Perfect “Hard Boiled” Eggs

We love hard boiled eggs at our house and just about every type of deviled egg you can make from them.  My potato salad couldn’t exist without a large quantity of them either, but I’ve always had a miserable time attempting to peel them. Until I found this method...




Bring one inch of water to boil in a large saucepan, then lower in a steamer basket containing no more than 8 eggs. (Eggs should not be stacked in many layers, or the steam doesn’t distribute evenly). Cover the pan with tight fitting lid,  reduce the heat to medium-low, and steam for 13 minutes. Remove eggs from steamer and place the eggs in a large tightly lidded food storage container of ice water (using enough water to completely submerge eggs) for 15 minutes.  Next,  drain out half the water, close the lid, and shake the container vigorously 40 times before peeling the eggs.

So easy to peel, and cooked PERFECTLY!

Beans Cooked in Crockpot.

On LOW:

Green Lentils, dried. 2 cups lentils/4 1/2 cups water. 4 hours. Makes 4 cups

Garbanzo beans, dried.   1 pound beans. 6 hours. Makes 6 cups

Black beans, dried.  1 pound beans.  6 hours.  Makes 6 cups.

Bean Cooking Times In Crockpot

On LOW:

Green Lentils, dried. 2 cups lentils/4 1/2 cups water. 4 hours. Makes 4 cups
Garbanzo beans, dried.   1 pound beans. 6 hours. Makes 6 cups

Pimento Cheese Spread (Caviar of the South)

12 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese - grated
8 ounces cream cheese - softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 ounce jar diced pimentos -drained.

Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, and spices together well, then fold in grated cheese and pimento.

Serve with crackers, celery, on sandwiches, or just eat it with your finger!

Drop Noodles (spaetzel)

We don't call these "spaetzel" because they come out a bit larger...and we aren't German!

For each cup of flour

1 cup flour
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Mix together and turn onto large dinner plate.  Scrape off plate with a teaspoon over boiling salted, oiled water.  Cook until they float, ( about 3 or 4 minutes maximum).  Drain and put into hot soup, etc.

Easy Oven Roux

A nice dark roux is a beautiful thing, and it makes stews and gumbos just so much better.  I like to always have some in the fridge.  Anyway, I used to spend over an hour at the stove, stirring and stirring, to make roux until my brilliant son showed me the easier way!  It still takes a good long while, but you only have to give it a quick stir every 20 minutes.  

2 parts all-purpose flour
1 part vegatable oil

Cast iron pot or skillet.  (I like an enameled La Creuset type pot)

Oven: 350 degrees

Mix together flour and oil on the stovetop on medium heat until it is all mixed together.

Put it in the oven (no lid) and set your timer for 20 minutes.  When the timer goes off, give it a stir and re-set the timer.  Keep doing this until the roux is the color of caramel.  Then, just watch it and stir about every 3 to 5 minutes until it deepens to a light chocolaty color.  It can take up to 2 hours, depending on how much roux you are making. Remove from hot pan and let cool to room temperature, stirring a couple of times so the oil doesn't all float to the top.

You can keep this roux in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar pretty much indefinitely.  So I usually do 4 cups flour to 2 cups oil.

Canned Pinto Beans

This is the easiest canning ever.  Once you have them canned and in your cupboard, you will never have to spend an entire day cooking a pot of beans, makiing sure you don't scorch them or that they get done in time for dinner.
This recipe is for just one can, depending on the size of your canner you will adjust accordingly. (I can make 7 quarts at a time in mine).  Also, this is a very basic recipe, but it's the way I always make them.  You can add other ingredients if you like, but I would rather season differently once they are opened and warming up.
WHAT YOU NEED:

Pressure Canner
Quart Glass Jars with rings and NEW flats
Large Pot for boiling water
Ladle
Butterknife
Canning Funnel

1 "scant" cup dried pinto beans
1 tsp. canning Salt (fine grained without iodine)
1/2 slice bacon (thick sliced, naturally cured if possible)

1. Make sure jars are super clean.  You don't need to sterilize them.

2.  Put rings and flats in a pot of water and get to simmer.  Then turn off water.  Let sit.

3.  Start water boiling in large pot.  (Each quart of beans takes about 2 2/3 cups of water)

4.  Measure out pinto beans, rinse.

5.  Start correct amount of water to simmering in pressure canner.  You put it in until the first mark from the   bottom of canner. ( Make sure canner has grate in it to elevate the cans from the bottom.)

6.  Put a cup of the beans along with a half slice of bacon and a teaspoon of canning salt into each jar. Ladle boiling water on top until 1 inch from top of jar.

7.  Gently stir beans around with butterknife to release trapped air bubbles.

8.  Place flat on jar.  Place ring on jar.  Tighten only "finger tight". (This means to not hold the jar with your other hand, but screw the ring on until turning causes the jar to spin.)

9.  Gently lower jars into canner.

10. Place lid on canner and tighten.  Watch until you see a strong stream of steam coming from the little chimney that holds the regulator. (About 5 minutes). THEN, put on regulator.

11. Watch as pressure starts to build.  When the pressure reaches 12 lb., start your timer for 90 minutes.

12. Here's the only tricky part -You have to maintain that 12 lb. pressure.  Check every couple of minutes.   If the pressure is going down, increase heat.  If the pressure is rising, let out steam by tipping the regulator until it's back to 12 lb. and then lower heat.  It can take a half hour or so before you get the correct amount of heat and pressure to maintain.

13.  Once the timer goes off.  Let beans stay in canner until pressure goes down to normal and the button valve goes down.  Remove jars, and listen for the POP sound that tells that the jars have formed a vacuum seal.

14. EAT THOSE BEANS!

Mock Hollandaise Sauce

I could get my kids to eat nearly anything if it had some of this on it...


One cup Best Foods Mayonnaise  (if you use Miracle Whip you shouldn't be reading recipes anyway!)
4 TBSP (more or less) of good old yellow mustard.

Just mix them together adjusting the amount of mustard to your own taste.

Perfect Pie Crust

My son Martin makes this pie crust all the time.  he says it always turns out "perfect".

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. table salt
2 TBSP sugar
12 TBSP cold, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka - chilled
1/4 cup very cold water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 or 3 1 second pulses/  Add butter and shortening and process until a homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds. (Dough will resemble cottage-cheese curds, and there should be no un-coated flour.)  Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.  Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.  Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture.  With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.  Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into a 4 inch disk.  Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to two days.

When ready to roll out, you will need to use more flour than usual, due to the dough's more moist and supple nature.
Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no alcohol or flavor to the crust.  DO NOT SUBSTITUTE.  It will completely evaporate away, leaving only tender layers of crust.

Vera Cruz Sauce

This lovely, fresh sauce is delicious over pasta, chicken breasts or your favorite white fish.

8 plum tomatoes, peeled and sliced - removing most of the seeds
1 large yellow onion- quartered, then sliced
4 cloves garlic - minced
16 large green olives with pimento - sliced
2 oz. small capers
2 tsp. oregano flakes
2 tsp. basil flakes
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp. olive juice (from the green olives)
2 TBSP. Olive oil
1 TBSP butter

Salt and pepper to taste

heat oil and butter in skillet. Add onion and saute until it begins to brown. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add tomatoes, olives, capers and spices. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add wine and olive juice, stirring until it begins to evaporate.

Pina Colada Fruit Dip

There was a time when this was served at any bridal or baby shower you went to.

20 ounces pineapple -- crushed, canned
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 3 1/2 ounce coconut cream pudding mix -- instant
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
8 ounces Cool Whip®

Mix together in small pan the crushed pineapple and corn starch. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Chill. Combine pudding mix, milk and extract. Mix together with pineapple. Fold in cool whip and chill. Serve with fresh fruit chunks and pieces of pound cake or angel food cake.

Gnocchi

2 pounds baking potatoes
2 large egg yolks -- beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt

bake potatoes in oven for 1 hour at 350o
Remove form ovn and slit open to let some moisture escape. When still warm, remove potato meat from shell and mash well. Fluff.
Add rest of ingredients and mix gently, do not overwork the dough.
Take a bit of dough and roll into a log about 3/4 inch in diameter. slice into pieces about 1 inch long. Either push ridges into gnocchi with fork or comb.
Place finished gnocchi on cookie sheet covered in wax paper. You can freeze them at this point and once frozen can be transfered into freezer bags.
To cook gnocchi, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large shallow saucepan. Boil gnocchi a few at a time, until each one floats to the surface. Drain well and serve with favorite sauce.

Breading for Veggies

This is from my cousin-in-law Jodi.  her husband HATED veggies, but she could get him to eat them if she fried them in this coating.  You could eat cardboard fried in this coating...

1 cup parmesan cheese -- powdered
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs -- beaten
1 tablespoon water

Mix together cheese, bread crumbs and flour. Dip slices of zucchini or eggplant into egg and then roll in crumbs. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.