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< 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

Nice Dessert For The Summer Months! < Back Fresh Fruit Ice Cream Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Serves: 10 Level: Beginner Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream (whipped) 1 can milk, sweetened condensed 1 cup fruit (pureed or mashed, peaches, strawberries, bananas, raspberries, ect) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Food coloring Preparation In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir in puréed fruit and food coloring, if desired. Fold in whipping cream (do NOT use non-dairy topping). Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan or another 2-qt. container. Cover and freeze for 6 hours or until firm. Previous Next

The perfect summer drink for those fresh, ripe strawberries! This fermented strawberry soda is crisp & bubbly, strawberry sweet, and filled with nourishing, gut-friendly probiotics! < Back Fermented Strawberry Soda Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 8 Level: Beginner About the Recipe The perfect summer drink for those fresh, ripe strawberries! This fermented strawberry soda is crisp & bubbly, strawberry sweet, and filled with nourishing, gut-friendly probiotics! Ingredients ● 5 cups strawberries ● 1 cup organic pure cane sugar ● 7 cups of water ● 1/2 cup whey (Just scoop a container of plain whole yogurt into a dishtowel, tie it up onto a cupboard door and let it drip into a jar - the liquid dripped off is probiotic rich whey! The leftover yogurt in the towel is like Greek yogurt or cream cheese - yum! If you are dairy free you can use water kefir grains or a ginger bug. Preparation 1. Put the strawberries, sugar, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer about 15-20 minutes. 2. Squish the strawberries in the pot (I use a potato masher), and pour the strawberry sugar water through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. 3. Add the whey to the strawberry sugar water in the bowl and stir. Pour the soda mixture into flip top bottles and set in a warm area of your home. 4. After a couple days you can open a bottle to check for taste and let the fermented gasses out so it doesn't build up too much. Fermentation can take anywhere from 3 days to a week. Our home has been quite unseasonably cool this month so it took mine more like a week. Move the bottles to the fridge once they are ready. Previous Next

If you have a sore throat, drink sage tea and it will help take aleviate your throat pain. < Back Sage Tea Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 teaspoon rubbed sage 4 cups water Honey or sugar to taste Preparation Steep the rubbed sage in hot water until nice golden color (about 5+ minutes). Strain and add honey (best because of its antibacterial qualities) or sugar to taste Serve hot. Can store extra in the fridge for later. Just heat and serve. It is important when you are sick that you stay hydrated, but if your throat is sore, sometimes that is hard to do. Sage tea will help a scratchy throat. It is also good for people who had their tonsils removed. Stay hydrated people! Previous Next

Elderberry syrup is a common immune-boosting home remedy for colds and flus. It can be expensive to purchase, but homemade elderberry syrup is easier than you think. < Back Homemade Elderberry Syrup Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: Pints jars Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup dried elderberries 4 cups water 1/2 cup honey (see note) Preparation ELDERBERRY SYRUP COLD & FLU TREATMENTS A placebo-controlled study on flu patients found that with a tablespoon (15 ml) of elderberry syrup taken 4x per day, “Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo. Elderberry extract seems to offer an efficient, safe and cost-effective treatment for influenza.” Another influenza study cooked elderberry syrup into slow-release lozenges, but administered a similar dosage 4x a day. The effects were dramatic… “The extract-treated group showed significant improvement in most of the symptoms except 24 hours after the onset of the treatment, whereas the placebo group showed no improvement or an increase in severity of the symptoms at the same time point. By 48 hours, 9 patients (28%) in the extract-treated group were void of all symptoms, 19 patients (60%) showed relief from some symptoms… In contrast, complete recovery was not achieved by a single patient in the placebo group [during the 48 hour monitoring period].” They concluded that “ elderberry extract is safe and highly effective in treating flu‐like symptoms.” ELDERBERRY SYRUP FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM After several studies confirmed that elderberry syrup can shorten the duration of the flu, another study tried to determine the effects of elderberry syrup on a healthy immune system . They found that a commercially available elderberry syrup (Sambucol) substantially increased immune activity, even in healthy people. “We conclude from this study that, in addition to its antiviral properties, Sambucol Elderberry Extract and its formulations activate the healthy immune system by increasing inflammatory cytokine production. Sambucol might, therefore, be beneficial to the immune system activation and in the inflammatory process in healthy individuals or in patients with various diseases. Sambucol could also have an immunoprotective or immunostimulatory effect when administered to cancer or AIDS patients, in conjunction with chemotherapeutic or other treatments.” SIDE EFFECTS OF ELDERBERRY SYRUP In general, elderberry syrup is considered a safe natural remedy. That said, there’s always the potential for an allergic reaction. Other parts of elderberry plants, such as the leaves and stems contain a toxic compound called glycoside, and should not be consumed. There’s also some evidence that raw elderberries contain toxins, and all elderberries should be cooked prior to use. Elderberry syrup is a cooked preparation, which is another reason why it’s so common as a home remedy. Elderberries are mildly diuretic and can interact with prescription “water pills” designed to make you pee more. Additionally, since they’re an immune stimulant, they can potentially cause problems in people with auto-immune disorders. As with any herbal remedy, it’s best to check with your doctor before starting any new remedy. Disclaimer : I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet. I love doing research and sharing my findings with others, but I strongly suggest you verify this information with other sources and talk to your doctor. HOW TO MAKE ELDERBERRY SYRUP Homemade elderberry syrup can be made from either fresh or dried elderberries. Generally, dried elderberries are used simply because they’re more easily available. I buy dried elderberries in bulk online , and we probably go through 3-4 pounds a year making various elderberry remedies. Making elderberry syrup starts with elderberries and water. The amounts are up to you, but I start with 1 cup dried elderberries, add 4 cups water. Keep that ratio the same, using 1-part dried elderberries to 4 parts water, by volume. Bring the elderberries and water to a boil, and simmer on very low about 30 minutes. Most of the water is going to either evaporate or absorb into the dried berries, but be very careful not to let the pot boil dry. After simmering, it’s time to strain the mixture. With the pot on very low heat for 30 minutes, I usually get right around 1 cup of very strong elderberry extract after straining. (Save the strained berries, they can still be used a few more times for making cups of elderberry tea.) The total yield may vary depending on your stove, so measure the strained liquid. Add 1 part honey for every 2 parts juice. With my elderberry syrup recipe, I have 1 cup juice, so I add 1/2 cup raw local honey. I generally let the hot elderberry extract cool to room temperature before adding the honey, simply because I want to keep the honey raw and unheated. That’s optional, and you can just dissolve the honey in the hot elderberry extract. At this point, you have a finished elderberry syrup that can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. Without any preservatives, the syrup must be used relatively quickly. MAKING SHELF-STABLE ELDERBERRY SYRUP My simple homemade elderberry syrup recipe isn’t shelf-stable, but since it’s quick to make, I don’t really mind. Just keep dried elderberries on hand and I’ve got a fresh batch ready to go in under an hour. Still, it’s sometimes handy to have fresh elderberry syrup in the medicine cabinet, like when my husband comes home feeling under the weather and wants something to take now before heading off to bed. Adding alcohol preserves elderberry syrup, but you have to add quite a bit for it to be effective. The mixture needs to be at least 20% alcohol, and some sources say 30%. To achieve this, you’d have to add an 80 proof liquor (40% alcohol) like vodka at a 1:1 ratio. What do I do? I mix homemade elderberry syrup with an equal amount of homemade echinacea tincture . That achieves the 20% alcohol while adding even more immune-boosting herbs. ELDERBERRY SYRUP DOSAGE The commonly recognized dosage for elderberry syrup is one tablespoon (15ml) taken 3-4 times per day for 3-5 days for adults. Elderberry syrup dosage for children is one tablespoon (15ml) twice daily. Keep in mind that honey cannot be fed to children under 2 years of age. Their stomach acid is not as strong as adults, and there’s a small chance they could have an adverse reaction to the naturally occurring bacteria in honey. Elderberry syrups made with sugar are more appropriate in younger children. That said, always check with your doctor for more specific dosages appropriate to your situation. (And always check with a doctor before giving any medication, herbal or otherwise, to a young child.) WAYS TO USE ELDERBERRY SYRUP While you can just take elderberry syrup by the spoonful, it’s a really versatile ingredient that you can incorporate into your diet in other ways. I like to add 2-3 tablespoons to a glass of seltzer for a refreshing elderberry soda, or using elderberry syrup to sweeten herbal teas. While I’m fond of homemade maple syrup, I sometimes pour elderberry syrup over pancakes for an immune-boosting berry-flavored breakfast. It’s also spectacular drizzled over plain yogurt. INGREDIENTS 1 cup dried elderberries 4 cups water 1/2 cup honey (see note) INSTRUCTIONS Add elderberries and water to a saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Heat on low for about 30 minutes, and then remove from heat. (Most of the water is going to either evaporate or absorb into the dried berries. Keep the heat low and be careful not to let the pot boil dry.) Strain the elderberry extract through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer. (Save the strained berries, they can still be used a few more times for making cups of elderberry tea.) Optional ~ Allow the elderberry extract to cool to room temperature if using raw honey. Measure the strained liquid, you should have about 1 cup of elderberry extract. Add 1 part honey for every 2 parts juice. With my elderberry syrup recipe, I have 1 cup juice, so I add 1/2 cup raw local honey. Stir until the honey is completely dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Store homemade elderberry syrup in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 weeks. (See note to extend shelf life) NOTES Double or triple this recipe, but keep that ratio the same, using 1 part dried elderberries to 4 parts water, by volume. Then measure the strained liquid and add 2 parts elderberry extract to 1 part honey. To make shelf-stable elderberry syrup, add an equal amount of 80 proof liquor (40% alcohol), such as vodka. I add echinacea tincture, which complements the immune-boosting properties of elderberry. Dosage is usually 1 tablespoon (15ml) taken 3-4 times a day for adults. Please consult your doctor before starting any new remedy, herbal or otherwise. Never feed honey to children under 2 years of age, and consult a doctor before using elderberry syrup for children. Previous Next

This recipe is from the United State Senate and was submitted by Hubert H. Humphrey < Back Humphrey’s Homemade Beef Soup Prep Time: 30 Cook Time: 3 hours Serves: 10 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ½ lbs. stew meat or chuck 1 soup bone (don’t worry about the size) Salt and pepper to taste 2 bay leaves ½ cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped cabbage 4-5 medium carrots, sliced 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) of oregano 1 #2 can of tomatoes (regular or Italian style) 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 beef bouillon (if desired) (can substitute with soy sauce to taste) Preparation Cover the meat and bone with 3 quarts of cold water in a large saucepan. Add salt, pepper, the two bay leaves and heat until boiling. Turn heat to low and add the onion, celery, cabbage, carrots, and oregano. Simmer for at least 2 ½ hours or until eat is tender. Then add the can of tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon (or soy sauce to taste) Continue to simmer for another ½ hour or until ready to eat. “This soup, or stew, is almost a full meal in itself. It is very thick and full of good vitamins and energy.” Hubert H. Humphrey Doesn’t this sound good served with a thick slice of homemade bread and butter? So satisfying. Previous Next

Everyone will love this simple easy asian dinner! < Back Dorisanne’s Sesame Chicken Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Sesame Sauce: (I doubled the sauce recipe for you because I think it needs it.) 2 2/3 cups water ½ cup sugar 4 Tbsp. soy sauce (gluten free works just fine) 1 tsp. granulated garlic 4 Tbsp. cornstarch 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce (absolutely necessary ingredient) 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts Preparation Take 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts and cut them into 1” square cubes. Put approximately ½ cup of cornstarch into a gallon-size ziplock bag. Put the chicken in the bag and shake until well coated. Add enough canola oil into your skillet to generously coat the bottom. Fry the chicken until it is a crispy medium brown turning once while cooking – don’t sit and play with it. I also like to drizzle a little bit of sesame oil on the frying chicken for flavor. Pour prepared sauce over the chicken and simmer for 3 minutes. While thickening the sauce up, add 1-½ cups of pre-cooked (not overcooked) or frozen broccoli, and sesame seeds (about 1 to 2 Tbsp.) to taste. When the sauce thickens, serve over hot sticky rice. Previous Next

When I want a quick meal that everyone loves, and I have leftover spaghetti noodles in the fridge, this is my go-to recipe. < Back Quick Chinese Veggie-Noodle Mashup Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Spaghetti noodles, leftover if you have them (I usually cook up twice the amount I need so that I don’t have to cook twice.) 1 bag of frozen oriental style veggies Garlic, granulated, to taste Sesame oil, to taste Soy sauce, to taste 2+ tablespoons butter or olive oil Sesame oil, to taste Preparation 1. Warm up the spaghetti by putting it in a colander and running hot water over it. 2. Either steam or fry up some frozen oriental vegetables from a bag. 3. After the vegetables are hot, toss the noodles and vegetables in a large hot pan (the one you cooked the vegetables in) with just a little bit of butter or olive oil. 4. Season to taste with granulated garlic, black pepper, and lots soy sauce. You might use more soy sauce than you are used to, but it will make all the difference in the taste. 5. Lightly stir and warm everything up together so that the sugars will caramelize a little. 6. Add a dab of butter at the end for taste and a drizzle of sesame oil for flavor. Throw in a couple of leftover cooked shrimp or chicken chunks, if you have them, but that is optional. Serve with soy sauce so that everyone can season it to taste. Remember you are using leftover noodles – very EASY and TASTY! Very quick. Previous Next

These easy 4 Ingredient Peanut Clusters are a perfect no-bake candy for Christmas. They’re made with mix of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, creamy peanut butter, and roasted peanuts. This easy sweet treat makes the perfect homemade holiday gift! < Back Peanut Clusters Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: Varies Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Baking Chips – a combination of semi-sweet or dark chocolate and butterscotch chips creates the perfect rich flavor. Peanuts – unsalted, roasted peanuts are my favorite. Preparation Melt chocolate – temper – stir in peanuts, cashews, whatever nuts you like. Drop onto wax paper. Sooooo easy! WORKING WITH CHOCOLATE Always start with good chocolate; a good chocolate will have a “smooth melt” – no noticeable grain when melted on the tongue. Never add anything to the chocolate (paraffin, oil, etc.). Break chocolate into small pieces, or buy small chocolate pieces. Keep away from moisture (i.e. steam) when melting. In an oven, put the chocolate in a bowl/pan, place in the oven and set the temperature to the lowest possible setting and close the door. Check every few minutes to make sure the bowl is not getting too hot. To test, place your bare hand on the side of the bowl. If it’s too warm to leave your hand there, remove the bowl from the oven with hot pads and stir the chocolate until the bowl cools, then return it to the oven if necessary. May want to turn the oven off; just let chocolate melt slowly in the warm oven. Be sure to stir chocolate fairly often as it melts. Chocolate can also be melted in a microwave, but milk chocolate can scorch rather easily. Melt on 50% power or lower. You can also use a double-boiler, but this is lots o’ work. If you have a lot of time You can put a bowl of chocolate in an oven with a pilot light; it’ll melt overnight (or thereabouts). A slow/low crock pot will also work. “Tempering” is the process of mixing and cooling chocolate to get it ready for dipping/coating candy. Stir in bowl, or pour into a cold electric frying pan or marble slab and make “S” motions through the chocolate. Continue mixing and cooling until chocolate feels cool to the touch. Dip or coat candies. When working with chocolate, your room temperature should be no higher than 70º. Chocolate can be remelted many times as long as there is no moisture present and it hasn’t been scorched. How to Store and Freeze Once the peanut clusters are completely set, they can be stored either at room temperature or in the fridge up to 2 weeks. I prefer to keep them in the fridge so the chocolate doesn’t melt. To store them, line them in an airtight container with pieces of parchment or wax paper between each layer. To freeze them, let them harden completely, then transfer them to an airtight container with pieces of parchment or wax paper between each layer if you’re stacking them. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Dry Mixes Beginner Montego Bay Jerk Seasoning This is an incredibly tasty rub for beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp. Beginner N'Awlins Seasoning This is a seasoning that you want to make sure is close at hand whenever you are cooking! Beginner Make-A-Mix Brownie Mix This mix makes the BEST brownies. These aren’t the cake type brownies, or the too dense and mushy brownies. Nope, these are the gooey-in-the-center and the crisp-around-the-corner brownies. Once you eat these, other brownies just won’t measure up. Beginner Moroccan Rub The exotic smells just float off the page. Beginner Homemade Rice A Roni This is real comfort food. Get it ready ahead of time and make it at a moments notice. Beginner Dry Rub Spice Mix for Oven or BBQ A good dry rub will make all the difference in a barbeque. Especially good on chicken, pork ribs, and spareribs. Beginner Basic Mustard Once you make your own mustard, you will be hooked! Beginner Dill Dressing Dill dressing is always so light and refreshing. Beginner Cocoa Spice Rub for Fish and Meat This is for when you want to change it up a bit and use cocoa in the entrée. Beginner Southwest Chipotle Seasoning A true taste of the Southwest! Beginner No-Salt Seasoning Who needs salt when you have all this flavor? Beginner Taco Seasoning Mix This recipe is my favorite taco seasoning mix from my favorite recipe book, “Make-A-Mix, 306 recipes to save time and money. Make with 67 easy do-it-yourself mixes.” I know, long title, but WONDERFUL mixes! 1 2 3 1 ... 1 2 3 ... 3

A staple of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, schmaltz—rendered chicken fat—adds rich flavor to the dishes it's used in. < Back Schmaltz (Rendered Chicken Fat) Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 65 Minutes Serves: 16 Level: Beginner About the Recipe A staple of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, schmaltz—rendered chicken fat—adds rich flavor to the dishes it's used in. Ingredients 3/4 pound chicken fat and skin (12 ounces; 340g), finely chopped (from 5 leg quarters) 1 medium onion (8 ounces; 226g), chopped (about 1 cup) Preparation The Jews of Northern and Eastern Europe had a fat conundrum: They were living in a land of butter and lard, but couldn't use those ingredients in much of their cooking. Rendered poultry fat, from chickens, ducks, and geese, became a staple of their kitchens. The fat, known as schmaltz, is, in its most basic form, just that: rendered poultry fat. Often, though, onions are also added to the rendering process for flavor, then strained out along with the gribenes (crispy poultry fat cracklins) before use. My preferred method for making schmaltz is to save up a bunch of chicken fat, storing it in the freezer until I have a healthy amount; the more tender globules found around the neck and at the entrance to the chicken's cavity are best, but skin works too. Then I chop it up, put it in a saucepan with a little water, and cook it, stirring frequently, until most of the fat has liquified with little crispy bits of fat and skin floating in it and the water long gone. I add sliced or chopped onion towards the end for flavor (adding it sooner just means you have to contend with it sticking and burning). Then I strain it out. (Those fried cracklins and onions are good for snacking, so don't just throw them out.) I get about one cup of rendered fat from three-quarters of a pound of skin and fat, though yields will vary depending on the ratio of skin to fat. Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine chicken fat and skin with just enough water to barely cover. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then lower heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered, water has cooked off, and chicken skin and fat pieces are small, browned, and starting to crisp, about 50 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Strain rendered chicken fat (schmaltz) through a fine mesh strainer set over a small heatproof bowl and use as directed. Reserve crisped chicken skin, fat, and onion (called gribenes in Yiddish), if desired (they can be eaten as a snack with salt, or stirred into chopped liver). A staple of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, schmaltz made from rendered chicken fat takes some time, but pays off by adding tons of flavor to dishes like chopped liver and matzo balls. You can buy chicken fat from some butchers, or save up scraps in your freezer until you have enough. Previous Next

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 < Back The BEST Lemonade Recipe In The World Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Mins Serves: Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 cup lemon juice 1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute) 6 cups of cold water Preparation Add water, lemon juice and sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved. Optional add ice or any fruit.