easy coffee cake

After looking around for an easy, won't break the bank, coffee cake that I would be able to cook on the wood stove or on top of the wood cook top, I ended up just making my own recipe using bits and pieces of other recipes and then tweaking it to my liking. Although I was a bit weary of how it would taste, it came out quite lovely.

‎1 cup butter

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 cups flour

1 quart peaches or other fruit

Cinnamon

½ cup brown sugar

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

Soften butter, mix with eggs n sugar. Then throw flour, sugar, salt and powder in and mix it up nice. Spread about half the mixture into a greased pan (9x13 or whatever). Drain peaches and chuck over the top of the mixture in pan, shake cinnamon around to your liking. Sprinkle the brown sugar around and spread the other half of the mixture on top. Bake at 350 until tooth pick comes out clean.

for the topping

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, until it makes coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake

Since I cook over wood, I typically use a large cast iron skillet rather than a baking pan although a dutch oven would also work well. If I was actually baking in an oven I would make a crumble topping but, since I don't, I make a confectionery sugar drool for the top and shake a bit of cinnamon around. Nutmeg is good in place of or with cinnamon.

drool

½ cup confectionery or brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp water

cheez-its (the hillbilly way)

Brother Measa has a cheez-its addiction and a few days back I mentioned that there was a recipe for them online. Needless to say, we had to try and make them yesterday.

Since we did not want to fire up the oven to bake them we tried to half bake them like I do everything else on the top of the out door stove. They sucked to put it bluntly! Since we had only used half of the dough for the first batch we had enough for a second attempt at cooking them and we decided to deep fry those bad boys instead. They came out much better than the first method as they were light, airy and crispy.

Yes, yes, I know, how dare we do that to a wonderful snack! But, it ain't like they are exactly a healthy snack to begin with so we did not see the big deal in doing what we did. Besides, we all know everything is better deep fried!

We started with the following recipe but if deep frying I see no need to add the butter to the recipe as it is simply a waste of money and it makes the dough rather difficult to roll out.

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 (8-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
5 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne in bowl.Add water tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together (You may not use all the water).Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat working surface with flour (original recipe said to use parchment paper, it was a disaster!) Roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Carefully transfer squares onto baking sheets (or deep fryer). Bake for 20-25 minutes turning once. If deep frying, they take about a minute to cook).

We decided that a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on the finished crackers would make a very tasty addition to them and if one did not want to add the cheese to the recipe at all it would cut the cost down on making them and make them a much more versatile cracker all the way around. You could add a touch of cinnamon to the dough then shake in sugar after frying, add popcorn seasoning to them or ranch dressing mix to them. The options are nearly endless.

Remember, these crackers have no preservatives in them so they will not keep like store bought and should be eaten within a couple days, not that I think they would last more than a few hours in a typical household. Store in an airtight container. If crackers are soggy after storing, re-crisp them in a preheated 400º oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

your hips will never forgive you...

I must admit we like our snack foods and we like them sweet so I am forever searching for recipes for our snacks. This is one that I came up with one day while experimenting in the kitchen. This is not a healthy snack in any way and if you are peanut or milk intolerant it is not for you. But, if you are looking for a very easy, quick, sweet snack that your hips will never forgive you for eating, this might just work.

bottom layer
The bottom layer I make in the pan that I am using rather than dirty a separate bowl. I use a 9x13 size cake pan and throw in

one envelope powdered milk
2 cups peanut butter
2 cups quick cook oatmeal
a half cup of honey (or other suitable replacement)

Honey can be replaced with caro syrup, simple sugar syrup, dandelion honey etc. Mix ingredients well, if too sticky add a bit more oats and if too dry add bit more honey. Once mixed squish down to form an even crust.

Top layer
1 pound powdered sugar or 4 cups
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

This layer can be made in a microwave or on the stove top. Throw all ingredients minus the vanilla into pan or bowl and heat 3-5 minutes or until they can be mixed well together. Add the vanilla, stir and then pour evenly over the bottom layer. Refrigerate until cool and serve.

I have thought about adding an additional thick gooey caramel in the middle of the two layers as well as adding nuts or coconut into the fudge topping but haven't as yet. Each time I think about it I am reminded that this is sinful enough without added ingredients.

black bean chocolate cake

Yes, you read that correctly, it is a cake in fact made with black beans. The joy of this cake is that it has no gluten in it but is still decadent and rich tasting. Although it is gluten free, it by no means is a health food since it is basically a torte. The sugar in the recipe can be interchanged with whatever sweetener you prefer and does not seem to change the cake any so it can be a bit healthier and fewer calories if you so choose. A cup of flour can also be added to the mix to make it more cake like in texture, although it is then no longer gluten free. Though this is called a black bean cake, any bean can pretty much be used.

2 cups black beans (or any other bean really)
6 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil/butter
1 cup sugar or any combination of "Sugar"
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp water

Puree or blend 2 cups cooked beans and 6 eggs. In separate bowl combine remaining ingredients then add bean and egg mixture. Blend well, pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Frost or serve plain.

monday's mountain musings-snow, water sleds, critters n snow cream

We got us another solid nine inches of snow last night. It must have come down at a pretty good clip and would have loved to watch it. Unfortunately I couldn't talk the manthing into going to bed at 2 pm yesterday and getting up at 10 last night to watch it all.

The other day when we heard of the impending storm coming in, we decided we should construct a water totin sled. After the big snow on Christmas, we learned that although it seems a silly thing to think about in GA, a sled would help greatly for hauling water from the spring. We or manthing constructed us a sled from the cover to the air conditioning unit from the fifth wheel. It is smooth and light weight so should glide over the snow, in theory. I wanted to make it more sturdy n use it as a big old sled for myself but I have been forbidden to act like I am four because of my ol broken bones. I am sure we will be testing it for its intended purpose soon and I think I can coax the small black dog into going for a ride without too much trouble.

I don't think the goats are real amused with our winter this year.


Going to make us some snow cream and a peach cobbler for this afternoon.
While in some areas I would never suggest eating the snow, in many areas I would especially after a big snow. It is fun to make for kids of all ages especially when it is something you grew up with. This is the basic recipe that I use for making it. Remember only to use fresh, clean, snow!!

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
large bowl of snow (about a gallon)

Blend milk, sugar and vanilla. Stir in enough snow to make snow cream to an ice cream consistency. For variations try substituting condensed milk or cream for milk for a heavier flavor. Add Nestles Quik for a chocolate snow cream, or use instant cocoa mix. Add fruits for a different flavor or blend an overripe banana in the mixture. Serve immediately.

ol fashioned carrot cake

I like recipes that I always have the ingredients on hand to make. I cannot stand finding recipes that sound good only to find that you need all sorts of fancy ingredients in order to make them. Rarely do I buy fancy ingredients for baking because there are plenty of wonderful recipes around that do not require them and when you are frugal minded, basic ingredients are much cheaper to purchase therefore you can make many more baked treats. I found a good carrot cake recipe a while back and tweaked it into something that had a bit less fat and was a bit more healthy. This is a very moist carrot cake that is quite tasty and is budget friendly.

ol fashioned carrot cake
4 eggs
2 cups sugar ( a 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup br sugar mix is nice too)
1/3 cup veg oil
2/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1/2 WW and half white flour)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (2 tsp cinn with 1 tsp nutmeg is also nice)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups grated carrots

Mix all ingredients until well blended, fold in a cup of nuts if desired. Pour in to 9x13 cake pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool and frost if desired. (picture in post is not mine)

seaside candy roll- pecan log

I saw this recipe on Blind Pig and the Acorn yesterday and decided I absolutely had to make one. When I saw the recipe, I immediately thought of Stuckey's and their pecan rolls. My mother absolutely loved them so whenever we were on a road trip, we would stop and get a pecan roll or three. Since I was already shelling a big old pile of pecans yesterday, the posting of the recipe was perfect timing and I just shelled a few more so I could make some today.

I followed the recipe from the Blind Pig with the exception of the maple flavoring and the corn syrup. I do not like maple anything except for pure syrup so instead used vanilla. I do not buy corn syrup either, so instead used a recipe for a corn syrup substitute.

corn syrup substitute

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. cream of tarter

dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and put a cover on for 3 minutes to get sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Uncover and cook until it reaches soft ball stage. Stir often. Cool syrup and store in a covered container at room temperature. It will keep 2 months.

Seaside candy roll

1 cup pecans

1/3 cup margarine

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound powdered sugar (4 1/2 cups)

Chop 1/2 cup of the pecans finely and 1/2 cup coarsely. Mix together margarine, corn syrup, maple flavoring and salt. Start adding powdered sugar a cup or so at a time. Mix well, when too stiff, turn out and knead the rest of the ingredients into the dough, reserving the coarsely chopped pecans for outside coating. Once the mixture is smooth-divide it in half; roll/shape each half into a roll 2 inches thick. Brush rolls with additional corn syrup. Roll in coarsely chopped nuts; wrap in wax paper or foil and chill; slice into 1/4 inch pieces before serving.

These are very very sweet and quite tasty although not quite the same as what I remember. After doing a bit of a search I believe that the Stuckey's logs are made from a different type of nougat. It is a bit more detailed and lengthy process than these are but for those interested here is the recipe.

fruit leather

**the pics are from 3 separate batches of leather. apple butter leather**

I have been on a fruit leather making kick as of late. It is soooooooo easy to make and it is cleaning out the freezer a bit to make room for some meat to go in there. We were recently going to purchase a side of beef until I had a look see in the freezer and figured we could perhaps fit 20 pounds of meat in, certainly not enough space for half of a steer.

Making leather is a great way to use up some of the many fruits I have frozen that otherwise would likely be forgotten about until next summer when I need room for more fruit and veg. It is not that we do not like our fruit, I just forget about it because of the old, out of sight out of mind thing. The canned jellies, syrups, jams, pie filling and fruit are all on shelves so we use them regularly but the frozen stuff gets forgotten. The leathers will make a nice and healthy addition to the manthings lunches and a great snack to have around the house too.

We only have a solar dehydrator here, but I have learned over time that underneath the wood stove is a great place to put trays of fruits and veggies to dehydrate them in the winter. It does not get too warm but provides a nice steady supply of low heat that does a great job of drying and is as quick as a commercial made dehydrator and its free! Before trying this at home, check and see how warm it is under your stove, for all I know you may be able to roast a turkey under yours.

** thai golden and watermelon**

When I make the leathers, I use frozen fruit. I simply thaw and puree in a food processor or blender.The consistency I like, resembles a thick applesauce. If it is too thin I strain it through a strainer bag for a spell. I use no sweeteners in mine though some folks do. I then spread it on a plastic wrap lined cookie sheet to about 1/4 inch thick and place under the stove on bricks. I would not suggest using wax paper, mine stuck to the leather and was tough to get off. Within 24 hours or so I have a nice sheet of leather. I like to rip mine up like jerky and throw in a jar to just grab as needed. You can also roll the sheet either in the wrap or cut in sections, roll and then wrap. It is just a matter of preference. Ours are not meant for long term storage but they can be vacuum sealed and stored like any other product for long term.

**mixed berry with apple**

I have not tried any of these additions as yet but thought some of them were pretty neat ideas. I really like the idea of the whirled up squash in order to stretch the amount of fruits.

• finely chop nuts to add to the fruit puree.
• adult-flavored fruit leathers, small amounts of fruit brandy or liqueurs (or nut liqueurs) can be added to the puree.
• unflavored (or vanilla) yogurt with a fruit puree.
• add zuchinni 50/50 to the puree for increased yield. The squash picks up the flavor of the fruit while having no flavor of its own
• leave bits and chunks of fruit in the puree
• add spices to the puree to enhance flavor

half baked- peanut butter oatmeal cookies

Over the last couple of years playing with cooking on the wood stove, I have discovered I can "bake" (I like the term half bake) pretty much everything on there. This is not a cooking type wood stove, this is just the wood heating stove that I decided to learn to cook on a couple years ago. Something I had not tried up until the other day was making cookies on the top of the stove. While they are not the prettiest of creations due to having to be flipped half way through cooking, it most certainly can be done. The cookies on the stove in the picture are an oatmeal-peanut butter cookie that has no flour in it, thus they are gluten free, if you know where your oats have come from. They are a chewy gooey almost candy like confection, rather than a cookie, but they are very good for when you want a different kind of ordinary cookie. I think a stiffer, flour based dough would hold its shape much better than these did in the flipping process. I am hoping to make some sugar cookies this weekend and will compare how the dough held up for cooking.

chewy- gooey peanut butter oatmeal cookies
1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups old fashioned or quick oats, uncooked

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and form dough into ping pong size balls. Place on cookie sheet and squish them down with a fork and bake. For wood stove cooking, i just keep an eye on them and flip when I see they are ready. For those cooking with a conventional oven, bake at 350 for 15 minutes or there about. Bake just until set and edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheet 1 minute before removing.

squash donuts

Yes really! I was looking for a recipe the other day and somehow ran across a recipe for Malaysian sweet potato donuts made with a yeast dough instead of the traditional tater/flour dough. Manthing has been asking for donuts anyway so I decided to make a batch today but when I was getting ready to make them remembered I had lots more winter squash than I had sweet potatoes. So yes I made winter squash donuts this afternoon and I gotta say, they are the best textured and tasting homemade donut I have ever had and were very easy to make once I translated the measurements and tweaked the recipe to my liking.

donuts
2 1/2-3 cups flour
1 cup squash, pumpkin or sweet potato (cooked & mashed)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup water
2 tsp yeast
oil or lard for frying

Put all dry ingredients in bowl. Heat water and melt butter, mix with dry ingredients. Dough is a soft dough but you don't want it gooey either, add flour as needed and then knead for 3-4 minutes. Raise until double in size. Punch down and roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut donuts. Place donuts on parchment paper or floured surface and let rise 20 minutes. Fry in oil until brown and turn. Remove from oil , cool on paper towel and coat with cinnamon sugar.

harvest upside down cake

We love our sweet treats around here and those that are quick and easy to make are my favorite. Upside down or dump cakes are some of my favorites to make. I will even use a store bought mix of GMO goodness to make these cakes just to make them easier yet. However, you can make your own spice cake mix and simply omit all the liquids if you prefer. One thing I really like about these cakes is they are great for in the woods gatherings and cook very well in dutch ovens or baked conventionally.

For this cake you can either used canned apples (not pie filling) or fresh apples (with a bit of lemon and 1/2 cup simple syrup added). If using canned apples use two cans including liquid. If using fresh apples I use 6 cups of apple slices. Dump into the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Add any other fruits you want, cranberries and raisins go well. Pour one box of spice cake mix evenly over apples. Melt 3/4 cup of butter and drizzle over the cake mix. Top with either chopped pecans or walnuts and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold with either whip cream or ice cream.

chocolate zucchini cake

If you find yourself with some extra zucchini or summer squash of any variety and a sweet tooth, why not make  a cake! This is one of our favorite cakes here and as far as sweets go it isn't all that unhealthy for you. It isn't all that healthy either but it sure is good and is a good way to use up the squash or zucchini that got away and grew too large for much else. This recipe is one I found and then tweaked to our taste and budget.  It is not overly sweet yet very moist  and does not need a frosting unless you want it.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
3 cups grated zucchini or other summer squash
1/4 cup  oil
3/4 cup chopped walnuts 

directions

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

cucumber sorbet

It is that time of year where many of us growing cucumbers find ourselves with more than we know what to do with. A couple years back I  decided to try a cucumber sorbet and much to my surprise it was quite a tasty summer treat as it combines salty with sweet and a bit of twang. It is very easy to make and is quite versatile with what you use to make the twang as well as what you use  as a sweetener.This is also a good way to use up those cukes that get a bit too large for other recipes. Some people like to infuse the simple syrup with mint or use it as a garnish. The cucumber  can also be  mixed with avocado  at a 1 to 1 ratio.

cucumber sorbet

4 large cucumber or about 2 lbs-- skinned, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp white vinegar --lime or lemon also work well--use the zest too if you like

2 tbsp water

4 tbsp sugar --honey also works

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp  fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dry dill

Boil together water, vinegar and sugar  until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Put all ingredients into blender or food processor, blend well  and place in bowl to freeze. Before serving blend again til smooth and serve

caramel dumplings

This is a sickeningly sweet but very good recipe for a frugal minded dessert. It uses all LTS( long term storage) ingredients so is easy to take on a camping trip or if you are caught off guard and need a dessert on a moments notice. I like this served with fresh fruit  but it also  serves well with ice cream or whipped cream.

Dumplings
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3-1/2 cup milk

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

1. In mixing bowl cut butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in sugar, milk and vanilla; mix well. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients for sauce in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls of dumpling dough into simmering sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes 4 servings.

* Or substitute 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

super simple sour dough cinnamon rolls

Lately I have given up measuring ingredients of any sort.  I have always been an eye baller and non recipe using sort of person  but up until the last few times of making bread or rolls I was measuring  things for those recipes. I think maybe I  have finally gotten comfortable enough in my dough making abilities that I  just started chucking the ingredients in and ending up with whatever I end up with.  Most of the time  this works splendidly but on the rare occasion I end up with way too much dough  and since we like our sweet things around here I had to come up with something dessert like to make  from the left over bread dough.  My solution has  been to make super simple  cinnamon rolls  of the leftovers and boy I have been  busting out some pretty ones lately.

All I do to make them is  take my left over bread dough and roll it out into a large rectangular(sorta) shape.The thinner you roll it  the more swirls of cinnamon there will be through the rolls.  Next I grab the brown sugar  and take a couple handfuls and pat it on to the dough as best as I can, covering the surface  with a thin layer. I then grab the  cinnamon shaker and shake it  over the  brown sugar. Sometimes I add some raisins that I have hydrated and drained. When it looks like enough I stop shaking and begin to roll the dough length wise as tightly as possible. When done  rolling I fold over the two ends and make it so the filling cant ooze out as I cut them into  rolls. Next, I slice the log into  pieces. A very sharp knife works best so that  you don't flatten the log while cutting.   I then  heavily butter a pie pan and place the slices of roll in the pan and flatten slightly. Let them raise  another couple hours as you would bread dough.

Since I have been  half baking mine on the wood stove, I place another buttered pie  pan  inverted over the top and  "bake" on the wood stove top. About half way through I flip the  two pans and cook the tops of the rolls  so that they cook evenly.  For those that use an oven I would think that 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven would suit.

After removing from oven  glaze with you favorite glaze. When we are in the mood for sweet and more sweet I top them with a confectionery sugar/lemon glaze . For a creamier less sweet topping a cream cheese/confectionery topping does nicely.  For a sickeningly rich type dessert  add some half and half or heavy cream  for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, serve hot  and ladle the creamy goodness over the top of the rolls. The rolls  in the photo below are topped with a cream cheese brown sugar glaze.

peanut butter granola

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

melt first three ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat through, do not boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, salt, raisins, cinnamon and oats. Coconut, peanuts and other dried fruits can be added here. Stir until coated well, turn our into a 9 x 13 pan or bake sheet and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. You can also do this on a wood stove top or in a skillet.It should be brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool. Break up as needed and store in airtight container. Serve as a cereal,add to yogurt or just eat as a snack.

home made yogurt

While awaiting our blizzard yesterday,I decided to make some home made yogurt. Since milk was back up to near $3.50 a gallon this month at the store I decided to use what we had on hand which was frozen or powder milk. Since I wanted instant gratification, I went with the powdered milk. When milk gets expensive, powdered milk does become the more economical choice. I have never made yogurt from powdered milk before but have made yogurt before so I thought this would be a good experiment.

I used a store bought yogurt for my culture since it has been a while since I used any of my frozen cultures and I thought it would be a good time to replace them.

I am making ours on the wood stove rather than in a crock pot , dehydrator, lamp light or on the counter top.It requires no energy or fuel resources to speed the process up by making it on the wood stove but speeds the process of making it up a bit. Remember I was after instant gratification..

What are some of your ways to make yogurt

here is the recipe I used
3-3/4 cup warm tap water
1-2/3 cups instant nonfat dry milk
4 tablespoon store-bought, plain yogurt with active yogurt cultures

In a large saucepan combine the tap water and dry milk powder. Stir it very well, and let it sit a few minutes. Then stir it again. All of the dry milk should be dissolved. Heat the milk over medium low heat until it reaches 180°. This kills off any competing bacteria so that the yogurt will respond better to the acidophilus cultures. Remove from the stove and allow to cool to 115°. If the milk is any hotter than this then it will kill off the yogurt cultures. Add the store-bought plain yogurt to the warm milk. Stir well. Allow it sit for a few minutes and stir a final time. This should dissolve the store-bought yogurt completely.

Carefully pour the mixture(keep a half cup out as your next starter, these can be froze and used ) into a very clean, quart-sized, wide-mouthed canning jar, or another clean, quart-sized container.cover with a cloth and incubate the yogurt in a warm spot for 6 to 8 hours, or until it is set almost as thick as store-bought yogurt. Chill and eat. Add fruits, make smoothies, parfaits, use as sour creme. If you drain drain the liquid , you have what is sometimes referred to as greek yogurt, yogurt cheese or yogurt cream cheese. The remaining liquid is whey and can be used in breads and other recipes.

The yogurt turned out very creamy, thick and non bitter.It made a very nice yogurt. Total cost of the quart of yogurt about 1 dollar. Had I not wanted the instant gratification, I could have thawed a gallon of goat milk out and used that and cost would have been nothing.

I made a nice caramel apple parfait topped with skillet granola for dessert

cheese balls

One of my favorite christmas time treats are home made cheese balls. Now there are a zillion recipes out there for them and some are very good. Unfortunately often times they also cost crazy money to make. We are poor folk and simply cant afford a $20 ball of cheese to go with our Dollar General crackers.

My favorite is very simple to make and can be made with a number of minced type meats. I normally make it with dried beef that I chop finely however one can use ham, roast beef, corned beef, chicken, shrimp, crab etc.

I generally only use the cream cheese but have added shredded cheddar, mozzarella and bleu cheeses. It just depends on my budget and the flavor I am looking for . I have also taken fresh or dried veggies and processed them down into tiny bits and stirred them into the cheese mixture. Broccoli, sweet gr or red peppers,hot peppers, scallions and carrots make a colorful addition and add some flavor and nutrition. I sometimes add a dash of wine, a splash of liquid smoke or hot pepper sauce as well.

The outside coating can be done with most anything. I like the nut and parsley mixture because it is pretty more than any other reason.Many like to use pecan or almond slivers t coat the outside, I tend to like walnut because they are cheaper. Depending on what I have used on the inside of my cheese ball I change up my coating, sometimes its herbs of various sorts with bread crumbs or crackers and sometimes it is nuts with herbs. It really just depends on what I have and what my taste buds say..

basic recipe

2- 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 pack onion soup mix
4 oz chopped meat of choice
dash hot sauce
nuts or spices

soften cream cheese. Add meat, hot sauce and soup mix and mix completely. Refrigerate about 1 hour then roll in either chopped nuts or parsley nut mixture. Wrap and chill several hours to several days before serving. With just two of us here, I make 2 balls instead of one.

I also quite enjoy dessert or fruited cheese balls. Pineapple and strawberries are my favorite flavor. Some people like to add green or red pepper bits or pieces of jalapenos or even green onions. I prefer to make them simple and with just the fruit and nuts.

Basic recipe

2-8 oz packages cream cheese
8 oz of fruit chopped and drained
1 tbsp powder sugar
1 tsp season salt
1 cup nuts chopped fine

Soften cheese. Mix fruit, cheese, sugar and 1/2 cup nuts. Refrigerate one hour and form in to ball and roll in chopped nuts and wrap

universal muffin mix

Since we are on the subject of food and using storage or "prep foods" here is another good batch of recipes. I feel there is nothing better than being able to make a whole slew of recipes from one base mix so when I find recipes such as this it is like finding treasure.

This is for those of us that are either lazy or enjoy making large batches of mixes and then storing away for future use. Keep in mind this is a huge batch of muffin mix but if you have some half gallon mason jars or a few leftover coffee containers this could make great use of them. Again we make a base mix and then add to it later on when we go to make them into what flavor we want at the time.

Base mix

18 cups flour
5 cups sugar (or equivalent substitute)
2 1/4 cups dry buttermilk or nonfat dry milk powder
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Combine ingredients and break up any lumps.
Store in a large airtight container labeled with the date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Shelf life: 6 to 8 months. Makes enough for about 5 batches of 24 muffins each.

To make 24 regular-sized muffins:.

Preheat oven to 400°. Coat muffin tins with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat:.

3 to 4 eggs.
3 teaspoons vanilla.
2 cups water.
UP TO 1 cup oil or butter.
Stir in 5-1/2 cups muffin mix and any additional ingredients (listed below) just until moistened. The batter should be lumpy.
Fill muffin tins full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.

So you want some flavor in those muffins do you?

Applesauce muffins: 1 cup applesauce omit oil.

Apple muffins: 3 cups raw grated apple 1 teaspoons gr. cloves 1 cup nuts or raisins, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture before baking.

Apricot muffins: 1 cup chopped dried apricots.

Banana muffins: 2 mashed bananas 1 cup walnuts (optional).

Blueberry muffins: 2 cups fresh or frozen rinsed blueberries.

Bran-molasses muffins: Use only 3 cups of muffin mix. Stir in: 4 cups bran cereal 1/2 cup molasses 1 cup raisins.

Butterscotch muffins: 2 (12 oz.) bags butterscotch chips 1 cup chopped nuts.

Carrot muffins: 2 cups grated carrots 1 cup raisins 1-1/2 teaspoons allspice.

Cashew muffins: 2 cups unsalted coarsely chopped cashews.

Cherry muffins: 2 cups fresh or dried pitted cherries.

Chocolate chip-fudge muffins: 1-1/2 cups cocoa 1/2 cup sugar 3 cups mini chocolate chips.

Coconut muffins: 3 cups toasted flaked coconut (reserve some to sprinkle on the top).

Cranberry-orange muffins: 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries 1 cup nuts 1/2 cup orange juice 2 Tb. orange peel.

Currant muffins: 1-1/2 cups currants 1 cup chopped nuts.

Date nut muffins: 1 cup chopped dates 1 cup chopped nuts.

Eggnog muffins: 4 teaspoons rum extract 2 cups eggnog (omit water from recipe) before baking, top with mixture of: 2 Tb. sugar 1 teaspoons nutmeg 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Fig muffins: 2 cups dried chopped figs 1 cup chopped walnuts.

Fruit muffins: 2 cups dried diced fruit.

Garden fresh muffins: 1 cup grated carrots 1 cup grated zucchini 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves.

Gingerbread muffins: 2 Tb. ground ginger 1/2 cup molasses 2 cups raisins.

Granola muffins: reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add: 1-1/2 cups granola. Top with additional granola before baking.

Grape nuts muffins: reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add: 2-1/2 cups grape nuts and 1 teaspoons allspice.

Hazelnut muffins: 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 2 cups chopped hazelnuts.

Incredible Cream Cheese muffins: combine: 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs. Drop this mix by Tb. onto top of muffins before baking.

Jam muffins: 1-1/2 cups jam or preserves (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry) 1 cup chopped nuts (optional).

Kisses and hugs muffins: 1-1/2 cups cocoa 1/2 cup sugar after filling muffin tins 3/4 full, drop one Hershey’s kiss into the center of each muffin, pushing down slightly until kiss is covered. Ice cooled muffins with confectioners sugar and water glaze.

Lemon muffins: omit 1 cup water and replace with 1 cup lemon juice use 4 eggs, 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Lemon-poppy seed: 2 packages (3.4 oz each) instant lemon pudding mix 2 T poppy seeds, use 4 eggs, omit 1 cup water and replace with 1 cup lemon juice.

Mandarin muffins: 2 (8-1.4 oz) cans crushed mandarin oranges (undrained) reduce water to 1 cup 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots.

Maple muffins: 6 Tb. maple syrup, reduce water to 1-1/2 cups

Marmalade muffins: 1-1/2 cups orange marmalade, 1 cup chopped nuts (opt), 1 cup orange juice (omit 1 cup of the water).

Mincemeat muffins: 1-1/2 cups mincemeat.

Nutty muffins: 3 cups peanut butter chips 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

Oatmeal muffins: reduce muffin mix to 4 cups and add 1 cup oats; use 4 eggs and up to 2 cups raisins or grated apples

Orange muffins: 2 cups sour cream,1 cup nuts or coconut (opt), 2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drain; use 4 eggs.

Peach muffins: 2 cups fresh or one large can (drained) chopped peaches.

Pear muffins: 2 cups fresh or one large can (drained) chopped pears.

Peanut-butter banana muffins: 1 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup chopped peanuts 3 mashed bananas.

Peanut-butter & jelly muffins: 1 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts; drop 1 Tb. jam into each muffin before baking.

Pecan muffins: 2 cups chopped toasted pecans, 1 teaspoons maple extract.

Pineapple muffins: 1 teaspoons ground cloves, 1 large can crushed pineapple, drained 1 jar (7 oz. or about 1 cup) macadamia nuts, chopped.

Pineapple carrot raisin muffins: 1 cup each: grated carrots, crushed pineapple, drained and raisins 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional).

Prune muffins: 1 to 2 cups chopped prunes 1/3 cup poppy seeds.

Pumpkin muffins: 2 cups or 1 can solid pack pumpkin 1 Tb. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup each chopped nuts and raisins.

Raspberry muffins: 2 cups fresh or frozen whole, unsweetened raspberries.

Rum raisin muffins: 3 teaspoons rum extract or 3 tablespoons rum before baking, top with mix of: 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg.

Sesame seed muffins: 1 cup toasted sesame seeds before baking, top with mix of: 1/2 cup nuts 4 Tb. brown sugar 4 Tb. sesame seeds 2 Tb. flour 1/2 teaspoons each cinnamon/nutmeg.

Sour cream muffins: omit one cup of the water and add: 1 cup sour cream 2 cups nuts 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (opt.).

Strawberry muffins: 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped.

Sweet potato muffins: 1 Tb. allspice 4 Tb. dry orange peel 2 cans (10 oz each) sweet potatoes, mashed, well drained (about 2-1/2 cups).

Tropical treat muffins: 1 cup dried mango or papaya, chopped 1 cup chopped banana chips or 2 fresh mashed, 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped 1/2 cup coconut 1/2 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated.

Vanilla muffins: 2 packages vanilla chips.

Walnut muffins 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts.

Wheat germ muffins: 2-2/3 cup wheat germ use 4 eggs 1/2 cup extra water before baking, top muffins with mix of: 1/2 cup wheat germ 2 Tb. sugar.

Yogurt muffins: reduce water to 1-1/2 cups and add: 2 cartons (8 oz each) yogurt -- plain or flavored.

Zucchini muffins: 2 cups grated zucchini 2 Tb. cinnamon 1 cup chopped nuts (optional).

Plum muffins: 2 cups fresh or canned plums; chopped.

pinto bean pie

The lowly pinto bean is such a useful food. Very good for you yet it can be made into so many wonderful things ,some that wind up quite unhealthy even. The first time I had this pie I was certain it was going to be plum awful. There was no way that anyone could make a pinto bean into a dessert that was going to be worth my eating. Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the pie. Not overly sweet, had a very nice texture and just had an over all really nice flavor to it. Some call the pinto pies a mock pecan pie. To be honest, I have only ever had pecan pie one time so I cant really compare it.

There are several variations of recipes out there from simple to ya may as well make a pecan pie. My preferred simple recipe is

• 1 heaping cup mashed pinto beans (Note: 1 1/2 cups cooked beans equals about 1 cup, mashed)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon or a lil of both or even punkin pie spice
  
• 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

chuck it all in a food processor or blender and process til smooth

Pour into a 9-inch unbaked pie shell. (easy and not a bad tasting pie shell recipe ) Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean.

or if your brave

cover with loose foil or a domed lid and cook on wood stove top rotating on occasion to encourage even cooking. Cook time will vary depending on how hot stove is. If i am going to make this in the wood stove on coals I use a cast iron skillet rather than pie pan.

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