The BBC Sandwich

Here is a quick and easy sandwich. 

The BBC (Bacon, Brie and Cranberry)




Here is a quick and easy sandwich.  The BBC (Bacon, Brie and Cranberry) A few years ago while we were visiting family in Yorkshire, my niece recommended a  sandwich - and what a great sandwich it was.It has since become a great favorite  of mine.                                      Simple, quick to make and delicious - the perfect lunch.  


The ingredients:

1 Croissant
2 or 3 slices of brie
cranberry jam
2 or 3 slices of bacon

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Betty Goes to a Wedding and Makes the Cake

Betty made the wedding cake and 500 cookies for granddaughter Emma's wedding in Cape May, New Jersey to Josh Johnson on October 12, 2019.


Our Cotswold Tour

This Summer we rented a thatched roof cottage in the village of Broadway in the heart of the beautiful English Cotswolds. Food was wonderful,even the fish and chips! Here is a 16 minute tour. Video produced by Rick Busciglio. Recorded in 4 K UHD.

BETTY'S CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB CAKES

When we lived in Virginia Beach on an inlet from the Chesapeake Bay, we could - and did - catch blue crabs right off our dock.  While they made great eating just boiled with Old Bay seasoning, they were even better made into crab cakes.  I mean real crab cakes with lots of lump crab meat and very little else.  Here's my recipe:

CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB CAKES


1lb.  backfin crabmeat
4  tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
I cup mayonnaise
I teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
4 tablespoons red pepper, finely chopped and sautéed in 1 
   tablespoon butter until softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 drops Tabasco, or to taste
1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 to 1½ cups Panko bread crumbs
Oil for frying

In a medium sized bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper, lemon juice, Tabasco and Old Bay and then fold the crabmeat in gently.
Dip in Panko  
.
Form into 6 cakes and fry for about 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. You may also make these an hors d'ouevre by using just 2 tablespoons of the mixture per cake.

(Leftovers reheat beautifully and they can be frozen)

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Sour Cream Coffee Cake


Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter and flour a bundt pan

For the filling:

Mix together
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Scant 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 

For the cake:

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 lb. butter
1 cup sugar 
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and sour cream and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix.
Spoon half of batter into prepared pan and smooth.  Add filling mixture and top with remaining batter. 
Bake for 45 minutes, test for doneness.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan before unfolding. 

Potato Cakes




These potato cakes have been a family favorite for years, but our daughter recently reminded me that I hadn’t posted the recipe. I like using ring molds to make individual servings, but it can also be made as one large cake in a skillet. 



It’s a recipe that also can be made ahead and reheated - always handy when you are preparing a meal that needs last minute attention. 

The ingredients:

2 Lbs. Potatoes Chopped (Yukon Gold preferred)
1 Large Onion Chopped (grated in mixer with potatoes)
3 Tbsp. Butter (cubed)
Salt mixed with fresh ground pepper

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Betty's Cream Puff Swans

I’ve been meaning to do this recipe for quite some time, but a friend’s birthday lunch finally inspired me.
While these swans look quite elegant and complicated, they really are quite simple to do.
A little practice with a pastry bag is all that is required!

For the swans:

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs

For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup lemon curd


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Carrot Ginger Soup



This is a lovely, warming soup - just right for a cold winter’s day.    In addition to being tasty, it’s full of vitamins to boost your immune system!
You can vary the amount of ginger and, if you prefer a smoother texture, just whirl it in a blender. 


2 lbs. carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2medium onions, chopped
1\2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

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Betty Makes Fresh Pasta

Pasta

7 oz. flour


2 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine flour and salt in food processor and whiz to combine.
Lightly beat eggs with olive oil to combine.

With processor running, slowly pour egg mixture through feed tube and process for a minute or two.  Test mixture between your fingers and, if too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water.

Turn mixture out and knead by hand until smooth.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Divide and roll as desired.

Remember - fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried.



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Egg Yolk Ravioli

Filling for Egg Yolk Ravioli








1 cup ricotta
Scant 1/2 cup spinach, cooked and finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 egg yolks


This was a dish I first tasted many years ago at the famous San Domenico restaurant in New York City.  I like it so much that I offered to trade my ticket for the American Ballet performance that day if they would teach me how to make it! They declined my offer, but through diligent research - this was before the Internet! - I eventually figured it out.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Note:  Be sure to roll your pasta very thin for these ravioli.

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