Marty, Author at What the Forks for Dinner?

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Once again at the local grocery store something caught my eye………beautiful, plump, bright red cherries.

Now, neither Tim nor I are huge cherry fans, but their allure was too much, so I bought them! Tim saw them in the frig and asked why I bought cherries? I had no answer………

Now, to find something to actually do with them, I scoured the internet……..so many variations to cherry pie……..but I wanted something different. I found a cake recipe that I wanted to modify for my “Gluten Free” friends. Epic FAIL!!!! It was awful!!! Not really sure what I did wrong but it was a soupy mess…..see below……. The beautiful pistachio topping sank into the batter and disappeared. I will try this again after much modification, but such a waste of the beautiful cherries.

All I can say is that sometimes in the world of food, things do not always go as planned. 🙁

So , on to bigger and better things. I want to tell a gadget story……my Mom, who by the way made the best pies in the world….. her crust was flaky and tender (something I cannot replicate), especially her coconut cream pie. Mom was one to buy every little gadget on the market. When she passed away and we were cleaning out her house I came across a cherry pitter. Now, since I am not a cherry fan I wondered what I would ever use this for? But I kept it anyway………..What a great little tool! If you love cherries, or have a cherry tree, do yourself a favor and buy one……it is the bomb! Be sure you put down a paper bag, or something to catch the pits, as it is a messy process.

After my fail, I had to do something with the remaining cherries. I remembered that Tim’s Uncle Ron “a.k.a. Rude Dog” liked cherry pie. So, I made my first every cherry pie……. with a lattice top. I did have to Google how to make a lattice top as I have never made a pie with one before……….wow……three firsts in one day! 1. Epic Fail 2. Cherry Pie. 3. Lattice top pie. My, oh my, what a day.

So here is the final result of the Cherry Pie……….

I am still waiting to hear back from Uncle Ron………I hope he enjoyed it!

Cherry Pie

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Author: Pinterest
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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1 unbaked double pie crust recipe (store bought or homemade)
7 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon of butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 tablespoon milk
Turbinado sugar (natural cane sugar)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Toss together the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract and corn starch in a large bowl until evenly coated.
Roll out the bottom pie crust, and gently lay it in a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer the cherry filling to the pie crust, and sprinkle with little dots of butter.
Roll out the top pie crust, and either lay on top and cut a few slits in the middle to make a full double pie crust. Or cut the top pie crust into strips to make a lattice pie crust (I Googled this as it was the first lattice pie I have ever made). Brush pie crust with milk and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Then freeze for about 10 minutes, before baking.
Place the pie in the middle rack, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil to catch any drips. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and cook for 35-45 additional minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden and the filling is thick and bubbly.
Cool completely before serving.

Keywords: cherries, pie crust, pie, bake

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

Sometimes, when you are either lazy, time is of the essence, or it’s just to hot to cook, a girl needs to bring out the crockpot. This recipe is quick to throw together, and you can have dinner ready when you need it.

Tender chicken breast with baby red potatoes, sweet peas, and leeks for that mellow onion taste. Low fat sour cream, a few smashed potatoes, and a touch of fresh tarragon make a creamy sauce for this “all in one” dish……meat, potatoes, and a veggie.

I really am not usually a fan of chicken in the crockpot, its kinda sickly white, so I sautéed the chicken just to give it color. I cut the potatoes in half….mine were small, so if you have larger potatoes cut them in quarters.

A word about leeks……wash them very well, or you will have a mouth full of grit. I cut mine in the way they need to be for a recipe, them plunk them in a bowl of cold water, swish them around and let them set a minute. Use a slotted spoon to get them out of their…….bath. Then use as indicated in the recipe. The first time I used leeks in a recipe I made the mistake of just rinsing the whole leek and the result was…….grit…..yuck!

If you do not have fresh tarragon like me……my tarragon was so out of control I had to move it from the garden to its own area. It’s a huge bush……I swear it was four feet tall and about that big around. You can use dried, but I would cut the amount in half……it’s a strong flavor, and add it when you put the chicken in the crockpot.

So, how did it taste………well let me put it this way……..Tim does not like peas and he thought is was really good. I love peas and I thought the same.

So, if you are looking for quick, ready when you are meat and potatoes dinner, try the Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken.

Crockpot Tarragon Leek Chicken

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Category: Main Dish
Method: Crock Pot
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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6 small new red potatoes, halved
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, throughly rinsed and drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup frozen (or fresh ) peas,
2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

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Instructions

Place the potatoes on the bottom of crockpot. In a skillet over medium high heat in 1 teaspoon coconut oil, sauté chicken breast just to brown.
Transfer the browned chicken, leeks, wine, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook, covered, until the chicken and potatoes are tender, on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
Transfer the chicken and all but 4 of the potatoes to plates. Using a fork, smash the remaining potatoes into the cooking liquid to thicken.
Add the peas and sour cream and cook just until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with the tarragon.

Keywords: chicken, potatoes, tarragon, peas, main dish, crock pot, slow cooker

Teriyaki Burger with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Teriyaki Burger with Pineapple Mango Salsa

Burgers, burgers, burgers,…………Teriyaki Burger with Pineapple Mango Salsa.

Now that the weather is warm, I have two things on my mind……Salads and burgers. It is all we have eaten recently. Ok, we have had the obligatory pizza……several times.

We still have to get our grill up and running……….just lazy we are! But, we have a grill pan so……….sorta the same? Ok, not really, but these burgers were really great even without the aid of the outdoor grill.

My conception for these really came from pineapples and mangos being on sale at the store, and they were beauties. If cutting the pineapple and mango is not your thing, you can use canned or frozen, but it really is perfect with the fresh.

So, since I wanted to make a burger, and pineapple goes with an Asian flare, that was my direction. I added green onions, garlic, ginger, soy and a touch of red pepper flakes for heat to the beef. Now, I have made these twice, first time with ground beef, and the second time with ground chicken. Both were equally yummy, so what ever your taste is, go with that. A turn on the grill, and the burgers were done.

For the salsa……the pineapple and mangos were mixed with avocado, red pepper, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Then mixed all together and set it aside.

When I think of burgers, I always think of ketchup and mustard, but not with these and we do like something on a burger. The sauce was simple with the aid of my trusty imitation Bullet. We bought a cheap version, just to be sure, we would use it and liked it before we shelled out the cost for the real deal. Well, the cheapo has worked really well, so why spend over a hundred when you can spend twenty?

I just put all the ingredients for the sauce……fresh pineapple, soy, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, and a touch of sesame oil. Gave it a whirl in my handy, dandy, cheapo Bullet and I had a sauce…….well almost. I heated it to a boil and added a cornstarch mixture to thicken.

Lightly toasted Kings Hawaiian Buns were perfect for this burger. The burger, the sauce, and the salsa……..oh la la…….oh wait thats French………well anyway there were a tasty, tasty burger.

Teriyaki Burger with Pineapple Mango Salsa

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Category: Burgers
Method: Grill
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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Burgers
1 pound ground beef (you can also use chicken or turkey)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 tsp salt
4 Hamburger buns
Salsa
1 cups fresh pineapple, diced into ½” cubes
1/2 cup fresh mango, diced into ½” cubes
1/2 avocado, diced into ½” cubes
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced into ½” pieces
1/8 cup onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon jalapeño minced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
Sauce
1 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon each cornstarch and water

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Instructions

Burgers:
Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
Combine all of the ingredients for the burgers in a medium bowl,and shape into 4 patties. Place your patties on the grill and cook 10-15 minutes or until well done, flipping half way through. Grill buns if desired.
Salsa:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Sauce:
Place first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan. Over medium high heat, heated cook mixture until bubbly, about 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, blend cornstarch and water until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan. Heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble the Burgers:
To assemble burger place each burger on grilled bun. Spoon sauce over burger and top with salsa. Serve.

Notes

We like large burger so the serving size is 2. But if you like a smaller burger you can get 4.

Keywords: ground beef, pineapple, mango, burger, grill