Category: Cooking

If I am honest with myself, I will admit that after all these years, I had gotten a bit sloppy making my Peach Jam.  Besides the peaches not being ripe, I think there were a few other things that made the first batches a few days ago, so horrid.

So this week, I did a few things differently. I paid attention to each detail and I actually changed a couple of things. Because I did this, I have written an entirely new recipe, complete with pictures.

Heavenly Peach Jam

• 5 lb. very ripe peaches skinned and mashed
• 7 ½ cups sugar
• 2 Oranges
• 1 large jar maraschino cherries, cherries quartered
• 1 box Sure-Jell

I use Sure-Jell and I swear by it. I have not been compensated in any way for this review of the product. I just feel it helps make the best Jam around. And if Sure-Jell is looking for a new Spokesmodel I am available!

1. Peel peaches; remove pits.
2. Mash peaches; place in large saucepan.
3. Add sugar; mix thoroughly.
4. Cut oranges in half.
5. Squeeze juice from both oranges; remove seeds.
6. Take the rind from one orange and slice thinly and chop.
7. Add orange rind and orange juice to the peach mixture.
8. Add cherries.

Let rest overnight.

• Bring to a boil. Cook for 1 hour.

• Add Sure-Jell;
• boil for 20 minutes, stirring constantly until the jam begins to jell.
• Ladle into sterilized jars, cover with sterilized lids and return to a water bath.
• Boil closed jars for 8 minutes.
• Set on dishtowels to cool.

Yields about 9 – 11 half-pint jelly jars.

Notes:

If peaches are not full on ripe, put them in a brown paper bag and close the top. Leave 1-2 days, and then start the process.

To peel peaches, place about 6 in boiling water for 1 minute. Quickly remove them and place them in an ice bath. Continue until all 5 pounds worth of peaches are blanched.

Peaches should be so ripe you can squish them in your hands to break them up after removing the skin. But watch those peach pits! They can really hurt your fingers!

At the end use chilled dessert plates to check your jelling. You want the jam not to run off the plate after a minute on the frozen plate, but to form a heavy drip.

Like this. This was cooled Jam on my finger!

This shows you what you want your jam to do right before you can it. That drop stayed on my finger and hung there. That is perfect!

Ingredients:

1. 4 pounds To 5 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Or Thighs
2. 1 teaspoon All-purpose, No-salt Seasoning
3. 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
5. 1/2 cup Chopped Yellow Onion
6. 2 teaspoons Chopped Fresh Garlic
7. 1/2 cup Chicken Broth

Instructions:

• Place all of the chicken into the pot of your slow cooker.
• Sprinkle the chicken with the no-salt seasoning, sea salt, pepper, onion, and garlic.
• Using a pair of tongs, lift and turn the chicken to distribute the seasonings evenly.
• Pour the broth down the side of the pot.
• If you’re using a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 5–6 hours or on high for 3–4 hours.
• Shred the chicken and return it to the pot with the juices. Serve immediately or divide the chicken up into equal portions and chill or freeze.

Can be mixed with barbecue sauce, gravy, or just top a salad with the shredded meat. It also makes a great base for a chicken salad or soup.

I have searched high and low for a good classic Key Lime Pie recipe. Most were okay but nothing to write home about. So I started playing. I played and played with recipe’s until I got it right and here it is. For those of you who love this pie as much as I do and yet couldn’t find it outside of Florida, you will love it. Of course for those with cholesterol problems, this is not for you. I have made it with both the fat-free cream cheese and fat-free condensed milk, but the egg yolks will still kill ya. A special note here. Use only Key Lime Juice. It can be found in some grocery stores bottled, and some specialty groceries will actually carry Key Limes. Regular Lime juice will not cut it! Anyway, save it and make it for a special occasion. I promise you will love it.

Escarole, Chicken and Meatball Soup

Soup:
In a large soup pot cook one  3-4 pound chicken in water, with an onion, celery stalk, and carrot. Simmer for an hour or so until chicken is done and is falling off the bones.

Meanwhile Slice:
5 carrots
5 stalks celery
2 large onions
1 shallot
2-3 heads escarole
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbs parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Remove chicken from pot retaining all the wonderful broth.

Meatballs:
1 lb hamburger or ground turkey
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 tbs parsley
Pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated cheese (I do 1/2 & 1/2 parmesan and romano)
1 tsp garlic salt

Mix meat into small mini meatballs.

Toss into boiling broth along with the above-chopped vegetables.

Then simmer slowly until veggies are done.

Meanwhile, bone the chicken and add the meat to the soup. Add more chicken broth if needed to make soup desired thickness.

Enjoy!

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:

1. 1 pound cheese tortellini pasta (either fresh or dried – cooked according to package’s instructions)
2. 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3. ½ red onion, diced
4. 1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
5. ½ cup canned artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
6. ½ cup kalamata olives (whole or sliced)
7. ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
8. ⅓ cup packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Greek Dressing

1. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
3. 3 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
5. 1 teaspoon dried basil
6. ½ teaspoon dried thyme
7. 2 teaspoons sugar
8. 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
9. ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
10. black pepper, to taste
11. juice of ½ lemon

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar, cover and shake well, chill. (I needed to add a bit more olive oil as I thought the vinegar was too strong.)

In a large bowl combine tortellini, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, and basil. Pour dressing over the top, then toss to combine.
Serve immediately OR cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours before serving.

Okay, here it is. I use the store brand French Onion Soup mix. Here is what I do to dress it up:

Preheat oven 450 degrees

1. I slice thinly three onions.
2. Then I take 1-2 tbs. butter and melt that in a soup pot.
3. I sauté the onions until they are translucent.
4. Then I add 4 cups of water and cook covered for 15 minutes.
5. I add the store brand, (I use Best Brand French Onion Soup) mix, cover and cook another 12 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, I shred about 2 and 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese and toast a circle of French bread for each bowl.
7. I spray the french onion soup bowls with Pam for easy cleanup and then when all is ready ladle soup into bowl within a half inch of the top.
8. Place toast into the bowl, (you may have to trim it to fit), and quickly cover with cheese.
9. Place in hot oven and cook until golden on top.
   OMG, this is so good!!!
   Serves 4.

I went grocery shopping on Wednesday and found the best deal! Dry Sea Scallops for $9.99 a pound.

Soaked” (also known as “wet” or “treated”) Scallops have been soaked in a bath of phosphates (or more precisely- sodium tripolyphosphate), for the purpose of adding water-weight. When scallops are exposed to a phosphate bath, they absorb it and swell – gaining water-weight. Sort of like women after eating a high sodium meal. These are the yucky kind!

“Dry” is the seafood industry term for natural Scallops, which have not been treated with phosphates. These are the best kind! Natural Scallops have a slightly tan, or “vanilla”-color. Dry Scallops are superior for the following reasons: For searing purposes, dry Scallops caramelize beautifully! Dry scallops taste sweet & natural. You are not paying for added water with dry Scallops.

So, what’s a girl to do? I bought 2 pounds. One to cook tonight and one to freeze. This is really a marvelous deal for those of us who live inland and cannot get fresh dry Scallops at reasonable prices.

I shall be serving this with Pine nut Rice Pilaf and fresh corn on the cob. All in all a great meal! I can hardly wait!

Heat the oven to 350 F.

• Place the Scallops in a buttered baking dish,  it should be large enough to hold the scallops in a single layer.
• Sprinkle the scallops with salt, and pepper and some ritz cracker crumbs.
• Bake the sea scallops in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
• Spoon melted butter over the ritz cracker crumbs to coat with butter and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the scallops are cooked through but still moist.
• Serve with butter and herb sauce from baking dish and hot cooked rice or small pasta.

Lamb Paprikash

• Olive Oil
• 1 cup sliced green pepper
• 1 cup sliced red pepper
• 2 large onions sliced
• 3 lbs lamb, cubed
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbs sweet paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tbs salt
• 1-14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cups beef broth (or a bit more if needed)
  sour cream
  Parsley

Heat oil, add onions and peppers and saute until soft.

1. Remove the onions and peppers and add a little more olive oil.
2. Toss lamb chunks in flour and add to pot.
3. Brown meat.
4. Add beef broth, both paprika’s, salt and return onion and peppers to the pot.
5. Add tomatoes, and cover, simmer on low (or in a 300-degree oven in a dutch oven) for 2 hours.
6. Correct seasoning and serve over mashed potatoes or noodles.
7. Top with sour cream and parsley. Great with a side salad and crusty bread.

I made this last night for dinner. Both Jack and I loved it and ate happily. He asked if there were leftovers. There are, so he is even happier!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• ¾ cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (you do NOT need to thaw the corn in advance)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained (I used Italian Basil & Herb Flavor)
• 9 ounces (about 1 ¾ cup) cooked, diced (or pulled) chicken
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese, (or Monterey Jack) divided
• 1 (8.5 ounce) box cornbread mix (I used Jiffy), plus ingredients called for on the box (1 egg & 1/3 cup milk)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Cook onion and bell pepper just until tender (about 3 minutes).
5. Reduce heat to low, add barbecue sauce, and simmer until thickens slightly (about 1-2 minutes).
6. Stir in frozen corn, tomatoes, chicken, and ½ cup of the cheese.
7. Transfer chicken mixture to prepared baking dish.
8. In a separate bowl, prepare cornbread batter according to package instructions. Stir in remaining ½ cup of cheese.
9. Spread cornbread batter over chicken mixture. I like to do this by using a large spoon to dollop the batter all over the top of the casserole. Then used a knife to gently spread it around until it covers most of dish.
10. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

I tried a new recipe for cooking corned beef and cabbage this year. I did this after cooking this last year and having my corned beef come out like shoe leather! I’ve been watching many cooking shows on HGTV and I have been learning a lot about how to cook tough cuts of beef. So, here is what I did, and in the end, it came out so very well!

Ingredients:

1. 2-5 pounds corned beef
2. 5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
3. 10 peppercorns smashed
4. 4 sprigs fresh thyme
5. 2 bay leaves
6. 12 ounces good beer
7. 1 carton of beef broth or stock
8. (Water, if needed for simmering)
9. 4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 large yellow or sweet onion, sliced
10. 6 – 8 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
11. 4 stalks celery cut into large chunks
12. 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
13. 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1 inch slices, core removed
14. 4 tablespoons butter
15. 1 tsp salt

Directions

Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the beer, beef stock and enough water to cover the beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then place in pre-heated 300 degree F oven for 3 hours and 30 minutes.

After 3 hours and 30 minutes, add the onion wedges, celery, carrots, and the potatoes and cook for 1 hour. Then add the cabbage and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender. Don’t be afraid you will overcook the corned beef. Cooking it slowly in a low oven will make this so tender. If the meat is tough, you did not cook it long enough!

In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the cabbage to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.

Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice. Serve with spicy mustard, at the table with all the vegetables piled onto a serving tray and the sliced meat onto another tray with some of the broth poured over the meat.

My total cooking time was five and a half hours. I used my cast iron Dutch Oven, and a low oven. Basically you get all the ingredients in and then let then Dutch Oven do all the work!