Apple Pie Jam

We go through a *lot* of jam here because we put it on sandwiches, toast, and muffins plus use it as a glaze on meat, an add in for oatmeal, a sweetener in tea or coffee, a filling for cakes, cookies, and muffins, and swirled through brownies and blondies before baking. C's favorite jam is apple pie jam, and our apples are now harvested from our two mature, high yielding trees. Result: I'm making apple pie jam! If you can, this is a simple boiling water bath process. I'm sure that this jam can also be frozen, and it certainly can be put into jars or containers and refrigerated, sharing the extra jars with friends and family. If you don't can this, it is not shelf stable, so make sure to preserve it or refrigerate it!

4 c. finely chopped/minced fresh apples, peels, cores, and bad spots removed
a little water - check out the directions, probably 1/4 c. - 1/2 c.
2 T. lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp margarine or butter (optional , and note that this is a *teaspoon* not a tablespoon, just a pat will work)
1 box dry/powdered pectin
4 c. sugar
1 c. packed light brown sugar

1.  Put the finely chopped apples into a quart measuring glass, then fill with water so that the water also measures 4 cups - you are just filling in the little nooks and crannies with water.
2.  Put the apples and water, margarine, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pectin into a fairly large pot (I like to use an 8 quart stock pot to ensure that it doesn't boil over). Stir to combine, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boiling is rather vague, since there isn't much liquid, but you'll know it by the bubbling of what liquid there is.
3.  Add the two sugars and stir to combine everything. Bring to a boil over high heat. When it is at a full roiling boil (one that cannot be stirred down or one in which the bubbling doesn't stop when you stir it), continue to boil and stir for 1 full minute.
4.  Remove from heat and transfer to jars/containers. If canning, fill prepared jars, adjust lids and bands, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. If freezing, fill containers of choice, seal, cool, and freeze. If refrigerating, fill containers of choice, seal/put a lid on, and refrigerate.

This recipe makes 7 or 7 1/2 cups of jam, which is a dark caramel color speckled with lighter pieces of the apple. It's lovely and distinctive looking as well as delicious!

Dinner in a Hurry That Doesn't Taste Like Dinner in a Hurry

I'm cooking up 5 pounds of meatballs today. Most of them will be cooled, flash frozen, and bagged for the freezer. Spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, waikiki meatballs, meatballs with a jelly glaze, swedish meatballs, barbeque meatballs, that 5 pound bag will be gone in a hurry. I'm going to set some of today's meatballs aside and use them for dinner tonight, making one of our favorites, shanghai meatballs with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Fast, easy, and delicious, this is a perfect dinner for busy nights. Heat store bought meatballs or make your own, adding shanghai sauce for the last few minutes to heat the sauce and lightly glaze the meatballs. Jasmine rice is sticky, perfect for giving the sauce something to cling to, is lightly sweet which balances nicely with spicy flavors, and cooks in only 15 minutes after the water is heated to a boil. It even reheats well in the microwave! Stir in some chopped crystallized ginger for an added sweet and tangy flavor. Heat some frozen broccoli, and dinner is ready!

Shanghai Sauce
1 1/4 c. water
1 T cornstarch
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 T. minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir the cornstarch into the water, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat until it begins to bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. A double batch will take closer to 45-50 minutes to thicken. This sauce freezes beautifully, so double up and freeze in 1 cup portions to use to coat wings, meatballs, or chicken tenders! This is a copy cat recipe for Chili's Boneless Shanghai Wings, and we love it!

Giving Yourself a 10 Minute Spa Day Every Day

I am incredibly busy, but I do like the little treats for myself. My favorite thing is making sugar scrubs for in the shower. My favorites: gingerbread, chocolate almond, and ginger. I've been trolling http://www.bathandbodyrecipes.com/ and then branching out into my own concoctions. Bubble baths are also so much more incredible when you make it a tea bath or milk bath or add homemade bath salts or bath oils. Get 2-cup plastic containers from the store that have screw on lids which cost only $2-$3 for a pack of 3, and you have a safe, convenient, and inexpensive container too. Similar scrubs cost $15-$25 at bath and beauty stores, even more when you go to high end beauty counters, but you can make them for only a couple dollars. Finding organic ones is incredibly difficult, but you can easily find the organic components yourself. So arm yourself with a good quality light oil such as grapeseed, almond, apricot kernel, or jojoba, some sugar, and some add-ins, and make your shower time an incredible, aromatic experience that will exfoliate your skin while simultaneously pushing moisturizers into your skin.

Note: oils do have scents, except grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil is my preferred sugar scrub oil because it doesn't compete with what I'm adding to it, but other oils work well with different scents. In a chocolate sugar scrub, coconut oil, almond oil, and macadamia oil are certainly good options, but coconut oil and gingerbread spices aren't such a great combination.

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. - 3/4 c. massage oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
(all spices are ground)
Mix everything together, adding just enough oil to make a paste. When the scrub sits for a day or two, it's okay for there to be a thin layer of oil on top, just stir it back into the sugar, but the paste shouldn't be loose or sloppy/gloppy.

Chocolate Almond Sugar Scrub
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. - 3/4 c. massage oil
1 tsp - 2 tsp almond extract
1 T cocoa powder
Mix everything together, adding just enough oil to make a paste. When the scrub sits for a day or two, it's okay for there to be a thin layer of oil on top, just stir it back into the sugar, but the paste shouldn't be loose or sloppy/gloppy.

These are also child safe, so when I let my young children use these scrubs on their chapped hands, it's okay that they taste these or that they eat food after using them on their hands.

What Columbus Was Missing - Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

After having wonderful houseguests for a long weekend, I'm back! Lots of cooking, lots of eating, lots of laughter. One of the things that we had this weekend was roast beef in the crock pot with roasted garlic and chives mashed potatoes. Easy and packed with flavor, roasted garlic and chives mashed potatoes really add some zip to your dinner and have the added bonus of freezing well for later eating. I used white potatoes and removed the jackets, but I've also made these with red-skinned mashed potatoes and mashed with the skins on, making for a nice texture and color contrast plus an added boost to the nutrition count.

Roasted Garlic
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rub or peel the extra paper from a whole head of garlic, just enough to expose the cloves but not to break the cloves off the head. Lay the head of garlic on its side and slice off the very top of the head, which will take off the tips of some of the cloves.
Take a square of foil about 8"x8" and lay it on the counter, then sit the head of garlic on the foil. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil over the head. Wrap the garlic in the foil, making a packet.
Bake the garlic for 30-40 minutes until the garlic is soft. Cool the garlic, then peel the roasted cloves or squeeze them through the holes in the end of the peels.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2-3 lb potatoes, cut into chunks 1"-2" across
water to cover the potatoes in a pot by 1"-2"
1/4 c. butter or margarine, room temperture or melted
1/2 c. milk, soy milk, soy creamer, broth, or whatever your preference for mashed potatoes, warm
1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
1 head of roasted garlic, out of the peels
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, then drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Break them up with a mixer, then pour in the melted butter and the warm milk - using warm will keep from cooling the potatoes and make for better incorporation. Add in the roated garlic.
Mix until creamy, making sure not to overmix. Beating them too long will break down the cell structure too much and produce glue-like mashed potatoes. Adding the milk slowly will also ensure that you add in only as much as you want - everyone likes mashed potatoes a little different!
When just about done mixing, add in the chives and the black pepper and finish mixing. Serve hot with butter or gravy, freeze in individual portion sizes, use leftovers to make potato pancakes and just enjoy a gourmet mashed potato with extra nutrients, color, and texture along with an explosion of flavor!

Pumpkin is Back!!!

For months, I have been checking the local grocery stores for canned pumpkin but to no avail, the shelf was always empty. Now that it's October, pumpkin is back, and I'm stocking up! Pumpkin is packed full of vitamins and carries a serious punch of flavor and moisture. I love to bake with pumpkin, and this year I'm going to expand my repertoire. Our list of favorites includes pumpkin pie, cranberry pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin cupcakes. I know that there are loads of pumpkin chocolate chip recipes, but they just aren't for us. Give us a good fruit-nut-pumpkin combo any day! Pumpkin pie separates from the crust when baked, but the other baked goods are excellent candidates for freezing, and who says that a quick bread with pumpkin, cranberries, and walnuts can't be a breakfast food? Homemade pumpkin puree can be frozen, but only pumpkin cubes can be canned, not pureed pumpkin as the puree is too dense for reliable heat penetration in home canning (and no one wants botulism). I'm thinking about making a batch of pumpkin butter for the freezer, though! Stay tuned for the recipe if I like how it turns out.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
2 1/4 c. flour
1 T pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 c. sugar
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients minus the sugar: flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients plus the sugar: eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil, beating until just blended.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until batter is just blended/moistened. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use the following for each tablespoon of pie spice: 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cooking Day!

We went to Sam's Club on Saturday and stocked up on some things. I'm not out of bread flour, but the price has dropped to the lowest I've seen it - $6.99 for 25-lb bag - so we picked up another bag. One 5-lb bag at the store is running $3 or more, so we're pretty much getting 13 pounds of bread flour for free. I can handle that! We also picked up boneless skinless chicken breasts, a total of 12 pounds, and 30 pounds of ground beef. Today is a cooking day!

A was a doll and cooked up 10 lb of burger with only a little seasoning, which will be bagged 2 cups to a bag and frozen (shold be 9 bags), ready to pull out and heat for tacos, spaghetti, hamburger bbq, anything we need cooked ground beef for. Now what am I going to do with the other 20 pounds?

5 lb pico de gallo burgers
5 lb cajun burgers
5 lb hamburgers
5 lb meatballs

Try mixing up gourmet burgers yourself for half the cost of them at the butcher counter when you can even find a butcher counter that does them! Websites like www.cheese-burger.net/tag/gourmet-burger-recipes are great inspiration sources. Mix, shape, flash freeze or wrap in plastic wrap, and bag, then thaw and grill/broil when you want something different for dinner.

A big help for us for quick meals is to have small (1/4 lb), grilled/broiled hamburgers in the freezer. We go as far as putting one regular hamburger bun and one cooked hamburger in a sandwich bag and then putting a bunch of them in a gallon freezer bag, then when someone wants a burger, we microwave a hamburger for a minute, put the roll in the microwave and heat for another 15-20 seconds. Voila! Hot hamburger and soft, fresh roll.

Meatballs. People so often overlook these nuggets of helpful protein. We'll mix up 5 lb of basic meatballs, 1 tablespoon (1 oz) each, broil them until barely done, then flash freeze and bag. Check out http://www.meatballrecipes.net/ for some ideas, then start checking your favorite cooking websites for recipes using meatballs. We like best meatball subs, spaghetti and meatballs, meatballs with a sweet and tangy ginger sauce over jasmine rice. This fall, I'm going to be trying a couple of recipes in the crockpot using meatballs and a fruit based sauce which can be served over rice with steamed vegetables on the side.

Now for the chicken. Every last morsel will be used for boneless wings, using a Chili's copy cat recipe I got from a book that I unfortunately cannot remember the name of! This is a wonderful recipe. Fantastic fresh, they freeze and reheat in the oven in 10 minutes. Toss them in 1/4 c. and 1 T melted butter/margarine, and you have great boneless buffalo wings.

1 c. flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 egg or 1/4 c. egg substitute such as Eggbeaters
1 c. milk or soy milk
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
oil for frying

Combine flour, salt, peppers, and paprika in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the egg and milk in another medium bowl.
Cut the chicken breasts into 2-bite-size chunks (original recipe says 3/4" thick, 1 3/4" wide, 3" long) or smaller if you like.
Dip each chicken piece into the egg wash, then dredge in the flour mixture, setting aside each piece on a plate or cutting board.
When all of the pieces have been dredged, repeat the process. Chill for 15 minutes while the oil heats.
After the rest period, fry in hot oil for 5-6 minutes. Chicken will be golden brown and crispy. Drain on towels.

Caramel Corn on a Rainy Day

It's a Friday, it's the beginning of October, and it's a cool, rainy day. I'm making caramel corn for tonight's family movie night! My family goes crazy for this stuff, so a double batch will definitely have to be made. I found the recipe in a cookbook I found at the library book sale for 25 cents: *Wake Up and Smell the Coffee: Favorite Breakfast and Brunch Recipes From teh Upper Midwest's Best Bed & Breakfast Inns*. How can you not want to flip through a book like that?!

Slightly long in the making but very easy and incredibly delicious, this caramel corn recipe is fantastic and a staple in our house, especially in the fall with steaming mugs of hot apple cider. Throw in some nuts, and we even tell ourselves it's pretty healthy with the fiber of the popcorn and the protein of the nuts!

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. (4 T) margarine or butter
1/2 c. dark corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 qt (8 c) plain popped popcorn

Cook all ingredients except the popcorn at medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring constantly. This is to dissolve the sugar and create a light syrup.
In a very large bowl, mix the caramel with the popcorn.
Spread the mixture on a jelly roll pan (I believe a cookie sheet with a rim would work just as well) at 250 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Cool on the pan, still stirring occasionally to break up the chunks that will stick together.

Recipe from The Inn at Cedar Crossing in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.