Thursday, October 31, 2013

Crab Apple Jelly

Ten years ago a church friend gave us a jar of lip smacking good crab apple jelly.  Dear hubby liked the jelly so much that we decided to grow crab apple trees.  In the spring we planted two crab apple trees but they soon disappeared when deer tore them up...we never saw a bloom.

Flash forward.

On my birthday this year we took a walk around our property and I saw something glistening red in the distance.  We stopped, looked, then exclaimed, crab apples, yay!  What a sweet birthday surprise, to see a crab apple tree loaded with fruit and just begging to be made into jelly.  (I think my husband was the real winner here).

I told my neighbor about our great tree find, and he said they have a crab apple tree and we could pick as many as we wanted.  Dear hubby and son picked most of the apples, which left more time for me to prepare the fruit.


Crab apples!


We took the stems off because dear hubby tasted one and said it was bitter. 



Cleaned and washed




In large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to simmer.



When fruit is mushy, squish the fruit with a potato masher to release the juice.




Use 4 layers of cheese cloth and drain pulp.




I covered mine, and let it sit until it was finished dripping.
 Save the juice, this is what you will be using to make your jelly.




Sterilize jars




If you are using pectin, follow the directions that came with the package. 

Sure Jell *MCP Pectin Crab Apple Jelly

5 cups prepared crab apple juice (see pictures above)
7 1/2 cups sugar
1 box of pectin
1/2 teaspoon of margarine

In 6 or 8 quart saucepan add crab apple juice, pectin and margarine, then stir.  Bring to a full boil on high heat.  Stir in sugar quickly and return to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars filling to 1/8 inch of top.  Wipe jar rims and threads then screw bands tightly.

I did not give my jelly a water bath.

Invert jars for 5 minutes and then turn them back over.  Keep away from cold and drafts until sealed.  You will hear the pinging sound of the lids sealing.  Tap on the lid after they are cooled to make sure they are sealed.


*MCP pectin.  Ok, I asked dear hubby to buy Sure Jell, and this is what he came home with.  I've never heard of MCP pectin and normally do not advocate anything processed, but after researching it, there is hope that this stuff is helpful for cancer treatment.  MCP stands for Modified Citrus Pectin.  The pectin is chemically altered to make the molecules smaller which enables it to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  For further information, Modified Citrus Pectin, American Cancer Society

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Clay Oven

Firing up my pottery wheel and kiln to make a clay oven for our son's food cart.  Pictured in front is version #6, and version #5 is pictured in the background.



My clay oven #6 cracked when I fired it.  It was a small crack, so dear son was able to experiment with it on his food cart.  It worked!  Now I'm going to make another clay oven along with a few modifications.

Clay oven #6 with notes written on it

Dear son is still working on getting permits for his food cart; after 3 months, it should be any day now.

That last permit...will it be today, or will he be required to fill out yet another form?  Nope, still waiting for the permit.  The permit he is waiting for is for a specific location.  He is allowed to set up on private property, as long as he has owner permission. In the meantime, I started clay oven #7.

Just got clay oven #7 off of my pottery wheel, trimmed it, added the door, handle and seal.  The clay is still wet, and I am going to dry it out very slowly this time to minimize cracking.  It will take a few weeks to dry and 2 days to fire, so I'll update this post then.  

Clay Oven #7







    
Looks like a frustration exclamation, doesn't it?  This is a code for a blog directory, lol.
YT5WXCPXWREF 

Cinnfully Delicious Cinnamon Cake Muffins



Need some aroma therapy?  I've been working on a recipe for individual sized coffee cakes since March...something like a marriage of a coffee cake and muffin.


Speaking of marriages...my future daughter in law invited us to her dissertation hearing for her Doctorate Degree from Ohio University, Athens, last spring and I volunteered to bring some food.  The hearing was in the morning, so I wanted to bring some kind of coffee cake packed with lots of cinnamon and the traditional streusel topping, but in individual portions that could easily be grabbed and eaten. 

While experimenting with recipes for coffee cakes I reduced the ingredients to 1/3 batches so I could experiment freely and not feel like I wasted a lot of food if my experiment was an epic failure. 

After several trial runs, this recipe far surpassed all the others, and is becoming a family favorite.

Now that the weather is getting colder, every time I make Cinnamon Cakes my house smells so delicious, so much better than a chemically candle and so much yummier for you...and a friend!

Pack these cakes up for an awesome gifty.  



Or bake in decorative paper trays, they practically wrap themselves.



Cinnfully Delicious Cinnamon Cake Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a muffin tin with butter flavored cooking spray, or use cupcake liners.
There are three components to make separately, batter, filling and topping, makes 12 muffins.

Batter
In a medium sized bowl mix until combined:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream (you can sub Dannon Vanilla Yogurt)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling
With a spoon, mix the following in a small bowl:

2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup crushed pecans
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Topping
With a spoon or fork, mix the following in a small bowl until crumbly: 

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup crushed pecans(optional, if you do not use pecans, reduce butter to 3 Tablespoons)

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, about 2 heaping teaspoons each. Next layer 2 teaspoons of cinnamon filling, go back and fill in any muffins that could use a bit more to use up all of the filling mixture.  Top with another layer of batter, about 2 teaspoons each.  Finish with topping, evenly distributed on each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

To check if done, a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of your muffin will come out without crumbs.

Blessings to you, from our house to yours

P.S. Dear future daughter in law received her Doctorate degree, we are so proud of her!


Topping without pecans:
With a spoon or fork, mix the following in a small bowl until crumbly: 

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon






Monday, October 21, 2013

Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes


Whoah...hold the press folks, these creamy scalloped potatoes are super easy and soooo delicious.  So easy you will want to try them today.

My secret ingredient to smooth and creamy, but lightened up scalloped potatoes is "Cheesy Ragu, Light Parmesan Alfredo".  I'm not a huge fan of premade sauces but for $1.69 at Wal Mart this makes a reasonably priced side dish that is absolutely delicious.





Easy Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

Peel and slice thinly 4 pounds of potatoes  

Make the sauce, in a medium sized bowl mix the following:
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 Tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
optional 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jar of Cheesy Ragu Light Parmesan Alfredo
(adjust the seasonings to your taste)

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, it will make clean up easy.

Add a little sauce to the crockpot then add about 1/3 of the potatoes, pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the potatoes then layer the potatoes and sauce 2 more times.  Make sure all the potatoes are coated.  Cover and cook on high for about 5 hours.  After 2 1/2 hours stir the potatoes and add 1/2 cup cheddar cheese if desired, stir in.

 The cooking time will depend on how thinly you slice the potatoes.  





Thursday, October 17, 2013

Our Eccentric Projects - Low Tech Stud Finder


Brilliant hubby is shining so brightly with this low tech solution for locating wood studs.  We were trying to hang a new shelf last week and couldn't find our stud finder.  He took a stack of magnets and moved them slowly across the wall until they stuck to the wall. The magnets were attracted to the screws that are holding up our drywall, which are located on the studs.



Ouch, my eyes are hurting from his brilliant rays, I better go put on sunglasses!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce and Cranberry Jello



My Mother in Law introduced me to Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce many years ago.  Every Thanksgiving we would make cranberry jello using the Indian Trail Sauce recipe.  The last couple of years I have not been able to find the sauce anywhere and was really missing it.  I found out they are no longer making the sauce so I decided to make my own.

I remember the sauce having a thick consistency with some large pieces of cranberry.  Here is the recipe I came up with (and yippie!) tasted exactly like Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce.


Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce
1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 orange (1/3 of orange with peel and pulp minced, the rest without peel diced)
1/2 tsp of lemon zest

 Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling.  (Cranberries will begin to split). With a potato masher, smash the cranberries to break up.

That's it!  Who new it would be so easy. 


Here is my new recipe for Cranberry Jello:

Cranberry Jello 
Note: this takes a long time to set, make it the day before. 
1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 orange (1/3 of orange with peel and pulp minced, the rest without peel diced)
1/2 tsp of lemon zest
 Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling.  Stir so mixture does not burn. (Cranberries will begin to split).  With a potato masher, smash the cranberries to break up.
Then add:
2 packages (3 oz.) Raspberry Flavor Gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 cup crushed pineapple (juice and all)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Stir until mixed and pour into dish.  Refrigerate until set, overnight is best.











Ready for the refrigerator!
After sleeping in the refrigerator all night, mmm...yummy! 


I pulled out my Indian Trail recipe that I clipped from a box.  Here are the original recipe's on the inside label:






The familiar light blue lettering is a bit faded now, so I am retyping the original recipe's for you.

Cranberry Orange with Cherry Gelatin
2 packages (3 oz.) Cherry Flavor Gelatin
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup crushed pineapple (juice and all)
1 package (10oz.) Frozen Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, defrosted

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.  Stir in Indian Trail Cranberry orange Sauce and pineapple.  Pour into mold.  Refrigerate until firm.



Hot Cranberry Butter
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup maple flavored syrup
1 package (10oz.) Frozen Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, defrosted

heat butter and syrup together until butter melts.  Add Indian Trail Cranberry Orange Sauce, heat to boiling.  Serve warm over Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast.