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< Back Cornstarch Meat Gravy Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 5-10 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 2 cups seasoned broth drippings from beef, pork, chicken, or turkey 2 tablespoons corn starch ¼ teaspoon black pepper (to taste) Salt to taste, if necessary Soy sauce to taste for beef gravy, if necessary Preparation Measure out 2 cups of meat drippings. Bring 1 1/2 cups of the meat drippings or broth to a boil. In the remaining 1/2 cup of cool drippings/broth (or water), mix the corn starch in until blended. Slowly pour mixture into boiling broth while constantly whisking the mixture until it thickens. Taste the gravy. If it is too strong - add water. If it isn't strong enough, add a little soy sauce or other seasonings to taste. Previous Next

< Back Classic Juicy Hamburger Recipe Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe A classic, juicy Hamburger Recipe made with ground chuck, a simple burger seasoning, and all of the classic burger toppings. Plus, tips for preparing the meat and cooking the burgers so they are tender and juicy! Ingredients 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons paprika ½ teaspoon brown sugar ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Cheese: cheddar cheese, or your favorite kind. Lettuce leaves. Tomato: beefsteak tomatoes are preferred, but any will work. Onion: Red or white onion, thinly sliced. Pickle slices. Condiments: ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, Thousand island dressing, Ranch dressing, homemade Chick-fil A Sauce. Preparation You can search the web and find all sorts of burger recipes, but when it comes to making a classic, no-frills, juicy hamburger, all you need is good quality meat, and a good burger seasoning. There’s no need for fillers like eggs or breadcrumbs. I’ll walk you through the simple steps to how to prepare, season, and cook the burgers, plus make-ahead and freezing instructions. What type of meat is best? The quality and fat content in the meat used in your burger will make all of the difference! When choosing the best kind of meat for hamburgers, choose ground chuck over ground beef. Ground chuck is the best type of meat for hamburgers and it’s different from ground beef as it comes from the beef shoulders, where ground beef is leftover pieces of beef from many different cuts. For an extra delicious burger try a combination of 60% ground chuck and 40% brisket. You could use ground beef, but for best results and flavor be sure the meat is at least 20% fat (not lean). A 90/10 mix can result in a dry hamburger, but if it’s all you have on hand you could add chopped bacon, or a tablespoon of olive oil. Burger Seasoning: Hopefully your pantry is already stocked with the spices you need to make this simple burger seasoning! 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons paprika ½ teaspoon brown sugar ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix all spices together and if not using immediately, store in an airtight container in a dark cool place for several months. Toppings: Cheese: cheddar cheese, or your favorite kind. Lettuce leaves. Tomato: beefsteak tomatoes are preferred, but any will work. Onion: Red or white onion, thinly sliced. Pickle slices. Condiments: ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, Thousand island dressing, Ranch dressing, homemade Chick-fil A Sauce. How to Make a Perfect Hamburger: 1. Prep seasoning. Combine all spices in a bowl. Set aside. 2. Form patties. Divide ground chuck into 6 equal portions and gently form into ½ inch thick patties that are wider than the burger buns (as they will shrink). Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each patty. Cover and set aside. 3. Grill. Just before cooking, sprinkle seasoning over the patties, then place on a hot grill, indent-side up. Close the grill lid and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom of the burger is seared and juices are accumulating on top of the burger. Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until the beef reaches 160 degrees F. If adding cheese, place cheese slices on burgers during the last minute of cooking. 4. Serve . Remove patties to a plate and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving in a bun, with toppings. To Cook Burgers on the stove: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the burger patties and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until 160 degrees F. How to tell when your burger is done: The cooking temperature recommendation for burgers of medium doneness is 160 degrees F. If you don’t want to use a thermometer, here’s a rough estimate for how long to cook burgers on each side. 2-3 minutes for medium rare 3-4 minutes for medium (preferred) 5-6 minutes for well done Pro Tips for Juicy Hamburgers: Handle the meat as little as possible . The more you handle it, the tougher it gets. Also avoid the urge to “flatten” the patties when forming them—just gently shape them. Press an indentation into the center of each patty with your thumb to prevent puffing up during cooking and to help them cook evenly. Don’t press down or move them around as they cook. Don’t over-cook ! Use a thermometer, or when in doubt, err on the side of undercooked, as you can always throw them back on the grill. Ice cube trick: Some chefs will place an ice cube on top of the indentations on the patties until they’re ready to cook them, to keep them from drying out. Allow meat to rest after cooking. Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions: To make ahead: Store prepared patties in the fridge for 1-2 days, placing pieces of parchment paper between them, and covering well with tinfoil or plastic wrap. To freeze: Place pieces of parchment paper between the patties and place them in a freezer safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Serve Burgers with: Potato Salad Pasta Salad Fruit Salad Regular or Sweet Potato Fries Chips Salad Veggie tray Baked Beans Corn on the Cob Looking to make your burger healthier? Skip the bun and serve it as a salad! Previous Next

< Back Danish Red Mush With Cream Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner Ingredients ¼ cup tapioca 2 ½ cups fruit juice – plum is best (can substitute a good strong tasting red punch, or half plum juice/half red punch) ½ cup white sugar, granulated 1/8 teaspoon salt (just a dash) Drop or two of red food dye, or a bit of beet juice to make the red color more intense (optional) Preparation Mix tapioca, fruit juice, salt, and sugar in a medium sized pan. Set aside and let stand for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring often. Turn off heat and cool for 20 minutes. Stir well. Serve warm or cold with heavy whipping cream, milk, or canned milk poured over the red mush. Previous Next

< Back 30 Minute Mozzarella Recipe Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: Serves: 1 pound Level: About the Recipe Ingredients 1 Gallon of Milk (not ultra-pasteurized) 1.5 tsp Citric Acid 1/4 Rennet Tablet or 1/4 tsp Single Strength Liquid Rennet 1 tsp Cheese Salt (adjust to taste) Preparation Choosing the Right Milk Make sure the milk you use is not ultra pasteurized. You can use homogenized or non-homogenized milk. Farm fresh milk is a great option if you can find it locally. Low fat milk will work, but the cheese will be drier and less flavorful. Prepare Work Area Do not prepare any other food while you are making cheese. Put all food products away. Move all sponges, cloths and dirty towels away from your work surface, wipe your sink and stove with soap and water. Finally use your antibacterial cleaner to wipe down all surfaces. Prepare Rennet Crush 1/4 tablet of rennet and dissolve in 1/4 cup of cool non-chlorinated water, or add 1/4 tsp single strength liquid rennet to the water. Set your rennet mixture aside to use later. Mix Citric Acid & Milk Add 1 1/2 tsp. of citric acid to 1 cup cool water, pour this into your pot. Now, pour cold milk into your pot quickly, to mix well with the citric acid. This will bring the milk to the proper acidity to stretch well later. Heat Milk Heat the milk slowly to 90°F. As you approach 90°F, you may notice your milk beginning to curdle slightly due to acidity and temp. Note: If you're having problems with milk forming a proper curd, you may need to increase this temp to 95°F or even 100F. Add Rennet At 90°F, remove the pot from the burner and slowly add your rennet (which you prepared in step one) to the milk. Stir in a top to bottom motion for approx. 30 seconds, then stop. Cover the pot and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes. Check the curd after 5 minutes, it should look like custard, with a clear separation between the curds and whey. If the curd is too soft or the whey is milky, let it set longer, up to 30 more minutes. Cut & Cook Curd Cut the curds into a 1" checkerboard pattern. Place the pot back on the stove and heat to 105°F while slowly stirring the curds with your ladle (if you will be stretching the curds in a hot water bath, rather than using a microwave, heat to 110°F in this step). Take the pot off the burner and continue stirring slowly for 2-5 minutes. (More time will make a firmer cheese) Transfer & Drain Curd With a slotted spoon, scoop curds into a colander or microwave safe bowl (if the curd is too soft at this point, let it sit for another minute or so). Once transferred, press the curd gently with your hand, pouring off as much whey as possible. If desired, you can reserve the whey to use later in baking or as a soup stock. Heat Curd & Remove Whey If in a colander, transfer the curds into a heat safe bowl. Next, microwave the curd for 1 minute. If desired, add 1 tsp of salt to the curds for added flavor. You will notice more whey separation from the curd. Drain off all whey as you did before. Quickly work the cheese with a spoon or your hands until it is cool enough to touch (rubber gloves will help since the cheese is almost too hot to touch at this point). Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and repeat the kneading as in the last step to aid in more whey drain off and ensure even heating of the curds. Drain off all of the whey as you go. Note: If you prefer to not use a microwave here is a recipe using a water bath where the curds are heated in hot water Knead & Stretch Curd Now the fun begins, knead quickly now as you would bread dough. Remove curd from the bowl and continue kneading until it is smooth and shiny. Return it to the microwave if needed (if it begins to cool before it's ready to stretch). Add salt near the finish. At this point, if hot enough, the cheese should be soft and pliable enough to stretch, and stretch, and stretch some more (like taffy). This is what makes it Mozzarella We hope you have as much fun with this as we do. Eat & Enjoy Now knead your cheese back into a big ball until it is smooth and shiny Your Mozzarella is ready as soon as it's cool enough to eat. To cool quickly, place it in a bowl of ice water and refrigerate. When cold you can wrap in plastic wrap and it will last for several days, but is best when eaten fresh. Equipment Good Thermometer Knife to Cut Curds Spoon or Ladle to Stir Curds Large Colander Large Bowl Previous Next

< Back Rhubarb Meringue Pie Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Serves: 8 Level: Beginner Ingredients 2 egg yolks, beaten 1 cup sugar 3 tablespoons flour 2 ½ cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces 2 egg whites ¼ cup powdered sugar Preparation Beat the two egg yolks and add 1 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir until completely mixed. Add the rhubarb to the egg/sugar/flour mixture and until rhubarb is completely coated. Pour into an uncooked pastry shell and cook at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from oven and cool. Meanwhile, mix the meringue by beating the two egg whites until stiff. Fold in the ¼ cup powdered sugar into the meringue and completely cover the cooled rhubarb pie. Put pie back into the oven until meringue is golden brown. About 5-10 minutes. Watch closely. Cool the pie and serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. So very refreshing! Previous Next

< Back Tamale Pie Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 6 cups chili – homemade or your favorite brand 2 cups cornmeal 5 cups water 1 teaspoon salt Preparation Place water, cornmeal and salt in a double boiler and cook covered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until quite stiff. Line the bottom of a greased deep casserole dish with ½ of the prepared cornmeal. Pour in the chili and then spread the top with the remaining cornmeal. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350°. Serve with tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream. Previous Next

< Back Homemade Mayo & Ranch Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: N/A Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe The Best Homemade Ranch And Mayo EVER!!! Ingredients MAYO INGREDIENTS: 1 whole egg 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup avocado oil RANCH INGREDIENTS: 1 cup buttermilk 1 cup sour cream 1 whole lemon, juiced 1 tbsp fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried 1 tbsp fresh chives or 2 tsp dried 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1.5 tsp dried dill 1.5 tsp garlic powder 1.5 tsp onion powder Preparation 1. For mayo, add all ingredients except oil to a large mason jar. Then pour oil in and blend until thick and creamy—takes about 10-15 seconds 2. Add buttermilk and sour cream on top of mayo, then add in remaining ingredients. Mix, shake, blend together. 3. Serve and enjoy! Previous Next

< Back Rhubarb Jam Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hr 34 mins (total time) Serves: Level: About the Recipe Ingredients 2 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 7 c.) 2 1/4 c. granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice Preparation Step1 In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rhubarb, sugar, Sure-Jell or Cleargel and salt. Cook, stirring, until rhubarb releases juices and mixture comes to a boil, about 8 minutes. Start heating up your water bath pot, so it is boiling by the time your jars are ready. Step 2 Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until foam subsides and jam is thick, 15 to 18 minutes. Keep a close eye because it will boil over and make a complete mess! Stir in lemon juice, transfer to clean glass jars Step 3 Put lids in boiling water for 5 min to warm up the rubber. Wipe the rim of jars with vinegar or rubber alcohol, add warmed lids and add rings to finger tight. Process jars in a steam canner or hot water bath canner for 15 minutes, increase time based on your altitude. *** Side note I like my jam smooth, so I alway blend it with a stick blender FUN FACT/TIP! I have been buying Rhubarb as often as I see it, then I cut it up, put it in ziploc bags 7 to 8 cups at a time. Then I put them in the freezer for later to avoid anything from going bad, I just put any fruit or vegetable in the freezer until I am ready to bottle or freeze dry them! Step 4 Remove jars careful because they are not sealed yet. Cool to room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours remove the rings (you really do not want to store your bottled food with the rings on), take a picture of what you accomplised, then put them in storage. *** Side note I like my jam smooth, so I alway blend it with a stick blender Previous Next

< Back Homemade Cranberry Juice Prep Time: 35 minutes + chilling Cook Time: 20 Minutes Serves: 8 (2 quarts) Level: Beginner About the Recipe Homemade, as you may know, is so much better than store bought! Ingredients 2 Quarts 8 cups fresh or frozen cranberries 1-½ cups sugar ½ cup lemon juice Preparation 1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, bring water and cranberries to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until berries begin to pop, 20 minutes. 2. Strain through a fine strainer, pressing mixture with a spoon; discard berries. Return cranberry juice to the pan. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. 3. Remove from the heat. Cool. Transfer to a pitcher; cover and refrigerate until chilled. Homemade Cranberry Juice Tips How long does homemade cranberry juice last? Homemade cranberry juice tastes best immediately after making it, but any leftover cranberry juice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cranberry juice for up to a month, but be sure to store it in a freezer-safe container and leave at least an inch at the top of the container to allow for the juice to expand as it freezes. How else can you serve this homemade cranberry juice recipe? Try using your homemade cranberry juice to make a festive Cranberry Fizz. What are the benefits of drinking cranberry juice? Cranberry juice is thought to have several benefits, from reducing blood sugar to promoting healthy, glowing skin. Sugared Cranberries Heat 3 tablespoons of light corn syrup in the microwave until warm; gently toss with 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, allowing excess syrup to drip off. Toss in 1/3 cup sugar to coat. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set, about 1 hour. Previous Next

< Back No-Salt Seasoning Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: Serves: Multiple Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic ¾ teaspoon dried ground thyme leaves ½ teaspoon dried ground oregano 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1 ½ teaspoon white pepper 1 ½ teaspoon dry yellow mustard 1 teaspoon dried ground lemon peel 1 teaspoon black pepper Preparation Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use on meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, and vegetables. Previous Next

< Back Candied Chicken Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1.5 hours Serves: 8 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 fryer chicken, cut into pieces, dredged in flour and browned in a little oil in the bottom of a #10 Dutch oven ½ cup ketchup ¼ cup mustard 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup brown sugar ¼ cup onion, diced ¾ cup water 1 teaspoon salt Preparation Dredge chicken pieces through flour and brown in the Dutch oven on the stove-top over medium heat. Mix the sauce ingredients together. When chicken has been browned on all sides, remove Dutch oven from stove-top and pour mixed sauce over chicken. Cover and bake for 1 ½ hours, at 350°F. Serve over rice. Previous Next

< Back Orange Julius Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: Serves: 2 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, unsweetened 1 cup milk 1 cup water 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 8 large ice cubes Preparation Mix on high in a blender until all ingredients are thoroughly creamed together. Serve cold on a hot summer day. Previous Next