Brew me a cup...

Brew me a cup for a winter’s night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I’ll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.
- Minna Thomas Antrim

Years ago, a special friend shared her Chai Tea recipe with me. It is so tasty and perfect for cold, wintry weather :)

Indian Chai Tea

4-6 Black Tea Bags
1 quart Water
6 Whole Cloves
6 Cardamom Pods
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/2 Star Anise (optional)
2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Honey

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Place on medium heat. Bring to almost a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Strain to drink. Enjoy! :)

 

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This recipe has been all over Blogs and Pinterest for the past few years but it is well worth revisiting :)

The first time I made this was for a Mother's Day Brunch for my Mom. My honey ate almost the entire thing!

I made one again yesterday and needless to say it is gone. 

~sigh~

Actually I am glad that my honey likes my baking and cooking :)

You can find the recipe HERE 

Enjoy!!!

Caramels with a Kick

My husband loves caramels and he loves HOT, so I adapted this recipe to suit his taste :)

This year however I had some Habanero and Thai Peppers that I dried and ground. I used this instead of the Chipotle powder and it tastes good. 

Caramels with a kick :)

Chipotle Caramels

1 cup Butter
1 pound Brown Sugar
Dash of Salt
1 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon Chipotle Powder (or Habanero Powder)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar, chipotle powder and salt. Stir. Pour in corn syrup and mix well.
Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat until the temperature reaches 245 degrees on a candy thermometer (firm ball stage), this will take about 12-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into buttered 9 inch square pan.
Cool and cut. Wrap each piece in waxed paper.
Yield: about 2 1/2 pounds.

**Don't forget to adjust for altitude if needed. Subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 ft. above sea level.

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

 

Wow, time goes by fast! I am finally being able to catch up with my dear friends.

 Ever since I found out how much my honey loves marshmallows, I make them for him :) So 16 years and counting I have been making them and experimenting with different flavors.  One of those favorites is Toasted Coconut Marshmallows. The standard recipe for Marshmallows is below and if you scroll down further you will see variations such as Toasted Coconut Marshmallows and Chocolate Marshmallows :)

Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I now use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon butter extract for a Buttercream flavor)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus additional for rolling

Spray a 10x13-inch Pyrex baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, soften the gelatin with 3/4 cup of the water.

Place the sugar, corn syrup, the remaining 3/4-cup water, and the salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the syrup reaches 234-240 degrees on a candy thermometer (or until it reaches soft-ball stage).With the whisk attachment of the mixer at full speed, beat the hot syrup slowly into the gelatin until the mixture is very stiff, about 15 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

Pour the mixture prepared dish and smooth the top with an oiled spatula. Allow the mixture to rest, uncovered, at room temperature 10-12 hours. Using a fine sieve, sprinkle the powdered sugar onto a cutting board. Turn the stiffened marshmallow mixture out onto the sugar, and using a pizza cutter dipped in powdered sugar cut marshmallows into squares. Be sure to dip the cut edges of the marshmallows into the powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Yield: About 40 marshmallows

** Don't skimp and use cheaper corn syrup. I have tried and the marshmallows don't set right. Use Karo.

**Don’t forget to adjust for altitude: For every 1000 feet above sea level subtract 2 degrees from temperature.


Toasted Coconut Marshmallows:

Use the same recipe but instead of using powdered sugar substitute Toasted Coconut.

The recipe is basically for the Homemade Marshmallows but here is what I did:

-I took one bag of flaked Coconut per batch of marshmallows and toasted it. I let it cool before using.
-Then I used butter to grease the pyrex pan. I placed about a third of the coconut along the bottom of the pan.
-After mixing up the "batter" for the marshmallows I poured it into the pan and spread it out.
-Then I sprinkled another third of the coconut on top covering it. I patted it down lightly so it would stick.
-After I removed the marshmallows from the pan, I used a pizza cutter dipped in powdered sugar to cut with.
-I rolled the cut sides of the marshmallow in the remaining toasted coconut.


Chocolate Marshmallows:

It is basically the same recipe but add the following ingredients:

1/3 cup sifted baking cocoa
1 cup powdered sugar sifted with 1/3 cup baking cocoa (to roll marshmallows in) *I also used a whisk to make sure that both were evenly distributed

Follow the same instructions but add the 1/3 cup sifted baking cocoa once the syrup is incorporated. (after mixing ingredients and cooking to soft-ball stage).

Pour the mixture prepared dish and smooth the top with an oiled spatula. Allow the mixture to rest, uncovered, at room temperature 10-12 hours. Sprinkle the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture onto a cutting board. Turn the stiffened marshmallow mixture out onto the sugar, cut into squares with a lightly oiled knife. Be sure to dip the cut edges of the marshmallows into the powdered sugar cocoa mixture to prevent sticking.

I am sharing this recipe at:

Imparting Grace 

Please visit Richella for some wonderful encouragement and ideas :)

Spice up your Thanksgiving

Hello all :)

It appears that Thanksgiving is sneaking up again and Christmas is following closely behind.

I wanted to share a couple of recipes with you

The first is for Turkey Brine. My honey and I concocted this recipe while experimenting with Brine. Gooseberry Patch actually featured it in one of their books: The Harvest Table

Since we submitted the recipe, we have added 1/2 teaspoon of Juniper Berries.

Here is the recipe:

Turkey Brine

1 cup Coarse Sea Salt

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Dried Orange Peel

1 Tablespoon Dried Apple Bits

1Tablespoon Dried Cranberries, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Black Peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 teaspoon Sage

1/2 teaspoon Rosemary

1/2 teaspoon Dried Juniper Berries

1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder

3 shakes Crushed Red Pepper Flakes or 1 Dried Red Chili Pepper(or to taste)

Maple Syrup to taste (optional)

Combine contents of turkey brine to one gallon of boiling water. Cool thoroughly and refrigerate until chilled.

Place thawed turkey, brine mix and an additional gallon of water into a large container so that the turkey is submerged. 

Keep refrigerated or on ice for 12-24 hours.

 Before roasting, rinse well with cold water and pat dry.

~

The following Poultry Seasoning is reminiscent of Bell's Poultry Seasoning.

 Isn't this a cute ad? I found it in an old Family Circle magazine 

Poultry Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Rosemary

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Ginger

1 Tablespoon Marjoram

1 Tablespoon Thyme

1 teaspoon Sage

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Mix ingredients together. I use a coffee grinder for mixing them well. Just clean coffee grinder afterward by running dry rice through it and wiping clean. Use for poultry dishes and stuffing.

Store in a cute jar.

~Smile~ 

Hawthorne Jelly

My honey and I are very blessed to live in an area where we forage.

Last month we were able to forage some Hawthorne Berries, which make delicious jelly by the way.

Hawthorne Berry Jelly 
(or Thornapple Jelly)

  5 cups prepared juice from berries (discard stems, sort and wash. Place in a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-20 minutes. Strain juice through jelly bag or cheesecloth)
7 cups sugar
1 package  (1 3/4 ounce) Sure-Jell powdered fruit pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter

Prepare fruit to make juice, place in large saucepan. Stir in one box of fruit pectin. Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to a full  rolling boil on high heat. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim any foam.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling 1/8 inch from the tops of jars. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2 piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars in water bath canner. Process jelly 5 minutes. Remove from canner and listen for ping :)

*Don't forget to adjust for altitude :)

Jelly may not set right away, mine set after 2 days :)

~smile~

Green Chili Apple Cobbler

Today is a rainy wet day with a few snow flurries. I love to make this recipe in this weather, it warms you up!

Green Chili Apple Cobbler

Crust Ingredients:
1/2 stick Butter
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Filling Ingredients:
5-6 Apples, sliced thin
2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 cup Green Chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon Cider Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Allspice
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Toss apple slices with the rest of the filling ingredients and place in a a large cast iron skillet. Let sit for about 10 minutes for flavors to meld.
To make crust, melt butter on low in a medium saucepan. Add the other ingredients, stirring as added. Dough will be slightly sticky, moist yet pliable. Pat out dough and place over apple mixture (or drop from spoonfuls spreading out dough with wooden spoon to cover apples). I sprinkled some cinnamon and sugar on top of mine.
Bake for 40 minutes or until light brown and bubbly.
Serves 6.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream :)

When Life Gives You Green Tomatoes...

Make Green Tomato Salsa!

This year our squash and pumpkins did well but we were lucky if we got 5 ripe tomatoes. Not that there weren't any tomatoes to be had, but...they were green.

I found this Recipe. I halved the amount of lime juice and my yield was about 6 pints.

My husband deemed this recipe a 'Keeper' and now we look forward to those Green Tomatoes in the future

~smile~