~ FONDANT ~ Making people for the cake

FONDANT

put on a happy face...

Really good recipes on line, I use the one from The Twisted Sifter

(click on the name) a really good info video.

Use the good stuff, it's worth every penny!

Plan on making the cakes too, but we'll see just what kind of time I'm looking at.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe 

2 lbs powered sugar – sifted This yields approx. 3 lbs of fondant
1 – 16 oz bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup crisco
3 tablespoons of water

Heat marshmallows with the water in a heavy sauce pan until melted. Stirring constantly. (if you are making a colored fondant, add your food color now and mix thoroughly)
(I'm adding this; use the microwave, and a large glass dish)

Remove from heat.

Add 1 to 2 cups of the powdered sugar and stir.

Grease your work area with a portion of the crisco and pour the hot marshmallow onto the work surface.

Grease your hands completely and add more powered sugar to the marshmallow and knead.

(CAUTION: the marshmallow will remain warm for some time. )

Alternate kneading in the powdered sugar and the crisco until both are gone.

Continue to work the fondant until it is smooth. The fondant should be smooth and pliable.

If the fondant is too “wet” add small amounts of powdered surgar until the desired consistancy is reached. If the fondant is too “dry” add small amounts of crisco or water until the fondant is the correct consistancy.

It is best to make the fondant the day before and refrigerate it to eliminate any sugar lumps that may exist. If you choose to do this, smear crisco over the fondant and cover in a plastic wrap and place in an air tight container or ziploc bag.

When you go to use it – you can microwave the fondant for about 10 to 15 seconds to soften it. This will make it easier to knead.

DO NOT use a food processor or kitchenaide mixer to do your kneading. It can ruin the consistancy of the fondant.  

RECIPE FROM

The Twisted Sifter

Wedding, Birthday Custom Cakes

you just thought I was that smart, not really, if someone else is smarter, I will give them all the credit.

 

 

til next time

wild clover

*~*

~ October Favorite ~ SCALLOPED CORN ~

SCALLOPED CORN

Ingredients:

1 ~ 15 or 16 ounce can creamed corn

1 small onion, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 egg, slightly whipped

1/2 cup of milk

1 sleeve of crackers, saltines or other

1 ~ 2 quart covered baking dish or pan

Preheat oven to 375* for metal pans, 325* for glass baking dish

Spray pan coating in dish, pour creamed corn into dish, add onions, green pepper and celery. Stir to combine. Pour about half can milk into creamed corn can, add egg, with a fork whisk until egg and milk are mixed. Add milk, egg mixture to creamed corn mixture. Stir until mixed well. Crush sleeve of crackers, in the contained sleeve, when crushed, add to creamed corn mixture. Mix well. Add crushed crackers to top for some crunchy.

Place dish in preheated oven for 45 minutes, don't worry, you'll smell it.

DO NOT FORGET THE HOTPADS !

Take from oven and let it sit for a couple minutes, cause it's gonna be hot.

Enjoy

                                                                     Thanks for the recipe Mom. love you, miss you

til next time

wild clover

Vegetable Soup

~ An American Classic ~

It is just Labor Day weekend, but late summer will always be a different time of the year for me.
With the passing of Mom (a few weeks ago) and her Mom's (my grandma) passing at the Labor Day weekend a few years ago.
Some days I just shake my head.

Anyway, it's time to get back to life.

On the menu today SOUP, yes, soup! Canning for winter's cold fury.

Vegetable Soup

2 or 3 lb. beef roast,
or equivalent (leftover steak, pot roast,) if it's leftover beef, save it, freeze it, use it.

1 to 2 quarts of water
enough to cover the beef.

Beef base to taste,
start with a couple tablespoons, it's easier to add, than to take away, plus it's wasteful.

1 lb carrots,
cleaned, peeled and sliced, but they taste better if you skip the peeling and just wash them good before you slice them for the pot.

7 or 8 stalks of celery,
washed and chopped.

1 LARGE onion,
peeled and diced, or cut into large wedges. (I like onion), a medium would do.


Small head of cabbage, quartered and chopped.


Love Apples aka tomatoes.
If you have them from the garden, wash, peel, and quarter, about 4 or 5, if you want more, clean more.


Potatoes,
about 5 or 6 depending on the size, cut into bit size pieces.

1 Tablespoon dried parsley


2 or 3 Bay leaves, remove before serving or storing in jars.



How to make it;

With a large 7-8 quart stock pot, cut beef roast or any beef, (other than ground) into chunks, about an inch square.
Put the water (about 6 cups) in pot, along with the beef.
Put the pot on the stove and simmer about 2 hours, this will help the beef to tenderize.
In the meantime, wash, clean and chopped vegetables and add, starting with the carrots and celery, (they take the longest to cook).
Add chopped cabbage, cook until above vegetables are tender, and can be pierced with a fork.
Cabbage take a bit to cook too.
Go ahead, taste it.
Add onion,
Continue to cook the soup, simmering.
Add Bay leaves and dried parsley.
About 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes, if you don't have tomatoes from your garden, a large can of whole tomatoes will work.
Let this simmer another 15 minutes.
Add potatoes, let cook til soft, stick them with a fork, if they don't stay on the fork, they're done.
Now add your beef base (1 Tablespoon) at a time, to much will ruin the soup.
Add dried parsley.

Go ahead and get the ladle, put a bit in a cup, your just tasting it for the family or guests, you would never want to feed them something you wouldn't want to eat.

There is no other spices added to this, you can add them if you need, salt is way over used and isn't that good for you; it's in the processed food we eat everyday.

When all ingredients have been added, with meat tender, vegetables soft. Turn off the pot. Let it set a minute to cool.

Gather everyone and get your bowls. Get ready to hear it's the best soup they've ever eaten.

Serves many.

Add crackers if necessary.

This has always been a staple at Christmas in my Mom's house. I always hoped it was to remind us, that we too, could not have all the things we do and could be alone and eating soup for our holiday meal.


To keep us humble.

God has blessed our family with our Mom, no matter which child your were.



`til next time,

wild clover

Sorry for taking so long to continue

Bonnie La Von Chepon-Smith-Voyles

October 11, 1935 - August 12, 2011

I love you.

On August 12, 2011, my Mom passed, suddenly. It is taking some time to get back to everyday life. School has begun, and the buses are packed with people that want to pick on each other or hurt something. I'll be back to normal soon.

God's speed.

take care, keep the faith.

`til next time,

wild clover

Canning time: Chili : Hot Chili

Chili, chili, bo-billy, it's that time of year.....................

Harvest has set in and we are busy working the fruits of our labor. We plant our garden form seed for the most part. We made chili for winter. The hubby is always involved with the canning. This year we ground the beef for the chili. First batch is just to hot for my taste, we make his and hers. hahaha!

Hubby grinding roast for chili.

Coarsely ground for meatier chili.

Hubby's chili, hubby cleans the hot peppers.  Serrano and Habanero.
He put one of each on a grinder/juicer and pulped it, to 5 quarts
of chili. To much heat for me.

Garden tomatoes all ready for chili.

Everything has to be cooked before it is combined.

Kidney beans have always been the bean of choice.

Next batch of chili isn't going to be quite so warm, I'd rather add to it.

Want the recipe? Here you go.

Brown 2 to 3 pounds of beef, in a large pot. Chop onion, (1 medium), green pepper, (1 medium), garlic (2 or 3 bulbs minced) and add to browning beef.

Cook with beef `til tender. Stirring gently.

Peel, chunk and cook tomatoes in a separate large pot, cook on low, stirring gently, `til they're soft and juicy, if you cook to many, put them in the fridge, or a jar, you'll be using them soon enough.

Dice the hot peppers (of your choice), teeny tiny. Wear rubber gloves, the hot peppers will burn your skin.

DO NOT TOUCH your face, eyes, or any other part of your body `til you wash your hands very, very good with soap and hot water.

Okay, now that your hands may be burning, sorry, but lets finish up making the chili.

Drain off any fat that may be on your beef, add cooked tomatoes `til the pot is a little more than half full of beef and tomatoes, put the teeny tiny chopped peppers in the mixture.

Simmer about 20 to 30 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Add beans, enough beans to bring the mixture almost to the top of the pot. About 3 or 4, 15 oz cans. Stirring occasionally.

Let this simmer another 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

If your going to can it (put it in a jar), you can do that now, or let it cool and refrigerate overnight, then put it into jars the next day. You need to reheat the mixture before you put it into hot jars for canning.

Hope you enjoy the effort it takes, to work with your "head", "hands", & "heart", to make it "health"y.

The canning station on the stove.

Ready for the dunk.

Set up for leaving the chii to set and cool before storing.

5 quarts of HOT chili ready for storage. This will be good when it's cold.

`til next time

wild clover

Salsa my way

When making Salsa, peeled tomatoes are a requirement, no one wants to eat tomato skins.

Blanching tomatoes; large pot about half full of water to a boil, place tomatoes in boiling water long enough for skins to spilt. Take tomatoes from pot and place in a sink filled with cold water and ice to stop the cooking process. Allow tomatoes to cool, then drain on sink board or on a cookie sheet with paper towel on it, this way the excess water will drain off, making it easier to handle the slippery tomatoes.

This is a cold pack procedure.

Now for the recipe: I make mine in large batches for canning.

SALSA

1 large bowl, 6 quart bowl

10 pounds of tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

3 green peppers, cored and chopped (or mild pepper of your choice, yellow, orange)

4-7 garlic cloves (bulbs) peeled and minced

1 hot pepper of choice, per pound of tomatoes, taste first, it if you want it a spicier taste,
                                       sometimes you can't go back if it's to hot.

NOTE: wear gloves when cleaning hot peppers, the peppers can burn your skin,

KEEP FINGERS AWAY FROM EYES, FACE, OR ANY OTHER BODY PARTS,
 while cleaning hot peppers! WASH YOUR HANDS, wash your hands!!!

Cider vinegar, lemon juice, or white vinegar - for preserving

Salt for preserving

Starting with tomatoes and working down the ingredients list, add to the large bowl, mix after each addition.

Cover the mixture and let sit for a bit, say half an hour, and taste.

Remember, as this is processed in a hot water bath (canning - preserving) the flavors will meld together, and the longer shelf life will also help the flavors meld. If it isn't spicier enough for you after you have canned it, dry some of you favorite peppers and add them when you serve the salsa for family and friends.

Not everyone likes HOT salsa.


1 teaspoon lemon juice, or vinegars
1 teaspoon salt
in the bottom of jars before you cold pack the salsa in jars.

Prepare your pint jars, lids and rings. the web is full of good tutorials on how to do this.

Ball Canning and Preserving

Introduction to canning video   push play.


`til next time,

wild clover

Beignet ( Cajun Donuts )

No Grandma didn't make them, but they're GOOD, easy, easy to make.

Beignet Recipe:

1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, room temperature and beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Vegetable oil*
Powdered sugar for dusting

* Use just enough vegetable oil to completely cover beignets while frying.

Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth.

If using a bread machine, select dough setting and press Start. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. form dough into an oval, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.

To prepare dough, remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares or circles.

In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Fry the beignets (2 or 3 at a time) 2 to 3 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides, turning them in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown; beignets will rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff.

NOTE: If the beignets don't rise to the top immediately when dropped into the oil, the oil is not hot enough.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle heavily with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

The dough can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator - it actually improves with age; just punch down when it rises. Dough can also be frozen; cut and roll, or shape doughnuts before freezing.)

Makes 18 beignets.

til next time,

wild clover