Candied Sweet Potatoes

1. • 3 pound large sweet potatoes, peeled and halved crosswise
   • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
   • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
   • 1/4 cup water
   • 1/4 teaspoon salt
   • 1/4 to 1/3 cup bourbon (maple syrup)
   • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
   2. * Did not steam potatoes.                                                                                                                     Cut each potato half lengthwise into fourths. Steam potatoes on a steamer rack set over boiling water, covered, until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes, then cool, uncovered. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish.
   3. Simmer brown sugar, butter, (maple syrup), water, and salt, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened, about 5 minutes.  *Takes longer than 5 minutes.  Omitted:  Stir in bourbon to taste. Drizzle syrup over potatoes and bake in middle of oven, basting occasionally, until syrup is thickened, about 1 1/4 hours.

Cooks' note:

Sweet potatoes may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Notes:

First, I added 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg to the sauce, per other reviewers' recommendations. This definitely enhanced the flavor profile. Then, the day before Thanksgiving, instead of steaming, I assembled the sliced sweet potatoes and the simmered sauce in a covered casserole and baked covered for 45 minutes. Keeping the lid on had basically the same effect as steaming. I then cooled and refrigerated overnight, and on Thanksgiving day, I baked them uncovered for 45 minutes. Letting them sit overnight in the sauce allowed the potatoes to soak up all the flavors, and the uncovered baking caused the sauce to thicken, creating a very tasty dish overall. 

Grandma's Dumplings (Egg Dumplings)

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour, additional flour needed
1 egg
1 chicken,  boiled and deboned (save broth)

Pour boiling water over shortening, add salt.  Whip until creamy.  Add egg and beat well.  Add flour.  Feel dough to make sure it is not too sticky.  When you pinch the dough, it should not stick to your fingers.

Roll out about 1/8 inch thick, give a very light dusting of flour on top and let set for 15 minutes.  **After rolling out the dough, let it sit until it starts drying out.  Will be longer than 15 minutes.

When ready to cut, sprinkle flour on the surface so it won't stick together in the pan.  Cut to size and place in a bowl that has been dusted with flour in the bottom.  When ready to cook, put in fast boiling chicken broth, reduce heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Sweet Potato Gratin

3 tablespoons butter

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-in.-thick slices

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 9- by 13-in. baking dish with 1 tbsp. butter. Arrange a third of the sweet potatoes, overlapping slightly, in the dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers of sweet potatoes and cheese.

2. In a small bowl, combine cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour over potatoes. Dot with the remaining 2 tbsp. butter. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sweet potatoes are tender and top is browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Old Fashioned Fig Preserves

Grandpa's trees had so many figs this year and Pete loves fig preserves.  We went on a quest to find a good recipe, and we wound up combining several recipes.  While some recipes say to cook the figs for less than an hour, we found the figs had to cook at least two hours.  They were done when they thickened and became dark brown in color.

My Mom never water- bathed figs so we didn't either. We just filled the jars with the hot preserves and sealed them up; put them on the counter to cool and listened for them to seal.

I've always used a 1:1 ratio of figs and sugar.  However, a couple recipes use about half that amount of sugar.  I would like to try this next time.

We heated the sugar and water before adding the figs as directed in the Preserved Figs in Syrup recipe.

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Old Fashioned Fig Preserves

Prep Time:30 Min Cook Time:3 Hr

Yields 4

Ingredients

• 4 Cups whole figs
• 2 Cups sugar
• 4 Lemon slices, seeds removed (1 slice per jar)
• 3/4 to 1 Cup water
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

• 1
  Rinse your figs in the sink really well and then drain. Remove the stems. Leave whole or cut in half–your choice.
• 2
  In a large, heavy pot, add all the above ingredients.
• 3
  Cook on low for about three hours, stirring occasionally so mixture does not stick or burn. DO NOT LEAVE POT UNATTENDED because burning happens quickly!
• 4
  Cook until very thick.
• 5
  Ladle hot preserves into hot, sterile jars, using canning funnel and oven mitt so you do not burn your hand.
• 6
  Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Preserves may be stored in fridge for up to one month without the bath.

Notes

• Yields 4 half-pint jars.

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Old Fashioned Fig Preserves

Ingredients:

5 pounds fresh figs

5 pounds sugar

1 cup water (1 to 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1.  Wash the figs, then trim off the stem ends.  Put the figs into a large pot and cover with the sugar.  Allow them to sit at room temperature for 3 hours or so.

2.  Heat the figs, water and the sugar, stirring constantly, over moderate heat.  Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to high and bring to a hard boil.

3.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently boil for 40 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  The preserves are done when the foam that has formed on the surface dissipates and the syrup coats the back of the spoon.  Ladle the figs and syrup into hot,sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Wipe the rims of the jars clean then place sterilized lids on top and screw on the rings.

5.  Put the filled jars into a canning pot and cover with water at least 2 inches over the jar tops.  Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes.  Use tongs to carefully remove the jars from the water; place on a kitchen towel.  Allow the jars to cool completely before moving them.

Fig Preserves

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Preserved Figs in Syrup

Directions:
1.  Wash figs and trim stems.

2.  Combine water and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

3.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add figs.  Cook until turns a dark brown and thickens.

Preserved Figs in Syrup

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Fig Preserves (Emeril Lagasse)

Ingredients :
1 lb figs, washed and stemmed                      5 lbs figs
1 cup sugar                                                     5 cups sugar

In a medium saucepan, mix figs and sugar together and cook on low heat, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

If processing, pour hot preserves mixture into a hot sterile 1-qt or 2 (1 pint) glass canning jars, filling jar; seal jar with lid.  Put jar in water-bath canner and cover with hot water by 1 to 2 inches.  Process, covered, 5 minutes.   Store in a cook, dark place.

*I would add some water.

Fig Preserves

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5 lbs sugar = 10 cups

1 lbs sugar = 2 cups

Peanut Butter Cornflake Crunch Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup peanut butter

7 - 8 cups cornflakes (without added sugar)

Directions:

Cook syrup and sugar until it comes to a boil.  Stir constantly; do not overcook.

Remove from heat; add peanut butter and stir until smooth.  Pour mixture over cornflakes in a large bowl.  Mix until cereal in thoroughly coated.

Spread into a buttered 9 x 13 buttered pan and press down lightly with buttered hands.  Cool and cut into bars.

*Pour mixture out onto waxed paper.

Peanut Butter Cornflake Crunch Bars 

Jalapeño and cheese breakfast casserole

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies or
2 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, diced
Salsa for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 casserole dish or baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the flour, dry mustard, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, butter and jalapeños, and mix until incorporated.

Pour the eggs into the casserole dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the center is firm. Serve warm with salsa.

Yield: 4-6 servings

 Egg Casserole

Bread & Butter Pickles

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup pickling salt
• 1 1/2 cups thinly vertically sliced yellow onion
• 5 lbs pickling cucumbers (thin skinned), cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 4 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp celery seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• jalapeno peppers, optional

Combine water and salt in a large container and stir. Add onion and cucumber and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours. Drain brine and rinse with cold water.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add the cucumber mixture and bring to almost a boil. Using a slotted spoon, remove the hot cucumber mixture and divide into 6 (1-pint) hot, sterilized jars. Divide the hot vinegar mixture among the jars, filling to 1/2 inch from the top.

Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rims. Cover with metal lids and screw on bands. Process in boiling-water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars from water bath. Cool completely, checking for a proper seal.

For best flavor, allow 2 weeks before eating. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
 
Nutritional Information
Serves 24 ~ serving size about 1/3 cup
Per serving: 42 Calories, 0.1 g, 1 g Protein, 11 g Carbohydrate, 1 g Fiber, 0 mg Cholesterol, 0 mg Iron, 194 mg Sodium, 17 mg Calcium

Bread and Butter Pickles
Source: Cooking Light August 2014, adapted from The Foothills Cuisine of Blackberry Farm