Tag Archives | food

Mmmm. . . Butter.

By on January 25, 2013 in Good Food Friday, {DIY} Tutorials

GoodFoodFridayDid you know you can make butter??
I know, I know. They used to make butter, but to be honest, while I knew about butter churns, what happened inside the butter churn was always a bit vague and mysterious — and whatever it was, it was most definitely laborious and took ALL DAY.

Turns out, it actually only takes about 10 minutes — especially when using a mixer — and is strangely satisfying and fun. :) Something about knowing that you can make a thing and don’t have to buy it at the store. Self-reliance. Plus, our grocery store was running a sale where the heavy whipping cream was only  $.50, so we made about a pound of butter for $1! Score! (Next Mr. Maker will be wanting to get dairy cows so we don’t have to get the cream from the store. . .)

LoriDanelle_Butter_01

INGREDIENTS:  Cream

Yup. That’s it. Whatever amount you want.
Pour the cream into the mixer (or blender or food processor would work too if you don’t have a mixer) and turn it on using the whisk attachment. As it starts to thicken, you can speed the mixer up, just be careful to not make a mess! ;)

LoriDanelle_Butter_04

After a few minutes, your cream will get light & fluffy.
Congratulations! You’ve just made whip cream!
But for butter, keep going.

LoriDanelle_Butter_05

After a few more minutes the cream will start to separate into butter and buttermilk. (You might want to slow the mixer down a bit now so you don’t slop buttermilk all over the kitchen.) Once it’s fairly solid, pour out the buttermilk into a separate container, using a spoon to press out as much of the liquid as you can.

LoriDanelle_Butter_06

Technically, you could call your butter done as this point, but in order to make it last longer & keep it from getting a sour smell, you’ll want to rinse the butter with ice water.

LoriDanelle_Butter_07Pour some ice water over the butter and kneed it a little with the mixer. The water will turn a bit cloudy. Go ahead and pour it out and repeat a few more times until the water gets fairly clear.

LoriDanelle_Butter_08

Now you have butter! Or you can start embellishing. Which ever you prefer. Salt. Fresh herbs.
But definitely you’ll need a slice of fresh bread. Definitely.
Just sayin’.

LoriDanelle_Butter_09It will last a week or so well wrapped in your fridge. And as a bonus, you can make buttermilk pancakes with the left over milk! Absolutely a win, win in my books!

But best of all, you now know how to make butter! See? Strangely satisfying. :)
Enjoy!!

xoxo Lori Danelle

 

 

Comments { 1 }

Ready to fire up the BBQ!!

By on February 21, 2011 in Just Because

I am really getting sick of cold weather & cloudy wet days.
Not the cheery kind of rainy days.
The gloomy kind.

ENOUGH!!

So I’m dreaming of flowers, running through the sprinkler & having friends over for way more food than anyone can reasonable eat cooked on the grill.

Granted, we tend to grill more than we don’t as we find it a quick and easy way to get healthy food on the table. Just marinate some meat over-night in the fridge, turn on the grill (ours is a weird hybrid between gas & charcoal—turn on the gas to light the charcoal. We love it!) and pop the meat on. By the time the girls & I get home, dinner is usually just about ready. (Yes, I have one of those new model of husbands. He cooks. Might explain the grill though!)

Unless we failed to prepare dinner ahead of time for the grill & just use steak seasoning, you can bet the recipe came from our very favorite cookbook. On the Grill by Willie Cooper.

On The Grill cookbook by Willie Cooper

If you own a grill, you MUST get this cookbook.
If you don’t own a grill then your really ought to go buy one so that you can purchase this cookbook.

LOVE IT.

We use it all the time and it has not let us down once. Remember that fancy-schmancy meal we made last summer for our anniversary?
From this cookbook.
All of it—including the way too yummy margaritas.

We even just gave it to some friends as a thank you present.
Today we were hearing the rave reviews—which is probably what prompted me to share it with you now.

I love cookbooks, but too often am disappointed when I get them home & try a few recipes. So I just had to share, because this is the sort of cookbook you wish you had people over to witness your amazing culinary skills when you cook your evening meal from it.

That’s about as high of praise as I can give something, so I think I’ll leave it at that. :)

You can thank me for this one later.

Comments { 0 }

Are you ready?

By on November 29, 2010 in {DIY} Tutorials

Though I was very much against the arrival of Fall, the Holiday season has somehow managed to sneak up on me already (which, was why I was against Fall in the first place).

However, I’m taking it all in stride.
The Christmas tree is up, lights are hung on the house, and I spent my weekend making my family’s traditional peppernuts.
Hope you give them a try. . .they’re quite addicting. :)

(re-posted from Dec. 1, 2009)

****************************************************************************

Traditions are a funny thing. Sometimes you don’t realize how unique a family tradition is until you get away from your family.

So it is with peppernuts and me.

IMG_7431

Every year, RIGHT after Thanksgiving, my Grandma would start baking batches and batches of peppernuts. Growing up, I didn’t even really like them, but couldn’t resist popping one after another in my mouth. Peppernuts taste like Christmas to me. Simple as that.

So, imagine my surprise when I moved to Tennessee and discovered that NO ONE knows what peppernuts are! (My Kansas readers may be shocked at this news, but it’s true.) Since moving here, every year, I get a package in the mail right after Thanksgiving from my Grandma full of peppernuts. (I guess some traditions can’t be contained by distance) Even though I wasn’t home I felt a little bit closer just by tasting those yummy little irresistible cookies.

IMG_7437

Once I got married, I too began to make peppernuts right after Thanksgiving—sharing an old family tradition with my new husband and my new family. I even started bringing them to work to spread the joy of peppernuts!

IMG_7442

This year was especially fun because the sisters were able to “help.” They at least thought it was fun to stand on the stool and help pour ingredients into the bowl and watch the mixer’s paddle go around. Big sister even helped make snakes—although I am somewhat confident that she ate all hers before they ever got to the oven.

IMG_7435

So for those of you who are new to peppernuts, here’s my family’s recipe. I know my Grandma has been making it for the almost 30 years of my lifetime and who knows how long before that. I hope you enjoy! And if you give it a try, I’m willing to bet that you’ll be hooked. :)

Melt in Your Mouth Peppernuts

1 cup butter
1 and 1/2 C. sugar
1 beaten egg
2 T. dark syrup
3 and 3/4 C. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cloves
1 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. anise oil

Cream butter, sugar, syrup and egg. Add dry ingredients and anise oil. Chill dough. Roll out into long rolls the size of you little finger. Keep chilled. Slice into small pieces and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. (my gas oven only takes 7 minutes)

Let me know how you like them!

xoxo—Lori

Comments { 11 }

It’s Waffle Day!!

By on November 15, 2010 in Things I Make, {DIY} Tutorials

Friday evening, Big excitedly declared that tomorrow was Waffle Day!! Her teacher, Miss Jenny said so.
(. . .thanks Miss Jenny. . . kidding)

Since I LOVE waffles and we didn’t have any plans for the day, I readily agreed with her. Who am I to denounce Waffle Day, after all??

In honor of this most illustrious of breakfast foods and because I love you all so much, I thought I’d share with you my all-time favorite waffle recipe, just in case you needed one. :)

(I think they’re called Sunbeam Waffles in the cookbook I got them from, but that might be the recipe under my recipe. It’s been a long time. . .. Regardless, I like it so I’m going to go with it!)

Sunbeam Waffles

Mix in large bowl:

5 tps. Baking Powder
2 tps. Sugar
3 cups Sifted Flour
1 tps. Salt

Beat in a small bowl for 1 minute:

4 large eggs

Into eggs add:

2 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tps. vanilla

Add to dry ingredients, beat just until blended.

(here’s what makes these WONDERFUL)
Blend in 2/3 cups melted butter.

Bake.
And of course, enjoy.  :)

What’s your favorite breakfast indulgence?

xoxo Lori Danelle

Comments { 1 }

Christmas can begin—I’ve made peppernuts.

By on December 1, 2009 in Things I Make, {DIY} Tutorials

Traditions are a funny thing. Sometimes you don’t realize how unique a family tradition is until you get away from your family.

So it is with peppernuts and me.

IMG_7431

Every year, RIGHT after Thanksgiving, my Grandma would start baking batches and batches of peppernuts. Growing up, I didn’t even really like them, but couldn’t resist popping one after another in my mouth. Peppernuts taste like Christmas to me. Simple as that.

So, imagine my surprise when I moved to Tennessee and discovered that NO ONE knows what peppernuts are! (My Kansas readers may be shocked at this news, but it’s true.) Since moving here, every year, I get a package in the mail right after Thanksgiving from my Grandma full of peppernuts. (I guess some traditions can’t be contained by distance) Even though I wasn’t home I felt a little bit closer just by tasting those yummy little irresistible cookies.

IMG_7437

Once I got married, I too began to make peppernuts right after Thanksgiving—sharing an old family tradition with my new husband and my new family. I even started bringing them to work to spread the joy of peppernuts!

IMG_7442

This year was especially fun because the sisters were able to “help.” They at least thought it was fun to stand on the stool and help pour ingredients into the bowl and watch the mixer’s paddle go around. Big sister even helped make snakes—although I am somewhat confident that she ate all hers before they ever got to the oven.

IMG_7435

So for those of you who are new to peppernuts, here’s my family’s recipe. I know my Grandma has been making it for the almost 30 years of my lifetime and who knows how long before that. I hope you enjoy! And if you give it a try, I’m willing to bet that you’ll be hooked. :)

Melt in Your Mouth Peppernuts

1 cup butter
1 and 1/2 C. sugar
1 beaten egg
2 T. dark syrup
3 and 3/4 C. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cloves
1 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. anise oil

Cream butter, sugar, syrup and egg. Add dry ingredients and anise oil. Chill dough. Roll out into long rolls the size of you little finger. Keep chilled. Slice into small pieces and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. (my gas oven only takes 7 minutes)

Let me know how you like them!

xoxo—Lori

Comments { 8 }

Sicilian Chicken Soup

By on September 27, 2009 in Things I Make, {DIY} Tutorials

I must be more ready for fall than I’d like to admit because I have been craving soup for the last few weeks. So this weekend, I pulled out the giant stock pot and made some very yummy soup.

IMG_6951

If you make one soup this fall, this really should be it! It’s a slightly spicy chicken noodle soup and definitely worth the effort.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

5 celery ribs
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 (14 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (5 lb.) chicken, washed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
24 cups (6 quarts) water
creole seasoning (I like to use Tony Cachere’s Famous Creole Seasoning) to taste (this gives the soup it’s kick! Don’t be afraid to use quite a bit!)
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. chop celery, carrots, & potatoes (into 1/4 inch pieces if you will not be following step 9. If you are, they can be bigger)

2. chop tomatoes—save all juice

3. put vegetables, tomatoes & juice, parsley, garlic and chicken pieces into a 10-quart stock pot

4. Add water, season with salt, pepper & creole seasoning

5. Bring to a boil over medium heat

6. Skim off foam that rises to the top; may have to skim 2 or 3 times

7. Partially cover and simmer for 2 hours

8. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

9. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and place in blender. With the pulse function, chop the veggies to very small pieces. Add back into broth.

10. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and return meat to soup.

11. Notes: Soup is best when served the next day. Refrigerate and remove fat that collects at the top. Serve soup with small stubby pasta such as ditalini. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

This makes a lot, so be prepared to eat if for every meal for the next week, have a lot of people over or freeze some.

Enjoy!!

xoxo—Lori

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