Carmel Apple Dip

Tis the season for fresh apples. Last week I picked 600lbs of apples for apple sauce, but I have to wait a month or two before they are ready for making great apple sauce. In the mean time I have been looking for different ways to use apples. This is a simple dip that takes about 5 minutes. It should keep in the fridge for 6-8 weeks.

Carmel Apple Dip
1/2 C Butter
2 C Brown Sugar
1 C Corn Syrup
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
3 T Water
1 T Vanilla

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick fry pan. Then add all the remaining ingredients and stir continuously. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until all the sugar is dissolved and it takes on a caramel like consistency.

New Feature

I am new to this blogging thing, but I am looking to make improvements. The newest improvement I have made is I have added a subscription tab. I have to give thanks to Judy for pointing this out. It should help my followers because I only average about 1 post a week.

Thanks everybody

Kyinkyinga "Chinchinga" kebabs

Chinchinga is an African style kebab that is marinated and rolled in peanut flour. It is very different from anything else I have ever tasted and the peanut flour keeps the meet very moist and juicy.

FOR THE BEEF AND MARINADE:
--- 1/2-2 lb beef sirloin steaks, boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes
--- 1 onion, large, cut into chunks
--- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks
--- 1 clove garlic, peeled
--- 3 jalapeño Chiles
--- 2 tbs ginger, chopped fresh
--- 1/2 tsp salt
--- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
--- 1/4 c oil

FOR THE KEBABS:
--- 3 green bell peppers, large, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
--- 1 onion, large, cut inot 1-inch pieces
--- 1 c flour, peanut (see Note)


1. Place the beef in a large baking dish and set it aside while you prepare the marinade.

2. Combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chiles, ginger, salt, and pepper in a food processor and finely chop. Add the oil and continue processing to a smooth purée. Add the mixture to the beef and toss thoroughly to coat. Cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 2 to 3 hours.

3. Preheat the grill to high.

4. Remove the beef from the marinade and thread it onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of bell pepper and onion. Place the flour on a large plate and roll the kebabs in it so that all sides are generously covered.

5. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate really well or the kebabs will stick. Arrange the skewers on the hot grate. Grill, turning the kebabs with tongs, until the beef is cooked to taste, 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes in all), for medium-rare. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Note: If you don’t have peanut flour, grind 1 1/4 cups dry-roasted peanuts with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour as fine as possible in a food processor, running the machine in short bursts. Take care not to overgrind; peanut flour quickly becomes peanut butter.

Chicken, Bacon, Artichoke Pizza

I made this the other day and I thought I would just share the recipe.

I use a 14% high gluten flour. After making the dough I coat it lightly with olive oil and place it in small garbage bags. I cold ferment my dough for 3 days in a refrigerator before I make my pie. When you are ready to make your pie, remove your dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Remove from the bag and place it on a lightly floured surface. press down the dough in the middle and then stretch the dough.

Flour (100%): 366.71 g | 12.94 oz | 0.81 lbs
Water (60%): 220.03 g | 7.76 oz | 0.49 lbs
IDY (.41%): 1.5 g | 0.05 oz | 0 lbs | 0.5 tsp | 0.17 tbsp
Salt (.65%): 2.38 g | 0.08 oz | 0.01 lbs | 0.5 tsp | 0.17 tbsp
Oil (1.84%): 6.75 g | 0.24 oz | 0.01 lbs | 1.5 tsp | 0.5 tbsp
Total (162.9%): 597.37 g | 21.07 oz | 1.32 lbs | TF = 0.1048

Sauce:
1/2 Cup homemade Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch
1 Clove Garlic, minced

Toppings:
1 Cup cubed chicken (I buy a roasted chicken from the store and chop it into small cubes and refrigerate, it's a great way to add chicken to a pizza)
1/4 Cup crumbled bacon
1/2 Cup purple onion, diced
10 Canned artichokes, cut in half
1 tomato, diced
Mozzarella and grated Parmesan Cheeses

Bake at 550F on a pizza stone

As a side note, I buy my high gluten flour from Big J mill in Brigham City, it's $8 for a 25lb bag.

Also, be certain to use spring water, tap water has chlorine which kills the yeast.

And yes, this pizza tastes much better than anything you can buy in stores, it is amazing.

Judy's Cheese Ball

Just in time for the holiday season, I thought I would add this wonderful recipe. I got this recipe from a member from my misson, Judy Lubinski. This cheese ball is very easy to prepare and it is by far the best cheese ball I have ever tasted. I will post pictures the next time I prepare one of these babies.

Cheese Ball

2 Packages Cream Cheese (softened)
8oz can of Crushed Pineapple (well drained)
¼ cup Onion (extra fine chop)
¼ cup Green Pepper (extra fine chop)
1/2 t seasoned salt
2 cups Walnuts (1 cup fine chop, 1 cup rough chop)
1 Maraschino Cherry

Combine Cream Cheese, Peppers, Onions, Pineapple, seasoned salt and the cup of fine chopped Walnuts. Make sure the pineapple is very well drained, and get as much moisture out of the onions and peppers as possible by letting them sit out or pressing them. Form into a ball and roll in the rough chopped Walnuts. Garnish the very top of the cheeseball with the Maraschino Cherry. You can substitute Walnuts for Pecans or sliced Almonds. Low Fat Cream cheese also works very well for a lo-cal Cheese Ball.

Tools of the Trade

Having the proper cooking utinsils is vital to taking you cooking and baking to the next level. Specifically using non-reactive cookware. I want to taste the food, not the pan or a chemical reaction. This is one of my favorite pots. It's an All-Clad combination pasta pot. It has an inset for cooking pasta and an additional insert for steaming veggies. It is made of stainless steel so cleanup is easy and it is dishwasher safe. It's a great pot.

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars have always been an Evans family favorite. Last year for Grandma Evans 90th birthday celebration 4 people brought lemon bars and we had another brought lime bars. Somewhere we must have a genetic predisposition for lemon bars and all things sour. I tried all of the different variations at the party and they were all very distinct and good in there own way. For instance, Tyler likes his lemon bars with a very thick crust. Personally, I like my lemon bars to be flaky and lemony to the extreme.

A couple of points need to be brought up before cooking a lemon bars. Because lemon bars contain lemon, special precautions need to be taken. While it may not seem like a big deal, it is imperative that you use a non-reactive pan to bake the lemon bars, preferably glass. It is also imparative you use a non-reactive bowl when preparing the filling. This will prevent you lemon bars from tasting like a battery.


Crust:
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Butter Flavored Crisco
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, Crisco and sugar. Gently combine until the mixture is crumbly and then gently press into a 9x13 glass pan. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.

Filling:
4 Eggs well beaten
1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Lemon Juice
1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 t Baking Powder
Lemon zest of 1 whole lemon

In non-reactive mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture over the prebaked crust and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 350F.

Allow the lemon bars to cool for several hours and dust with powdered sugar.