Mamma Rosie's Apple Pie

"Okay so you finally harassed me and made me feel guilty....haha...just kidding!  Love you."

--Mom, in her email containing this recipe

I give you Rosie's Apple Pie! It is a bit different than your traditional apple pie, as it calls for golden delicious apples and cranraisins. Start out by preparing the pastry crust, and then move on to the filling.

Rosie’s Apple Pie

Pastry 9-inch Two-Crust Pie

Ingredients

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening.

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons or until pliable, Ice water

Procedure

1. Measure out the flour.  Cut the shortening into the flour and salt mixture.  

2. Add ice water in 1 tablespoon increments tossing after each tablespoon until dough makes a ball. 

3. Split in half.  Place half of the pastry on the board.  Roll out. 

4. Repeat with second crust. Bake as directed below (with filling).

Pie Filling

Ingredients

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

6 cups thinly sliced golden delicious apples (about 6 medium apples)

½ cup cranraisens (optional but for a true Rosie pie they must be added)

2 tablespoons butter

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.   

2. Prepare the pastry as directed above.   

3. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.  Stir in the apples.   

4. Place apples into mixture and toss to coat evenly.  Let stand till the juices from the apples forms a sauce for the apples (5 min. approx.).

5. Line pie plate with bottom crust.  Place apples into the plate.  Dot with butter.   

6. Cover with top crust.  Cut slits into to allow steam to escape while baking.   

7. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble 40 to 50 minutes. 

8. Enjoy!

Two Hour Turkey

Don't have a full four hours to roast your turkey? That's ok. In this recipe, you treat a turkey more like a roasting chicken--don't stuff it, and cook it for a shorter amount of time at a higher temperature.

Two Hour Turkey

Ingredients
1 whole turkey, completely thawed if frozen
olive oil
salt
pepper


Procedure
1. Crop the neck of the bird, the wingtips, the tail, and any other bits of skin or fat that are hanging off the bird.
2. Rub a little olive oil over the bird, then add salt and pepper inside and out.
3. Put your bird on its side in the baking pan on a rack.
4. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, then remove from oven and flip the bird so it is laying on its other side. Return to oven for another hour until bird is done. Turkey is done when the thermometer reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit and legs move easily when lifted and twisted.
5. Remove the turkey, then let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. You can put a foil tent over it to keep the juices from evaporating.

Lemon Meringue Pie (with tips)

Probably the most difficult pie to make out of my three family favorites is the lemon meringue pie. If you miss a step, do a step wrong, or fudge it, the whole pie will flop. For instance, trying to skimp on sugar, or using something other than honest-to-goodness sugar (Splenda is a definite no-no), you will end up with soup. If you are not careful when getting the lemon zest and you get some of the pith (the white stuff), even a little bit will make your pie bitter and give you stomach aches. I HIGHLY recommend that you read this recipe thoroughly and be prepared before you begin. On the other hand, if you perfect this pie, you will have a mouth-watering, deliciously tangy pie that beats the pants off of any pathetic lemon-pie-impostor. So here we go!
Lemon Meringue Pie

Pie Shell

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon shortening

4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Procedure

1. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl.

2. Gather pastry into a ball and divide into two parts, and shape into two flattened rounds on a lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate or 3 inches larger than a 10- or 11- inch tart pan. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked.

4. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. 5. Bake pie shell at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

6. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees and proceed to the filling.

*Crust recipe and directions courtesy of Betty Crocker Cookbook, 10th Edition.

Pie Filling
Ingredients
For two pies, use the doubled measurements in red.
1 1/2 cup white granulated sugar (3 cups)
1/3 cup plus 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch (2/3 cup plus 2 heaping tablespoons)
     Note: Don't skimp or you will end up with soup.
1/2 cup water (1 cup)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten (6 egg yolks)
3 tablespoons butter (6 tablespoons)
about 2 tsp grated lemon peel (4 tsp)
     Note: You must have this for the right flavor. Use a microplane zester for best results, and finely zest the lemon before you squeeze it. Will probably take about three (six) lemons, which is about how many you will need for the juice.
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 cup)
     Note: Approx. 3 (6) lemons. Must be fresh.

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, mix--NOT over heat--sugar and cornstarch first, then gradually stir in water.
3. Cook mixture over medium heat (not high), stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, turning translucent. Takes about a half hour. Be careful, as it will be hot and popping.
4. Boil mixture for 1 minute while stirring.
5. For this next part, you need two people. Stir half of the hot mixture into your lightly beaten egg yolks. Spoon it in SLOWLY while stirring constantly. Keep the pot on the stove and KEEP STIRRING!
6. Take your new egg yolk mixture and spoon it all into the pot, slowly.
7. Boil and stir for 1 minute, then remove from stove.
8. QUICKLY, stir in the butter.
9. Add lemon zest and lemon juice, and keep stirring. Mixture will start to harden if you do this all too slowly and it won't be smooth, so stir, stir, STIR!
10. Pour mixture into prepared pie shells.

Meringue
Your meringue ingredients and tools should be measured out and ready before you even begin the filling.

Ingredients
For a 9-inch meringue. For two pies, use the doubled measurements in red.
4 egg whites (8 egg whites)
     Note: Egg whites must be at room temperature. If you get any yolk in the white at all, it won't work at all.
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (1/2 tsp)
6 tablespoon white sugar (12 tablespoons)
1/2 tsp vanilla (1 tsp)

Procedure
1. Beat egg and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy.
2. Beat in sugar, one tablespoon at a time (meringue will be gritty if you don't).
3. Add vanilla, then beat until mixture is thick and glossy. Don't overdo it as it will be dry, but don't underdo it either. Peaks must be stiff, but able to curl over a bit.
4. Spoon meringue onto pie, putting meringue up against the crust to seal the pie so that the meringue doesn't pull away from the crust when it cools.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Cool away from drafts or else the meringue will shrink, pulling away from the crust.

After all this work, enjoy your masterpiece! Or, if you didn't get it right the first time, try, try again. My mom spent an entire summer making pies til they were coming out of her ears so that she could become a master at making this pie.

Pumpkin Pie a la Peterson

What are the holidays without some pie? Our family has three different pies that we love: pumpkin, apple, and lemon meringue. This first post has the recipe for my mom's (and Grandma Peterson's) fabulous pumpkin pie, which has won all sorts of blue ribbons and whatnot. I must say, it truly is the best pumpkin pie I have ever tasted, probably because it tastes more like a light, pumpkin-y custard in a light, flaky crust than the dense, squash-y pies that most pumpkin pies are.

Pumpkin Pie a la Peterson

Crust

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon shortening

4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Procedure

1. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl.

2. Gather pastry into a ball and divide into two parts, and shape into two flattened rounds on a lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate or 3 inches larger than a 10- or 11- inch tart pan. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked.

4. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. Crust is now ready for the filling.

*Crust recipe and directions courtesy of Betty Crocker Cookbook, 10th Edition.

Filling

Ingredients

1 large can of pumpkin or 3 cups cooked fresh pumpkin

1 C Sugar

1 C Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

5 large eggs

1 can evaporated milk

2 C + milk

Procedure
1. Prepare single crust for three pies.  Do not pre-bake the crust.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a extra large mixing bowl.  Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then turn down temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 50 minutes.

3. Pie will be done when butter knife is inserted in the middle of the pie and comes out clean.

4. Let cool in draft-free place, top with whipped cream, and serve.

Dad's Fabulous Thanksgiving Stuffing

Dad's Fabulous Stuffing

Pretty much anybody who has had my dad's stuffing agrees that there's nothing quite like it. No one makes stuffing like my dad. And the real kicker? It's totally different every year. According to Dad, he's had plenty of successes, but he's also had one or two flops, like the year he decided to do dressing like the real pilgrims would have eaten, with oysters and cornbread. But I cannot remember a year when the stuffing wasn't amazing.

I have asked my dad in the past to give me the recipe for his stuffing, and he just told me that there is no recipe. That's so ridiculously true that I don't know how I can do it justice here, but I'm going to try.

Ingredients

Bread, cut into cubes and dried
     Note: Don't do sourdough (stuffing turns out strange). Cornbread makes crumbly stuffing. French bread is good, as is challah egg bread. Sandwich and wheat bread works good too; but all wheat is heavy, and all white is mushy. A mix is best.
Onions
Celery/fennel (bulb)
Melted butter
About a pound of Italian sausage
     Note: Dad usually does some sweet Italian sausage and a couple hot Italian sausage, removed from casing. All hot is usually too hot for most people. He uses about 5 of the large links. Bear sausage is amazing, Dad says.
Herbs
     Note: Try one of these combinations: Poultry seasoning and bottled (dried) sage; garden herbs like fennel seads (toasted and crushed) and rosemary (chopped finely); fresh sage and rosemary; Herbs du Provence; oregano.
Other ingredients
     Note: Such as dried cranberries (Dad does this a lot), chestnuts, waterchestnuts, walnuts and raisins (a favorite of Grandma Peterson), pecans, dried cherries, other dried fruit, pinenuts. One year, Dad did Challah egg bread, sweet Italian sausage, roasted chestnuts, pecans, parsley, sage, chicken stock, butter, onion, salt, pepper, celery. This year, we did a specialty French bread with a bit of sandwich bread, fennel seeds (toasted and crushed), rosemary, sweet and hot Italian sausage, dried cranberries, chicken stock, butter, onion, salt, pepper, and fennel (bulb).
A couple of eggs
Chicken or turkey stock--more than you would think
Salt and pepper, to taste 

Procedure

1. Cube and dry the bread overnight.
2. Saute the onions and celery/fennel (bulb), then cook the sausage.
3. To your dried bread, add your miscellaneous ingredients, chicken or turkey stock, herbs, and salt/pepper. Taste it to get the right flavor.
4. Then add the eggs. Make sure that the stuffing is a bit moist when you put it in the bird so it doesn't dry out.
5. Add to the bird. Make sure it is hot enough when you pull it out of the turkey. If not, you will have to put it in a pan and bake it until it is done. Otherwise, it'll still have bacteria from the raw bird in it. 

Fennel Gratin

Dad has been experimenting with fennel, and I have to say that it's really an unsung hero of the vegetable world. It's like having a non-eye-watering onion and celery rolled up into one vegetable. Here is my favorite recipe that my dad has come up with so far.

Fennel Gratin

Ingredients

Fennel
Olive oil
Garlic
Onions
Water or chicken stock
Cream
Bread crumbs
Gruyere and/or parmesan cheese
Pancetta (optional)
Pine nuts (optional)
Parsley or basil or whatever

Procedure 

1. Slice the fennel into quarter inch slices, then saute in olive oil with garlic and onion. Pour in water or chicken stock, then put the lid on and let it steam.
2. For the bread crumbs, take a piece of dried bread, parsley, and the cheese and process them in a food processor until the mixture is crumbly--but not too small.
3. Put in baking dish mixed with a little cream and the pancetta or pine nuts if desired, and cover with bread crumbs. Sprinkle with gruyere and/or parmesan cheese.
4. Bake at 375 degrees until crispy brown and delicious.

Poached Pears in Ginger Syrup

Poached Pears in Ginger Syrup

Dad made this recipe up for when he and my mom had a couple of Chinese friends over for dinner. My dad wanted to make something that they liked, and so he decided to go with ginger. He had me try the syrup, and holy cow! It's like eating dark chocolate, where you have to wait for the full experience, which comes in layers. First, it tastes like any other sugar syrup, but then you get that hint of ginger. Finally, you get that signature ginger burn at the last. Coupled with the poached pears, it's divine.

Ingredients

Pears
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
5 Spice Powder (Buy at Chinese market--Typically a mix of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and ground fennel seeds. It's all about the feng shui in Chinese spices!)
Ginger, sliced really thin

Procedure

1. Combine a cup of sugar, a cup of water, the ginger, and some 5 spice powder in a pan and heat up until the sugar dissolves. Poach the fruit (pears) for 20-30 min (however long it takes--Dad wasn't all that specific).
2. Remove the fruit and set aside.
3. Boil down the syrup until it starts to get thicker, then strain the syrup through a strainer lined with cheese cloth to get all the bits out. You can put it back into the pan and reduce it further if desired.
4. Drizzle the syrup over the pears and sever warm. Voila!

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Pine Nuts

This recipe is for brussel sprouts with pancetta and pine nuts, a dish that my family and I have grown quite fond of after a very long search for a brussel sprout recipe that we could handle. My dad has always loved brussel sprouts for Thanksgiving dinner, but the traditional sprouts in mustard turned everyone else's stomach. This recipe brings out the fresh, lively flavor of the sprouts without the sulfuric smells usually associated with them, and dresses it up for the holidays. I thought that I had already written this recipe down someplace, but just in case, here it is!

If you can find a stalk with sprouts still attached, get that. Brussel sprouts are best the fresher they are, and the stalk lets you practically have them straight from the plant.

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

Brussel sprouts, one stalk from Trader Joes

Pancetta

Pine nuts

Garlic

Onions

Olive oil

Procedure

1. To prepare the brussel sprouts, remove from stalk. Cut off the bottom of the sprout, then cut sprout in half. Cut out the triangle of white bitter stuff from each half. Then peel the leaves off and rinse with water.

2. Saute the chopped pancetta, garlic, onions, and pine nuts in a bit of olive oil.

3. Add the brussel sprout leaves and coat with the sauteed mixture. Cook until leaves are bright green and tender.

4. Serve hot or refrigerate for more of a salad (I prefer hot!).

Mom's Pumpkin Cookies

My sister and I spent months trying to find this recipe for my mom's pumpkin cookies. Sarah finally got it from my mom, so I'm logging it away on my blog so that we don't lose it again!

Mom's Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
dash of ginger
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or dried cranberries (optional)

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix sugar, pumpkin, and butter together.
3. Then stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,cloves,nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt.
4. Stir in walnuts or cranberries, if desired.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with cream cheese frosting and serve warm.

Persimmon Pudding

My dad has been making this traditional English pudding for as long as I can remember, and I have fond memories of the spicy aroma wafting through the house around the start of the holidays. This last year, my dad's little persimmon tree started to bear fruit, and we made this pudding as a steamed pudding for the first time. Excellent! Both ways are great, but the baked pudding is more like brownies while the steamed pudding is lighter and more moist.

 

Persimmon Pudding

 

Ingredients

1 cup ripe pulp

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

pinch of salt

 

Procedure

Dissolve soda in pulp. Add sugar. Sift flour with baking powder. Add to pulp alternately with milk. Add butter, vanilla, nuts, and salt. Put into greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or it can be steamed for 1 1/2 hours.

 

Vanilla Sauce for Pudding

 

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 cups hot water

2 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

About 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

nutmeg

 

Procedure

Stir corn starch into sugar thoroughly. Pour hot water into mixture slowly stirring constantly to keep from lumping. Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.

Pan Fried Trout

Trout is probably the most often-caught freshwater fish in the western United States. Many of us have fond memories of going camping and fishing in the summer and eating these tasty fish. They have a fantastic flavor that does best with a simple recipe. If you do happen to buy your fish, make sure that it is fresh. Fresh fish will have bright, clear eyes, firm flesh, and will NOT smell fishy at all. If it has any smell, it will be a wet, semi-musty smell, but definitely not fishy. A fishy fish is a spoiled fish.

Simple Pan Fried Trout

Ingredients

Trout, freshly caught
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Lemon wedges or slices

Procedure

1. Clean the trout by slitting the belly lengthwise and scooping out the innards. Discard. Remove the vein that runs along the spine. If it is a larger trout, you can cut the head and tail off to fit it in your pan. Pull the head backwards until the spine snaps and then cut it off.
2. If the trout is from a clean water source you trust, you can eat the skin. If this is the case, wash off the slime and remove the scales by scraping the back of a knife against the grain of the scales. Otherwise, just wash the slime off. On smaller fish with smaller scales, you might not even care to remove the scales.
3. Set fish aside on a paper towel or brown paper bag. Do not dry.
3. Heat skillet to medium-high heat.
4. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge whole fish in mixture.
5. Add butter to skillet and swirl around to coat bottom of skillet. Add fish. Cook until fish is browned and releases from pan. Flip.
6. Trout is done when the flesh is a milky opaque color but still deliciously juicy.
7. Serve hot with lemon wedges or slices.

Grilled Lobster Tails

My dad loves food, and he loves grilled food even more. So one year, my mom, my sister, and I decided that we'd grill lobster tails for my dad on Father's Day. That was by far the most memorable Father's Day meal that we've ever done! Make sure that you leave the lobster tails alone and let them be until they release themselves from the grill before turning so you don't under cook them and make a mess.

Grilled Lobster Tails

Ingredients

4 7-ounce lobster tails
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon leaves, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash hot sauce, your choice
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Lemon wedges
Chive sprigs, for garnish

Procedure

1. Preheat your grill to direct medium-high heat.
2. In a small bowl blend butter, chives, tarragon, minced garlic, hot sauce, and black pepper. Blend thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
3. Using kitchen shears, butterfly the lobster tails straight down the middle of the softer underside of the shell. Cut the meat down the center without cutting all the way through. Brush the tails with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill lobsters cut side down over medium high heat about 5 minutes, until the shells are bright in color and lobster releases from the grill.
5. Turn the tails over and spoon a generous tablespoon of herb butter onto the butterflied meat. Grill for another 4 minutes, or until the lobster meat is an opaque white color.
6. Remove lobster tails from the grill and serve with more herb butter and lemon wedges. Garnish with chive sprigs.

Ideas for a meal:
Roast some red potatoes at the same time as the lobster tails, and spread herb butter on them. Serve with a walnut-apple green salad.

Tarbuj ka Sharbat (Watermelon Juice with Mint)

Watermelon is an ubiquitous summer fruit, and this simple Indian recipe takes advantage of the fruit.

Tarbuj ka Sharbat (Watermelon juice flavored with mint)
Ingredients
4 kg/8.8 lb watermelon
1 tsp mint leaves, chopped
Black salt to taste--can substitute table salt

Procedure
1. Cut the flesh of the watermelon into small chunks; discard the rind. Remove all the seeds.
2. In a blender, puree the watermelon chunks with mint leaves.
3. Strain through a muslin cloth and discard the pulp.
4. Serve chilled in individual glasses with a dash of black salt.

Southern Watermelon Rind Pickles

Wondering what to do with all of that left over watermelon rind? This Southern favorite is great as a side dish, condiment, or snack. Start preparing this at least three days before you intend to serve it.

Watermelon Rind Pickles

Ingredients

1 4-pound piece watermelon, quartered
8 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups apple cider or white wine vinegar
8 whole cloves
8 whole black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 teaspoon fresh sliced ginger
1 lime, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced

Procedure

1. Cut watermelon pulp from rind, leaving thin layer of pink on rind (reserve pulp for another use). Cut green outer skin from rind; discard. Cut enough rind into 1 x 1/2-inch pieces to measure 4 cups. Combine 8 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt in large pot; bring to boil. Add rind pieces and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Strain. Transfer rinds to large metal bowl.

2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons salt, sugar and next 8 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl. Place plate atop rinds to keep rinds submerged in pickling liquid. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. 

3. Strain liquid from rinds into saucepan; bring to boil. Pour over rinds. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Repeat straining and boiling of liquid and pour over rinds 1 more time. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in covered jars.)

Homemade Sasaparilla

Sarsaparilla is an old-fashioned root beer-type soda (it is made from roots, but different roots than root beer) that is a nice change of pace from regular old root beer.

Sasparilla

Ingredients
1 gallon (4 quarts) water
9 tablespoons sarsaparilla root
3 tablespoons licorice root
2 cups brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/8 teaspoon champagne yeast or 1/2 teaspoon brewer's yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water

Procedure
1. Chop roots. Prepare vanilla by slicing lengthwise with a paring knife.
1. Heat 2 quarts of water to a simmer.  As the water heats, add the chopped roots, sugar, and vanilla bean.  Simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let cool for 30 minutes.

2. After the sarsaparilla mixture has cooled 30 minutes, pour it slowly into a jug with 1 quart of cool water, straining as you pour. Fill the jug to the top with the extra water until there is about 2 inches of space at the top of the jar.

3. In a small bowl, proof the yeast by adding yeast to 1/4 cup lukewarm water.

4. Shake the water & sarsparilla mixture in the jug vigorously for about a minute.
5. Add the yeast mixture to the jug and agitate vigorously again.
6. Pour the mixture into your sterilized bottles.  Cap and let sit for 48-72 hours for champagne yeast, 4-5 days for brewer's yeast.  When the carbonation is right, refrigerate and use within 6 weeks.

Makes 8 12-ounce bottles.

Note: There will be a sediment of yeast at the bottom of the bottle, so that the last bit of sarsaparilla will be turbid. It will not hurt you, but you can decant carefully if you wish to avoid this sediment.

Orzo Pasta Salad

My sister Sarah makes this fantastic salad whenever we have a party or family get-together. Even though I usually despise olives of any kind, I absolutely love how they lend this salad a great zesty flavor.

Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1/2 cup kalamata olives

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Fill a pot with lightly salted water and bring to a roiling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo, and return to a boil.Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

2. Place the sun-dried tomatoes into the boiling water in a bowl, and let stand for 10 minutes to plump up. Drain off excess water.

3. Toss the cooked orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, olives, parsley, and feta cheese together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Colombian Coconut Limeade

I recently posted a fabulous recipe for Brazilian lemonade, but I just found a Colombian variation that is just as delicious for coconut lovers. Cream of coconut can be found in liquor stores or the liquor aisle of your grocery store, either in liquid or powdered form. You can also substitute: sweetened condensed milk with added coconut extract to taste; 1 cup top layer of canned coconut milk (not low fat) - do not shake or stir can before skimming; or 1 cup heavy whipping cream (35%) plus 1/2 cup coconut cream powder.

Limonada de Coco

Ingredients

1 cup cream of coconut
2 1/2 cups crushed ice
Juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons of sugar or to your taste

Procedure

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Mormon Scones

When I went to Girl's Camp with the Pleasanton CA Stake for the first time when I was fourteen or fifteen, I was introduced to something they called, "scones." My mom brought us up with tea on Sundays, holidays, when we were sick, or whenever she felt like it, and true scones often accompanied tea time or brunch, so when they called these puffy fried pastries "scones" I wondered what on earth they meant. Again, when I went to school in Utah, I was served "scones" that weren't really scones. But they were good. They were really good. Similar to beignets, Mormon scones are bits of fried bread batter, covered in whatever topping you want, from powdered sugar or honey to jam or Nutella.

Ingredients
 

Yeast Dough

1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoons sugar
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, melted & cooled
3 eggs

Scones
1 batch yeast dough, risen double it's normal size
2 quarts frying oil (Canola works well)
Powdered sugar, honey butter, jam (optional toppings)


Procedure 

Preparing Dough
1. Combine water, yeast & sugar in small bowl.  Set aside and allow yeast to activate.
2. Combine Flour, Sugar, Salt in large bowl.
3. Stir together melted cooled better and 3 eggs. Add yeast mixture.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Knead lightly, put in (flour) dusted bowl, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Let rise on greased baking sheet for 1 hour.

Frying the Scones
1. Prepare a drain plate and set aside.
2. Split dough into two equal parts.  Take one part and roll out on a flat floured surface to approximately 1/4" thick.  Using a pizza cutter, cut rolled dough into pieces approximately 3" - 4" each.
3. Heat oil in large heavy pan to 350 - 375 F over medium-high heat.  Once temperature is achieved, reduce heat slightly.
4. Carefully place two or three scones in the oil.  Cook for a couple minutes, or until slightly golden and flip.  Cook an additional couple minutes until slightly golden and remove immediately to your prepared drain plate.
5. Repeat cooking, two or three scones at a time, until all dough has been fried.

Serve hot with desired toppings.