Pesto and Peach Pie CSA

Posted by Roxanne on July 10, 2017

Participating in the Hen House CSA (community supported agriculture) this summer has brought our family’s fruit and vegetable consumption from junior varsity to varsity status in a flash. It has been exciting each Saturday morning to grab our bag and scurry to Hen House market to see what goodies they have for us. If you have been on the fence, then run, don’t walk and sign up to participate in a CSA.

Each week seems better than the week before and they are all 5 star. Saturday I picked up a gallon of whole milk, a dozen eggs, fresh basil, fresh carrots, tomatoes, peaches, cinnamon raisin bread and salsa. Whew! That’s a lot of great goodness for my family to enjoy.

There seems to be thousands of ways to use fresh basil in the summer but, of course, our go to is pesto. My daughter would enjoy pesto everyday of the week if I would serve it to her. I like to make it during the summer and freeze it for those cold, snowy days that we are sure to see in 6 months.

[Read more…]

Strawberry Season

Posted by Roxanne on May 23, 2017

Four years ago my life changed forever. While it may not be as dramatic as you might imagine, it was a wonderful change. I had wanted to pick fresh strawberries from the field for as long as I can remember. There just didn’t seem to be a strawberry farm that I could locate. Then it happened! Wohletz Farms entered my life. The strawberries at Wohletz are amazing and the folks that work there couldn’t be nicer.

Kathy and I picked strawberries together that first year and we were lucky enough to go to Wohletz on opening day this year and pick strawberries again. Then I returned in a week to pick more berries with my husband. Yep! 25 pounds of strawberries have been picked this year for our family to enjoy. Thirty plus jars of jam are canned and ready to gift to special folks and we have enjoyed strawberry recipes almost each and every day. Of course it is hard to beat strawberry shortcake but there is another recipe that we cherish. This recipe has been pinned more than almost any on my pinterest site-Strawberry Shortcake Bars.

These bars keep fresh for about 5 days in a sealed container or you can freeze them and have them ready for celebrations all summer long. These are perfect for picnics too.

If you are lucky enough to make it strawberry picking, (you need to hurry there are only a few weeks left) and if making jam doesn’t appeal to you why not try Kathy’s favorites, Strawberry Cobbler or Strawberry Hand Tarts. Remember to use your strawberries for happy hour on the patio. Frozen Strawberry Margarita Punch is sure to make you the talk of the neighborhood. No matter what you decide to do with your picked treasures, get busy, have fun and share the love!

Strawberry Shortcake Bars

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup strawberry preserves
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 or 9-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, pecans and butter until mixture is crumbly. Remove 2 cups of this mixture and set aside.
Pour the remainder crumb mixture into prepared pan and pat to form a crust. Layer strawberry preserves within 1/2 inch of crust edge. Sprinkle reserved mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then cut into bars.

Save

Lemon Blueberry Pie Recipe

Posted by Kathy on April 11, 2017

Spring! Here in Kansas City, we were teased with weather that felt like spring in January and February. Roller coaster weather with ups and downs kept us on our toes and made us long for one season or the other. Finally, this week, it looks like spring is really here to stay. I love celebrating Easter with a perfect dose of spring weather.

It is amazing how just a slight change in the weather makes our taste buds go through seismic shifts. Just a couple weeks ago, on a cold, rainy day, I made another batch of soup to chase away the chill. Finally, we can look forward to egg salad and deviled eggs from all those Easter Eggs, ham dinners, roasted asparagus, fresh salads and now, a luscious Lemon Blueberry Pie as a spectacular Easter dessert. [Read more…]

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

Posted by Roxanne on November 22, 2016

My mom is a master pie baker. She can toss together a piecrust in no time and add the most scrumptious fillings that easily are blue ribbon winners at the fair. She taught me early on not to mess with tradition. Her tradition on pumpkin pie is that it is pretty dang hard to beat the recipe on the Libby’s® 100% pumpkin can. You know your mother is always right and she didn’t miss the mark on this advice that she passed on to me. Each year around this time, that is the recipe that I faithfully followed and the results were 5 star.

Fast forward a few years and I had the privilege of traveling with the Southern Living Magazine Cooking school throughout the south.What a great gig that was and I could write a book on the many adventures that we enjoyed while traveling and cooking our way through the South. One Fall Cooking School Season, we presented a new spin on pumpkin pie. [Read more…]

Delicious Dump Cakes on QVC

Posted by Kathy on April 18, 2016

We have such big news to share! We are thrilled beyond words.

Just look at that logo! Yes! QVC!!!

Wednesday evening, April 20 we will be on with David Venable on the popular QVC show, In The Kitchen with David, to discuss our newest book, Delicious Dump Cakes.

Pinch us! We are humbled beyond belief and just cannot imagine that this is really happening.

We went to QVC last week for training. What an incredible day! We met the nicest people and learned so much about QVC and what to expect.

What is a dump cake? It is the easiest way on earth to make a great dessert. No mixing. No measuring. No stress. Just great eating. Layer a box cake mix, butter, liquid like milk or soda, butter and wonderful flavors like chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, fruit or nuts in the baking pan. Pop it into the oven and you will have the most wonderful dessert.

Rich Southern Praline Dump Cake, Peanut Butter Cup Dump Cake, Rocky Road, Strawberry Lemonade, Port ‘n Plum and more. Fifty of the most wonderful desserts imaginable. These up-to-date flavors no longer feature just canned pie filling. The fruit can be fresh, frozen or canned.

Who can pass up dessert? No one! But we know everyone is strapped for time. Now anyone can make luscious desserts in just minutes.

Tune in on Wednesday evening to learn more about Delicious Dump Cakes. You will be able to buy the book from QVC! We will post the time as soon as we know, but set your DVD now for In The Kitchen with David!

(In case you missed it, but want to see it, visit this page, scroll down, and click on the Pineapple Upside Down Cake.)