Strawberry Pie

Fresh Strawberry Pie...summer on a dessert plate! Now is the time for fresh local strawberries, so get them before they're gone!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

2 quarts of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and halved

Crust:

1 stick butter

1 c. + 3 T. flour

3 T. powdered sugar

Glaze:

1 c. water

1 c. sugar

2 T. light corn syrup

3 T. corn starch

3 T. strawberry jello

To make the crust: melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and powdered sugar and stir until it is all incorporated and remove from heat. Spray pie plate lightly with non-stick spray, and press crust in pie plate and up sides. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool.

To make the glaze: put water, sugar, corn syrup and corn starch in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until everything is incorporated and begins to melt together. Bring to a boil - sauce will go from cloudy white to more of a clear gel once it starts boiling. Remove from heat and stir in strawberry jello. Set aside to cool, about 1 hour.
To assemble: fill pie crust with fresh strawberries. Pour glaze over strawberries. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Top with fresh whipped cream or cool whip when serving.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

Who doesn't love buffalo chicken? You can serve these sandwiches with a side of carrot and celery sticks or oven fries, and call it a night! These are much healthier than the restaurant fried version, and I believe just as tasty. Substitute wheat rolls for white to bump up the nutritional value even more, and you can use low fat ranch or blue cheese dressing to save some calories too. Either way... they're fast and delicious sandwiches, and pretty healthy to boot!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin to about 1/2"
4 good quality rolls

1 c. "Sweet Baby Rays" Buffalo sauce & marinade

4 slices mozarella or pepper jack cheese

Lettuce, tomato, onion, ranch or blue cheese dressing

Pound out chicken breasts with a mallet or heavy pan between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, or in a plastic storage bag - be careful not to pound too much and rip the chicken. You don't have to do this step, but I find it's much easier to eat if the chicken fillet is thinner.

Preheat your grill or grill pan. Put chicken in a bowl with about 1/2 of the buffalo sauce and let set to marinade until your grill is hot. Grill about 5 minutes per side. (It grills up quicker when the chicken breasts are thinner, so grill longer if you don't pound out your chicken). Top each chicken breast with a slice of cheese. While cheese is melting, split your rolls and throw on the grill for a couple minutes just to toast. Put chicken on toasted buns and top with more buffalo sauce to taste...depends how hot you like it! Top with your choice of condiments: lettuce, tomato slices, onion, ranch or blue cheese dressing.

S'mores Bars

I love s'mores. The simple combination of chocolate, graham cracker, and melty marshmallow is one of my favorites! I've been known to put graham cracker squares with a marshmallow and chocolate chips under the broiler just to have one (which works great by the way). Here's a recipe I found in a Paula Deen magazine. It's so simple and so delicious!

S'mores Bars

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 1/3 c. flour

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1 t. baking poweder

1/4 t. salt

4 Hershey's bars

1 c. marshmallow fluff

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

In small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat until combined. Press half the dough in pan evenly. Place chocolate bars on top of dough, breaking apart as needed to create an even layer of chocolate. Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over chocolate. Spread remaining dough over top, evening out with your fingers. Bake for 30 minutes and cut into squares. Best when warm!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie recipe comes from my Grandma Kostelyk. It's one of my familie's favorites. A perfect mix of sweet and tart, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - you can't go wrong. Rhubarb isn't always in season, but you can get it now. So be sure to try this recipe before it's gone for the season!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Crust:
2 c. flour
2/3 c. shortening
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
4-5 T. ice cold water
Filling:
1 1/2 c. rhubarb, cut in 1/2" chunks
1 1/2 c. strawberries, sliced
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and flour for the filling. Set aside.
For crust, mix shortening, flour, sugar and salt. Mix until crumbly, then add cold water until it is a sticky consistancy. Divide into two balls. Roll each ball out on a well-floured surface. Place one pie shell in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Fill with fruit filling, and dot the top with chunks of butter. Place other crust on top and seal the edges. At this point I like to sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over the crust on top (optional). Place foil around the edges of the pie so the crust doesn't burn. Bake at 425 for 40-50 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes of baking for a golden brown crust.

Ribs!

Love Ribs! How many people actually make them? They can be easy, and I have a great recipe. The inspiration came from Alton Brown on the Food Network, with a couple changes. If you have no time at all, ribs are great in the crockpot on low all day, then crisp them up on the grill and baste with BBQ sauce. This recipe is much more flavorful, and the braising really brings out wonderful flavor! I learned that dry rubs are to be "patted" on the meat, NOT rubbed in. So keep that in mind when seasoning. Give them a try...you won't be disappointed.

Baby Back Ribs

2 slabs baby back pork ribs (remove skin off back bones, or ask the butcher to do it for you)

salt & pepper

1 c. orange juice

1/3 c. ketchup

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

1 T. worcestershire sauce

1 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce (or your favorite, I recommend this one)

Rub:

1 1/4 c. dark brown sugar

1/2 c. chili powder

1/4 c. garlic powder

1 T. ground thyme

1 T. cayenne pepper

1 T. allspice

Place rub ingredients in container and shake. (You can save leftover seasoning in a container for up to 3 months).

Season ribs with salt & pepper, and pat (don't rub) each rack with 3 tablespoons of the rub.

Wrap each slab, meat side down, in aluminum foil to create a little pouch - keep one end loose so you can open easily later. Refrigerate overnight, or about 8 hours. Pour 1/2 c. of orange juice in each pouch, seal ends, and bake on a sheet pan in a 260-degree oven for about 2 1/2 hours.

Open end of pouch and pour out the cooking liquid from the rib pouches in a large measuring cup. You may want to drain the fat off the top of the liquid. Put in a medium saucepan with brown sugar, ketchup, worcestershire, cumin, and cayenne, and bring to a boil, reducing by about half to a glaze consistency.

Cut rib slabs in about 4, place on a hot grill, and baste with the glaze first, then Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. Only grill for about 5-10 minutes to get them crispy. Grab some napkins and enjoy!