Pickled Peppers

Equipment:

• Wide-mouth quart mason jar
• Smaller jar that can fit inside the mason jar
• Cheesecloth or small towel
• Mixing bowl

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh peppers (your choice)
• ½ onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons pickling salt
• 4 cups water

Before starting, make sure you’ve washed your peppers and that all are in good shape— remember that old or bruised produce will not make good pickles. If you are using large peppers (such as bell peppers), you many need to cut them into smaller pieces to fit into your jar.

1. Combine the peppers, onions, and garlic and add them to the mason jar.
2. Mix together the water and salt and pour over the vegetables, ensuring that the brine completely covers them.
3. Place the small jar inside the larger one to hold the peppers below the brine. Add water to the smaller jar, if necessary, to keep it in place.
4. Cover with the cheesecloth or towel and allow to ferment in an out-of-the-way place for about one week before enjoying.

Prepare now for surging food costs and empty grocery store shelves…

Pepper Sauce

Equipment:

• 2 quart-size mason jars
• Several pieces of cheesecloth
• Mixing bowl
• Food processor, if desired

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds fresh chili peppers (your choice) with stems removed
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons pickling salt
• 4 tablespoons whey (see below for recipe)

1. Combine and mince all ingredients until fine and pasty (use a food processor if desired).
2. Pour the paste into one of the jars and cover with a piece of cheesecloth. Ferment for five to seven days in an out-of-the-way place.
3. After a week, place a large piece of cheesecloth in the mixing bowl and pour the fermented sauce in. Carefully pick up the cheesecloth and squeeze the sauce out, leaving any residue or pieces in the cloth.
4. Pour the strained sauce from the bowl into the clean jar and store it in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for several months.

Making Whey

Plain yogurt is a great source of whey and probably the most accessible for the average person. If you don’t have any of your own homemade yogurt and are in need of whey for a recipe, store-bought yogurt will still get you what you need.

Equipment:

• Colander or sieve
• Bowl that will hold your colander
• Cheesecloth

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gelatin-free plain yogurt

1. Line the colander or sieve with cheesecloth and place the colander into the bowl.
2. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Gather up the edges and squeeze gently. About four tablespoons of whey should drip into the bowl.

These recipes are all featured in Fermentation Factor, available from Solutions from Science. To learn more about the process of fermentation, its benefits, and tasty recipes that can preserve your harvests and your health, check out this great book!

©2012 Off the Grid News

Making your own fruit leather and granola is perfectly safe. When making jerky, you need to take a little more care. You will be starting with raw meat, and it is essential that you dry it at the right temperature and for the correct duration to make sure it is safe to eat. If you are using a dehydrator, follow the instructions carefully. If you are using your oven, follow the instructions in the recipe to the letter.

Recipes For Dried Ingredients For Chicken Hot Pie And More…

Fruit Leather

Store-bought fruit snacks are full of sugar and preservatives. Kids love them because they are so sweet, but with homemade fruit leather, they won’t know the difference. You need to add some sugar, but you have control over just how much, and you will find that far less is needed than what you find in commercial products. Your kids will love the natural sweetness of the fruit, enhanced with just a little bit of added sweetness. Here are a few recipes to get started.

For a good basic recipe, you will need fresh fruit, water, lemon juice, and sugar. You can use any stone fruit, grapes, berries, apples, or pears. Whichever fruit you use, clean it first and remove any stems, seeds, cores, or stones. You can peel the fruit if you choose, but it is not necessary. For larger fruits, chop them into smaller pieces. Taste the fruit before you proceed. If it is very sweet, you will not need any additional sugar. If the fruit is a little tart or not fully ripe, sugar may be needed.

Simmer your fruit in a saucepan on the stove for about ten to fifteen minutes. Use a half cup of water for every four cups of fruit. When the fruit has softened enough, mash it with a fork or potato masher in the saucepan. Add one tablespoon of sugar for every four cups of fruit if it needs sweetening. Taste before adding the sugar and after each addition to determine if more sugar is needed. Next, add one teaspoon of lemon juice for each four cups of fruit to brighten the flavor of the fruit. Be sure to stir the mixture until all of the sugar is dissolved. Heat longer if necessary.

Puree your fruit mixture in a blender, food processor, or food mill until you achieve a mostly smooth consistency. If you are using a dehydrator, pour the mixture into the fruit leather tray. If your machine does not have a special tray for making leather, line a tray with parchment paper to keep it from sticking. If you are using the oven, line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper before pouring the puree in. Make sure the paper goes up the sides as well to prevent the leather from sticking to the pan.

If using your dehydrator, follow instructions for settings and timing when making fruit leathers. In the oven, set the temperature to 140 degrees and leave the mixture in for between eight and twelve hours. You can leave it in overnight for convenience. The leather is ready when it is smooth on the top and not sticky.

Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can get creative with making leathers. Try mixing fruits together and adding in different spices. To make leather with no preparation time, use canned applesauce as your puree. Try some of these ideas for something different:

• Apple and cheese. Peel, chop and simmer four apples. Add to a food processor with a half cup of pecans, a half cup of cheddar cheese, a half teaspoon of cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend into a puree and dry.
• Tropical. Peel, chop, and simmer two apples. Add the apples to a food processor along with one peeled and chopped mango and one chopped banana. Add one half cup of shredded coconut and a half teaspoon of vanilla. Puree until smooth and dry in a sheet.
• Sweet orange. Simmer four peeled and chopped apples in a half cup of orange juice instead of water. Add to a food processor with a half teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of orange zest. Puree and dry.
• Vegetable roll ups. Try adding a few cooked and pureed vegetables to your fruit leather recipes. It’s a great way to sneak vegetables into your kids’ snacks.
• Yogurt leather. You can even dry yogurt in the same way. Spread it into the tray and dry. You can mix in fruit purees to make a sweet, tasty, and healthful treat.

Jerky

Beef jerky is a classic snack. But jerky is not just for beef. You can make a tasty snack out of just about any meat you have on hand including venison, chicken, turkey, and even meaty fishes like salmon and tuna. Below is a basic recipe for beef jerky.

Trim one and a half to two pounds of flank steak and put it in the freezer for one or two hours just to firm it up a little bit. When it is firm enough, slice the steak into very thin strips. Slice it with the grain. Put the strips of meat in a sealable plastic bag with 2/3 cup of soy sauce, 2/3 cup of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup, two teaspoons of pepper, two teaspoons of onion powder, a teaspoon of liquid smoke, and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. You can leave out the last two ingredients if you don’t have liquid smoke or if you don’t enjoy spiciness.

Mix everything well and leave the bag in the refrigerator for at least three hours. Use an oven rack over a jellyroll pan for drying. Place the strips on the rack and place in the oven. Cook at 250 degrees for about four hours. When they are finished, leave the strips out of the oven and then allow the jerky to dry for about 24 hours. After this step, the jerky strips can be stored in any airtight container.

The same basic recipe and technique will work for most any meat. You can use any marinade or even dry rub that you would use to cook meat. When using a dry rub, apply the rub to the meat strips and then let them sit in the fridge for about 12 hours before drying. Here are some other ideas:

• For a basic dry rub, mix two teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and a tablespoon of brown sugar.
• A rub can also give your jerky a sausage taste. Mix together one and a half teaspoons of salt, three and a half teaspoons of paprika, a half teaspoon of garlic powder, a half teaspoon of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of ground pepper, and a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
• For salmon or tuna, try an Asian inspired recipe. To make a marinade, mix together 2/3 of a cup of soy sauce, the juice from one lime, two tablespoons of sesame oil, a tablespoon of finely minced ginger root, and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Granola

Granola is another great snack to make in the dehydrator or oven. When it is finished, you can crumble it up into smaller pieces or leave it in bigger chunks. If using a dehydrator, follow the instructions that come with it for granola. If using your oven, cook the mixture on a baking tray at 300 degrees for about sixty minutes. Stir three or four times with a spatula. Here are some mixtures to try:

• Mix together five cups of rolled oats, two cups of shredded coconut, one cup of toasted almonds, one cup of sunflower seeds, ¼ cup of brown sugar, one cup of honey, one cup of canola oil, one tablespoon of vanilla, and a half cup of raisins.
• For apple-cinnamon granola, mix together three granny smith apples, peeled and grated, two cups of rolled oats, a half cup of pecans, two tablespoons of brown sugar, one tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Let your kids be the cooks! Allow them to select different mix-ins for their granola. You can use coconut, any kind of chopped nut, dried cranberries or cherries, golden raisins, chocolate chips, or small chocolate candies.

©2012 Off the Grid News

You can fight an uphill battle … or just serve up goat that is packed with flavor and taste. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken or beef, and that’s the point! Emphasize that in a good way by using the right spices and sauces. Here are four mealtime winners that will please picky eaters and suspicious tongues any time goat is on the menu.

1.  Mediterranean Marinades

You can make a fast Mediterranean marinade for your goat by starting with olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Add in coriander and marjoram along with coarse salt and peppercorns. Make sure the meat is well coated, and give it plenty of time to soak up the spices and oils.

This type of marinade is good if you plan to sauté your goat or serve smaller cuts. The marinade locks in moisture and flavor, helping you avoid the overcooked, dry, and tough goat meat that makes your family turn up its nose.

Old-Fashioned Technique of Smoking Over a Log Fire or Want to Smoke Food in Your Own Kitchen…

2.  The Curry Angle

Goat is an excellent meat for curry dishes. Curry spices flourish with long, slow simmers – the exact same combination needed for moist, tender goat.

When choosing curries to make with your goat, you don’t have to immediately default to hot, spicy curries. The world has a stunning variety of curries, and many of them are more flavorful than spicy. You can experiment almost endlessly with flavors, delivering different taste profiles for your family even though you are essentially doing the same prep and cooking steps.

Many Indian, Caribbean, and Asian curries are available as spice blends at the store. For those, you simply follow directions and serve with rice or bread (butter and toast pita for a nice knock-off roti bread to go with your Indian curries). Using a store mix cuts out a lot of planning and effort from goat menus, but you don’t have to rely on store blends. To do your own curry sauces, start with a tomato or coconut milk base and layer in savory and hot spices to taste. Cilantro, onion, cumin, black pepper, and hot pepper work well with tomato, while ginger, cardamon, tumeric, lemongrass, and colorful chilies work well with coconut milk.

3.  Rosemary & Garlic Win

Rosemary is an excellent goat spice, and when you pair it with garlic, you have a winning taste combination. This is especially true if you are doing roasts or trying to fix up a whole goat for a big dinner.

The key with the rosemary and garlic combination is to embed it in the flesh of your roast. First, give the meat a rub with olive oil to lock in moisture. Next, create several cuts in the meat by piercing it with a large, sharp knife. Into each cut, stuff freshly sliced garlic and crushed rosemary. Sprinkle the outside with crushed rosemary and then slow roast it for a tenderness and taste your family will love.

4.  Sweet Success

Along with salty and spicy, goat meat does well with sweet. This doesn’t mean pouring sugar on your meat – but you should reach for your jam and preserve collections. Apricot, raspberry, and tart cherry make delicious finishing marinades for roasted or grilled lamb and help you work a sweet-and-savory angle for your meals.

To make this work, you will want to add a layer of fruit preserves to your goat in the last half hour before grilling or roasting. Be generous but not ridiculous as you spread it on, and if you’ve done any cuts, work the jam down inside the meat as well. The end result is a sweet glaze that can be quite addictive!

©2012 Off the Grid News

Mountain Dew Cake

• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) lemon-flavored instant pudding
• 1 (12 oz) can Mountain Dew
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a ten-cup Bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the soda, oil, and eggs. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for forty-five to fifty minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for ten minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Simple Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 to 5 tablespoons of lemon juice

Slowly add lemon juice into powdered sugar, stirring well, until desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the top of the cooled cake.

Note: This is a recipe that begs creativity. Instead of lemon-flavored ingredients, why not try strawberry cake mix, vanilla pudding, and strawberry soda instead? You can use milk instead of lemon juice in the icing as well. Have fun trying different combinations!

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Blueberry Pizza

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 ¼ cups quick oatmeal
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
• 1 can blueberry pie filling
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Mix cake mix, one cup of oatmeal, and chopped nuts. Reserve one cup. Add the egg and six tablespoons of margarine to the remaining mixture. Mix well and spread in the bottom of a pizza pan. Bake at 350° for twelve minutes. Spread blueberry pie filling on top of baked crust. Add the brown sugar and remaining oatmeal and margarine to reserved mixture. Crumble on top of pie filling and bake ten more minutes.

Note: Feel free to substitute the blueberry pie filling for another flavor of your choice. Be creative and enjoy!

©2012 Off the Grid News

Plum Cake

• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2½ cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 small jars plum baby food
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Your choice of icing (vanilla or buttercream is recommended)

Mix the oil and sugar. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time. Sift together flour, cinnamon, and cloves and add to mixture. Add baby food, vanilla, and pecans. Mix well. Bake at 300° for 1 hour. Frost with icing when completely cooled.

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Pineapple-Orange Cake

Cake:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 regular can mandarin oranges
• ½ cup oil
• 4 eggs

Frosting:

• 1 large Cool Whip
• 1 large instant vanilla pudding
• 1 large can crushed pineapple

For the cake, combine all the ingredients, being sure NOT to drain the oranges. Beat for two minutes and then pour the mixture into a pan. Bake at 350° for twenty-five to thirty-five minutes.

For the frosting, mix the pineapple and pudding. Fold in the Cool Whip and spread over cake.

©2012 Off the Grid News

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

• 2 lbs. hamburger meat
• 3 stalks green onion, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon diced garlic
• 24 oz. tomato paste
• 56 oz. tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 large package pepperoni
• Salt to taste

Cook and drain hamburger meat. Place in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, and tomato paste. Add tomatoes. (If your tomatoes are whole, mash them and the liquid by hand before adding.) Separate pepperoni and add to the sauce. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and water as needed. Simmer on the stove for at least thirty minutes—the longer the better.

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Mormor’s Pound Cake

• 4 sticks butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour (mixed with salt and baking powder) one cup at a time, alternating with milk. Add pudding and vanilla and almond extract. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until done.

©2012 Off the Grid News

Hoppin’ John

• 2 tablespoons oil or lard
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 pound of black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 ham hock
• 9 cups water
• 2 cups of rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the oil or lard in the bottom of a large Dutch oven, then add the celery, onion, and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add the bay leaf, soaked peas, ham hock, and four cups water. Cook for about one hour, until the peas are tender but not mushy. In another pot bring five cups of water to a boil. Add the salt and rice, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed. When peas are done, drain them and discard the bay leaf. Pull all the meat from the ham hock, and add the meat back to the pot of beans. Mix with cooked rice and salt and pepper to taste.

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Pork and sauerkraut is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition for good luck on New Years Day, and I am lucky enough to live close to this area so that I can buy freshly made or home-canned sauerkraut. This is a very simple recipe for roasting, but it works just as well in the crock pot or boiling on top of the stove.

Traditional Roast Pork and Sauerkraut

• 2 tablespoons oil or lard
• 3 to 4 pound pork butt or shoulder roast with bone in
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• 2 large apples, cored and quartered
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 4 or 5 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
• One quart of sauerkraut
• Large sprig of rosemary

In a large Dutch oven or deep cast-iron frying pan with lid, heat the oil or lard and add the roast. Sear each side until it is browned and then remove it from pot. Add onion, apples, and thyme, and cook them until they are slightly browned. Remove them from the pan and add the roast back into the pan. Surround it with uncooked potatoes. Pour sauerkraut on top of potatoes. Top the sauerkraut with the apples, onion, and thyme mixture. Lay the rosemary sprig on top of roast and place the lid on top. Place into a preheated oven of 325 degrees and roast for about three hours.

©2011 Off the Grid News

Brownies in a Jar

• 2¼ cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Pour the sugar into a clean and dry one-quart jar. Press down firmly. Add the cocoa powder in a separate and press down firmly. Pour in the chopped pecans, making sure pecans are evenly layered in the jar. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Pour into the jar and cover. Attach the directions to the jar.

Directions:

Empty mix into large bowl. Use your hands to mix thoroughly. Add ¾ cup of butter or margarine and four slightly beaten eggs. Mix until completely blended. Spread batter into a lightly greased or sprayed 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pan. Cut into two-inch squares. Makes two dozen.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in a Jar

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• ¾ cup raisins
• 2 cups rolled oats

Mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In a wide-mouth one-quart jar, layer ingredients in the following order: brown sugar, white sugar, raisins, oats, and the flour mixture. It will be a tight fit, so make sure you firmly pack down each layer in place before adding the next one. Cover and attach directions.

Directions:

Empty jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly blend the mix. Add ¾ cup softened butter or margarine. (Don’t use diet margarine.) Stir in one slightly beaten egg and one teaspoon vanilla. Mix until completely blended. You will need to finish mixing with your hands. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet two inches apart. (Don’t use waxed paper.) Bake at 350° for eleven to thirteen minutes or until edged are lightly browned. Cool five minutes on a baking sheet. Remove cookies to baking racks to finish cooling. Makes three dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix the salt and baking soda with the flour and set aside. Layer the ingredients into a one-quart jar in the following order: brown sugar, white sugar, chocolate chips, and flour mixture. Cover and attach the directions.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Sift dry ingredients through a colander to separate the chocolate chips from other ingredients. Beat one cup of butter or margarine in a medium bowl. Beat sifted ingredients into butter until blended. In a small bowl, beat one egg with one teaspoon of vanilla. Mix beaten egg mixture into butter mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter, space well apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake eight minutes or until lightly browned. Makes four dozen cookies.

M&M Cookies in a Jar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 ¼ cup M&M candies

Mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. In a one-quart wide-mouth canning jar, layer sugar, M&M’s, and then flour mixture. It will be a tight fit when you add the flour mixture, so be sure to pack everything down firmly. Cover and attach directions.

Directions:

Empty the jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly blend mix. Add ½ cup softened margarine or butter. (Do not use diet margarine.) Mix in one slightly beaten egg and one teaspoon vanilla. Shape into balls the size of walnuts and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets two inches apart. Don’t use wax paper! Bake at 375° for twelve to fourteen minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for about five minutes then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Makes 2½ dozen cookies.

Soup Mix in a Jar

• 1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
• ¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes
• ½ cup split peas
• ½ cup ABC, small shell, or ring macaroni
• ¼ cup barley
• ½ cup lentils
• 1/3 cup non-instant white rice
• Tricolor spiral pasta

Use a canning funnel or any funnel that has about a two-inch neck. This will make it easier to fill the jars with the ingredients. Be sure to use a wide-mouth, one quart canning jar, and layer ingredients in the order given: bouillon, onion flakes, split peas, small shaped pasta, barley, lentils, rice, and enough tricolor spiral pasta to fill jar. Cover and attach the directions.

Directions:

In a large kettle, brown one pound of ground beef or bite-sized stew beef (if you use stew beef, you may need to add a bit of olive oil to keep if from sticking). Remove the tricolor pasta from the top of jar and reserve. Add the rest of the jar contents to the kettle with twelve cups of water. Let it come to a boil and simmer for forty-five minutes. Add the tricolor pasta and simmer for fifteen minutes more. Serve with your favorite bread or rolls and a tossed salad. Enjoy!

©2011 Off the Grid News

Simple Roast Chicken

• 3 – 4 pound roasting chicken, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients together in a ziploc bag, then squeeze out all the air and close. Refrigerate for at least one hour (preferably overnight).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Pour marinade into a shallow roasting pan and place a rack in the pan so that the chicken will not touch the liquid.  Place the chicken on the rack and roast uncovered for about one hour or until juices run clear.

Traditional Latkas

• 5 medium potatoes
• 2 onions
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Oil for frying

Peel potatoes and onion, then grate or pulse in a food processor. Pat with a paper towel to get rid of excess moisture. Add beaten eggs, salt, pepper, and enough flour to hold the mixture together. Drop about 1/4 cup of mixture into hot oil and flatten. Fry until golden, then turn and brown other side. Remove and drain on paper towels to remove extra oil.

Applesauce

• 6 cooking apples, peeled and chopped (Granny Smith or Macintosh work well)
• 1/4 cup apple juice or cider
• Sugar to taste
• Cinnamon to taste (optional)

Cook apples and juice slowly until soft. Mash with a potato masher. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste.

Baked Salmon and Wild Rice

• 1 salmon (or a large filet)
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 5 or 6 large white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
• 1 large leek, cleaned and sliced thin
• Several sprigs of fresh dill, diced

Place the salmon in a large baking dish with sides. Lay the lemon slices directly on top of the salmon filet or inside the body cavity of the whole fish. Sprinkle leeks and mushrooms over the fish and top with dill. Cover loosely with foil or a lid and bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size of the fish).  Fish is done when the flesh flakes.

Wild Rice

• 9-ounce package of wild rice
• 2 1/2 cups of boiling water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Add rice and salt to boiling water, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 50 to 55 minutes, until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender. Add butter and fluff until butter is melted.

This dinner is served well with a side of wilted greens or a nice green salad for extra energy and nutrients.

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With the hustle and bustle of the busy season – the shopping, visiting, and entertaining friends—it’s good to have a couple of easy dishes that won’t weigh you down or break the bank.  This quiche is light fare for entertaining and keeping your energy up.

Tomato Bacon Quiche

• 3 strips of bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 small green pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup milk or half and half
• 1 large tomato, cored and thinly sliced
• Pastry for a nine-inch pie

In a small skillet, cook bacon until crisp, then remove and drain. Add onions and green pepper to the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent, then remove and drain.  Beat the eggs with the milk and add the bacon, onions, peppers, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Arrange tomato slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the quiche sit about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with fresh arugula leaves tossed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sea salt.

Pastry for a nine-inch pie

• 1/2 cup chilled lard or shortening
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup very cold water (set in freezer until ready to use)

Mix the flour and salt. Cut the lard into the flour mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle with water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until the pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl. Roll on floured surface until it is larger than an upside-down pie plate by one inch around. Lightly fold into fourths and place in a pie plate. Press bottom and sides then crimp edges.

©2011 Off the Grid News