Rhubarb Lime Ginger Jam

Ingredients:
4 cups rhubarb

1 Lime, juiced

Zest of 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 drops red food color
1 package powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
Cooking Instructions:
Chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks. Place in large stock pot and cook over low until rhubarb is soft. Add ginger, lime zest, lime juice and pectin; cook over high heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches a full rolling boil (cannot be stirred down). Add sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 full minutes. Remove from heat and add food color. Place in sterilized jars with new lids.  Process 10 minutes in hot water bath.

Yields about 6 ½ Cups

Rhubarb Ginger Jam

Ingredients:
4 cups rhubarb
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
4 drops red food color
1 package powdered pectin
5 cups sugar
Cooking Instructions:
Chop rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks. Place in large stock pot and cook over low until rhubarb is soft. Add ginger and pectin; cook over high heat, stirring constantly until mixture reaches a full rolling boil (cannot be stirred down). Add sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 full minutes. Remove from heat and add food color. Place in sterilized jars with new lids.  Process 10 minutes in hot water bath.

Yields about 6 ½ Cups

Rosette's

A Norwegian Christmas Tradition.  The light flaky cookie melts in your mouth.  Makes about 16 cookies.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 TBLS sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk 2%
1 cup flour
1 TBLS Almond Extract (can use lemon or vanilla extract in place of almond)

Directions:
Add sugar to eggs mix well, then add milk and mix again.  Mix flour and salt.  Stir into egg mixture and beat until smooth.  Add flavoring stir again.  Set aside.

Fry as directed below, dip in sugar and store in cover airtight container.  Can be frozen.

Pre-Frying Directions:

• Set up everything that is needed to fry.
• Use a fry daddy to fry.  Use shortening according to manufacturers instructions.
• Have a bowl that is big enough for the finished rosettes fill with granulated sugar.  Should have flat bottom.
• Have a bowl that is big enough to fit rosette iron 3/4 high and fill with part of the batter.  Should have flat bottom.
• Have cooling rack ready.

Frying directions:

• Put iron in oil.  Leave for about 5 minutes to heat up.  
• Lift iron and shake off excess oil.
• Dip in batter about 3/4 from top.  Lift iron; let excess batter drip off.  Do not shake.
• Put bake in oil.  When bubbling stops and rosettes are brown, they are done.  About a minute or two.
• Lift out of oil and let excess oil drip off.
• Drop into sugar and release the mold using a fork to help off.  They are delicate, so you have to be careful.
• Once iron is off, stir around sugar.  Remove from sugar and place sugar side up on cooling rack.
• Dip iron back in oil for about 2 minutes and repeat until the batter is gone.  You will need to add batter as it gets too low.

Mint Brownie Bites

A great minty brownie.  Fun around the Holidays or anytime of year.

Ingredients

For the brownies:

·         6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

·         1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

·         2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

·         1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

·         4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         2 large eggs

For the ganache:

·         ½ cup heavy cream

·         8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

·         1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

·         Andes Mints (cut in half or chopped coarsely)

Directions

1.     Make the brownies: Heat oven to 350° F.  Generously spray cooking spray on a 24-cup mini muffin pan (or 2 12-cup). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2.     In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.  Remove the pan from heat and mix in the sugar and vanilla.   Add the eggs and mix until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix).

3.     Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them no more than two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, press down on center of the brownie to make an indentation.  Gently twist the brownies to ensure that they will not stick.  Let cook another 5-10 minutes in pan; then transfer the brownies to the racks and let cool completely. 

4.     Make the ganache: Place the cream and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring occasionally, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir to completely combine. Stir in the peppermint extract. Let cool 10 minutes.

5.     Assemble the brownie bites: Spread the ganache over the cooled brownies and sprinkle with the chopped Andes mints (or if cut in ½ put ½ in each bite).  Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate until the ganache is firm, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

6.     Storage suggestion: Store in frig; let warm up about 30 minutes prior to serve.  Can be frozen.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

It is Asparagus season.  I put together this healthy low-low fat version of the soup that is packed with protein. Makes 10 - 2 Cup servings.  Each serving has 17 grams of protein with only 185 calories, 2 grams of fat and 2 mg of cholesterol, while providing 662 mg of Potassium and 21% of RDA for Iron.

Ingredients:
2 Large Onions (Chopped)
1 teaspoon butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Large Potatoes (cut up with peel on)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon sea salt
64 oz Fat Free (reduced sodium) chicken broth
3 pounds Fresh Asparagus Stalks (Chopped).  Reserve tips.
3 ounces raw Spinach
1 Teaspoon Mrs. Dash
Chobani Plain Fat Free Yogurt (32oz)
1 tsp white pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in olive oil over low-medium heat in a large stock pot.  Once melted, add onions.  Cook until onions are tender.  Add potatoes, garlic and salt cooking for about 5 minutes.  Add 32 ounces (4 cups) chicken broth , simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes are almost cooked.  Add asparagus stalks and cook for additional 30 minutes, adding spinach for the last 10 minutes.  Puree in food processor or blender. This may need to be done in batches, depending on how big your food processor is.  Put back in stock pot, add additional chicken broth, Mrs Dash and heat for about 10 minutes.  Add yogurt and pepper, stir.  Add asparagus tips for about 10 minutes until hot and serve.

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

I have tried Chicken Dumpling soup before, but the dumplings never turn out and it turns into Chicken Stew. Here is a recipe that anyone can do, just as long as they cover they pot and do not peek for 20 minutes.  Good luck with the not peeking and if you do peek, enjoy your Chicken Stew.


Ingredients:
1 Fryer Chicken


Soup:
10 Cups Water
6 Cubes Chicken Bouillon
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
6 to 8 Total Cups of any vegetables that you like.  
          I have used the following:  Corn, Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Onions.  Use your imagination.
2 tsp minced Garlic
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper


Dumplings:
2 Cups Flour 
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

Shred the Chicken

1 egg, beaten
2 TBLS melted Butter
2/3 Cup Milk


Directions:
Day 1 (or early in the morning) - Roast the chicken seasoned with salt and pepper at 300 F for about 2 hours.  Let chicken cool slightly.  Remove meat from bones and shred the meat.  Put in container to refrigerate.  Save the juice in a separate container in the frig.

Simmer the soup

Day 2 - 
Soup - Remove the juice and chicken from the frig.  Skim the fat from the top of the juice.  Add the chicken, juice and other soup ingredients to large stock pot with a lid.  Simmer soup on low, covered, for about 3 or so hours, stirring occasionally.

Sift dry ingredients for dumplings

Dumplings - About 30 minutes before serving, mix dumplings by sifting dry ingredients together. Add egg, melted butter and enough milk to make a moist, stiff batter. Drop by teaspoons into boiling liquid. Cook, covered and without for 20 minutes until the dumplings are done. Do not lift the lid during the cooking process.  Seriously, do not peek, as tempting as it may be.  Just sit back pour a glass of wine and sit on the couch for 20 minutes.

Drop Dumpling in Soup

Burgundy Beef

Ingredients:
1 Pound Stew Meat
1 Cup Chopped Onions
8 oz sliced Mushrooms
1 Pound Baby Carrots
2 tsp minced Garlic
2 Cups Red Wine
1 Can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 Can Beef Consommé
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 TBLS Flour

Directions:
Heat oven to 300 F.
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Put in an oven safe casserole dish with lid.
Cook at 300 F for 3 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.