Homemade Brown Sugar

For me, brown sugar is one of those things that I don't really think about until I need it in a recipe. Usually I have some on hand, but the last time I needed it - I was totally out! I had no time to go out to buy some and it was Sunday. We usually don't go shopping on Sunday. So I was stuck! What was I going to do? Thankfully, I remembered that I had stashed away a recipe on making your own brown sugar with two ingredients - sugar and molasses.

I dumped about 2 lbs. of sugar into a bowl, poured on about a half cup of molasses and started stirring. It definitely turned into brown sugar but it smelled very molassesy. It also had little molasses clumps in it. That had me a little concerned. But I didn't have time to worry about it and continued to make the sticky rolls I was in the middle of making. Well, to my surprise the molasses flavor baked out and everything tasted normal! How cool!

So, if you are in a pinch and need brown sugar, be sure to have some white sugar and molasses on hand. You'll be able to save your own bacon without having to go very far! :-)

I just had to tell you....

that they were right. Bon Appetit magazine taught me how to make the best fried chicken of my LIFE. To be honest, I've actually never really like fried chicken. It was always too greasy with too much breading. Awhile back I posted the link to their recipe on how to make the best, life-changing fried chicken ever.

Oh. my. goodness.

Using their instructions and recipe, my very first batch was incredible!!!! The meat was juicy, tender, and flavorful; the breading light, crunchy, and seasoned perfectly.... I drool just thinking about it. I could hardly believe I had made it myself! (And my second time around, it was just as good!) I'd always heard making homemade fried chicken was nearly impossible or you had to have some southern great-aunt's famous recipe to do it. But no. Bon Appetit taught me all I needed to know. And I'll be forever grateful.

You should give it a try. Really. You'll thank me.

Here's the recipe.

They weren't lyin', folks!!!

All this talk... I need me some fried chicken right now.

P.S. Pssst! I even broke down a whole chicken all by myself for the first time in my life - just to make this recipe. Can you believe it?! I was so proud of myself! You can do it too! They have a good slide show of pictures here.

Homemade JELLY BEANS!?!?!

Oh my gosh, no WAY! It was a total fluke that I ran into this article outlining how to make your own stinkin' homemade jelly beans! It's another one of those things that never occurred to me. And the greatest thing is that they don't require corn syrup which is in almost every jelly bean under the sun. Hooray!

Check it out!
http://www.ehow.com/how_5393243_make-jelly-beans-stepbystep.html

Homemade Strikes Again!

So, I've been looking into replacing more things that I usually buy in a box with homemade recipes. And guess what?! You can totally make homemade instant pudding and homemade jello (using gelatin & juice)! These are way healthier alternatives and I am super excited to try the recipes out. Here are the webpages I got the recipes from.

Homemade Jello

http://www.cheeseslave.com/homemade-jello/
(You can find the pastured beef gelatin she mentions on Amazon. I've also heard you can use Agar Agar instead of an animal-based gelatin if you're vegetarian. This is derived from a variety of seaweeds.)

http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/dessert_gelatin.html

Just think... any flavor of 100% bottled juice is your flavor of jello. How cool is that?! And don't leave out frozen juices when concocting your jello plans. My kids are going to love this!

One little side note - gelatin is actually very good for you and has many health benefits, including giving your body needed callogen (a skin builder). Jello that's healthy! haha! That is so crazy. But you know what? That's what homemade does for you, folks!

Homemade Instant Pudding

http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/instant-vanilla-pudding-mix/

http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/2010/09/homemade-instant-pudding-mix.html

 I love that she recommends using flavored oils for all the interesting flavors you can find at the store. I was so worried I couldn't make homemade pistachio pudding, but now I can! Woohoo!

Homemade Hot Wings

My husband and I are big fans of hot wings. But we're not a fan of how expensive they are at restaurants. So, awhile back I set out on a mission to learn how to make them at home. I decided to bake them instead of frying them like they do at the restaurant, because I wanted to make a healthier version too. I also don't coat the wings in the sauce, but have the sauce on the side, which also reduces the potential calories consumed. After all, the sauce has a lot of butter!

Here's the step-by-step:

*** Caution: Raw chicken ahead! ***

Homemade Hot Wings

(You need a very sharp knife or kitchen shears. Kitchen shears work really well.)

Buy a big package of chicken wings and take out about 15-20. (I get mine at Costco.)
Cut off the wing tips at the joint.

Set aside the wing tips for making your homemade chicken stock.
(And don't forget when you're done eating the wings, to set aside the bones to add to this stock too!)

(Broth: Chicken extras, carrots, onions, bay leaves, celery, cover with water and simmer for a few hours.)

Lightly grease a large cooking pan and line up all the wings.

Cook at 375ºF until chicken is done - about 40-45 minutes. The internal temp needs to be at least 165ºF.
You might want to put the broiler on the last 5 minutes to get the skin crispy and brown.

Cue the Super Sauce and it's side kick Butter!
We like using Frank's Red Hot, which we get in big bottles at Costco. :-)

I'd say about 1/3 cup melted butter and 2/3 cup sauce to equal 1 cup.

You can dip your wings in the sauce, or serve them on the side along with your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing. YUM!

Here's the full recipe:


Homemade Hot Wings

15-20 chicken wings
2/3 cup Franks Red Hot hot sauce
1/3 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray or grease a large, medium depth pan. Remove the chicken wings from their package, rinse, and pat dry with a towel, paper or otherwise. Using kitchen shears, or a sharp knife, cut off the pointy wing tips at the joint where they bend. Set wing tips aside to make chicken stock.

Place the wings, sans tips, into the pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the wings registers at least at 165ºF. Turn the wings over and turn on the broil. Broil the wings for about 5 minutes to help the skin get a little more crispy and browned if they aren't already.

While the wings are on broil, prepare the sauce by melting 1/3 cup butter and mixing it with 2/3 cup of the hot sauce. Stir until blended well.

Serves the wings right away, by either dipping them in the sauce, or serving them with the sauce on the side. Also, serve with your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Enjoy the BURN! hahaha!

Because We All Need to Know...

The perfect fried chicken secret is within our grasp!
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/perfect-fried-chicken

I love you Bon Appetit!

Makin' It From Scratch: Toiletries Update

I've come across some new homemade toiletries blog posts and recipes that I thought I'd share.

Natural Beauty: Clean Skin, Teeth, and Lips (see recipe below)

The Oil Cleansing Method

How to Clean Your Hair Without Using Shampoo

Homemade Soaps and Body Care

Basic Homemade Toothpaste

2 Tablespoons of coconut oil

2 to 3 Tablespoons of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of Stevia powder

a few drops of pure peppermint extract

Mix it all together until it resembles toothpaste.

Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees Fahrenheit, which means this toothpaste feels more liquidy during warmer weather. It doesn’t change its effectiveness, though.

The Stevia provides a bit of natural sweetness, making the toothpaste palatable, as does the pure peppermint extract. You could try a variety of flavors to your liking.

Right now, I’ve got this toothpaste in a small lidded jar, and I scoop out a tiny bit with a tea spoon onto my toothbrush. But you can also get empty squeeze tubes, often found among camping supplies at stores.

Made From Scratch Heaven!

I stumbled on this site when I was looking for corn syrup alternatives in recipes and they have a lot of "DIY " recipes. I am totally stoked! I can't wait to give a few of them a try. The site is called The Kitchn. Here's the link:
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/diy-recipes-from-the-kitchn-076706

And here's an article called "To Bake or Not to Bake".

Have fun!

Homemade Baby Food

As my daughter has gotten older I've been wanting to expand my homemade baby food repitoire from purees to baby snacks like teething cookies. And since her 1st birthday is coming up in two weeks (already!), I wanted to research out some baby-friendly birthday cakes that didn't have a lot or any sugar in it at all. I stumbled on this great website that has a lot of homemade recipes for baby foods from meats, to birthday cake, to snacks. Perfect!

Here it is: Wholesome Baby Food
And here's the link about the birthday cake.

I've avoided pureeing meat like the plague because of the hassle, but looking at their recipes I feel pretty dumb. It looks like it was never that big a deal!

Makin' It From Scratch: Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars

Oh heavenly almonds, chocolate, and coconut!

If you like Almond Joy candy bars, then these are for YOU! I was eating a piece of my son's Halloween candy, an Almond Joy, and as I was thoroughly enjoying it I was thinking, "Hmm. I wonder if I could make these." I did a search online and Bingo! I found a recipe. The next day I whipped up a batch and WOW. Well, do yourself a yummy favor! You just have to try them.
P.S. You might have to share them. This recipe makes a lot.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Bars

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk (half a can)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
7 oz. (half a pkg.) shredded, sweetened coconut
7 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut (I got this at the health food store)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
12 oz. bitter sweet chocolate chips (or you can do 24 oz. total of just semisweet chips)
1 cup whole dry roasted almonds*

Blend the condensed milk and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.
Grind up the coconut in the blender until the coconut pieces are really small. Stir the coconut into the condensed milk mixture. The mixture should be firm and roll into a ball.

Press the coconut mixture firmly into a greased 9x13x2 inch pan. (a smaller pan for thicker coconut bars) Greasing your fingers with butter helps. Chill in the fridge until quite firm, about 2 hours.

In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate stirring often until smooth and all the chocolate is melted. (I put the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of water.)

Remove the coconut mixture from the fridge and cut into 1x2 inch bars. Put 2 whole almonds atop each bar.

(For this next part work quickly because if the coconut mixture gets too warm it starts to fall apart.)

Set each coconut bar with almonds onto a fork and dip it into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the pan or bowl to remove any excess chocolate. (Be careful. The almonds will slide off!) Place on a waxed paper-lined tray to set. Once the chocolate is hard, enjoy! Makes about 38 bars.

(I had to put mine in the fridge to set. I don't think I let my chocolate temper long enough.)

* For homemade dry roasted almonds, put raw, whole almonds on an ungreased cookie sheet in a 350ºF oven and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool before using. After cooling, test an almond to make sure it's done. It should be very crunchy and not chewy at all.

NOTE - 11/02/2010: Dipping the bars tended to be really difficult and a friend of mine who tried it also had a hard time. I think if you poured some chocolate in a bowl, put the bar on that with the almonds, and then poured the chocolate over it, then lifted it out with a fork, it would be much easier. I'll have to try that next year.

Makin' It From Scratch #9 - Dishwasher Detergent

We were running out of dishwasher detergent. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how expensive that stuff is - at least if you don't want white film on your dishes. Well, I decided to turn to my trusty book Homemade to look up their recipe for the homemade variety. I was happily surprised - the simplest recipe for anything I've ever made! I made it in far less time than it takes to walk into the store, pick up the dishwasher detergent from the shelf and go buy it - and it was a lot less expensive!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent (powder)

2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

Combine well and store in a 32 oz. container. (I used two 16 oz. sour cream containers.)
Use 2 Tbsp. detergent per wash. 

Yield: 4 cups/64 Tbsp./32 loads 


For a scoop to keep with the detergent, I used an old Country Time lemonade powder scoop (from their extra large container.) One scoop holds a little over 2 Tbsp. You could use any leftover scoop as long as it fits just 2 Tbsp.

And what about a rinse aid? That blue stuff is really expensive! A super cheap alternative: white vinegar. Toss 1 - 1 1/2 cups vinegar in during the rinse cycle of your dishwasher, or pour some into your rinse aid dispenser. (Another tip from that wonderful book Homemade.)

______________________________________

On another note, finding Washing Soda out here in Maryland has been a nightmare! No grocery stores carry it. But after a search online, I found that some hardware stores do carry it, including Ace Hardware. In fact, if your local Ace doesn't have it on the shelf, you can buy it through their website and they'll ship it to your local Ace for free. Nice! I made the 20 minute drive to the closest Ace store and bought all the washing soda they had on the shelf. I am now officially stocked up. :-) (Okay, so they only had 3 boxes, but the trip was so worth it! I forgot how fun hardware shops are to look around in!)

You might be wondering if there is difference between Washing Soda and Baking Soda. The answer is YES! "The chemical name of washing soda is sodium carbonate, it is also known as soda ash or simply soda crystals..." It is also slightly acidic and will therefore wear down fabric and elastic bands faster than baking soda.
"Baking soda is a bicarbonate of sodium or simply stated it is sodium hydrogen carbonate." (or sodium bicarbonate) We use baking soda, obviously for baking, and it is slightly alkaline, so it's somewhat gentler than washing soda.

She Did it Again!

My friend Holly did it again! She found another alternative to plastic bags: a totally cool sandwich wrap. Go check it out!

It's FRYday!

Fried biscuits with apple butter with a side
of scrambled fresh duck and chicken eggs. Yum!

Hooray! My second FRYday has arrived and I have been waiting to do this one for some time. Today I made: fried biscuits with apple butter. The first time I had these babies was at a Civil War reenactment (back in the day when I did that sort of thing.) It was breakfast time before any of the spectators arrived and a very kind soul invited me to their breakfast. Over an open fire in a cast iron pot, they fried canned biscuits to hot, golden perfection and then served them up with a generous helping of cool apple butter. Oh. My. They were amazing!

I haven't had them in years, so I thought they'd be great for this month's FRYday. I did try making these last FRYday using my own homemade biscuit dough, but they did not work. My biscuits were too flaky (imagine that!) and soaked up the oil like a sponge until they were falling apart. It was a dismal failure... thus the hush puppies instead to cheer me up. So, I cannot stress enough that you have to use the refrigerated canned biscuits for this very simple recipe. For once, something store bought is the only route. (Don't tell anyone I said that.)

Fried Biscuits with Apple Butter


-1 can regular refrigerated biscuits (Don't get the flaky layers kind or anything fancy. Plain Jane is all we need.)
-Enough canola oil for 2" in your pan/pot
-Apple butter - homemade if you've got it.

1. Pop open the can of refrigerator biscuits and separate. If desired, cut each biscuit in half. (This makes for more biscuits, faster cooking time, and they'll have a better chance of cooking through.) Line a plate with a couple of paper towels.
2. Heat oil on medium in a medium-sized pan until a tiny piece of dough sizzles, but doesn't brown too quickly.
3. Gently place the biscuit dough into the oil until the pan is full. Cook on one side to a deep golden brown. Flip and cook on the other side until done. Remove the biscuits with tongs or a slotted spoon and allow to drain on the paper towels. (Cut one biscuit in half to make sure it's not raw in the middle.) Cook the rest of the biscuits.
4. Serve hot, slathered with chilled apple butter - anything less than slathered isn't enough. Enjoy!

Golden fried biscuits draining on a paper towel. I've got my apple butter all ready to go!
Unfortunately, these biscuits were completely raw in the middle. So I had to chop them in half...

...and fry them again.
They look burnt, but they're not. They were done this time.

Makin' It From Scratch #8 - Cornbread Mix

I love me some cornbread. And when I say love, I mean L.O.V.E. I don't know what it is about cornbread, but it satisfies something deep down in my soul like meeting your true love. Cornbread and me were meant to be together. I'm just surprised it's taken me this long to think about making a mix so that I can have a handy go-to when I get the hankerin' for a pie slice of heaven in my hand.

I tried this recipe out today and was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out. The thing I liked the most about it was that the mix is only dry ingredients, so it should have a longer shelf-life than similar recipes that have you cut in shortening. Here's the recipe from The Prepared Pantry website with my variations.

Homemade Cornbread Mix
6 cups all-purpose flour (or 4 cups white, 2 cups wheat or another variation)
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups dry milk (I used 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk and 2 3/4 cups dry milk)
1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup baking powder

In a very large bowl, mix all the ingredients thoroughly together. Store in an air-tight container (I used quart canning jars) in a cool dry place.

To make cornbread:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a 9" round pan or grease a medium-large cast-iron skillet.

Measure out 2 1/2 cups of mix into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, one cup water, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until moistened. Do not over mix; batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cornbread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


Make yourself some! It's good.

Make Your Own Snack Bag

My amazing friend Holly made up her very own fabric snack bags as a replacement for the plastic bag variety. You'll have to check it out. Her tutorial is great with lots of pictures that make following along really easy. Have fun! (And thanks, Holly!)

Laundry Soap Update

Yesterday I made my first batch of liquid laundry soap. I usually make the powder, but since I ran out I figured now would be as good a time as any to give the liquid a try.

I was baking bread when I started the whole process of melting the soap in the hot water. Lovely bread smells were wafting throughout the kitchen. That is, until I started to make my laundry soap. The two smells completely collided in my nostrils - like smelling fresh bread slathered with soap. It was disgusting! Note to self for the future: do NOT make soap while bread is baking.

Trying to ignore the conflicting smells, I melted down the soap in the hot water, added it to the 3 gallons of hot water in a 5-gallon bucket, and then added in the soda, borax and oxygen cleaner. I stirred it until everything was dissolved, set the lid on with a small vent for the steam and put it in a quiet corner to sit overnight. Today I checked on it because I was sadly behind in my laundry and the whole bucket had turned into a clear gel with a layer of white foam on top. I gave it a stir, scooped out half a cupful and did a load. When I say I scooped out a half-cupful, the liquid was more globules of gel in a soapy soup. Interesting. I broke up some of the bigger clumps of gel by squishing them in my hand.

Well, it seems to have worked! I'll check my laundry when it's dry. I think I'd like to add some citrus essential oil drops so our laundry will have a little bit of smell to them. I'm pretty proud of myself and I think my husband was really impressed too. The bucket cost $3 and the ingredients cost about $10 ($5 if you don't count the oxygen cleaner) and we have the makings for many more buckets of liquid laundry soap to come! I'd call that a smart investment and amazing savings!

First Official FRYday

After having my baby, I am now in the throes of losing the baby weight. I've already lost over 6 lbs (hooray!), so I'm on my way. When I was losing weight from my last baby I was trying to eat all fat-free food, I'd given up butter and even switched to low-fat cheese. For someone that loves cheese, let me tell you - that was agony! This time around I'm determined to make my weight loss work with foods that I enjoy eating - like butter and cheese. I realize that making life-time food commitments is part of keeping the weight off, but what's the point if I can't eat foods I like? We have to be practical now, don't we?

As part of my weight-loss and sanity I've decided to dedicate one day a month to frying something. *gasp!* (I can't have fried food for the rest of the month, though.) So, I've initiated my very own FRYday to be held the first Friday of every month. It gives me something to look forward to while I'm dipping my carrots in low-fat ranch and telling myself I should be switching to skim as I drink my 1%. Okay, so I have to have some fat in my life every day. It's all about moderation, people.

Anyway, for my first official FRYday I picked one of my absolutely favorite things on the face of this planet: the good ol' Southern delight of little balls of cornbread fried in oil - a.k.a. Hush Puppies. I've never had a restaurant-fried hush puppy in my life. I only have this one amazing recipe. And really, that's all it takes. Shall I share it with you? Hmm? I think I will!

War Eagle Hush Puppies
(adapted from some book I don't remember the title of)

2 cups stone ground cornmeal (the fresher the better)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 large egg
1 cup milk

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic*, egg and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir to combine well. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry cornmeal. You should have a fairly stiff batter. If it's too loose, add a little more flour to thicken it.

Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch of corn oil (I just used canola) in a heavy skillet until quite hot. Drop a tiny piece of batter into the oil and if it sizzles, the heat is correct. Dip into the batter with a tablespoon -- make it heaping -- and drop the batter into the hot oil. If the hush puppies brown too quickly, turn the heat down. Fry until crispy brown on one side; turn it over and brown on the other. Lift the hush puppies out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. And maybe with a bowl of chili.

Makes about 24 hush puppies.

*Feel free to add more onion and garlic

Oh, heavenly YUM!

The Breakfast Burrito

My husband isn't very creative about breakfast when he's in a rush to go out the door for work. Many times he just runs out the door without eating anything - poor guy! Part of this is because he's lactose intolerant, which makes breakfast cereal not an option. (He's not a soy-milk-drinking kind of guy either.) Sometimes he eats leftovers if there are any that are quick and easy. I hate to see him go hungry, so awhile back I thought I'd make him some breakfast burritos and freeze them. They are perfect for breakfast on the go or even for lunch at work. Plus, I think they're cheaper than store-bought, and you can create them exactly how you like them without all the added junk in it like the store-bought kind. I just made a batch today and thought I'd share.

Breakfast Burritos

1 cup diced onions

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

8 eggs

1/4 cup water

salt & pepper

1 cup cooked meat (bacon, ground sausage, taco meat, etc.)

spices (oregano, cumin, thyme, basil - whatever kinds you like) (optional)

3/4 cup green or red salsa (optional)

1/2 - 1 cup grated cheese (optional)

10 medium tortillas (white, whole wheat, or make your own!)

In a medium-large skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in some olive oil until the onion is translucent. Scramble the eggs with the water in a large bowl. (Water steams the eggs during cooking to make them fluffier.) Add the sautéd onions and garlic, salt, pepper, cooked meat and a teaspoon of each kind of spice you like and scramble some more to combine. In the same medium-large skillet add some more olive oil or cooking spray or whatever and pour in the egg mixture. Cook on medium, stirring periodically until the eggs are cooked, but not dried out. Transfer the egg stuff to a large bowl. Add the salsa and cheese, if desired, (I even added a healthy dose of jalapeño sauce as my hubby likes spicy food!) and fold to combine well. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Take one burrito and put 2-3 large tablespoonfuls of the egg mixture in the center. Roll up the burrito and wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with the rest of the burritos and egg mixture. Place all into a gallon-sized freezer ziploc bag and freeze. (Save one to eat right away if you can't wait!) Yield should be about 10 burritos.

To eat, put one frozen, plastic-wrapped burrito in the microwave for 45-60 seconds. If you'd like, you can remove the plastic wrap first, just be sure to wrap the burrito in a paper towel and to put it on a plate before microwaving.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

We are a big fan of Rice-A-Roni in this house, but I am not a big fan of the junk they put in it. So, when I found a recipe somewhere on the web (I don't remember where) for the homemade variety, you better believe I gave it a try! I was expecting something that tasted at least similar, but my rice-a-roni tasted exactly like the store kind, only better! (I served it with chicken and steamed broccoli.) I'm interested in finding a way to do the different varieties we like, especially the Spanish Rice one which we always add a can of black beans and a can of diced tomatoes to. Yum....

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

1/2 cup raw angel hair pasta broken into 1/2" long pices

3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

2 cups broth (I use Swanson because it doesn't have MSG, but you can also use your own homemade kind!)

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4-1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

dash of pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 chicken bouillon cube (or you can use the Better Than Bouillon paste which doesn't have MSG or nitrates in it - I am in love with that stuff!)

In a medium skillet, sauté the broken pasta pieces and rice in the butter, stirring constantly until the pasta begins to brown. Carefully pour in broth, water, spices and bouillon cube. Cover and simmer on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Serve hot with your choice of veggies and chicken.

I took a whole package of the angel hair pasta and broke it up in advance so that when I make it in the future I don't have to sit there breaking up pasta for a dish that's supposed to be quick. I keep it in a quart mason jar. Sorry I don't have a picture of the actual rice-a-roni, but do try it. It's really tasty!

Marmalades

Red Onion Marmalade and Carrot Marmalade

My days have been really busy what with taking care of a toddler and 2-month old, making sure food doesn't go bad in the fridge, keeping the house clean and trying out new marmalade recipes. After being inspired by Suzanne's strawberry-lemon marmalade, making my own and loving it, I got out my Ball Blue Book to see what other marmalade recipes they had. I had an overabundance of carrots in my fridge, so the Carrot Marmalade looked really interesting. And I absolutely love red onions, so I thought a Red Onion Marmalade sounded like fun! So that is what I made today.

But curse the pectin, I don't know why my marmalades aren't setting! I've had bad luck with the strawberry-lemon and the carrot marmalades. I think it has to do with when the recipe has me add the pectin, because with my red onion marmalade (which is mostly jelly) it had me add the pectin at a different time and it's looking like it's going to set nicely. Or maybe I'm not boiling it long enough? Aack! I don't know. There is nothing more frustrating that runny jam. At least the carrot marmalade has so much carrot and lemon peel in it, the runniness isn't as noticeable.

Aren't the marmalades a pretty color? Runniness aside, they are both very delicious and I am looking forward to spreading them on some cranberry almond bread. Mmmm!

Carrot Marmalade

From Ball Blue Book with my adaptions.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel (use a tiny-holed grater)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 cups grated carrots (use a tiny-holed grater)

4 cups sugar

2 cups crushed pineapple, drained (I used canned pineapple and let it sit in a sieve over a bowl for 15 minutes)

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 pouch liquid pectin

Combine lemon peel, lemon juice, carrots, sugar, pineapple, allspice and nutmeg in a large sauce pot, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Slowly stir marmalade 2 minutes. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: about 6 half-pints

Red Onion Marmalade

From Ball Blue Book with my adaptions.

2 cups thinly sliced, halved, peeled red onions

1 cup finely chopped dried cranberries

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 package powdered pectin

2 tsp. grated orange peel

3 cups bottled unsweetened apple juice

4 cups granulated sugar

Sauté onions, cranberries, brown sugar and cider vinegar in a skillet over medium heat, until onions are transparent. Combine onion mixture, powdered pectin, orange peel and apple juice in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add granulated sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: about 5 half-pints (I got 6 half-pints out of it.)