Bless My Heart I Married A Yankee

I have not posted in a while.  Life kind of got in the way of everything.  Then just like that life came back in a way I never thought would have happened. I am back to having fun in the kitchen.   This past week I made some different varieties of hot/spicy strawberry jelly and some of my trademark pepper jellies.  In doing so I realized I have never posted a recipe of my pepper jelly.  Hopefully I will be able to do that in the next few days. I am also planning on making elderberry jelly from some dried elderberries I have.  I am really excited about that.   Speaking of Pepper Jelly I plan on making a Rose Wine Pepper Jelly.   The blueberry bushes are loaded.  My strawberry patch is fizzling out.   Life continues.  So stay tuned for more recipes and fun around the Cristina's household.

I totally forgot just how delicious it is to eat focaccia.  I do not even understand why I have not made any in years.  It is seriously wonderful bread and a great way to start a meal with friends.   Sourdough bread is so good for you too.  You are using flour that is more natural.  Wild yeast grows in the starter causing probiotics to grow.  Probiotics are excellent for your gut.  Which makes this bread a better option for the bread lovers out there.  Weird to know a carb full bread can actually be better for you than other bread and help to regulate your sugar. Again, most people do not have a starter just laying around but they are so easy to make.  Honestly, it is 2 ingredients and about 6 days.  Now you have to have special ingredients.  Like unbleached flour and water that has no chlorine in it.  Click  here  to learn how to make your own starter.  Or if you know someone with a starter they can give you a cup and you are ready to go.  Once you have an active ripe

If you follow my blog on Facebook you know I have started my four sourdough starter once again.  I normally work with a potato flake starter and have had wonderful success with it but I like the versatility of a flour starter.  I know it has been a while since I have posted much on here.  Life kind of happens.  I was watching my grandson for my daughter then life happened and she lost her job during this pandemic.  I will not go there because everyone has their own thoughts on what is going on.  It probably is better for me to keep mine to myself. Click  here  to learn how to make your own starter.  I know most people do not have one just lying around.  It takes a few days to make one and believe it or not it does not take a rocket scientist to make your own starter.   Last night I had fed my starter and thought let's make pancakes tomorrow for breakfast.  I have some flash-frozen blueberries leftover from last summer.  Blueberry pancakes.  YUMMY.   This recip

I have to admit I have had dried hibiscus flowers for like over 2 years now and just never made it into tea.  Last week my husband can home and was telling me about some tea he had at a Mexican restaurant that day.  He explained to me that it was hibiscus tea.  I told him that I had dried hibiscus flowers in the cabinet and could make him some.   That very night I threw some dried flowers in some water and boiled them then allowed them to steep overnight.  The next day, I strained out the flowers and poured the tea into a pitcher.  If you know me, I hate to waste stuff so I then put the flowers back in my pot and added some more water.  Brought it to a boil and allowed it to steep all day.  About 8 hours later I added it to the other tea and put around 1/4 cup of agave syrup in the pitcher.   Hibiscus tea reminds me of cranberry juice.  It is nice and tart with a delicate flowery sweet flavor.   If you prefer to have a calorie-free drink do not add any sugar or

I have been making pumpkin butter for some time.  This butter is quite good and I am not a pumpkin fan.   Better yet it is so easy to make.  I used fresh pumpkin to make my own pumpkin puree.  You can buy pumpkin puree.  I also have some puree in the freezer and chunks of pumpkin canned.   Since I started with fresh pumpkin  I started by cooking it in the microwave and then chopping it up and placing the pumpkin in my crockpot. I had to cook my pumpkin for a while longer before it was soft enough to make the puree.  Once it was I used my immersion blender to puree it up.   Add the spices and sugar. Then allow it to cook down. If you are starting with already canned puree, place this in your crockpot and allow to warm.  Then add your spices and sugar.  You want the puree warm to help melt the sugar and blend the spices.  This is where my recipe gets a bit dicey.  Per safety rules you should not can pumpkin butter.  Everything I have read is it is du

I love making sourdough bread.  I try hard not to eat too much of it though.  But it is so much fun to make and give to friends. I have played around numerous times with my starter, making various bread.  From focaccia, sandwich, cinnamon rolls, sweet bread, pizza crust but it has been a while since I used some whole wheat flour.  I decided I wanted to play around and see what I could do.  First, I was going for getting the correct ratio of whole wheat flour to bread flour.  I did not want the bread to be too dense.  In the past, I have had that issue and I personally was not fond of it but others were.  Second, I was going for a crunchy crust.  Which meant I had to create some steam in the oven.  Last but not least, I was going for different shapes.  I think I nailed all 3.  As I mentioned this recipe is sourdough and the starter I used was a potato flake starter.  If you do not have a starter  click here  for the recipe.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so if you do not h

CHICKEN CACCIATORE  This is by far one of my favorite meals.  It is especially good on a cold fall or winter's night.  The warmth of this dish will spread heat through your body to keep you nice and toasty.  Who is kidding it is just so good that you can eat it on any day.   In Italian cacciatore means hunter, with onions, peppers, herbs, tomatoes, and wine.  Of course, you have to add plenty of garlic.  Normally this dish is made with braised chicken or rabbit.  Yes, rabbit.   In this recipe, I used bone-in chicken thighs with the skin left on.  However, I do plan on using rabbit the next time I make this dish.  Which will be sooner than later.  I honestly can not say just how delicious this meal is.   If you have the option use the best ingredients you can.  If you can use fresh do so.  The quality of this dish is stepped up by using the best ingredients.  I used home-canned San Marzano tomatoes and marinara sauce.  I also was able to use a few fresh tom