BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

My family and I love baking powder biscuits for breakfast.  I didn't make them very often because there wasn't enough time to get them done before my kids headed off for school.  I got this recipe from my friend Loralee.  These biscuits are quick and easy to make.  They remind me of the biscuits that you get at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  This has now become my favorite biscuit recipe and I make them quite often now, even on school days.

Recipe:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups cream

 

                                                                         

Using a whisk, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Stir in cream until just combined.

The dough will be quite sticky.





                                                                             








Place on floured surface.

Knead only 25 turns.  It's fine if the

dough is a little sticky.  Less flour makes a more moist and tender biscuit.

 Pat or roll to 1/2" thick. Cut and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

There is nothing better any morning, than a hot biscuit served with your favorite jam, honey or sausage gravy.

                       ENJOY!

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

 

This is an amazing pickle recipe that I got from my friend Editha (fondly known by many as "Eddy").
I was invited to join Eddy and her friends in her annual candy making and she had asked me to dip her centers.  Each day she treated us with a delicious lunch.  She had served these pickles.  I've never been a real fan of pickles but, after I had these, I was hooked.  They are slightly sweet and the kicker is that they are so crisp and crunchy like a fresh cucumber.  Now for the best part........wait for it.............
You don't have to can them!!!!!  YAHOO!!!  I hate canning, no, I more than hate, I detest canning.  These are so quick and easy to make and there is  very little mess.  Love it!!

Here's what you need

5-6 Cucumbers

3-Onions

1-1/2 teaspoons Celery Seed

1-1/2 teaspoons Mustard Seed

1-1/2 teaspoons Turmeric

3-Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

4-Cups Sugar

1/3-Cup Pickling Salt

Slice cucumbers and onions and put in 1 gallon jar. 

Slice them any way you would like.  I like to slice them quite thick because it gives me more to bite into and mostly because I can cut them up faster

Pack them in.  You will only fit about 2 onions and 4 cucumbers in at first.  After you add the liquid brine, they will settle and you can add more.

Measure the vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, celery seed, sugar and salt into a pan and cook high heat.  I stir this as it is heating, scraping the bottom, to make sure the sugar and salt dissolve and don't get stuck on the bottom of the pan where they can burn.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Pour the brine into the jar.  Notice how the liquid doesn't fill the jar and the cucumbers start to settle.  Now you can add more cucumbers and onion until the liquid and cucumbers reach the top.

Put on the lid and STORE IN THE FRIDGE.  Take out and shake once a day for 30 days (or just whenever you think about it).

We were dipping in to these within a week.  The longer they sit, the more flavor they get.



Just a few notes:

I got this jar at Walmart.  I thought it would look a lot cooler in pictures for my Blog.  I usually use an empty, gallon size, Marchino cherry jar ( I make a lot of Cherry Cordials).  After twisting on the lid for a minute or two, then pulling on it out of frustration, I realized it wasn't a twist on lid.  It's o.k. but you can see that after shaking it, the liquid is in the top of the ring and will probably start to leak down the side of the jar and get sticky.  Yuck!  The other thing is, I had to adjust the shelves in my fridge to make it fit because it was so high.  Long story short, it is cool looking, but I wouldn't get it.  I would just use any empty gallon jar you might have with a twist on lid.

I also added more cucumbers and onions as they started to settle.  You could also make this in smaller jars.

Play Dough

Soft as Cloud Play Dough

(my experience)

I have always wanted to make a play dough recipe that I had seen on the internet.  The name alone ( soft as cloud ) sounded  like a heavenly soft play dough that would squish so perfectly in my hand.  I was waiting for a good excuse to make this enticing stuff.  My daughter and her 3 young boys ages 2,4, and 6, were visiting for a few days during spring break.  It is spring here in Idaho and we were planning on doing some activities outside.  Well, we have had some typical Idaho spring weather lately, wind, some sun, some snow, some rain, more snow...

We woke up to wind and snow one morning.  I thought this would be the perfect time to try out the perfect play dough recipe that I had seen posted on Face Book.  It only called for 2 ingredients, corn starch and hair conditioner and what was even better, you didn't have to cook it.  Little boys are very busy and they love clay.  To keep them busy longer, I decided to let them make their own, since it didn't need cooking.

I gave them each their own mixing bowl and we measured the cornstarch and conditioner in the bowl.  They had a great time mixing it.  I was very curious to see how the clay would turn out because I've done the cornstarch and water experiments and it has never been a play dough type texture.  I thought maybe the conditioner ingredient would make a magical difference.

It didn't take long to make and wasn't too surprised to find the texture wasn't like a play dough.  It looked like the pictures you see on the website but the consistency wasn't very pliable.  The kids could play with it, but just like cornstarch and water, when you made something, it wouldn't hold its shape.  It was crumbly and a little stiff.  I double checked the recipe to make sure that they didn't cook it.  The  whole time I was thinking to myself "Nailed It" just like the many ideas you see on Pinterest etc. that you try and fail.

I have a another play dough recipe that you cook and it is made with flour.  I use cornstarch when making gravy and pie filling and when it is cooked it has more of a jelly type texture.  We didn't have anything to lose and so I decided to conduct and experiment with them and try cooking the clay.  Here is what we did:

This is the original recipe without cooking.  Make it first so that you can see for yourself if you like it or not.  Then follow the steps I show to cook it.

Ingredients:

2-Parts Corn Starch ( I used 2 Cups)
1-Part Conditioner ( I used the cheapest hair conditioner I could find )
Food Coloring

Mix together in bowl.

I put the finished play dough in a sauce pan and added water to it.  You can add quite a bit of water because you need enough to break down the cornstarch.  I turned the stove burner on to high heat.  I'm always in a hurry and I figured we aren't going to eat it any way (supposedly).

  I stirred constantly over the high heat until it started to gather into a ball.  This only took a few minutes.  Remove from heat let cool.

 

After it has cooled enough to handle, begin kneading the dough as you would bread.  Notice how lumpy the play dough looks at first.  Don't worry, because the kneading will combine the ingredients well and you will have a nice, smooth, soft as cloud,  play dough. 

I was pleased to see that our experiment was a success.  The play dough was very smooth and not crumbly.  It had more elasticity and held its shape like play dough should.

If the play dough gets too dry, knead in some conditioner.  If it gets too sticky, knead in more corn starch.

Have Fun!

THIS IS MY REALITY!

As usual, things are never like in the pictures (nice clean kids and work area).

 But....

Corn Starch---$1.00

Hair Conditioner---$1.59

Time with grand kids, successful learning experiment, and hours of QUIET play time,

PRICELESS! 

                   Re-cooking Candy (or fixing oops!)

 

One of the reasons we are afraid of trying something new is the fear of making mistakes and wasting the ingredients that we have spent money on.  I am going to show you that other than totally burning the candy to charcoal, you can save the ingredients and have success.  

 When you’re making candy the problems you may have are undercooking, overcooking or having the candy go grainy.  I have experimented with the goofs that I have made and have been surprised to see them turn out.

Overcooking:  The best way to take care of this is to have a reliable thermometer and to watch the thermometer and remove the candy from the heat when it is at the desired temperature.  What happens is that sometimes we may get distracted or it cooks faster than we realized and the temperature is much higher than we want (I’m going from personal experience).  To remedy this, quickly add  ½ cup of water for a water based candy or 1/2 cup of cream for a cream based candy.  Stir this in and this will lower the temperature of the candy to where you can get a second chance to watch it closely and cook it to the proper temperature.

Undercooking or going grainy:  This won’t show up until after the candy is cooked and cooled but, no fear, we can re-cook it and still have it turn out and not waste the ingredients.  Fondant and butter mints are candies that can go grainy and I have re-cooked.  The butter-mints have turned out even better when I re-cooked them. 

I had an experience during a candy class I was teaching where the participants doubled the amount of sugar in a toffee recipe.  I wasn’t aware of the mistake until after it was made and poured the candy on a cookie sheet to cool.  I noticed the batch filled the pan more that usual and that it was grainy.  I had never re-cooked toffee before and wasn’t sure how it would turn out.  Since the sugar was doubled we added more butter and water to also make it double and then re-cooked it.  It turned out just fine.

I recently had a batch of toffee that I had under cooked and was too sticky to chew, so I decided to try re-cooking it.  I wasn’t quite sure how it would melt or turn out because of the texture.  Grainy candy is almost like working with sugar and melts quite easily when the liquid is added.  This was solid and not grainy.  I figure that I have nothing to lose.  I’m going to take you through the process of re-cooking with this batch.  I’ll tell you now, it was successful and turned out great. 

Just a note: anything that is re-cooked will be slightly darker in color.

Break up the candy you will be re-cooking in a heavy-bottomed aluminum pan.

This toffee is water based and this batch was a double batch.  I added about 1-½ cups water. 

If it is a water based candy, add 1 cup of water.  If it is a cream based candy, add ½ cup of cream.

Over med heat, slowly melt the candy stirring occasionally.   You can adjust the temperature as needed to melt the candy but not boil. 

 I have a ceramic top stove.  They tend to be cooler than coil or gas stoves (adjust the temperature according to your stove).  You don’t want the candy to boil until it is melted so adjust the temperature up or down as needed until the candy is melted.

Once it is melted, increase the temperature to medium-high or high heat (or the temperature your stove needs to keep the candy at a full rolling boil).  Clip on a candy thermometer and cook it just like you would normally do for that recipe.  Make sure and watch the temperature closely. 

I rely on the thermometer for all my candy, but toffee is one that I like to use the water test to double check.   The trick to toffee is to get it nice and crunchy and not stick to your teeth.  When it gets to the temperature I want, I have a cold cup of water on hand and drop in a spoonful of the candy.  When it is to that crunchy stage, you will hear it pop a little when you drop it in the water and you can also pull it out of the water and test its texture. 

This is the finished, re-cooked toffee.  I score the toffee when it is cooled slightly so it will break apart easily in uniform squares.  When it is cooled you can dip it in chocolate. 

I was very surprised and pleased how it turned out.  Just goes to show you can re-cook about any candy.

The only thing left to do now is dip it in Peter's chocolate.

     
Go for it!  You have nothing to lose.

                                           FUDGE

I'm a texture person and I like a smooth creamy fudge.  This is one of the best fudges I have ever tasted.  The secret to this fudge is a high quality chocolate and ,of course, I use Peter's chocolate.  This is very easy to make but you will need a few tools that are important to successfully make the fudge.  The most important tool when making this fudge is a marble board that is at least 24" square.  A thermometer and a heavy bottomed aluminum pan are also tools that make the process much easier and successful.

This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make.  It is really easy but, to have success, you must follow the steps and time in cooling the cooked mixture before you add the chocolate. 

Fudge recipe:

2- Cups heavy cream
4- Cups sugar
1/8- Cup light corn syrup
1/2- teaspoon salt
1- cube real butter (1/2 Cup)
1-1/2 lbs. of Peter's chocolate  (24 oz. or about 3 Cups)

Tip:  The fudge that is pictured I used 1-1/2 lbs. of chocolate.  When cooled it cuts and holds its shape very well.  If you like a softer fudge (it won't hold its shape as well) use only 18-20 oz. of chocolate.  It won't affect the creamy smooth texture just how firm it is when it is cooled.

You can add a variety of other ingredients to make different flavors such as nuts, marshmallows, peanut butter, cookies etc.  The ideas and options are endless.

Begin by getting the chocolate chopped and other ingredients ready and set aside.  This tool is awesome for breaking up chocolate.   If the chocolate isn't measured accurately, it isn't going to ruin anything.  If you do add too much chocolate ( is it possible to have too much chocolate) it might not all melt completely.
The smaller the chunks, the better it will melt.  I don't worry about the chocolate being finely chopped because I've never heard anyone complain about having chunks of Peter's chocolate in their fudge.  Use a kitchen scale to weigh the chocolate or if measured it is about 3 cups. 

I'm making a cookies and cream fudge so I divided the 1-1/2 lbs of chocolate into 3/4 lb. Peter's white chocolate and 3/4 lb. of Peter's dark chocolate.   I am
 using Oreo cookies and I coarsely chopped them in a blender putting 3-5 in at a time and use a pulsating button until they are chopped.

I have all the ingredients in  separate bowls and set aside.  Have a dry and ungreased marble board also ready.






In a heavy bottomed aluminum pan, add the cream, sugar, salt and light corn syrup.  Turn on the stove burner from medium high to high heat.

 I have a ceramic top stove and after teaching classes on gas and coil burner stoves I have found them to be hotter than the ceramic stove top.  I cook on high heat but adjust the temperature according to your stove.  It needs to be hot enough to bring it to a full rolling boil.


Carefully stir the ingredients occasionally as it is heating.

I don't ever stir vigorously but run my spoon continuously across the bottom. I scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure there isn't any dry sugar pockets stuck to the bottom that will scorch.  By stirring carefully you prevent sugar getting up on the sides of the pan that may cause the candy to go grainy and I never have to wash down the sides of the pan.  Also, never scrape the sides of the pan when stirring.



Once it comes to a full boil, remove the spoon and clip on a candy thermometer.  Cook the mixture to 238 degrees F.  Remember to calibrate to your thermometer.

 The reason I have 2 thermometers is that I'm testing out a new digital thermometer and wanted to check its accuracy with the one I have been using for years.  I am really liking the digital one.


When it reaches the proper temperature, (which takes about 5 minutes) without scraping the pan pour onto a clean, dry, un-greased marble board.
Never scrape out the pan, this can cause it to go grainy.  I know it is hard to resist getting every last bit out of the pan.



Now, the next steps are important to follow to have the best results.  Set a timer and let it set undisturbed for 3 minutes.



After 3 minutes, cut the cube of butter and place on top.  Set timer for 2 minutes and let it set undisturbed.





After 2 minutes begin stirring in the butter.  It will be runny but you can keep it gathered with a wooden spatula and scraper.  When the butter is melted and mixed it is time to add the chocolate.





I am going to make cookies and cream so I am dividing this mixture and adding dark chocolate to one side and white to the other.  If you are doing just one flavor you don't need to divide it.





 
Add the chocolate and begin stirring and mixing.  This is when the fudge will start to set up.  Don't worry if all the chocolate doesn't melt, it will be a chocolate bonus.  Put directly in to a pan.




Do the same with the white chocolate and when the chocolate is mostly melted, add the cookies.




Spread the white chocolate on top and cover with plastic wrap to keep fresh.

Notes: This fudge gets its smooth creamy texture from the high cocoa butter content in Peter's chocolate.  When I was first
experimenting with this recipe, after I added the chocolate, you would have thought I had struck oil.  It separated and ran everywhere.  After much trial and error, I found if I let the cooked ingredients cool on a marble board, it wouldn't burn the chocolate causing the oils to separate but still be warm enough to melt the chocolate.  That is why it is important to follow the cooling time instructions.  It is also important to have the extra ingredients ready to add as soon as the chocolate is mixed in and put it in a pan.  I had a batch of fudge finished and it was perfect.  I had let it set while I prepared some nuts to add to it.  It had set for several minutes before I added the nuts and when I stirred them in I had some oil start to separate.  I don't know why.  I just make sure and quickly add the other ingredients and put the finished fudge in a pan and don't stir it any more.  If you do get some oil separating, dab it with a paper towel to absorb the oil and it will be just fine.

 The variety of flavors are only as endless as your imagination.  The fudge made with Peter's Ultra or milk chocolate will have a sweet flavor and the fudge made with Peter's Burgandy or dark chocolate has a more chocolatey flavor.  I have recently experimented mixing the dark chocolate and white chocolate to make instead of the milk chocolate.  I use different proportions to more chocolatey milk chocolate flavored fudge. Here are a few combinations I have made:

Rocky Road: Peter's milk chocolate or a mixture of Peter's dark and white chocolate, chopped walnuts, marshmallows

Salted Caramel Macadamia: Peter's dark chocolate, chopped Macadamia nuts, 1-can caramel made from sweetened condensed milk(check October 2013 post), sea salt.  I sandwiched a layer of caramel between two dark chocolate layers that had the nuts mixed in them and sprinkled sea salt on top of the caramel.

Peanut butter: Use either dark or milk Peter's chocolate for half and white chocolate the other half.  Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter in with the white chocolate layer and chopped, salted peanuts in the chocolate layer.

Peppermint: Peter's dark chocolate and white chocolate.  Mix crushed candy canes in the the white chocolate fudge and add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil to the dark chocolate fudge.
 The ideas are endless.


                         GO FOR IT!  This fudge is amazing.  You've got to try it to believe it.