Jenny's Easier to Roll-out Pie Crust

This dough has great consistency, is easier to roll out, and still has that buttery flavor we all love.

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup Crisco

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Process

1. In order, add ingredients one at a time to a food processor on pulse.
2. Use immediately or save for later. This recipe is best when making many pie crusts.
   

Pumpkin Butter

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and it is from All Recipes. com
Please note it can not be canned, as pumpkin is not an acid fruit.
So please refrigerate or freeze.
Here's the link: Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients

• 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.
2. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Dehydrated Apple Slices

No recipe required!

Just peel

core

and slice your apples.

Put them in single layers

in a food dehydrator

and have at it!

Marion's Apple Butter

This recipe is from Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader. I made it last night using the oven method. I also used the smallest amount of sugar and it worked fine! Next time I will try it in my slow cooker - just need to decide on high vs. low.
This is YUMMY!!!

Ingredients
10 large tart apples (about 5 lbs)
2 cups apple cider
3-5 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground all-spice
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Process
2. Wash, core & quarter apples.
   
3. Combine apples and cider in oven safe pot on top of stove.
   
4. Cook slowly in cider until tender.
   
5. Blend in a food processor or run through a food mill.
   
6. Return apples to pot.
   
7. Add sugar and spices and stir to combine.
   
8. 
9. Cook in 350°F oven or slow cooker 6-8 hours, stirring often. Test for desired thickness by spooning mixture onto a cold plate. If no liquid oozes around edges, it is thick enough. Ladle into jars. Process 10 minutes or freeze.

Dal

Dal is an Indian dish made of savory lentils.

Ingredients
3 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 medium onion, finely chopped,
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons oil


Process

1. Heat water and lentils in a pot and bring to a boil.
   
2. Stir in salt and turmeric.
   
3. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes until tender.
   
4. In the mean time in a separate frying pan, stir in remaining ingredients and cook until onion is tender.
   
5. Add this mixture to the lentils, stir, and cook until thickened (about 20 to 30 minutes).
   

Mexican Meat Pie

This is quick and simple and loved by the kids!
Ingredients
1 Pie shell
1 egg
1 lb ground beef or turkey
7 oz. whole kernel corn
1.2 cup soda crackers
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 Tablespoons pepper flakes or fresh green pepper
1 Tablespoon onion
1.2 teaspoon oregano
for cheese mixture topping.
1 egg beaten
2 Tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
dash of cayenne pepper

Process

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
   
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
   
3. Transfer into pie shell and press into dish and put in preheated oven.
   
4. While pie is baking, prepare cheese mixture for the topping.
   
5. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
   
6. Top with cheese mixture and bake another 5 minutes. Feel free to garnish with a few olives too.

Boys Apple Butter

I named this recipe this afternoon when the middle school boys helped me make it after school. One helped cut and core the apples, the other helped me peel them. They were both responsible for running the food mill too. We had fun and they learned a lot. I fully support teaching boys to be more domestic in the kitchen!
Feel free to 1/2 this recipe if you would like.

Ingredients
32 apples - peeled, cored and quartered
4 cups water
8 cups sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove powder


Process

1. Wash, peel, core and quarter apples.
2. Place in stock pot with water and bring to a boil.
   
3. Boil until apples are soft but not liquid.
   
4. Run apples through the food mill and return to the pot.
5. Add the sugar and spices and heat, stirring frequently as mixture thickens.
   
6. Cook until thick enough to round up on a spoon.
   
7. Ladle hot butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space and remove air bubbles.
   
8. Adjust caps and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Homemade Carrot Soup

This recipe was made from the "bruised" carrots we harvested that would not be safe to store long term. I had intended to make a type of parsnip soup from the woody white carrots we ended up with but it will have to wait. I made this soup from quite a colorful group of carrots don't you think?




























Ingredients

4 cups variety of carrots - peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
and
6 cups stock




















Process
1. In a large pot, heat oil and cumin until aromatic.
2. Stir in carrots and stock.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
5. Uncover, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender (about 20 to 30 minutes)
See how colorful my carrots made this soup!?















6. In small batches, transfer soup to blender and blend until smooth.
7. Return to stockpot and heat.
8. Stir in heavy cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as a side dish for dinner. Serves 6.

A Halloween Cake

My husband laughed at me for making this cake for Halloween. Why on earth would I make a sugar filled cake and then cover it with frosting and more candy? Because I love Halloween and my kids are awesome and I like to spoil them every now and again. Did I really just say that?
Anyway, I made a simple chocolate sheet cake from one of Lovina Eicher's recipes. I then took some butter cream frosting that was left over from my carrot cake muffins, and smothered my sheet cake in it. I then used Reese's pieces to decorate the top, reserving just the brown ones for spelling out Happy Halloween. I am sure you could make the same cake with different words and have it work prefectly for a Thanksgiving dinner! The strange thing is though, that the words are FAR easier to read in the picture than they are in person. Anyone know why? This cake is so good that my kids chose it for dessert tonight as an alternative to candy. Go kids! Enjoy!

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 large eggs beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the icing:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 table spoons milk

Reese's Pieces for the lettering.
Process
To make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 10 by 15 inch pan, or more than one if you have smaller pans
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
   
4. Stir with a whisk to blend.
   
5. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
   
6. When butter is melted add the water and cocoa.
   
7. Bring saucepan mixture to a boil.
   
8. Add the hot mixture to the large bowl of flour and stir well to combine.
   
9. Add the eggs and beat well.
   
10. Add the sour cream and mix.
    
11. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until completely mixed.
    
12. Turn into greased pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a took pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
    

To make the icing

1. Cream the bitter and shortening with an electric mixer.
   
2. Add the vanilla.
   
3. Gradually add the sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.
   
4. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. When all sugar is in, icing may appear dry.
5. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
   
6. Yields about 3 cups.
   

When cake is completely cool, ice and decorate as you wish.