Monday, August 31, 2009

NT Muesli

NT Muesli

3 cups rolled oats
¾ cup slivered almonds
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
4 ½ cup warm water and 6 Tbsp whey
1 ½ tsp salt
3 cups water
¾ cup raisins
3 Tbsp ground flax

Mix oats, almond, cinnamon, coconut. Combine with water and whey. Soak for 7-24 hours.

Boil add’l water with salt. Add grain, cover and simmer several minutes. Grind flax and stir in. Serve with butter , raisins and honey.

PB & J Bars

PB & J Bars

1 cup all purposes flour
1 cup quick oats
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup softened butter
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup peanut butter
¼ milk
½ tsp vanilla
1 ¼ cup fruit jam

Topping:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup oats
¼ cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp soft butter

Beat butter till smooth. Add the sugars, beat well. Add eggs, milk, peanut butter, vanilla, beat well. Stir in dry ingredients, Spread in a greased 9 x 13. Spread jam all over the top. Combine ingredients for the topping. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, till done.

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

8 cups oats
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp salt
3 cups chopped nuts
2 cups flaked coconut
1 ½ cup butter, melted
1 ½ cup orange marmalade

Combine oats, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix in all other ingredients. Press into a greased 15’x10”x1” jelly roll pan. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Panzanela

I found this recipe here. I can't wait to try it! I will triple it, I believe.

Panzanela

I like to use a combination of tomatoes for this dish. Our orange cherry tomatoes and yellow pear tomatoes faired the blight, so I used plenty of them. They added a vibrant color and compact sweetness.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks (or cut in half if using cherry tomatoes)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups thick, stale rustic bread, torn into bite-sized pieces (see note)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Place tomatoes, garlic, onion and basil in a large bowl.
Drizzle oil over mixture; season with salt and pepper.
Toss and let stand at room temperature, covered for about an hour.
Toss in bread cubes to coat thoroughly with the marinating liquid.
Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, as you want the bread to start to soak up the liquid.
Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Severs 4

Note: Traditionally, this dish is made with stale bread. I like to cut the bread into cubes and leave them out overnight. You can also grill or toast bread slices to get the same effect. Grilling the bread adds a delicious smoky flavor to the dish.

Canning Peppers

I am in the process of making this. It sounds good! I plan to use these rather than store bought peppers in my burrito beans.

Canning Peppers

7 pounds of peppers
3 1/2 cups of white sugar
3 cups of water
3 cups of white vinegar
9 cloves of garlic (don’t use crushed garlic)
4 1/2 teaspoons canning, pickling or Kosher salt
9 pint sized canning jars, lids and rings

Prepare the peppers by cutting off the stems. To make a mild version scoop out the seeds from the peppers and the membrane. Cut the peppers into strips or cube them.

In a large pot combine the vinegar, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the peppers into the saucepan and bring to a boil again.

Sterilize the canning jars and lids in boiling water for ten minutes or in the oven for a while at 250 degrees.

Load the canning jars with one clove of garlic and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Load each jar with the peppers and vinegar solution. Leave at least 1/2 inch head space in each jar. Use the canning funnel to prevent making a mess on the outside of the canning jar.

Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a paper towel that you dipped in boiling water. Keep rotating the paper towel to a clean spot. You don’t want to wipe the stuff around the rim. Put the lid on and tighten it down with the ring.

Process the jars for five minutes in the water bath canner. Make sure that there is at least one inch of water over the top of the jars. For higher altitudes, consult the USDA’s high altitude Cooking guide.

Take the pepper jars out of the water bath canner and set on a towel to cool down slowly. Once the jars are cool, test to see if they have sealed correctly by pressing down on the top of the lid. The lid should not pop back up.

Store in a cool, dark shelf. Grab a jar and enjoy the peppers all year around!

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder
8 cups frozen corn
4 (or more, depending on size) baking potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
8 cups milk (you can use evaporated milk rather than liquid, if you'd like)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion in the butter till transparent and softened. Whisk in the flour until smooth, add milk, potatoes, and corn. Bring heat up to hot, but not boiling, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Gunterman Family Red-Hot Sauce

I found this recipe at PepperFool. The only change I make to it it to chop everything roughly, using my Bosch, rather than finely. Then, after it's cooked down a bit, I use an immersion blender to make it smooth. Then I reduce it more. It makes the process much easier than the original directions!

Gunterman Family Red-Hot Sauce

  • 60 whole tomatoes -- fresh
  • 18 whole Bermuda onions -- diced
  • 36 whole jalapeno peppers
  • 9 cups Vinegar
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

    Chop everything relatively fine. Dump it all into a huge non-reactive stockpot. Boil for 1 hour then let cool completely. Process in batches in a blender then boil for 2 additional hours or to desired thickness.

    Makes approx. 24 pints depending on how much you let it boil down.

    Note: This recipe has been in our family for generations now and has gone through many rev.'s to be @ it's final state of what I (IMHO) consider Perfection. I use it on top of chicken, tacos, pizza, mashed potatoes, Ice Cream(really) and as a dip for chips.

    It is not a salsa nor will it ever be.. it is just a good sauce

    Although it does call for 9 cups of vinegar I usually cut it back a little bit But the sauce never had a noticeable vinegar taste to it to begin with.


  • Monday, August 17, 2009

    Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins

    Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins

    Warning: Yield is 48 muffins :)

    7 cups soft wheat (pastry) flour
    4 tsp baking soda
    2 tsp salt
    1/4 cup wheat germ
    1 1/3 cup olive oil (or sub as much applesauce as you want, up to all of it!)
    2 cups honey
    8 eggs
    4 cups mashed bananas
    1 cup hot water

    Combine dry ingredients.
    Combine wet ingredients; oil and honey first, then beat in eggs.
    Blend the banana into wet ingredients.
    Add the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the hot water.
    Spoon into greased (NOT papered; they stick to the paper) muffin cups. Bake at 325 for 17 minutes or till they pass the toothpick test.

    Saturday, August 8, 2009

    Momma's Mix

    This is our standard cleaner. It works almost everywhere.

    All Purpose Cleaner/Momma's Mix
    2 cups rubbing alcohol
    1/2 cup white vinegar
    1 tsp. dishwashing detergent (like Dawn)
    1/2 tsp mint extract (or other oil, etc. for scent), optional

    Combine in a gallon container. Fill with water. Use in a spray bottle.

    Friday, August 7, 2009

    Spiced Peach Jam

    This is so yummy! I've made small batches just to go into the fridge for immediate eating, as well as canning it.

    Spiced Peach Jam

    5 cups peaches, washed well, not peeled.
    9 cups sugar
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/2 tsp ground cloves
    1/4 tsp ground ginger
    3 oz liquid pectin

    Properly prepare jars and lids.

    Cut peaches in half and remove pit. Place fruit into blender. Puree. Combine all ingredients except pectin in a large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for just one minute. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Keep stirring for five minutes. Skim any foam. Pour into prepared jars and seal. Makes 10 1/2 pint jars.


    Wednesday, August 5, 2009

    Homemade Pizza Sauce for Canning

    Here is my 'short-cut' pizza sauce scaled for canning.

    Pizza Sauce for Canning

    6 cloves garlic, minced
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 #10 can of store bought tomato sauce
    1/4 cup brown sugar
    2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
    2 tsp basil
    1 tsp EACH salt and red pepper flakes

    Prepare 7 pint jars, lids and rings.

    Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Pour or ladle sauce into hot, sterilized jars. Wipe rims and assemble two-piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes. Makes 7 pints.