Cooking Weekend

This weekend I decided to try out some new recipes with the abundance of rhubarb and asparagus we have growing. I made Cream of Asparagus Soup and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. I also made a Cream Puff Dessert. My mother makes it and my husband is constantly begging for me to make it so he can devour the entire dessert by himself! She usually only makes it on holiday's and between my husband, brother and cousin, they would polish off the entire thing if we would let them! So I attempted to make it on my own for a cookout at ours friends house Saturday.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, it had over 200 reviews (that's how I usually base whether or not to try the recipe out by). There were a lot of comments and tips so I used some of them and tweaked the recipe. I am posting the recipe the way I made it, but the link above if for the real one.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 green onions (calls for regular onion but that's what is ready in the garden!)
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1-16oz can chicken broth
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 small mushrooms
• 1 lb fresh asparagus, coarsly chopped into 1 -1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

Melt butter and oil in a heavy cooking pot. Add onions, garlic, and celery; saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour, mixing well. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not burn or let it go lumpy. Add watter, chicken broth and bouillon cubes, stir until smooth. Bring to boil. Add dicedpotatoes, mushrooms and asparagus. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Puree soup in a food processor or blender in batches (If you would rather have a chunking/hearty soup you don't have to puree). Return to pot. Stir in cream and pepper. Bring soup just to boil. Salt to taste. Serve hot.

I've never had Cream of Asparagus, but I wasd pleasantly surprised by this recipe. It was delicious! And even better the next day re-heated.

Cream Puff Dessert This is a variation of my mothers recipe. I couldn't find hers but it is almost the exact same I think. Well it tasted the exact same anyways! Recipe calls for a 11x15 inch pan, mine was slightly smaller ad my mother uses a larger pan. The pastry puff will just be thicker if using a smaller pan. Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 eggs
• 4 cups milk
• 2 small pkgs instant French Vanilla pudding
• 1 cartoon Cool Whip
• 8oz cream cheese
• Hershey's chocolate sauce

Mix water and butter, bring to boil. Add flour all at once. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Put into an ungreased 11x15 1/2 inch pan. Bake At 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then cool. Pastry Puff with be puffy and have air pockets.

Topping: Mix pudding, milk and cream cheese. Blend well and spread on cooled crust. (I made this while pastry was baking and chilled in refrigerator to firm up so it wouldn't be too running when speading it on the crust). Top with Cool Whip. Drizzle chocolate sauce when ready to serve.

Stawberry Rhubarb Pie

This pie turned out pretty good and super easy, especially using the premade Betty Croker pie crusts. It wasn't tart at all with the rhubard. I think the stawberries helped keep the pie sweet. Perfect with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream! :)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
• 3 cups fresh strawberried, sliced
• 2 crust pie pastries

Line pie plate with bottom crust. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add rhubarb and stawberries and lightly mix. Pour into pie shell. Top with pie crust, might a few slits in the top for air to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Tip- place a cookie sheet on the rack underneath the pie just in case it bubbles over. It will save you from having to clean your oven or setting of any fire alarms :)

With all this baking and gardening taking over my blog I am debating on starting a brand new blog just for cooking and organic gardening.....debating, debating, debating...stay tuned!