Got a bushel of garden tomatoes? Make a big ol' batch of pizza sauce! Ingredients About 25 pounds fresh tomatoes (enough to produce 2 gallons puree) 4 (12 oz) cans of tomato paste 1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme 1 Tbs. minced fresh basil 2 Tbs. minced fresh chives 2 Tbs. minced fresh oregano 4 cloves of garlic, minced extra fine ½ tsp. black pepper ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese ¼ cup granulated sugar (optional) 1 to 2 tsp. salt (optional) Directions Remove stems, skins and seeds fr

Ingredients 8 lbs of apples 1 cup apple cider vinegar 2 cups water brown sugar (up to 4 cups) ½ tsp. salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon allspice Equipment Needed 1 wide 12-quart stock pot (Stainless steel with a heavy bottom is best ) A food mill Instructions Cut the apples into quarters---no need to peel or core them, but cut out any parts that are badly bruised, bird marked, or damaged by pests. (Red peels, by the way, give the apple butter a lovely color). Put ap

Ingredients 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1¼ cups warm water (100° to 110° F.) ½ cup whole wheat flour 2 Tbs. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 Tbs. Chinese five spice 1 egg 3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped dates ½ cup chopped pecans In a medium size bowl, combine yeast with warm water and stir until completely dissolved. Add whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, oil, spices, and egg; stir until thoroughly blended. Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a tim

If you you have a friend going through a rough patch and you are not sure what to do or say, bake a loaf of this Herbal Encouragement bread and give it to them with a note explaining its meaning. Note: I don't have a decent picture of this bread, but I wanted to get the recipe posted for someone who requested it. Ingredients ¼ cup warm water (100° to 110° F) 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 cup sour cream 1 egg 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 2 tsp. honey or brown sugar ¼ tsp. baking soda 1 ts

For each casserole, you will need: 1 egg 2 Tbs. whole or reduced-fat milk 2 thick slices of day-old bread 2 Tbs. chopped pecans 1/3 cup maple-flavored syrup 1 Tbs. butter 1 oven proof bowl, about 5” across and 2” deep. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat the interior of the ovenproof bowl with cooking spray or butter. Trim bread slices to a shape and size that will fit the bowl. In another larger bowl, whisk egg and milk, then place bread slices in egg mixture until liquid

I'll bet you can smell this picture! County Fairs and local food festivals were always a favorite destination for my family, and to this day I try to take in at least one or two every summer. I enjoy the livestock and culinary exhibits, photography displays, craft and quilting contests, and of course, seeing who won the blue ribbon for a beautiful loaf of homemade bread! But let's face it---for many of us, county fairs are all about the food on the midway! Here are the recip

Dough (Check the notes below about substitutions) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 Tbs. granulated sugar 1 Tbs. baking powder ½ tsp. salt ½ cup (1 stick) butter ½ cup milk 1 egg Filling Zest of a medium orange 1/2 cup granulated sugar Glaze ½ cup powdered sugar juice of half an orange ¼ tsp. almond extract Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium size bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly mixed. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut i

Ingredients 1½ sticks butter 1½ cups of sugar 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ pint fresh raspberries or ½ cup dried cranberries ½ pint fresh blueberries ½ cup white chocolate baking morsels Prepare topping (see below) and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in mixer on high until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Sift dry i

Ingredients 1½ cups sourdough discard unfed 1 cup evaporated milk* ¾ cup whole wheat or multigrain flour** 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil 4 large eggs, beaten 2 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda *The evaporated milk combines with the water n the starter to make a tender crumb for the waffles. **I keep a multigrain blend in my pantry at all times: 2 parts whole wheat flour, 1 part qu

You can use white, wheat, or multigrain doughs for this braid. This is a fairly simple technique but it yields dramatic results, and the loaf looks especially nice on a holiday buffet table. Yields one loaf Ingredients 1 batch of Single Loaf White Dough 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped ham 1 ½ cups sharp Cheddar cheese 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash (optional) Punch down dough and knead lightly to expel larger air bubbles; divide dough into two portions.

Sometimes you only need a smaller batch, for example to make a shaped loaf like my Ham and Cheese Braid. Here's what I've used in the past. Ingredients 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1 ¼ cups warm milk (100° to 110° F) 1 Tbs. sugar 1 Tbs. vegetable oil 1 ½ tsp. salt 1 egg 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour Directions Put warm milk into a medium size bowl. Add yeast, stir to dissolve. Add sugar, egg, salt and oil. Add 3 cups of flour and beat well. Work in enough of remaining flour

These biscuits are not just for holidays! Biscuits of Victory I’d never had much success with biscuits until I came across a recipe which suggested adding some cream of tartar to the dry ingredients. Sure enough, that did the trick for me—victory at last!—although I’m sure there are plenty of biscuit purists out there who will scoff at the idea. Try it and decide for yourself. Ingredients 3 cups all purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon cream