Sweet as a Georgia Peach

As the summer is winding down, so is our garden and the selection of wonderful cheap produce in the grocery store. But, have no fear; canning is here!!

Canning is an art that is almost all but lost, but thanks to hipsters and hippies it is starting to make a come back!

So last night, I decided to put on my most ironic t-shirt and over sized glasses and give canning peaches a try.

It is actually pretty simple, but a little time consuming.

The secret ingredient to any type of canning is to have a very large pot. I am talking huge lobster pot. (You know what I mean, the type that is either black or blue with white specks all over it.) Fill the pot almost completely with water and bring to a simmer.

Once you are simmering, very gently drop your peaches down into the water. Let them get all nice and toasty and when you can easily peel the skin off with either your fingers or a fork, then plunge them into an ice bath.

When they are cool to the touch start peeling. I found it was easy to use a fork to start the peel and then you can just pull it off. Once peeled, cut them in half with a knife.

After you are finished halving the peaches, start making your simple syrup. If you have never made a simple syrup it is actually, well, pretty simple. We decided to make a lighter calorie version where we combined 1 cup of sugar with 3 cups of water. (If you want a more sugary syrup then do a 1-to-1 ratio). You stir until the sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat.

Before you add your syrup you need to put the peach halves into jars. Then, cover to the fill line with the syrup. Make sure to wipe all of the syrup and peach stuff off of the rim, put the lid on and tighten the collar.

Next step is to plunk the jars into the boiling water. For where we live in Pennsylvania, we set them in the water for 35 minutes. When your time is done, bring them out of the water and let them cool. If you press on the lid and it doesn't making the popping sound, then you are good. If it does make the popping sound, don't worry. You can still eat the peaches, you just have to use them soon and refrigerate.

As you can see the process is pretty easy, but it does require some time.

I hope you give this forgotten art a shot. In the end it will help you save money and will give you a sweet reminder of warm summer days in the dead of winter.

Edition 01: Sunday Supperclub

Let's pretend that I haven't been a horrible blogger and haven't posted since the ice age. (The reason for not posting is because I had just started two part-time jobs and was continuing to write for our local paper.)

But, in the form of a peace offering, I want to introduce a new feature here on The Daring Domesticate called "Sunday Supperclub."

I want to try to focus on yummy homemade meals that take a little extra time and TLC to prepare.

So, in this first edition, I want to share with you one of my favorite comfort food meals: tomato soup and grilled cheese. But, because it is Sunday Supperclub, we have to make things a little more fancy than just slapping some American Cheese on some Wonderbread and opening up a can of Campbell's tomato soup.

As some of you know, I am a complete Disney nut! My husband and I have been going to Disney for five years now and are addicted. One of my favorite things to do is to try and bring a little Disney pixie dust home. A simple way to do this, has to been to recreate delicious Disney dinners at home.

This recipe is for Tomato Bisque from Sunshine Seasons restaurant at The Land pavilion located in Epcot. I found the recipe from All Ears , a great resource for anything Disney!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cans of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup chicken broth
8 cups of water
cornstarch
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream

Method:

1. In a large soup pot, Melt butter.
2. Saute onion, tomatoes, garlic, sugar and basil and blend until smooth. (A stick blender works really well for this. Just watch out for splatters!)
3. Add chicken broth and water.
4. If needed, make a corn starch and water slurry to thicken soup. (We had to do this step.)
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Add heavy cream.

What is tomato soup with out it's partner in crime; grilled cheese?

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

1 loaf of a nice and crusty artisan style bread (we used simple neo-Tuscan boule)

4 slices of provolone cheese

1 smallish wedges of brie cheese

Some EVOO to brush on the bread to toast it

1. Heat up your pan/skillet/panini press and spray with cooking spray.

2. Grab your bread and cut into slices.

3. Spread on EVOO both sides of each slice of bread.

4. Law down two pieces of provolone cheese on two pieces of bread.

5. Cut off two hunks of brie for each sandwich. (Yes, a hunk is a form of scientific measurement.)

6. Put the last piece of bread on top, and toss the baby into the pan or press. (We used the press which made this whole process really easy. If, you are using a pan don't forget to flip your bread over.)

7. Keep cooking until the cheese starts to ooze out of the sides of the sandwich.

8. Enjoy!

It doesn't matter if you are a "dunker", or a "separatist" with your tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich, it will still be a wonder supper for any Sunday!

As soon as the ball drops in New York City, every one's New Year's resolutions start to kick in. A lot of people resolve to quit smoking, be nicer to people or to even stop swearing. But, the number one promise for the new year, is to lose weight. (This is how places like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers stay in business.)

Personally, I have learned from past experience to not even attempt making a resolution. I never stick to them and it almost sets me up for failure. So I continue to try and eat better without setting a goal for myself.

If you have read my blog in the past, you know that I am trying to follow Weight Watchers (WW). One particular website that has been my beacon of hope against the tyrants of chocolate cake and peanut butter straight from the jar is Hungry Girl. Her recipes are simple, and more importantly delicious.

Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way because Cooking Television (a sister station of the Food Network) has decided to give her a show.

She had her first episode last Saturday at 4 p.m. and was all about pizza. Pizza while being one of the favorite foods of dieters everywhere, is often loaded with tons of fat, calories and carbs.

One recipe I really loved involved flour tortillas.

Ingredients:

1 large flour tortilla (around 100 calories)
Pizza Sauce ( I really love the kind that comes in the squeeze bottle)
String Cheese
Turkey Peperoni (It tastes like the real thing and at only 70 calories for 17 slices it is a calorie bargain)
Any spices you like (I use fresh ground pepper, oregano and garlic powder.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put tortilla on a cookie sheet and place in oven for three minutes, flip, bake for another three minutes.
3. Pull the cookie sheet out and top the tortilla with your pizza sauce and other goodies.
4. Pop back into the oven for five minutes.
5. Slice and enjoy.

Like I said you can put whatever you want on top and have a delicious yummy pizza for around 200 calories. Add a side salad and you have a delicious lunch full of pizzeria flavor but not full of the fat.



This recipe is courtesy of Hungry Girl. Go to hungrygirl.com for more yummy recipes.

Hello, Stranger!

I am sure a lot of you thought that I had just disappeared off the face of the planet!

But, I am here to say that I am back from outer space. Well, not really. However, I am back from an amazing western Caribbean cruise aboard the Disney Magic. I plan on doing a trip report in a later blog, but I am still trying to settle into my routine again.

To hold you over until I get back into the hard and heavy blogging, here is a quick, easy and cheap recipe for you try!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quarters

This recipe is super easy to make and easy on the budget.

Chicken Quarters (How many quarters you put in depends on your family. We used about 4 lbs. of quarters and we plan on using the leftovers to make BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner tomorrow.)

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce

Crock Pot

Place chicken quarters (fresh not frozen unless they are thawed first) into the crock pot.

Dump the whole bottle of BBQ sauce over the tenders.

Cook on high for four to six hours or on low eight to ten hours. (I prefer the low setting because it really makes the meat nice and tender. But, the shorter amount of time will make the dinner yummy as well.)

That is it! Throw some sides together like french or sweet potato fries, a veg and you are done!

The approximate cost of the entire meal including sweet potato fries and a can of veggies is about $6. The price will vary depending on how much meat you purchase and use.

BBQ Pork Ribs

It is still rainy up here in the the Northeast. Nothing is better than busting out the crock pot on a day like this.

My mom has a cookbook full of easy crock pot recipes. After buying some boneless pork loin ribs, I wasn't sure what to do with them, until she gave me this super easy recipe!

Crock pot BBQ Pork Ribs

3 to 4 lbs. of pork ribs (I only had a little over 1 pound and it worked fine.)

1 Onion

2 cups of BBQ Sauce (I used one bottle of Sweet Baby Rays, it wasn't a full two cups, but it worked fine.)

2 TBSP of lemon juice

Put all in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Ta-da! You are done!

The only bad part about this recipe is that it isn't very Weight Watchers friendly (for half the portion it is 16 points. YIKES!) But, I had the points left over so I was alright.

I also made some Zatarain's dirty rice and some broccoli. It was about 19 points for the whole thing.

The meal was pretty cheap. The pork was about $4, the rice was $1 the broccoli was $1 and the BBQ sauce was free. So all in all $6 for the both of us, it wasn't a bad deal.

Happy Cooking!

Chinese Noodles for the Soul

Today is just a soggy and gloomy day.

We needed the rain because our grass was all brown, and when we would walk in the yard we were kicking up dust. (No joke.)

But, that still doesn't make it any less gloomy.

Plus, Kev's parents closed the pool yesterday and our deck furniture is in storage, so it really feels like summer is over.

The perfect remedy for today's depressing weather was some quick, fast and easy home cooking.

One of my favorite meals to make comes from this amazing blog called Cheeky Kitchen. She has some amazing recipes that you should check out sometime.

This particular recipe I like to call "Cheeky Kitchen Chinese Noodles."

You will need:

1 pack of chicken flavored Ramen Noodles
1 pack of beef flavored Ramen Noodles
1 bag of frozen stir-fry veggies
Olive Oil
Sesame Oil
Garlic
Sesame Seeds (Optional)


1. Boil water on the stove just like you would for pasta. (I am usually a "water salter" for pasta, but for this recipe I don't recommend doing so.) Also, start thawing your frozen veggies.

2. Drop in your Ramen Noodles and place the flavor packets to the side.

3. It doesn't take very long to cook the noodles, so once they are done drop them into a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking process.

4. Return the pot back to the burner and put it on simmer.

5. Add some olive oil, sesame oil, the two favor packets, garlic and sesame seeds. (I don't have any exact measurements for this because I just put in enough oil so it will cover the veggies. The rest of the seasoning is a matter of taste.)

6. Add your thawed frozen veggies into the pot and cover them with your marinade.

7. Toss in the noodles and mix everything really well.

8. Plate your food and toss on some extra sesame seeds for an authentic Chinese Take Out look.

Ta-da, you have a yummy meal that is easy on your piggy bank and your waistline!

The total cost of the meal: $2.53

Amount of Weight Watcher points: 6

You can also add chicken, steak, shrimp, tofu or any kind of protein. I like to keep it light, so I only go with the veggies.

Also, this recipe is really only for two people, so if you are feeding more than that, figure on one pack of Ramen per person and one bag of frozen veggies can feed two people.

Peanut Butter Cups A' La Weight Watchers

Sooooo....my scale and I have been having a battle all week long.

I told my husband not to be surprised if he comes home and sees the scale in the middle of the yard because I have gone "Office Space" on it.

I know it is not completly the scale's falt, but what's so fun about blamming myself?

Last week when I want to my Weight Watchers meeting, they had this wonderful recipe for low calorie, low fat and low points peanut butter cups.

I was a little skeptical at first, because I love peanut butter cups and feel that they belong in a food group all their own, but I do have to say they turned out quite tasty.

The best part about the recipe, is that it is easy to make and only requires three ingredients!!

You will need:

8 oz. of Fat Free Cool Whip

1/3 Cup reduced fat creamy peanut butter

1/4 Cup Reduced Sugar or Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup (To be honest, I think sugar free chocolate syrup tastes like motor oil, and the difference between the SF and Regular really isn't that much, so if you want to get regular you can.)

Combine the peanut butter with only 1 cup of Cool Whip in a bowl. Mix well. Then fold the remainder of the Cool Whip until well mixed.

Using foil cupcake holders, drop about 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the mixture in each cupcake holder.

Put a little chocolate syrup on top. (Learn from my mistake, if you use SF syrup it will come out faster than you think.)

Pop these bad boys into the freezer.

Once frozen take out of the cupcake holders and put them in a baggie.

Keep frozen until ready to eat.

This recipe will make 12 peanut butter cups. Each cup is 2 points.

Of course this isn't as good as the real thing, but it is pretty darn close!

Enjoy!!

Chocolate, Hearts & Roses!

After taking a hiatus because of the holidays and the gloomy winter weather, I am back with a vengeance and the February edition of "Living With Martha."


This month's cover of Martha Stewart's Living is full of sugary sweet hearts and pink colored goodness. That can only mean one thing: Valentine's Day!

As usual, Martha has included my favorite part of each month's magazine, "Martha's Calendar".

This month, she has activities such as hand washing sweaters, sanding cast-iron garden urns and repaint them and organize basement and take inventory of wines.

But, as we know, all work and no play makes Martha a dull girl, so she has some fun activities scattered about like Mardi Gras dinner (beads optional), watch the Super Bowl and watching the Winter Olympics.

Martha wants to make sure her readers understand the importance of a good breakfast. So in her "from My Home to Yours" section she shares some of her favorite breakfast recipes.

The recipes actually look really good and they include Maple Granola, Donn's Waffles, Steamed Salmon with Avocado and Breakfast Quinoa (whatever that is).

What really gets me about this section is not the recipes, or even the fact that she is cheer leading for team breakfast.

It is the photo on the front of this section. There is Martha all decked out in a quilted vest holding a china teacup filled with some foamy hot beverage in one hand, and a live chicken in the other. What is really scary, it is probably her chicken from her farm.

Now, if you know chickens, you know how they will almost peck at anything that moves. But, not this chicken. It is sitting, no posing, without a drop of blood lust in its eye.

I think they drugged the chicken. But, do not let PETA hear me say that or else they will start going after Martha.

If anyone knows me, they know that I love cupcakes!

I love how cute they are, I love how they taste and I love that they can come in a variety of colors.

Under Martha's "Good Things," she shows how to do Filigree hearts to place on top of your sweets for your sweetie!

These delicate chocolate hearts are just the perfect addition to her raspberry cupcakes with pink butter cream frosting.

Actually, the hearts don't seem that hard to make.

Basically you trace a heart cookie cutter on some parchment paper, melt some chocolate, put it into a piping bag and trace the hearts. Pop the bad boys into the freezer for about 15 minutes and ta-da, beautiful delicate chocolate hearts!

Continuing with her Chocolate theme, Martha profiles a couple who sells specialty chocolates on an island located in Maine's Penobscot Bay.

The couple who own Black Dinah Chocolatiers, make beautiful handcrafted chocolates in fun shapes like multi-colored frogs and exotic flavors like blueberry-pepper truffles.

After reading this article, I want to move to my own island in the sun and sell chocolates.

My husband loves to make bread. I can tell it is going to be a great day in our home when he brings out his old 1990s bread machine that he purchased from Ebay a few years ago.

Even though it is a little old, the bread machine, not my husband, it manages to turn out some really great bread. (As I type this, the smell of baking bread is wafting into my office at home!)

This month, Martha shares with us some of her bread recipes.

Of course she does not use a bread machine, but some of the recipes look easy enough I might just try a few.

She shares the recipes for classic white bread, multi grain, rye and my favorite cinnamon-raisin.

In a beautifully photographed article, Martha takes a closer look at the poster child for Valentine's Day, the rose.

I never knew there were so many varieties of roses available. I knew they came in beautiful pinks, reds, oranges and lavenders, but I never knew of the softer almost grey colors and and the almost brown oranges.

I think I will need to demand that my husband bring me home orange roses sometime!

Even if you do not feel like reading the entire article, you must just enjoy the beautiful photos.

Along with the roses, Martha takes an even closer look at rice. She talks about how to make the best steamed rice, fried rice, Persian rice and even mouthwatering mushroom risotto.

After you have had your fill of rice, we get to what I love most about Valentine's Day, the crafts.

Martha has outdone herself and shows how to make sweet tarts, a bejeweled box, a beautiful necklace, jewel candies and cloud cupcakes.

In my eyes, those were the noteworthy parts of the February edition of Living. There are other articles and little treasures for you to discover at your newsstand or supermarket checkout counter.

All-in-all the magazine is a great buy because it really gets you into the Valentine's spirit.