Plum-Blueberry Upside Down Cake

I love this cake- I first made it a few times about 6-7 years ago to use up some plums from my Aunt's tree.  I also had access to wonderful blueberries from a U-pick farm back then.  This time I just got the least old-looking ones from my store, lol.  (Not sure how frozen blueberrie would work since I've never tried it).  This is the first (and only) upside down cake I've ever made. 

You arrange sliced plums in a nice pattern around the cake pan, and then dump blueberries in the middle "hole".  The recipe calls for 3/4 cup blueberries, but once, I put them all in, and for some reason, it made the batter above the blueberries not cook all the way through, so now I only put in about a heaping 1/2 cup.  Put in as many as you want; just make sure the toothpick comes out completely clean before taking this out of the oven, so you don't slice into raw cake, like I did once.

I added some almond extract to this, because I love that flavor with fruit.  I also a dash of cinnamon to the batter.  My plums weren't very good this time around; they were not really juicy and had a woody texture. But, they were GREAT in this cake- so tasty with a great flavor.  So this cake is a great way to use less-than-stellar fruit, but of course it's also wonderful with really good fruit.  I've also made this with fresh nectarines and liked it even more than the plums.  These photos are all with plums, though. 

Plum-Blueberry Upside Down Cake
adapted from Allrecipes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

4 black plums, pitted and thinly sliced

3/4 cup blueberries

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch cake pan. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2.  In the prepared pan, combine 3 tablespoons butter and brown sugar. Place pan inside the preheated oven until the margarine melts and begins to bubble. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the 1/3 cup butter and 1 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.               

3.  Arrange plums around the edges of the prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Distribute the blueberries in the center. Pour batter into prepared pan, covering fruit completely. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving and turning over onto a serving platter.               

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding

Delicious homemade chocolate-peanut butter pudding that we all enjoyed warm.  Made quite a lot!!  I used 2% milk instead of whole or half-and-half and it was wonderful. 

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding
adapted from iVillage

1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (heaped) mini semisweet chocolate chips
Whipped cream for topping
Chocolate jimmies for sprinkling

1.  In a medium saucepan, sift together the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. Slowly whisk in the milk, until the mixture is combined and smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.
.

2.  Cook the pudding over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the pudding starts to thicken and large bubbles form and plop, like slowly bubbling hot lava, on the surface of the pudding. Reduce the heat to low, and continue cooking, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Check the consistency of the pudding by running your finger across the back of the stirring spoon; if it leaves a trail that does not immediately fill in, it is thick enough.

3.  Remove from the heat and stir the vanilla, peanut butter, and chocolate chips into the hot pudding until thoroughly melted and combined.
 

4.  Serve right away for a warm pudding, or cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours until cold, and then serve.  Top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles before serving. 

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Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

Not much to say about this one..... roasted broccoli is tasty and if you like broccoli, you should try this!  I made this a while ago but wasn't happy with the photos I took.  (Camera trouble...I'm totally blaming the camera, lol!)  I made it again on Sunday and still wasn't happy, but I'm posting this anyway.  We love steamed broccoli around here, but it's still nice to change it up a little. 

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli
adapted from Food Network

1-2 pounds broccoli (2 small heads)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

Good olive oil

1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, optional

1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon julienned fresh basil leaves, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2.  Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. 

3.  Place the broccoli florets on a baking pan (I used 9x13) large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

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Cinnamon Quick Bread

This bread is quick to make (hence the quick bread title.... lol) and it's delicious.  It also makes your house smell great!  Yay for fall baking!  It's good out of the oven, and later on, eaten with butter, or even toasted.  I used half whole wheat pastry flour for this, and this recipe uses buttermilk, which I love to use for baking (when it's available at my store here.... they've been out of it for weeks and I'm sad.  I want to make buttermilk biscuits, darn it!)

Cinnamon Quick Bread
adapted from Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour (can use one cup ww pastry)
1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2.  Measure flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, salt, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla into large mixing bowl. Mix until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top.               

3.  Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and butter, mixing until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over smoothed batter. Using knife, cut in a light swirling motion to give a marbled effect.

4.  Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Test with toothpick. When inserted it should come out clean. Remove bread from pan to rack to cool.

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Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce with Balsamic Reduction

I love this pasta sauce.  I first tried it at a nice restaurant about five years ago, in the central Washington town we lived in at the time.  It was actually served over lobster ravioli there, but that's not really easy to get here.  ;)  We've had this twice in the last month; the first time, I used frozen cheese ravioli, and the last time, I meant to get that again but got tortellini on accident.  Both ways are very good. 

This makes a ton of sauce.  One thing I was thinking of doing was cutting the half-and-half amount in half but keeping everything else the same.  I just kept it as-is though because the leftovers taste even better than the first time.  (The sauce is also supposed to freeze well!)  I use bottled roasted red peppers instead of roasting them myself; for directions on how to do that, visit the original link.  You may wish to thicken the sauce; I've had it both ways and they are both good.  To thicken, mix some cornstarch with a bit of the half-and-half before mixing it into the sauce. 

A balsamic reduction is easy to do- just simmer balsamic vinegar for a while, until it reduces in volume and turns syrupy.  Beware: I've made this quite successfully a few times, but the last time I tried to do it, I was stressed out and had a million other things going on in the kitchen.  I left it alone for too long and it burned- badly.  There may have been tears.  My husband spent quite a while chiseling out hard, black, burned vinegar solids from my pan.  And the smell!  Lol.  Make your balsamic reduction a few hours before using so that it can cool off and get even thicker. 

The balsamic reduction really makes this dish- I ran out of it when I ate my leftovers.  I tried drizzling some regular balsamic over my pasta but it wasn't the same..... at all.  Make the reduction!  (Unless you have a really expensive, old, syrupy Balsamic on hand already...... but I sure don't). 

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce with Balsamic Reduction
Sauce from Allrecipes; Reduction from Ehow

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction:
1/4 to 1/2 cup good-quality Balsamic Vinegar

1.  Pour the balsamic vinegar into a heavy saucepan. Use enough so that you allow for it to reduce by half.  Heat the pan to medium-high.

2.  Whisk briskly, even prior to boiling. Once it starts boiling, reduce to a simmer, and keep whisking constantly to prevent burning.

3.  Reduce by half, or until the vinegar takes on a syrupy quality. Allow to cool.  Store in an airtight container at room temp.  Make a few hours before using to allow to come to room temp and thicken.

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce:
16. oz jar roasted red peppers, well-drained

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh basil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups half-and-half

1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

1-2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and roasted red peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix.

2.  Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. (Or, carefully use an immersion blender.  It's harder to use one in a skillet though, so be careful of spatters, etc).  Stir in the half-and-half (add some corn starch with the half and half, if desired, to thicken).  Add the Romano or Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.               

3.  Serve over pasta, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar reduction.

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Local Sightseeing

Here are some photos I took on our way to the Farmer's Market I talked about a few posts ago.  It's a beautiful drive, and it's always fun to see assorted farm animals in weird places, like the piggy, above, eating a field of old... something.... next to an abandoned house.  I got out of the car to take this pic and the pig, grunting noisily, started to approch me!  Scary!!  It might have snorted me to death. 

PS:  I wanted to make these pics larger, but then they over-lap my sidebar photos and look all messed up.  They really do look better larger... maybe click on them to get a better view.  Sorry about that!

Another type of architecture..... this pink house is one of my favorites here.  It's close to the ocean and that sea-side Farmer's Market.  Love the pink, palm trees, and bouganvilla!! 

People have to get the laundry done... even if it's raining.  I think that's an old barn in the background.

One of our fave drives.  Hills on the left, ocean on the right (although you can't see it... sorry).

The Farmer's Market town is also a major wine producer.  Vineyards grow between these stone walls.  The little house is a "wine house", used in the late summer for people staying there during the wine harvest.  They just had the big wine festival, but we didn't go.  I really want to go next year, though.

Looking down on a bunch of stone-wall vineyards and wine houses.

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Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

These pancakes are sooooo good- almost cake-like!!  And the blueberry sauce is to die for.  I would make this just by itself for other pancake/waffle recipes or to serve over ice cream.  Just slightly sweetened; the real flavor of blueberries is allowed to shine through.  I used frozen blueberries and they worked wonderfully.  The sauce only took a minute to put together.  I had some natural brown sugar (turbinado) on hand and used that for the sauce.  For the actual pancakes, I used vanilla sugar- yum.

This batter was super thick, and it's supposed to be, but it was sooo thick that I was having a hard time actually plopping it down onto my skillet, so I thinned it out with some milk (you can also use buttermilk).  You don't have to do that though; the pancakes taste great both ways.  This didn't make as much as I thought it would; my fam would have preferred more, but it was ok; we had fresh strawberries, turkey sausages, and eggs on the side.  Next time, I'd like to increase the recipe by 50% (but I'm too lazy to do all the math... lol).  I used low-fat ricotta for these.  They were tender, light, and fluffy. 

This recipe was so good that I'd buy ricotta just to make this.  But... this is also great to have on hand for using up leftover ricotta from other recipes!  Made Manicotti, Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs, this chicken dish, Lasagna, or Ricotta Pasta  lately?  Make these pancakes!!

(I made these again July 2016.  I increased the recipe by 50%.  I used fresh-made ricotta from our favorite cheese factory up in Asiago, Italy.  Still used frozen blueberries for the sauce and garnished with some fresh ones this time.  I also replaced the really bad pics.)

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod
Serves about 4

To make the blueberry sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (frozen works great!)
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

To make the pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping cup ricotta cheese (low-fat is fine)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon canola oil

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and canola oil. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until flour disappears. Don't over mix. The batter will be thick.  Can add milk or buttermilk to thin if needed.

3. Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with blueberry sauce.

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Cast-Iron Baked Rice Pilaf

This is one of my favorite ways to eat rice.  It is so good and tasty.  It also uses brown rice, which makes it a bit healthier than some other pilafs. I've made this many times but have never been able to get a really good photo, so I've never posted.  Well, I finally want to post it, and am just using a photo I took last year.  It will have to do!

The last time I made this, I first sauteed the onions, and then added the raw rice to let it get brown and nutty- an idea from the blogger behind Eating, Etc (where this recipe comes from in the first place!)  It's good both ways (meaning, no browning of the rice) but I really prefer it the "new" way.  Both ways, this rice gets a bit crusty along the edges of the pan, which is definitely my favorite part.  Make sure to watch it those last few minutes of baking, though, so it doesn't get more than crusty edges!

Cast-Iron Baked Rice Pilaf
from Eating, Etc.

4-6 servings

1Tbs. butter

1 onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water (Or, use one can broth + 3/4 cup water)
1-1/2 cups brown rice (basmati if you can get it!)
sea salt, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400°F.

2) Melt butter in medium cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, & sauté onion.  If desired, brown the rice at this point, too.

3) Stir in broth, water, rice (if not browning), & salt if using.

4) Place cast-iron skillet in preheated oven (un-covered) and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes to an hour, until rice is tender.

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S'Mores Bites

After the S'Mores Pie I made recently, I saw these little guys and wanted to make them too.  These little bites are so quick and easy to make, and they make 48!  (Give some away to your friends.... don't be like us and eat the whole batch in one day.... oops).  The base is a homemade cookie that tastes like a graham cracker, and then you top with a few mini marshmallows and drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate.  Just be sure not to over-bake the base; I baked too long and they turned out a little too hard.  We just microwaved individual servings to soften them up before eating.  

S'Mores Bites

adapted from Vittles and Bits

Graham Cracker Dough:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. honey

Topping:
approximately 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped


1.  In a small bowl, combine flours with wheat germ, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine well.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add brown sugar, and mix on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute. Add honey and mix until well combined. Scrape down sides & bottom of bowl with rubber spatula halfway through mixing to ensure even distribution.

3.  Add about half the flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining flour, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Cover & refrigerate dough one hour.

4.  Once dough is chilled, preheat oven 350 degree and lightly grease the cups of a mini-muffin tin. Distribute dough evenly amongst cups using a heaping teaspoon (I used my smallest cookie scoop) and press dough into bottom of each cup. Then poke 2 rows of holes in each dough round using the tines of a fork.

5.  Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes or more, rotating pan halfway through, until they are a dark golden brown color. (Dough will puff up, maybe even above the top of the tin, but don't be alarmed - when you take it out it should deflate into a nice little cup to hold your marshmallows :))

6.  Remove from oven and turn your oven's broiler on high. Immediately fill each graham cup with 3-4 mini marshmallows. Once all cups are filled, place pan under broiler until marshmallows puff and brown (since all broilers are different, I would not walk away from the oven - keep an eye on them!)

7.  Remove pan and place on wire rack. Let sit 15 minutes, then remove cups from tin to cool completely. Once cooled, microwave 3/4 of chopped chocolate in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until just melted & smooth. Then add remaining 1/4 of chocolate and stir until completely melted.  (Or just melt in a good saucepan over lowest heat on the stove, stirring often). 

8.  Drizzle chocolate over tops of cups (or spoon over, as desired). (To drizzle easily- place in a small plastic baggie and snip off the corner.  Squeeze out over S'mores bites).  Place in refrigerator about 10 minutes to set, then return to room temperature and serve. They are best eaten that day, but they will keep in an airtight container up 2-3 days (perhaps longer in the refrigerator).  Makes 48.

I had some extra ingredients to use up.... my husband and I were forced to split this so the kids wouldn't fight over it.  Ha ha!

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Seaside Farmers Market

Baby Gala Apples- so cute.  And organic!

We just discovered a new-to-us famer's market in one of our favorite little seaside towns here (well really, what town is NOT seaside here?!  Ha ha ha!)  We hadn't ventured to this particular town for a little while, so I have no idea how long this little market has been going on, but what a gem!  I'm so glad we found it.  It's pretty small; just about 4 vendors right now (with room for more; I wonder if it was more full during the summer).  So, what can one get at a Farmer's Market in the Azores this time of year?

They called this fudge, but it had a crumbly, then melt-in-your mouth texture. One was chocolate, and one was a caramel-y peanut butter flavor. I thought they "didn't like" peanut butter here!!



These donuts are so delicious- they are HUGE and heavy and dense with a touch of cinnamon, and that delicious glaze just sends them over the top. 

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Homemade Peanut Butter

I've tried in the past to make plain homemade peanut butter, but always ended up with a large, hard lump of grainy peanuts that wasn't exactly peanut butter.  (I have successfully made both chocolate and white chocolate pb though.... I think the chocolate helps the creaminess department).  When I was recipe surfing on the internet a few weeks ago, I came across a blog that mentioned one had to process peanuts in the food processor for a long time to get creamy peanut butter instead of grainy peanut mess.... like 10-15 minutes.  So, not long after reading that blog, I set out to try homemade peanut butter again!

Use a food processor.... I'm not sure how a blender would work here.  Also, don't let your food processor run for a long period of time without stopping it to rest, or you might burn out your motor.  I let it run about 30 seconds at a time, max.  Even with that, my processor's motor was getting pretty hot by the end  I think it took about 8-9 minutes for me to make peanut butter.  I'm actually scared to do this often because I don't want to ruin my food processor.  (I have a Kitchenaid one and love it!)  So, if you try this, just be careful. 

Your peanuts will go through several stages- sandy, grainy, a big blob that moves slowly around your food processor.... just stop frequently, scrape down the sides and bottom, and stir it around and break it up.  Eventually, it will be smooth and creamy- real peanut butter!!!  I adeded a bit of sunflower oil to help it along.  I also added some honey for sweetness, but I didn't add enough to taste it; probably only 2 teaspoons or so.  Add more if you want!

Homemade Peanut Butter
What a Dish!

1 1/2 to 2 cups roasted peanuts, lightly salted
1-2 teaspoons sunflower or canola oil
honey, to taste, optional

1.  Place peanuts in processor and process, breaking them up into grainy pieces.  Add the oil and honey, if using, and process for 8-15 minutes, stopping the maching every 30 seconds or so to give it a rest.  Stir and break up the peanuts with a long spoon during every few breaks.  Process until you have smooth and creamy peanut butter!

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Slow Cooker Summer Chicken Chili

This recipe is very similar to Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup, but it's a little different and it also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned (hence the word "Summer" in the title).  This was pretty tasty and also easy to put together- a little chopping in the morning, but then dinner is ready to eat whenever you want in the evening.  The leftovers are good too, as they usually are with soups and chilis. 

Slow Cooker Summer Chicken Chili
adapted from Vittles and Bits

8 oz. can tomato sauce
15-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced (optional)
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, diced
3 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. cumin
2 Tbs. oregano
1 tsp. brown sugar
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
1/2 cup water
2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)
optional : shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro for serving

1.  Combine all ingredients except for the chicken breasts in the basin of a large slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top, and cover slow cooker.  (Can wait closer to serving time to add corn, if desired).

2.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10. Remove chicken 30 minutes before serving, and shred using two forks. Return to chili and stir well. Adjust seasonings if necessary, then continue cooking. Serve chili with sour cream, cheese, and/or chopped cilantro if desired.

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Nectarine Freezer Jam (With Cinnamon & Vanilla Bean) (Two Recipes)

I've been obsessed with making my own freezer jams lately.  About a month ago, I made a batch of strawberry and later that same day, I tried strawberry-nectarine.  Well, the nectarines I've had this last summer were sooo good; I wanted to preserve some of that flavor.  I made this a few weeks ago- we're still getting nectarines, but they're not as good as they were at the beginning of September, when I made this.  If you are still getting good ones, I encourage you to make this!  You don't even have to peel them- it's very quick to put together.  The recipe I used included a bit of cinnamon, and I added the insides from one vanilla bean, as well, to get those yummy little vanilla-bean specks.  This smells like warm peach or nectarine crisp with vanilla ice cream.... it is so good!

The bread product in these pictures is the Portuguese version of English muffins.... Bolo Levedo.  They are very good- way bigger than our English muffins too.  Here's a beautiful picture I found on Flickr.  I love them.

Like most freezer jam recipes, don't reduce the sugar here..... it's a lot of sugar, but it is needed for the jam to set up properly and be preserved properly.  You can find reduced-sugar pectin, but I can't really get that here (and the recipe would be different).  I just used the regular (yellow box) Sure Jell full-sugar pectin.  They also make a lower-sugar pectin in a pink box.  This link has a few different types; this recipe uses the one at the top.  Don't try to make this recipe with a different type of pectin because I'm not sure it will work. 

Note:  September 2012 I tried the recipe from the box of Sure Jell Pectin; it actually is the recipe for peach jam (but I used nectarines) and includes a little more fruit and less sugar than the first recipe listed here on this post.  It turned out just as good and looked the same; I still added cinnamon and vanilla bean to it.  I will post that recipe below my original one, below. 

Nectarine Freezer Jam (With Cinnamon & Vanilla Bean)
from Cooks.com

2 1/4 cups finely chopped or lightly pureed nectarines (about 2 lb.)
5 cups sugar
1 tsp. fresh grated lemon peel, optional
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
1 (1 3/4 oz.) box powdered pectin (Like Sure-Jell yellow box)
3/4 cup water

1.  In large bowl, mix nectarines, sugar, optional lemon peel, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla bean seeds; let stand 10 minutes.

2.  In small saucepan, stir pectin and water over medium heat until mixture boils; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir into nectarine mixture; stir 3 minutes.

4.  Ladle into plastic freezer containers or hot sterilized jars. Cover tightly. Let stand at room temperature until set; may take up to 24 hours. Store in freezer for one year or in the fridge for about 3 weeks.  Makes about 3 pints.

Recipe 2: Nectarine Freezer Jam with Cinnamon & Vanilla Bean
adapted from KraftRecipes

3 cups prepared fruit (about 2 lb. fully ripe nectarines)

4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

one vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used roasted cinnamon)

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup water

1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

1.  RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. 

   

2.  SLICE and pit nectarines. Finely chop or grind fruit. Measure exactly 3 cups prepared nectarines into large bowl. Add sugar, lemon juice, vanilla beans and cinnamon; mix well. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

    

3.  MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 min. Add to nectarine mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.) 

   

4.  FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

 

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Chocolate Sunflower Seed Spread

This is like a sunflower-seed version of nutella!!  For some reason, I'm really into making different jams/spreads/nut butters lately (just made plain homemade peanut butter and more white chocolate peanut butter).  That white chocolate pb only lasted a few days because it seems someone ate it with a spoon everytime they were in the kitchen..... wonder who that was.  Anyway, this choc. sunflower seed spread was the same way- it didn't last long because we kept eating it with a spoon!  I think some actually made it onto toast, and I made a few school sandwiches for the kids with it.  Everyone liked it!  I actually don't like nutella that much, but I love this!

I made it almost exactly like the original recipe, but I did cut the sugar in half.  I kept this in an airtight container at room temp.  If you are keeping it longer than a few days, you may want to store it in the fridge, but I'm no expert.  Enjoy this sunflower spread/butter!  Sunflower butter is great for sending to schools with peanut bans, or for anyone with a peanut allergy.  Next, I want to try making just plain sunflower butter.  My husband loves it, and it's really healthy for you.  We buy it online, but it is expensive!

Chocolate Sunflower Seed Spread
adpated from Let's Get Cooking

1 cup sunflower seeds
4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4-6 teaspoons sunflower or canola oil

1.  Place sunflower seeds in food processor and process until almost powdery. (If you want a chunkier spread, don’t process quite as long). Add enough vegetable oil to form a smooth, soft paste. Pour in the melted chocolate, pulsing until smooth. Add powdered sugar, pulsing until it forms a smooth, spreadable consistency.  Store in airtight container. 
Makes: 1 cup

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Homemade Garlic Croutons

Whenever we buy a loaf of French/Italian bread, it seems we can never go through it all in one day.   Those things are huge!  So from now on, when I have leftover bread like that, I'm making these croutons!  I've tried a few crouton recipes in the past, but prefer this one because it uses a mix of olive oil and butter, instead of just butter.  The just-butter ones are good, but almost too heavy-tasting.  I cut down on the olive oil in this recipe, too. 

These were so good that the kids kept sneaking them before many of them made it to the table.  They also make foods like soup and salad more fun to eat for kids (and adults).  We had these croutons with Garden-Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup and salad with this dressing.  These croutons can apparently be stored in an air-tight container at room temp for a while, but my kids ate all of these up the same day I made them.  Don't let that leftover french bread go to waste- make these croutons! 

Another thing that's nice about these- you need stale bread for these!  So not only can you use up leftover bread, but leftover stale bread.  Yay!  I had used 1/2 of my loaf for something the previous day and was too tired to do anything else with it, so the next day I made these croutons.  After we ate dinner, I actually whipped up another batch to have on hand for the next day because they were so popular. 

Homemade Garlic Croutons

from Eating, Etc.

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 fresh garlic clove, minced

garlic powder, to taste

8-10 thick slices stale French bread, cut into 1/2"-3/4" cubes

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover a large baking sheet with foil.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, melted butter, fresh minced garlic, & garlic powder.

3.  Add bread cubes and toss to coat thoroughly.  (A larege rubber or silicone spatula works well for this).

4.  Spread on prepared baking sheet.

5.  Bake at 350°F for about 10-20 minutes, or until lightly browned & toasted.

6.  Cool completely on paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Store in airtight container until ready for use.

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Chocolate Banana Shake (Smoothie)

This was sooooo good!  I saw the original recipe on Tastespotting last week, and wanted to make it ASAP.  At the time, I only had two frozen bananas, but in the next few days, I added two more to my stash.  The recipe above only has frozen bananas, 1% milk, and unsweetened cocoa powder.  Oh yeah- there's like one ice cube because I had forgotten about them and then had no room to add more, lol.  I did add a few spoonfuls of natural (homemade) peanut butter.  I didn't have the recipe in front of me when making this, so I didn't realize I was supposed to add some sweetener, as well (agave syrup).  I added no sweetener at all and this was just amazing!  I used double the bananas and cocoa powder, and the frozen bananas gave this drink an ice-cream, milk-shake like quality.  This seriously tasted like a really good, thick milkshake.  It wasn't overwhelmingly banana-flavored.  It was just so good.  My whole family loved it!

In the future, if I added peanut butter, I'd add more (or just leave it out, since I couldn't taste mine at all).  The original recipe also called for cinnamon, but I had forgotten about this as well.  I'm glad I left it out; I love cinnamon, but I loved these just as they were. 

I'll be excited when my bananas start turning spotty now!  :)  Peeled bananas store very well in the freezer.  I highly recommend just keeping them in a freezer-safe bag; then you can just add one here or there whenever they start getting too ripe for you.  When you have enough, make this recipe!  :)

Chocolate Banana Shake (Smoothie)

adapted from Cook's Hideout

Serves 2 adults and 3 children :)

4 peeled, frozen bananas

2 cups low-fat milk (dairy, soy, oat, almond etc- anything works)

3-4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

a few ice cubes 

1.  Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Enjoy!!

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Freezer Mac & Cheese

*It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since September 11, 2001.  On that day, I was newly married and just a few weeks pregnant with my first child.  For a while, I felt fear for the new life I was going to be bringing into the world.  I think many of us can remember where we were and our thoughts and feelings about that day.  Let us never forget.*

This recipe comes from the now-defunct Freezy Happy website, a blog where the author had a ton of good-looking recipes suitable to make ahead, store in the freezer, and take out and bake when needed.  Luckily my tech-savvy husband was able to find the recipe for me to post even after her site went down (it seems for good).  I made this a few weeks before my baby was born.  We ate half of the recipe that night, and the other half went into a disposable aluminum container and into the freezer. 

We ate the other half recently when my son requested mac and cheese for his b-day dinner.  It was just as good as the "fresh" one we had eaten before!  I did not include the crushed crouton topping in my frozen one (the pic above is the first one we ate back in July or August).  You can always top with crushed crackers or something right before baking. 

Since making this recipe, I've come to find out that just about any homemade mac and cheese recipe does awesome in the freezer.  When I was pregnant, I made and froze 3 different mac and cheese recipes (they all used a roux though).  Besides this Freeze Happy one, I made this one (Potluck Mac and Cheese) and it turned out great.  I also made this one.  I honestly can't remember if we've eaten that one or not yet, but I'm sure it was/is delicious!  (My brain is fuzzy these days).  That last one I mentioned is closest to Stouffer's Mac and Cheese, which of course comes frozen for you to bake at home.  Anyway... on to the recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese
freezehappy.com

1 pound short pasta, such as cavatappi or macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups 2% milk
salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (12 ounces)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
Topping like crushed croutons or crackers, optional

1.  Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions.  Drain, and return to pot.

2.  Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add flour; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add milk, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in cheeses until smooth.

3.  Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Divide among baking dishes- use 2 8x8 or 9x9 dishes, one for now and one for later.  For the one for now:  bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.  Freezing instructions below.

To Freeze:
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then foil.  I like to also stick the whole thing into a big freezer baggie.  Freeze up to 3 months.

To Prepare:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Place frozen dishes on a baking sheet; remove plastic. Cover with foil.
- Bake until bubbling, 60 to 70 minutes for large dishes, 40 to 50 minutes for small.
- Remove foil; continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

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Salmon Salad Sandwich

Here's an easy lunch idea- if you like tuna sandwiches, but don't eat them because of mercury, or if you just prefer salmon, try this!  It's not really a "recipe", just a method and an idea.  I keep these little salmon cups on hand so I can use them for my lunches sometimes.  One salmon cup is the perfect size for one good-sized sandwich.  Each cup contains 2.8 ounces of salmon.  Instead of mayo, I used some leftover Creamy Italian Salad Dressing to mix with the salmon.  Besides that, I just added some fresh cracked pepper and ate this on organic whole grain oat bread with some organic lettuce. 

Made this again Oct. 2015 using Costco's canned Sockeye (brought from the States) on a delish cheese roll.

Salmon Salad Sandwich
Makes One Sandwich

2.8 ounces canned salmon (or half a small can of boneless salmon)
1 tablespoon (about) mayo or fave salad dressing
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 small rib celery, chopped
2 slices of bread
1 large leaf lettuce

1.  In a small bowl, mix salmon, mayo or salad dressing, and pepper together.  Mix in chopped celery.  Spread on one slice of bread and top with lettuce leaf.  Top with the other slices of bread.  Eat.  :)

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