herbiehancock

Whenever I need a cheesecake, I rely on this one that I found  in 2001. It's rich, cheesy and creamy... perfect if you want a plain cheesecake that can be topped with fruit.   Apparently, this recipe was served at the Old Original Bookbinder's Restaurant in Philadelphia, which was the oldest seafood restaurant in the city. The restaurant began as an oyster saloon in 1865 by Dutch immigrant, Samuel Bookbinder. The restaurant filed Chapter 11 in 2006 and has since closed, but another restaurant continues operation today in Richmond, VA . I adapted this recipe slightly in the amount of graham cracker crumbs I use. The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons to be sprinkled over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. That amount doesn't begin to cover the bottom of the pan, so I use the crumbs of five whole graham crackers.   If you've never made a cheesecake, don't be intimidated. I think it's easier to make than a cake. Try this recipe and your family and friends...

My grandmother never used a recipe when she made her rice pudding and I guess that my mom never made it because when we moved across country from my grandparents, we all longed for her rice pudding. My sisters and I tried lots of different recipes, but none were like we remembered eating from our Vo-Vo's kitchen. That is, until I saw this recipe in California Farmer magazine, dated September 2, 1989. I copied the page and made some. We all agreed that this tasted just like we remembered and it's been a family favorite all these years. Making this dish is similar to making risotto. First, 1 cup each of rice and water are brought to a boil. When the water has been absorbed, milk is added and the mixture is stirred until the milk has been absorbed by the rice. This is repeated two more times, then an egg and sugar are added. It takes a while to make, but the result is the creamiest rice pudding ever.  If you've been looking for a rice pudding recipe and just haven't found...

When I made my garden rounds this morning, I was happy to see that the spinach, lettuce, onions, and radishes are coming up. The tomato, zucchini,  jalapeño   a nd bell pepper plants are looking good, too. There are some big buds on the peony plants and the irises are still in bloom. When I got to the rhubarb plant, I immediately turned back to go inside for my camera and a knife!  I googled some rhubarb pie recipes and they were just too involved. I saw recipes that called for cinnamon, lemon zest, strawberries, or orange peel. I wanted just a plain old rhubarb pie like my Mom used to make. So, I went to one of the cookbooks that she used.  How much more basic can you get than this recipe? Rhubarb, sugar, flour, and butter. That's it. I'm sure this was the recipe she used. I used 4 cups of rhubarb without increasing the amount of the other ingredients and the pie was just the right balance between tart and sweet. I went with the pastry from this book, too. I had to ...

Honey & Orange Cupcakes ( Adapted from  I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! ® Website) 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice ½ cup honey ½ cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! ® Original spread 2 large eggs, separated 1 tsp finely grated orange peel 1-2/3 cups all purpose flour ½ cup granulated sugar ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside. Blend orange juice, honey, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! ® Original spread, egg yolks and orange peel in medium bowl; set aside.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl; set aisde.  Beat egg whites in small bowl until soft peaks form.  Stir orange juice mixture into flour mixture just until blended.  Gently fold in egg whites.  Even spoon batter into prepared pan.  Bake 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes or wire rac; remove from pans and cool compl...

I picked up some Wonton wrappers at the store the other day... thought it might be fun to make a few different fillings and give them a try!  I removed the casing from one link of Italian sausage and browned it with some black pepper and granulated garlic.  I added about one-half package of chopped, frozen spinach, which I'd cooked, drained and cooled.   After the filling had completely cooled, I put about a teaspoon of the mixture into the middle of a Wonton wrapper, topped it with a little grated Parmesan, wet the edges and folded it up, pressing the edges together so they would adhere. I browned two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and quickly fried the Wontons until they were golden and crispy.  Browning butter is easy... put a few tablespoons into a pan over medium heat.  The butter will foam up then settle down and start to turn color.  Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn... it can happen fast! I just can't tell you how good  these were! ...

What do cilantro, anchovies, fruitcake and liver & onions have in common? It seems that people either hate 'em or love 'em.  Me, I love them all.  Where do you stand? If you don't like fruitcake, you're probably not going to like Christmas Pudding.  It's similar in that it has dried fruit, but this Christmas Pudding is different in that you get to add whatever you like !  If you don't like those little neon red and green candied cherries, don't use them.  If you love dark raisins but hate golden raisins, use all dark raisins!  If you've really got a thing for apricots, or prunes or cranberries... make your Christmas Pudding with those alone! Can't go wrong with this recipe... let's have some fun! I will pretty much eat anything ... not  a picky eater!  I started with one-half cup each of golden raisins, currants, dried prunes, dried apricots and dried cranberries.  Look at all those shriveled little bits of fruit. Oh, I didn't tell y...

I thought this was a cute sign and it happened to be apropos to my post today, so I thought I'd include it! I saw this Lemon Cake Top Pudding on Jady's beautiful and yummy blog,  Cucina Panzano .  Jady made this lemon pudding sound so delicious, I just had to make it! If you love lemons (or, if life gives you lemons!), you'll love this light and simple dessert! Lemon Cake Top Pudding 2 T flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 T butter 2 egg yolks, beaten 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup milk Cream flour, sugar and butter.  Add egg yolks, lemon juice, and milk.  Fold in egg whites.  Bake in 8" pudding dish or individual custard cups (not buttered).  Set in a pan of warm water and bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Before I get started on the cherry pie, some of you asked if huckleberries might be available in your area. I'm not always sure I can remember where everyone resides, but I found this on the interwebs and probably should have posted it with my recipe for Huckleberry Muffins . Where can I find huckleberries? Huckleberries are native to the northwestern United States and Canada, growing from Wyoming west to Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. They also grow in Idaho and Montana. The require elevations of from 2,000 to 11,000 feet. Are huckleberries grown on farms? Current research says it is almost impossible to domesticate the wild huckleberry species but efforts are being made. So, there you have it... if you live in the Northwest, go look for some huckleberry bushes... but watch out for bears. Since moving to Montana a little over a year ago, I've heard several people rave about Flathead Cherries. In researching them, I found that there really is no such thing as "Flathea...

I scream... you scream... we all scream for ice cream! Yay! I'd been searching for recipes to use some of the mint I have growing and decided that I'd start with ice cream! First I made the ice cream base, then I located my 30-year-old ice cream maker... yes, it's electric, and it was one of the first ice cream makers out that you could use table salt and ice cubes. I probably haven't used it a half-dozen times in the last 30 years. I put the custard in the can, added salt and ice cubes and one cup of water to the well, as directed. Immediately water started pouring out of the bottom of the well. After I took it apart, I discovered the ice cream maker had a three inch crack along the bottom. I didn't want to go buy another ice cream maker, so I called my gardener, who never throws anything out. "I could have fixed that!" he's said to me many, many times! Okay, I lived too long on my own... if something broke and I couldn't fix it, I'd ...

I've made this Lemon-Rosemary Pound Cake several times... it's that good!  My favorite way to eat it is toasted, which really brings out the scent of the rosemary.   This recipe calls for lemon extract and I thought about using lemon juice but I don't think you'd get quite the zip of the lemon taste with just juice.  And of course I'd probably have to adjust the flour and all, which I don't care to do.    If you're looking for a little different type of recipe in which to use rosemary, give this pound cake a try!   This is Emeril's recipe and you can find mine, which I only slightly adapted, here .

February 3 is National Carrot Day! Debbie from The Friday Friends lives just down the road from me. I guess you could call her my neighbor. Actually, she lives in Winnemucca, Nevada and I live in Havre, Montana, which is 900 miles away, but in these parts that’s close enough to call ourselves neighbors! So, over virtual coffee the other day, my neighbor Debbie talked about hosting a Carrot Cake Showdown on her blog. I told her I’d join her in hosting it because I’d like to giveaway a copy of my favorite cookbook of all time, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day . You’ve seen this beautiful bread all over blogdom, haven’t you? It’s made using a unique master recipe created by co-authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois . You can bake bread that looks like this easily and quickly *and* you now you can win a copy of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day! Do you have a favorite carrot cake recipe? Do you want to win this book? Here’s how! 1. Make your favorite recipe for Carrot Cake and post it...

It snowed in Havre, Montana yesterday. All day. The radio issued traffic reports and road closures. Spaghetti dinners were cancelled. Lutheran church services were cancelled. We were advised not to travel unless it was absolutely necessary. (I think going to a spaghetti dinner would constitute a necessity for driving!) I must admit that I felt a little trapped; somewhat claustrophobic; and fearful that this white stuff might never melt and my twice-weekly trips to Wal-Mart would come undone! I stood at the door and watched the snow come down. Watched it swirl around in the air coming in from all directions, creating drifts against the door. Ack! The door is blocked! How do we get out?? "This is ridiculous!" I muttered more than once, and to no one in particular. My gardener was unconcerned about the weather, so I made soup for dinner and thought about the desert and the 70 degree December weather I left behind. Today it was sunny and bright. This morning, as my gardener was...