What do you live for? I find that certain daily enterprises make life more interesting. They usually revolve around the outdoors and creative activities. It's a bit of back to the past as I have "returned to my roots" or more like my old-time hippie roots with gardening, long hair, loud music, etc. Read and enjoy.
I'm trying to make some pickles a little like those big, huge ones you can buy at the movie theater. This probably isn't it. But, it's going to come out well. I modified a pickling spice I found on the internet and ended up making waaaay too much. The extra will go into the frig and I'll be be making more pickles using it soon.
Enough fresh cucumbers for six quart jars
8 c vinegar
12 c water
1 T salt for each quart jar
1/4 c pickling spice per jar
Pickling spice
1 T ground mustard
2 T ground allspice
3 tsp coriander
4 whole cloves, grind with mortar and pestle
2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves, crumbled
combine pickling spice ingredients and add to 3 cups vinegar and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Take 1/4 c of this and add to each jar. Refrigerate remainder. Like I said, this is enough to last awhile.
Bring vinegar/water to a near boil and fill each quart jar to within 1 inch of top. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
This recipe was inspired by Root Beer Baked Beans in July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. Since I didn't have root beer, this recipe became an inspiration for my own creation.
5-6 slices fried bacon
1 c chopped homegrown onion
6 small homegrown garlic cloves, diced
about 2 lbs. dried pinto beans
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 generous T sorghum syrup
1 T chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 canned Coca-Cola
Rinse thoroughly and soak beans overnite. Add all ingredients to beans. I placed this on my smoker for several hours. Normally this works to cook them slowly, but I had to use charcoal instead of wood and it never got hot enough. Finished them on the stove and worked fine.
Here goes another one. Found the original recipe on Recipezaar. It had a 5 star rating based on 60 reviews. That's darn good. Of course, I can't leave well enough alone so I modified it anyway. I'd had my cukes soaking overnight and this called for a different soak. Didn't want to do it again, so I skipped their step. Otherwise, I'm not far off from their recipe. Here's how it's done.
Lots of homegrown cucumbers. This recipe made 15 pints.
4 c water
4 c white vinegar
4 c sugar
1 T turmeric
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp dried mustard
Rinse cukes and let drain. Slice lengthwise and pack into quart and pint jars.
Combine water, vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed and mustard. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Stir and make sure there are no chunks of spices floating around.
Pour liquid over cukes in jars. Wipe glass lip and put on your jar lids (that have been boiled, of course). Place in large pot, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes.
Store for about 3 weeks to allow flavors to mature.
Actually, 2 brisket, 2 ribs and 2 chickens. I'm using a recipe from the book BBQ USA by Steven Raichlen. AN excellent book with about 400 recipes. It's a good read, too, as he details a lot of BBQ places around the US.
I've upped the quantities for this cookout. I was still left with plenty for a whole chicken later on.
1/2 c kosher salt
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c sweet paprika
4 T chili powder
4 T black pepper
2 T onion powder
2 T garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 6-pack favorite craft beer, more if the day is hot.
Fire up the smoker and cook about 160-180. Chicken will be probably be done first. Check with a meat thermometer. I'm lacking firewood this time around, so I'll be using charcoal briquettes and adding some mesquite chips early on.
I can't believe it's been February since I last got around to making a post. Spring has been so busy I fell behind in the garden. I did a lot of mulching earlier this week so it is beginning to look better, but I don't think I'll get the production I was hoping for. More on that later. Here's the pickle recipe I found on cooks.com. They are I modified it slightly.
about 4 lbs cucumbers
2 cloves homegrown garlic in each of 12 pint jars
1/8 tsp dill in each jar
good pinch of freshly cracked black peppercorns per jar
1 small slice of homegrown jalepeno pepper per jar
5 c water
5 c apple cider vinegar
5 T salt
Soak fresh cucumbers in lightly salted water overnight. Rinse, pat dry and slice lengthwise. Those that were too long to fit into pint jars were cut to length and the all parts packed into jars.
Boil water, vinegar and salt. Pour over cucumbers in the jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let for three weeks before opening and enjoying.
I've cut a first draft of a promotional powerpoint for my biotech course this fall. Still some bugs in it, but I've got to quit before I slap this computer silly! Download Promotional PPT
We are working to thin out the contents of the frig and freezer so our creativity is being put to the test. Janelle thawed out a Kielbasa sausage for dinner and left me to come up with something edible. (Strangely, this seems to happen quite often on her off days??)
So, I went exploring the refrigerator to see what was there and I decided to try a stir-fry. Here's what I found:
1/4 of a bell pepper (slice thin)
a couple of some kind of onion (very mild; slice thin)
one medium onion (sliced)
6-8 cloves of garlic (chopped very fine)
one fennel (sliced)
some of the fennel fronds (chopped fine)
a few pieces of chives (chopped very fine)
1 can Rotel
1 can diced tomatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 c rice, cook
olive oil
Prepare the vegetables as described above. Stir fry in a few tablespoons of olive oil until slightly crisp. Set aside in a bowl.
Slice the sausage very thinly and stir fry. Add back the vegetables and add Rotel and diced tomatoes. Stir until well warmed and let simmer about 15 minutes.
Really hot salsa has a definite advantage to it: no one in the house will eat it but me, me, me!
INGREDIENTS
Several (6-8) of homegrown Anaheim peppers
Bunch (12-15 small) homegrown Ancho peppers
Several (8-10) homegrown red chili peppers
4-5 homegrown jalapeno peppers
1/2 c homegrown onion
8-10 homegrown garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T olive oil
3 T vinegar
3 pints homegrown Old German tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
Use a food processor if you have one to chop everything. Leave all the seeds in. Combine all ingredients and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours. This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups. Can some of it or refrigerate it.
I ran across a couple of good websites this morning that I thought I'd share. With all the debate about health care in this country, there may be a way to greatly reduce health care costs without major changes in the current structure of our health care system. All we have to do is convince 300 million people to eat healthy and exercise. Problem solved, heah?
In reality, there's not a snowflakes chance in hell that's ever going to happen is there? All we can do is practice these longevity habits for ourselves and hope the rest of the country enjoys the short unhealthy lives they have.
The first is Blue Zones. Researchers have identified certain areas of the world where people live unusually long lives. None of these areas seem to have a genetic advantage over the rest of us. They all have certain habits in common such as active lifestyles, healthy diets and close community relations. It's not about fad diets or "As Seen on TV" exercise gimmick thingies. It is a range of lifestyle habits. And, it all sounds like a happy life.
The second became one of my favorite sites of all time. Real Age takes information you provide and estimates what your biological age is separate from your calendar age. I'll be honest and admit it became my fave because it said I am only 45 years old! Anyone out there who is my calendar age that can beat that? Of course, some of the things I enjoy the most are things that are good for longevity: running (25+ miles a week), outdoor activities (fishing, gardening) and watching my diet (cooking healthy meals). My father lived to 86 and my mother is about to turn 94. They both stayed active all their lives. I'm working on beating that.
You get home at 6:30, everyone's hungry, what do you do? Ordering pizza will take an hour, so that's not a good answer. Try this with chicken strips. It's spice, moist, quick and nutritious.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb or more chicken breast strips
Stubb's marinade or other marinade
Bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400F.
I used some Stubb's Pork Marinade leftover from last night. It works really great on pork, but it's a little too spicey for chicken. Can't figure out why I didn't notice that on the pork. Anyway, put the chicken in a bowl, pour in the Stubb's and mix. No need to let this set. Put your bread crumbs in a 2nd bowl and drop the strips in one at a time to cover. Place in an oiled Pyrex dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Doesn't get much easier than that does it?
I don't often make sweet things. I've a very efficient digestive system that ends up storing too much of it! This is a simple PB recipe. There doesn't actually seem to be that many different ways to make PB cookies.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chunky PB
1/2 c (1 stick) butter softened
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
DIRECTIONS
Sift and combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, beat together PB, butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla.
Combine flour mix with PB mix and blend well.
Cover and place in refrigerator 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Use a teaspoon to drop cookie batter onto ungreased cookie sheet.
use a fork to flatten and make pattern over top of cookie.
I modified the recipe again. I like what I'm getting but each time, the exact makeup depends somewhat on what's available in the pantry. The quantity of honey is about right each time, about 1 part honey to 6 parts other ingredients. Last time, I tried my food dryer to dry the granola and make bars. The biggest problem with that is simply getting decent sized and shaped bars. They tend to fall apart as I formed them in my fists and I knicknamed them "seed turds" due to their size and shape. Not quite as catchey a name as Kashee, huh?
So, this time, I mixed them and packed them onto a sprayed 9X13 pan.Then I placed them in my oven overnight at 170F. This is the lowest the oven will go. To make the bars, I placed a cutting board on top, flipped the pan and hit the bottom to force out the granola. I tried cutting up the bars with a coping saw from my shop (I washed it, ok?) but that met with limited success since the pan-sized bar tended to break apart. I ended up breaking the granola into large pieces and that worked as well as anything I've tried so far. I'm still thinking up alternatives, but most things I dont' think will work. The table saw will cut too wide a swath, my band saw is broken and the Dremel tool will make too much mess. I'm open to ideas.
INGREDIENTS
3 C oats
4 T flax seed
1/3 c sunflower kernels
1 c pecan
1 c almonds
1 c unseasoned peanuts
1 c mixed dried fruit
1 c Craisons
DIRECTIONS
Chop the almonds, peanuts and fruit. I used my mini- food processor to good effect. Mix all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and add honey. It helps if someone else can add the honey slowly as you mix. Mix well, adding a little more honey until you don't see any dry spots in your granola mix.
Spray a nonstick 9X13 pan with Pam. Add the granola mix and pat down firmly. Place in oven at 170F for 12-14 hours. Remove and let cool. Figure out some way to cut up the bars and wrap in cling wrap.
I don't think Owens actually makes chili, but if they did, this would be it. Come to think of it, the company should pay me about $100,000 for this recipe! I haven't made chili in about 5 years. Last time I did, Janelle complained it was too hot and I hadn't even added any pepper, yet. I just gave up!
This recipe is a good example of making do with what you've got on hand. I didn't have any chili beef or chicken, but I did have a couple of packages of Owens Maple Sausage. It worked! Except for the severe need for 6-7 jalapenos, this is an excellent chili. Great, unique taste.
INGREDIENTS
2 lb Owens Maple Sausage
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/4 tsp oregano
1 T paprika
1 Anaheim chili pepper, home grown, chopped
3 pints homegrown and canned tomatoes
1 12-oz can tomato paste
1/2 c onions, homegrown, chopped
3 c water
2 cans kidney beans (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Brown and break up the sausage. Add all ingredients except sausage and water. Put on stove at very low heat to simmer at least 2 hours. Add water late in cooking to get your preferred thickness. Add beans about 30-40 minutes before serving.
Here' a simple recipe for good homemade chicken marinade. I used it with chicken breasts I had cut into bite-sized nuggets. After marinading a couple of hours, I stir-fried it. Serve with rice and some stir-fried veggies and you've got a real winner. It will also work great for grilled chicken. I imagine if you replace the turkey broth with beef broth or pork broth, it work just as well for beef and pork.
INGREDIENTS
skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 T white peppercorns, ground
2 tsp fennel seed, ground
8 garlic cloves, minced, homegrown
1 c turkey broth (or chicken broth), homemade
3 T Godiva Liqueur (or brandy, beer, etc.)
3 T olive oil
1 c water
DIRECTIONS
Mix dry ingredients and add to liquid ingredients. Whisk briskly. Mix in your chicken and marinade in refrigerator for one hour or more.
Just a few days ago, I made the Moroccan Beef meatballs for another dinner. I'll not repeat that recipe here, but you'll see them used. This is yet another recipe from the January Bon Apetit. I'm definitely getting my money's worth out of this magazine aren't I? I was a little short on beef bouillon for broth, using 5 cubes in 9 cups water instead of the recommended 9 cubes. Doesn't seem to have hurt it, but I can imagine it would be even richer with the recommended amount. I also used 3 real ancho chilis instead of ancho powder. It recommends a cup of zucchini which I didn't have and lastly, I had to use 1/4 cup of chopped parsley instead of cilantro. How many times have I said I don't usually follow a recipe very closely? They always seem to work, and you can make changes as you see fit to make it your own.
Did I mention that I got a mini food processor for Christmas? Makes quick work of your chopping and gives you a nice uniform chop, too.
INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (homegrown)
3 ancho chiles, chopped (homegrown) or 3 T pure ancho chile powder
2 tsp ground cumin
9 c low-salt beef broth (I used 5 cubes, recommend 9)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c minute rice
1/4 c chopped parsley for garnish
grated Parmesan and/or Mozzarella cheese for garnish
4 tortillas, sliced into strips and fried for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in large pot and saute onion and garlic. Saute about 3 minutes. Add chopped chile peppers and cumin and saute about another minute. Add broth and oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir in rice. Add meatballs one at a time and simmer around 20 minutes
Cut tortillas into strips and fry in a few tablespoons of olive oil till brown.
Garnish with strips, parsley and cheese for garnish.
