Pineapple Puff Pastry Pinwheels With Cheese and Ham

PUFF PASTRY PINWHEELS ARE SUPER SIMPLE to make, yet look so fancy and fussy. They are perfect for parties and get togethers.

I usually buy frozen puff pastry which I find to be rather expensive, and the price kept me from using it as often as I would have liked.  Recently, I discovered a new item at my grocery store; a refrigerated puff pastry which was much more reasonably priced and didn't require thawing (aka planning ahead).

I made these pinwheels with pineapple, cheese, and ham. I have always loved the taste of pineapple and cheese together. I used to eat pineapple and cheese sandwiches as a girl. I love that glorious baked pineapple casserole.

Once I made these, I discovered the new puff pastry performed perfectly--many flaky layers and delicious taste. And oh so easy to use. It even comes with its own parchment paper for baking.

I will be making more of these pinwheels and have many ideas about how to fill them.

• sun dried tomato cream cheese and turkey
• cream cheese and pimiento stuffed olives
• spinach, artichoke, and Parmesan
• cheddar, pimiento, and pecan
• pizza sauce, basil, and mozzarella
• pesto, spinach, and feta
• mango chutney and aged English cheddar

Pineapple Puff Pastry Pinwheels with Cheese and Ham

1 sheet puff pastry
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces your favorite deli sliced ham, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Unroll pastry sheet on a floured surface. Spread pineapple evenly over the pastry, followed by the shredded cheese, then the chopped ham. Roll into a log started from one of the long sides. Using a serrated knife, slice into 12 pieces. Place on parchment lined sheet pan, cut side up.

Bake 20 - 30 minutes until golden.

Baked Pork and Sauerkraut Egg Rolls

IT BEGAN WITH A PORK SHOULDER ROAST COOKED with sauerkraut in the crock pot, which couldn't have been easier. I unceremoniously dumped a can of sauerkraut into the crock, plopped the roast on top, added salt and pepper, then another can of sauerkraut over of the meat. I cranked the cooker and walked away to carry on with my day.

When it got near supper time, I made mashed potatoes to serve with the pork and sauerkraut. It was a hearty and delicious meal for a frigid winter evening.

The next day, I decided to make egg rolls with the leftover pork and sauerkraut. I love doing this. If you can put food between slices of bread and call it a sandwich, or wrap items into a tortilla and call it a burrito or quesadilla, you can also put it into an egg roll wrapper.

The egg roll wrappers you can buy at the grocery store, usually in the produce department, are very easy to work with. Baking, rather the frying, makes things easy and is much less messy. I did add some Napa cabbage to the pork and sauerkraut to introduce some freshness to the mix and I also added a generous amount of dried red pepper flakes.

Baked Pork and Sauerkraut Egg Rolls

1 1/2 cups leftover roasted pork (approximately)
1 1/2 cups sauerkraut (approximately)
1/2 large head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 - 1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes, to taste
1 egg, beaten with a little water
Egg roll wrappers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Oil a rimmed sheet pan.

Combine the pork, sauerkraut, cabbage, and red pepper.

Place an egg roll wrapper on a flat surface with a corner pointed down. Place a mound of the filling in the center. Turn up the bottom corner and then both sides. Now it looks like an envelope. Brush a little egg mixture along the top flaps, just like the part of an envelope you would moisten. Seal the rolls and place on the prepared pan. When all are rolled, brush with the egg mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve egg rolls with hot Chinese mustard.

Pink Champagne Cake

 

THE PINK CHAMPAGNE CAKE WAS ONE OF THREE I baked for my Mother's 90th birthday party. When I told her I was making three cakes and asked what kind would she like she said she liked pound cake with chocolate frosting. Check. She also suggested coconut cake. Check. For the third, she said, "surprise me".

I decided on the pink champagne cake because I thought it sounded feminine and celebratory. Also, Mama loves champagne!

I have talked about my amazing Mother before. She still lives in her own home, she still goes to the gym three times a week, plays bridge, and drives. She has always been very considerate of other people and has been active in her church; as a result she has developed many, many friends over the years. She is a fabulous cook and loves to entertain.

As the RSVP's poured in, I starting worrying three cakes would not be enough, so I asked Jasmine (the professional chef of the family) if she would bake some cupcakes just in case. Wouldn't it be sad to have a birthday party without enough birthday cake for everyone?

I thought the cutest thing was an interaction between Mama and her 5-year-old great grandson. He knew it was her birthday and asked how old she was. When she answered 90, his eyes got big in disbelief and he replied, "And you're not even dead!"

Pink Champagne Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (3) 8 inch cake pans

3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup pink champagne
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
pink food coloring (optional)

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a  bowl and set aside.

In another bowl whisk together egg whites, vegetable oil, pink champagne, and vanilla. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar 3 to 4 minutes until creamy and light.

Add flour and sugar mixture and egg mixture  alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the pink coloring, if using.

Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth with offset spatula. Bake until cake just pulls back from sides of the pan, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, shaking gently. invert once, then again. Cool completely, right side up.


Pink Champagne Buttercream

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
12 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup pink champagne
pink food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth and lightened in color.Mix in salt and vanilla.

Gradually add the sugar, along with the pink champagne until sugar is incorporated. Beat at medium speed until very smooth, adding the color while mixing.

Notes:

Don't be discouraged if butter mixture starts curdling with the addition of the pink champagne. Just keep adding powdered sugar and mixing. It will come together.

Using a toothpick, I added tiny amounts of pink food coloring gel.

This recipe makes a lot of buttercream for piping.

I used a Wilton 1M piping tip to make the rosettes.

Acapulco Shrimp Cocktail

A MEXICAN STYLE SHRIMP COCKTAIL with crisp vegetables and creamy avocado to compliment the savory shrimp, served with tortilla chips or crackers, makes a perfect light supper.

Where the sauce for a traditional shrimp cocktail begins with ketchup, lemon, and horseradish, the Mexican sauce, which also starts with ketchup, uses lime and hot sauce.

Our frigid weather moved out and we are having a bit of a respite. I decided to make something fresh as a break from the stews and soups. Winter is far from over, I know that, but today, I see blue sky and I only had to wear a light jacket to the grocery store.

 


Acapulco Shrimp Cocktail

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ketchup
1-2 Tablespoons vinegary Mexican bottled hot sauce (or your favorite)
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2-3 scallions, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
5-6 radishes, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Bring 1 quart heavily salted water to a boil. Add shrimp. When the water comes to a bare simmer, lower heat and poach for a minute or two. Remove shrimp from water onto a platter in a single layer. Refrigerate to 30 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the ketchup, lime juice, hot sauce, Worcester sauce, and olive oil; stir until well combined. Add the onion, scallions, cucumber, and radish slices. Stir in shrimp. Finish with avocado slices.

Low Country Chicken Bog

CHICKEN BOG IS NOT A LOVELY DISH and it has an even less lovely name. Once you get past those factors, you will find a delicious and oh so comforting recipe for chicken and rice. It is rather like a pilaf or pilau but boggier and not fluffy at all. I really think the texture is reminiscent of a risotto. The rice is very creamy and the chicken is moist, tender, and flavorful.

Chicken bog is an old favorite in low country regions where rice is grown. It originates from the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named for the Native American tribe that formerly occupied the area.   

This has been especially warming for us as we struggle with the arctic blast which has us in its grip. We are not used to cold temperatures like we are having, for such a length of time. Brrr!

Chicken Bog
1 (approximately 2 1/2 pounds) whole chicken
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 - 3 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

Place chicken, sausage, onion, celery, butter, salt, both peppers, and bay leaves into your large soup pan. Add water and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add rice and cook 10 minutes, uncovered. Then cover and cook another 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Add chicken pieces back to the pot.