With all of the Twinkies now VERY highly priced, here is an alternative! With a little patience and creativity, you can make a reasonable facsimile of those beloved Twinkies® at home. They won't be quite the same, but close. You might even like these little filled cakes better than the popular commercial brand. This would make a great supervised project for the kids. Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients: •Supplies: •1 round spice bottle, the size of a Twinkie •12 (12 x 14-inches each) pieces non-stick aluminum foil •Pastry bag •Toothpick •Vegetable oil spray •Cake: •16-ounce box golden pound cake mix •4 egg whites, beaten until stiff •2/3 cup water •Filling: •1/3 cup vegetable shortening •2 teaspoons butter, at room temperature •1 cup powdered sugar •1/4 cup granulated white sugar •1/3 cup evaporated milk •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •2 drops lemon extract Preparation: Faux twinkie cakes: Fold each piece of foil in half with the nonstick side out. Then fold in half again. Roll foil pieces around the spice bottle to form a tube. Fold down edges to seal, leaving one end of the tube open to be filled with the batter. Remove the spice bottle. Spray the insides with vegetable oil and set each tube open-end-up in a muffin tray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat cake mix, whipped egg whites, and water on medium speed until completely blended, about 2 minutes. Carefully fill the foil tubes, leaving 3/4-inch headspace. Bake about 30 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool, then remove foil. Use a toothpick to make 3 holes along the length of each cake. Wiggle the toothpick around the center to make room for the filling, taking care not to poke through to the other side. Filling: Cream shortening and butter together in a medium bowl. With mixer running on medium speed, add powdered sugar and granulated sugar, a little at a time, until smooth. Add evaporated milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Continue mixing until fluffy. Spoon filling into a pastry bag with a No. 5 tip. Inject filling into each of the 3 holes in each faux twinkie cake and place hole-side-down on a serving platter or store in a covered container. Yield: 12 faux twinkie cakes

Civil War Receipt for Potato Chips

Being a part of the Civil War Re-enactors group, I am interested in finding and using recipes ("reciepts"), from the Civil War years. In reading reciepts from the pages of Godey's Lady's Book, I found that a 'reciept'for "Potato Chips" was printed in their magazine in the year 1865. This was approximately 15 years BEFORE the acclaimed Chef from Saratoga, NY, invented 'potato chips' serving a customer very thinly sliced french fries, and people proclaimed that he was the 1st to do so. Untrue! In Godey's magazine, most recipies were sent in by readers to the Philadelphia based magazine. (Since the magazine was based in Philly it is more likely that these recipies came from the Union side during these times. The magazine didn't publich reports of the Civil War and very little mention of the war was in Godey's. The magazines published during these times read as if there wasn't even a war taking place. Absolutely LOVING cooking over the campfire at re-enactments, I try to re-create the recipies of these times. I don't hold to the theroy that we should only be cooking and showing what would have been growing during those times as there are many fine recipies that would have to be eliminated since the 'visitors' for some reason don't care to come 'visiting' in the dead of winter. Also, I have been told by other re-enactors that I shouldn't be using recipies with apples since they wouldn't have had apples during those times of the year when we are re-enacting. (Apples weren't in season that time of the year.) HOGWASH! The people of the Civil War times did have ways of preserving the apples. Dried apples for example. You can dry apples and then re-constitute them to use in varies recipies. Ah, but alass, I digress. :0) The Potato Chip receipt! Wash some potatoes and peel them. (I skip the peeling part as we like the peelings). Pare the potato into long, ribbon like, lengths. Place them into cold water to "remove the strong potato flavor", (which I believe also will remove some of the starch). Drain them and throw them into a pan, (I use cast iron as only the higher class would have had metal, or copper pans, during those times). Fry them with a little butter until they are a light brown. "Take them out of the pan, and place them close to the fire on a seive lined with clean writing paper to dry, before they are served up. A little salt may be sprinkled over them."

Taco Bowls!

Today we decided to make taco bowls!
We purchased soft tacos and in turning our cupcake pans upside down we can place the soft taco shells in-between the bottoms of the cupcake holes. Take the soft taco out of the holders one at a time and with a LITTLE bit of water and a LITTLE salt, use your fingers and smear the wet salt over the flat surface. Replace the soft taco in the holder, (cupcake pan bottom).  Bake at 375 F for 10 mins. We did not get the taco shells overly wet and did not have to grease the bottom of the pans. Remove carefully.
We filled ours with browned hamburger seasoned with the following seasoning, also shredded cheese and lettuce and cut up tomatoes, green peppers and onions.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Use this recipe with 2/3 cup of water.  We had 2 lbs of hamburg so we doubled the recipe.
Enjoy!

Enjoy!

ITALIAN BREAD MADE IN THE BREADMAKER

Today I decided to try to better my bread making skills and decided to work on my Italian bread. I made 3 loaves, (2 to share with neighbors and 1 for us). The bread turned out pretty good so I thought I would share my recipe. I would like to add pictures but at this time the "blogger" won't let me add the pictures, so I will add them when it will.

My Italian Bread Made In The Breadmaker - 1-13-2013

To make the Italian bread I place 3 cups of 100 -110 degree water, (120 degrees will kill the yeast), into the bread maker add I tsp of sugar and 1 TB of yeast, (sprinkled on top). I let it set to proof for 20 mins. It will grow and get bubbly. I then added 4 cups of all purpose flour and started the bread maker on the 'dough' cycle. I let it mix in the flour and then after it was well mixed, I unplugged the bread maker and let it sit, (with the lid closed), for 15 minutes. After the 15 mins. rest the voume had increased. I restarted the bread maket on 'dough' cycle as it had shut itself off during the 15 mins of rest. I added the 1 TB of salt and 3 1/2 - 4 additional cups of all purpose flour and started the bread maker to mix in the ingredients. I tested the dough and stopped adding flour when the dough was still sticky to the touch, but didn't stay on my fingers after pushing lightly against the dough. I let the breadmaker knead the bread from the start through the 'add' cycle and until it came to rest at the 'rise' part of the breadmaker program. I let it rise in the breadmaker until the 'dough cycle' had completed. Make sure that the bread dough has deflated at the end of the cycle. Let it rise again in the breadmaker, with the lid closed, until doubled again. (45 mins to 1 hr?). When it has risen the 2^nd time, punch it down and then cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Shape each of these into Italian bread, or football shaped, loaves. Place these loaves on a heavy cooksheet that has been greased and sprinkled with corn meal, (where the loaves will go), or on parchment paper lined cookie sheet, (which I did), or onto parchment paper which will be lifted onto a baking stone which has heated up to temperature with the oven preheating to 450 degrees, (which is the baking temperature of this bread). I also made 2 slash marks across the bread at an angle width wise. Let the bread rise. If not yet preheating the oven, let the bread rise in the oven with the oven just barely turned on. This gives the bread a warm, but not hot temperature to rise. (100 -125 degrees?). When the bread has risen, (about an hour), turn the oven temp to 450 degrees and mist the bread with water. (I sprayed it with a mix of olive oil and water). Do this 3 times about 3 minutes apart, during the first ten mins. that the bead is in the oven. (This gives a more Italian type crust.) Also place a pan of water under the baking bread in the oven. This will also help with a more authentic crust. After the oven temp reaches 450 degrees, bake about 20 – 30 mins. I also butter the hot bread when it comes out of the oven which makes a softer crust. You could leave it and it would be a crisper crust. Using a pizza stone could also result in a crisper crust. If I were to use the pizza stone I would just use a piece of parchment paper and lift the bread dough onto the pizza stone to bake, or sprinkle the pizza stone with corn meal and let it all heat up together to the 450 degree oven temp.

A GREAT Recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes

I was looking for a good recipe for whole wheat pancakes that didn't taste like cardboard! I decided to try different recipies and with a little tweaking of the recipies, I came up with the following with GREAT success! Enjoy!
These pancakes are absolutely delicious, have a GREAT flavor and are almost 90% whole-grain!
The recipe uses a pre-mixed base. It helps give you a great start on getting them ready for hungry people since the batter has to sit for at least 20 mins. after being mixed, before cooking.

                                              MIX
To make the mix:
1. Place 3 1/2 cups of Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats, (your choice), into a food processor and finely chop. (Just until they are chopped fine, but not made into a powder).
2. Place the oats, 4 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 3 TB of sugar, 3 TB of baking powder, 1 TB salt, 1 TB baking soda, 1`tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. nutmeg, into the mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment and the mixer on low, mix together the ingredients. Slowly add 1 cup of vegetable oil in a small stream, while the mixer is still running.
3. This mix can be stored in an air tight container for up to two weeks at room temperature. It can also store indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

                                             TO MAKE THE PANCAKES
1. Wisk together 1 cup of the mix, 1 cup of milk which has been mixed with 1 TB of lemon juice. (In place of this milk / lemon juice mixture you can use; 1 cup of buttermilk; or 1/2 cup of plain yogurt which has been thinned down with the addition of 1/2 cup of milk);
Then to the above add 1 egg and also 1 TB of orange juice, (which of course can be optional).
2.  Let the batter stand for at least 20 minutes before cooking as this gives the oats the chance to soak up the milk and to make the batter thicker.
3. Cook as for regular pancakes. I spray the grill before cooking. Watch for the edges of the pancake to look a bit drier and bubbles to appear in the center uncooked top of the pancake, to let you know when to flip the pancakes.
                                               ENJOY!

Coconut Oil is Good For You!

I thought this might interest you this morning! Coconut Oil
http://youtu.be/Lk0suBUQksE

Crockpot Cleaning Time of Year!

This week is crockpot cleaning week around here! This time each year we use our crockpots alot. (Christmas, New Years and Feast of Kings). Before putting them away, (we have about 6 of them or so), I clean them. Of course! you say! Well, I don't mean the lids and the crock parts, (although I do clean those too! :0), but I also clean the bases.  I use an SOS pad and a soapy dish scrubber and I clean the base inside and out! It takes awhile because unlike some of you, I don't scrub the base each time I use it. Just DON'T submerge the base in water. I DO rinse the insides out with water to remove the soap, and the bases usually have a small hole in the base to let liquid drip out. I tilt the base around to let the water run out while I am rinsing it.  When I am done cleaning the base I let the whole crockpot set overnight before I would use it, just to make sure the electrical parts are also dry. This once a year scrubbing leaves me with a crockpot that shines both inside and out and looking like new! And it leaves me with a sense of satisfaction! Lids that have been chipped or broken can also be replaced by lids sold at your local Salvation Army or thrift store.