Avgolemono Chicken Soup

Strange name I know, it's Greek and is a wonderful Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup.  I went to a ladies night out and a friend brought this soup to the event.  I went back for thirds and then took some home with me to share with my husband.  Delicious!  My kids all love it too and it is a frequent request now.  I make it about every other week now.  The recipe is from Cat Cora on the Food Network.  I made a few changes to suit my family's tastes.

Just today my daughter announced that every Restaurant should have this recipe and serve it because she would order it every time!  It really is that good.  Do try it!
Source:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/avgolemono-chicken-soup-with-egg-lemon-sauce-recipe/index.html

Avgolemono: Chicken Soup with Egg-Lemon Sauce - Cat Cora
1 (3 pound) free range chicken
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 leek, cleaned and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
2/3 cup Aborio rice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

Place the chicken in a large pot with 2 quarts cold water, enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, skimming when necessary.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions until clear. Set aside.

When chicken is cooked through, remove from the broth. Let the chicken cool and pull the meat from the bones. Dice into large cubes. Set aside.

Add the onion, bay leaves, leek, and carrot to the broth and simmer for 1 hour. When finished, remove the carrot and leek from the broth and add the rice. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to medium high to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the broth. Add more water if needed.

In a small bowl beat the eggs and lemon juice together. Pour 2 cups of broth slowly into the bowl of egg and lemon, whisking continuously. Once all the broth is incorporated, add the mixture into the pot of chicken soup and stir to blend well throughout. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes


Prep     10 min
Cook    3 hr 10 min
Total:     3 hr 20 min
Serves 8-10


Becky's NOTES:
After I remove the carrots and leeks I chop the carrots into small pieces (last time I even squeezed them through my potato ricer) I add the carrots back into the soup with the chicken.  I do not add onions, my kids don't care for the texture, but I do let them simmer in the broth with the leeks and carrots, but do not add them to the final product.  Very very yummy and fairly easy to make!  Do go out and buy some Aborio rice, it is perfect for this soup.

Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak
There is something special and comforting about this dish.  I have tried them in various restaurants, but never made them myself.  A few months ago, I ate a rather poor version of Chicken Fried Steak in a restaurant... and it was a POOR version, combined with the fact that it was really poor service that day and they didn't bring the gravy out with the steak and I had to wait 5 to 10 minutes for them to bring it and by then my steak was less than perfect.. so I went to look for a version I can do myself.  This certainly isn't diet food!  I am on a semi diet though -- so I had a small piece.
I made the mistake of buying two family packs of cube steak there were two huge steaks in each pack, but I could have just purchased one..as I cut them into smaller pieces to make them manageable.  I followed the recipe from allrecipes.com exactly, but seasoned up the gravy with a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to get the taste where I like it.                                        
I also drizzled lemon juice over the steaks for extra flavor, but did not find it to give it much flavor, I think next time I will squeeze some over the steaks after they come out of the cast iron skillet (if you have one, this recipe is perfect for it!)  I served this with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans, sorry about the lighting in the picture.  This makes plenty of Gravy!  My husband and I loved it.  The kids preferred it without gravy (I have sick children I know!)

Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Chicken-Fried-Steak/Detail.aspx
The-Best-Chicken-Fried-Steak
4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (e.g.
Tabasco™)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable shortening for deep
frying
Gravy:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste (1 Tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper)
5 dashes of Tabasco (Becky's change)

Pound the steaks to about 1/4-inch thickness. Place 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl. Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and salt in a separate shallow bowl; stir in the buttermilk, egg, Tabasco Sauce, and garlic. Dredge each steak first in the flour, then in the batter, and again in the flour. Pat the flour onto the surface of each steak so they are completely coated with dry flour.

Heat the shortening in a deep cast-iron skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fry the steaks until evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place fried steaks on a plate with paper towels to drain. Drain the fat from the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid and as much of the solid remnants as possible.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat with the reserved oil. Whisk the remaining flour into the oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release solids into the gravy. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring the gravy to a simmer, cook until thick, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Spoon the gravy over the steaks to serve.

Recipe Notes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ready in 40 minutes
Serves 4

Becky's NOTES:
After dredging the cube steak in flour and buttermilk and then in flour again it is a pretty gloppy mess!  I stacked my steaks on a plate, but as I got toward the end of frying I didn't know where the steak began to pick it up, next time I will put wax paper between each steak so they don't stick to each other and pull the breading off other steaks.  Will make again!

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I recently went to Olive Garden with my family.  Since it was cold out that day I had their "Chicken Gnocchi Soup" rather than the usual Salad that I have with my meal.  It was so good and tasty, that I had seconds of it and took my main meal home with me to reheat for dinner.

I looked on the internet and found a few different versions of copies.  Here is one I tried that I found on Pioneer Woman's Site: Tasty Kitchen
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/soups/chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/)

Preparation:
Saute garlic, grated carrots and 1/2 chopped onion in 2 Tablespoons of Olive oil

Add cooked,chopped chicken and 4 cups of good chicken broth
(the recipe calls for 3 cooked chicken breast halves, I used an already made rotisserie chicken and cut it up into bite size pieces)

Add 2 cups of heavy cream (I did not have two cups of cream and added last 1/2 cup of half and half)

Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried Thyme and season soup with salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and it had nice flavor)

Add about 1/2 cup thawed, drained chopped spinach (the original used fresh spinach chopped, but I didn't have any on hand and this was an easy substitute

Bring to boil and boil for a few minutes then add gnocchi

Add 1 (16 oz) package of Potato Gnocchi
return to boil and allow to boil for about 4 minutes.  After that turn the heat to low and allow to simmer another 10 minutes.

I tasted it at this point and decided to add about 1 teaspoon of Knorr Chicken Bouillon granules to enhance the chicken flavor.  Turned out great.

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Gnocchi Soup


2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 peeled large carrots, grated
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 chicken breast halves, cooked and cut up (or Rotisserie Chicken)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream (or mix of heavy cream and half and half)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz package Potato Gnocchi

Preparation:
Saute the onion, garlic and carrots in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
Add chicken, chicken broth, heavy cream, salt and pepper, and thyme.  Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi.  Gently boil for 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 10 minutes.  Add chopped fresh (or defrosted frozen chopped spinach) and cook for additional 2 minutes. Taste and add chicken bouillon if you desire. Enjoy!  I will be adding this to our soup favorites.  It is nearly identical to the soup they serve in Olive Garden and oh so good!!

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

Garlic Herb Cheese Bread

Ingredients

4 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Butter -- softened
1/4 cup Parsley -- fresh, minced
1 Garlic clove -- minced
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 loaf fresh French Bread - sliced lengthwise

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine cheddar cheese, softened butter, parsley, garlic, garlic powder, and paprika.  Combine with a fork.  Spread on both sides of the french bread; Heat in 375 F oven for 10-15 minutes.

This recipe is great with Lasagna or any pasta.  It has a lot of garlic- which is why I love it!

Lasagna

Lasagna and Garlic Bread always is a hit in our home.  There is something about Lasagna that brings everyone to the table with healthy appetites.

 Lasagna Recipe:
1 lb shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbsp. olive oil
 1 lb ground beef
3/4 lb Italian Mild Pork Sausage
3 -28 oz cans Hunts tomato sauce
package of Barilla no cook Lasagna noodles
2 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz) tub Ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs

Shred the Mozzarella cheese if you have not purchased already shredded cheese.  Saute the meats (I substituted them with real meats .. none of this low fat around my house) in olive oil.  I added 1 Tbsp crushed garlic to the last minute of browning.  I drained the meat thoroughly.  I returned the meat to the pan and added the spaghetti sauce, heating it through.
I combined the Ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and mixed them.

Pour about 1 cup of meat sauce in bottom of your lasagna pan and layer with Barilla no cook noodles (these are my favorite to work with)  Add half the cheese mixture and spread out over the noodles.  Top with enough meat sauce to cover.  Top again with Lasagna noodles, remainder of cheese mixture, another layer of sauce and finally another layer of lasagna noodles.  Top this again with sauce (remainder) and Top with remaining cup of Mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake for 60 minutes at 350 F.  Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.  Remove the lasagna from the oven and let sit (loosely covered with foil) for another 10 minutes.  Trust me it will still be plenty hot when you sit down to eat!  Serve with Garlic Herb Cheese bread (see Recipe).

Jacket Potatoes with Bacon and Mushroom Sauce

Here is another family favorite. It is originally a recipe by Paula Deen on the Food Network, but I have changed the recipe to suit our families tastes. I have listed the ingredients as it appears in the original recipe and put brackets around ingredients I have omitted- or added

Jacket Potatoes with Bacon, Mushrooms and Peppercorn Sauce
Paula Deen Food Network, Serves 4
4 baking potatoes (I buy the huge ones- the size of Texas or at the very least a large Island Nation)
12 oz bacon, cut up into small pieces
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup brandy
(1 Tbsp. green peppercorns, drenched in cold water)-omitted
1 cup cream (I use Heavy Whipping Cream)
Salt and pepper
Butter for topping
(I also use Parmesan cheese for topping, but that is not in the original)

Preheat oven to 400 F Prepare potatoes by washing them, sprinkling them with Kosher salt, and poking with a fork. Bake until soft about 1 hour.

Sauce: Saute bacon, ( I drain off the fat), add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Pour brandy first into a measuring cup (DO NOT POUR DIRECTLY FROM THE BOTTLE) and then into the pan and carefully ignite with a long match ( WORD TO THE WISE: the flame kicks up pretty high-12 - 18 inches even, so remove it from the cook top and hold away from things like the Microwave, your eye brows, hair... but don't worry it will slowly burn down and go out!) After the alcohol burns off and the flame has died, stir in the peppercorns if desired. Stir in the cream and heat through without boiling it. Salt and pepper to taste .

Cut open the baked potatoes and top each with butter, then cover with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy

Pictures of Preparation:


I start by cooking about half the bacon and set those aside after they crisp. Drain off all the fat and then cook the remaining bacon until they start to "sweat".










Add the mushrooms as the second batch of bacon cooks.



Carefully add in the brandy -- remember to pour from a different container and not straight from the bottle. Ignite with a long match and pull away from the stove top to prevent burning your microwave or cabinets. Keep clear of the flame until it dies down. My husband was alarmed when this happened, and was ready to spring into action like the hero that he is! :-) I assured him this was expected! You might be nice enough to tell your family in advance before you have extingishing foam in your dinner! :-)






Add in the cream and heat through over low heat.












Heat through stirring occasionally.









Cut your baked potatoes lengthwise and top with butter.
The potatoes really are the size of Texas as you can see. You really could make smaller potatoes, we just like a good snack later on. But it is a great way to stretch your dollar, one potato could easily serve two!





Serve the sauce over the baked potato.

Enjoy!

Tasty Meat Pie

I watched "Julie and Julia" yesterday with my husband. It was an enjoyable movie I thought - then I thought about my much neglected blog. Of course, I have not set up a challenge such as the "Julie Julia Project", where I am cooking through a cookbook. That is an undertaking I cannot imagine fitting into my schedule -- As a busy mother of three children, I always strive to make meals that the whole family enjoys but does not take a ton of preparation. When I first married, I subscribed to Taste of Home Magazine and I have a collection of my favorites from that publication and some of the sister publications. The recipe in this post for Tasty Meat Pie is one of those comfort food recipes that the whole family enjoys!


Tasty Meat Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Campbell's Beef with Vegetable and Barley Soup
1 can Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 Double Pie Crust (I buy the pre-made Pillsbury brand it makes it easier)

Preparation:
In a skillet, cook beef and onion unti meat is no longer pink; drain off fat. Add the soups, vegetables, and seasonings. Cook in skillet for 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Line a deep dish pie pan (I like my Pampered Chef one because it really is deep and holds all the filling) Pour meat filling into the pie crust and cover with remaining pie dough. Cut slits into the crust to vent. Bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. (I put a cookie sheet under the pie dish to catch drips in case it bubbles over) Remove from oven and let stand on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy. Serves 6-8

Slow Cooker Salibury Steak

I made a Salisbury Steak recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I think it is one of my favorite web-sources for recipes. What I love about the site is the fact that there are member reviews and changes people made to make it better.

I pretty closely followed the recipe (though I did almost double the recipe) I was not a huge fan of the steak patties, but the sauce was really very good. I did "tweak" it a little in flavor, mostly because I did not have an exact ingredient at home. It still was good though. I will make it again, but next time alter the patties to our own personal taste. As usual, the recipe is at the bottom of this post.


Start off with pan frying to brown the patties. I used a non stick skillet and tried not to crowd them. 4-5 minutes on each side over medium high heat works fine.






Layer the patties in the bottom of your crockpot. I have a nice large oval crock pot so I could place a lot in. The actual recipe will yield about half that (8-10 patties) depending on how large you form them.





The sauce consists mostly of cream of chicken (or mushroom soup) plus other ingredients.










Pour sauce over the Salisbury steak patties and cook on low.





Serve with cooked pasta, mashed potatoes or rice -- would be great with any of those.

The china plate I used was a pattern by Wedgewood - Pattern name: Oberon -- usually around 130 a place setting. I happened upon it at a Bed Bath and Beyond on their clearance table and snatched it up for 27 dollars! Woohoo!



Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
Serves 6-8
source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.


Changes I made: I doubled the recipe and the only thing I changed was in the gravy that you pour over the Salisbury Steak patties. I only had one package of au jus - so for my second I used Mc Cormick's Mushroom and Herb Gravy Mix for Steak -- it added nice flavor. I also used one can of cream of mushroom rather than cream of chicken soup. I loved just the sauce. I will make again. The kids who are pasta purists (naked pasta) also liked the sauce enough to dip their pasta in it.

Artisan Bread

I recently purchased a book: Artisan Bread In Five Minutes a Day.
The Authors are: Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

I won't post the recipe here since I think you should go out and get the book yourself (or at the library if they carry it) I highly recommend it! The master recipe is quick and easy! Hardly any time is used in mixing the dough.



I won't post the recipe here since I think you should go out and get the book yourself (or at the library if they carry it) I highly recommend the book!

You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks! Take dough out of the batch (the batch makes about 4 loaves) and bake the loaf when you want. It takes a minute to shape.. 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to rise ...

and 35 minutes to bake -- and best of all: It tastes like the Artisan Bread at your local bakery! I am hooked! If you like sourdough taste, let it be in the refrigerator at least a week. You don't even have to wash out your bread dough container, just add the new batch of dough and it will become like sourdough more quickly.




Other things you need:
UNBLEACHED all purpose flour
water
kosher salt
Instant yeast (sold in bottles is better than packets, but packets can also be used)
a quality pizza stone -- I started off with a Pampered Chef one I had, but it is looking very dark now, I may upgrade to a thicker one in a while.
a pizza peel (though a cookie sheet with no edges works too in a pinch)
cornmeal
broiling pan and boiling hot water (for steam)
bake at 450 (get an oven thermometer- for best accuracy)

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Calzones

Start with your favorite Pizza Dough Recipe. If you don't have one, see below for my recipe.







Let dough rise for about 20 minutes.








Divide into 6 equal parts (Yes, I can count. :) 5 are pictured here because one is on the board rolled out)







Roll the dough out into a 6 inch circle. Flour the dough a little to keep the dough from sticking to the board.







Spread your favorite Tomato Sauce (I used Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce) which has nice seasonings in the sauce -- or use plain tomato sauce and add seasonings such as garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper





Top the sauce with sliced canned mushrooms and sliced black peppers (or your favorite toppings)







Top with a thin layer of pepperoni slices (or you could use cooked crumbled sausage if you wish)







Top with about 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese








Fold dough over and pinch sides to seal the crust








Carefully transfer to a baking pan, or pizza stone.

Let rest for 15 minutes.






Whisk an egg to brush the tops just before putting in the oven








Brush tops with eggwash.
I sometimes sprinkle the dough with oregano and Parmesan cheese before baking -- feel free to play with the recipe. It makes it more fun.







Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with extra heated Tomato sauce.






Pepperoni Calzone Recipe
Serves 6

Dough
1 package Yeast, Active Dry
1 cup Water -- warm
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Salt
3 cups Flour

Toppings:
8 ounces Tomato Sauce
4 ounces Mushrooms, Canned -- stems and pieces
1 tsp Basil, Dried
1 tsp Oregano
1 clove Garlic -- crushed
4 ounces Olives, Ripe -- sliced
8 ounces Pepperoni -- I like Hormel mild
1 small Green Bell Pepper -- chopped (optional)
1 - 1 1/2 cups Cheese, Mozzarella -- shredded
1 large Egg -- beaten

Instructions

Dough preparation:

Disolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour. Mix together well. Add flour ½ cup at a time to make a nice dough. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl and cover; allow to rise about 20 minutes. Divide into six equal portions and roll out into 6 to 7-inch circle on a lightly floured board.

Mix tomato sauce, mushrooms, basil, oregano, garlic, and olives together and spread over half of each circle within one inch of the edge. Top with pepperoni, green peppers and cheese. Carefully fold dough over filling and pinch edges to seal securely. Place on a greased cookie sheet and allow to rest about 15 minutes.Brush with beaten egg to give dough a nice sheen. Bake in 375° F oven for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

My husband and I recently went to Marie Callendar's Restaurant and ordered their Shepherd's Pie off their Winter Menu. Let me just say: IT WAS OUTSTANDING -- they made theirs with tender roasted beef cubes and the gravy was to die for.
I had to go home and try to replicate this inspiration. This first image is taken from their website to give you their presentation.






I started with onions, celery and carrots and cooked them with butter.





After they had cooked about 5 minutes I added 4 ounces of white mushrooms, a chopped medium zucchini, and 2 teaspoons of garlic and 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh chives. Seasoned the vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cooked until tender crisp about 5 minutes. I added 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce to the vegetables.



I am all about shortcuts when a good one exists run with it. I used a 17 oz package of Hormel Beef Tips and gravy. Added them to the vegetables and heated through. I added 1/3 a jar of Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef Gravy because it looked a little thick.






I like mashed potatoes from scratch, but in a pinch (time pressure) I do occasionally grab a package of Potatoes -- this time I used Betty Crocker's Butter and Herb Potatoes. I prepared them in the microwave according to package directions.





After putting the meat and vegetable mixture in a dish I topped them with the potatoes and then sprinkled it all with a little Cheddar Cheese.

I heated the oven to 350 and baked the casserole for 20 minutes.




I have to say that Marie's Shepherd's Pie was better than my end product, but it really was not bad. Next time I will double the meat product.





BECKY'S SHEPHERD'S PIE RECIPE

Serves 4-6

1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 medium carrots, chopped into small cubes
2 tsp minced garlic
4 oz white mushrooms (half a container)
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (17 oz) Hormel Beef Tips and Gravy (next time I will use 2 packages)
1/3 jar Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef Gravy
1 package Betty Crocker Butter and Herb Potatoes (half a box) prepared according to box.
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cook onion, celery and carrots in 4 Tbsp butter. Cook until onions have softened. Add 2 tsp. minced garlic, mushrooms, Zucchini , salt and chopped chives. Cook 5-7 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce to the vegetables and cook one more minute. Add Beef Tips and Gravy and heat through mixing until combined. Pour into a casserole. Prepare the potatoes according to directions on box and spoon on top of meat and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.

Now that I think about it - -Marie Callendar's version also had peas and corn in it.. that would make a nice addition.

Yes, You Can Make Marshmallows

Believe it or not, it is not that hard to make...
I used a recipe from Ina Garten that is available at the Food Network website (foodtv.com) There are other versions for marshmallows with similar recipes (Alton Brown's is very similar, except that it uses cornstarch.)



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/toasted-coconut-marshmallows-recipe2/index.html

The recipe is copied from the above website:

Homemade Marshmallows:

nocoupons

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Thank you Food Network and Ina Garten



Some tips: Be sure to spray the pan with some product like Pam, before you sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar.

To cut them, turn the marshmallows onto a board coated with powdered sugar and use a pizza wheel to cut into small squares.

These actually MELT in hot cocoa like marshmallows are supposed to! My kids love them. They will last up to 3 weeks stored in a container with powdered sugar. Of course, mine never last that long, but only because my marshmallow monsters consume them faster than that! Enjoy.

Orange Marmalade Day 2

I continued cooking the orange marmalade early this morning.
Bring it back to a boil.





After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer the oranges for 2 hours. ( you should see bubbled near the surface, but not bubbling).
After two hours, turn up the heat to medium heat and boil gently for another 30 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.




Bring it to 220 F (I could not get it pasts 215, but each thermometer may not register accurately, I did however see a color change and I tested a small sample, by putting it in the refrigerator and checking if it jelled, after it had cooled some. It should not be runny anymore, but still be moist. (Add water if the mixture becomes too thick or cook longer to make less runny). This process took a bit longer than I thought it would.


Sterilize your jars by boiling them (and the lids) for at least 3 minutes.
Ladle the hot marmalade into the hot jars and seal immediately.
As the jars cool they will appear less runny and the seal should be indented (you do not hear the lids click when you press on the center of the lid gently).
You can store these for up to 1 year in the pantry. They made 14 half pint jars for me. Plenty to give away and some to keep for ourselves.

After tasting a sample, it took me back to the time I visited England. Yummy.
Thank you Ina Garten for sharing this recipe in your cookbook. I will make it again.