Super Easy Caramel Sauce

Super Easy Caramel Sauce

1 cup Sugar
6 T butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a very large saucepan, place sugar and cook over medium heat; stirring, until it is completely melted. Continue to stir and watch carefully until it reaches a dark golden color.  Add the butter and stir until it is completely melted.  Pour the cream in all at once (the sauce will bubble up) and stir until smooth. 

Spoon over brownies or ice cream .... or over ice cream on brownies!

Breakfast Sausage

We butchered a hog yesterday, ending up with 22# of meat/fat for sausage.  Here's my recipe for breakfast sausage...

22# ground pork and fat (about 70/30)
7 T Sea salt
1 cup rubbed sage
1 teaspoon each:

• Paprika
• Cayenne
• Ground cloves
• Ground Ginger
• Savory
• Mace
• Nutmeg
• Black Pepper
• Ground Thyme

Cut meat and fat into cubes, chill for at least an hour.  Sprinkle seasoning over meat cubes then grind with a coarse plate.  Make a patty and fry it up to check seasonings.  Make any adjustments in seasonings and run through the grinder a second time. 

The Best Cake I Ever Made!

We've been able to buy and put up more cherries this year than I can ever remember doing in a year.  As a result I have several new "products" in my pantry to experiment with.  Today was one of experiments...

Cherry Filled Chocolate Coconutty Cake.

1 Dark Chocolate Cake mix

1/2 stick butter

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 cups water

3 eggs

1 qt cherry pie filling

1/4 pt cherry-almond preserves

1 cup coconut

1 tsp almond extract

In the workbowl of the mixer blend together the dry cake mix and the butter until the butter is well incorporated.  Add eggs, oil, and water and mix well.  Add coconut and almond extract, stir until blended.  Pour into a well greased bundt cake pan and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until cake tests done.  Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan. 

Allow the cake to cool completely, then with a bread knife remove the top 1/4 of the cake.  Use a spoon to hollow out the center of the bottom layer of the cake, then fill with pie filling.  Carefully replace the top of the cake, using toothpics to sure up any cracks if needed. 

Use the cherry-almond preserves to glaze the assembled cake, arranging the cherries and almonds on the top.

Fresh From the Garden Pasta Salad

8 oz Rotini, cooked and cooled
8 oz diced ham
1/2 onion
1/2 lg Bell Pepper
8 oz Black olives, sliced
1 large clove garlic
2 T Fresh chopped Parsley
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning Mix
1 T sweet pickle relish
3/4 cup mayo

Chop the garlic and then place into a large bowl.  Mash the garlic and the seasoning mix with the back of a spoon until well blended.  Mash in the pepper.  Add the ham, onion, bell pepper, olives, parsley, and relish.  Mix well.  Add mayo and pasta and stir until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Canning Pinto Beans With Sausage

No BBQ is complete at our house without some pinto beans. During deer season we brine and smoke the hocks for use in a pot of beans....it's better than salt pork or bacon! I can the seasoned beans with smoked sausage and onion for a quick side dish. To do this you will need:

a pressure canner

7 wide mouth quart jars, with lids & rings

5 pounds of dried pinto beans

2 smoked venison hocks

3 pounds smoked sausage (such as kielbasa)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Place the hocks in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 3-4 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove the bones and bring the water and meat to a full boil. Add the beans, adding more water as needed to cover. Boil hard for 2 minutes, then simmer for 30 minutes. Slice the sausage and add it to the beans, taste for seasoning, and bring to a boil. Ladle into hot jars, topping them with a bit more water if needed. Fill the jars 2/3 with beans then top with water leaving 1" head room. Cap and seal the jars, process in a pressure canner for 90 minutes at the pressure recommended for your elevation. The beans will finish cooking during the canning process.

Chicken Fajita in a Jar

Chicken Fajita in a Jar

5# boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 large bell peppers

6 medium onions

Taco Seasoning

Wash 9 pint jars, then arrange on a roasting pan and place into a 250º oven. Bring a small pan of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Place 9 lids into the pan of water and leave until ready to cap the jars.

While the jars and lids are heating, cut the chicken, peppers, and onions into thin strips. Layer the jars by adding the meat, 1/2 teaspoon of taco seasoning, pepper strips, and onions. Add 2 Tablespoon of water to each jar and cap.

Pressure can for 90 minutes at 10#

To use, simply open the jar and heat contents in a skillet until well heated through. Place in a flour tortilla and top with guacamole, sour cream, or cheese. Each jar makes about 3 fajitas.

Strawberry Pineapple Jam

Strawberry Pineapple Jam

5 cups Strawberries, crushed

7 cups Sugar

1 box Pectin

4 T Lemon Juice

1 large can Crushed Pineapple (20 oz)

2 T Vanilla extract

Place the pineapple (undrained) and strawberries in a heavy bottomed kettle and mash with a potato masher. Add the pectin, lemon juice, and vanilla. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Add sugar all at once and stir. Bring mixture to a hard boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Ladle into hot sterile jars and cap. Process in BWB for 5 minutes.

Makes 5 pints.