Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “Wicked Good Burgers,” by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson. The winner is Patty Mazzarese. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Patty Mazzarese, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine,” by William Woys Weaver.
The hardback book is half entertaining cultural history and half recipes that will make your eyes widen. Delicious-looking ones such as Ham-And-Cheese Dumplings, the requisite Honey Shoofly Pie, as well as Peach and Yellow Tomato Pie, appear right next to Sour Marinated Rabbit and Stewed Squirrel. Those last two might be delicious, too, but I haven’t had the pleasure …

To enter the drawing, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com, including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not share or store this information.

Since we find ourselves at the beginning of patriotic celebration season, I thought you might like to see a Pennsylvania Dutch take on the venerable apple pie.

APPLE SCHNITZ PIE
Pastry for one 9- or 10-inch (double crust) pie
3 cups boiling water or cider
8 ounces tart apple Schnitz, (dried apple slices), see note
2 tablespoons potato starch (can use cornstarch)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1. Pour the boiling water over the schnitz. Cover and let stand 4 to 6 hours or overnight until the Schnitz are soft. Drain and chop into lima-bean-size pieces, then place them in a large work bowl.
2. Combine the potato starch, brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice, working the mixture with a fork to create fine crumbs. Take out 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture and set aside.
3. Line a 9- to 10-inch pie dish with short pastry. Dust the Schnitz with the brown sugar mixture and arrange the fruit in the pie shell, pressing down with a spoon so that the Schnitz fit together closely.
4. Mix the sour cream and sugar and spread this evenly over the fruit.
5. Combine the reserved tablespoon of brown sugar mixture with the butter and work this to a crumb texture. Scatter the crumbs over the top of the pie.
6. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
Serve at room temperature.
Note: If the supermarket doesn’t have dried apple slices, you might find them in a bulk food store such as Grammy’s in Girard.

Don’t be sad. You’re not alone. Memorial Day picnics loom large over the heads of everyone trying to lighten up.
Big juicy hamburgers, sausage, hot dogs, will rolling off the grill, and Aunt Evy’s brownies are sure to appear next to your sister’s potato salad.
Trying to make room for everything without blowing your pant buttons is more than a challenge. It’s often a lost cause.
Ever had a turkey burger at a cook-out? Yeah, how was it? Dry, bland, with a side of sneer by the grill master?
Well, one of my favorite Foodie websites, www.epicurious.com, offered up these Spicy Turkey Burgers today, and the ratings — by serious foodies — gave it an average of 4 forks, the best rating you can get on anything, even big juice hamburgers.
75 serious foodies can’t be wrong, right?
Well, they caught my attention at least. Many reviewers suggested adding breadcrumbs to help hold them together, and the other ingredients look yummy AND healthy, not an easy thing to pull off.
If you’re going somewhere else for dinner, make the patties and take them with you. You might have room for that brownie after all.

There are cool recipes and hot recipes and intriguing recipes and then there are recipes that are all three.
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese from Better Homes and Gardens belongs in the last category, or all the categories, or whatever.
Actually, this dish defies categorization.
Serious grillers claim anything can be cooked on a grill, and this gives support to that theory.
It also gives support to my appetite. I can’t wait to try it. I just wish we were going to be home this weekend, but instead we have to go on vacation.
Looks like I’m going to have to try it before then. Now would be good for me.

Oh, yeah. And there’s chicken.

Have you ever noticed that all Americanized Mexican food contains the same list of ingredients? Cumin, lime juice, meat, tomato, cheese, sour cream, chile powder, peppers, cilantro, onions.
OK maybe not every single one of those, and maybe a few others, but enough that if you have leftover ingredients from one dish, you can probably use them up in a different dish.
When cooking for the print version of Loaves & Dishes, I made an avocado salsa to go with this week’s Chili-Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos (Check out the Food section Wednesday). The salsa called for one avocado, but I bought two to be safe.
The salsa was great, and I didn’t need the other avocado. While scrounging around for something to make for lunch yesterday, I found that and was instantly ravenous for guacamole.
In addition to the avocado, thanks to the tacos recipe, I also had everything else to make some. We even had tortilla chips to dip.
I had no desire to also scrounge around for a recipe even to use as a guide, so I winged it. It made about a cup of wonderfulness, none of which lived to make another serving.
Hard-core L&D fans might remember a guacamole recipe from years ago that left out the mayo and included tomatoes. This is a quick and dirty version, sans tomato, since I didn’t have any.

WING IT GUACAMOLE
1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon any chili powder
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1. Mash avocado. (I used my hands) Stir in the rest of the ingredients except cilantro. Put a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole to prevent browning. (If it browns anyway, it won’t affect the taste.)
2. Do something else for 30 minutes or so, to let the flavors blend at room temperature.
3. Fold in the cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Note: You can also add a clove of minced or pressed fresh garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. I was already eating a ton of garlic in hummus I ate earlier, so I didn’t want any more.

Recipe e-mails flow into my mailbox every day, and I often find myself sorting the keepers into two categories: Fast, easy ones to try at home and “more interesting” ones to share with readers.
I always want to write about something new and challenging that I can gas on about for my column, but I also realize that many of you just want something they can make tonight, or tomorrow night, or sometime really soon, like around now.
I’m a working mother, and if we’re out of leftovers, I often spend my drive home figuring out what I can serve within the hour.
These separate piles find their ways onto opposite sides of my desk. Well, today I came across Rotisserie Cashew Chicken and figured I had plenty of time to pick up a roast chicken and throw together this sauce before my family members start in on the potato chips.
This is for everyone who’d like to do the same. It’s from Rich’s Recipe du Jour.

ROTISSERIE CASHEW CHICKEN
1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bones and diced
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (black and/or white)
1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes (I’ll use garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup cashews Whole, unsalted if available
Serve with white rice and parsley
1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and whisk to form marinade.
2. Add the diced chicken, mix with marinade and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
3. During that time, in a wok or large saute pan, heat chicken stock to simmer. Add the marinated chicken, including all of the sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Stir to combine and mix with the stock.
4. Continue heating until the sauce begins to thicken (the corn starch will do that).
5. Add the lemon juice and cashews. Do not overcook the cashews as you want them hot but still retain a bit of their crunch. Add the sesame seeds, garlic flakes and salt.
Serve over prepared rice or noodles
– Rich’s Recipe du Jour

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “200 Best Ice Pop Recipes,” by Andrew Chase. The winner is Amy Brown. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Amy Brown, you are eligible to enter the drawing for Wicked Good Burgers,” by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson in honor of Grilled Burger Weekend, a holiday which I just made up.

The book is by the same authors as “Wicked Good BBQ.” It has terrifyingly sinful recipes, almost obscene — and I meant that in the best way possible. In addition to the burgers, it includes recipes for buns, sides (i.e. bean salad), toppings (I.e. crispy onions), dressings (i.e. ketchup, mustard) and methods (i.e. steaming). The book has a photo of each burger as a work of art.
The book even offers techniques for grinding your own beef, which is obviously optional.
To enter the drawing, please send an e-mail to mailto: jennie.geisler@timesnews.com Please include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK you want.

The Pastrami Burger looks impossible to hold, as well as impossible to put down.

PASTRAMI BURGER
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck or ground chuck
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 slices pastrami
1 cup sauerkraut
2 tablespoons sauerkraut liquid
4 slices Swiss cheese
Softened butter, for toasting
8 slices rye bread
Russian Dressing, recipe follows
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. If grinding, cute the beef into strips and freeze until stiff, about 45 minutes. Salt the beef. Using the coarse grinder plate, grind according to the technique in Chapter 1 (page 15). If using ground chuck, mix with salt before shaping.
3. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into rectangles roughly the size of the bread and about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. If you have an infrared thermometer, the skillet should register at least 500 degrees. Or test by brushing on a bit of oil. When the skillet starts to smoke, it’s ready.
5. Cook the patties for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the patties to a baking sheet.
6. Saute the pastrami slices on the skillet for 1 minute. Place on top of the burgers. Saute the sauerkraut and 2 tablespoons reserved liquid for 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon some sauerkraut on top of each burger. Lay a slice of Swiss cheese over each burger and place the baking sheet in the oven just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
7. To serve, wipe the skillet clean. Brush both sides of the bread with softened butter. Toast the bread in the skillet until it just begins to color. With a spatula, place each burger on a slice of toast. Schmear Russian dressing liberally on the other slices of toast, place on top of the burgers, and serve.
Makes 4 burgers

RUSSIAN DRESSING
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt and pepper
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
“Wicked Good Burgers,” by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson

It’s really hard to improve on old-fashioned pulled pork. You can grill it, smoke it, slow-cook it, braise it, as long as you cook it slowly with love and patience.
That sweet and sour and spicy flavor can’t be rushed.
My slow-cooker method is one of my favorite recipes ever, but last week I was in the mood for something completely different. Mexican Pulled Pork, from simplyrecipes.com,, encrusted with a blend of heavy seasonings, didn’t last long in my house. It’s hard to believe John and I ate a 3-pound pork shoulder in four days. I’ll blame him, the always-hungry runner, but I will admit to enjoying my generous share.
I added chopped bell peppers and onions, and, perhaps unwisely, a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
The vegetables were great, but the water they released made the mixture a little too soupy. I probably should have drained the tomatoes first or gone without them.
Also, the recipe said it would cook six to 10 hours on low. That’s quite a range. I poked at the meat after four hours and it was still pretty tight, so I upped the heat to high and after seven hours total, it was perfect. My regular pulled pork recipe calls for eight hours on high, so when I make this again, I think I’ll just start with high heat.
The key to the bold flavor of this dish is to rub the spices on generously, let them sink in for an hour, and then brown the meat all the surfaces before putting it into the slow cooker, or on the grill, or in the back seat of your car this summer, and then cook it until fall-apart tender.

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing for “175 Best Mini-Pie Recipes,” by Julie Anne Hession. The winner is Cassie Scully. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Cassie Scully, you are eligible to win my copy of “200 Best Ice Pop Recipes,” by Andrew Chase. These aren’t your ho-hum juice-on-a-stick stuff. They include recipes made from citrus, berries, chocolate, fudge, caramel and cream, savory ice pops, teas and coffee, ethnic flavors even cocktails.
Here’s the one that stopped me:

ORANGE CREAM ICE POPS
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon Orange blossom or other light floral honey
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream, 35 percent fat
1/3 cup evaporated milk.
1. In a small saucepan, combine orange zest, juice and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in concentrate. Pour into a large measuring cup and whisk in cream and milk.
2. Pour into molds and freeze until slushy, then insert sticks and freeze until solid, for at least 4 hours. If you are using an ice pop kit, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
– “200 Best Ice Pop Recipes,” by Andrew Chase

To enter the drawing, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not store or share this information.

I have been unable to muster much patience in waiting for rhubarb this year. To be sure, I’ll be planting some of my own so in 2014, I don’t have to keep checking stores’ produce sections in frustration.
I’ll admit I like rhubarb because it goes so well with sugar. It’s pretty tart and physically impossible to eat without it. It also goes really well with strawberries, in case you want to use half rhubarb, half strawberries in this dish.
Rhubarb Pie is pretty simple, as far as ingredients and technique, especially if you use a prepared crust. But don’t miss Martha Stewart’s advice that you should make this the day before you want to serve it, and it requires some special attention: First you have to bake and cool the crust and then bake the pie itself for 1 1/2 hours, and then let it cool all down again.
None of this bothers me. I’ve waited almost a year for rhubarb. What’s another few hours? (She said, drumming her fingers.)

Sorry about the lateness of my book drawing, which should have taken place Thursday. My lateness is inexcusable, except for the fact that I was trapped under something heavy: my In Box.
Don’t worry, I won’t cheat you of a drawing. Stacks of cook books starting to dominate my desk wouldn’t allow it. So I’ll do 2 drawings, one today and on Thursday, when I’m supposed to, to get us back on schedule.
Anyway, the winner of “200 Easy Mexican Recipes,” by Kelley Cleary Coffeen is Diane Wisinski. I’ll pop it in the mail today.

If you are not Diane Wisinsky, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “175 Best Mini Pie Recipes,” by Julie Anne Hession. This book looks like it would be a blast to own, especially for those who love to bake. It’s hard to give away, actually. It offers recipes and instructions — with process photos — for 17 kinds of dough, as well as fillings and glazes, sweet fruit and caramel and chocolate, even savory meals such as meat and seafood and vegetarian pies.
Now, pssst, you can probably buy some of the dough recipes prepared, such as phyllo and pie crust. But if you like baking as much as I do, it would be more fun to do the from-scratch thing.
To enter, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com. Please include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not share or store this information.

Here’s a sample recipe, including its handmade dough:
FRESH STRAWBERRY HAND PIES
2 cups diced, hulled strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 recipe Hand Pie Dough, recipe follows
1 large egg, lightly beaten with tablespoon water
Coarse sugar for sprinkling
1. In a medium bowl, mix strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
2. On a lightly flowered surface, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/16 inch. Using a 5-inch round cutter, cut into rounds and place on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing apart. Reroll scraps as necessary.
3. Brush edges of rounds with egg wash. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in center of each round. Fold in half, enclosing filling. Pinch edges together to seal and crimp with the tines of a fork.
4. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Place pies, on baking sheets, in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Using tip of a sharp knife, cut 2 or 3 slits in top of each pie. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through, until pies are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling. Let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The recipe should make 16 pies.

HAND PIE DOUGH
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup cold buttermilk, divided1. In food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to combine.
2. Scatter butter overtop and pulse several times, until pieces are the size of peas.
3. Drizzle half the buttermilk over flour mixture and pulse 4 to 5 times to combine. Add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until dough begins to hold together in moist clumps. (You might not need all the buttermilk.
4. Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

– “175 Best Mini Pie recipes”