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Canning and Cooking - Iowa Style
Tried-and-tested canning and cooking recipes
In , on January 25, 2016 with No Comments

Banana Cream Pie

My family loves pie, and my husband’s favorite one is probably banana cream pie. For all the pies I’ve made over the years, I’d never made one until this past weekend. I’m not a huge banana fan, but I love cream pies, so I decided I’d try to make one.

The concept is really simple. You blind-bake the pie crust, slice up some bananas, and make a custard filling. Nothing hard about it at all. Most of the banana cream pie recipes you find on the Interest and in cookbooks are basically the same and use the same ingredients. For the custard filling, you can use whole milk or 2% milk, but I’d avoid using skim or fat-free milk. You’re making cream pie, for heaven sake! For mine, I used 2 cups of 2% milk and 1 cup of cream.

 

banana cream pie

 

banana cream pie half

Banana Cream Pie

1 unbaked pie crust (either homemade or store bought)

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

1 teaspoon good vanilla

4 to 6 bananas (depending on size), sliced

Whipped cream

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To blind-bake your unbaked pie shell, add a layer of parchment paper to the pie shell, and add dry beans or a pie weight to weigh down the parchment paper. Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and remove the parchment paper and beans. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the pie crust is nicely brown. Remove from the oven, and let it cool completely.

In a large skillet over low-to-medium heat, scald the milk. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually stir mixture into the scaled milk. Over medium heat, cook the milk mixture, stirring constantly, until it thickens.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Temper the eggs by adding about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. When combined, add the egg mixture to the pan of the hot milk mixture, and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes more, or until the mixture is thick and custard-like.

Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the butter and the vanilla. Let the mixture cool slightly.

Slice the bananas into the bottom of the baked and cooled pie crust. Top the bananas with the slightly cooled custard, making sure to smooth the filling over all the bananas. Refrigerate for several hours to allow the filling to set.

To serve, slice the pie, and top each slice with whipped cream.

 

banana cream pie slice 2

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In on January 23, 2016 with No Comments

Stringtown Shopping Spree

It’s a good thing I don’t live closer to Kalona, or my budget would be in a world of hurt. For those of you who don’t live in eastern Iowa, Kalona has a huge Amish influence, which you can see when you drive from Iowa City to Kalona. Houses dot the highway, and you can tell, especially in the summertime, where the Amish live, as you can see the horse-drawn buggies, beautiful vegetable gardens and windmills in place of electric lines.

While I really enjoy visiting the Amish-run quilt shop in downtown Kalona, which has gotten a lot of my money over the years, the best place to shop, other than the quilt shop, the bakery and the meat locker, is the Stringtown grocery store just outside Kalona. It’s located next to the old cheese factory, which unfortunately closed a few years ago.

I absolutely love this store. If you love to bake or can, this is a dream store. They buy in bulk, and they pass on the savings. You can find homemade pasta (made locally). You can buy bulk macaroni, rice, spices, different flours, pectin and ClearJel for canning, raw honey – you name it, they’ve probably got it. They even have a produce section that carries local produce in season (it’s where I get my strawberries for jam). I even picked up farm-fresh eggs for less than $3 a dozen – they’re over $7 a dozen at HyVee! I’ve gotten other canning and butchering supplies there too, like large-sized freezer bags when we were butchering chickens last year. And they sell canning lids in bulk, something I forgot to pick up today, but I know I’ll making another trip there before canning season in the spring.

 

stringtown 2

 

stringtown 3

Today I got jasmine rice, macaroni, homemade egg noodles, lasagna noodles, bulk kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans (to make my chili beans). I found whole wheat pastry flour, high-gluten bread flour, dark rye flour, pumpernickel flour, ClearJel, dry pectin, organic rosehips (for my elderberry cold tinctures), bay leaves, Italian seasonings, hickory smoked salt (for smoking fish and other meats), dried chicken stock, ground cinnamon, raw honey, dark brown sugar, blackstrap molasses and jumbo pasta shells for stuffing. We also picked up some smoked horseradish cheese, a wheel of cheddar cheese and cheese curds (of course) – and all of this was about $100. Bulk shopping is the way to go, and this store blows shopping at Sam’s or Costco out of the water.

 

stringtown 1

 

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In on January 21, 2016 with No Comments

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups

My family doesn’t do well with leftovers. We have good intentions, although the refrigerator often has lots of foil-covered containers that sit in there for way too long.

Last night I made Italian Sausage Roll-ups, and we only had two leftover rolls, which were quickly eaten sometime in the night (we have mystery nighttime eaters!). However, I had leftover sausage filling after I’d made the roll-ups. This morning I decided to wing it and make some baked egg and cheese cups to use up that leftover sausage filling. For the sausage filing recipe, click on the link above, and adjust amounts according to how many muffin cups you want to make.

sausage egg cheese muffin cups baked

 

Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups

Sausage filling (from Italian Sausage Roll-up recipe)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

7 eggs

1/4 cup milk (approximate)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray, or use muffin cup liners.

Place about a tablespoon of the sausage filling in the bottom of each muffin cup. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of the sausage.

 

sausage filling in muffin cups 2

 

In a measuring cup, scramble the eggs and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and cheese, filling each muffin cup.

sausage and eggs in muffin cups unbaked 2

 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the centers of each muffin test clean with a toothpick.

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In , on January 21, 2016 with No Comments

Italian Sausage Roll-ups

My family loves Italian-style meals, and lasagna is probably one of their favorite choices when I ask them what they’d like for dinner. I don’t mind making a huge lasagna, but I wanted to do something a little different for dinner tonight, so I decided to make Italian Sausage Roll-ups. I’ve made these in a variety of ways in the past, using ground beef, adding spinach and mixing up the different cheeses, but tonight I decided to make them with Italian sausage.

These are really easy to make, although they can be a little bit messy, but in the end, this is a fun dish you can make for your family and when friends come over for dinner. This is also a good recipe to get little hands in the kitchen to teach them how to cook.

 

Italian Sausage Roll-ups

1 pound Italian pork sausage

1 package lasagna noodles

1 carton ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh Parmesan cheese for grating

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook lasagna noodles according to package direction. Set aside.

In a skillet, brown the Italian sausage until no longer pink and nicely browned. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add the browned and drained Italian sausage. Mix well.

sausage filling

 

To assemble, take 1 cooked lasagna noodle, and place 1 tablespoon of the meat and cheese filling on one end. Roll up the lasagna noodle like you would a jelly roll.

lasagna noodle and filling

 

Place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan, seam side down. Continue with the remaining noodles until you’ve filled the pan.

lasagna rolls in pan

Pour the jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce evenly over the tops of the lasagna rolls.

 

lasagna rolls with sauce

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the tops of the rolls, and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over everything.

lasagna rolls with sauce and cheese 2

 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nicely browned and the dish is bubbly.

 

lasagna rolls baked

 

Yield: 18 lasagna rolls

 

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In , on January 19, 2016 with No Comments

Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Stuffed Shells

I’m always looking for new ways to use leftover ham. My go-to recipes are ham and beans, which my husband and sons love, and the usual scalloped potato and ham casserole. Tonight I decided to try something a little different. My family loves Italian-style stuffed pasta shells, so I decided to mix it up a little bit and use my leftover ham and broccoli. I think it was a success judging from the few shells left at the end of the meal. This is easy to make, and you can vary the types of cheese and even the veggies you want to use.

ham, cheese, broccoli shells plated

1 package jumbo pasta shells

2 cups leftover cooked ham, finely diced

1 package frozen broccoli, finely chopped

1 package ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 cups shredded Italian cheeses (I buy the prepackaged mix of Italian cheeses)

1 jar Alfredo sauce (or use homemade)

Fresh Parmesan cheese for grating

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In a large stockpot, cook the pasta shells according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, combine all the other ingredients (except for the Parmesan) in a large bowl, and mix until completely combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 2 9 x 13-inch baking dishes with cooking spray. Stuff each cooked pasta shell with the ham and broccoli mixture, and place the shells in the baking dishes.

ham, cheese, broccoli shells - no sauce

 

Pour the Alfredo sauce over each shell. You don’t have to completely cover them, but make sure each shell has some sauce. Grate the Parmesan cheese evenly over all the shells.

 

ham, cheese, broccoli shells with sauce 2

Bake the shells for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nicely browned.

ham, cheese, broccoli shells baked 2

 

Yield:  About 6 servings (makes about 36 stuffed shells)

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In , on January 17, 2016 with No Comments

Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

I love making muffins for breakfast and brunch. There are so many ways to make them, both sweet and savory. I had a bunch of frozen mixed berries in my freezer, thinking I’d do something healthy for the New Year and make smoothies, but my craving for muffins got the best of me, so I decided to use some of the berries in these muffins.

I found this recipe on FiveHeartHome.com after doing a search on Pinterest. This sounded just like what I wanted to make, and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to go for it. The recipe says it makes 18 muffins. I did get 18 cream cheese-filled muffins, but there was enough batter left to make an additional 6 muffins. This way my family can decide which way they like them best, although I’m always in favor of a little cream cheese filling. Pour yourself a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

berry cream cheese muffins

 

berry cream cheese muffin single

 

 

berry cream cheese muffin cut in half

Mixed Berry Cream Cheese Muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 good vanilla
2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, don’t thaw)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Work in the softened butter with a pastry blender or fork until the butter is in tiny bits and the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Blend in the eggs, milk and vanilla until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, but do not overmix. Gently fold in the berries.

In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and the 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and blended.

Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the berry batter in the bottom of the muffin cups, adding just enough to cover the bottom. Add about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture to the center of each muffin cup. Top the cream cheese with another tablespoon of the berry batter, evenly dividing the batter between the muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins test done with a toothpick. Remove muffins from pans, and cook on a wire rack.

Yield: Approximately 18 muffins

 

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In on January 13, 2016 with No Comments

Eggs Benedict

Whenever we go out for breakfast, if I see Eggs Benedict on the menu, I’ll order that before anything else. I love traditional Eggs Benedict with that delicious Hollandaise sauce, but I also like the different varieties you can find in restaurants, such as country style with sausage gravy and Irish style that uses corned beef – yum!

When I was growing up, my mom didn’t make the usual Hollandaise sauce for her Eggs Benedict but made an easy cheese sauce instead. When I make this breakfast dish at home, I still use Mom’s recipe, and my sons enjoy it as much as I do. It’s easy to do, and you can vary the heat in the cheese sauce by adjusting the amount of mustard and horseradish, if using.

eggs benedict

eggs benedict 2

Eggs Benedict – My Version

Ingredients per serving:

1 English muffin, split in half
Butter
2 eggs
2 slices Canadian bacon
Cheese sauce

Cheese Sauce:
1 can cheese soup
1/2 can milk
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder (adjust to taste)
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the cheese soup and the milk. Heat over low to medium-low heat, and stir until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add the ground mustard and horseradish, if using, and combine well. Keep the sauce warm while you prepare the other ingredients.

Split and toast the English muffin to your desired doneness. It takes two cycles through my toaster to get them brown enough. Butter each muffin after toasting.

In a small skillet, brown the Canadian bacon slices until warmed through.

Poach eggs to desired doneness. I like a runny egg yolk in my Benedict, so I poach mine for about 5 to 6 minutes.

To assemble, on a dinner plate, place one Canadian bacon slice on each muffin half. Top each with a poached egg, and spoon cheese sauce over top of each egg.




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In , , on January 3, 2016 with No Comments

Cody’s Skillet Pasta

While I was busy working today, my oldest son decided he’d make dinner for everyone. He’s a good cook who has learned to look through the cupboards and freezer, see what’s available, and come up with something tasty to eat. Tonight he made a skillet pasta, and it was really good. Thanks Cody!

codys skillet pasta

codys skillet pasta on plate

Cody’s Skillet Pasta

1 pound ground venison or ground beef (he used venison)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 package egg noodles
8 ounces canned mushrooms (he used canned Hen of the Woods mushrooms)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Splash balsamic vinegar
Splash liquid hickory smoke
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Parsley flakes for sprinkling on top

Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, brown ground meat until no longer pink; drain. To the ground meat, add the spaghetti sauce, cooked noodles, mushrooms, seasonings, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke, and stir to completely combine. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top, and let cook until the cheese melts. Sprinkle parsley flakes on top just before serving.

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In on January 1, 2016 with No Comments

Rose Bowl Party Appetizers

Happy New Year everyone! Today my Iowa Hawkeye football team plays in the 102nd Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and while I wish my family could be there in person to watch them (hopefully!) beat Stanford, we’re having a Rose Bowl party at home instead. I decided to make things as easy as possible on the cooking side of things, since I know I’ll be too busy screaming at the television during the game, so I made several appetizers and finger foods that the gang could munch on before and during the game. Amana summer sausage, cheese and crackers, a shrimp platter and the appetizers below made to the table – who needs sunny Pasadena when you’ve got family, friends and good food together with a hard-hitting Iowa football game? 🙂

I love Chinese food, and crab rangoon is something I always look for on a Chinese buffet. I found this recipe for Crab Rangoon Crescent Cups on Pinterest, and the original recipe is on the Spend with Pennies blog. The boys went nuts over this – I think I got 2 bites lol. They’re that good. I doubled the recipe in order to have enough to go around.

crab rangoon crescent cups

crab rangoon crescent cups 2

Crab Rangoon Crescent Cups

1 package Pillsbury crescent rolls (regular size)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 green onion, thinly sliced (I used about 2 tablespoons of finely minced red onion)
1 6-ounce can crab meat, drained
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Approximately 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Gently fold in crab meat, and set aside.

Open crescent rolls, pinch seams together, and cut into 18 even squares.

Place crescent squares in a greased mini muffin pan, and gently press into the cups. Divide the filling between the crescent cups. Top each cup with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nicely browned. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.

Yield: 18 appetizers (I cut my dough a bit smaller and ended up with 24 appetizers per can of crescent rolls)

One of the appetizers I made I found on Noble Pig’s blog, Dill Pickle Dip. My family loves dill pickles, and who doesn’t love a good dip?

dill pickle dip

Dill Pickle Dip

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup pickle juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 cups diced pickles

In a large bowl, add cream cheese, red onion, pickle juice, garlic, Old Bay seasoning and black pepper. Combine with a hand mixer. Add the diced pickles, and continue mixing until fully combined. Refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to three days before serving. Serve with pretzels or chips.

Yield: 3 cups

I love using my Crock-Pot for appetizers. You can prepare the dishes ahead of time, and they’re ready to eat when you are. The first Crock-Pot recipe I made is Barbecue Bourbon Dogs. In my family, we grew up having these tiny hot dog appetizers for the holidays and get-togethers. It’s super easy with only three ingredients, and my family loves it. The recipe can easily be doubled or halved depending on the size of your crowd.

bbq bourbon dogs

Barbecue Bourbon Dogs

4 packages beef smokies (cocktail-sized hot dogs)
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue sauce
1/3 cup bourbon (or to taste)

Add the beef smokies to a large Crock-Pot. In a bowl, combine the barbecue sauce and bourbon until thoroughly mixed. Pour mixture over hot dogs. Cook on low for 4 hours, or until warmed through.

Another easy Crock-Pot appetizer is any kind of meatball. You can make any sauce you want to vary the taste or theme. I kept it easy today and used grape jelly and picante sauce. I’ve also used chili sauce and bottled barbecue sauce in place of the picante sauce, and each version is delicious. Again, you can vary the sauce amount according to how many meatballs you’re preparing.

crockpot party meatballs 2

Crock-Pot Meatballs

2 packages frozen meatballs (I used beef but you can use turkey, chicken or pork – or use homemade)
8 ounces grape jelly
8 ounces picante sauce

Add the meatballs to a large Crock-Pot. Combine the grape jelly and picante sauce until thoroughly mixed, and pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meatballs are completely warmed through.

Tacos are a favorite in our house, and layered taco dip is the perfect party food for a football game. It’s easy to make, and it feeds a crowd. I omitted the tomatoes and the onions in this because my youngest son has issues with tomatoes at times – plus it’s Jan. 1, and you can’t buy decent-tasting tomatoes this time of year in Iowa anyway. When it’s summertime and I have fresh cherry tomatoes in the garden, I use them to top off this appetizer.

layered taco dip

Layered Taco Dip

1 pound ground beef
8-ounce jar taco sauce (your choice of mild, medium or hot)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces sour cream
1-ounce package taco seasoning
1 16-ounce can refried beans
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup diced tomatoes
2-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
2 green onions, diced

Brown the ground beef. Drain the fat, and add the taco sauce. Mix well, and set aside.

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sour cream and taco seasoning. Mix well.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, begin layering the ingredients in this order: refried beans, cream cheese mixture, ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and onions.

Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving with chips.

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In on December 31, 2015 with No Comments

Year in Review

I can’t believe it’s New Year’s Eve already. 2015 has flown by so fast. I guess it’s true that time really does pass by faster the older you get.

After having a record warm November and December (and a green Christmas), we finally got our snow the Monday after Christmas. We had an early snowstorm in November, but it quickly melted, and it was warm enough the weekend before Christmas that the boys and grandkids were outside playing football in short sleeves. Glad it’s finally starting to act like winter.

 

Looking back over 2015 and our garden and my canning, I didn’t get near enough done this year. It was a wet spring, so while we did get an early garden planted, not much grew this spring. I think this is the first year since Kevin and I have been married (23 years) that I didn’t have any of our own tomatoes to can, and I had to buy green beans so I could can those. Thankfully one of Kevin’s co-workers had some extra tomatoes, so I was able to put up some salsa. On the other hand, our apple and peach trees went berserk, so I was able to do a bunch of applesauce, pie fillings and jams to put on the shelves. All this means is that next summer we will have a huge garden, and I’ll be canning up a storm to replace everything we’ll eat this winter. The shelves should be pretty bare by then. Thank goodness I did extra last summer 🙂

I was also able to try several new canning recipes this year. With the boatload of apples, I tried a new apple pie filling, Caramel Apple Pie Filling, which is a new favorite in our house. I also finally got to try canning pickled mushrooms, and this is a recipe I’ll be making a lot in the future.

 

 

This year we raised chickens, and while we lost a few along the way, we now have a full freezer, for which I’m very thankful. The guys were also successful fishing for catfish this summer, so there’s plenty of that in the freezer as well. No venison this year, as they just didn’t have any luck, but between the chicken, the catfish and the couple of huge turtles they caught, we aren’t short of meat this year.

All in all, 2015 was a pretty good year. My family is healthy and happy. There’s food on the shelves and in the freezer. Life is good. Happy New Year everyone!

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