One of our cooking sisters has made it her “mission” to incorporate healthy foods into the convent diet and get people to eat things they would not naturally choose-by making them into tasty, attractive dishes. She certainly succeeded yesterday, so much so that I never got to taste her crispy black bean cakes because I was late to lunch and there was not a one left to even sample.
However, all the Sisters who had them insisted they were fabulous and that they must be written up as a blog…..so here is the recipe…..Let me know what you think.
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Crispy Black Bean Fritters
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P.S. Black beans have been proven to significantly aid the digestive system.
Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? I know I do. And I have to confess that I am very happy with a box cake mix. I have made scratch cakes and there are some that are great. But if you are in a hurry, a box chocolate cake mix does just fine. Especially if you dress it up with a homemade frosting. We recently were asked to make some desserts for a party and a chocolate cake was requested. I remembered a fudge frosting I had found in a Bon Appetitseveral years ago. Really simple but oh so delicious. So we baked up a fudge chocolate cake in three layers and spread this on it — everyone loved it!
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Fudge Frosting
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READY IN30minutes |
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Instructions
- Bring cream, brandy and butter to simmer in a large heavy saucepan whisking until butter melts.
- Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
- Add sour cream and whisk to blend.
- Refrigerate frosting until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
I think the biggest event of this past week (well, maybe not, but it seems that way…) was the visitation of the wild turkey. I was talking with a friend in one of the offices and she suddenly jumped up and said “there’s a wild turkey!” and ran out the door. He appeared in the entryway to our common, and proceeded to climb up onto the guest house patio, as if he belonged there. What a handsome fellow! I had never seen one close up, and it was a real treat to see him strutting back and forth, admiring himself in the windows.
For a recent brunch type reception, I was asked to come up with a mini egg dish that was similar to quiche, but not heavy. We tried a number of things, and discovered a delicious breakfast option. We tried it first in pastry, which is nice, but then switched it to a ham cup and…oh my!!! Here they are in a breakfast-sized form, which we made for a retreat this past weekend, but you can also do them mini-size, which are delightful for a brunch reception!
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Fluffy Breakfast Eggs in a Ham Cup
SERVINGS6servings
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COOK TIME25mins. |
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray 6 ramekins with cooking spray.
- Line with ham, trimming so you don’t have too much overhang — just a little border of ham over lip of ramekin.
- Saute red pepper and onion until soft.
- Divide cheeses and pepper/onion mixture among ramekins.
- Whip eggs and egg whites with salt until frothy, then add chives and sour cream.
- Divide among the ramekins evenly.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.
Notes:
You can use any kind of cheese or fresh herbs, according to your preference. Have fun!
Spring is officially here. It’s a lovely day, sun shiney, a bit cool, but leaves are starting to come out. I am keeping a close eye on all of the perennials I planted last fall, and almost all have come up. And of course we have been babying our vegetable seedlings in our grow-tent, which will start to go into the ground any minute now. It’s a very hopeful time of year, full of new beginnings and promise.
We have been hosting special receptions each month as a part of the celebration of our choir’s 25th anniversary. Each month I am faced with the challenge of beautiful finger food that fits in a budget, and isn’t the same every time. I often use ingredients I’ve popped into the freezer. Cheese and crackers are always a good staple. We tried out two different recipes of cheese balls, and ended up combining elements of both to make a really classy cheese ball with lots of flavor. It’s a cheddar/Parmesan with port wine-soaked craisins folded into the mixture. Really delicious, and everyone loved it!
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Cheddar/Parmesan Cheese Ball with port wine soaked craisins
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Instructions
- Soak craisins in port wine.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheeses, lemon zest, onion, garlic, pepper, cayenne until well combined, adding craisins at the end.
- Put chopped pecans on a piece of waxed paper.
- Remove cheese mixture from bowl, form into a ball, and roll in the chopped pecans.
- Can be refrigerated, but fine to serve right away.
Fresh Pear Blue Cheese Salad
A perfectly ripened pear is a beautifully elegant sight to behold. Equally as satisfying to senses is the savoring of its taste. Here again is something so naturally delicious it needs no enhancing. Be that as it may, whenever I’ve served a Fresh Pear Blue Cheese Salad the responses are so overwhelming that I keep wondering why I don’t do it more often. These two ingredients so naturally compliment each other when “peared” together, it’s as though they were made for each other. Here is all you do to create this marvelous tasting sensation:
Place one beautiful lettuce leaf on a serving plate. Top with a handful of cut lettuce. Drizzle with your favorite ranch dressing. Place a pear half cavity side up. Fill with a spoonful of thick sour cream seasoned with onion salt. Sprinkle the entire salad as generously or as sparingly as desired with crumbled blue cheese. Sprinkle the entire salad with lightly salted toasted pecans. The key of course is the perfectly ripened beautiful fresh pear.
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Fresh Pear Blue Cheese Salad
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Place one beautiful lettuce leaf on a serving plate.
- Top with a handful of cut lettuce.
- Drizzle with your favorite ranch dressing.
- Place a pear half cavity side up.
- Fill with a spoonful of thick sour cream seasoned with onion salt.
- Sprinkle the entire salad as generously or as sparingly as desired with crumbled blue cheese.
- Sprinkle the entire salad with lightly salted toasted pecans.
- The key of course is the perfectly ripened beautiful fresh pear.
