While the Cookies Are In the Oven

I'm busy this morning making Alfajores because, well, that's what I want to eat. Tonight we are going to Mr. Doughboy's mission reunion and that's got me thinking about my mission and that takes me straight to Argentina in my mind and that takes me straight to alfajores. (Now you know how my mind works. Try and keep up, eh?) I'm all ready with my dulce de leche to put between two of the cookies (more on that later) and chocolate to bathe them in when they are done. I love that in Spanish they call it "bathed" in chocolate (bañado de chocolate). Wouldn't you just love to have all your food bathed in chocolate? It sounds so much more luxurious than "covered" in chocolate!

Oops, got sidetracked there. Anyway, so while we wait for those to be done, I thought I'd give you another larder posting.

Tomato Sauce. My own, homemade tomato sauce. It is so easy and so quick to put together. The taste is so refreshing. Most of us are used to that slow-cooked taste of tomato sauce. But this is a sauce that tastes straight from the garden. I canned this sauce to be used as a base for pasta sauces. You can either freeze it or can it if you have lots of tomatoes still to store up for the season. The secret is to use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can get your hands on. (Italian plum tomatoes work best, in my opinion.)

Tomato Sauce
6 lbs fresh, ripe, flavorful tomatoes, peeled and quartered
3/4 C olive oil
2 small onions, peeled and diced

Remove the majority of the seeds from the tomato quarters. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. (I used my Dutch oven.) Add the diced onions and saute until it is translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes. Taste the tomatoes and when they don't taste "raw" anymore, they are done.

Ladle the tomato mixture into hot sterilized canning jars and process in a water bath processor for 40 minutes (50 minutes if you live up in the high altitudes like I do). Or ladle the sauce into freezer containers, let cool to room temperature and freeze. You can keep this sauce in the freezer for up to 6 months.

This recipe makes about 6 cups of sauce.

Come back later today and I'll have the alfajores posted.

Just a Sampling

In case you haven't noticed, I've been posting quite a few "larder-type" entries the past few weeks. It's not because I've sworn off cakes, pastries, breads and pies. Ah, no. Never! It's because it's harvest time here in these parts and that means storing up for the seasons to come.

The above beauties were called to "represent." I didn't grab the bottles that turned out the best; I simply grabbed the ones that were front and center in the cupboard. Who knows but what more photogenic peaches or apple slices were left behind just because they got shoved to the back of the shelf.

I've been stocking up my larder and my pantry so that we have deliciousness waiting for us throughout the winter and early spring. During the late summer, I have canned fruits, canned sauces, made jams, frozen fresh vegetables, mixed my own spices and am now in the middle of making my flavored sugars.

For the next few days, I'll go through the recipes for the remaining items I haven't yet shared.

Today we are talking about Amish Sweet Ketchup.

I'd never had it before, but after trying out a couple of recipes I found, I combined quite a few ideas and came up with one that I think is a keeper. To me, however, it doesn't taste so much like ketchup as it does a very sweet barbecue sauce or marinade. So, make some up and try it with whatever meat dish you usually sauce up or marinate. (I'm thinking it will be delish with a pork roast. As soon as the weather is cold enough to make me crave a pork roast for Sunday dinner, I'll use this sauce and let you know.)

Amish Sweet Ketchup
12 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch diced slices
4 medium onions, peeled and finely diced
1/2 C water
6 lbs tomatoes, quartered (I used Roma)
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp vinegar
2 C packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp whole cloves
1 Tbsp celery seeds
2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp salt

Place the celery, onions and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Vegetables should be barely soft. Meanwhile, cook the tomatoes in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, partially covered, for about 25 minutes. The consistency should end up being almost like a puree. Add the cooked celery mixture and continue cooking until all vegetables are completely softened, about 15 more minutes.

Strain the mixture in small batches through a sieve. Press down firmly to extract all the liquid. Place extracted liquid into another nonreactive saucepan. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, and all spices. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling until mixture thickens somewhat, about 15-20 minutes. Stir often to keep mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Allow the ketchup to cool and then ladle it into jars. Ketchup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. You can also pour the hot ketchup into hot sterilized canning jars and process using a pressure canner.

Amish Sweet Ketchup is quite thin in consistency compared to what we normally consider ketchup around these parts.

Jump to it, my friends. Autumn has come... at least to my neck of the woods. Here's proof:
The harvest will soon be over. Get your canning and storing up done.

Breakfast for Dinner

Sometimes I just can't come up with a good, quick idea for dinner. I was feeling in a bit of a lazy culinary mood. Chicken wasn't floating my boat. It was too late (and still too warm) for pot roast. The pork chops weren't defrosted. And pasta? Well, let's just say Mr. Doughboy isn't exactly a pasta afficionado like I am. I decided to have my favorite meal bail me out. In case you were wondering, my favorite meal is breakfast.

Since our kitchen is still blessed with the presence of fresh peaches, I decided peach pancakes were in order. Yum! I found this recipe on Hot off the Garlic Press. (Can I just say? That's a delicious site.) She cooked hers up as waffles -- a fabulous idea -- but I didn't have time, so I did pancakes. And since it is my belief there's no such thing as too many peaches, I decided to use a peach compote along with maple syrup.


These were a big hit. As Mr. Doughboy was biting into his stack, he had a bit of a time warp and began reminiscing about early fall mornings and the peaches his mom would serve for breakfast. This recipe definitely has his stamp of approval.

The pancakes cook up so beautifully with the pieces of peach in them. I'm including a close-up shot of an unadorned pancake so you can see those tempting peach pieces just calling your name. And if you aren't into lumpy, compote type toppings, try this with peach syrup. That would be divine, I'm sure.


Sour Cream Peach Hotcakes (from Hot Off the Garlic Press)
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 peaches, peeled and diced, plus extra for serving
Maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a few pieces of diced peaches on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with hot peach compote/syrup, butter and maple syrup.

Peach Compote
5 large peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter
1 C water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat. When peaches begin to release their juices, mash them into the sauce. Continue to cook until it begins to thicken.

Note: Mr. Doughboy used just the peach compote on his pancakes. I, however, drizzled just a bit of maple syrup on top of the pancakes as well. Oh baby! It was SO GOOD.

I Am Not an Alcoholic -- Or Even a Social Drinker

So... I don't keep alcohol in my home. That ended up being a bummer when I had long hair and needed beer cans to give it big waves and body. It also ends up challenging when a recipe calls for some sort of alcohol and I have none. Not only do I not have any, I live on a mountain. Going to the store takes time and planning. I can't just "run down to the corner market." Besides that, I live in a state that only sells alcohol in state-run liquor stores. I think the closest one is three towns away. In addition to all that, I've read that "the alcohol burns out during cooking" is a myth. So... since I don't drink alcohol, I've also made the decision not to cook with it.

What to do. What to do... when a glorious recipe for fruit bases includes alcohol. The answer? Find substitutions. So I have.

This recipe for Blackberry Sauce is a non-alcoholic version of Blackberry-Merlot sauce. I used it this week to make both Blackberry Sorbet and Blackberry Granita. A Blackberry Souffle is planned for next week. Can't wait! This sauce is AMAZING! It's so good, I think during wintertime, I'll warm it up, throw in a couple cinnamon sticks and drink it to warm my bones.

Prohibition-Style Blackberry-Merlot Sauce (adapted from Sherry Yard)
3 lbs fresh blackberries (you can also use the frozen kind)
2 peeled oranges, sliced
1 peeled lemon, sliced
1 C sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 1/2 C water
1 C Cran-Cherry juice* (or Cran-Pomegranate)
3 C grape juice*
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp raspberry syrup**
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Bring berries, oranges, lemon, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, water, and juices to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Microwave the cinnamon sticks for 15 seconds to release the oils in them. Add sticks to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover tightly and let the flavors infuse for about a half hour.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice. (I use my largest Tupperware bowl.)

After 30 minutes, place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium-sized bowl and pour the blackberry mixture into the strainer. Firmly press out the juices. When finished, place the bowl over an ice bath and let mixture cool completely. When cool, add the raspberry syrup and salt; stir to combine.

Store the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

*For any who, like my friend Shelley at Creative Cooks of Chugiak, believe that wine is the "other" fruit juice, you can substitute Merlot for both the grape and cherry juice in this recipe.

**For any who, like my friend Shelley at Creative Cooks of Chugiak (who by now is likely smiling with Merlot happiness), want to add even more "spirit" to your desserts, you can substitute Chambord for the raspberry syrup. -- Just don't drunk dial me to tell me how delicious it is.

All Things Pizza - Starting with the Sauce

So once a month the whole fam-damily gets together and we have a meal and an evening together. I'm in charge of feeding the hoardes. Since August is so stinkin' hot, I really didn't relish an afternoon in the kitchen with the oven on and the stovetop flaming away like a blowtorch. So, I decided we would use the grill... outside... where it's cooler in the evening. We had "make-your-own-grilled-pizzas" night. However, I happen to have a fantabulous recipe for pizza sauce so I just couldn't bring myself to buy the store-bought kind. The sacrifice for better taste meant firing up one stove-top burner, but I decided it was worth it.

Smack Your Lips and Slap Your Grandma Pizza Sauce
(Oh, and don't be offended by the name of this sauce. It's okay. I can say that. I am a grandma.)
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 C water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp celery salt (if you don't have celery salt, just add a stalk or two of celery to the pot. Remove it along with the bay leaf when the sauce is done simmering)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp fennel seed or 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use fennel if you want more depth of flavor; use the crushed red pepper flakes if you prefer more heat)

Pour tomato sauce, tomato paste, olive oil and water into a medium saucepan. Stir until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer sauce for 30-45 minutes. If it is too thick, add a little water and continue simmering. When sauce is done, remove the bay leaf. Spread the sauce on your pizza dough and top with whatever toppings you desire.

This sauce freezes well, so freeze any leftovers and you'll have it handy for the next time. Or plan ahead and double or triple the recipe so you'll be sure to have some to freeze for your next pizza night.

Note: If you prefer more of a tomato-ish flavor to your pizza sauce, you can add another can of tomato sauce after you taste test it half-way through the simmer.