The Best Christmas Jam!

I ran across this recipe and just had to give it a try and I'm so glad I did!  I made it exactly like the recipe even though I thought 5 lbs of sugar would be too sweet but really it was just right.  It's from Taste of Home, one of my favorite sources for recipes.  I love having something to share with the neighbors or friends we may see during the holidays.  I've already tried it out on a  biscuit this morning and it was delicious and so pretty in color with the strawberry/cranberry combination.


Christmas Jam

Ingredients:

1 package (40 ounces) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed or 2-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, hulled
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
5 pounds sugar
2 pouches (3 ounces each) liquid fruit pectin

 Directions:

1. Grind strawberries and cranberries in a food processor or grinder; place in a Dutch oven. Add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

2. Cool for 5 minutes; skim off foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 14half-pints.

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. 

~Harlan Miller 

Hope you're having some Christmas fun this week!

POLAR VORTEX vs BLUE NORTHER

I guess “blue norther” just isn’t good enough for today’s weather forecasters.  They’ve got to make it sound like something unusual and scary!  Polar Vortex!!  Oh my!!  What do we do now??

Well in Southeast Texas we’ve always called them “blue northers” and they’re not new or scary.  Just cold!!  And this last one was no exception.  I love seeing a blue norther blow in when the sunny sky darkens and the wind direction suddenly changes from the south to the north dropping temperatures 20 or 30 degrees - time to put on an extra blanket and make a pot of chili.

 Polar Vortex Did This!!

 

 This is another recipe I found in Taste of Home – Heartwarming Soups.  (love this book!)

Chipotle-Black Bean Chili

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 medium green pepper, finely chopped

1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - finely chopped (I added only 2 of the peppers and all of the sauce)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs tenderized stew meat

1 T. ground cumin

1 T. dried oregano

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper 

Optional toppings: 
Shredded cheese

Reduced-fat sour cream

Chopped cilantro

Lime wedges

Avocados 

The recipe is for a crock-pot but I just put everything in a pot and cooked it on the stove for about an hour.  We ate it with rice and topped with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and lime.  Also served it with oven baked tortilla chips.  It was delicious! 

What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.

 ~Author Unknown

A Hearty Soup for Busy Days

I love to make soup this time of year and just discovered a new recipe in my Taste of Home Heartwarming Soups/2013 book.  I made several changes, trying to use the ingredients I had on hand, and ended up with this version that I'm sure I will be making again.  It was so good and with a pan of cornbread was all we needed for a very hearty and nutritious meal.

Hearty Black-eyed Pea Soup

1 lb pork sausage (reduced fat)
1 lb lean ground meat
1 cup chopped veggies (onion, celery, bell pepper)
1 bag frozen black-eyed peas
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can rotel tomatoes
3 cups water or low sodium beef broth
3 tsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
pepper to taste

Cook the sausage, beef and chopped veggies until meat is no longer pink; add rest of ingredients; cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

 

Hope you have a great day!

 

 

A Sure Sign of Summer - Fried Green Tomatoes!

I cooked these for lunch yesterday.  It's a very popular dish here and I've eaten them every summer as long as I can remember!  

 

If you've never had Fried Green Tomatoes you really need to give them a try.

 

We don't make them often, but as soon as the tomatoes in our little garden are ready we have to fry up a batch.

 

They are so good - I think I could have eaten the whole plate full all by myself! I'm glad Mom and Judy were here to help us so I didn't have to do that!

Fried Green Tomatoes

1 egg

2 T. milk

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ cup flour

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

vegetable oil for frying

3 firm green tomatoes, sliced

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, milk, and the ½ tsp salt and the ¼ tsp pepper and beat until well blended.  In another medium bowl, combine the flour and cornmeal.  In a heavy, deep skillet over medium-high heat, pour the oil to a depth of ½ inche and heat to 350 degees.   Dip the tomato slices in the egg mixture to coat evenly.  Then dip in the cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess and wiping your hands to avoid build-up.  Fry the tomatoes in batches, turning once, until the coating is crisp and light golden brown on both sides, a total of 3-5 minutes per batch.  Working quickly with a slotted spatula, transfer the tomatoes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm. 

I don't usually do a lot of measuring with this and I probably cooked about 6 tomatoes so pretty much doubled everything.

"A world without tomatoes is like a

string quartet without violins."

Laurie Colwin, ‘Home Cooking’

 

German Sweet Chocolate Tradition

 

This is the cake my husband request each year for his birthday. It's the only time of the year that I make it and that's a good thing! I'm sure I would not want to know how many calories are packed into a piece of this dense chocolatey goodness!  This year I added chocolate frosting to the sides which made it even better!


 

GERMAN SWEET CHOCOLATE CAKE

4 oz. Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate

½ c. boiling water

1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

4 eggs, separated

1 c. butter

2 c. sugar

1 c. buttermilk

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.

Melt the chocolate in boiling water.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form;  refrigerate.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, allowing mixer to run for 5 minutes.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Let mixer run an additional 2 minutes.  With mixer running, add vanilla and chocolate/water mixture.

Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, combining well.  Gently fold stiffly beaten egg whites into cake batter.

Pour batter into three prepared cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on racks.  Frost top of each layer with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.

COCONUT-PECAN FROSTING and FILLING

1 ½ c. evaporated milk

1 1/3 c. sugar

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

¾ c. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. shredded coconut

1 ½ c. chopped pecans

Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Add coconut and chopped pecans.  Cool until thick enough to spread, beating occasionally.  Makes about 3 cups.

 

CHOCOLATE FROSTING (optional - for sides)

4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1 T. light corn syrup

1 ½ T. unsalted butter

½ heavy cream

powdered sugar (enough to thicken)

 

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl with the corn syrup and butter.  Heat the cream just until it begins to boil.  Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate.  Stir to melt chocolate chips and blend until smooth.  Add enough powdered sugar to thicken to spreading consistency.  Spread on sides of cake and chill to firm the frosting.

 

 

Of course we always have to make it even more sinful by topping it with our favorite Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

 I found this recipe for a lighter version of the Starbuck's latte and  to me it taste even better!  It's not so sweet and syrupy and quite a savings in calories I'm sure! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte 

4 ounces coffee or espresso 

1/2 cup skim or nonfat milk 

2 teaspoons sugar 

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (plus extra to dust on top) 

Brew coffee and heat milk until hot in microwave. Foam milk with Aerolatte or other milk frother. Mix sugar and pumpkin pie spice in coffee and pour milk on top. 

77 calories, 0.2g fat, 14.8 g carbohydrates, 4.3 g protein 

from Snack Girl

I have to admit these pictures are from last year in early December since our leaves are still mostly green. Yes, our leaves stay green well into the fall most years. We've had some nice cool days and even some cold nights, but still not much color change going on yet, but it will happen. 

 

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." 

Stanley Horowitz

Sweet Potato Recipe Favorites

A favorite fall recipe of mine is Sweet Potato Soup.  It’s so easy and so very good on a cold evening!  Plus sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest vegetables we can eat!  They contain vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, fiber, B vitamins, potassium and even iron. A medium sized sweet potato contains more than your daily requirement of vitamin A, nearly a third the vitamin C you need, almost 15 percent of your daily dietary fiber intake and 10 percent of the necessary potassium.

SPICY SWEET POTATO AND SMOKED SAUSAGE SOUP

serves 6
 

12 oz. smoked sausage- diced

¾ cup onion, diced
¾ cup celery
1 tsp. cayenne (optional -  I probably use a little less than this)
4 ½ cups sweet potatoes, peeled and large diced
3 T.  flour
4 ½ cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Saute sausage in a large sauce pan for 5 minutes over medium heat;  add vegetables and continue to saute for an additional 5 minutes;  add flour and cook for 2 more minutes;  add stock, salt and pepper and stir until smooth.  Simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.  Give it a good stir and serve.

 

Serve with cornbread or your favorite bread.

 

Another favorite of mine:

 

SWEET POTATO OVEN BAKED FRIES

 

2 lbs. sweet potatoes

2 T. olive oil

1/2 tsp. course salt, adjust to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp. paprika

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Generously coat baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray or olive oil.

Peel sweet potatoes.

Cut into 1/2 inch thick sticks that are approximately 4-5 inches long, or cut into wedges.

Place potatoes into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with *seasonings and stir until potatoes are evenly coated.

Place poatoes in a single layer on baking sheet. 

Bake approximately 10 minutes.

Remove and turn potatoes over, return to oven.

Bake potatoes an additional 20 minutes or until done.

Season to taste and serve hot. 

 

*Use any combination of your favorite seaasonings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe Review

 

Well, the recipe for Colcannon that I posted on Saturday turned out to be very good! We really enjoyed it and I'm sure I will be making it again soon. The only thing I changed was the amount of salt. The original recipe called for 2 T. of salt be added to the potatoes and I didn't use nearly that much - maybe 1 tsp. This was the first time I've ever cooked with kale and since I didn't use it all in this dish I've got to think of a way to use the rest.  Any ideas out there??

"A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime."

Pad Thai

I made one of my favorite meals last night - Pad Thai. It's just a fun dish to prepare. Love eating it too but it's just kind of fun to make something different every now and then. I also love to watch You Tubes of different ways of preparing this dish. This is one of my favorites. I can't believe this lady cooks and serves up a plate of Pad Thai right from her boat for 50 cents!




Pad Thai

1 (16 ounce) package rice noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup chopped onions
1 stalk lemongrass, flattened with cleaver and finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork or chicken (shrimp would be good too)
6 Thai red chili peppers, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons ketchup
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups bean sprouts (washed and drained)
1/4 cup chinese chives, chopped (or 1/4 cup chopped green onion plus minced garlic to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until softened, stirring constantly; drain and plunge into cold water; drain again.
2. Stir-fry onion and garlic in wok until tender; add pork, chicken or shrimp, lemongrass, and chilies, cooking 5 minutes further, or until meat is done.
3. Add sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, ketchup, black pepper, eggs, noodles, bean sprouts and chives; cook, stirring well for 2-4 minutes, until egg is pretty much cooked and set.
4. Serve on plates sprinkled with cilantro and peanuts; and optional hot sauces such as Nam Prik Dang or Sambal Oelek (chile paste) as table condiments, if desired.
(from Food.com)

Our Weekend with Good Friends in Wyoming

After we left Custer State Park we traveled to Wyoming to see some very good friends who used to live in Texas.  We had such a good time visiting with Bill and Sheila and their family. 

They made us feel so welcome and it was really nice to get a little break from our tiny little trailer.   They made us feel like we were in the finest bed and breakfast around with delicious meals and all the comforts of home.

The first night we were there Sheila made a delicious taco salad.  She makes it with a salad dressing that we don't have here in Texas, called  Dorothy Lynch and it is kind of like a french dressing but even better.  They didn’t want us to be without so they sent us home with two bottles which we have enjoyed!

SHEILA’S TACO SALAD

1 red onion (chopped)

4 tomatoes
lettuce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup of Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing (or French)
6 oz. bag of tortilla chips
1 large avocado
1 lb. ground meat
1 can drained kidney beans
¼ tsp. salt
garlic powder (to taste)


Chop vegetables and mix together.
Brown ground meat, season, and add drained kidney beans. Simmer about 10 minutes.  Then mix into cold salad.   Serve with extra tortilla chips, and taco sauce (ole Ortego) plus extra Dorothy Lynch.

Johnny and Bill have known each other since they were about four years old.  Bill and Sheila left Texas about 40 years ago so we all had a lot catching up to do.   Now it's their turn to come see us in Texas!

Summertime Treat

We made Chocolate Ice Cream on Saturday for the first time this summer and it was quite a treat since the temperature was about 95 outside. I remember how exciting it was to make ice cream in our old fashioned ice cream freezer as kids. We would place a bunch of news papers on top of the freezer and one of us would sit on top to keep it steady and the others would take turns turning the crank til frozen. With the electric freezers we now have it's so much easier - just fill the inside container with yummy ingredients, surround with ice and rock salt and plug it in!

Chocolate Ice Cream

2 cans condensed milk

2 cans evaporated milk

1 large instant chocolate pudding

milk (2%)

Just blend first three ingredients and pour into freezer container and then add milk up to fill line.

-------------------------------------------

I found this low-cal recipe that I'd like to try next time.

Chocolate Ice Cream - Light

1 4 oz package sugar free fat free instant chocolate pudding mix

1/4 cup splenda

1 12 oz can fat free evaporated skim milk

1 cup fat free milk

In a medium bowl, stir together the instant pudding and splenda.

Add the evaporated milk and fat free milk and stir until blended. Pour

into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manf. directions.

Source:

"The Everything Low-fat High flavor cookbook"

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 193 Calories; 1g Fat (18.9%

calories from fat); 2g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 32mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Non-Fat Milk.

Serving Size: 4

Peach Cobbler

Another favorite thing about summer - Fresh Peaches!! I bought some Georgia peaches at the store and they were so good. I said I wasn't going to do it but I did it anyway - I made a cobbler! And of course that calls for ice cream and oh well weight watchers out the window again. We enjoyed it anyway.


Hill Country Peach Cobbler


3/4 cup flour
Less than 1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsps. baking powder
1 3/4 cups sugar (separated)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 cups sliced fresh peaches


Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Mix with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Slowly stir in milk. Melt butter in 8 by 8 by 2 inch pan. (a larger pan makes a thinner crust). Pour batter over butter; do not stir. Lay peaches on batter. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar or less. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serves 6. (I think 1 hour is a little too long for this - check after 45 minutes.)

NEW FAVORITE RECIPE

Yes those Mennonite Girls can definitely cook!  I found this recipe on their site and made it yesterday and it was so very good!  For the fruit I used frozen peaches and frozen blueberries.  It was similar to cobbler but I think it was even better if that's possible.  I've got to try it now with blackberries since they're in season.  We even splurged and bought Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream to go with it - yum!  There goes my weight watchers out the window!

Obstkuchen (Platz)

Sift:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp sugar

Add:

2 tbsp butter
1 cup whipping cream (I used evaporated milk because that's what I had)
1 egg

Sift dry ingredients together and with a pastry blender mix in the butter. Add the cream and slightly beaten egg and mix well.

Pat out on a greased 10x15" pan. (approx) Wet hands to do this as the dough may be a bit sticky.

Put on a layer of any of the following fruits: cherries, plums, apples, apricots, rhubarb, blueberries or any fruit in season..frozen fruit works too. My g'daughter used rhubarb.

Top with crumbs (ruebel):

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, very soft

Mix well with a pastry blender..it will be crumbly. If you want coarser crumbs just mix in a bit of cream. Sprinkle thickly over the fruit.

Bake in at 375º for 30 min.

Cool 10 min an drizzle icing over the top. (optional)

It is also very good served warm with ice cream.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a really simple and delicious meal!

2 deep dish pie crusts
1 (15 oz.) can mixed vegetables - I usually use frozen vegetables
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl combine the mixed vegies, chicken, cream of chicken soup and milk. Pour mixture into one of the pie crusts. Turn the other crust over and pop out of the tin onto the top of the filled pie. Seal the edges and poke holes in top crust.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. or until crust is golden brown.

I have used chicken breast but this time I cooked a whole chicken and was able to make two pies with it. Also when using frozen vegetables it takes longer than 30 minutes to get done. Next time maybe I'll try homemade pie crust but either way it's very good!

I hope you have a good weekend!

“It's almost impossible to smile on the outside without feeling better on the inside.”

Soup’s On

I love making soup this time of year and especially spicy soups that are served with tortilla chips. I made this one last night and we enjoyed it with homemade chips.

Chicken Lime Soup

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast half, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup finely onions
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, cut into thin slices
• 1 avocado, diced for topping

Directions

Season the chicken with the cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt and set aside. In a large pot, sauté onion. Add seasonings and cook until soft about 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, tomatoes and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the stock and lime juice and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Place 1 lime slice in each soup bowl and ladle the soup on top. Top each serving with diced avocado and serve with tortilla chips. We also like a little sour cream to top it off.

I like to make chips in oven using corn tortillas.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board, spray with the nonstick olive oil spray on both sides. If using a seasoning, sprinkle on both sides now. Stack the tortillas in piles of eight (8) tortillas. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut through the pile of tortillas, cutting into 4 equal triangles.

Arrange tortilla triangles in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake for approximately 6 to 7 minutes until crisp and the edges start to curl and turn lightly brown. Watch the chips carefully after 5 minutes, as they can burn easily. Once the chips are done, remove from the oven to cool. Chips will continue to crisp as they cool.

Fudge Pecan Pie

Every year my boss request this pie on his birthday so I made two of them for our office on Monday and we finished off one and he got to bring one home. It is one of my favorites too!

1 stick butter

3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

4 eggs well beaten

3 T. white corn syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked pie shell

Melt butter and chocolate in top of double boiler. Beat eggs well and add other ingredients. Add chocolate and butter. Mix well and pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is crusty and filling is set. Do not over-bake. Serve with whipped topping.

(I usually have to increase baking time to about an hour)

Barbeque Ribs

I found this great recipe on Sam the Cooking Guy. This was the easiest recipe I've ever found for cooking ribs and we really enjoyed them. Next time I think I will make them less sweet though.

Sticky Sweet Ribs
Serves 4

Ingredients
• 2 racks pork back ribs, about 4 pounds
• 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce, plain
• 1/4 cup pancake syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons white vinegar

1. Mix sauce, syrup and brown sugar, set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Place ribs in baking/casserole dish.
4. Pour vinegar into dish with ribs and cover tightly with aluminum foil .
5. Bake about 90 minutes or until very tender.
6. Remove from oven and carefully lift off tin foil - watch out for steam.
7. The ribs are now fully cooked and just need to be 'sauced' finished'.
8. Heat bbq to medium and place ribs meat side down without sauce - but you can baste the back with the sauce .
9. Cook until they start to develop grill marks, and turn over - now baste the top .
10. You could stop here after they grill a bit on this side, or you could baste them a bit more and then give them a couple more minutes meat side down.
11. Give 'em one extra baste after they've been removed, but just before you serve them.

Pear Pie

LORI’S PIE CRUST ( My neighbor shared this pie crust recipe with me and now it’s the only pie crust I ever make.) THANK YOU LORI!

1 ½ flour

1 tsp. salt

½ cup oil

¼ cup milk

Combine flour & salt in pie plate. Mix oil & milk and stir into flour and salt mixture. Combine and spread out into pan.

PEAR PIE (This is suppose to be an Apple Pie recipe but this time of year I always substitute pears and we love it.)

4-6 large pears

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Crumb topping:

½ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

1/3 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:

Peel pears and slice. Then arrange in a pastry lined pan. Mix the ½ cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle over the pears. Mix all topping ingredients together until crumbly and spread out over the pears. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Of course it’s best served with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream!