I wasn't feeling all that well last week but I did manage to get one more weekend of foraging two weekends ago. All those apples and pears and elderberries need to be used up so I'll be posting recipes soon. We had a day of candy making and I'll have some fun ideas on that too. I love this time of year because baking ingredients go on sale and we take every opportunity to share food with friends and family.
I'm still struggling with the end of this bug but I wanted to share Mary Jane's Caramel recipe. I made this nucoa and half and half.
In the pan it was gritty and I wasn't sure how it would come out but it finished beautifully. The trick is to not skimp on the time you cook the caramels. Make sure you get them hot enough before taking them off the stove.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
This has just been one of those weeks so I'm going to keep this short. I discovered this brittle recipe years ago. The brittle was a garnish for a larger dessert but we loved it so much that it became a family favorite. It's quick and easy. The brittle part is more of a candy coating on the pumpkin seeds. I use shelled store bought seeds though you can use ones you roast yourself.
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
In heavy 6-8 inch frying pan over med-high heat, stir 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water until sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring, shaking pan often, until mixture is a deep amber brown color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds. Pour onto 12x15 piece of buttered foil and spread thin. Let cool until had (6-10 min) break into ½ inch pieces.
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
In heavy 6-8 inch frying pan over med-high heat, stir 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water until sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring, shaking pan often, until mixture is a deep amber brown color (5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds. Pour onto 12x15 piece of buttered foil and spread thin. Let cool until had (6-10 min) break into ½ inch pieces.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Potato Soup
I have recipes for potato soup and yet I seem to make it without one every time. Last night's pot was one of the best versions I have made and thought it was worth trying to preserve a recipe.
Potato Soup
4 ears corn
8 smallish potatoes or 4 large, washed and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
2 quarts non-fat milk (ours is instant)
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper (I actually used cajun seas salt and pepper)
Place corn in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and turn off. Let corn cool to handle and cut kernels off (if using canned or frozen then it's about 3/4 cup corn per cob). Melt butter in stockpot. Add onions and stir over med-high heat until starting to turn clear but not brown. Add corn and roast a few moments. Add potatoes and cover with milk. Let cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Can season while cooking or wait until just about to serve. When potatoes are cooked, add half and half and sour cream. Stir to melt sour cream. Turn off heat and let set for 10 minutes and serve.
Great with rolls or seasoned breadsticks.
Potato Soup
4 ears corn
8 smallish potatoes or 4 large, washed and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
2 quarts non-fat milk (ours is instant)
3/4 cup half and half
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper (I actually used cajun seas salt and pepper)
Place corn in a pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and turn off. Let corn cool to handle and cut kernels off (if using canned or frozen then it's about 3/4 cup corn per cob). Melt butter in stockpot. Add onions and stir over med-high heat until starting to turn clear but not brown. Add corn and roast a few moments. Add potatoes and cover with milk. Let cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Can season while cooking or wait until just about to serve. When potatoes are cooked, add half and half and sour cream. Stir to melt sour cream. Turn off heat and let set for 10 minutes and serve.
Great with rolls or seasoned breadsticks.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Halloween Party Planning Part 4 - Beverages
When it comes to drinks my family is fairly basic - they drink water or soda but mostly water. When we have family get-togethers water and soda are more often what we serve so I often forget to think about beverages. When winter comes we do pots of spiced cider or wine, occasionally a special coffee but rarely anything more. (unless you could our endless consumption of tea which is like water).
On Halloween, I would often serve Bug Juice which is the only punch I ever make.
However, you don't need a recipe to dress up your Halloween drinks.
You can choose to go more traditional with hot drinks such as cider or hot chocolate. The adults might like a bit of spiced wine.
The real trick is to alter the perception of the drink. Give your drinks Halloween names - Cauldron punch, larve shake - whatever. Then dress them up. Use gummy bugs, body parts, worms, mice - the varieties are endless. Drip blood from the glasses - mix corn syrup with red food coloring and dip the opening of your glass. The syrup will slowly run down the glass (this does stain so be warned).
Add dry ice to give it a steamy effect.
Create spooky ice cubes - freeze green olives for eyes and creepy toys if you are not serving to small children. Freeze different colored Kool-aids in ice trays. You can use black cherry and orange to make Halloween colored cubes.
The ideas are really endless if you open up to them.
On Halloween, I would often serve Bug Juice which is the only punch I ever make.
However, you don't need a recipe to dress up your Halloween drinks.
You can choose to go more traditional with hot drinks such as cider or hot chocolate. The adults might like a bit of spiced wine.
The real trick is to alter the perception of the drink. Give your drinks Halloween names - Cauldron punch, larve shake - whatever. Then dress them up. Use gummy bugs, body parts, worms, mice - the varieties are endless. Drip blood from the glasses - mix corn syrup with red food coloring and dip the opening of your glass. The syrup will slowly run down the glass (this does stain so be warned).
Add dry ice to give it a steamy effect.
Create spooky ice cubes - freeze green olives for eyes and creepy toys if you are not serving to small children. Freeze different colored Kool-aids in ice trays. You can use black cherry and orange to make Halloween colored cubes.
The ideas are really endless if you open up to them.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Halloween Party Planning Part 3 - Things to Dip in Blood Sauce
When planning a holiday party it's really fun to plan the desserts. Desserts just seem to be more party like but you can't have a meal of all desserts, especially on Halloween when the kids will already have an assortment of treats to choose from. For me, I try to plan healthy snacks and a solid meal for the day so that when my son does trick or treat, he's not gorging on sugary stuff. I'm grateful that he's not huge on the sweets (well wasn't as he gets older he eats more candy). I can fill him up with good food and since I always make too much, there's always some waiting for him at home if he gets hungry. He would prefer to snack on the "food" than the candy. He's also one who likes it when houses give out apples and he snacks on those.
One fun thing to add is finger food with sauces. You can make pretty normal sauces sound really gross with a few signs. Chicken strips can become werewolf or witch fingers (add an almond sliver to the pointed end for a fingernail if you so desire). Ketchup can become blood drizzled over the top. Or you can use sweet and sour sauce. Mustard, ranch or sour cream can become pus.
Slice up apples and serve them with raspberry, cherry or strawberry sauce/syrup for bloody fruit. A quick and easy fruit sauce - thin jam with a little water.
I, personally, avoid artificial colors. There are a variety of reasons why and everyone has their own - me, I figure there's enough junk in the candy that it's my job to balance it with good wholesome foods.
Creative labeling, and even some arranging, can make your every day dish something spooky.
Any red sauce can easily become blood. Don't forget spaghetti sauce. You can make breadsticks and twist them to give them a gnarled appearance and dip in spaghetti sauce. Decorate a pizza with large plastic flies and spiders and call it something yucky (a cheese pizza could become bloody bandage pizza - just don't make it so gross no one will eat it).
One fun thing to add is finger food with sauces. You can make pretty normal sauces sound really gross with a few signs. Chicken strips can become werewolf or witch fingers (add an almond sliver to the pointed end for a fingernail if you so desire). Ketchup can become blood drizzled over the top. Or you can use sweet and sour sauce. Mustard, ranch or sour cream can become pus.
Slice up apples and serve them with raspberry, cherry or strawberry sauce/syrup for bloody fruit. A quick and easy fruit sauce - thin jam with a little water.
I, personally, avoid artificial colors. There are a variety of reasons why and everyone has their own - me, I figure there's enough junk in the candy that it's my job to balance it with good wholesome foods.
Creative labeling, and even some arranging, can make your every day dish something spooky.
Any red sauce can easily become blood. Don't forget spaghetti sauce. You can make breadsticks and twist them to give them a gnarled appearance and dip in spaghetti sauce. Decorate a pizza with large plastic flies and spiders and call it something yucky (a cheese pizza could become bloody bandage pizza - just don't make it so gross no one will eat it).
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Halloween Party Planning Part 2 - Brains
No Halloween party is complete without a dish of brains. Over the years I have experimented with a varity of techniques that are rather tasty and just goulish enough to be fun.
For years I made a lumpy brain dish out of rolls that I stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. I used the rolls to make a monkey bread version of a brain and would paint them with red and blue food coloring. For added gore, I would drizzle pizza sauce over the top (serving with pizza was a must).
Last year, we bought a zombie brain mold for about $4. I used it to make panna cotta and served it with raspberry sauce. If you are not familiar with Panna Cotta, it's a white milky gelatin dish that molded beautifully. It was gruesome.
Here are two more ideas.
Brain cupcakes - this is more a technique than a recipe since you can use any cupcake to make these.
Melon Brain I'm tempted to try this but fruit carving is not my thing.
Purchasing an inexpensive brain mold can open possibilities but you don't have to let that limit you.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta
3 teas gelatin
3 1/2 tbs. cold water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups buttermilk
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in med bowl. Let stand untouched for 3 minutes. In small saucepan - combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over gelatin. Stir well to dissolve gelatin. Let cool to room temp. Remove vanilla bean and add buttermilk, stirring to mix. Strain mixture through fine sieve and pour into grease mold. Cover and chill 6 hours.
For years I made a lumpy brain dish out of rolls that I stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. I used the rolls to make a monkey bread version of a brain and would paint them with red and blue food coloring. For added gore, I would drizzle pizza sauce over the top (serving with pizza was a must).
Last year, we bought a zombie brain mold for about $4. I used it to make panna cotta and served it with raspberry sauce. If you are not familiar with Panna Cotta, it's a white milky gelatin dish that molded beautifully. It was gruesome.
Here are two more ideas.
Brain cupcakes - this is more a technique than a recipe since you can use any cupcake to make these.
Melon Brain I'm tempted to try this but fruit carving is not my thing.
Purchasing an inexpensive brain mold can open possibilities but you don't have to let that limit you.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta
3 teas gelatin
3 1/2 tbs. cold water
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbs. sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups buttermilk
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in med bowl. Let stand untouched for 3 minutes. In small saucepan - combine cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over gelatin. Stir well to dissolve gelatin. Let cool to room temp. Remove vanilla bean and add buttermilk, stirring to mix. Strain mixture through fine sieve and pour into grease mold. Cover and chill 6 hours.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Spaghetti and Eyeballs
This recipe was a favorite for Halloween dinner for years. It's quick and easy for those Halloween dinners that fall right after work. The eyeballs can be made ahead of time and reheated. This was the only time I made meatballs to go with our spaghetti so it was a double treat. Put the leftover olives in an ice cube tray and fill with water to make eyeball ice.
Spaghetti and Eyeballs
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 eggs
1 tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
1 7-oz. jar pimiento-stuffed olives
1 26-oz. jar prepared pasta sauce
1 lb. spaghetti
1 tbsp. olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, eggs and basil in a large bowl. Using the meat mixture, form about 30 small meatballs.
To make the eyeballs, press an olive into each meatball, pimiento side out. Place the eyeballs in a baking dish, cover with the pasta sauce and bake for
45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse the spaghetti, and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent strands from sticking together. Put it on a platter or in a large serving bowl.
Spoon the eyeballs onto the spaghetti, irises up, and spoon the pasta sauce around them.
Spaghetti and Eyeballs
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp. ketchup
2 eggs
1 tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
1 7-oz. jar pimiento-stuffed olives
1 26-oz. jar prepared pasta sauce
1 lb. spaghetti
1 tbsp. olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, ketchup, eggs and basil in a large bowl. Using the meat mixture, form about 30 small meatballs.
To make the eyeballs, press an olive into each meatball, pimiento side out. Place the eyeballs in a baking dish, cover with the pasta sauce and bake for
45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse the spaghetti, and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent strands from sticking together. Put it on a platter or in a large serving bowl.
Spoon the eyeballs onto the spaghetti, irises up, and spoon the pasta sauce around them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
