These delightful grilled potato wedges will tickle your taste buds! A perfect solution for a grilling night side dish. < Back Buffalo Potato Wedges Prep Time: 25-35 minutes Cook Time: 25-35 minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted (it is better with butter) 1 teaspoon vinegar, cider or white 4 teaspoons red pepper sauce, to taste ½ teaspoon salt 4 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 ¼ lbs.) 1 cup favorite blue cheese dressing (this is not optional, cannot be substituted) Preparation Pre-heat coals or gas grill to medium. Mix butter, vinegar, red pepper sauce, and salt in a shallow dish. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4-6 wedges; pat dry with paper towels. Dredge potato wedges in butter mixture. Reserve any remaining butter mixture for basting. Grill potatoes 4-6 inches from medium heat, about 25-35 minutes, brushing occasionally with butter mixture and turning once or twice until tender. Serve hot and dip potatoes in blue cheese dressing. Oh my! Grilling perfection! Previous Next

The way that great grandma used to cook and how she did it. < Back Miscellaneous Cooking/Baking Helps The way that great grandma used to cook and how she did it. Whipping Cream: Chill cream thoroughly. Pour into a chilled bowl and whip with a dover beater (old fashioned eggbeater), or an electric eggbeater, until stiff. Cream, when whipped, approximately doubles in bulk. (Note: Do not overwhip or you will end up with butter.) If making sweet cream, sprinkle sugar a little at a time, to taste, while beating. Add vanilla, to taste, at the end – about ½ to 1 teaspoon. Whipping Evaporated Milk: Heat milk over hot water (double boiler) until a film forms on the surface. Stir until blended. Pour into a bowl, and chill thoroughly. Beat with an eggbeater until stiff. Evaporated milk may be prepared for whipping by boiling in the can for 5 minutes, and thoroughly chilling before whipping it. Evaporated milk, when whipped, approximately trebles in bulk. Caramelizing Sugar: Heat sugar in a heavy frying pan or saucepan, stirring constantly until a golden brown syrup is formed. Remove from heat immediately. Changing a Sweet Milk Recipe to a Sour Milk Recipe: ½ teaspoon baking soda is the equivalent in leavening property of 2 teaspoons baking powder. 1 cup sour milk requires ½ teaspoon baking soda. Therefore, if a recipe requires 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 cup sweet milk, it may be changed to a sour milk recipe by using 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and 1 cup sour milk. Milk Cooking: Foods consisting largely of milk, such as custards and white sauces, should be cooked at a moderate temperature. For this reason, soft custards and white sauces are cooked over hot water, and baked custards are cooked in a moderate oven (375º F.). The dishes containing the custard are set in a pan of warm water before being placed in the oven. Evaporated Milk is unsweetened. It has a much lower water content than fresh milk. It may be diluted with water in the proportion of 1 part milk to 1 part water. Less dilution may be used if desired. It is suitable for use in any recipe which requires milk. Sweetened Condensed Milk has a lower water content and a higher sugar content than fresh milk. It may be diluted with water in as high a proportion as 1 part milk to 3 parts water. When substituted for sweet milk in a recipe requiring sugar, the sugar should be decreased 2 tablespoons for each ¼ cup of the sweetened condensed milk used. Scalded Milk: Heat milk over hot water until a film forms on the surface. When ready to use, stir film into milk. Croquettes A croquette is a small fried food roll usually made from a combination of ingredients of which can include, mashed potatoes, and/or minced meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), shellfish, fish, and vegetables with spices to tase. It is then dipped in egg and coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. The croquette is usually shaped into a cylinder or disk shape. The croquette gets its name from the French word croquer, “to crunch.” General Directions for Preparing Croquettes: Grind food material or separate it into fine shreds. Prepare a thick, well –seasoned white sauce. Add 1 cup sauce to 3 cups of prepared food. Mix until well blended. (The mixture should be as soft as can be handled.) Cool. Scoop about 1 to 2 tablespoons for each croquette. Form with hands or spatulas on a lightly floured board into cylinders, cones, or balls. They should be uniform in size. Dip into slightly beaten egg, diluted with 1 tablespoon water, roll in the breadcrumbs, and then dip again in egg. Fry in deep, hot fat (375º F.) until brown. Drain on absorbent paper. General Directions for Preparing Creamed Foods: Use freshly cooked or leftover meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables. Leave whole, cube, or shredded, as desired. Prepare a medium white sauce. Add sauce to food to be creamed. Mix lightly or add sauce to food after it has been placed in the serving dish. Allow from ½ to ¾ cup sauce for each cup of food. If cubed or shredded, it is often served on top of buttered toast or hot biscuits. General Directions for Preparing Soufflés: Use finely shredded or chopped meat, fish, and vegetables, or grated cheese. Prepare a thick, well-seasoned white sauce. Add ½ cup food to approximately ¾ cup sauce. Add the well-beaten yolks of 3 eggs. Stir until blended. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour it into a well-oiled baking dish. Bake in moderate oven (375º F.) until an inserted knife comes out clean. General Directions for Preparing Scalloped Foods: Use finely shredded or chopped cooked meat and fish and diced or sliced uncooked or cooked vegetables. Fill a well-oiled baking dish with alternate layers of food and medium white sauce. Cover the top with buttered breadcrumbs or cheese. Bake in moderate oven (375º F.) until the food is thoroughly cooked. Uncover and allow to brown. Adding Flavor to Foods: Natural flavors of foods may be intensified or developed by adding suitable seasonings. A few grains of salt will improve the flavor of nearly every food. The tartness of lemon juice will emphasize the milder flavor of other fruits. Sugar in small quantities, added to fresh or canned vegetables, will improve the flavor of the vegetables. A bit of garlic, garlic salt, dehydrated onions, or finely diced onion will prove helpful in developing the flavor of many meat combinations, salads, and salad dressings. Factors Which Affect Fat Absorption of Foods: Croquettes or other foods cooked in deep fat will absorb fat if the mixture is too thin, too rich, has rough surfaces, or if the fat is not sufficiently hot. Buttered Bread or Cracker Crumbs: Roll dry bread or cracker crumbs until fine. Add melted butter or butter substitute (margarine) in the proportion of 2 tablespoons to each cup of crumbs. 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These Texas Roadhouse Rolls are deliciously soft, mildly sweet dinner rolls just like the ones they serve at everyone’s favorite restaurant chain. (Though after baking up this copycat recipe, you might never need to go back again!) < Back Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Butter Prep Time: 1 hour 40 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 24 rolls Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients Ingredients 1 pkg. active dry yeast 2 ¼ teas. ¼ cup warm water about 100 degrees Fahrenheit 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter softened 1 tablespoon butter melted ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon sugar 3 ½ -4 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg Cinnamon Butter Ingredients 1 stick butter softened 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons powdered sugar Preparation Heat milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit n a pot on the stove or microwave safe bowl or measuring cup in the microwave. Remove the milk from heat and add the softened butter. Let cool to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Dissolve yeast with 1 teaspoon sugar in the warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. In a stand mixer bowl add the yeast, milk, sugar, salt and 1 cup flour. Combine with whisk or paddle attachment. Add egg and beat until combined. Add 2 more cups of flour one at a time scraping down the sides and mixing after each addition. Change to dough hook and add flour ½ cup at a time on low speed until dough forms and pulls away from the sides. Knead the dough with the dough hook on medium until the dough is smooth, 3-4 minutes. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray. Lightly dust counter with flour and turn dough out. (Be sure to dust your hands as the dough will be sticky.) Form the dough into a ball and place in greased bowl. Turn over once to oil both sides of the dough. Cover and place in a warm place at least 1 hour or until doubled in size. I put it in the oven with the inside light left on. Turn out on to a well-floured surface. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out to ½ inch thick. Using a dough scraper or pizza cutter cut out rectangles of dough about 2x3 inches. Take the rectangles and fold the short edges under, meeting in the middle to make a rounded shape on top. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet; cover and let sit until doubled. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending upon the temperature in your room. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (Make sure to remove the rolls if you are letting them rise in the oven.) Bake at 350 degrees F until deep golden brown, 11-13 minutes. Remove and brush with melted butter. Serve warm with cinnamon butter. Cinnamon Butter Instructions: Cream together ingredients in medium bowl. Enjoy on warm rolls. Previous Next

Move over lemon, Orange Dream Bars are IN THE HOUSE. Better than lemon bars, this is one of the best orange recipes you’ll ever try! < Back Orange Dream Bars Prep Time: 40 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Serves: 24 bars Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon salt FILLING: ½ cup (119ml) fresh squeezed orange juice Zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon orange extract 1 ½ cups (150g) granulated sugar ¼ cup (31g) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder 4 large eggs Powdered sugar for topping Preparation Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Beat butter with a hand or a stand mixer until creamy, then add the flour, sugar, and salt and beat until a dough forms. (If you’re using a hand mixer it will take extra time.) Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes. A few minutes before the crust comes out of the oven, prepare the filling. Place all filling ingredients into a blender jar and blend until smooth, a few seconds to almost a minute, depending on your blender. You can also do this with a whisk in a large bowl. Carefully pour filling evenly over the hot crust. Return to the oven and bake until the top is no longer jiggly, about 20-23 minutes. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing into bars Previous Next

This baked rice pudding is warm, comforting, and makes for the perfect breakfast or dessert. < Back Baked Rice Pudding Prep Time: 1 Minute Cook Time: 1 Hour 31 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This baked rice pudding is warm, comforting, and makes for the perfect breakfast or dessert. Ingredients 1 cup short-grain white rice 3 cups whole milk 1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk ⅓ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Preparation Preheat the oven to 325 F and lightly grease a large baking dish with butter. Put the rice, milk, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly all over the top and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Previous Next

Fabulous appetizer or side < Back Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 8-10 minutes Serves: 12-15 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1 ½ cups mayonnaise 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops 2 teaspoons crushed or minced garlic 1 loaf French bread sliced in half lengthwise 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced (optional) Preparation Mix mayonnaise, cheese, onions and garlic. Spread on both halves of French loaf. Sprinkle with parsley. Wrap each half in foil and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or freeze. Unwrap and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes (20-25 minutes if frozen) at 400°F, or until puffed but not brown. Slice and serve warm. Previous Next

Family recipe that your family will start asking for! < 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.

This seafood boil contains fresh shrimp, lobster, clams, crab, potatoes, corn and sausage, all boiled in a flavorful broth. An impressive meal in one pot that’s perfect for feeding a crowd! < Back Seafood Boil Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This seafood boil contains fresh shrimp, lobster, clams, crab, potatoes, corn and sausage, all boiled in a flavorful broth. An impressive meal in one pot that’s perfect for feeding a crowd! Ingredients 3 lemons divided use 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning plus more for garnish 8 cloves garlic smashed 1 onion peeled and cut into 6 pieces 1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes halved 4 ears corn on the cob cut into 3-4 inch pieces 3 lobster tails 1 pound clams scrubbed 1 pound crab legs pre-cooked 1 pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces, kielbasa or andouille are preferred 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined (leave tails on) 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Preparation When I’m looking to enjoy some fresh shellfish, I often end up making a mixed seafood boil. It’s a great option because everything gets tossed into one pot, it’s fun to eat, and of course, it’s loaded with tons of flavor! It’s also a great way to make more expensive ingredients like lobster and crab stretch further, since they’re combined with less expensive items like corn and potatoes. HOW DO YOU MAKE A SEAFOOD BOIL? This recipe contains shrimp, lobster, crab, clams, potatoes, corn and sausage. All of the ingredients are boiled in a seasoned broth, then tossed in a little butter. Add a sprinkling of parsley and some lemon wedges, and dinner is served. TIPS FOR SEAFOOD BOIL I recommend buying the biggest shrimp you can find for this recipe. I use 16-20 count jumbo shrimp. I used Maine lobster tails and Dungeness crab legs, but you can use other varieties including spiny lobster tail, snow crab or king crab. Fresh corn on the cob tastes best in this recipe – you can use white, yellow or bi-color corn. I use small Yukon gold potatoes, but red potatoes are also a great choice. You can use kielbasa or Andouille sausage. Andouille sausage can be a bit spicy, so I’d recommend using that variety if you prefer a little heat. The types of seafood listed in the recipe are just a suggestion – you can use other types such as mussels, scallops or even chunks of firm fish such as swordfish. Make sure you discard any clams that haven’t opened up before you serve your boil. I recommend serving your boil immediately, as seafood is highly perishable and tastes best when freshly cooked. You can use shell-on or peeled shrimp. I personally prefer peeled shrimp because they’re easier to eat. HOW LONG TO BOIL SEAFOOD The seafood ingredients in this recipe cook at different rates, so you’ll want to put the longest cooking items in the boil first, then add the others later on. Lobster: 8-12 minutes Clams: 5-10 minutes Crab: 6-8 minutes for pre-cooked crab, 20 minutes for raw crab Shrimp: 2-3 minutes WHAT TO SERVE WITH SEAFOOD BOIL A seafood boil can be served as-is, but some people prefer to add more side dishes to round out the meal. Some great options include a green salad, french or sourdough bread, coleslaw, or potato salad. I typically keep things simple with a loaf of garlic bread and sometimes a green veggie such as zucchini, asparagus or green beans. You just can’t go wrong with a mixed boil, especially when you’re entertaining. The tender seafood pairs so well with the creamy potatoes, smoky sausage and sweet corn. Everyone will be coming back for more! Step 1 Cut 2 of the lemons into quarters. Slice the remaining lemon into wedges and reserve the wedges for garnish. Step 2 Fill a large pot with 14-16 cups of water. Place the 2 quartered lemons in the water along with the Old Bay seasoning, garlic and onion. Bring to a boil. Step 3 Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for 8 minutes. Step 4 Add the lobster tails and cook for 5 minutes. Step 5 Add the clams, crab, and corn, and cook for 5 minutes. Step 6 Add the shrimp and sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Step 7 Drain the seafood mixture from the pot, reserving 1 cup of the broth. Step 8 Melt the butter in a small bowl and whisk it into the reserved broth. Pour the broth over the seafood mixture. Step 9 Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay seasoning to taste, then serve immediately. Previous Next

We’re all about reducing food waste over here at Budget Bytes, so I want to make sure you’ve got plenty of options for enjoying your Thanksgiving leftovers later this week! < Back Leftover Stuffing Muffins Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner About the Recipe We’re all about reducing food waste over here at Budget Bytes, so I want to make sure you’ve got plenty of options for enjoying your Thanksgiving leftovers later this week! Ingredients 2 tsp butter (for greasing the muffin tin) 3 cups prepared stuffing or dressing 1 cup chopped turkey or ham 1/4 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed 6 large eggs 2 Tbsp milk 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked pepper Preparation WHAT IS A STUFFING MUFFIN? Okay, these are basically like those little egg bites that you can get at Starbucks, but with leftover stuffing added into the mix. In addition to the eggs and stuffing, I also added leftover turkey and spinach. So it’s like little single-serving baked eggs with meat, vegetables, and stuffing. Super tasty, super portable, and the perfect make-ahead breakfast! CHOOSE YOUR INGREDIENTS These great little muffins are a super flexible way to combine your Thanksgiving leftovers into a “new” meal and avoid Thanksgiving burnout. The bulk of this recipe is leftover stuffing (dressing), but you can add a variety of other ingredients into the mix and make them your own. Here are some other ingredients that would taste awesome in these Leftover Stuffing Muffins: Chopped broccoli Chopped ham Roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash Chopped green beans Mushrooms Corn Cheese (cheddar, brie, mozzarella, feta, goat) Whatever you decide to add, make sure it’s chopped into small pieces! BAKE IT AS A CASSEROLE While I haven’t done this yet, you could definitely bake this as a breakfast casserole, just like a strata. This amount of ingredients would probably fit an 8×8 or 9×9-inch casserole dish. You’ll need to bake it until the center reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF. HOW LONG DO THEY LAST? You’ll want to either freeze or eat these leftover stuffing muffins within a few days, assuming you made them the day after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, there’s no exact lifespan of dishes like this because the freshness and safety of leftovers can depend on so many different things, like how long the ingredients stayed at room temperature before they were refrigerated, the conditions within your refrigerator, and how quickly they were able to cool down once inside the refrigerator. When in doubt, play it safe! INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with butter, oil, or non-stick spray. Thaw and squeeze the spinach dry. Add the stuffing, turkey, and spinach to a bowl, then stir gently to combine without breaking up the stuffing too much. Divide the stuffing mixture between all 12 wells of the muffin tin. Leave the stuffing loosely packed in the cups so that the egg mixture can fill in around the stuffing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Divide the egg mixture among the 12 wells, starting with 2 Tbsp per muffin and then adding a little bit more until all of the egg mixture has been used. The egg will not fully cover the stuffing, it will puff up as it bakes. Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the top. Allow the muffins to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and remove each muffin. Serve warm. Previous Next

Making sea salt from saltwater is very easy, although quite time consuming. It's not necessarily cost effective, but it's a lot of fun and a rewarding learning experience. < Back Make Sea Salt Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: Varies Serves: varies Level: Beginner About the Recipe Making sea salt from saltwater is very easy, although quite time consuming. It's not necessarily cost effective, but it's a lot of fun and a rewarding learning experience. Ingredients salt water Preparation Making sea salt from saltwater is very easy, although quite time consuming. It's not necessarily cost effective, but it's a lot of fun and a rewarding learning experience. How much salt are you going to get? I read on this website that the rule of thumb is 5 gallons of seawater to 4 cups of salt, which would mean a 5% salt solution. I did 4 gallon batches, and got between 2.5 and 4 cups per batch, which is a bit of a lower yield. However, my small batch of 2 quarts gave me 1 full cup of salt, which is much higher. So it all depends on the original saltiness of the seawater and the method used to evaporate it, and how careful you are not to lose any salt to the floor in the process (I speak from experience—I lost more than I'd like through careless pouring). Let's get started! Overall, I processed 16.5 gallons of seawater, and I ended up with over 9 cups of salt. This is a total of about a 3.5% yield by volume of salt from saltwater, but your mileage may vary. Step 1: The Gather The first step is to get yourself a lot of salty seawater. I used 5-gallon buckets with lids, but I've seen others use milk jugs (for smaller batches) and coolers (for larger batches). Go on a road trip to the nearest saltwater source with your containers. You may want to do some research into the pollution along your coast so you don't end up with dirty water that won't give good salt (and may be very bad for you!). Generally, the farther from civilization, the better. Gather as much saltwater as you like. The more you get, the longer the process will take, but the more salt you'll end up with. Step 2: The Filter Let your seawater sit for a while to allow any sediment and particles to settle. Get your stockpot out and ready for the boil. Then siphon or scoop water from the top of the container, careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom, through a filter into your stockpot. I used a dishcloth in a sieve for my filter, which provided a good fine mesh to get out any sand or other particles. I scooped out water with a 1-quart measuring cup so I could easily keep track of how large my batches were. I did 4 gallons per batch. Step 3: The Boil: Method 1 The quickest way to turn your saltwater into salt is by boiling it. But be careful, you don't want to scorch the salt! Be prepared to spend all day in the kitchen with the stove on.There seem to be several schools of thought on how to evaporate your seawater, so I will go over each method briefly. I will leave it up to you to experiment and develop your own technique. The first method, which I found described most frequently in my research, uses a constant boil. The danger with this method is how easy it is to scorch your salt. The advantage, though, is that it is the quickest method. Bring your seawater to a boil. Once about half of the water has evaporated, or when you start seeing the salt form in the water, you'll need to start stirring—infrequently at first, but more and more frequently as more water evaporates until you are continuously stirring. The goal here is to get your salt to the consistency of wet sand. Note: there can still be water in the pot when the sand reaches the right consistency. This part confused me when I was doing my research, but once I actually did it, it made more sense. Try scooping out the salt with your stirring spoon to check the consistency. When it's like wet sand, thick but still pourable, then you're done. Remember: Don't scorch the salt! Step 4: The Boil: Method 2 The second method that I read about involved a much longer process that actually does not involve boiling, but rather simmering. The idea with this method is to evaporate the salt without risk of scorching by using low heat. However, depending on the amount of salt water you have, this could take multiple days with the stove on, and thus will cost more in energy. With your pot of seawater on the stove, turn on the burner to the lowest heat setting, and let it evaporate slowly. As with the first method, you'll probably need to stir your water once it gets low, although it won't be as necessary as if you were boiling it. And again, you'll want to get your salt to the consistency of wet sand. Remember: Don't scorch the salt! Step 5: The Boil: Method 3 After some experimentation, and trial and error, I developed a technique that seems to be a good balance of amount of time spent and avoiding scorching the salt.I started off with a full boil at high heat, until about half of the water had evaporated. Then I turned the burner down to the medium-high heat. As the water evaporated, I turned the heat lower and lower until I was down to medium-low. This gradual decrease in heat helps prevent scorching without requiring you to stir constantly. It will take longer than boiling the whole time, but it does take less interaction on your part.And as with the other methods, you want to get your salt to a consistency of wet sand. Don't worry if there is still water in the pot; the only thing you're concerned about is the consistency of the salt itself. Remember: Don't scorch the salt! This is the longest step of the whole process. Once you've boiled down your seawater and your salt is the consistency of wet sand, you'll want to scoop it out into a pan to dry. The larger the pan, the thinner you can spread it, and the sooner it will dry. If you still have water in the pot (which you probably do), I would suggest trying to pour the water into a separate dish, so the majority of your salt is not sitting in water and can thus dry faster. You can place your pan(s) by a window so that the sun can speed up the drying process. Depending on how much salt you have, and how wet the salt is, this can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Some of my batches came out too wet (I didn't let them boil down enough) and they're still in the process of drying after two weeks. But a smaller batch that I did was not as wet, and it dried much quicker. Alternatively, you can place the pan in the oven on the lowest heat (the lowest on my oven is 170 ºF) to speed up evaporation. Some people seem to think that the oven technique changes the makeup of the salt; it seems to me to just affect the way the crystals form. Either way, it's worth experimenting with. Just be careful not to burn the salt. Step 7: The Final Product You're done! Now that your salt is dry, you can pour it into spice jars, mason jars, or other containers to store and use. If your salt crystals come out larger, you can put them in a grinder for freshly ground salt when you need it, or grind it all ahead of time before storing it. I've read that sea salt is better suited for flavoring food after cooking, rather than for the actual cooking, but you can experiment and see what works for you. After all, it's just salt! You can also mix your salt with herbs or spices to make seasoning salts. Previous Next

Are you hosting the family reunion this year and need to know how much food you need? We got your back! < Back Food Quantities for Large Groups Are you hosting the family reunion this year and need to know how much food you need? We got your back! Power in Numbers Programs Locations Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Here are the complete directions for making these sausages. < Back Canning Sausage Patties Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes Serves: 40 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Here are the complete directions for making these sausages. Ingredients Sausage Water Preparation Shape sausage into patties roughly. Take a pint size wide mouth jar and shape the patty on a cutting board. Remove excess sausage meat and continue to shape all the patties. Try to keep your patties on the thinner side. Mine were all about 1/4" to 1/2" thick. If you are using store bought sausage meat you will have some decrease in size due to high amounts of fat content while you are frying them. That will be fine but don't be surprised when it happens. Fry the meat and cook them on both sides till they are golden brown. If they don't cook all the way through that is also fine since the pressure canner will cook them the rest of the way. Drain the patties and remove as much of the fat as you can by laying them on a paper towel. Stack patties in hot pint jars. I got 4-5 patties in the jars so you may gauge how many jars you will need based on the total patties. Do not fill the patties up beyond the 1" headspace. Fill jars with hot water to 1" headspace. Using a rubber or plastic spatula remove air bubbles and refill to 1" if necessary. Using a paper towel that has vinegar on it, wipe the rims of the jars to remove any grease or debris so that you will get a tight seal when you add your lids. Add a hot lid (sitting in previously boiled water) and ring and tighten "finger tight". Place in a pressure canner. Process pints in pressure canner at 10lbs of pressure for a weighted gauge canner and 11 lbs for a dial gauge for 75 minutes, quarts for 90 minutes. When you remove them from the canner the broth will still be boiling inside of the jars. Once they cool they will have a ring of fat at the top from the fat/grease. As long as the fat isn't thick on top and usually will only be around the ring on the outside the jars are fine. Labeling: Make sure to label your jars after they have cooled with the name of the recipe and the date canned. Previous Next