Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes

 Perfect for Sunday dinner.
In a large crock pot, pour a 32 oz can of chicken broth.
Clean potatoes, I used new potatoes, if they are large cut into quarters, leaving peel on, add to broth.
Slice 1 med onion and add to pot with 3 cloves minced garlic.
Remove skin from 1 chicken, cut up, or from 4-6 chicken breasts. Make sure pieces are uniform in size, if you need to cut breasts in half do so. Layer on top of vegetables.
Season by using fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. Add pepper to taste. Use salt sparingly as most broth contains it. Turn on high and let cook 4-5 hours or until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink.

Dutch Apple Cake

  3 med peeled, cored tart apples, sliced  1/4 inch thick

1 c plus 3 Tbs sugar, divided

1 tsp cinnamon

2/3 c butter, softened

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 c all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

in a med bowl, combine apples with 3 Tbs sugar and cinnamon, allow to stand 1 hour. This is called macerating the fruit, a process that draws out the juices. You will use the apples but not the juice, allowing for a firmer cake.

Cream butter and 1 c sugar, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine flour and salt and add to mixture until smooth. Place batter in greased 9X5 loaf pan.

Push apples into cake batter, close together. Bake at 300 for 1 hour and 40 min or until tests done with a toothpick.. cool 10 min and loosen from pan.

To make even more like a dessert, cut slices and top with caramel sauce and whipped cream, or ice cream.

This is not to be confused with previously publish Dutch Apple Bread, that recipe is here.

stop by Foodie Friday 

 and Lamb Around

Apple Bacon Salad

 Mix 6-8 cups mixed greens in a large bowl. I use spinach and Romain lettuce.
Crumble in 8 slices crisp cooked bacon
1-2 large apples, cored with peel left on, cut into 1/2 in cubes
cube 8 oz of jalapeno or pepper jack cheese -mix in
Toss with dressing of choice. (I think the Vadallia onion from Sam's is perfect.)

Stuffed Jalapenos

Clean and remove seeds from jalapenos.  If they are large I like to cut them in half. If you leave hole cut a slit down 3/4 of length of pepper.
Stuff with cheese, soft cheeses work best like goat cheese or cream cheese. Season cheese with salt, pepper and fresh herbs to taste.
Wrap a half piece of bacon around and bake at 350 until peppers cook through about 30-40 min. If your peppers are small go ahead and cook bacon 1/2 way in microwave, they will take less time to cook.

Dutch Apple Bread

1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c buttermilk
1 c chopped peeled apple
1/3 c chopped walnuts
Topping
1/3 c all purpose flour
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbs butter

Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, soda and salt in another bowl. Stir into creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in apples and nuts and pour into greased 9X5 loaf pan.
Topping
combine flour, sugars and cinnamon, cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over loaf batter. Bake at 350 for 55 min or until tests done in center. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pan.

Dry Buttermilk Cheese

Heat buttermilk to a large stainless steel pot. I used 2 quarts.
Stir occasionally until 160 degrees, you will see curds and whey separating, if they do not separate, heat to 180.
Remove from heat and pour into a colander lined with butter muslin or several layers of good quality cheese cloth., Tie corners of cloth and hand to drip 6-12 hours.

Place cheese in bowl and add salt to taste. use uniodized salt
You may press with small weight if you like. This cheese is very crumbly. You may adjust time hanging, checking the texture from time to time until it is as you would like.
For a more sour cheese, let buttermilk set out at 72 degrees for 24 hours before beginning the cooking process.
Store in refrigerator for 3 weeks.

Goat Cheese

Goat Cheese
Easy to make and good to eat!

1 gallon of goat milk, you may used unpasteurized or pasteurized (shown here). Never use ultra pasteurized milk of any kind for cheese making.

You will need cheese cloth. The piece on the left is referred to as butter muslin and is very fine  and strong. On the right is cheese cloth you will find in a fabric store and is used further in the process, you can see how much wider the weave is, if you use this for draining you will have to quadruple or more the fold so you don't loose small curds down the drain.

In a large stainless steel pot slowly heat milk to between 190 and 200 degrees.
Add 1/2 c vinegar or 1/2 c lemon or lime juice, stir until mixed only, do not over mix.

Let cool undisturbed until 100 degrees.
Add salt to taste. 1 1/2 Tbs for softer cheese, up to 2 1/2 Tbs for firmer cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese texture.

Curds will separate from the whey...the yellow water is whey.
Slowly stir, gently breaking up the curds. More stirring will result in fine ricotta like pieces, less stirring  and leaving pieces quarter size will give a cream cheese consistency.
Remove the curds with a very fine strainer, and place into a colander lined with butter muslin. Tie muslin and hang to drip 4-12 hours, until desired consistency.

Remove from cloth and add herbs if you like, form in ball in cheese cloth and refrigerate. Remove cloth when chilled. Good for 2 weeks.

Do not use aluminum pots or utensils.

Mozzarella Cheese

Easy Mozzarella, made from cow's milk.

Dissolve 1 1/2 level tsp of citric acid in 1/2 c cool water.
Place 1 gallon milk in large stainless steel pot. Bring milk to 55 degrees and while stirring add citric acid. Mix thoroughly.
(You may add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp lipase powder dissolved in 1/4 c cool water, allowed to sit 20 min) I did not do this step because at the time I did not have lipase. I will in the future add this step for flavor. To learn more about Lipase and its addition to Pasteurized milk see this article.
Heat the milk to 90, stirring constantly, Remove from heat and stir in
1/4 tsp liquid rennet or 1/4 tablet rennet diluted in 1/4 c unchlorinated water

Stir in an up and down motion for 30 seconds, cover pot and leave undisturbed 5 min.

Milk should form one large curd with a clean break seen here. If too soft  or too milky, let stand a few more minutes.

Cut the curd with your knife all the way down to bottom of pot, vertical, horizontal and the at an angel of about 45 degrees, to make even curds throughout the pot.

Place pot back on stove and heat to 105 degrees, gently stirring. Remove from heat and stir another 2-5 min.

Scoop out curds and place in 2 quart microwaveable bowl. Use the back of your hand to remove as much whey as possible, there is a lot of liquid so you may do this a few times. Microwave on high 1 min ( use discretion with your microwave, I went 45 sec this time, it is better to do a little too short a time than too long)
Remove as much liquid as possible again with back of your hand or back of large spoon. Gently knead cheese, Place back into microwave for 35 seconds.

 Again remove excess liquid and knead. Add 1 tsp cheese salt (uniodized). Place in mic another 35 seconds. Knead until smooth like taffy, to evenly distribute heat.  If cheese is breaking it has become too cool and must be reheated. 

You may eat it now or

Roll into balls and place in ice water to cool evenly. Refrigerate wrapped for up to 2 weeks!

Enjoy!

Cheesemaking hints and supplies at

http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com

and 

http://www.cheesemaking.com

I highly recommend this book, easy and many recipes, this Mozzarella came from it also.

Pink Breakfast

It may be fall....but a splash of color with some good food is always welcome, any time of year!

Fresh picked flowers from the garden, Zinnea, Snapdragon, and Coleus blooms. In milk glass I scored for $1 for all 3 pieces!

Popovers! recipe here and peach conserve here.

Tea infused peach cupcakes for dessert, you can have dessert with breakfast you know! recipe here

Plates were $1 each on clearance at Target, bowls too. The napkins were a mixed color set from a garage sale $3 for 6, and napkin rings were $1 for 12 at another sale! Of course the table cloth was also from a sale 75 cents!(still in the package)

How about a little baked oatmeal here and grits casserole here.
Top it off with a peach smoothie here and enjoy, good friends, good food = good morning!

I am joining these parties.