Got Any Food Projects Going on? Part 2

First thread pretty long,time to start a new one

Link to Part One
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=249329#Post249329
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Ive got sprouts going on now,yellow and black mustard,radish and alfalfa.Should make a fine salad.Will post next week when done.

Amazon also has screaming good deals on seeds,can get 5 lbs of some for 12-16 dollars,cheapest Ive ever seen and batch I just bought sprouting beautifully and well packed too.

I like anything growing,like quick,or things that store.

I ran across this at PharmerPhils....
http://pharmerphil.proboards.com/thread/15561/pickled-pork

Going to try this next time I get to the store.May check some other recipes first though,I like the type with the gel,this doesnt say if these do that.

PICKLED PIGS FEET

3 1/4 lbs. pigs feet
Cold water
2/3 c. white vinegar
6 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pickling spice
5 pepper kernels


Place clean pigs feet into 4 quart pot. Cover with cold water; bring to boil. Simmer until meat is fairly tender. Skim off foam occasionally. Cool for 8 to 10 hours. Drain, reserving liquid and place meat into jars. Combine 2 1/4 cups of liquid and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer for a few minutes. Pour over pigs feet. Cool and refrigerate. Serve cold.
VARIATION: Other parts of pig such as ankles, ears, tongue and heart may be substituted for feet.

EDIT-anybody made these before that can chime in?

I stumbled upon Country Choice Organic Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats in a superstore today. I really like oatmeal on the trail, and steel cut oats are my favourite. I've never had them together before because this is the first time I've seen a quick cooking version.

I'm going to try them just like at home, at home, with some powered milk and brown sugar. might throw in some dried cranberries too to kick it up a notch.

Tried something yesterday that I saw in a YouTube video: raman instead of oatmeal for breakfast. Cook the noodles as normal, but without the seasoning pad. When noodles are cooked, drain water, and add brown sugar and cinnamon. It was OK but too bland to be savoury and not sweet enough. I'll stick to the oatmeal.

I like that Ramen as a base with dehydrated veggies,cant imagine sweet?

Funny,when I was in the Navy roommates Mom was Japanese,he must have known a hundred ways to cook Ramen and DANG but it was GOOD!

The mustard is new to us.This is 5 days worth.

In pint jars,soak in filtered water 6 hours and away we go.

I then rinse in tap water 2 times a day.

The yellow mustard only now after 4 days starting to sprout,dont know if thats normal or poor seed.

Sorry pics so large,photobucket wont do thumbs right now...These are day 1,day 3 and day 5 pics







Pics can see a few yellow mustards finally sprouting





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Going slowly,maybe kitchen being cool is an issue. Nice and green considering only light is from a fluorescent tube for most part,they dont get much sunlight.Still have a few days to go....

EDIT-Thinking about it,maybe yellow mustard needs more than a 6 hour soak in the beginning?

Hmmmm....interesting education on mustard
http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/mustard.html

Spuds... try lining a jar with a piece of sandpaper....place your mustard seeds in and give them a circular shake for 10 seconds... then see if they sprout quicker... this is usually a pretty good method of seed scarification...

I'll try it,thanks Les.Mrs likes the idea too.

Going to use some sprouts on a lettuce salad tonight,yumm!

OK,salad done.Turns out my Alfalfa was broccoli.

It terms of spicy,lowest first it was Brocc,radish,black mustard.The mustard is strong,with a slight horseradish taste?

Anyhow,I just layered them sparingly on the Iceberg lettuce layers,some red onion,cucumbers,tomato,boiled egg,avocado.Topped with a Blue Cheese Vinaigrette



Toss,add rest...



Toss with fork in bowl with Vinaigrette,forgot to take that picture,consumption in progress

Salad Dressings are a recent project,good value and not loaded with preservatives

This is our version of a Vinaigrette we found online at Food network

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melis...tml?oc=linkback

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Salt and black pepper



Mix (whisk) the mustard,vinegar,sugar,blue cheese and garlic.Then stir in the oil,whisking to an emulsified form.Salt and pepper to taste,can add more or less vinegar to your preference

Makes enough for 2 salads for us,Mrs likes more than I do on hers.

This is a great recipe,tastes just like the Chinese take out if you like that.Took 15 minutes to make,for meat we used round steak we have butcher run through the tenderizer.
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http://www.food.com/recipe/the-best-easy-beef-and-broccoli-stir-fry-99476


3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup water, plus
2 tablespoons water, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak or 1 lb charcoal chuck steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice

Directions

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.
Add beef and toss.
In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm.
Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.
Return beef to pan.
Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
Serve over rice.


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We served over Chinese noodles instead of rice,and cooked on high heat in a cast iron pan.

Horrible photo color in this image,it is NOT orange


This really turned out well.

Mustard finally sprouted,thats the stuff at upper right. Rest did very well.I like that broccoli.

Fruit roll-ups are simple.We will be making strawberry/mango and strawberry/frozen blackberries.We didnt add sugar,I like em fine without.



Into blender...



Puree....



Onto a tray covered with parchment paper or wax paper if you have that....spread it around 1/8th inch thick



Now the strawberry/blackberry mix



Puree



Onto tray,looks nice,spread it out....



Into the dehydrator until dried and pliable,maybe tomorrow be done? Our dehydrator is 117F.

That looks awesome! I have a very nice L'Quip dehydrator that I haven't used in awhile. Probably have to try that out. I've been itching to try veggie rollups, too.

Good one Phaedrus on mentioning that brand.Have one of those,its one we loan to the family/friends,a VERY capable machine,like them a lot (thrift store find,woohoo!)

Can dehydrate fast,dries evenly in my experience doing fruits and veggies,adjustable temp.Mine doesnt have computer controls so cant speak to that.

So let me to be second to recommend that machine,for price I think its a very good one.
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Its on Amazon among others...



L'Equip Dehydrator
by L'EQUIP
4.2 out of 5 stars

Price: $119.99


500-watt dehydrator for drying food, flowers, and herbs
Adjustable thermostat with computer-controlled sensor
6 stacking trays for a total of 12 square feet of drying space
Instructional booklet with recipes and drying times included
Measures 17 by 11-4/5 by 10-1/2 inches; 10-year limited warranty

Like a fruit leather?

Yeah, just like fruit leather but with veggies. I'm not sure if all veggies would work but I'd think many would. Less sugar and stuff, I don't like to eat a lot of carbs, especially from sugar.

Yes,we try to avoid as many fillers from the actual food too.Why we like processing what we can,to the extent we can.

Done to a pliable leather...






Cut in slices,roll with the fruit up....DONE! Doesnt get simpler than that.

been mking pemmican and pinole. ever try apple sauce with mint flakes for your fruit leather?

Never tried that. I did dehydrate cottage cheese once! It was weird but not really bad.

Reading my mind,I was going to add applesauce to a batch but it wasnt at hand so didnt.Heard it makes a great fruit leather.

Still havent made pemmican.

Use straight applesauce. You can add lemon juice or vitamin c to help prevent browning. It's fast and easy. Somewhere I read to dust the finished product with arrowroot powder to prevent sticking but waxed paper is cheaper, works just as well and makes a good fire starter. Pemmican is easy and lasts forever. I make mine in small cakes so it's easier to eat. Pinole actually works, if you don't mind waiting for it to swell up in your belly.

What is your recommended recipe/procedure for pemmican?

well the standard I've been exposed to is equal parts powdered jerky, powdered bitter berries and rendered lard. Be sure to render slowly and until all water is out of the lard. I go a little heavy on the jerky and use hard dried fruit like apples, powdered and mixed in with the berry powder.

Always wanted to make pemmican. Going to try these:


Traditional Trail Foods

We got rain, hail, snow and a cold wind today. Cabin fever continues. Tomorrow's food projects: haupia and pemmican.

Haupia? I had to look that one up.

I bet ESBIT baking would be a good rainy day project.

HJ

Absolutely straight would be good,have done tons of fruit with vitC powder,got at health food store.

Roll ups turned out tasty.

Look forward to your projects folks,take pictures,Im one who a picture REALLY helps when I try to follow a recipe.

So we made 2 versions,a raw pack and a paper wrapped semi cooked version.We will start with the raw pack.....


First roll up 5-7 slices,depending on thickness....



Kind of important edges stay flat....



This is layer 1....Pack those rolls so they fit TIGHTLY,as they will shrink during canning....



This is three layers in,note one on left has ragged edges,this caused those edges to burn/dry during canning....



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The next batch is almost cooked,dont cook fully but say 3/4 cooked,this is a time consuming process for sure....




Lay strips on parchment paper,for pints make strips 4 inches long,and paper 12 inches wide by 24 inches long,will hold one pound,some strips may overlap others. Dont worry about grease on strips,its a good thing when canning....

We painted them with real maple syrup...



Fold the top and bottom edges over bacon...



Note its 4 inches wide...

Here is your roll...



Fits nice and snug into jar...



In my area at 5000 feet its process at 15 lbs for 75 minutes,process to your altitude...




This is the raw pack,note one on left is the one that had the ragged edges and is burned/dried out on top edge,one on right had nice edges when packed....




This is the parchment packed version



And my 12 pints,or 12 lbs bacon,

I'll fry some right now and see what we get....

Spuds,

We've canned bacon as well, based on a Backwoods Home article. We don't precook, just doubleside the strips in parchment paper, fold in half and stuff into quart jars. Seems to have worked pretty well.

We skipped the maple syrup though...

Greg

Mmmmmm.... Bacon!

Greg,I think you have the right idea for a cold pack as mine have problems,I will relate below

I will make a raw pack in paper,sounds like the best answer,Thanks Greg!

We're stuck inside today and we've only got one can of coconut milk, so the haupia will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meanwhile...

Every good prepper parent wants to pass on knowledge and give experience to our kiddos, me included. So, I brought our son into the kitchen with me tonight to hand on another recipe. He's made chili before, and also mashed potatoes, so tonight's dinner is Shepard's pie.

Now, don't give me grief about the authenticity of the recipe. This is what I grew up with. We've tried several variations on the the theme but this one is the family favourite.

Bacpacjac's Cheater Shep's Pie

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 fist sized onions
1 can of corn
3/4 cup of water
Seasonings to taste (TIP: We CHEATED this time and used a Club House Shep's Pie seasoning pack)
Mashed potatoes (TIP: leftovers work great!)

Directions:

1. Make mashed potatoes as you normally would
1. Brown beef and onions in frying pan



2. Drain grease and add corn, water and seasonings



and mix well and spread evenly in pan



3. Put layer of potatoes over beef and gravy mixture
4. Add cheese if you like



5. Bake in 400 degree oven for approx 25 mins or until the potatoes are golden brown.(We used the cast iron frying pan this time so didn't need a roast pan, but you can also put everything into a baking pan and finish it that way.)



Sorry guys. Photobucket's hates me right now. I'll get the pics up soon. Meanwhile, it's time for step #6

6. Eat and enjoy

TIP: You can make this without an oven. Everything is already cooked so you can eat it as is, or cover it with aluminum foil and use the coals of the fire to "bake" it. A dutch oven works better than a frying pan in my experience.

BACON LOVERS TIP: I love adding bacon to my Shepard's pie but I didn't have any this time. I did, however, have bacon fat to cook the beef and onions in. Nice hit of bacon flavour, not so hard on the arteries.

OK,canned 1 year ago....




What they came out of jars as...






Fried up we wound up with these...the uncooked/canned..fragile and stuck together



Mrs says good only as a filler for something else,but certainly edible




Now the precooked,except for being small,if cooked crisp are down right not bad at all...

Whip up some instant potatoes and toss into pan with bacon shreds...






Fry em up in a buttered pan in patty form....




Turned out good...About 5-7 minutes per side on a med low heat in this example...




Nice crust on outside,soft hot middle,Mrs says these would be great camping food....these are REALLY great with canned corned beef,mixed about 50/50...

The new photobucket is HORRIBLE,makes making these threads a righteous pain,I will talk to Mrs to see if she can make your recipe tonight,what are the spices? What type of cheese (Spuds has cheese,trust me,we have cheese,LOL!!)

The seasonings are roughly:

-salt and pepper (1/2 tsp each)
-rooster sauce (Worcestershire) (1 tbsp)
-onion powder (1/2 tsp)
-garlic powder (1/2 tsp)
-cumin (1/2 tsp)
-tomato paste (1 tbsp)
-1 bay leaf
-cornstarch (1 tbsp as a thickener)

You can also use beef broth or stock instead of water for a beefier flavour.

A few shots of Frank's hot sauce is always an addition welcomes by my crew.

I also sometimes put a carrot through the micro grater and add it for a little extra flavour that's too small for us carrot haters to see.

Mrs made some very close to yours before your finals came out.Yours sounds better,Dutch oven I bet is great! So I will add rest of your ingredients and dutch oven next time.

Mrs thought your pics were mine,so very similar but no cheese? Go figure,cant wait to try yours.

Thanks Jackie,nice change of pace.

Sent you a PM.....

Messing around with rhubarb. I cam up with a new recipe called "Big Bens Bumblerhuba crumb cream cake". Quite the tongue twister.

Basically a cream cake with a mixed berry/rhubarb sauce filling and a crumb topping.

It is a winner.

It you need to send one to me in Syracuse, NY to test for you, I would not be offended.

I'm afraid it would never make it out of Alaska, maybe not even out of Anchorage, possibly not even out of the house,