Marshmallows - Dorothy Thomas

Last year, my mother wanted to learn how to make marshmallows, so I found a recipe and shared it with her.  This one I received from my mother in law - it was her mothers.

2 packages Knox gelatin dissolved in 2/3 cup cold water.


3/4 cup hot water
2 cups sugar

Combine and boil until it spins a thread.

Stir in gelatin mixture, 1/2 tea salt and 1 tsp vanilla

That was the extent of the instructions.   To clarify:

Combine 1/4 cup each cornstarch and powdered sugar.  Lightly spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray, toss the powdered sugar mixture in the pan until well coated, keeping any extra sugar mixture.  Set aside.


Dissolve the gelatin in a VERY large bowl of a stand mixer, set aside until you make the sugar.

When the sugar/water mixture spins a thread, pour it very slowly into the gelatin mixture with the mixer on low.  When all of the syrup is added, turn the mixer to high and beat until cool and thick, adding the salt and vanilla when lukewarm.

Pour into prepared pan, dust with additional sugar mixture and cool completely.  Cut with a pizza cutter or knife coated with confectioners sugar.

Brioche

I was never really sure what Brioche was until I made it, now I can say it is very much like a croissant in a loaf.  While  it can be made as a loaf, this is one of those breads that have lots of options - including stuffing.

    1/3 Cup Milk                           2 1/2 Cups Bread Flour

    2 Tbl Sugar                             1 Tsp Salt

    1 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast    10 Tbl Unsalted Butter

    4 Large Eggs    

Remove 3 eggs and butter from refrigerator - both need to be room temperature.  Heat milk to between 110 and 115 degrees and

place in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir in sugar and sprinkle with room temperature yeast.  Let stand until foamy.

In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs until blended.  Once yeast is foamy, use paddle attachment to beat the eggs in at a low speed, pouring at a steady stream.  Once combined, slowly add salt and 2 1/2 cups flour until blended.  Mix at medium speed until dough is smooth.  Once it has all pulled away from the side of the bowl, continue kneading by hand until you have been mixing/kneading for 10 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Incorporate butter, 2 tablespoons at a time.  You can use your mixer to do this, but I prefer to do it by hand.  Once all butter is incorporated, continue kneading until smooth and shiny.  Place dough in a

buttered bowl and refrigerate until doubled in size - may take over night.

Gently punch the dough down.  Butter an 8x4 loaf pan and shape dough into a loaf that will fit into the pan.  Cover with buttered

plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until dough rises to the top of the pan.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat remaining egg until frothy.  When bread has risen, bake 20 minutes.  Brush with egg and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until deep golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Week 30 - 56.24

This week puts me in the middle of nowhere, Minnesota.  South of Burton Lake, there are no other notable landmarks nearby.  Burton Lake has fishing, but it is recommended that you get a guide if you are to fish there.

The Minnesota Tourism site offers a list of 100 interesting points of trivia - here are the first ten:
1. The Minnesota lake with the most shoreline is Lake Vermillion.
2. The Minnesota Gold Rush was in 1865 and began at Lake Vermillion.
3. Saganaga Lake is the deepest lake in Minnesota, it also produced the largest Walleye ever caught in Minnesota weighing in at 17 lbs. 8 oz. in 1975!
4. There are 12,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Minnesota, more than any other state in the nation.
5. Named after French explorer Daniel Graysolon Sieur du Luth Duluth is the largest freshwater port in the world. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 allowing oceangoing ships to reach Duluth.
6. St. Louis county, the largest county in Minnesota, has more acres than the entire state of Connecticutt.
7. Home to the Jolly Green Giant is Le Seur.
8. Casey Jones was the engineer of Old No. 201 which is on display in Owatonna.
9. The Greyhound Bus Line was started in Hibbing when the town had to be moved for mine expansion.
10. Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hal was the first to say ‘Holy Cow’ during a baseball broadcast.

The Ark

Dictionary.com includes the following definition of ark: 

a place of protection or security; refuge; asylum.

 

In the book The Ark, Tyler Locke and others are pulled into a race to save all of humanity.  After archaeologist Delara Kenner's father goes missing, she is led to Tyler to help her solve the riddle of what her father was working on when he was killed.  Finding the Ark of Noah.  What ensues is a adventurous, thought provoking ride into archaeological possibilities.  Failure means the end of the human race (at least most of it).  Success could shake worldwide belief systems if not handled well.  Find the book, read the book - you'll enjoy it.

Learn more about the author and his other books (The Vault is also quite good) at http://www.boydmorrison.com/ark.php

Chicken Corn Soup - Dorothy Thomas

Welcome to the newly christened Family Friday's.  I will endeavor to make and share a family recipe each Fraidy.  Hubby remembers his grandmother's chicken corn soup fondly.  I am happy to report that he said I did justice.  I was also happy to say that I learned a little about the grandmother I never met just by looking at the recipe card.  She was very thorough and had a sense of humor at the same time.  The recipe card says 'serves 6 - if you're lucky' - we had 10 servings.

Can use just 3 breasts, but add boullion.  Can substitute 2 cups cooked rice.  1/4 tsp saffron can be added when cooking the chicken.  

    1 Stewing Chicken                   3 Cups Corn

    1 Stalk Celery, With Leaves    2 Cups Noodles

    1 Onion                                    1/8 Tsp Pepper

    2 Tsp Salt                                  2 Tablespoon Parsley

    3 Qts Water                               2 Large Hard Boiled Egg, Chopped

Combine chicken, celery, onion, salt and water.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, cook until chicken is done.  Remove chicken to a large pan to cool.  Strain broth and return to pan.  Cut then shred the chicken when cool enough to handle.  Add corn, noodles, pepper, eggs and parsley.  Cook 15 minutes and serve.

Corn Fritters

These corn fritters were amazing with the corn that we froze at the end of last summer.  Use an oil that tolerates high heat - I prefer sunflower oil.  For the cheddar blend, I like the Giant brand three cheese blend.  This makes 4 servings.

    1/2 Cup Buttermilk               1/2 Tsp Salt

    1 Large Egg                          1/2 Tsp Cumin

    1/2 Tsp Baking Powder        1.5 Cups Corn

    1/4 Cup Cornmeal                 2 Tbl Chopped Chilies

    1/4 Cup Wheat Flour            1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Blend

Mix Buttermilk, Egg, Baking Powder, Cornmeal, Wheat flour, Salt and Cumin until smooth.  Stir in corn, chilies and cheddar.

 Heat 1/4 inch oil in skillet and cook 2 minutes per side.  Makes 8 fritters.

Per Serving: 214 Cal (33% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 48% from Carb); 10 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 27

g Carb; 3 g Fiber; 4 g Sugar; 203 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 517 mg Sodium

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin

Hubby hunts to spend time with his friends, to spend time in the great outdoors and because I like venison.  He will eat it, but it has to be properly prepared - i.e., it shouldn't taste like venison.  At least  not TOO gamy.  To that end, we make bologna, breakfast sausage, snack sticks and canned venison.  Canning masks the gamy flavor enough that he thought it was roast beef.  That just lets the tenderloin, roasts and steaks that I keep to cook otherwise.  Thanks to my friend Sheila, I have learned that soaking the venison in buttermilk helps remove some of the gamy flavor.  Now, to the recipe.  Hubby was so excited by this recipe - he really liked it.  He even asked if I made it with beef or with venison.  Truth be told, it doesn't matter which you use, but this time I used venison.

  10 Ounce Soy Sauce                                                                1 - 2 Lb Tenderloin

  3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar                                                      2 Tbl Red Hot

  3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar                                                      1/2 Lb Bacon

Mix the soy sauce and sugars, pour over the tenderloin.  Marinade at least 3 hours.  Remove from marinade, DO NOT discard marinade.

Wrap the tenderloin in bacon and hold with toothpicks.  Bake at 350 degrees until meat registers 5 - 10 degrees below done (done is 140 for medium venison, 145 for medium beef).  Baste with reserved marinade while baking.  When meat reaches the 5 - 10 degrees below done, remove it from the oven to a hot cast iron or other heavy skillet and finish it in that pan so the outside is crisp.  

If you don't have a cast iron pan, use the heaviest pan you have.  If you don't like crisp bacon, you can skip this step. 

Personal Pace

Personal pace is a good thing - any time you walk, moving at your own pace is the most comfortable.  Hubby tells me that my personal pace is a bit extreme for him - it has been getting faster the more I increase my half marathon speed.  I digress.

Personal Pace - trademarked by Toro - is an EXCELLENT thing.  The Personal Pace push mowers include a pressure sensitive handle that allows the self propelled mower to go faster the more quickly you walk.  When it takes 5 to 6 miles to mow your lawn, speed can be a good thing.  (5 for hubby, 6 for me thanks to all of the stopping to throw a ball).  We can actually push mow the lawn more quickly than using a riding mower.

Another great feature is the option to mulch the grass or bag it - so we can let it lay to fertilize the lawn or we can put it in the compost bin to fertilize the garden.  It starts easily and has been an excellent addition to our lawn care.

Week 29 - 60.88

A new top week at 60.88 miles.  This week puts me in the middle of farm country again, half way between St. Paul and the Minnesota State line.  This week, we visit 50States.com again for highlights from Minnesota.

• Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hal was the first to say 'Holy Cow' during a baseball broadcast. 
• Minnesota Inventions: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables  
• Minneapolis is home to the oldest continuously running theater (Old Log Theater) and the largest dinner theater (Chanhassan Dinner Theater) in the country. 
• The original name of the settlement that became St. Paul was Pig's Eye. Named for the French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, who had led squatters to the settlement.  
• Minneapolis’ famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside. 
• Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.  
• Rollerblades were the first commercially successful in-line Roller Skates. Minnesota students Scott and Brennan Olson invented them in 1980, when they were looking for a way to practice Hockey during the off-season. Their design was an ice hockey boot with 3 inline wheels instead of a blade. 
• Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Milky Way candy bar in 1923. Mars marketed the Snickers bar in 1930 and introduced the 5 cent Three Musketeers bar in 1937. The original 3 Musketeers bar contained 3 bars in one wrapper. Each with different flavor nougat.  
• Author Laura Ingalls Wilder lived on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove. 

Mom's Bread and Butter Pickles

Yesterday's pickles may have too much spice for you, so here is my mother's recipe for bread and butter pickles.

    2 Gal Cucumber, Sliced        1/2 Cup Salt

    1 1/2 Cup Sugar                    2 Tbl Pickling Spices

    3 Qrt Vinegar    

Heat to boiling point, put in jars and seal.

Yes, this is all there is to it.  At least that it was how it was given to me, so I will elaborate.  Cut the pickles in any way you like, that will fit in your jars.  Bread and bitter pickles are typically slices, but do what you wish.  Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Put pickles in prepared jars and fill jars with brine from the pan.  Allow 1/2 inch of headspace.  Process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

Zesty Bread and Butter Pickles

I found this variation of Bread and Butter Pickles in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  The only modification made from the original is the omission of onion as I am allergic to them.  These made a wonderful addition to my Potato Salad.  You can find lots of home preserving ideas and supplies at the Ball website.

  10 Cup Pickling Cucumbers                                                    2 Tbl Prepared Horseradish

  1/2 Cup Pickling Salt                                                              2 Tbl Gingerroot, Grated

  3 Cups White Vinegar                                                            2 Tbl Mustard Seed

  2 Cups Granulated Sugar                                                        

In a glass or stainless steel bowl or Pickle crock, combine cucumbers and salt.  Mix well, cover with cold water and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.  Transfer to a colander and rinse with cool running water.  Drain thoroughly.

Prepare canner, jars and lids while cucumbers sit.  

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, horseradish, gingeroot and mustard seed.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Stir in cucumbers and return to a boil.

Pack vegetables into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar.  Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as necessary.  Wipe rim, center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met then increase to fingertip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes.  Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars.  Cool, label and store.

Nutty Stone Muffins

These muffins can be made with your choice of nuts and any puréed stone fruit of your choice (peaches, plums, etc).  I did not peel the fruit before pureeing and the measure of 1 cup is after the fruit is puréed.  The consistancy is almost that of an individual baked oatmeal.  It is just firm enough to pick up and eat.

    1/2 Cup Salted Butter        1 Tsp cinnamon

    1 Cup Brown Sugar.          ½ Tsp nutmeg

    1 Large Egg.                     1 1/2 Cup old fashion oatmeal

    1 Cup Stone Fruit Puree    1 Cup flour

    1 Tsp salt                           1 1/2 Tsp baking powder

    1 Tsp vanilla.                    3/4 Cup Pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg and mix thoroughly.  Add puree and mix until combine.  Add remaining ingredients and stir carefully only until moistened. Line 12 muffin cups with paper OR spray with non stick cooking spray.  Divide batter between cups and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from oven cool for 5 minutes and remove to a rack to cool completely.  Put in a container and refrigerate.

Per Serving: 318 Cal (41% from Fat, 7% from Protein, 52% from Carb); 6 g Protein; 15 g Tot Fat; 6 g Sat Fat; 5 g Mono Fat; 43 g

Carb; 3 g Fiber; 19 g Sugar; 74 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 328 mg Sodium

Spiced Pork Loin

I used a Hatfield pork loin for this recipe.  It worked really well.  If you don't have pomegranate white wine, you can use red wine vinegar.

    2 Lb Pork Loin            1 Tsp Pepper

    1 Tbl Caraway Seed    3/4 Cup water

    1.5 Tsp Marjoram        3 Tbl Pomegranite White Wine Vinegar

    3/4 Tsp Salt    

Trim fat from roast. If necessary, cut roast to fit into 6-quart slow cooker. Combine caraway seed, marjoram, salt, and pepper.

Rub all over roast.

In a large skillet, brown pork roast on all sides in hot oil. 

Place meat in slow cooker. Add the water to skillet; bring to a gentle

boil over medium heat, stirring to loosen brown bits in bottom of skillet.  Add vinegar and pour over pork loin.

Cover and cook on high heat setting for 2 - 3 hours or until 150 degrees.

Week 28 - 44.46

This week finds me in the vicinity of Lake Waconia, MN.  Found in Carver County, Minnesota, Lake Waconia is currently a 100 acre park that is in the process of expanding.  Currently, the goal is 130 acres.  Facilities include a picnic shelter, playground equipment, restrooms, swimming, beach and volleyball courts.  During the winter, there is also a sledding hill available for you to take your own sled.  Boating is also available.  A parking permit is available and can be purchased online or at the gate.  Daily or yearly permits are available.  Learn more at http://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/PW/parks/lake_waconia.asp

Shadow of Night

If you have not yet read A Discovery Witches, by Deborah Harkness, what are you waiting for?  Shadow of Night is an excellent book, but you should read the first book in the series, well, first.  To learn more about A Discovery of Witches, click here.

Shadow of Night begins as Diana and Matthew land in 16th Century England.  The tale weaves through England, France and Prague, touching on historical figures and events.  It is masterfully woven to place the story within events to make a very captivating read.  Even if history is not your forte, the story of Diana and Matthew will keep you spellbound.  Further tying the book together are snippets of present day in which events in the past (such as Diana's diary) touch on the future.  I purchased the book on Tuesday, the day it came out, and finished it on Thursday.  Yes, I worked during the day, so I had some LATE nights.

Hidden Cauliflower

Hubby says he likes cauliflower.  Before I knew that, I made this casserole to hide the head we received with our CSA share.

    3 Lb Potatoes, cut into 1-inch.                1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt

    -cubes                                                      1 Cup Low Fat Cheddar

    2 Cup Cauliflower, Diced                       1 Lb Bacon, cooked crisp and

    1 Lb 2% Velveeta                                     -chopped

    1/2 Cup Mayonnaise    

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place potatoes and cauliflower in a large pan, fill with water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are just soft.

While cooking, cube Velveeta and put in a large bowl.  When potatoes are done, drain and add to bowl. Gently stir until cheese is melted.  In a separate bowl, stir together mayonnaise and yogurt. Gently stir into potatoes and cheese. Add bacon and cheddar,

Stir again and pour into a greased 2 quart baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.

Garden Skillet

As with everything I post, make this your own.  Use spaghetti squash, add ground turkey, use broccoli instead of asparagus.  The point is this - use the bounty of you local farm stand or your garden.

    1 Tbl Vegetable Oil            2 Tbl garlic cloves, minced

    1 Cup Zucchini                  1 Pint Marinara

    1 Cup Yellow Squash         8 Ounces Linguine

    1 Cup Red Bell Peppers     3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

    2 Cups Asparagus    

Cut squash in 1/2 inch slices then cut in quarters, set aside.  Cut peppers into 1/2 inch squares and set aside.  Cut asparagus into 1 inch slices and par steam.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat add garlic.  Cook until softened.  Add zucchini, squash, peppers and asparagus.

Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Marinara and cook 3 more minutes.

While making sauce, cook linguini.

Per Serving: 297 Cal (30% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 53% from Carb); 13 g Protein; 10 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat;

40 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; 3 g Sugar; 200 mg Calcium; 4 mg Iron; 524 mg Sodium

Blueberry Pie

Father's day dinner, while made mostly with recipes shared by my mother in law, ended with a dessert that my father in law always enjoys - blueberry pie.  I had made one at Cristmas and when mom learned that I was making blueberry pie again, she said how much they enjoyed it.  I did. It tell them until later that the Christmas pie was jarred filling with extra blueberries added.   Father's day was from scratch - and here it is.

    1 Pie Crust                  

    6 Cups Blueberries 

    1 Lime                         

    3/4 Cup Sugar.               

    6 Tbl Flour    

    ---Topping---   

    1/2 Cup Flour    

    1/2 Cup Oatmeal
    1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

    6 Tbl Butter

    1/3 Tsp Baking Soda

    1/8 Tsp Salt

     2/3 Tsp Cinnamon

     1/3 Tsp Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 9 inch deep dish pie pan with the pie crust.  Set into refrigerator.

Place berries in a bowl.  Zest lime over the blueberries then juice the lime and add the juice to the berries.  Stir in sugar and flour.

 Set aside.

In another bowl, combine topping ingredients (Melt the butter).

Place the berries in the chilled crust and top with the topping mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is browned.

Potato Salad

Use a potato that holds its form when cooked - red skinned or yellow work well.  Peeling is personal preference.   I used English Bread and Butter pickles I made last summer - just a little tang.  I'll share that recipe later - but it involves horse radish.

8 cups cubed potatoes
3/4 cup diced Bread and Butter Pickles
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 Tbl Mister Mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt

Boil or roast the potatoes until soft.  Cool slightly.  Mix remaining ingredients and stir into potatoes.

Creamed Corn

At last - as promised - the creamed corn recipe.   Yes, you could use a large can, but why?

    1 Tbl Sugar.                     2 Tbl Butter

    2 Tbl Cake Flour             1 Cup Half And Half

    20 Ounce Frozen Corn    1 Tsp Salt And Pepper

Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour to make a roux.  Add half and half, a little at a time, stirring to remove any lumps.  Cook until thick and add salt, pepper and corn.  Heat through.

Week 27 - 39.93

I thought this week would be my shortest week to date - which would have been a bit ironic as it was the first week of the second half and my previous shortest week was the first week.  However, I did better than expected, even with the house distraction.  Just goes to show that Abby helps keep me moving.  However, the 'short' week does keep me about 10 miles outside of our next destination - St Paul, Minnesota.  I am happy, however, that I have finally crossed the border into Minnesota after following the line for SO LONG.

Currently, I can verify that I am on the right track as I am on St Paul Park Road.  St Paul Park is not a park, as the name suggests, but a growing town on the outskirts of St. Paul.  It is, however, in the middle of a triangle made by Lion's Levee Park, Riverside Park and Heritage Park.  From the City of St Paul Park website, I found that it is a growing area:

"The City of St. Paul Park once a nearly fully developed community of 5,000 inhabitants has annexed approximately 600 acres of land for development.  The development of this land can potentially double our community size; allowing for opportunity to provide "life-cycle" housing, expand our commercial area, create new parks/open spaces, and maintain our "small town" feel.  St. Paul Park is along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River in Washington County, one of the fastest growing counties in the seven-county metro area.  St. Paul Park is conveniently located by freeway to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, and only 15 minutes east of the Mall of America."

When Hubby realized that last week was the half way mark, he asked if I was actually half way to my destination.  While I would also be curious to know the answer to that question, I am not going to look.  I want this to be just a tracking.  If I find that I am behind - or ahead of- my goal, it may impact what I do, and I would prefer that not to happen.  This year did actually put me in St Paul, albeit briefly, as we had the opportunity to drive from Fargo, ND to the St. Paul Airport.  While a long story, let me just say that it took us longer to get home from Bismarck, ND than it took our friends to get to Hawaii - by almost 24 hours.

Pasta, Pesto and Chicken.

I apologize for my limited posting this week .  Life can be hectic when you get home from vacation to find your first floor flooded because of a separated water pipe.  Creamed corn will be posted next week - I PROMISE - it is currently buried under stacks of stuff that had to be moved.  For tonight, it is pasta with homemade pesto.  You can use baby or standard spinach and it serves 4.  

    4 Large Garlic Clove            1/2 Tsp Pepper

    5 Cups Spinach                    4 Tbl olive oil, divided

    3/4 Ounce Fresh Basil.        8 Oz Tri Color Pasta

    1/4 Cup Walnuts.                 1 Lb Chicken Breast

    1/2 Tsp Salt.                        1 Tbl Oregano

Pulse garlic in food processor until minced. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, salt and pepper; pulse until chopped. With motor

running, slowly add 3 tablespoons of the oil; process until mixture forms a paste.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oregano and sauté until fragrant.  Cube chicken and cook until done.  Add chicken and pesto to pasta, stir to

coat well.

Per Serving: 383 Cal (47% from Fat, 37% from Protein, 16% from Carb); 37 g Protein; 21 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 12 g Mono Fat;

17 g Carb; 12 g Fiber; 1 g Sugar; 505 mg Calcium; 9 mg Iron; 585 mg Sodium