Zucchini Tso Chicken

Zucchini Tso Chicken

 A new take on an old Chinese favorite for chicken!

1½ lb. chicken thighs

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 eggs lightly beaten

1-2 tbsp. corn starch

Fresh ground pepper

Combine eggs, soy sauce, pepper and enough corn starch to coat the chicken well. Place in heated cast iron skillet and back 375º for 45 minutes, turning once.

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. dry sherry

¼ cup chicken broth

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. minced garlic

2-3 tbsp. corn starch

3 fresh Chile peppers

½ cup chopped onions

1½ cup broccoli florets

1½ cup chopped zucchini

Oil for deep frying

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir well before adding corn starch. Set aside.

Heat oil in Wok and add broccoli, zucchini, onions and peppers. Stir fry 3-5 minutes. Carefully add chicken from oven to WOK.  Pour in sauce and stir constantly until thickened. Mix with chicken and veggies. Serve over white rice.

© Crackerberries 2014

Potato Dumplings

Potato Dumplings

DUMPLING

4 cups mashed potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes or 2 lbs.)

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup bread crumbs

½ tsp. nutmeg

Salt and pepper

TOPPING

¼ cup butter

1/8 cup bread crumbs

1/8 cup chopped onions

2½ slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Combine mashed potatoes, flour, egg, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Mix well. Shape into 15 balls. Heat large pot of water to boiling. Gently drop balls into water. Once they float to the top, simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

In small sauce pan combine butter and onions and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the butter slightly browns. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs and bacon bits. Pour sauce over dumplings before serving.

Great side with any meal and so good.

© Crackerberries 2014

Canning with Crackerberries

The garden is ready and winter is coming. Time to put up the last of those vegetables and save on the grocery bill during the cold winter months. Canning with Crackerberries is a book full of recipes to preserve and can the garden harvest. Her recipes have been published in Cooking Pleasures and her blog has been a great tool for cooks all over the world. Many of these recipes are old time favorites handed down through the family for years. Enjoy pictures on every page with easy step by step procedures of how to make the best of your garden harvest. Add to cart and apply discount code for free shipping. 

https://www.createspace.com/4910046

Stuffed Pancakes

Stuffed Pancakes

Another fine idea to make for breakfast … enjoy as a sandwich or grab a fork and pass the syrup.

Leftover fluffy pancakes

Eggs

Bulk sausage

Jams and jellies

Syrup

Allow one egg and two ounces bulk sausage for each person you are serving. Carefully slice the pancake through the center. Grill insides of pancake or cook in toaster. Cook sausage according to package instructions. Fry eggs until yolks are hard. Build on one side of pancake with sausage, egg and a spoonful of jam or jelly. Place remaining half of pancake on top and instant new breakfast sandwich.

© Crackerberries 2014

Mexican Hot Dogs

Mexican Hot Dogs

1 cup long grain white rice

2 cups water

½ tsp. salt

5 hot dogs, sliced not all the way through, lengthwise

¾ cup garden fresh salsa

¾ cup prepared salsa

¾ cup stewed tomatoes

1 cup shredded Monterey Colby Jack cheese

2 Chile peppers, thinly sliced

Preheat oven 350º

Cook rice according to package instructions. Place hot dogs in lightly greased glass dish. Cover with fresh garden salsa. Combine prepared salsa and stewed tomatoes. Mix with 2¼ cups of cooked rice. Spread over hot dog mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and top with slice Chile peppers.

Bake 350º for 40 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

© Crackerberries 2014

Baked Cheesy Chop Suey

Baked Cheesy Chop Suey

My mom’s leftover macaroni and cheese

2 cups tomato sauce (made fresh from the garden tomatoes)

1 can tomato paste

1 lb. ground beef

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cook burger and drain off grease and set aside. In large Dutch oven sauté onions, garlic, peppers and celery in one tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add burger, tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir well to combine. Cook until hot and bubbly. Fold in leftover macaroni and cheese just to cover with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake 350º for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

© Crackerberries 2014

Canning with Crackerberries

You've seen many of these recipes here. But I've added a few secret recipes as well.  The garden harvest is ready and you're itching to get your canning jars boiling.  In a few days you will be able to order the printed version, but if you can't wait the Kindle/E-book is now available! 

Want to know what's inside?  Pickles, relishes, tomatoes, preserves, jams, jellies and a whole chapter of hodge-podge recipes to store your garden harvest.

Click to purchase kindle version

Pancakes

Delightfully Fluffy Pancakes

We bought a different flavor yogurt than we usually eat. We didn’t care for it but I didn’t want to waste it so, decided to try it in pancakes. They were outstanding and fluffy.

2 cups flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 egg

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. milk

2 6 oz. containers non-fat apple spice yogurt

Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl.  Combine oil, milk, egg and yogurt in another small bowl and mix well.  Add to dry ingredients. Mixture will be stiff.  Spoon onto hot, lightly greased griddle and cook 2-3 minutes per side.  Serve with your favorite toppings.

© Crackerberries 2014

Old Fashioned Canned Tomatoes

Foods such as fruits and tomatoes (which is technically is a fruit) contain natural acids and therefore can be processed using the boiling-water bath method. In the presence of acid, bacteria are destroyed easily at a boiling temperature.

For this batch I used three dozen good size tomatoes.

Wash tomatoes and cut out stems. For easy peeling, blanch fruits, such as tomatoes, by placing in a wire basket and dipping into boiling water for approximately one minute.  Remove from boiling water and plunge immediately into cold water for a few seconds.  Peel should slip off easily.

Leave whole or cut in half or in quarters. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Do not add liquid.  Pack hot tomatoes to ½" of top of jar. Add ½ tsp. canning salt to pints, 1 tsp. to quarts.  Adjust jar lids and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. You can also process these without salt.

Yield 11 pints.

© Crackerberries 2014

Crock Pot Baked Beans

Crock Pot Beans

Saturday is beans, bath and tail day in this house. In the summer time it’s just too hot to have the oven on all day, so these crock pot beans are a real treat. And easy.  You can use any kind of bean you like.

2 cups dry beans

(I used Soldier this time.) Cover with water and let stand overnight. Next morning, drain, rinse and place beans back in crock pot. Add enough water to just barely cover beans.

½ cup sugar

½ ketchup

¼ cup molasses

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. liquid smoke

½ cup chopped onion

¼ lb. salt pork

Salt and pepper.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and stir gently. Turn on high for three hours. Do not remove cover. After three hours, turn to low. Do not remove cover. After 4-4½ hours cooking time, remove cover and stir.  Return cover, cook 3-4 more hours.

© Crackerberries 2014

Sweet Fridge Pickles

Sweet Fridge Pickles

Some people love pickles but may not have the means to make pickles. Here’s an easy recipe for refrigerator pickles that only takes about 20 minutes to put together and you can keep them in your fridge for up to a month.

8 cups sliced cucumbers (about 6 medium sized)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 small peppers, thinly sliced

3 Chile peppers, sliced

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. mustard seed

1 tsp. sea salt

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in large measuring cup.  Mix vegetables together in large bowl.  Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 24 hours, stirring often.  Transfer to tight contain and voila instant sweet pickles.

Later in the week we’ll have a recipe for refrigerator dill pickles.

© Crackerberries 2014

Sweet Pickle Mix

Sweet Pickle Mix

Soak pickles in ice water over night. Next morning, drain and slice.

8 cups sliced cucumbers

2 onions, chopped (2½ cups)

2 cups thinly sliced peppers (I used a mixture of green, red and yellow)
2 cups cauliflower (optional)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (optional)

3½ cups apple cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

1½ tsp. turmeric

1½ tsp. celery seed

2 tsp. mustard seed

2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/8 cup canning salt

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in preserving pot and bring to a boil.  Add vegetables and return to a boil.  Cook, stirring often 5-10 minutes. Until cucumber turn to a pale green color.  Spoon into sterilized jars, cover, seal and process in boiling hot water bath for 15 minutes.  Yield: 6 pints

© Crackerberries 2014

Old Time Mustard Pickles

Mustard Pickles

3-4 lbs. cucumbers, sliced and soaked in salt water brine overnight.

            Brine = 1 cup canning salt + 2 quarts water

½ cup prepared mustard

2¼ cups white vinegar

¼ cup canning salt

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp. turmeric

Drain and rinse pickles thoroughly (2-3 times)

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard in preserving pot and bring to a boil.

(*Combine mustard and turmeric with ¼ cup of vinegar makes the mustard blend into the other ingredients better)

Add cucumbers and return to a boil. Cook 2-3 minutes, until cucumbers change color.

Pack into sterilized jars, be sure liquid covers pickles. Seal and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: 5 pints

© Crackerberries 2014