Homemade root beer

Directions

Combine 2 quarts water, sassafras, sarsaparilla, birch, mint, star anise, ginger, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let steep for 2 hours.

Strain liquid through fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into large pot. Add remaining 2 quarts water along with the brown sugar and molasses. Stir until mixture is integrated, then cover.

Let cool to 75°F, then stir in yeast and let it sit for 15 minutes. Fill plastic bottles with mixture, leaving 2 inches of space at top. Screw on caps. Keep bottles at room temperature for 36 hours, then open a bottle slowly and carefully to see if it is carbonated enough. If it is, then go on to step 4. If not, reseal the bottle and let rest for another 12 to 24 hours until desired carbonation is reached.

Homemade caramel

How to Make Caramel Sauce

To start, you melt down the sugar. It’s a regular white sugar. It may seem intimidating, but it really shouldn’t be. Melt it over medium-high heat and just watch it, whisking it as it goes. It’ll start to clump together first, then you’ll notice it start to melt. That’s when it gets exciting! The whole melting process should take about 10 minutes, give or take.

The sugar should continue cooking until all the clumps are melted. Once they’re gone, stop whisking and allow the sugar to cook a little more. Keep a very close eye on it. The color will turn to a deeper amber color and you should notice a nutty aroma. It’ll happen quickly and as soon as it does, you want to remove it from the heat. If you let it go too long, it’ll burn. Pressure, I know. But once you notice it really start to turn darker, just take it off the heat.

At that point, you want to add the butter and whisk it in to the sugar. It’ll bubble up, but keep whisking. The butter seems to resist coming together completely, but it will.

Next add the heavy cream and again whisk until combined. There’ll be more bubbles, but then you’re done!

You can let it cool for about 15 minutes, or until it’s however thick you want it, then use it. Or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for a couple weeks. It’s easy to reheat and pour over pretty much anything. The recipe below makes about 1 1/2 cups of caramel sauce. I recommend going ahead and making it just to have on hand. It’s in a few upcoming recipes, so why not just have it ready. 🙂

Hamburger soup recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef


• 4 cups water


• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained


• 3 medium carrots, sliced


• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules


• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt


• 1/4 teaspoon pepper


• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1 cup cut fresh or frozen green beans

Grilled fish tacos

Fish Taco Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil or canola oil – this is used in the marinade to keep the exterior of the fish from drying out.


• Lime juice – this is the best flavor in these tacos it really brightens them up.


• Fresh garlicand garlic powder – I like raw garlic in the marinade but powder in the sauce so it’s not overwhelming. If perferred arlic powder can be used in this marinade as well, use 1/4 tsp.


• Chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper – these classic Mexican spices add a well seasoned layer of flavor to the fish.


• Talapia, cod or mahi mahi – the idea is to use neutral flavored white fish. If you use talapia look for thicker fillets that won’t fall apart easily.


• Corn tortillas – I like to warm them in a little vegetable oil or olive oil so they aren’t bland and dry until they get just a few golden spots then flip and cook on the opposite side.


• Shredded purple cabbage – this adds that classic crunch we crave in seafood tacos.


• Avocado – use a nice ripe avocado, it’s always a game changer.


• Cilantro – feel free to add more to taste.


• Cotija cheese – this optional ingredient adds a nice light tang, it’s one of my favorite Mexican cheeses.


• Sour cream and Mayonnaise – these are used to make a creamy fish taco sauce. I like to use full fat for a rich sauce but low fat will work great too.

Ham gravy

Ingredients

• 1 (8 pound) fully cooked bone-in ham


• 1/2 cup brown sugar


• 1 (6 ounce) can apple juice

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/2 cup milk


• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

1 h 45 m

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).


2. Place ham in a large roasting pan, cut-side down. Press brown sugar evenly onto ham. Pour apple into roasting pan and cover with a lid or aluminum foil.


3. Bake in the preheated oven until ham is heated through, about 80 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let ham rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a serving plate. Pour remaining pan juices into a saucepan.


4. Combine flour and milk in a jar with a lid; shake until mixture is blended.


5. Bring pan juices to a boil. Slowly whisk flour mixture into the saucepan until gravy is thick, about 5 minutes

See how to make an easy, old-fashioned baked ham with cloves and brown sugar.

Huevos rancheros recipe

Ingredients

Olive oil

Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

Onion

Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

Cumin

An aromatic spice native to eastern Mediteranean countries and Upper Egypt. This warm,…

The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

Tortilla

In Spain, a tortilla is a kind of omelette, with ingredients added - frequently sliced cooked…

Tomato

A member of the nightshade family (along with aubergines, peppers and chillies), tomatoes are in…

Cheddar

Once cheddar was 'Cheddar', a large, hard-pressed barrel of cheese made by a particular…

Avocado

Although it's technically a fruit, the mild-flavoured avocado is used as a vegetable. Native…

The same shape, but smaller than…

chopped coriander, to serve

Method

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the onions with a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, around 3-4 mins. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

Stir in the beans, cumin, chilli powder, oregano, some seasoning and 100ml water. Cook for 5-7 mins, stirring occasionally, or until the beans have softened, then remove from the heat, mash and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Crack in the eggs, then reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the whites are completely firm.

To assemble, spread the beans onto the tortillas, add the tomatoes and jalapeños and sprinkle with cheese. Top with some avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and a fried egg, then scatter with coriander. Serve with the lime wedges on the side.

Easy sloppy joe recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef


• 1 cup ketchup


• 1/4 cup water


• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce


• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard


• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 4 hamburger buns, split

How to cook tilapia

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)


• 3 tablespoons butter, melted


• 3 tablespoons lemon juice


• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• 2 tablespoons capers, drained


• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• Place tilapia in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with capers, oregano and paprika.


• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Home made brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter


• 1 cup white sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder


• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder


• Frosting:


• 3 tablespoons butter, softened


• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 cup confectioners' sugar


• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

1 h

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.


2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.


3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.


4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Stir until smooth. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Ham and beans recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried great northern beans


• 3 smoked ham hocks (about 1-1/2 pounds)


• 1 large onion, chopped


• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken or beef broth


• 2 cups water


• 1 tablespoon onion powder


• 1 tablespoon garlic powder


• 2 teaspoons pepper


• Thinly sliced green onions, optional

Directions

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions.


• Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Transfer beans to a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add ham hocks. Stir in onion, broth, water and seasonings. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.


• Remove meat from bones when cool enough to handle; cut ham into small pieces and return to slow cooker. Serve with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with onions if desired.

Breakfast sausage casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk pork sausage


• 6 large eggs


• 2 cups whole milk


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon ground mustard


• 6 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes


• 1 cup Kerrygold shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage; drain and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs; add milk, salt and mustard. Stir in bread cubes, cheese and sausage.


• Pour into a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Fried cheese curds

How to Make Beer Battered Deep Fried Cheese Curds

Deep fried cheese curds are typically made with cheese curds, obviously enough. However, don’t despair if you live outside of Wisconsin and can’t find this squeaky treat. You can use a block of mild cheddar and cut it into

1 ½” x ¾” rectangles to mimic the curd shape, however simply cutting 1” cubes would also be fine too.

My Beer Battered Deep Fried Cheese Curds recipe calls for a pound of cheese curds, however if you buy a different sized bag, the recipe will still work well. You just may have some batter left over.

Your beer batter for deep frying should be like a thin pancake batter, a consistency similar to paint. My recipe calls for a cup of beer, however if the batter is still too thick, add another 1 – 2 tablespoons of beer to thin it out to the correct consistency. If you thin it out too much, add a small amount of flour to thicken it slightly.

Before you dive into deep frying your entire batch, test out one curd frying in the oil. You will be able to see if your batter is the right consistency and make adjustments before you accidentally ruin the whole batch. Plus, you get to snack on one early!

You will also want to have a good instant read thermometer to monitor your oil temperature. Proper oil temperature is essential anytime you are frying food, too hot and your food will burn, too cool and it will become oil logged. I never deep fry without one. Rather than buying a specific deep frying thermometer, I like using the same instant read thermometer I use for cooking meat (this is what I use) because I like tools that can multitask.

Chimichurri recipe

What Ingredients go into Chimichurri?

• Fresh parsley, cilantro and oregano – this trio of herbs makes this incredibly flavorful!


• Red onion – mince these up itty bitty if going the method by hand.


• Garlic – use fresh garlic for the most flavor.


• Red wine vinegar – if you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand white wine vinegar could be substituted.


• Lemon juice – use fresh lemon juice for best flavor.


• Salt – kosher salt, table salt or sea salt works great.


• Red pepper flakes – if you don’t like spicy food just omit this, if you love spicy food add more to taste.


• Olive oil – I like to use a blend of half extra virgin olive oil and half regular olive oil for a more mild oil flavor but feel free to use either or.

How do You Make Chimichurri?

Mix and Chop by Hand Method:

• Finely chop parsley, cilantro, oregano. Add to a mixing bowl along with all remaining ingredients. Stir well to blend.

Food Processor Method:

• If using a food processor no need to pre-chop herbs and you’ll only need to roughly chop onion and garlic.


• Add red onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and salt to a food processor.


• Pulse, stopping and scraping down sides occasionally until finely minced.


• Add in parsley, cilantro, oregano and red pepper flakes then pour in olive oil while pulsing several times until herb leaves are finely minced (they should have some body and texture).

How to make scones

Ingredients

Baking powder

Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…

Butter

Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

Buttermilk

There are two types of buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk is a thin, cloudy, slightly tart but…

The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

For the filling

Blackberry

A purply black-coloured berry comprising many individual seed-containing fruits surrounding a…

3 tbsp golden caster sugar

275g pot clotted cream

icing sugar, to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add the butter, rub everything together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, then stir in the sugar.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, then tip in the buttermilk and egg. Gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, sticky, dough.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the mixture a couple of times and mould it into an 18cm round. Put the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Leave to cool.

For the filling, lightly mash the blackberries with the sugar. Split the shortcake in two and spread the bottom half with the clotted cream. Spoon the mashed berries over the cream, then top with the shortcake. Dust with icing sugar and serve in slices.

Chicken mole

Ingredients

• 12 bone-in chicken thighs (about 4-1/2 pounds), skin removed


• 1 teaspoon salt


• MOLE SAUCE:

1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained

1 medium onion, chopped

2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup raisins

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Fresh cilantro leaves, optional

Directions

• Sprinkle chicken with salt; place in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Place the tomatoes, onion, chiles, almonds, raisins, chocolate, oil, chipotle pepper, garlic, cumin and cinnamon in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Pour over chicken.


• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender; skim fat. Serve chicken with sauce, and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.
  Freeze option: Cool chicken in mole sauce. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through slowly in a covered skillet or Dutch oven until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth or water if necessary.

Crockpot chicken tacos

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1.0 oz taco seasoning

16 oz salsa

12 soft tortillas

3/4 cup prepared guacamole

3/4 cup prepared pico de gallo

3/4 cup sour cream

cilantro for garnish (optional)

Crab soup

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions, undrained


• 2 cups water


• 1-1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)


• 2 cups cubed peeled rutabaga


• 2 cups chopped cabbage


• 1 medium onion, finely chopped


• 1 medium carrot, sliced


• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed


• 1/2 cup frozen lima beans, thawed


• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed


• 1/2 cup cut fresh green beans (1-inch pieces)


• 4 teaspoons seafood seasoning


• 1 teaspoon celery seed


• 1 vegetable bouillon cube


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon pepper


• 1 pound fresh or lump crabmeat, drained