Family favorites
I was watching Food Network not to long ago and on came Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman and she was making these Cherry Pie Cookie Bars. Jim was in the room and declared that he and my Dad would like those. Well sure enough these cherry pie bars were a big hit with everyone! I served them with vanilla ice cream this helped cut through some of the sweetness. I will certainly be making these again!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks plus 5 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 orange, zested
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons whole milk
30 ounce can of cherry pie filling
GLAZE
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon whole milk
1 lemon, zested
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixer cream together granulated sugar, butter and orange zest until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time mixing in between. Add the vanilla and mix again until incorporated.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add half of the dry mixture to the butter sugar mixture and mix then add half of the milk. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining milk and mix until the dough comes together.
Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Pour over the cherry pie filling and spread it out evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough I’ve the pie filling . Bake until the edges and top are golden and the center is set. 35-40 minutes. Let the bars cool and set, 15-20 minutes.
For the glaze add the confectioners sugar , milk and lemon zest in a bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the bars. Slice and serve. Add vanilla ice cream If desired.
Enjoy!
Anne
Everyone in my house LOVED this chicken dish. But what’s not to love with BBQ sauce, bacon and cheese? It does take a little bit of time to make with the marinating time but it’s worth it. I also crisped the bacon in advance. I like to grill the marinated chicken but you can certainly pan fry or bake the chicken.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons Tamari or low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Worcester sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts , I used thin cut
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 slices apple smoked bacon, crisped
8 Tablespoons barbecue sauce, I used a sweet BBQ sauce
DIRECTIONS
Mix honey, tamari, Worcester sauce, salt and pepper together. Place chicken in a zip lock bag and add the marinade. Let marinade for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Grill, bake or pan fry the chicken until cooked through. When the chicken is cooked through place the chicken on a baking sheet and top each chicken with 2 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce, 2 strips of bacon and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
Place the baking sheet in the oven on broil, keeping the oven door open just slightly. Broil u til the cheese is melted. This only takes a couple of minutes so don’t walk away! Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Anne
Cai’s Dim Sum was a take out stop for us while we were in Vermont. We had driven by Cai’s several times but did not know much about it so we decided to give it a shot! Cai’s Dim Sum is located at 814 western Ave in Brattleboro Vermont. They only do curbside pick-up (or cater events) I will say we were a little skeptical at first as it does not look like much on the outside but don’t let that deter you! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
There is a lot to love about Cai’s Dim Sum but not only are they a family run business that started at a farmers market in 2006 but they get their produce from local farms, that is a huge plus for us as we try to support farms and family businesses every chance we get. Anytime we go to small businesses we also make a point to pay cash as we all know how much the credit card companies charge fees that seem to keep rising for businesses. On to the food!
I ordered the Pork Riblet Abundance Box. Pork riblet’s served with stir fry vegitables and local greens over jasmine rice with a scallion pancake on the side. Everything about this dinner was just right. The riblet’s were so tender, the veggies so fresh and the rice cooked to perfection! The scallion pancake was crispy yet tender very good. This was a large plateful of dinner, so much so I had it again he next day. It re heated extremely well.
Jim ordered the chicken stir fry with fresh local vegetables over jasmine rice and two dumplings. My picture does not do justice for Jim’s dinner. Not only did Jim enjoy his dinner but the few bites I had were delicious the chicken was super tender and of course those fresh veggies and perfectly cooked rice. I did not try the 2 dumplings it came with but I know they were delicious with how fast they disappeared. Jim also enough for the next day as well.
Cai’s Dim Sum is truly a hidden gem and a place we will be frequenting when we are in town. Cai’s has a website with the full menu, hours of operation as well as catering information.
Enjoy!
Anne
We came across this tiny little bakery while traveling through Vermont in our motorhome, it was well worth the stop! Sticky Finger Bakery is located at 210 VT. Route 100 in West Dover, Vermont. Sticky fingers Bakery opened in 2010 and have won several awards including best of Vermont for their cinnamon rolls.
Let’s talk about those cinnamon rolls! Let me start by saying they are huge and made from scratch daily. They are fresh and sweet, tender on the outside with a nice crisp on the outside. Sweet but not too sweet but enough to curb that sweet craving! This alone was worth the drive!
I also purchased one of Jim’s favorite sweets! A Cherry danish and a lemon danish! The lemon danish did not make it out of the parking lot! I was able to get a bite of the lemon and it was so good. A bit crispy, sweet and filled with plenty of tart lemon! I did not get a chance to try the cherry danish but Jim assured me it was excellent.
The last item I purchased was an individual size chocolate mousse. This was so rich and creamy, it was the perfect size dessert. I would buy all of these desserts again plus some! This happenes to be an area we travel through a couple times a year so I am looking forward to going back time and time again!
Sticky Fingers Bakery although it’s the smallest bakery I have ever been in it’s also one of the mightiest bakeries filled not only with pastries, cakes, cookies or croissants they also make breads, dinner rolls, black olive garlic bread, pepperoni and mozzarella bread but also pizza by the slice or whole pizza.
Sticky Finger bakery is open 7am-4pm Thursday through Monday, you can place orders 24 hours in advance as they do sell out they also cater special events. If you are in passing through Vermont you will not be disappointed with anything you decide on. They also have a couple picnic tables outside for patrons to use.
Enjoy!
Anne
Although I have had this hot dip a couple of times at our neighbors house this was the first time I made it as it’s delicious and loved by everyone who has had it. I made it in an aluminum pan for easy clean up! I served this with tortilla chips but when we were celebrating with our neighbors she served it with not only chips but some toasted crostini. This is sure to be a favorite of yours too!
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces diced ham. I used Smithfield smoked diced ham
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
3 Tablespoons bread and butter pickles, diced
3 Tablespoon yellow mustard
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
FOR SERVING
Tortilla chips or toasted bread slices
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients making sure the cream cheese is completely combined with all of the ingredients, you don’t want chunks for cream cheese.
Spread the mixture in an 8×8 baking dish and bake for 27 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 3 minutes watching closely not to burn. Once lightly browned remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
Anne
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