Sunday Desserts

I have to admit this, excuse me grandchildren, but I am a Bisquick Ho. If it has Bisquick in it, I am going to try it. It is the quickest, tastiest, treat a cook can use. I have even fed it to unsuspecting French guests in the form of fresh peach cobbler. Strawberry shortcake, however, is simply scrumptious. Especially with a dollop of sour cream in the batter to lighten the end product. Who can resist this treat? I am feeling badly, at this time of year, for those allergic to strawberries. Meanwhile, the rest of us can dig in.

Have you ever had a bite of something and it's so memorable that it stays with you for a long time?

Twenty years ago I went to one of my sister-in-laws shower for a daughter who was getting married. It was at a restaurant in Cincinnati, but Glenda, my sister-in-law, brought the cakes for dessert. It was Hawaiian wedding cake or, as I call it, Glenda's cake. This simple cake holds a special place in my recipe drawer, I can tell you that. Recently this recipe appeared in Cook's Corner in our Columbus Dispatch, so now I have two copies of this splendid cake. I don't have a picture, but the next time I bake this, which might be for this Sunday's meal, I'll post the picture in all of its glory.

Hawaiian Wedding Cake (Glenda's Cake)

1 package yellow cake mix

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple WITH THE JUICES

1 package (8 ounces) softened cream cheese

2 cups milk

1 box (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix

8 ounces cool whip

Coconut (optional--but I always use it)

Prepare cake according to package directions in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cool the cake.

Poke holes in the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour pineapple WITH juices over the baked cake. Beat cream cheese until softened. Slowly add milk and pudding mix. Let stand until set. Spread over pineapple. Spread Cool Whip over pudding layer. I put coconut all over the top, but you can do as you like. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Sunday, at Home, Suppers with the French

Sunday Suppers with the French

I had an apartment in Paris and looked forward to cooking for my French friends as soon as I arrived. The French seemed to always start off the dining experience with olives or nuts or, strangely enough, radishes with sea salt. I am sure they would relish this recipe from Cook's Corner in the Columbus Dispatch. It is my new favorite thing.

I didn't have cucumbers at the time and loved the recipe just the same. I also used the spread on toasted olive oil bread from the Giant Eagle in our town. It would be just as great on tea sandwich bread cut for tea time or with crackers as a dip.

Cucumber Sandwiches with Radish Spread...for the French (with a glass of wine)

24 servings

Grate 1 cup of radishes by hand or in the food processor

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions

16 slices very thin white bread such as Pepperidge Farm, crusts trimmed (I used toasted olive oil bread)

1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in celery salt and cayenne. Stir in radishes and green onions. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days to blend flavors. (This makes a big difference, so be sure to do this.)

Spread a thin layer of radish mixture over all the bread slices. Arrange cucumber over spread on half of the bread slices. Sprinkle with salt. Top with remaining bread slices. Cut each sandwich into three rectangular strips.

You can also use this as a layer on a sandwich with any deli meat or chicken. One can hardly go wrong with this recipe.

Sundays in Paris

Sundays in Paris are exciting, colorful and heady. We always head for the outdoor markets where food is displayed like art work. The shrimp are calibrated to fit into a design that is mouth watering as well as beautiful. The strawberries are red through and through and there is never a bad one in the bunch. We learned, however, not to touch the produce or the flowers--the French have their own way of doing things. I remember picking up a wrapped block of cheese and turning it over to see the price and all hell broke loose in the booth. We save spells like that in America for something more important than a piece of cheese. He lost a sale, but I learned a lesson. The flowers, too, seem so much prettier in Paris and the scent has not been bred out of the stock. Not everything is better in Paris, but the outdoor markets are at the top of the very best list. You have to shop early and carefully and when it is over, about 1:00, it's over! All of a sudden there are mountains of cast off produce with people picking over the freebies. They have, in fact, come to the market just for that. All of a sudden the street cleaning men in green arrive and an hour or two later everything is clean as a hound's tooth. Outdoor markets go on each week day in different parts of town. The venders move from place to place and they sell everything from pig's ears to knock of purses. I love the one at Bastille.

Another Sunday Bread

I have another tasty, easy bread, no-fail, recipe to share. This can be made into rolls and baked in muffin tins, but I used the black souffle dish shown on this site. The family really raved about this one.

Cheese Dill Bread from the Cook's Corner

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
2 teaspoons dill seed or caraway seeds
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
melted butter
coarse salt (optional)
Dissolve yeast in water. In a small saucepan, heat cheese to luke warm. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, cheese, sugar, onion, dill, salt, baking soda and egg. Mix thoroughly.
Add flour. Beat well. Cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Stir down dough. Place in a greased 1 1/2 quart round baking dish. Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 40 minutes. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired.

This is pistachio cherry bread printed from Cooks.com
It is quick, pretty and easy. My husband ate two pieces right away.
1 box white cake mix (actually calls for a supermoist sour cream white cake mix--never heard of it, so I used a regular white cake mix.)
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding mix (4 serving size)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans--I used pistachios
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup drained, cut up maraschino cherries
In a 3 quart mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, nutmeg and pecans. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the eggs, oil, buttermilk and cherries. Mix by hand until just moistened. Pour into two greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Invert pans, remove bread and cool completely.
Note:The recipe called for 1 box supermoist sour cream white cake mix. Andy went to 3 stores and could not find, and I never heard of, a sour cream white cake mix. So if you have discovered this, let me know how you liked it.

Sunday Salads

Sunday Salads

Wheat Berry Salad

This nutty grain, usually found in the rice section of the store or in a health-food store, is so good for you as well as delicious. I add a cup of dried cranberries or cherries or raisins . It give the salad a nice punch and a bit more color.

1 cup hard winter wheat berries

kosher salt

1 cup finely diced red onion

6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 scallions, minced, white and green parts

1/2 red bell pepper, small-dice

1 carrot, small-dice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the wheat berries and 3 cups of boiling, salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the grains are soft but not mushy. Drain well. Saute the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar In a pretty bowl, combine the warm wheat berries, sauteed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Every week I try a couple of new dishes...new to the family. For Easter I read about a grape salad that sounded so refreshing. I had to make it after I googled the recipe. (There are no secret recipes any more now that google and the Food Network TV have arrived in our kitchens.) Give this a try.



Great Grape Salad

2 pounds green seedless grapes
2 pounds red seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste

Mix sour cream, cheese, sugar, vanilla by hand until blended.
gently stir in the grapes

This is good just this way, but the recipe said to top the dish before serving with a light coating of brown sugar and toasted pecans. I think it is one sequin too many.

Pea Salad (from Cook's Corner)

This pea salad lends itself to various left overs like bacon or sauteed diced ham, additions. I made this two days in a row with various additions. It is easy and colorful with a splendid taste.

10 ounces fresh or frozen peas (I use frozen)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 1/4 cup diced green onions
1 cup cashews (I used slivered almonds)
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup ranch dressing (I used Asiago dressing) (Start with 1/2 cup and add as needed. I am not a big fan of sloppy salads.)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced