Cherry-Cheese Galette and Cherished Memories

My mom, hands down is one of the most great pie makers out there.  In fact everyone I know in Alaska (excluding me) knows how to make great pies.  My friends Felicia and Toni are incredible bakers and can whip out any kind of pie out there.  I never picked up the knack for it, and through the years have take the "semi-homemade" approach when it comes to pies.

My fondest memory of my mom making pies is the leftover pie dough.  She would gather all the extra dough pieces, let nothing ever go to waste and put them together in a little crust dessert for me.  My mom would shape it like a calzone, fill it with butter and sprinkled it all over with her special cinnamon/sugar blend.  She would bake it off and I couldn't wait to eat it.  Did your mom or grandma ever make this? 

This dessert (which my husband is now debating with and telling me that it should be served as a breakfast pastry) brings the warmth and goodness of my mom's cherry pie and blends it with my favorite...cheesecake.  So, whether you have it with breakfast or as a dessert, I hope you enjoy the comfort that it gives me.

Cherry-Cheese Galette

(1) refrigerated ready-made pie crust (like Pillsbury)

1/2 can cherry pie filling

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

pinch of grated nutmeg

Cinnamon/Sugar Blend

1 part - cinnamon

3 part - granulated sugar

(Put both ingredients in a resealable container, like Tupperware and shake well, until completely mixed). You will have leftover blend, depending on your proportions.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. 

To make the filling, whisk the cream cheese, lemon juice, sugar and nutmeg in a bowl.  Set aside.

Roll out the pie crust on the parchment paper into a 12-inch round. 

 Spread 3/4 of the cream cheese filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border.

Top with the cherry pie filling.  

Fold the edge of the dough over the filling.

Drizzle the remaining cream cheese filling over the cherries.

Sprinkle about 2 Tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture, 

all over the crust, cherries and cream cheese topping.

Put an inverted baking sheet in the lower third of the oven.  Put the baking sheet with the galette directly on the hot baking sheet in the oven.  Bake until the crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve slightly warm.

One Year Ago: Pasta E Fagioli Soup

Creamy Artichoke Bruschetta

It is now day 3 of Daylight Savings Time.  Everyone loves it when we "Fall Back" in time.  So far, I have not been a fan of it this year because all it means is one more hour of insomnia and the reminder that while everyone else is enjoying that extra hour of sleep, I am losing even more sleep.

I try to take advantage of any waking nights and am already thinking about upcoming holidays and family dinners.  For those of you entertaining this season, this is a great one for those guests.  Super easy, creamy and delicious!!  Sweet Dreams.

Creamy Artichoke Bruschetta
Adapted from www.thecookierookie.com

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 loaf (small) baguette, cut into slices
1/2 cup Best Foods Olive Oil mayonnaise
1/8 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (8-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the bread slices on a foil lined baking sheet and brush with olive oil.

Bake the bread for 8-10 minutes until crispy and golden, set aside.

In a food processor, mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, chopped artichokes, garlic salt, parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Spread about 2 Tablespoons (depending on the size of your bread) of the mixture onto each slice of bread and sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Broil in the oven on high for 5-7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden on top. (Watch closely to prevent from burning).

* Forgive the burnt ends in my photo...I must have fallen asleep while watching the oven.

One Year Ago: Cherry Cheesecake Brownies

Little Bear, Monster's Boo and TyKU

Happy Halloween to you and yours.  Have a safe outing tonight and as I always tell my girls, "Make good choices".

This year both girls surprised me and actually dressed up with all of their friends.  As you recall, last year they boycotted costumes.  The students at their school had the best costumes this morning...such creativity with the young minds out there.  The extra added bonus of the day is Chipotle Restaurant.  Today if you go in with your costume on, they will give you "Boorito" only for $3.00.  Love it !!  Solved the problem of starving teenagers after school this afternoon.

Little Boo from the movie Monsters Inc.

My little bear, complete with her
jar of honey (actually gold foil Kisses).

A new spooky looking drink we recently discovered is called "TY KU" Citrus Liqueur.  The bottle actually glows - coolest thing I have seen in a very long time (we obviously don't get out much).

Our bar concierge at PF Chang's turned us on to it.  He called it "Skittles in a Bottle".  He was not exaggerating a bit either.

Naughty Lemonade 

2 oz. TY KU Citrus Liqueur
4 oz. Fresh Lemonade
Splash of Pear Flavored Vodka

Pour in a martini shaker over ice.  Shake well.  Pour in a old fashion glass over ice.  Cheers!

One Year Ago: Tamale Casserole

Fall's Cobb Salad

If you have been following this blog for awhile, you know how much I "love Tuesdays"...not really. Yesterday was no exception either.  What is it about Tuesdays and the mayhem that follows me on this one particular day?

Poor Angus even had a bad day.

It started off at 5 am when my husband was frantically looking for towels and he grabbed the shop vac out of the garage.  My eyes were barely open and I knew nothing good had happened.  I wanted to crawl back under my covers and hide from whatever mess was lurking out there for us to clean up.

My Theo has been having tummy troubles (most likely eating the bad crab apples that have taken over our yard as of late.  He couldn't wait for us to let him outside and I won't describe what was at the door...such a lovely aroma before my first cup of coffee.

Fast forward to a crazy, busy day complete with a migraine headache and incorporating taking the area rug to the laundromat from the morning mess and playing twins taxi in the early evening.  I was so frazzled, I resorted to take out Chinese for dinner, which if you know me, is definitely not like me.  Good thing there weren't many dishes, because "I" get hit with a homework assignment.

My younger daughter had diligently done lengthy research and typed up her report earlier in the week, as directed (or so she thought).  She was to put it into a newspaper type format, which I thought looked great, since she didn't even have a newspaper to refer to and it was just the rough draft.  Well, for the final draft, it needed to be an exact typical newspaper layout, complete with the columns, line spacing and font line up.  I have said it once before and I will say it again...as much controversy that comes from the internet, it really does come in handy sometimes.  Bless Google and their online templates, which saved us once again. Unfortunately, we didn't finish until midnight last night, which meant very little sleep and ask my husband, I am not the most pleasant person when it comes to sleep deprivation.

The good news of the week is my husband and I made a new friend and his name is Josh.  Josh Cellars has an incredible array of wines that are not only very affordable, but also beautiful taste.  I typically have not been a Cabernet fan in the past, but Josh has changed my outlook.  I also love Josh Cellars' philosophy of giving back and their philanthropic community support.  This Cab goes wonderfully with our new favorite Fall Cobb Salad.  I think I will be inviting my new friend for dinner tonight (if there's no more surprise homework).

Fall's Cobb Salad

2 cooked chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and diced

4 slices cooked bacon, cut in small pieces

2 large hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced

5 cups romaine lettuce, cut in bite size pieces

1 pear, peeled and diced

1/3 cup Craisins (dried sweetened cranberries)

1/2 cup smoked Gouda cheese, diced

Honey Mustard Dressing (your favorite brand) or your own homemade version

To assemble the salad, plate with a layer of the romaine lettuce at bottom of serving plate or bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients and drizzle with your favorite Honey Mustard dressing.

Can be served as a meal for 2 people, or a hearty side salad for guests with a nice butternut squash soup.

One Year Ago: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Apple Dump Cake

This weekend we had the pleasure of taking in one of our many local pumpkin patch events.  It has been years, I'm embarrassed to say since we took our girls out to an official pumpkin patch. My dad used to take them when they were just little girls, out to pick their very own pumpkins, take in a caramel apple (or two) and walk through the corn stalks.  

It brought back such wonderful memories for us as I watched the other toddlers there experiencing what my girls used to and seeing the wonders and smiles on their sweet young faces.

My two little pumpkins.

Me and my Great Pumpkin

Charlie Brown's Pumpkin Patch

Of course where there are pumpkins in the fall, there will also be apples.  I have made just about every fruit type dump cake out there, but never an apple dump cake.  This one is different because the top is made with a prepared cake mix, instead of the usual dry mix with butter cubes.

Apple Dump Cake
Courtesy of Table for Seven

1 dry box butter yellow cake mix (with ingredients listed on box)
2 (21 oz) cans apple pie filling
1 stick butter
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 12 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Spoon apple pie filling on bottom of pan and spread around.

Make cake mix in a bowl, according to the box directions.  Pour prepared cake batter over the apples.

Melt butter with water and pour on top of cake batter.

Bake for approximately 70 minutes.

Serve with whip cream or french vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Brownie Brittle Mousse and Chocolate Moose

My sweet and lovable chocolate "moose",
soaking up the fall morning sunshine.

Are you an "outy" or an "inny"?  I am an outy, and I'm not referring to belly buttons.  I am however referring to brownies.  This can be quite a debate in any given household or relationship.  Do you like the outside of the perimeter edge of the pan that has partial brownie crispy crust with a hint of the soft side included or are you completely crustless and only go for the soft cake and fudgy (is that a word?) parts.

My world has been changed forever.  Sheila G, a famous baker in Florida invented "Brownie Brittle" and will now become a millionaire because of it.  It's the simple ideas that really make you go, "Why didn't I think of that?"

These little cookie crunch brownie bites are amazing.  Every time I open the bag, I get this wave of fresh baked chocolate that immediately takes me back to my mom's brownies.  They are very dangerous to have around the house, to say the least.

I had a spare bag (amazingly enough) and wanted to create a treat with them.  I took some already made chocolate pudding and Cool Whip we still had in the refrigerator and made a pseudo "mousse". The crushed brownie brittle served as the base for the mousse and then I topped it off with a nice full size piece for the crowning touch.

Brownie Brittle Mousse

Measurements will vary, depending on how many your are making, but here is the ratio:

2 parts, prepared chocolate pudding
1 part, Cool Whip dessert topping (or more, to your liking)
crushed "Brownie Brittle"
whole pieces of "Brownie Brittle"

Add a small amount of the crushed brownie brittle to the bottom of your glass.  (I like to freeze my dessert glasses about an hour before I prepare the dish) Stir pudding well in a medium size bowl and carefully fold in Cool Whip, until it is all evenly mixed.  Spoon the mousse into your chilled glass. Top with a piece of brownie brittle.

One Year Ago: Grannie's Lasagna

BLT Sandwiches and Nana Tomatoes

For throwdown Thursday, I became very reminiscent of my mom's BLT sandwiches when I was growing up.  I remember vividly the aroma of bacon being fried in her stainless steel GE electric skillet (that weighed more than our dog) while toasting the white sandwich bread for the BLT dinners some nights.  I loved her sandwiches and she always served them up with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Fast forward in time, when I met my husband he taught me his mom's famous "Nana Tomatoes" that she made often for their family and they have become a staple at our house also.  They are so easy, versatile and have incredible flavor.

The other night we made them and I wondered how they would taste in a BLT, instead of just plain sliced tomatoes.  Oh dear Heaven!  Now maybe I was just really hungry that night, but that was the most delicious sandwich I enjoyed in a long time.  The marinated tomatoes, butter lettuce and  lightly toasted sourdough bread raised the retro sandwich to a different level.  One of my girls tried a bite of my sandwich.  Not only did she steal the other half my sandwich, she also proceeded to make another one for herself.  

If you're feeling nostalgic,
give this one a try.

Nana Tomatoes 

Inspired by Nana (Jan)

1 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise (or your favorite brand)

1 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing (or your favorite brand)

3-4 beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

* Proportions/measurements can be adjusted based on how many people and use of tomatoes.

In a deep dish plate or glass pie pan, whisk the mayonnaise and Italian dressing, salt and pepper together until blended well.  Slice the tomatoes and submerge in the dressing mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Serve the tomatoes as a side dish with
 your favorite beef, chicken or pork meal.

Even better though...serve them as part of your BLT sandwich,
it is devine!!

One Year Ago: Chicken Tortilla Soup