Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

I found this at Two Tarts,  from a link at Traditional Foods. 

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

• Zest of two lemon
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• Juice of two lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, except for oil. Drizzle oil in slowly. Store in fridge.

Homemade Creamsicle Popsicles

This recipe came through on my facebook wall.  I make a smoothie similar to this, but not exact.  My kids, and the neighborhood kids, LOVE homemade popsicles on a hot day.

Homemade Orange Creamsicles

1 cup orange juice (fresh or frozen), 1 cup heavy cream, 3 TSP honey, 1/4 tsp orange extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Whisk all ingredients together. Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Let set for 30-60 minutes, then add popsicle sticks. Freeze for another 4-6 hours or until frozen. When ready to serve, run warm water along popsicle mold to loosen the popsicles.

Paleo Spicy Rib Appetizer

I found this at Hajnal Szakacskonyve's blog.   

PALEO SPICY RIB APPETIZER

• 3 lbs pork spare ribs
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sweet basil, dried
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste after dish is cooked

For the sauce:

• 1 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 serrano peppers, chopped and peeled
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ small onion, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 pinches of salt

1. Cut ribs into single pieces.
2. Rub pieces with the spices and place in the slow cooker.
3. Put tomatoes in a bowl, smash them with a fork and mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
4. Pour mixture over the ribs, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until ribs are tender.
5. Add salt and pepper after cooking.

Peppery Venison Roast

I found this on an online forum.

Peppery Venison Roast

4-6 pound venison roast
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
4 carrot, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 Tbsp pepper, freshly ground
2 cups beef broth or water
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano AND basil
Salt to taste

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in cast iron and sear roast on all sides.  Add meat to crockpot.  Add remaining butter and coconut oil to pan. Add 2 tsp of the pepper, the onion, carrots, celery and sauté about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another few minutes on low heat. So not burn the garlic!  Pour this mixture over the roast in the crockpot.  Add broth and spices.  Sprinkle remaining pepper on top of roast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Salt to taste.  Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Easy Cajun Chicken

This is from my new favorite blog, I Breathe....I'm Hungry.  What an easy meal idea. It'll be easy to make a ton at once, too.  That's always an important thing for large families!

• Easy Cajun Chicken
• 
  
• 5 lbs chicken parts (legs or thighs are best)
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning 
• Ranch dressing for serving (optional)
• 
  
  Cajun Seasoning Blend 


• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbl garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme

• Rub the chicken with olive oil. Add Cajun seasoning and toss until chicken is fully coated. Spread the chicken out on cookie sheets with at least an inch between pieces. Bake in the center of a preheated 400 degree (F) oven for about 50 minutes (40 minutes for wings). The skin should be golden and crispy, and the juices should run clear.

Canned Coleslaw

Chickens in the Road brings us a yummy sounding canned side dish: coleslaw.  The recipe, as written makes 3 pints. I doubled it.  I will add just a touch more liquid to the brine as I needed about a Tablespoon more to top off the last jar. It tastes wonderful!  It's not at all like fresh coleslaw, but it is a good side dish in its own right.

1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 green pepper (I prefer red)
1 small onion
1 teaspoon salt

Syrup
1 cup vinegar
¼ cup water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Shred together vegetables. Add the salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Drain water from vegetables. (I also rinse and drain.) Boil syrup ingredients together for 1 minute. Cool.

Add syrup to vegetables (or vegetables to the syrup like I did).

Pack into quarts or pint jars.

Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

If you don’t want to can it, you could put it into freezer containers instead and freeze. Leftovers may also be frozen. This slaw may be drained before use and mayonnaise added, or used as is.

Irish Soda Bread

This excellent basic bread is from Paratus Familia, one of my favorite blogs.  

Irish Soda Bread
4 C flour (white, wheat or a combination)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
2 C buttermilk (preferably room temperature)

Preheat oven to 375°

Sift (or not) the flour, soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Add sugar.  Stir with a fork.  Add buttermilk (I use regular milk with a bit (splash) of lemon juice or vinegar added or even powdered milk mixed with warm water and a little vinegar or lemon juice) and stir until it forms a ball.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes (do not knead for more than 2 minutes - it will make the bread tough).

Form dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered 8" cast iron skillet (if you don't have cast iron, you can use a cake or pie pan).  Press down slightly and cut a cross in the top of the loaf.

Bake at 375° (or a medium/hot wood cook stove oven) for 35-40 minutes. (This bread does not require time to rise).

Sweet Potato Minestrone

I found this recipe at an online group.

Sweet Potato Minestrone

10 cups chopped, cored peeled tomatoes (I use ones that I have frozen from the garden)

6   cups cubed, peeled sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

4   cups diced carrots (about 1 lb)

4   cups green beans (2lbs frozen)

3   cups diced celery (6 ribs)

4   cups diced onion (3 medium / large)

1   pint tomato juice (Ok to replace with canned tomato sauce)

4   cups water

1   Tbsp. dry minced garlic

2   Tbsp. Italian seasoning

2   Tbsp. canning salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine all in a large stock pot. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1" headspace. Process at 10/11# pressure (or as adjusted for your altitude) for 90 minutes.

Makes 7 quarts

Almond Flax Bread

I found this recipe at Healy Real Food Vegetarian.  I look forward to trying it.  It only makes one loaf, so I am sure I'll double it. 

Almond Flax Bread

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 tbsp whole flax seeds
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs beaten
2 tsp honey, optional
1/2 tsp raw cider vinegar
butter, to grease a loaf pan

1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
2. Grease a loaf pan.
3. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined, then pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 300° for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread’s center comes out clean.
4. Cool completely before serving.

Makes 1 loaf

Super-Fast Meat Recipe

Busy days happen more often than I like. One of my favorite go-to meals is recipe-less, but I will describe it here. 

I buy less expensive cuts of meat and slice them into strips. This is similar to a fajita-style slice.  It doesn't really matter how thick or long they are. I make them bite sized strips, personally.  This I freeze in 2-3 pound portions, flattened into a gallon sized bag.  This thaws quickly when allowed to sit in warm water.  I can be cooking ten minutes after I take a package out of the freezer. 

If I am serving a rice dish, I start it first, because the meat cooks fast.  I also put on veggies to steam. I always serve a green salad, too.

I melt a generous amount of bacon grease or home-rendered tallow in a cast iron skillet and add the meat. I sprinkle it well with A&D spice mixture that I buy from a local company. It's a proprietary blend, so there's no recipe available, but you can order some at the link. I use it for beef, chicken and beans. It's an excellent quality, no MSG blend.  If you don't have a favorite blend, use salt, pepper, chili powder, onion and/or garlic powders, etc. to season to suit your tastes. 

Cook and stir over medium-high heat until done. The time required depends on how thick you cut your meat. Mine takes less than ten minutes.  Serve with the veggies, salad and side dish of your choice and you have a super quick, nourishing homemade meal! 

Any leftover meat (does that happen ever? HA!) is great cut up and served in eggs the next morning. 

2012 Canning Inventory

For the third year in a row, I have kept track of my canning numbers. It's been incredible helpful in planning what to make. Last year I made such an abundance of jams that I made very few this year.  This year I experimented with canning some sauces that I usually make fresh batch-by-batch.  The results were mixed.  I've also found that my children prefer chunky picante to smooth, so I need to increase those.  Canned chicken and canned stew meat are now indispensable and will be a focus of next year's canning.  

2012 Canning Inventory

7 pints  Creamsicle

19 pints  pizza sauce

13 quarts  chicken meat

75 quarts  pinto beans

14 quarts Ranch beans

14 quarts  ham and bean soup

8 1/2 pints Flamin’ Taco Sauce

5 quarts enchilada sauce

6 quarts  spaghetti sauce

8 pints  Banberry jam

7 quarts  chicken soup

7 quarts  meat chili

5 1/2 pints BBQ sauce

8 pint+1/2 dilly carrots

9 pint+1/2 dilly beans

7 pints apricots

2 pints  mixed berry jam

8 quarts  chicken broth

22 quarts zucchini salsa (given to K.)

19 quarts zucchini salsa

21 quarts zucchini sausage soup

4 pints  black eyed peas

5 quarts  chunky picante

2 quarts Vintage salsa

4 pints Vintage salsa (gifted to E.)

6 pints pickled peppers

6 pints pickled peppers (made with L.)

58 quarts  green beans

7 quarts potatoes

2 quarts beef broth

1 quart mixed beef and chicken broth

11 quarts smooth picante

10 quarts  applesauce

14 quarts pear applesauce

7 quarts stew meat

7 pints apple butter

3 1/2 pints cranberry sauce

14 quarts turkey broth

Almond Flour Pound Cake

I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it is excellent!  Luckily, I gave the recipe to my friend Michelle before I lost track of it.  She sent it back to me and I am posting it here to make sure I don't lose this gem again!  I pair it with a cream cheese frosting and it's divine!

Almond Flour Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar (or substitute)
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups almond flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon flavoring ( 5 Teaspoons for Lemon Cake)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

---

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream the butter and sugar (or substitute) until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

3. Mix flour with baking powder and add to egg mixture a little at a time while mixing. Add lemon and vanilla flavorings.

4. Pour into greased nine inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

This gem is from Against All Grain. 

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 yellow onion, quartered
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
4-6 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 cup water
4 cups baby spinach

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred with a fork.

Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onions quarters into the blender.  Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.

Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Meyer Lemon Jelly

I found this recipe in an online forum.

Meyer Lemon Jelly

4 cups filtered lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemons, 

7 cups sugar  
2 (3 oz) pouches liquid pectin 

In an 8-qt stainless steel pan, over medium high heat, heat the juice until warm. Add the sugar and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of both pectin pouches. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly skim off any foam and immediately ladle the hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe there jar rims and threads and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes. This is a tangy jelly with an intense taste. Yield: 7 to 8 half-pint jars

Coconut Lemon Meltaway Cookies

I found this recipe at Addicted to Veggies.  

Coconut-Lemon Meltaway Cookies

Makes roughly 22 to 24 Cookies

1 & 1/2 cups Almond Flour (you can make this, or buy it - however most store bought Almond flour is not raw)

1 & 1/2 cups dried Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (I used medium shred, but fine shred would also work well)

1/3 c Coconut Flour

2 big pinches of Salt

Mix all of your dry ingredients together - set aside and move onto the next step.

In a small mixing bowl combine the following:

6 Tbsp Agave//or//Grade B Maple Syrup//or//Raw Organic Honey

4 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Vanilla 

1 Tbsp Lemon zest (Tip: Zest your Lemon before you juice it)

Mix together all of the above ingredients...

With your mixer on, slowly stream in the wet ingredients...

1/4 cup AND 1 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil

While your Mixer is on, stream in your melted Coconut Oil. Your batter will thicken fairly quickly as it mixes with the Oil and the oil cools down.

The final step is up to you.

You can either - 

Option 1. 

Warm them in either your Dehydrator or Oven (set at it's lowest heat, leaving the door cracked open). 

Warm your Cookies for 1 hour, maybe a bit longer 

Your finished Cookie will be dry on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth moist on the inside 

Place your cookies in the fridge after they've cooled down, letting them chill and set before you eat them.

Option 2. Place your Cookies to set/chill in the fridge for about an hour.

If you opt not to heat/dry your cookies the texture will be soft and moist.

Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding

Old-Fashioned Lemon Pudding

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
5 cups milk
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, softened

Place sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk to combine. Gradually add milk, whisking until smooth. Add egg yolks, lemon zest and salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats a spoon.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or individual serving dishes. Let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set. Serve chilled. Yield: 8 -12 servings.

Persimmon Jam

I found this recipe at Canning Granny. It's a reader submitted recipe that sounds really good! 

Persimmon Jam 

2 Quarts ripe fresh persimmon pulp
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup orange juice
grated rind of 1 orange

Combine all ingredients in a 4-quart enameled or stainless steel pan and cook over medium-high heat,
stirring often until thickened, usually about 20 minutes.

Pour into sterilized half-pint jars and seal at once. This recipe makes 6 half-pint jars.

Almond Flour Banana Muffins

I found this at Just a Pinch.  I'm always looking for new grain-free recipes.  I found a great deal on ripe bananas and needed to make banana bread.  My other Primal banana bread recipe uses coconut flour, which requires many eggs. Since I am low-ish on eggs and full on almond flour, this is the one I chose.

Almond Flour Banana Muffins

6 cups almond flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp EACH sea salt and baking powder
6 eggs
4-6 overripe bananas
1 cup honey 
1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins. Blend dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add wets to drys and stir to combine.  Pour into prepared muffin pans. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.  Bake about 20 minutes. 

Creole Seasoning

Creole Seasoning

5 Tablespoons paprika
3 Tablespoons sea salt
2 Tablespoons onion powder
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons oregano
2 Tablespoons basil
1 Tablespoon white pepper
1 Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon thyme
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

Pork and Beans for Canning

Pork and Beans for Canning, from an online forum:

1c dry navy or white beans /qt 

Add 1/2 c loosely packed brown sugar (recipe called for 1 cup, but that's TOO much for me!)

1 T salt and 2T dry mustard 

Some sliced bacon for each quart

Fill jars with hot water to proper headspace and process 90 minutes in PC at 10#.