Eggplant Rolatini

1 lb. eggplant, cut into 1/2-1/4" slices (lengthwise)
salt
pepper
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1 egg
basil
3 T. Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 c. marinara sauce, divided
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sliced eggplant on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oil. Bake 15 minutes until soft. Remove and set aside. Combine all other ingredients except marinara and mozzarella. Spread 1/4 c. marinara on bottom of sprayed baking dish. Place eggplant on flat surface. Scoop 1 T. of filling in one end and roll up. Place in dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining slices. Pour remaining sauce on top and add shredded mozzarella. Bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is golden. Let set for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with more basil if desired. Serve with Italian bread and a salad for a complete meal. Yummy!

1st picture before baking, 2nd picture after baking.

Banana Cream Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

3.4 oz pkg instant banana pudding, dry

1 t. vanilla

2 1/4 c. SR flour

1/2 c. pecans, chopped, optional

3/4 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Blend together butter, sugars, and eggs. Add in pudding and vanilla. Mix in flour. Blend until smooth. Add in pecans and white chocolate chips. Place dough in balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Granny Cake

2 eggs, beaten

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 c. sugar

2 c. SR flour

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Topping:

1/2 c, butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine eggs, flour, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour batter into sprayed 9x13 pan. Combine brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake 25-35 minutes, until cake tests done. Make topping while cake is baking. In a small sprayed saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Cook over medium low heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Mixture will be thin. Remove cake from oven and pour topping over hot cake. (You can poke holes in the cake before pouring topping over if desired.) *Beating eggs before adding to batter will result in a less stiff batter.

Caramel Crumble Peach Pie

1 pastry shell

For the crumbs:

¾ cup SR flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup packed light-brown sugar

Dash of salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

6 Tablespoon unsalted butter- cut into small pieces and chilled

For the Filling:

2.5 pounds peaches- peel and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup salted caramel sauce

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

To make the crumb mixture, stir together with a fork: sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, dash of salt and flour. Add butter and press it with a fork to combine evenly. The mixture should look like pea sized crumbs. Set in the fridge until ready to use. Preheat oven to 425 . Place peach slices into a large bowl, then, add cornstarch mixed with cinnamon, add salted caramel sauce and toss to coat them evenly. Place pie shell on parchment lined cookie sheet to prevent spills in the oven. Let the peach mixture sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes then pour it into pie shell. Sprinkle with the crumbs and place in oven. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for 45-60 minutes more or until the top are golden brown. Cool to room temperature before serving. (It will slice and lift easier when it’s completely cooled.) Serve with salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Yum!

1st picture, before adding crumbs and baking. 2nd picture is after baking. 3rd picture is ready to eat with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

Red, White, & Blueberry Cheesecake

3 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2, 8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
1 c. confectioner's sugar
8 oz. cool whip, thawed
2 t. vanilla
1-2, 21 oz. can strawberry or cherry pie filling (or fresh strawberries could be used)
1-2 c. fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Press firmly into sprayed 9x13 dish. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove and turn off oven. Set aside to cool completely. Beat cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla together. Fold in cool whip Carefully spread over crust. Spread pie filling on top. Top with blueberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Slice into squares and serve. Yummy!

Italian Kohlrabi Casserole

2-3 kohlrabi, peeled, diced, and boiled until soft
1 lb smoked sausage, cut in small pieces
1 onion, diced
15 oz. can diced tomatoes with oregano, basil, garlic, undrained
1-2 t. Italian seasoning
1 green pepper, chopped
mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz. can, sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except Parmesan. Place in sprayed 9x13 dish. Bake 30 minutes. Add Parmesan, bake 5 minutes more. Serve with tossed salad and cheese bread.

Roasted Kohlrabi

4 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled & cubed
1 T. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine oil, garlic, salt & pepper. Toss kohlrabi in mixture to coat. Spread on parchment paper lined cooking sheet in a single layer. Bake 15-20 minutes until browned. Stir occasionally to brown evenly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese. Serve immediately.

Garlic Kale

1 bunch kale, chopped into 1" pieces, stems removed
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. olive oil

Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add kale and cover. Cook and stir occasionally until kale is bright green and slightly tender, about 5-7 minutes.

*some people prefer soaking kale in water for 2 minutes before chopping and removing stems. Either method is fine.

How to Blanch Vegetables (for later use)

Kale, swiss chard, rainbow chard, carrots, etc..( just about any kind of vegetable can be blanched)
baking soda, (optional) softenes leafy veggies
salt (optional), works as a preservative, maintains color & flavor
ice bath
paper towels
boiling water
ziploc freezer bags

Remove hard center stems from kale, chard, leafy vegetables. Chop into smaller uniform pieces. Place into boiling water. Add 2-3 t. baking soda and 2 T. salt (if desired) to the pot. Leave in boiling water for 4 minutes. (chard took only 2 minutes) Most veggies take 2-5 minutes. Quickly remove from boiling water and immediately place in bowl of ice water, to prevent further cooking. (This is called shocking) Remove from ice bath and place on paper towels. Squeeze out water and place in freezer bags for later use. I blanched 3 different bunches of kale and they cooked down into an amount small enough for a quart size bag. Place in freezer for later use in soups, stews, slaw, casseroles, etc..

*Blanch different vegetables separately. Start with light colored ones first, then darker ones, as the darker ones will tinge the water and vegetables.

Garlic Pesto

1 c. scapes (they are more delicate than cloves) see picture below
1/2 c. Parmesan
1/2 c. pinenuts or sliced almonds
olive oil
salt
pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender until desired consistency. Divide into ice cube trays. Freeze. After completely frozen, remove from trays and place in ziploc bag for later use. Use for soups, stews, pizza, pasta, veggies, or any other time garlic seasoning is needed. May also be placed in a mason jar and covered with olive oil in refrigerator. Use within 1 week.

These are what garlic scapes look like before prepared.