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I hope you and your little ones enjoy this homemade chicken nugget recipe!. < Back Homemade Chicken Nuggets (dinosaur Shapes) Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Serves: 10 (depending on shape/thickness) Level: Beginner About the Recipe I hope you and your little ones enjoy this homemade chicken nugget recipe!. Ingredients 1/2 pound ground chicken 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons butter (melted) 1 egg salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (season to taste) Preparation In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, egg, parmesan cheese, seasonings, and 1/2 cup of Italian breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, mix remaining breadcrumbs with melted butter, coating breadcrumbs evenly with butter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take small portions of ground chicken mixture and flatten to approximately 1/4-inch thickness (if using cookie cutters for shapes). Place flattened ground chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a cookie cutter on the mixture but do not remove it. Repeat steps 4-6 until all mixture/cookie cutters have been used. Place a baking sheet lined with nuggets and cookie cutters in the freezer for 30 minutes or until slightly firm. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove excess mixture from around cookie cutters. Save for later or discard. Remove cookie cutters from nuggets. They should now be firm enough to handle and hold shape. Coat each nugget in buttered breadcrumbs and place on a nonstick, oven-safe wire rack and rimmed baking sheet. Bake nuggets for 30-35 minutes or—depending on thickness—until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Let cool and serve with dipping sauce. Previous Next

Have you ever been left wondering what they meant for you to do after reading a recipe? Now you know. < Back Explanation of Cooking Terms Have you ever been left wondering what they meant for you to do after reading a recipe? Now you know. A Baking Sheet is a thin oblong sheet of metal approximately 12” by 15”. A Pour Batter contains 1 part flour to 1 part liquid. A Soft Drop Batter contains approximately 1 1/3 to 2 parts flour to 1 part liquid. A Medium Batter contains 3 parts flour to 1 part liquid. A Stiff Drop Batter contains approximately 4 parts flour to 1 part liquid. A Soft or Roll Dough is one which is just stiff enough to be rolled on a lightly floured board. Thoroughly chilling a soft dough makes it possible to handle it with a minimum use of flour on the board. A Stiff Dough is one which is just stiff enough to be kneaded without sticking to a lightly floured board. Grating is finely dividing food by rubbing it over a metal surface having sharp projections. Grinding is finely dividing food by running it through a food chopper. Select the knife best adapted to the food and the purpose for which it is to be used. Blanching is cooking in boiling water from 3 to 5 minutes to whiten, to loosen skins, or to cause food to shrink in volume. Chilling is reducing rapidly the temperature of a food or beverage. Chopping is finely dividing food into small, irregular pieces. Cubing or Dicing is cutting food by means of scissors or a sharp knife into small pieces of approximately the same width, length, and thickness. Lightly Flouring is covering a bread board, or other surface, with a thin coating of flour. Mashing is crushing food until its original form is entirely lost. Mincing is finely dividing food with a sharp knife or scissors. Searing is exposing food to a very high temperature until the outer surface is cooked. Shredding is cutting food into long thin strips, with the scissors, sharp knife, or other equipment especially designed for the purpose Slicing is cutting food into broad, thin pieces. Slightly Oiling is covering a baking sheet, or other surface, with a thin film of any melted cooking fat or oil. Well Oiling is thoroughly covering a surface with any melted cooking fat or oil. Beating is a rapid over and over motion with a spoon, or other like equipment, through a mixture for the purpose of removing lumps and incorporating air. Folding is introducing one ingredient into another ingredient or mixture by a slow motion with a spoon or spatula. The movement is made down through the mixture, then up and over for the purpose of preventing air, which has been incorporated into one of the ingredients, from escaping. Whipping is rapid beating with a utensil such as an eggbeater or wire whisk, for the purpose of incorporating a large volume of air into the food whipped. Marinating is allowing food to stand in French dressing (or other favorite mixture) until well-seasoned. Stirring or Blending is a circular motion used to combine ingredients to prevent formation of lumps, and to keep food from sticking while cooking. Egging and Crumbing is dipping molded food into beaten egg, then rolling in fine crumbs and again dipping in egg. This forms a coating which hardens immediately when the food is immersed in deep, hot, fat thus aiding in preventing absorption of the cooking fat. Power in Numbers Programs Locations Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Canning ham is NOT difficult in any way and when done correctly, it is completely safe. It absolutely requires you to use a pressure canner. Read that again. You must use a pressure canner. If this is your first time using a pressure canner, you may want to check out my detailed instructions here. < Back Canning leftover ham and broth Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 75 Minutes - 90 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Canning ham is NOT difficult in any way and when done correctly, it is completely safe. It absolutely requires you to use a pressure canner. Read that again. You must use a pressure canner. If this is your first time using a pressure canner, you may want to check out my detailed instructions here. Ingredients Ham broth Preparation The first thing we want to do is cut all the ham off the bone. I cut mine into fairly larger chunks, so it didn’t fall apart during the canning process. You can also freeze the bone for some ham and bean soup in your future. Set your ham aside while you get everything else ready. Once I had all the ham chunked up it was time to start filling the jars. Fill your hot sterilized jars with the cut meat. I packed it in really well, getting as much as I could in there while still leaving 1″ headroom. If you aren’t sure how to keep your jars hot, you can always run them through a cycle in the dishwasher. That’s normally what I do when I know I’m going to be canning that day. Next you need to add liquid in with your ham. You can either pour boiling water over the meat or, if you’re as lucky as I was, your Mama saved you all the ham broth! I brought the broth to a boil on my stove and ladeled it over top of the ham, again leaving a 1 inch head space. I had enough of that precious broth left to do a quart of it as well. That broth will be a nice addition to my ham and beans that I make with that fabulous ham bone! Make sure you wipe the rims of your jars before putting your hot lids and rings on them. I wiped the jar rims with a cloth with a little vinegar to help remove any of the greasy residue. Now it’s time to process! Place the jars into the canner base making sure that there is space between them. Make sure you remember to add your hot water in your canner. Check your manual to see what your canner calls for, my canner requires 3 quarts of water. Put your lid in place. I highly suggest setting a timer so you know when the specified time is up. Processing times are: 75 minutes at 11 lbs for pint jars 90 minutes at 11 lbs for quart jars Make sure to read your manual as additional pressure is needed for high altitude, over 2000 feet. When your timer goes off, turn the stove off. Actually, turn the stove off and walk away. Go take a much deserved seat for a while. You HAVE to leave the lid on and allow the pressure canner to return to normal pressure. I just let mine sit for quite a while. Once the pressure is down to normal you can remove the lid and take your jars out. I use the jar lifter to remove them. And I always set them on a kitchen towel then cover them with another towel. I don’t want them to cool down too quickly. Besides the benefit of stocking up on ham when it is very cheap, having canned ham and stock on the shelf is a HUGE convenience. I can grab a can and have my ham pot pie halfway done, all I need to add is some potatoes and pot pie dough. Previous Next

< Back The BEST Lemonade Recipe In The World Really delicious! If you are really nice, when you take the lemonade over, your neighbor might share some strawberries or raspberries to crush up and put in the lemonade – YUM Previous Next

Tinctures are a convenient way to take your herbal medicines. They’re ready to use, just pop a few drops into your mouth or a glass of water and you’re done. The problem is…tinctures are expensive. < Back Echinacea Tincture Prep Time: Cook Time: N/A Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients “May vary” Goldenseal Yarrow Linden Chamomile Elderflower Elderberry Rose Hips Oregon Grape Ginger Cayenne Preparation BENEFITS OF ECHINACEA TINCTURE Echinacea Angustifolia tincture is widely known for promoting a healthy immune response. There are dozens if not hundreds of studies to back this up, bosting some pretty impressive stats. Researchers are the University of Connecticut found that taking echinacea cuts the chances of catching a cold by 58%, and if you do get sick, echinacea can reduce the average duration of sickness by almost a day and a half. Its general purpose infection-fighting powers are showing promise in the treatment of a number of infectious diseases, including herpes, malaria, syphilis and urinary tract infections. Echinacea was used by Native Americans as a natural all-purpose pain reliever, to treat everything from headaches to snake bites. Other studies show that echinacea is a potent anti-inflammatory, which may contribute to the treatment of numerous conditions. ECHINACEA TINCTURE DOSAGE How much echinacea tincture do you take? Recommendations vary widely. Most herbalists recommend taking a dropper full, which is 25 to 30 drops of tincture, three times per day. Herbalist Susan Weed, the Author of the best-selling Wise Woman Herbal , recommends a more specific dosage based on weight. She prescribes 1 drop for every 2 pounds of body weight. For most children, that amounts to no more than a dropper full, and she admits that she often rounds to a full dropper full for children 25 to 50 pounds. For adults and older children, she suggests an echinacea tincture dosage as follows: 50 to 100 pounds: 2 droppers full 100 to 150 pounds: 3 droppers full 150 to 200 pounds: 4 droppers full 200 to 250 pounds: 5 droppers full When sick or experiencing acute symptoms, the full dosage can be administered every 1 to 2 hours. If you catch it before you’re really sick, every 3 to 4 hours should be sufficient. Nonetheless, for an average 150-pound adult, that’s a lot of echinacea tincture over the course of 2 to 3 days. After that, she suggests tapering off to more occasional doses for a week or two to strengthen your immune system and prevent a relapse. With those tincture dosage recommendations, how much echinacea tincture do you need to fight off a cold? A dropper full is roughly 25 to 30 drops, and there are just under 100 drops to a teaspoon or around 600 drops to an ounce. If you’re taking 3 to 4 droppers full, or roughly a teaspoon, every one to two hours, that’s a full one-ounce bottle in 6 to 12 hours. ECHINACEA TINCTURE BLENDS One of the benefits of making your own echinacea tincture is that you can create your own custom blend. We tend to make an echinacea and elderberry tincture blend, because they have complementary effects, but also because elderberries help mask the harsh flavor of echinacea. That means the medicine goes down easier, so we’re more likely to actually take it. Other common echinacea tincture blends include: Goldenseal Yarrow Linden Chamomile Elderflower Elderberry Rose Hips Oregon Grape Ginger Cayenne ECHINACEA TINCTURE SIDE EFFECTS WebMD rates echinacea as “likely safe” for most applications. With any medicine, there’s always the potential for an allergic reaction, but such reactions are rare. The main caution is for persons with autoimmune issues. Since echinacea interacts with the immune system and can stimulate a response, it could cause issues if you already have an abnormally functioning immune system. Specifically, if you have an overactive immune system this could make things worse. HOW TO MAKE AN ECHINACEA TINCTURE The most simple way to make an echinacea tincture is to use the folk herbalist method. Start with a clean mason jar, and fill it about halfway with dried echinacea. If you have fresh plant material, fill the jar 2/3 of the way full. Echinacea is easy to grow from seed, but it shouldn’t be harvested for the first 3 years as it establishes. We often buy bulk echinacea online. A pound of dried herb sells for about $20 and is enough to make about a gallon of tincture. We tend to make part of it into a tincture and save the rest for tea. Once you’ve added the herb to a mason jar, simply cover it with alcohol. Add a neutral spirit with around 40% alcohol (80 proof). Vodka is a good choice, but really any alcohol will work. Some people suggest using straight grain alcohol that’s near 100%, but that’s actually not a good idea. The super high alcohol content isn’t actually the best way to extract herbal medicines unless you’re dealing with a particularly resilient resin. For simple herbal leaves, flowers and roots stick to around 40% alcohol for best results. I like to use a mid-shelf vodka because it makes the resulting tincture more palatable. If you choose the cheapest liquor money can buy, remember that you’re going to have to drink it. A better suggestion is to choose the cheapest liquor you’d actually voluntarily drink. Fill the jar to within a half-inch of the top, making sure that you completely submerge all the herbal material. Put a lid on the jar and give it a quick shake. Store the jar in a cool dark place for at least a month, shaking anytime you remember. After 1 to 3 months of infusing, it’s time to filter the echinacea tincture. Use a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to filter the herbal material from the alcohol. You should be left with a dark, amber-colored liquid with a strong earthy smell. Echinacea tincture has a bit of harshness to it, so it’s best to take it mixed with water or juice. Store your echinacea tincture out of direct sunlight, preferably in amber-colored glass bottles. Amber-colored tincture bottles are reusable and convenient for dosing. You can buy a dozen 2-ounce amber bottles for less than the cost of a single 1 ounce prepared echinacea tincture. They’re also small enough that they can be taken on a trip and even in carry-on plane baggage. I tend to get sick most when I’m traveling, so having a portable immune booster is a big plus. What do you think? Are you ready to try making your own echinacea tincture? Previous Next

Blackberry jam was a pioneer woman's go-to when it came to curing diarrhrea problems for her family. So instead of running to the cupboard for an OTC fix, grab the blackberry jam and slather it on some toast - or just eat it by the spoonful! Problem solved! < Back Blackberry Jam (with or w/o Pectin) Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 25-30 minutes Serves: 2+ pints Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 5 cups freshly washed blackberries (or parts by weight) 1 cup white granulated sugar* (or parts by weight) 1 tablespoon lemon juice Pectin (optional, but gels faster – follow directions on package) Preparation Crush blackberries in a large pot. A potato masher works well. Add sugar and lemon juice, turn heat to medium low, and simmer until jam starts to gel.** Make sure to stir consistently to keep the foaming and bubbles down.*** Pour into pint jars and refrigerate or water bath for longer storage.**** Blackberries are naturally high in pectin, but it takes longer to cook it down enough that it gels correctly. If it doesn’t gel, it wasn’t cooked long enough, then you have syrup. Blackberry syrup? Not a bad thing! *This is a very berry tasting jam, not high in sugar and takes longer to cook for a good gel. A standard full sugar blackberry jam is equal parts blackberries to equal part sugar (5:5). The more the sugar, the higher the yield and faster it will gel (try 5:4, 5:3, 5:2 - find your preference). **You can test the gel by putting a small amount on a pre-cooled saucer and cooling it in the fridge to test the consistency (remove from heat while testing). If after a few minutes it is the consistency you prefer, it is done. If it is still liquid, you need to cook it longer. Undercooking will make syrup. Although still yummy and useful, it isn’t jam. ***Some people like to use butter to help reduce the foaming but remember, anything with oil can eventually go rancid. National Center for Food Preservation notes, “Adding 1/2 teaspoon of butter or margarine with the juice and pectin will reduce foaming. However, these may cause off-flavor in long-term storage of jellies and jam." ****To water bath, fill pint jars with1/2 inch headspace, wipe the rims and put on lid seals, and water bath for 10 minutes. Don’t disturb jars for at least 48 hours to help with the gelling process. Makes 2+ pints of jam (depending on how much sugar you use). Note: If any of your bottled jam goes to “sugar,” you can always warm it up in a pan on the stove and make it delicious and useable again. Previous Next

I love this candy for its creamy and milk taste…. < Back White Rabbit Candy Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15-20 Minutes Serves: a small tray of about 10cm x 8 cm x 1 cm of milk candies Level: Beginner About the Recipe I love this candy for its creamy and milk taste…. Ingredients 200 grams of fresh cream for whipping 200 grams of fresh milk 35 grams of castor sugar Some edible rice paper (if you want to wrap the candy) Preparation Get ready a container lined with some aluminum foil or non-stick baking paper. In a non-stick pan, put the 3 ingredients together. Bring to a boil under medium heat. Once it boils, lower to low heat, continue boiling until it thickens, with lots of bubbles and the color turns light yellowish. During this process, constant stirring is required to prevent burning in the bottom. The color will slightly darken from white to beige to light yellow. If you continue to let it boil, it will become brownish meaning the sugar is burnt and starts caramelization. It should be slightly thicker than the consistency of condensed milk. As an estimation, the timing should be about 15-20 minutes. Transfer to the prepared container and chill in the freezer after completely cooled for at least 5-6 hours. If time permits, it is best to chill overnight. Cut into your desired sizes and wrap with edible rice paper if preferred. Best serve directly from the fridge. CONCLUSION Trust me, the sweet is delicious. It is softer and milkier than the store bought version. It will melt in your mouth. I have a hard time keeping my kids away as they are eyeing on these homemade candies than the store bought version. Reasons are simple, they are eating cream, fresh milk and sugar in a concentrated form. If you are concerned that it is sweet, you can lower the sugar by 10%.. But for me, for a small piece, it is just nice to curb my sugar cravings after a heavy meal. Previous Next

This copycat dressing is a light and refreshing dressing that is perfect for salads or as a dip. It has a delicious tangy citrus flavor that is perfect for any time of year. < Back Copycat Chili’s Citrus Balsamic Dressing Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: N/A Serves: 1 cup Level: Beginner About the Recipe This copycat dressing is a light and refreshing dressing that is perfect for salads or as a dip. It has a delicious tangy citrus flavor that is perfect for any time of year. Ingredients 7 juicy tangerines 5 lemons 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar Preparation Cut the tangerines at the equator, splitting the tangerine into two halves. Section 1-2 halves leaving the pith/membrane, reserve the sections. Extract the juice from the remaining tangerines. Strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer. Extract the juice from the lemons. Strain the juice. Previous Next

< Back Making Sweetened Condensed Milk This homemade sweetened condensed milk is a recipe that I hope you love as much as I do. It isn’t an ingredient that we use a lot in cooking, but when I do, I like to turn to this homemade version. It is perfect for making homemade ice cream, fudge, pies, and so much more! Previous Next

The smell of this syrup is divine! And, if you have an English garden that you can borrow for the afternoon – enjoy! < Back Orange Blossom Syrup Prep Time: 1 minute Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: -0- Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ½ cups corn syrup 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 Tablespoon water Boil 2 minutes, then add: ¾ Tablespoon almond extract ¾ Tablespoon orange extract Preparation Add all ingredients and stir periodically until it comes to a full boil. Serve on French toast, waffles, pancakes, or anything else that requires syrup. The smell of this syrup is divine! And, if you have an English garden that you can borrow for the afternoon – enjoy! Previous Next

Homemade noodles are easy, cheap, and oh sooo very yummy! < Back Homemade Egg Noodles Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 3-5 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 2 beaten eggs 4 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose white flour Preparation Mix together eggs, milk, and salt. Add one cup of flour and just a little more flour to bring the dough together, but not make it a stiff dough. You don’t need to knead it. With the remaining flour, heavily dust your work area and start to roll dough out. Heavily flour the top and bottom of the dough and you can turn it over every once in a while to make sure nothing is sticking. Roll the dough really, really thin. Once it is the thickness you want, cut it into rectangular bite sized pieces (1/4-1/2 wide, ½-1 long – your size preference) with a pizza knife. Using a bakery scraper, scoop up the noodles and the flour that is left on the workstation and drop it into your boiling soup. The flour will help thicken the soup a little. Cook uncovered for about 3-5 minutes. After making it the first time, you will get a better idea of how thin you want to roll your dough. When cooking, the noodles will expand a bit. I prefer my noodles to be thinner and not so chewy. These noodles are especially good in my quick and easy Chicken Noodle soup. Previous Next

This homemade sweetened condensed milk is a recipe that I hope you love as much as I do. It isn’t an ingredient that we use a lot in cooking, but when I do, I like to turn to this homemade version. It is perfect for making homemade ice cream, fudge, pies, and so much more! < Back Making Sweetened Condensed Milk Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 30 Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup water 2 cups sugar ¼ cup butter or margarine 4 cups instant milk powder (*remember, quality powdered milk is key to it tasting good) Preparation Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture in a blender. Add butter or margarine. Blend on low, gradually adding milk powder. Blend on medium until smooth. Makes about 3 ½ cups, enough to replace two 14-oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk. It is creamy and smooth if you use the instant powdered milk, but you can substitute the non-instant powdered milk it is has a little grainier in texture the first day, but by the second day it has had the chance to totally dissolve and then it is just as good as the stuff out of the can. Believe me, you won’t be able to tell the difference.