How to Make Blackberry Dumplings

How to Make Blackberry Dumplings

 

Recipe: Blackberry Dumplings
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Since I have blackberries growing along my fence, I am always looking for new blackberry recipes.

This recipe for Blackberry Dumplings is a clear winner.

Besides being simple and tasty – its also can be made in a dutch oven for a camping treat.

Try it an tell me what you think.

 

Blackberry Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 qt Fresh or frozen (loose-pack) blackberries
  • 1 c Plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 ts Lemon extract
  • 1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
  • 2 ts Baking powder
  • 1/4 ts Ground nutmeg
  • 2/3 c Milk
  • Cream or whipped cream, optional

Procedure

  • In a Dutch oven, combine the blackberries, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lemon extract.
  • Bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg and remaining sugar and salt.
  • Add milk
  • Stir just until mixed. (Dough will be very thick.)
  • Drop by tablespoonfuls into six mounds onto hot blackberry mixture
  • Cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.
  • Spoon into serving dishes.

If cooking in an oven I used 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, but the recipe really is designed for a campfire.

How to Cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker

How to Cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker

 

Kitchen DIY: Rice in a Pressure Cooker
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Pressure cookers are great for preppers as it cooks things in a fraction of the time using less energy.

Today I show how to cook rice in a pressure cooker as a “I wonder if…”.  It was just a guess if it would work.

It did, and not I am going to show that method.

I have heard of a pot in a pot method that supposedly works much better.  After I do more research I will try it out later.

This is a faster method than my how to make sticky rice in a crock pot article.

From my experience here are some knowledge points for cooking rice this way.

  • Do not fill the pressure cooker more than halfway full.
  • Do not short change the standing time at the end of the process.

Ingredients:

  • ]1 cup rice
  • 2 cups water, broth, or stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional, I sometimes use oil – or even omit it altogether)

Procedure:

  • Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker.
  • Securely fasten lid.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until it is at high pressure. (it will vent)
  • Reduce heat a little and continue cooking for 7 minutes.
  • Remove from heat (I let it set until it cools, but you can place in sink and release pressure by running cold water over the lid if you are in a hurry)
  • Let rice stand covered for 5 minutes. Check pressure before removing lid. If any pressure has built up, run under cold water again to release it.

How to Make Baked Honey Bananas

 

Recipe: Baked Honey Bananas
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Having a toddler and a healthy living advocate in the house we go through bananas like a circus tent full of monkeys – not that eating bananas is bad.  They are a great source of potassium and really help with the soreness after working too hard at the land.

However, eating one food to extremes can get old and I am always looking for neat new recipes.  As a beekeeper (beehaver is more accurate) I admit I am especially interested in recipes using honey so when I found this baked honey banana recipe I could not wait to try it.

This recipe is so simple written instructions are not necessary, the video is short and is easily followed.  However if you love sweet gooey desserts this recipe is addictive.  It is so easy and tastes so good you may find yourself cooking it often.

Personally, I like taking it to potluck dinners because it is “exotic” I get much more credit than the effort expended is worth.

This easy recipe tastes good, looks good, and is simple, so Baked Honey Bananas wins in every recipe metric.  You owe it to yourself to try this fun recipe.  Its good.

Recipe: Egg Drop Soup

Recipe: Egg Drop Soup
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Here is an Asian inspired Egg Drop Soup that is very simple to make and uses one of the perfect homestead proteins sources – eggs.

This is a very economical recipe that contains few ingredients in the base, but allows you to add more ingredients based upon your desires.

Egg drop soup is just eggs added to a boiling chicken broth. The eggs cook almost immediately when added to the hot broth and create thin strands in the flavorful liquid.

Many times egg drop soup is just seasoned with salt, pepper and a little green onions.

Here in America we often add corn starch to make it thicker.

Since both eggs and chicken stock are very nutritious, making this soup is a great source of nutrients. The simple nature and easy digestibility makes it easy to digest so it is a great soup to eat when feeling run down or when dealing with some kind of sickness.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 eggs

Preparation

  • Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat.
  • Add the ginger, chives and salt to the liquid and allow it to come to a boil.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the eggs
  • As the broth continues to boil, use a fork and drizzle the eggs into the pot. The eggs should cook immediately.

Kitchen DIY: Chia Seeds

Kitchen DIY: Chia Seeds
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Chia seed is much better used as a food than as a pet.

It is actually an ancient superfood from the sage family (Salvia Hispanica), and was once a staple of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures, along with the Native Americans of the southwest.

It was actually used as an energy supplement for Mayan couriers who ran messages between cities and always had a small bag of chia seeds with them to get a surge of energy.

It has a lot of essential nutrients, is energy dense, and is very easy to eat.

It is said by some Mayan descendants in Mexico that as little as one table spoon of chia can sustain a person for 24 hours.

 

Chia seeds are said to have:

  • Twice the protein of any other seed or grain
  • 5 times the calcium of milk
  • Twice as much potassium as bananas
  • 3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries
  • 3 times more iron than spinach
  • Substantial amounts of essential fatty acids like omega 3 and omega 6

Chia seed is a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids in an easily digestible form.

They are also provide a good source of soluble fiber.

Another advantage of chia is that it has a high antioxidant content, which contributes to the seeds ability to store much longer than other fatty grains flax, for example, may turn rancid.

Chia seeds can easily be stored dry for 4-5 years without deterioration in flavor, odor or nutritional value.

You can substitute chia in any recipe that calls for flax.

Chia has a mild taste, so you can combine it with other foods without dramatically changing your diet. It will, however, bulk food up so that you consume less calories but feel like you have eaten as much as normal.

What is neat about chia is that it is very hydrophilic, and will absorb water and create a mucilaginous gel. They can hold 9-12 times their weight in water and they absorb it very rapidly – in under 10 minutes.

To eat it:

The most common way to eat chia is to first soak the seeds. They can very quickly absorb a large amount of liquid – between 9-12 times their volume, in under 10 minutes.

The Basic Gel

  • Add 1/3 cup of seeds (2oz) to 2 cups of water.
  • Stir the mixture well, to avoid clumping, then leave it in your fridge, in a sealed jar.
  • This will yield around 17oz of chia gel.
  • You can begin to eat the gel almost immediately if you like.
  • Just 10 minutes is enough time for the gel to be formed.
  • More nutrients will be digestible if you let it set a few hours, so many people make up a batch and leave it in the fridge.
  • It will stay good for about three weeks.
  • You can add the gel to smoothies, mix it with salad dressings, puddings or granola, or simply take it by the spoonful.

Since Chia will absorb anything – it doesn’t have to soak in water. try apple juice as an example. The sweetness of the apple juice is offset by the chia and it tastes yummy ;).

You can also sprinkle the dry seeds onto salads or add them to granola mixes.