Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

 Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos 

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, lemon juice, ground ginger, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne pepper if using.

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the Worcestershire sauce cool completely.

Once cooled, transfer the sauce to a clean glass bottle or jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Store the homemade Worcestershire sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Cauliflower Mashers

I found this recipe at Paleoplan.com and adapted it for my tastes and needs. 

 Cauliflower Mashers  

		1 head of cauliflower
		1/2 cup butter
		1 Tbsp expeller pressed coconut oil
		1 garlic clove, minced
		1 tsp rosemary, dried
		1 tsp sea salt, to taste
		1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, to taste Roughly chop the cauliflower, removing all leaves. Place in steamer and cook until it's easy to stick a fork in it (about 20 minutes).  Saute the garlic and rosemary in coconut oil until the garlic is light golden brown. Add the garlic, chives, rosemary, coconut oil mixture to the cauliflower. Add a bit of chicken broth if needed.  Use a submergible blender to blend mixture while it's in the pot. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Peach Honey

This is an incredible recipe. I found it at pickyourown, which is a very useful and often visited (by me) site.

Peach Honey

When peeling peaches to can, save peelings in a large pot. Rinse them, if not previously washed.

Cover peelings with water and cook peels until they are soft. I let my peelings sit in water overnight, since it was late when I was finished with the peaches.

Strain the water, which is now peach juice, off of the peels and measure. Pour juice in a pot and add half the measure of sugar, ie: 10 cups juice, 5 cups sugar. Compost peelings. Bring the juice and sugar to a boil, then transfer to a crockpot. Cool on low until juice is thickened. I cooked it half a day, then overnight and it was ready in the morning. The juice has thickened into 'honey' and tastes great! Use in recipes calling for honey, as a spread on a peanut butter sandwich, to stir into oatmeal, etc.

If you wish to can your honey, fill jars to 1/4", and do a Boiling Water Bath for 5-7 minutes.

Mock Pinapple

I found this recipe at TennZen. I am hoping that these jars will make winter muffins and perhaps even fruit salads moister and tastier.

MOCK PINEAPPLE

4 quarts peeled, cubed zucchini or peeled, shredded zucchini - SEEDS REMOVED
46 OZ. canned/bottled unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups bottled lemon juice
3 cups sugar

In a large saucepan, mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes.

Clean and sterilize 9 pint canning jars. Keep jars hot. Clean canning lids and rings. In a small pot of water, simmer the lids but DO NOT BOIL. Fill boiling water canner with water (enough to cover pint jars plus at least another inch of water), cover and bring to a boil.

Fill jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles by running a rubber spatula or bubble freer wand in the sides of the jar and gently pressing against the zucchini.

Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean, damp rag. Place the canning lid on the jar and screw on the canning ring to finger-tight. Place jars into the boiling water canner.

Place the lid on the canner and bring to a boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, set your timer to process the jars for 15 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts).

After the processing time is complete, remove the lid and turn off the heat. Let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes, then remove the jars from the canner without tilting them. Let jars sit undisturbed on a towel for 24 hours.

Oopsie Rolls

This recipe is all over the Internet, but this version is from Your Lighter Side.

Oopsie Rolls (Gluten-Free Buns)

3 large eggs
pinch of cream of tartar (1/8 tsp)
3 ounces cream cheese (Do not soften)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Separate the eggs and add cream cheese to the yolks. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff (if you're using the same mixer, mix the whites first and then the yolk mixture). Using a spatula, gradually fold the egg yolk mixture into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and spoon the mixture onto the sheet, making 6 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly.

Bake about 30 minutes (You want them slightly softer, not crumbly). Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and then remove to a rack and allow them to cool. Store in a loosely open sack and allow to rest on the counter before use (otherwise they might be too moist). Can be frozen.

Useful Strawberry Facts

I found these facts at What's Cooking America.

Fresh Strawberries:

1 basket = 1 pint strawberries = 7 cups whole berries = 2 1/4 cups sliced (1/4-inch thick) strawberries = 1 2/3 cups pureed strawberries. Basket of strawberries refers to the market package. 1 tray or flat of strawberries = 12 baskets or pints.

1 quart whole strawberries = 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds strawberries = 7 cups whole strawberries = 4 cups sliced (1/4-inch thick) strawberries = 4 to 5 servings.

1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries are needed for one 9-inch pie.

1 pint = 1/4 pound whole strawberries = 12 large strawberries = 24 medium strawberries = 36 small strawberries = 2 to 2 1/2 cups sliced (1/4-inch thick slices) strawberries = 1 1 /4 cups pureed strawberries.

1 cup whole strawberries = 4 ounces strawberries = 1/2 cup strawberry puree.

12 pounds or 8 quarts of fresh strawberries = approximately 13 pints of frozen berries.

Frozen Strawberries:

20-ounce bag frozen whole strawberries = 4 cups whole strawberries = 2 1/2 cup sliced strawberries = 2 1/4 cups pureed strawberries.

10-ounce package frozen sliced sweetened strawberries =
1 1/4 cups strawberries in syrup.

Making Tomato Sauce from Tomato Paste

Making Tomato Sauce from Tomato Paste

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
4 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
2/3 cup water
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet, saute garlic in oil until golden. Add tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, water, cheese and wine. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

Pepperoni Sausage

Pepperoni Sausage- Found at Sustainable Eats, Adapted from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

5 pounds lean, grass fed beef, ground
3 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1/3 cup dry red wine
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 tablespoons organic sugar
2 tablespoons paprika

Combine all ingredients well then freeze as is or fry and freeze until needed for spaghetti, pizza or pasta salads. Another thing you could do is adapt these ingredients and make pepperoni beef jerky with it by slicing the meat as thinly as possible, marinating in this spice mix overnight and then drying on low in an oven or dehydrator until the meat is no longer moist.

For 1.5 pounds of ground beef (one serving for our family)

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp allspice

scant 1/2 tsp fennel

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp paprika