~ Soup In-A-Jar ~

Turning from the sweets today we are going to talk Soup. This recipe is for Farmhouse Soup. The ingredients you will need are: 2 Tablespoons of dried minced onion * 2 Tablespoons of dried parsley flakes * 2 teaspoons of salt * 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper * 2 Tablespoons of beef bouillon flakes * 1/2 cup of quick cook barley * 1/2 cup of dried split peas * 1/2 cup of rice, uncooked, do not use instant * 1/2 cup of dry lentils * 1/2 cup of alphabet pasta, uncooked * 1 cup of flavored spiral, macaroni, uncooked

Directions: In a small zip-type bag, add and mix the dried minced onion, parsley flakes, salt, lemon pepper and bouillon flakes. Seal and set aside. Using a funnel, layer the ingredients in this order in a 1-quart jar: barley, peas, rice, lentils and pasta. Add the zip-type bag with the seasonings then fill the rest of the jar with the spiral macaroni. Seal the jar and attach a tag with the following instructions: In a stockpot add the contents of this jar along with 3 quarts of water, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage and 2 cups of diced tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat for approximately 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender. Tomorrow, Jambalaya In-A-Jar. ~ Chef ~

~ Brownies In-A-Jar ~

Ingredients: 5/8 cup all-purpose flour * 3/4 tsp salt * 1/3 cup cocoa * 1/2 cup all-purpose flour * 2/3 cup brown sugar * 2/3 cup white sugar * 1/2 cup chocolate chips * 1/2 cup vanilla chips * 1/2 cup walnuts
Directions: Mix the first flour and salt together and put into the bottom of a quart jar. Layer the rest of the ingredients in the order they are given. Attach a tag with the following directions to the jar: 1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x9 pan. 2) Pour contents of jar in a large bowl and mix well. 3) Stir in 1 tsp vanilla, 2/3 cup of oil and 3 eggs. Beat till combined. 4) Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Tomorrow, Soup-In-A-Jar. ~ Chef ~

~ Chocolate Chip Cookies In-A-Jar ~

Hope all of you had a Happy Thanksgiving and didn't do too much shopping. As promised this week I am going to feature "Gifts-In-A-Jar". Today, we still start with the most popular ... Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt ~ 1 teaspoon baking soda ~ 2 cups all-purpose flour ~ 1 cup brown sugar ~ 1/2 cup granulated sugar ~ 1-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions: Mix the salt and baking soda in with the flour, then layer the ingredients in a quart-size jar in the order listed above, with the chocolate chips being on top.
~~~~~Enclose a card with the following information along with mixing and baking directions. Chocolate Chip Cookies In-A-Jar should be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. Mix the contents of this jar with: 1 c. unsalted butter or margarine, 1 large egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift dry ingredients through a colander to separate the chocolate chips from the other ingredients. Beat butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Beat sifted ingredients into butter until blended. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the vanilla. Mix beaten egg mixture into butter mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop teaspoon size balls of batter, spaced well apart, onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 4 dozen. Tomorrow, Brownies-In-A-Jar. ~ Chef ~

~*~ Happy Thanksgiving ~*~

~ Chef ~

~oOo~ Pumpkin Pie ~oOo~

Here's another recipe that will require some work but remember what I said, "your Guest will be Impressed".

Ingredients: 1 medium Pie Pumpkin * 1 c. of heavy cream * 2 tsp. of flour * 3 large eggs * 1/4 c. of brown sugar * 1 T. of granulated sugar * 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon * 1/4 tsp. of clove * 1/4 tsp. of ginger * 1/2 t. of salt * a pinch of black pepper * (1) deep-dish pie shell

Directions: First, cut in half and remove the seeds and strings from one medium pie pumpkin. Make sure you use pie pumpkins as all pumpkins are not suitable for making pies. Place cut side down in a shallow casserole dish with a little water and bake at 350º until tender, approximately 35-45 minutes. When done, allow to cool and scoop out the pumpkin. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin. Puree the pumpkin in a blender or by hand with a potato masher. In a medium pan whisk together 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 2 tsp. of flour. Heat this mixture over low heat until it thickens. Then slowly whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Continue to whisk until it reaches a boil and then remove from the heat. It will be fairly thick. Set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree and 3 eggs. In another small bowl mix the 1/4 c. of brown sugar, 1 T. of granulated sugar, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of clove, 1/4 tsp. of ginger, 1/2 tsp. of salt and the pinch of black pepper. Stir the sugar and spices into the pumpkin mixture and then add in the thickened cream. Whisk together vigorously. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie shell up to the top. Bake at 375º for 45 – 50 minutes. Test with a sharp knife to determine if it’s done – knife should be clean when removed from center of the pie. Allow to cool slightly and serve. This concludes my pre-Thanksgiving ideas. On Monday I am going to start a series on Gifts-in-a-Jar. Enjoy! ~ Chef ~

~ Cornbread ~

This is not your typical cornbread. This recipe calls for jalapenos so its not something you would want to use in your Thanksgiving Dressing.

Ingredients: 4 T. unsalted butter -NOT margarine ~ 1 small red jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped ~ 2 scallions, thinly sliced ~ 1 clove of garlic, minced ~ 1/2 tsp. of salt ~ 1/2 c. of yellow cornmeal ~ 1/2 c. of all-purpose flour ~ 1 tsp. of sugar ~ 1/2 tsp. of baking soda ~ 1 c. of buttermilk, shaken ~ 1 large egg ~ 1 c. of grated sharp cheddar cheese

(Note: Bacon grease will be needed to grease the pans. Us Southerners keep this in the refrigerator at all times. IF you don't have this on hand simply use 2 T. of melted butter.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place (2) 7-stick cast-iron corn stick pans in the oven to heat no less than 15 minutes. Melt 4 T. of butter in a medium pan over medium heat until it foams. Toss in the jalapenos, scallions and garlic. Cook until softened about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda and 1/2 tsp. of salt in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg lightly in a small bowl until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture all at once. Stir the two mixtures together only until combined. Add the jalapeno mixture to the bowl along with any butter left in the pan. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to combined. The batter will be thick! Remove the hot pans from the oven and brush them with the bacon grease (or butter). Pour the batter into the pans and place in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Tomorrow, we will discuss homemade Pumpkin Pie! ~ Chef ~

~*~ Cranberry Sauce ~*~

As promised today we are going to talk Cranberry Sauce. NO not this stuff. Now give yourself plenty of time as this will take approximately 13 hours to chill firm.
Ingredients:
4 (12-oz) bags of cranberries (thaw completely if frozen) * 3 cups of sugar * 3 1/3 cups of cold water * 2 T. of unflavored gelatin * You will also need a 3 1/2-cup decorative mold or 10 individual (1/3-cup) decorative molds.

Directions: Bring cranberries, sugar and 3 cups of water to a boil in a 4 to 5-quart heavy saucepan. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until all berries have burst. This will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into a large fine-mesh sieve set over a 2-quart glass bowl and let stand until all juices have drained through, about 30 minutes. If necessary, press on solids until there is enough juice to measure 3 cups, then discard the solids. Stir together gelatin and remaining 1/3 cup water and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring 1 cup of the drained cranberry liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add gelatin mixture and stir until just dissolved. Add gelatin mixture to remaining cranberry liquid and stir well. Pour cranberry sauce into lightly oiled molds and chill. Once slightly set cover with plastic wrap. Place back into the refrigerator until firmly set, at least 12 hours. To unmold, run tip of a thin knife between edge of mold and the cranberry sauce. Tilt mold sideways and tap side of mold against a surface, turning it, to evenly break seal and loosen cranberry sauce. Keeping the mold tilted, invert a plate over mold, then invert cranberry sauce onto plate. Cranberry sauce can be chilled in mold up to 2 days. Cranberry sauce can be unmolded 1 hour ahead and re-chilled or kept at room temperature. Whew! I know this is work compared to opening a can but your guest will be impressed. Tomorrow, Cornbread! ~ Chef ~