Kay Nimitz Smith's Blog, page 3

Granini's Breakfast Stromboli

Granini's Breakfast Stromboli
So yesterday my favorite son asked me to make those yummy sausage and cheesy pinwheels for breakfast with scrambled eggs. Well, I rolled out the dough a little too thin, so it was a little too wet and weak to cut into individual circles to bake separately. So, I baked it in one piece, and called it a Breakfast Stromboli!! It worked out exceptionally well, and was incredibly tasty.

So I made my traditional biscuit dough
Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons butter (unsalted) or margarine1 teaspoon salt2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 3/4 cups flour2/3 to 3/4 cups milk (or buttermilk)**

1 package Italian Sausage (pick your favorite flavor)
1 onion (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
1 or 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (I use two, but I'm a glutton)
** I truly do prefer these biscuits using buttermilk, rather than milk.  However, I very rarely remember to save any buttermilk aside after having made my buttermilk pancakes.  But if and when I happen to have buttermilk just hanging around in my fridge, I use it.  If I don't have any, I use regular milk, and they're still quite delicious!  I promise.  It won't be the end of the world if you don't happen to have any buttermilk.  No need to dash off to the store just to make these biscuits.  And, just to be honest, 9 times out of 10, I make them without the buttermilk.  They're just über delicious with the buttermilk.  Just sayin'.
Directions:
Using a pastry knife, cut the butter, salt, baking powder, and flour together until the mixture looks like course oatmeal.Pour milk over the mixture.Using a fork, using as few strokes as possible, slowly stir the mixture together until a dough ball forms.  Sprinkle a little flour onto a surface area.Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured working area.Gently roll the dough to about ¾ of an inch thick.Wrap your flattened dough in plastic wrap and pop it into the fridge.Brown your sausage and drain off the excess grease. (I forgot to drain mine off, and it did leave a wee bit of a greasy ooze when I popped it out of the oven. I mopped it all up, but it can make your dough soggy if you're not careful.)Add in the diced onion and red pepper and about ¼ of a cup of warm water and allow the veggies to cook until they're soft.Lightly flour your working counter space (or a large cutting board). Place your cool dough onto the counter. Smother the dough in cheese. Smother the cheese in the sausage & veggie mixture.Slowly, little by little, roll up the dough along the long edge until the whole thing is all rolled up. If you get any small breakages in the dough, don't worry. You should be able to pinch the holes back together. Then proceed onwards.At this point, if your dough is fairly stable, you can slice the dough and place the rounds onto the cookie sheet like thick cookies. Each individual slice will bake beautifully, and is a perfect biscuit sausage spiral. However, if you're like me and either lazy (hahaha) or your dough is a bit too fragile because you either rolled it out too thinly, or because your sausage is a bit too greasy, or because things just happened to turn out that way, you can pop the whole thing in the oven in one ginormous piece. Works out spiffy that way, and you just rename it a Breakfast Stromboli!Because my dough was too thin and a wee bit fragile, I rolled it all up on top of a cutting board, and then in order to get the stromboli onto the cookie sheet, I took the parchment paper lined cookie sheet, placed it directly on top of the stromboli, and then I took my cutting board and inverted the whole thing and flipped it over so that the bottom of the stromboli became the top, and the stromboli ended up on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet rather than on the cutting board. Then I took a picture, because you know, food porn, and then I popped the whole thing in the oven. If you're baking the spirals as sausage spirals, they only need to bake for about 12 minutes. But the whole stromboli needed about 18 to 20 minutes to bake all the way through to avoid a soggy bottom. About a minute before I popped it out, I put a wee bit of butter on top of the crust just to give it a bit of a nice golden brown color.Bake at 375° for 12 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown.  Best served while hot.  (But they're VERY tasty when they're room temperature too.) I served mine with cheese smothered scrambled eggs and a nice crossword puzzle. The perfect Sunday brunch!Enjoy!






At this point I put the cookie sheet on top of the stromboli, and flipped the whole thing upside down so that I wouldn't have to try to transfer it over. It would never have survived the transfer because it was rather fragile (as you can see from the several breaks in the dough).


At this point I took two spatulas and simply slid the stromboli off the cookie sheet and onto a clean and dry cutting board.


I sliced it in half to make sure it was done all the way through.

I sliced it into pieces, and served while hot with some scrambled eggs and a nice crossword puzzle. Perfect Sunday brunch!

* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)
* * * * *

Granini's French Bread

Insert really amazing picture of French Bread here ↑
 because this silly cartoon drawing I made up is redonk.
Granini's French Bread(makes 2 loaves)
Trust me. Make two Loaves.
2 cups + 4 Tablespoons warm water4 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 packages)2 teaspoons brown sugar2 Tablespoons vegetable oil5 teaspoon salt6 cups flour, divided
Hi there.
Sorry for the terrible lack of posting. It's been a bit rough over here. But I have a tiny reprieve, and I had a minute, so I thought I'd post my newest favorite recipe. Plus I'm going to make the bread tonight, so it seemed like the right time to post the recipe!
I snagged the recipe off of Pinterest, but when I went back to grab the reference, the post had been stolen! Snagged off of Pinterest; commandeered and stolen and reposted by someone else claiming the recipe was their's. It's not. I was aghast. Shame on them.
The original recipe came from TheMamasGirls, but their website is officially down, and I can't give you a link to their website, but let me just say, thank you to these lovely folks for such an AMAZING recipe with incredibly easy directions. May they have a wonderful day today, and each and every time I use this recipe (and anyone else uses it) as my way of saying thank you to them. 
And may all their lights be green on their way home.
The first time I made this recipe, we were all stunned at how well it turned out. French bread is something that requires negotiation and preferences. This is not a recipe for baguettes, which are thinner and longer, and have a nice crispy crust on the outside and a chewy crust on the inside with a lovely soft middle. I have a recipe for those on this website somewhere...
This French bread is the kind you use to make garlic bread. Or to slather with salted butter and eat while hot. Or cold. Or to make a small sandwich with. Or a grilled sammie. Or with which to make french toast in the morning should you have leftovers. hahahaha. As if you'll have leftovers.
Some people like a hard crust. Some people like a soft crust. I was looking for a loaf that would cut beautifully, that could be easily sliced, that would have a lovely, white middle; a bread that could be used for garlic bread to accompany my fav lasagna, as well as something I could serve alongside of soup. Sometimes cheesy biscuits and homemade rolls just aren't quite what you're looking for when it comes to a nice bread accompaniment. This loaf was so unbelievably amazing that we snarfed down the entire thing, and I completely forgot to take a picture.
When it was time to make the loaves a second time, the recipe had been snagged off of Pinterest, commandeered and stolen and I was aghast. See above.
So here's my scribbled notes from what I remember of this amazing recipe. I will come back and add in a picture and my fine-tuned notes as soon as I make it again tonight. Trust me, this one's worth it!!
(Here's the recipe for one loaf:)
French Bread (single loaf)(Again, why are you making only one loaf? You should make two. Trust me.)
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (or 1 package)1 teaspoon brown sugar2 ½ teaspoons salt1 Tablespoon vegetable oil3 cups flour, divided
and for the top before baking:
1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk



French Bread (makes 2 loaves)Trust me. Make two Loaves.
2 cups + 4 Tablespoons warm water4 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 packages)2 teaspoons brown sugar2 Tablespoons vegetable oil5 teaspoon salt6 cups flour, divided
and for the top before baking:
1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk
Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Add the brown sugar and the oil. Allow the mixture to set until it turns bubbly and foamy (about 5 minutes).
Add all the salt, and half of the flour and stir. Wait 10 minutes.
Add ½ a cup of flour and stir. Wait ten minutes.
Continue this process of adding ½ cup of flour and waiting 10 minutes until all the flour has been incorporated.

Knead the dough for 5 full minutes, until it is lovely and not sticky and feels just about perfect.
Shape the dough into two loaves (or one -- you fool! why did you only make one?!?). Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put each of the two loaves onto the parchment paper.
Slice the top of the bread in three generous slashes to allow the bread to grow without ripping the dough.
Place the loaves in a slightly warm oven (or proof the bread) for ½ an hour.
Bring the bread out of the oven and heat the oven to 375℉.
Whisk an egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. With a pastry brush, brush the top of the loaves of bread until they're fully covered. This will allow your bread to have a soft, but firm, crust. Chewy, not crunchy. Perfect for garlic bread. Or eating. With butter. Vats and vats of salted butter. Mmmmmm.
After the oven is hot, place the bread in the middle of the rack and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!!
(Garlic Bread helpful hints:)
If you're going to make garlic bread, as soon as the bread has cooled enough to handle it, or even the next day -- if you have bread left, hahahaha, which you won't, warm up a stick of unsalted butter in the microwave until it's nice and soft but not completely melted. Crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Sprinkle in some parmesan cheese and some basil or oregano. Stir. Slice your bread into even slices. Give the two heels to your favorite kids. Evenly divide the garlic butter between your slices. Put the butter smothered bread onto some tin foil and cover completely. Pop the bread in the oven at 350℉ for 30 minutes or so. I usually pop the bread into the oven around the same time that I pop my lasagna in the oven. If my lasagna is going to cook for longer, I wait until the 30 minute mark so that they come out at the same time. If my lasagna is going to be baking for less time, then I pop them both in at the same time. You get the idea.
If you're in a big hurry, you can slice your bread in half length wise, rather than in traditional slices, smother the bread with garlic butter, and broil it in the oven. That works too. :)

* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)
* * * * *

And so it begins.

So much happens after you finish a book.
Exhaustion. Elation. The myriad book sales and signings. The perma-grin.
And then comes the frantic running about as if you're a chicken with your head chopped off, trying desperately to catch up on life that you completely ignored while you were finishing up with your latest book.
I have more than a dozen blog entries I started and stopped because I ran out of time. Food recipes. Dessert recipes. Photos of the gajillion pieces of candies and cookies and fudge that I made for the folks at the hubster's work. Pics of gingerbread houses of yore. Writing challenges I thought about while basking in the afterglow of having finished book number two.
Hopefully I'll get around to posting them.
But for now, I thought I'd say hi.
Tell you that I'm officially sitting down to start writing number three.
Even though there is still so very much to do with the rest of life.
And it's not as if I actually just sit down and start writing. The planning takes forever and a day. I learned that the hard way when writing book number 0 (the one that is stuffed inside a drawer somewhere collecting dust, no where near being publishable until it is completely rewritten). Planning a murder mystery is insanely challenging. Trying to figure out how the person died, when the people discover the body, who did it. What clues are placed behind. When are those clues discovered. It all takes coordination and planning and thoughtful, careful, deliberate thought.
And now I face a new challenge.
I have two books from the Jack Diamond mysteries published and out there (yay!). But both of those books take place over a period of time. That actual amount of time is never really discussed -- in either book. The first book was written with the strategy that the reader should begin slowly, learning about the case, and then as the bodies begin to pile up and the killer begins to notice Jack Diamond, the pace of the book picks up. As you read further and further into the book, the chapters become shorter and shorter and the book takes on a rather frantic race toward the finish line.
The second book really focused on character development: getting to know the main characters better, diving into their histories a little bit while trying to solve a mystery. Instead of having just one point of view (that of Jack Diamond), this book has three different viewpoints. Jack Diamond, the detective, Marjorie Goverman, the victim, and the killer each get their own chapters with their own points of view throughout the book. By presenting the story with the three variant points of view, the story moved along, keeping the readers on their toes. The final revelation then is created by the merging of the three points of view. From the time the victim disappeared to the time Jack Diamond solves the mystery, several months have passed.
But book number three is another kettle of fish. Instead of days or weeks or months going by in an investigation, the events of book number three take place over the course of hours.
This timeline thus creates myriad problems.
Should this book, like the last, have multiple points of view? For example, do I tell the same story 10 times from 10 different points of view from each of the 10 families who are involved in the story? (I am making the number 10 up here, just for the purpose of this argument. I actually don't know how many points of view there will be.)
Should this book be told solely from the point of view of Jack Diamond?
Should this book be told from the point of view of the victims? Or of the killer?
And if the book is written from someone else's point of view, will my readers still want to read it? Or do readers like to read more of the same. 
The same the same the same but different.
How many people are going to die?
If I have 10 people die, what are their names? Who are these people? What were they doing? Will they be missed? How will they die? Who are the survivors? Who are the heroes? Who is the bad guy? And why did he lose his nutter on the bridge and kill a whole mess o'people?!
Will the book spread out for more than the length of the day of the event? or just for a few hours?
If the book is only one day in length, will each chapter feel sluggish?
Or will it feel too frantic?
Should I break the book out into hours? Like the tv show 24? Should it be broken out by victim? Should it be broken down by going backwards, trying to piece together how everything unfolded? Should it be mixed up completely? Like the book The Time Traveler's Wife ? I loved that book. Not as big of a fan of the movie, but the book? It was amazing. So many questions about how to put together this tragedy.
I do believe that it's a completely bizarre thing that I sit around plotting random murders. I think of places to bury victims. I think of different ways people can die. I don't want anything too bizarre. I tend to prefer more run of the mill, ordinary deaths, but with interesting REASONS for why someone died or why someone chose to end someone else's life. And, just so you know, I don't spend all my time on these thoughts. I truly only touch upon them when a new book is starting to sprout inside my mind. Or when I visit a unique and interesting place. Or when I watch a movie or read a book that made me ponder.
I think about my slightly sick and twisted mind that makes me want to write about murder mysteries. I love solving puzzles. I love figuring things out. It's ever so much harder to write a book with a surprise ending than it is to read one. I yearn for the day that I can truly surprise my readers (or myself, for that matter), with an unexpected ending.
So as I sit here, staring at "Insert Cool Title Here," these are just a few things that I will be thinking about over the next little while.
It's time to plot things out.
Make a plan.
Do some research.
It may actually be quite some time before a single word gets written of this book. But for now, it's all about the planning.
So while you're sitting there, sipping your coffee, eating that big ol' piece of chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting and cursing New Year's Resolutions, or while you're running on your treadmill thinking whoo hoo, I got this! Just know that I will be sitting over here, listening to my puppy snore, plotting the hypothetical deaths of a whole mess of people and keeping my fingers crossed for snow.* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Toffee

Granini's Toffee



Ingredients:

1 pound salted butter, no substitutes
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup almonds, slivers or finely chopped
½ cup almonds, into coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:

1. Line a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) with parchment paper. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1 cup of finely chopped almonds. Set aside.

2. Combine butter and sugar in a heavy 3 or 4 quart saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until the mixture boils, and boil gently until the mixture reaches 305º F on a candy thermometer, hard crack stage, stirring constantly.

3. Pour immediately onto the jelly roll pan and spread flat with an oiled spatula or knife.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot candy and let them sit until they can be easily spread over the surface. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup coarsely chopped almonds over the top.

When the candy has cooled, you can simply lift the candy off the parchment paper onto a cutting board, and chop or break into chunks.

Store the candy in an air tight container. Candy gets better each and every day.

YUM!

This is a terrible photo, but I was in a bit of a rush. I break down the toffee into moderate sized pieces. Just enough so that people can get a nice bite or two. This toffee never lasts long in my house. It's a true favorite!

Let it cool and rest

It's resting nicely. And I'm drooling furiously.


Mmmmmmmm.

Enjoy!

I will have lots of other cookie recipes to share this holiday season...
but thought I'd start with one of my all time favs!

Here are a few more:

Granini's Yummy Treats
Alphabetical List of all Desserts(pies, cookies, tasty treats and cakes)
Apple Pie (top crust and bottom crust)Apple Pie (crumble on top, crust on bottom) with homemade caramel sauceBlondiesBlueberry Coffee CakeBlueberry PieBrowniesButterscotch FudgeCaramel Apple CakeballsCaramel Sticky Bunshomemade caramel sauceCherry PieChocolate Chip CookiesChocolate Chip Cookie "Toffee" BarsChocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter ChipsChocolate Cookies with Andes Mint ChipsChocolate Cream PieChocolate Pecan PieGranini's Cinnamon BreadCinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Caramel fillingCinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese FrostingCream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate CupcakesCoconut Cream PieCoffee CakeDanish Pastry DoughFrench Silk PieFudgeFudge Pie (which is really just slightly underbaked brownies)GingersnapsGrasshopper PieLemon Almond CakeLemon Breakfast CakeLemon Crinkle CookiesLemon Meringue PieLemon Pound Cake
Linzer Cookies with Raspberry CookiesMincemeat Pie with Hot Rum Sauce (coming soon)Oatmeal ScotchiesOreo CheesecakeOreo Truffles
Peanut Butter FudgePeanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter CupsPeanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with peanut butter fillingPecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pina Colada CookiesPie CrustPumpkin PieRaspberry Thumbprint CookiesRocky Road Fudge
Sand TartsSeven Layer BarsShortbread Sugar Cookies with frostingSticky BunsSnowballs (Mexican Wedding Cakes)Sugar CookiesSnickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)Thin Mint BrowniesMint OreoTrufflesThe World's Most Delicious Toffee

* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Spinach Dip

Granini's Spinach Dip(This is the cold spinach dip that you serve with french bread. If you're looking for the hot spinach dip recipe, you can find a link to that here)
(Picture coming soon. Meanwhile, take a gander at some of these other tasty and delicious Thanksgiving treats!!)


Ingredients:

1 box frozen spinach
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ can (4 ounces) minced water chestnuts


Directions:
In the microwave, thaw out the spinach. Drain. Then press the spinach in a clean dish cloth or in between paper towels to remove all excess moisture.

Mince the spinach and scoop it into a medium sized bowl.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly to combine.

Serve either in a bread bowl, or with bit sized chunks of fresh French or Italian bread.


Kay's Helpful Hint of the Day

My spinach dip appetizer has the same ingredients (except for one) as my smoked salmon dip. So whenever I make the one appetizer, I make the other at the same time. So it's like a bonus two-fer recipe.

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip
Spinach Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip (Dead Fish)

* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Smoked Salmon Dip (aka Dead Fish)

Granini's Smoked Salmon Dip(aka Dead Fish)
(Picture coming soon. Meanwhile, take a gander at some of these other tasty and delicious Thanksgiving treats!!)


Ingredients:

¼ pound smoked salmon
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
½ can (4 ounces) minced water chestnuts


Directions:
Remove all bones from the smoked salmon. Mince into teeny tiny pieces and scoop into a medium sized bowl.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dip to sit for 2 to 3 hours (overnight is even better). Serve with crackers.


Kay's Helpful Hint of the Day

My smoked salmon appetizer has the same ingredients (except for one) as my spinach dip. So whenever I make the one appetizer, I make the other at the same time. So it's like a bonus two-fer recipe.

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip (Dead Fish)
Spinach Dip
(a cold spinach dip not to be confused with the hot spinach artichoke dip listed above)


* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Mincemeat Pie with Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Granini's Mincemeat Piewith Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
This is my 82 year old father in law's favorite pie. He has many memories of enjoying this pie with his mother, and says that his grandmother enjoyed it as well. I asked his brothers if they have fond memories of this pie too, but both of them scoffed, saying that no, they allowed their brother to enjoy the mincemeat pie instead. Personally, up until a few years ago, I thought mincemeat pie was a pie made out of minced meats. As in hams and livers and nasty leftover turkey carcass. I was pleasantly surprised that the meat refers to nut meats -- as in, the tasty part of a nut. And mincemeat is actually a pie made out of nuts and dried fruits all soaked in alcohol. My father in law prefers the pre-made jar of Mincemeat that one can find in most grocery stores and online.  You can buy it here. Buying the pie innards in a jar is much less time consuming and more budget friendly than buying everything separately, preparing the fruits and nuts, and then soaking them for a week or so in alcohol.
I prefer pies that are made from scratch, so I've added a few fresher ingredients to the jar of mincemeat to bring up the flavor a little bit. So here's my take on the traditional recipe, along with its accompanied hot buttered rum sauce.
I'll do my best to take pictures tomorrow so that I can update my blog pics accordingly.
Ingredients for the Pie:
1 pie crust, uncooked
1 jar of mincemeat (you can buy it here)
1 cup of fresh raisins, golden raisins, or dried fruits of your choice
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (toasted)
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 cup applesauce (I make mine from scratch, but a store bought jar works too)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cardamom
1 diced tart Granny Smith apple

Ingredients for the Hot Buttered Rum Sauce:
½ cup rum (preferably dark rum, but honestly, regular rum works just fine)½ cup salted butter⅓ cup sugar⅓ cup brown sugar1 Tablespoons orange zestand the juice from that orange1 Tablespoon lemon zestand the juice of that lemon½ teaspoon cardamom¼ teaspoon cinnamon1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (just a dash, really)
Directions:
Roll the pie crust into your pie plate. 
In a large bowl, combine the mincemeat pie filling along with the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 350º for 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is lightly brown. After removing the pie from the oven, allow the pie to cool slightly on a wire rack, and prepare the rum sauce.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add in the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the remaining ingredients and bring up to a simmer. I have been told that some people like to catch the alcohol on fire in the kitchen, while others like to cook the sauce until the alcohol has evaporated. Others still like to pour the warm sauce into a dish and bring it to a flambé at the table when serving the pie. With all my relatives around, I like to keep my flames out of the kitchen and away from my guests, so I avoid the mini fire.
Serve the pie warm, and allow your guests to pour the warm hot buttered rum sauce over their own slices.
Enjoy!
Click here for more Thanksgiving Recipes
Or for more of my pie recipesclick here for The Week of Pie
* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate (Chocolate Mint Pie)

Granini's Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate(Chocolate Mint Pie)
I'm going to make this pie for the first time this afternoon, and will update this post with pictures. Meanwhile...
What's a Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate?
A Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate is a fancy french way of describing a chocolate mint pie. I've come up with the ingenious plan to merge two of my favorite pies together: A Grasshopper pie (Fluffy Mint Marshmallow pie) and a French Silk pie (a fancy, super fluffy and delicious Chocolate Cream Pie). Then, I'm going to sit them upon a bed of smashed Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. Mmmmmmm. I can not wait to try this!!
If you haven't got a stash of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies in your freezer (gasp!), it's okay. You can use mint oreos. They work just fine.
First: Make a French Silk PieA French Silk Pie is a fancy Chocolate Cream Pie with either a traditional chocolate crumb crust or, much preferred, a mint chocolate crumb crust.The chocolate cream is not made from a traditional chocolate pudding. Instead, it is lighter, airier, and much more tantalizingly delicious.  If you want a traditional chocolate cream pie made from chocolate pudding, please click here for my chocolate cream pie recipe. It will also work for this new mint chocolate pie.

(A simple French Silk Pie)

Ingredients:
For the chocolate crumb crust

3/4 cube butter or margarine
2 sleeves of mashed up to smithereens Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies

If you haven't got Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, you can substitute
 ¾ of a bag of Oreo Mint Cookies
(or 1 box of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers: you can buy them here)

For the Chocolate Goodness Filling:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
7 ounces of 72% dark chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
Sweetened whipped cream (heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla)

For the Grasshopper Pie (Mint Marshmallow) Filling:
32 marshmallows or one jar of fluff / marshmallow cream½ cup half & half2 tablespoons creme de menthe2 tablespoons creme de cocoa2 drops of mint green food coloring1 8 oz. carton heavy whipping cream1/2 teaspoon vanilla2 tablespoons sugar1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Make the mint chocolate pie crust: 
Crumble the package of chocolate cookies by placing them in a large plastic ziplock bag and smashing them to smithereens with a hammer or a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a large Spring Form pan. Melt 3/4 cube of butter or margarine. Sprinkle the melted butter over the chocolate crumbs. With a fork, press the crumbs together and spread across the bottom of the spring form pan and up the sides. Place in the freezer while you make the insides of the pie.

Make the French Silk Pie Filling:

In a large mixer, cream the butter and sugar.  In a small microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add melted chocolate to the butter and sugar. Beat thoroughly. Add in the vanilla. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to mix for a good solid minute each.

Gently ladle the chocolate mixture into the pie crust.

Pop the whole thing in the fridge or freezer while you make the second type of pie to ladle on the top.

Make the Grasshopper Pie Filling:
Granini's Grasshopper Pie (A simple Grasshopper Pie)
A grasshopper pie has NO grasshoppers in it. At all. Don't even know how it came about to be called a grasshopper pie. But essentially, it's a creamy, fluffy, mint marshmallowy delicious lip smacker of a good pie, living on a chocolate crumb crust. Here's how to make the filling:

Ingredients:
Filling:
32 marshmallows or one jar of fluff / marshmallow cream½ cup half & half2 tablespoons creme de menthe2 tablespoons creme de cocoa2 drops of mint green food coloring1 8 oz. carton heavy whipping cream1/2 teaspoon vanilla2 tablespoons sugar1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Melt the marshmallows in the half and half.  Stir, making sure all the lumps are gone.  Add in 2 drops of green food coloring.  Set aside to cool thoroughly. In a large mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and sugar.  On medium, allow mixture to whip for 1 minute.  Then, turn the mixer on high and beat until the cream is fluffy and smooth and whips up completely.Stir your marshmallow gooey mixture.  Add in both cremes and mix completely. Fold in whipped cream with a wire whisk until smooth. 
Now it's time to merge the two together.
Gently, and very, very carefully, ladle the grasshopper pie filling on top of the french silk pie filling. Smooth around the top of the pie, making sure to get the mint pie all the way to the edges, but try not to handle the pie too much, or you'll take all the fluffy goodness out of the pie.Either allow the pie to sit in the freezer for 1/2 an hour -- and then cover with plastic wrap and allow to remain in the freezer for 3 hours, pulling it out of the freezer about 1/2 hour before you're ready to serve.  OR, chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.Sprinkle the chocolate crumbs, or chocolate curls, on top of the pie before serving.  I hope this pie turns out to be as spectacular as I envision it!!
Enjoy!
Click here for more Thanksgiving Recipes
Or for more of my pie recipesclick here for The Week of Pie
* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Thanksgiving Timeline -- When to make what for Thanksgiving

Granini's Thanksgiving TimelineWhen to make what for Thanksgiving Dinnerand when to put it in the oven
Several years ago I started to prepare a Thanksgiving Timeline. I wanted to make as much stuff as I could ahead of time, so that on Thanksgiving Day, I could whirl around the kitchen like a crazy person, but not feel quite as frantic.

And THEN I had this brilliant idea.

Why not create a fancy spreadsheet, so that I could simply refer to it every year, rather than try to recreate the same list year after year after year??

And so I did.

 I make a LOT of food for Thanksgiving. AND, I make a lot of pies.
So I made spreadsheets.

I also have spreadsheets for grocery lists.

It sounds insane, but it has helped me immensely with preparing an entire feast by myself two separate times in one week. Yes, that's right. I make Thanksgiving twice, each year. Once on Thursday, and once again on Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, I made Thanksgiving a third time (last Saturday). Yes, I'm that crazy.

I do not give myself a lot of extra time for each item, as I have made every recipe hundreds of times, and I know how long it takes me to make everything. You may wish to add more time to each item if you are a beginner cook, or if you're not as adept at cutting, dicing, and mixing. But for me, these timelines are divine. And they even allow me a quick nap, a good rest period to watch a bit of football and put my feet up, as well as time to eat breakfast and an hors d'oeuvre filled lunch. This year my goal is to add in Drinkies to the list -- Holiday inspired Cocktails. Delish!!

So, for those of you who would like to see them, here they are.

I hope that they help you immensely on the BIG DAY OF DAYS.


The day before Thanksgiving

Breakfast: Buttermilk pancakes with blueberry sauce
Lunch: Veggies, fruits & cheeses
Dinner: Texas Chili with cornbread
Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate Mint Pie

Make buttermilk pancakes
Make blueberry gravy
Make Granini’s Crab Artichoke Dip, but do not bake
Cranberry Sauce
Caramelized Onions
Mini pie crusts for hors d’ouvres
Dice onions and celery
Slice veggies for ratatouille
Chop veggies for green beans
Slice veggies for lunch on Thursday
Make homemade ranch dressing
Make caramel sauce
Make lemon meringue pie
Make chocolate mint pie
Make rum sauce for minced meat pie
Cut and toast pecans
Slice apples for Dutch Apple Pie
Make Apple Crumble topping
Make Texas Chili for dinner
Make triple batch of cornbread
Make the yams/sweet potatoes


Thanksgiving Day

Menu:
Breakfast: Eggs, Sausage and Toast
Lunch: Veggies, fruits & cheeses & Hors D’oeuvres
Dinner: Turkey, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, homemade rolls, baked yams with marshmallows, ratatouille, glazed carrots and salad
Dessert: Chocolate Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Dutch Apple Pie, Mincemeat Pie with rum sauce, leftover Lemon Meringue Pie, and Leftover Chocolate Mint Pie.


7:00
Wake up
8:00
Make eggs, sausage & toast
8:30
Eat breakfast


9:00
Pie Crusts x 4
9:30
Make Apple Crumble if you didn’t do it already
9:45
Cut and toast pecans
10:00
Make chocolate pecan pie innerds
10:20
Bake chocolate pecan pie
10:25
Peel, slice and steam carrots for 7 minutes. Set aside.

Watch Macy’s Day Parade or Football


11:10
Make pumpkin pie
11:20
Take chocolate pecan pie out of the oven
11:30
Bake pumpkin pie
11:30
Put together hors d’oeuvres
11:35
Put out cheeses, crackers, grapes, salami, veggies and ranch
11:45
Bake hors d’oeurvres
12:00
Eat lunch
12:15
Prepare Turkey
12:30
Put turkey in oven (325º 15 min per lb)
12:35
Refrigerate pies

Put your feet up for a few minutes 
1:05
Sautée veggies for stuffing
1:20
Make stuffing
1:25
Put water on to boil for potatoes
1:28
Slice potatoes for ratatouille
1:35
Parboil potatoes for ratatouille
1:40
Make béchamel sauce for ratatouille
1:45
Put together the ratatouille (½ hour)
2:15
Make the rolls
2:30
Lay down for a mini nap


3:45
Put rolls in muffin tins
4:05
Slice apples for pie if you didn’t do it yesterday
4:25
Put apple pie innards together
4:30
Make the salad
4.40
Put water on to boil for potatoes
4:45
Peel potatoes
4:55
Cut potatoes for mashed potatoes
5:00
Put ratatouille in the oven (1 hour)
5:04
Peel garlic
5:08
Put potatoes and garlic in boiling water
5:25
Take the potatoes out and dry them
5:28
Pull the turkey out
5:29
Put the stuffing in the oven
5:30
Make the gravy
5:42
Ask someone else to slice the turkey
5:42
Sautée veggies for green beans
5:43
Cook green beans
5:43
Cook corn
5:44
Mash the potatoes
5:50
Make the glaze for the carrots
5:55
Slice pears for salad, and put salad together
6:00
Put the rolls in the oven
6:02
Soften the butter for the rolls
6:10
Take rolls out of oven

Serve Dinner
6:13
While everyone is going through the buffet line, roll out pie crust for apple pie and mincemeat pie
6:15
Pour apples into pie crust and sprinkle with crumble
6:18
Put the apple pie in the oven

Sit down and eat dinner. Enjoy!
6:40
Put together the Mincemeat Pie and pop it in the oven
7:00
Warm up caramel sauce
7:15
Pull apple pie and mincemeat pie out of oven
7:20
Make whipped cream
7:25
Make / heat up rum sauce
7:30
Serve Pies
8:00
Sit back and watch everyone else pack away the leftovers and do the dishes.


Friendsgiving (smaller Thanksgiving dinner)


Menu:
Breakfast: French Toast and Bacon
Lunch: Veggies, fruits & cheeses
Dinner: Turkey, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, homemade rolls, baked yams with marshmallows, roasted veggies (potatoes, red onions, carrots, Brussels sprouts, peppers, zucchini), salad
Dessert: Pumpkin Pie, leftover Dutch Apple Pie, leftover Chocolate Pecan Pie, leftover Lemon Meringue Pie, leftover Chocolate Mint Pie, and leftover Mincemeat Pie with rum sauce and maybe a Chocolate Cream Pie if we’re all out of other pies


7:00
Wake up
8:00
Make french toast & bacon
8:30
Eat breakfast


9:00
Dice onions and celery
9:10
Sautée veggies for stuffing
9:30
Chop veggies for green beans
9:45
Slice veggies for roast veggies
10:00
Make stuffing
10:20
Prepare baked yams
10:45
Make and bake pumpkin pie


11:10
Prepare salad
11:20
Pull pumpkin pie out of oven
11:30
Put together hors d’oeuvres
11:40
Put out cheeses, crackers, grapes, salami, veggies and ranch
11:45
Bake hors d’oeurvres
11:55
Eat lunch


1:10
Prepare turkey
1:20
Put turkey in oven (325º 15 min per lb)
1:35
Put butter on the tables
2:00
Make the rolls
2:20
Lay down for a mini nap
3:30
Prepare roasted veggies
3:45
Put rolls in muffin tins
4:05
Peel garlic


4:13
Put water on to boil for potatoes
4:15
Peel and cut potatoes
5:08
Put potatoes in boiling water
5:25
Take the potatoes out and dry them
5:28
Pull the turkey out
5:29
Put the stuffing in the oven

Put the roasted veggies in

Put the yams in
5:30
Make the gravy
5:42
Slice the turkey
5:42
Sautée veggies for green beans
5:43
Cook green beans
5:43
Cook corn
5:44
Mash the potatoes


6:00
Put the rolls in the oven


6:10
Take rolls out of oven
6:15
Serve



I'll gather up my grocery lists and post those too if you're interested!!
Links to my Thanksgiving Recipes: Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Turkey

Roasted Turkey
(or what I like to call bathing a turkey in butter in a toasty oven)

Side DishesCornbread Stuffing / Cornbread Dressing
Bacon Beer Cheese Dressing (recipe to follow shortly)Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with MarshmallowsGravyDinner Rolls (aka Parker House Rolls)Ratatouille (for the vegetarians!)Cranberry Orange Relish
Glazed CarrotsCreamed Corn Casserole
Cheesy Creamed Corn Casserole (recipe to follow shortly)Sautéd Green Beans with peppers and onions
Sinful Macaroni & Cheese



Additional Recipes you may want to peruse:
Cornbread
Spaghetti Sauce (for the Ratatouille)
Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie for the days after Thanksgiving





Pies!The week of Pie 
(all of my pie recipes in one place)


Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with caramel drizzle
Blueberry Pie (with 3 crusts!)
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
French Silk Pie
(it's a fancy chocolate cream pie with chocolate crumb crust)
Grasshopper Pie
La Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate
(chocolate mint pie)
Lemon Meringue Pie
Minced Meat Pie with rum sauce
Pumpkin PieSnickerdoodles(What to make with the leftover pie crust)
OR, if you prefer to drool over recipes with pictures, see below:










Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce










Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms


Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats
Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles




* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

The Week of Pie (2019!)

Granini's 
The Week of Pie!


So last year at Thanksgiving, I started a new tradition.

The Week of Pie!

Each year on Thanksgiving day, I eat (and eat and eat and eat) so much food that by the time dessert rolls around, I'm too darned stuffed to eat any pie. And that's just sad.

So I started thinking, what if we had pie every night for a whole week leading up to Thanksgiving? And what if it was a different pie each night?
That way, all of us would get a chance to eat our favorite pie, and none of our favorites would be omitted due to lack of space in the fridge, or room in our bellies.

It was a huge hit!

So here we are, year two, and I've compiled a list of my pies in one location for all y'all to enjoy.

Happy Week of Pie!

(More recipes to come!)

Pies
Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce
Blueberry Pie Recipe
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
(Chocolate) French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
La tarte aux sauterelles chocolate
( Chocolate Mint Pie - I just made up the recipe!)
Lemon Meringue Pie
Mincemeat Pie with hot rum sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions

Pie Crust recipe & instructions


Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions




Traditional Apple Pie and
Caramel Sauce

         Dutch Apple Pie with  caramel sauce

  Blueberry Pie Recipe and Instructions (with pictures) Triple crust (there's one in the middle!).
Cherry Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie 
French Silk Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie



Pumpkin Pie
Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats
Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Caramel Sauce
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles


* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)