Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Feta & Walnuts

This is a great spring-time or summer salad for warmer days, or whenever you can grab a basket of big, juicy, fresh strawberries. My friend from college, Brittney Blunt Jacobsen, was the first person to ever serve me this salad during one of our dorm dinners my senior year, so I always credit her with the recipe. I’ve made it hundreds of times, and it’s always a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:

(Adjust quantities of all items to suit your taste & desired number of servings)

Fresh spinach or baby spinach leaves

Fresh, ripe strawberries

Very thinly sliced red onions

Crumbled feta cheese

Dried cranberries

Finely chopped walnut pieces

Add all items to your salad bowl and toss with a bottled raspberry vinaigrette. I have tried lots of store-bought dressings, but my favorite brand is Annie’s Naturals Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Strawberry Streusel Muffins

This recipe came to me from my grandmother, Helen, who runs the Highland Inn on San Juan Island in Washington State. They were a big hit with D!

Strawberry Streusel Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/4 tsp almond extract

1 c. sliced fresh strawberries

Streusel topping:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

1/4 c. flour

2 T (30g) melted butter

1/8 tsp almond extract

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine egg, milk, butter and almond extract; add to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Fold in strawberries.

Combine streusel topping ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Spoon batter into paper lined or greased muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Thanksgiving Treats! - Pumpkin Chiffon Pie & Cranberry Rasberry Relish

I made a full Thanksgiving dinner for 6 English friends on Friday night (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, glazed onions, honey cooked carrots, salad and croissants), but the dessert was everyone's favorite. This recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie comes from my mom:

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)

1/2 c. white sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 1/4c. canned pumpkin (or pumpkin puree)

1/2 c. warm semi-skim milk

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. each salt, ground ginger, nutmeg and all-spice (mixed spice in UK)

1 T gelatin powder

1/4 c. water

Pie Crust

30 gingersnap cookies (20 ginger biscuits in UK)

4 T. melted butter (about 60g)

4 T. white sugar

Crust : Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Mix gingersnaps in food processor. Pour into pie pan and add sugar and butter. Mix together and press into pie pan. Bake for 6 minutes and cool.

Filling: Beat egg yolks with white sugar in top of a double boiler. Add pumpkin, milk, and seasonings. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add gelatin, which has been soaked for 5 min in 3 T of warm water, and stir until gelatin is dissolved into mixture. Cool mixture in refrigerator until pie filling begins to thicken. Add brown sugar and stir to mix. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into pumpkin mix. Pour into cooled pie shell and chill 4 hours or overnight for best results. Serve with whipped cream.

This cranberry relish is a sweet and refreshing addition to any roast meal, and also makes a great fruit filling for trifles!

Cranberry Raspberry Relish

16 oz./500g fresh cranberries, finely chopped in food processor

2 green apples, peeled, cored & finely diced in food processor

10 oz./310g frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. orange marmalade

1 tsp. lemon juice, or to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate up to 1 month. Serves 12.