March 2024

Here is a different way to enjoy a juicy burger.  Refried beans combined with the ground beef make this burger almost like the consistency of meat loaf.  It also makes one pound of ground beef go a long way.  I got 5 huge burgers from this recipe!

• 1 cup cold leftover rice
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 can (15-ounce) refried beans
• 3 tsps. chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1 Tbsp. grill seasoning (I used McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 ripe avacados
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 lime zested and juiced
• 2-3 tsps. Cholula hot sauce (or to taste)
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Lettuce leaves
• 1 ripe tomato, sliced
• Crusty rolls, split or Texas Garlic Toast

Combine rice, meat and beans with spices and grill seasoning.  Add egg and mix well.  Form 5 big patties from the meat mixture.  Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook patties 5-7 minutes on each side.  Top with lots of cheddar cheese, cover patties until cheese melts.
While burgers cook, combine avocado with garlic, lime zest and juice, hot sauce and red onion.  Mash to roughly combine.
Place burgers on buns with lettuce, tomato, guacamole and sour cream.
~Adapted from Rachel Ray
Sharing with NeighborFood – Burger Round UP

I haven’t had Apple Butter in ages!  Now that Fall is officially here, our tastes change to cook and bake with all the warm spices of Autumn.  Here in Jersey, there is only one – just one Cracker Barrel Restaurant where you can get an Apple Butter fix any time of the day.  The restaurant is a few hours away, so I’m on my own here! Apple Butter is very easy to make with the help of a CrockPot.  When it comes to filling your house with yummy scents and filling your tummy with warm, spicy, goodness, nothing beats homemade Apple Butter. I thought I had thrown away my canning pot.  When I went up to the attic for Fall decorations, there it was – all dusty and lonely and forgotten.  I would have made this without the canning pot and just gave away most of it – but now I can keep it all to myself!!!! (I may give one or two away). I searched several CrockPot Apple Butter recipes for the one that appealed to me most.  I was NOT about to peel 4 lbs. of apples, and I found a recipe that didn’t require peeling or coring (much of the pectin is in the cores and flavor and vitamins in the peels) so I chose this method.

Apple Butter

• 4 lbs. of good cooking apples, about 16 (I used Gala and Fuji and two Granny Smith)
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Prepare the fruit:  Cut the apples into eight pieces, without peeling or coring them.  Cut out any damaged parts. Put them into a large pot, add the vinegar and water, cover, bring to a boil, reduced heat to simmer and cook until the apples are soft, about 20-30 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Ladle apple mixture in small batches into a food mill.

This was taking too long.  I decided to puree the apple mixture in the blender and then pass through the food mill.  This took much less time and much less effort.

Beautiful apple puree underneath.

Place apple puree into CrockPot.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cook on HIGH setting, UNCOVERED for 5-6 hours; stirring every 20-30 minutes or so.  Cook until thick and smooth and the apple butter mounds up on your spoon.

Now, if you would like to can it (which I suggest) it’s easy, you’ll see.

1. Wash and dry jars and lids.
2. While you’re filling your jars (to within 1/2″ of top) with your warm apple butter you should have your water bath heating up.
3. Once the jars are filled, wipe the rims with a damp cloth and screw on the lid (don’t over tighten).
4. Place jars in the water canning rack, lower into the canner, make sure they are covered with water by at least 1″ and turn up the heat.
5. Once you reach a boil, boil for 15 minutes.
6. Carefully remove jars from the canner and sit on a dry towel.
7. Sit and listen.  Plink, Plink, Plink – the jars will seal as they cool on the towel.  Wipe jars clean and store or add your own special touches to give away as gifts.

Country recipe cards, labels and gift tags free to print at Country Clip Art.  Free labels for jams and jellies from Pick Your Own.

You say gelato, I say Ice Cream.  A rose by any other name etc.  What is Gelato? Gelato has a lower butterfat content, and slightly less sugar, than most American ice creams.  American ice cream is typically made from heavy cream, while Italian gelato is based on milk with egg yolks added for richness and nonfat dry milk stirred in for body and texture. Gelato is also mixed differently.  American ice cream might include up to 50% air.  Gelato is frozen quickly in small batches; its denser, creamier and richer. Oh, and one more thing;  do you need an ice cream maker to make ice cream? It helps, but you can still make this “gelato” without one.  If you do have one…you know what to do.  This is also a frozen tribute to the pina`colada – especially with the addition of the rum (optional, but who would leave it out!) You will need:

• 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
• 13.6-ounce can coconut milk (“light” is fine), divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2Tbsp. nonfat dry milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1/8 tsp. coconut extract
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. light rum (for flavor)*

*1 Tbsp. rum adds delicious flavor; 2 Tbsps help keep the gelato soft and scoopable in the freezer.  Add any more and you have a cocktail!

Directions: For best flavor, pour the crushed pineapple with its juice into a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.  You can skip this step and simply drain the pineapple, pressing to removed as much juice as possible.  Refrigerate while you prepare the rest. In a saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of the coconut milk; the sugar, and the nonfat dry milk.  Set the remaining coconut milk aside.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to simmer.  Whisk to remove as many lumps as possible.  While the milk/sugar mixture is heatingj, put the 2 egg yolks in a bowl and whisk to combine. Gradually pour about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks.  Whisk to combine, then transfer the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan.  Stir the custard over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until it thickens a bit;  it should be about as thick as heavy cream.  Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2/3 cup coconut milk.  Add the vanilla or coconut flavor.  Transfer the custard to a blender, add the pineapple and process until smooth as possible.  Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

If you have an ice cream maker – Within about 4 hours of when you want to serve, add to your ice cream maker.  Towards the end of the churning time, add the rum to combine.

No ice cream maker –  Pour the chilled custard into a bowl, place in the freezer uncovered, and stir every hour.  After about 4 hours it will be soft-serve consistency.  Add rum if using.   Continue to stir and freeze until it’s the way you like it. 

~Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Links from this posts:  la bella vita – Seasonal Saturday

                                  Sweets for a Saturday
 Vist Miz Helen’s Country Cottage!

This quick side dish of potatoes goes great with anything!  An additional step of boiling the potatoes for a short time first, cuts the cooking time and the potatoes soak in that roasted garlic flavor.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4-5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
• 2 lbs. Yukon Gold and/or red skinned potatoes (unpeeled), cut into large chunks
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Bring 6 cups salted water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Heat oil, garlic, and rosemary in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to infuse the oil.  Do not allow garlic to brown. Boil potatoes in water for 1 minute.  Drain and transfer potatoes to baking sheet.  Stir to coat with oil and garlic.  Roast potatoes in oven for 20 minutes.  Carefully toss with a spatula, then roast until cooked through, browned, and crisp, another 10 minutes.

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  With ketchup, these make the best steak fries!

It was 18 degrees this morning – perfect excuse to put the oven on, make the kitchen toasty warm, and whip up the easiest, tastiest “sticky biscuits” you’ll ever enjoy.

Syrup

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until medium-brown

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Biscuits

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter

1 cup cold milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8″ square pan.

Chop the cooked bacon into 1/2″ pieces.  Combine the bacon with the remaining syrup ingredients, stirring until well combined.  Spread in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Whisk the dry ingredients for the biscuits together in a bowl.  Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Add the milk or buttermilk, stirring to make a sticky dough.

Drop the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls on top of the syrup in the pan.  Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes.  Turn the oven off, and leave them in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until golden.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a serving plate.  Lift off the pan, and scrape any syrup left in the pan onto the biscuits.  Pull biscuits apart to serve.

~Adapted from King Arthur Flour Cooks Note:  These do harden up a bit when cool.  Just pop in the microwave to 20-25 seconds to warm them.  You could also use 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat instead of the butter in the syrup…………just saying……:o) Sharing with: Melt in your Mouth Monday 
Winter Breakfasts

When I see a recipe for sweet and salty I just have to go for it.  Four ingredients and you are in sweet and salty heaven!

• Cooking spray
• 35 to 40 saltine crackers
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1-1/3 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 1 large jelly-roll or sheet pan with foil, spray with non-stick spray and arrange the saltines in a single layer.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 2 to 4 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully.  Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers, covering them evenly.

 When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife.

Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold.

They will form one big sheet. 

Break up into pieces.

Store in an airtight container

These remind me of the candy I used to buy at Fanny Farmer’s!

Since they have crackers in them, I think it’s appropriate that we can also call them CRACK!

Highly addictive!

Enjoy!

~Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood
Sharing with Thursday’s Treasures  

I love to go out for breakfast on a relaxed Sunday Morning.  With Mother’s Day coming up, this is a fun recipe that Mom can put together the night before and family can make it for Mom while she’s lounging in bed.  Who wouldn’t want to wake up to the smell of bacon and sausages cooking!  Get the coffee ready, some nice fresh fruit and treat Mom to a great breakfast!

Breakfast Kebabs with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar Glaze

• 6 breakfast sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 strips bacon
• 8 oz. ham steak, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

Mix together 1/4 cup of good maple syrup with 1 teaspoon brown sugar.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a cooling rack.  Coat rack with non-stick spray. Thread sausage pieces and bacon strips loosely onto six 10-inch long skewers.  Brush kebabs with syrup mixture and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roast kebabs until all meats are browned and cooked through 45-50 minutes.  Baste and turn the skewers every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.  Serve immediately.

Muffin McEgg

These can go in the oven at the same temperature as the kebabs. Coat a jumbo muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Split English Muffins and place into muffin tin forming a cup.  Brush inside of muffin with butter and toast in the oven until slightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Place egg into toasted muffin, season with salt and pepper and top with cheese.  Return to oven and bake about 15 minutes or until set.  Top with Hollandaise sauce if desired.

~Adapted from Cuisine at Home