Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter

This is SO yummy! We had some on toast and it was absolutely delish. You can use it on anything you would use jam on... toast, rolls, muffins, crepes etc. I still don't have any cardamom so I didn't add it, and I didn't miss it, but it would probably be delish with it as well.

Vanilla Spiced Pear Butter
Makes 8 - eight ounce jars or 4 pints

Ingredients:
7 lbs. pears, peeled, cored, and coarsley chopped
1/2 cup water
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
juice of 1 orange

Directions:
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the pears, water, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, occasionally stirring, for 20 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer mixture to a blender and puree just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy. Measure 8 cups of pear puree (you can use the excess as Pearsauce).

In a clean large saucepan, combine pear puree, sugar, orange juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it shape to a spoon and liquid does not separate (about 2-3 hours).

Ladel into resealable containers to freeze or jars to can.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Toast

I was trying to figure out a way to use up some of the goat cheese that I bought and I made this for lunch one day. It was tasty! I don't know that you could call it a "recipe" but I'm posting it here anyway. :) You could also do this on small baguette slices for an easy appetizer. I think it would also be good with feta cheese.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Toast

Good, multi-grain bread
Fresh Tomatoes, sliced
Goat Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Crushed Rosemary

Slice the bread about 1/2" think. Put sliced tomatoes, in a single layer, on top of bread. Sprinkle with crushed rosemary and Italian Seasoning to taste. Crumble goat cheese on top. Put under broiler in oven or toaster oven until cheese is golden brown. Watch closely so that it doesn't burn.

Stuffed Peppers

We had these a couple nights ago and they're yummy. I used ground turkey when I made these and we really liked it, but you you could use beef, too, which is what the recipe originally called for.

Stuffed Peppers

1 pound ground turkey (or beef)
1 1/2-2 C. cooked brown rice
6 bell peppers
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, cook the meat until evenly browned.
Remove and discard tops, seed and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange in a baking dish with hollowed end facing upwards. (Slice a little off the bottoms of the peppers, if necessary, so they will stand upwards. Be careful not to slice off too much.)
Combine the meat, rice, 1 can tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Spoon an equal amount into each pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl and pour evenly over each pepper. Bake 45 minutes in preheated oven, sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top, and continue baking until cheese is melted.

Serves 6

From Allrecipes.com

Five-Star Chili

Today was rainy and cold - the perfect day for a hot bowl of chili and this chili was goooood! Jeff bought this really thick bacon the other day, which I usually don't like, but it worked great in this recipe and it had a great smoky flavor. One of Jeff's friends gave us some elk meat a while ago so I used that, but this would be great with any kind of meat. And I didn't have any fresh onion so I used dried onion and I don't think I'll change that next time I make this.

Five-Star Chili

4 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp brown sugar
3 C. beef broth
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cans chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 pound bacon
2 pounds stew meat, trimmed and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, optional

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the beef broth, vinegar, tomato paste, chicken broth, cumin, Cayenne pepper and chili powder. Cook at a low boil for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is reduced by about half.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and allow to cool. Drain bacon grease, leaving about 2 tablespoons of grease in the pan. Cook the stew meat in the bacon grease until well browned and no longer pink in center.
Break the bacon into small pieces and add the bacon, stew meat and beans to the simmering pot. Mix everything together thoroughly, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.
Serves 6

Greatly adapted from allrecipes.com

Four-Cheese Panini

These are so simple and really a delicious change from regular grilled cheese. The Gorgonzola gives it a nice kick. We had these for dinner the other night and I thought, "Oh, Chad would love these!" - being the cheese connoisseur that he is. The author says you can leave out one of the cheeses but to be sure you use the Gorgonzola and I couldn't agree more. I didn't use the Fontina because they didn't have any at the store and I didn't feel like checking other stores and the sandwiches were just great without it.

Four-Cheese Panini

4 oz shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese

4 oz shredded or sliced fontina cheese

4 oz shredded or sliced provolone cheese

2 oz crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

4 ciabatta rolls, halved lengthwise

Layer cheeses on roll bottoms, putting slices on first then shredded and crumbled cheese. Replace roll tops and place in hot panini grill. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yum!

Altered ever so slightly from Panini by Carlo Middione.

Lentil Tacos

You will notice Carrie is actually enjoying a Taco! This is perhaps her first taco she has ever enjoyed because it doesn't have any meat in it!



I found a link http://www.blestwithsons.com/index.php?s=Blestwithsons%27s+Lentil+Tacos&submit=Search to this recipe from another link on another blog and made the tacos last night. Okay that was supposed to be a live link :( Anyway, it's just a recipe on a blog.
This is another great way to use food storage lentils and brown rice.

Lentil Tacos

3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice (I soaked mine all day, you don't have too)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3 cups water (a little scant on the 3rd cup)

Mix in a covered casserole dish. Cover, bake for 100 minutes at 300 degrees. Use just as you would regular taco filling.

Apple Pecan Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

This salad is so delish and there's not even any sugar in the vinaigrette! I forgot to add the pecans but I don't doubt that they would be delicious. I forget ingredients quite regularly these days... I think I'm losing it! I also got this recipe from the last issue of Simple and Delicious.

Apple Pecan Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

7 cups torn Bibb or Boston lettuce (I just used romaine)
1 medium apple, sliced into bite size pieces
1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In serving bowl, combine lettuce, apple and pecans. In small bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bacon & Rosemary Chicken

I adapted this recipe from the latest issue of Simple and Delicious. We had it for dinner last night and it was scrumptious!

Bacon & Rosemary Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 tbsp butter
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
a shake of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice

Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thin pices of meat. Place chicken in ziploc bag with flour and shake to coat. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and a generous amount of garlic powder on chicken breasts. Melt butter in pan over medium heat and cook chicken in butter until juices run clear. Remove chicken from pan and add chicken broth, lemon juice, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook until liquid reduces by half. Return chicken to pan and sprinkle with bacon. Heat through and serve.

Maple Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

I made these this morning and they were quite yummy. They're a bit healthier than a lot of pumpkin muffins too!:) I didn't have any cardamom and I forgot to put the allspice in (opps!) but I'm sure those would make a delightful addition. :)

Maple Pumkin Pecan Muffins

For the muffins:
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons cold milled flax
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel:
2/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cold butter, cut in cubes
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or fill with muffin liners.

Put the nuts for the crumb topping recipe into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add remaining crumb topping ingredients and pulse until mixture is crumb-like. Remove crumb topping and set aside in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, vanilla, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Mix well. In another medium sized bowl, combine the flour, flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Stir well to combine.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine until just moistened. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, using a little less than 1/4 cup of batter per muffin. Top each muffin with a heaping tablespoon of the streusel mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing. They taste delicious served warm. Cool any extras on a wire rack until room temperature. Then, store in a ziplock bag or a container with lid.

Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Harvest Pancakes

We made these this weekend and they were so yummy! I could not find the jar of applesauce that I swore we had so I mashed up some canned pears instead and it worked great. You can also switch out the applesauce for one large mashed banana. The original recipe calls for only 2 cups milk and I added more because it made really thick pancakes. You can obviously make them as thick or thin as you want to though.

Harvest Pancakes

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons flax seed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons dry milk powder (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg
2 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce

Stir together dry ingredients and set aside. In seperate bowl, wisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Stir in the applesauce. Pour into dry mixture until just moistened. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes. Heat a lightly oiled griddle to medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip and cook until light brown on other side.

Cider Cake

Here's a good fall recipe that is from pioneer times.  I made it for our pioneer group's Harvest Dinner this weekend.  It is a dense cake, not light and fluffy.  I cooked it in two loaf pans and they don't rise up very much; they stay pretty small.  But, like I said, it's dense, so you don't really need a big huge piece. I think the pearlash in the original recipe was something like the baking powder?  Also, mine took less than the 50 minutes listed to cook, so be sure to check it after about 40.

The first paragraph is how it was originally written, the next instructions are how it was interpreted for modern times.

"Cider cake is very good, to be baked in small loaves.  One pound and a half of flour, half a pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter, half o pint of cider, one teaspoonful of pearlash; spice to your taste.  Bake till it turns easily from the pans.  I should think about half an hour."

1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 t. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. apple cider

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and blend well. Sift flour, baking powder, and spices.  Add flour mixture and cider alternately to butter mixture, beginning with flour and stirring well after each addition.  Batter will be stiff.  Pour into two greased 5x9 loaf pans or two 9-inch round cake pans.  Bake 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

From American Frugal Housewife - Mrs. Child 1832 -- interpreted by Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook.

Stacked Burrito Pie

We had this tasty concoction tonight. I would like to say that the kids liked it, but none of them would try it, not even Amelia - because she was copying everything her naughty brothers were doing. But Jeff and I liked it. Oh, I also had to use my sour cream powder from our food storage, in place of the regular sour cream, because the stuff in the fridge was old. And it was good! So I'm sure this would be even better with real sour cream! : ) I also used more than 8 ounces of cheese.

Stacked Burrito Pie

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 C. sour cream
1 C. salsa
8 ounces Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
Increase the heat to medium, then add the ground beef, chili powder, and cumin. Cook the mixture until the beef is browned and no longer pink, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add the salt, water, black beans, and corn, and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using the rim of a 9-inch springform pan as a template, trim 3 of the tortillas to the size of the pan. Leave the fourth tortilla untrimmed.
Butter the bottom and sides of the pan (or use non-stick cooking spray). Press the untrimmed tortilla evenly into the pan's bottom. Spread 2 tablespoons of the sour cream over the tortilla, followed by 1/4 cup of the salsa. Spoon and spread a quarter of the beef mixture over the salsa, then sprinkle a quarter of the grated cheese evenly over the top.
Place one of the trimmed tortillas on top of the cheese, then repeat the layers until the ingredients and tortillas are used up. You should end up with four layers, topped with the final sprinkling of cheese.
Bake the pie until heated through, about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the rim from the springorm. Slice the pie into wedges using a sharp knife.
Serves 10

Note: I think that you can save yourself 20 minutes and skip the water/boiling part but since I haven't tried it w/out the water, I left it in the recipe. And I didn't bother with trimming the tortillas like it says to - I just used a springform pan that fit the tortillas and it worked fine.
Also, it says that you can use a 9-inch cake pan instead and serve it like a lasagna.

Recipe and picture from Family Fun magazine.

Easy Mediterranean Fish Stew

I made this a couple weeks ago and it was deeeelish. I didn't use the anchovy fillets, but I put them in the recipe just in case you're feeling adventurous. :) I also used regular russet potatoes and they worked fine, and I just used dried thyme b/c I don't have fresh thyme growing in the garden. And I used mahi mahi for the fish. Yum!!

Easy Mediterranean Fish Stew

4 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt
4 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 4 minutes, drained and rinsed (optional)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or sliced
1 bay leaf
couple sprigs of fresh thyme
crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
splash of lemon juice
1 quart water
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 to 1 1/2 pounds firm white-fleshed fish (tilapia, cod, halibut)
2-4 tablespoons minced fresh flat parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. If using anchovy, mash the garlic, 14/ teaspoon salt and anchovies together with mortar and pestle. Add the onion, celery, carrot and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic (or garlic-anchovy paste, if using). Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (with juice). Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture is aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the potatoes, salt to taste, bay leaf, thyme, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and add black pepper to taste.
Season the fish with salt and black pepper, and stir into the soup. The soup should not be boiling. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the type and thickness of the fish) or just until it flakes easily when poked. Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaf, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust the seasonings and serve.

Serves 4-6

From the Denver Post and they got it from "The Very Best of Recipes for Health" by Martha Rose Shulman

Pear Crumble with Vanilla Brown Butter

We had this for Family Home Evening last night and it was scrumptious! The almond crumble on top gives it a bit of a different flavor than your standard crisps/crumbles.

Pear Crumble with Vanilla Brown Butter

Adapted from Gourmet, October 2007

Crumble Topping:

3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup almonds with skin, finely chopped

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Filling:

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon flour

4 firm-ripe pears peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons apple juice

Make topping: Mix together flour, almonds, brown sugar, and salt. Mix in butter. Chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean (or extract) into a small saucepan, then add pod and butter and cook over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
While butter browns, stir together sugars, flour, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add pears and apple juice and toss to combine.
Discard vanilla pod, then toss butter with pear mixture. Spoon filling into ramekins and sprinkle generously with topping. Put ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool to warm or room temperature on a rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

**Makes enough for 4 single-serving ramekins.

Gluay Buat Chee

I told Jeremy what I was making last night and then I asked him if he knew what it meant. He laughed and said "I have to pee so bad it hurts!" Well. Aparently it depends on the spelling because that's not what this Gluay Buat Chee means! It means "bananas ordained as nuns". (The nuns in Thailand wear white robes). It is devine. And rich. It is very rich. So I would just pour a small bowl for each person. Mmmm!:)




Gluay Buat Chee

3-4 medium bananas (underripe)
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt (a little less is ok)


Peel bananas and halve lengthwise. Cut each half into 4 equal pieces. Bring coconut milk, water, sugar and salt to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the bananas and serve hot or warm.

*You can freeze any leftovers to use in smoothies!


I got this from the Thai cookbook you guys gave me when I got married: Quick and Easy Thai