Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows

A couple of years ago, we went to visit our son and he had bought some homemade gourmet marshmallows for some fancy hot chocolate he had also bought for us. They were tasty and it had never crossed my mind that I could make these until I saw them on a blog one day.  He was going to be home for Christmas so I thought I should surprise him with these fun tasty treats that he had once bought for us.  I thought he would really get a kick out of it and he did, I think.:))  These are so easy to make and so much better than the store bought marshmallows, especially when they are partially melted in some hot cocoa.  You really should try them.

Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Skillet Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Hash

This recipe is not only delicious but it is so versatile also.  You could eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Although I like it for lunch and dinner the blog that the recipe came from served it for breakfast.  Some weeks are so busy it's nice to have lunch and dinner ready and waiting just to be reheated.  This was perfect for that and it was still tasty even when reheated. Well, this happens to be one of those busy weeks so I have to run.  I will have some pictures and recipes for you next week from a wedding that I helped coordinate.  Fun stuff!

                                 Skillet Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Hash
                                 2 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (or one large)
                                 1 apple, peeled cored and diced
                                 2 tablespoon coconut oil, divided
                                 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
                                 2 Mild Italian chicken sausages, removed from casing
                                 2 to 3 large cups of baby spinach
                                 1/3 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
                                 salt and pepper to taste
 Instructions:
          In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add      diced sweet potatoes and apples.  Add a pinch or two of sea salt and cinnamon to the pan. Cook sweet potatoes and apples until cooked and softened.  I prefer my sweet potatoes to be slightly browned.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium heat.  Add to skillet the chicken (or pork) sausage and onion making sure to break the sausage up in small pieces while it cooks.  Once the chicken is no longer pink in color and completely cooked add spinach to the skillet.  Don’t worry the spinach will wilt down when cooked.  The spinach should wilt down within 1 to 2 minutes.  Once spinach is cooked add the sweet potato apple mixture to pan and stir to combine all.

Recipe from Multiply Delicious via Pinterest

Sweet potatoes not only taste good but are good for you as well.  I wanted to share some nutritionl facts about sweet potatoes for those interested.

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts – Health Benefits of the Sweet Potato

By Rob Poulos..
What’s important to know about the sweet potato is that it is packed with lots of things that promote good health, which is a crucial factor in burning fat for weight loss. Let’s start with the vitamins found in one medium sweet potato.
The most abundant vitamin found in a sweet potato is vitamin A, which gives you more than 300% of your daily value of vitamin A. That bright orange color (for which beta carotene is partially responsible) that makes the sweet potato stand out in a crowd is (part of) what makes them so nutritious.
Other vitamins found in relatively high quantity in the sweet potato include vitamins C B5 and B6, which all contribute to general health and fat loss.
What’s more important about sweet potato nutrition facts is that this vegetable is low in calories, especially for the nutritional impact it has on health and fat burning. With just 112 calories in 1 sweet potato (more than enough to satisfy your appetite), you’ll be happy to know that you’re getting plenty of potassium (13%), copper (10%) and manganese (17%) in those calories!
When it comes to fat burning, one sweet potato gives you 2 grams of protein, nearly 4 grams of fiber and more than 26 grams of carbohydrates so you get plenty of fat burning nutrients and energy to help you burn a little more.

You Have To Try This Sweet Balsamic Dressing ( Salad with Avocado, Almonds, and Cranberries)

                                            This dressing is ridiculously good.  It makes me want to eat a salad every day. 

 After  posting so many sweets last week I thought maybe I should let you guys know that I do eat real food .  Although I like to eat healthy, I am all for my sugar too.  I love to have a dessert  a day. I'm not sure what I like more, the eating or the making of the sweet sugary foods.  Actually, I think I like to make it more.  Crazy huh?  And trust me I like to eat it...but there is something about the art of cooking that is so relaxing to me. Even though this isn't sugary, I really do love it.  I think I like wholesome food just as much as sugary foods. This is a great salad and come to think of it, it is a little sweet because the dressing has a little sugar in it but also because of the cranberries and the pears.  I hope you like it too.  Do you think cooking is relaxing, creative and fun?


Ingredients for the dressing:

⅓ cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried mustard
1 tablespoon minced sweet onion
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the salad:
Romaine Lettuce ( enough for 8)
2 medium avocados, peeled and halved
¾ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup of  candied spiced almonds or just plain slivered almonds

Directions:
1. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a pint sized glass jar and shake well to dissolve sugar.

2. For the salad, place greens  in a large bowl. Add avocado and dried cranberries and about 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss gently. Scatter candied almonds over salad and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pass extra dressing at the table.

6 dinner size salads, 8 side salads

I also  like to add sliced  pears to this salad .

Source:  Adapted from an unknown  source

Homade Yogurt and Granola

Have you ever tried to make homemade yogurt?  I sure hadn't.  The times have changed though.  I thought it would taste gross and be too time consuming.  Boy, did I have a lot to learn.  I picked up a yogurt maker last year after trying homemade yogurt at a friends house. It was just so delicious.  To my amazement non-sweetened yogurt was actually good( and I really do mean amazement, I had predetermined before the first bite I was going to have to choke it down to be polite. You can imagine how happy I was when I actually liked it:)).  Unlike the store, it isn't bitter.  It's creamy and then when you add fruit to it, it's simply divine. Perfectly sweetened, without being filled with sugar. We eat yogurt almost every day and it's so nice to be able to make my own with organic milk and without sugar. An added bonus is that it is about half the price of store bought organic yogurt and requires very little work. By the way, if it isn't sweet enough for you, you can add your own sweetener( honey, maple syrup, agave or sugar) before you eat it.

I also have grown to love granola, well... homemade granola.  I  love to try new varieties. I enjoy being able to choose which nuts, dried fruits, fiber, sweeteners and grains will be combined. Does it seem like a lot of work? It comes together quickly, you just need to stay in the kitchen while it bakes to give it a stir a few times.  If you don't stir, the edges will get burned and it won't be evenly browned.  See, it's really not too time consuming or hard.  I usually will make a double or triple batch because it will last a couple of weeks in an air-tight container. I also made a blueberry sauce to go over our yogurt and granola and we love it so much that we ate it everyday for almost a week.  We didn't have to but we wanted to. It was just that good.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
1/3 cup slivered almonds
 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats*
1 cup rice krispies or puffed rice
3 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4cup honey and 1/4cup pure maple syrup
1/4cup brown sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup raisins

*Note – Do not substitute quick-cooking or instant rolled oats in this recipe, or the granola will taste sandy rather than crunchy.

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Toast the almonds in a 12‑inch skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to darken, about 3 minutes. Stir in the oats and oil and continue to toast until the oats begin to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds and continue to toast until the mixture turns golden, about 2 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the honey,maple syrup, flaxseeds,rice krispies, and salt until well coated. Spread the granola evenly over a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every few minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the raisins. With a spatula, push the granola onto one half of the baking sheet and press gently into a 1/2‑inch-thick slab. Let the granola cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Loosen the dried granola with a spatula, break into small clusters, and serve.  The granola can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Per 1/2‑Cup Serving: Cal 230; Fat 11g; Sat Fat 1g; Chol 0mg; Carb 32g; Protein 5g; Fiber 4g; Sodium 55mg

Homemade Yogurt

 4 cups organic 2% milk ( I actually just measure my milk by the containers that come with the yogurt maker)1/3 cup of powdered milk (optional)1/2 cup organic yogurt (this will be your starter)

Making yogurt begins with milk. Slowly heat the milk on the stove over low-medium heat.
At this point you can choose to add powdered milk. Powdered milk creates thicker yogurt that takes less time to ferment. It's optional if you are using whole milk or two percent. Some skim and one percent milk include added milk proteins which make the product taste less watery and will behave the same way as if you added powdered milk.
For your first batch we are going to go with two-percent milk plus *1/3 cup of powdered milk. This combination of milk with the powder will produce a delicious, basic yogurt.
The most tedious thing about making yogurt is watching the milk get hot. You need it to hit 170 degrees, but not have it boil. So you want to pay attention to the pot and have a thermometer at hand. Once you've hit the target temperature, remove from heat and then wait for the milk to cool. Unless you put the pot in the refrigerator it will take some time to cool to 108-112 degrees.
Have your starter yogurt handy in a cup. When the milk is cooled to the proper temperature, mix a small amount it in with the yogurt. This will break up the yogurt and makes blending it with the rest of the milk easier. Once you add the starter, the milk can be placed in the pre-heated yogurt maker for four to eight hours. Refrigerate before serving.

* I rarely add powdered milk even to my 2 percent milk and it turns out just fine every time.  The directions may sound more detailed than the process really is.  The only trick it heating the milk and then the time you have to wait until it cools back down to room temperature.

Yogurt boasts high calcium content, protein and B vitamins. Perhaps most importantly, scientists have proven that live cultures help maintain a delicate balance of microorganisms in the body, promoting healthy digestive and immune systems. The best way to enjoy these health benefits is to make yogurt yourself with fresh, organic milk. 

Homemade Blueberry Sauce

If you want to make the blueberry sauce also it's real simple.  Place a bag of frozen blueberries in a pan with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.  Cook the berries until bubbly and most of the liquid has evaporated.  The juices will thicken in the refrigerator, so if it's a little runny it will thicken as it cools. I also add a carton of fresh blueberries once I remove the pan from the heat. Give it a stir. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

Recipes adapted from the blogs of Annies-Eats ( granola ) and 101 Cookbooks( yogurt ) 

Three Great Pasta Dishes and One Photo :) Baked Ziti, Roasted Garlic with White Cheddar and Wine Sauce and Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

About a year and a half ago, we had a special friend come to visit to share about her ministry to poverty stricken and underprivileged women and children.  She is a wonderful woman and I was so glad to host her presentation.  Although she was speaking on poverty, we feasted on delicious foods. Only in the U.S are we so abundantly blessed.  I had no idea how much it would bother me at the time to feel so blessed and see so many woman with so little. Mary's ministry helps feed woman and children but even more importantly it equips them to provide for themselves by helping them learn skills, get jobs, and even run businesses.

I had not planned to post any of these recipes just yet, but one of the women that came asked for the recipes. So... I thought I would just go ahead and post anyways.  I only have a picture of the last piece of Baked Ziti, I didn't even get a picture of it when it was nice and hot and bubbly from the oven but you know,... what we don't do for friends, right? So you will have to just humor me a little and imagine the most delicious looking pasta dishes.  Let's say they were crafted to perfection and styled on platters and dishes in a dreamy sort of way.  And in a sense they really were. They  were crafted with love and placed on the nicest dishes I could find.  I really did want it to be a nice relaxing let me bless you occasion.

These were all new recipes for me from trusty sources which have been long forgotten because I had just scribbled the recipes down on paper.  I feel bad I can't even give credit where credit is due.  And really credit is due...  These are all delicious recipes.  Don't get me wrong, I make a lot of dishes and not all, in fact many don't get that stamp of approval.  These recipes are keepers to be made over and over.

Baked Ziti

1 # cottage cheese
2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
1cup Parmesan cheese
Whisk these three together, set aside.
1# Ziti cooked 5-7 min then drained.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion and 5 cloves of garlic(crushed).Saute a few minutes then add one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 t. oregano, 1/4cup chopped fresh basil(or 1-2 T. dry basil) and 1 t. sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, heat 1c. heavy cream and 3/4t. cornstarch until thick (simmer 3-4 minutes).  Now add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce and 6-8 oz. mozzarella. Stir to combine.  Add Pasta and toss to coat.

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella and 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes.  Cool 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.


Three Cheese Stuffed Shells
8 oz. Jumbo Pasta Shells cooked half the amount of time rinsed under cold water.
30 oz. Ricotta
8oz. Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
1/2c. Romano
1 lg egg
12 leaves basil
2T. parsley minced
salt and pepper
2T. olive oil
1/2 whole chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 # hamburger
1/2c. red wine
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add meat and cook until done.  Add red wine and cook 1-2 more minutes.  Pour in the cans of tomatoes and stir.  Add sugar and salt.  Bring to boil, reduce, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes. You can add some crushed red pepper now if you like.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta, 1/2 the parmesan, romano, egg, s&p,basil, and parsley. Stir well.

Grease a baking dish and spread some sauce in the dish.  Fill shell with cheese mixture*. Place face down.  Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella.
Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

* To fill shell pour the cheese mixture into a ziplock bag and snip the corner and squeeze into shells.  A much cleaner and easier way to accomplish the task.

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, White Cheddar and Wine Sauce
8 oz. penne cooked.
11/2 t. butter
1/4c. roasted garlic paste* see instructions below.
11/2 T. flour
1/4c White Wine
1c. chicken broth
1c. shredded white cheddar cheese
1 head broccoli cut into florets and blanched until tender
1# boneless,skinless chicken breast, grilled or cooked on stove top( cut up).
s&p

Melt butter in pan. Add garlic paste then flour and cook until browned about 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine and broth. Cook 10 minutes until thickened.  Whisk in cheese, s&p. Now stir in cooked chicken, broccoli and pasta.

* To roast garlic place 2 heads that had the tops cut off to expose the cloves in foil. Seal foil and Bake 350 for 1 hour. cool and squeeze garlic out of peels and mash with a fork.  Well worth the extra work.

These are so delicious.  I need to make them again soon.

Lemon Scones

So for years now, I have been collecting recipes, frequenting cooking blogs, and borrowing cook books from the library. As if I don't have enough already, I now have Pinterest and a 15 year old who quite often is finding me more recipes to add to my ever growing list and in fact these lemon scones came from her. Well, they came from one of her recipe sources and they are a winner. They are nice and lemony indeed. The glaze really brings out the lemon flavor not to mention the fact that I used Meyer Lemons.  I did make an additional white glaze on top of what the recipe called for also, just because they looked too plain for my liking. I don't think it changed the taste much so you decide for yourself if you want the extra glaze. They are just prettier with it.  I like pretty and I like lemon, so these really work well for me and if you like lemon and scones I bet they will work  for you too :).
Please note that scones really are best right out of the oven. If you don"t need eight scones you might freeze the dough and bake the extras when you do need them. Of course, you need to make your discs and cut them into wedges first and then freeze.  Have a friend over and make some kind of scone to go with your coffee or tea, it's simply irresistible :).


Lemon Scones
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. frozen butter, grated
1/2 c. lemon juice
2 t. lemon zest


Glaze 1: lemon juice (1 lemon) and powdered sugar mixed to make a glaze.


Glaze 2: 1-2T. cream, a little squeeze of lemon, and powdered sugar to make a white glaze.


Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater.  (I like to use my food processor for this – fast and easy.) Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture.  Mix in juice and zest.   Form into 2 disks and cut each disk into 4 wedges, like a pie.  Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.


Cool.  Mix the glazes and drizzle over scones.


Recipe adapted from: Alwayswithbutter.blogspot.com


Photographs by Cindi

Blueberry Scones for Lizzy

 Whenever I use to hear the word scones, I use to think they would be too difficult to make. But...  actually, scones really are not that difficult.  The biggest trick I have learned is to keep the butter and the liquids cold (Oh, and if you are going to photograph them then make sure you cut them more evenly :)). This recipe really is a keeper.  Every time I have made it and taken it anywhere I get requests for the recipe. Even right now, I am writing this post to give the recipe to some sweet ladies that attended a brunch I helped host. It has a delicious, tender, buttery-crumb with blueberries and just a hint of lemon.  I really think these would be good with a lemon glaze instead of the sprinkled sugar just to switch things up a bit. Either way, you will not regret making these. 


Ingredients:
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole
1½ cups (7½ oz.) fresh blueberries
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F.  Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater or use a food processor.  Place the blueberries in the freezer until needed.
Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed.  Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined.  Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface.  Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dough holds together in a ragged ball.  Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch square.  Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter.  Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square.  Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again.  Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface.  Using a dough scraper, roll the dough up to form a tight log.  Lay the log seam side down and press the the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle.  Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles.  Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles.  Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)  Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  I always bake only what I need that day and freeze the unused portion because scones are best right after they are made.  The dough freezes well, and you can pull it out of your freezer, pop it in the oven and have fresh scones any time you want.  You might want to even make extra like I do to keep on hand.
Source: adapted from Annies- eats and Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated, Spring 2009

Photographs by Cindi