Nectarine Raspberry Freezer Jam

It's been more than a few years since I did any kind of canning or preserving.  But oh how I love this time of year when everything is being harvested and tastes so yummy. 

 

I had seen this recipe a few months ago and filed it away for just this occasion.  This occasion turned out to be a timely stop at a local farmer's market.  Not only did I find some perfect nectarines and raspberries straight from the fields, I also ran in to a very old student of mine from many years ago who selected and sold these luscious bits of fruit to me.  (Makes me feel older than the "29" years that I am - and I continue to hold at "29" for the foreseeable future!)

 

The boys and I got out the food processor and the sieve and whipped up a double batch of Nectarine Raspberry Freezer Jam.  Here is my final product from breakfast this morning.

And since I'm no food blogger or food photographer, I'll use the picture from the site that inspired all this yummy goodness - Simple Bites.  Click on over for the full recipe - super quick, super easy, and really no fail.  I even added slightly less sugar than the recipe called for (and then read the Pectin instructions that said "Don't skimp on the sugar or your jam might not set up correctly" - - - but I live dangerously and it came out perfectly!) 

Source: Simple Bites

 

We've got a few pints in our freezer for the future, and shared a few pints with some friends. 

Hum - I'm dreaming of toast and this jam right this minute.

Yummy Oreo Fluff

I came across the yummiest recipe a few weeks ago. So easy and so amazing!  We've made it twice in the last two weeks.

This recipe comes from Chef in Training and is lovingly known as OREO FLUFF. 

I followed her recipe exactly.  Think white chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, mini marshmallows, and crushed Oreos.  Seriously YUMMY!

We'll be making this again and again really soon!  Try it!  I dare you!

 

My Trader Joe's Visit

I'm in love . . . for real!  My state's first Trader Joe's store opened recently and it is located just a few blocks from my office.  The first time I went in was during the store's opening week and you literally couldn't move inside the store. I grabbed a few items and got out.  I finally took some time and went back a few weeks ago and truly fell in love!  Now I understand why everyone raves about Trader Joe's.  Such yummy things . . . and such a great variety. 

On a whim, I grabbed a package of their Harvest Grains blend and threw it in my cart.  When I got it home I read the label and decided to add some shrimp to it and served it for dinner the other night.  It is a mix of Israeli Couscous, Orzo, baby Garbanzos, and Red Quinoa.  Oh my!  The textures, the colors, the yummy goodness of it all. 

And after the traditional "That looks disgusting" from my boys, they were literally begging for more.  It made enough for two nights for all of us.  On night three, my boys were still asking for more. 

And talk about super simple and quick to throw together.  A big winner at my house!  Watch out Joe - I'm coming back for more.

Yummy Gooey Caramels

One of my most favorite things in the whole world is gooey, chewy, ooey caramels.  I've always wanted to learn how to make them but never had the chance.  Maybe a year ago, I decided to just jump in with both feet and try out a recipe on my own - the outcome wasn't great.  Well this year I came across another recipe that seemed too good to be true.  Make It - Love It's Microwave Sea Salt Caramel recipe was everything she promised it would be!  I made it WITHOUT the added salt - no need for more sodium in my life, plus my family wouldn't have touched them with the salt on top (hum, maybe I should have added the salt :-)).  Anyway - I've successfully made two batches within the last week and both have turned out sooooo good!  It is ridiculously easy!  Put the ingredients in a bowl, pop it in the microwave, stir every two minutes (have son #1 watch the time - good practice for his digital time-telling skills), and dump it in a baking dish when it is done.  Seriously easy!  My kind of recipe.  Here is my version of the recipe (without the sea salt on top):

Microwave Caramels

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 7 minutes, stirring every two minutes.  Pour mixture into a generously greased 8 inch square baking dish.  Then let cool in the fridge for 45 minutes or until hardened. Then peel out of the pan - or eat straight out of the pan if you're desperate! - and place on a sheet of wax paper. Then slice into pieces with a buttered knife and place on a plate (keep them separate) or wrap in small pieces of wax paper.


I'm not a food blogger or a fancy food photographer but here are some pics of my last batch:

Seriously - look at that gooey rectangle of buttery, sugary goodness!!!  Mmmmmmmm!

German Pancakes

One of my favorite breakfasts is "German Pancakes".  At least that's what we know them as.  My mom used to make them for us when my brother and sister and I were kids.  I've also heard them called Dutch Baby pancakes or Oven pancakes.  Whatever you call them - they are still one of my most favorite breakfasts - - call it comfort food. 

 

Well I came across a pan made just for them.  Normally I just make them in either an 8x8 baking dish or if I'm doing a big batch, I'll use a 9x13 baking dish.  This oven-safe pan has the perfect curved sides and is just the right size.  I do need to remember to lower my oven rack next time just to keep the edges from over-browning.

But here it is - my recipe:

 

German Pancakes

4 T butter - let it melt in the pan in a 400 degree oven as it warms up.

Mix 6 eggs, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup milk.  Some recipes recommend a blender for the mixing - I like just a big bowl and a good whisk. 

Pour the mix in with the melted butter and pop it back in the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Top with your favorite syrup and/or powdered sugar.

Um, um, good!!!!!

A New Tasty Dinner: Spinach Manicotti

I try really hard to cook homemade, healthy meals for my little family as regularly as I can (except on Friday nights - I generally have a strict policy of not cooking on Friday nights.  Even mom gets a break on Fridays!).  I'm always on the look-out for new recipes and ideas for dinners.  There are only a handful of recipes that I cook over and over and over.  Usually we're trying new things and very few of them make it in to our regular list of meals we love.  This one made it in with flying colors!

I saw this Spinach Manicotti recipe over at 71toes not too long ago.  It looked like a good one to try.  She makes it without meat/vegetarian so I decided that it might be slightly more well received at my house by browning up a pound of ground turkey with the onions and then following her recipe along from there.  What a hit!  It was truly delicious! 

Everyone, including the boys, gave it a big thumbs up.  I was craving it by the second night - we made enough for a second night's meal.  Here is a close up of all the cheesy, tomatoey yumminess!

I love a great recipe!  Mmmm, mmmm, good!

Candy Corn Cookies

Well this is what happens when you only have boys in your house!  My boys have become lovers of "arts and crafts" (that sounds more masculine than "crafting") and cooking.  They mostly love the tasting part of cooking, but they indulge me still the same. 

I saw a great idea over at The Crafting Chicks for "Candy Corn Cookies" and we decided to try the recipe out this weekend.  The boys give it two thumbs up, especially for the frosting in the middle.  I'll add that the cookies are pretty darn tasty too. 

No candy corns were harmed or used in the making of these cookies.  It is simply the color scheme that makes them "candy corn" cookies.  We had a fun time mixing and rolling and baking and frosting.  Our neighbors are happy too because we gave almost all of the cookies away.  Happy Halloween!

Hearts and Cooking - and they're not related

I really have been busy - - not so much crafting lately, but dreaming of crafting mostly. Oh and I've been doing a lot of creative cooking lately. I seem to be domestic in waves - sewing, cooking, painting, jewelry-making, etc. Is anyone else like that?

I have been stalking Etsy lately for a cute Valentine's garland and I finally found what I wanted. Thanks to Oh Sew Sweet Creations, I now have this cute felt heart garland hanging from my otherwise empty mantle. I just can't figure out how I want to decorate my mantle, but the garland is sure cute (even though it is temporary). Source (Oh Sew Sweet Creations)

Cooking wise - I really have gotten out of my comfort zone lately. I have been doing some bread making - a loaf of brioche (that I used for lobster rolls, ala our summer trip to Maine), along with a couple of loaves of rosemary bread (ala Macaroni Grill) - no pics of either of those - - we ate them too quickly.

I love pancakes and I love to try different kinds of pancakes. My all time favorite still has to be German pancakes like my mom always made. But another strong favorite is Swedish pancakes and I came across this great and easy recipe over at Stitchery Dickory Dock. I quickly learned to make them in a small round saute-type pan rather than on a griddle, and they really were yummy!

Source (Stitchery Dickory Dock)

And finally, I'm not a big pepper (of any variety) fan - never have been, probably still will never be. But I was at a working lunch earlier this week and decided to be brave and try a jalapeno popper that was on the table for the taking. It was quite tasty. So I decided to be brave and browse for jalapeno popper-like recipes. I came across this one from the Pioneer Woman. Easy - and it looked good. And you can't beat the name: Bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies! I made a big batch of them this afternoon to take over to a Super Bowl party. They were a hit. And I even ate a few of them. It was really the luck of the draw - some peppers were mild and some blew my socks off (and I spent some time really cleaning each one of them out). But overall, they were easy and it feels good to get out of my zone.

Source (the Pioneer Woman)

Now let's see if I can get my crafting mo-jo back sometime soon!

More Cooking

I'm just coming off a wonderful 9 day (working) vacation with my family in Maine and New Hampshire. Beautiful! We packed our days and nights and managed to put a pretty big dent in Maine's lobster population while we were at it. I took my yo-yo's with me and didn't open the bag to sew even one. I've got a lot of catching up to do on those. I've also been working on some jewelry for a friend - I'll show that later this week.

The only other thing I have managed to do (besides putting away clean laundry from the trip and trying to get the house back in order) is cook a little bit.

First up - Tin Foil Dinners: these bring back great memories from my childhood. We would always have these when we were camping in our camper every summer. I found a slight variation on my mom's recipe over at The Crafting Chicks. She added cream of mushroom soup to make some gravy - and we loved it! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. We added in some fresh mushrooms. And since the boys got to "make" their own, they ate very well. Love the gravy!

We came home to a garden full of tomatoes. In fact, tomatoes are pretty much all we plant anymore. Between the boys and the dog (who loves to pluck tomatoes off the vine and eat them himself), its a race to see who can eat them as soon as they are ripe. I found a yummy recipe on For the Love of Cooking and we created a yummy Caprese Salad. A little fresh mozzarella, home grown tomatoes, (dried) basil - the fresh basil at the grocery store was beyond its date) and some olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar. Yummy!

Lemon Pudding Cake

I hate weeks like these last few . . . I want so badly to have time to craft, but I just can't seem to fit it in. I have a list of a thousand things to start . . . two new quiet book pages, valentine's crafts (yes, it's next week), and some sewing projects. Work is completely crazy and the boys all need some love and attention. And any free time I find myself with gets taken up by sleep. So the list of things to do will move to this week. I did drag myself up off the couch this afternoon to do a little baking. I had seen a recipe on Cooks Country for Lemon Pudding Cake. I had all of the ingredients except for fresh lemons - so bottled lemon juice will just have to do. Can you say Yum!

So with no further adieu . . . the recipe.

Lemon Pudding Cake

1/4 C Flour

2 t Cornstarch

1 1/4 C Sugar, split

5 T Butter unsalted, softened

2 T Lemon Zest, grated

1/2 C Lemon Juice (about 4 lemons)

5 Eggs, separated

1 1/4 C Whole Milk, room temperature

2 qts Boiling Water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8" square baking dish.

Whisk flour and cornstarch in bowl. On medium high speed, beat 1/2 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, until incorporated.

Reduce speed to medium-low and add in flour mixture. Mix until incorporated.

Slowly add milk and lemon juice, mixing until just combined.

Using a clean bowl and whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

With mixer running, slowly add remaining 3/4 cups sugar until whites are firm and glossy, about 1 minute.

Whisk 1/3 of whites into batter, then gently fold in remaining whites, one scoop at a time, until well combined.

Place kitchen towel in the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange prepared baking dish on the towel.

Spoon batter into prepared 8" baking dish.

Carefully place pan on oven rack and pour boiling water into pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake until the top surface is golden brown and the edges are set (center should jiggle slightly when gently shaken), about 60 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour.

Lightly dust with powdered sugar and serve.

This will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house. A great lemony-souffle, custard dessert that is super easy! And boy do I love lemony desserts!

Yummy Hot Soup

My long awaited for week off from work has consisted of:

1. Cleaning up the Christmas "stuff" - my house has never (and I repeat NEVER) been this much of a disaster before. Toys everywhere . . . bed parts laying all over son #1's bedroom floor . . . piles of stuff on every flat surface . . . food (and by that I mean sweets) on every counter in the kitchen . . . Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love putting up all the Christmas decorations and the tree and the lights and all of it! But it's a relief when it all comes down and gets put away for the year!

2. Gutting out two boy's bedrooms - It's time, finally, to take down the crib and haul it out. No more babies in this house. It was actually a little sad! So the crib came out, the changing table went out with it - to a new little couple who will hopefully add a new baby to our extended family down the road. Son #1 got a new (well, new to us) log bed that I picked up really cheap from the online classifieds. Add a new mattress, sheets, comforter, wall decoration (only one so far - maybe I'll post about that fun crafty item), etc and he has a new "big boy" room. Son #2 got the toddler bed and all the car/truck decorations that son #1 is now done with. But all of this moving meant two complete days worth of cleaning and organizing and throwing away (while the boys weren't looking!) and donating. I'm exhausted!

We've had a nice big and very cold snowstorm on top of us for the last two days - we haven't left the house in more than a few days (and to be honest, showering is optional on days like these!). So I decided that rather than finishing up the leftovers, it was time for a nice piping hot pot of soup. I had seen this yummy Harvest Soup with Sweet Potatoes recipe over at The Mother Huddle's blog and decided to try it out. Husband isn't especially fond of meatless meals (especially when I make the mistake of telling him that it will be meatless as I'm making it). So I added some diced chicken breasts to "beef it up". I didn't have barley on hand either, but the veggies were amazing. The boys didn't even complain - they dove right in and ate it up. I'm sure the chicken helped with that too. Nothing better than a bowl of yummy hot soup on a cold winter's day. Now that's really M-M-M-good!

Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes

After a much needed vacation with my family to Jackson, WY last week, I had to leave them there and catch a flight to Minneapolis for a conference. It was a busy few days putting the conference on but after we got everything cleaned up on Friday afternoon, I wandered around downtown Minneapolis with a few of my friends. We happened upon this restaurant and took a peek at their menu. It sounded intriguing and so we decided to have our lunch there. Well it turned out to be an award winning restaurant . . . and for a good reason. Hell's Kitchen describes their food as "unique but not fancy; interesting but not fussy." Their name has nothing to do with the TV show on Fox, but rather it comes from the famous New York neighborhood. The food was totally out of this world! My friends both had the crab cakes and poached eggs with bell pepper holandaise sauce. I chose the Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes and oh my! They were incredible! I've never tasted such fluffy, light, and airy pancakes. A few berries on top with a light dusting of powdered sugar and I was in heaven!

They do have a recipe book for $28 but after buying their homemade Blood Orange Marmalade and their homemade Peanut Butter to bring home I didn't want to spend the money on the cookbook. So of course, I googled for a recipe and here it is:

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Mitch Omer - Hell's Kitchen Minneapolis

6 egg whites

9 egg yolks

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

4 T freshly grated lemon zest

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 t kosher salt
1/3 cup flour

unsalted butter, melted for the skillet

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment, pour egg whites into a stainless steel bowl. Whisk the whites on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Once peaks are formed, reduce the speed to low.

Add the egg yolks one at a time to the whites, beating after each addition. Then slowly add 1/3 cup melted butter. Continue to whisk on low speed until the ingredients are well combined.

Turn off the mixer and add the sugar, ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk for 1 minute at medium speed, then reduce the speed to low. Slowly add the flour. Mix to combine the flour for about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to eliminate any remaining dry spots. Mix again at medium speed for about 1 minute until everything is just combined.

Place the batter in the fridge for 4 hours or up to 3 days.

When ready to cook, place a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Brush the cooking surface with melted butter and pour the batter into the skillet in 1/4 cup portions. Leave about 2 inches between the batter to allow for spreading. Cook the pancakes until bubbles appear on the surface and the underside is a golden brown, about 5 minutes. (These will take a bit longer to cook than traditional pancakes, so be patient.) Flip the pancakes a cook for another 2-3 minutes until the other side is golden brown. Transfer the pancakes to a warm plate, and repeat until all of the batter is used up.

Garnish the hot pancakes with powdered sugar, fresh berries, melted butter, and warm syrup. Serve immediately.

My Favorite Buttermilk Syrup

Don't let the name fool you - Buttermilk Syrup is the yummiest thing you will ever make to go along with pancakes, french toast, etc for breakfast. I love Buttermilk but my husband doesn't - and even he loves this recipe. In fact, I might as well not even serve a breakfast requiring syrup if I don't have any of this homemade delight on hand. You won't even know that there is Buttermilk in it! Try it - I guarantee you'll like it!

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 cups Sugar

3/4 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Butter

2 T Corn Syrup

1 t Baking Soda

2 t Vanilla

Combine the first five ingredients in a large saucepan (it will boil up and make a mess if you don't use a very large pan!). Bring to a boil; boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Enjoy!