I have to admit, I’m not a big drinker. I know the thing in edjumacated social media is to be all, oh my gosh, the wine, I love wine, I want wine, I need wine, give me wine, etc. etc. I like wine. I do. But I’m just not a big drinker. My sweet tooth permeates even my drinking so really, I prefer a sweet wine. A nice ice wine? That’s a bottle I can finish all by myself. If it’s not sweet though, I’ll stop at a glass or so. Which means unless the DH feels like imbibing several glasses, we end up with leftover wine.
Hold up, I can feel readers rolling their eyes. Leftover wine? Oh, the horror! I know, I know. But after a day or two, the wine just is past prime drinkability (or so I’m told). And I only use a splash or so when cooking so we end up with dregs of bottles sitting around which I end up saving for…wine jelly! Because wine jelly can be made using leftover wine of any kind. As is evidenced by this post in which I mix (gird yourselves) red and white wine.
It turned out super-tasty!
I mixed red and white wine and the world did not end! Score!
Wine Jelly
1 pkg. pectin
3 c. wine (I mixed red and white)
3 c. sugar
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
Mix everything but the sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the sugar and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Skim off any foam if seen. Pour into sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 min. Set aside and when you hear the seals pop, they’re ready!
Some skimming action. Very important actually. Otherwise it’ll mar the beautiful ruby glow of the jelly.
I’ve made a batch before with leftover red wine and served it at a wine and cheese evening I hosted and it was so popular, I sent home guests with the remainder of the batch. (It’s so gratifying when people like your cooking, isn’t it? Gives me the warm and fuzzies!)
Do you guys have any other suggestions about what to do with leftover wine? Let me know in the comments!
Next Post: I’m thinking Pumpkin Gnocchi. Or maybe Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. Mmm…
Writing this blog has taught me a lot about my cooking style, I’ve found. I tend to throw dishes together, using a recipe as a starting point and not an unimpeachable truth. I’ve also found that I substitute things like crazy…and that it usually works out deliciously anyway.
And the latest thing that I’ve learned, is that I’m not the most patient cook. I like to cook and whiz around the kitchen and do the dishes while I’m waiting for the dish to finish cooking/baking/whatever-ing, and then I like to eat the dish. And then I made today’s blog post dish, Pioneer-Style Apple Butter in a slow cooker. And slow cookers? Are slow.
I never bought a slow cooker because I just didn’t grow up with one, and I don’t really have more counter space in my kitchen for yet another appliance. Or cupboard space even. (I bought a case of canning jars last weekend and they’re currently sitting on my kitchen island, as I try to find space to put them places. My current plan is to fill them all up and stick them in my pantry cupboards. So look for more canning/can-able recipes coming soon!)
But for a wedding gift, I was given a slow cooker so I’ve been reading slow cooker recipes for a number of months now, trying to figure out the best one to start with. And then I came across slow cooker apple butter recipes, and my life was complete!
Because I LOVE apple butter! I remember eating it first as a child when I went to the Black Creek Pioneer Village, and spreading it on thick brown bread made with flour ground in the stone mill. I saw the apple butter bubbling on a cauldron over a wood fire and it tasted like outdoors and everything yummy and wholesome.
This recipe tastes just as good, sans the wood ash. I originally made it with a half cup of honey as well, but I think it’s sweet enough without, and so who needs extra sugar? Or just remove the white sugar and keep the 1/2 c. of honey in. Up to you!
Dump, sprinkle, cook, and walk away.
Pioneer-Style Apple Butter
16 medium apples (I used McIntosh)
3/4 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
Peel and quarter apples. Dump in slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients on top. Put on lid. Cook on high for about 12 hours, stirring after the first two hours. Basically, you just need to keep an eye on it till it bubbles up (around the two hour mark), at which point you stir it all up and then leave it to cook down by itself. I did stir it periodically, but if you put it on low, you can set it and forget it. I blended it at the end, and once it cools, it sets up nicely.
Reduced greatly.
I poured it into sterilized jars when still hot and then processed the filled jars for 15 minutes. It made three standard sized canning jars, and probably would have made four, but I like to taste test. Thoroughly. Let cool until you hear the jar lids pop. And you’re done!
I gave a jar of this to a co-worker as a house-warming gift. Two days later she confessed that it was gone, as she ate it by the spoonful. I was flattered! And now I know what to make for hostess gifts this season!
Canning the applicious goodness!
Speaking of which, I’ve seen variations of this recipe lately, with pumpkin mixed in, as it seems the latest seasonal trend on foodie blogs is pumpkin everything. Just a month ago it was apple everything. I’m curious what ubiquitous ingredient the holiday season will bring! If you have a crystal ball and know of which I speak, let me know in the comments!
Next Post: Memories of Meals Past! And what I’m craving.
The DH has never been to a Pick-Your-Own farm, at least not in Canada, so I figured it was high time he experienced the fun that is sweating in the fields. I find that the further you drive out of the city, the cheaper the PYO prices are, but the DH, my sister, and I only wanted a half-day jaunt, so we didn’t drive too far. As such, the cost of the PYO was actually roughly on par with what you’d pay in a store. So why did we do it?
Well, aside from the novelty factor (and yes, I recognize that only a city kid could say that), it makes for a shorter distance between farm and table. You pick the fruits and vegetables at their peak, as opposed to having them picked before being fully ripened and then being either falsely ripened in a facility, or just never fully ripened. So it’s healthier and more nutrient-rich! And, when it comes to strawberries at least, also tastier!
The family and I picked autumn strawberries (did you know there was such a thing?), green beans, and baby eggplants. I like to store strawberries in the freezer so that in the winter I can make delicious fruit dishes without having to pay through the nose (what an expression!) for fresh ones from out of the country, or frozen ones with the prices jacked up. So, today I’m going to show you how to freeze your strawberries and blanch your beans for freezing!
First things first…show me the produce!
Oh, the strawberry dishes I’m dreaming of!
Freezing Strawberries
Wash and de-leaf (and possibly hull) your strawberries. Place on cookie tray in freezer until semi-frozen. Place semi-frozen strawberries in freezer bag. Label. Done! Luxuriate in your pioneer prowess!
And now on to the beans! Let’s get blanching!
Blanching Beans for Freezing
Wash beans and snip off the ends. Cut in pieces if you want. Boil water and dump beans in water for 2-4 minutes. Drain beans and dump into container of ice water. When cool, drain and place in freezer bag, making sure to empty out all air. Label. Done! Boast about your homemaker skills on twitter, because everyone should know just how hard you work!
Ice, ice, baby! (Does that reference age me?)
And…that’s it! It’s really not that hard. It’s a good feeling to know that you’ve put up fresh produce; when you pull it out of the freezer, you remember the day you picked it.
What happened to the eggplant I picked, you ask? Well I’m not really sure how to preserve it. So I’ll likely just sauté it in some oil with a dash of sesame oil and eat it as a side dish. Mmm…I do love me some eggplant. When it’s done properly, the bitter juices have been drawn out and the sugars caramelize and make a luscious dish. Maybe I’ll make some now! What’s your favourite way of preparing eggplant? Let me know in the comments!
Next Post: Most likely the promised Oatmeal Substitution Bread. Or a Salsa Smackdown. We’ll see what I’m craving tomorrow!
You know how I said that this post would mention why my wedding thank you cards are late? It’s because it’s so easy to become distracted with new and shiny projects when there are slight blocks to doing chores. Although, technically, the thank you cards aren’t late. According to the general rule of wedding etiquette, one has a year to write them. I’m just on month 6. But am feeling horrible about not having them ALL done already (just about a third done so far). If anyone who was at my wedding is reading this, the notes are on their way! Am diligently writing out my appreciation and gratitude for your caring, friendship, and generosity, one thank you card an evening. My slowpoke schedule does not reflect my genuine thankfulness.
And speaking of new and shiny and blocks to doing things, that’s this post all over! I was planning on doing Part II of the Poundcake Smackdown this evening, but…I ran out of flour. I finished work too late to go shopping and the DH worked late too so he couldn’t. But I was itching to cook (New! Shiny!) something yummy to eat. I had just about a cup of flour leftover, so I decided to make some cornbread, since that was on my brainstorming list of meals-to-make-with-ingredients-already-in-the-house, that I write up every now and then and stick on my fridge. And since we had some yummy peaches in the fruit bowl, and some strawberries in the freezer, I decided to make strawberry-peach jam!
But, just like I had run out of flour, I didn’t have any eggs, and I needed eggs for the cornbread. Meh, I’m the Queen of Substitutions, so a tablespoon of ground flax seed and two tablespoons of water later, I had a flax egg! (It’s a thing, really. Google it.) Basically, if you let it soak, it gets a bit thicker and acts as a binder, the way an egg would.
And I had more peaches than the recipe I was using called for, so I tossed those in with the strawberries and just added an extra bit of lemon juice and honey to even things out. But as I was cooking it up, it seemed a bit runny to me, so I added a dash of fruit pectin. I don’t have a food processor like the recipe called for, so I mashed it by hand and then blended it.
The purdy, purdy fruit being cooked.
And did I mention that I didn’t have any cornmeal either? What I did have was a very roughly ground corn flour from Venezuela that the DH insists is the only type of corn flour one can use when making Venezuelan recipes, so hey, I substituted that for the cornmeal! (I really am the Queen of Substitutions.)
Up with substitutions! (Pan brand corn flour & ground flax seeds)
Want to make some too? The recipes, dear readers:
Rustic Cornbread:
1 c. cornmeal (I used Pan brand corn flour, a mixture of the very coarse one and the finer textured one)
1 c.all-purpose flour
1/3 c.white sugar
2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
1 tbsp. ground flax
2 tbsp. water
1/4 c.canola oil
1 1/2 c.milk
Mix up the ground flax and water and let sit for two minutes. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and then add the dry ingredients. Mix. Pour into a greased muffin tin and bake at 400 until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick pushed into the centre of the muffin comes out cleanly. Makes about a dozen muffins. What did I do? Well, if you ready this far, you know I had to do something differently. I used a mini muffin pan and a tortilla shaper pan to get some cool shapes. Why stick to the ordinary?
Strawberry-Peach Jam
2 c. strawberries (I used frozen, about a stuffed sandwich bag full)
3 peaches (cut up into chunks)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3-1/2 c. honey
1 tbsp. fruit pectin
Plop all the ingredients into a pan on the stove, put on medium heat and cook until soft. Mash up until chunky, or use a hand blender if you prefer a finer jam. Boil until the jam turns a deeper red and there is foam on the top. Pour into sterilized jars and boil sealed jars for 15 min. to process. Take out and cool the jars on the counter. Once you hear the jars pop (the seals being sucked in as the jam cools down and contracts slightly), they’re ready for storage! Or, you can just pour the jam into a pretty container and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks (if it lasts that long, because yum!). Makes about 2 1/2 jars.
Time to make cornbread AND jam: start to finish, 90 minutes, including washing the dishes and eating the fruits of my labour. Z-snap!
Eat me!
And…the finished product! Was delicious! I stuck the loaf-ish thing into the freezer to have with chili or soup some time, and happily nibbled on the mini muffins. Now THIS is cornbread! It actually tastes like corn! Real corn! (And I’m pretty sure I saw a piece of corn stalk in the flour, so it really is rustic-style cornbread.) If you like thick jam, definitely add several tablespoons more of the pectin, as the version I made was more runny than some people like, I think.
I was trying to get across how adorable and cute the mini muffins are, but they look like they could be the same size as regular muffins so I was playing around with some different staging ideas to get a sense of scale. (Be gentle, I’m a cook/baker, not a food photographer, but I’m trying!)
I’m tiny, sooo tiny! *sung as Eliza Dolittle but with more squee*
What do you guys think? Do they look small? Let me know in the comments! And, do you guys substitute stuff?
Next Post:Part II of the Pound Cake Smackdown. Really. I’m pretty sure this time.
