Category: Grandpa’s Use Only

This is for my reference only.  I’ve made a few changes and substitutions, indicated by (GR) for Grandpa’s Revision

INGREDIENTS

• 6-8 medium to large apples
  Fuji, Gala and Granny Smith
  About TWO POUNDS by weight AFTER peeling and coring
• 1/2 C of apple cider (no preservatives if possible)
• 1 C  granulated white sugar
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg – freshly grated
• scant teaspoon cloves
• 1 tsp lime juice (GR)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• scant salt

This recipe makes about 2-4 jars, so if you plan on using it over the next few months, you don’t have to can it.  If you are planning to can some, double the recipe and follow standard canning procedures (which will not be repeated here)

STEP BY STEP

1. Wash your jars in the dishwasher so they are as sterile as possible
2. Put a small pot of boiling water in the far corner of your stove top and let it simmer for now (GR)
3. Peel and core your apples, and then chop, mince or grate (GR)
4. Bring all other ingredients up to a boil on your stove top
5. Add your apple pieces to the boiling mixture
6. Let simmer about 60 minutes
7. IMPORTANT NOTE: During the cooking process, the liquid may expand to about TWICE the original size, so make sure you have a large pot.
8. If you don’t have an immersible thermometer, GET ONE.  Here is the one that I use, and I LOVE IT.  It is by Thermoworks, and is not all that expensive for the use you will get out of it.  This is also good for cooking meat, potatoes, etc.  I also got an infrared thermometer that I used for grill and pan temperatures.
   –
   THE CANNING PROCESS
9. Heat until it reaches 220-222º
10. Put a lid (one by one) into the small pan of boiling water to soften the seal.
11. Pour into prepared canning jars, screw lid on finger tight, and set on the counter.
    Even without hot water bath canning, the “counter canned” apple butter should last a few months in the refrigerator.

THIS RECIPE HAS NOT YET BEEN TESTED

• • 3 TBL butter melted
  • 1/4 C AP flour
  • 3 TBL milk
    • Heat in skillet until it thickens into a blob
  • 2 C more of cake flour
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • 1 TBL instant coffee
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
    • Mix dry ingredients to combine
  • 1/2 whole milk – room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • add melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
    • Whisk to combine
  • Put Kitchen Aid on low, and drizzle in wet ingredients
  • Add starter and mix on high until combined
    • The dough will still be sticky
  • Dump onto a heavily floured surface
  • Work dough with hands – kneading until it is not too sticky
  • Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch in thickness
  • Using a pastry ring cut circles from the dough, and place on parchment paper in groups of three – making a triangle
  • You can roll out remaining edges to get a few more circles
  • Put into refrigerator to cool at least 45 minutes
  • Prepare hot oil (365º)
    • PREPARE ICING
  • Meanwhile mix up 2 C confectioner sugar with 1/2 tsp vanilla
    and 2 TBL milk
    • NOTE:  It is easier to add a few drops of liquid rather than to try to recover from an icing that is too thin.  Err on less liquid.
  • OPTIONAL:  Omit coffee, and add 1 tsp citric acid to the icing
    • COOK THE DONUTS
  • Drop into hot oil (365º) and fry until browned
  • Dip into the icing, or drizzle over top

This is close to what Sweet Tomatoes used to serve.

DRESSING

• 1 C Miracle Whip
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
• 1 TBL Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 TBL Dried Tarragon
• 1 TBL Dijon Mustard
• 2 tsp sugar

STEP BY STEP

• 20-24 oz tuna in water (drained)
• 1 C frozen peas (don’t used canned)
• 6-8 C cooked shell pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together dressing
2. Fold in Tuna and Peas
3. Fold in Pasta
4. Chill two hours before serving (better overnight)
5. The pasta will absorb the flavors

1. 1. 1. Cut three oranges into twelve segments each
      2. Use a knife to cut away most of the pith.  Leave some.
      3. Boil for 10 minutes
      4. Discard water
      5. Soak in cold water overnight
      6. Strain and discard water
      7. Transfer to large pot with 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
      8. Simmer over low heat until mixture thickens
      9. Let it dry on a rack, then coat with more sugar
         • Put into a bag or tupper and shake to coat
      10. Return to rack and let dry overnight before storing in a bag and the fridge.  Keeps for about a month.

• Dice and sautee sweet onion
• Smash and dice garlic
• Add cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, smoked paprika
  • Cook and mix together with just a splash of cider vinegar
• Put into blender and puree briefly
•  Add to ground pork and mix together with salt and pepper
• IF VERY LEAN add some chopped bacon
  • Let meld in the fridge overnight
• Make flat patties – make on the lager side
• Put into hot pan with canola oil
• Cook all the way through, flattening if you need to
  • You want it to blacken just a bit, but not dry out
• Salt and Pepper
• Halve a Ciabatta roll and
• Queso fresco, Monterey Jack
• Add avocado
• Top with a fried egg
• Put into a hot skillet and flatten it with a cast iron pan
• After browned, put a skewer through, and halve the sandwich

SALSA

• DICE ALL FAIRLY FINE
  • Tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper (fine, and without seeds)
  • Squeeze in lime juice, EVOO, salt and pepper

I’m not a fan of shellfish, lobsters, crabs, etc.

Here is a Chicken Paella

CHICKEN PAELLA

• Cut chicken thigh into pieces
• Sautee in thin layer of hot oil – skin down
• – only to brown skin. Meat will be uncooked
  • MEANWHILE
• Dice large sweet white onion
• Layer into hot paella pan (paellera) scant oil
• Add diced peeled red pepper
• Add to pan and continue to heat
• Mash and mince garlic – add to pan
• Add peeled tomato – diced
• Add 1-2 C Arborio rice
• Continue to cook and sautee just a bit more
• Add some saffron – or “Colorante”
• Add 2x as much chicken stock as you had rice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Add chicken – skin up
  • DO NOT STIR
• Sprinkle with peas
• Cook in oven for 20 minutes @ 400º
• All chicken stock should have evaporate or been absorbed
• Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot

• Heat 1/3 C EVOO
• Sautee minced shallots
• Six cloves garlic – smashed
  • Continue to cook
• Salt, pepper, and a bit of crushed red pepper
• 2 bay leaves
  • Continue to cook
• 6 C whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 TBL tomato paste
• Fresh bail – lots
• Two Parmesan rinds
  • Continue to cook
• Reduce to thick about 30 minutes
• Remove bay
• Add vegetable stock and 1 TBL sugar
  • Continue to cook
• Use stick blender to blend right in the pot
• Add lemon zest, black pepper
• Taste and adjust
• Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side

Sandwich

• Blend spinach and pesto
• Drizzle EVOO to combine
• Spread on your bread
• One sheet of mozzarella
• One sheet of Provolone
• Top your sandwich
• Cut into triangles, squares or round
• Dip in eggs, and then bread crumbs
• Fry in about ½ inch hot peanut oil till golden
  

Skip this as far as a cracker, but what a great treatment for pizza.

https://youtu.be/ND_YvzdXXRE

• Proteins:  Beef, chicken, pork, chorizo,
• Cheeses:  Cotijo, Jack, Cheddar, Oaxaca, Swiss, Gruyere, Parmesan
• Vegetables:  Guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeno, olives, beans, salsa, onion, etc
• Put chips on a sheet pan
• Top with cheese and proteins
• Bake 4-8 minutes
•  

1. Sautee mushrooms in garlic, butter and EVOO
2. In soup pan add mirpoix vegetables
3. Add protein – veal, pork, chicken or all of them!
4. Add tomato sauce and simmer 1/2 hour
5. Add chicken stock
6. Add mushrooms into stock pot
7. Cook an additional 15 minuts
8. Add cheese, pasta, sour cream, etc

From Your Life Arizona
Intended for Grandpa’s use only

It’s never too late to learn something!

• 1/2 C Spinach
• 1/4 C Ricotta Cheese
• 1/4 C Rotisserie Chicken = sjredded
• 1/4 C Parmesan
• 1/4 C Mozzarella
• Nutmeg
• 2 Eggs

Wrap in a crepe and then bake at 350º for about 8 minutes

Kind of a Bechemel on top

• 1/4 C Heavy Cream
• 1/2 C Milk
• 1 TBL Corn starch
• Nutmeg
  • Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened

Top with grated Parmesan and a bit of pesto

• Use 80/20 ground beef – ideally grind your own sirloin or chuck
• Form patties, handling as little as possible
• Put a dimple in the center to help keep them flat
  • Put 1/2 tsp butter in the dimple
• Grill thinly sliced red onion on an oiled griddle
• Grill burger over high heat
• Set patty aside, and brown your bun on the hot griddle

Cheese Sauce

• 1/4 C half and half
• 1 TBL sour cream
• 1 TBL grainy mustard
• 1 C Monterey Jack
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan
• 1 splash Tabasco and  Worchestershire

Assembly

• Shred iceburg lettuce and put on the bottom layer
• Next add the patty, then the sauteed onion
• Drizzle on some cheese
• Optionally, add sliced Jalapeño

Before we begin…

• When you grate potatoes for hashed browns, or cut them up for potato salad, don’t lose those wonderful potato skins.
• Cut off nice thick pieces for potato skins.
• Store them for up to a week in salt water
• These won’t be the “boats” you typically expect

1. Cook up three strips of bacon (keep the grease)
2. Chop into pieces
3. Chop up chives
4. Dry your potato skins with a paper towel
5. Brush your potato skins with the bacon fat
6. Bake at 425º for 20 minutes
7. Put skins onto your heat-proof serving platter
8. After the bacon has cooled a bit, mix your chopped bacon with
   • black olives
   • chopped chives
   • shredded cheddar cheese
   • jalapeños
   • nacho cheese
9. Put into hot oven for only 5 minutes
10. Top with sour cream and cilantro

Adapted from Food Networks  “The Kitchen”

• 2 pound roast – sirloin tip or chuck
• Cut into 2 inch chunks
• Put into heavy bottom pan and put on stove on lowest heat (alt use Slow Cooker)
• 1/2 bottle Ranch Dressing (about 4 ounces)
• 1 pkg gravy mix
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1/2 stick butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cover and cook 2-3 hours – agitating every hour
• Let meat rest 5 minutes before cutting or shredding
• Cut in thin sheets and top with fresh Pepperoncini peppers and grated Parmesan cheese
• Serve with a baked potato