Amy's Custard Sauce

This custard sauce is a favorite at our house. We serve it on waffles, french toast, and pancakes instead of syrup. The entire recipe has only 1/2 cup of sugar, instead of the concentrated sugar you get in commercial syrups, and even fruit syrups. And yummy! Amy Heaton shared this recipe with us, and we love it.

Custard Sauce

1/2 cup raw sugar (or granulated sugar, if you prefer)
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk

In a saucepan, combine dry ingredients and then add milk. Turn on the heat. Stirring with a whisk, bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid scorching the sauce. Remove pan from heat. In a separate bowl, put:

3 egg yolks

Whisk yolks together, then gradually add a cup of the sauce to the yolks, mixing well. Then slowly return all back to the pan, scraping the bowl. Bring the sauce back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil again for 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Add:

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 4 Tablespoons butter and stir until melted and mixed well.

Serve warm over waffles, pancakes, German pancakes, french toast, or crepes. Yummy!!

Toffee Squares

Such an easy cookie to make, and so yummy.

Toffee Squares

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 t. vanilla

Mix in order given. Press into a greased cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch around the edges. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. While hot, sprinkle with about 2 cups chocolate chips. As soon as they are melty, spread around the cookie. Sprinkle with chopped nuts (I prefer almonds, but toasted pecans are pretty good, too.) While warm, cut into squares or diamonds.

Fresh Ginger Cookies

Yay!! It's that time of year when making cookies doesn't make the house unbearably hot, but rather gives that toasty warmth and that yummy smell that fills the house with the joy fresh cookies are supposed to. (I'm waxing a little poetic this morning, but that's because I'm MAKING COOKIES!!)
This is a recipe I cut out of a magazine years ago, and I love it still. It's a soft, chewy cookie made with fresh ginger. Totally tastes like fall. (And I never make just one batch. I always double or triple.)

Fresh Ginger Cookies

2-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
12 Tbsp. butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Combine flour, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream sugar, grated ginger, and butter until fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Beat in flour mixture until combined. Chill at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until edges just start to brown, about 13-15 minutes. Centers will still be soft., Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Killer Peach Cobbler

I have a new, favorite peach cobbler recipe. I've been looking for a good one for years. Peach cobbler is hard to get right because the peaches are just so darn juicy (yum, right?) It's hard to get a topping that balances the filling out just right. Finally found one. I've made it 3 times now, and it works great every time. But (there is always a but, right?) it is NOT low sugar. In fact, it has lots of sugar. And white flour. And frankly, I'm not really interested in making it healthier. I only make peach cobbler a few times a year, because I think peach cobbler with canned peaches isn't worth the effort. I'd rather have apple if I have to use preserved fruit. I only make it during peach season. Given all that, I've decided to call it Killer Peach Cobbler. I promise it's not good for you. I promise you'll love it.

Killer Peach Cobbler

peaches, peeled and sliced, enough to fill your pan at least halfway
1 package yellow cake mix (I actually used lemon today. Yummy.)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut in 16 pieces
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I use pecans because I have a pecan tree. Use whatever you love.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer ingredients in order in a 10x14 baking dish (I like the dish larger than the 9x13 because it allows the cake mix to cover more area with a thinner layer. I felt like the 9x13 gave me too much topping for the fruit. Use what you have.) Bake about 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold, with whipped cream or ice cream.

Peaches:
Cake mix:Butter:
Brown sugar:Nuts:

Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon

I love this salad. I know it has too much sugar in it. (Any sugar in a salad is probably too much.) But as an occasional treat, it's fabulous.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon

8 slices bacon
2-1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Bake bacon topped with brown sugar and pepper ~22 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until crisp. Cool and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Reserve grease.

12 oz. baby spinach
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped (or wedged)

Toss in a large serving bowl with the bacon. In a separate microwave-safe bowl combine:

3 tsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tsp. dijon mustard
salt and pepper
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. bacon drippings

Mix until well blended. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, until bubbly. Toss to coat salad and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Summer Salsa

I got a request for this salsa recipe, which always surprises me a bit, because it seems so simple to make salsa. I sometimes forget that I've been cooking (really cooking, and not just helping) for around 25 years now, so things that seem easy may only be so because of my experience. So here is my salsa recipe. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to what you have on hand.

Russ’s Salsa

1 large onion
3 serrano peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
1 t. chopped garlic
1 1/2 t. salt
3 large tomatoes

Prepare vegetables for salsa by removing onion skin, seeding peppers, and removing stems from tomatoes. Cut the items into manageable pieces. In a hand food chopper (rotary type), mix/chop onion, peppers, garlic and salt (be careful if you use a food processor, or you could end up with soup). When well chopped, remove to large bowl and chop tomatoes in chopper. When well chopped, add to pepper mixture and stir together. Flavor improves with a few hours sitting (in the fridge). I do not use cilantro in my recipe, as Russ hates it, but feel free to add a couple of sprigs, chopped, if you like it. Also - this recipe makes HOT salsa. If you want milder salsa, use milder peppers instead of jalapenos and serranos. If you like hotter, try a habanero or two. Zowie!

Tips: Use rubber gloves to prepare the hot peppers, and then discard. I usually only need one for my left hand (the one not holding the knife).

I made salsa with the pictured ingredients from the garden the other day. It turned out so pretty, with all the colors. Delicious, too.

Summer Salads

This is one of my favorite summer salads. Unfortunately, no ones else in my family likes it, so when I make it I have to eat it alone. Perhaps I will make it for picnic in the park next week. It's a great way to use up tomatoes and onions, which are often in abundance.

Tomato Crouton Salad

• 3 large tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped (I prefer a sweet onion, but use your favorite)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley or basil
• 2 cups croutons
• 2 Tbsp. Italian dressing

Toss tomatoes and onions and parsley with the dressing. Just before serving, add croutons and toss again. Serve immediately. (The croutons get soft quickly, so don't add them until the last minute possible.) So yummy! And easy. And I'm all about easy.