Category: Cooking (Page 2 of 2)

If you like candied fruit and spicy baked goods, you’ll like these old-fashioned cookies.
Welsh Cakes are like scones but spicier and thinner. These are some of my favorite cookies and I only make them at Christmas. They go really well with a bold tea like Welsh Breakfast, Scottish Breakfast or English Breakfast.

2 cups flour
1/2 level tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 stick (6 Tbsp) butter
1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine granulated)
1/2 level tsp Mixed Spice (All Spice / Pumpkin pie spice) (optional)
1/2 cup or about 2 oz candied peel. I used what I had left over from fruit cake making.
1 egg, beaten
Cream to blend…. you really do need to use cream in this.

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl.
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture. Add the peel.
3. Stir in the egg, then add enough cream to make a firm dough.
4. Roll out the dough to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick, cut it in to 3 inch rounds

Traditionally, you would cook them on a hot buttered griddle iron or in a heavy frying pan for about 10 minutes, turning when the underside is brown. However, I baked them in a 350* F oven on a stone until they were lightly browned.
Serve warm with butter and honey. Makes about 10

I was given the turkey carcass from last night’s fellowship dinner at Church. So tonight I am making turkey soup. With homemade noodles.

I have cooked the carcass in a big pot of water with some carrots, celery and onion for flavor and a splash of apple cider vinegar to help the bones release minerals.  No, the soup won’t taste vinegary, I don’t use that much just a ‘glug’ from the bottle.

After it has simmered all day, it’s ready to make soup. I strain the broth out. What I don’t use tonight will be pressured canned or put in the freezer for later. It will develop a wonderful jelly like layer over the top of the liquid. That jelly is filled with protein and nutrition. Its great for simple lunches and recipes both.

Then I pick the meat off the cooked bones and set it aside. I save the cooked veggies for lunch tomorrow.

In a smaller pot I put enough broth for tonight’s soup.  Just about 8 cups or so. Then I add some meat, about 1/4 cup per cup of soup so about 2 cups of meat in this pot. Next I add chopped carrots, chopped celery and a diced potato. I just eye-ball the amounts. You don’t need to add the potato, but it makes the soup heartier.

Now add some salt and black pepper to taste.

Once the potatoes are about done, and it won’t take long because they’re diced, I add the homemade noodles. I have some in the freezer from where I made them last week.

The noodles only take 10 minutes or less to cook. Taste the soup and add more salt and black pepper if needed.  This soup is so simple and satisfying, it doesn’t need a bunch of herbs or seasonings, it stands on it’s own.

The Noodles

I’ve been watching a lot of episodes of Pasta Grannies and learned that the flour I can buy here is not like their 00 flour.  So I ran some plain flour through my VitaMix and made a flour that is like powder, much like the Italian 00 flour. And oh my does it ever make great noodles!

I use 1 egg and a glug of olive oil for every cup of flour and a pinch of salt. I’m kind of big on glugs, aren’t I?  Mix it all up and knead til its smooth and soft, elastic.  Let it rest about 20 minutes before rolling out the noodles.

You can run it through a pasta roller or hand roll it with a rolling pin. I suggest you roll it out about 1/4 inch. I use my Kitchen Aid pasta roller.  Then you can roll it up and cut the noodles or use an old fashioned thingie like this pasta/noodle roller. That’s what I usually use.

Keep the noodles floured well and separate them to dry a little while before you cook them, maybe another 15 minutes.

Its getting to be soup time!  Cooler weather makes me crave a good soup.  If you like tacos, here is a soup recipe that is bound to please you!  This recipe isn’t my usual whole foods type but contains mixes and canned ingredients. Feel free to change it up as you like.

Taco Soup

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
• 2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
• 1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
• 1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
• 1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (1-ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix

Garnishes:

• Corn chips
• Sour cream
• Grated cheese
• Chopped green onions

Brown the beef and onions together, drain if needed.

Add all other ingredients, transfer to a slow cooker.  Cook on LOW for 6 hours.  Serve with garnishes.

For a thinner soup, add a little beef broth.