Short and Sweet- Making and Using Balsamic Reduction

So simple. So easy. So luxe.

Get one bottle of balsamic vinegar. Don't spend huge amounts of money but don't buy the cheapest grocery store balsamic either. Pour entire bottle into heavy saucepan. Add about 1/4 cup honey. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Allow the balsamic to reduce to the desired syrupyness (I made that word up but it totally describes what you're looking for). Stay a little on the thin side because it will thicken more as it cools. Store in the fridge.

What do you do with it? Everything! Drizzle over a dressed salad or an entree as a finishing touch. Use just a touch in pan sauce to brighten up the flavor. Drizzle the teeniest wee bit over fresh strawberries and serve with whipped cream or sour cream. Slice ripe juicy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with torn fresh basil leaves. Prosciutto-wrapped melon is so delicious drizzled with reduction. Drizzle over a juicy steak. Add to gravies and sauces.

An Old Favorite Gets a New Look- Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna

It's a million degrees in Iowa today. Normally on such a hot day I'm not big on making something like lasagna, a dish that needs to spend an hour in the oven. I'm hot, crabby, just went through road rage on the commute back to the peaceful lake, and now I'm going to fire up the oven? I must be nuts.

Actually I am a little sad that it's blazing hot out there. This weekend downtown Des Moines is home to the annual Italian American Heritage Festival and as much as I'd love to go I just can't deal with the heat and humidity. Growing up on the south side of Des Moines this annual festival was one of my favorite things. Back in the early days the festival was held in Columbus Park. Carnival rides arrived, food stands were built, bocce ball courts set up, and crowds of hungry folks eating pasta and enjoying music and activities filled the park the entire weekend. As a junior high girl, this was THE spot to see and be seen, the place to meet guys, the reason for spending 2 hours in front of the mirror with a curling iron, only to have the humidity turn those curls into nothing. In those days my best friend Liz and I hung out at the festival- all three days- and rode The Scrambler, ate cavatelli usually catered by Guido's or maybe a group of Italian ladies from one of the Catholic churches, played carnival games (I never won anything) and tried to catch the eye of the guys from the other junior high school. Risque times, for sure.

These days the festival is held downtown in Western Gateway Park. The event had grown tremendously and has moved several times. The rides are no longer around but plenty of activities keep festival goers entertained. Old guys still play bocce and lots of live music still entertains the crowd. The food has improved, with lots more food options and some very upscale vendors are really bringing the goods.

Learn more about the Italian American Heritage Festival by clicking HERE. 

In the spirit of that great Italian classic, lasagna, we are also having a little bit of pasta at the Little Lake House tonight but we are switching things up and bringing a whole new look to an old friend. Instead of the usual meat and red sauce and ricotta cheese lasagna we're having an All-American version- straight from Philadelphia. Yep, you got it- Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna. It's super easy to put together- savory ground beef with grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms layered with melty cheese, tender noodles and Alfredo sauce. Use your favorite brand of sauce in this dish- we're cheating a little with bottled sauce and you'll never know! Definitely not your Nona's lasagna, but it's gooooood.

Philly Cheesesteak Lasagna

1 package no boil lasagna noodles

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 large onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 medium green bell peppers

salt, pepper or favorite meat seasoning

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon beef soup base

2 jars Alfredo sauce

1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

cooking oil

Prepare the vegetables: I use a very large onion. Cut the onion into small julienne strips. Remove the seeds from the peppers, cut into similar sized pieces. 

Heat a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to brown. Don't let them get too soft. Season the veggies with the meat seasoning. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.

Crumble the ground beef into the same skillet; break up with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with the Worcestershire sauce, some of the meat seasoning and add the beef base, mixing it into the meat drippings. Cook meat until browned and cooked through. Add to vegetables in the bowl and mix.

Using a large baking pan spoon about 1/2 cup of the Alfredo sauce in the bottom and spread it around. Arrange 4 noodles on top, breaking them to fit. Spoon half of the meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the remaining Alfredo sauce in the first jar over evenly. Top with another four noodles. Spread the remaining meat mixture over, including any juices in the bowl, another 1/3 of the cheese. Layer another 4 noodles on top and pour the second jar of sauce over all.

Add about 1/2 cup of water to the jar, cover, shake, and add water to the pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cheese, bake another 15-25 minutes until hot and bubbly, noddles are tender, and cheese is starting to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yes, I did use some pre-made sauce in this recipe because, let's be honest, who wants to make homemade Alfredo sauce just to turn around and make lasagna? Not me! Probably not a lot of busy families either, when kids are hungry, laundry needs to be done, the dog needs a walk and you just want to get something on the table with a minimum of fuss. Toss together some crispy salad greens and pop some garlic bread in the oven, or breadsticks, and you have a whole new take on lasagna.

Canning Cookbook- Granny's Four Bean Salad

One thing I have learned since moving to the country is that food trends rarely make their way out here. You will never see a food truck in a small Iowa town, and probably not find butter poached anything in a small town diner. What you will find are the kinds of foods I have always called Church Cookbook Foods. That vinegar coleslaw. Broccoli salad with bacon and raisins. Seven layer salad. Chicken and noodles. Salisbury steak. Rhubarb everything.

Some of my favorite cookbooks are those "church cookbook" type books. They aren't all churches anymore. Lots of organizations put together a cookbook to celebrate a milestone year, or celebrate their history. I love collecting these gems. Reading over them years down the road is a trip down memory lane. My late mother in law made foods like those. She made seven layer salad all the time. She baked every rhubarb dessert you can imagine. She made lots of things with jello.

I can't tell you how many of these recipes ended up on the table at picnics, reunions, barbeques over the years. Pastel colored Tupperware from the 60s was the serving bowl of choice for moms and grandmothers back in my childhood. My dad worked for a small company and their office picnic was always a potluck. The boss bought the chicken or the burgers and dog, and everyone brought a side dish.  Big plastic bowls of potato salad, macaroni salad, plates of brownies and cake squares, baked beans- you name it- always lined the wooden picnic tables. 

My dad was a Baked Beans Connoisseur. I've talked about his interest in cooking, calling him the 70s version of a foodie. He bought a Rival Crockpot as soon as they hit the market and I remember him tinkering with baked beans recipes to get just that perfect sweet and spicy, gooey slow cooked bean. My grandmother was the Bean Salad Queen. I remember her great big house in Minnesota, and sitting down to dinner at the table loaded with- you guessed it- church cookbook foods, including Perfection Salad with a dollop of Spin Blend salad dressing, pea salad, always something with Cool Whip and fruit and Four Bean Salad.

Four Bean Salad is one of those great recipes that lends itself well to home canning- the dressing has plenty of vinegar to make canning the vegetables safe, much like a pickled product. The green and wax beans are cooked briefly before being tossed with the kidney and garbanzo beans, chopped onions, bell pepper and crunchy celery. The sweet and sour dressing is just like Gramma's, and just like those old church cookbooks.

Sadly, on Recipe Making Day I was unable to get garbanzo beans at my little grocery store. Darn it, I should have planned ahead. So we're actually making Three Bean Salad with double the kidney beans (4 15oz cans, drained and rinsed), but it will still be delicious.

Granny's Four Bean Salad
adapted from Ball's recipe

5 cups sliced green beans (cut into 1 inch pieces)

5 cups sliced wax beans (cut into 1 inch pieces)

2 cups cooked kidney beans (canned is fine, rinse and drain)

2 cups garbanzo beans (canned is fine, rinse and drain)

2-3 ribs celery, sliced on the bias

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon mustard seeds (mix of brown and yellow)

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Prepare a hot water bath canner and jars.

In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and spices. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Keep hot.

So colorful- even before the green and wax beans are added

In a large stockpot place the green and wax beans and celery. Cover with water and bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and toss with remaining vegetables. Pack the vegetables into hot canning jars. 

Ladle the hot pickling liquid over. Remove air bubbles, fix lids and rims and place in water bath canner. Process pints for 15 minutes.

This is a handy salad to have on the shelf. Chill, pop open a jar and serve. Easy peasy. I love having foods like this around so when I need a last minute dish, say a last minute office potluck, or friends drop in when we're getting ready to throw some dogs on the grill, one more dish added to the meal can really stretch things, and I don't have to worry about having nothing to share or serve.

This recipe has been tested for safety by Ball. 

One further word about home canned foods- if you do decide to bring any home canned food to a potluck, you should let people know it was made with home canned foods, as some people are very worried about food safety and don't eat foods canned by others. Don't be offended- they are just being proactive. I'm never offended.

Summer Berry Crisp

Summer is officially kicked off! That means it's time for loads of fresh fruit and berries in our gardens, farmers markets and store shelves. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries...... so many delicious summer desserts can be made with these juicy summer favorites.

Last year here in Iowa we had an unexpected late snow and killing frost that really hurt the berry crops. Many of the pick your own berry farms nearby didn't have enough of a crop to even open. Not the case this year! I'm already seeing beautiful berries in the markets and that makes me so happy! Berry pies and crisps have always been favorites of mine, so imagine how thrilled I was today to run in to the store for just a couple things and find they have a great sale of fresh berries. You bet I grabbed some and headed home to bake something.

I could have taken the easy way out and just sliced some strawberries, tossed with the raspberries and blackberries and served draped over ice cream, but I wanted something really good, and really homey. Fruit crisps have always been among my favorite desserts. This classic recipe is a church cookbook staple, and something you can find at just about every potluck or church dinner. Often made with sliced apples or peaches, or even cherries, here I used a four berry combo to make a ruby red and crunchy crisp with loads of juicy berry goodness. Just a package of each kind of berry is all it takes. Wash, drain and you're ready to go. I quartered the strawberries so they'd be similar size and shape as the other berries. Let's bake!

Fresh Berry Fruit Crisp

1 package blackberries

1 package raspberries

1 package blueberries

1 package strawberries, quartered

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

dash cinnamon

In a large bowl toss the berries with the sugar and cornstarch. Pile the fruit in a 9x9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl mix the topping ingredients, dry ingredients first, then use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter in until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes until bubbly and the topping is deep golden brown.

This recipe is a super simple dessert that's just as easy to throw together with frozen berries as it is fresh. I like to stock the freezer with berries when they go on sale- freeze them on a sheet pan until frozen solid, then spoon into freezer bags. You can easily measure out the amount you need when you need it! With most recipes, just add 10 minutes to the baking time if using frozen berries.

This fruit crisp is delicious with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. It is heavenly if it's slightly warm from the oven!

Iowa On A Plate- Girl Bonding Over Rhubarb

I get super excited in the springtime. Everything is turning green and growing, and around the lake, that means rhubarb! 

In the Midwest it seems like everyone's yard has a nice rhubarb patch. Certainly everyone's grandmother had a nice big spot in the yard and a folder stuffed full of recipes from generations of amazing home bakers. Rhubarb cakes, crisps, cobblers and so much more make up entire sections of church cookbooks. Bake sales surely include a rhubarb coffee cake or two. The first spring strawberries usually partnered up with rhubarb in a juicy delicious pie. So many wonderful food memories include rhubarb!

Rebecca's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

In spite of this rich history, modern palates seem to shy away from this perennial delight. Even though I see rhubarb in many modern recipes such as jams and sauces, many people I talk to "don't like it" and don't want to try the classic recipes. It's time we turn things around, and get this tart and sweet favorite back on the plate, folks. It practically grows itself, is relatively pest-free and is super easy to freeze for use throughout the year. Simply wash the stalks, chop or slice, freeze on a sheet pan until frozen and bag up in freezer bags. You can easily scoop out whatever you need to make something truly delicious, just like Gramma used to make.

Social media has replaced the backyard fence in today's world, and where I might have shared a recipe with a neighbor across the way years ago, these days we meet and get to know other cooks and recipe collectors through our social media networks and online groups. This is exactly how I got to know Rebecca Manship. In the Facebook group Iowa On a Plate she shared a picture of her Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake and instantly, the connection between two women who love to bake and love rhubarb was made. Her cake looked delicious and so homey and the pile of fresh rhubarb on the table just screamed springtime.

Like so many wonderful cooks, Rebecca learned by watching and helping her mother. She tells me her mother loved cooking and baking, and I'm quite sure had a number of family favorites in her memory. Talking about the different foods we love to make Rebecca shared that she loves baking pies and zucchini breads and many other things- and, like me, she takes pictures of all her goodies as she bakes them! 

Rebecca's Rhubarb Cake

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 egg
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar and the butter or shortening until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients except the cinnamon and remaining sugar. Spread batter in greased baking pan. Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the cake tests done with a toothpick.

This cake is delicious served warm with cream or vanilla ice cream. Rebecca's mom used to make this cake and she thinks the recipe came from her grandmother. I know one thing- as soon as the rhubarb is ready I will be making this cake!