Easy Raspberry Jam

Last week I finished my first batch of Raspberry Jam for this year. Since it is so easy to do I thought I would share it here.

What you will need:

- 5 cups of crushed raspberries

- 7 cups sugar

- 1 package Sure Jell Fruit Pectin

- sterilized canning jars and new lids

- a canner or large stockpot

1. Mix the crushed raspberries and pectin together. 

2. Bring to a boil using high heat.

3. Add sugar all at once.

4. Bring to a full boil (one that cannot be stirred down) and boil for one minute

5. Remove from heat and skim foam from top.

6. Skim for 5 minutes to prevent floating fruit

7. Fill sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

8. Clean rim (necessary for a good seal) and tighten with rings.

9. Submerge in boiling water in canner or large stockpot.

10. Boil for 10 minutes.

11. Remove from water and let stand for 24 hours.

12. Remove rims and test for good seal

-Refrigerate after opening.

-Makes approx. 8 cups

That's all! 

*** Note: If you can pick your own raspberries, as I can, picking them fully ripe makes a big difference. I pick daily so I can always get them just as they have turned purple. Fully ripe raspberries make the most flavorful jam.

Zucchini Bread

One of my favorite things about the beginning of fall is the chance to get back to baking. One of my fall favorites is zucchini bread.

I made the three loaves using only one large zucchini.

Here’s the recipe:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
¼ cup cooking oil
Handful of raisins

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of an 8x4x3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and set aside.

2) In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, shredded zucchini, and oil. Add zucchini mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in the raisins and spoon batter into the pan.

3) Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

TIP: I use the shredder attachment on my food processor to shred the zucchini, then put the regular blade in and pulse to achieve a finer consistency. This is much easier than shredding by hand.

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Check out other great recipes at the Secret Recipe Club.

Irish Soda Bread

I just love making fresh bread on a cool rainy day like today.

Here is one of my super-easy favorites.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for brushing (or Pam)

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 ¾ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Brush a cookie sheet with oil

2. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together into a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk. Mix well, first with a spoon, then with your hands. The dough should be very soft but not too wet. If necessary, add the remaining buttermilk.

3. Turn of the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead lightly and briefly. Shape into an 8-inch round. Put the loaf onto the prepared cookie sheet and cut a cross in the top with a sharp knife.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly and serve warm.

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*Taken from “Making Fresh Bread” (Parragon Books Ltd)



Homemade Baby Wipes

I just love our homemade baby wipes. Jojo gets diaper rash from regular wipes; even the sensitive kind.

You will need:

1 roll VIVA paper towels (they are the most cloth-like), cut in half

2 Tbsp  baby oil

  1/2 Tbsp baby wash

2 drops Tea tree oil

1-1/2 cup boiled water

an air tight container to store them in

First, boil 1and 1/2 cup of water. This will kill anything that might end up growing on your wipes.

While the water is boiling cut the roll of paper towels in half. I have found that a ceramic knife works best for this. I got mine at IKEA for $40 and I love it. If you don't have one, a good chef's knife will do, but it was much harder for me to cut that way.

I pull out the cardboard center so it won't waste any of the mixture.

Once the water has boiled for a few minutes, remove from heat and add 2 tbsp baby oil, 1/2 tbsp baby wash and 2 drops tea tree oil. Mix lightly.

Put the half roll of paper towels in the container (save the other half for the next batch) and slowly pour the mixture over the top. Cover immediately to trap the steam in the container.

The wipes are ready when they have cooled.

These are soft, sturdy, and inexpensive.

The tea tree oil can be a little expensive ($7) but it will last a long time since you are only using 2 drops. The tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant and will keep your wipes from growing mold. It also gives them a nice fresh scent.

Easy Manicotti Recipe

I just love easy make-ahead recipes.

This one is adapted from (I'm one who can never leave a recipe alone)  Becky Smith's Easy Peasy Manicotti Bake. 

First, cook Manicotti according to the package instructions; usually boil for 7 minutes. While bringing water to a boil, brown 2 lbs of Italian sausage - I prefer Johnsonville.

Drain the sausage and add 1 can of
1 Can Dei Fratelli Italian Sauce. You can substitue this with a jar of spaghetti sauce, but it probably won't be as good :-)

Just sayin'.

(In all seriousness though, Muir Glen Organic Tomato sauce is a close second if you can't find Dei Fratelli. It will take 2 cans of Muir Glen, since they are smaller.)

Drain the noodles and stuff with string cheese.

Cover with sauce mixture and sprinkle with Chef Paul Prudhomme's Pizza and Pasta Magic.

 Once again, substitute at your own risk.

Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes. See below for make-ahead directions.

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Easy Manicotti Bake

Preheat oven to 350. Spray baking/casserole dish with Pam.


1 pkg manicotti noodles (14 per pack)


1 Pack of string cheese (note: Make sure you buy enough string cheese. Often there are only 12 sticks in a package of string cheese.)


2 lbs Italian Sausage


1 Can Dei Fratelli Italian Sauce

Chef Paul Prudhomme's pizza and pasta magic


1 two-cup package of shredded mozzarella cheese

*Note: Since there are only two of us I make half of this, or put it in two smaller pans and freeze one pan for later.

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1. Prepare noodles according to package directions – usually boil for 7 minutes and drain.


2. Brown Italian Sausage


3. Drain meat; add Italian sauce and mix


4. Drain noodles; stuff with string cheese. Place in pan.


5. Cover noodles with sauce mixture.


6. Sprinkle with Chef Paul Prudhomme's pizza and pasta magic


7. Cover with shredded cheese.


8. Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 45 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes.


-or-


Cover with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, uncover and cook 15-20 minutes longer.


-or-


Cover with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze up to one month. Remove plastic wrap and cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for two hours, uncovering for the last 15-20 minutes.

Virtual Cookie Exchange

Do you have a great cookie recipe to share?  Post it on your blog and then hop over to http://littlellamas.blogspot.com/1999/12/cookie-exchange.html

to check out the others!

Snickerdoodles -- Nut Free

For the topping:

* 3 tablespoons sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cookie dough:

* 3 1/2 cups flour

* 1 tablespoon baking powder

* 2 teaspoons baking soda

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1 cup butter

* 2 cups sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

* 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients and set aside.

With a mixer, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Surviving the Holidays with Food Allergies: A Guide for the Host

"Oh dear, coconut is a nut?"

Um, yes. And I've actually heard that - several times.

I have food allergies and often cannot eat at the parties we attend, and therefore always eat first. However, I have found that this seems to offend many hosts. I would like to say up front that I never expect hosts to prepare a menu just for me. Quite the opposite, I would rather eat at home and then come enjoy the company and not worry about the food. However, this has yet to work. I usually end up trying to explain to a frazzled host why I can't just pick the slivered almonds out of the green beans.

With the holidays parties just around the corner it seems like a good time to blog about the perils of food allergies.

Today I am going to focus on peanut/ tree nut allergies since they are very common and are often most severe.

A person with a nut allergy may have reactions ranging from hives and sneezing to anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction that can make someone's throat swell shut and blood pressure drop. An anaphylactic reaction can be fatal if the person isn't able to get to a hospital soon enough. Having an EpiPen helps, but it is not a substitute for an emergency room and may not be enough to stop the reaction.

While I'm always careful to tell the host/hostess ahead of time about my food allergies, one would be surprised how often it is a problem. It's never that a bowl of nuts is sitting on my plate. Most of the major reactions I have had are because people don't pay attention to ingredients. Chocolate that contains hazelnut paste will cause a reaction. Almond extract comes from almonds. Peanut butter is made from peanuts.

A dear friend of mine once went out of her way to make Special K bars with creamy peanut butter instead of chunky, since she knew I was allergic to peanuts.

Another friend offered me cookies that she said had no nuts. Being unconvinced that they were safe, my husband tried one first...

and bit into a nut. Her response: "Oh, that's a walnut, not a nut." True story, folks.

But the single biggest problem seems to be cross-contamination. Which brings me back to the beans with slivered almonds. Even the slightest trace of the nut can cause a reaction. Nut-free cookies on the same plate with peanut butter cookies are dangerous. Cashews cannot be picked out of the salad, the whole thing is contaminated.

I've found it's been helpful to have people think of nuts as poison. Would you expect your guests to pick cyanide out of their salad? Would you put cyanide on the same plate with the sugar cookies? Would you handle cyanide and then chop fresh vegetables without thoroughly washing your hands first?

To people with food allergies it really is poison. It is serious.

So what can you do?

- Ask you guests about food allergies. Most often guests with severe allergies will tell you, but ask just in case.

-Ask your allergic guest to bring a dish and/or dessert that they can eat. It will guarantee that there is something for them and it will be one less thing for you to prepare.

-If you a serving a large group clearly label the food items that contain common allergens. This is particularly important if it is not obvious. Earlier today I was at the Thanksgiving fellowship meal our church has every year. There was a dish of what looked like squash. Fortunately there was a sign on the dish that read "CONTAINS PEANUT BUTTER." I would have never guessed that.

-Read food labels. The FDA now requires food allergy information to be included on food labels. Please check the ingredients list.It will usually say what allergens it contains. If it says "manufactured on shared equipment that also processes nuts" (cyanide) this could be a problem.

- Remember that things such as hazelnut paste, almond extract, almond bark, and peanut oil are all made from nuts/ peanuts and will cause reactions.

- If you are serving dishes or desserts that do contain nuts please keep them safely away from the other food. If your guest is severely allergic, it might be best to avoid it all together. Even shaking hands with someone who just ate a couple of peanuts can be harmful.

-All of these things can also apply to other food allergies. Someone who is allergic to shellfish cannot pick the shrimp out of the pasta.

-And please, please do not be offended if they only eat what they have prepared. For those with severe allergies, it is the safest way to enjoy the holidays.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is a favorite in our house and is very easy to make, either as loaves or muffins. This recipe makes two loaves.


Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 very ripe bananas - mashed
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2.In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
Stir in the bananas, mayonnaise, and vanilla
Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture; stir just enough to evenly combine. Do not over-mix.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 75 minutes. Cool loaf in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


For muffins:

Grease muffin tin or use baking cups.

Fill muffin tin or cup 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


*** I believe the original recipe called for 1/2 cup walnuts, but we are a nut free household.