Michael and I have pursued our dream of turning our back yard into an edible landscape for several years. We’ve replaced inedible bushes with blueberries, raspberries, and grape vines, and planted apple, cherry, plum, peach, fig, and pecan trees. But there are two trees I wish we could grow in our yard and can’t due to the cold winters: avocado and Meyer lemon. Last year I saw Meyer lemon trees in containers at Home Depot and I briefly thought I might try to grow one indoors, then I thought of the lime and calamondin orange trees I had tried growing indoors, both of which failed, and I had to walk away. Those were only $20 experiments, the Meyer lemon tree would have been a $69 experiment, a bit more of an investment, so I need to study a little more before attempting it.

Meyer lemons are a cross between lemons and mandarins, and they have a different taste and appearance from the lemons we usually find in the grocery stores, the Eureka lemon. The flavor is milder and sweeter, and the color when ripe has a bit of orange in it.

Last week Kristy Bernardo and I were doing a girls’ morning out run to Trader Joe’s, a monthly trip we do together, and we geeked out over the Meyer lemons, which we don’t see in the grocery stores very often around here. I brought home several bags and got to work slicing and salting, thinking about Moroccan tagines the whole time and wishing once again that I had a Meyer lemon tree growing in the house.

If you’ve never had preserved lemons in Moroccan food, it’s something you have to try. The lemons are preserved in salt and lemon juice then stored in a jar for 30 days. It’s so easy, really. The hardest part is waiting. Once they’ve fully brined, then you can take out a whole lemon or remove just one slice as needed for a dish, rinse off the excess salt, and cook with it. If prepared and stored properly, the lemons will keep for up to six months.

You’ll find many Moroccan tagine recipes, salads, and chicken dishes that call for preserved lemons, and the bit of salty, tart flavor it adds is exquisite.

Recipe Notes

Meyer lemons are perfect for preserving, but you can use the standard grocery store lemons if necessary. You’ll probably fit about five lemons in the jar and then juice the others. Make sure you sterilize the canning jar and lid before using to help prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria.

MOROCCAN PRESERVED LEMONS (LIMOUN MARAKAD)

Adapted from Mediterranean Cooking, by Paula Wolfert.

Makes 1 pint.

Equipment

pint canning jar, with lid and band, sterilized

Ingredients

6-7 Meyer lemons, well scrubbed
1/4-1/3 cup sea salt

Preparation

1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sea salt in the bottom of the jar. Quarter 1 lemon, slicing down from the stem end down to the tip but not all the way through so the quarters stay attached to each other. The lemon will look like a claw. Coat the pulp with sea salt and press it down into the jar, squeezing out the juice. Sprinkle a little more salt on top.

2. Repeat with as many lemons as will fit in the jar. Pour some fresh lemon juice on top to cover the lemons, leaving a little headspace in the jar, then seal it.

3. Keep the jar in a warm, dark place (pantry or cupboard) for 30 days. Turn the jar upside once a day to distribute the juice and salt, then sit it back on the shelf. When ready to use, remove a lemon or a slice and rinse it well. Make sure the lemons in the jar stay covered by the juice and salt, and they will keep for up to 6 months.

More Make Your Own Recipes

More Recipes with Meyer Lemons From Around the Blogs

The Perfect Pantry – Chicken with Preserved Lemon Tagine

Food Blogga – Glazed Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Cream Scones

Food Gal – Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Healthy Green Kitchen – Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Peanut butter is a snack and sandwich staple around our house, whether for toast, sandwiches, crackers, celery, or just on a spoon the old-fashioned way. Our boys are particularly fond of peanut butter and banana sandwiches on whole wheat bread. Peanut butter is very easy to make at home, and there is a tremendous difference between the flavor of store-bought and homemade peanut butter. Plus, your own homemade peanut butter won’t have a bunch of preservatives and you can control the amount of salt and honey in it, a win-win all around. You just need peanuts, peanut oil, sea salt, honey, and a food processor.

Here’s how we make homemade peanut butter, demonstrated by Builder Guy (age 8).

Add the peanuts.

Add the peanut oil.

Add the honey and salt.

Process until nice and smooth.

Enjoy with your favorite snack or sandwich.

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new, such as measuring ingredients or shelling the nuts.

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• An adult or older child should plug in the food processor and handle the blade.

For more information on how to start cooking with your whole family, visit The Kids Cook Monday website.

HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER

Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts, shelled
3 to 4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

In the bowl of the food processor, ad the shelled peanuts, peanut oil, honey, and sea salt. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. If the mixture is slightly dry, add another tablespoon of peanut oil. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Variations

If using unroasted peanuts, you may roast them on a baking sheet in a 350° F/175° C oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir two times while roasting and allow to cool completely before making the peanut butter.

For chunky peanut butter, chop 1/4 cup of the nuts and set aside. Process the rest until smooth and creamy, then add the chopped nuts and process until mixed in, about 15 seconds.

More Kids Cook Monday Recipes

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

My notorious sweet tooth is no secret as my blog is filled with recipes for many of my favorite desserts. One of my favorite things to satisfy my sweet cravings is caramel; I prefer it over chocolate and think that caramel makes chocolate taste even better. I love caramel on ice cream, cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, tarts, and in lattes, and I’ve also been known to eat it straight off the spoon. I’m addicted, I know. Is there a 12-step program for caramel? I think I need one.

I’ve been making caramel at home for years now, my favorite being Colombian arequipe (dulce de leche) using the traditional method which is a bit labor intensive. If you don’t have time to stand over a pot of simmering milk and sugar for a couple hours, the shortcut oven method is an easy way to make it at home, you just need a glass pie pan and a can of sweetened condensed milk (not plain evaporated milk).

Cooking the dulce de leche in a water bath helps it to cook evenly without drying out. Ovens vary in temperature, so I suggest a range of time for baking the caramel. My oven seems a bit slow and it takes a full 90 minutes to cook the caramel, but check your caramel at the 1 hour mark to see how it’s doing. It still takes time, but not as long as the scratch method and you don’t have to stay on top of it. And a short time later with little to no effort on your part, you’ll have a decadent treat.

(Print this recipe)

EASY DULCE DE LECHE (CARAMEL)

Makes 14 ounces/396 g.

Equipment

9-inch glass pie pan
roasting pan, large enough to fit the pie pan inside
whisk or immersion blender

Ingredients

14 ounces/396 g can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.

2. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set the pan inside the roasting pan and pour hot water around it until it’s about half way up the side of the pie pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until it’s browned and caramelized, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Check the caramel at the 1 hour mark, just use some tongs to carefully lift up one corner of the foil. If the milk still looks pale, leave it in for another 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and allow the caramel to cool on a wire rack. Whisk or blend to smooth it out. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 1 month.

More Homemade Candy Recipes

Recipes with Dulce de Leche from around the Blogs

Bon Vivant – Pear Dulce de Leche Pie

Joy the Baker – Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Technicolor Kitchen – Dulce de Leche Profiteroles

The Perfect Pantry – Dulce de Leche Milhojas

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Monkey Boy has an incredible amount of energy, and he ran us all over the farm during our visit to a local pumpkin patch last week. The farm had cornstalks and pumpkins piled near the entrance and he spent a few minutes touching them all and explaining which one he liked. After the hayride we were dropped off at the pick your own area and though there were little pie pumpkins all over the ground, Monkey Boy took his time and carefully examined each one that caught his eye as he tried to select the best one. I picked up a few and asked if he liked those, but he just shook his head and kept looking. His criteria remained a secret, though he did finally choose one with a long stem and carefully carried it back to the car. After all the care he put into selecting his pumpkin, I wasn’t sure he would let me bake it, but he was actually excited about making pumpkin pie or cake with it.

Roasting is an easy way to cook the pumpkin enough to loosen the flesh from the skin, just clean the outside of the pumpkin with hot water, then cut it and scoop out the guts. We save our pumpkin seeds and roast them later, but you can also compost them along with the stringy bits. The pureed pumpkin will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and you can also freeze it.

HOW TO ROAST A PUMPKIN AND MAKE PUMPKIN PUREE

Makes about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of pumpkin puree.

Equipment

baking sheet lined with foil, lightly coated with cooking spray
food processor
heavy knife or cleaver

Ingredients

1 sweet pumpkin (pie pumpkin)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F/200° C.

2. Wash the entire surface of the pumpkin well with hot water. If you can get a good hold on it, break off the stem. Using a heavy knife or cleaver, cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Remove any of the stem that might remain. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Cut each half again so you have quarters.

3. Place the pieces skin side down on the prepared pan and cover with heavy foil. Roast in the preheated oven for 60 to 90 minutes, until the flesh is very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle it without burning yourself.

4. While the pumpkin is still warm, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and put it into the food processor. Process until the mixture is very smooth with no chunks. If the puree is watery, drain some of the liquid off. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipes with Pumpkin

More Recipes with Pumpkin from around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

David Lebovitz – Pumpkin Ice Cream

101 Cookbooks – Pumpkin Feta Muffins

Kalyn ‘s Kitchen – Crockpot Pumpkin Chili with Ground Beef, Black Beans, and Kidney Beans

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Caring for wood in the kitchen may seem like a mystery, but it’s actually pretty easy. We have wood cutting boards, salad bowls, a few wood plates and utensils, and a butcher block top on the baking center/floating island, and it only takes a little effort to maintain them.

For cleaning, we scrape off all stuck on bits of flour or whatever, then we rub them down with hot soapy water but avoid submerging in water. If wood items soak in water, they tend to crack when drying, so avoid that especially with good cutting boards or plates/bowls. For the same reason you should never put wood items in a dishwasher. To remove odors, I spray on undiluted white vinegar and let the pieces sit overnight without wiping off the vinegar, but you can also use lemon juice.

Our boards and butcher block get a weekly rub down with a homemade beeswax rub, which helps repel water but does not make them waterproof. Cleaning removes this coating, which is why you need to make this a weekly activity. It only takes a few minutes, and it adds a layer of protection as well as luster and a light beeswax aroma.

*Walnut oil, almond oil, and pure tung oil make good food-safe finishes if you prefer to avoid beeswax or mineral oil, but should not be used if you cook for someone who has tree nut allergies. Avoid olive oil or other kinds of vegetable oils that turn rancid quickly.

BEESWAX PASTE

Makes about 10 ounces.

Equipment

small sauce pan
12 to 16 ounce wide mouth glass jar with lid (I use a wide mouth Mason jar so I can get my hand in it.)

Ingredients

1 cup (240 ml) pharmaceutical grade mineral oil (inexpensive and available at drugstores, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.)
2 ounces (57 g) pure beeswax

Preparation

MAKE: Pour the mineral oil into the pan and add the beeswax. Melt over low heat just until the beeswax has completely dissolved, stirring as it melts. Once the mixture is blended, remove from heat. Allow to cool for a couple minutes so it’s not too hot for the glass, then pour into the glass jar and allow to finish cooling completely. Add the lid, label it, then store in a cool location.

TO USE: Scoop some onto a smooth clean cloth or towel (not terry cloth). Wipe on clean wooden surface, adding more as you go. There will be some excess on the surface, and that’s ok. Allow it to rest for about 30 minutes or overnight, then smooth the excess. Reapply weekly to protect wood.

More Make Your Own Recipes

Resources

eBeeHoney.com (my source for beeswax)

Local Harvest – Beeswax

References

What’s Cooking in America – Cutting Boards

Finewoodworking.com – Food-Safe Finishes

Wikipedia – Tung oil

More Beeswax Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Canneles de Bordeaux

Elana’s Pantry – Vanilla Butter Lip Balm

Thanks for subscribing to this blog! Copyright © 2005-2012 Andrea Meyers: making life delicious.

Vanilla beans + vodka + time = vanilla extract

That’s pretty easy math! The process is simple and the equipment list very short: you only need a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. There was a time when I would have said that the biggest part of that equation was the vanilla beans due to their cost, but the Internet is making them more easily and inexpensively available. If you buy beans by the half-pound or by the pound, you can save quite a bit of money. Check out the recommended list of online vendors at the end of this post.

The biggest thing you need is time, because the mixture needs to sit for about 8 weeks to reach it’s full potential. However, do not fret thinking that you are too late for Christmas gift giving, because you can start now and include a little note with your gift stating when the vanilla will be ready. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving! And if you plan to keep some for yourself, which you should, you can continue adding vodka and beans to perpetuate your stash.

The vanilla orchid plant Vanilla planifolia is native to Mexico but is now grown throughout the tropics, with Madagascar being the world’s largest producer and accounting for 59% of the total world production. Other species of vanilla orchid are also used for production, though the amount of vanillin in each species varies. The green pods on the plants do not have any of the aroma associated with vanilla, and the pods are aged for several months before they turn dark brown to black and are considered ready for use.

(Additional information added Nov. 7, 2007) Storing vanilla beans is pretty easy, just keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. According to Nielsen-Massey, if stored in this manner, they will keep for at least two years. Do not store them in the refrigerator, as they tend to mold.

Making your own extracts, oils, and spice mixes is a fun way to give gifts at Christmas time, and those kinds of food gifts can go under the tree without having to worry about spoiling. This is my contribution to an event celebrating homemade gifts called Spoonful of Christmas hosted by Zlamushka at Zlamushka’s Spicy Kitchen (Sweden).

Equipment

16-ounce jar or bottle with tight-fitting lid
kitchen scissors

Ingredients

16 ounces vodka, top-shelf brands not required
6 vanilla beans

Preparation

1. Cut the six vanilla beans in half lengthwise, leaving about 1 inch connected at one end.

2. Put the beans into the jar and pour in the 16 ounces of vodka.

3. Cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place for about 8 weeks. Give it a gentle shake about once a week.

Sources of Vanilla Beans

Arizona Vanilla Company (Be sure to check out their eBay auctions and Amazon store for good deals.)

The Vanilla Company

Various Amazon sellers

References

Wikipedia – Vanilla

Wikibooks – Cookbook – Vanilla

Joy of Baking – Vanilla

OChef – How to store vanilla beans

Amadeus Vanilla Beans – FAQs

I love it in cocktail sauce, but I can’t do it straight. Prepared horseradish is a condiment that I did not have during childhood, although we probably should have grown the plant because it would have cured every cold I ever got. The heady, strong smell of prepared horseradish clears your sinuses pretty quickly. Michael loves it spread on meat or as a sauce for sandwiches, but he also likes to eat really hot peppers. He rarely ever gets a cold, so I may have to give the horseradish and hot pepper preventive a try.

His parents grow horseradish at their camp in the Adirondacks, and his father made a batch while we were visiting last week, so of course I had to capture his process. They don’t keep a food processor at the camp due to kitchen space, so they use a blender instead. Michael sampled the batch and proclaimed it “good, with a slow burn.” Michael’s uncle has a bunch of plants that grow wild on his property, and he rotates the harvest over a three year period so that the roots have time to grow back strong. Some of the roots that he has dug up are over an inch thick.

Horseradish can be grown as both an annual or a perennial depending on your hardiness zone. To grow your own as a perennial, plant it and leave it alone for at least a year before digging up anytime during spring through the first frost. Then cut away the roots, leaving a small amount just below the stems, and replant the stems for next year. Harvesting just after the first frost gives maximum heat to your prepared horseradish.

Making horseradish is really pretty easy, but it’s one of those jobs that’s probably best done outdoors unless you want that strong smell to hang around your house for a while. Horseradish freezes well, just put it into small containers and cover with a layer of plastic wrap before sealing. And if you are looking for ways to use it, check out Foodily.com’s list of recipes with horseradish.

In response to a number of requests, I checked with the National Center for Home Food Preservation about canning horseradish at home, but they currently have not identified a safe, tested method for home canning. Their recipe for pickled horseradish sauce recommends storing in the refrigerator.

[Updated: February 5, 2012.]

Equipment

blender or food processor with blade attachment
sharp knife
vegetable scrubber
strainer
plastic container(s) for storing

Ingredients

2 to 3 cups horseradish roots
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
more water as needed

Preparation

1. Dig up the horseradish.

2. Rinse the roots and cut just below the base of the stems. Set the stems aside to replant as they will grow new roots. Scrub the roots clean and cut into 2″ pieces.

3. Pour the cider vinegar and water into the blender. Add all the cut roots. Add water to the full line and cover.

4. Blend for several minutes until the roots are finely ground. Strain the away the liquid. Store in a well-sealed plastic container.

Variations

Food processor instructions: Pour the cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and the cut roots into the processor bowl and cover. Do not add more water. Process until the horseradish is finely ground and strain as above.

Resources

Wikipedia – Horseradish

J.R. Kelly Company (the largest horseradish shipper in the United States) – Recipes

Horseradish recipes

***************************************************

Source: Rich Meyers