We are skipping December,

so we can all have a holiday break.

Happy cooking and

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Coming up in January-

Healthy Foods that Taste GOOD!!!

Hot & Cold Drinks and Holiday Treats (Nov. 2009)

Christmas Punch

Kori Archibald

1 C. (6 oz.) frozen limeade made as directed on can

3 C. Sugar

8 C. water

Mix all ingredients together and freeze. Serve with Sprite and float lime slices and marashino cherries on top.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Karen Burnside

1 C. butter, softened

1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar

3/4 C. sugar

1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

4 C. flour

2 C. quick-cooking oats

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C. butterscotch chips (or more per taste)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 min. or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Pear Punch

Elizabeth Champion

3 cans Kerns pear nectar (I found at Safeway)

2 liters lemon lime soda

1 pear

fresh mint leaves

Mix together chilled nectar and soda.

Garnish with pear slices and fresh mint leaves.

Russian Refresher

Nancy Holladay

This recipe is from the Make A Mix Cookbook, but with a couple of changes as noted:

2 cups powdered orange drink mix (I use Tang)
1 (3 oz.) pkg. presweetened powdered lemonade mix (or enough powdered lemonade mix to make 2 quarts)

1 1/3 cups sugar (I have made this without any extra sugar and it's fine, I did use 1 Cup for the Test kitchen)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well. Put in 1 quart airtight container, label, and store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months (it can get hard if moisture gets in).

Use about 3 tsp. of mix (adjust to your taste, use less if you left out the sugar) to 1 cup hot water and stir to dissolve.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake

Robin Kalcic

1 C. packed light brown sugar

1 C. sugar

1 1/2 C. oil

3 eggs

3 C. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 salt

5 Washington Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/4 C. chopped pecans or walnuts

2 1/4 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Glaze:

4 Tb. butter

1/4 C. sugar

1/4 C. light brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 C. heavy cream

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Use 9 x 13 inch pan.

Beat both sugars and oil in mixing bowl until very well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift togethr flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to eggs, mixing just until blended. Stir in apples, pecans, and vanilla; pour into pan.

Bake for 50-75 min. Then cool.

To prepare glaze, melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in both sugars and salt; cook over medium-low heat for 2 min. Add cream and boil for 2 min., stirring constantly.

Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or toothpick. Pour on the glaze. Serve warm or at room temp. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Makes 12 servings.

Carmel Cereal Mix(demo)

Heidi Little

In a bowl combine:

6 C. popped pop corn

4 C. each of Kixs, Cheerios, & Chex Cereal(rice or corn)

Boil for 3 min:

1 Lb. butter

2 C. Light corn Syrup

4 C. brown sugar

Remove from heat, add 1 tsp vanilla then pour boiled mixture over cereal and toss to coat cereal. Then spread mixture onto 2 greased jelly roll pans and bake @250 degrees for 1 hour. Spread baked mixture onto slightly pammed foil sheets to cool on counter top. Mix will be runny and hot! Cool mixture and store in air tight containers.

Cheese Ball

Heidi Little

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup butter

Worcestershire sauce(to taste)

1 Tbs grated onion

1/2 tsp garlic (chopped)

Mix together and roll in nuts, parsley, or chopped ham. Chill and serve.

Toffee

Heidi Little

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line a jelly roll baking sheet with foil and butter generously, then place single layer of graham crackers to cover buttered foil. Cook on stove top 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup butter, boiling for 2 min. Pour cooked mixture over graham crackers and bake for 6 min. then remove from oven and sprinkle with 12 oz. package chocolate chips. Return to oven until chips have softened and then spread evenly. Refrigerate to hasten hardening/peal off foil when chocolate is set, store in freezer or refrigerate.

Peppermint Cookies

Wendy & Czarina Pellissier

1 and 1/2 sticks butter

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. splenda

1/4 t. peppermint flavoring

2 egg whites
2 1/2 c. flour

1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda

12 small candy canes, crushed (1/2 cup) I crush mine using the "Ultimate Chopper" which is a

small food processor type unit.

Chill dough until firm. Place walnut-sized rounds of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet. You may want to roll them in your hands to make them round. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 min. Cool on cookie sheet before you remove them. When they are completely cool, they can be put in ziplocks and put in freezer.

Mock Champagne

Jessica Skubal

white grape juice

ginger ale or Sprite

apple juice or spiced cidar

Mix equal amounts of juice in punch bowl.

Next Test Kitchen

November 11th @ 7 pm

Hot or Cold Drinks &

Holiday Treats

Comfort Foods (October 2009)

Doug Beck’s Rolls

Fresh ground whole wheat
Bread flour

(Doug never measures his flour because he judges by the consistency of the dough, but to start, add 1 C of the fresh ground wheat which makes about 2 C of whole wheat flour and then 3 C of bread flour—not bleached flour)

1 C sugar (4 handfuls)
1 TB salt
½ C warm water with 2 TB yeast
½--1 cube butter
1 C milk
2 ¼ C hot water
3 large eggs

Place 2 TB yeast in the ½ C warm water with 1 TB sugar in a small bowl and let sit until frothy. (This will let you know how active your yeast is, and you can make adjustments.)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, add large eggs, do not mix eggs yet. Bring butter and milk to a boil and place in bowl. Add 2 ¼ C hot water to milk/butter bowl. Then pour into large bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well, then add yeast mixture. Continue to mix and add flour until dough is very moist and soft, but clings together. Pour it onto a very floured surface to knead. Add flour slowly working it in with your buttered hands. They more the dough is worked with your hands, the better it will be. After kneading, roll out the dough until about 3/8” thick and cut into circles. (The top of a drinking cup 3”-31/2” works great.) Doug says that you can tell if it is good dough if it pulls away when it is cut. Fold circles in half and place in buttered pan very close together. Let rise in warm room (Doug places his rolls in Judy’s back car window!) until they have risen to the top of the pan(usually 2 times their size).


Cook between 360-365 degrees for about 20 min. Metal pans will require a shorter amount of time. When they are done, remove them immediately from the pan so they do not sweat and become soggy.

Denece Johnson’s Rolls
Megan Bodily

In mixing bowl:
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons yeast

In large measuring bowl:
4 cups warm milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon salt

4 large eggs
5 lbs flour
1-2 cups mashed potatoes (lukewarm)

In the mixing bowl, add yeast to water. Let yeast activate while preparing the milk mixture. Warm milk in the microwave, then add sugar, oil, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add milk mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix slightly. Add eggs and half the flour. Add mashed potatoes. Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls from the sides of the mixing bowl. Keep mixing until the dough is smooth (it will still be a bit sticky). Place dough in a large greased bowl and let rise double (usually about 2 hours, depending on heat). Punch down and roll into ball to make rolls. Let rise again to double. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, butter tops of rolls, and let cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon rolls:
After punching down the dough, roll it out onto a greased surface, about ½ inch thick. Spread softened butter on to dough, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon (optional: nuts, raisins, chocolate chips). Fold into thirds, slice, twist, knot and place on greased cookie sheet. Let cinnamon rolls rise to double. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, then add icing.

Icing recipe:
1 package powdered sugar
1 cube softened butter (never melted)
1 tsp vanilla
Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to preferred consistency

Pumpkin-Clove Pound Cake
Anne Epperson

This recipe is broken into three segments; dry, liquid and creaming

Dry
2 ¾ c. unbleached all purpose flour
¼ cup turbinado sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp vanilla powder
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice

(Notes: turbinado sugar is a very course sugar found in the many grocery stores. Vanilla powder can be found at Railey’s on the spice aisle. Both can be purchased online.)

Liquid
15 oz canned pumpkin
5 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp raw honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Creaming
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
2 ½ cups + 2 Tbsp extra-fine granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 yolks

(Cold eggs work best for this recipe, do not bring them to room temp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl sift the flour, add the turbinado sugar, baking powder, vanilla powder, salt, cloves and allspice. Whisk for 10 seconds, set aside.

In another bowl add the pumpkin, heavy cream, honey and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, set aside.

Crack eggs into bowl (this prevents shells from getting into the mix. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and extra-fine sugar on medium low for 3 minutes, this helps to aerate this dense cake.

Add one egg at a time followed by the yolks, fully incorporate after each addition.
Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients alternating with the liquid in 3 – 5 additions each, start with the dry ingredients and end with the dry ingredients. Move swiftly through this process, do not wait for all to be incorporated before adding the next. This should take a total of 60 seconds.

Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl, mix on medium for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pan(s), use baking spray or liners.
Bundt pan bake for 50 – 60 minutes
Cupcakes bake for 25 – 30 minutes
9 in round bake for 30 – 55 minutes

Spoon the batter into the selected pan and smooth out, do not fill more the ¾ full. Use remaining batter for cupcakes.

The cake is done when the top does not giggle and when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with very little crumbs. Place pan on a wire rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let rest until cooled.

White Chunk Fudge
Becky Foulk

6 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/3 cups evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
14 oz. mini marshmallows1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt

Combine sugar, butter, salt and milk in heavy 5 quart saucepan; bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in marshmallows until melted. Add all chocolate chips and vanilla. Beat until blended. Pour into greased 10 x 16-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Makes 6 pounds.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mariah Garcia

Mix in small bowl:
2 ¼ C flour
1t baking soda
1t salt

Mix in large bowl:
1 Stick of butter
2 Eggs
1t vanilla extract
¾ C Brown sugar
¾ C Sugar
12 oz Semi sweet choc chips

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time. I find it easier to do this by hand. Drop dough onto cookie sheet and bake at °375 for 8-10 minutes.

Pasta Fagiole (Ron Pimentel) Prep time 30 minutes
Nancy Holladay

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
6 cubes beef bouillon in 5 cups of water
2 14.5oz cans Italian style stewed tomatoes, with juice
1 15.5oz can kidney beans, with juice
8 oz salad macaroni
6 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbls basil leaves, chopped
2 teas oregano leaves, chopped
1 teas chili powder
Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef along with chopped onion in large Dutch oven. Drain. Add bouillon cubes, water, garlic, basil, oregano, chili powder, carrots, and celery and bring to boil. Let simmer until vegetables are nearly tender enough. Add tomatoes and kidney beans (with juice from both), and pasta. Cook until pasta is ready. Serve in bowls with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 8

1. My family doesn’t like the chunks of tomato, so I always run my stewed tomatoes through the blender before adding to the soup.
2.The soup thickens as it stands or is stored (the water is absorbed by the pasta mostly). So if you are preparing it ahead of time – you may want to wait to add the pasta when you are preparing to serve it. Or – If it gets too thick (more like a thick stew), I add more (from the blender) stewed Italian tomatoes.

Clam Chowder
Gayle Hollingshaus

2 6 ½ oz. cans minced clams or ¾ lb. fresh clams
1 qt. milk

Cut and cook:
1 C celery chopped- 1 ½ tsp salt
1 C onion chopped – ½ tsp sugar
6 C potatoes diced- pinch of pepper
Drain clams and pour juice from clams over the chopped vegetables. Add enough water just to cover. Cook until tender.

Melt ¾ C margarine and add ¾ C flour. Cook 1 min. Add milk to sauce and cook until creamy. Add to cooked vegetables and add clams and seasonings.
(3 times recipe with Costco can of clams)

Guacamole Dip
Heidi Little

Avocadoes x 3
Pico de gallo Salsa to taste
Garlic salt
Lemon juice
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Mac-N-Cheese

Stephanie Luster

Need:

2 packages of shell pasta

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup milk

2 cups of cheese (any varieties work but always use a sharp cheddar for 1 cup)

Boil 2 packages of shell pasta as directed

Drain

Return to hot pot

Stir in 1/2 cup butter

Stir in approx. 1/3 cup milk (to desired creaminess)

Stir in 2 total cups of cheese:

Mix any 2-3 cheeses

I usually use 1 cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup Monterrey jack, and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Stir until butter and cheese are melted. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle salt and pepper if desired. Broil until cheese on top is brown and slightly crispy. Serve.

Lentil Soup
Stephanie Luster

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1cup chopped carrot
1 cup of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped
3/4 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 jar salsa
7 cups of water
6 tsp of Knorr chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin

Directions:
Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, kale and 1 cup water to sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, salsa, remaining water, bouillon, chili powder, and cumin and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes: You can add more water/bouillon if you want it soupier. Also, you can puree it if you prefer.

I serve the soup with white corn tortilla chips when it’s hot. I save the leftovers and put it in the fridge to thicken up. I then serve the cold, thick leftovers with a dallop of sour cream as a dip with tortilla chips

Chinese Buns
Melanie Mak

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup warm water
2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm milk
3 tablespoons oil
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Mix together 2 teaspoons yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/3 cup warm water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Mix in 1 cup warm milk, flour, 3 tablespoons oil, 4 cups flour, and 1/3 cup sugar. Knead until dough surface is smooth and elastic. Roll over in a greased bowl, and let stand until double in size, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Punch down dough, and spread out on a floured board. Roll dough into long line like a snake about 1 ½ inches thick.
Use a knife to cut every ½ to ¾ inches. Place each piece that you cut on a wax paper square and put them into the cookies sheet. Let stand covered until double, about 30 minutes.

Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Transfer as many buns on wax paper as will comfortably fit into steamer leaving 1 inch between the buns. Cover steamer with lid. Steam buns over boiling water for 10 minutes.
REMOVE LID BEFORE you turn off heat, or else water will drip back onto bun surface and produce yellowish "blisters" on bun surfaces. Continue steaming batches of buns until all are cooked.
Put them on the cookies rack to cool.
Take out the wax paper at the button of the buns when they are cool and deep-fried them.
Serve with sweet condensed milk.

Note: For those who don’t like deep-fried food, you can eat the buns with sweet condensed milk without deep fried them.

German Chocolate Spice Cake
Wendy and Czarina Pellissier

1 box German Chocolate cake mix
follow ingredients on back of box

add 1 t. cinnamon
and 1/2 t. nutmeg

Bake in Bundt pan at 350 for approx. 40 min.
Cool 10 min. and then invert on platter

Bean Dip
Jessica Skubal

1 small can of refried beans
1 small can of Chili
¼ of a yellow onion
½ block of Cream cheese
1 cup or so of Cheese
Green Taco Sauce-La Victoria
Pace Picante Sauce
Sour cream
Tomatoes
Garlic salt

Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl and stir very well. Then heat up in microwave until cheese is melted and hot. Then put in last 3 ingredients. Serve with Chips or flour tortillas.

Crab Pasta Salad
Cathy Taylor

Salad:
8 oz. uncooked macaroni, or similar pasta
16 oz. crumbled "crab" meat (I use imitation crab meat.)
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
1/4 C. of parsley (or about 2 Tbsp. of the dry stuff)

Dressing:
3/4 C. Mayonnaise
3/4 C. Plain Yogurt (I like to use full fat yogurt, but you can also use Greek Style.)
1/3 C. Chili Sauce
3 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard.

Cook and drain macaroni/pasta. Combine all salad ingredients. Mix together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Stir to combine.

Disclaimer: I guess-ti-mate all ingredient measures

-October-(French onion soup)

It's all about Fall

Comfort Foods

(stews)

Just ask yourself, "what kind of food makes me feel good?"(Chili)

Canning & Dehydrating (Aug. 2009)

1. White Donut Peach 2. Yellow Peach 3. Yellow Plum 4. Green Plum
5. Purple Plum 6. Red Plum 7. Sugar Plum 8. Yellow Nectarine 9. White Nectarine 10. Pluot 11. Apricots 12. Sweet Cherries 13. White Cherries
14. Sour Cherries

Canning Fruit
Elizabeth Champion (received from Trish McCoy)

PEACH TYPES & SUGAR AMOUNTS
1. Rio Oso = soft consistency
a. No Sugar = little tart
b. 1/4 c. sugar = good
c. 1/3 c. sugar = good, little sweet

BEGINNING PREPARATION

1. Total start to finish (with clean jars) 30 lbs = 15 jars = 3 1/2 hours

2. Buy sugar and fruit.
Peaches are ready the end of July or beginning of August. 8/98 paid $.60 / lb picked
Fay Elberta = tart but firm for canning
Rio Oso = sweet and firm but hard to find and late season
On peach box from Trish: Weststeyn’s, 22563 So. Highland Ave, Ripon, CA 95366 599-3193, Freestone Peaches

3. Wash jars and rings in dishwasher. Wash canner.

4. Run finger on top of jars to check for chips. Throw away jar if chip found.

5. Buy new seals for jars, new jars and rings if needed.
Do not use old mayonnaise, pickle, etc. jars.
Ball brand and wide mouth are best.
“OK” to use last year’s unused seals. Inspect to make sure no rust.

PEACH PREPARATION

1. Fill medium pan with water and bring to boil.
2. Put 4 peaches in boiling water about 20-30 seconds until peels loosen.
3. Remove from water with tongs, place in bowl of cold water.
4. Peel, quarter and remove pit. Get a large bowl full then place in jars.
5. 40 peaches = 20 lbs = 9 qts. = 1 hour to peel, cut, put in jars and add sugar.

CANNING

1. Fill canner half way with water, start on high and bring to boil. (Maria’s pot takes about 40 min and holds 10-11 qts.)
2. Fill small pan with water and boil lids. Keep at simmer.
Trish has used after water has cooled and still “OK”.
“OK” to use unused boiled lids next year but make sure they are completely dry before storing, to prevent rust.
3. Fill medium pot full of water and bring to boil.
4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar to each jar filled with peaches.
5. Place filled jars on bath towel to prevent breaking when hot water added.
6. Fill jar to bottom rim with hot water.
7. Put spatula down each side of jar to remove bubbles.
8. Add more water if needed so will come to bottom rim.
9. Wipe rim with clean washcloth. Use new cloth if can again the next day.
10. Use tongs and place lid on jar. Screw on ring -- finger tight.
11. Put jars in canner, cover with water one inch over tops of jars, bring to boil and boil for 10-12 minutes.
12. Remove jars to new bath towel by lifting jars at bottom rim. Do not lift at ring or could disturb seal.
13. Let cool over night but not in draft.
14. In the morning check to see if all jars sealed. Lids will not have any play in them. Do not retighten rings.
15. If not sealed, must reprocess.
16. If sealed, wipe outside well with wet cloth, date and store.

“OK” = not recommended but Trish has done and seems to work fine


Pop Tarts (really they are Filbert Bars with no Filberts)
Jaci Fairbanks

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup softened currant or raspberry jelly
Meringue Topping (below)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, sugar and egg yolk. Blend in flour. Press in bottom of ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches.

Bake 10 minutes. Spread with jelly, then with topping. Bake 20 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. Cool slightly. Cut into bars, about 2x1 inch. If topping sticks to knife, dip knife into hot water occasionally.

32 cookies

Meringue Topping

1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Beat egg white until foamy. Add cinnamon. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time: continue beating until stiff and glossy.

Oven Baked Tomatoes
Becky Foulk

Sliced tomatoes from your garden
Fresh, chopped basil
Sea salt
Fresh, chopped garlic (or garlic salt or powder)
Olive oil
Fresh grated parmesan

Place sliced tomatoes on baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle basil, salt, garlic, then parmesan over the tops of tomatoes. Broil for 8-10 minutes.

Pesto for Pasta
Mariah Garcia

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup firmly packed fresh parsley, stems removed

½ cup parmesan cheese (I use the stuff in the green bottle)

¼ cup pine nuts

1 clove of garlic

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup of olive oil give or take

Chopped Tomatoes and cubed mozzarella cheese.

12-24 oz of pasta depending on how much pesto you like.

1. In food processor add all ingredients except olive oil and processtill paste forms. With machine running, add olive oil until the pesto is likesoft butter.

2. Mix the pesto with your cooked pasta, add tomatoes and cheese.

3. Enjoy cold or warm.

BOYSENBERRY FREEZER JAM
Cindy Hess

Prep Time: 45 minTotal Time: 24 hr 45 min
Makes: About 7 (1-cup) containers or 112 servings, 1 Tbsp, each

3-1/2 cups prepared fruit (2 quarts fully ripe boysenberries)
1 box MCP Pectin
1 cup light corn syrup
4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

WASH and rinse containers with tight fitting lids.
CRUSH boysenberries, 1 cup at a time. (I used my food processor.)
MEASURE exactly 3-1/2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl.
MEASURE exactly 4-1/2 cups sugar into separate bowl.
STIR pectin gradually into prepared fruit. Mix thoroughly. Set aside 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.
STIR corn syrup into fruit mixture. Mix well. This prevents crystallization during freezer storage.
STIR in sugar gradually. Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy.
FILL all containers immediately, leaving 1/2-inch space at top for expansion during freezing. Immediately cover with lids.
LET STAND at room temperature 24 hours until set. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Great Jerky
Nancy Holladay

1 lb. 4lb. Lean meat, I like to use London Broil. Trim fat (fat won’t dehydrate, but will go rancid) and slice thin – about 1/8 inch. If you don’t have a slicer, ask the butcher to slice it for you.
Mix the following into a marinade:

3/4 teas. 1 Tbls. Salt

3/8 teas. 1 ½ teas. Pepper, fresh ground or fresh cracked pepper gives a stronger pepper taste

1 Tbls. 1/4 cup Brown sugar, packed

1/8 teas. 1/2 teas. Garlic powder (or 1 clove per lb of meat - garlic minced)

2 Tbls. 1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1 Tbls. 1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce

Dip each strip of meat into the marinade and put into a bowl, marinating a few hours or overnight.
Lay strips on the dehydrator screens or racks, allowing a small space between for air flow.
Put in dehydrator (on high heat if adjustable) and dry for about 4-5 hours. If slices are thicker, they will take longer to dry.
After jerky is dry, store in airtight containers. It may be kept in the freezer or on shelves (if there is much fat in it, you might prefer to store it in the freezer).

Banana Bread
Gayle Hollingshaus

4 eggs beaten

4 c. flour
1 c. margarine

2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking soda
l/2 c. buttermilk

½ tsp. salt
6 mashed bananas

1 tsp. vanilla

Bake at 350 for 17 min.

I added 3 cups of grated zucchini to this recipe. I also substitute ½ cup milk with 1 tsp. vinegar if I don’t have buttermilk.

Lyon House Zucchini Bread
Heidi Little

1 C. oil
2 C. sugar
3 eggs
3 t. vanilla
2 C. shredded raw zucchini
3 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 t. cinnamon
¼ t. baking powder
½ C. chopped nuts (optional)

Combine oil, sugar, and eggs in mixer. Blend in vanilla and zucchini. Sift dry ingredients together. Add to oil mixture and blend well. Add nuts.

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans (8x4x3), well greased and lightly floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick is clean.

Or use 3 medium loaf pans and reduce baking time about 30-40 min. Let stand in pans for 10 min. and then turn out on racks to cool.

Tip: Put on side so doesn’t flatten when cooling.

Dried Peaches & Nectarines
Wendy & Czarina Pellissier

wash peaches or nectarines and slice into 1/4" slices.

dissolve 2 T of Ascorbic Acid into 1 quart of water and soak fruit slices for 2 min in this solution.

place slices separately on drying tray

dry at 135 degrees for 5 to 8 hrs (depending on thickness of slices)
check fruit dryness after 5 hours. should be pliable but not very moist.

All About Canning
Barbara Pimental (demo)

Information of canning:
Ball canning (http://www.homecanning.com/)
How to Can
Step-by-step Fresh Preserving of High Acid Foods
Kerr Canning (http://www.kerrcanning.com/)

http://www.pickyourown.org/
How to can anything
Easy canning directions

Marinara Sauce
Jan Skubal (demo)

6 lbs. ripe tomatoes
6 cloves garlic pressed or minced
2 large onions
3 or 4 large carrots (more for sweetness)
1/3 c. salad or olive oil
2 T. dried basil
1 T. oregano
2 ½ t. salt
3/4- 1 t. pepper

Mix together, boil on lower heat and simmer stirring occasionally until thick, approx. 1 1/2 hrs.
Tip: Adjust ingredients to your liking, it will turn out fine.

Squeezo Strainer by Best Products (made in USA)

Price: $195
Manuel hand crank, stainless steel, not electric, can also get replacement parts

*Jan has been using her strainer for 40 yrs, so even though it may be pricey we know it will last for a long time.


Deluxe Roma Sauce Maker (Not made in USA)

Price: $109
Electric, and has some plastic parts, but no replacements

You can find both on:
All Seasons Homestead Helpers
http://www.homesteadhelpers.com/

Oat Bread
Teri Topham

2 c oats
4 c hot water
2 T yeast
1/2 c warm water
2 t oil
2/3 c honey
4 t salt
About 9 c flour (2-3 cups whole wheat and the rest white)

Combine the oats and hot water in the mixer bowl. Let it stand while you combine the yeast and 1/2 c warm water. Let the yeast stand until it bubbles.

Add the oil, honey, salt and half the flour to the oatmeal/water mixture. Add yeast mixture when it has bubbled. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, depending on the power of your mixer. Add enough of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Grease the bowl and the top of the dough. Cover bowl. Let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Let rest 5 minutes. Divide the dough into three large loaves or 4 small loaves. Place in slightly greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Remove loaves from the oven and rub the tops of the loaves with butter immediately.

Canning and

Dehydrating Recipes

Coming Soon

We are going to skip September, so as sisters we can make it to the Humanitarian Activity On Sept. 9th at 7 pm. Be sure to get your fleece!

There will not be

a Test Kitchen held in July.

Have a great Independence Day!

But catch us on

August 12th for canning and dehydrating!!!

Frozen Desserts (June 2009)

Jonutz Homemade Ice Cream
Deanna Jonutz (Demo)

Mix together:

4 Eggs

2 3/4 cups Sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Add:2quarts Half 'N Half

1/2 pint Whip Cream

2 cups Milk

Pour above mixture into Ice Cream Maker Cannister. Follow the directions for whatever ice Cream Maker you use. You will need Rock Salt and Ice.

GRASSHOPPER PIE
Cindy Hess(Jonna’s recipe)

24 oreo cookies, crushed with icing
¼ cup butter, melted
1 jar marshmallow cream
¼ cup milk
1 capful peppermint extract
½ pint whipping cream, whipped
green food coloring

Crush oreos and add melted butter. Press in pie tin to form crust.
Soften marshmallow cream 10-15 seconds in microwave. Mix marshmallow cream with milk, food coloring, and peppermint extract. Whip cream in separate bowl, then stir into filling mixture. Pour into pie plate. Freeze for 24 hours.

Ice Cream Cake

Wendy Pellissier

Make box cake mix in pan, cool, freeze,
then top with your favorite carton of ice cream. Just soften the ice cream in the microwave and spread over the frozen cake.
Then pop the whole thing back in the freezer. I make these a day ahead for family birthdays!
The fun is the endless combination of types of cake and ice cream that you can create!

Frozen Watermelon Sherbet

Nancy Holladay

(it doesn’t taste like watermelon, just looks like it)

Need a bowl that looks the right shape for watermelon. If it holds about 12 cups, then it will hold 2 containers of sherbet

Soften 1 container (typically 1.75 qts) of Lime Sherbet and create the “rind” by shaping it about 1” deep all through the bowl. Freeze thoroughly, reshaping as needed – if it gets to soft it won’t stay up on the sides and will need to be reshaped as it hardens.

Soften 1 container of Raspberry Sherbet and stir in about 1 – 1 ½ cups chocolate chips (depending on how many “seeds” you want). Fill in the “rind” with the raspberry sherbet. Freeze.

The longer / harder you freeze it, the easier it is to cut and serve. Cut and serve it as you would watermelon slices or wedges.

Smoothies

I make smoothies out of whatever I have available. I typically use (serves about 2):

1-2 cups of fruit
2-3 scoops of sherbet, ice cream, or frozen yogurt
4 oz or more of yogurt (whatever flavor compliments the fruit I’m using, often use vanilla)
½ cup or more of juice
6-8 ice cubes
(I have on occasion included a raw egg)

Mix in a blender until a good consistency for drinking. If it is too thick, add more juice or ice cubes. If it is too thin, add more fruit or sherbet.

If it seems to be lacking a kick of flavor, I add one tube of single serve Hawaiian Punch (like you would add to a water bottle) or similar or 2-3 Tbls of Tang. These add flavor (and sweetening) without adding liquid.

I frequently choose from the following:
Fruits: Fresh, canned or frozen - Frozen fruits work if individually frozen or in small pieces:
Peaches
Strawberries
Bananas (the brown, over-ripe ones work great!)
Mango
Plums
Apricots
Juices: I like ones with lots of flavor, sometimes I buy 12 oz cans to use
Pineapple
Apricot nectar
Mango
Orange
Apple (can lack that bite of flavor)
Strawberry puree (not sweet, but good flavor)
Raspberry puree (not sweet, but good flavor)

Peanut Butter Pie

Ashley Eyre

(This recipe is from my old roomates mom, Sheila Carlson.)

4 oz. cream cheese

1c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. Peanut butter

1/2 c. milk

9 oz. cool whip

Mix all together in a food processor or blender. Pour into graham cracker crust or oreo crust. Cover and freeze. You can also top it with chocolate chips or whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Sauce
Megan Bodily

1 Cube of Butter
1 Can "Canned Milk"
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Over medium -low heat melt Butter and Chocolate Chips
Add Milk stirring constantly, add Powdered Sugar, continue stirring until smooth,
bring to a soft boil. Let boil 2 mins. Remove from heat. Serve warm

Mexican Snowballs
Robin Kalcic (Demo)

2 pints vanilla ice cream
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cover two large baking dishes with plastic wrap, pulling so surface is taut. Drop 16 scoops of ice cream onto prepared dishes, dipping the ice-cream scoop in hot water as you work. Freeze balls until firm, at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss coconut with cinnamon. Toast, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; let cool.
Working with one ice-cream ball at a time, remove from freezer, and roll in coconut mixture; return to dish in freezer. Freeze until set, at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 day).
Helpful Hint:
To create firm scoops of ice cream that are perfect for rolling in coconut, freeze the ice-cream balls on a baking dish lined with plastic wrap.

No-Bake Oreo Ice Cream Cake
Heidi Little

First layer in 9 X 13 glass pan:

4 stacks of oreo cookies crushed for crust

Second layer:

1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream softened then spread on crust

Freeze

Third layer:

2 jars hot fudge softened (not syrup) spread over frozen ice cream

Fourth layer:

1 pint cool whip softened spread on top

Cover with plastic wrap and Freeze again.