Wassail

Here I am again, after a huge giant gap in blogging.  It's just that yesterday we went to a "Madrigal Dinner" (Christmas Dinner) for our school where my two oldest boys had the main parts. 

I am humbled and awed by their talent.  I'm not exaggerating or just giving normal mom platitudes here.  There were very seriously good.  

My only other contribution to the night, other than being the mother of those two very cool boys was being in charge of the Wassail served.  After the production I had kids, parents and teachers asking for the recipe.  Grandma herself drank four cups.  I figure with that many people enjoying it at the school, maybe my family and friends would enjoy it too.

There is a little time involved, but its worth it!  I hope you make it for Christmas and think of our family. :)

Simmer together for ten minutes the following:  I simmered a few batches longer, I preferred those batches.  The water goes amber.

5 gallons of water

1 cinnamon stick

10 whole cloves

3 cups sugar

After simmering, either fish or the cinnamon stick and clove or leave it in if you want those flavours stronger. 

Add:

Add one gallon of apple juice or cider

One 12 oz. can orange juice concentrate

One 12 oz. can lemonade concentrate

Bring back up to a simmer until ready to serve. Do not boil, it changes the taste.  I accidentally boiled one batch and it became slightly bitter.

This makes 2 gallons plus about two cups.  I actually poured the wassail in an igloo 5 gallon jug.  It stayed steaming hot for several hours.

Enjoy this!  It smells like Christmas.  

Delicious Yummy Awesome Bread Recipe

I've made this bread now every Sunday for a month.  It's almost like having dessert instead of bread.  Last time I made it, I used three cups of finely ground wheat flour in place of the white and it still turned out delicious.  My plan is to eventually see if I can get it half white flour and half wheat flour.  That will make me feel a little bit better about using in my childrens' lunch every day.

PS.  I heard a rumor that this bread was used as a fundraiser and sold $1200.00 in a day!  Good stuff!

Dutch Oven Teriyaki Chicken

May sound a little strange to include teriyaki chicken and dutch oven in the same sentence, but sometimes I come up with an idea when I'm in a hurry that just really works out, and I don't want to forget what I did so I "blog journal" the recipe.

Teriyaki Sauce, from "Our Best Bites, A Mormom Moms Cookbook." 

(I tripled this recipe)

1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C soy sauce
1/4 C cider vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water

Combine first six ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Meanwhile, whisk together cornstarch and water.  When soy sauce mix comes to a boil, whisk in cornstarch mixture and stir sauce until thickened. 

olive oil
salt and pepper for season
Four pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 medium onions, cut into one inch chunks
2 green peppers, cut into one inch chunks
2 packages mushroom, wiped with paper towel and cut in half
2 zuchinni squash, cut into 1/4 inch coins
sesame oil

In an eight quart dutch oven, brown the four pounds of chicken thighs in a drizzle of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Pour about half of the teriyaki sauce over the chicken.   Place dutch oven an oven set at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Take out dutch oven and add in the cubed vegetables.  Bake an additional 25 minutes.  At the end of cooking time, drizzle about one and a half tbsp. sesame oil over chicken and vegetables, stir gently.  Serve over hot white rice.  REALLY GOOD!  This recipe is even better the next day after it marinates in the teriyaki!  It made a delicious lunch.  :)

PS.  I plan on using the leftover teriyaki sauce as a marinade for a london broil.  I'll keep you all posted.

Introduction

Here's what you need to know.

I love to cook and I enjoy creating new recipes.  I love it when I find a recipe that I think my family may enjoy, then I customise the ingredients into something that includes their favorite foods.  Also, I like to "tweak" recipes to use items I have on hand.

Cooking is a hobby of mine. 

I've been doing a family blog, laundrylistsandlove.blogspot.com and I feel the need to "declutter" my blog journal by starting a new one that includes recipes only. 

I'm hoping to put these recipes together and create a family cookbook for my brothers, sisters and children to enjoy!

Shelley Samuel