Homemade Fresh Hot Chocolate

Homemade Fresh Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 cups milk
a bit of vanilla, if desired

Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.

You can put this in a thermos or crockpot to take with you on picnics or potlucks.

This post is shared at The Common Room's Potluck Saturday.

Caramelized Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

We have lots of pumpkin seeds this time of year, so we like to make tasty snacks with them. Here's one from AllRecipes.

Caramelized Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds,

washed and dried

cooking spray

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of sugar, the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.

Place the pumpkin seeds on the prepared baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake the seeds in the preheated oven until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds along with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook and stir the seeds until the sugar forms a coating on the seeds, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the caramelized seeds into the bowl of sugar-spice mixture, toss to coat, and let cool.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Here's an easy fix if you run out of pumpkin pie spice. I read it at The Common Room.

Just mix 1/4 cup of cinnamon with 4 tsp of ground ginger, 2 tsp of nutmeg, 2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp freshly ground cloves.

How simple is that?

Breakfast Bake

This recipe is from Large Family Logistics. I think it will go over well here. It didn't say what to bake it in or the temperature, but I assume it would be a 9x13 and I will be trying 300 degrees, if no one else advises differently. I will be doubling it and using 2 9x13's.

Breakfast Bake

Shred a few potatoes with your food processor
4 T butter, melted
8 eggs
½ c milk
2 c Jack or Cheddar shredded
1 c cooked ham, sausage, or hamburger

Beat eggs; add milk, ½ t salt, ¼ t pepper.
Mix in potatoes.
Add meat, chives, and cheese. Stir.
Bake until eggs are set.

Claussen Style Pickles with Hickory House Option

I found this on Chickens in the Road: Instant Picklefication. I am so glad to find a refrigerator pickle that doesn't required fresh dill. It's not got a very long season around here. I just condensed my last gallon of pickles to a half gallon jar, so this is timely, too. We'll need more pickles soon!

Claussen Style Pickles with Hickory House Option

pickling cucumbers or small slicing cucumbers
fresh dill OR dried dill seed and dill weed
kosher salt
vinegar
fresh garlic
mustard seed
peppercorns
powdered allspice

hot pepper flakes

carrots OR sugar

Pickle Crisp

Select fresh, evenly colored cucumbers. Slice if desired. Wash and pack in sterilized quart jars. Place several sprays of dill on top of cucumbers. (use 1/2 Tablespoon dill weed and dill seed if not using fresh)

To each quart, add 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 tsp mustard seed, 6 whole peppercorns, 1/8 tsp powdered allspice, 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes and either one whole sliced carrot or 1/4 tsp sugar and Pickle Crisp as per the package instructions (I doubled all of these since I used 1/2 gallon jars).

Heat 1 quart distilled water, 1 cup vinegar and 2 Tbsp fine kosher or canning salt to boiling

Cool brine, pour over cucumbers to within 1/4 inch of top. Seal. Refrigerate. This liquid may become cloudy in a few days but will soon clear. The pickles will be firm, crisp and evenly colored.

Now, for the ‘Hickory House’ version (sweet and spicy!):

Use the above recipe, but:

Increase sugar to 1 cup and add to the brine.
Increase garlic in each quart to 2 large cloves each, chopped.
Increase pepper flakes to 1 teaspoon per quart.

Cheddar Pepper Crisps

These sound SO good. It's another Taste of Home recipe from my annual collections. I think they will be making an appearance this week for a snack.

Cheddar Pepper Crisps

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons vinegar
Coarsely ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter
until crumbly. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle with water and vinegar.
Toss with a fork until a ball forms. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap;
refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is firm.

Divide into six portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each
portion of dough into an 8-in. circle. Cut into eight wedges and
place on greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with pepper; lightly press
into dough. Bake at 375° for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown
and crisp. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 dozen.

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

This is a sweet muffin perfect for brunch or dessert. I found it at My Recipes. I adapted it, as it was originally low-fat. This makes 3 dozen muffins.

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 9 tablespoons whole milk
• 3 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup strawberry jam
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1 /2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Combine yogurt, butter, milk, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place 12 foil cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each liner. Top each with 1 teaspoon jam. Top evenly with the remaining batter. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375º for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; place on a wire rack.

Red Beans and Rice

This is from Taste of Home. It's SO good! I adapted the recipe to our family's tastes, and made it doubled, so there was leftovers for lunch. I paired it with Alber's cornbread. I wrote out the substitutions I had to make due to ingredient shortages. :) You could add sausage, cooked chicken or ground beef to this if you wanted. It's very versatile.

Red Beans and Rice

• 1/2 pound dried kidney beans, rinsed
• 1/2 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 quart home-canned tomatoes with liquid
  
• 1 jar (4 ounces) canned peppers, drained
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped (I used 1 Tbsp dried minced onion)
  
• 1 cup chopped celery (I didn't have any, so I used 1 tsp celery salt)
  
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (I used 1 Tbsp dried)
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt (I used less since I used celery salt)
  
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used the vinegar I pickled the peppers in)
  
• Hot cooked rice (I used 2 cups dry rice...should have used 3)
  

Directions

• Place beans in a Dutch oven with water. Bring to a boil; simmer 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans. Return to Dutch oven with broth, garlic and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/4 hours. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beans and vegetables are tender and gravy is thick. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice. This dish keeps well. Yield: 12 servings.

Homecanned Spiced Applesauce

This is Food in Jars's version of spiced applesauce. I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on an abundance of apples.

Homecanned Spiced Applesauce

4 pounds apples
½ cup apple cider or water
2 pieces star anise
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
1 cup sugar

Quarter apples. Put them in a large, non-reactive pot. Add liquid and star anise, put on lid and bring to a simmer. Let fruit cook for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the fruit has broken down. Use tongs to fish out apple skins.

Remove star anise. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, break down the fruit until it has reached your desired consistency. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Taste and add sugar if you feel it is necessary.

Pour applesauce into your prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and screw on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes for half pints and pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

When time has elapsed, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a towel-lined countertop.

To store, remove rings and keep in a cool, dark place. Applesauce will keep in storage up to one year.

Brown Sugar and Honey Granola

I found this at Sweet Country Life.

Brown Sugar and Honey Granola

Mix together:
5 cups of regular oatmeal
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut
3/4 cups of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or flax seed
2 Tbsp of cinnamon

Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 300 for 15 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter, 1/2 a cup of honey, 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
Stir until dissolved.
Pour over granola mixture and mix until well coated.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

The longer you bake this granola the crunchier it becomes.
If you want it chewy then bake for 15 minutes or less.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I made this recipe doubled, so I would have enough to freeze for a fast breakfast another day.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup oil (or 1/4 applesauce and 1/4 cup oil)

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

1 small can pumpkin

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs and sugar. Mix in rest of ingredients. Bake for 20 min.

Faith's Pintos

My friend Faith posted this excellent recipe the other day. I made them and they got a thumbs up from everyone in the Crew! I doubled her recipe so I had leftover beans to serve for lunch or use in a recipe later in the week.

Faith's Pintos

Sort and wash two pounds of dry pinto beans (or about 4 1/2 C.)

Cover with 4 quarts filtered water then add:

6 TBS butter
2 TBS. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more or less depending on the heat you want)
4 tsp. salt

Cook on high for at least 7 hours or until beans are tender.

The Hillbilly Housewife's Garlic Breadsticks.

This is one great recipe! I made it last week when I didn't make French Bread Rolls to serve with spaghetti. It's fast and oh, so good! Go to the original recipe, too, since I adapted it to our family's taste.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
  
• 1 more teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Measure flour, salt, garlic powder, parsley and baking powder into mixture bowl equipped with dough hook. Stir well. Pour in milk. Mix until you get a ball of dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Dust the ball of dough with a little flour if it seems sticky. Knead the ball of dough for 30 seconds. Now place your dough on the counter. You may place a sheet of waxed paper under it you like. Using a rolling pin or sturdy bottle roll the dough out into a rectangle shape. Use your hands to press the edges smooth. You are aiming for a rectangle that will fit into a 9 by 13-inch pan. When you get the dough the right size, set it aside.

Meanwhile place the butter in a 9 by 13-inch pan. Place the pan in the oven at 425°. Allow the pan to preheat and the butter to melt. When the butter is melted, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle the second teaspoon of garlic powder, the 1/2-teaspoon of salt and the optional Parmesan cheese evenly into the pan.

Now, very carefully lay your rectangle of dough into the pan, over top of the butter. Next cut the rectangle into narrow strips. The butter will creep up between the strips. This is normal. It is what gives these bread sticks their texture. After cutting your strips, place the pan in the oven, still at 425°, and bake them for 20 minutes. They will be brown and crispy when they are done.

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.

Orange Julius Smoothie

Orange Julius

6 ounces orange juice, from frozen concentrate, unprepared
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy! We double this recipe for our family.

Zucchini Salsa Tutorial

Zucchini Salsa, Canned

If you want this recipe HOT, add a dozen
jalapenos.

10 cups zucchini, peeled and shredded
4 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1/4 cup pickling salt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 tablespoon pickling salt
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pepper
5 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 12 ounce can tomato paste

In a large bowl combine; Zucchini, onions, green and   red peppers and salt. Mix together, cover;let stand over night.

The next day rinse, drain well; put into large pot;
add salt, mustard, garlic, cumin, vinegar,  pepper flakes,

cornstarch, nutmeg, pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste.


Bring to boil; simmer 15 minutes. Blend to smooth with an immersion blender, if desired. Process in a boiling  water bath for 15 minutes for half-pints and 20 minutes  for pints.



Makes 14-16 Half-pints

Mystery Smoothie

I found this at Diet, Dogs and Dessert. I modified it to our tastes, so click the link to see the original.

Mystery Smoothie

This smoothie can be served as a full meal or a dessert/snack–it all depends on the quantity. This smoothie combines the rich nutrient content of spinach with its creamy, fruity base. No one will ever know!

1-1/2 to 2 cups raw milk

1/2 cup blueberries or mixed berries, fresh or frozen

1 banana, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup chopped mango, peaches or apricots, fresh or frozen

1-2 tsp. agave nectar or honey

1 tsp. carob powder (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2-1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves (or try other greens, such as chard, kale, or lettuce)

Blend and enjoy!

Patricia's Breakfast Cookies

This recipe came from my friend Patricia. She made them for a snack for our fellowship to share after service. They are very good! I modified the recipe slightly to suit our tastes.

Patricia's Breakfast Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp EACH baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon
1 3/4 cup oats, uncooked
1 1/4 cup raisins
1 medium apple, peeled and grated, shredded or finely chopped
2/3 cup grated carrot
1/4-1/2 cup flaked coconut

Oven to 350.

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars in bowl. Beat in eggs.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add gradually to the creamed mixture on low speed. Beat till blended. Stir in oats, raisins, apple carrot and coconut. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until browned on the edges. Do not overbake. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks for cooling.

Pineapple Zucchini Carrot Muffins

I found these at Allrecipes. This is adapted recipe to my family's tastes. They come out so very tender, moist and delicious!

Pineapple Zucchini Carrot Muffins

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce

6 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrot

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple,

drained

3 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour 4 muffin pans, or use paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the oil, eggs, zucchini, pineapple and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Lentil Soup

This is going to make an appearance next week for lunch. I found the recipe link at Crockpot Your Way to Happiness. She converted this recipe to a crockpot version. You can find it at the link.

Lentil Soup

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp chili pepper
2 cups lentils
2 quarts chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

Pour olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, sea salt and pepper. Saute until onions are clear, about 3-5 minutes. Add celery, carrot, garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili pepper. Stir and cook until vegetables are soft. Add lentils. Stir until lentils are coated with oil. Add enough stock to cover lentils. Cover pot and let simmer 30-45 minutes, until lentils are soft and creamy. Add more stock if lentils are too thick. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and 1/2 cup of yogurt. Reheat slowly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt.