Bosch Universal Blender Applesauce!

Fall harvest for apples is here and now you can make great homemade applesauce easily.

Simply cut and peel the apples. For large amounts of apples, I would recommend using the AppletMate. (click here) Boil the apples over a low heat. When tender, drain and then blend the apples in the blender. You can also use the Bosch Universal Food Processor to make the apple sauce. Both the blender and food processor do a great job.







My kids think it is great fun to whip up fresh applesauce. In fact, they have been known to cook 2 apples and make it as a quick snack. You can add cinnamon to the finished creation! If your apples are too tart add Xagave (click here) and you won't be altering the flavor of the applesauce as honey would to the applesauce.


Hope you enjoy.

Yogurt Made Easy!

This is the easiest yogurt you can make! I have wanted our family to eat more 'live' yogurt for the nutritional benefits of eating 'good' bacteria. I didn't want to buy the artificial stuff. Well that meant we would be spending a pretty penny for everyone to only eat 1/2 cup of yogurt a day. The kids love it so they always eat more. As I ran the numbers of what it was costing us to buy this yogurt, I realized we couldn't afford to keep buying it.

This made me pursue homemade recipes with the biggest stipulation: it had to be a user friendly recipe and easy to make. Well here it is...

8 cups raw milk* (I use whole milk for a creamier yogurt)
1/3 cup tofu powder** (click here to learn more)
1/2 cup live yogurt starter***
1/2 cup real maple sugar (optional)

*we are blessed to have a certified dairy where we can purchase raw milk. You can use pasteurized milk but raw milk is definitely better for you. Perhaps I should devote a future post to: Why raw milk?

**The tofu powder helps the yogurt have a rich creamy texture.

***I started my yogurt with Dannon yogurt which is a live active yogurt. All the next batches, I just made sure I had 1/2 cup of my homemade yogurt available for the next batch.

Heat milk to 185 degrees. Your milk will just begin to frothing. You don't want it to boil and be careful at the frothing point as it will burn easily. I used a wire whisk at the frothing time to keep it from scalding.

Turn off burner and let the milk cool to 110 degrees. You can speed up this cooling process by setting your pan in cold water.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt and tofu powder and maple syrup (optional) together and add to the cooled milk. Place in clean mason jars and pull out your crock pot! I put about 1" to 2" of water in the crock and set it on warm. Put a towel over the jars to hold the heat in. If you crock runs hot, like mine, turn off the crock periodically so the yogurt doesn't cook. You only want a warm environment. Let the yogurt 'cure' for about 4 to 6 hours OR when the yogurt mixture looks like pudding.

This is soooo easy to make and now you have inexpensive yogurt. If you didn't add maple syrup you can add sweetener (honey, maple syrup, xagave) with each bowl. We add fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches) and now have yogurt just like you buy in the store! Yum.

Sweet Pickles Anyone?

Here is an old family recipe...well a Kerr Jar recipe that my mother in law taught me how to make.

I am not really a 'canner' but I have always loved my mother in law's sweet pickles. Several years ago, I asked her to teach me her secret to great sweet pickles. Yum. It really isn't hard but just need to plan your time as they take time in processing.

It is about a two day process to make these great pickles. You don't have to 'baby sit' the pickles but have to do different steps several hours apart. Thus, you can't just throw the pickles together on a whim. I had a good friend bring me some fresh cucumbers from her garden. What a blessing since we were opening our last jar of sweet pickles from last year's batch. This recipe makes a crisp delicious sweet pickle. Yes, I do know that it has sugar and that pickles are not that great for you but we enjoy them in moderation. :) Enjoy.

A footnote: I use the deluxe cooling rack (click here to see) for my bread but it is perfect to set cooling canning jars on as well. :)

Crispy Sweet Pickles

25 to 30 small cucumbers (7#)
2 cups lime (calcium hydroxide)
2 gallons water
2 quarts vinegar (8 cups)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 teaspoons salt

Slice cucumbers about 1/8" thick. Dissolve lime in water and cover cucumber slices. Let stand 24 hours. Rinse well. Let stand 3 hours in clear water. Drain. Mix well the vinegar, sugar, salt and cloves and pour over cucumbers. Let stand overnight. In the morning bring to a boil and boil 35-40 minutes. Fill sterilized Kerr jars to within 1/2" of top with cucumbers and syrup. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in boiling water bath 5 minutes. Yield: 10 pints.

Cure for Honey

Have you ever bought great raw honey only to pull it out of the pantry to find it has crystallized. Well, the next step is slowly heat it in warm water to turn it back to liquid. You have to be careful as the water surrounding the jar of honey can quickly boil and heat the honey causing it to lose nutrition.

Here is a helpful hint....Use God's creation, the sun, and this wonderful warm August month to turn all your honey back to a liquid state! Be sure to keep your honey in a glass jar with a very tight lid. Simply put the jars of honey out in the sun in a safe place from critters (pet dog or running children!) and let the sun do its work. This method will take several days but it won't heat your honey to a high temp ruining the nutrition. You can simply let the work be done while you do other things.

What a great way to get back to nature and get your honey ready for the winter.

Rice Variation

Did you know you could boil your rice in chicken broth, vegetable stock or beef broth adding nutrition and a wonderful flavor to your rice? This will add a new twist to your rice side dish. Another option is to mix your rice grain with quinoa as they both cook the same water/grain ratio. Let your imagination go when making your rice side dish.

E-COURSE

Today is the LAST day to sign up or the class. See the side bar ad to sign up. You will be glad you did!

More E-course Class Info!

The Nourished Kitchen, Jenny just announced that her course will offer LIFETIME access. Jenny's course will cost ONLY $120 (or $140 with 4 payments of $35) and the access is unlimited -- and it will not run out. They can go back to the class content or the forum indefinitely -- for life.

If you all have never taken a cooking class, they usually run $25 to $75 and you only have the one opportunity to learn the vast information from the cook. With this e-course, you will be able to watch the class over and over! There is always so much to glean from cooking classes.

I hope you all jump on board. Time is ticking and the open window to sign up for the class will be over. Click the side bar for info and to sign up!

Happy baking!

Nutritional Cooking E-Course Available

I thought I share with you another venue for you to be able to learn nutrition and cooking while in the comfort of your home! I have recently been introduced to the e-class forum.

I think you all will really enjoy the classes and the vast information you will get from this course. I have attached a link to let you get a peek at the course. It does cost but for $10 a cooking class, it is a bargain! :) There is a time crunch to sign up for the course as it starts June 1st!

See the side bar to see details. Simply click the banner and learn more.

Have fun baking and have a great day!