Wine out of dandelions? You bet! Making homemade dandelion wine is a longstanding family tradition. We don't make it every year, but I do like to keep a few bottles on hand for company. You can use the dandelions from your yard, provided they are free of pesticides, herbicides and other things you don't want to eat. The taste of this dandelion wine is rich, golden and warming – more like a good brandy than a wine. I've had friends who don't normally like wine comment that they do enjoy this “spring tonic”. [Read more…]
Fresh Homemade Mozzarella Cheese Recipe – Make Mozzarella Balls!
You can make fresh mozzarella cheese at home – with just four ingredients! Use your homemade mozzarella to make mozzarella balls from scratch, or stretch it into homemade string cheese. This posts features the “30 Minute Mozzarella Cheese” recipe from Ricki Carrol's book “Home Cheese Making“. If you'd like to make traditional mozzarella (which takes a bit longer), check out the “Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheese” e-course from Traditional Cooking School. [Read more…]
Polish Doughnuts – My Grandmother’s Recipe for Homemade Doughnuts
These homemade Polish doughnuts were made from the recipe that my mother used for probably close to 50 years of church bake sales. When I was still at home as a girl and a teenager, I used to help out with the Easter Bake Sale, where mom and the other ladies from the parish would bake tens of dozens of these beauties. (Think multiple 50 pound bags of flour and 4+ large folding tables full of finished homemade doughnuts.) People would come from all over the surrounding area just to get “those good doughnuts”.
I hadn’t made doughnuts in years, since I moved to the other side of the state, but luckily my sister still had mom (grandma’s) recipe. [Read more…]
Easy Cheese Quiche Recipe with Fresh, Frozen or Freeze Dried Veggies
This easy cheese quiche recipe comes together in minutes for a quick and filling meal. I like to make it in the summer when fresh produce is abundant, but it also works well with frozen or freeze dried veggies. If you want a heartier meal, feel free to add some diced ham or smoked turkey. We often opt for a cheese and broccoli quiche, but you can substitute other vegetables with good results. (More on this in a bit.) Lately, I've been using our duck eggs for cooking, and they give egg recipes a great golden color. (The yolks are HUGE, and the duckies love to go out foraging!)
Dutch Oven Cooking – How to Use a Cast Iron Dutch Oven
I love cooking with cast iron – especially Dutch oven cooking. Dutch ovens are durable and versatile. They allow you to cook a wide variety of foods under many different conditions. In this post, we'll talk about different types of Dutch ovens and how they are used, plus I share a couple of our favorite Dutch oven recipes.
