How to Make Homemade Apple Juice!

 

Turn a mountain of apples into fresh, delicious juice!  

Autumn means apples!  When you've made enough pies and jelly, think apple juice! No fancy juice extractor? This step-by-step method is for you! You can be sipping unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice with a minimal amount of time and effort! Here is what to do:

 

 Step One: Collect apples

If you grow your own-- your in luck. Even crab apples will make a tasty drink. But if you don't, get some at your local farmer's market-- or better yet-- forage in your neighborhood like we did! We only had a few apples off of our own tree so we toured our town and asked homeowners for their unwanted fruit.  Store apples in a cool dark place until ready to use.

 Step Two: Scrub Them Up

Wash apples thoroughly and pick through to ensure any bad ones are discarded.

 

 Step Three: Cut

There is no need to peel or core the apples-- there is a ton of flavor and juice that can be extracted and besides, they will be removed later. Discard any blemished or bruised parts of the apple. Cut apples either in half or using an apple cutter (as in the picture above). This step helps to break the apples down faster while the cook.

 

Step Four: Cook

Place all the apples into a large stock pot or kettle and add about 2 inches of water. Cover the kettle and simmer on medium high until the apples break down and become soft. We learned that a slower simmer helps to draw out the juices more effectively. Every so often take off the lid and squish with a potato masher to help the apples along.

  

Step Five: Strain

Working in batches, pour apple mash into a sieve set up over a large bowl. Using a jelly fish spatula work the mash back and forth in the sieve to get as much juice through as possible. Alternatively you can use a food mill to do the job. You will obtain three separate end products: apple juice, mash and peels. Do not toss away the mash or peels! The mash can be spiced and turned into apple sauce and the peels can be used to make apple jelly.

Step Six: Filter

When all of your juice is collected you can filter it to produce a clearer liquid. There are several ways to filter juice, but you can easily do this by setting up a fine mesh colander with a few coffee filters set inside. You can filter your juice as many times as you would like. We prefer more "pulpy" unfiltered juice so we skipped this step.

Step Seven: Adjust Sweetness

Transfer juice to a clean pot and simmer on low. Now is the time to taste your juice. How is the sweetness? If too tart, add sugar to taste and whisk until dissolved. Otherwise leave it unsweetened as we did.

 

 Step Eight: Preserve it

There are two tried and true methods for preserving your homemade juice: freezing or canning. If freezing, simply allow liquid to cool and store in air tight containers.  Use within 3-6 months for best flavor. To can, as we have done here, pour warm apple juice into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a hot water canner for 30 minutes.

 

You can't beat the taste of fresh, homemade juice! Nothing compares! 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-make-homemade-apple-juice.aspx#ixzz31iXXYdbB

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Vegetable Fried Rice

For those who are addicted to Chinese food and can truly understand the statement ‘I am dying for some Chinese…’, we have this awesome Vegetable Fried Rice that you can make at home and treat those cravings. Eat at home, eat healthy and save some money! Enjoy.

Prep Time: 30 min (including making rice)

Cook Time: 15 min.
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Long Grain Rice – 1 cup
Vegetable Broth or Water – 2 cups
Salt – to taste
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Garlic – 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
Egg – 1, well beaten
Carrot – 1/2, cut thin at a diagonal
Bell Pepper – 1/2, sliced thin
Cabbage – 1 cup loosely packed, cut thin
Soy Sauce – 1 Tbsp or to taste
White Vinegar – 1 tsp or to taste
Chinese Stir-fry (or chili) Sauce – any variety, to taste
Spring Onions – 1 stalk, cut at a diagonal

Method:

1. Wash and rinse the rice.
2. Add the Stock or Water and a little bit of Salt and add to pressure cooker.
3. Give it one whistle and turn off the stove.
4. Allow the pressure to release by itself.
5. Open and fluff gently with a fork. Allow them to cool down.
6. In a wok, heat Oil.
7. Once warm, add in Garlic, cook for about 1-2 mins.
8. Add in the Carrots and cook for 30 sec.
9. Add in Bell Pepper and Cabbage and cook for a minute.
10. Pull the Vegetable to one side of the wok and break the egg on the other.
11. Stir the Egg and scramble it till cooked.
12. Mix in with the vegetables.
13. Cook Vegetables till they are soft.
14. Add in the Cooked Rice and mix well.
15. Add in the Soy Sauce, White Vinegar and the Chilli Sauce or the Stir-fry sauce.
16. Mix well but gently.
17. Heat till the rice is heated all the way through.
18. Garnish with Spring Onions.

Tips:
1. Use Jasmine Rice for authentic taste.
2. Add your choice of non-vegetarian. Add in after the garlic, cook till done and then add in the vegetables.
3. Add in more variety of vegetables like snow peas, mushrooms, baby corn…endless possibilities

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How to Cook Rice

There are hundreds of different varieties of rice grown worldwide, but most cooks only need to know a few basic ratios to cook rice perfectly.

One cup of raw rice yields about three cups of cooked rice.

1. White rice is highly refined and polished and doesn't require washing before cooking. Recipes using other types of rice, such as Basmati, sometimes call for soaking or rinsing the rice before cooking to remove extra starch. To learn about different types of rice, see All about Rice.

2. To cook long-grained white rice:

Put 1 cup of rice and 1½ cups of water in a small (one-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. 

3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Steam should be coming out from under the lid; keep the pot covered and don't peek under the lid. (For novice rice cooks, a glass lid is a big help.)

4. Reduce the heat to very low. The rice grains swell as they absorb the water. If the temperature is too high, the bottom of the pan of rice can scorch while the top rice is still undercooked. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

5. When the timer rings, turn off the burner and remove the pan from the heat. Let the rice sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes (and no peeking under the lid--the steam will escape).

6. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains.

• You can serve the rice immediately, or put the lid back on to keep it warm while you finish cooking the rest of your meal.
• To chill rice for a salad, spread it out on a sheet pan to cool quickly.
• For food safety reasons, rice should never be left out at room temperature longer than two hours.

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Trifle Pudding-Fruit Trifle Recipe

Trifle is a cold dessert made from thick custard, sponge cake, fruits and jelly.These ingredients are arranged in layers and topped with whipped cream or cherries or nuts or chocolate. This is a perfect recipe for a party and can be prepared even a day before the party. Today let us learn how to prepare Trifle Pudding by following this easy Trifle recipe. 

How to make Trifle Pudding 

Ingredients needed 

Sponge cake 

Vanilla custard Powder

Jelly- Raspberry or strawberry flavor (as it looks colorful).

Any fruits of your choice.

Little sugar syrup or sugar water

A glass container or tall glass for serving individually.

Method

For the custard layer

Milk - 2 1/2 cups
Custard powder - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp

Boil milk, mix custard powder with 2-3 tbsp of warm milk and make a paste.

Simmer and add the custard paste to the boiling milk slowly stirring continuously. After it becomes a little thick, remove from flame.

Cool it and keep it in the refrigerator. Refer my fruit custard recipe for more details.

For the fruits layer

Pineapple, apple, mangoes (ripe but firm), strawberry, seedless grapes or any fruits of your choice but avoid using bananas and oranges as I personally feel that it makes the trifle soggy. Cut the fruits into small pieces and keep it aside.You can keep apples in a cup of water to which a few drops of lemon juice is added to prevent discoloration. 

For the jelly layer

Prepare the jelly as per instructions on the pack. After it cools, set it in a tray and refrigerate it. Do not keep it in the freezer. 

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Banana Custard Recipe-How to make Banana Custard

This is a very very simple yet exotic dessert which can be whipped up in a jiffy.Banana Custard with hot chocolate sauce is one of my favorite dessert. Try this simple recipe and it will leave you asking for more.Now to Banana Custard Recipe

Banana Custard-How to prepare Banana Custard
Serves-2

Ingredients needed

Ripe Green Banana -2
Milk - 1 1/4 cup
Vanilla Custard Powder -1 tbsp heaped
Sugar -2 tbsp
Chocolate -2 small bars

Preparation

Peel and slice banana into round shapes.

Mix custard powder in a little warm milk and keep it aside.

Method

Bring milk to boil. Add sugar and mix well.

Simmer and add the custard powder mixed with warm milk stirring continuously.

Keep stirring until the mixture becomes slightly thick. It will thicken further when it cools down. Cool and refrigerate.

How to prepare chocolate sauce

Melt chocolate by double boiling. Add a little milk (1-2 tbsp) to it and boil for some more time. Keep it aside.

(Double boiling is melting chocolate using heat from boiling water and not on direct heat)

How to serve Banana custard

Put the sliced banana pieces in a bowl. Pour cold custard over it and top it with hot or cold chocolate sauce and enjoy.

If preferred you can garnish it with nuts.

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Gulab Jamun- Gulab Jamun Recipe-How to make Gulab Jamuns

Gulab Jamun is a very popular dessert in India. Thought the recipe sounds very simple, there are a few tricks to be followed to make tasty and soft Gulab Jamuns. Today let us learn how to prepare Gulab jamuns following this easy gulab jamun recipe.

Ingredients needed
For 20 -25 gulab jamuns Gulab Jamun flour - 1 packet - 200 grams (available readymade)
Oil for deep frying

For making sugar syrup

Sugar -2 1/2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Cardamom pods -3 peeled or crushed

Method to prepare sugar syrup

In a big pan, mix sugar, water and 2-3 crushed cardamoms.

Bring it to boil and stir until the sugar dissolves completely and syrup becomes slightly sticky. Do not boil too much. Keep it aside.

Method to make Gulab jamun

1. First mix the gulab jamun flour well with your hands to remove all lumps.

2. Then add water (according to the instructions on the pack) and make a soft pliable dough. Let it sit for a few minutes.

3. Divide the dough equally and make small balls without any creases. This is very important.

4. Heat oil and fry the gulab jamuns in medium heat so that the inside of the gulab jamun will also get cooked well. Keep stirring it gently for even cooking and browning. Remove with a slotted ladle when it becomes dark brown in color.

5. Allow the gulab jamuns to cool off a little, before dropping them in hot sugar syrup.

6. Let all the Gulab jamuns remain soaked in the sugar syrup for 1 hour. It can be served hot or cold.

If preferred, you can top it with vanilla ice cream and enjoy. Personally I love it hot.

Note 

I have given the important points to be kept in mind in bold. Do not fry the gulab jamuns in high heat as it will get browned quickly but the inside will not be cooked properly.

Allow it to cool a little before dropping them in the hot sugar syrup.

Heat the sugar syrup before dropping the gulab jamuns, if it has become cold.

Now that Diwali is round the corner, try making these easy Gulab jamuns at home and enjoy. 

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Double-chocolate sablé cookies

Double-chocolate sable cookie recipe

Let’s get baking! Find over 100 scrumptious Christmas cookies here.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (about 56 g or 2 squares)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Fry’s
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped white chocolate (about 170 g or 6 squares)
• 2 tbsp chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

• POSITION racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat to 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Fit a large pastry bag with a #9 or large open star tip.
• MICROWAVE dark chocolate on high, 30 sec to 1 min. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Sift flour with cocoa into a medium bowl. Set aside.
• BEAT butter with sugar and salt in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium- high, until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and melted dark chocolate. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until smooth. Dough will be firm.
• SPOON half of the batter into pastry bag. Pipe into large shell shapes 1 in. apart on prepared sheets by squeezing very hard, letting the batter fan out before pulling the bag toward you to form a point. Refill bag with remaining batter and repeat.
• BAKE in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching sheets halfway through, until tops of cookies are firm, 12 to 13 min. Cool on sheets 5 min. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• MICROWAVE white chocolate on high 1 min. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Dip the point of each cookie in melted chocolate, or apply with a brush. Sprinkle chocolate sprinkles over white chocolate. Transfer to a rack to dry chocolate completely before serving, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

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