Orange Citrus Salad

Chef Notes

  1. Avocado creama – Avocado, fresh mint, salt, EVOO, pepper, Sour cream, lemon juice – Muddle stick in blender – Refrigerate up to 24 hours
  2. pickled onion rings (Hot vinegar, sugar, 2 minutes)
  3. Grapefruit, oranges, SLICES
  4. Add Kalamati olives and garlic olives
  5. Roasted beets
  6. Drizzle with avocado creama
  7. Top with feta cheese and pickled onions
  8. Finally top with sprigs of mint, salt and pepper
  9. EVOO on top

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients

  • 1 TBL EVOO
  • 1/2 Onion – chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic – minced
  • 1 stalk Celery – chopped
  • 1 pkg Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 C white wine
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • ± 2 C tomatoes
  • 1 C Elbow macaroni or other pasta
  • 1 can Cannelloni beans
  • Parsley and/or cilantro

Step by Step

  1. Sweat garlic, onions and celery in 1 TBL EVOO
  2. Add crushed red pepper flakes
  3. De-glaze with white wine
  4. 1 can Tomato pieces with juice
  5. Chicken broth
  6. Bring to a boil
  7. Simmer for 60 minutes
  8. Add elbow macaroni, cook another 10 minutes
  9. Cannelloni beans – Cook for 5 more minutes
  10. Parsley and/or cilantro
  11. Salt to taste

 

Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients for Vanilla Cream filling
Make this first, because it will have to cool for two hours after creation

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 6 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C whole milk
  • 3 TBL corn starch
  • 1 1/2 TBL butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Cream together yolks and sugar
  2. Mix milk and corn starch
  3. Mix together milk and sugar mixtures
  4. Put all into a soup pan and add cold butter
  5. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 60-90 seconds
  6. Remove from heat and let rest for three minutes
  7. Pour through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps – Use a spatula to help
  8. Mix in vanilla and cover with plastic wrap – press wrap down onto surface of the pudding
  9. Let chill two hours

Ingredients for Cake
Make this next because it will have to cool for at least 30 minutes after creation

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 C baking powder
  • 6 TBL butter
  • 1/2 C whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step by Step

  1. Cream together eggs and sugar
  2. In separate bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder
  3. Melt butter and whisk together with whole milk
  4. Mix milk mixture with egg mixture
  5. Add vanilla
  6. Fold in flour mixture and stir only to moisten MOST of the mixture – do not overmix
  7. Fill greased muffin cups half way with prepared mixture
  8. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until tops start to brown
  9. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1 TBL cocoa
  • 3 TBL granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
  1. Bring heavy cream to a simmer – NOT a boil
  2. Mix cocoa with the sugar and salt
  3. Add cocoa mixture to cream
  4. Add chocolate to the cream
  5. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat

Assembly

  1. Cut cakes in half using a NON-SERRATED knife – creating a top and a bottom
  2. Spread vanilla cream on the bottom
  3. Put the top onto the cream
  4. Spread chocolate ganache onto the top
  5. Optionally put some sprinkles on the top for color
  6. Repeat for each one
  7. Best when refrigerated

 

Brown Sugared Carrots

Ingredients

  • 12 carrots
  • 2 T butter
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 T molasses
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • Salt, pepper

Step by Step

  1. Peel the 12 carrots and halve or quarter into long spears
  2. Heat butter, sugar and molasses in a pan
  3. Add the carrots and a splash of water
  4. Add salt and pepper and the sprig of rosemary
  5. Cook about 3 minutes
  6. Add splashes of water as necessary to keep things from burning
  7. Plate caramelized carrots
  8. Remove the rosemary and discard
  9. Top with fried carrot tops

Fried Carrot Tops

  1. Heat 2 TBL grapeseed oil and 1 tsp sugar to shimmering
  2. Fry carrot tops until browned, but not black
  3. Set on waxed paper to drain and cool.

Chocolatey Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 1⁄3 cup cocoa mix (recipe below)
  • 1⁄3 cup water
  • 1/4 C Hershey’s baking chocolate chunks
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Step by Step

  1. Stir cocoa mix and sugar in a pot.
  2. Add water and stir.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil two minutes.
  4. Put chocolate chips into the mixture and stir until dissolved.
  5. Add milk and vanilla.  Serve.

Cocoa Mix

This can be prepared and stored for up to two months

  • 300 gm confectioner sugar
  • 200 gm cocoa powder
  • 100 gm Whey protein powder
  • 300 gm nonfat dried milk
  • 1 TBL corn starch
  • 1 tsp canning salt (or other fine salt)
  • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

Sugared Pecans

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 C almonds
  • 1/2 TBL salt

Step by Step

  1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
  2. Put into oven at 350º just until butter melts
  3. Beat egg whites until they are soft peaks
  4. Toss in white sugar and salt
  5. Pour pecans into the egg whites
  6. Toss to mix
  7. Pour almond mixture onto buttered tray
  8. Spread across surface of baking tray
  9. Bake for 20 minutes
  10. Take tray out and stir/toss
  11. Bake another 10 minutes

Sweet Potato Pie

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 steamed medium sized sweet potatoes (cubed and steamed 20 minutes) 25-30 oz – Remove the flesh from the potatoes – do not use the skin for pie
  • 6 TBL softened butter or half lard, half butter
  • 1/2 C sweet condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 egg yolks & 2 eggs – beaten
  • Seasoning
    • 1 tsp CinnaSugar
    • 1/2 tsp ground or grated ginger
    • 1/2 C granulated white sugar
    • 1/2 C brown sugar
    • scant allspice
    • salt
  • candied pecans or walnuts – lightly crushed (or into pie shell)
  • juice and zest from 1 orange or lemon

STEP BY STEP

  1. Mix everything in a food processor
  2. Pour into an uncooked 9″ pie shell (prepared or see below)
  3. Sprinkle crushed pecans or walnuts over top
  4. Drizzle with warm maple syrup
  5. Bake on bottom rack at 325º for 50 minutes
  6. Internal temp should be 160-180º :: ideally 170º
  7. Wait one hour to slice

Serve with whipped maple topping

  1. 1 C heavy whipping cream
  2. 1/4 C confectioner sugar
  3. 2 TBL maple syrup

Crust

  • 1 C AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 C chopped pecans
  • 1/2 C shortening
    • Cut  together till it is mostly pebbled
  • 1/4 C ice water
  • Cut together with knives or similar, don’t use your fingers – it’s important to keep the crust cold
  • Roll or press into a pan
  • Prick bottom with a fork, and prebake for 10 minutes @ 400º

Rice

Thanks to Martha Stewart, Alton Brown and Rachel Rae for parts of info included on this page.

White Rice vs Brown Rice

  • The hull is inedible.  It is removed from the rice.
  • Brown rice has not been milled and cooking time needs to be longer.  It has more nutrition than white rice.
  • White rice has had the husk removed, and just the bran and endosperm remain.  This is usually enriched.

Long, Medium and Short

  • Long rice is high on amylose, and tends to dry out if kept as leftovers.  It cooks up fluffy, and not sticky so is not good for sushi.
  • Medium and Short rice have more amylopectin and cook up creamier.
  • Short tends to be sticky and is good for sushi.

Jasmine Rice

  • Long grain rice
  • Very aromatic
  • Used in rice pudding
  • Used a lot in Asian cooking

Long Grain White Rice

  • Husk removed
  • Bran and germ remain
  • Most common in the United States

Basmati Rice

  • Extra long grain
  • Delicate nutty flavor
  • Aged
  • Cooks long
  • Used in Indian cooking

Long Grain Brown Rice

  • Whole grain, although husk is removed
  • Bran and germ is intact

Short Grain Brown Rice

  • Cooks best with absorption cooking
  • Nutty flavor

Sushi Rice

  • Short round grain rice
  • Also called glutinous or pearl rice
  • Very starchy and sticky
  • Here is a link to one of Grandpa’s Recipes about Sushi

Arborial Rice

  • Short fat grain
  • Used for Risotto
  • Used in Italian cooking
  • High starch, so it is great in rice pudding
  • Other similar rices are Vilone Nano and Carnaroli rice
  • – Yedo denado . Best for risotto . Short grain

Black Rice

  • Also called purple or forbidden rice
  • Chinese legend only available for emperors
  • Anti-oxident properties

Bamboo Rice

  • Bamboo rice is a type of rice popular in Asia, and it is made by infusing the grains with juice squeezed from bamboo plants. This action gives bamboo rice its distinctive green color and also adds a sticky consistency, so you might find bamboo rice to be a good choice for making sushi.

Wild Rice

  • Not really rice.  It’s seeds from marsh grass.

Cooking Rice

French Method of Cooking

  1. Boil large pot of salted water
  2. Rinse 1 C long grain rice – very well
  3. Add rice to the boiling water
  4. Boil until tender – approx 11-12 minutes
  5. Strain rice, shaking a couple of times
  6. Put into a bowl with 1 TBL butter, salt and pepper

Rice Cooker

  1. 2 C jasmine rice
  2. 2 C cold water
  3. Close lid and press the COOK button
  4. Finishes in about 55 minutes

Cooking Brown Rice

Since this must be cooked longer, it tends to scorch.  Here is a good recipe.

  1. Rinse 3/4 C brown rice – short or medium grain
  2. Bring 1 1/4 C water up to boiling – add 1/2 tsp salt
  3. Pour over rinsed rice and stir in 1 TBL melted butter
  4. Put into baking dish or Dutch oven – and cover with lid or foil tightly
  5. Bake at 375º for one hour
  6. Let rest 5 minutes then fluff with a fork

Brown Rice Dressing Mix

  • 3 slices of bacon – rendered till crispy, then broken into pieces – set aside
  1. 1/4 C red onion – minced and cooked in bacon grease over low heat
  2. Deglaze with 1/4 C white wine vinegar
  3. Add 1/4 C chicken broth
  4. Mix together 1 tsp Dijon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and scant black pepper
  5. Whisk mixtures together and add back in bacon and brown rice (recipe above) plus 1 tsp fresh dill
  6. Serve as a side

Standard Method of Cooking

  1. Bring 1 C of salted water to boiling
  2. Add 1 C rice and stir
  3. Return to a boil
  4. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 16 minutes covered
  5. Add 1 TBL butter and 1/2 tsp salt to the rice at the 8 minute mark
  6. Finish cooking
  7. Take off the heat, leave covered, let rest ten minutes
  8. Fluff with a fork and cover until ready to serve

Baked Apple Roses

Baked Apple Roses

Cut apple in half and cut seeds out
Slice as thinly as possible
Soak on 1 C water and 1/4 C lemon 10 min
Microwave 3 minutes, then drain

Mix 3 TBL apricot preserves with 2 TBL water

Roll puff pastry to about twice its size
Cut into 1.5 inch strips
Stagger apple so that flat side is along the middle of the strip – red sticking out
Sprinkle with Apple pie spice OR Grandpa’s CinnaSugar®
Fold up edge to cover flat line of Apple
Roll
Put into muffin tin
Baker 350° for 35 minutes
Sprinkle with powdered sugar

Video exists in messenger

Robert@RobertAndrews.NET

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CLICK HERE for more great recipes from TipHero.

 


Baked Apple Roses
Almost too Beautiful to Eat. ALMOST!

Baked Apple Roses

Almost too Beautiful to Eat. ALMOST!

Posted by Tip Hero on Monday, October 5, 2015

Tip Hero Asmati Ben a couple ideas. aluminum foil like you suggested half way through baking. Also putting them on a lower baking rack in the oven would help. Could also experiment with spraying them periodically with a little water/oil.

Eggs in Clouds

Tasty Here’s the recipe:
Separate the yolk from as any egg whites as you are making. In a chilled metal bowl, whisk the whites until stiff peaks form. Mix in whatever you want.

Spoon the whites into even piles on a baking sheet and create a well in the center of each pile with the back of the spoon.

Bake at 450F for 3 minutes.

Put a yolk in each well, bake another 3 minutes at 450F.

Pin it for later: http://bit.ly/eggsnclds

Cinnamon Rolls and Monkey Bread

Cinnamon Rolls and Monkey Bread

This is my own recipe.  Others will be similar, but this one will serve your well.  The batter is the same.  The difference is how the bread is assembled.  The first ten steps are the same.  The difference starts at Step Seven.

Monkey Bread allegedly gets its name because monkeys tend to clump together at night, so all you see are the tops of little monkey heads. Anyway, that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

YEAST SPONGE

  • 3 TBL honey – optional:  granulated sugar
  • 2 TBL yeast
  • ½ C warm water – more or less

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 2 C AP flour
  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 C granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

1 extra C AP flour for Step 4 –  Set aside

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1 C warm lowfat milk – more or less
  • 1 TBL
  • 2 TBL Grandpa’s CinnaSugar®
  • 2 TBL yeast
  • 6 TBL softened butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Egg white set aside for later use

FILLING

  • 1/3 C granulated sugar
  • 1/3 C dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 C Grandpa’s CinnaSugar®
  • 3 TBL softened butter
  • OPTIONAL:  Crushed Pecans
  • OPTIONAL:  3/4 C raisins or Craisins

FROSTING – OPTIONAL

  • 2.5 C confectioner sugar
  • 2 TBL softened butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • whole milk – 1 tsp at a time

Alternately, you can use Pillsbury biscuit dough and cut each biscuit in quarters (half and then half again)

STEP BY STEP

  1. PREPARE YOUR SPONGE IN A SMALL GLASS BOWL
    • Combine sugar, yeast and warm water
    • Set aside for 15 minutes
    • If it does not get puffy and bubbly, throw it out.  Your yeast is too old.
  2. COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH
    • Mix 3 C of your flours
  3. INITIAL COMBINATION OF WET AND DRY
    • Add your sponge and wet ingredients to the dry ingredients
    • Mix to combine
  4. SPOON IN DRY INGREDIENTS
    • Add your reserved flour spoon by spoon until the ball is formed and firm or until all the flour is gone.   The ball should be a little on the wet side
    • Add pecans or raisins – refrain from adding both
    • Knead by hand for 5-7 minutes more
    • Shape and put into greased bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic, and let dough rise for 30 minutes
  5. REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT
    • This gives a chance for all of the flavors to completed combine
    • Alternately, let rise 4 hours on the counter
  6. NEXT MORNING PREPARE YOUR FILLING
    1. In Bowl #1 combine half your sugars plus half your CinnaSugar plus 1 stick melted butter.  This should be very wet.
    2. In Bowl #2 combine the rest of your sugar, and CinnaSugar  – leave dry – do not add melted butter
  7. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO CREATE
    1. Decide if you want MONKEY BREAD or CINNAMON ROLLS

STEP BY STEP FOR MONKEY BREAD

The first SEVEN STEPS are the same for both recipes.

  1. Roll dough into a long tube
  2. Put the melted butter solution into a large mixing bowl.
  3. Put the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a paper bag.
  4. Cut off pieces of the tube and roll them in a ball so that you have a ball just about the size of a really big grape… you know the kind.
  5. Put the balls into the butter bowl
  6. Once all balls are cut, toss them to coat all balls evenly.
  7. Drop into the bag containing your cinnamon mixture and mix to cover
  8. Prepare 1 shallow VERY WELL GREASED baking pan.
    • Ideally a bundt pan is used, but not everyone has one of those handy.  You don’t want to use a deep baking dish though, or they will not cook all the way through.
  9. For an extra coating, melt together ½ C brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 2 TBL butter
  10. Pour evenly over into bottom of your pan.  Sprinkle crushed pecans
  11. Put the balls into the pan
  12. Spoon half remaining wet mixture over top
  13. Sprinkle half dry mixture over top as well
  14. Squish the balls a bit to make sure they are all evenly distributed
  15. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place or the warming tray of your oven until doubled in size (about an hour)
  16. Preheat oven to 350º and bake 30 minutes
  17. Spoon remaining wet mixture over top
  18. Sprinkle dry mixture over top as well
  19. Bake another 10-20 minutes – or 190º internal temperature
    • pull out if top starts to blacken
  20. Invert onto a serving plate and let cool 10 minutes.  Serve with forks

STEP BY STEP FOR CINNAMON ROLLS

The first SEVEN STEPS are the same for both recipes.

  1. On a floured surface, roll dough into a kind of flat rectangle
  2. Fold the rounded sides toward the center, and roll again
  3. Repeat one more time.  You should now have a nearly perfect rectangle.
  4. In Step 6 above, combine both mixtures into a single mixture.
  5. Spread mixture over your rectangle leaving about 1/2 inch dry edge
  6. Roll into a tube starting with the side opposite the dry edge.  Roll as tightly as possible 
  7. Use egg wash on the unbuttered edge to seal the roll
  8. Using dental floss, cut the tips off
  9. Cut into half, then half again
  10. At this point, you will have four rolls. Estimate thirds and cut each of the four rolls into thirds – so you have twelve equal pieces
  11. Place (cut side down) into a well-greased 9×12 baking dish
  12. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place or the warming tray of your oven until doubled in size (about an hour)
  13. Preheat oven to 350º and bake 15 minutes
  14. Remove and sprinkle CinnaSugar over top
  15. Bake another 10-20 minutes – or 190º internal temperature
    • pull out if top starts to blacken
  16. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Serve frosted or not
  17. OPTIONAL:  FROST THE CINNAMON ROLLS
    1. Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and orange zest
    2. Add milk ONLY until consistency will spread easily
    3. Spread over each roll and serve warm

FROSTING

  • 2.5 C confectioner sugar
  • 2 TBL softened butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • whole milk – 1 tsp at a time

 

 

 

 

 

Cindy’s Eggs

INGREDIENTS

  • Tomato pieces
  • Frozen chopped spinach
  • Optional sliced ham
  • Cheese
  • Egg
  • More Cheese

STEP BY STEP

  1. Grease a muffin ring (or steel tuna can)
  2. Preheat your skillet to about 350º
  3. Put in about 1/4 C tomato pieces (heated)
  4. Put in 2 TBL chopped spinach (heated)
  5. Put sliced ham in, if you wish
  6. Push it down so it is all kind of flat
  7. Sprinkle in some cheese, and make a well in the center
  8. Break your egg yolk/white into the well
  9. Sprinkle on a bit more cheese
  10. Cover with a mixing bowl and pour about 1/2 C water into the hot pan
  11. Let cook 4 minutes
  12. Meanwhile toast two pieces of bread
  13. Carefully remove your ring (with the egg) to the top of your toast
  14. Remove the ring and serve

 

Pickles – COLLECTION INDEX

A VERY BASIC OVERVIEW

A Very Basic Pickle Overview

CUCUMBER PICKLE RECIPES

Bread and Butter Pickles

https://www.grandpacooks.com/recipes/bread-and-butter-pickles

Simple Pickles

Simple Picked Cucumber Slices

Quick Pickles

https://www.grandpacooks.com/recipes/quick-pickle

Sunomono Thai Cucumber Salad

https://www.grandpacooks.com/recipes/sunomono-cucumber-salad

Growing and Making Pickles

Growing and Making Pickles


PICKLED VEGETABLES RECIPES

Pickled Beets

Pickled Beets

Pickled Chiles

Pickled Chiles

Pickled Eggplant

Pickled Eggplant

Pickled Veggie

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Partial Peck of Pickled Peppers

A Partial Peck of Pickled Peppers

Pickled Watermelon Rind

https://www.grandpacooks.com/recipes/watermelon-pickles


Pickled Onion

Pickled Onions

Pickled Red Onion

Red Onion Pickles


PICKLED OTHER STUFF

Pickled Breakfast Herring

Robert’s Favorite Scandinavian-Style Pickled Breakfast Herring

Style Pickled Breakfast Herring – Robert’s Favorite

Robert’s Favorite Scandinavian-Style Pickled Breakfast Herring


Candied Nuts

Use almonds, pecans, peanuts, or walnuts – or all of them

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 oz Karo syrup
  • 1/2 tsp almond or walnut extract
  • 1 C granulated sugar

STEP BY STEP

  1. Heat over medium high heat
    This will take about 30-40 minutes
  2. When it starts to brown and caramelize, add your nuts
  3. Dump 3 C nuts into the glaze
  4. Stir until everything is well coated
    You should have “spider web” strings between the pieces
    About 5-10 minutes
  5. OPTIONS:  Add some coarse salt for salted caramel, chili for a bit of a bit, or cinnamon for a holiday treat.
  6. Pour onto waxed paper or parchment paper and let them COMPLETELY cool before breaking apart
  7. They will keep for a very long time – – – months !

NOTE:  This will pretty much ruin your wooden spoon, so either use the same spoon every time, or use something that is near the end of its life anyway.

Basic Pudding & Swirl Pudding

doubleboilerKing’s Pudding

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 C milk or Half and Half
  • 1/4 C corn starch
  • 1 egg +  3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp real vanilla
  • 1/2 C condensed milk
    OR: 1/2 C more milk plus 1/2 C sugar

(Use egg whites to make meringue topping)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Warm milk in microwave until it is warm to the touch, but not hot.
  2. Mix in all other ingredients
  3. Cook in double boiler (glass bowl) until thickened – Stir constantly

Garth’s Chocolate Swirl

  • 3 C whole milk
    – Start to bring up to a simmer
    – meanwhile combine . . .
  • 1/4 C milk
  • 1/4 C corn starch
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 egg yolks (save whites)
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • pinch of salt
  1. As mentioned before, start to bring milk up to the merest simmer over medium low heat
  2. Combine all other ingredients in a mixing bowl
  3. As soon as you see whisps of steam coming from the top of the milk, temper the simmering milk into the egg mixture.

    Tempering means that you want to pour half of the hot liquid SLOWLY into the cold egg mixture while whisking continually.  If you don’t whisk, or if you pour too quickly, you will end up with scrambled eggs in your pudding.

  4. Once combined, return to the heat and continue heating until the pudding starts to thicken.
  5. Meanwhile, put 2 TBL butter into a small bowl.
  6. Once it begins to thicken, pour half in with the butter.
  7. Add 1 TBL cocoa to the pan and stir both to combine.
  8. Let cool about three minutes, then pour into 2-4 ramekins – pouring half chocolate and half vanilla
  9. Let cool 20 minutes before serving

 

Optional Treatment

  • Add 2-3 TBL cocoa at Step 2 above
  • Prepare a crust before starting the entire recipe
    •  4 graham crackers – crushed, 1/2 stick butter
  • Pour pudding over bananas and vanilla wafers – refrigerate
  • Topping – Whip in very cold glass bowl
    •  1/2 C cold heavy cream, 1/4 C powdered sugar
  • Break and roast vanilla wafers @ 325º for 20-25 minutes – toss with 2 T sugar, 2 T brown sugar, 2 T melted butter, 1 tsp salt
  • Make a Trifle with layered ingredients :: Wafers, banana jam, cream, wafers, banana, cream, wafers, caramel topping
  • Another trifle layer :: banana jam :: 2 bananas, sugar, lemon and pectin

Apple Butter

INGREDIENTS

  • 6-8 medium to large apples
    Fuji or Gala if you like sweet apple butter
    Granny Smith or Red Delicious for a more tart apple butter
    About TWO POUNDS by weight AFTER peeling and coring
    (You can cheat and use applesauce, but it is MUCH better with real apples)
  • 1/2 C of apple cider (no preservatives if possible)
  • 1 C  granulated white sugar
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • scant teaspoon cloves
  • scant salt
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

This recipe makes about 2-4 jars, so if you plan on using it over the next few months, you don’t have to can it.  If you are planning to can some, double the recipe and follow standard canning procedures (which will not be repeated here)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Wash your jars in the dishwasher so they are as sterile as possible
  2. Put a small pot of boiling water in the far corner of your stove top and let it simmer for now
  3. Peel and core your apples, and then chop, mince or grate
  4. Bring all other ingredients up to a boil on your stove top
  5. Add your apple pieces to the boiling mixture
  6. Let simmer about 20 minutes
  7. Increase heat to medium high and cook for 1 HOUR stirring almost constantly with a flat spatula, scraping the bottom of the pot to keep from scorching.  (Bring a good book into the kitchen with you.)
    IMPORTANT NOTE: During the cooking process, the liquid will expand to about TWICE the original size, so make sure you have a large pot.
  8. If you don’t have an immersible thermometer, GET ONE.  Here is the one that I use, and I LOVE IT.  It is by Thermoworks, and is not all that expensive for the use you will get out of it.  This is also good for cooking meat, potatoes, etc.  I also got an infrared thermometer that I used for grill and pan temperatures.

    THE CANNING PROCESS

  9. Heat until it reaches 220-222º
  10. Put a lid (one by one) into the small pan of boiling water to soften the seal.
  11. Pour into prepared canning jars, screw lid on finger tight, and set on the counter.
    Even without hot water bath canning, the “counter canned” apple butter should last a few months in the refrigerator.

 

 

Quick Green Salsa

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 jalapeños
  • 2 Hatch or Anaheim peppers
  • 4 tomatillos
  • 1 grilled Vidalia onion
  • 1/2 grilled red onion
  • 2 cloves grilled garlic
  • 2 dried arbol chilies – seeds removed
  • salt
  • Water and apple cider vinegar
  • 1 hand of fresh cilantro

STEP BY STEP

  1. Remove tomatillo skins
  2. Deseed your arbol chilies
  3. Cut your onions into thick wedges – leaving the skins intact
  4. Put all ingredients on a baking sheet
  5. Broil for about 3-6 minutes
  6. Remove arbol chilies when they start to blacken
  7. Remove grilled garlic when the skin starts to blacken
  8. Remove the onions when the edges start to blacken
  9. Peel the onions and garlic
  10. Leave the peppers in place until the skins are nearly all blackened
  11. Put the peppers into a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes
  12. Peel off the pepper skin using a paper towel – DO NOT RINSE
  13. Put everything into a blender or food processor
  14. Add fresh cilantro
  15. Add 2 TBL vinegar and pulse
  16. Add water just until the ingredients blend together
  17. Do not puree, but leave a bit rustic

Easy Pecan Pie

Nuts:  Pecans, walnuts, cashews – whatever you like best – chop very coarsely

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 stick melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C molasses
  • 1/2 C dark corn syrup or Karo
  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 2 TBL Kentucky Bourbon
  • 2 eggs – beaten till frothy

Note: Try beating egg whites to a medium peak if you want a less dense pie

STEP BY STEP

  1. Use ready-made prepared pie crust
    or mix flour with cold butter and ice water
  2. Bake docked pie shell for 10 minutes at 350º
  3. Put crushed pecans in the bottom of the pie shell
  4. Pour mixture into pie shell
  5. Cut a donut out of foil or parchment paper to protect the shell from burning for the first 20 minutes.
  6. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes
  7. Remove protective donut after 20 minutes
  8. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes
  9. Cool before cutting

 

Berry Pudding

Based on a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen
INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package Hawaiian Sweet Bread or Lady Fingers
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C apricot preserves or orange marmalade
  • Amounts listed ± of any four desired fruits to total 30-35 ounces
    • 10 oz Strawberries
    • 8 oz Blueberries
    • 4 oz Blackberries
    • 4 oz Lingonberries
    • 4 oz Raspberries
    • etc

STEP BY STEP

summer-pudding

  1. Cut tops and bottoms off Sweet Bread – Resulting bread slices should be about 1/4 inch in thickness.
  2. Toast sweet bread in convection oven at 350º for 5-10 minutes
  3. Toss together all fruit with sugar
  4. Heat half of fruit mixture on medium high heat for about 5 minutes
  5. Remove from heat and mix in remaining fruit
  6. Let rest 5 minutes
  7. Strain fruit, retaining liquid – Let rest in strainer 10 minutes
  8. Line bread pan with plastic wrap leaving quite a bit of overlap (will be wrapped later)
    You can use any type of container really.  A jello mold looks pretty good too.
    You can use a ring mold, a mixing bowl, etc.  Use whatever you have.
  9. Cut a piece of cardboard out to fit just barely inside the walls of the bread pan.
    The reason for this will become apparent later.
  10. Heat 2 tsp gelatin with 2 TBL water in microwave to boil
  11. Toss in with 1/2 C fruit preserves
  12. Gently fold in berries
  13. Soak bread in berry juice and line bottom of pan
  14. Dump in berry mixture
  15. Soak second bread layer in berry juice
  16. berry-cakeMix any remaining juice with 1/2 C rum, amaretto or grand marnier
  17. Pour equally over top of second layer
  18. Finish wrapping bread and berries with the plastic overlapping the bread pan
  19. Lay one more sheet of plastic wrap flat over the top of the mixture
  20. Place the cardboard (Step 9) over top of the flat plastic sheet
  21. Weight the entire mixture down with three or four cans of soup, tuna, whatever.
  22. Refrigerate for 8-36 hours
  23. When ready to serve, remove the cans, cardboard and flat plastic wrap
  24. Uncover the loaf from the rest of the plastic wrap, pulling down the sides
  25. Invert the loaf onto a serving platter
  26. Remove the pan and remove the remaining plastic
  27. Clean up the plate and cut into nice thick slices
  28. Serve with whipped topping (see below)
    WHIPPED TOPPING
  29. Beat 1 C chilled whipping cream to semi-stiff peaks
  30. Fold in 1 TBL confectioners sugar or 1 TBL honey
  31. Place a dollop of whipped cream on top of the slice

 

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