with very little fuss and whips up in no time. My mom makes us so much apple pie filling that I find all kinds of recipes to use it in, and this is one of my personal favorites.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup of hard margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Mix all the ingredients together making coarse crumbs.
2. Pat 1/2 of the crumbs down firmly in a 9x9 inch pan.
3. Fill with a your favorite pie filling, fresh or frozen fruit, or jam if you prefer.
4. Top with remaining crumbs.
5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes and the crumbs on top are a golden brown color.
6. That is how easy it is. No fuss, and you have a nice treat for the fasba table or evening dessert with some friends.
7. It is best to store this cake uncovered, otherwise the crumbs tend to get soggy.
8. I have never frozen this either, this is the kind of thing, I prefer freshly made, but am certain that it could be frozen. Just thaw it without being covered, again so the crumbs hopefully stay crunchy.

UBC Ponderosa Cake (Banana/Chocolate)

I realize there are several great banana cakes posted, but I figure what’s a Mennonite Cookbook without 8 versions of the same recipe? I like to made my own versions by comparing several recipes side by side, which is always a nice challenge. I am not sure where this title came from, but that’s the name it came with when I got it from my friend, Laura M.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 - 4 mashed bananas 
• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sour cream

Filling:

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 -1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. Cream butter, adding in the sugar, eggs, vanilla and bananas.
2. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet mixture alternating with sour cream.
3. Spread one third of batter into prepared Bundt or tube pan.
4. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar/choc chips. Cover with another third of the batter, the rest of the sugar/choc chip mixture, then the final batter.
5. Bake at 350° F for about 55 -60 min. Test for doneness.
6. Cool 10 min before inverting onto plate. Cool before slicing.

Bread for the Journey

Philippians 4:13, I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. (NIV)

As women I think we can all relate to having times in our life that we feel "less than" or "inadequate".
As a child, I so very much wanted to be good "at something", anything. I wasn't really smart. I worked hard in school to get average marks. I wasn't athletic, I wasn't particularly musical. Who was I?  What was I here for? These feelings of inadequacy went with me throughout my early life and on occasion, still sneak up on me today. As a young woman in my late 20's, I felt a strong pull to be involved in a ministry serving women facing a crisis pregnancy. Again the question popped into my mind, what do I have to offer? I don't have a particular skill or talent; I never experienced such a crisis personally. How could I relate? How could I serve in this ministry when I don't have a higher education or expertise? What do I have to offer? Yet this urgency, this calling I felt wouldn't quiet in my spirit. I remembered the words to a song....

Just ordinary people
God uses ordinary people
He chooses people just like me and you
Who are willing to do as He commands

God uses people that will give Him all
No matter how small your all may seem to you
Because little becomes much
As you place it in the Masters hand

 (Lyrics by Mom Winans)

 
I prayed a simple prayer that if this truly was a calling I felt, that God would honor my desire to serve Him and give me the courage to say yes. It was saying that yes that opened my world to so many things in my life I never have thought possible. I use this prayer every time a possibility of service or an opportunity comes up, even when I was asked to join Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

My point in sharing this with you is that God uses ordinary people like you and me, who offer small and humble gifts and He turns them into something for His greater purpose.  Not so that we may shine, but that He shines through the work He does in and through us.  Are you ready to say yes?

Stir Whole Wheat Bread

Okay. . . this recipe is for anyone who has never baked bread. Yes, the rest of you can make it too, but it's guaranteed to be so easy that no one has an excuse. Well, after you have all the ingredients in the house, there is no excuse. You can have this bread on the table in 1 1/2 hours,

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup 7 or 9 grain cereal
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons sunflower and or pumpkin seeds
• 3 tablespoons flax seed (ground)
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed (optional)
• 3 tablespoons oat bran
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 1/2 cups hot water

Method:

1. Mix dry ingredients and add in oil, molasses and hot water
2. Stir until mixed. Sprinkle with flour and shape into a ball. I don't want to use the word knead but if you feel comfortable with that, knead a little.
3. Without rising, divide the ball into 2 or 3 parts, depending on size of bread pans. Mine are small (4'' x 7 1/2'') so I do three.
4. Cover with a clean tea towel and plastic bag. Let rise about 20 min. 
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 F, then bake loaves about 30 minutes.

Time saving idea: mix several batches of the dry mix and divide per recipe into zip-lock bags. Freeze. When you want to bake bread, just take one out and add the liquids as specified.

Lemon Cream Sponge Cake /Flashback Friday

For this Flashback Friday recipe I want to share this delicious sponge cake with a lemon filling. Perfect dessert for a special occasion or just because. I usually make the homemade lemon filling, but a boxed lemon pie filling mix works just fine as well.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour sifted with
• 2 tsp. baking powder and
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup of hot milk
• 2 tbsp. butter melted in the milk
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Beat eggs till foamy, add sugar gradually, beat til thick and lemony.
2. Fold in sifted dry ingredients. Add lemon juice.
3. Gently stir in the milk and melted butter.
4. Bake in two greased 8" pans at 375 for about 20 minutes or til golden brown.
5. Leave in pan for five minutes and then cool on a cooling rack.
6. Slice each layer in half
7. Put lemon filling between layers and dust with icing sugar, or decorate it with whipped cream.
   

Lemon Filling

• 2 1/2 tbsp. corn starch
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1 tsp butter

1. In a double boiler, blend together corn starch and sugar, add boiling water, stirring all the time, until it is clear, about 10 minutes.
2. Beat egg, lemon juice and rind. Stir into the cornstarch mixture.
3. Cook 3 minutes. Beat in butter. Cool.
   Or just make your favorite Lemon Pie filling.

Whipped Cream icing

1. 2 cups whip cream, whipped and sweetened to taste.
2. I add a stabilizer for this cake called "Whip-It by Dr. Oetker. It just helps to keep the whipping cream firm for decorating. Two packages are enough for 2 cups of whipping cream.
3. Take 1/2 cup of whipped cream and add it to the cooled Lemon filling.
4. Layer Lemon between all the layers
5. Decorate the cake with the remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with sugared almonds, around the edges.

Sugared Almonds

• 1 cup of slivered almonds
• 2 tbsp. sugar.

1. Gently stir over medium heat till sugar melts and caramelizes over the almonds
2. Cool and sprinkle around the cake.
3. This is not a high rising cake, so don't worry if the volume isn't what you are used too.

Sausage Rolls with Honey Mustard Ranch Dip

My Auntie Betty gave me the recipe for this dough years ago and I've used it in different ways.  I used to make little sausage rolls with Smoked Farmer Sausage but I've switched it up a bit to make the pinwheels a tender and attractive little bite  which is easy to take along to add to a party buffet.

Sausage Rolls

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 slightly beaten large eggs
• 1 cup butter melted and cooled
• 2  1/2 cups flour
• 1 small ring smoked farmer sausage. . .any other smoked sausage would work as well.

1. In a one cup measuring cup add the yeast and sugar to the warm water.  Let sit 10 minutes or until the yeast has proofed.
2. Put the flour into a mixing bowl.
3. Add the eggs, the melted cooled butter and the yeast.
4. Stir to combine well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
5. While the dough is chilling. . peel the farmer sausage and roughly dice.  Put it into a food processor and pulse until it is uniformly crumbs.
6. Roll the dough into a long strip about 6 inches wide and about 3 feet long.
7. Sprinkle the farmer sausage crumbles over the dough and roll up jelly roll style.
8. Cut into 1/2 inch slices and lay on two cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper.
9. Allow to rise for one hour and then bake in a 375 F oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

If you have leftover sausage crumbles.  . .use them the next day to make easy cheese and sausage buns.  Simply sprinkle the crumbled farmer sausage over cheese on halves of buns and broil on low until the farmer sausage is sizzling and the cheese has melted.

Honey Mustard Ranch Mayo Dip

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon liquid honey

1. Stir together and refrigerate.
2. Serve with Sausage Rolls.

Applesauce Bee Sting Cake

This simple cake, covered, stays moist and delicious for days. Make sure to invite someone for coffee if you do not want to snack on it endlessly. It's hard not to.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 egg (optional)
• 2 cuos flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon soda
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 1 ½ cups applesauce
• 1 cup raisins, rinsed

Method:

1. Cream butter and add honey gradually, then beat in the egg.
2. Combine dry ingredients and add to first mixture alternately with applesauce.
3. Stir in raisins.
4. Spread into  9 x 9 inch greased pan.
5. Bake at 350° F for about 45 min. Test with toothpick.
6. Spread hot cake with broiled icing.

Broiled Icing:

• 1/4 c butter
• 1/3 c liquid honey
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut
• ½ cup chopped fresh walnuts

Method:

1. Melt butter, add honey and cinnamon. Stir in coconut and walnuts.
2. Spread on cake and put in oven on broil setting for about 2 minutes, until topping bubbles and browns lightly. (stay by the oven and watch)

Baked Oatmeal

We were served this for brunch at our football reunion at Wilderness Edge a few years ago..it was so delicious and the cook was kind enough to share the recipe. This is a large recipe but could be cut in half very easily.

• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 cup sugar ( I used 1 cup Splenda)
• 6 cups oatmeal (I used 3 cups large flakes and 3 cups of 3 minute oats)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups milk ( I used skim)

1. Mix well and pour into a greased 9 x 13" pan. Bake at 350º for 30 min. After you take it out of the oven wait a bit so that it can set before you cut it.
2. Serve warm with milk and cinnamon. You could add raisins before or after it is baked.
3. I chose to eat it with a large dollop of vanilla yogurt and some slightly thawed blueberries... fresh would be really good but at this time of year they are too pricey in the store.
4. Leftover oatmeal freezes well.