Homemade Peanut Butter

20180124_0757Okay, you know I can HEAR you rolling your eyes.  Yes, I bother to make my own nut butter for two very good reasons: 1) control of my ingredients, 2) I’m tired of fighting with jars of stiff peanut butter and having the jar win.

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Kalamata-Style Home Cured Olives

20180122_153844A few years ago I was doing some last minute birthday shopping for the Old Man at a local hardware supply store.  Lo and behold, I stumbled across something I knew he would want (like, really want): a Kalamata olive tree.

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Balsamic Vinaigrette

20180115_164323Okay, say the following in the voice of an upset three year old: I can do it myself!  This was (still is?) me throughout much of my life.  I would say ask my mom, but please don’t.  She’ll be a little too happy to share stories.

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“Cheater’s” Sourdough Starter

20171210_152801What do you mean you didn’t make the sourdough starter I told you about?  What were you waiting for?  A shortcut?  Oh.

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Apple Pectin Jams & Jellies

Really, sometimes there’s no school like old school.  I’m pretty darned sure the settlers didn’t have a box of pectin in the back of the wagon.  They just used fruit, water, and sugar.  That’s it.  They relied on natural sources of pectin and just a slight bit of patience.  No food colors, no gelling enhancers.

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Bone Broth

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Could there be anything more old fashioned than bone broth? Talk about an opportunity to take the proverbial “two bites from one apple”. Once the meat has been pulled away, you are left with bones that seem to have no further purpose, but wait! There’s more! In fact even more than you realize just yet.

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Super Easy, No Waste Sourdough Starter

20170910_142302[1]When I decided to experiment with making sourdough bread, I started looking up information on making the “starter” cultures that were needed for the dough. Time and again, the recipes and instructions I found had you start with large quantities of flour and water, then after allowing it to sit and ferment, take all but a small amount and, get this, THROW. THE. REST. AWAY. The reason for this last step was because you would need to add more flour and water at regular periods and so if you didn’t throw some out, you would eventually have a monster bowl of sourdough starter.

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Greek Yogurt Recipe

Most of what you find in the grocery store that claims to be Greek Yogurt is really Greek-style yogurt.  Big difference.  Real Greek yogurt is made with certain strains of bacteria that lend a less tart flavor, and the final product is strained to remove the whey creating that thick and creamy texture Greek Yogurt is so famous for.  Greek-style yogurt often uses the same cultures as “regular” yogurt and is thickened with things like pectin or gelatin.  This is especially done for fat-free Greek yogurt, four words that really just shouldn’t be allowed to exist together.  It’s not bad, it’s just not right.  So let’s do it right!

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