Oatmeal Cups

This is one of those recipes that gets passed around facebook.  I thought I'd give it a try.

 Ingredients: 
• 1 egg 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup crabapple sauce
• 1 banana, mashed 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats 
• 1/8 cup chia seeds (optional) 
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/4 cups milk 

• Optional toppings: blueberries, raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, pomegranate seeds. Ingredients: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and sugar together in a bowl. 
• Add in oats, chia seeds (if using), cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well with wet ingredients. 
• Finally pour in milk and combine. 
• Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. 
• Divide mixture evenly into muffin tin cups. I used a 1/4 measuring cup, measure just a tad under 1/4 cup to make 12 servings. 
• Add the toppings. 
 **BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES

 I made a few changes, (crabapple sauce instead of applesauce, for example), doubled the recipe, and divided it into 36 muffin cups.  I think any jam or marmalade would work fine instead of applesauce, and I'll be trying it again with blueberry and raspberry sauce.  Mine was a bit watery though, so I'll add a bit more oatmeal until it's a thicker consistency.

Ham Casserole

I made two ham casseroles last night, from leftover ham.
The first with baby shell pasta, the second with leftover mashed potatoes and cream corn.  To both I added:
cooked, cubed, leftover ham
chopped hot pepper
chopped onion
frozen broccoli
garlic powder
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can milk

Baked at 350°F 1 hour, covered.  Uncover 20 minutes to crisp the top.

Supper last night and tonight!

Nectarines

I bought three big bags of nectarines off the cheap rack in the grocery store.  They were in pretty rough shape, bruised and oozing.

An hour later, a big bowl of nectarine slices, and a quarter of a bucket of chicken scraps.  Not bad for $3.

Final tally- eight quarts.

Light syrop
9 Cup water
2.25 Cup sugar

Nectarines
Peel and pit.  Heat slices in light syrop to boiling.  Rapid boil one minute.  Fill hot, sterile jars.
Process BWB 10 minutes.

Beer Batter

Beer Batter

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 beer

 Combine ingredients.  Mix well.  Add beer a little at a time until a pancake batter-like consistency is reached. Drink rest of beer.

Rhubarb Juice

Rhubarb Juice

Pick, wash, cut rhubarb into 1" pieces.

Pulverize rhubarb in Magic Bullet (blender).

Let drain through strainer overnight.

Pour juice through fine mesh strainer, leaving as much pulp, foam, and sludge behind as possible.

 

Dilute and sweeten to taste.  I mixed it half and half with water and 2/3 Cup sugar.  Chilling in the fridge.

Year two:  I mixed one quart rhubarb juice with 1 cup sugar, then filled the 4L jug to the top with water.  Excellent.

From DIY Housewife

Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

2 gallons skim milk
1 packet thermophilic direct set culture
1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 Cup cool water
2-3 Cups salt

Warm milk to 90°F.  Add starter.  Stir.  Ripen 30 minutes.

Stir in rennet.  Set 30 minutes.

Cut curds into cubes.

Raise temp. slowly to 124°F.  Stir often.

Curds will shrink to size of rice.  Let curds settle 5 minutes.

Pour off whey through butter muslin.  Pack into cheesecloth lined mold.  Press at 5 pounds for 15 minutes.

Flip cheese.  Press at 10 pounds 30 minutes.

Flip cheese.  Press at 15 pounds 2 hours.

Flip cheese.  Press at 20 pounds 12 hours.

Remove cheese.  Remove cheesecloth.  Place cheese in saturated salt solution 4-6 hours.

Remove cheese from brine.  Place on cheeseboard.  Cure at 55°F 10 months or longer.  Flip daily for several weeks, then once per week until eaten.  Remove mold growth.

After 2 months curing, wax cheese.


Links To Browse:
How To Make Parmesan Cheese
Making Parmesan Cheese
How To Make Parmesan Cheese

Colby

Colby

7.6 L whole milk
mesophilic direct set culture
1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp non-iodized salt

Warm milk to 86°F.  Add culture, mix thoroughly.  Let ripen 1 hour.

Add rennet.  Gently stir into milk.  Topstir.  Let set 30 minutes.

Cut the curd into cubes.  Let set 5 minutes.

Raise temp slowly to 102°F.

Stir gently.  Maintain temp at 102°F 30 minutes, stirring gently.  Let set 5 minutes.

Drain off whey to top of curd.

Add 60°F tap water until curd and whey reaches 80°F.Stir gently while adding water.  Hold at 80°F 15 minutes.

Pour curds into cheesecloth lined collander.  Drain 20 minutes.

Break curd into small pieces.  Add salt.  Mix thoroughly but gently.

Place curds in cheesecloth lined mold.  Press at 20 pounds pressure 20 minutes.

Flip cheese and press at 20 pounds pressure 12 hours.

Remove cheese from mold.  Remove cheesecloth.  Air dry on cheese board several days.

Colby, left, cheddar, right

Wax and store at 50°F 2-3 months.  Turn cheese daily for first several weeks, then weekly until eaten.

Colby Cheese Making
Colby, A real American cheese

Homemade Rennet

Homemade Vegetable Rennet
Made by cooking stinging nettles.
Simmer  (2lb) nettles, 1 litre water, 1 teaspoon salt for 10 minutes. Strain. Add to warm milk. 1 cup curdles 4 litres of milk.

Other Vegetable Rennet Candidates

• lady's bedstraw
• thistle
• mallow
• common sorrel

Rennet Preparation
Step by step guide using a kid's stomach.

Mesophilic Starter Culture

Mesophilic Starter Culture

Used for making common cheeses, such as Farmhouse Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, and Gouda. 

Method One:
Allow a jar of fresh, unpasteurized milk to sit at room temperature, loosely covered, 24 hours or until set (yogurt consistency). Freeze in ice cube trays.  Each cube equals 1 oz starter.

Method Two:
Start with 2 Cups fresh cultured buttermilk, let sit at room temperature 6-8 hours or until set.  Future batches can be made by adding one frozen cube to 2 Cups fresh milk and allowing it to sit 24 hours or until set.

Method Three:
Innoculate fresh, sterile milk with freeze dried mesophilic starter culture.  Allow to sit at room temp 24 hours or until set.

Experiment One: 
2 Cups fresh buttermilk plus a few grains of mesophilic culture (ripping off today's batch of cheese just a little).  Let sit at room temp 24 hours or until set.

Farmhouse Cheddar

Farmhouse Cheddar

7.6L whole milk
1 packet mesophilic direct set culture
1/2 rennet tablet dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp salt (non-iodized)

Heat milk to 90°F.

Add starter culture.  Stir in well, leave pot where it can maintain temp. for 45 minutes.

Add rennet.  Stir gently.  Topstir.

Cover.  Leave undisturbed 45 minutes.

Cut curd into 1/2" blocks.

Place pot into a sink of hot water, slowly bringing the temp to 100°F.  Stir gently.

Cover and let set 5 minutes.

Pour into cheesecloth lined colander.  Tie off cheesecloth.  Hang to drip 1 hour.

Pour curds into bowl.  Break up gently with fingers.  Mix in salt 1/2 Tbsp at a time.

Pack curds firmly into cheesecloth lined mold.  Fold cheesecloth over top.  Apply ten pounds pressure for 15 minutes (brick).

Turn cheese over and increase pressure to 20 pounds for 12 hours.

Turn cheese again, press for 12 hours at 20 pounds pressure.

Remove cheese from mold.  Peel away cheesecloth.  Air dry at room temperature on a wooden board.  Air dry until rind forms and the surface is quite dry (3-5 days).  Turn the cheese several times per day.

Wax the cheese.  Age at least two months.

Recipes:
Traditional English style Cheddar
How To Make Cheddar Cheese
Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese

Whey Ricotta

Whey Ricotta

Pour 7.6L fresh whey into a pot and heat to 200°F.  Do not boil.  Increase yield by adding 1L whole milk to the whey.  I was out of whole milk, having just used it for the cheddar, so I added about 1L buttermilk.

When curds separate, remove from heat and set for 10 minutes.

Ladle curds into colander lined with butter muslin and drain 20 minutes.

I didn't have any butter muslin, so this tea towel will have to do.
Add salt and/or herbs.  Refrigerate up to a week.





Recipes:
How To Make Whey Ricotta
Whey Ricotta

Canning Cabbage

Canning cabbage was easy-peasy.  Chop and boil until soft, pack into sterilized jars, process 25 minutes @10lbs pressure.

I got 9 quarts from the little cabbages, plus enough to make this soup.  Husband returned from a bird run with two red and one white partridge.  The white went in the freezer, the reds went in the soup pot.

Cabbage and Partridge Soup

2 partridge breasts, diced
1 head cabbage, diced
1 small onion
4 medium carrots
6 potatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
water to cover

Simmer all day.

Meatballs with Cream of Mushroom Gravy

 Oven Meatballs with Cream Of Mushroom Gravy

3 lbs ground beef
4 eggs
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons flour
3 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Gravy

3 pints cream of mushroom soup
1 pints milk

Combine soup and milk in roasting pan and whisk together.

Mix together the meatball ingredients and form 2-3 inch meatballs. Add to roasting pan.

Cover and bake at 350°F for 1-2 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies!

Partridge Scalloped Potato Casserole

The other day while I was surfing the blogosphere I came across this recipe,  Country Supper.  
The picture looked yummy, but it needed some tweaking to work for my crew.  For starters, I don't buy scalloped potatoes in a box.  My version, as follows:

Partridge Scalloped Potato Casserole

12 C thinly sliced potatoes
9 Tbsp butter
9 Tbsp flour
5 1/2 C milk
3 tsp salt
A few good shakes cayenne pepper
3 C grated marble cheese

2 C frozen broccoli 

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 partridge, diced

1 C water
1 C grated cheese, to sprinkle on top
paprika

In a sauce pan, melt butter and blend in flour.  Add milk, stirring with a whisk.  Season with salt and cayenne.
  

Cook sauce on low until smooth and boiling, stirring occasionally with a whisk.  Reduce heat and stir in cheese.

Combine potatoes, broccoli, garlic, partridge and cheese sauce in roasting pan.
 

Cover and bake 2 hours at 350°F, stirring occasionally.

  

Top with cheese.  Cover and let melt.  Sprinkle with paprika.

Next time I make it, I'd like to add asparagus, or more broccoli, or both.  Yum!

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter (30 ml)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
•  ham bone
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp  thyme
• Pinch chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups split peas (375 ml)
• 10 cups turkey stock (2.5 litres)
• parsley
• salt and pepper
• Additional stock or water, if needed to thin the soup

1. Heat the butter in large soup pot on medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the ham bone, bay leaves, thyme, chili powder and split peas and cook 2 minutes longer. Increase heat to high. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer soup for 2 hours or until split peas are soft, partially covered, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the ham bone and dice meat. Serve in the soup. Discard the bay leaves.
3. Purée soup. If the soup is too thick add some more water or stock to loosen. Bring back to a boil and add parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
4. Process in pressure canner at 10 lbs. - quarts 90 minutes, pints 75 minutes.