Chocolate Eclairs

My grandma used to make eclairs for special occasions. I begged her to make these for my wedding reception - which she willingly did. I should have just asked her to make me a lifetime supply, forget the guests! I love these babies. Really, they are the same thing as cream puffs, solely differing in shape.

I was running through some old photos and realized I made these, took photos, and then forgot to post the recipe. I've tried several recipes, and found that the following from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook is my favorite.

 

1 c. water
1/2 c. butter
1/8 t. salt
1 c. flour
4 eggs
Whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream for filling
Chocolate glaze

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir till mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.

Spoon dough into a decorating bag fitted with a large plain round tip (1/2 inch opening). Pipe 12 strips of dough, 3 inches apart, onto a greased baking sheet, making each strip 4 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 3/4 inch high. Bake at 400* for 30-35 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

*Cream Puffs variation - Drop dough by 12 heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake as above.

Fill with whipped cream or pudding and frost with chocolate glaze. I recommend a vanilla pudding filling.

Chocolate Glaze
4 oz. semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
3 T. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
dash of salt
3 T. hot water

Melt chocolate, and butter/margarine over low heat stirring frequently.
Remove from heat. Stir in sifted powdered sugar and hot water. Stir in additional hot water, if needed to reach drizzling consistency.

Spoon/drizzle over eclairs or cream puffs.

Pumpkin Spice Rolls

This is a pumpkin spice twist on classic Cinnamon Rolls.

 

¼ c. warm water
2 ½ t. yeast
¼ t. sugar
¼ c. melted butter
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin (or home processed pumpkin)
½ c. warm milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) instant pumpkin spice or vanilla pudding
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
¼ t. nutmeg
¼ t. cloves
¼ t. cinnamon
5 ¼ c. flour

Mix ¼ t. sugar, yeast and warm water in a small bowl and set aside to proof until doubled.

Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in mixing bowl, except for flour, and add proofed yeast mixture. Mix in flour until the dough is sticky, but cleans the side of the mixing bowl.

Place in greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

 

Punch down and if desired, allow to rise again. If time does not permit an additional rise, roll out onto a floured surface in a rectangle.


Filling
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 T. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter softened in microwave for 10-15 seconds

Spread butter all over dough. This is easily done with a hand, or cover hand in a sandwich baggie to ease in clean up. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl, and spread over buttered dough.

Beginning on the long side, roll up tightly. Use a long strand of dental floss or thread and grip on both ends. Slowly guide the floss/thread underneath the roll and bring up at approx. 1-2 inches. Bring hands up, cross hands and pull tightly until the floss/thread is taut and has sliced the roll. Repeat this process.

 

Place slices on greased pan approximately 2-3 inches apart. Cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled – approx. 1 hour.

 

Bake at 375* for 15 minutes.

Frost while still warm with Cream Cheese Frosting

Homemade noodles and chicken noodle soup

 

My friend made this for our family back just before I had surgery. While I've tried my hand at homemade noodles, my family raved about these. It took several tries and a couple of phone calls before I got it just right. Thanks to Sarah for sharing her recipe!

Egg noodles
1 c. flour
2 large eggs
salt to taste

Dump flour and salt onto the countertop and make a well in the flour. Beat eggs and pour them into the well. Mix with a fork, and then knead by hands until dough forms. Continue to knead for several minutes. Once it becomes smooth, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 30 minutes.

Spread flour on counter and divide dough into several sections, taking care to keep everything wrapped except the portion being worked with. Roll out as thinly as possible using rolling pin. Using a pizza cutter slice into thin slices (1/4 - 1/2 inch) and desired length. Set aside and continue with all of the dough.


Chicken Noodle Soup
There are so many ways to make a chicken noodle soup. I try to start out with a roasted chicken - (even a rotisserie chicken's left overs) bones and all works great. If I don't have a roasted chicken, I'll use 4-6 skinned and de-boned thigh fillets or breasts. If I'm in a hurry, I'll use 2 cans of pre-cooked, canned chicken, juice and all.

If using a roast chicken (this gives the best broth), I recommend making the broth the day before. Place chicken and bones in pot and cover with water, bringing it to a boil.
Allow bones to cook over medium heat until the meat falls off of the bones. This generally takes a couple of hours. Once the broth has cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight. During the cooling process, the grease will rise to the top and form a shell over the top of the broth. Simply scrape the grease off and throw away. Separate meat from bones and discard bones.

If using skinned and boneless thighs and breasts, cube chicken and place in pot covered with water, bringing to a boil.

Add the following
1-2 c. coarsely chopped (or whole baby carrots)
1 c. coarsely chopped celery
1 coarsely chopped onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 cans chicken broth
salt, pepper, chicken boullion to taste
1-2 T. lemon juice
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried parsley

Once mixture is boiling, add noodles. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours, until noodles are soft.
Crockpot method - combine ingredients in Crockpot and cook on medium for 5-6 hours, or high for 3 hours until the noodles are soft.


My biggest mistake in making this was not allowing the noodles enough time to cook. After a couple of flops, I called Sarah and she explained that they really need to cook for a LONG time, or else they'll be dense and not so tasty.

Favorite Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

 

I have been craving raisin oatmeal cookies for quite a while. Now that my oven is finally fixed, we decided to make some as a family last night to send to our great grandpa for his birthday. He loves cookies and at 94, I think he is possibly entitled to as many cookies as he would like!

While I've tried several other recipes, this is my favorite. It comes from the Sunmaid Raisins website with a few of my own tweaks.

1 1/2 c. softened butter
2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cardamom
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
6 c. oatmeal
2 c. raisins
2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter, sugars, milk, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Combine flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix well.

Stir in oats, raisins, and nuts.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake 12-15 mintues.

To keep these soft and moist rather than hard and crunchy, take them out just before they are done. Remove from cookie sheets as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool on racks - they will firm up as they cool.

Store in airtight container along with a slice of bread. The bread will keep them soft and moist.

Grandma J's Congo Bars

My grandmother used to make these in mass quantities and store them in #10 cans with a slice of bread for freshness. We knew that we would always get a cookie before we left to go back home.
I used mostly butterscotch chips in this batch since I was mostly out of chocolate chips. Thanks to my mom for navigating the computer to send me her recipe!

Cream together
2/3 c. cooking oil, butter, or crisco
2 c. brown sugar

Add
3 beaten eggs

Mix, then add
1 t. vanilla
1/4 c. water

Combine and add to liquid mixture
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking powder

Finally, add
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. chocolate chips/butterscotch chips etc.

Spread into 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 375* until golden brown - approx. 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting.

Back Again Soon

Two weeks ago my oven broke. Since then, I've been waiting for our local appliance repair company to get it together enough to make it to my home to repair my appliance. I am slightly bent out of shape about it, but wanted to let you know that I WILL be back soon!

April Fool's Day Dinner

Here's our traditional April Fool's Day dinner.
Much to my children's delight, our "spaghetti and meatballs" are the main entree, and our "cupcakes" are our dinner entree.

Our spaghetti is made from a slice of cake (anything BUT angel food cake will do) centered on a plate, then covered with small strands of frosting piped from a frosting bag (or a very stiff sweetened whipping cream). The entire concoction is then covered with a sauce made of blended fresh strawberries and a touch of sugar.

Our meatballs are 'chocolate no bake cookies' - rolled into balls before they completely cool.

For Dessert, I use the meatloaf recipe from Feet of Meat for our 'cupcakes' and cook it in muffin tins, and frost the (meatloaf) cupcakes with mashed potatoes, and sprinkle with chives. 

 Once a year folks!

.

Strawberry Smoothies

 

I know that I've already posted some smoothie recipes, but when I made these this morning, my kids (the number one food critics) said that these were as good as ice cream, and that I should be a cook in the king's kitchen. High praise indeed - too bad we don't have a king!

Place the following ingredients in a blender
1 c. ice
7 fresh (medium/large) washed and hulled strawberries
1/2 c. sugar or splenda (more or less depending on your taste)
1/2 t. vanilla
3 c. milk

Blend all ingredients together and serve.

April Fool's Day Link

I ran across this blog posting for April Fool's Day foods last year and couldn't wait to try it out this year. It took me a while to find it today, but I thought I'd share it if anyone out there is looking for a fun April Fool's Day food prank.

Fondant Cream Cheese Frosting

 

This recipe goes well with the Tomato Soup Spice Cake

6 oz cream cheese
1 egg yolk
3 c. powdered sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 t. vanilla

Cream the egg yolk and cream cheese together. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla.

Frosts 1 cake

Tomato Soup Spice Cake or Husband Cake

 

Talk about firing me - I came across this photo and realized that I planned to post this recipe over a year ago!

This recipe is known by two different names. Tomato Soup Spice Cake, and Husband Cake. Many thanks to my friend Darlene who handed me down this recipe. She received it from her mother, who received it from her mother. That said, this recipe is egg free, and can be prepared entirely from food storage ingredients!

¾ c. shortening
1 ½ c. sugar
1 c. tomato soup
¾ c. water
1 t. soda
3 c. flour
¾ t. salt
1 T. baking powder
1 ½ t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
½ t. nutmeg
1 ½ c. raisins
1 ½ c. chopped nuts

In a mixing bowl combine shortening, soup, and water together. In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients and then add to the shortening mixture. Stir in nuts and raisins. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350* for approximately an hour.

Once cooled, top with Fondant Cheese Frosting
Garnish with red and green maraschino cherries for a festive Christmas cake.

Creamy green chile corn

 

I just realized that I seem to have lots of friends named Maria. One of my Maria friends taught me how to make this about 12 years ago. I forgot about it until last week when I needed to make dinner for a friend who was moving and needed something with a little variety to spice up their dinner. While not technically the healthiest, this is a comfort food at our home.

3 cans corn (drained)
8 oz. cream cheese
2-4 cans dice green chiles (or 1/2 c. freshly roasted)
Cumin to taste

Place corn in pan on medium heat and add cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese has melted and corn is heated through. Mix in green chiles and cumin to taste.

Berry Morning Muffins

 

Last month a friend brought these delicious muffins over along with the recipe for my family. I came across the recipe while cleaning yesterday and realized that I need to do better about spoiling my family a little bit.
Here's my adaptation of the recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand this morning.

1 cup berries (macerated in 2 T. sugar)
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 ripe banana (mashed)
2 eggs
1/4 c. olive oil (or applesauce)
1 T. lemon juice
1 c. chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl, mix banana, eggs, oil, sugar, strawberries, and lemon juice.
Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt to other mixture and gently mix all at once. Do not overmix.
Fold in walnuts.

Scoop into muffin liners in muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired.
Bake 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Makes approx. 12-18 muffins.

Broccoli, Grape, and Bacon Salad

 

I'm not a broccoli fan. YES - I know it is great for you healthwise, but I've just never loved it. Ironically though, I LOVE this broccoli salad. My mom started making this when I was a teenager, and I still love it. My daughter had 5, yes five helpings of this the other night. She just couldn't get enough. I do have to brag that while a local restaraunt in our area that makes this salad, mine is SO much better, and this is such an awesome salad. The raw broccoli has a fantastic crunch while the grapes and sauce add a sweet tang contrasting beautifully with the crisp bacon and onion.

As many of my recipes, I learned how to make this at my mother's elbow. As such, the quantities are approximations (use more or less depending on how many servings you need). I continue to adjust until I'm satisfied with the taste. Sunflower seeds, apple chunks, pineapple chunks, a pinch of kosher or sea salt, and freshly ground pepper could also be added to this salad for variation.

1 to 2 heads broccoli (washed) (florets make this much quicker)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 to 2 cups seedless grapes, washed and halved
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1-2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1-3 t. sugar (to taste)

Using cutting board, cut broccoli into bite-size pieces.
Combine broccoli, halved grapes, onion, and crumbled bacon pieces in large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, ginger, nutmeg, and 1 t. sugar. Slowly add vinegar, mixing until it reaches a buttermilk like consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it still tastes like mayo, continue to add more vinegar and small amounts of sugar until it becomes tangy and slightly sweet.

Mix into broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately.


Time saving tip: Using broccoli florets and pre-cooked bacon (available at Costco) considerably cuts down on the prep time.

Fruit Pizza with Sugar Cookie Crust

 

My college roommate introduced me to this twist on a sugar cookie many years ago.
My kids decided they wanted a pizza dinner last night so we made personal pizzas and then a fruit pizza for dessert. While you can use ANY type of fruit, we used mangos and love, love, loved how their creamy texture mixed right in with the frosting and cookie crust.

Sugar Cookie Dough or 1 pkg. pre-made sugar cookie dough
1 mango julienned
8 sliced fresh strawberries
grapes, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple etc.

Roll cookie dough out onto pizza pan.
Bake at 350* for 16-20 minutes (until dough is thoroughly cooked.)
Allow to cool for approx. 30 minutes.
Frost with cream cheese frosting (below) and arrange fruit on top.
Refrigerate and chill for at least one hour.

(*Note - In the above picture I used prepared sugar cookie dough. I recommend a pizza pan with a lip on the edge as during the baking process the prepared dough melted and dripped right off of my pizza stone to the bottom of my oven.)


Cream Cheese Frosting
1-2 c. powdered sugar (depending on sweetness desired)
10 oz. cream cheese
1 t. vanilla

In mixing bowl, mix cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in powdered sugar, and vanilla.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Thanks to my friend Lara who shared this recipe with me years ago.
1 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
4 c. flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder

Cream sugar and shortening.
Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Chill 1 hour.
The dough will be very sticky so use lots of flour when rolling them out. Roll to approx. 1/4"
Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375* (a few more minutes at high altitude.)

Horchata - Guatemalan/Mexican Rice Milk Beverage

Horchata (pronounced or - cha - tuh) is a traditional drink made from rice and found in many latin american countries. While some horchatas are served hot, with chocolate, or with cooked rice, this is the basic recipe.

Thanks goes out (again) to my dear friend Maria for teaching me how to make this treat that is an all time family favorite that my kids LOVE.

Please read all the way through as this is a tough recipe to share as a lot of it is just learned and is a bit tricky to explain. Note that this recipe can and should be made to taste. Therefore, more or less sugar, and more or less water depending on your preferences.


Ingredients
1.5 cups rice
3 c. water
1 t. cinnamon
1 can evaporated milk
1 t. vanilla
Water
Ice

Gallon size pitcher

Place rice, 3 c. water and cinnamon in blender and blend for approx. 5 - 10 minutes (depending on your blender) until only 1/4 - 1/2 cup of rice granules settle at the bottom of blender when allowed to rest for a minute.

Strain mixture into a gallon pitcher and set aside remaining rice granules.

Turn on faucet and WHILE adding water, add 1 can evaporated milk to pitcher. Fill pitcher until 3/4 full.

Add approx 3 cups water to the blender and swish around. Add 1 to 1.5 c. sugar and 1 t. vanilla and stir or lightly blend to mix.

Pour mixture from pitcher into blender, then turn around and pour blender mixture into pitcher. Repeat several (7 to 10) times, back and forth to thoroughly mix. Taste and add more water or sugar to taste (if it tastes a little chalky add more water. If too watery, add remaining rice granules to 1/2 c. water, blend, then strain and add to mixture.)

Add ice, chill and serve.

Valentine Pancakes

I was trying to rush my kids out the door this morning and didn't have much time to take photos of the food before it disappeared. Please forgive the presentation!

 

I got creative with my kid's breakfast this morning.
If you are looking for a simple and inexpensive twist for Valentine's Day for your children, pink pancakes just may be your solution!

To make these I made my normal pancakes, and added a bit of red food coloring - adjusting it until I liked the color.

I poured the pancakes out in heart shapes and then pulled out the cookie decorating sprinkles. We used the red colored sugar sprinkles and the mulit-colored little balls (my kid's favorites).

Serve with berry syrup and garnish with strawberries!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

 

Looking for a simple yet elegant Valentines Day treat? These chocolate covered strawberries only take about 10 minutes to prepare and always seem to instantly disappear.

Fresh strawberries
1 c. chocolate chips
1 to 2 T. shortening


Gently wash strawberries and pat dry using paper towel.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave at 50% power for 1-3 minutes. After the first minute, check and stir every 30 seconds until chips are completely melted - be careful not to let them scorch.

Holding onto the stem, dip strawberries - covering as desired, and place on a piece of waxed paper or foil. As chocolate cools it will harden. White chocolate chips may be melted in the same fashion and drizzled over the strawberries for a decorative effect as well.

Mexican Breakfast Eggs

 

I have an aunt who is originally from Mexico and she always made these eggs for her kids. Back in college, my cousins taught me how to make these. My favorite thing about these eggs is the tortillas - they offer a great flavor and add a fantastic crunchy crispness to the eggs.

I've never had a actual 'written down' recipe for these - you just sort of make them. As such, this recipe greatly varies based on what is in the fridge and mostly by how many I am cooking for. The approximations here serves approx. 4-6.


8 corn tortillas
6 eggs - slightly beaten
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 minced clove of garlic
2 small tomatoes - diced
2 T. olive oil
salt to taste
shredded cheese
cumin, chili powder, black pepper etc.


Place tortillas in a stack on cutting board and cut into 1 inch squares with a large knife or pizza cutter. Toss into heated olive oil. Season with salt and continue to cook and stir until well toasted.

Add tomatoes, onions, and garlic and lightly cook for a minute or so.

Add eggs and seasonings and using spatula, continue to stir until the eggs are cooked.

Garnish with cheddar cheese.

Banana Berry Bread Pudding

 

This is such a quick, simple, and satisfying comfort food and chances are you already have everything on hand.
I found my original recipe for this twelve years ago. Then I tweaked it just a little bit and made it mine. My youngest child told me this was "amazing mom". What more can I say? Well - I think it is very pretty too. Aesthetically pleasing is always a plus.

4 cups cubed day-old French or Sourdough bread (1-in. pieces)
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 sliced firm banana (1/4-inch pieces)
1 cup mixed berrie (fresh or frozen)

SAUCE:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour melted butter over bread and toss to coat. Place coated bread in sprayed 9X13" baking dish. Gently distribute berries and bananas over the bread cubes and set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour over bread cubes and fruit. Allow to sit for a few minutes so that the bread begins to soak up the egg mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan. Combine sugar and cornstarch; add to butter. Stir in milk and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla. Serve warm sauce over warm pudding. Yield: 6 servings.

Tammi's Chicken Pot Pie

I know, it has been quite a while since my last post. Life just seems to happen and keep flying by.

A month or so ago I had surgery and afterwards several dear friends kindly brought my family dinner. Thank you all - it was wonderful!

My kids are still talking about the Chicken Pot Pie, so I decided I should get the recipe and surprise my family with it. I do need to preface this, in that in the past I have tried several different recipes yet, to my disappointment we haven't loved how they turned out. As such, I'm grateful to my friend for the recipe. I've got this on the menu for next week so I'll post a photo once I make it!

2 Refrigerated pie crusts
10 oz. COOKED frozen or fresh veggies (your choice of whatever you'd like - we like green beans, peas, onions, carrots, and maybe mushrooms, but whatever is on hand).
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of potato soup
3/4 can of milk (use the soup can to measure this)
1 can of chicken or turkey (or 8-16 oz. cooked and cubed chicken or turkey)

Place pie crust bottom in pie plate. Mix vegetables, soups, milk, and meat together. Pour into pie crust and cover with remaining pie crust.

Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes or until the pie crust is browned and vegetables are heated thoroughly.

Hot Chocolate Mix / Hot Cocoa Mix

 

I have a sneaking suspiscion that my kids don't REALLY like to go out and play in the snow. I've found that their TRUE love is the warm and comforting steaming cup of hot chocolate which awaits them as they emerge from their winter wonderland - and whipping cream on top just puts them in heaven.

Yet another famous SAA recipe from my sister in law, this recipe makes an awful lot of hot chocolate mix. While my husband pointed out that it might be cheaper from the store - it might, but then again, I don't know anyone who really loves the prepackaged stuff. The creamer makes it very rich and the powdered sugar makes it velvety smooth. This stores great in a tupperware in the pantry all season long!

11 c. powdered milk
5 c. Creamora or Coffeemate
5 1/2 c. Nesquik
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. cocoa

Sift all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

Hot Pepper Jelly from Taste of Home

We share this with our close friends and neighbors at Christmas each year, and it always gets rave reviews. We love the spicy contrast of this jelly the most when poured over a brick of cream cheese and served with crackers, or on a bagel or toast with cream cheese. This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe I found several years ago in a Taste of Home magazine. 

1-1/2 cups white vinegar
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into wedges
1-2 jalapeno peppers (depending on desired heat and pepper size)
6 cups sugar, divided
2 pouches (3 ounces each) liquid fruit pectin
1/2 tsp. butter (optional)

Place vinegar and peppers in a high powered blender; cover and puree.

Add 3 cups sugar; blend well. Place fine mesh strainer over saucepan, and strain while pouring into saucepan. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to move mixture into the saucepan. Discard strainer contents. 

Stir the remaining sugar into the mixture in the saucepan and bring mixture to a boil.

Stir in pectin and return to a rolling boil over high heat.

Add butter to reduce foaming. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat; skim off foam.

Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust lids.

Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: approximately 5-7 half-pints.

Notes: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching face or other sensitive areas.

The processing time listed is for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. Add 1 minute to the processing time for each 1,000 feet of additional altitude.

What's been cooking lately

While December is traditionally a busy month, I was down at the beginning of the month due to an unexpected surgery.

While I wasn't sure if I'd get all of my Christmas cooking done, my sister showed up and helped out. Here are links to the gifts we gave this year to our neighbors and friends:

Hot Pepper Jelly and Wheat Bread
Caramels
Almond Bark
Pumpkin Bread

Yamples or Yams and Apples

This recipe also came from my sister in law, but we re-named it from Yams and Apples to "Yamples". I grew up as a die hard candied yam girl. Just didn't want them any other way. A couple of years ago however, my sister in law made these for Thanksgiving and I became converted. No more candied yams for me - these babies are the best! I think the sauce was the final factor in my conversion. I can't wait until Thanksgiving!

5 small to medium sized yams (or 2 cans)
5-7 apples
Butter
Cinnamon

Cook yams until tender (in boiling water). Cool and peel, and then slice. Peel and slice apples into 1/4" wedges. Place one layer of yams into a 9x13 baking dish, then dot with butter. Add a layer of apples, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Continue layering until all yams and apples have been used.

Sauce:
1 c. sugar or honey
2 c. water
1/2 c. butter
3 T. cornstarch
1 t. salt (optional - but I think you need it)

Mix ingredients together in medium sized pan and heat and stir until bubbly and thickened. Pour over the top of the yams and bake for 45 minutes at 350*.

Julie's Homemade Cranberry Sauce

My sister in law made this for Thanksgiving several years ago and while I was skeptical at first (really - raisins and nuts?) my family LOVES this cranberry sauce. I haven't made it yet this year, so a picture will follow possibly some time next week.

Combine:
1 package cranberries
3 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. raisins
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves

Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until cranberries pop and thicken.
Add 1/3 c. walnuts if desired.

Canned Tomatoes

Every time I set out to make tomatoes, I have to hunt down my recipe - which is ironic because the only thing I need the recipe for is to remember how much lemon juice, salt and sugar I need! Since it frosted in September, I picked all of my green tomatoes (and the little baby ones) and placed them in my garage to ripen. Today I may have finished my last batch! I'll post a photo once they come out of the canner.

Here's my basic recipe:
Tomatoes
Jars
Lids
Lemon juice
Salt
Sugar


Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30-60 seconds or until the skins split. Immediately dip into cold water. Use sharp knife to cut out the stem and peel off the skin. Cut off any discolored or bruised portions.

Pack into warm sterile quart jars.
Add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar to each jar. Add boiling water, filling within a 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Insert a non-metalic instrument, (ie. wooden spoon handle etc.) between the tomatoes and the jar to release any air bubbles.

Wipe the jar rim with a clean damp paper towel.

Place heated lid and ring on jar, screwing on until fingertip tight.

Process for 60 minutes in boiling water bath, or 15 minutes in pressure canner with 15 lbs weight (high altitude times and weight).

Remove from water and cool for 12-24 hours on towel on counter before moving.

Beth's Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies (High Altitude)

You'd never believe I found these at my daughter's Halloween class party. There they were, sitting in a large tupper-ware container looking perfect. I snagged one, and was really blown away. I noted the mother's name from the tupper-ware lid and set on a quest to find the recipe. That mother then referred me to another mother from whom she'd requested the recipe. I started using other recipes, trying to duplicate these cookies, but they just never turned out as perfectly as Beth's had. I cornered Beth's daughter and demanded her phone number and then begged her for her recipe. I am thrilled that they turned out just as I hoped. My chocolate chip cookie quest has finally ended.

 

In my estimation, these cookies really are the perfect chocolate chip cookie - they are just a tiny bit crisp on the outside, yet soft and luscious on the inside - absolutely delightful. Beth instructs liberality - when you think they may be just a little too decadent - add more. That's her secret.

 

In a Mixer Combine:
1 ¼ C Brown Sugar
¾ C Butter Flavor Crisco (I use the cubes)
2 TBSP Milk
1 TBSP Vanilla extract
Mix ingredients

Add:
1 Egg and mix again

In a Separate Bowl combine:
1 ¾ C Flour
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix
Add white and semi-sweet chocolate chips (more is better!)

350 degrees 8-10 minutes (I use stoneware, so check often if you use a regular cookie sheet)
Immediately remove from pan/stone and allow to cool on cooling racks.
Note that this is a high altitude recipe for 6,000+ ft. Use approximately 1/4 c. less flour for lower altitudes.

Blueberry Breakfast Casserole

This is a favorite casserole we sometimes make for Christmas morning. The best part is that it is all made the night before, and it cooks away filling the house with warm comforting aromas while we enjoy the morning together.

12 slices Texas toast bread or day old French bread
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 c. milk
1/3 c. maple syrup

Sauce:
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. water
1 c. blueberries
1 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of nutmeg

Cube bread into 1/2" cubes. Spread 1/2 the bread cubes into a 9x13 baking dish. Cut cream cheese into small chunks over bread. Add blueberries, and then remaining bread. In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, and syrup. Pour over bread and chill for 8 hours.

Heat oven to *350. Cook for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes.

Sauce
Whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium/small pan.
Add water and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes until thick. Stir blueberries into mixture and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add butter, then vanilla and nutmeg.

Serve sauce over casserole