This time of year, my obsession with growing heirloom tomato plants usually culminates in an abundance of ripe tomatoes.  Baskets full.  Generally we eat all we can and freeze the rest, then when I get time, I pull out all those bags of frozen tomatoes and make homemade tomato jam.  I use the jam in recipes in place of tomato sauce because it's sweet and savory, and it adds so much zest and tang compared to regular old tomato sauce.   The recipe is so easy, and the smell of homegrown tomatoes and herbs stewing on the stove top just permeates the house.   I like to make this in the winter, because it really perks me up when the weather's got me down.  Plus, I have more free time when I'm snowed in.  

However, when I went to make a homemade lasagne the other day and realized I had no tomato sauce whatsoever in my house, I knew it was time to stir up a small batch of my homegrown, homemade tomato jam.  Even if winter is not quite here yet.  Thank the Lord. 

The recipe varies depending on what I have available, but here's what I tossed in this time: 

3lbs tomatoes          
1 each green & orange bell pepper       
3 banana peppers
1 handful each basil & oregano leaves           
4 sprigs thyme            
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion            
1/2 cup brown sugar              
1t garlic salt
    

All these ingredients get tossed in the pan and cooked down.  Nothing is peeled except the garlic and onion, and very little is chopped (the onions and tomatoes get a rough chop or two).
I like to do things quick and easy!

This cooks on medium heat for 30 minutes or so, and when it starts to breakdown, I use a potato masher to break up the larger pieces.  I cook it for another 1/2 hour to an hour, letting it reduce until it starts to get thick, somewhere between pasta sauce and tomato paste consistency.

This is how it looks when it reaches that final stage.  For me, it's finished.  But if you can't stand having the seeds and chunks in there, you could run it through a strainer or food mill to get a smoother texture.  Again, that's an extra step, and I prefer to keep things simple!

And I also prefer to eat it right out of the pan, but that's just me.

Once the jam is finished, you can either freeze it in ziplock bags or can it.  It holds up well both ways, so take your pick.  And be sure to sample a bite first...you might end up eating the whole batch right there and won't even need to preserve it! 

I'm speaking from experience... 
I have no regrets.

Since it's mid-September and raining steadily, I decided to make one of my favorite cool-weather dishes for supper--Roots & Sausage.  It's a favorite for a few reasons--it's simple, it's easy, and it's delicious.  And I get to use some of my stash of homegrown potatoes, garlic, and onions! 

I cooked it all in my vintage slow cooker I scored for $1 at a Mennonite yard sale (yippee!), but you can use a modern slow cooker or even bake it in the oven. 

Here's the simple part:  the ingredients.  It's just polish sausage and "root vegetables", meaning the vegetable is actually the root of the plant--grown below ground, not above.  Here's what I used:  

11 red potatoes, 5 small onions, 4 garlic cloves, 4 carrots, and one package of polish sausage.

Feel free to toss in some sweet potatoes, too.  They taste great in this, but my cupboard was bare (of sweet potatoes, at least), and I was not about to run to the store to get some.  Call me crazy.

Here's the easy part:  Chop everything up into equal-sized pieces and toss them in your slow cooker.  Peel the potatoes if you want, I kind of half-way do that.  And I make sure the sausage goes in last so all the juices drip down on the roots and season them real good.  Mmm-mmn.

Then I kick it up a notch by sprinkling some brown sugar and seasoned salt over the top, just enough to lightly cover everything.  The sugar revs up the sweetness of the vegetables, and the salt balances out the flavor.  Plus, I'm in love with brown sugar.  And salt of any kind. 
I feel better just saying it.

Cook this for a couple of hours on high, gently stirring it a time or two.  When the carrots are tender, it's done.  Plate it up with a few tomato slices, drizzle it with some sauce from the bottom of the pot, and savor the flavor.  That's where the deliciousness comes in!


Note:  This recipe serves 4.  If baking this dish in the oven, just grease a roast pan, fill it up, and cook it til it's tender, maybe an hour.  Serving it with the tomatoes is mandatory.  You'll see.

Seasonal recipes are right up my alley, and this one is literally packed full of farm-fresh produce. It's a regional dish consisting of eggs poached in tomato sauce, and it's been served in kitchens all over the Middle East, from Jaffa to Palestine. And to add to the appeal, the recipe hails from a tiny cafe in an ancient Middle Eastern alley.  How intriguing! And exotic.  And even though ancient Palestine is slightly different from the Missouri Ozarks, I couldn't resist trying this dish out in my own kitchen.  I was glad I did.

I discovered Shakshuka during a weekly trip to the Morgan County Library.  Nita, the lovely Library Director was showing me some new "clean food" cookbooks that had just come in, and we were slowly flipping through them, pausing to ooh and aah over the stunning photographs and brilliantly detailed recipes.  Did I mention it was right before lunch? 

I honed in on this recipe from the book Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  What got my attention first was the gorgeous photo, but when I read the list of ingredients, I knew I had just about every one growing in my garden.  Sold!  I checked out the book and raced home.

I grabbed my basket and went straight to the garden, by way of the chicken coop. 
Here's what I gathered:

1 large onion  (to be sliced)                               3 large tomatoes                               
1 red bell pepper (to be cut into strips)               3 sprigs of thyme                              
1 green bell pepper (repeat above)                      several parsley leaves (2T chopped)     
4 eggs                                                           20 coriander seeds (or 1/2t cumin)      

And here's what I used from my cupboard:

salt & pepper        3/4c olive oil         1/4t Old Bay           2t cane sugar           1c water

There were only a few things I didn't have, like bay leaves, cumin, and saffron, which the recipe calls for.  But Shakshuka is traditionally made using whatever ingredients you have on hand, so I used Old Bay for the bay leaves, coriander for the cumin, and left out the saffron.  I was stretching it for sure, but it worked.  And I'm a big fan of using what you have. 
It's kind of my motto. 

The first step was to dry roast the coriander (or cumin) for a minute or two.  Then add the onions and brown them in a bit of olive oil.  Let's just pause a moment to admire the onions.................scrumptious, aren't they?  Now we must move on....it gets even better.

Toss in the peppers, sugar, and herbs.  Cook them down, about 5 minutes or so.

Time to add the tomatoes and spices.  Reduce the heat and cook this for 15 minutes or so.  Add water as needed to give it a sauce consistency.

Okay, here comes the exciting part....make four wells in the mixture and crack an egg in each well.  Turn the heat way down and simmer this until the eggs are just set.  Don't worry if a yolk breaks, one of mine did and it turned out just fine.

Sprinkle with some salt and chopped parsley, scoop it on a plate, and experience the tsunami of flavor that overtakes you.  It's intense.  And amazing.  And delicious.  Did I mention delicious?

For the complete Shakshuka recipe and more, get a hold of a copy of Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.
You'll be glad you did.

And be sure to visit your local library--there's a world of adventure waiting for you there!

My morning usually starts with a mosey around the garden.  I like to check on the vegetables, pull a few weeds, and pick whatever is ripe on the vines.  Then, with my bounty in hand, I head back into the house and straight into the kitchen.  Because it's smoothie time!  For breakfast I love making a smoothie from whatever fruits and greens I've found on my morning walk.  I also like to juice some of the vegetables I've picked and freeze it in ice cube trays for future smoothie use.  I pick our fruits and berries when they ripen and freeze them too for the same reason.  The frozen items keep the smoothie cold and prevent it from becoming too liquidy. 

Every smoothie I make is different because I use what I have available.  That's the beauty of homesteading!  It's hard to get bored because nothing ever stays the same--even our meals!  Here's a list of what usually ends up in my smoothies:

Greens--usually kale or spinach, but sometimes I toss in some lettuce, chard, or carrot tops. 
Berries--our blackberries, mulberries, dewberries, and strawberries are all power foods, and some even help prevent wrinkles and gray hair!  I double up on those.
Frozen fruit--I stock up on bananas, pineapple, grapes, and more when they're on sale.
Frozen vegetable juice cubes--the bounty from the garden, juiced and frozen in ice-cube trays
Wheat grass juice or powder--this superfood is easy to grow and juice, but the powder works great too.   It's good for our blood cells and it increases energy.
Juice--fresh or bottled juice adds liquid to the mix.  I like orange juice or mango juice.

Here comes my favorite part:  The bullet blender.  These things are perfect for making personal size smoothies!  You just assemble all the ingredients in the cup, screw on the nifty lid the has blades attached, flip it over, and place it on the base.  One simple downward twist is all that's needed to start the motor whirring.  A few minutes of blending later, you take the cup off the base, unscrew the blade lid, and screw on the green drinking rim.  Ta-Da!  It's ready to drink.  I never knew how easy this could be until I found my bullet blender at a yard sale.  Once I tried it, it opened up a whole new world for me.  A world that didn't involve a big cumbersome blender but did involve less cleanup--you drink right out of the cup that you blend in, so it cuts the dirty dish count in half!  And now I can not only eat from the garden, I can drink from it too...what a great way to start my day!

And now I can not only eat from the garden, I can drink from it too...what a great way to start my day!

Look at this piece of cake! It's moist and chocolaty with glossy black icing that just simply oozes indulgence.  This is my go-to cake when I just have to have a chocolate fix--which is more often than I'd like to admit.  It's similar to a chocolate sheet cake recipe, but uses two types of cocoa, light and dark, and instead of buttermilk I use heavy whipping cream soured with a touch of vinegar.  It's baked in a regular cake pan, so it's a bit thicker than a sheet cake, too.  I like to texture the top so the icing pools up in the crevices, but I'll get to that later.  Here's the recipe for the cake, and the icing recipes follows.  Happy baking!

2 sticks butter                           2 tbls dark cocoa                 2 tbls light cocoa
1 cup water                              2 cups sugar                        2 cups flour
1 tsp soda                                 1/2 tsp fine sea salt              2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 1/4 tsp vinegar               1 tbls vanilla

Assemble dry ingredients in bowl.  Bring butter, cocoas, and water to a boil, and pour over dry ingredients.  Add heavy cream/vinegar, eggs, and vanilla.  Bake in 13"x 9" pan at 350 degrees for 20 min.

When the cake is about half done, I pull it out and press down the surface using the back of a spoon.  This causes the uncooked batter in the center to ooze to the surface.  I pop it back in the oven and let it finish baking.  Doing this creates a rough texture on the top, and when the frosting is poured on the hot cake, it pools in the dips and hollows of the surface.  This step is definitely optional, it's just something I do to give the cake a different look.  And it reminds me of the "hills and hollers" here in Missouri after the spring thaw!

This is the icing recipe:
1 stick butter                             2 tbls light cocoa                     2 tbls dark cocoa
6 tbls heavy whipping cream with 1/8 tsp vinegar                      2 cups powdered sugar


Melt butter, cocoas, and heavy cream/vinegar.  Bring to boil, and remove from heat.  Sift in powder sugar and whisk until thick.  Ice cake while warm.  Let cake cool a bit before digging in.  If you can!

Cookies and milk are so incredibly satisfying.  It's one of my favorite comfort foods, but I don't have the patience to scoop out the batter into all those individual cookies.  I love shortcuts, and so I make cookie bars.  It's much faster!  This recipe is basically a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe with a few adaptations to suit my taste buds.  And let me tell you, when I bite into one of these, it is pure heaven fresh from the oven.  I think they're best warm, and I can never give them time to cool anyway.  And if you've never tried bittersweet chocolate, now's the time.  It literally melts in your mouth and in your hands! 

2 sticks softened butter         1 cup brown sugar              1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla                         2 eggs                               2 cups flour
1 tsp fine sea salt                  1 tsp baking soda                1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350' and grease a 13"x 9" cake pan.  Here's a few tips: You definitely need to use an electric mixer with this recipe since the batter is so thick, and the butter and eggs blend better at room temperature, so try to lay them out an hour before mixing.  I can't say that thinking ahead is one of my strong points, so I just do the best I can with that.

Place the butter and sugars in mixing bowl, and beat until creamy.  I like to make sure the sugars dissolve well, so I pinch a tiny bit out and rub it between my fingers.  If it feels gritty, I beat it some more.  Then add the vanilla and eggs, and whip it.  You'll notice a change in the color of the batter pretty quick, it becomes a lighter creamier shade of yellow.  When this happens, it's time to add the dry ingredients.

Get out your sifter, because sifting the flour really does affect the texture of these bars.  Measure out the flour, soda, and sea salt, and pile it all in the sifter.  Shake it into the creamy mixture a little at a time, blending in between to avoid the flour clouds that can easily occur here.  Despite my best efforts, I usually end up with at least a dusting of flour on me during the process.  If you go slow, you'll be okay.  Just wear an apron.  

Once the flour is blended in, add the chocolate chips.  Stir them in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon because at this point, the batter has had all the creaming, whipping, and blending it can take.  It's time to be gentle.  Get those chips stirred in there good, and then grab your greased cake pan.  Spread the batter in the pan and press it into the corners with the spatula.  Slide the pan into the oven and bake it for 15-20 minutes.  Keep a close eye on the batter, though.  I like these bars to be soft and gooey, and they are easy to over bake. 

When the top starts to turn golden brown--or if you're like me, right before that--pull them out and set the pan on a heat resistant surface.  It's time to cut them into squares.  A knife can be used for this, but let the bars cool a few minutes because the slicing motion will rip the hot bars and you'll have jagged edges.  I cut them immediately with a metal spatula, pressing straight down so they don't tear.  They taste delicious no matter the appearance; so pour you a glass of milk and dig in.  A plate is optional!

There's a certain charm about vintage recipes, and this chocolate meringue pie recipe has completely charmed me.  The pie recipe comes from my mom's vintage Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, and the crust recipe comes from the cookbook "Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930's" by Rita Van Amber.  This is a three part recipe, and it isn't a quick instant pie for sure.  But sometimes the end result makes up for the lengthy process, and for me, making this recipe is a window to another time.  So, peek through the window.  And maybe someday soon you can spend an afternoon baking a pie just like Grandma did.

Step #1:  The No-Roll Crust

This is the only crust I ever make because it's so easy, and it tastes fantastic.  I use it for fruit pies, pudding pies, custard pies, and even pot pies, cobblers and crumbles!  The recipe is for a 9" pan, which works great for this pie because it only requires a bottom crust.  It's easily doubled though, for those pies that require a top and bottom crust.  Here's how the recipe goes...

1 1/2 cup flour            1 1/2 t sugar           1 tsp salt        1/2 cup oil         2-3 tbls milk

Combine dry ingredients in pie pan.  In a separate container, use a fork to whip together the oil and milk then pour into flour. 

Stir it all together until the mixture forms a ball of dough.  Now, if that wasn't easy enough, all that's left to do is press this dough out evenly in the pan.  Ta-Da!  No chilling, no rolling, no floury mess everywhere!  Just prick it with a fork a few times so the air bubbles don't expand and slide this thing into the oven.  Bake it at 400 degrees for ten minutes or so, just until it starts to feel crisp but hasn't yet started to brown.  Then let the crust cool while you work on step #2.  That's right, now it's time to move on to the chocolate filling! 

Step #2:  The Filling

We are basically making homemade chocolate pudding here, so don't get scared with all these ingredients.  They come together beautifully to create a pudding that tastes quite a bit like a melted chocolate chip, only creamier.  We'll pour this in our crust, top it with meringue, and it will be easy as pie!  Here's what we need...

1 cup sugar       1/3 cup flour or 3 tbls cornstarch        1/4 tsp salt       2 cups milk      
3 slightly beaten egg yolks     2 tbls butter      1 tsp vanilla      2 oz unsweetened chocolate

First, chop the chocolate in pieces.  It helps to have this done ahead of time, and it's easy to do with a serrated knife.  I just use my bread knife, and it takes no time at all.  Then I get right to the rest of the recipe. 

In saucepan, combine sugar, flour or cornstarch, and salt.  A whisk works great for this, and keep it handy, because then it's time to gradually whisk in the milk and chocolate.  Cook and stir this mixture over medium high heat until it's bubbly.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more, and then remove the pan from heat.  Make sure the heat is medium high so it cooks at just the right speed.  And the cooking times need to be pretty exact, so setting a timer helps with this step.

So, we've come to a tricky part--adding the egg yolks.  First we have to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.  The best way to do this is to slightly crack an egg over a dish,  carefully prying apart the shell into two halves, with the egg innards in one half.  Transfer the yolk back and forth in each shell half, letting the white drain off into the dish each time.  Be very careful not to break the yolk, because we'll be using the whites for the meringue, and it won't set up if there is even a trace of yolk in that mixture.  Back to our pudding, though. 

Blend together all the yolks in a separate dish, and stir in a moderate amount of the hot mixture, maybe 3/4 cups or so.  Stir this some more and then add this egg mixture back into the hot mixture.  This is called tempering, and it's done because the eggs can't be adding directly to the hot mixture or they will curdle.  This way, they are gradually introduced and blend in much better. 

After tempering the eggs, cook and stir for 2 minutes.  The filling should begin to thicken in this time, and once it does, remove it from the heat.  Add the butter and the vanilla, and blend it together well.  Now we have our pudding filling!  Pour the pudding into the cooled pie shell, and set it aside while we make the meringue. 

Step #3:  The Meringue

Meringue is actually fairly easy, at least easier than I thought it would be the first time I made it!  It's the same concept as making homemade whipped cream--beat it until it's thick and then add sugar.  But let's get more specific.  First the ingredients...

3 egg whites           1/2 teaspoon vanilla           1/4 tsp cream of tartar        6 tbls sugar

In a stainless steel or glass bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  This means that when you pull the beaters out of the mixture, there's a soft mound with a rounded top that forms.  This is the time to gradually add in the sugar, beating after each addition until finally the mixture forms stiff and glossy peaks.  Stop beating it now, all the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is ready to go on the pie. 

Use a spatula or butter knife and carefully spread the meringue on top of the pie.  Be careful to make sure the meringue touches the crust so it forms a seal, otherwise it will pull away from the crust during baking.  I learned this the hard way!  Bake the pie at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the meringue turns golden on the top.  Give the pie plenty of time to cool.  The filling needs to set or it will be runny when the pie is sliced.  Because it's all sealed up, it takes a while to get completely cool in there.   Once you're convinced that the pie is cooled, dip a knife in water and start slicing.  The water helps reduce friction, and the meringue will cut smoothly. 

Make a cup of tea or brew some coffee, and dish yourself up a slice.  Sit back and relax, and enjoy the piece of beautiful vintage-recipe pie you put so much effort into.  You deserve it.  Congratulations!  And don't forget to think about Grandma!

What do you do with an abundance of farm fresh eggs?  Devil them!  Even if you're not supposed to.  I'll explain:  The shells don't come off fresh eggs as easily as they do older eggs.  And to devil eggs, you gotta get the shells off.   Now, they'll come off, but they'll probably take a hunk of the egg with them.  They still taste the same, they just don't look as pretty.  But it doesn't bother me--they're called deviled eggs, not angel-ed eggs.  And when you have an overflowing basket of eggs in the fridge, pretty doesn't matter.  It's using up the eggs that's important.  So here's how I deviled a dozen of them!

1 dozen eggs                    1/4 cup mayo                                        1/4 tsp mustard
1 tbls pickle juice               2 pinches fine sea salt                             1/2 tsp sugar
24 round bread and butter pickle slices                                          sprinkle of paprika

Put eggs in a pan and cover with water.  If you're using fresh eggs like me, dump a bunch of table salt in the boiling water with the eggs.  It helps the shells peel off easier.  Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 13 minutes (I learned this from Martha Stewart).  Drain hot water then cover eggs with cold water.

Pick out an egg and tap it several times on the side of the pan while turning it.  this creates small cracks in the shell, and helps it peel better.  Find the big end of the egg, then take a teaspoon and whack it.  This pops the air bubble and gives you a little space to wedge that spoon underneath the shell.  Turn the spoon so the curve matches the curve of the egg and slowly slide it between the egg and shell.  Continue sliding it around the whole egg, you'll have it peeled in no time.  If you're using fresh eggs like me, don't worry if it gets stuck.  Dip it in the cool water to reduce the friction.

Once all the eggs are peeled, dry them and slice them length-wise.  Scoop out the yolks into a small mixing bowl, then mash them into crumbles with a fork.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except pickles and paprika, and blend well.  Get out a platter and start filling each egg white with an overflowing scoop of filling.  I use the teaspoon from earlier, but you could pipe it in with a pastry bag if you want to get fancy!  Lay each filled egg on the platter and when they're all done, sprinkle with paprika and top with a slice of pickle.  That's it!  They're so tasty, no one will even notice if they're a bit rough around the edges!