Friday, April 11, 2014
SANDRAS HOMEMADE ALASKA FIREWEED and CLOVER HONEY
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| A very easy recipe to make and youll have year-round homemade honey... |
Prep: 10 Mins. |
Cook: 10 Mins.
Posted by Sandra
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
3 large pots
Sterilized canning jars and lids, with rims. (boil for 10 minutes, and air dry on a clean towel)
Cheesecloth
INGREDIENTS:
30 pink clover blossoms, (1” in diameter)
20 white clover blossoms, (1” in diameter)
25 fireweed blossoms, (the fuller, darker, and richer looking the better)
1 teaspoon alum
5 lb. bag white sugar
3 cups boiling water
METHOD:
Begin boiling 3 cups of water, in a medium saucepan.
Meanwhile, remove stems from fireweed, reserving just petal shoots. Gently rinse all blossoms in colander with cold tap water.
Place all ingredients except boiling water into a large heavy-bottom pot. Pour the 3 cups of boiling water over ingredients, and let steep for 10 minutes. Turn heat on under large pot to high, and bring to boil, and then let it continue to do so for 10 minutes.
| Wild Alaska Fireweed Blossom |
In another large pot, begin boiling enough water to submerge honey jars to sterilize (you can do so in batches if your pot is not large enough to hold 8 (½-pt.) jars at once).
| Wild Alaska White Clover Blossoms |
Remove jars using tongs onto a clean, dry towel to cool, and then tightly secure lids after 30 minutes of cooling (you should hear pings when they seal). Once cooled, ‘label and date’ the jars of honey and place in pantry – enjoy as you would any other store-bought honey product!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
MUSHROOM CHEESE STUFFED HAMBURGERS with HOMEMADE BUNS
Can you tell that someone in my house loves mayo? LOL1 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces of fresh mushrooms (sautéed)
favorite cheese
Each of these hamburgers is made out of two thin patties with mushrooms and cheese sandwiched in between. So mix everything (except the mushrooms & cheese) and make 8 thin patties. Top four of the patties with sautéed mushrooms and your favorite cheese and then a 2nd thin patty, pressing to seal the edges well. Repeat for the other three hamburgers.
If you are going to freeze these, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and lay them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. When they are frozen, you can stack them in a freezer Ziploc bag. Whether you are taking these on a camping trip or just leaving them in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal, they taste great.
HAMBURGER BUNS
This recipe will make at least 2 dozen hamburger buns. Once baked, they freeze extremely well. I find myself using them for everything from breakfast sandwiches to peanut butter sandwiches.
5 cups of all purpose flour
2 packets of dry active yeast (I use 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
2 ½ cups very warm water
In an electric stand mixer, place 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, oil and salt (stir to combine dry ingredients) Add 2 ½ cups of very warm water (see note). Stir quickly while you add the water. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
Add the rest of the flour, about ½ cup at a time, scraping the sides of your bowl and dough hook each time. Every time you stop your mixer, turn all of the dough mass over. Let your machine knead this dough until it CLEANLY comes away from the side of your mixer. If you have added all 5 cups of flour and it has not come cleanly away from your bowl, you need to add just a little more flour.
Once the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of your bowl, let the machine knead it for about five more minutes. Remove the dough and grease the bowl. Return the bread to the greased bowl and grease the top of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour (it will more than double in volume).
Punch the air out of your dough and let it rest (covered) for 15-20 minutes. This step is important because your dough will “behave” much better while you form it, if you follow this step. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a tangerine. Make each ball as round as you can. Roll each ball into a 5” circle. Resist the temptation to add more dough to make a thicker bun. At this stage, your buns need to be a lot thinner than you think. (about ½” thick). If you add more dough, you are going to end up with a burger bun the size of your face!
Place the formed buns on a greased baking sheet and spritz the top of the dough with just a little cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400° for 15-16 minutes.
If you are going to freeze these buns, let them cool completely first and freeze as soon as possible. About 4 to 5 minutes in a 350° oven will heat a frozen burger bun and make it taste like it was just baked.
This recipe also makes excellent sandwich bread
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Homemade Play Dough
Last day to enter the mommy & me apron give away- scroll down below to enterHomemade Play dough Recipe: another fun way to make play dough
Mix first 4 ingredients in a pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes. Dough will become difficult to stir and form a “clump”. Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a long time stored in a covered plastic container or plastic sandwich bag.
Posted by -Brittnie
Thursday, February 6, 2014
SANDRAS HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH
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| This pizza dough recipe turns our perfectly for your many, many possible creations... |
Prep: 10 mins. |
Rise: 1 hr.
Posted by Sandra
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more in other steps
1/2 teaspoon cornmeal, for dusting pizza pan
METHOD
In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom. Add flour, kosher salt, and olive oil. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, just until the dough is smooth elastic. Spray a medium-size bowl with oil, and place the ball of dough in it, rubbing it around in oil, and then flip over and cover bowl with a plastic wrap. Place bowl of dough in a warm place until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hr. (I do so in my oven with just the light bulb on, no heat).
When dough has sufficiently risen, punch the dough down, and place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 12” round, building up the outer edge slightly. Transfer to an oiled pizza pan that has been slightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush the entire top and outer edge of unbaked crust with olive oil. Par-bake the pizza crust in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside. Feel free to add your favorite toppings, and then return to oven and continue baking with pizza toppings for 15 minutes.
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Tip: I usually make one medium-sized pizza, and while the pizza is baking I roll the other half into twisty breadsticks: (Click for recipe here: Twisty Breadsticks - Homemade), including searching site for optional toppings for other pizzas by selecting “pizza” as your search.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
SANDRAS BAKED RAVIOLI with HOMEMADE SAUCE
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| An awesome dish and a must-try recipe...just sayin |
Prep: 20 mins. |
Baking: 55 mins.
Posted by Sandra
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
2 (14.5 oz. cans) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 package (25 to 27 1/2 ozs.) frozen meat-filled ravioli (I like Buitoni)
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
Garnish:
parmesan cheese, grated; and
chives, roughly choped
METHOD
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of rectangular baking dish 13x9x2-inches, with cooking spray.
***Prepare the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and italian seasoning, and then sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, honey, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in prepared baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce; top with half of the remaining sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, beginning with the frozen ravioli. Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.
***Finish: Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking uncovered for 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parmesan cheese and roughly chopped chives before serving. – Enjoy!
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Saturday, January 25, 2014
SANDRAS HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB BANANA JAM
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| This recipe was inspired by Tom Malony who told me some time ago when I was visiting my hometown of Yakutat, Alaska that he just made a batch... |
Prep: 15 mins. |
Cook: 20 mins.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped into small chunks
2 cup fresh strawberries, de-stemmed, hulled, and cut into small chunks
2 cups bananas, peeled and cut into small chunks
3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (3 oz. pkg.) strawberry and banana flavored jello (I use sugar-free)
METHOD
Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for 10 minutes; cool on a clean kitchen towel.
In a large stockpot, stir rhubarb, strawberries, bananas, and sugar while bringing to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes while occasionally stirring, until rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, and dry jello mix, until dissolved.
Transfer hot jam with a ladle to sterile jars to process so you can store in pantry (versus refrigerator or freezer). Clean the rims with a damp paper towel before placing lids/rims on. Totally immerse the sealed jars of jam into a boiling water bath, and process for 10 minutes; doing so in batches if need be. Ensure the jars seal by hearing a ping or by hearing a dull tone while tapping on the lids with the end of a butter knife, and store in pantry. – Enjoy!