Candied Citrus Peel

I come from a Florida family.  Both of my parents grew up in Florida and most of their grandparents did too.  So needless to say, we love citrus.  I have many memories of my great-grandmother and my Grandma making delicious ambrosia during the holidays, then they would take the citrus peel and make candy!  Well I'd never made it before, but last week I was feeling adventurous and so I made some!  It turned out really well and was so tasty.

 I promise you the orange ones tasted exactly like those sugary orange slices you can buy - only these are way better...(I won't necessarily say better for you...'cause we're still talking about candy here).  I seriously encourage you to give this a try - it's not hard to make, there are just several steps - but hey - put on your favorite Christmas movie and start peeling!

Candied Citrus Peel
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)
Ingredients:
3 oranges, 2 lemons, 1 grapefruit
4 cups of sugar, plus more for rolling
water/paring knife/paper towel

Step 1:  Peel the fruit.  Make slits in the peel with your knife - cut from top to bottom cutting through the peel but not the fruit.  It takes about 6 cuts per fruit.  Then use your fingers and gently pull the peel away from the fruit.
Step 2:  Remove the pith.  This step is a pain, but it makes the difference between sweet candy and bitter peel rolled in sugar.  Use a paring knife to peel off the white pith that lines the peel - just do the best you can, but the more you take off the less bitter your candy will be.
Step 3:  Put the peels in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring it to a boil, then drain the water.  Repeat this two more times, using cold water each time.  After you drain it the last time, put the peels in a bowl.
Step 4:  Put the 4 cups of sugar into the saucepan along with 4 cups of water.  Bring this to a boil then put the peel in and reduce to medium low - so that it is simmering nicely.  Let it simmer for about an hour or until the peels look transluscent.
**Bonus - this also makes your house smell amazing**
Step 5:  Let the peels cool in the syrup - usually takes about 1 1/2 hrs.  Put a piece of parchment paper down, and then set a cooling rack on top.  Ladle the peels out with a slotted spoon onto the rack - letting the excess syrup drip off.
Step 6:  Take the peels off a few at a time and pat the excess syrup off with a paper towel - then roll them in a bowl of sugar.  Place them on a candy plate and cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to eat them!

Mmm - so yummy I think I'll make some more!
Happy candy making!
xoxo
jessica

Hey, Pumpkin!

Lots of pumpkin things floating around these days!  

Really wonderful looking recipes.  

 (although nothing looks as wonderful as that sweet girl)

So you know, I started wondering - what's in pumpkins?  

 Vitamins?  Minerals?  

So here's what I found, plus a roundup of some delicious and healthy recipes!

Pumpkins contain a lot of vitamin A (the orange color is a big hint - think carrots)

They are full of fiber

low in calories (49 in a cup)

also contain vitamin C and potassium

and pumpkins are a fruit.  Did you know that?  I didn't.

So go ahead and try some pumpkin tonight!

Pumpkin Soup

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Shake

Pumpkin Spice Pull-apart Bread

Gluten Free Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash

Grain Free Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Happy cooking, and hope you have a lovely fall day!

xoxo

jessica

Delectable Apple Crisp

Last night I made this apple crisp

- it's kind of a mish mash of several recipes, but it turned out great so I wrote down what I did and decided to share (yeah the pic is not great because I had already started eating it then ran into the kitchen to snap a pic before I gobbled it all up).  In my opinion here are the secrets: fresh vanilla bean, salt, pecans.  Those three things combined with the usual apple crisp ingredients make a rich, flavorful dessert.  AND bonus - it's wheat free (not necessarily gluten free because of the debate over oats and cross contamination, but oats in and of themselves don't contain gluten.  I think. ) 

Anyway here's the recipe!

Serves 4:

3 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced thinly

1 T. granulated sugar

3/4 cup of pecans

1 vanilla bean

3/4 cup of quick oats

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

5 T butter

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Lay the apples in a tart plate or pie plate.  Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the apple slices.  In a medium bowl place the pecans, oats, brown sugar, and cinnnamon.  Slice a vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds - add it to the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter in - then with a sharp chopper, chop all the ingredients together until it looks all pretty and crumbly.  Pour this mixture over the apple slices.  Lastly sprinkle the salt evenly on top and bake for 20 - 30 minutes.  Don't over bake.  Since the apples are sliced thinly they should take that long to bake.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly then serve it up with ice cream!  Yum!  Have a great weekend!

xoxo

jessica

Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Pie

If you're a fan of key lime pie - this is the secret to making the best:

Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice. 

They have a lot of fabulous recipes over on their site, including this one:

Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Pie

• 9" graham cracker pie crust
• 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks (whites not used)
• ½ cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream, or meringue, and garnish with lime slices.

How simple is that?  And yes - make your own whipped cream. 

Takes about 1 minute and tastes so fantastic. 

So that's what I'm doing - hanging in FL and eating pie :)

Vacations are pretty great - just sayin'.

xoxo

jessica

*CTSB* - Summer Recipes from Ask Anna...

Cure the Summertime Blues with some {De-licious} Summer Recipes

Hey there!  I'm Anna from Ask Anna.  I'm here today to share with you a few of my favorite summer recipes.  One is an old favorite and two of them are new summer favorites!

Let's start with the main dish. 
Summer is a time for light meals that don't take a lot of effort.
That is why I LOVE this Basil Pesto Pasta.

Ingredients:
1 Large package Cheese Tortellini
1 6oz jar Basil Pesto (you can use fresh or store bought, I'm lazy so I buy it)
8-10 Grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup Pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 cups Feta Cheese
5 Large Basil leave

Directions:
Preheat oven broiler.
1. Cook tortellini according to package directions
2. While it's cooking spread pine nuts on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven to broil.  Remove them from the oven when they are lightly toasted.
3. Cut tomatoes in half and slice basil into thin strips.
4. Toss all ingredients together and serve.

And now for dessert. 
We all love dessert, which is why I'm including two dessert recipes. :)  These are both new recipes that I discovered this summer but both of them are so delicious and will definitely become summer staples in our house!

The first recipe is for Lemon Ice Cream. 
This is not lemon sorbet, this is creamy, rich, oh-so-yummy ice cream. 
It's honestly the best ice cream I've ever had, and I'm so excited to share it with you!

Here's what you need:

Homemade ice cream maker (electric type, its so much easier)
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs beaten (beat them in a separate dish and then pour in the mixture)
1 tsp vanilla
1 quart whipping cream
2 quarts half and half
1 1/2--1oz bottles lemon extract

Mix together. Fill to fill line in the ice cream maker, if doesn't quite reach the fill line, use regular whole milk to make up difference. If there is no fill line, fill to about 4-6 inches below top of the canister. (Don't fill past that point because the ice cream will expand and make a big mess).

Surround the ice cream maker alternating ice and rock salt.  Make sure to end up with ice at the top  (otherwise the salt spills over when you open the lid and it will make your ice cream taste like salt). Let the ice cream maker mix until it starts to bog down.  Keep adding ice and salt as it churns.  Once the ice maker has finished churning place the tub of ice cream in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

And last, but certainly not least, is a fun twist on an old favorite:
Chocolate Covered S'mores
Yes, they are just as good as they sound!!!
I made these for the 4th of July this year and they were a huge hit!
These taste amazing and they are super easy to make, even the kids can help you make them.

Here's what you need: 

Graham crackers

Marshmallows (you can buy flat ones at Target)

Chocolate for the s'mores

Chocolate for melting and dipping

Popsicle sticks

Sprinkles (optional)

Start by making the s'mores: graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker.  Next melt them in the microwave for about 25 seconds. Then stick them in the freezer for about 10 minutes. After they have hardened a little remove them from the freezer and insert a popsicle stick.  I bought the larger sticks because I didn't want any of the younger kids to hurt themselves with the smaller ones.

Then place the s'mores in the freezer for about 30 minutes. While you are waiting for them to freeze, melt the remainder of the chocolate in a large bowl for dipping.

Take them out of the freezer and dip them in the the melted chocolate.  Once they are dipped place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Sprinkle with sprinkles, if desired.  Put them back in the freezer until the chocolate has cooled.

I hope you enjoy these summer recipes and that they can become summer favorites in your home too!  Thanks for stopping by for Cure the Summertime Blues!  I hope to see you over at Ask Anna sometime.

 

Wow - don't those look amazing? Especially that Lemon Ice Cream - yum!

Hope everyone has a great weekend - see you back on  Monday with Beverly from Flamingo Toes!

xoxo

jessica

*Inspired Homemaking* - Fourth of July Dessert Roundup

I am assigned to bring a cute July 4th dessert to the family party.  

Which should I make?

What are you making?

Loving these Mason Jar cupcakes!

I also think they could be made with angel food cake, strawberries, 

blueberries, and whipped cream.

Cheesecake pops.  Yum.

Cupcake Kabobs.  So adorable.

Beautiful White Chocolate Cheesecake

They're all cute right?

What do you think?

xoxo

jessica

A Berry Wonderful Weekend

Last year, right after we moved up here, we hiked up Buffalo Mountain which is right by our house.

We were pleasantly surprised to find some berries right along the trail - so we picked them - here's last year's post.  So we decided to go again this year - my mom was here this past week so we all climbed the mountain and went berry pickin! Here's Buffalo Mountain:

Diligently picking berries.

Sneaking a few for a snack!

On the way home we stopped to pet a horse.

Here's our collection!

We decided to make little hand pies - which were AMAZING!!

We used a recipe from Delicious Meliscious.

I omitted the glaze but added sanding sugar, and I used the refrigerated pie crust from Pilsbury which is the BEST store-bought pie crust ever.

YUM!!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!  Summertime is so much fun.

xoxo

jessica

*Inspired Homemaking* - cookies

I don't really know why I was in such a cookie mood last night, but if you're on a diet...you may want to avoid this post.  Wow there are so many amazing bakers out there.  Hope you enjoy these links and are inspired.

She painted this cookie for a contest.  Wow.

Cake Batter Cookies from Stephanie Cooks

Tender Crumb

from Sugarsugargal

Each cookie is 2.5 inches square.  whoa. 

And she just snipped the tip of a plastic bag - no tip.

Rainbow cookies! Love the simplicity.

Adorable "Pirate cookies"!

Sewing cookies
for a sewing party!! 

 I have a soft spot for anything strawberry

and lastly these great summer cookies:

Love these popsicle cookies at the Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

These Lemon Burst Cookies look amazing!

...and for my hubby (and any other gfree peeps Chocolate Chunk Toffee Cookies)

Hope you got some great ideas for baking!  If you were featured, grab a button over there on the right side bar.  See you tomorrow with a fun Summer Tutorial!!
xoxo
jessica

American Indian Fry Bread

...or an acceptable way to eat funnel cake for breakfast.  It's not exactly like funnel cake - more like something in between  funnel cake and a doughnut.  SO good.  Not sweet so that's why you top it with sweetness.  I know you want to make some.  Just throw your diet out the window for a day.  It's okay.  Men like curves.

We had some friends over Friday night and she was telling me about this frybread.  I, of course, had to make some the next morning.  So I took some pics for you as I went along so you can make some this Saturday.  Or tonight.  Or as soon as you finish reading this post.

Here's the recipe:
1 1/3 cup of flour plus more for your surface when rolling
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup of milk
vegetable oil for frying
yummy toppings: jam, honey, powdered sugar, etc

Step 1:
Mix the ingredients in a bowl - you should have a biscuit-like consistency.  Sprinkle your surface with flour, and scoop the dough onto the surface.  Roll or pat it out to about1/4" thick.  You could cut it into strips, but Charlotte wanted to do hearts.  So we did.

Step 2:  Heat about an inch of oil in a pan on medium heat.  Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough into the oil - it should puff up and cook pretty quickly, but not burn.  Once you have all of the dough ready

drop a few into the oil - I could fit 3 hearts in the pan at once. 

 

After about 30 seconds, use a slotted spoon to flip them over.  They should be a pretty golden brown.

After about 30 more seconds, lift them out of the oil onto paper towels. Let the oil drain off while they cool.  Continue making them in batches until all of the dough is used up.  While they are still warm spread your toppings on.  We used strawberry jam with powdered sugar, and honey with powdered sugar.

Oh, just looking at it makes me want to cook some more....I'm thinking there would have been a lot of difficult things about being an early American Indian - but these would have made up for a lot ;)   

 

Have fun and enjoy!!

jessica

Simple Fruit Galette

My mom and sister are visiting this weekend, and Saturday night after we enjoyed some Chicken and Dumplings we were in the mood for something sweet.  I had a refrigerated Pilsbury Pie Crust in the frig (those are THE BEST pre-made pie crusts) - so I whipped this simple galettte.  It was delicious!
In a bowl combine:
2 apples, thinly sliced
some strawberries, blueberries - whatever berries you have on hand
1/3 cup of sugar
1 T of corn starch
1/2 tsp of salt

Preheat the oven to 375.  Unroll the pie crust onto a cookie sheet (I placed it on top of a piece of aluminum foil for easy clean up).  Pour the fruit mixture out onto the middle of the pie crust.  Fold up the edges of the pie crust - pleating them as you go.

In a small bowl whisk an egg and some half and half.  Brush it onto the pie crust, then sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Bake it for about an hour until it's all juicy and beautiful - rotating it after 30 minutes.  Let it cool for several minutes, then serve with a tall glass of cold milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Yum!

Hope you all had a great weekend - we spent most of it in the fabric store or gathered around the cutting table - super fun!!  I'll show you something I made tomorrow - along with a tutorial so you can make your own.  Talk to you then!
jessica