Me, Myself, and Pie-- Cookbook Wednesday

It's Cookbook Wednesday!

And this is  #78 for me!

As  I said the last time I posted a cookbook for the countdown,  

this isn't even making a dent in my collection.

And it's #78!

This will keep me busy until I die. (posting from each cookbook)

I'm so glad I have a purpose in life!  A goal!  I can never give up!

Check them all out here!

Swing on over to Marjie  host of Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet to see other Cookbook enthusiasts. 

She's hosting for now, while Louise is on a break. (Hey Louise!)

This cookbook is pretty new to my shelf.  It's full of great 'pie' recipes, both savory and sweet. Tarts and quiches.  Anything that could be considered 'pie'.

This is what Goodreads has to say about this cookbook:

Filled with classic pie recipes such as apple and pecan, yet bolstered with modern pie innovations like pie pops, Thanksgiving Pie, and pies-in-a-jar, this is a collection of simple, straightforward recipes and stories of Amish life that will help bakers bring their families together around the table. Brimming with full-color photography of more than 100 recipes full of simple, wholesome ingredients and easy tried-and-true techniques that are sure to please any palate, this distinctive cookbook will help you bake the perfect Amish pie, whether you are a pie novice or a filled-pastry aficionado. Recipes include sweet and savory fillings, basic crusts, fruit pies, cream pies, meringues, scrumptious toppings, and so much more. Sprinkled throughout are Sherry Gore's personal stories of Amish life and culture that are best enjoyed over---what else?---a slice of homemade pie! Trim Size: 7 x 9

It's a beautiful book. Even if you never make a pie out of it --- it's just wonderful to look at.

I LOVE a good apple pie.

I just sometimes have a hard time deciding which I like best.

Some are made with just cinnamon and sugar

Some with  nutmeg and brown sugar.

There is a proper name for this kind of pie...it's not a tart, but a rustic---a rustic---hmmmm.

Well, it's me being lazy and just rolling out a big circle and piling apples in the middle and sprinkling a crunchy topping on and folding up the sides.

It's officially a Galette.  And it's very forgiving because-- well--look at it!

The important thing is... it tasted great.

All appley and cinnamony and sweet.

I used a baking stone that I sometimes make pizzas on, to bake this Galette and the juices flowed out. 

It was not stuck to the stone as it looks it might be.

I used a basic pie crust from "My, Myself and Pie".

Look how flaky the crust is. 

Pastry Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbls sugar (for sweet pies only)

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup + 2 Tbls butter flavored shortening

5 Tbls iced cold water

1 Tbls  vinegar

Blend flour, sugar and salt well in a large bowl.

Cut the shortening into pea sized pieces and work into the flour mixture until crumbs form.

In a separate bowl, mix old water and vinegar. Gradually add the water mixture to the flour mixture until combined. 

Shape the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough  to a uniform thickness.  Place in a pie plate OR

make a Galette.

Bake at 400 for 8-12  minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool.

Makes 2  9-inch pie crusts.

I just used an apple filling from another source, and since this is my cookbook countdown  --  Number 78!!, and I only used the crust from this book-- that's all I'm giving you.

PS:   you can tell when I have nothing much to say and just want to get another cookbook counted down, right?

I usually go on and on and on....

Just wait till next time!

I'm also linking up to
Kitchen Flavours
and her
Cook Your Books meme!
Joyce says:
Cook-Your-Books is all about cooking or baking from your many cookbooks or magazines that you have collected over the years. If you love collecting cookbooks, read them like novels and love trying out new recipes, then this is the perfect place to share. It's time to get those books (or magazines) out of the shelves, and start using them. Bake or cook anything from any of your books or magazines, and link your posts to Cook-Your-Books here at Kitchen Flavours. The linky will start on the 7th of every month right up to the end of the month. 

You should get out your old cookbooks and join the fun at

Cook-Your-Books

and

Cookbook Wednesdays!

Cookbook Countdown #72 -- Haystacks

Cookbook #72!

In my own personal Cookbook Countdown

If for any reason at all, you want to take a look at all the cookbooks I've 'counted down' so far, 

just click on this link.

I have WAY too many cookbooks.  Any normal person would have a different collection that doesn't take up so much room!

But that's beside the point.

This week's cook book  is an old Mennonite one I've had for quite some time.

I went thru an Amish and Mennonite cook book phase in my cookbook collecting, because, let's face it:  it's good, simple, normal food.  Stuff like my grandma would make.

You can't go wrong.

Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets 

by Esther H. Shank

(it's laying on top of my fav-Friday Friend Cookbook)

Funniest quote from this recipe/cookbook night?

My son  was here the night I made "Haystacks" from this book.  Truth? It was a strange little combination of ingredients.  Honestly I was in a rush to get  thru another cookbook and really just opened the book and thought, Hey, I have that stuff, I'm making this!  Check one more cookbook off the list!

So, in a confused manner, he says, ,  " you just open the book and make random stuff?"

I said, "yep, pretty much."

This was actually pretty good.

Rice, hamburger and toppings layered as a 'haystack', with a little cheese sauce on top.

(we make a holiday cookie called Haystacks too, so this dish is discombobulating to me somewhat.  I just wondered if I could write discombobulating without spell check, and I DID IT!)

(Little things like that make me happy)

Haystacks

Mennonite Cooking

2 tbsp margarine

1 1/4 cup rice

Fry dry rice in margarine in pan until lightly browned.

3 cups hot water

1 tsp salt

Add to rice and heat to boiling.  Cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes.

********************************

1 lb hamburger

1 small chopped onion

2 tbsp chopped green pepper

Saute in skillet until browned. Drain.

************************

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

Add.  May add a little water to make mixture slightly juicy. Spoon over rice to serve.

*********************

Toppings:

 chopped lettuce

chopped mushrooms

slices tomatoes

bean sprouts

chopped green peppers

crushed corn chips

Use any or all toppings as desired

*****************

1 10oz can cheddar cheese soup, or 2 cups of your own cheese sauce.

Heat until hot through and spoon over top.

I didn't have bean sprouts or corn chips.

And I added shredded cheese and green onions to the toppings.

It you took away the rice and added a fried corn tortilla,

took away the cheese soup and added hot sauce,

You'd have a tostada! 

To be honest (it's the best policy, right?)

I prefer a tostada.

The rice was fine, but it was--white rice and while I like white rice, it seemed to blah for this.

In my humble opinion that is.

The Handyman's opinion:  That was good!!

My son's opinion:  I'm just gonna grab a tortilla.

And that's our story.

Cookbook Number 72 -- checked.  off.  the.   list!

I am linking up with these great bloggers -- 

Cook it Up

at

Love, Laughter (and a touch of) Insanity

Weekend Cooking

at

Beth Fish Reads

Cook-Your-Books

at

Kitchen Flavours

See Ya in the Gumbo

at

Ms. enPlace

Okay, one last look at my mid-western, Mennonite style 

Haystack/tostada! 

Mini Meat Loaves and Cookbook Countdown #71!

Cook Book #71!

in my own personal cookbook countdown

If for any reason you want to take a look at all the cookbooks I've 'counted down' so far, 

just click on this link.

I guess what you can say about me is that I am slow but steady.

It wins the race, right?

But the finish line gets further and further away, as I keep adding new cookbooks to my collection.

I was very excited to get this one in the mail,  "Come for Dinner, Memorable Meals to Share with  Family and Friends".

I love to cook for family and friends.  I love to have people over.  I love to entertain.

I would much rather have the setting of a home kitchen and living room than out in a restaurant -- most of the time.

I love this cookbook. It has tons of menu ideas for entertaining small groups.

It gave me tons of ideas for dinner at home with people I love (and like).

Nothing has to be fancy, just simple, like meatloaves.

Meatloaf is one of those things that you either love (I do) or you don't really like.

I have a go-to meatloaf recipe that I ALWAYS use (check it out here, but the blog post was 7 years ago. I was blogger young and dumb.  It's like watching old movies of yourself--no one really likes it.  I mean, I would have done a different post than that if I did it today.) and I am proud of that meatloaf, because it lives on in the daughter of a friend, who had it 25 years ago and will make it and write to me saying "I made your meatloaf last night"

I tore the recipe out of a Cook's Illustrated magazine about  25 years ago.

There you have it. My secret.

I got off track...

....oh yes,  even tho we have a favorite meat loat

(we do argue about the sides tho.  My mom made a baked potato and Waldorf salad, The Handyman's mom made mashed potatoes/gravy and a vegetable)

and even tho I do love this cookbook, the mini-meatloaves looked EASY, and I was in a hurry to do some cooking from my cook books for the countdown.

Guess what?

Truly, honestly, seriously...

THESE ARE THE BEST LITTLE MEAT LOAVES I've ever had!!

They were so moist and so flavorful  (chopped up bacon inside).

They are good for company, family, cold winter nights, whenever.

Great meatloaf!

I say you should give it a try.

And you can choose your own sides.

Mini Meat Loaves

1 1/2 pound ground beef chuck

2 1/2 T butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed

1/3 to 1/2 cup milk

1 egg

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup plus 2 T ketchup

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 thin strips of bacon halved lengthwise and cut crosswise in 1/4 inch wide pieces

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T soy sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 425F with a rack in the center.  set a medium heavy skillet over low heat with the butter.  When the butter has melted, cook the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onion is  light brown and slightly translucent, 3-5 minutes.

Let cool to room temp.

2. Meanwhile, tear the bread into small pieces into a small bowl. Mix in enough milk to thoroughly soak it and set aside to soften.

3. Break the egg into a large mixing bowl and whisk it lightly.  Whisk in the mustard, 3 T of the ketchup, the Worcestershire and the thyme.  A handful at a time, squeeze out the softened bread and add it to the bowl, tearing it into smaller pieces as you do so.  Amalgamate it with a whisk and stir in the bacon, separating the pieces if necessary.

4. Break the meat into small pieces as you add it to the bowl. Add the browned onion mixture, the chopped parsley and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  combine lightly but thoroughly -- hands do the best job -- and form a teaspoonful into a patty.  Set a small skillet over low heat with a few drops of oil and cook the patty.  Taste it and add more salt and pepper if it needs it.

5.  Divide the mixture into 4 parts ( about  9.5 oz in weight) and pat them into slightly  flattened loaves about  4 1/2 inches long and 1 inch high.  set them in a roasting pan or other oven-proofed pan, separated by 1 inch of space.  In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ketchup and soy sauce.  Spoon the mixture equally over the loaves and spread it to coat the tops.

6. Bake the meat loaves until just cooked thru, 20- 25 minutes. Transfer them to a warm platter or plates, garnish with parsley if you'd like, and serve hot.

 This is a review off of Goodreads for the Cookbook:

Make every meal a feast and every moment with loved ones an occasion with Come for Dinner 
"Before chefs became philosophers, trendsetters, and TV stars, there was Leslie Revsin, a cook whose instinct for flavor is matched only by her sense of nurture. She has never stopped cooking from the heart, and I have never stopped wishing I could cook just like she does every night of the week. Now that she's written a book, I can." 
-Molly O'Neill, host of the PBS series Great Food and author of the New York Cookbook 

I am going to link this post to

Cook-Your-Books

at

Kitchen Flavours

Cook it Up

at

Love, Laughter (and a touch of) Insanity

Weekend Cooking

at

Beth Fish Reads

See Ya in the Gumbo

at

Ms. enPlace

Cookbook Countdown -- Bourbon Bread Pudding

This will be cookbook  #67!

on my slow, very slow countdown  of  my own

personal cookbook shelf.

I will be linking up to 

at Kitchen Flavours

I am also very excited to have found:

Cook it Up!

I need all the help I can get to keep on my cookbook challenge.

I really love  this cookbook.  It has gorgeous pictures and it really full of 

old-fashioned, from scratch, goodness.

They have a recipe for homemade 'snowballs'... the pink coconut covered chocolate cakes with cream in the middle that we all used to buy from Hostess?   Well, they make homemade ones that look great!

But, I decided to make their bourbon bread pudding.

I have no excuse really.

I don't even like bread pudding.

I think it's weird to put a bunch of old stale bread into a custard and eat it.

It's all mushy and.... mushy.

I don't like it.

Until.... I tasted this one.

And I thought I went to heaven.

Seriously.

It could have been the bourbon glaze of course, but truly it was warm golden, goodness in my mouth.

I had only had cold bread pudding in the past,  but this says, 'best served warm', so I did and it was---so. damn . darn good.

okay, so it was kind of mushy still, but it was soft and warm and sweet and buttery, and vanilla-y and bourbon-y.

Even the Handyman who hates bread pudding liked this bread pudding.

If I owned a soup restaurant called "Ahhhh---some soups", which served only soups and desserts, I would put this on my chalkboard menu.  I wouldn't have a regular printed menu--because I would be so popular I could make whatever I wanted that day and people wouldn't care and they would come for miles around---and they would LOVE IT when I had bourbon bread pudding on the menu.

Yes, I'm being silly, but it was that good.

Ingredients

• For the Pudding
• 1 1/2 pounds ciabatta, brioche, or challah, cut into 2-inch cubes (9 cups)
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup golden raisins
• For the Bourbon Glaze
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Procedures

1. 1
   Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. 2
   To make the pudding: Put the bread in a large mixing bowl and pour the half-and-half over it, tossing it gently to soak the bread. Let sit at room temperature while you prepare the custard.
3. 3
   In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla, and stir until well combined and smooth.
4. 4
   In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the butter-sugar mixture, stirring until well combined and smooth. Pour the custard mixture over the bread, tossing gently to incorporate the custard and half-and-half mixture until well combined.
5. 5
   Pour the bread mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the raisins over the top and gently work them into the pudding; make sure the liquid covers the bread. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 55 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread pudding is golden brown. Set the pudding aside while you prepare the glaze.
6. 6
   To make the bourbon glaze: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the bourbon and confectioners’ sugar, stirring until incorporated. Add the cream and mix until smooth.
7. 7
   Pour the glaze over the top of the bread pudding and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. The bread pudding is best served warm, but it can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

Friday Friend Recipe #24 -- Chocolate Chip Cookies (the ONE) Ch chip cookie #13

This always has to be my disclaimer  (or explanation of what a Friday Friend is and what this is all about)

Friday Friend cookbook:   I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends.  At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions,  exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts,  had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.

AND,  we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

Which brings me to this... recipe #24:

My mom's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I have loved these cookies my whole life. 

I thought they were buttery  (I was wrong)

and crunchy yet chewy  (I was right)

and tasty and good  (I was right)

They are what I was looking for.

My search is over.

(but I'll keep on making CCC's ---just for fun!)

BUT I do have to say---I'm embarrassed!

This is what I said I wanted:

BUTTERY, crispy and chewy, just like my mom's used to be.

Well...there is no butter in my mom's recipe. 

YIKES.

My mom always had these in a big glass jar...and I don't mean a cookie jar, but rather a huge gallon glass jar with a screw on lid.  The kind that restaurants used to buy mayonnaise in or something.  Now everything is plastic.

After school, we always grabbed a handful.

When the Handyman and I were at our cabin by the lake, I made these...and we too, grabbed handfuls each time we walked by.  

My mom still has a big glass gallon jar there at the cabin!

Here is the original cookbook she used--which is now mine, so I can also cross this one off for my very own Cookbook Countdown ---and  she also submitted it to the Friday Friend Cookbook project.

2 birds with one Stone!  Yay

As you can see:  Very well used, very much loved.

Mom's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

by my mom, Bev Hambelton

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4  cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp hot water

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups quick oatmeal

1 cup chopped nuts (optional--and I didn't use)

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Cream  shortening, sugars and eggs. Dissolve soda in water. Add to sugar mixture. Add flour and salt; mix well.  Add oats, chips and nuts (if used),and vanilla.  Mix well.  

Bake at  350F for 10-15 minutes.

I decided I wanted to learn to make a pie crust when I was around 13 or 14.

I decided I wanted to learn to make a pie crust on a Saturday night at about 6pm--just when my parents were headed out to a fancy dinner.

My mom was getting ready and she was all dressed up in a fancy dress and her hair done up, perfume, etc.

I could not get my pie crust to roll and just as they were leaving the house I thru a fit and wanted her to stay and teach me her pie crust--JUST LIKE A GOOD MOM SHOULD!!

You know what?  She didn't stay.  

But she did teach me the next day, how to do a pie crust.

Besides the beans on the ceiling 

this is another cooking memory I have of my mom. (I mean, I was seriously crying over pie crust and wanting her to give up her evening out!  

Ahhhhh,  the emotions of a 13 year old girl  ~grins~)

Here is a photo taken of my mom about 5 years ago.

Today I am joining lots of friends with their weekly memes.

I so admire these bloggers.

They stay focused and are prompt and dependable.

Every----Single----Week.

(or month, as the case may be)

First,  Joyce at Kitchen Flavours, hosts

Cook-Your-Books each month.

Cook-Your-Books is all about cooking or baking from your many cookbooks or magazines that you have collected over the years.

I have many.

And I always like to link up to 

Weekend Cooking

at Beth Fish Reads.

Love her book reviews, her cookbook collection and her blog!!

I'm a big fan.

And again.....

Ms. enPlace at 

See Ya in the Gumbo!

She makes me LOVE Louisiana.

Then of course--my very own 

COOKBOOK COUNTDOWN!

and these cookies make it number 66!

24 in the Friday Friend Cookbook

13 in the Chocolate chip countdown.

To check out all the Friday Friend Recipes just click here.

And all my mom recipes, click here.

ONE DAY I'LL FINISH EVERYTHING!!