HOW TO COOK A CHICKEN IN A CROCK POT

It is best if you cook chicken breast from fresh rather than frozen (according to Kate Penhallegan).  Put 1/2 cup stock to every pound of chicken.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Garlic salt is good as well.  Cook for 6-8 hours.  Take out breasts and either shred or cut into chunks.

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/slow-cooker-chicken-recipe/

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

HOW TO ROAST PUMPKIN SEEDS
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/17/how-to-roast-perfect-pumpkin-seeds-easy-crunchy-addictive/
I used Kosher salt.

UPDATE: Stephanie Seaton made roasted pumpkin seeds at our YW activity.  She cooked them at 425 and would take them out and stir them so often.  She used season salt.  They were really good. Cooked them for about 20+ minutes.

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. The best way to do this (that I have discovered from your comments!) is to plunk the seeds + guts into a big bowl of water and use your hands to break it apart. The seeds will float to the top of the water! They clean much faster this way.

Note: Some of you say that sugar pumpkin seeds yield much crispier seeds than carving pumpkins. I used sugar pumpkin seeds and mine were certainly super crispy!

2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. Using Elise’s method for inspiration, I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Apparently, this method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting. If you are short on time, you can totally skip this step! They will still turn out lovely.

3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down.

4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oil into seeds and add a generous sprinkle of Herbamare (or fine grain sea salt will do). Try to spread out the seeds as thin as possible with minor overlapping.

5. Roast seeds at 325F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Roast for another 8-10 minutes (if your oven temp is wonky, this bake time could vary a lot!). During the last 5 minutes of roasting, remove a few seeds and crack open to make sure the inner seeds are not burning (you don’t want the inner seed brown). Cool a couple and pop them into your mouth to test. They are ready when the shell is super crispy and easy to bite through. The inner seed should have only a hint of golden tinge to it. They should not be brown.

6. EAT! Remove from oven, add a bit more Herbamare, and dig in! Ah, so good, so good! There is no need to remove the outer shell; it’s quite possibly the best part.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/17/how-to-roast-perfect-pumpkin-seeds-easy-crunchy-addictive/#ixzz3HPIyoPHX

ROAST/SKIN GREEN CHILI PEPPERS

How to Skin Green Chili Peppers

By Tom Ross, eHow Contributor

 
 
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Green chili peppers can burn you; handle them with gloves.

You must remove the outer skin of green chili peppers to enjoy them. Each autumn throughout Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, chili roaster cages turn over a hot fire and fill the chilly air with the distinctive aroma of roasting peppers. The peppers are sold by the pound or in 10-lb. and 20-lb. burlap bags. Grocers and street vendors offer the service of roasting the peppers to loosen the outer skin. Buyers then take the peppers home and finish the process of removing the loosened skin. Chili season is a much awaited event, and people purchase enough chili for most of the year.

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Things You'll Need

• Broiler
• Cookie sheet
• Large container

Show (4) More

Instructions

1. • 1
     Wash and dry the green chili peppers thoroughly.
   • 2
     Turn the broiler in the oven on high.
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   • 3
     Place the green chili peppers side by side in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
   • 4
     Roast the green chili peppers approximately three to four minutes on each side.
   • 5
     Place the green chili peppers in a large container, cover it with plastic wrap and allow the green peppers to steam until cool.
   • 6
     Peel the skins off of the peppers. It may be necessary to do so under running water for skins that are stubborn to remove. Wear rubber gloves and even safety glasses. Handling the peppers without gloves will irritate the skin, and gas from the green chili peppers can do the same to the eyes. Unconsciously touching the face or eyes will result in a serious burning sensation.
   • 7
     Place the peppers in a plastic bag and freeze until ready for use.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_7720108_skin-green-chili-peppers.html#ixzz2wX3Kfbtl

COOK A PUMPKIN

http://stacienaczelnik.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Cook-Fresh-Pumpkin

Option #1: The Oven

Cut pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds. Place pumpkin halves facedown in a baking dish. Add 1/2" of water to pan: this helps keep the pumpkin flesh moist.

Bake at 450º until you can pierce the skin with a fork (about 45 minutes to an hour).

Scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon.

Step by Step Pictures of Option #1

Click thumbnail to view full-size

First of all, pick your pumpkin!

Option #2: The Microwave

Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into large chunks (so it will fit in microwave), leaving skin on. Place pumpkin chunks in a shallow, microwave-safe dish with a lid (or cover with plastic wrap).

Spray the cut pumpkin surfaces with cooking spray, and cover. Cook on high for 15 minutes, or until tender (feels soft and cooked).

Alternately, you can add water to the dish, eliminating the spray, to keep the pumpkin from drying out.

Option #3: The Stovetop

Cut pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds. Then, cut pumpkin into large chunks, but leave the skin on.

Place chunks in a large steamer basket (or a colander placed inside a dutch oven, with water on the bottom). Steam for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender.

Check out these great pumpkin recipes!

• Pumpkin Recipes: Easy & Yummy
  Tasty recipes for Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes, Profound Pumpkin Pudding, Cheesy Pumpkin Soup, and Snackable Pumpkin Bread.
• More Simple Pumpkin Recipes
  More tasty pumpkin recipes: Pumpkin Pie Muffins, Pumpkin Pudding Pies, and Pumpkin Mashed "Mock" Potatoes.
• How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds
  Pumpkin seeds taste great, plus they are really good for you. You can add these yummy seeds to salads, or keep them handy for a healthy snack. These are two great methods for cooking pumpkin seeds. These...
• Pumpkin Dessert Recipes: Low Point & Low Calorie
  The holiday season is abundant with tasty temptations, but these recipes will help you keep your waistband from growing: Pumpkin Cheesecake Pudding (2 points), Pumpkin Muffins (3 points), Pumpkin Fluff (2 points).

JAM/JELLY TIPS

At a class (8/29/13) at Carla Sorter's house by Tina Johnson she made pear jams.  They were all so good.  I put the recipes she gave us in the Made from Scratch folder.  Some tips I learned:

*She likes to cook the fruit down with a little bit of sugar.  Chop up fruit (don't peel) then using a potato masher.  Mash and stir, mash and stir while it cooks on the stove.  Then run it through the food mill (thing you turn).  For berries she heats up again and then run through a flour shifter to get rid of all the seeds (doing this you don't need to use a cheese cloth).  Then you have your juice.  Doing it this way you keep most of the nutrients.

*She boils down her pears and then from that mixture she makes either jam, sauce or butters.  After you make this mixture you can refrigerate and use within 4 days.

*Use stainless steel when canning.

*Adding 1 tsp butter keeps the foam off.

THINGS TO REMEMBER / TIPS

TIPS AND THINGS I HAVE TRIED AND LIKED AND DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

*hot water with lemon - one small mug full of hot water + 1 tsp. lemon juice + 2 tsp. fiber supplement - This is a great substitute for hot chocolate. Also a good thing to have before going to bed or in the morning.

*Can freeze lemons and limes whole - then defrost and juice or zest.

*sprinkled wheat germ on top of grapefruit - liked it. Abagail ate it too.

*Egg replacement in recipes: 1 T flaxseed meal to 3 T water. Let soak for 2 minutes.

*How to deseed a pomegranate: cut pomegranate into sections and put in a bowl of water. Pop seeds out in the water. They will float to the bottom and everything else will float to the top.

*I don't like cilantro neither do kids but Scott does in small amounts.

*Rice and left over spaghetti freeze really well.

*Can use plain greek yogurt in recipes instead of butter, mayo or sour cream. Is also good on top of anything you would put sour cream on top of (potatoes, taco soup etc.)

*Substituted black refried beans in brownies instead of oil - no one noticed and everyone liked them..hee..hee.

*Cheese is best at room temperature.

*Add seasonings last 20 minutes of bake time - will then have the most flavor. Always remove the bay leaf - it can make your tongue tingle if eaten.

*Drain moisture from your potatoes before making hash browns (put the shredded potatoes in a towel or paper towel and sqeeze).

*freeze extra bread (or the heels) and then when there are lots put in food processor to make bread crumbs.  Use within a few days or freeze.

*left over buttermilk can be frozen to be used later. Can make own buttermilk by adding 1T lemon juice, 1T white vinegar or 1/2 tsp cream of tarter to 1 cup milk.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Or whisk together 3/4 cup plain yogurt to 1/4 cup milk.  

*Can make own taco shells by frying 15 seconds per side.  Make sure to fold over.
Can also bake them in the oven by putting them upside down over oven tray slats.

*Whipping cream: fill a jar one-quarter full with cold heavy cream then seal and shake until cream is thick and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.


*make own BROWN SUGAR - 1 cup sugar with 4 tsp of molasses for light, or 1/4 cup molasses for dark

*to get rid of the pickle smell in a jar.  Put some oxiclean mixture and water and soak overnight.

*Some foods that are proven to boost metabolism: tomatoes, water, spinach, fish, cottage cheese, lemon, egg whites, avocado, apples, blueberries and almonds.  Sleep is very important too!

*to clean grease off burners on the stove - put them in a ziploc bag with about 1/4 c of ammonia and seal the bag.  Let it sit overnight then wipe with a sponge.

*Fun way to make cornbread - waffle maker.  Used recipe in McCleve 2nd book.  They were even better when we warmed up the extras on 350.  Make them more crunchy.  Some of us just ate the chili and then topped waffles with butter & honey - yum!

*Miranda Ealy gave me this tip after she brought super soft peanut butter cookies to YW (Bro. Cunningham said they were the bomb).  Only cook cookies for 8 minutes then leave on rack for 2 more minutes then place in a container that you can cover.  The moister is then locked in.

BLACKBERRY-BLUEBERRY JAM

Jackie Hall (Lisa’s friend) sent me this recipe. Her family loves it.

http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2008/07/blackberry-blueberry-jam-low-sugar.html

Blackberry-Blueberry Jam

4 quarts (16 cups) mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)

4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup honey, more if your berries are particularly tart

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 package pectin (Sure-Jell, Certo, or the like, about 2 1/2 T.)

Clean and sterilize jars, lids, and rings.

Put clean, stemmed berries into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pare and chop apples. I used Granny Smith, but any tart cooking apple will do.

Mix together sugar and pectin and add to berries along with the honey and cook over medium heat. Bring slowly to the boil and boil gently for at least thirty minutes or until it looks like jam and tastes like jam. Mine took about 45-60 minutes. Use your best judgment.

Take a bit out on a spoon and put it on a cold plate. Are the juices watery-looking? Keep cooking until you when you put a little dab on a plate it has a more syrupy consistency. Let the dab cool a bit. It should begin to set up a little. It doesn’t have to be terribly thick or gelatinous (you want to be able to spread it on your toast without undue effort). If you have much foam, skim it off with a spoon. At this point, turn off the heat and ladle the jam into the jars.

I don’t have a jar gripper, so I take a tea towel and wrap it around the empty jar like a scarf as a heat-proof handle.

Then I fill them up within 1/2 inch of the top, add lids and loosely screw down the rings.

Lastly they go into the canner for a 5 minute process and they are done. Let them cool. Tighten lids up a bit. Over the next hour or so, the lids will seal with a pop. After they seal, if you press a finger on the top of the lid, the lid will be pressed in and will not pop back and forth. That’s a good seal.

This recipe makes 5 pints (I got 6 plus 2 small ones and plenty to eat).

QUINOA

HOW TO COOK:
Bring 2 cups water to boil
Add 1 cup Quinoa (bought in bulk section at WinCo)
Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes (not covered)
Remove from heat and fluff with a fork
Cover and let stand for 5 minutes

FOR BREAKFAST:
bring 2 cups to a boil
add 1 cup Quinoa
boil again
reduce to low simmer
cover for 15 min
stir in 3T brown sugar and cinnamon
cook covered about 8 min
A really chewy experience :-)

Jackson really liked it. Jackson put soy sauce on it - Scott and I used Hot Chili sauce. It was good.

The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids. Some types of wheat come close to matching quinoa's protein content, but grains such as barley, corn, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa. Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces a day, about 1/2-cup, will provide a childs protein needs for one day. The 6-7% fat of quinoa is relatively high when compared to other grains, but it boasts a low sodium content and also provides valuable starch and fiber. Quinoa also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum, and many plant and animal tissues. The seeds are gluten-free which makes this a nutritious and flavorful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity. Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyone's diet, supplying variety as well as good nutrition. The seed is also excellent feed for birds and poultry and the plant itself is good forage for cattle.
Cooked quinoa is excellent in hot casseroles and soups, stews, in stir-fries, or cold in salads. The seeds cook very quickly, in only 15 minutes. Uncooked seeds may be added to soups and stews as you would barley or rice and quinoa is often substituted for rice in rice dishes. Dry roasting quinoa in a pan or in the oven, before cooking will give a toasted flavor, and it can be cooked in fruit juice to add character to the flavor for use as a breakfast cereal or in desserts. Cold salads consisting of quinoa and chopped vegetables or cooked beans make a quick, easy, and nutritious dish.