Cooking With Margaret

Danish Coffee Cake This is a pastry that is made year round, and is absolutely amazing. It has an almond flavored glaze and is flaky and perfect for breakfast, dessert or just to have around when you need something sweet. It’s great for any occasion, as well. A family favorite in our house, especially when we have family over for the holidays Ingredients  Coffee Cake Ingredients Base layer    1 cup flour  1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup butter (cold) *cutting the butter up and then putting the pieces in the freezer for about 15 minutes helps the butter pieces stay cold, resulting in a good flaky layer Directions  Combine ingredients with a pastry blender (like you would be making a pie crust) *If you do not have a pastry blender, you can use two knives and cut the butter into the flour drizzling in the water* Top layer 1 cup water 1 cup flour  1/2 cup butter  3 eggs  1/2 teaspoon almond extract   Directions  Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Top Heat water and butter in a saucepan. Bring to boil

  Caprese Salad  Serves 6-8 Ingredients Salad 3 pints of fresh cherry tomatoes  2 pounds of fresh mozzarella, diced  1 bunch of Italian parsley, minced, divided 1 cup of fresh basil 1 tablespoon olive oil Dressing 1/2 cup pesto 2/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice  1 tablespoon salt  2 teaspoon pepper  Directions Rinse cherry tomatoes, in colander, set aside Dice up mozzarella into cubes, put in bowl  Tear up fresh basil leaves (*chopping basil bruises the leaves and can reduce the amount of flavor from them)  Add 1/2 the minced parsley  Dressing Whisk olive oil, pesto, and lemon juice Add other 1/2 of parsley Add salt and pepper Assembly  In your serving bowl add mozzarella cubes, basil leaves, parsley, and olive oil Toss with dressing, until evenly coated Season to taste Serve and enjoy!

Whipped Honey Butter Makes 1 cup Ingredients 1 cup of salted butter, softened  1/4 cup honey Directions In a mixer fitted with a whip attachment add the softened butter, whip until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes)  Add honey Whip an additional 2 minutes Place in serving dish  Serve * Can be made ahead of time, allow butter to come to room temp before serving

Cornbread With Green Chiles Makes 2 Loaves Ingredients 1 3/4 cup cornmeal 1 1/2 all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons salt  1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder  1 /3 cup sugar 3/4 cup butter  3/4 cup sour cream 3 eggs  3 cups buttermilk  If you don't have buttermilk measure out the amount of milk and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice, stir and let set for 15-20 minutes Or equal parts plain yogurt and milk mixed together 3 small cans of diced green chiles  1 1/2 cups of corn (if frozen thaw, if canned drain)  2 cans of creamed corn  Directions  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease pans with softened butter (this works much better than any spray that I have used)  A pastry brush makes greasing the pans with the softened butter much easier (swipe your pastry brush upwards to help your bread rise better) Line the bottom of two loaf pans with parchment paper (liners on the bottom are crucial) In a bowl combine creamed corn, corn and chiles Sift together the

Penuche Frosting This recipe is from my Mom. It’s a recipe that is used to make boxed cake mixes that extra something when you need something to add to them when you don’t have enough time to make and frost an entire cake! A single batch of frosting will frost the top of a 13x9 cake  Ingredients   1/2 cup of butter  1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup of milk 1 3/4-2 cups of powdered sugar Pinch of cinnamon (optional) Directions Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Then add the brown sugar.  Boil and stir over low heat for two minutes.  Add the milk and bring back to a boil stirring constantly.  Then cool to lukewarm.  Gradually add the powdered sugar while beating with an electric mixer.  Then spread on a cooled cake.  Makes enough to frost the top of a 13x9 cake (Best on spice or carrot cakes) 

  Crab and Artichoke Spread Serves 8-10 Ingredients 1 medium onion, small dice 2 garlic cloves, minced 8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese, divided 5 oz shredded parmesan cheese, divided 2 13.75 fl. oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and diced 2 cups mayonnaise  3/4 pound Dungeness Crab meat, picked over  1 bunch italian parsley, minced, divided  Salt and Pepper to taste To Serve Ciabatta or Focaccia, toasted  Sliced garden fresh tomatoes Remaining Parsley Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a large pan saute onion and garlic, add artichokes, saute until warmed through In a large bowl add half of each of the cheeses, mayonnaise, crab meat and about 2/3 of the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper to taste  Place in a large casserole dish that has been greased. Place on a baking tray. Bake until golden brown and bubbling in the center, about 30 minutes.  When ready to serve, spread crab and artichoke mixture over toasted bread.   Top with remaining cheese, sliced tomatoes and

  Snack Mix  Ingredients Mix 1 Large Box of Crispix (18 oz)  1 Bag of Goldfish (6.6 oz)  4 Cups of Cashews (or mixed nuts) 2 Cups of Cheerios 4 Cups of Sesame Sticks  4 Cups of Snap Pea Crisps (optional) Seasonings 1 Cup of Butter  1/3 Cup of Worcestershire  3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice  2 Teaspoons garlic powder  Directions Preheat oven to 250 degrees In a large bowl combine snack mix ingredients (leave out snap pea crisps) In a saucepan melt butter Allow butter to lightly cool Add the remaining liquid/sauce ingredients  Toss the cereal mix with the sauce mix, until evenly coated  Spread out, evenly on sheet pans  Bake for 45 minutes Stirring every 15 minutes, rotating pans Spread on paper towel allowing to cool Stir in snap pea crisps (if using) Enjoy!

   Cashew Curry Chicken Salad Ingredients                   Salad   1 rotisserie chicken   1 large onion, small diced   1/2 the heart of celery, diced   1 bunch of Italian parsley, minced, divided  2 cups of whole roasted salted cashews, roughly chopped                 Dressing  Combine in a bowl 2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder 1 teaspoon turmeric  1 tablespoon of salt  Remaining 1/2 of parsley 2 cups of mayonnaise 1 tablespoon of  white wine vinegar          Directions  In a bowl, shred the chicken Add celery and onions Add 1/2 the parsley Add dressing  Add cashews Stir   Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight   Serve  Wonderful with toasted bread, in a salad, or by itself Enjoy! 

 Grilled Corn Salad With Creamy Avocado Dressing Ingredients             Salad  4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, diced 6-8 ears or corn, husks removed  6 Roma tomatoes, seeded, diced  1  orange bell pepper, diced 1 red onion, finely diced  2 avocados, diced 1 lime, juiced  Salt to taste         Dressing 5 limes, juiced, zest of 2 1/4 cup of olive oil 2 tablespoons of honey 6 garlic cloves 2 bunches of cilantro 2 avocados Salt and Pepper to taste      Directions Salad Prep Heat a grill (or grill pan) to medium/high and place corn on grill  on all sides until charred ( or you can  follow the oven roasted method below  Remove corn from heat, allow to slightly cool Remove kernels from cob Add to bowl Add remaining salad ingredients, set aside Dressing In a food processor, place garlic, and 1 bunch of cilantro tops Pulse until finely chopped Add honey, avocados, and limes  With the motor running slowly drizzle in the olive oil, until combined Taste for seasoning Assembly  Gradually add dressing

My Favorite Granola  This is a recipe I have used for snacks and breakfasts. I love it with any yogurt, especially our local dairy yogurt, it is AMAZING!  Ingredients  9 cups rolled oats  2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup of honey  1/3 cup maple syrup 3/4 cup vegetable oil  1 tablespoon vanilla  1 1/2 cups dried fruit (I use dried cranberries, dried cherries, or dried blueberries) 2 cups nuts (sliced almonds are my favorite, but pecans and walnuts are wonderful, too)  Directions Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit  Combine oats, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl In a separate bowl combine honey, maple syrup, vegetable oil and vanilla Pour the liquid mix into the oats and stir until everything is evenly coated  Pour the mix onto a parchment lined rimmed sheet pan Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes Add nuts and stir, baking another 5-15 minutes until lightly golden Remove from oven, allow to cool  Add dried fruit Serve. Will keep in an airtight bag or container

No Sugar Added Applesauce     Makes about 7 cups                  Ingredients  4-5 pound of mixed apples, halved and seeded (leave peels on)  2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt  Water, to cover          Directions Add apples to heavy bottom pot Cover with water  Cook over medium/low heat, until apples are completely cooked through, and starting to break down (1-3 hours)  Remove pan from heat Using a slotted spoon/spider transfer apples to food mill Process through food mill, in batches (make sure you remove excess buildup of solids before adding next batch so your food mill continues to move around smoothly)  Add cinnamon and salt Stir  Enjoy!              

Garlic Dip With Herbs Makes About 4-6 Cups of Dip Ingredients 3- 8oz boxes of cream cheese, softened  3 cups cottage cheese 2 tablespoons milk/heavy cream 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 bunch of chives 1 bunch of parsley 10 cloves of garlic Salt to taste Paprika, for garnish Directions  In a bowl of a mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip cream cheese, cottage cheese and milk, and Worcestershire (*adding more milk at end if needed to adjust consistency*)   In a food processor combine the remaining ingredients and pulse until finely chopped Add to mixing bowl and whip until fluffy Taste to adjust seasoning Sprinkle with paprika Serve *Can be made ahead (recommended*) so the flavors can blend and get stronger

Gemmeli Carbonara Serves 4  Ingredients 1 pound of gemmeli pasta 1 large onion, diced  3 garlic cloves 6 egg yolks 2 whole eggs 1/2 pound thick cut prosciutto, diced (putting in freezer, 30-60 minutes before cutting makes it much easier to cut) 1 bunch of parsley, minced, divided  1 cup grated of parmesan, plus more for serving  Salt and Pepper, to taste Directions Bring water to boil, add generous amount of salt. Add pasta, cook according to package directions, stirring often.  While the pasta is cooking sauté onion and garlic, with olive oil and salt until onion is translucent. Set aside.  In another bowl whisk together eggs, 3/4 of the minced parsley and grated parmesan. Set aside.  Chop prosciutto up into small pieces. Drain pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Return pasta to hot pot, stir in egg mixture, making sure they don't scramble by adding a little pasta water (start with about 2 tablespoons) until a sauce coats the noodles. Fold in prosciutto. Add sauteed garli