Homemade Marshmallows

These were really neat to make...science in action! Who would have thought marshmallows can be made at home - neat! Very easy, very messy, and very highly recommended. Check out the recipe at Taste of Home's website. I used just a touch of almond extract, since I didn't have clear vanilla. A little went a long way.

I preferred them with chocolate instead of a sugar coating. I melted on low:
-2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
-2 Tb shortening

...stirring frequently til smooth. My favorite were the ones totally covered instead of just a drizzle...but oh was that hard to achieve! I'd like to try using a small paint brush next time and "paint" the marshmallows a lil' bit brown...if you know what I'm saying.:) Mmmm! 10/10!!

Monster Pancake

I struggled to get a decent picture of this! The recipe is one we brought back from Guinea, from Auntie J. So simple, so yummy! A new family favorite...Abraham loves getting to shake on the powdered sugar:)

1/2 stick butter (4 Tb)
1 C flour (can use all whole wheat)
1 C milk
4 eggs
Cinnamon (couple dashes)
Powdered Sugar

-Turn oven on to 375. Place butter in 2 small or 1 large pan (I use a 10x14 pan) in the oven to melt. Check on butter in a few minutes!
-Whisk together flour, cinnamon and milk til smooth.
-Whisk in eggs til well blended.
-Remove pan from oven once butter is melted (try not to let it brown).
-Pour batter over butter in pan. It will mix in with the butter a bit...that's fine!
-Bake at 375 or 170C for 20 min.
-Serve with powdered sugar to top or drizzle with honey and splash with lemon juice!

Gladys's Apple Streusel Muffins

2 C flour
1 Tb bk powder
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 C butter, softened
2 C peeled or unpeeled, chopped apples
1/2 tsp lemon peel (dried)
2/3 C milk
1 egg
2 Tb sugar

-Mix flour, sugar, bk powder, salt and cinnamon.
-Cut in butter until crumbly.
-Reserve 1/2 Cup for topping.
-Mix egg and milk together.
-Add to dry ingreds along with apples and lemon peel until just mixed.
-Spoon into greased muffin tin.
-Sprinke with reserved topping mixed with 2 Tb sugar.
-Bake at 425 until golden brown, approx 20 min

Thought I'd repost this one now that I have a pic - and it's apple season! I tried this with a bit of whole wheat this time, and it was nice. This is from our church cookbook with a few minor changes...yummo 9/10!

Homemade Velveeta Cheese

I really like this recipe. Why?
1. Unique
2. Given to us by Amish friends
3. Never in my life imagined my husband and I would be talking cheese with a local Amish family.
4. GREAT for toasted cheese sandwiches.
5. Supports the dairy industry:)
6. Fast and fun
7. Love using recipes from friends - a lil' bit of fellowship mixing into the food.

1 Gallon Milk
2 tsp Citric Acid*
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4C Butter
~ 1/4C Cheddar Cheese Powder (to taste)**
Salt (to taste)

-Heat 1 Gallon of milk to 140 degrees.
-Add 2 tsp citric acid (*found near canning supplies, **bulk food stores...)
-Stir gently 'til separated.
-Drain off whey (I use a fine metal strainer - don't use one with large holes).
-To curds add 1 tsp soda, 1/4 C butter, salt, cheddar cheese powder and 1/4-1/2C milk
-Heat together, stirring briskly 'til lumps are dissolved.
-Keep in a cool place (we prefer the fridge!:))

The cheddar cheese powder and salt I just added slowly. I found a 1/4 C works and then a little salt for our taste. I've also been using the ccpowder to make mac and cheese. Tastes very similar to Kraft and is cheaper! I have only found it at a bulk food store in our area.

Crisp Carrots

Tried something new with carrots the other day...flash freezing, of course! I think I'm really becoming a flash freezin' nut!:) After peeling a bit haphazardly (just enough to get the strings off mainly), chunking/dicing, and blanching our garden's carrots for 3-4 minutes, I threw them on a couple trays and popped them in the freezer. Tomorrow I'll let them sit out for 10 minutes or so, then toss them into labeled ziploc bags in the freezer.

I've tried freezing carrots twice before and also canning them. Our family is a bit picky...we've learned we don't really care for the extra big carrots at the end of the season. Their flavor just isn't that good! Canned ones are fine, but I didn't feel like washing jars. And freezing them in pint bags does work, but they will freeze as a clump. So, my hope with flash freezing them is that I'll be able to scoop out a cup if that's all we need!

Grab some out of the freezer, cook a few minutes, drain, and toss with a little honey...should be a yummy winter!

Peppers!

Who wouldn't pay $3.50 for this beautiful bouquet?

The peppers, that is!:)

My mom found me a great deal at her farmer's market Saturday...20 peppers for $3.50! What a blessing!

So beautiful, even chopped up. I love the colors God uses all around us in Creation!

After chopping them all up, I threw them in some freezer ziploc bags and popped the peppers in the freezer. I did flash freeze one bunch on a cookie sheet overnight before bagging to see if they are easier to get out of the bag that way. It seems they will be, but the bagfuls with a little squeezing also seem to be just fine. The peppers broke apart decently (no chisel needed:)). I'm really excited to use these on pizza, in omelettes and stir-fries, etc., this winter. Should save on the produce budget! Before going to Guinea I thought peppers gave me heartburn. I discovered there that they don't, and I like the zip they bring to food!
20 peppers ~ 5.5 qt bags full

Freezing Sour Cherries

Just a little bit of summer fun...

Freezing Cherries:
-Wash, then pit cherries ( we use a mechanical pitter) and drain excess juice.
- Lay out on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
-Place in freezer overnight.
-Remove from freezer and let sit a few minutes until able to break apart.
-Scoop up cherries (we used a metal spatula), throw into a labeled freezer bag, and freeze!

Substitute these for fresh cherries in recipes, plop some into a smoothie, or chop up some for Auntie J's Breakfast Cake!

Blueberry Muffins

6 Tb butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp bk powder
1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C blueberries
2 tsp sugar

-Cream butter and sugar well.
-Add eggs and beat well.
-Mix dry ingreds. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.
-Chop1/2 C berries.
-Mix into batter.
-Fold in remaining berries.
-Pour into greased muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar.
-Bake at 375 for ~25 min (until golden).

Y: 12 regular & 12 mini-muffins

Recipe adapted from Beverly Farms Bed & Breakfast Inn

Note: I just adapted this recipe by dropping the sugar way down and chopping instead of crushing the berries. Really good! No need for the original 1 1/2 C sugar!

Sweet, Simple Cherry Pie

Filling:
4 C. Sour Cherries, pitted (if fresh - drain excess juice)
1 1/8 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Cornstarch
-Mix in a bowl and allow to sit 10 min, stirring occasionally.
Crust:
2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Shortening
1-2 pinch Salt (1/2 tsp?)
1/3-1/2 C. Cold Water (can add a little ice to make really cold)

-Mix flour, salt and shortening with a fork. Add in cold water until dough sticks together well to form a ball but is not too wet.
-Roll 2/3 dough into pie shape and form into pie crust to fit your pan.
-Roll remaining dough into pie shape.

Pie:
-Pour cherry mixture into pie shell.
-Cut remaining dough into 1/2 inch diameter thin strips.
-Top pie filling with 1/2 of strips. Fold alternating strips back onto themselves.
-Weave remaining strips in...see here for better instructions!:)
-Pinch edges of lattice to bottom crust.
-Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
-Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (see here for a great way to make this)!

Homemade Tortillas & Pia-Mato Sauce

I learned to make these tortillas in Guinea, West Africa. They are sooo good, and remarkably easy - even I could do it! Ha! (I am not so great with bread:)). They do take a bit of time though, but once made you can freeze the extras if desired.

Flour Tortillas ( from Wycliffe Int. Cookbook)
Combine:
-4 C flour
-2 tsp salt
Cut in:
-6 Tb oil ( or shortening)
Add
-1 C water
-Form a ball. Add more water if necessary, until bowl is clear of all dough. Knead well on floured board 20-25 times, then make balls the size of eggs. Let stand 15 min. Roll very thin with rolling pin on lightly floured surface to size of salad plate. Place on hot, ungreased skillet and cook for about 1-2 minutes on one side (until starts to bubble). Turn and cook approx 1 min longer. Watch closely, as second side will cook fast!
-Keep warm on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees in the oven, stacked, covered with a light towel if desired.
-Serve with fried ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, and Pia-Mato Sauce, and Cheese!
Y: 2 doz.
Variations:
Cornmeal: Replace 1 C flour with cornmeal
Whole Wheat: Use 2 C whole wheat, 2 C white flour

Pia-Mato Sauce:
2-4 Tomatoes, diced
1 Avacado, diced
Onions, diced (optional)
Green Pepper, diced (optional)
1 pkg Italian dressing dry mix, mixed per instructions or Italian Salad Dressing to cover

-Combine shortly before serving!

This is an impromptu recipe:) nostalgic of the wonderful food we had in Guinea. Our missionary friends there called it their own special Guacamole, and it was made with fresh local veggies and imported Italian dressing!:) For those with sensitive tummies, just leave out the peppers and onions. I made up the name for fun and for memories...the Pular (a Guinean dialect) word for Avacado is Pia!

Crock-Pot Bean Soup

2 C. dry navy beans, washed (can soak overnight if desired - not necessary though)
4 med. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 sweet potato or a few carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp Dried onions or 1 diced onion
1-2 Tb Parsley, dried
Salt (to taste - can use plain, Lawry's, or Zender's chicken seasoning (my fave))
Pepper to taste (I'm generous with this:))
Water

-Mix all together in crock-pot ( I use a 3 Qt crock-pot). Cover with water to one inch below lid.
-Cook on high until softened (~4 hours), then low until soft enough to mash a bit. Continue on low until mushy soft!
-Mash with potato masher. Add more water if needed. Also may cook on low for ~8 hours.

Yumm-o on a rainy day with some fresh warm bread! This is a variation of my Mom's Bean Soup, which is great! Her recipe calls for celery and carrots rather than sweet potato. I've also tried half navy/half red beans and liked that.

Tremendous Tomato Soup

I love learning from others how to make great food...and this one was a majorly exciting find for me. If you're at all interested in canning tomato soup - check it out. So easy, so good. I use it in chili, goulash, spaghetti sauce....yum!

Heavenly Homemakers Tomato Soup

Pretty Beef Stew

1 lb beef stew cubes, slightly thawed or thawed
1 Tb butter
1 onion, diced
1/4 C gr pepper, diced
1 C hot water

4 med potatoes, peeled & chunked
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 C tomato, diced (canned or fresh)
2 carrots, diced
salt
pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt
1 pinch of Parsley
2 C hot water

1/2 C cold water
2 Tb flour

-Melt butter in pressure cooker over med/high heat and brown beef, onions and gr pepper.
-Add 1 C water and close cover securely. Place pressure regulator on vent pipe (I use a Presto 8Qt Cooker), and cook 8 (thawed) or 13 (partially thawed) minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly.
-Cool cooker at once by running cold water over it (it will make strange noises that are a little scary, but really, this is what the company recommends and my mother-in-law has done for years and years - don't be frightened:)).
-Add hot water, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, pepper and salts (to taste - go easy...can always add more later). Place pressure regulator on vent pipe and cook 5 minutes once regulator rocks.
-Cool cooker at once.
-Mix flour in cold water well. Stir into stew, and stir until thickens.

Recipe adapted from Presto's Instruction manual.

Y: 4-6 servings

I really like the sweet potato in this and the color the stew turns out...so pretty! Add any veggies you have sitting around...as a friend in Africa called it...anything that must go you can turn into "Mustgo" Soup. :)

Auntie J's Breakfast Cake

I love this versatile recipe from a dear friend and mom in Guinea. It offers a wonderful way to use up leftovers, add interesting nutrition to breakfast, and gives plenty of options based on what ingreds you have available!!

1/2 C oil or butter
1 C sugar (or less if using a sweet **fruit/veggie below)
4 eggs
2 C mashed **banana, pumpkin, leftover oatmeal, applesauce, carrots, sw potatoes, potatoes...can also include graded stale leftover muffins, cake, etc.
1 tsp vanilla
1 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C quick oats or oat flour
1/2 ground flax seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg, if no topping used
1 C milk with 1 Tb bk powder
or
1 C yogurt with 1 tsp bk soda
1 handful dried fruit - craisins & golden raisins (our fave) or dr blueberries, raisins, etc

Topping (we halve this):
4 Tb butter, softened
2/3-3/4 C oats
1/2 C br sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves (we omit)
1/2 tsp ginger (we omit)

-Mix oil & sugar well
-Mix in eggs
-Add **ingred. and vanilla
-Mix dry ingreds in separate bowl, including bk powder or soda
-Add to wet ingreds along with milk
-Stir in dried fruit
-Pour into greased 9x13 pan
-Mix topping ingreds, if desired, and sprinkle with topping
-Bake at 350 for 30-45min, until golden brown


We generally use the first ingred listed in any of the items above with an "or," such as milk instead of yogurt. I've also used stale, grated coconut bread and just added extra milk one time, when I didn't have extra produce to use up. My rating, mmm 10/10 !!

Homemade Cottage Cheese

Upon returning home from Guinea this spring I was inspired to use milk for more than just baking. The mother I cooked with in Guinea made yogurt from milk powder...surely we should be doing that - and more with the resources we've been blessed with! So I went looking for a simple cottage cheese recipe. This is what I found, and we love it!! So easy, so squeaky good! The original recipe can be found at The Cooking Inn. I adapted it just a little as follows:

1 Gallon Whole Milk (may skim cream off if desired if using raw)
1/2 C Vinegar
Salt to taste

-Heat milk on medium heat in large covered pot, stirring occasionally (more toward end), until it reaches an almost boil (180-190 degrees).
-Take off heat and stir in vinegar.
-Stir until curds separate, approx. 20 seconds!
-Allow to cool a bit, then pour contents into a strainer to drain the whey.
-Add salt to taste to the curds.
Yummy!!

-We actually like this warm (and squeaky!) or cold (with fruit...mmmmm:)). It is also good in pasta dishes. Add a little milk or cream if desired.


Visit Tammy's Recipes for more dairy ideas!

Here's a little video...what a great science project!