Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Getting Ready for Halloween!!!
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It's October! Halloween is coming! It's time for costumes, candy, and decorating!!! Oh, and don't forget the pumpkin carving either. It is a great way to spend quality time with your family and to nurture your creativity. Here at Basic Living, we gathered 15 yummy recipes for you to try this Halloween season. Be sure to start trying them early, so you can use your favorite ones to make your Halloween even yummier!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Oatmeal Recipe
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Instant Oatmeal Packets
To make individual instant packets:
Blend 1/2 C. of oats until powdery.
Into each of the 10 packets (perhaps individual sealable sandwich bags) combine the following ingredients:
-1/4 C. unpowdered oats
-2 TBSP powder oats
-1/8 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. sugar (optional)
-Close the top and store in a dry place.
Instant Oatmeal Packets
To make individual instant packets:
Blend 1/2 C. of oats until powdery.
Into each of the 10 packets (perhaps individual sealable sandwich bags) combine the following ingredients:
-1/4 C. unpowdered oats
-2 TBSP powder oats
-1/8 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. sugar (optional)
-Close the top and store in a dry place.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Rasberry Pie Recipe
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Raspberries are filled with bright color and flavor that will wake up your senses and make your taste buds happy. While picking fresh raspberries from your garden, you might wonder about a way to enjoy the wonderful smell and flavor of these wonderful raspberries long after they were picked. I have successfully trapped the mouth-watering flavor and heavenly smell of raspberries into a pie. Here is the recipe. I hope you'll like it.
4 cups of Raspberries
1/4 c. Clear Jel (instant)
1 to 1/4 c. sugar
Combine clear jel with the sugar and then add to the raspberries. If they are fresh you may need to add about 1/2 cup water. If your raspberries have been frozen and are thawed do not add any liquid. Pour into a 9 inch pie crust and top with another crust for the top and bake at 425 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
by Mechele Eckman
by Mechele Eckman
Friday, July 30, 2010
No-Knead Sourdough Bread
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1 ½ lb. loaf
3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting
¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. sourdough
Cornmeal as needed
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/5 cups warm water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 18 to 24 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 ° F. You can put it into the oven with the oven light on.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450° F. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is ok. Shake pan once or twice if dough unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
by Mechele Eckman
www.basicliving.com
www.survivalsuperstore.com
3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting
¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. sourdough
Cornmeal as needed
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/5 cups warm water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 18 to 24 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 ° F. You can put it into the oven with the oven light on.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450° F. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is ok. Shake pan once or twice if dough unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
by Mechele Eckman
www.basicliving.com
www.survivalsuperstore.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Applesauce - the home made way
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After a few years into marriage I decided that making my own baby food was the best way to go to provide better nutrition for my infants. One of the many things that I decided to do and still do for our whole family is make applesauce. Apples seem to be in abundance where I live and there are so many things you can do with them.
The first few times I made applesauce I peeled and cored every apple and then put them in a pot on the stove to cook down. The applesauce was good but there was too much work involved for me to continue this process so I started looking around for something to help make this process easier. Two products that I found on the market were a steam juicer and food strainer/sauce maker. The steam juicer is an appliance that can be used for many things. Besides being a steam juicer, it is a colander, steam cooker, soup pot and roaster so if you want to get your money’s worth out of it don’t store it too far away because you can use it all year long.
When preparing my applesauce I use the steam juicer first. I wash my apples, stem, and quarter them (which allows the apples to cook faster). I do not take the time to core them because the food strainer/sauce maker will take care of the cores. I fill up the colander in the steamer with the prepared apples. The bottom pan or sauce pot in the juicer must be filled with water. Place the sauce pot on the stove filled with water, the juice kettle on top and then the colander on top of that with the lid in place. Bring that to a boil. You should allow your apples to steam for about 60 minutes or until they are nice and mushy.
While the apples have been steaming, concentrated juice has been collecting in the juice kettle. I drain that juice off, bottle it while it is hot and process it in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (3,000 to 6,000 ft). Later I use the juice for fruit drinks or boil it with sugar for syrup (great on pancakes or waffles).
After the apples have steamed for 60 minutes and I have bottled all of the juice. I run the apples through a food strainer/sauce maker. This machine is great because it separates the peel, core and seeds from the pulp. The food strainer/sauce maker is nice but not absolutely necessary either. I have in the past just mashed my apples through a sieve. Once the pulp has been extracted though, you need to add some kind of anti-darkening agent. I use Fruit Fresh. I just add the powder right to the applesauce. The next step is to return the applesauce to the sauce pot (the bottom pot of the steamer) and add sugar. I taste my sauce and sweeten it accordingly. You can follow this tip. Add ¼ cup sugar per pound of apples. I have also added red cinnamon candy to my sauce. It gives it a nice pink color, adds some sweetness, and a cinnamon taste. My kids think this applesauce is great.
After you add your sugar heat the sauce to boiling. Stir the sauce to prevent sticking. Maintain temperature at a boil (212°F) while filling jars. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles by crisscrossing a flat plastic utensil through the sauce. Wipe around the top of the bottle. Place hot lid on the bottle and finger tighten the ring. Process your pints or quarts of applesauce for 30 minutes (3,000 to 6,000 ft) in a boiling water bath. After processing time is over remove carefully. Let the jars sit on a towel covered counter for 12 to 24 hours. Then check the seal by pressing the lid in the center. If it gives at all it is not sealed and must be refrigerated. Use your unsealed applesauce within 24 hours.
I know it seems like a lot of work but it is well worth the effort. Homemade applesauce just doesn’t compare to store bought sauce. When you do your own you have a piece of mind that you know what is going into the sauce. It also gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction. I think your kids will love the fact that it is homemade too. So start making sauce and enjoy.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Rice Recipes
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Regular white rice has been milled to remove the hull, germ and most of the bran. It is available both long and short grain, the long grain being a better all-purpose rice. One cup uncooked= 3 cups cooked.
Parboiled (converted) rice contains the vitamins found in brown rice but is polished like white rice. One cup uncooked=3 1/2 cups cooked. Precooked (instant) rice is commercially cooked, rinsed and dried before packaging. It is therefore quick and very easy to prepare. One cup uncooked=2 cups cooked.
Brown rice is unpolished with only the outer hull removed. It has a slightly firm texture and a nutlike flavor. One cup uncooked=4 cups cooked.
Wild rice is the seed of grass that grows in marshes. It is dark greenish-brown in color and has a distinctive, nutlike flavor. Expensive, it is sometimes combined with white or brown rice. One cup uncooked=3 cups cooked.
RICE RECIPES
Plain Rice
2 C. rice
4 C. water
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
Put rice in saucepan large enough to allow for two times expansion. Cover with water to about 2 inches above rice, add salt if desired. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered until most of the water is gone. Turn down heat as low as possible; cover and steam about 20 mins or until water has been absorbed.
Ordinary Brown Rice
1 C. brown rice
2 3/4 C. water
1 tsp. salt, if desired
Heat until boiling stirring once; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until tender, 45-50 minutes; remove
from heat.
Lemon Rice
Stir in 2 TBSP margarine, melted, and 2 TBSP lemon juice into cooked rice.
Mushroom Rice
Heat 1 can mushrooms, drained in 2 TBS margarine until tender; stir into cooked rice.
Onion Rice
Cook 2 TBSP finely chopped onion in 2 TBSP margarine until tender; stir into cooked rice.
Parsley Rice
Stir 2 TBSP fresh parsley into cooked rice.
Deluxe Brown Rice
1 C. sliced carrots
3 TBSP oil
1/2 C. onions
3 C. cooked brown rice
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 TBSP sesame seeds
Saute’ carrots in oil about 10 minutes. Add onions. Cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in rice and salt. Cook, stirring gently until rice is heated through. Add sesame seeds; toss lightly.
Risotto
4 TBSP butter
1 C. rice
2 C. basic beef or chicken stock
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add rice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is absorbed. Pour in 1 cup stock; cook, stirring frequently, until stock has been absorbed. Add 1/2 cup stock; cook until absorbed. Add remaining stock; stir well. Cover; simmer until stock has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Cooking time will be about 25 minutes after first addition of stock. (From the book The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Basic Fried Oven-Cooked Rice
4 TBSP butter
1 C. rice
1 small onion, chopped
2 C. basic Chicken Stock
Melt butter in frying pan. Add rice and onion; cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Turn rice mixture into casserole dish. Stir in stock; cover. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and stock is absorbed. (From The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Curried Rice
1/2 C. rice
2 C. hot water
1/2 C. canned tomatoes
1/4 C. finely sliced onion
1/4 C. thinly sliced green pepper
2 TBSP melted butter
3/4 tsp. curry powder
Put rice into casserole dish; add water. Let stand about 3/4 hour. Add all other ingredients; mix well. Cover; cook in preheated 350 degrees oven about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Most of liquid should be absorbed, but serve rice while still moist. Yield 4 servings. (From The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Sugar-and-Spice Rice
1 C. cold water
1 C. whole milk
1 tsp. salt
1 C. uncooked rice
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Combine water, milk, salt, and uncooked rice in 3-quart saucepan; bring to boil. Stir once; cover. Turn heat very low; cook 20 minutes or until water and milk are absorbed. Do not uncover while cooking. Spoon rice into serving dishes; top each serving with 2 TBSP butter, 2 TBSP sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Serve immediately. Yield 4 servings.
Unless otherwise noted the information and recipes on rice were taken from the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.
Parboiled (converted) rice contains the vitamins found in brown rice but is polished like white rice. One cup uncooked=3 1/2 cups cooked. Precooked (instant) rice is commercially cooked, rinsed and dried before packaging. It is therefore quick and very easy to prepare. One cup uncooked=2 cups cooked.
Brown rice is unpolished with only the outer hull removed. It has a slightly firm texture and a nutlike flavor. One cup uncooked=4 cups cooked.
Wild rice is the seed of grass that grows in marshes. It is dark greenish-brown in color and has a distinctive, nutlike flavor. Expensive, it is sometimes combined with white or brown rice. One cup uncooked=3 cups cooked.
RICE RECIPES
Plain Rice
2 C. rice
4 C. water
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
Put rice in saucepan large enough to allow for two times expansion. Cover with water to about 2 inches above rice, add salt if desired. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered until most of the water is gone. Turn down heat as low as possible; cover and steam about 20 mins or until water has been absorbed.
Ordinary Brown Rice
1 C. brown rice
2 3/4 C. water
1 tsp. salt, if desired
Heat until boiling stirring once; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until tender, 45-50 minutes; remove
from heat.
Lemon Rice
Stir in 2 TBSP margarine, melted, and 2 TBSP lemon juice into cooked rice.
Mushroom Rice
Heat 1 can mushrooms, drained in 2 TBS margarine until tender; stir into cooked rice.
Onion Rice
Cook 2 TBSP finely chopped onion in 2 TBSP margarine until tender; stir into cooked rice.
Parsley Rice
Stir 2 TBSP fresh parsley into cooked rice.
Deluxe Brown Rice
1 C. sliced carrots
3 TBSP oil
1/2 C. onions
3 C. cooked brown rice
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 TBSP sesame seeds
Saute’ carrots in oil about 10 minutes. Add onions. Cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in rice and salt. Cook, stirring gently until rice is heated through. Add sesame seeds; toss lightly.
Risotto
4 TBSP butter
1 C. rice
2 C. basic beef or chicken stock
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add rice; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter is absorbed. Pour in 1 cup stock; cook, stirring frequently, until stock has been absorbed. Add 1/2 cup stock; cook until absorbed. Add remaining stock; stir well. Cover; simmer until stock has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Cooking time will be about 25 minutes after first addition of stock. (From the book The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Basic Fried Oven-Cooked Rice
4 TBSP butter
1 C. rice
1 small onion, chopped
2 C. basic Chicken Stock
Melt butter in frying pan. Add rice and onion; cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Turn rice mixture into casserole dish. Stir in stock; cover. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until rice is tender and stock is absorbed. (From The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Curried Rice
1/2 C. rice
2 C. hot water
1/2 C. canned tomatoes
1/4 C. finely sliced onion
1/4 C. thinly sliced green pepper
2 TBSP melted butter
3/4 tsp. curry powder
Put rice into casserole dish; add water. Let stand about 3/4 hour. Add all other ingredients; mix well. Cover; cook in preheated 350 degrees oven about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Most of liquid should be absorbed, but serve rice while still moist. Yield 4 servings. (From The Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking).
Sugar-and-Spice Rice
1 C. cold water
1 C. whole milk
1 tsp. salt
1 C. uncooked rice
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Combine water, milk, salt, and uncooked rice in 3-quart saucepan; bring to boil. Stir once; cover. Turn heat very low; cook 20 minutes or until water and milk are absorbed. Do not uncover while cooking. Spoon rice into serving dishes; top each serving with 2 TBSP butter, 2 TBSP sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Serve immediately. Yield 4 servings.
Unless otherwise noted the information and recipes on rice were taken from the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Honey - Sweet Tips and Tricks
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Honey is one of the few foods low in pesticide contamination. Contaminated bees die before they reach the hive. Most diseases of bees are not transferred to humans. Honey is also free of preservatives, artificial flavors, colors, and will not mold. Bacteria and disease micro-organisms when introduced into honey died within a few hours or days.
Babies younger than a year should not be given honey.
Honey will not freeze, so store it almost anywhere, in a solid container with a tight lid. Be sure to keep honey covered. When left uncovered, honey picks up other odors and loses its own aroma. Honey in storage usually gets darker in color and stronger in flavor, but remains useful as ever. Remember honey that has been diluted with water will ferment.
Always mix honey thoroughly with other recipe ingredients before turning mixture into baking pans. This will prevent a too-moist, over-sweetened layer from collecting on the top. Make it a rule to combine honey with the liquid ingredients to assure complete distribution in the mixture.
When using honey in substitution for sugar in standard recipes, a general rule is to reduce the amount of another liquid ingredient by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used. Honey can generally replace 1/2 of the required sugar without changing the proportions of the other ingredients in the recipe. Honey absorbs and retains moisture, thus slowing the drying out of baked goods. This is especially important when you want to bake in advance, or save baked goods for any length of time.
Pure honey usually becomes granulated as it ages, or if stored at cold temperatures. Granulation is a natural aging process and does not affect the honey except for color and flavor. Just put honey in a pan of warm water. Make sure the jar of honey is up off direct heat by putting it on a rack or jar lids in the pan of water. Be careful not to overheat granulated honey since too much heat causes the honey to change color and flavor.
Babies younger than a year should not be given honey.
Honey will not freeze, so store it almost anywhere, in a solid container with a tight lid. Be sure to keep honey covered. When left uncovered, honey picks up other odors and loses its own aroma. Honey in storage usually gets darker in color and stronger in flavor, but remains useful as ever. Remember honey that has been diluted with water will ferment.
Always mix honey thoroughly with other recipe ingredients before turning mixture into baking pans. This will prevent a too-moist, over-sweetened layer from collecting on the top. Make it a rule to combine honey with the liquid ingredients to assure complete distribution in the mixture.
When using honey in substitution for sugar in standard recipes, a general rule is to reduce the amount of another liquid ingredient by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used. Honey can generally replace 1/2 of the required sugar without changing the proportions of the other ingredients in the recipe. Honey absorbs and retains moisture, thus slowing the drying out of baked goods. This is especially important when you want to bake in advance, or save baked goods for any length of time.
Pure honey usually becomes granulated as it ages, or if stored at cold temperatures. Granulation is a natural aging process and does not affect the honey except for color and flavor. Just put honey in a pan of warm water. Make sure the jar of honey is up off direct heat by putting it on a rack or jar lids in the pan of water. Be careful not to overheat granulated honey since too much heat causes the honey to change color and flavor.
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