Bread Machine Jam

This is SO quick and easy and makes the house smell amazing! I had a ton of organic raspberries from the sale this week and made one regular and 3 double batches of this today! Our freezer is stocked!

Strawberry Jam

1 c. sugar

1 T. powdered low-sugar fruit pectin (I bought the regular kind by mistake but it turned out fine.)

1 and 1/2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced OR same amount of raspberries or other fruit mashed with potato masher)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients into bread pan.

2. Select Basic setting.

3. Let machine run 5-6 minutes, scraping sides of the pan with rubber spatula. Stop machine to cancel.

4. Select Bake setting and re-start machine.

5. When machine is done (mine is a 1 hour cycle), turn it off. Use oven mitts to remove the pan. Pour jam into containers; cover. Refrigerate to set. Makes about 3 cups. Can be doubled. Can be frozen.

Easy Bread-and-Butter Pickles

The recipe calls for Kirby cucumbers, but I used the giant ones we got from the farm this year and they were a big hit! I doubled the recipe with no problem.

1/4 tsp. yellow mustard seeds

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds

2 and 1/4 c. water

1 and 3/4 c. white vinegar

1 and 3/4 c. sugar

1 T. salt

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

8 kirby cucumbers, sliced into  1/4-inch-thick rounds

1/2 onion, sliced thin

1. Toast the mustard and fennel seeds in a large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Combine the hot brine, cucumbers, and onion in a large bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavorful, at least 10 hours. Drain well and discard the bay leaves before serving.

To make ahead: The pickles can be refrigerated in their liquid, in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks. (You could also preserve them using a canning method.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

The easiest cookies I've ever made! Zoe was able to help a lot and it was only a few minutes of prep. The whole batch fit on one big cookie sheet so the oven didn't have to be on long and I didn't have dozens of cookies sitting around to tempt me, just enough to satisfy my craving.

1 c. peanut butter (chunky or creamy, we use all-natural)

1 c. sugar, plus more for rolling

1 egg

(Seriously, those are the only ingredients! I was skeptical too, but it really works!)

1. Heat oven to 375. Stir together all ingredients.

2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Press each ball down with a fork in 2 directions to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges just start to brown. Cool on wire racks.

From Parents magazine, Oct. 2008

Jenny's popovers

Jenny shared this recipe with the group some time ago. They are a favorite of ours now, too. Easy to make, easy for kids to help with. From Mollie Katzen's Pretend Soup kids cookbook.

2 T. butter

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 and melt butter.

Brush insides of 12 muffin cups with melted butter. (Kids can do this part.)

Break eggs into mixing bowl.

Add milk and beat well.

Add flour and salt and whisk until reasonably well-blended.

Use a 1/4 c. measure with a handle to pour batter into each muffin cup. They should be 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake 30 minutes without opening oven.

Remove muffins from the pan and prick with a fork to let the steam escape. Spread with butter, jam, maple syrup, or even plain, and eat! You may need to make another batch!

Yield: 1 dozen

Bittman's No-Knead Bread

This is the version Linsey posted ages ago that many of us have made dozens of times. Easy-to-make, but takes some advance planning. Sylwinn has had success using whole-wheat flour.

3 c. flour

1 and 5/8 c. water

slightly less than a T. of salt

1/4 tsp. yeast

Mix the above together. It will be much wetter than a typical bread dough. Cover bowl and let sit for 16-20 hours. Dough should be at least doubled and bubbly.

Flour (or cornmeal) a board. (If your dough is super-wet, you will need to use quite a bit of flour.) Scrape or peel the dough onto the board and fold in half. Cover with a floured towel (not terry-cloth) and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.

An hour before your bread is done rising, preheat your oven to 450. After oven is hot, place your cooking pot (I use a cast-iron dutch oven, Linsey uses a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot) with lid in the oven empty.

When you are ready to bake the dough, remove the pot from the oven and quickly plop the dough into the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

This is a great way to get a second meal out of a roasted chicken or turkey. We have this every year the day after Thanksgiving, and many, many other times throughout the year, too. I rarely have as much meat as they call for, and it turns out fine. I find soup to be very adaptable. Very quick and easy but satisfying meal. Easy to make with "mommy-brain"-you hardly even have to measure anything!

1 T. vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

1 box (32 oz) chicken broth

2 c. frozen corn kernels (you can use leftover cooked corn, just throw it in at the last second)

1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp ground cumin (or more to taste)

Possible Garnishes:

tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced avacado, sour cream, lime wedges, chopped cilantro

In large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except tortilla chips and garnishes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Ladle into bowls. Top with broken tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

This is a Dierbergs recipe.