Tag: how to

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Have you ever wondered what else you can do with your sourdough discard?  One of the many things you can use it for is to create sourdough English Muffins.  Sourdough English Muffin are delicious and easy to make.  My family loves these home made English Muffins and we eat them for breakfast with butter or jam and we even put on some sausage and egg to create our own version of the McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin.  Join me and let’s make a batch.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of fed starter

2 Cups of milk

2 TBS of honey

5 Cups of all-purpose flour divided

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1 tsp

Directions:

  1. Add starter to a bowl and then combine with the milk.  Stirring to dissolve starter into milk.
  2. Add honey and mix in.
  3. Add 4 cups of flour and mix in.
  4. Cover and let it rest at room temperature overnight.
  5. Uncover and punch down dough.
  6. Add baking soda and salt to dough and kneed in, add flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.  May need to add up to 1 cup of flour.  Kneed for 5 mins.
  7. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out to a ½ inch thickness, then using a 3-inch biscuit cutter cut out your muffins from the dough.
  8. Place cut muffins on parchment paper that has corn meal sprinkled on it.  Sprinkle corn meal on top of the muffins. 
  9. Let muffins rise for 45 mins. 
  10. Cook 4 to 5 muffins at a time in a buttered cast iron pan at low to medium heat.  Cook the muffins approximately 4 mins per side until each side has a nice golden color.
  11. Remove from pan and eat! You can eat them with butter, peanut butter, jam, or add egg and sausage with some cheese to make a sausage muffin. 

How to make Sourdough English Muffins

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa

Chips and salsa are one of America’s favorite snacks.  We like to eat them at restaurants, on Taco Tuesday’s, as snacks during the big game or other sporting events.  There is nothing better than fresh homemade salsa and once you try this recipe for authentic Mexican restaurant style salsa you will never buy salsa at the store again.

Ingredients
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes

3 small cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cumin

1 loosely packed cup of cilantro

½ white onion

1 jalapeno

Juice from one lime

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to food processor or blender.
  2. Pulse blend to achieve desired amount of smoothness or chunkiness.
  3. Enjoy!

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa

Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is one of my family’s favorite breakfast items. It makes a quick breakfast by itself or even with a little fruit or granola mixed into it. However, store bought yogurt can contain lots of added sugars and preservatives. Why buy store bought yogurt with all those additives when you can make it at home with just three ingredients. It is super easy and requires little work to make, it just requires time in your Instant Pot.

Ingredients:
1.5 liters of ultra pasteurized milk (I prefer to use the fairlife brand)
1 fourteen ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs of yogurt starter*

*note – You can use yogurt cultures or just use some store bought plain Greek yogurt. I like to use 2 Tbs of Fage Greek yogurt for my starter. Once you have made your own batch of yogurt you can use your own yogurt as a starter for future batches by just setting some aside to use later. I freeze 2 Tbs from each of my batches and then defrost it when I am ready to make yogurt.

Directions:
1. Pour your ultra pasteurized milk into your instant pot.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk. You can use all the can for a sweeter yogurt, or you less depending on your personal taste. You may even omit the sweetened condensed milk and without this, you will have a Greek yogurt.
3. Add you starter
4. Mix all the ingredients together with a whisk.
5. Put your lid on your instant pot and set to yogurt mode for 8 hours.
6. After 8 hours you can remove your yogurt and refrigerate it until you are ready to eat it. I refrigerate mine overnight before eating it the first time.
7. Enjoy!

Homemade Yogurt in your Instant Pot

You can purchase an Instant Pot to make yogurt at Amazon.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure policy.

Better than Olive Garden Alfredo!

Alfredo is one of life’s great comfort foods. Surprisingly, it is super simple to make and you can create a fettuccine alfredo meal in just 20 minutes that tastes even better than the alfredo you get at the Olive Garden.

Ingredients:

½ stick of butter (8 tbsp)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup grated Romano cheese

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Pinch salt

1 pound fettuccine noodles

Directions:

  1. Fill large pot with water and preheat it to boil the fettuccine noodles.  When the pot of water starts boiling add the pasta to the water and cook it according to directions.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and cook for one minute.
  3. Whisk in the flout to the melted butter and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
  4. Add the heavy cream and continue to stir while the mixture comes up to a light boil.  Reduce the heat and stir as it thickens. 
  5. Stir in the Parmesan and Romano cheeses into the butter and heavy cream.
  6. Add the white pepper and salt.
  7. Drain the pasta and mix it into the alfredo sauce.
  8. Plate the pasta with alfredo sauce and garnish with parsley and/or add chicken if desired.
  9. Enjoy!
Better than Olive Garden Alfredo!

The Best Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

When ever you have fresh cucumbers from your garden or the farmers market there is no better way to have them than to make homemade refrigerator pickles. This easy recipe is simple and doesn’t go through the canning process, instead we quickly make the pickles and they are ready to eat in 48 hours.

Ingredients:

3 pickling cucumbers, approximately 4 inches in length

3-5 sprigs of dill weed

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup water

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

Directions:

  1. In a small pot mix the vinegar, water, garlic, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and mustard seeds and bring to a simmer until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from heat to cool.
  2. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters and pack a pint-sized jar with the cucumbers, dill sprigs and bay leaf.
  3. After the brine has cooled down fill the jar to the top, completely covering the cucumbers.
  4. Close lid and place in the refrigerator. 
  5. You can eat them after 48 hours.  Enjoy.
The Best Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Make the smoothest Pina Colada of all time

The Pina Colada is one of those drinks that by itself can make you feel like it’s summer time when it’s not, or like your on a beach in Caribbean. We owe thanks for this simple drink Puerto Rico. Specifically, most people believe that it was invented in 1954 at the Caribe Hilton. The debate on who created it usually comes down to bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero or Ricardo Gracia.

While there is not much of a story to the drink being invented by Ramon Marrero there is a unique story around Ricardo Gracia. According to an interview that Gracia gave to Coastal Living magazine in 2005 the he created the drink due to a strike by coconut cutters in Puerto Rico. According to his story the bar served a mixed drink of rum, cream of coconut, and crushed ice in a cut coconut. Due to the shortage in coconuts he started to pour the drink into a cut pineapple. Bar goers liked the drink in a pineapple so he decided to add strained pineapple juice to the rum and cream of coconut and thus the birth of the Pina Colada.

I have a recipe I like for smooth and creamy Pina Coladas that I will share with you now. Most people will put 2 cups of ice into their Pina Colada but I like to use 1 cup of ice and 1 cup of frozen pineapple instead. The reason is that as the ice melts it usually dilutes the drink, however, by substituting one of the cups of ice with frozen pineapple you create a smooth and creamy drink that doesn’t get diluted as the ice melts.

Ingredients:

3 oz. rum
4 oz. cream of coconut (coco Lopez)
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup ice

Directions:

  1. Pour all ingredients into a blender.
  2. Mix on high until the ice is all blended and the drink is the consistency of a smoothie.
  3. Pour into a tulip shaped cup (also called a hurricane cup), garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry.
  4. Enjoy!

Instead of using Coco Lopez you can make your own cream of coconut by clicking on this link. https://mylowcountryliving.net/home-made-coconut-cream-diy-version-of-coco-lopez/

The smoothest and best Pina Colada

Dry Rub for BBQ or smoking meats

When you BBQ or smoke meats flavoring the meat before cooking is key. The best way to flavor meat is by using a dry rub. Here is a fantastic recipe to create a dry rub that you can use for BBQ or smoking your own meats at home.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup paprika
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS onion powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed together.
  2. Store in an airtight container up to six months.
  3. Apply to meats one hour to 24 hours prior to cooking. The dry rub can be applied directly to a meat, or a binding agent such as mustard or honey can be applied to the meat before the dry rub.
Dry rub for BBQ and smoking meats

How to make Chocolate Zucchini Bread

How to easily make homemade chocolate zucchini bread. This is a fresh take on the classic zucchini bread.

Ingredients: 

3 cups all purpose flour

¼ unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Optional – up to 1 cup chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top of loaf

This recipe makes 2 loaves using 9 x 5 bread pans, or 24 cupcakes/muffins/ or a combination of 1 loaf and 12 cupcake/muffins.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Shred your zucchini using either a hand shredder or food processor. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, then add in your cocoa.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs and blend together. Add oil and vanilla and beat mixture together. Stir in Zucchini to wet mixture.
  5. Combine dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
  6. Spoon into loaf pans and/or cupcake pan.
  7. Bake in preheated oven. Bread loaf pans should bake for 50-55 minutes and cupcake pans should bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. After baking let bread set in pans for 10 minutes before removing.

How to make homemade Hummus – Quick and Easy

Hummus is quick and easy to make with this recipe. Make your own hummus that is better tasting than the one you buy at the grocery store.

Ingredients: 

1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1 small clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon zaatar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons water

paprika (garnishment for serving)

Directions:

First mix lemon juice and tahini in a blender or food processor until it is “whipped”.   

It is important to mix this first to get a smooth and creamy hummus. 

Combine the remaining ingredients and mix.

Add additional tablespoons of water until hummus reaches the desired consistency.

Pour into a bowl and serve. You can sprinkle paprika on top or garnish with more zaatar, or sesame seeds, and a small drizzle of olive oil.

How to make homemade banana bread

Banana bread is one of my favorite breads and its a great way to use up your bananas after they start to get brown spots on them.

Ingredients: 

3 ripe bananas

  2 eggs

  ½ cup shortening

  1 ¼ cup white sugar

  1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ chopped walnuts 

Instructions: mix together the sugar and shortening and blended and forms little balls. Add in bananas and vanilla extract and continue to mix. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Combine the flour mixture with the banana mixture and mix until all ingredients are blended together. Pour mixture into a greased and floured bread pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After baking let cool and remove from pan. Enjoy.