Thick Homemade Maple Syrup

by Lindsey Scarber

2 c.   boiling water

1 tsp  Knorr unflavored gelatin 

1 tsp  imitation maple flavoring

4 c.  sugar

Makes 4 1/2 cups. 

In a large pot, start water boiling on electric stove.  In a mixing bowl, measure sugar and set aside. Don't skip this step. It's important to pre-measure the sugar.

Add gelatin to boiling water.  On med high heat, stir with wire whisk 1-2 min or until gelatin is dissolved.  Add maple flavoring.  Pour in the sugar.  Stir a little, then turn off the burner but keep pot on burner. (Do not boil the sugar. If sugar boils, the syrup will eventually crystallize in the fridge.)  Stir until sugar dissolves, 3-5 min.  Serve right away in a gravy boat or small pitcher. 

Store leftovers in a glass jar.  When cool, refrigerate.  The gelatin will make it thick in the fridge.  Reheating it will return it to a thin more syrup-like consistency.  Keeps for 2-3 weeks in fridge, or up to 3 months in the fridge if you don't mind a few harmless sugar crystals in the bottom of the jar.  

*Homemade, without the extra additives of store bought syrup, and cost effective!  I paid $2.50 for the bottle of imitation maple flavoring.  One bottle can make this recipe 12 times!  

Try homemade syrup in the "Kid Peanut Butter Granola" recipe found on this blog.

Meat and Potato Pie

I love pie. Fruit pies, cream pies, meat pies---all delicious.  I really, really love savory pies. They are the perfect comfort food. Filling, tasty, warm, and so homey. 

So, today I have a recipe for a meat and potato pie from my handy dandy Harry Potter cookbook by Dinah Bucholz. I promise it is easy to make (some meat pies can be a bit more laborious). If you have never made or even tasted a meat pie, this is a great beginner recipe.

Let's start with the crust, because a crust is really what makes a pie a pie. Store bought crust is over processed and flavorless--so don't bother with it. Making your own crust is super easy. I am not sure why crust has this bad, scary aura surrounding it as if only a master chef can make it, because crust is easy. Trust me, anyone can do it.

My top rule is: only use BUTTER. Don't bother with that shortening gloop. Cut to the chase and use the good stuff. Butter makes for really flaky, rich, eat-it-all-by-it-self crusts.

Next, make your crust by hand, you don't have to, but I prefer it. I know some use a food processor (I don't have one) or their Kitchen-Aid and those work great, but I like using my hands and feeling all old-fashioned and all that.

Third, use cold butter and cold water and chill your dough before rolling it out (most recipes want  2 hours--but if you are running out of time chill for at least a 1/2 hour).

Here is the recipe:

Remember, this crust is for a savory pie, so there is not any sugar in it. Most fruit pies have at least a tablespoon of sugar or two in crust. You could use this for a fruit pie, but I would recommend one with a bit of sugar in it for a sweet pie.

2 1/2 cups white flour

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water, I usually put a few ice cubes in there, since my tap water is not super cold

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Scatter the butter pieces and mix in with your hands (like you would for scones). Mix with hands until the mixture resembles coarse yellow meal, breaking the butter up with your hands, but not melting it. Sprinkle half a cup of cold water over mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough sticks together. If necessary, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball making sure to get al the dry stuff mixed in. Divide the dough in half, form into disks (one disk slightly bigger), wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

That is it! Was that so bad?

Meat and Potato Filling:

2 tbsp oil

6 oz chuck steak, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 medium red-skinned potato, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 tsp gound sage

salt and pepper to taste 

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

Heat oil in large skillet. Add meat and sear on both sides until crusty brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until well browned. Return meat to pan, sprinkle with flour, and mix until combined. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours. It really does not have to be that long. I have cooked it for a much shorter amount of time before and it turned out lovely. Plus, if you cook it for this long, I find it soaks up all the liquid before the time runs out and you have to add more broth. Cooking for 45 minutes is fine or you can go the whole time, but you will need more broth.

Next, add in the potato, carrots, sage, and salt and pepper. Cook for another 30 minutes, then transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature. You don't really have to let it completely cool down if you don't have the time. I have transferred it from the skillet to the pie pan and it turned out beautifully.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Get out the pie dough.  One of the disks should be slightly bigger since it is going to be the bottom. One important thing about rolling out crust is: to not over work it! Roll it out one time. Luckily, crust is quite forgiving and you can sort of piece it together and patch it up, if necessary. Roll out your first disk into a circle a bit bigger than the pie pan and then transfer it to the pan. An easy way to transfer your pie dough to the pie pan is to fold it in half, pick it up, lay it in the pan, and then unfold it.  Roll out your second disk  to a circle as big as the top of the pan.

Fill the pie with the filling. Place your second crust piece on top and crimp the edges together, cutting off excess crust where necessary. Cut slits int he top of the crust and brush with egg wash.  Bake for 1 hour.

Serve hot!

Texas Goody Cake

Submitted by Lynne Maxfield

2 squares Butter (or butter-flavored shortening)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup water

2 eggs, or egg substitute

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

Melt butter.  Add and mix the rest of the ingredients.

Pour into greased cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Muffins

Submitted by Lynne Maxfield

2 c. white flour

2 Tbls.  sugar

3 tsp.   baking powder

3 Tbls.  fat (oil or shortening)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk (or substitute 1 cup water + 3 Tbls dry powdered milk)

1 egg (or substitute 1 c. applesauce)

Mix and spoon into greased muffin tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min

Peach Cobbler

Submitted by Lynne Maxfield

Peach mixture: Mix and set aside

          1 quart  bottled peaches (slice peaches and add 1 cup juice)

          1/2 cup sugar

Cake Batter mixture: Mix thoroughly

          1 cup sugar

          1/2 t. salt

          1  1/4 cup flour

          1  1/4 cup milk

          3 t. baking powder

Melt 1/4 cup Butter in a cake pan. Swirl to coat bottom of pan. Pour cake batter into buttered cake pan. Do not stir.  Spoon peach mixture on top of cake batter. 

Bake 350 degrees for 40 min.

Chicken Curry on Rice

Submitted by Lynne Maxfield

Place chicken into Crockpot and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW

When chicken is cooked, ADD to Crockpot:

2 cans 'Cream of Chicken' soup.

1/4 c. dehydrated onion

1/4 c. dehydrated carrots

salt and pepper to taste

3-5 T. curry (to taste)

ADD just before serving:

2 cans Sliced potatoes, or fresh potatoes peeled, boiled, and sliced

Cook the rice.

Serve Chicken Curry on top of rice

Bottled Apple Pie Filling

Submitted by Lynnette Behunin

4 c. sugar

1 c. cornstarch

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

~Whisk together and add 10 cups water.  Cook until thick, stirring constantly, then take off heat.  Add 3 Tbsp. lemon juice.  

Fill quart jar 1/3 full with sauce.  Slice & peel apples.  Pack into jars tightly.  Put hot lids on.  Boil 20 min in water bath canner.

To use:  Open jar and fill a pie shell.  Cook like you would a regular apple pie.  Can also use filling for your favorite Apple Crisp recipe.

Here is a link for different cooked jam recipes.  

http://www.kraftbrands.com/surejell/howto_cookedjam.aspx

Kid Peanut Butter Granola

 My kids love this 'food storage' recipe!  The oats and nuts combination in granola is considered a complete protein, which adds to its gratification.  

It is cost effective if the oats are purchased in bulk, 25-50 lb. bags.  -Lindsey Scarber

A few simple ingredients

6  c.   rolled oats, or a combination of rolled & quick oats

1/2  c. sweetened coconut flakes (optional)

1  c.  crunchy peanut butter

1  1/2  c. maple syrup (or less, see Reduced Sugar version below)
1/4  c.  oil

1/2  t. salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oats, coconut, salt.  Set aside.

Use a medium microwavable bowl for the wet ingredients. Combine the maple syrup and peanut butter.  Microwave about 1 minute, to soften the consistency of the peanut butter.  Stir.  Add the oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients. Mix.  

Grease 2 sheet pans.  Place half the mixture on each pan. 

Spread evenly onto the sheet pans. Use two oven racks so you can bake them at the same time.  

Bake at 300°  for 25 min. 

      Remove from oven after 25 min.  Stir.  

Bake 10-15 more minutes until light golden brown. 

The low temp allows for cooking and dehydrating, making the finished product warm and crispy. Yum!

Let cool to room temperature.  Store in an airtight container, such as a PETE container or an empty #10 can.  Keeps for 3-6 months.  Serve with milk, raisins, Craisins, cinnamon, yogurt, etc.

 Reduced-sugar Recipe:  Delicious and packed with flavor! Good option for health nuts like me that eat less sugar by choice. :)

Remove the  1  1/2 c. maple syrup.    

Replace with 1/2 c. water and  1/2c. maple syrup. 

Double the recipe:

Use a #10 can of rolled or quick oats (about 12 c.) and the entire container (16-18 oz.) of crunchy peanut butter.

Taco Lentil Meat

A Meat Extender Recipe
My favorite taco meat.   
Posted by Lindsey

1 lb. ground beef (80/20)

1  1/2  c.  finely chopped onions

2  c. cooked brown lentils

2  t.  beef or chicken bullion

1- 8oz. can tomato sauce, adds color

2-3 T. taco seasoning, or 2 packages taco seasoning (1.25oz.)

Some crushed red peppers for spice

Some water if too thick

Brown ground beef with onions.  Drain some of the fat, leave some to flavor the lentils.  Add all other ingredients.  Reduce heat. Taste it.  Add some things 'till it tastes like you want taco meat to taste. 

Serve as soft tacos, on flour tortillas or corn tortillas.  Serve on taco salad or in enchiladas. 
Make it in bulk, it freezes well.

Strawberry Scones

Last Friday, I made these delightfully delicious Strawberry Scones from Good to the Grain  by Kim Boyce.  It is one of my most beautiful cookbooks, though the premise of the book is  that she uses lots of different grains besides "flour" (like quinoa flour, polenta, kamut, rye, spelt, etc) and I rarely have any of those on hand, so I don't cook from this book nearly as often as I should - but everything I've made from it has tasted A-MAZ-ING.
Since I decided to make these last-minute, and didn't have any barley on hand, I had to alter the recipe, but it still tasted very yummy, and I think that my version was a little easier to "throw together."



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup + 2tlbs whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp bk powder
1/2 tsp bk soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 stick cold butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
generous 1/2 cup strawberry jam
powdered sugar for sprinkling

1. Whisk or shift together dry ingredients, and cut in butter (like you're making a pie dough) until butter pieces are the size of rice grains or little peas.

2. Whisk together buttermilk and egg and add to dry mix, mix until barely combined.

3. Turn on to a floured surface and separate in half, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Pat each half into a disk, about 3/4" thick and 7" across.

4. Cover one disk of dough with strawberry jam. Top with the remaining pastry. Slice it like a pie, into triangles and transfer to a well-buttered baking sheet.

5. Bake for 22-26 minutes at 350 F, rotating the pan half way through.

6. Remove immediately to a cooling rack (or the jam will harden and you'll never scrape your scones off the pan if you don't move it while it's warm), and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

These were delicious served warm with a cup of tea for Second Breakfast, and only took me about 40 minutes to make, and 24 of those minutes they were baking. It's also one of the first times that my version looked like the picture in the book! I was so proud.

Leave a comment and let me know if you make them!

By Becky Pitcher