Our Family Recipes

Home Made Ricotta Cheese

4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 t salt
3 T good white vinegar

Directions
Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.

Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).

Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta. (I tend to like mine on the thicker side, but some prefer it moister.) Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe.html?oc=linkback

By Igna food network channel

Sausage Stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounce pork breakfast sausage roll (like Jones )

3/4 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup diced celery

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

1 (14 ounce) package herb seasoned stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm )

2 (14 ounce) cans of low-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for greasing pan and dotting the top

INSTRUCTIONS:

Set a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks into small crumbles. Once it's cooked remove to a large mixing bowl. If there's a lot of grease drain some of it off leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, stirring often. Add it to the bowl with the sausage. Add the stuffing to the bowl and mix it with the sausage, onion and celery.
Pour the cans of chicken broth over it and mix well. Drizzle the butter over it and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit 5 - 10 minutes. You can stuff your turkey with it at this point or bake as directed in the next steps.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease an 8 x 8 casserole or baking pan with deep sides.
Taste the stuffing and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir well again and then spoon into the pan. Cut a tablespoon of butter into small pieces and dot the top with it.
Bake 25 minutes, uncovered for a crunchy top or cover with aluminum foil for a soft top.

Home Made berry jam no pectin

1 cup berries
mash and bring to boil
add 1 cup of sugar
and boil for a minute

ratio 1 cup berries to 1 cup sugar

Homemade Strawberry Jam

6 cups strawberries
8 table spoons pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups sugar

rinse and remove stems from strawberries
mash in a big pot
add lemon juice
mix 1/4 cup of sugar with pectin and add to strawberries
bring to boil of medium heat
remove from heat and add rest of sugar...3.5 cups worth
bring back to boil over medium heat and let boil for 1 minute
let it set for 5 minutes

take a spoon in ice water and dip in jam and let it cool to room temperature
it should not move from spoon too much which means jam will set.

have fun jarring!

My favorite Granola Bar peanut butter chocolate chip

2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup honey
2.5 cups quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips

microwave peanut butter oil and honey
whisk until smooth

in another bowl combine oats and chocolate chips

mix with peanut butter mixture

stir in chocolate chips

put in fridge for 1-2 ours!

i increased the honey to about 1 cup and decreased the oil by a little
also added 1/2 cup rice crispys vanilla and coconut!

Daily Wheat Bread

add ingredients to bread machine in this order

1 cup warm water
1 TBSP milk
2 TBSP oil
4 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp salt

before you add the flour measure out and whisk it to create air bubbles...then measure it...creates light and fluffy bread...

2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose white flour or 1 cup whole wheat and 2 cups white...either or
2 tsp dry yeast

run on 1.5 lb dough cycle

then put in bread pan or 8x8 pan and let rise 45 minutes

then bake 350 for 30 minutes

super soft and light and fluffy

Copycat Quaker Chocolate Granola Bars

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
4 TBSP oil
2 cups quick oats
2 cups rice crispy treats
pinch of salt
maple syrup
chocolate chips

over medium heat 4 TBSP oil, 1/4 Cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup honey...stir until sugar is dissolved
and let boil for 2 minutes
bake 2 cups of oats for 5 minutes on 350 for flavor
add oats to 2 cups of rice crispies
add a pinch of salt
mix with honey and sugar mix
let cool slightly and add chocolate chips so they don't melt
if need more stickiness add maple syrup

bake 350 15-20 minutes and then cool in fridge

Kid's Favorite Nutella Bread

cream 1 stick butter and 3/4 cup sugar
add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups flour
.5 cup butter milk
1/3/4 tsp baking powder
mix for 2 minutes and swirl nutella or chocolate syrup

bake 350 degrees 34 minutes

Recipe by Mary

Gunn-Russell Granola

2.5 cups oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup coconut
1 tsp cinnamon

mix those ingredients together

then mix the following together in separate bowl

1/2 maple syrup or pancake syrup
1/4 cup canola oil or coconut oil or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp almond extract

Then pour over oats mixture

bake 300 degrees for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.
will be sticky when done but leave out on counter to cool completely and it will crisp up
very nicely. Add raisins for craisins when finished

Raspberry Apple Sauce

12 apples
1 box of red raspberry gelatin ...aka...jello powder

cook apples in boiling water until very soft. Macintosh apples are the best.
turn into apple sauce by mashing or applesauce maker
add box of powder gelatin to apple sauce and stir

Stuffed Cherry Pepper

put following in a food processor

hard provolone or parmesan cheese
prociotto from deli
salt and pepper
little bit of olive oil

stuff in pepper and bake 350 until hot

Swirl Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks soften butter
1/1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

bake 350 for 8 minutes

to make pinwheel swirl do the following

color half of the dough blue green or red

wrap up both doughs and refridgerate about 1 hour or even freeze

roll out dough on heavily floured surface and flour the dough heavily

lay out one roll over the other, can use water to wet bottom later so it sticks as you place top later

then cut the dough into a rectangle shape cutting off the uneven edges

roll the dough into a log and cover with round sprinkles

freeze or refridgerate until hard

cut into slices using floss, a knife will squish the dough

enjoy after baking with some yummy eggnog

Corn and Cheese Chowder

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 slices bacon, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can corn, drained (Can also use creamed corn)
1/4 cup All-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth (I used Swanson 100% natural, 99% fat free, no MSG, 14oz cans)
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
Bread Bowls (1 per person)

Instructions

In large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.
Cook onions for a few minutes, then add in bacon and diced bell peppers. Cook until soft. Add in corn and cook another couple minutes.
Sprinkle flour over mixture, and stir. Then add in broth and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, then stir in half-and-half, and cover to thicken. Simmer about 15 minutes.
Stir in cheese and green onion (I saved a few to garnish).
Once cheese is melted, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in bread bowls and enjoy!

Vanilla Yogurt

1 Gallon of milk
1 cup of plain yogurt

cook 1 gallon of yogurt on high in a crock pot for 3.5 hours. Then let cool for 3 hours. Then mix 1 cup of warm milk with plain yogurt and then add back to warm milk. Wrap crockpot with a blanket or towel and let sit out for 8-12 hours. Then refrigerate and enjoy!

Add vanilla and brown sugar to make it vanilla yogart.

Some people even add maple syrup or honey and fresh fruit!

Double Chocolate Chip Frappe

Zesty Italian Chicken, Veggies, and Potatoes

Fresh green beans chicken breasts thick or thin cut in half, 6 small red potatoes quartered.

Throw in a 9x12 pan, sprinkle a whole packet of zesty Italian dressing mix over everything, drizzle with 1 stick melted

butter. Bake at 350 for an hour covered with tin foil same whether chix is thin or thicker.

Cowboy Casserole

1 packet taco seasoning
2 lbs ground beef
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups cheese shredded
2 cups frozen super sweet white corn
1 can black beans

1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup whole milk

saute onion celery and beef and then drain
add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, corn and beans
place in big casserole dish
top with cheese

mix together topping...flour, baking powder, melted butter, and milk
top over casserole and bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

3 tbsp sugar
zest and juice from 2 lemons
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold and cut into chunks
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar