Country Cookin' on a Cold Winter Day

Decided today was a good day to make some Beef Barley Soup in the crockpot.  I love barley--so chewy and hearty--and it's a whole grain so it's good for you.

I made a few substitutions to the recipe.  I used venison instead of beef and since I was out of bay leaves, I used some thyme to season it. I used the recipe found here.  I browned the meat first in some tallow and then dumped all the ingredients into the crockpot.  I let it cook for about 4 hours on low, then cranked it to medium for an hour or so.  Decided to crank it to high for another hour as it didn't look quite done.  

Just devoured a big bowl and it was yummy!  It could have cooked  bit longer or at a higher temp as the meat wasn't overly tender but still a good, hearty soup.  I plan to put it back on to cook a bit more tomorrow before lunch to tenderize the meat a little more.  Isn't that a potful of homemade goodness?

Next I made some homemade Egg McMuffins for the freezer.  Hubby likes these for breakfast when it's his turn as overnight caregiver at his mom's.  I have been buying them but wanted to make homemade ones as they are not only healthier, but more economical.

I found this recipe that said to "bake" the eggs.  I had never tried that before--usually just scramble and fry the eggs when I make breakfast sandwiches.  But as I wanted to make a quantity of these, I decided to give it a whirl.  I used dessert-sized bowls that are vintage restaurantware so they were ovenproof--and it turns out they made the egg a perfect size to fit the muffin.

I used Oatmeal English muffins, turkey sausage (I usually make my own but bought these patties as I didn't have any made ahead) and cheese.  I toasted the muffins before assembling and then used the method suggested in the recipe to wrap them in waxed paper before putting some in a ziploc bag and others in a Tupperware container for the freezer.

I really need to keep making these--so easy and a much healthier option to store-bought sandwiches.

And since I needed room in the freezer for the Egg McMuffins, I took out a bowl of blackberries I picked last summer.  I stirred up this Blackberry Buckle.  Mmmmmm.  Still warm from the oven.  Looks like a perfect bedtime snack with a cup of hot Ovaltine.  Can you say comfort food?

What have you been cooking lately?  Please share some recipes--I'm always on the lookout for tried and true home-cooking recipes.

Easy Refrigerator Pickles -- Yummm!

Summer's bounty--what to do with it?

One of my favorite recipes is Refrigerator Pickles--so easy and oh so good!

 Just slice up your cukes and onions and layer them in a large jar.  Mix your brine, heat it and pour over the veggies.  Wait a few days and then devour.  How easy is that?

My family loves these pickles--including my two-year-old granddaughter. 

I usually plant bush cucumbers so they don't produce the large slicer cucumbers.  You will want to pick smaller cukes before they develop the large seeds inside; but you want them large enough to slice into nice rings--not gherkin sized.

I usually use sweet onions (Vidalia or such).  I don't plant my own onions so I usually have the sweet ones on hand for my general cooking purposes.  These are yummy when they are pickled too--not super strong.

I use old gallon jars for these pickles.  Some of the lids are a little worn inside so I just line them with waxed paper like my mom used to when reusing old jars for storage.

I also have some half-gallon jars I saved from store-bought kosher dill pickles.  They are just the right size--the layers will fill the jar nicely.  As the pickles wilt down, you will end up with a finished product about half the size.  

I usually make multiple batches of these as the summer progresses so I can give to my sons' families and also have a couple jars in our spare frig in the garage.  These will keep for a long time so you can enjoy pickles in the months ahead.  I know the recipe says to store them for one month--they keep just fine for a much longer period.  After all, they are pickled.

One other thing I do that makes the recipe quick and easy is to use refrigerated minced garlic.  I always have that in my frig--I don't usually do fresh garlic.  It works as a quick substitute in this recipe.

Try a batch and enjoy!

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Easy Refrigerator Pickles

• 6 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (about 2 pounds)
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Place 3 cups cucumber in a medium glass bowl; top with 1 cup onion. Repeat procedure with the remaining 3 cups cucumber and remaining 1 cup onion.
2. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Pour over cucumber mixture; let cool. Cover and chill at least 4 days.
3. Note: Pickles may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Original recipe from Cooking Light

 Note:  You can leave the crushed red pepper flakes out if you don't want them to have a "bite" to them.

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 What's your favorite pickle recipe?  Please share it with us!

Berry Pickin' Time!

While I was mowing over the weekend, I noticed the wild black raspberries were starting to ripen.  Finally had some time today to go gather some.  Got about 3-4 cups...the vines are still loaded so hope to get some more.

They are growing like crazy behind our shed--nice, easy pickin'.  I walked the perimeter of our yard and found more within easy reach at the edge of the woods.

Saw bunches deeper in the brush--however, since I did not have my trusty berry pickin' garb on (just capris), I didn't want to venture too far into the brush.  If you're wondering what my "garb" is, it is an old pair of jeans tucked inside my knee-hi rubber boots and an old long-sleeved flannel shirt buttoned at the wrists.  Kind of a hot get-up in muggy summer weather, but it does protect from scratches from the thorns on the berry vines, as well as the wild rose hips.  And lets me not think about any snakes or critters that may crawl over my feet--won't feel it inside my boots.  My hubby always makes fun of my outfit--it definitely is not a fashion statement--but at least I can dive into the thick of all that brush where the biggest and sweetest berries always seem to hide!

Who cares when you live in the country--that's part of the charm of country livin'.  Wearing old jeans, boots, flannel shirts, whatever works for the task at hand...there's no one around to see you.  Unless of course, you are expecting a delivery from UPS--then of course, that is when it will arrive...when you look your finest!  ;)

Let it snow....Let it snow...While I bake...

Wow, what a snowstorm! It started yesterday before I ever left work and made the drive home a little interesting. Kept it up all night and we awoke to a winter wonderland--probably a foot at least--it was hard to tell as it was so drifted from the wind. I wasn't motivated to even go out and snap a pic or two. Left the plowing/shoveling to hubby and son while I stayed inside and watched. If you want to see a a sampling of what our town got hit with, check out Cathy's blog...she lives in town (I live a mile or so out of town) and snapped a lot of pics this morning...Thanks Cathy for sharing the pics!


My morning started early when I decided to mix up a batch of Oat Bran Wheat Rolls...then made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Then I discovered some raspberry filling in the cupboard so I decided to mix up some sweet rolls (healthified) with raspberry filling--YUM! I also had some not-so-healthy Night & Day cookie dough in the frig that I had bought from a school fundraiser...so I baked those up too. Oh so good, warm from the oven! That was a late-morning snack for all of us!


While the guys went out to plow (which took a couple of hours), I made some broccoli cheese soup that we enjoyed with fresh rolls when they came in. We also sampled the raspberry rolls for dessert.


It seems on my Saturdays off, I usually spend them baking and cooking--probably because I don't have the luxury during the week (with work) to do it. The down side of all that baking/cooking is all the dishes that pile up in the process...so needless to say, my hands are squeaky-clean after washing all the bowls, baking sheets, pans, etc. from all my endeavors.


But the results are so worth it! Mmm-mmm. I didn't think to take a pic of all the goodies spread over my counters. I already have them in containers, some in the freezer and sent some with son to fiancee's house as she wasn't here to enjoy the sweets with us. However, I did take a sampling out and tried to get a pic to share with you. They taste better than the picture makes them look--but it was the best I could do on the spur of the moment. I couldn't figure out a way to share all the good aromas with you though, sorry!



Hope your weekend is warm and wonderful!