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

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

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

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

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

This isn’t just for poultry, but it sure does make your chicken dishes taste yummy! < Back Poultry Seasoning Blend Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: Serves: Multiple Level: About the Recipe Ingredients 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon paprika Preparation Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container. Yield @1/4 cup Previous Next

Freeze-dried eggs are an incredibly useful and versatile way to store eggs, whether for the short or long term. Freeze-dried raw eggs reconstitute quickly with a bit of cool water, and are perfect for use in all manner of recipes. Freeze-dried scrambled eggs, on the other hand, are best for a quick instant breakfast and are unbeatable when camping. < Back Freeze Dried Eggs Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20-40 Minutes Serves: Yield will vary based on the size of your freeze dryer. Small Model - 24 to 36 eggs Medium Model - 45 to 50 eggs Large Model - 90 to 100 eggs Extra Large Model - 200 to 250 eggs Level: Beginner About the Recipe Freeze-dried eggs are an incredibly useful and versatile way to store eggs, whether for the short or long term. Freeze-dried raw eggs reconstitute quickly with a bit of cool water, and are perfect for use in all manner of recipes. Freeze-dried scrambled eggs, on the other hand, are best for a quick instant breakfast and are unbeatable when camping. Ingredients eggs Preparation HOW TO FREEZE DRY EGGS The basic process for freeze-drying eggs is pretty simple, as the machine more or less does everything for you. That’s one of the things I really love about home freeze dryers. Once you load the food, it’s pretty much hands-off until it’s done. Preparing the food for freeze-drying can be a bit specific though, as it is with eggs. The eggs must be scrambled first, as freeze dryers don’t work well with anything that’s just a concentrated fat or oil source (ie. Peanut Butter, Cream, Coconut Milk, and Egg Yolk) . If the egg yolks are scrambled together with the whites, however, it works just fine. (While you can’t freeze dry just egg yolks because they have too much fat, you can freeze dry just egg whites since they’re mostly just liquid protein. I’ll walk you through that as well.) You do need to choose whether you’re going to freeze dry raw eggs, or cooked scrambled eggs. Both work well, but they obviously have different uses. If you’re freeze-drying cooked eggs, you just cook them first and then place the freshly cooked eggs on the freeze-dryer trays. If the eggs are pre-cooked, they won’t work for baking, but they do make a fine instant breakfast. I’ll start with freeze-drying raw eggs, as that’s the most versatile. The basic steps are as follows: Crack Eggs Scramble Eggs (not optional) Pre-Freeze Eggs (Optional, but Recommended) Insert in Freeze Dryer and Run Cycle Remove and Store Start by cracking the eggs and then scrambling them. Next, place the raw scrambled eggs on your freeze-dryer trays. This is actually a bit trickier than you’d think, as you basically have a baking tray full of liquid…and any tipping can be problematic. Generally, you’re supposed to pre-freeze food before you put it in the freeze dryer, and that helps speed up the process. With a tray full of liquid raw eggs, the odds that you’re going to tip that tray when you’re putting it into your freezer are pretty high. For eggs in particular, I’d recommend just scrambling the eggs and then putting the trays into your freeze dryer most of the way. Pour the eggs into a corner of the tray and then slide the tray the rest of the way so they don’t tip. I actually have some nifty little silicone food mold inserts for my freeze dryer that were just released, and they’re basically a giant silicone ice cube tray. They’re handy when you’re freeze-drying liquids of all forms, including milk and eggs, but also things like ice cream and sourdough starter. If you have these, they hold the food on the trays really nicely, and tipping is less of an issue. If you don’t have these silicone food molds for freeze-drying, I don’t recommend using parchment or flat silicone mats for freeze-drying eggs. The silicone mats that harvest right sells for their trays are incredibly useful for fruits, meats, and whole meals in the freeze dryer…but I don’t like them for liquids. When you pour the liquid onto the tray, it just seeps under the silicone mat and makes a big mess. The same is true for parchment. Just pour the eggs right onto the stainless steel trays for freeze-drying if you don’t have the silicone food mold accessory. Next, pre-freeze the food if you can do it without tipping the trays. Or, just load the trays as is into the freeze dryer. Turn the machine on and let it run its cycle, which should take about 16 to 24 hours or so. Once the cycle is done, you should have trays of fully freeze-dried eggs to store. Once the cycle is complete, remove the trays from the freeze dryer and pull out the freeze-dried egg. If you’re using plain stainless trays, that will involve scraping it up with a spatula. In the silicone food molds, each little egg cube just pops out neatly without sticking. Neat cubes or not, it doesn’t matter, since you’ll be making egg powder either by mashing it up or putting it through a food processor. Cubes or chunks of freeze-dried raw egg don’t rehydrate well, and you really do want a powder to use. Once your eggs are freeze-dried, you’ll want to powder them up before storage so that they’re ready to use. They’re also a lot more compact that way. My nephews went to work mashing the egg cubes up and had a grand old time, and they do fall apart really easily, so a food processor is not strictly necessary. That said, a food processor gives you a nice even powder, and it only takes a few pulses. FREEZE-DRIED EGG ALTERNATIVES While the most versatile way to freeze dry eggs is as raw whole eggs scrambled together and then powdered for later use, that’s not your only option. FREEZE DRIED SCRAMBLED EGGS (COOKED) You can freeze dry cooked scrambled eggs, and that works just fine. They cannot be used for baking, of course, but they make a lovely camping meal breakfast. All you have to do is pour boiling water on top of them and allow them to rehydrate. You can basically make your own mountain house meals this way, and for a lot less money. To do that, just scramble the eggs and cook them in a pan before placing them on the freeze-dryer trays. I like to scramble mine until they’re just barely done, as they’re going to get cooked ever so slightly more when you rehydrate them with boiling water. I use about a tablespoon of butter for every three eggs too, and it adds extra buttery richness (but isn’t so much that they won’t freeze dry nicely). Since the eggs are pre-cooked, they won’t slip under parchment or silicone mats, so I use silicone mats under these to make cleanup easier. You can fit about a dozen cooked scrambled eggs on a single large freeze-dryer tray. FREEZE DRIED EGG WHITES While you can’t freeze dry egg yolks alone because they’re too high in fat, you can freeze dry plain egg whites. HOW TO STORE FREEZE DRIED EGGS At this point, you have freeze-dried egg powder that needs to be stored in a dry, airtight container out of direct sunlight. The best way to store freeze-dried eggs is in sealed mylar pouches with oxygen absorbers. When you buy a freeze dryer, it comes with an impulse sealer that will seal mylar, as well as a starter pack of mylar pouches and oxygen absorbers that are sized to those same pouches. It really makes the process simple. If you’re using your own mylar pouches for storage, make sure you have oxygen absorbers that are appropriately sized to the size of the pouches you choose. HOW LONG DO FREEZE-DRIED EGGS LAST? If properly stored, freeze-dried egg powder will for up to 20 years. That means oxygen absorbers and light-eliminating packaging (like mylar). You can also store freeze-dried eggs in glass jars, like mason jars, but they should have tight-fitting lids and be stored in a dark pantry or cabinet. Without an oxygen absorber and in a container that’s frequently opened, freeze-dried eggs should last about a year if kept clean and dry. HOW TO USE FREEZE-DRIED EGGS To reconstitute freeze-dried eggs, mix equal parts freeze-dried egg and water by volume and allow it to sit for 5 or so minutes to fully rehydrate. It takes 2 Tablespoons of freeze-dried egg and 2 Tablespoons of water to equal one fresh whole egg. (Every freeze-dried food has different rehydration instructions.) If you’re using freeze-dried eggs in baked goods, you can make the eggs ahead of time and add them to the mix like you would use a fresh egg. You can also add the powdered freeze-dried egg to the dry ingredients, and then just add the appropriate amount of water to the wet ingredients. That allows you to make your own powdered pantry mixes that are simple just add water mixes. Mix together things like flour, baking powder, powdered eggs, sugar, and whatever else your recipe calls for and you can design your own mixes for pancakes, muffins, and more. INSTRUCTIONS Start by cracking and scrambling the eggs. Be sure that the eggs are thoroughly scrambled. A blender or immersion blender helps. Pre-chill your freeze dryer and close the air vent at the back. Insert the freeze dryer trays about 3/4 of the way into the freeze dryer, and then carefully pour the raw egg onto the tray. (This prevents the tray from tipping, resulting in spilled eggs. If you have silicone insert molds for your freeze dryer trays, as I do, you can fill those and pre-freeze them. Do not attempt to pre-freeze the eggs or other liquids directly on the trays, as they'll likely spill as they're moved around.) Press start on the freeze dryer, and it will begin the cycle, first freezing the food, then creating a vacuum, and then finally freeze-drying the eggs. When the cycle is complete, remove the eggs from the freeze dryer for storage. Crushing the eggs into a powder before storage is optional, but recommended. They'll pack tighter into bags that way, and they rehydrate better if first crushed into a powder (rather than left as chunks). For short-term storage, store in an air-tight container such as a mason jar. For long-term storage, use mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. NOTES: YIELD We have a large freeze dryer, and each tray can hold about 18 to 20 eggs. The machine has 5 trays, so that means a full batch is around 90 to 100 eggs. My total yield was 3 quarts of freeze-dried egg powder. Yield will vary based on the size of your freeze dryer. Small Model - 24 to 36 eggs Medium Model - 45 to 50 eggs Large Model - 90 to 100 eggs Extra Large Model - 200 to 250 eggs Once freeze-dried, it takes about 8 to 9 eggs to make a cup of freeze-dried egg powder, or about 32 to 36 eggs to make a quart of freeze-dried egg powder. FREEZE DRIED SCRAMBLED EGGS (COOKED) You can freeze dry cooked scrambled eggs, and that works just fine. They cannot be used for baking, of course, but they make a lovely camping meal for breakfast. All you have to do is pour boiling water on top of them and allow them to rehydrate. You can basically make your own mountain house meals this way, and for a lot less money. To do that, just scramble the eggs and cook them in a pan before placing them on the freeze-dryer trays. I like to scramble mine until they're just barely done, as they're going to get cooked ever so slightly more when you rehydrate them with boiling water. I use about a tablespoon of butter for every three eggs too, and it adds extra buttery richness (but isn't so much that they won't freeze dry nicely). Since the eggs are pre-cooked, they won't slip under parchment or silicone mats, so I use silicone mats under these to make cleanup easier. You can fit about a dozen cooked scrambled eggs on a single large freeze-dryer tray. Previous Next

This applesauce recipe is simple to make and delicious! < Back Homemade Apple Sauce Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This applesauce recipe is simple to make and delicious! Ingredients 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped ¾ cup water ¼ cup white sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Preparation Making applesauce at home is easier than you think. Trust us: This wildly popular applesauce recipe will quickly become a go-to in your household. Best Apples for Applesauce The best apples for applesauce are whatever apples you have on hand and need to use up. However, if you have a choice, we recommend using a combination of sweet and tangy varieties for the best flavor. Popular sweet varieties include Honeycrisp and Fuji, while popular tangy varieties include Granny Smith and Braeburn. How to Make Homemade Applesauce Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, then mash the (cooled) apples with a fork until you’ve reached the desired consistency. That’s it! How to Store Applesauce Allow the applesauce to cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Directions Step 1: Combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan; cover and cook over medium heat until apples are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Step 2: low apple mixture to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher until it is the consistency you like. Previous Next

This is definitely my favorite soup of all time! It has a heartiness to it that fills you up, and an amazing flavor. I stock my freezer with leftovers of this to defrost and warm up on days when I want something wonderful, but don’t want to cook. The amazing thing about this soup and many Indian dishes in general, is that they taste better the next day or keep the flavor even after 6 months in the freezer. < Back Saag Shorba (Indian Soup) Prep Time: 10 Cook Time: 45 Minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 12 oz spinach, fresh or frozen is fine 2 medium onions finely chopped 5 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp of ghee (or vegetable oil) 3 inch piece of ginger chopped 2 teaspoons of coriander 2 teaspoons of ground cumin (or more if you like) 1 teaspoon of turmeric Scant cayenne Scant cardamom 5 cups of chicken broth 4 cups of tomatoes diced (or 32 oz canned diced or crushed) 1 tbsp of tomato paste 2 cups of heavy cream Salt to taste Preparation In a large saucepan or pot, heat the ghee or oil on medium. Add chopped onions. Saute for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and cardamom. Saute for 3 minutes more. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add spinach and tomatoes and bring back to a quick boil. Turn off heat and transfer to a blender and blend until a thick consistency, just a few seconds. The spinach has to be broken up so there aren't long strands (see photo above). Try not to make it into a puree. Add back to the pot and add cream, slowly to avoid curdling. Add salt to taste and more cayenne and cumin if you wish. Simmer for 10-20 minutes if you wish to enhance the flavor of the spices. Serve with cilantro as garnish. If you would like to have this soup as a main course with more substance, you can add chicken to the pot after you add the spices. It’s probably best if the chicken is cut into pieces. Make sure to remove the chicken prior to blending the soup. Afterward, add the chicken back to the pot along with the blended soup. Previous Next

So many ways to cook your food! And all of them good. < Back Methods of Cooking So many ways to cook your food! And all of them good. Baking is cooking all foods except poultry, game, and meats in an oven. Roasting is cooking poultry, game, and meats in an oven. Boiling is cooking in water or other liquid which reaches a temperature of 212° Fahrenheit (F.) at sea level. In a slowly boiling liquid, the bubbles formed are small when they break; rapidly boiling, the bubbles are larger. There is no difference in temperature. Braising is cooking meat by searing in hot fat, then steaming in sufficient water or other liquid to produce moist heat. Broiling is cooking meats, fish, or poultry at a very high temperature until the surface is well seared and brown, then reducing the temperature and cooking until the food is done. In oven broiling the food is placed on a slightly oiled rack in the broiler pan and exposed to direct heat. In pan broiling the food is cooked in a very hot slightly oiled pan. In both pan broiling and oven broiling, the best results are obtained if the food is turned frequently during the broiling process. Fricasseeing is initially cooking in searing hot fat, then simmering in a small amount of water until tender. Frying or Sautéing is cooking in a small quantity of fat. Deep Fat Frying is cooking in a large quantity of hot fat. The temperature of the fat required for cooking varies with the nature of the food. Simmering is cooking in water or other liquid at a temperature just below boiling. A liquid is simmering when bubbles are breaking beneath the surface. Steaming is cooking in steam. A rack or steamer pan containing the food may be placed in a utensil and covered. Water in the lower part of the utensil is kept at boiling temperature, forming steam which acts as the cooking medium. Fireless Cookery is cooking the food ahead of time, and while it is still very hot, transferring it to a heavily insulated container to continue the cooking process. Cooked foods must be thoroughly heated before placing in the well-insulated container. Pressure Cookery is cooking by steam under pressure. Steam under pressure increases the temperature and shortens the cooking period. Waterless Cookery is cooking slowly on a lower heat in a tightly covered container. Some foods require the addition of a small quantity (1/4 to ½ cup) of water to start the process of cooking within the food. (A crockpot is a good example of this style of cooking.) Power in Numbers Programs Locations Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Polish potato dumplings contain just 4 ingredients and are incredibly simple to make. They transform ordinary mashed potatoes into a truly delicious dish, perfect on its own or as a side dish with meat-based or vegetarian stews. < Back Polish Potato Dumplings Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 5 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1½ pounds (670 g) potatoes peeled weight 1½ cups less 1tbsp (180 g) flour plus a little for dusting 1 large egg ⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more for boiling the potatoes and dumplings, as per Instructions. Preparation Preparation Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash until smooth and creamy (using a potato masher or ricer). Set aside to cool completely. If after draining your potatoes still seem a little too moist place them back in the pot and cook for about 30 seconds stirring all the time. This should get rid of any excess moisture. Fill a large pot with water, add about 1-1½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt (or ⅔ tsp fine), cover and bring to the boil. In the meantime make the potato dumplings. In a large bowl combine the mashed potatoes with the egg and salt and gradually add the flour, mixing in with the back of a spoon. When you've added all the flour your mixture should be very lumpy. Transfer to a flat surface and form a smooth dough by bringing the mixture together. You don't need to knead very long. The dough should be very soft. Divide the dough into 4-5 parts (easier to work with) and roll each part into a long sausage shape the thickness of a large thumb (dust with a little flour as you roll). Flatten a little and cut at a slight angle into small pieces (about 2 cm/⅔'' thick). Keep your uncooked kopytka dumplings on top of a floured surface making sure they don't touch each other. When the water starts to boil carefully, place the dumplings in the pot, one by one, and gently stir with a wooden spoon to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pot and each other. Once they all come up to the top, boil them gently for 2 more minutes. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Use the same water to cook all your dumplings. Turn off the heat, lift the dumplings out of the pot using a slotted spoon and place on a large plate. Add a little butter or drizzle of oil to prevent them sticking to one another. Serve immediately. Notes Potatoes: Use Russets, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper or another all-rounder variety. Drain the cooked potatoes well and mash until smooth. Cool completely before making the recipe. You can boil and mash the potatoes in advance and once cooled refrigerate overnight. Dough: Stop kneading once you've formed the dough. This recipe does not require prolonged kneading. You shouldn't need to use more flour than the recommended amount. If, however, after adding all the flour your dough is still a little sticky knead in a little more (approx. 1 tsp). It is important to use a sufficient amount of salt or your dumplings may end up without much flavor. So boil the potatoes in salted water, add salt into the dumpling dough and cook the kopytka themselves in salted water. They won't be too salty! Make it vegan: Use 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed instead of the egg. Boiling the dumplings: Do not overcrowd the pot. Make the dumplings in batches (in the same water). Best served immediately. The dumplings are very soft to start with and become tougher as they cool. Reheating them (in the microwave or frying pan) will soften them again. Serve with melted butter, oil, fried bacon or onion, meat-based or vegetarian stew. Refrigerate, once cooled, for up to 2 days. Freezing: To freeze uncooked dumplings, arrange on a flour dusted tray and freeze for 3 hours then store in a freezer bag and place back in the freezer for up to 3 months. Preparation time includes the time needed to boil and cool the potatoes. EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED Vegetable peeler , knife and large spoon Potato masher or ricer Large pot with lid and slotted spoon Previous Next

Biscuits and gravy are a family staple. Add a little sausage and it is a complete meal of joy! < Back Milk Gravy Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients ½ cup butter, or sausage, or hamburger drippings ¼ cup flour ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste ¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste 2 cups milk Preparation Cook up some sausage or hamburger and use the drippings OR, melt butter and add flour to make a rue. Slowly add milk while whisking mixture. Add enough milk to the viscosity of the gravy you desire. Some lumps are acceptable. Add in crumbled pre-cooked sausage or hamburger (optional, sort of…) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can also use granulated bouillon flavoring or favorite seasoned flavoring. This gravy is especially good when you use meat drippings, like hamburger, sausage, or steak renderings. Make the gravy in the same pan that you fried the meat and use the meat fat instead of butter and whisk the small pieces of meat scrapings that are on the bottom of the pan into the gravy. That will make the BEST gravy! Serve over biscuits or mashed potatoes. It is especially good when poured over a bowl of rice. Previous Next