Brownies (eek from a box...)

I am not even sure what possessed me to purchase it.  In the past I've brought left over mixes home from work thinking i'll use them in a pinch.  They sit in the pantry long passed their expiration date.

It was the packaging that caught my eye while I was making a purchase from work.  First, the fact that it was a pouch nestled among the many boxes on the shelf.  Next the name- Marie Callender- really ?  a brownie mix?  I glanced over the ingredients.  Really, nothing artificial or offensive. So, what could it hurt?  I can get past using a box mix. really I can.

Of course as I prepared the package to directions, I could not resist jazzing up the mix.  A teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ancho chili powder and 3/4 cups of chopped pecans.

The moment of truth.  Mike took the first taste. (He had been out of town and had no idea about their origin.)  The first thing he said was, "Are these from a box?"   Ohhh!  There was no hiding the telltale flavor of a mix, even with cinnamon and chili powder.

My impression?  The cinnamon added a nice flavor, but the chocolate itself  tasted  bitter. It did not leave the usually chemical aftertaste of most box mixes, but the bitter flavor was not easy to overcome. Lesson learned.

They did look delicious though.

Eggs in Purgatory

I have been dying to make this dish for quite some time.  Actually, I first thought about the recipe when I was looking of options for samples for my food styling portfolio,  I knew it would be a challenge to make eggs in tomato sauce look pretty for the camera, but i also knew it would probably be quite delicious to eat.

So when my brother-in-law handed me several bags of his homemade tomato sauce, I knew it was time to to make Eggs in Purgatory.  It proved to be a delicious breakfast.  My husband,   who was skeptical was brought to his knees.

I started with the chopped garlic and onions sauteed  in a olive oil.  Add about 2 cups of tomato puree.  It can be canned or if you are lucky enough to have some on hand, use homemade sauce. 

 

Reduce sauce until thickened slightly.

Make a 4 small wells in the sauce and carefully place a cracked whole egg into each well. 

Season with salt and pepper.  Cover for about two minutes, until the egg is nicely poached.

In the mean time toast 4 sliced of good Italian or French bread .  

When the eggs are finished carefully scoops two eggs and sauce into a serving dish.  Serve with toasts.

Raspberry Jam

A few weeks back my husband and I picked 10 pints of raspberries.  Riding high on the success of my apple butter experience, I attempted raspberry jam for the second venture in canning.

I went back to the good ole' Betty Crocker Cookbook for advice. The package of Ball liquid pectin was also helpful.

Raspberry Jam

10 pints of Raspberries

4 cups sugar

2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

1/2 packet Liquid Pectin

Place all of the ingredients except pectin, in a large non reactive pan.  Heat to a boil  and stir in the pectin.  Continue cooking until mixture is thickened and translucent. Pour into prepared jars.  Seal the jars and place in a large pot of water covering the jars two inches over their tops.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove from the pot and place in a dry kitchen towel to cool. If any jars do not properly seal, (the lid should be tightly indented) refrigerate and use that jar first.

Puttin' Up for the Winter

Well. I've done it!  I've actually been canning.  

I know you might say, "So what."  "Big Deal."  "So!" Well, for me this is big.  I always assumed canning was too difficult, messy, and time consuming for me to want to tackle it.

My mind was changed when I brought a bushel of apple home from my parents house. Challenged by the task of using them before they rot,  I thought, "I'm going to make some apple butter.  And I'm going to can it."  

I found a recipe in an old Betty Crocker cookbook that was appealing, bought a case of jars, and got the vegetable peeler out.  Actually, I got two of them out of the drawer and enlisted my husband to help peel and slice.

The results were fabulous.  Creamy, spicy, sweet and tart.  It is so good, I thought, " hmm, I bet I can make raspberry jam too."  But, we'll talk about that in the next posting.

Apple Butter

4 quarts apple cider

4 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon, divided

2 teaspoons ginger, divided

1 teaspoon cloves, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the apple cider in a large dutch oven, until reduced by half.

Add the apples and 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Heat to a boil, then reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered, stirring very frequently until apples begin to break apart, about 1 hour.  Continue to cook until no liquid separates from the pulp. You can test this by putting a spoonful on a plate and let sit for 1 minute. Look for liquid seeping from the mound. If  the mound stays solid the butter is finished.

In the mean time, wash 10-8 oz jelly jars, lids and rings.  Place jars in a large stock pot and cover with water to two inches above the jars.  Bring water to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes.  In the last minute add the lids.  You don't want to have them in the boiling water too long  or the seal with warp. 

Drain the jars as you need them. Leave hot water for processing.

Immediately pour apple butter into hot jars, leave about 1/4 inch space at the top.  Clean any spills. Seal with the lid and ring. Place finished jars back into the hot water bath and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove one by one and place hot jars on a clean kitchen towel.  Each jar will make a snapping sound, indicating it is properly sealed.  This can take place as soon as is comes out of the water or as long a a few hours later.  Once the jars are cooled, check each carefully to be sure the lid has sunk in and is properly sealed.  Any jar that has not sealed should be refrigerated and used first.