S'more Gorp

Say it out loud. SAY IT! It's fun to say.
It seems like a no-brainer now, but when I thought of it ten minutes ago, I felt like a genius. So in order to spice it up, I'm posting the recipe only in pictures.

You are welcome.  

My Chili

I've started a new spice combination that works really well with chili.  I didn't tell Tom what was in it until he confirmed that he likes it, too.

Basically, dump this all in and simmer on the stove or go for the crockpot.  I prefer it in the crockpot.

2 jars home canned tomatoes or 1 can of tomato sauce and 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  If you use the home canned tomatoes, run a stick blender in there to break it up to whatever chunkiness your family prefers.
1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 lb to 1 lb ground hamburger cooked with 1/2 yellow onion chopped
1-2 cups sweet corn
2 cans of beans (I like black and red kidney.  Today we are just using kidney because that's what I have)

Seasoning:
approx 2 tablespoons cocoa and 2 tablespoons ground chipotle pepper
mild chili powder to taste

Really, the cocoa and chipotle pepper combination is SO good. 

Mom's Peach Spice Jam

Jessica and I put this together, and I'm not gonna lie, we nailed it.  It tastes exactly like we remember. 

4 cups mashed peaches
2 TBsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 box of sure-jell pectin
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
5 1/2 cups sugar

Measure sugar and dry spices into a bowl, set aside (close to the stove).
Put your jar lids in water to boil.
Put mashed peaches in pot with lemon juice, vanilla, butter, and sure-jell into a big pot.  Turn heat to high and stir until it comes to a rolling boil (boiling without stopping even when you are stirring)
As soon as it is boiling, pour your sugar/spice mix in and continue stirring. 
Bring it back to a rolling boil.
As soon as it is boiling again (rolling) time ONE MINUTE and stir constantly.
After the one minute, remove it from the heat, pour it into the jars, put the boiled (and still hot) lids on the jars, (make sure you wipe the rims first) put the rings on and flip the jars over. 

We used a half pint jar size and they sealed up perfectly within an hour. This recipe filled 8 jars (so 4 pints total). 

It turned out so yummy that we made two batches.  And I think I'll make a few more if I can find more equally awesome peaches. Awesome.

PS.  I should note: the 1/2 tsp of butter is supposedly to help reduce foaming.  I remember loving the foam.  So I debated whether I should put it in.  I don't think that mom actually used the butter, so consider it optional.  

The BEST peanut butter cookies 

"These peanut butter cookies are the best ones i've ever had"

                                                     quote from Stefany Pratt
 I made 96 of these, but here is the original recipe of 48 cookies.

• 2 cups unsalted butter
• 2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda

The Directions

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

These are best with milk. They are Really good. When I made them, they needed no adjustment from the recipe.

contributed by: William Pratt

Italian Sandwich

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet.  This is our go-to meal now.  I love it (and so do Brody and Lainee.  Charlotte will at least eat the turkey part).

8 hoagies/ larger sandwich rolls
1/2 jar of pesto sauce
1 lb deli turkey
1/2 provolone cheese

So you cut the rolls in half (like you're making a sandwich, people).
Spread about a tablespoon of pesto on one side of each roll.
Add a couple pieces of turkey.
Add a piece of cheese.

Wrap in foil and bake on 450 for about 10 minutes.  We sometimes skip the foil and broil for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot.  We add nacho doritos and apple slices to the side.  This works great as a picnic item.  You can wrap them in foil and throw them on a grill, or heat them before hand and stick in a cooler (which, in this case, isn't so much a cooler as it is a keep-warmer).  If you use the cooler, please note that it will not keep cold things cold and hot things hot if you put cold things and hot things in the cooler at the same time.  (thanks Sven and Ole for that life lesson.  Some things are best learned through other's experiences and not your own).

These work well as leftovers too.

Aaron's Honey Oat Bread the Real Way

Anyone who ever follows someone else's bread recipe eventually finds that the person who wrote it gave you absolutes instead of telling you all the places where it might vary day to day. Oh, and that they left out a few ingredients. Here is Aaron's recipe the way he actually makes it (now that I have failed at it twice and now went through the whole process with him).

Dump some honey in the bowl. It took about four seconds for the right amount to come out of the bottle.
Put just under 3 cups of your hottest tap water in there with the honey.
Put two heaping quarter cups of both bread flour and wheat flour in with it. Stir it up with bread hook. Add 2 not flattened teaspoons of yeast and mix it a tiny bit. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

It should get bubbly. Add half bread flour and half wheat flour a heaping quarter cup at a time (mixing once in a while) until it is no longer liquidy but does not stand up. Then let it rest 10-20 minutes. If the yeast did not seem very active at the beginning of this step, use more bread flour than wheat to compensate.


After this, add half and half wheat and bread flour in heaping quarter cupfuls while mixing until the dough is formed to the right bread dough consistency. If you do not know what this is, find a friend who knows and have them show you. It really cannot be described properly. If you really want me to try, I will say it is soft and pliable but not sticky. Do not put too much in or it will bra brick after you bake it, but if you do not put enough in you will not get it out of the bowl and into your greased bowl easily and it will be too sticky to pan properly later. Read Aaron's recipe for my notes on how to finish this.

Guacamole

8 oz cream cheese
1 avocado
juice from one lime
salsa to taste

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add avocado and blend until combined. Add lime juice and salsa. Repeatedly test to make sure it's right, even if that means consuming half of the bowl before it gets to the table.