some recipes

[beautifulbay]

Here are some recipes to share, for the cookbook

I made grape jam tonight, so I'll start with that...


Concorde grape jam:
2 quarts of concorde grapes, stemmed
6 cups of sugar

separate the pulp and skins -
cook skins gently for 15 minutes, adding only enough water to keep them frm sticking
cook pulp without water until hot and soft -- press through a sieve to remove the seeds
combine the pulp with the skins and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook rapidly to almost a jelly point, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently as it thickens.
pour it hot into hot sterilized jars- cover and process in hot bath for 15 minutes. I got about 5 pints.



Cherry Marmalade
1 finely chopped orange with peel
3 1/2 cups sugar
4 Cups pitted sweet cherries
1/4 cup lemon juice
Cover chopped orange with water and boil until soft: cool. Add cherries, lemon juice, and sugar to orange. Bring slowly to a boil. stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook rapidly to jelly point, about 35 minutes, stir frequently. Pour hot into hot jars, leave head room. put on caps and process in hot bath for 15 minutes.
* if you use sour cherries, reduce the lemon juice to 2 Tbsp.


If your garden is loaded, try this....we all loved it.

Vegetarian pasta:

In a large pot add one large can of plain tomato sauce --- then add the following, as much as you want and a little water:

Chopped tomatoes
Peeled and finely chopped eggplant
peeled and chopped cucumbers
chopped yellow squash
chopped zuchini
chopped onions
sliced bell peppers
fresh or dried basil
fresh or dried oregano
a dash of sugar
minced garlic

cook the sauce on low for a few hours....smell up the house!!mmmm -- boil your favorite pasta and serve it smothered in sauce. I also made a couple pounds of goat's milk ricotta and we mixed it in and had garlic bread and wine .... oh, what a fantastic dinner it was!!



coffee cake:
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
(I used margrine)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (I used fat free)
2 teaspoons vanillia
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used more)
1/2 cup pecans (I used slivered almonds)
(I added 1/2 cup raisons)

Preheat to 325*F. coat a 9" baking pan with non-stick spray. set aside.

Beat butter and 1 cup sugar untill fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. stir in sour cream and vanilla.

Sift together flouer, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into batter untill smooth.

Spoon half of the batter into the pan. (It seemed very thick so you need to spread it out with your spoon). Combine remaining sugar, cinnamon, nuts, (and raisons) in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2/3rds of mixture over batter. Top with the remaining batter (spread batter carefully). top with remaining cinnamon sugar mix.

Bake at 325*F for 50 minutes. serve warm.


I came up with a new way to make pie crust, because most peole leave the rim of their crust on the plate, because they get hard, burnt or just taste yucky.... well, why is that??...because pie crust is made with shortening....yuck! Who likes shortening??? I decided to try making crust with margarine instead....and it turns out so good....takes some practice, because it's a little softer, but it makes a nice chewy crust....mmmm...
add cinnamon and nutmeg to your pie dough, and you have a flavorful crust, and it ALL gets eaten. ( it helps to put your soft dough in the fridge for an hour before you roll it out.)....I have lots of pie tips, if anyone is interested in them.

[unicorn2564]

Yummy sounds good!!!

[onyx]

ooo that sounds delicious!!!!!