French Toast recipe (without eggs)

Sorry for the lack of posting around here lately...but the weather has been sooo nice!  I have sewed a little bit ,but can not show you until my swap partner receives it.  Soon!

Am I the only one who does not like french toast because of the egg? The weird thing is that I actually don't mind eggs every once in a while!  Mr. P watches a lot of cooking shows and recently he saw one that had a recipe something like this.  He described it and asked me to make it for breakfast on the weekend.

Fresh berry French toast:

One baguette (the one you need to bake for a few minutes at home)
syrup of your choice (I like Sohgave,Maple flavor,because it is low GI/not super sweet)
fresh berries or fruit of your choice (1/2 cup)
powdered sugar for dusting
1 - 2 tablespoons Butter

Slice your baguette into pieces(I used 4 pieces for each of us) about 2 inches thick place on a tray or rack in oven (preferably a toaster oven since it is such a small amount).  Bake for the time recommended on package,or until it looks toasted.  Mean while,wash fruit or berries and slice them,set aside for now.

In a frying pan melt butter,remove the baguette slices from the toaster oven and place in frying pan fry for a minute or two over medium heat,just until golden on both sides.

Remove from frying pan and plate.  Top with berries and or fruit,pour syrup over the top of berries/fruit and toast,dust with powdered sugar.

All that is left to do is Enjoy!  I know we did :)

Carrot Cake Preserves

This week there was not time to make my recipe in advance,which means,there are no step by step photos.  Sorry about that,if you are new to canning,you can go here for the basics of canning,or if you  just need a little refresher.                                                                                                                                            Are you ready for another canning recipe?  I have a real treat in store for you today!

 Carrot Cake Preserves with cream cheese on toasted homemade bread.

Utensils:

• 7 half pint canning jars(Mason,Kerr,Ball,your choice)
• basic canning equipment 
• large stockpot

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• 2 cups finely shredded carrots (4 medium sized)
• 1 15-ounce can crushed pineapple (packed in juice,undrained)
• 1 medium sized pear of your choice (peeled & chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1.75-ounce package regular powdered fruit pectin
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes or raisins,or both (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

In a 6-8 quart stockpot combine carrots,pineapple,pear,lemon juice,cinnamon,and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly;reduce heat.  Simmer,covered for 20 minutes,stirring frequently.  When 20 minutes has elapsed,remove from heat.  Sprinkle powdered pectin over mixture;stir until it has dissolved completely.

Return to heat,and bring mixture to boiling,stirring constantly.  Add granulated and brown sugars.  Return to a full rolling boil,stirring constantly.  Boil hard for 1 minute,again stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Quickly skim off any foam with a metal spoon.  Stir in the coconut and or raisins(if using) and vanilla extract.

Ladle hot preserves into hot sterilized half pint jars,leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe jar rims,adjust lids and rings.

Process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (remember to check the time for your altitude,it was 25 minutes for mine).  Start the timer when water has returned to a full rolling boil.  After processing time has elapsed,remove jars from canner;place in a draft free place to cool.

*Makes 7 half pints*

~ TIP ~  Finely chopped fruit stays suspended better than coarsely chopped fruit.  A sweet way to keep the fruit evenly distributed is,to turn the jars about every half hour for a couple hours. (this is not a necessity,so you can skip it if you want)

EnJoy!

Be sure to check out my current Giveaway for a chance to win one of three patterns!!!

Ginger ~ Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Butter

Do you like Sweet Potatoes,if you answered yes,then today's preserving recipe is for you!

Looks and tastes like a mouthful of fall!  I can see this on my ThanksGiving table with some oven melted/browned marshmallows on top Mmmm...

Ginger ~ Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Butter:

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds of orange-flesh sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups golden brown sugar (packed)
• 2/3 cup apple juice (I chose to use apple cider instead)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (you can use ground or grate your own like I did)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Wash your sweet potatoes thoroughly with a vegetable brush;pat dry.  Prick sweet potatoes with a fork.  Bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until tender;cool slightly.

In order to save time and have light to take good photos,I baked my sweet potatoes the evening before. So I was able to easily skin/peel them.  Since yours will be quite hot,cut them in half lengthwise,scoop out the pulp with a spoon and discard the skins.

Transfer the pulp to your food processor.  Cover and process until very smooth,scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  ~ Tip ~  If you are having a hard time getting the sweet potato pulp to process to a smooth consistency,add some of your apple juice to help get it going.

The pulp will be very thick and smooth after processing,use a spatula to transfer to a stock pot.

Here the recipe says to only transfer 4 cups of the pulp to the stock pot,and set the rest aside for another use,I ignored that and transferred all of the pulp(since this is a freezer recipe and not a actual canning recipe).  Which gave me one more container at the end.  You can do whichever you like.

Add your,brown sugar,apple juice (or the remaining juice if you used some in the previous step),lemon juice,ginger,salt,and nutmeg to the sweet potato puree.  Using a plastic or wooden utensil stir to incorporate all the ingredients.

Bring to boiling;reduce heat.  Simmer,uncovered,for 30 minutes stirring frequently.  If it spatters,reduce heat further.  I did not have a problem with spattering,but found it necessary to stir Very Frequently to keep it from sticking.  So make sure you can give this your Full attention during the 30 minute cooking time.

Spoon into your containers,mine are ziploc 8oz freezer containers.  You can use any freezer containers,including mason jars.  If you follow the recipe and use only 4 cups of puree you should only have 5 containers.  If you followed my example and used all of the puree you should have 6 containers.   Remember to leave 1/2 inch headspace for expansion.  Let cool completely before placing the lids on containers and freezing.

Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to 6 months.  Enjoy!  

Sorry for all the excess space at the bottom of this post,I have no clue how it happened or how to fix it.

How to can/preserve Spaghetti Sauce

Lets get right to it shall we?

If you have the Ball Blue book of canning,check out the step by step for canning Tomatoes pages,they will walk you through how to process tomatoes.

Spaghetti Sauce:

• 10 pounds tomatoes
• 1 zucchini squash
• 1 yellow squash
• one large sweet onion
• 8 cloves garlic
• 4 medium sweet peppers or equivalent 
• 1 chipotle pepper
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon smokey paprika
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice

First,gather up your tomatoes from,the garden,farmers market,or where ever you are getting them.  Bring them home and give them a good washing.  Most recipes I have ever read tell you to discard the skins and seeds,I do not.  Mostly because I do not like to waste,and also because I think that they add flavor,and vitamins.  (so if you want to discard them,by all means do so)

I like a nice chunky sauce with other veggies included,so add 4 medium sweet peppers or the equivalent,of your choice of peppers.

These are the ones I will be using in my sauce.

Dice up your tomatoes in bite sized pieces and place in a large stock pot.

Do the same with your sweet peppers.

Your one large sweet onion,I used a Walla Walla.

Next peel your garlic,and then mince it up and add it to the pot.

Your zucchini and yellow squash also get diced up and added to the mix.

If you like a little heat,add one or more of your favorite chili peppers.  I used a chipotle pepper,which just gives it a little zip.  (you probably will want to chop or mince it up first)  I also added 1 tablespoon cinnamon basil,1/2 teaspoon smokey paprika,three tablespoons brown sugar,and 6 tablespoons lemon juice.

One can of tomato paste,you could add two if you like a thicker sauce.  Now stir to incorporate all of the ingredients together.  place on the stove over a medium high heat and bring just to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.

While the sauce simmers,gather your canning utensils together.

Sterilize your jars and lids.  I like to use my canner,that way the water is already hot and does not take that long to heat back up to boiling.

When the sauce has simmered for an hour you are ready to start filling jars.

I find using a saucer helps to keep any spills contained.

Using your ladle,fill each jar to leave a 1/4 inch headspace.

Using your bubble remover,slide it down the sides of the jar to bring the bubbles to the top.  I also do this in the center of the jar a couple of times.

Make sure to use your clean cloth to wipe down the rim and sides (where you will screw on the ring) so that you will have a clean surface,and get a good seal.

Now take the magnetic lid tool and remove one lid and ring from the water bath.

See how the tool is a little off center?  If you go towards the side of the ring,you will get both the ring and the lid,but if you get too close to the center you will only pick up the lid.

Place the lid on the jar and tighten,make sure to use the cloth on the jar so you do not burn your hand on the Hot jar.

Oops,not enough left to fill the jar!  If this happens,just place the jar in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.

Time to put all the jars into the canner!  If you place the first jar in the center it will be much easier,as the rack will not tip to one side.

Place the next jars opposite of each other until you have placed all 7 jars in the canner.  Carefully unhook the rack from the sides of the canner and lower into the water bath.

Almost ready to put the lid on so the water will come to a boil.

Before placing the lid on add three tablespoons of plane white vinegar to the pot.  This will help to keep the jars from getting a white film on them while processing.  Be sure to check the altitude chart for the correct time to process.  The recipe I loosely followed said 35 minutes,but at my altitude the time was 50 minutes.  So check!

When the correct processing time has elapsed,use your jar lifter to remove the jars.  It is a little easier if you hook the rack onto the sides and then remove the jars.  However Mr. P removed them for me this time,and he didn't bother with the rack.

Place the jars in a draft free place to cool.  Making sure to check the seal(remember I also tug gently on the lids to make certain they have sealed) by pressing down in the center of the lid to make sure it does not pop back and forth.

Bring on the Bacon ,jam that is

When trying to decide just exactly what recipe to use for my first preserving/canning how to tutorial,I was really not sure.  Should I go with a tried and true jam recipe,or take it up a notch and start with a modern take?  Well,the modern take won out,so here we go...

Utensils:

• Large Stock Pot
• Chefs knife
• cutting board
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• ladle
• large wooden spoon
• slotted spoon
• Food processor
• freezer containers (mason jars,or plastic freezer containers)

Bacon Jam:

• 2 pounds sliced bacon (you can use pork,beef,or turkey)
• 2 large yellow onions,peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic,peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups very strong black coffee
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Cut your bacon into one (1) inch pieces.

Brown one third of your bacon at a time,in a large heavy duty stock pot.  Cook,stirring frequently until the bacon is browned.

Using a slotted utensil,remove browned bacon to a bowl or plate,you can place paper towels at the bottom to soak up more of the grease.

While the bacon is browning,thinly slice the onion and garlic.

After the last third of bacon has browned,and been removed from the pot,discard all but two (2) tablespoons of the drippings/grease,and add the onions and garlic to the pot.  Stir the the onions and garlic,and reduce the heat to medium.  Continue to cook and stir frequently,for 8 minutes,or until most of the onions are translucent.

Add the coffee,brown sugar,cider vinegar,maple syrup,and freshly ground pepper to the onions and garlic,stir well.

Bring to a boil, and boil hard for two (2) minutes.

Return all of the bacon to the pot,and stir well.  Reduce heat to low,and simmer uncovered for two to three hours.  Stirring occasionally,so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.  If,and Only If it looks like the liquid is evaporating and the mixture is drying out,you can add a 1/4 cup water.  (I didn't need to add any extra liquid)

When the onions are very soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy,remove from the heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

While the mixture is standing prepare your food processor.

Using your ladle,transfer the bacon mixture to the food processor.

Depending on the size of your food processor,you can either process the mixture in one or two batches.

My Kitchen Aid is fairly large,so I processed all of the mixture at once.

You are looking for a spreadable consistency,so you decide how much or how little to process.

Fill the freezer container of your choice,but make sure not to fill it to the top!  You want to leave room for expansion.  I left a good 1/2-1 inch of head space.

Allow the containers to cool,label and place in the freezer.  Of course you will probably want to keep at least one,in the fridge!  (we did)

Your bacon jam will keep for up to a month in the fridge,or for 6 months in the freezer.

Now go make some toast and enjoy your very own Bacon Jam :)

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