Cherry Cheese Bars

Since I’m down to three hens and the Nugget, I’m not really getting eggs.  My sister brought me some eggs from her farm, and since she can’t eat them, she also brought a dozen turkey and duck eggs.

That dog better not get any taller!

That means I decided to bake.  I also wanted to use some of the cherries from my freezer because they are getting old.

I also love the idea of baking with my chevre (goat cheese).

That means I created cherry cheese bars.  (Don’t worry, I’ve translated the recipe into normal people baking.)

Start by making your cherry pie filling (or getting a can).  I didn’t really use a recipe, but it was about 3/4 of a quart bag of frozen cherries, 3/4 cup of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch.  Then I cooked until it was thick and bubbly.  Set that aside.

Make your cheese by mixing thoroughly:

• 1 cup of chevre (or cream cheese)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Turkey on the left; chicken on the right

Set that aside and make your batter.  Of course I had to use the turkey eggs for the fun of it.

Cream together

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs (I used 2 turkey eggs)

Add and mix

• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups flour

Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan and spread most of the batter on the bottom.  To spread it, I had to spray my hands with no-stick spray and pat it down.

Spread the cherry filling over the top.

Dot the remaining batter over the top.  Fill the spaces up with the cheese mixture.

Bake at 350*F for 45 minutes.

Delicious!

I’m glad I still have a lot of cherries in my freezer.  I certainly want to make this one again!

SaveSave

Advertisements

Greek Salad and Dressing

I’m still looking for great recipes to try using my feta.  When my family was coming for Christmas eve, I decided to try another salad.  The salad itself is quite simple–just chop some cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and feta.  I left it mixed and chilling in the refrigerator until just before serving.

Greek Dressing

Mix together:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 clove garlic (pressed/minced)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. brown mustard

The dressing has an olive oil base.  I confess I’m not a fan of oily dressings, so I used my extra light olive oil and added the spices.

Then I added the rest of the ingredients.

I shook it in my jar, and it was ready.

Right before serving, I drizzled some of the dressing on and mixed it up.

I think it turned out quite delicious!

I even like the dressing on just a lettuce salad too.

Sweet Relish

When I was young, my Aunt Mildred gave my mom the best ever sweet pickle relish recipe.  She got it from one of the old ladies from the town where she lived.  My aunt was born in 1925, and she referred to her as an old lady, so I have no idea how old the recipe is.

Reading it, however, you realize it’s old enough that it doesn’t use actual measurements for the veggies.  I’ve always gotten more from the recipe than it says you’ll get, so I’m guessing we grow tomatoes a lot bigger than they used to be.  I cannot vouch for its safety based on the FDA’s standards for home canning, but it’s delicious and I haven’t died from it yet.  It’s also a great way to use green tomatoes at the end of the season.

I picked my 24 green tomatoes, 8 green peppers, and (from the fridge) 10 onions, washed them and then quartered them.

I also use the vintage food grinder the same aunt gave my mom shortly after she was married.  I wouldn’t know how to make it with modern items.  I’m guessing you can just put them in the food processor and chop them.

As I kept grinding, I poured it from my little bowl into a big one.  It does take quite the big bowl to hold it all.

When everything is all chopped up, add the 3 Tablespoons of salt.  Then cover it and let is set in the refrigerator over night.

In the morning, I used cheesecloth to make it easier to drain.  It was super easy to squeeze out the juice through the cheesecloth, but I’m not sure it will ever be truly white again.

If you don’t have cheesecloth, you could use a clean pillow case or probably even just your hands.  When you finish squeezing it out, you’ll have nice balls of green stuff.

Then you add the rest of the ingredients:  4 cups of sugar, 2 cups of vinegar, 2 Tablespoons of celery seed, and 4 Tablespoons of mustard seed.  Mix it all up and cook it for 40 minutes.

I didn’t use too high of a temperature, and I stirred it enough to keep it from sticking, but not constantly.

Eventually, it will look and smell like relish.  A lot of the liquid will cook out.  After the 40 minutes, ladle it into jars.  I prefer half-pint jars.

Then adjust your lids and process in a hot water bath for fifteen minutes.  You might have noticed that the handwriting on the recipe (above) is different for the processing time. I had to look that up because the original recipe just said to seal it.

I just want to go have a hot dog now!