Scottish Shortbread

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste* or vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
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**use 1-2 Tbs heavy cream if your dough is overly dry. If overly dry its most likely because you've used a little too much flour. (125 grams of flour per cup needed) 
**use parchment paper in cast iron pan or on cookie sheet to prevent burning. 
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 310F

• Having your butter room temperature is key to this recipe. 
• Cream butter until light and fluffy (run 5-7 minutes in mixer) 
• Slowly add sugar, scraping down sides.
• Add in salt, vanilla bean paste and almond extract final minute of butter creaming.
• Add flour all at once, mix just until incorporated. Do not over-mix!
• Using your hands, pat dough into a cast iron pan lined with parchment paper to about 1/4" thickness. OR roll dough out and cut into cookie squares and place onto parchment lined cookie sheet. ((I've even rolled dough into a log and cut out circles.))
• I neaten up sides by bringing the parchment paper up and over dough and flatten out dough edges. You can also trim any edges with a knife if preferred.
• Prick with a fork all over the doughs surface (aka docking) 
• Bake for 35-40 minutes 
• The shortbread should be pale and light golden.  Let shortbread cool 5 mins before using a knife or bench scraper to cut into slices if you've used a cast iron pan. 

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*Kitchen Notes: You can make this in a cast iron pan lined with parchment paper OR make the dough and roll out, cut into cookie squares and bake on parchment lined cookie sheet. You can also use vanilla extract if you don't have vanilla bean paste (same measurement.) IF you've added too much flour, your dough will be dry and crumbly and that's when you will have to add a bit of heavy cream to the dough - do so very sparingly adding a little at a time. 
*Remember when you add the flour at the end - you are not whipping the dough you are merely mixing in the flour on the lowest setting until its coheasive - do not overmix!  

Yield: approx 2 dozen (depends on how large or small you want to cut your cookies) 
​I get 16 slices in a larger cast iron pan...

Honey-Spiced Orange Slices 

Ingredients: 
3 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces
1-1/2 tsp whole cloves
1-1/2 tsp whole allspice
2-1/2 lb oranges, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, ends and seeds discarded (about 8 medium) **I used seedless "cuties" for my jars as they seem easier to slice thin and fit perfectly as rounds into each jar. Approx 8 cuties fit in each half pint.<---depending on size.
Water
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups liquid honey
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions: 

Make a spice bag: place cinnamon pieces, clove & allspice into cheesecloth and set aside. *this is where I differ in my recipe - I place those spices directly into the pot of simmering orange slices when oranges are added to the sugar/honey mixture below...and when it comes time to 'jar' - I place a little of each spice divided up into each of the 3 jars. It makes for a prettier presentation and continues to flavor the oranges until ready to eat.
 
COMBINE oranges with water to cover in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until peel is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

COMBINE sugar, honey and lemon juice in a clean large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Add reserved spice bag and oranges. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently until orange slices are well glazed, about 40 minutes. Discard spice bag.

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil.  Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

PACK hot oranges into hot jars, using a slotted spoon, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot syrup into hot jar to cover oranges leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed

Recipe Adapted from: Ball Fresh Preserving "honey orange slices"
​Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home  


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One of my favorite dishes! Easier to make then you'd think.  With the aide of a 'make shift' pastry bag (just fill a gallon bag with the filling, twist at the top and force filling to one lower corner, snip off lower corner and use just like a pastry bag!)  Serve with a nice side salad and you have a full meal... ~Enjoy! Diane 

Four Cheese Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients: 
1/2 Box Barilla Jumbo Shells
1 24 oz jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce
1  1/3 Cup Ricotta cheese
8 oz  Mascarpone cheese
1 Cup Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, shredded & divided
1 8 oz package Mozzarella cheese, shredded & divided
4 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
salt & black pepper to taste
2 Tbs Water

 ​Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Cook Jumbo shells in boiling water 9 minutes, Drain and cool on a sheet pan or large plate, . Set aside. 
3. Mix together ricotta, mascarpone, half of the Parmigiano Reggiano, half the mozzarella, parsley, salt & pepper. Fill the cooled shells.
4. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish; add half the sauce and water. Arrange the shells (opening up), cover with remaining sauce and cheeses.
5. Bake covered in the oven at 400° for 30 minutes. (if preferred ~ Uncover for final 5 minutes and turn broiler on medium until cheese is golden and melted.)

*note: I had 2 cups of cooked Italian meat filling from making a previous recipe so, I scattered that meat on top of shells before adding cheese. You can use a marinara with meat if preferred as well...
 

I had to give these a try.  Since making my Schmidt Bierock's which we love, I thought maybe an 'Italian flavored' filling would work too - think of it - like a small, round calzone.  These did turn out great!  It's the same procedure for Bierock's just, a different filling.  ~Enjoy! Diane 

Italian Stuffed Burgers 

Ingredients: 
Filling:
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1 lb mild Italian sausage, ground 
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp oregano
pinch of sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 small can tomato paste 
shredded mozzarella 

Herbed Butter, melted *for brushing rolls after baking:
​8 ozs unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tsp fresh oregano (chopped) 
1 tsp fresh basil (chopped)
1 garlic cloves (finely minced)
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper 
(mix all together and keep warm for brushing onto rolls) 

Dough: 
36 frozen dinner rolls
(I use Rhodes Dinner rolls) 

Directions:
((Start by having your dough defrosting)) the rolls take 3-5 hours to defrost. I make my filling one hour prior to dough being ready. I spray a cookie-sheet with non-stick spray and layout my frozen rolls, then spray cling wrap too and lay over the tops of the buns so they don't dry out and harden. (((your packaging should also explain this))

**When making the filling - it should be fully cooked and cooled before filling dough and baking***

Place olive oil in a large pot, add in diced onion - sweat onions for approx 5 mins, add in ground beef & ground sausage and cook until well browned (approx 15 minutes.) Drain off any fat. 
Add the garlic, and a pinch of salt, fennel, oregano and pepper. Mix well into meat mixture/filling, and add in tomato paste, set to low, simmer 5 minutes. 
Taste for any final seasonings (usually a little more salt & pepper) and set pot aside for mixture to cool down while dough finishes rising/defrosting.

Preheat oven to 365.

To fill dough, take one roll in hand, and spread out edges using your fingers (think of swirling pizza dough) lay the circle over your hand and place 1/4 cup of mix/filling into center of dough.  Draw two opposite ends towards each other and pinch together (should look like a little taco) then pull up the remaining two open ends towards the center to create a ball and pinch all the dough seems together, lay upside down on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.   These do expand while baking so, give them some space to grow on the cookie sheet.  

Bake for 20 minutes at 365 *or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, brush with melted Italian Herbed melted butter and serve warm.  These are easily reheated from freezer as well!! 

Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home