Hey Everyone!
It's time for another party recipe--this time it's for a bean spread that you can use all sorts of ways. I like it in tortillas (like a burrito), sandwiches (with lettuce and tomato and cheese), pita bread, crackers, or on tortilla chips. It tastes a lot like guacamole, but it's got beans in it, so it's a great source of protein and fiber.
Guacamole Bean Spread:
1 can white beans (great northern or garbanzo)
1 large avocado
1/4 c. ranch dressing (or mayo)
1 tsp. dried onion
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. salsa
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. If you're using a blender, add the beans a little at a time.
Friday, October 28
Tuesday, October 25
Fantastic Caramel Corn
In the mood for a sweet, crunchy snack? My husband and I made a batch of this caramel corn last night, and it was wonderful. It's great for parties, kids, and all sorts of get-togethers because it's quick to make and quickly eaten. This recipe isn't very good for making popcorn balls--it's crunchy and meant to be eaten from a bowl.
Caramel Corn
From start to finish, about 45 minutes.
7-8 c. plain popped popcorn
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla
flavored Jell-O mix (optional)
raw Spanish peanuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Remove all unpopped kernels from popcorn. Put popcorn into an ungreased 17x12x2 baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils. Continue boiling at a moderate rate, without stirring, for 5 minutes more.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over popcorn--if desired, sprinkle Jell-O mix on top and/or add peanuts; stir gently to coat. Bake in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir mixture, bake 5 minutes more. Spread caramel corn on a large piece of buttered foil to cool, or place directly in serving bowls.
Caramel Corn
From start to finish, about 45 minutes.
7-8 c. plain popped popcorn
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla
flavored Jell-O mix (optional)
raw Spanish peanuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Remove all unpopped kernels from popcorn. Put popcorn into an ungreased 17x12x2 baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils. Continue boiling at a moderate rate, without stirring, for 5 minutes more.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over popcorn--if desired, sprinkle Jell-O mix on top and/or add peanuts; stir gently to coat. Bake in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir mixture, bake 5 minutes more. Spread caramel corn on a large piece of buttered foil to cool, or place directly in serving bowls.
Friday, October 21
Homemade Mozzarella Cheese!
This is it! The big one! The one you've all been waiting for. In today's blog, I'm going to teach you how to make mozzarella cheese at home--from your food storage! The recipe calls for 2 c. half and half, but if you're making it from food storage, use boxed whole milk. It's in the juice aisle, and the box it comes in looks like a juice box. Use two juice boxes per recipe of cheese. You can also use 1-1/2 c. olive oil, but your cheese won't be white. It'll be kind of an off-white. It'll still taste good though. The recipe sounds intimidating, but it only takes a little over half an hour, and it really is quite simple. This recipe makes approximately 3/4 a pound of cheese.
Tools:
Large stainless steel stock pot
Meat or dairy thermometer (one that goes down to at least 70 degrees F)
CALIBRATE YOUR THERMOMETER FIRST!
Slotted spoon
Rubber gloves (like the kind you use for cleaning, only make sure they're only used for food)
Microwave
Ingredients:
1/2 Rennet Tablet (near the Jell-O and Custard; the brand is Junket)
1/4 c. bottled water (non-chlorinated
1 gallon reconstituted dry milk, minus 2 cups (after you mix the milk, let it sit out for a few hours so the flavor can blend)
2 c. half-and-half (not fat free!)
2 tsp. citric acid (you can find this at a health-food store or a pharmacy)
1-2 tsp. non-iodized salt (also called cheese salt or canning salt)
Steps:
1. Crush 1/2 rennet tablet in 1/4 c. cool, non-chlorinated water.
2. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the milk (minus the two cups!) and the half and half. Turn heat to medium.
3. Sprinkle 2 level tsp. citric acid into the milk and stir gently using the slotted spoon. Slowly heat milk to 88 degrees F. You will start to see your milk curdle.
4. Once your milk has reached 88 degrees F, add the dissolved rennet. Continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees F. Remove from heat. At this point, you should have some chunky or stringy curds. If your curds aren't huge, let them sit for a while, and they'll get bigger.
5. The milk will separate into white curds and yellowish-green whey. Once it does this, you can scoop the curds out into a microwave-safe bowl or pour into a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Pour off as much of the whey as you can.
6. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minute, drain off excess whey. Knead cheese with your hands--make sure to use your gloves--until cool. While you're kneading, you can add your 1-2 tsp. salt.
7. Put cheese back in the microwave, heat on high for 35 seconds, knead, and repeat. Cheese is done when it is shiny and stretches like taffy.
If you're creative and you like string cheese, you can shape it into rods or other shapes and eat it just like string cheese. It's also great on crackers, lasagna, or wherever else you use cheese. It melts just like the stuff you buy from the store. And be sure to tell all your friends you made your own cheese--they'll be amazed!
Tools:
Large stainless steel stock pot
Meat or dairy thermometer (one that goes down to at least 70 degrees F)
CALIBRATE YOUR THERMOMETER FIRST!
Slotted spoon
Rubber gloves (like the kind you use for cleaning, only make sure they're only used for food)
Microwave
Ingredients:
1/2 Rennet Tablet (near the Jell-O and Custard; the brand is Junket)
1/4 c. bottled water (non-chlorinated
1 gallon reconstituted dry milk, minus 2 cups (after you mix the milk, let it sit out for a few hours so the flavor can blend)
2 c. half-and-half (not fat free!)
2 tsp. citric acid (you can find this at a health-food store or a pharmacy)
1-2 tsp. non-iodized salt (also called cheese salt or canning salt)
Steps:
1. Crush 1/2 rennet tablet in 1/4 c. cool, non-chlorinated water.
2. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the milk (minus the two cups!) and the half and half. Turn heat to medium.
3. Sprinkle 2 level tsp. citric acid into the milk and stir gently using the slotted spoon. Slowly heat milk to 88 degrees F. You will start to see your milk curdle.
4. Once your milk has reached 88 degrees F, add the dissolved rennet. Continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees F. Remove from heat. At this point, you should have some chunky or stringy curds. If your curds aren't huge, let them sit for a while, and they'll get bigger.
5. The milk will separate into white curds and yellowish-green whey. Once it does this, you can scoop the curds out into a microwave-safe bowl or pour into a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Pour off as much of the whey as you can.
6. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minute, drain off excess whey. Knead cheese with your hands--make sure to use your gloves--until cool. While you're kneading, you can add your 1-2 tsp. salt.
7. Put cheese back in the microwave, heat on high for 35 seconds, knead, and repeat. Cheese is done when it is shiny and stretches like taffy.
If you're creative and you like string cheese, you can shape it into rods or other shapes and eat it just like string cheese. It's also great on crackers, lasagna, or wherever else you use cheese. It melts just like the stuff you buy from the store. And be sure to tell all your friends you made your own cheese--they'll be amazed!
Tuesday, October 18
Perfect Homemade Pie Crust
Happy Birthday Mom!
Something about the orange and red leaves crunching everywhere made me crave pumpkin pie last weekend. I love fall! Now that we're nearing the biggest baking season of the year, it's time for me to start sharing some of my favorite baking tips and recipes. The one item I get the most compliments on is my homemade pie crust. It's always flaky, always tender, always delicious, and it's not even all that hard. The recipe looks long and complicated, but that's just because I'm verbose (my degree IS in English literature, after all). It's really quite simple; here's how it's done:
Lindsay's Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
(makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter-flavor shortening
Ice water
In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Line a 1-cup measuring cup with saran wrap and fill with shortening (this makes clean-up so much easier!); add to flour mixture. Dust hands with flour (be sure to remove rings first!) and gently break up the shortening, leaving marble-sized chunks. You can also do this with criss-crossing knives or a pastry cutter, but be sure to leave big chunks, because they're what make the dough flaky. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ice water at a time, tossing dough with fork to mix. When dough begins to clump, add more water to the next section. You should need about 6-8 Tbsp. of water. When dough is soft and clumpy, form it into a ball and break into two halves. Flatten each half into a disc about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. This makes it sooo much easier to roll!
When dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. This is always where I messed up before, but there are tips to avoid messed-up pie crusts. My secret is a canvas rolling mat and a cotton rolling-pin sock. I found them at a grocery store in Provo, and they have worked wonderfully. You just rub flour into the canvas and on the sock, and then roll it out. If you do it on a counter top, be sure to flip the dough every so often and re-flour the surface so that you don't wind up with dough that can't be pried off of the counter. When the dough is the right size and thickness, fold it in half or quarters and gently place it into the pie plate before you unfold it.
For pumpkin pie, or other liquid fillings, trim the crust about half an inch from the plate. Fold the crust so that it sticks up off the rim of the plate, and flute. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields (I have two; they're great) so that the crust doesn't burn. If the crust has to be pre-baked, poke holes in it and if you have clean marbles, place 3 or 4 in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.
For double crust pies, trim the bottom crust even with the pie plate, but make sure that the top crust is about half an inch wider. Fold the top crust around the bottom crust, then crimp. Be sure to cut slits in the top before it is placed in the oven. Spray or brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields so that the crust doesn't burn.
Happy baking!
Something about the orange and red leaves crunching everywhere made me crave pumpkin pie last weekend. I love fall! Now that we're nearing the biggest baking season of the year, it's time for me to start sharing some of my favorite baking tips and recipes. The one item I get the most compliments on is my homemade pie crust. It's always flaky, always tender, always delicious, and it's not even all that hard. The recipe looks long and complicated, but that's just because I'm verbose (my degree IS in English literature, after all). It's really quite simple; here's how it's done:
Lindsay's Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
(makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter-flavor shortening
Ice water
In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Line a 1-cup measuring cup with saran wrap and fill with shortening (this makes clean-up so much easier!); add to flour mixture. Dust hands with flour (be sure to remove rings first!) and gently break up the shortening, leaving marble-sized chunks. You can also do this with criss-crossing knives or a pastry cutter, but be sure to leave big chunks, because they're what make the dough flaky. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ice water at a time, tossing dough with fork to mix. When dough begins to clump, add more water to the next section. You should need about 6-8 Tbsp. of water. When dough is soft and clumpy, form it into a ball and break into two halves. Flatten each half into a disc about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. This makes it sooo much easier to roll!
When dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. This is always where I messed up before, but there are tips to avoid messed-up pie crusts. My secret is a canvas rolling mat and a cotton rolling-pin sock. I found them at a grocery store in Provo, and they have worked wonderfully. You just rub flour into the canvas and on the sock, and then roll it out. If you do it on a counter top, be sure to flip the dough every so often and re-flour the surface so that you don't wind up with dough that can't be pried off of the counter. When the dough is the right size and thickness, fold it in half or quarters and gently place it into the pie plate before you unfold it.
For pumpkin pie, or other liquid fillings, trim the crust about half an inch from the plate. Fold the crust so that it sticks up off the rim of the plate, and flute. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields (I have two; they're great) so that the crust doesn't burn. If the crust has to be pre-baked, poke holes in it and if you have clean marbles, place 3 or 4 in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.
For double crust pies, trim the bottom crust even with the pie plate, but make sure that the top crust is about half an inch wider. Fold the top crust around the bottom crust, then crimp. Be sure to cut slits in the top before it is placed in the oven. Spray or brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields so that the crust doesn't burn.
Happy baking!
Friday, October 7
Disc-O-Matic!
One thing about me is that I like to keep busy. And I don't like to spend my life cleaning. Two things about me are that I like to keep busy and I don't like to spend my life cleaning, and I like to try new things. (No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!) Anyway, this week's experiment has been not in the kitchen, but behind the needle of my 1958 White Disc-O-Matic Sewing Machine! It's a hand-me-down from my grandma, and the thing is built like a tank. It's been sitting on a storage shelf in my apartment for the last 9 months or so (and in storage at my grandma's for the last 20 years), but apparently it still works perfectly.
So long story short, instead of a big cooking project, I decided to make a duvet cover for our down comforter! Mike and I went to Joann's Fabric for our date last night, and we picked out fabric for the duvet, plus two big European pillow forms and fabric for shams. Sewing this duvet cover has been such a great learning experience for me. The last time I used a sewing machine I was 15 and my mom was doing most of the work, so I am a complete novice. So far I've been doing pretty well though--I stitched together three big panels to create the top cover (we have a king-sized bed, so it's a huge duvet), and trimmed the 108"-wide muslin bottom cover. I'm about ready to go stitch the top to the bottom, and then all that's left after that is the hemming and the buttons. I'm a little nervous about sewing button holes with a 47-year-old machine, but I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow. My grandma kept the instructions, and she still had all the attachments; I don't know how she did it, but I'm grateful!
The instructions for sewing your own duvet cover can be found here. There are a bunch of other "around-the-house" type project instructions there too. I never knew Waverly had so many patterns and instructions on their website!
If you have any tips or comments, please feel free to share! Like I said, it's been forever since I've sewn anything, so I can use all the help I can get.
So long story short, instead of a big cooking project, I decided to make a duvet cover for our down comforter! Mike and I went to Joann's Fabric for our date last night, and we picked out fabric for the duvet, plus two big European pillow forms and fabric for shams. Sewing this duvet cover has been such a great learning experience for me. The last time I used a sewing machine I was 15 and my mom was doing most of the work, so I am a complete novice. So far I've been doing pretty well though--I stitched together three big panels to create the top cover (we have a king-sized bed, so it's a huge duvet), and trimmed the 108"-wide muslin bottom cover. I'm about ready to go stitch the top to the bottom, and then all that's left after that is the hemming and the buttons. I'm a little nervous about sewing button holes with a 47-year-old machine, but I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow. My grandma kept the instructions, and she still had all the attachments; I don't know how she did it, but I'm grateful!
The instructions for sewing your own duvet cover can be found here. There are a bunch of other "around-the-house" type project instructions there too. I never knew Waverly had so many patterns and instructions on their website!
If you have any tips or comments, please feel free to share! Like I said, it's been forever since I've sewn anything, so I can use all the help I can get.
Monday, October 3
Hinckley's Exhortation, and Canning Tomatoes
What an incredible conference that was! My husband and I have made a resolution to step-up our emergency preparedness efforts. We live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and there's definitely not enough room for a one-year supply of everything we need, but we're going to do our best. We stocked up on hygiene items (shampoo, soap, conditioner, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.), and we bought vinyl pants and diaper pins in case I have to resort to cloth diapers (heaven forbid!) for our 6-month-old. Mike's parents said they've got enough food stored for us, so if it should come to that, at least we know we could move in with his parents and younger siblings.
In addition to hygiene items, it's a really good idea to stock up on medicines. They're expensive to buy all at once, but think about how many times you or a family member gets sick or hurt over the course of a year. You want to be sure to stock up on vitamins (rotate these as often as you can though--they don't last more than a couple years), pain killers, antibiotics, and any prescriptions you take. My mother-in-law studies herbal remedies, and there are herbs out there that can do incredible things. If anyone's interested on a post about herbal wonders, let me know, and I'll talk to my mother-in-law about good herbs to store and what they're for, and what quantities you'll need.
Enough about that for now. If anyone wants another post on emergency storage, let me know, and I'll do it. Last week I promised I'd post on canning tomatoes, so here goes.
I researched tomato canning on the web last week, and I found so many recipes that I didn't know where to start. I decided though that I just wanted plain old tomatoes, so I packed quartered tomatoes in water and used a steam canner. Here's the procedure I used:
Equipment:
Tomatoes
Lemon juice
Salt
Canning jars--pint or quart (mouth size doesn't matter)
New (cleaned) lids
Band for each jar
Funnel
Ladle
Steam canner
Jar tongs
1. Clean jars in dishwasher; make sure jars are hot, and don't take them out until you're ready to pack them.
2. Boil two pots of water: one for blanching, one for hot water pack.
3. Clean tomatoes. Place in large bowl.
4. Pour boiling water over tomatoes. Let the tomatoes sit in the hot water until their skins split.
5. Pour out the hot water and remove the skins from the tomatoes.
6. Remove the stem core. At this point, you can either leave the tomatoes whole or cut them into quarters or halves.
7. Pack tomatoes in jars.
8. Add 1/2 tsp. salt (preserves color, adds flavor) and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for pint jars, 1 tsp. salt and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice for quart jars.
9. Using a ladle and a funnel, pour water into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace in pint jars, 1 inch in quart jars.
10. Wipe off necks and rims of jars using a warm wet paper towel.
11. Place lids over each jar, then screw on the bands.
12. Pour hot water in steam canner. Place filled jars on rack of canner.
13. Place the lid over the canner and jars, and turn stove on medium high heat. When the steam escapes in a steady stream, start timing. Tomatoes need to process 40 minutes for pint jars, and about 45 minutes for quart jars.
14. When the tomatoes have processed for the correct amount of time, carefully raise the lid, being sure to open it away from your face so you're not burned by the escaping steam.
15. Using the jar tongs, remove the jars and place them on a towel on your counter top to cool. The lids won't seal correctly until the jars have cooled completely.
It was so exciting for me when I found out that my jars had sealed and the whole thing had worked. I've only ever canned with my mother-in-law, so even though I've done it lots of times, I've never done it by myself. There's a real sense of satisfaction and achievement when you can grow and preserve your own food storage.
In addition to hygiene items, it's a really good idea to stock up on medicines. They're expensive to buy all at once, but think about how many times you or a family member gets sick or hurt over the course of a year. You want to be sure to stock up on vitamins (rotate these as often as you can though--they don't last more than a couple years), pain killers, antibiotics, and any prescriptions you take. My mother-in-law studies herbal remedies, and there are herbs out there that can do incredible things. If anyone's interested on a post about herbal wonders, let me know, and I'll talk to my mother-in-law about good herbs to store and what they're for, and what quantities you'll need.
Enough about that for now. If anyone wants another post on emergency storage, let me know, and I'll do it. Last week I promised I'd post on canning tomatoes, so here goes.
I researched tomato canning on the web last week, and I found so many recipes that I didn't know where to start. I decided though that I just wanted plain old tomatoes, so I packed quartered tomatoes in water and used a steam canner. Here's the procedure I used:
Equipment:
Tomatoes
Lemon juice
Salt
Canning jars--pint or quart (mouth size doesn't matter)
New (cleaned) lids
Band for each jar
Funnel
Ladle
Steam canner
Jar tongs
1. Clean jars in dishwasher; make sure jars are hot, and don't take them out until you're ready to pack them.
2. Boil two pots of water: one for blanching, one for hot water pack.
3. Clean tomatoes. Place in large bowl.
4. Pour boiling water over tomatoes. Let the tomatoes sit in the hot water until their skins split.
5. Pour out the hot water and remove the skins from the tomatoes.
6. Remove the stem core. At this point, you can either leave the tomatoes whole or cut them into quarters or halves.
7. Pack tomatoes in jars.
8. Add 1/2 tsp. salt (preserves color, adds flavor) and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for pint jars, 1 tsp. salt and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice for quart jars.
9. Using a ladle and a funnel, pour water into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace in pint jars, 1 inch in quart jars.
10. Wipe off necks and rims of jars using a warm wet paper towel.
11. Place lids over each jar, then screw on the bands.
12. Pour hot water in steam canner. Place filled jars on rack of canner.
13. Place the lid over the canner and jars, and turn stove on medium high heat. When the steam escapes in a steady stream, start timing. Tomatoes need to process 40 minutes for pint jars, and about 45 minutes for quart jars.
14. When the tomatoes have processed for the correct amount of time, carefully raise the lid, being sure to open it away from your face so you're not burned by the escaping steam.
15. Using the jar tongs, remove the jars and place them on a towel on your counter top to cool. The lids won't seal correctly until the jars have cooled completely.
It was so exciting for me when I found out that my jars had sealed and the whole thing had worked. I've only ever canned with my mother-in-law, so even though I've done it lots of times, I've never done it by myself. There's a real sense of satisfaction and achievement when you can grow and preserve your own food storage.
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