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< Back French Onion Soup Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3 ½ pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (6 to 7 medium) 4 tablespoons (57 grams or 2 ounces) European-style salted butter, like Kerrygold, plus more for bread 1/4 cup (2 ounces) sweet vermouth, sherry, or brandy 1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry white wine or Lillet Blanc; see notes 4 to 5 cups chicken broth or homemade beef stock; see notes 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste 1 French baguette or rustic loaf, sliced into 1/2-inch slices, 12 slices 2 cloves garlic 1 cup (114 grams or 4 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese Preparation 3 Secrets for the best homemade French onion soup Caramelize your onions to the perfect golden brown. If there’s one thing to takeaway from this onion soup recipe, it’s how we cook the onions. Stirring often is the key. Watch our video to see how we do it or see our photos below! Garlic-rubbed bread is a game-changer. I honestly don’t know if I could ever enjoy a bowl of French onion soup without it. Choosing the right cheese. We use melty Gruyère, and love it. French onion soup is easy to make at home. All you need are a few tips and a surprisingly short list of ingredients. To make this a full meal, serve French onion soup with your favorite salad. Key ingredients The best onions for French onion soup are yellow onions. We have made this soup with sweet onions and found it to be a little too sweet for our tastes. A combination of yellow onions and sweet onions would be interesting. Red onions are spicier than yellow onions and will change the color of your soup. White onions are more mild and sweet, making them a good alternative. You can use chicken broth or beef broth to make French onion soup. We’ve tried all combinations (including using half chicken and half beef broth). I can honestly tell you that we’ve loved them all. Beef broth is a bit more savory, while chicken is lighter on its feet. When using beef broth, we highly recommend homemade or a high-quality beef bone broth. Most store-bought beef broths taste nothing like beef and are salty. Store-bought chicken broth is a bit more forgiving with more availability. The best cheese for French onion soup is Gruyère . It melts beautifully and tastes earthy and nutty, which works nicely with the savory soup base. If you cannot find Gruyère, substitute with parmesan cheese, Swiss, fontina, or mozzarella. For deeply flavorful, classic French onion soup, use wine. For the best flavor, we use dry white wine and sweet vermouth, an aromatic fortified wine. We highly recommend using both. See recommendations and substitutions in the recipe. Can you make French onion soup without wine? Yes. Wine and vermouth make our soup taste more exciting and complex, but it is still quite delicious without them. If you leave the wine out entirely and find that the soup is missing something, try adding a splash of sherry vinegar and possibly a little Asian fish sauce (I know it sounds odd, but it does wonders in the flavor department of savory dishes like French onion soup.) How to cut and caramelize the onions The secret for making rich, intensely flavored onion soup is how we cook the onions. Cutting the onions: Thinly slice a lot of onions (by a lot, we need 6 to 7 medium onions for a soup that serves four). I do this by hand. First peel them, cut in half, and then thinly slice into half moons. To speed this up, use the slicing disk of a food processor or mandoline slicer. Cook the onions in butter with the lid ON for about 12 minutes. This step softens the onions and helps them to release some liquid. Cook the onions uncovered over medium heat , stirring often, until they look golden and caramelized — this takes me somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes. Do you see why we started with so many onions? They cook down a lot! Focus on the onions, and you’re 99% there to some of the best-tasting French onion soup you’ve had. Here are a few more tips when caramelizing the onions: Use a wide heavy-bottomed pot , like a Dutch oven, or a wide stainless steel pot, like a Rondeau. Both of these options work well for caramelizing onions. Stir the onions often , and ensure you scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom and sides. Incorporating those browned bits helps add color (and flavor) to the onions. Pay more attention 20 minutes into cooking , since they cook more quickly at this stage. They can go from browned to burnt if you don’t keep a close eye. Use our photos and video as a guide for when the onions are ready. They will look golden brown and smell caramelized. Assembling the soup. Easy as 1, 2, 3 1. Simmer the broth and caramelized onions for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steep like tea. 2.Toast and rub the bread with raw garlic (so good!) — we use a French baguette or rustic loaf 3.Briefly dunk the bread slices in the soup, add to oven-safe bowls with the broth and top with cheese. Broil until bubbly. Dunking the bread in the soup before adding it to your bowl allows the bread to absorb some of the soup, so that it doesn’t steal all the broth from your bowl when you eat it. French onion soup bowls Any oven-safe soup bowl (sometimes called crocks) will work for this recipe. Handles do help when transferring them in and out of the oven. We also recommend placing them onto a baking sheet to catch any dripping cheese. We used a mini round cocotte from Le Creuset (8 ounces). And there you have it, the most delicious homemade French onion soup we’ve ever made. I genuinely hope that you try it! This easy French onion soup recipe is part of our chef series, where we share recipes from our friend and renowned chef, Richard Hattaway. He knocked this one out of the park! Directions MAKE SOUP: Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat — use a heavy-bottomed or stainless steel pot like a Dutch oven or rondeau. Stir in the onions, and then cover with a lid. Cook, over medium heat, until the onions look translucent, 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally and scraping up any stuck browned bits from the bottom and sides. The onions take 45 to 60 minutes to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them. When you notice they begin to brown, stir them more often to keep them from burning. When the onions are golden and smell caramelized, stir in the vermouth and white wine. Cook, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, for about 2 minutes. Continue to the next step when you no longer smell strong alcohol and instead smell sweet onions with the aromas of the vermouth and wine. Stir in the broth, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot with its lid and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and then season with additional salt if needed. While Chef Richard suggests 4 cups of broth, we enjoy a bit more liquid and use 5 cups of broth, instead. Turn off the heat, and allow the soup to steep (covered) while you prepare the bread. TO SERVE: Set aside four oven-safe soup bowls (we use cocottes from Le Creuset). Heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Butter the bread slices, and then line them up on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Rub the toasted bread with the garlic cloves, and then quickly dunk the bread into the soup. Dunking the bread first helps to prevent the bread from soaking up all the broth in your bowl when serving. Place one slice into the bottom of each oven-safe soup bowl and sprinkle a little Gruyere cheese on top. Ladle soup into the bowls and top with two more slices of bread. Top with remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Previous Next

< Back Festive Cake Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Serves: 8 Servings Level: Intermediate About the Recipe This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Ingredients ingredient 1 ingredient 2 ingredient 3 ingredient 4 ingredient 5 ingredient 6 ingredient 7 ingredient 8 Preparation Step 1 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Step 2 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Step 3 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Step 4 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Previous Next

< Back Best German Beef Schnitzel Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 6 min Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 pound raw beef roast/steak (you can also use chicken, or pork) Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup all-purpose flour 2-3 large eggs (lightly beaten with oil) 2-3 tablespoons oil (1 tablespoon per egg) 1 cup plain breadcrumbs or crackers (I prefer the breadcrumbs) Oil (for deep frying. Use a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point) Lemon juice Mayonnaise and ketchup sauce (equal parts or to taste) for serving Preparation Thinly slice partially frozen meat against the grain into smaller pieces. Pound meat VERY THIN with a flat mallet or meat tenderizer. The thinner the better. You should be able to see through the meat (and there may even be small holes). Lightly beat the eggs and the oil together. Season the flour mixture to taste with salt and pepper (or preferred seasoning). Place the egg mixture, the seasoned flour, and the breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dredge each individual piece of pounded meat, 1) first in the flour, 2) then the egg mixture, and 3) finally the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat both sides well. Deep fry, or fry in a pan with a liberal amount of oil immediately (enough that it nearly covers it), or the end product will be soggy. Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough (about 330 ° F). You want to make sure that it starts to fry immediately and doesn’t just sit in the oil. Fry until golden brown on one side and then turn to fry until golden brown on the other side. Because the meat is so thin, this won’t take very long, only about 2-3 minutes . Transfer schnitzel to a large cookie pan with a rack and place in a warm oven until time to serve. Serve warm. Serve by drizzling with lemon juice, or with the mayo/ketchup mixture, or your favorite dipping sauce.

< Back Easy Honey Garlic Pork Chops Prep Time: Cook Time: 12 Minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Juicy honey garlic pork chops with caramelized edges ready and on your table in less than 15 minutes! smothered in the best 4-ingredient sauce! Ingredients 4 pork chops bone in or out Salt and pepper, to season 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 6 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup water (or chicken broth) 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar, or any white vinegar) Preparation This Honey Garlic Pork Chops Recipe is so easy you won’t believe it when it’s done! No marinating needed, this recipe is an incredibly quick and delicious way to serve bone in or boneless pork chops — seared until golden then simmered and broiled (or grilled) in the most amazing honey garlic sauce! THE BEST part are those crispy, charred and caramelized edges! How to cook pork chops Boneless OR Bone-In chops can be usedSeason chops just before cooking to ensure they stay tender and juicy while cooking. Preheat your heavy-based pan or skillet and get it nice and hot before adding your chops.Sear for 4-5 minutes each side until crisp and golden. The juices in the chops release into the sauce while broiling, creating even more flavor and quantity of sauce to serve with your pork. pork chop marinade — no marinating needed! Melt butter in the same pan as the porks were seared in to keep those flavors going into the sauce, then add the rest of your ingredients. Cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly (about 3-4 minutes). Don’t cook for too long or the honey will reduce down completely, leaving you with a dry pan. (If that happens, just make another batch of sauce only to serve later.)Baste pork generously with the sauce, then broil/grill for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are slightly charred. baked pork chops If you prefer oven baked pork chops, we’ve included directions in the Recipe Notes! INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven broiler (or grill) on medium-high heat. Season chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder just before cooking. Heat oil in a pan or skillet over medium high heat until hot. Sear chops on both sides until golden and cooked through (about 4-5 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium. Melt butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the honey, water and vinegar. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook until the sauce reduces down and thickens slightly (about 3-4 minutes), while stirring occasionally. Add pork back into the pan, baste generously with the sauce and broil/grill for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are slightly charred. Garnish with parsley and serve over vegetables, rice, pasta or with a salad. NOTES Baked Pork Chops: Preheat oven to 390°F | 200°C. Sear seasoned chops in a hot oven-proof pan or skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes per side -- get them crisp. Remove chops and make your sauce following the recipe above (Step 3). Baste with sauce and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until reaching your desired doneness. Broil/grill for 2 minutes to get those caramelized edges! Previous Next

< Back Huckleberry Jam Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: 16 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This pressure cooker jam takes 15 minutes and you can use any fruit you want in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. If you’re wondering how to make homemade jam with no pectin quickly I have the answer for you! Ingredients 2 lbs fruit we used 1.5 lbs. huckleberries, .5 lbs strawberries 1 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla optional 3 tbsp cornstarch 2 tbsp water Preparation I have always made jams, but never tried it in my instant pot! My Instant Pot is just an amazing thing and figured I could probably make some easy pressure cooker jam with fresh huckleberries I bought. It came out delicious! Jam in Instant Pot You can make this as an easy Ninja foodi well, or in a Crockpot Express . They all work the same with high pressure. After you’re done you can enjoy it in the next few weeks. You cannot use this machine for InstaPot canning as stated by the manufacturer but we will show you how to do that the old fashioned way. Fresh is always best though and it never lasts long in our house enjoyed for breakfast or dessert. For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations. You can use any fresh or frozen berries. I opt for quick versions though and you must too. 😉 I had about 1.5 lbs. which didn’t look like quite enough fruit when I put it into my pressure cooker, so I added 3/4 of a container of fresh strawberries from our garden too. So the total was 2 lbs. of fresh fruit and the combination turned out to be great. Can you peel plums to make jam? Yes! If that is your favorite fruit then by all means remove those skins and use those. I have had people comment to me that this fruit works rather well and is delicious. Ninja Foodi Jam When it is summertime we are all about fruit because it’s so fresh and inexpensive when it’s in season. There are tons of farms out here so we schedule trips to pick fresh peaches, blackberries and anything else we can get our hands on. If you have a backyard garden I suggest planting strawberries and trying to make homemade jam this year. It is SO simple and I guarantee you won’t buy a jar at the store after you try it. I would involve your kids in the process too, I assure you they’ll love it. Can you make jam from canned fruit? You can if that is really all you have. You’ll just need to drain the liquid out of the can first. It won’t have the same consistency, it will be smoother without the chunks of fruit you see here. It will be more like jelly versus jam. Fruit releases a lot of juice so liquid really isn’t necessary. Then you just add a bit of cornstarch and water at the end to thicken it up. The combination of huckleberries and strawberries worked well too. It brought some added sweetness to the typically slightly sourness of fresh huckleberries. Sugar was also needed to sweeten it up. If I were to use something like peaches I would add less sugar. Closer to 3/4 of a cup instead of 1 but that is personal preference. Here are a few questions and answers you might have right about now, let us know below if you have others we can help with… How long does homemade jam last? We usually only have it for 1-2 weeks or freeze some for later.If you do not can properly and just save it in jars inside your refrigerator it should last up to three months. Can you use a pressure cooker for canning? Nope! It is not recommended by Instant Pot to do this because it doesn’t reach the optimal temperature to kill all bacteria and store on the shelf safely. InstaPot Canning You may have heard some people online stating that they do this, it is not advised. You need to ensure that the temp. inside the device reaches a very high heat in order to kill all the bacteria that may be present and seal well. It is stated on their website that even under high pressure it will not quite get to that point. Pressure cooker jam with fruit Here are a few things you’re going to need in order to get started on this; Small mason jars – these mason jars for jam are perfect for yourself and to tie a ribbon around and use as gifts Fresh fruit – 2 lbs. made 4 jars for us. Sugar Cornstarch Water Vanilla extract & lemon juice – I think both are a good addition to any fruit jam but that is personal preference It’s a fun mason jar gift idea. Why do you add lemon juice to jam? I like the flavor in small doses. Another reason is that it prevents the growth of bacteria if you’re canning your homemade jam . Then make this homemade bread recipe and serve them together. How to Make Jam in Instant Pot Basic steps to follow are: Add fruit into Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi with sugar and vanilla. Close and lock the lid. Set to high pressure cook time for 1 minute! Allow to naturally release steam for 10 minutes and then open the valve to release the pressure remaining. Remove the lid and set aside. In a small bowl add cornstarch and water, stir to combine. A whisk works well to get it nice and smooth. I do not add fruit pectin to this, cornstarch is easier and I always have it on hand.. Set pot to saute and once bubbling add slurry for 2-3 minutes to thicken and then turn off. Take the inner pot out of the machine and put on a cooling rack or pour jam into mason jars immediately so it doesn’t continue to cook. Allow to cool before storing in the fridge. Could last longer too. Entire process including cool time should take about 30 minutes. Previous Next

< Back Fresh Food Storage Mozzarella Prep Time: Cook Time: Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Homemade cheese is fun and delicious! Ingredients Rennet tablet (or liquid) ¼ cup cool non-chlorinated water 1-gallon fresh milk (or ¾ gallon prepared powdered milk with one pint of ***heavy cream) 2 teaspoons citric acid Stainless steel pot (or any non-aluminum or non-cast iron pot) Heavy duty kitchen gloves Preparation Crush ¼ rennet tablet in a ¼ cup cool, *chlorine free water and stir to dissolve. Pour the milk in your pot and heat on medium heat. Sprinkle 2 level teaspoons of citric acid powder in milk and stir gently. It will start to curdle. (If you don’t have citric acid, use vinegar) Heat milk slowly to 88F° and once the milk has reached that temperature, add the rennet solution, and continue to stir slowly until the milk reaches 105F°. Turn off heat. The curds and whey will now be clearly separated. Scoop out the curds and ladle them into a microwavable bowl. Press the curds gently together with your hand (wear gloves because it will be hot) and pour off as much whey as possible. **Microwave your curds on high for 1 minute and drain excess whey. Work your cheese quickly with a spoon or hands (with the gloves on) into a ball until it starts to cool. Repeat this process two more times setting the microwave for 35 seconds each time. Continue to drain excess whey while working the cheese into a nice little ball. The last time, when your cheese is almost too hot to touch, knead it quickly like bread dough until smooth. At this point, if it stretches like taffy it is done. When your cheese is smooth and shiny it is ready to eat. Refrigerate or freeze until used. FYI-The rennet is used to help the cheese coagulate and to help it hold together when it is stretched making it stronger. If too much rennet is used, the cheese can become very rubbery. *If you don’t have distilled water or non-chlorinated water, just boil your water for 15 minutes to remove the chlorine. Chlorine is meant to kill bacteria and you don’t want to inhibit the growth of the cheese bacteria. **If you don’t want to use the microwave, heat the whey to 175F° and store the cheese in it until it is heated up enough to work with. And repeat the process as stated above. ***In a pinch, you can replace the heavy whipping cream with olive oil, but the cheese will be a bit rubberier, and the taste is just a little different than with the cream, but it is acceptable. 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

< Back Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 55 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided Fine sea salt 1 medium red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more if needed Scant ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg For garnish: 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, chives and/or green onions Preparation I know “cauliflower soup” might not sound super appealing if you’ve never had it before. Trust me, it can be so delicious! Today, I’m sharing my favorite cauliflower soup recipe, and I can’t wait for you to make it at home. Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Soup This soup calls for basic ingredients but yields amazing flavor. If you have a head of cauliflower in the fridge, you probably have everything else you’ll need. This cauliflower soup is the perfect accompaniment to salads and sandwiches. This traditional cauliflower soup will go with just about any other fall or winter flavors, including butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and greens like arugula and kale. It’ll warm you up without weighing you down! This soup freezes well for later. This recipe doesn’t yield a ton (about 4 medium bowls), but if you have extra, just freeze it! This creamy soup is special diet-friendly. It’s gluten free as written. Check my recipe notes to learn how to make this soup vegan/dairy free by using cashews instead of butter. How to Make the Best Cauliflower Soup Roast Your Cauliflower Behind that creamy beige exterior, you’ll find loads of irresistible roasted cauliflower flavor. Roasted cauliflower is key here—cauliflower develops caramelized notes with a greater depth of flavor as it roasts in the oven. Build Flavor Once your roasted cauliflower is almost done, you’ll sauté onions in a soup pot until tender, then add garlic and vegetable broth. Then, add your roasted cauliflower and simmer the mixture on the stove for about 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Add Butter for Creaminess You’ll transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and add butter. Butter is an easy way to add mega creamy, luxurious flavor and texture without any cream. If you’re like me, you always have butter in the fridge, but rarely heavy cream! Blend Until Completely Smooth I recommend blending this soup in a stand blender, rather than an immersion blender, because stand blenders yield the creamiest results. Fortunately, the ingredients used here are fairly soft, so even an inexpensive stand blender should work well. The final texture, in my opinion, is absolutely worth dirtying the blender bowl for. Season with Nutmeg and Lemon Juice We’re using small, subtle amounts of nutmeg and lemon juice here. You probably won’t be able to pinpoint them while you’re sipping your soup, but they offer a certain je ne sais quoi factor. They take this soup from great to fantastic! Sprinkle Something Fresh on Top I tried garnishing my soup with fresh parsley, green onion and chives. I loved them all and couldn’t pick a favorite, so use whichever you have on hand! INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If desired, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly and evenly coated in oil. Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway. Once the cauliflower is almost done, in a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and turning translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth. Reserve 4 of the prettiest roasted cauliflower florets for garnish. Then transfer the remaining cauliflower to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld. Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow!) Add the butter and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and nutmeg and blend again. Add additional salt, to taste (I usually add another ¼ to ¾ teaspoon, depending on the broth). This soup tastes amazing once it’s properly salted! You can also add a little more lemon juice, if it needs more zing. Blend again. The individual bowls of soup with 1 roasted cauliflower floret and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, green onion and/or chives. This soup keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about four days, or for several months in the freezer. Previous Next

< Back Never-fail Pie Crust Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 2 pies with top crust and 1 single crust pie OR 5 single pies Level: Beginner Ingredients 4 cups flour (not sifted) 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 ¾ cups solid vegetable shortening 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 egg ½ cup water Preparation Mix flour, sugar, and salt together with a fork. Add shortening and cut into flour until crumbly. Beat together vinegar, egg, and water. Combine it with flour, stirring with fork to moisten ingredients. Shape with hands into five flat, round patties, ready for rolling. Wrap each patty in foil or plastic wrap and store in freezer until ready to use. When ready to roll pie crust, remove pastry from freezer (a.k.a. your food storage) and thaw in refrigerator. Roll out, fill with desired filling, bake at 350°, and enjoy. Previous Next

< Back Chicken Parmigiana This easy baked chicken parmesan recipe is sure to become a family favorite in no time! Serve it with some egg noodles or mashed potatoes for the perfect weeknight dinner. Previous Next

< Back Homemade Apple Cider Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 3 Hours Serves: 1/2 Gallon Level: Beginner About the Recipe Picked some apples off our tree earlier today. I have homemade apple cider now simmering on the stove. Ingredients 10-12 medium apples of choice, quartered 2 oranges, quartered 2 lemons, quartered 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground ginger 4 whole cinnamon sticks 1/4 heaping teaspoon ground allspice 10-12 Cups water (enough water to cover & leave 1-2 Inches of head space in the pot. I'm using a 7 quart Dutch oven 1 Cup packed brown sugar. May use more or less according to preferred taste. Preparation Remove stems from apples. Quarter whole apples, lemons & oranges leaving peels on and place into a Dutch oven. Add spices and water. Bring to a simmer using high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours mash fruit with a potato masher or mash fruit on the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer for 1 more hour. Strain with a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl then place cheesecloth in strainer & re-strain. Add brown sugar to sweeten. Stir until dissolved. Serve warm or chilled. Previous Next

< Back Remove Head Lice and Nits Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Serves: 1 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Pine oil or Eucalyptus oil Fine tooth comb 1 pair disposable gloves Preparation Both pine oil and eucalyptus oil have both been used to remove lice and nits from hair. Both oils exhibits antimicrobial properties and anti-fungal. Shampoo hair thoroughly and rinse completely. Massage choice of oil into hair and pay special attention to scalp, hairline and nape of the neck, and around the ears. Take your time with the massage. Rinse completely and use nit comb or a fine tooth comb by taking small amounts of hair and starting at the base, comb out completely to the end. Thoroughly rinse comb and make sure all lice/nits have been removed and repeat until the entire scalp has been covered. Wash hair again and blow dry. Check again for any remaining nits or lice. Repeat as often as needed until all traces of the lice or nits are gone. Another way to get rid of lice and nits is by applying perm solution. As odd as it sounds, perm solution is often used to remove lice and nits very effectively, but be warned that it might straighten your hair. Previous Next