Heather Miles August, 2011

Merry Meet and welcome to my Kitchen Hearth. Come and sit for a spell while we whip up something yummy.

This month we will be looking at some preserves. Fruit and veggie preserves. I am giving the recipes only as I have touched on the canning methods in past articles or you can look online at this link… http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

Tomato Preserve

Ingredients

• 1 pound yellow pear tomatoes
• 1 pound sugar
• 2 ounces chopped or shredded ginger
• 2 lemons

Instructions

Peel tomatoes, cover with sugar, and let stand over night. In the morning pour off syrup and boil until quite thick; skim, then add tomatoes, ginger, and lemons which have been sliced and the seeds removed. Cook until tomatoes have a clarified appearance.

Apricot Jalapeno Jelly

1/2 cup jalapeno peppers — stems & seeds removed ( use other types if you want a hotter preserve.)
1 large red bell pepper — stem & seeds removed
2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 dried apricots — chopped
6 cups sugar
3 ounces liquid pectin
4 drops red food color ( omit if you want true color)

Put jalapenos, bell pepper, & vinegar in blender. Puree until coarsely ground and small chunks remain. Combine apricots, sugar, & jalapeno/pepper/vinegar mixture in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil rapidly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; skim off any foam that forms. Allow mixture to cool for 2 minutes. Then mix in pectin (and food coloring if you’re going to use it). Pour into sterilized jars, follow canning instructions.

Kiwi – strawberry Jam Recipe

2 cups chopped kiwi
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 package pectin
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
4 cups sugar

Combine kiwi, strawberries, pectin and apple juice in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4th inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. follow canning instructions. Yield: about 4 half-pints.

Pineapple Jelly
Makes about 2 pints

4 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 cans crushed pineapple — 8 oz cans
1 pouch (3oz) Certo Liquid Fruit Pectin — do not use powder

Add the sugar, pineapple, and lime juice to a sauce pan. Bring to a full rolling boil. Add the liquid pectin and bring back to a full rolling boil. Let cool slightly and pour into clean containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Simple Jalapeno Jelly Recipe

3 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed, chopped finely
4 medium bell peppers with seeds removed chopped coarsely
1 cup of vinegar
5 cups of sugar
3 oz. jar of pectin

cook the peppers and vinegar in a 4 quart pan until soft. Add the sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add pectin then return to heat and boil for 1 more minute. Fill jelly jars. Follow canning instruction.

Apple Pie Jam
4 cups tart apples, chopped
unsweetened apple juice
1  tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 (1 3/4 oz) box dry pectin
1 tsp. butter

Measure apples in a measuring cup, and then add in the same measuring cup applejuice to fill up to the 4 cup line (with the apples in it). Put into a heavy saucepan. Add pectin, butter, spices and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Add sugars and bring back to a full rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off any foam.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4? . Put on lids, and follow canning instructions.

Mulled Apple Jelly
Makes approximately 5 small jarfuls.

Ingredients
2.25 lbs of apples – a mixture of cookers and eaters works well
water
1 quart apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
12 cloves
1/3 cup cider vinegar
granulated sugar

Method

Roughly chop the apples and place in pan. There is no need to peel and core. Cover with apple juicer (I used a little over 1 qt) and add spices. Bring to the boil and then simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Pour into a  jelly bag suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Don’t be tempted to prod or squeeze the jelly bag to get more juice out as this will make the jelly cloudy.

Measure out the juice and return to the pan along with 1 lb sugar for every 1 pint of juice. I found I had exactly 2 pints of juice so used 2 lbs sugar but obviously this will vary depending on how juicy your apples were, how long you strained them and how much apple juice you used.

Stir in the cider vinegar and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for approximately 10 minutes until setting point is reached.

Pour into warm, sterilized jars, follow canning instructions.  Keep in the fridge once opened and used within 3 weeks.

Summer berry and lemon verbena jelly

1 lb plus about 2 oz. berries – any or all of the following: raspberries, blackberries, red currants. This recipes used a mixture of about 70% raspberries, 25% red currants, and 5% blackberries.

1 lb white sugar

1 tsp pectin (see Notes)

1 large handful, or a couple of sprigs, of lemon verbena

Wash and sort the berries. If you are using red currants, carefully pick off all the stems.
Put the berries and sugar into the stainless steel or other non-reactive pan. Mash and let it macerate for about half an hour.
In the meantime, put a plate into the refrigerator to make it very cold.
Mix the pectin in with the fruit. Turn on the heat, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low, and cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring up the bottom periodically to keep from burning. Skim off the scum that forms on the top.
For the last 10 minutes of cooking, drop in the lemon verbena.
Drop a bit of the jam liquid onto the cold plate. If it forms a skin almost immediately, it’s done.
Fish out the lemon verbena leaves. Pass the jam mixture a ladleful at a time through a time through a sieve or strainer, taking out all the seeds.
Can using your favorite canning method.

Notes: This recipe has used pectin, which is a natural jellifying agent. Berries in general don’t have much pectin, and it’s needed in this case to make it ‘jell’ enough. You may also be able to find something called sugar for jam making, which has pectin already mixed in. This version (with 1 teaspoon per 1lb fruit) results in a fairly runny jelly, which is great for using on yogurt and ice cream, but if you prefer a firmer jelly you will need more pectin. Follow the package directions.
If you don’t mind the seeds, especially if you don’t use red currants which have rather large seeds, you can skip the straining step. In that case you will have a jam rather than a jelly.

Grapefruit and Vanilla Marmalade

3 large grapefruits ( ruby red work best)
3 cups water
4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 tablespoons rose water or lemon juice

Set a large pot of water to boil. Cut off the peel of the grapefruits, working to get good thick slices, but leaving the inner white pith closest to the fruit still attached to the fruit. Cut the peels into strips. Blanch the peels by submersing them in boiling water for about three minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under running water. Bring a fresh pot of water to a boil and repeat the blanching process again, to remove any bitterness. Drain and rinse again.
Place the peels in a large pot. Cut off all the white pith from the remaining fruits then, working over the pot, cut between the grapefruit membranes so that the fruit sections fall into the pot. Squeeze juice from the membranes and discard them.
Add the water and sugar to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Lower the heat to a very low simmer. Simmer until the marmalade is thick and translucent, about one hour. The marmalade may still appear a touch watery- keep in mind it will thicken as it cools.
Add the vanilla bean seeds and simmer another five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the rose water (or lemon) and set aside to cool. Follow canning instructions or use within 3-4 weeks

And lastly .. I am not even sure where this recipe came from. I am sure if I searched my cookbooks or the web I would find it.. but yummo!!!

Onion Marmalade
4 lbs onions (sliced thin)
3 slices bacon (thick cut)
2 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 cup red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Place a large, non-reactive pan over medium-low heat cook the bacon. The goal is to render the fat. Once the bacon has crisped, remove.
Turn up the heat to high to medium- high, add the onions, salt and olive oil. Stir to coat all the onions with the oil and bacon fat. Cook covered with a tight lid for about 20 minutes. Continue to cook stirring every 5 to 10 minutes until the onions begin to turn golden brown.
Add the sugar, brown sugar, red wine, and balsamic vinegar. Cook over medium heat until very thick. To test if it’s the right consistency, dribble a bit of the reduction on a plate and it still liquid, but slowly slips down the plate after it cools briefly. You can also look to for doneness by dragging a spoon against the bottom of the pot. If it leaves a long valley, then its done. WARNING: Do not walk away from this once it begins to get close. There is enough sugar in this that it can burn and forever attach to the bottom of your pan..
Remove from heat and let cool before storing.
Place in a glass or heat resistant container. Cover and refrigerate.
This is both acidic and high in sugar, so its excellent for long term storage. It keeps in the fridge well for at least 2 months.
ome of the fat may become solid at the top after cooling. I simply scrape it off and dispose of it.
Additionally, if the marmalade become too thick after cooling, simply reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds and it will then spread very easily.

Until next month
Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating
The Hearthkeeper

PS. If there is anything you would like to see here.. Please email me at  thehearthkeeper@gmail.com

Blessed be…

Tags: cooking, food, Recipes

• Recipes

Ceilteach Moon November, 2010

Soul Cakes & Honeyed Milk

Samhain is a wonderful time of year to bring out this old Pagan recipe. Traditionally soul cakes were baked and given as a token for the dead. These delicious little cakes can be made on Hallows Eve and are often formed into the shapes of people and sat out for the dead with a mug of warm honeyed milk.

Soul Cakes

1 cup butter

3 3/4 cups sifted flour

1 cup granulated raw sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon dried marigold blossoms

2 fresh eggs

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

4 -6 tablespoons milk

Powdered sugar, to sprinkle on top

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or a large fork. Blend in the sugar, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, dried marigold blossoms and allspice; beat eggs, vinegar, and milk together. Mix with the flour mixture until stiff dough is formed. Knead thoroughly and roll out 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch rounds (or form into shape of people), and place on greased baking sheets. Prick several times with a fork and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar while still warm.

Honeyed Milk

8 oz skim milk

1 tsp honey

Directions

In a small sauce pan heat milk till just warm

Pour honey into milk and stir

Place milk mixture back on the heat till warm again; pour into mug and enjoy. Make sure to sit aside a small mug to go soul cakes for the dead.

Tags: cooking, food, soul cakes

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Hally Rhiannon Nammu July, 2010

Tags: energy, food

• Articles , Self Help

Jennie Johnston May, 2010

Family Values: Food

If there is one thing that attending festivals, gatherings, rituals whether private or public has taught me about the Pagan community is that: we LOVE food.   We strive to worship this earth, and consume the wonderful bounty that it graces us with.   Nurturing your child’s relationship to food is pivotal in their development.   Food weaves through almost every part of our lives our social relations, our relationship with the earth and our relationship and feelings towards our heath and body.   Eating together whether in ritual or family settings can be so rewarding and fulfilling.   It should be a high priority for every family since we have to eat in order to live and it usually happens at least three times a day.  Our culture has made eating, cooking and growing food into something that needs to be fast and convenient but as Pagans we celebrate with food, we try and be reverent of food, so should we promote this culture of frozen dinners, microwaves and drive-through consumption or should we strive to move in rhythm with the earth, eating seasonally and having a relationship with what we choose to put in our bodies?

Children emulate what they see not what they are told.  So if we tell them the earth is sacred and that the fall bounty is a gift to us and then leave them rarely seeing, let alone consuming a vegetable in its “from the ground state”  what sort of values do you think they’ll develop regarding food?  I would guess that they’d pick a burger and fries over a garden salad and chicken breast any day.  Most children go through a picky eater stage and we can indulge that with letting them only eat jello and drink soda or we can set an example and present them with ways to change their feelings, ideas and interaction with food so that they move past the picky stage with healthy and grounded eating habits.  Below you’ll find ideas for helping your kids (and yourselves) have a positive and reverent attitude towards what you eat.  I’ve included links and hope that you will challenge yourself to make this value one that is fundamental to your family’s present and future.  Don’t worry if you have hiccups or days when the family indulges in some bad habits, no one is perfect and it is hard to completely remove habits that have developed around food.  Just take small steps, introduce different foods slowly and keep trying even if there is resistance.  Habits take a while to break and the more relaxed but dedicated you are the more likely the positive results will start happening.

Grow Your Food

Whether you have a big backyard or a city balcony; grow something with your kids.  Herbs, strawberries, green beans, they are more likely to eat it if they’ve invested time and energy into planting a seed, watering it and watching it grow.

Purchase food at Farmer’s Markets

Besides having a fantastic family atmosphere farmer’s markets allow your child to meet the people growing their food.  This can open up discussions about country living versus city living, taking care of animals and plants, seasonal changes in the earth and it is also a wonderful place to meet your neighbours and participate in the community at large.

Visit Local Farms

Many farms offer a u-pick option which is often not only more economical but a great way to experience your food.  Your child sees the fields, the farmer, the plant in its living state and then gets to pull, pick and harvest the food that you will later eat.

Get Kids Cooking

The whole family should cook together when possible.  Learning to cook is an indispensable skill for your kids it will greatly affect how they think about and interact with their food.  They can set the table, fill the water jug, just get them involved in the process somehow and as they get older they can help more and more.  It is even a good idea to have them help with meal planning so that they see what is involved in the process.

Can & Preserve Foods Together

Another fun activity is to make jams, pickles, or tomato sauce together.  This can be time consuming but you can always make it a more community minded project pooling time and resources with other families.  Your kids will taste the difference in a sauce they made during the summer months and they can feel proud of their part in making food for the family to enjoy together.

Eat as Many Meals Together as Possible

The statistics prove that it makes kids happier and healthier.  And you can really enjoy each other as well as the meal you’ve created together.  Perhaps some activities need to be sacrificed to make it happen but making this a priority in your family will benefit everyone.

Bless the Food and remember its Magic

Taking a moment before you eat to honour the cycle that brought the food to your table will give your children a sense of gratefulness and reverence for the process they participated in.

During your celebrations this spring and summer and throughout the wheel of the year may you and yours eat well, feel well and honour the earth with your choices about food.  I’ve included a few more resources that you and your family may find helpful in making the myriad of decisions around what to consume, how to consume it, and where to find what you are looking for.

Food Inc. the documentary film

Deconstructing Dinner – Food podcast

Tags: children, food, kids, parenting

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Hearthkeeper October, 2009

Merry Meet all… this time of year has so many possibilities. With the harvest just finished.. we have so much to choose from.. it is amazing. This month not only will I have Samhain recipes.. but some good old fashion tummy filling recipes as well.

Magic Baked Apples

When you polish an apple on your shirt before taking a bite, you are
continuing an ancient tradition. The Celts rubbed apples to drive
out evil fairies hiding inside the fruit. Medieval Christians
thought the practice kept away the devil. These customs reflect the
belief that apples contain Earth energies.

Magic Apples Recipe:
4 medium-sized apples
8 tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Rub the apples over your heart then core them. Place in a baking
dish. Fill each center with 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon butter,
and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Add 1/4 inch water to the pan. Bake 30–40
minutes at 375°F.

Hallowmas Cakes

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar.  Blend in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Add vanilla.  Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture.  Chill for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Roll about a Tbsp. of dough into a ball.  Drop balls into confectioner’s sugar, and roll until coated.  Place balls about 2″ apart on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  The cakes should be  soft and the edges firm.  Do not over bake; they burn easily.  Makes about 3 doz.
Autumn Butter

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup butter, softened

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Spread onto your favorite muffins, quick bread, sweet crackers, or drop a dollop onto morning pancakes

Greenman’s Blend
This is a classic cheese blend made with fresh herbs that can be frozen to store.
2 tablespoons fresh chives
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh marjoram
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chop the herbs and garlic in a food processor; add pepper. To make spread, add 1/2 cup blend to 8 tablespoons softened butter (or margarine), 1 pound softened cream cheese (or light cream cheese), and whirl until blended. Chill in refrigerator for several hours.
Store in freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
The herbs can also be stored frozen in butter; then add the cream cheese just before serving.
If frozen, thaw in refrigerator, and then re-blend with an electric mixer before serving.
Variation. Chop the herbs in a food processor and add enough olive oil to form a thick paste that can be stored in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days or can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Pack paste in glass jars and cover with a layer of olive oil to prevent drying out. Use to make marinades or add to steamed vegetables, soups, and stews.

Suggested Use cheese spread on crackers or raw vegetables. Warm cheese spread in a saucepan and add Parmesan cheese to taste for an Alfredo sauce to serve over pasta.

herbal properties:
Chives———–protection
Parsley———Calms and protects the home. Gives added energy, and vitality.
Marjoram——–Cleansing, purification, dispels negativity.
Basil————- love, exorcism, wealth, protection.
Lemon Thyme—-cleansing, purification. Healing, strength.
Garlic———–cleansing, purification, dispels negativity. Strong protection..
Black Pepper—–protection, exorcism
Dragon’s Breath Samhain Dip

There are two heads (yes, entire heads) of garlic in this dip!
(That’s why it’s called Dragon’s Breath).
But when garlic is roasted, it becomes sweet and nutty.
2 heads garlic
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
8 oz. Brie cheese (or cream cheese if you cannot eat brie)
1/2 tsp. Seasoned salt
Cut top 1/2″ off the top of the garlic heads. Remove some of the
loose papery skin, leaving the heads intact. Place each on a square
of foil and wrap well. Bake at 350 degrees 50-60 minutes, until the
Garlic is very soft and begins to brown. Cool until easy to handle.
Squeeze each head to remove the soft roasted cloves.
In a food processor( or electric mixer), process Brie cheese with the seasoned salt and
Garlic cloves. Refrigerate several hours
to blend flavors. Serve with crackers or sliced French Bread
Blood Orange Sangria
Ingredients
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups apple juice
2/3 cup Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
1/2 cup sugar
4 whole cloves
3 seedless blood oranges, each cut into 16 wedges
2 (750-milliliter) bottles fruity red wine
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, and stir until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight. Discard cloves and cinnamon sticks. Pour sangria into individual glasses, including the fruit.
Yield 16 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Pentacle Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2lb fresh Pumpkin
4oz super fine Sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 teaspoons cinnamon
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
10oz flour
2 1/2oz hard butter
2 1/2oz crisco
3-4 tablespoons water

1) Place Pumpkin (cored, peeled and diced) into a colander over boiling water and steam for about 20 minutes (or until tender). Then mash to a pulp and set aside to cool.

2) Sift the flour and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon into a bowl. Cut in the butter and crisco until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

3) Mix with water to form a firm dough, knead lightly and roll out onto a floured board.

4) Lightly grease and then line a round Pie pan with the pastry, reserving the pastry trimmings.

5) Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.

6) Whisk the eggs and sugar together adding the nutmeg, ginger and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Fold in the mashed Pumpkin and 4 tablespoons of milk, then pour into the pastry case.

7) Roll out pastry trimmings and cut into strips. Form pentacle with strips, using milk to stick down, then brush remaining milk over any visible pastry.

Bake at 375F for about 40 minutes or until filling has set. Sprinkle with a little sugar and serve hot or cold! Delicious hot with ice cream or whipped cream!
Baking in advance of your Samhain celebrations can enable you to add a touch of Kitchen Witchery to it, and preparing food with love and care is a great way to imbue them with that extra special energy that home cooked foods really have.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick melted butter
1 egg
Beat with a spoon and set 3/4 cup aside
Pat dough into the bottom of 9×11 pan
1 large can pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evap. Milk
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix and pour over cake dough

Add 1/4 cup sugar to remaining dough, mix with a fork to crumble and sprinkle over top .
Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

The end of summer is the perfect time to enjoy these savory-sweet pork chops. The combination of apples and squash will get you ready to welcome fall.

Apple Crisp

8 cups peeled, cored &thinly sliced apples(granny smith)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 or 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular rolled oats
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine (cut into 1/4″ chunks)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat oven to 350….

in a 9″ square baking dish or shallow 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole,
mix apples with granulated sugar,2 tbsp. cornstarch and cinnamon…

In a bowl, combine rolled oats, brown sugar, butter and 3/4 cup flour..
Rub mixture between fingers until butter pieces are no longer
distinguishable…Stir in chopped pecans.. Sprinkle topping
evenly over apples…
Bake crisp on middle rack of oven until apples are tender when
pierced and topping is brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes to 1 hour…
If topping browns first cover with foil…
Spoon apple crisp, warm or cool into bowls…
Top with scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream..

Harvest Pork Chops recipe
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
2 Granny Smith apples, washed, quartered, sliced thin
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed, peeled, seeded, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Season the pork chops with pepper. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook for 10 minutes, turning once, until well browned. Remove from pan, transfer to paper towels to drain and keep warm.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic is golden. Stir in the broth, orange juice, apples, squash and ginger. Heat to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender. Return the chops to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Sausage-Stuffed Squash

1 medium acorn squash
6 oz. Bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped celery, optional
2 TBSP chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped peeled tart apple
1 tsp. All-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup diced process cheese (Velveeta)
Cut squash in half; remove seeds. Place cut side down in a greased 13-in.x9-in.x2-in. Baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the sausage, celery if desired and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add apple; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Drain. In a bowl, combine the flour, egg and sour cream until smooth; stir into sausage mixture.
Turn squash over; sprinkle cut sides with salt. Stuff with sausage mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
YIELD: 2 servings.

Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole
This butternut squash casserole includes apples and is topped with a buttery spiced crumb topping with brown sugar.

Ingredients:

* 1 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
* 2 apples, cored, peeled, sliced
* 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
* 4 tablespoons butter, cold
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:

Peel, seed, and cut squash into small slices. Place squash and apple slices in a baking dish, about 11- x 7-inches Combine brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cut in butter with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over sliced squash and apples.
Cover and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes.
Corn Bread with Honey Butter

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Combine the cornmeal, flower, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium-sized bowl.  In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk, oil, and egs.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients; mix thoroughly.  Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish let sit on counter 5 minutes..  Bake for 25 minutes.

While the cornbread bakes, blend the butter, honey.(with electric mixer if possible)

Serve hot or cold. With the honey butter

And here is a helpful tip for your kitchen..

Storing Apples

Buy apples on sale and store them through the winter! . There are so many varieties, and they are such a great food. Thankfully, there is always some variety available in the stores year round. To save money, you can buy them on sale and store them. Almost any kind of apple will keep for several months if properly stored., even though we do not have root cellars like our grandparents may have had to store their produce; We still can effectively store apples with just a box and some newspaper. One of the important steps in storing apples is to store them so they don’t touch each other. If one apple rots, it will spread to the others if there is not a barrier between them. That is the reason for the newspaper.

Each apple should be individually wrapped with the newspaper (use only the black and white paper). They should be carefully placed in a box, and then the box placed in a dark room. You could use your garage, a pantry, an unheated porch or your basement. Anywhere where it is dark and cool (but not freezing) will work.

Only store apples without bruises or soft spots, and with the skin in perfect condition. Apples that have thicker skins will store longer than ones with thin skins, like Red Delicious. Jonathan is an example of an apple with a thick skin. Some varieties actually taste better after a few months of storage.

Until next month

Merry Cooking and Blessed Eating

The Hearthkeeper

Yield:  12 servings

Tags: cooking, food, Recipes

• Recipes

Administrator May, 2006

We all know about the necessity to eat right, and strive to do so as often as possible. Yet, many of us occasionally slip and go to a fast food restaurant anyway – bad eating habits are hard to change. I had this problem too, until I found out how to make the best out of this unpleasant situation, when I had a craving for something unhealthy. Nowadays, wherever I go, I don’t have to worry about levels of cholesterol or calories, they are all incorporated into the plan.

Many years ago I learned about the Pranic method of classifying food. It turns out that Prana, the universal life force, can be found in abundance in certain products, and in lesser quantities in others. Thus, when we ingest a particular type of food, we obtain from it a corresponding amount of energy. This very logical consideration led me to the idea of charging anything I eat. What if I decide, what kind of energy is stored where, and to what end, I thought, and conducted my first experiment.

A very appealing chocolate bar was lying on my kitchen table, and I simply couldn’t refuse its summons. As I took the first bite out of the delicious German invention, I imagined it having energy of its own, which I resolved to adapt to my needs. I pictured a beam of green light spreading from the chocolate to all of my energy centers. I saw those energy centers in my mind’s eye as revolving spheres, swelling from the green light which inundated every single one of them. I made a mental command to my mind, to use this excess of energy for my daily activities, whenever I feel weaker than usual.

Needless to say, my experiment worked wonderfully. I found strength to do many assignments which I would normally find taxing. My energy reserves definitely increased. But during my next experiment, I thought I should take an additional precaution. I ate something rich in cholesterol, of the bad kind, and decided to compensate for it by exercising further my imagination.

I imagined cholesterol in my body being comprised from little red cells, shaped as circles. I next pictured them drawn form my blood stream towards the energy center that was a little below my navel. This energy center, known in the East as Tan Tien, was, in my mind, recycling the cholesterol cells. They were literally moving through the Tan Tien, and when they came out, they changed their color from red to green, to signify their new function.

Instead of the detrimental job they have been doing in my body, they have become a new form of energy that I gave my brain to redistribute at need. I kept changing more of the cholesterol cells that way, stipulating for the process to end when the cholesterol level was low enough not to pose a danger.

I performed this exercise several times, and then did a similar form of recycling with the sugar levels. I conditioned the recycled sugar cells to supply my brain pathways with the appropriate amount of energy, and seemingly, so they did.

Interestingly enough, when I did my blood test a month later, it turned out my cholesterol dropped 200 points from the high level it previously was. It finally convinced me that my imaginary tricks gave at least some tangible results. Fortunately, these exercises in creative visualization can be tailored to individual needs. You can make them work for you as well, or even better, than they worked for me. Bon Appetite!

*Disclaimer: My system started working for me better with more practice, and it required total belief in the validity of the methods involved. Any doubt might reduce the effectiveness. Don’t try unless you are completely sure it will help.*

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author bio:

Ishamael

asdraikh@yahoo.com

Ishamael is a numerologist who developed his own

system, aided by his math degree from the Tel Aviv

University in Israel, his knowledge of Kabala and

ancient cultures, and inherent psychic abilities. He

is also a certified hypnotherapist and a rune master,

currently dwelling in Southern California.

Tags: energy, food, Ishamael, nutrition

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