Kitchen Meets Culinary Clutz

When do I ever have this product in my pantry? Try never! Thankfully I found a Copycat recipe from Food.Com so i can get started on prepping dinner. And here it is folks...

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Instant Minced Onion
1/3 cup Beef Bouillon Powder
4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Celery Seed (I had to crush these on my own since all I had was whole celery seeds in my spice cabinet)
1/4 tsp Sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

About 5-Tablespoons of mix are equal to one 1 1/4-ounce package.

To make onion dip: Mix 5-Tablespoons with one pint of Sour Cream.

This evening I found this Easy-to-Make muffin recipe. I even used my Home Puréed Pumpkin to make it!

Ingredients:
2 cups solid packed pumpkin (in can or fresh purée)
3 eggs
2/3 canola oil
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground all-spice
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

In a stand mixer, with a flat paddle attachment, mix pumpkin, eggs and oil on medium speed.

Add cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg,all-spice, baking powder & soda into pumpkin mixture.

Stir flour into pumpkin mixture until batter is smooth.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20-24 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center muffin comes out clean.

When cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar (optional).

Makes 24 Muffins

Hi Friends,

I am so excited because I finally learned how to make jam! It took years of convincing myself that "I can do this!". The instructions to this recipe can be used with all five fruits selections. Please note that the Bumbleberry recipe does not require lemon juice, however, it's so stinkin' sweet I think it could stand use a little tartness added to it, or maybe even less sugar!

These recipes have been tested and given my stamp of approval. Total prep and processing time is less than an hour! It's the perfect recipe for newbies like me!

Enjoy!

-Bec




QUICK JAMS

Apricot
Makes about six 8-oz jars

3 1/2 cups finely chopped pitted fresh apricots
1/3 cup lemon juice
5 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch (3-oz/85mL) liquid pectin
----------------------

Strawberry
Makes about eight 8-oz jars

3 3/4 cups crushed hulled strawberries
4 Tbsp lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch (3 oz/85 mL) liquid pectin
----------------------

Berry
Makes about eight 8-oz jars

4 cups crushed blackberries, boysenberries, dewberries or youngberries
2 Tbsp lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch (3-oz/85mL) liquid pectin
-----------------------

Blueberry
Makes about eight 8-oz jars

4 1/2 cups crushed blueberries
4 Tbsp lemon juice
7 cups granulated sugar
2 pouches (each 3-oz/85mL) liquid pectin
-----------------------

Bumbleberry
Makes about five 8-oz jars

1 cup crushed blueberries
1 cup crushed raspberries
1 cup crushed hulled strawberries
6 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch (3oz/85mL) liquid pectin
-----------------------


Directions:
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids. Wash lids & jars in hot soapy water. Place jars mouth side up in canner and fill with water about 2/3 full or until jars are completely immersed in water. Cover canner and set burner to medium heat, bringing water to simmer (180*F). It is not necessary to boil jars, keep hot until ready to use. (Quicker method below in **Notes)

2. In large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine fruit, lemon juice and sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

3. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot jam. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

4. Place jars in boiling-water canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water (about 1-inch above lids). Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, lifting them out of the water without tilting them; cool and store.

Note: Allow any water on jars to dry on its own, this prevents the jars from being disturbed while the seal is being formed. When processed jars have cooled for 24 hours, check lids for seal. Remove the screw bands. With your fingers, press down on the center of each lid. Sealed lids will be concave (they'll curve downward) and will show no movement when pressed. If you are still uncertain of the seal, grasp the edges of the lid and lift the jar while supporting the jar with your other hand. A cooled, sealed lid will stay firmly attached to the jar, regardless of its weight. Jars that have not sealed properly must be refrigerated or reprocessed immediately. Use unsealed refrigerated product within a few days.

**When prepping jars, throw them in the top rack of your dishwasher and set them on the quick rinse cycle (while cooking the jam) making sure to select "Heat" dry option. When ready for use, grab one jar at a time out of the dishwasher, making sure the door is closed so as not to let the other jars cool while ladling the jams into the hot jars.

1. Generously grease mini loaf pans, set aside.
2. Blend eggs, butter and sugar; add bananas, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. 
3. Stir in dry ingredients; mix well.
4. Spoon 1 heaping cupful of batter into each loaf pan. Fill each vessel about 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 350 degrees or 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of one loaf comes out clean.

 

• 4 quarts Popped Popcorn
• 1 cup Spanish Peanuts
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• ½ cup Light Corn Syrup
• 2 Tbsp Molasses
• ¼ tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a metal bowl or on a cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven.
3. Combine all of the remaining ingredients in a saucepan.
4. Stiring over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Using a cooking thermometer, bring the mixture to the hard-ball stage (260° - 275°F, or the point at which the syrup, when dripped into cold water, forms a hard but pliable ball).  This will take about 20 to 25 minutes (or until you notice the mixture turning a slightly darker brown).
6. Remove the popcorn and peanuts from the oven, and working quickly, pour the caramel mixture in a fine stream over them.  Then place them back in the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Mix well every 5 minutes, so that all of the popcorn is coated.
8. Cool and store in a covered container to preserve freshness.

• 1 - 2 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled, washed and sliced
• Sugar or Sugar Substitute ( Stevia in the Raw works best if using a substitute!)
• 1 Angel Food Cake, cubed into 1-inch pieces (Most grocery store bakeries offer a yummy sugar-free alternative!)
• 1 carton of Whipped Topping, thawed

1. Sweeten strawberries with sugar. Gently fold sugar into strawberries until sugar has dissolved and becomes syrupy.
2. In individual dessert dishes or bowls, spoon in order, cake, strawberries, then top with a dollop of whipped topping.

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 Oh my goodness, this blog post has been sitting in my draft folder since Easter! I'm not sure how I managed to overlook it, but here it is, enjoy!

 

Our guests have left for home and dishes are being washed. It was a lovely day, even though the sky was overcast. The rain held off long enough for the children to race through the yard to hunt for the brightly colored Easter eggs.

For dessert I prepared a lovely little Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I had run out of Pineapple rings and learned that KtBug had eaten all my maraschino cherries so... I had to improvise. Crushed Pineapple and cherries picked out of two cans of Fruit Cocktail saved the day for this scrumptious recipe!






1/4 butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 can (8 1/2 ounces) sliced or crushed pineapple, drained
7 maraschino cherries
6 pecan halves (optional)
Dinette Cake batter (below)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over low heat in round layer pan, 9x1 1/2 inches.
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter.
Place pineapple slice in center of pan. Cut remaining slices in half; arrange halves, cut sides out around pineapple ring in pan.
Places cherries in pineapple slices; arrange pecans around center ring.

Prepare Dinette cake batter (Recipe below). Pour evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto plate. Leave pan over cake a few minutes. Serve warm and, if desired, with whipped cream.

9 Servings


A tender golden cake for small families.

1 1/2 Softasilk Cake Flour or 1 1/4 cups Gold Medal Flour*
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
Grease and flour square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches.
Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. 
Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally.  Pour into pan.
Bake 35 - 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool.

 *If using Self-Rising Flour, omit baking powder and salt. 

Recipe Source: Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1969.