My Kitchen Clatter

Real Food - Real Life

Raspberry Jam

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It’s the season for raspberries again! I love foraging for black raspberries and making them into jam that we can enjoy the rest of the year.

I keep this jam very simple – just raspberries, a little sugar and some pectin. I find that this jam doesn’t need anything else to make it wonderful. Sometimes simple is the best.

A little note on the pectin. I like using pectin for raspberry jam because the raspberries don’t have much natural pectin in them. The pectin allows the jam to thicken quickly without a lot of cooking. I find this results in a brighter raspberry flavor. I use Pomona’s Pectin as it allows me to use less sugar that other brands of pectin. I also follow the recipe in the box of pectin, except I use a little less pectin. This gives a looser set to the jam, which I like. If you like a thicker jam, then increase your pectin and calcium waters to 2 teaspoons each. You can find Pomona’s at local stores like Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme or order on-line. Pomona’s website has links on which local stores carry their product.

Okay. Enough on that. Now for raspberries. I mentioned black raspberries already. I love them. But you’ll never find them in the store and probably not even at the farmers market. For those of you interested in more foraging information, The Backyard Forager is one of my favorite foraging sources. This is a link to one of her articles on black raspberries vs. blackberries.

If you don’t have a bramble bush in your backyard like I do, you can use any other raspberry for this recipe. Fresh red raspberries can be hard to find in the store because they are so delicate and don’t transport or stay fresh very long. Ideally, you want to use them within a couple days of picking. If you can’t find good fresh raspberries, feel free to use frozen raspberries. They will be as good, maybe better, than fresh. And remember – you can freeze your fresh raspberries for later, if you can’t get to them in time.

If you have extra raspberries that you don’t know what to do with, here are some ideas. Besides eating them fresh, I love adding them to kombucha. You can also add them into (or on top of) your overnight sourdough pancakes or waffles or oatmeal waffles. My other favorite way of using them is to put them into oatmeal – we especially love them in baked oatmeal. I’m working on posting that recipe soon – so check back for it! The jam also works heavenly in all of these recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Raspberry Jam

July has arrived along with the short raspberry season. Jam is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the taste of raspberries all year long.
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups raspberries fresh or frozen
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon calcium water included in Pomona's Pectin package
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Pomona's Pectin

Instructions
 

  • To sterilize the jars, place rack in the large pot and cover jars in water. If you don’t have a rack, fold a dish towel and place on the bottom of the pot before you put the jars and water into the pot. Place lid on the pot and bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off heat and leave the cover on the pot. This can be done while the jam is made. NOTE: A boiling water bath can be done in any stock pot that allows for water to cover the jars by at least 1-inch. A tall stock pot is fine to use, just place a towel or rack in the bottom so the jars don’t sit directly on the heat source. If your stock pot doesn’t fit all of your jelly jars, only jar up the ones that will fit in the pot, keeping the rest of the jam warm on the stove while the first batch of jars processes. Once the first jars are done processing, jar the remaining jam and process in a second batch. Alternately, you can just jar any extra jam to eat right away or freeze. 
  • If you are going to process the jars in a water bath, prepare the lids according to the directions on the box – usually just wash and place in warm water. I do this in the small saucepan on a back burner. 
  • Prepare calcium water according to package directions.
  • Combine sugar and pectin in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Combine raspberries and calcium water in large saucepan, jam pot, or stock pot. Bring to roiling boil, stirring constantly
  • Add sugar and pectin mixture to raspberries mixture. Bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute or until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
  • Fill hot jam jars with 1/4 inch headspace.
  • Clean rims and place lids on jars.
  • Set jars into the simmering pot of water (on the rack). Jars should be covered by a minimum of one inch water. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Start timer when water is at a boil. 
  • After the processing time is complete, turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool 5 minutes in the water bath. Remove jars from canner and place on a towel on the counter.  Do not retighten bands, if loose. Cool 12-24 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars up to a year for best color and flavor. Any jars that don’t seal should be stored in the refrigerator and used first.
  • If you don’t want to process this recipe in a water bath (or you have a jar that doesn’t seal), you can jar the jams and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 6 months. 
Keyword fruit, homemade, jam, preserves

Strawberry Margarita Jam

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This recipe for strawberry margarita jam is perfect for when you are bored of making strawberry jam, or when you simply need a change of pace from the ordinary. Give it a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

How to use this jam

I always love to make special jams, but then I sometimes find myself wondering what to do with jam that doesn’t really belong on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What? No tequila on a PB&J? However, I am not opposed to having this on an English muffin for breakfast. Other ideas to use this jam as a topping for a lemon tart or bar, swirling into a cheesecake or as a cheesecake topping. I’m thinking a key lime cheesecake would be especially fun. Or using it as a filling with a little lemon curd in teeny tiny little tarts. If you have any other suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

When I’m making unique jams, I like to process them in cute little jars and then I plan to gift several of them at the holidays or as gifts throughout the year. You probably won’t want four or five jars of this in your pantry. Or, then again, maybe you will. It’s that good.

Tequila? In Jam? Yes, really…

When I was making this batch, the tequila smelled a little strong, but it mellowed out nicely in the final product. Do not be afraid! I can only imagine that the flavor will only get better as the jam ages a couple of weeks. Make sure to sample your tequila as you are cooking, otherwise what’s the point of cooking with liquor?

I chopped my lime zest into teeny tiny pieces so that it disappeared into the jam. You can barely tell it’s in the end product. That’s a good goal to aim for – no one wants tiny bits of lime zest in their teeth. Zest your limes (it took me three limes) before you juice them.

Low sugar, sweetened with honey, and a little on pectin

Strawberries don’t have a lot of natural pectin in them, so I use a bit of commercial pectin to help this jam set nicely. Most pectins on the market require lots of sugar to work or they use ingredients that produce an off-flavor. That leads me to why I use use Ponoma Pectin in this recipe to set the jam. It’s a bit hard to locate commercially, but totally worth the effort. Ponoma’s allows me to use a lot less sweetener than regular pectin. If you haven’t used this type of pectin before, I recommend checking out their product. I get nothing from them for sharing their product info – it’s just a product I prefer in my jam making.

You may also notice that we are using honey in this recipe instead of granulated sugar. I love the flavor of honey with the sweet strawberries. Again, the ability to use honey is because we are using the Ponoma’s Pectin. Most other pectin products won’t work with honey, so read your package directions carefully if you try to swap out the pectin brands.

The low sugar and short cooking time allow the flavor of the strawberries and lime to shine through the final product. It really does taste like a strawberry margarita.

Strawberry Margarita Jam

Andrea, My Kitchen Clatter
Honey sweetened and a short cooking time – allow the flavor of the strawberries and lime to shine through the final product. It really does taste like a strawberry margarita.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
processing time 10 mins
Servings 6 small jars (4 oz)

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups crushed strawberries
  • 1/3 cup fresh lime juices (about 3 limes)
  • 1/2 cup tequila
  • 1/4 cup orange liqueur
  • 1 tblsp lime peel finely chopped
  • 2 tsp calcium water (from Sonoma's package)
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 tsp Sonoma's pectin

Instructions
 

  • To sterilize the jars, place rack in the large pot and cover jars in water. If you don’t have a rack, fold a dish towel and place on the bottom of the pot before you put the jars and water into the pot. Place lid on the pot and bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off heat and leave the cover on the pot. This can be done while the jam is made. NOTE: A boiling water bath can be done in any stock pot that allows for water to cover the jars by at least 1-inch. A tall stock pot is fine to use, just place a towel or rack in the bottom so the jars don’t sit directly on the heat source. If your stock pot doesn’t fit all of your jelly jars, only jar up the ones that will fit in the pot, keeping the rest of the jam warm on the stove while the first batch of jars processes. Once the first jars are done processing, jar the remaining jam and process in a second batch. Alternately, you can just jar any extra jam to eat right away or freeze. 
  • If you are going to process the jars in a water bath, prepare the lids according to the directions on the box – usually just wash and place in warm water. I do this in the small saucepan on a back burner. 
  • Combine room temperature honey and pectin in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Combine strawberries, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, lime peel and calcium water in large saucepan, jam pot, or stock pot. Bring to roiling boil, stirring constantly.
  • Add honey and pectin to strawberry mixture. Bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute or until honey is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
  • Fill hot jam jars with 1/4 inch headspace.
  • Clean rims and place lids on jars.
  • Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
  • Allow jars to cool completely before checking seals and storing.

Homemade Yogurt

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After many years of making our yogurt, I feel like I’m finally ready to put down all my tips into writing. To start with, we are going to focus on dairy based yogurt. If you want to make non-dairy yogurt, you’ll need to go elsewhere.

Once you’ve got a good batch of yogurt, you’ll want to top it with granola or müesli. I also love using it in smoothies and overnight oats. You can also add yogurt into your favorite waffle or pancake recipe. And if you get a nice tangy batch of yogurt, it makes a great substitute for sour cream.

Why make your own yogurt?

As with many things, I started making our yogurt because it saves money. Basically, your only cost is the milk. It does take some time to make yogurt, but it is really mostly a matter of timing and planning. Most of the process is hands off and waiting.

I also love that I know the ingredients in my yogurt. My yogurt has lots of good bacteria and probiotics in it, which is not always the case with store yogurt – but more about that later.

The basic process of yogurt making

My basic process of making yogurt involves the following steps:

  • Start with milk and a bit of yogurt as starter.
  • Slowly heat the milk up to 180 F and maintain for 2 minutes.
  • Cool the milk back down to 110 F.
  • Add the yogurt starter into the warm milk and allow the whole pot to rest in a warm spot for 12-24 hours.
  • Chill the yogurt for at least 4 hours before eating.

That’s it in a nutshell.

You may find recipes that don’t call for the heating process, but I find that my final yogurt is thicker and creamier with the heating method. Heating the milk is a method of pasteurizing the milk to kill any bacteria that may compete with the yogurt bacteria. It will allow the whey proteins to denature and coagulate to enhance the viscosity and texture of the final yogurt. Some recipes will also tell you to maintain the 180 F temp for 10-20 minutes for a thicker yogurt. I don’t personally find that extra heating time is necessary.

The 110 F temperature is important because it’s the ideal temp for the yogurt fermentation to take place. If you accidentally cool down the milk lower than 110 F, just allow it to ferment a bit longer to account for the time it takes for the mixture to come back up to 110 F once it’s in your yogurt maker (or other warm spot)

How long you ferment the yogurt is your decision. Some people do as short as 8 hours, but I find yogurt at a longer fermentation is a bit thicker and has a nicer tanginess to it.

Do I need a yogurt maker?

In short – no. A yogurt maker or a yogurt setting on your electric pressure cooker is just a way to control the temperature to set at 110 F. I had a $20 yogurt maker that worked for me for over 10 years. But if you are just getting into this, or if you don’t want to go out and buy a new one-use appliance (I don’t blame you), try the following first:

  • Check your electric pressure cooker and see if it has a yogurt setting. Most do now and they are wonderful. Use this if you have it.

No yogurt setting or maker? Then wrap your warm pot of milk and yogurt starter in a towel and set it into a larger cooler or the oven with a light on for the fermentation period. You can use an instant read thermometer to track the air temperature in the oven or cooler, if you really want to be accurate, but this works without that extra work. Alternatively, you can set the towel wrapped pot in a warm spot – such as on the top of your refrigerator – and go from there. You can even set the pot on a heating pad to help it keep warm. Once you’ve picked your spot, check the yogurt at about 8-12 hours to make sure it is thickened and doing its thing.

Do I need an instant read thermometer?

No, you don’t. Just like the yogurt setting on your instant pot, a good thermometer can make the difference between good and great yogurt, but it is not entirely necessary. I currently use an instant read thermometer with a clip that stays in my milk while it heats and cools. It has the added feature of an alarm that goes off at 180 F so I don’t scorch my milk.

Before I got my current thermometer, I used a candy thermometer for many years. So anything you have handy should work. No thermometer at all? Follow the temperature descriptions in the recipe and you should end up fine.

What type of milk is best?

Use the best milk you can afford. We are working with a two ingredient recipe here, so if you have access to high quality milk, this is a good place to use it.

Whole milk makes the thickest yogurt and that is what I generally use for my yogurt. If you are using a lower fat yogurt, you can thicken the yogurt by adding 1/4 cup of dry powdered milk when you stir in the yogurt starter.

What if my yogurt is too thin?

If you end up with thinner yogurt than you’d like, you can drain the whey from the yogurt and make a greek yogurt. You can drain as much or as little whey off the yogurt as you like to adjust the thickness. Just line a colander with a couple coffee filters and set over a bowl. Add the yogurt to the calendar and give it a couple hours to drain until it is as thick as you like.

What about yogurt starter?

When you are starting with your own homemade yogurt, I recommend using a plain, unflavored whole milk yogurt from your favorite grocery store as a starter. You will use about 2-4 tablespoons of that yogurt to make two quarts of homemade yogurt.

Don’t eat the rest of that container of yogurt! You just made your own homemade yogurt, right? So, save that extra yogurt to make future batches of homemade yogurt. Just fill up an ice cube tray with that yogurt and freeze. When the cubes are frozen, pop them into a ziplock bag and keep frozen until you want to make yogurt again. Use one or two cubes per new batch – pop them out into a bowl when you start to heat the milk up and they will be thawed by the time the milk cools down to 110 F.

You can also save some of your homemade yogurt in the freezer to use to make future batches. But… (now this gets interesting), this won’t work forever. Store yogurt has active cultures in it, usually about 4-5 cultures. Those are the cultures that create good flavor or make the yogurt easy to culture for mass production. But over time, those cultures get contaminated and weaken and won’t produce as tasty of a yogurt. After somewhere between 5-10 batches of yogurt where you are using the yogurt from the last batch to make the next batch, your yogurt will start tasting slightly off. At that point, the yogurt culture has become “weak” and you need to restart with a new container of yogurt from the store.

If you really get into yogurt making – or you really just love good yogurt, then you’ll want to look up heritage yogurt cultures. These are the European and Middle Eastern yogurts that people talk about when they travel. I use a Bulgarian yogurt culture that is just amazing in flavor. Heritage yogurts have a wider range of flavors and textures and can be a lot of fun to experiment with.

Homemade Yogurt – With or Without the Instant Pot

Here is my tried and true method of making homemade yogurt. I love this recipe because it saves money and contains only milk and yogurt cultures.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 mins
Cook Time 12 hrs
Chilling Time 4 hrs
Course Breakfast, Snack
Servings 8 1 cup

Equipment

  • 1 yogurt maker or pressure cooker with a yogurt setting if you don't have a yogurt maker, see the notes below
  • 1 medium to large saucepan
  • 1 instant read thermometer a thermometer makes this easier, but if you don't have one, follow the temperature notes in the recipe.
  • 1 whisk
  • 4 2 cup mason jars optional

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups whole dairy milk You can use lower fat milk, but whole milk gives the creamiest results. See the recipe notes for more tips on using lower fat milks.
  • 3-4 tbsp plain, whole milk yogurt 

Instructions
 

  • In a large saucepan, heat milk slowly over low heat to 180 F, or until it is steaming and at a bare simmer with bubbles around the edges, but not boiling. Stir the milk occasionally as it heats. Remove milk from heat and cool milk down to 110 F or lower. It should be warm, but not hot. If you stick your finger in the milk for 10 seconds, it should feel pleasantly warm, but not hot. 
  • Transfer 1/2 cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk in yogurt until it is well combined. Add this yogurt milk mixture back to the rest of the milk and whisk to make sure it is well combined. 
  • Place milk and yogurt mixture into a yogurt maker (see notes below) and set the time for 8-24 hours, until it is thick and tangy.
  • Transfer the pot to the refrigerator and chill for at least another 4 hours. It will continue to thicken as it chills.

Notes

  • You can substitute low-fat milk – the higher milk-fat, the creamier and thicker the final yogurt. 
  • If you use skim milk, you can whisk in 1/2 cup of dry milk powder or 1 teaspoon of gelatin in step 3 to make a thicker yogurt.
  • You should heat the milk slowly – don’t rush step 1. 
  • You can cool the milk quickly in step 2, if you are in a hurry. Ways to do this include: use an ice bath, transfer the milk into into a cool bowl, stir the milk frequently.
  • The longer the yogurt sits, the tangier it will become. 
  • If you’d like to make Greek yogurt, set a calendar or sieve over a bowl and line the colander with cheesecloth or coffee filters. Take your finished yogurt (either chilled or not) and pour it into the colander. Allow to drain in the fridge for 4-6 hours until it is as thick as you like. If it gets too thick, you can whisk some of the whey back into the yogurt. Transfer the yogurt to containers. The whey can be used for smoothies, soups, lemonade, or bread baking. 
  • Your final yogurt will taste like the yogurt that you used to start this batch with, so be sure to use a yogurt you like. 
  • You can save a few tablespoons to your finished yogurt for future yogurt making. I do this by freezing some of the chilled yogurt in ice cube trays and storing in a ziplock bag in the freezer. 
  • If you find you enjoy yogurt making, you can also find heirloom starter cultures on line or at some health food stores. These starter cultures typically have a wider range of cultures in them vs. the 3-4 that you find in store-bought yogurt, so they can have a better flavor and may be considered healthier as a pro-biotic food. Follow the directions on the package to active the powdered cultures and once you have a good batch of yogurt going, you can freeze small amounts for future batches of yogurt – it’s a continuous loop of yogurt! 
Keyword breakfast, healthy, homemade, instant pot

Müesli

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Müesli is a wonderful, healthy alternative to granola. And it’s even easier to make than granola, because no oven is involved. Unlike granola, müesli has no added fat or sugar to mess with the goodness of the whole grains, nuts and dried fruits.

For serving, I spoon about 1/2 a cup of müesli over homemade yogurt for my morning breakfast. Add a banana or some berries and you are really set to go for the morning.

And if you are into overnight oats, you can sub müesli for the rolled oats. Just place about 1/2 cup of müesli into a 2 cup mason jar, cover with milk or coconut water, add some yogurt and then top off with your favorite fruit (frozen blueberries are mine). Let sit in the fridge overnight (or two) and you’ve got breakfast ready for the morning.

This recipe really should be considered as a starting point. You can mix and match your grains, nuts, seeds and fruits as you wish. A good rule of thumb to start with is about 80% grains and 20% nuts and dried fruit, but feel free to play with that ratio. I’ve added some warm spices to the mix for a little extra depth of flavor, but they can be left out or played with as you like. Here are some ideas for the ingredients to get you started.

  • Grains: Rolled oats, wheat bran, whole rye, rye flakes, whole barley, sorghum flakes, quinoa flakes, millet puffs, millet flakes, buckwheat groats.
  • Nuts/seeds: Sliced almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes.
  • Dried fruit: Dried apricots, dried cherries, dried figs, raisins, golden raisins, currants, apple chips, dried blueberries.

Müesli

andrea
Müesli is a healthy, low-sugar alternative to granola. Use this recipe as a starting point to make your favorite combination of grains, nuts, and dried fruits. Serve with milk or yogurt.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Course Breakfast
Servings 12 1/2 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup buckwheat groats
  • 1 3/4 cups rye flakes or rolled oats 
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
  • 2 tbsp shelled sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp flaxseed
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots, small diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to six months. 

To Serve

  • Serve 1/4 – 1/2 cup of muesli with an equal amount of yogurt or milk, a drizzle of honey, and fresh fruit like a sliced banana or berries. 
  • Müesli also works really well in overnight oats as a substitute for plain rolled oats. 
Keyword breakfast, easy, healthy, oats, whole grains

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I like my cookies to have a nice chewy bite, be soft in the middle, and have crispy edges. Oh, who am I kidding? I like my cookies in any form as long as they are fresh out of the oven. I pretty much have zero standards for cookies other than that they be homemade. All that said, this cookie comes out soft in the middle with crispy edges. It’s pretty darn great. It’s not overly sweet or difficult to make.

A little about sourdough starter…

I wrote this recipe specifically to use up extra sourdough starter. I think the starter helps to give the cookie its excellent crumb and softness. Your starter can be well fed or just your discard. The recipe does call for a full cup of starter, but it can easily be divided in half, depending on how much starter you have available.

And some words on flour…

Whole grain flours really make this cookie. If you only have all-purpose flour on hand, go ahead and use it. But if you’d like to increase the flavor, fiber and nutrients of your baked goods, be sure to give these a try with your favorite whole grain flour. My standard go-to for this cookie is normally a soft white wheat or a spelt flour. Both will make a chocolate chip cookie that has a nice mild flavor with slightly more depth than you’d find using all-purpose flour. But honestly, try this with any flour you have on hand. My favorite flour that I’ve tried with these cookies was buckwheat flour. Let me know in the comments what flours you try them with.

Sour Dough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serving Size:
4-5 dozen cookies
Time:
20 minutes, plus rest & baking
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • 3 cups + 2 tablespoons (380 g) of soft white whole grain wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, room temperature or softer
  • 3/4 cup (180 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup (240 g) sour dough starter discard
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
  2. Combine the butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes. The sugar butter mixture should be light colored and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs, on at a time to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
  4. Add the sour dough starter and the vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the stand mixer. Combine on low speed, just until the flour is incorporated.
  6. Add the chocolate chips to the dough and mix until just combined.
  7. The dough can be baked right away, but it benefits from at least 30 minutes rest in the fridge. Wrap the dough in parchment paper and rest in fridge for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
  8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoons on dough on the pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Spaghetti & Meatballs – Instant Pot

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Spaghetti and meatballs - five ingredients!

Let me introduce you to one of my absolute favorite go-to weeknight meals. I always have the ingredients for spaghetti in the pantry, but learning how to make spaghetti and meatballs in the pressure changer is so much simpler than the stovetop. I’ve had a recipe for Pasta and Meat Sauce on my site for a while, but I love incorporating the pasta into the cooking. This recipe is one that I pull out on nights where I really want to order carry-out, but I know it would be quicker to cook at home. If you’re looking for other ideas for quick week-night meals, we also love my recipes for Cheesy Chili Mac and Instant Pot Sloppy Joes.

A couple thoughts on this recipe. I save lots of time and energy by using frozen Italian meatballs from Costco. Find your favorite brand and just go with it. I usually dump in about a pound and a half of meatballs to feed the six of us. That’s thirty-six meatballs – yes, I count them – meatball fights are a real thing at our table. Feel free to adjust the meatball amount to what you need – the cooking time remains the same.

This really does seem to serve the six of us with a few leftovers. We typically add a salad and bread. If you want to use a whole package of spaghetti, you should add an extra cup of water and your sauce will be a bit thinner.

Instant Pot Spagetti & Meatballs

Serving Size:
serves 6
Time:
total time 30 minutes
Difficulty:
easy peasy

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lb frozen meatballs, homemade or frozen from a bag
  • 12 oz uncooked spaghetti noodles
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 32 oz pasta sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

  1. Toss the meatballs into the bottom of your instant pot.
  2. Break the spaghetti noodles in half and scatter over top of the meatballs.
  3. Drizzle the olive oil on top of the spaghetti. Pour in the pasta sauce and water on top of the spaghetti. Add a little extra water if you need to make sure the spaghetti is covered with liquid. Don’t stir!
  4. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and set the time to 8 minutes. When the timer is up, release the pressure using a quick release method. Open the lid, stir, and serve.

Fermented Carrot Sticks

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Bump up the health benefits of your carrots by fermenting them. The kids won’t even know what hit them.

Keep these carrots in a visible spot of your fridge. Put the jar smack in the middle of your sight when you open the fridge door. That way you’ll be more likely to choose the carrots as a healthy snack!

Fermented Carrot Sticks

Serving Size:
2 cups
Time:
10 minutes prep time
5-7 days ferment
Difficulty:
easy

Ingredients

  • 1 T Fine salt (iodine free – no additives)
  • 2 cups chlorine free water
  • Carrots (approximately 4 medium sized), washed well, cut into sticks (peeling is optional)
  • 1 inch ginger, cut into rounds (optional)
  • Other optional ingredients include garlic, onion, dill, turmeric, or jalapeños (pick one of the optional ingredients. 

Directions

  1. Make the brine. Combine the water and salt. Stir to dissolve the salt. 
  2. Pack the carrot sticks along with any flavorings into the jar. Pack them in tight. Allow about an inch of space between the top of the carrots and the top of the jar. 
  3. Pour the brine over the carrots.
  4. Place a weight on top of the sticks, if you have one. You can use a plastic ziplock filled with water as a weight. 
  5. Place an airlock on the top of the jar. If you don’t have an airlock, you can put the mason jar lid back on the jar and just burp (loosen) the lid once a day to release any built up gases. 
  6. Allow to ferment on the counter for 5-7 days. Start tasting after 4-5 days and when the carrots taste good to you, they can go in the fridge. 

Kraut with Carrot and Peppers

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This is a traditionally fermented sauerkraut with the happy addition of carrots and some hot peppers. If you have a turnip or radish lying around in the fridge, feel free to add it in. This recipe is a great introduction to how easy it can be to make fermented foods. I encourage you to have fun and experiment with the recipe – there is really no way to go wrong with this one.

Kraut with Carrots & Peppers

Serving Size:
1 quart
Time:
10 minutes hands on
Difficulty:
easy

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 small turnip (optional)
  • 2 jalapeños or other pepper (optional)
  • Other optional ingredients include juniper berries, an apple, red onion

Directions

  1. Reserve an outer leaf of the cabbage. Shred the veggies and combine with any seasonings in a large bowl. Add salt to taste. Add a little less salt than you think you’ll need. Massage the veggies and salt for a few minutes. The veggies should start releasing a little liquid when you squeeze them. If there is little liquid, allow the vegetables to rest for 30 minutes then check again. 
  2. Pack the vegetables tightly in the jar – pressing out any air spaces. Allow about an inch of space between the top of the veggies and the top of the jar. 
  3. Place a weight or folded cabbage leaf on top of the veggies. Alternatively, you can use a plastic ziplock filled with water as a weight. 
  4. Place an airlock on the top of the jar. If you don’t have an airlock, you can put the mason jar lid back on the jar and just burp (loosen) the lid once a day to release any built up gases. 
  5. Allow to ferment on the counter for7-10 days. Start tasting after 5 days and when the kraut tastes good to you, it can go in the fridge to slow down the fermentation.

Cinnamon Star Bread

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Cinnamon Star Bread

Serving Size:
8-16
Time:
4 hours total
Difficulty:
Medium

Ingredients – Dough

  • 2 cups (240 g) of unbleached all-purpose flour (such as King Arthur Flour in the red bag)
  • 3/4 cup (184 g) of milk (preferably whole)
  • 4 T (57 g) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 2 t instant yeast
  • 2 T (25 g) sugar
  • 1 t salt

Ingredients – Filling (and Egg Wash)

  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (99 g) sugar
  • 1 T cinnamon

Directions

  1. Heat the milk to about 110 degrees – it should be lukewarm. I heat mine 1 minute in the microwave.
  2. Combine the milk, 1 cup of flour, butter, vanilla, yeast and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, if you are mixing by hand. Slowly add the salt and enough of the remaining flour to form a shaggy dough that forms a ball. 
  3. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. The dough should be soft but not sticky. 
  4. Oil a large bowl (I use canola or another neutral flavored oil) and place the dough in the bowl. Roll the dough in the oil. Cover with a towel and place in a warm, draft free spot such as a slightly heated oven. Allow to rise about an hour until the dough has about doubled.
  5. After the dough has risen, remove from the bowl and gently deflate. Divide into four equal portions. Shape each quarter into a ball and allow to rest 10 minutes.
  6. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Beat the egg in a small bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
  7. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with a sheet of parchment or silicon baking mat.
  8. After the dough portions have rested, take one portion and roll out into a 10-inch circle. Gently move the circle onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the dough with the egg and then sprinkle with about 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar. Roll a second dough, and lay it on top of the first circle. Repeat with egg and cinnamon sugar until all of the doughs are layered. The top dough does not get egg and cinnamon sugar treatment. 
  9. Set a glass or other circle with about a 3-inch diameter in the center of the dough. This will act as a template so you don’t cut too far into the center.
  10. Using scissors or a bench knife, cut the circle into 16 even sections – stopping at the center circle marker. Remove the center circle marker.
  11. Take two strips of dough next to each other in each hand and twist away from each other two times, then pinch the strips together at the end. Repeat around the circle so that you have eight twists. 
  12. Allow the dough to rise in a warm spot again for about 45 minutes. It should be puffy at the end of this rise. 
  13. While the dough is rising, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  14. At the end of the rise, gently brush a light layer of the egg over the top of the dough. 
  15. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the bread is golden with dark cinnamon streaks. The center should register 200 degrees F on a digital thermometer. 
  16. 16.Remove from oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm or at room temperature. 
  17. You can also allow it to cool completely at this point and wrap in tin foil or freezer paper and freeze. To serve from frozen, allow to come to room temperature overnight (either in the fridge or on the counter) and then heat (covered loosely with tin foil in a 325 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. 

Cinnamon Rolls – Tangzhong method

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This recipe uses the tangzhong method of heating a small portion of the liquid and flour together to form a paste. This simple step allows the starches in the flour to gelatinize and gives the bread dough a little different texture than a typical dough. I feel the tangzhong method allows you to work with a slightly wetter dough than normal, which creates a softer end dough. Because of the tangzhong method, the final bread will have a slightly higher rise and better shelf life.

Let’s talk a bit about flour. This recipe calls for bread flour – but if you don’t have that handy, you can use a good strong all purpose flour. King Arthur’s all-purpose flour (in the red bag) works well in this recipe. Be aware that not all flours are created equal – some all purpose flours will have a lower protein level which result in less rise of the final dough. If you find yourself disappointed in the final results of any bread recipe, I always recommend looking at the flour you are baking with.

Most of you know by now that I really like a little flavor in my breads. Even with cinnamon rolls, I find that substituting a small portion of the white flour with a good whole grain flour adds a beautiful amount of flavor to otherwise bland white bread. About 10-20% of the white flour can be substituted with spelt or a whole wheat flour. For these cinnamon rolls, I often use 50 grams of spelt flour and 250 grams of white flour in the main dough.

And my final comment on flour – if you are measuring by volume, use the stir and scoop method to measure the flour. With a large spoon, stir your flour in it’s container. Then, using the spoon, scoop it gently into the measuring cup until the measuring cup is overfull. Then, use a straight edge to level off the top of the measuring cup.

This dough will be very wet. You will be tempted to add more flour. Don’t do it. Trust me. The dough will come together as it is kneaded. If kneading by hand, you may need to use a bench knife to scrape the dough off of the board and back into the dough mass. A slap and fold technique is probably the best way to knead this dough together. If this is a new kneading technique to you, there are lots of YouTube videos out there with demonstrations – this one from Richard Bertinet is one that I like. His method is not exactly the same as mine, but the idea is the same. At around 3 minutes, this YouTube video from Chew-y Bakes shows a similar method to the one I use.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls – Tangzhong Method

Serving Size:
10-12
Time:
2-4 hours total
Difficulty:
Medium

Ingredients – Tangzhong

  • 113 g (1/2 cup) whole milk
  • 23 g (3 T) bread flour (or all-purpose flour)

Ingredients – Dough

  • 151 g (3/4 cup) whole milk (cold from fridge, is fine)
  • 28 g (2 tablespoons) butter, unsalted
  • 63 g (3 tablespoons) honey
  • 6 g (2 teaspoons) instant yeast)
  • 300 g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 8 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) fine table or sea salt

Ingredients – Filling

  • 84 g (6 tablespoons) softened butter, unsalted
  • 107 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
  • 8-10 g (3-4 teaspoons) cinnamon

Ingredients – Frosting

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon butter, softened
  • 2-4 tablespoons Half and half or whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • dash of almond extract, optional

Directions

  1. Combine the tangzhong ingredients in a small saucepan. Whisk so no lumps remain. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and your spoon leaves a trail through the mixture. Remove from saucepan and put into the bottom of your mixing bowl or stand mixer.
  2. Add remaining dough ingredients to the stand mixer in the order listed. The warmth of the heated flour & milk mixture will heat the cold milk and dough. 
  3. Stir the ingredients together to form a shaggy mass. If you are using a stand mixer, turn the mixer to low and allow to knead for 6-8 minutes. If you are kneading by hand, turn the dough onto the counter and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will be wet and will seem like it needs more flour. Don’t add more flour – it will come together as it is kneaded. If kneading by hand, you may need to use a bench knife to scrape the dough off of the board and back into the dough mass. A slap and fold technique is probably the best way to knead this dough together. Once the dough forms a smooth ball and passes the window pane test, it is ready for the first rise.
  4. Oil the dough and place in a warm (80 degrees F), draft free spot for about 90 minutes until it is almost doubled in size. This is a slow rising dough. It may take longer to rise. If you are tight on time, you can put the dough into the fridge at this point (before it has risen completely) and hold it up to 24 hours. Then continue with the rest of the recipe.
  5. While the dough is rising, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl – butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to make a crumbly paste.  When the dough is finished rising, gently turn out the dough onto your work surface. You may oil the work surface, but avoid flouring the surface. Shape the dough into a large rectangle about 12 inches by 18 inches with the long side facing you. Sprinkle the filling all over the dough, leaving about an inch along the long edge (towards you) free of filling – this is to allow you to seal the dough together in the next step.
  6. Starting from the long edge away from you, roll the dough gently towards you. When the dough is fully rolled, seal the edge (this should be the edge with no filling) to the roll by gently pinching. Using a bread knife or a long piece of string, slice the dough into rolls. 8 rolls will produce nice large cinnamon rolls, but you can make smaller ones if you like (I usually make 12 smaller rolls). Place the rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Tuck the tails of the rolls under the roll so they don’t pop out when they bake. You can also place them into a cake pan, if you prefer – this will make pull apart rolls (expect these rolls to need a little extra cooking time). If you would like to bake the rolls the next day, or in the morning, you can cover the rolls at this point and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. They will be ready to go into the oven when you pull them from the fridge.
  7. Cover lightly with a clean kitchen towel or oiled plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot to rise. Rolls will take about 20-30 minutes to rise. About 15 minutes before you expect the dough to be finished rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the dough is risen, you’ll be able to gently push your finger into the dough, it will leave an imprint and the imprint will slowly bounce back.
  8. Bake in a 375 degree oven. 15-20 minutes for rolls baked on a baking sheet. Rolls baked in a cake pan will take about 30 minutes to bake. When done, the rolls will be golden brown. If you have an instant read thermometer (I use a Thermapen brand), it should read about 190 in the center of the pan of rolls. 
  9. Combine the all frosting ingredients except the milk. Sifting the powdered sugar and using very soft butter will help reduce lumps. Whisk together and slowly add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you have a consistency that you like. Frost the rolls when they are warm or cooled. 
  10. Enjoy!