Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

 1/3 cup poppy seeds

1 cup buttermilk

2 sticks margerine (or butter?)

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour + 2 TB

1/2 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon sugar mixture

Soak poppy seeds in buttermilke for 15 minutes. Mix margarine and sigar. Add egg yolks and extracts. Sift flour with dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk to cream mixture. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Grease bundty pan well. Pour in small amount of batt and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix. Repeat. Dot top with butter.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp each of butter flavoring, almond extract, vanilla. Add milk to thin consistency and drizzle on cake.

Wassill

 1 gal apple cider

2 48 oz can orange juice

1/2 48 oz can pineapple juice

 1 stick cinnamon

8 whole cloves

1/4 -1/2 cup honey - optional

Bring to a simmer, cool overnight. Heat before serving, remove spices.

Recipe from: Susanne Anderson

Cold Spiced Punch

Boil 2 - 3inch cinnamon sticks in 3 cups water 8 minutes. Add 3/4 cup sugar until it dissolves then chill. Leave cinnamon stick in until serving.  Add 3 cups of orange juice, 3 cups of pineapple juice and 1/3 cup lemon juice. Add 2 32oz bottles of 7Up just before serving.

Recipe from Susanne Anderson

Christmas Pepper Jelly

 1 cup green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup jalapeno peppers, rinsed and seeded

1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

6 cups sugar

1 bottle certo liquid fruit pectin

Optional: 1/2 cup red pepper, seeded and diced

8-9 drops green food coloring

Place green pepper and jalapenos in food processor and add 1/2 cup of the vinegar. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into 4 qt saucepan. Rinse processor with the remaining vinegar and add to peppers. Stire in sugar and red peppers.  Bring mixture to a hard boil that you cannot stir down. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Skim foam carefully leaving as many red peppers on surfaces as possible. Add food coloring and stir until blended.  Pour immediately into sterilized jars. Seal with wax or refrigerate.

Makes 7 1/2 pint jars

Serve on cracker with cream cheese or on omelets.

Recipe from Kerma Kenley

Jalapeno Jelly

3 jalapeno peppers

4 green bell peppers

1 cup white vinegar

5 cups sugar

1 bottle liquid pectin

Remove seeds and stems from peppers. Put through a blender or food processor. Add to a saucepan and slowly boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add pectin. Boil hard for 1 minute. Yield 5 1/2 pt jars. Add a drop of green food coloring if desired.

Dorothy's Recipe.

Grandma's note: She had to use smaller green bell peppers and more pectin for it to set.

Raspberry Dessert Deluxe

 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crushed

1/2 cup nuts

1/4 cup butter, melted

50 large marshmallows

1 cup of milk

2 packages thawed raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

2 TB lemon juice

4 TB cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

2 cups stiffly beaten cream

Mix first three ingredients and spread over the bottom of an 11x13 pan. Dissolve the marshmallows in the milk over low heat and then cool.  Add the raspberries and remaining ingredients to a saucepan and heat until thick. Cool.  Add to cooled marshmallows to 2 cups of stiffly beaten cream and pour over graham cracker crust and chill.  Pour raspberries over marshmallow mix and refrigerate.

Strawberry Cream

 1 quart fresh strawberries

2 tsp lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 TB unflavored gelatin

1/4 cold water

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Slice the strawberries and mix with the sugar. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 5 minutes. Then heat gently until gelatin dissolves completely.  Add gelatin and lemon juice to the sliced berries. Fold in over whipped cream. Pour into 1 quart mold or serving dish. Chill until set. Serves 6.

Meringue Cookies

2 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil shiny side down. Beat egg whites until stiff and add sugar and vanilla. Mix well.  Add chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet and put in oven and immediately turn OFF the heat.  Don't open the oven until morning at least 8 hours.

Strawberry Shortcake

 2 cups flour

1 TB baking powder

1 TB sugar

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup corn oil or shortening

2 pints strawberries

Sugar to taste

Dash of salt

Whipped cream

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and then cut in the shortening til crumbly.  Mix egg and milk together and add to flour to make soft dough. Pat or roll out to 1/2 thick and cut out with 2 1/2" biscuit cutter or cut in 2 1/2" squares. Bake 425 degrees for 10 minutes til delicately brown but not dried out. Split and top with berries and whip cream.

Baked Rhubarb

 4 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 TBS water or sherry (Grandma's note says no water!)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Sprinkle the rhubarb with sugar and water. Add the nutmeg and lemon peel and mix well. Turn into a buttered 2 quart baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degree for 40-45 minutes or until tender.

Chicken Piccata with Capers - Whole30 Version

Chicken Piccata with Capers

This recipe is delicious and healthy.  It falls within the guidelines of the Whole30 Challenge.

Ingredients:

2 TB oil (olive, coconut, avocado)

3 chicken breasts

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 eggs

Salt and Pepper

Sauce:

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 lemon, juiced

2-3 cloves minced garlic

2-3 TB of coconut milk (the cream from the top of the can)

2-4 oz of capers

3 oz of artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped (either marinated or just in oil)

1/4 tsp onion powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound with a meat mallet.  Pound to desired thinness or about 1/2".  Salt and pepper both sides of the flattened chicken.

2. In two pie plates or other low rimmed dishes, crack 2 eggs into one dish and spread the coconut flour into the other.  Beat the eggs well with a fork or whisk.

3. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with the 2 TB of oil.

4. I found it easiest to set up an assembly line with your chicken, egg dish, flour dish and then skillet.  Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, coating both sides, then immediately dip in the flour mixture, coating both sides.  Coconut flour doesn't stick to the chicken as well as traditional flour does, so I had to help press the flour into the meat in a couple spots.  Then gently lay the chicken into the hot skillet.

5. Cook until no longer pink in the center, turning once.  The more you mess with the chicken the more the crust will flake off, so try to turn only once if possible.  After the chicken is cooked, place on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. 

6. In the same skillet, on medium heat, add the chicken broth and scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to deglaze all the little meat bits.  Then add the lemon juice and minced garlic.  Heat to a low boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Then whisk in the coconut milk.  I made sure NOT to shake my can of coconut milk then carefully opened the can and skimmed the cream from the top of the can.  It is important to get the cream, as this acts as the thickening agent to the sauce.  Depending on how thick you want it, use 2 or 3 TB.  Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add capers, artichoke hearts, and onion powder to the sauce and continue to simmer and stir until desired thickness.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the chicken over a bed of roasted asparagus or sautéed spinach and spoon the warm sauce over top. I paired it with a green salad and it was an extremely filling dinner. Enjoy!

 

Spinach Salad and Poppy Seed Dressing

Spinach Salad and Poppy Seed Dressing

This is a simple salad but it tastes fantastic due to the homemade dressing.  I think all salads taste about a million times better when paired with a from scratch dressing.  Adjust the amount of each of the salad ingredients to fit the number of people you are serving and your taste preferences.

Salad
Baby Spinach
Spring Mix
Romaine
(or any combo of greens)
Crumbled Feta
Craisins
Toasted Almond Slices
Sliced Red Onion
Bacon Bits

Dressing
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups oil (Olive or Vegetable)
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
2 tsp poppy seeds

For the dressing: Combine the sugar, mustard, salt and poppy seeds in a blend and mix/pulse to combine.  Add the red wine vinegar and blend until well combined.  Add oil and continue to mix for about 15 seconds.  Toss into the salad and serve immediately. 

*This makes a lot of dressing, which can be stored in a mason jar or a dressing container for a few weeks in the fridge.

Grandma Ulmer's Sugar Cookies

Grandma Ulmer’s Sugar Cookies

1 ½ c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond flavor

2 ½ c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tarter

½ tsp salt

Mix together the sugar, butter, egg vanilla and almond flavor.

Combine the dry ingredients. 

Add the dry to the sugar mixture and mix well.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Roll out dough and cut out desired shapes.

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Recipe Source: Lillian Ulmer, of course!