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Posts from the ‘Recipe’ Category

Feb 21

3 Comments

Canning 101: How to Make Pear Jam

I picked up a few pears last week and as it turned out nobody ate them.  So this morning I decided to turn the rather ripe pears into a batch of yummy homemade  jam.

This was a first for me as I don’t think I have ever canned anything with pears before.

If you have never made pear jam before {or if you have a few pears sitting on your kitchen counter} then you need to give this recipe  a try.

I know it may be a little early to start thinking about Christmas, but I’ll be making a few more batches of pear jam to giveaway as gifts this winter for sure.

What You Need

4cups prepared fruit (buy about 3 lb. fully ripe pears)
2Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
5cups sugar, measured into separate bowl (see tip below)
1/2tsp. butter or margarine

Make It

BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

PEEL and core pears. Finely grind or chop fruit. Measure exactly 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.

STIR in pectin. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar; stir. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) {Recipe Credit}

Put ‘em Up! By Sherri Brooks Vinton

Feb 19

7 Comments

Recipe: How to Make Meatloaf

With summer right around the corner now is a good time to start clearing out the freezers. I know I won’t be able to can everything I grow, so I’ll need make room for all the fruits and veggies I plan to grow.  We have two chest freezers in the garage and both are at about 2/3′s capacity.  I figure by the end of the month I’ll be able to defrost, clean and unplug one of them.  If I am going to make that happen, I’ll have to be a bit more diligent about using up my freezer goods.

Last summer {thanks to coupons} I ended up with quite a bit of ground pork, pork chops and pork roasts.  I’m not exactly a huge fan of pork in any of those 3 forms, but I do like meatloaf.  So that is what I made for dinner last night.

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

1lb ground Pork
1.5 lbs ground Buffalo or Hamburger
1 cup Saltine Crackers
1 Egg
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Homemade Salsa
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Pour into a loaf pan, shape and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Drain fat from pan after 30 minutes of baking and again when meatloaf is finished cooking. Cool slightly, slice and serve.

Meatloaf: Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite

Do YOU have anything lingering in your freezer you need to use up?

Feb 13

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Idea: A Heart Shaped Homemade Apple Pie

I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day.  I don’t think you need a date on a calendar to remind you to tell someone you love them.  I’m especially not fond of spending $5 on a paper card only to have it thrown in the trash, or paying big bucks for a bouquet of cut flowers that will die in 3 days.

But dessert… I like dessert.  So if you’re not a huge “buy me crap to show me you love me”  kind of person, how about making your someone special a heart shaped desert.  After all, everybody has to eat.  Right?





Ingredients

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled,cored and sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg {for egg wash}
1 package store-bought or homemade pie crust
cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle over the top of pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl combine apples, butter, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat apples. Pour mixture into a prepared heart-shaped pie pan lined with a pie crust. Cut a large heart out of the second crust and gently cover apples and crimp edges.  Apply egg wash, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top and bake 45-50 minutes or until juices are bubbling and crust is lightly browned.  Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Feb 11

Recipe: How to Make Lemon Ice Cream

When life gives you lemons… Make ice cream! 

If there was ever a time to stop the bus, get off and go buy lemons, now would be a good time.  Holy canolies this recipe for lemon ice cream really surprised me.  I made it, shoved a spoonful into my mouth and immediately thought… Creamsicle.  This tastes like a lemon creamsicle. You need to make this.  Seriously.  Drop everything, go out and buy 4 Meyer Lemons and make it this weekend.  You’ll be so glad you did. Trust me.

In my opinion, any recipe involving cream, sugar and vanilla is going to be good.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

In a saucepan whisk together the zest, the lemon juice, the sugar, and the eggs, whisk in 1 cup of the half-and-half and the vanilla, and cook the mixture over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until it just comes to a simmer. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the zest, and chill it, covered with plastic wrap, until it is cold. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup half-and-half and freeze the mixture in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 1 quart. Recipe Credit

KitchenAid  Ice Cream Maker Attachment

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

 

Feb 7

2 Comments

Recipe: Meyer Lemon Cake

Meyer Lemon cake recipe

For dessert tonight I made Martha’s Lemon Cake.  I am down to 6 Meyer lemons and I’m having a hard time deciding whether I should make a batch of lemon curd or lemon ice cream.  Maybe if I cut the recipes in half I can do both.  We’ll see.

Recipe Credit: Martha Stewart
Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Butter Cream Frosting {Betty Crocker}

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack.

While cakes are baking, bring remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.

Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely. Prepare frosting, substituting 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice for vanilla extract.

Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

Feb 6

2 Comments

Recipe: How To Make Bruschetta

After bringing home all those tomatoes the other day I knew the very first thing I’d make would be bruschetta. If you have never made bruschetta before, give it a try.  Not only is it fast and easy to make, but bruschetta is a major crowd pleaser as well.

The ingredients are simple.  A french baguette, a couple of tomatoes, a little basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper to taste.

Here is my recipe:

Slice bread about 1″ wide and drizzle with olive oil.

Toast both sides of the bread, put on a platter and set aside.

Chop tomatoes and basil.

Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Add 1 tablespoon EVOO + salt and pepper to taste.  Toss ingredients together.

Place tomato mixture on toasted bread and serve.

Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes
1 French baguette
4 Sprigs fresh basil
2 Tab. Balsamic vinegar
3 Tab. EVOO {I use Zoe}
1 oz.Parmesan cheese shavings
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
Stir the tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, 1 Tab. EVOO, salt and pepper together and spoon on to toasted bread.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese shavings and serve.


Cucina Fresca: Italian Food, Simply Prepared

Feb 2

Recipe: Chicken Tagine with Lemon & Honey

 

Last summer I picked up an Emile Henry Tagine {it was brand new and came in the original box} for the unbelievable price of $10 at my neighbors garage sale.  This baby retails for around $120 and I knew I was getting a killer deal when I bought it.

For some reason I thought the tagine was meant to be used IN THE OVEN… not on the stove top.  After reading the directions for the tagine pot last summer I quickly put it aside.  The new fangled pot I had been wanting for years was now suddenly undesirable.  How on earth was I suppose to use a ceramic pot on a stove top?  Wouldn’t it crack?

Until…

I came across a recipe for Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives.  I nixed the olives right away.  The HH would have loved them, but I had no desire to hunt down exotic olives or pay $7 for them.  Plus, I wanted the lemons to be the focus of the dish, not the olives.  In addition to the olives there were a bunch of exotic spices I didn’t have in my pantry… So here I was with a great recipe but lacking some of the key ingredients.

Or so I thought. Awhile back I picked up a few {free} McCormick  seasoning packets.  This one for Chicken Tikka Masala had most of the ingredients I needed.  So I just winged it. My Oh My am I glad I did.  The HH loved this dish.  Love it!  We all did.  Good to the last bite.

This recipe was seriously adapted from the original one I found.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 3 lb. {cut up into pieces}
16 oz Chicken Broth
2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Dried Minced Garlic
1 tsp. Garam Masala
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil {I used ZOE}
2 Tbs. Butter
2 small yellow onions, chopped
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
plus more for garnish
1⁄4 cup Honey {I used Clover Honey}
6 lemon wedges

Directions:
Cut the chicken into serving pieces: 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 wings; cut each half-breast in half. Set aside.

Place chicken in large bowl and sprinkle spices over the top and turn to coat.

In a tagine or Dutch oven heat oil and butter over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes on each side.  After the chicken in browned set it aside on a large plate.  Saute onions in leftover oil/butter until browned.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to simmer and add place the chicken on top of onions. Add honey, cilantro and lemon wedges.  Place lid on tagine and let simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is practically falling off the bone.

Serve over a bed of rice.


Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco

Feb 1

Recipe: Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries

Right after Christmas I was able to score a bunch of milk chocolate bars for free.  Instead of eating them I stashed the chocolate in a cupboard and figured I’d use the chocolate bars for cookies or fondue at a later date.  Fast forward to this afternoon.  I made cookies!  If you are looking for a new spin on chocolate chip cookies, give these a try.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Cranberries {adapted from one of  Martha’s recipes}

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate bars, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries {these are my favorite}

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with a silpat.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Recipe Credit


Martha Stewart’s Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

Jan 31

1 Comment

Recipe: Beans & Weenies

Does this even count as a recipe?  LOL.  The problem with couponing is… I always seem to end up with a bunch of {free} random food in my pantry.  Why can’t I walk into the food storage area and pull pineapples and apricots off the shelf in January?  What’s up with that?

This is exactly the reason I need to grow a giant garden this summer. I know I won’t be able to grow pineapples or apricots in the backyard, but a few hundred pounds of delicious green beans might be attainable.

Beans & Weenies… Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Ingredients

1 can Bush’s Baked Beans {or whatever you managed to get for free last summer}

4 hot dogs {again, these should have been free}

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix {hopefully you only paid $.25 a box}

Directions

Grill weenies, add baked beans.  Serve with mini corn bread muffins.

A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos

Jan 30

1 Comment

Recipe: How to Make Lettuce Wraps

lettuce wraps

In my opinion The Cheesecake Factory has the best lettuce wraps in the world.  PF Changs comes in a close second.  Homemade lettuce wraps, third place.  I think the key is to marinade the chicken, green onions and water chestnuts just long enough to absorb the flavor, but not too long that the marinade becomes over powering.

If you head over HERE you will find a great recipe should you want to make the marinade from scratch.  The Handsome Husband, The Girl and Monkey Boy each ate 3 wraps a piece.  Watch out… These babies are addicting!

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