Homestead at Bridle Creek

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Quick Bean Soup

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Witches Brew (Quick Bean Soup)

This soup is a family tradition. As a child, my mom served this every Halloween - and called it 'Witches Brew'. It is such a delicious tradition, that every Halloween - it is now being served by her grandchildren around the country. No doubt - it will be served in the homes of her great-grandchildren - for whom it is now an official part of Halloween. . . it's that good.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package Hot dogs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (optional - I never use it)
  • 4 strips bacon sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1 29 ounce can tomatoes diced, stewed, or whole - undrained
  • 1 20 ounce can pork and beans
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons better than boullion - beef flavor or two beef boullion cubes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
 

  • Slice hot dogs into rosettes (slices) and set aside
  • In a dutch oven or large pot, saute bacon, onion and celery. Add the remaining ingredients except hot dogs and simmer 20-30 minutes.
  • Add the sliced hot dogs to the soup and simmer for 5-10 minutes to heat the hot dogs.
  • Serve with hot cornbread.

Notes

This recipe is very flexible.  If you love hot dogs, add more.  If you love bacon, add more.  If you love celery, add more.  I never add the sugar - as baked beans are plenty sweet.  If you don't have worcestershire sauce, no problem. . . . It's that good and that flexible.

Mulled Cider

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Mulled Cider

Warm apple cider with a hint of orange and wonderful warming spices.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts apple cider – or a good apple juice
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 whole allspice berries
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods whole
  • 1 orange – thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • Pour the cider into a large saucepan.
  • Add the orange slices and spices.
  • Bring to a simmer – and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

Placing the spices in a cloth bag or tea ball makes serving easier.
You can simmer this for as little as 10 minutes - but the flavor improves with time.  Just be sure that you cover the pot with a lid if you plan to simmer it longer - you don't want it all to evaporate!
If you have leftovers,  store the cider in the refrigerator - but be sure to remove the orange slices first.

Pumpkin O’s Cereal French Toast

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Pumpkin O's French Toast

This is a delightful breakfast treat - French Toast coated with crushed, pumpkin spice cereal. It was inspired by a French Toast made at the Blue Moon Cafe in Baltimore, Maryland. Pumpkin flavored cereal loops can be found at Trader Joe's or Sprouts Marketplace.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices thick sliced bread (Texas Toast, Brioche, Sourdough)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon milk or half and half
  • or
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Pumpkin Butter
  • 2 cups Crushed Pumpkin Flavored breakfast cereal O's
  • butter
  • Maple Syrup

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor, or using a rolling pin, crush enough of the cereal to yield 2cups of crumbs (leaving a few larger pieces). Set aside.
  • Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are thoroughly combined. Add the milk, half and half, or pumpkin butter. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • Place ½ cup of the crushed cereal onto a plate or into a pie pan.
  • In a non-stick skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
  • Dip one slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing the mixture to soak into the bread for a few seconds. Turn the bread over and repeat on the other side.
  • Place the egg-dipped bread onto the cereal crumbs. Press lightly. Turn the bread over and repeat on the second side, pressing into the cereal crumbs. Gather any extra crumbs and sprinkle over the coated bread, pressing as necessary.
  • Place the dipped and coated bread into the melted butter and cook until golden brown.
  • Turn the bread over and cook on the other side, adding butter as needed to allow for a golden crust.
  • Serve warm with butter and warm maple syrup, or for a real treat, warm apple cider syrup.
  • Serves 2

You’ve Never Made Frozen Yogurt? What are you waiting for?!

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Coconut Banana Frozen YogurtWarm summer days of my childhood found us dining on fresh fruit salad topped with sherbet.  It was such a treat – dessert for dinner!  While I still enjoy sherbet, it  is something I rarely purchase – and being that it can be a bit time consuming to make, I opt for frozen yogurt…… homemade.

If you have ever tried making frozen yogurt, you know that it is not as simple as opening a container and pouring it into your ice cream freezer – but the technique, once understood, is a very simple one – and one you will use over and over again.

Using a whole-milk yogurt yields the best product.  Frozen yogurt purchased at the store – or at your local frozen yogurt shop – is “low-fat” – but contains so many stabilizers that the health benefits of “low-fat” are somehow lost along the way.

For those who are lactose intolerant  – or need to avoid dairy all together, fear not! So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt makes a fabulous frozen treat!

For those who are interested in knowing more about the process of making frozen yogurt and what types of yogurt work best,  click here.

The recipe calls for using an uncooked egg. For those who are uneasy with the use of raw eggs, or may have health concerns , click here for info on how to pasteurize eggs at home.

But for now, here is one of our favorites.  A frozen yogurt, made with Coconut Milk Yogurt, Bananas – and a secret ingredient.

Enjoy,

Kathy

Coconut Banana Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is such an easy thing to make at home – and so much better than anything you buy at the store. This recipe calls for a coconut milk yogurt - making it dairy-free – unless you add the cream cheese…….which, if dairy is not an issue for you – you are going to want to use it. The cream cheese makes this such a creamy, smooth, rich, decadent thing – you have to try it – at least once! (You are welcome.)
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk "Yogurt" Vanilla flavor
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces softened cream cheese optional
  • 1 ripe banana – mashed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Combine the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
  • Mash the banana til thoroughly pureed. Set aside.
  • Soften the cream cheese by stirring, whipping, or mashing. Set aside
  • Put the yogurt into a mixing bowl.
  • Add the egg/sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
  • Add the cream cheese, if using, and blend well.
  • Add the mashed banana.
  • Taste the mixture to adjust the sweetness to your taste.
  • Pour into the bowl of your ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.
  • Pack into an air-tight container and freeze for several hours.
  • Remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I have used 2 cups of yogurt in this recipe for several reasons:
This recipe fits my ice cream freezer (Cuisinart)
This yogurt comes in a 24 oz container
It can easily be doubled.
The recipe calls for a raw egg.  If you have concerns about using raw eggs and would like to find out how to pasteurize eggs at home, click here

 

Making Frozen Yogurt at Home

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Making frozen yogurt at home is not, unfortunately, as simple as opening a carton of your favorite yogurt and putting it into your ice cream maker.

Yogurt contains a great deal of water – and simply freezing it as is will yield  – in the beginning – a very slushy soft serve. . . and ultimately a frozen chunk of yogurt flavored ice.

There are a few basic tricks that will allow you to make homemade frozen yogurt that is creamy, delicious, and customizable to your liking. . . for pennies on the dollar.

You can use plain, unflavored yogurt (whole milk is best but lowfat will do).

If you choose to use this, you will need to do one of several things:

1)  Drain it overnight by placing it in a cheesecloth bag and allowing the excess water to drain out (save the liquid and freeze it for using in smoothies, baking, . . . . it is whey)

2)  Add eggs as a binder.  (If you are concerned about using raw eggs, find out how to pasteurize raw eggs at home by clicking here.)

You can use Greek Yogurt (no need to drain – and again whole yields a superior product.

If you are lactose intolerant or trying to be dairy free, your yogurt does not need to be from cow’s milk.  Coconut milk yogurt yields a fantastic finished product.  Goat’s milk does as well.

You will need to add sweetener and flavorings.

As making frozen yogurt is similar to making a sorbet or ice cream, the more sugar you add, the softer the finished product will be. . . (it’s a chemistry thing – the sugar molecules get in the way of the formation of ice crystals and keep the finished product smoother and creamier)

The basic rule of thumb is 1 cup of sugar for every 4 cups of yogurt – but you can experiment.

Fruit can be added, – sweetened or not.

Flavorings – almond, vanilla, lemon – choose your favorite. . .

And a pinch of salt.

And, my favorite add-in . . . softened cream cheese – about 4 ounces per 2 cups of yogurt.

A wonderful tangy frozen yogurt can be made with only 3 ingredients –

1 quart whole milk plain yogurt, 1 cup granulated sugar and a pinch of salt . . . it’s that simple!

Churn in your ice cream freezer as you would ice cream.  Pack it into an air tight container, and freeze for several hours (if you have the will-power).

 

Making Frozen Yogurt at Home

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