Rice Krispie Treats - easy to make in microwave

Everyone loves these. The proportions are pain though because you either end up with extra Rice Krispies or extra marshmallows. Only make 1 pan at a time. 16 oz bag usually has about 75-80 marshmallows. 12 c. of cereal is less than 12 oz box so will end up with extra cereal. 

Grease 13x9 pan with butter.

Measure out in giant bowl

• 6 c. rice krispies (Next time I plan to increase to try to use up all the cereal)

Melt in microwave in large flat bottom microwave safe bowl

• 3 T. Butter

Add to melted butter and mix to coat

• 40 regular marshmallows (I only used 37)

Melt marshmallow starting with 1 minute hits in microwave and mixing between hits until you get a smooth mixture.

Immediately while marshmallow and butter mixture is still hot, dump in Rice Krispies, quickly mix and put in 13x9 pan. Pat flat with greased hands. Then let set up before cutting into squares.

Cinnamon Snickerdoodles - chewytexture similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies

 12 minutes @ 325F on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let cool on cookie sheet to firm up.

Preblend dry ingredients

• 2 c. almond flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda

Cream together

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. powdered sugar

Then mix in

• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. water

Then mix in dry ingredients. 

Put overnight in fridge. Flatten into about one inch discs or 1/2 inch balls, dip into cinnamon sugar coating before baking.

Cinnamon sugar coating

• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 T ground cinnamon

This is ok but I like the mexican wedding cookies better. 

ref: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wprm_print/gluten-free-snickerdoodles

Coconut Macaroons - a favorite

 12-15 minutes @ 350F on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let sit until cool so they firm up before removing. Everyone loves these. This recipe is doubled so need a giant bowl to make

Preblend dry ingredients

• 1 and 1/3 c. GF flour or regular
• 1/2 t. salt

Then mix in

• 11 c. unsweetened flaked coconut (12 oz is about 5.75 c. I always end up with a partial bag.)

Then mix in 

• 2 (14 oz) cans of sweetened condensed milk*
• 4 t. vanilla

*This is a pain to mix because it's sticky. Making the sweetened condensed milk thinner by heating the milk in the microwave helps. I also mix the vanilla into the slightly heated sweetened condensed milk.

I use two eating teaspoons to press the sticky dough together before dropping onto cookie sheet.

ref: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25787/coconut-macaroons-iii/

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls - a no cook recipe - traditional from Grandma Ellie

 Mix together

• 2 c. ground walnuts*
• 2 c. ground dates*
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 2 c. peanut butter

* I usually grind individually in food processor but Ellie would chop them very fine.

Let sit in fridge overnight. Next day from into 1/2 - 3/4  inch balls. 

Dip balls into melted** chocolate from

• 2 bags chocolate chips (Ellie used semi-sweet but dark works fine too.)

**Put chocolate chips into microwave safe flat bottom bowl. I start with one minute, then go to 30 seconds, then 15 seconds if needed to rewarm. Mix after every hit in microwave to get smooth mixture.

I usually put on parchment paper lined cookies sheets (wax paper or aluminum foil works too) then put them in a cold room (about 60F) to set up. Our house's temperature varies from room to room so we have quite a few cold areas. I have never made these in summer.

Peel off cookies once they have set up.

Easy 4 ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies - super peanut buttery

 10-15 minutes @ 350F on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let sit on cookie sheet to cool and set up. Makes about 50 one-inch cookies

Mix together

• 3.5 c. peanut butter (two 16oz jars, normally would use 4 c. but wanted to use full jars)
• 1 c. GF flour (optional, just used to make up the difference in PB and makebatter less runny)
• 4 c. sugar
• 3 lightly beaten eggs

Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and criss cross or poke with fork to decorate if you like.

Modified from Original Peanut Butter Cookie recipe as spoken to me when I was a kid from Mrs. Weisman.

• 1 c. Peanut butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg

Mexican Wedding Cookies - chewy and nutty

7-10 minutes at 350F on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let sit until cool to firm up. About 90 one-inch cookies

Preblend dry ingredients

• 3 c. almond flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda

Mix in 

• 1 c. finely chopped pecans

Cream together

• 4 T. butter
• 4 T. honey (I've used maple syrup in the past but I think I like the flavor of honey better)

Mix in

• 2 t. vanilla extract

Then mix in dry ingredients. Put in fridge overnight. Then shape into flat discs next day and bake.

After cookies come out of the oven and while they are still warm, sift powdered sugar on top of cookies. (I just put the powdered sugar into a strainer and tap the side of the strainer while holding the strainer over the cookies. I don't use my regular flour sifter because it's contaminated with gluten.)

• 1/2 - 1 c. of powdered sugar

Lemon Meltaway Cookies - Very lemony and with texture like Polvorone dust cookies

 10-20 minutes @ 325F on parchment lined cookie sheet. Let sit until firm before removing. About 90 one-inch cookies

Preblend dry ingredients

• 1/2 c. almond flour
• 2 c. Bob's GF flour or white flour
• 3/4 c. finely ground pecans, almonds, or walnuts

Cream together

• 1.5 c. soft butter
• 3/4 c. powdered sugar

Then mix in

• 6 t. lemon juice
• 3 t. lemon zest

Put in fridge overnight. Next day shape into 1 inch discs. Then bake

ref: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/lemon-meltaway-cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

 10minutes @ 350F on parchment lined cookie sheet. about 50 cookies

Preblend dry ingredients

• 3 c flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt

Then mix in and set aside

• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. chopped nuts

Cream together

• 3/4 c. sugar (need this amount or not very sweet)
• 3/4 c. brown sugar (need this amount or not very sweet)

Then mix in

• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1 t. vanilla

Then mix in dry ingredients. Drop small spoonfuls onto cookie sheet to make about 1" cookies. Bigger cookies take longer to bake.

Gingerbread Cookies, soft, delicious!

12minutes@350F. Parchment lined cookie sheet. About 60-80 one-inch cookies

Pre-blend dry ingredients

• 3 c. flour (I increased the flour because I like soft cookies)
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• ½ t. dried ginger
• ½ t. salt

Cream together

• ¾ c. soft butter
• ½ c. brown sugar
• ½ c. white sugar

Then mix in

• ¼ c. molasses
• 2 T. water (might try adding as molasses next time but the flavor balance is very nice.)

Then mix in dry ingredients

Put in refrigerator overnight. Then shape into one-inch discs before baking.

ref: https://www.lovefromtheoven.com/wprm_print/gingerbread-cookies

Peppernuts (Pfeffernusse) delicate flavor with a slight bite. Soft cookie

Parchment covered cookie sheet. 10-15 minutes @350F. About 80 one-inch cookies

Preblend dry ingredients

• ·      3 c. flour
• ·        1.5 t. baking soda
• ·        1.5 t. cinnamon
• ·        1 t. ground ginger
• ·        ½ t. ground anise (I grind the whole seeds before measuring and adding)
• ·        ½ t. ground cardamom
• ·        ½ t. ground clove
• ·        ½ t. nutmeg
• ·        ½ t. white pepper (my other recipe used black pepper)

Then mix in and set aside

• ·        2 c. chopped walnuts

Cream together

• ·        1 c. soft butter
• ·        1.5 c. brown sugar (Some recipes use molasses but not this one)

Then mix in

• ·        2 lightly beaten eggs
• ·        1 t. lemon zest

Then mix in dry ingredients. Pretty sticky. Put in fridge and let it sit overnight.

Then shape into flat about 1” discs and bake. Let cool and set up on parchment covered cookies sheet.

 

Ref: https://bakerbettie.com/wp-json/mv-create/v1/creations/98/print plus other recipes

(Our internet was down so typed recipe in on offline program and now I have crazy double dots.)

 

Spicy Oatmeal Raisin -

12 minutes@ 350F, let sit on parchment lined cookie sheet till cool so they firm up.

Preblend dry ingredients

• 1.5 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Then mix into dry ingredients and set aside

• 3 c. rolled oats
• 1-2 c. raisins  (I just added the whole box so I wouldn't have it sitting around.)

Cream together

• 1 c. soft butter 
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar

Then add

• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix in dry ingredients, then use teaspoon to drop dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet to make about 1 inch or so cookies. Bigger ones will take longer to bake.

Nicely flavored, chewy cookie.

ref: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/10497/beths-spicy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies

2024 Christmas Cookies

 Here's a list of this year's Christmas Cookies

• Spicy Oatmeal Raisin 
• Peppernuts (Pfeffernusse)
• Gingerbread
• Chocolate Chip
• Lemon Meltaway 
• Mexican Wedding 
• Snickerdoodles
• Peanut butter
• Coconut macaroons
• Chocolate covered peanut butter balls
• Rice Krispie treats

Clove Cough drops (not yet fine tuned)

Prep cookie sheet that has a lip by lining with parchment paper.

Put about 1/4"-1/2" layer of

• Powdered sugar or cornstarch (Can reuse multiple times to make drops)

Pat smooth, then make indentations about 1/2" x 3/4". I used then handle of a kitchen tool. Small cough drops are nicer than big ones. Then set aside.

In very large, flat-bottomed mixing bowl place and stir to blend

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 t. honey
• 1 t. lemon zest
• 1/4 t. ground cloves

Start microwaving in short hits. Microwave to hard crack stage. Usually happens very quickly after small ball forms when a drop is dropped in ice water. Try to catch it before mixture starts to darken. Watch for foaming. Can foam 10-20 times it original height. Honey seems to foam higher than sugar/water combo. Mix and scrape down sides with silicone high temperature scraper or metal spoon. My microwave times for this batch.

• 1'
• 2' (stirred to dissolve sugar)
• 2' (thicker, bubbles)
• 1' (double size foam)
• 1' (soft ball, thicker. - takes forever for heat to leave drop, may drop on ice next time?)
• 30" (started to crystallize, so I cooked it a little too far.)

Tilt bowl on side so you have a nice puddle of liquid. Scrape down sides into puddle or stuff will harden on sides of bowl. Careful. It's hot! Use a smaller teaspoon/dessert spoon to spoon mixture into powdered sugar indentations on cookie sheet. Let cool. I stick it in the freezer.

This variation melted in the mouth like sugar cubes. 

Soaking in hot water cleans equipment relatively easily

Objective:

I wanted a simple recipe with few ingredients so started out with just using honey, lemon juice, and cloves. Cough drops were very sticky and stuck to my teeth. I also wanted to cook it in the microwave and I don't have a candy thermometer. It appears that more honey results in a very sticky cough drop. 

My next variation I plan to not use lemon zest because I don't like the little bits. Instead I will substitute lemon juice for the water. Eventually I want to find the optimum combination of honey/sugar. Sugar melts in your mouth like a sugar cube and is not sticky. I'd also like to try a bit of oil to see if it adds smoothness to the cough drop.

ref:

• https://www.tastyeverafter.com/honey-lemon-ginger-cough-drops/
• https://www.mrrl.org/blog-entry/diy-cough-drops

Sourdough FlatBread with active starter or discard

In a larger flat bottom bowl with cover

Cut in

• 1.5 T. butter into
• 1 C. white flour 

Then mix in

• 1/2 C. Sourdough starter or discard
• 1/4 C. liquid
• 1 t. salt

Knead till it feels right. Add some flour if it's too sticky. 

Then let sit till it doubles or you have time to get around to it. Sometimes I mix in the morning, then bake either at night or the next day.

Divide into 10 balls. Pat into flattish discs. (Can flour hands to keep dough from sticking to hands if it is sticky.) Then roll each disc out to about a small plate/ saucer size on floured surface. Any bigger and they are hard to put into hot pan. It's ok if they have flour on them because it keeps them from sticking together before you bake them.

Use a cast iron pan or griddle and heat up past the point where water drops dance on it. (Hotter than the  temperature that you cook pancakes.) Do not use any other type of pan besides cast iron. Temperature is very high and could wreck other pans. Try not to burn youself.

Most recipes say to oil your pan. However I think it might work without oiling pan due to the flour on the rolled out flatbread. 

Place 1 raw flatbread onto/into cast iron pan/griddle. Watch for bubbles to appear on surface. It will start to set up and look dry. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute depending on how hot your pan is. Flip over and cook other side. Doesn't take long. Cook all flat breads till done.

At this point I put in one layer on pans in freezer. Once frozen, I put in a bag to take out and heat as needed.

In the past I've also used this recipe to make 4 small dense biscuits. They were tasty but I use flatbread more.

Recipes I used to come up with this one:

• https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/easy-sourdough-flatbread/
• https://documentingsimpleliving.com/sourdough-flatbread-recipe/
• https://www.melskitchencafe.com/easy-sourdough-flatbread/
• https://simplicityandastarter.com/sourdough-flatbread-recipe/
• https://simplicityandastarter.com/sourdough-flatbread-recipe/

Kim's Brined Turkey

 My cousin is making this for dinner tonight. I can't wait to try it!

Lacto-Fermented Mayonnaise

 ref: https://lauralivesthegoodlife.com/recipes/lacto-fermented-probiotic-mayonnaise/

Directions for immersion blender. Probably should use pasterized egg to be safe. I added probiotic fluid to hopefully make it stay shelf stable longer. Only allowed to ferment 1-2 hours at room temperature instead of 5-8 hours. Only used 1 Tbs probiotic liquid but maybe could used 2 Tbs?

Directions:

Put the following in immersion blender cup

• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1+ tsp mustartd
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbs probiotic liquid (yogurt whey, fermented sauerkraut juice....)

Lightly beat and put in bottom of immerions blender cup

• 1 egg at room temperature 

Gently pour in on top of ingredients in immersion blender cup. 

• 3/4 cup mild flavor oil (avocado, grapeseed....)

Make sure oil is sitting on top of everything.

Put immersion blender on bottom of cup. Blend on high. As mayonnaise forms, wand can be moved up to incorporate the rest of the oil.

5/24/24 Used homemade sauerkraut juice and fermented about 1 hour at room temperature.

5/25/24 Used yogurt whey. Ran out of avocado oil so used 1/4 cup olive oil. Didn't hurt the flavor too much. Fermented 2 hours at room temperature.

Mayonnaise

Ref: 

• https://downshiftology.com/recipes/how-to-make-homemade-mayonnaise/
• https://melissaknorris.com/homemade-mayonnaise-recipe/
• https://www.inspiredtaste.net/25943/homemade-mayonnaise-recipe/

Directions for immersion blender. Probably should use pasterized egg to be safe. Probably keeps 1 week in fridge. Makes about one cup. Very tasty! Much better than store bought.

Directions:

Lightly beat and put in bottom of immersion blender cup

• 1 egg at ROOM TEMPERATURE (Our house was at 75F when I made this.)

Blend in bowl and put on top of egg in immersion blender cup

• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vinegar (I used regular white vinegar)
• 1 tsp mustard (Acts as emulsifier) (I used Koops brown horseradish mustard) 
• 1.5 tsp lemon juice

Gently pour in on top of ingredients in immersion blender

• 3/4 cup mild flavor oil (I used avocado oil, but could use grapeseed or ? Olive oil may have too overpowering flavor)

Make sure Oil is sitting on top of everything.

Put immersion blender on bottom of cup. Blend on high. As mayonnaise forms can move wand up to incorporate the rest of the oil.

Note: There is wiggle room on the recipe. Lemon juice range 1-2 tsp., Vinegar 1 tsp- 1 Tbs, mustard 1/4 tsp - 1 tbs, salt 1/4 - 1/2 tsp, oil 3/4 c - 1 c.

Pudding Brownies

Recipe modified from https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/healthy-brownies-best-recipe/ I omitted banana and added squash and yogurt. I also increased cocoa powder.

8x8 or 9x9 greased pan, 15'/ 350F, Let cool before cutting. If too gooey, let sit in fridge overnight and they will firm up more. Can freeze but icey texture. 10 seconds in microwave to thaw works pretty well.

Use food processor

Process into powder then set aside

• 1/2 c. oatmeal (or use almond flour and skip this step)

Process in food processor till as smooth as it gets

• 1 can (1.5 c) cooked blacked beans
• 1/2 c. squash
• 1/2 c. yogurt
• 1/3 c. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 c. nut butter

Premix dry ingredients, then add to above wet ingredients

• oatmeal powdered above or almond flour (oatmeal sets up better)
• 3 Tbl. cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Then add 

• 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Pour into greased pan, bake 15'/350F, let cool, then slice.

Kim Chi from Holly Howe - Yummy! and easy

 (Recipe for Arlene)

I use the recipe, more or less, that I got when I signed up for her newsletter. Her book is very good too.

https://www.makesauerkraut.com/kimchi/

• I weighed it the first time but now I know what that amount of weight looks like so I do it by eye.
• I use about 1/2 regular cabbage cut finely in strips like regular sauerkraut with the veggies. 
• I add the salt right after I put in the cabbage and massage it so it starts to release its moisture, then I add the veggies and massage again.
• The veggies I slice thinly on a mandoline.
• I grate ginger and freeze it in ice cube trays, then use 1 cube of ginger.
• I use 1/2 tsp each of cayenne and ancho chili pepper instead of Gochugaru.
• Pack down tightly in the jar. I generally use my hand since the jar is wide enough. Make sure nothing is on the sides of the jar. All veggies below brine.
• I put a piece of parchment paper on top and press down some more.
• Then I make a brine solution, 1 cup water + 1.5 tsp non iodized salt. I make sure there is about 1/2- 1 inch of brine above the veggies. I always need a little bit but rarely use all of it.
• Then I take a plastic bag filled with some water and place it on the parchment paper to weight everything down. If you use a gallon baggie, you can put it in the jar and press with your hand in the baggie on the parchment paper while using water to fill it to the shape of the inside of the jar. Some of the brine will go up the sides of the jar a little ways.
• Then I put the lid on loosely, set it on a plate, in a clean, cooler dark place out of direct sunlight. In winter the room I put it in is about 50-60F but in summer it can get up to 90F because no A/C.
• Watch for the bubbles or taste weekly.