Hamburger Seasoning

This is a slightly altered version of Emeril's Burger Seasoning.  I used half the amount of cayenne (you could double it if you want it spicier) and substituted some of the regular paprika for smoked paprika to give it a little something extra.  You can use this seasoning in any burger recipe- beef, turkey, or veggie.  Use a tablespoon per pound of meat.

 

Hamburger Seasoning

 

2 Tbsp table salt

2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

2 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

 

Place everything into a jar, put on lid, and shake to combine.  Use 1 tablespoon of seasoning mixture per pound of meat.  Just mix it into the meat and prepare the burgers however you usually do.

   

Garlicky Enchilada Sauce

I will be very upfront and say this is not an authentic Mexican enchilada sauce.  It is, however, quite a tasty Americanized version- definitely the best homemade enchilada sauce I've ever had.  It's flavorful, not too tomatoey, and quick and easy to make, too.  Just use it whenever you need enchilada sauce.  It would even be good on pasta with other enchilada or taco-like ingredients.

  

This recipe is a slightly tweaked version of one from Taste of Home.  I cut back on the flour substantially the second time I made it, as written below.  Even so, it's a little thicker than most enchilada sauces.  Feel free to reduce the flour to 1/4 cup if you want it more like enchilada sauce from a can.

  

Quick Note:  How much chili powder you need will entirely depend on how strong your chili powder is and what your preferences are.  Start with 1 Tbsp and go up from there.

   

Garlicky Enchilada Sauce

  

1/3 C butter

5 cloves garlic, minced 

1/3 C flour

16 oz chicken broth

16 oz can tomato sauce

1-2 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

  

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for a minute, but don't let it get browned.  Make a roux by adding the flour and stirring for a minute or two.  Stir in the broth a little bit at a time, stirring it smooth between additions.  Add the tomato sauce, 1 Tbsp chili powder, and the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Taste and add more chili powder or salt if needed. Let sauce simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 or 3 minutes, until thickened.  Remove from heat and use in your favorite recipe!

     

Yield:  About 4 1/2 cups

Apple Pie Jam

My husband and I went to a you-pick apple farm last month and came home with 8 lbs of apples.  It was the very last day the farm was open, so many of the apples left were extremely tiny (some were as small as cherries) and very, very sour.  We ate the bigger ones as is, but I knew I had to do something involving a lot of sugar with the tiny ones!  So I hit Google and found Apple Pie Jam.  This is actually a combination of two recipes from Taste of Home and Food.com, plus my own inevitable twists.  The basics came from   The original says to peel the apples, but no way was I peeling cherry sized apples.  There would have been nothing left.  A hit with the immersion blender after the apples softened in the pot took care of the skins, and the rosy skins made the jam a lovely color.  

 

And how was the jam?  Great!  Very similar to apple butter, but definitely not the same.  It's kind of hard to describe, but if you like jam and apple butter, you will love this.  One batch of this wasn't actually enough to use all of the tiny apples, and I'm probably going to make it again later this week.

 

Apple Pie Jam

 

6 C chopped apples, with peels

1/2 T pumpkin pie spice (I used this recipe)

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 C water

1 packet powdered pectin (I used Ball, this was 6 T from a larger canister)

3 C white sugar

2 C dark brown sugar

 

Place apples, spice, lemon juice, and water in a large pot and cook over medium until apples are tender.  Puree with immersion blender.  Stir in pectin and bring to a boil while stirring.  Stir in sugar.  Raise temperature to medium-high, or whatever temperature is needed to maintain a rolling boil.  When the jam is boiling hard enough that stirring doesn't make it stop boiling, set a timer to 1 minute and cook, stirring constantly.  

 

When the minute is up, immediately remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir until it stops boiling.  Fill jars with hot jam.  Allow to cool, then put the lids on.  Refrigerate until chilled, then put any jars that you won't use right away in the freezer.  Refrigerated jam stays good for a week or two.  Just thaw jars as needed in the refrigerator for a day or two.

 

Yield: 5 or 6 pint jars

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

This is a pretty straight forward recipe from Taste of Home for bread crumbs that taste a hundred times better than the kind you buy in a cardboard can at the grocery store.  They're also much cheaper, especially if you use stale bread or the heels, which we never seem to eat!  You can store heels in the freezer until you have enough to make bread crumbs.  This recipe doubles well, too.  I haven't tried freezing the bread crumbs yet, but suspect it would work better to freeze them before toasting, and toast them when you're ready to use them.

 

Quick Note:  Please note the amount of garlic in these breadcrumbs, and that salt is added. I added salt because packaged bread crumbs are salted already.  Be aware of the garlic and salt in the bread crumbs if the recipe you're using them in also calls for garlic and salt!  

 

 I swear, these aren't made from kitchen table wood shavings!

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

  

4 oz bread (use a scale)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried thyme or marjoram

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

 

Tear the bread roughly and place in a food processor along with the remaining ingredients.  Pulse until you have fine bread crumbs.  

   

Pour bread crumbs into a large skillet, set the heat to medium, and toast, stirring frequently, until golden.  Cool completely before storing.  They will keep in a jar at room temperature for a week or so.

 

Yield:  Approximately 1 cup