Homemade ketchup? Who knew?

So we have always tried to eat whole foods as much as possible but who really thinks about condiments? I think if I stopped to think about it I assumed ketchup was something you needed a science degree to make at home to get the same consistency and taste as Heinz!  This high fructose corn syrup controversy has me reading labels though and Ive been looking for inexpensive ways to get it out of our diets. I don't know if Heinz( don't sue me huge corporation!) has it or not but most of those cheaper house brands do. Not to mention preservatives and other things I'd rather control myself.

Imagine my surprise to have a friend give me this little gem. My kids love it and I like not having high fructose corn syrup in their ketchup. I mean really, chemically altered molecules? Yuck. Artificial sweeteners were all safe too until they yanked some of those off the market.

So anyhoo enough griping. This recipe is great and easy and inexpensive to make.


12 oz can tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch ground cloves
pinch cayenne

Blend and let chill in the refrigerator overnight. Store in the refrigerator as well since there are no preservatives. My kids dont notice the cayenne but I like it, you could certainly leave it out. Tweak it anyway you like but try the base recipe first.

Enjoy!

Best Chocolate Cupcakes

So of course I need a fabulous chocolate cupcake recipe to go with the fudge frosting I posted awhile ago. I take my cupcakes very seriously and have tried a gazillion different recipes until I found this one. Its from Deep Dark Chocolate by Sara Perry and Jane Zwinger at Chronicle books.
Ive used it for wedding cupcakes and for 'just because'. Its always a hit.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup very hot coffee
1 cup AP flour
1/2 baking soda
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
2/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add liners to a standard 12 cup muffin tin.
In a small bowl combine the cocoa and coffee.Stir until blended and let rest 5 minutes.
In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Stir the cocoa mixture then add it into the utter mixture a bit at a time, alternating with the flour mixture until just blended and smooth.

Divide the batter equally among the muffin tins, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-24 minutes. Do not over-bake. In my electric oven its closer to the 20 minutes so you should start checking then.

Their book has a ton of fab recipes and last time I checked could be tracked down online at Amazon. Deep Dark Chocolate is a keeper!

Pancakes for a cold snowy morning!

What's easier than pancakes and inexpensive besides? After you try these you will never buy an overpriced box of mix again.

Pancakes

1 cup AP flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 Teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk
optional; 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
or 1/2 Teaspoon real vanilla


Mix in a bowl all the dry ingredients together with a fork. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, milk, egg. Add to flour mixture.
Preheat griddle over medium heat. Drop  batter onto hot greased griddle by the heaping tablespoon full.
Turn pancakes after a minute or two, the bottoms should be golden brown. I use a ice cream scoop to portion my pancakes so they are all the same size (MOM his pancake is bigger!!!!!!!)
This recipe will make 9 4 inch pancakes.


If you run out of syrup or even just for something different, try some different topping like....

1. Melt a bit of strawberry jam in the microwave until its pourable, just a few seconds!
2. sliced bananas, shredded coconut, and a dollop of chocolate syrup
3. chopped pecans, butter, and syrup
4. Mix 1 tablespoon peanut butter into 1/4 cup of light corn syrup for peanut butter sauce
5. Spread warm pancakes with cream cheese and your favorite fruit jam.
6. butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, simple but reminds me of fried dough at the fair

Have fun and let the kids pick the topping! Pepperoni and peanut butter anyone?

Simple Chocolate Sauce

I ran out of chocolate syrup for the boys milk today and had to make a new batch.This recipes make a chocolate syrup that's awesome over ice cream, to make chocolate milk, or in any recipe calling for chocolate syrup (like brownies!).

No chemicals or preservatives or mystery ingredients are in it and its the best tasting Ive ever had.

I don't remember where Da got the original recipe but we have used it forever.

Chocolate Syrup

1/2 cup of cocoa
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
pinch salt

 

Whisk cocoa into the water until dissolved over high heat. Add the sugar.

Stir well while the syrup starts to boil.  Boil for 3 minutes on medium heat.

Add the salt. Stir well. Cool, store in the refrigerator.

If you have some real vanilla on hand add a 1/2 teaspoon with the salt.

Makes about a pint or so. 

Harvest Apple Cake

My  recipe for a rich Harvest apple cake that's fabulous served with ice cream.

3 cups diced apples
1 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons real vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1.25 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10 cup bundt cake pan or tube pan.
Mix together the apples, pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl beat together the oil, sugar, and eggs until well mixed. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
Fold in the apple mixture. Put batter into prepared plan.
Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Allow cake to cool in pan after baking for 1 hour then turn out onto plate.

Delicious Glazed Carrots

Yummy and delicious, Easy and low cost. What more can you ask?


Glazed Carrots

1 lb carrot pieces or baby carrots
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
black pepper to taste



In a medium saucepan bring  enough water to cook carrots to  a boil. Add carrots and boil 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain carrots and return to pan. Add butter, honey, and lemon juice, cooking over medium heat until a glaze forms, about 5 minutes. season with pepper as desired.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Peanut Butter Cookies

Yeah, I know, its not a thanksgiving recipes necessarily but they ARE great to have on hand to throw at hungry children who can smell the turkey cooking all day.

CHRISTINA'S  PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

3 c AP flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c butter

1 c peanut butter

1 c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients until you have a firm smooth dough. DO NOT CHILL. drop on clean cool cookie sheet by the tablespoonful and  bake at 400 degrees for 10-11 minutes on the middle oven rack.  

Notes:

• you can use margarine but you'll have a softer cookie
•  I use a commercial scoop but its probably about 1/8 c.
• I get  3 dozen exactly from one batch.
•  Dough can be frozen in logs and baked later
• preferably only bake one cookie sheet at a time, if you must do 2 sheets rotate halfway through baking time.

Cranberry Sauce, Simple but Impressive

I have been perfecting my menu for Thanksgiving and Cranberry sauce is one of the least expensive but most impressive dishes to bring to anyone's table.

Here is my simple but tasty recipe for this classic.

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1  12 oz package fresh cranberries
2 granny smith apples
a pinch of ground cloves
a generous pinch of cinnamon

Peel, core, and chop the apples.

In a medium saucepan bring the cranberries, sugar, apples, and water to a boil, stirring occasionally.

When it is boiling drop the heat down so you have a very gentle boil and cook for 10 minutes. Probably at about medium heat, depending on your stove.

Remove from heat and stir in your spices. Let cool, then refrigerate overnight.

I make this year round for turkey sandwiches and pork chops but it's always raved over at Thanksgiving. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Enjoy!

French Toast Sticks

Its been awhile!
We have added another baby to the household and I have returned to college full time while working part time. I'll be adding lots of new recipes and household tricks for everyone. 
Today I want to share my easy French Toast Stick recipe.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I use 1 loaf of 3/4 inch sliced bread. You can use french bread, brioche, Texas toast, whatever is handy. Wonder type breads get mushy, a thicker denser bread works best. Cut the bread slices into thirds so you have some nice kid sized strips.

Put all the bread into a zip top bag. How many you get depends on how thick your bread is. I feed 3 adults and two small children with a few left over. 
 
In a bowl whisk together 
1.5 cups milk,
4 large eggs, 
1 teaspoon vanilla,
 a pinch of nutmeg. 

Pour the custard mixture into the bag with the bread pieces.
Close and lay on counter while you prep the pan 
Grease a baking sheet with butter or margarine. Do not skip this step, it WILL stick. 
Turn over the bread bag so the other side soaks. 
Put 1 tablespoon sugar with a pinch of cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix together. 
Carefully open the bread bag and lay the pieces out on your greased baking sheet. 
sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. 
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown. Turn pieces over and bake an additional 10 minutes. 
 
Serve with maple syrup or yogurt.

Yummy! 

I bag the leftovers and freeze. On weekday mornings I can just pop a few in the toaster for the boys for breakfast.