Author: Brenda

Freeze apples now, bake with them later.

Wash apples

Peel, core and slice apples

You’ll need:  Quart or gallon freezer bags or freezer containers or a food vacuum sealer

I freeze my apples in three different quantity sizes:  6 cups (amount needed for a 9 “ pie), 4 cups (amount needed for an 8×8 pan of apple crisp) or 8 cups  (amount needed for a 9×13 pan of apple crisp).

After bagging the apples up, I write both the quantity of apples and the year on the bag.  Lay them flat in the freezer.  After they’ve frozen solid, they will stack (somewhat) nicely.

Baking with the frozen apples:  I take the apples out of the freezer the night before I want to bake with them; letting them thaw overnight.  Two downfalls to frozen apples:  1.) They brown in the freezer; but seriously, after you bake them who’s going to know if they’re brown – you’ve just baked them into something delicious.  2.) You will have a lot of liquid in the bag.  First, drain the liquid out of the bag into a bowl or measuring cup.  Pour your apples into your baking dish.  Then – you have to kinda eyeball this – pour some of the liquid into the pan with the apples until it looks like you have enough.  You’ll know, because you don’t want the liquid spilling over the edge of your pie plate or a soggy apple crisp.

Applesauce

I don’t like giving canning instructions.  I’ve been canning over 30 years and it has become a bit of a second nature to me.  If you’re not completely comfortable with the instructions or you would like a little more instruction, you can google “canning applesauce” and find all kinds of help, suggestions, more detailed instructions and pictures.

I got this recipe from my friend Julie.  It’s super easy.

• 12 pounds apples
• ½ – 1 gallon water
• ¾ cup lemon juice (Optional:  I was told the lemon juice will help the apples from browning.  I use the lemon juice, others don’t.)
• 12 washed and sterilized pint jars (or 6 quart jars), lids and rings for jars

Wash apples

Peel, core and slice apples

Place apples in large stock pot. (I use a 10 quart stock pot.)  Add ½ – 1 gallon water (The more water you add, the thinner your apple sauce will be and the longer you will need to cook it down.)  I generally use ¾-1 gallon water.  Add lemon juice.  Once you have all 12 lbs. of apples and your water in pan, depending on the size of your stock pot it may be very close to overflowing as it begins to boil.  I forgot to take a pic of that for you.

Cook apples on medium to low heat, stirring frequently to prevent apples from scorching on the bottom of the pan.  As you cook them, the apples will break down giving you a thick, chunky sauce.  I don’t run mine through a food processor or blender; we like chunky applesauce.  (You can blend it if you prefer no chunks.) Cook apples 3-4 hours, until desired consistency (Maybe longer, depending on cooking temperature.)

When it’s almost time to start canning your applesauce, boil water to sterilize your washed jars.  Also start a small sauce pan of water boiling to put your canning lids in.  Have the applesauce good and hot when you fill your hot, sterilized jars.  Fill jars one at a time. After jarring, put on a canning lid taken out of the pan of boiling water and then a canning ring. (Jars are hot, use a towel when tightening the ring on jar.) From there, I put my full jars on a heavy towel on my counter; up against the wall and away from any breeze.  I then cover all of the jars with another towel to keep the heat in, allowing the jars to cool slowly.  I’ve had good luck with getting all of my jars to seal.  Let jars sit for 24 hours before moving them.  I don’t “hot water bath” my jars as a last step, but I know a lot of people that like to. If you want, you can definitely do that.

“Hot Water Bath”:  Place the full jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove jars from pan.  Be careful – they’re hot!  Place jars on a heavy towel, away from any cool breeze, cover with another towel.  Let jars sit for 24 hours before moving them. (Hot water bath is supposed to help ensure your jars seal.)

2 batches.

Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer:  I have one and it is a hand cranked wonder, as well as a huge time saver.  I picked it up a few years ago for around $20 at Meijer.  Much faster than using a paring knife; but if you don’t have one, a paring knife will definitely do the job.

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

 These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)

A few weeks back, on our way home after a few days at Lake Michigan, we stopped at a fruit stand.  (Fruit stands pepper Michigan’s roadsides this time of year.)  We picked up garden fresh vegetables, a hanging basket and fresh peaches and blueberries.

We ate the peaches and blueberries as a snack, in our cereal and oatmeal and I made peach cobbler.  After all of that, we still had peaches and blueberries left.  I had a recipe for blueberry jam, but not for peach.  I texted Bradley and asked him to send me the recipe for the peach preserves he’d made last year.  (We got to try them when visiting him in May, yum.)

While waiting, I decided to try my blueberry jam recipe.  (This is where I tell you the condensed version of my fiasco with that particular recipe.  Pretty sure where I screwed up was with the honey.  I used honey we’d gotten from a friend, which was extremely thick and I think I could have used ½ the required amount.  On top of that, it was a time consuming recipe. I’m not a huge fan of “time consuming” recipes.  So, long story short:  It took more time than I really wanted to invest and it didn’t taste like blueberry jam – it tasted like honey.  To top it off, after it spent the night in the refrigerator, we honestly could not get our knife to “break through” the jam.  Too. Much. Honey.  Chalk this one up to experience.)

Back to the peaches.  Bradley sent me a link for “Georgia Peach Council Homemade Peach Preserves”.  I’ll post the recipe and a link to their site below.

But first, you have to listen to a little more of my ramblings.  These peach preserves:  Oh my!!  First off, they were so easy to make.  Then, when I ate the preserves on my English muffin (“Food For Life Gluten Free English Muffins”)   https://www.foodforlife.com/products/english-muffins ; I could have sworn I was eating a fresh peach.  Seriously, they’re that good.  A couple mornings later, I had a cup of oatmeal with almond milk and 2 teaspoons of peach preserves in the oatmeal.  (I was out of brown sugar.)  I gotta say it again – Oh My!  It tasted as if I were eating a warm bowl of peach crisp – for breakfast!  Not a bad way to start my day.

I am thrilled with how great these preserves taste and I love how quick and easy they were to make.  In fact, this recipe was so delicious and easy; I decided I would try it again, with one substitution – blueberries instead of peaches.  (What did I have to lose?)

*I followed the Peach Preserves recipe (which I will post below) with just the one substitution – blueberries.  I did everything else the same.  Success!  Delicious blueberry jam – yay!  (I’m calling it jam because I don’t think you call it blueberry preserves, which is okay because I really needed to make jam this week to tie into my post title.)

Homemade Peach Preserves

A Gena Knox Original

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Level: Beginner

Peach preserves are an easy way to preserves summer’s fresh flavors and enjoy year round. In addition to serving at breakfast, they are delicious in glazes for meats and seafood or paired with fresh goat cheese and baguette for a wonderful appetizer.

INGREDIENTS / YIELDS: 6 HALF-PINT JARS

• 4 cups fresh peaches*, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 package powdered pectin
• 5 cups sugar
• 6 half-pint jars

PREPARATION

1. FIRST In a large stock pot, combine peaches, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a boil over high heat until bubbles form over surface, stirring constantly. Add sugar and boil for an additional minute, constantly stirring. Remove from heat and skim foam from surface.
2. NEXT Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Using tongs, transfer lids, rings, and jars to water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove, using tongs, and let drain on towel.
3. LAST Fill sterilized jars with hot jam, leaving ½” headspace. Place lids on jars and secure until finger tight. Wipe sides of jars clean and process in boiling water for 5 minutes. Once jars have cooled, secure lids and store in cool, dark place for up to a year.

http://gapeaches.org/recipes/homemade-peach-preserves/

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                

 These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)

For me, my mom’s potato salad and summer were synonymous.  Growing up, we always looked forward to Mom making her potato salad for Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Fathers’ Day, the 4^th of July and on those hot summer days; when it was just too hot to eat.  Those hot nights, she’d serve a light supper of potato salad, ring bologna and sliced Colby cheese.  It just didn’t get any better than that.

When I got married, one of my goals was to “perfect” Mom’s potato salad.  No simple task.  She really didn’t use recipes.  She cooked by smell, taste and texture.  Whenever I, or any of my five sisters, asked about her recipe; she’d say the same thing.  “Miracle Whip, vinegar, mustard, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper.  You’ll know you’ve got it, when it smells right.  Take a taste.  If you like it, pour a little milk in to thin it out a bit.”

That’s it.  That’s her recipe.

It took me a few years, but I’m happy to say, I got it.  (And I will tell you, smell is key.)  My potato salad is now a favorite with my family on those same holidays and also for birthdays.  Of course; I also like to serve a light summer supper like Mom did, when it’s just too hot to eat.  Only difference:  We grill hamburgers or hot dogs, no ring bologna.  (Ring bologna contains dry milk.  Some hot dogs do also.  I can eat “Koegel Skinless Beef Franks”.  Koegel’s other hot dog varieties contain dry milk.)  www.koegelmeats.com

One other thing I do differently than Mom, I sometimes serve this same meal in the middle of winter.  After enduring months of below freezing temperatures, blowing wind and snow; it just feels like winter will never release its’ icy grip.  My kids always knew I’d reached my breaking point when they came home and I’d announce that we were having summer for supper.  I needed to see a light at the end of the tunnel and summer supper provided that light.  If it was just too cold for Kevin (always a good sport) to brave the freezing temperatures in the garage to grill, I would broil hotdogs in the oven.  We’d turn up the heat and tell the kids they could put on a pair of shorts for supper.  This would be enough to fortify us for another eight to ten weeks of cold and snow.

So you can only imagine my disappointment, when first Abby, then I were both diagnosed with an egg allergy.  No more Miracle Whip.  Then a few years back, I found the egg-less mayonnaise and began the task of trying to once again master “Mom’s potato salad” – without Miracle Whip.  Probably the hardest part has been because she used Miracle Whip and the egg-less mayonnaise I’m using isn’t sweet.  It took me some time. (Read:  We ate some, not so yummy potato salads for a while.) Eventually, I figured out how to sweeten it up just the right about amount and yet not lose the tang that the vinegar and mustard both bring to the salad.

Below I will post the recipe and a few pictures.  I will try to get this recipe across to you, but a lot of it is based on your personal taste.  My family really likes the tang of the vinegar and when I ask one of them to give it a taste; more often than not I hear, “Needs more vinegar.”  Which is better than saying I’ve added too much vinegar, because you really can’t take it out once it’s in there; although you can add more “Just Mayo”.  The more often you make this, the better you’ll get at it.  One last thing, I’ve had people tell me, they never put veggies in their potato salad.  To me, the veggies are a must, especially the sweet onion.  (Also, Mom always put boiled eggs in hers also and if it wasn’t for my egg allergy, I still would too.)

Brenda’s Egg and Dairy Free Potato Salad

• 6 potatoes
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2-3 pieces celery, peeled and diced
• Sweet or Red onion – not a cooking onion (quantity based on taste), peeled and   diced.
• 2 cups “Just Mayo” (This is approximate, you may need more, but you won’t know until you pour it onto the salad.)  www.vegan.com/hampton-creek
• Apple Cider vinegar
• Mustard
• Granulated sugar
• Salt and Pepper
• Almond milk
• 2-3 boiled eggs (optional)

Boil six potatoes with their skins on.  After boiling, drain and let cool so you can peel.  If you aren’t able to peel them right away, they will keep fine in a covered dish in the refrigerator for a day or two.  After peeling, dice up potatoes into a large bowl.  You can dice up potatoes as small as you like them for your salad.  (I like mine quite small, so after dicing up, I use my “Kwik-kut Food Chopper” on them.  It’s in the picture by the bowl.  www.kwik-kut.com)  Notice how large my bowl is, you want it to be large so you can stir easily.

Add chopped up carrot, celery and onion to potatoes in large bowl.

Dressing:  (We also use this same dressing for macaroni salad and coleslaw.)

Put 2 cups “Just Mayo” in a deep bowl. (Not the same bowl that the potatoes are in, you want to mix the dressing before putting it on the potatoes.  I use a 4 cup measuring cup.)  Add vinegar, mustard, a couple pinches of sugar, salt and pepper, stir with wire whisk.

Smell it.  Can you smell the vinegar?  If not, you should add a little more.  Stir.  Smell it again.  Taste it.  Maybe it needs more mustard?  A bit more sugar?  Too much vinegar in there?  Add a little more Just Mayo.  Keep doing all of the above until you like how it smells and tastes. Then you are ready to add some milk and stir, to thin it out.

Add only a little milk  at a time, because you can’t take it out once it’s in there.  Don’t make it too thin, you want a creamy salad.

(You add the milk once all the other ingredients have been stirred because if you add it at the same time as the vinegar, the milk will curdle.)  Pour it over your potatoes and veggies and stir.  You have just made awesome potato salad! Refrigerate before and after serving.

This salad tastes best if made at least one day in advance.  While it may taste good the day you made it, letting it set overnight it will taste incredible.  The dressing will soak into the potatoes so you want to be sure you have enough dressing or by the next day you will have dry potato salad. Also keep in mind that the vinegar taste will sometimes mellow a little overnight, so the next day your potato salad may not have quite the kick it did when you first made it.  If that’s the case, you can add a little more vinegar before serving; just be sure to stir it in well.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

 These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)

I make an awesome pie, especially a two crust pie.  In fact, I once won 2^nd place in a pie baking contest!  Then wheat allergies struck at our house.

Making a two crust pie with gluten free flour is – disheartening.  I tried making pies with gluten-free flour, gluten-free pie crust mixes, and pre-made gluten-free dough for more years than I care to count.  I’d get a wild hair every once in a while, and try baking a pie…again.  (I think I sometimes had amnesia regarding my limitations baking gluten-free.)  Most of the time, I ended up throwing the pie out.  Sometimes my family, desperate for the freshly baked pie which smelled wonderful, would suggest we at least scrape the pie filling out of the horrible crust and eat it.  Now that’s a “glass half full” kind of attitude, isn’t it?  Anyway, I quit making pies.

Then I found the  ”So Delicious CoCo Whip”   http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/ and got the itch to try making a pie again; a single crust pie that I could top with my CoCo Whip.  Banana Cream is Kevin’s favorite.  I read the ingredient list on a box of “Jello” brand Banana Cream Pudding.  It looks like I can safely eat it; but I wonder if it’s worth taking a chance when I can, actually, make it from scratch.

It was time to get my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook out.  I also got my tub of CoCo Whip and Pillsbury Gluten Free Dough out of the freezer. (I had enough of the dough for one crust from a previous time and it freezes well.)  Below is a picture of the cookbook and the recipe. You will notice it’s actually a Coconut Cream Pie recipe, but at the bottom of the picture you will see how you can make it Banana Cream.  With every new allergy, I make changes in my cookbooks, so you will see them also.  Below the picture is the recipe, with my substitutions, which I used for making my pie. (I think on a laptop screen the recipe may be hard to read because you cannot zoom in on it. Viewing this on a phone should allow you to zoom in.

Brenda’s version of Banana Cream Pie (Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free)

9-inch baked pie shell:

Pillsbury Gluten Free Dough can be found in the refrigerator section in a 15.8 oz. container. (Similar to a container sour cream may come in.){See my message – in all caps – at end of this post.}  I let my frozen dough set out overnight to thaw.  It was room temperature when I went to roll it out (between 2 pieces of wax paper).  It rolled out like a dream – which hasn’t always been the case when using this product.  I think when I’ve used it before it was still quite cool after being refrigerated.  I’m thinking room temperature may be the key.  Follow the baking instructions on the container. (Don’t forget to poke holes in the crust before baking.)

Banana Cream Filling:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup potato starch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups almond milk (or your favorite milk/milk alternative)
• Egg Replacer prepared equivalent to 2 eggs *(see note below)
• 2 tablespoons butter alternative
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Couple drops yellow food color (I do this to brighten it up a bit, because I don’t have the egg yolks to give it a little color.)
• 2 bananas
• “So Delicious CoCo Whip”
• *(I only mix up enough for 2 eggs, because the original recipe calls for 4 egg yolks – not 4 eggs, so you don’t want to put in the equivalent of 4 eggs.)

Mix sugar, potato starch and salt in saucepan.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thicken and boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Stir prepared egg replacer into mixture.  Boil and stir 1 minute, remove from heat.  Stir in butter alternative, vanilla and couple drops of yellow food color.  Let it cool a bit, then press plastic wrap onto filling in saucepan; refrigerate until room temperature.  Slice 2 bananas into pie shell, pour cooled filling over bananas.  Top the pie with “CoCo Whip”.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.  Refrigerate any remaining pie.

My pie turned out great, hope yours does too.

Enjoy!

– WELL, THIS IS A BUMMER.  AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, WHEN I MENTION NAME  BRAND PRODUCTS I USE, I LIKE TO ADD A LINK TO THEIR WEBSITE.  TRY AS I MIGHT, I COULDN’T FIND ONE FOR PILLSBURY’S GLUTEN FREE DOUGH.  WHILE SEARCHING, I SAW A COUPLE GLUTEN FREE SITES DISCUSSING PILLSBURY GLUTEN FREE PRODUCTS (SOME NOT IN A POSITIVE MANNER) AND WHEN I WENT TO BOTH THE KROGER AND WALMART SITES, THEY NO LONGER CARRY IT.  SO, WE MAY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.  I’M SO DISAPPOINTED.  I’LL LET YOU KNOW IF I FIND ANY MORE INFORMATION ON THIS. I’M AFRAID I MAY HAVE TO SEE IF I CAN PERFECT A NEW PIE CRUST MIX.

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)

So…I was going to post about a blueberry jam I’ve been wanting to make – well… let’s save that for another time.

As you can see by today’s post title, I’ve got a chicken and pasta recipe for you to try – a REALLY good chicken and pasta recipe.  Once again, it came from that little magazine that Kroger sends me every month or so.  (Love it!) www.kroger.com

For me, I like this dish for a number  of reasons.  First, it is a nice change from the traditional red sauce and ground beef I usually serve with spaghetti.   Second, the avocado pairs nicely with the chicken and pasta.  Third, with the summer heat it’s nice not to have the stove on too long preparing a meal.  Lastly, it is refreshing to find a recipe that doesn’t smother the pasta in cheese.  (Says the girl who’s allergic to dairy. lol)

The recipe is below, in two different pictures.  The first image shows the ingredients for the Blackened Seasoning & I also wrote in how much chicken I use.  The second image shows the prep & cooking instructions.  I’ve done this with the two pictures, because, I’m not sure how well everyone can read the recipes when I post pictures of them.  I’m not sure if everyone is able to zoom in on them, so I’m hoping this may be helpful.

Below the recipe I have a few notes on the minor changes I made to the recipe.  After my commentary, I have posted a picture of my finished product.

As I said, I only have a few minor changes:

The recipe says it’s for four people.  I made mine to feed six.

I don’t know what “smoked paprika” is or where to buy it, so I use just “paprika”.

Instead of whole wheat pasta I use gluten free pasta.  (My two go-to’s are Barilla or Ronzoni.  I use either spaghetti or fettucini.)  They don’t mention how much pasta to prepare.  That will be based on the number of people you will be feeding.

I don’t add the corn. After Bradley was diagnosed with his corn allergy, we essentially cut corn out of our lives.  Feel free to add it if you like.

That’s it, other than that I follow the recipe to the letter.

Thanks for stopping!

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

 These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)