Monkey Butter

Monkey Butter

I found this recipe on a video on YouTube here's the link.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2z5kfULzX4reported
It's been reported that the jam lasts anywhere from a month to three months in the fridge.  You can use it as a topping on ice or oatmeal, as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, in crepes, or on french toast to name a few uses.

5 medium-size perfectly ripe bananas (no brown spots)

20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, not drained (I used the sugar free variety). Or a half of a fresh pineapple skinned, cored and diced.

1/4 cup coconut (you can ground it up if you like)

3 cups of white sugar 

3 Tbsp lemon juice, or the juice of 1 lemon

1. Peel and slice bananas, then add all ingredients to a heavy saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce to a simmer. Or you can place all of the ingredients in a crock pot on high uncovered for two or three hours. 

3. Cook until thick. 

4. Mash with a potato masher. 

5. Spoon mixture immediately into a refrigeratable container.

6. Other fruits can be added, particularly tropical fruits such as mango  
7. Also, it is common for the butter to take on a light pink hue when cooked.  
8. I assume you can omit the coconut if you don't like it. 
9. Makes about 5 cups .

Cheesy Bacon Rice (pressure cooker)

 

Cheesy Bacon Rice Dish In An Electric Pressure Cooker

I came up with this recipe when I was looking for something quick to do with my leftovers.  Pressure cookers add so much speed to cook.  Something that can take hours in a crock pot ot oven takes minutes.

1 1/2 c. uncooked brown rice3 cups frozen corn

1 1/2 c. cooked kidney beans

3 c. favorite chunky salsa

15 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

3 c. 2%  sharp shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Add the first 4 ingredients to the pressure cooker.
2.  Give it a stir.Lock and load the lid.
3. Cook for 12 minutes at 15 psi and let the pressure return to normal naturally.
4.  Add bacon and cheese and stir
5. Makes 14, 1/2 c servings.

BBQ Pulled Pork (Electric Pressure Cooker)

BBQ Pulled Pork Using An Electric Pressure Cooker

This is a recipe that will take all afternoon but it's worth the work.  Serve it for something special like Sunday dinner.

4-5 lb pork roast

1 -2 bottles Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

1 T. dried garlic flakes

2 T. dried onion flakes

1 T Chef's Essence or sea salt

2 1/2 c pork stock

1. Light a charcoal grill and and coat the roast with a little of the Sweet Baby Ray's.

2. Set aside the sauce. 

3.  Brown on all sides.  It's not going to be cooked all the way through, it's just to brown it and to get the grill taste into it.

4. Put the stock in the pressure cooker and place the roast on the rack that should have some with your electric pressure cooker.        
5. Sprinkle the top of the roast with the garlic, onion and Chef's Essence. 

6.  Lock the lid in place and cook for 1 hour to and hour and a half depending on how tender you like your meat.  I cooked it for an hour and I thought the meat could be more tender so I will cook it for and hour and a half the next time. 

7.  Let the pressure come down naturally (this will take at least 30 minutes).  
8. Let the meat rest under a foil tent for a half hour to let the juices redistribute.  
9. Place the left over pork stock in a sauce pan with remainder of one Sweet Baby Ray's bottle.  Cook until thickened.
10. Shred your meat. 
11.  Add the pork stock and Sweet Baby Ray's mixture.  Taste and add more Sweet Baby Ray's if necessary   
12. We like these on a sesame seed bun with an extra squirt of Sweet Baby Ray's. 
13. I serve it with coleslaw and and oven fries.  Yummy!

How To make Pork Stock (Pressure Cooker)

Pork Stock In An Electric Pressure Cooker

You may wonder why make pork stock when chicken stock is so similar.  Because it's freeking awesome and it tastes like a liquid pork roast that's why!  I use this in my BBQ pulled pork but you can use it in soups, collard greens, beans, rice and gravy as well.

2 and 1/2 lbs pork neck bones, rib bones or any pork bone from a roast.

1 small can tomato paste

1 large chopped onion

1 c. carrots

1 c. chopped celery

seasoned salt or  Chef's Essence

1 c. wine you would drink

10 -12 c. water

1 T. sea salt

1/4 c. chicken stock base

1 T parsley

1 T thyme

2-3 bay leaves.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  
2. Place bones in a shallow roasting pan and brush with the tomato paste.  
3. Add the veggies and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of  Chef's Essence on the veggies and bones depending on taste..
4. Place in the oven and  roast for 1 1/2  hours. 
5. Remove the pan from the oven and deglaze it with the wine.  
6. Add bones, veggies, wine mixture and water to your pressure cooker. 
7. Lock the lid in place and set the pressure at 15 psi for 60 minutes  (if you don't have a pressure cooker this step will take about 4 hours).  
8. When done cooking, let the pressure fall to normal naturally (this will take about 30 minutes).  
9. Open lid, removed bones and veggies.  Place in refrigerator overnight to let the fat rise to the top and to make it less fatty.                       10. I promise you, this is worth the fuss.  
11. Whatever you do, don't throw away the meat on the  bones, it's extremely tender and tasty.  My husband made a lovely sandwich from it with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce.

Chef's Essence All Purpose Seasoning

Chef's Essence

                                                                   

2 1/2 T. paprika
2 T. fine sea salt 

2 T. garlic powder

1 T. black pepper

1 T. onion powder

1 T. cayenne pepper

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 T. thyme

Mix it all together and use as a seasoning for everything from roasts to oven french fries.

Beef and Noodles With Mashed Potatoes (Pressure Cooker)

Beef And Noodles With Mashed Potatoes In My Electric Pressure Cooker

Pressure cookers are much safer than they used to be.  I've used pressure cookers for 12 years and have yet to have an exp;osion.  This recipe tastes like it's cooked all day but it only takes about an hour.  An added benefit is that it doesn't heat up your kitchen as much in the summer months.

The Beef and Noodles

7 Cups Beef Stock (preferably homemade if you have it)

2.5 lbs beef stew meat

1 cup sliced up carrots

1 cup sliced up onions

1 cup sliced up celery

2 cups frozen peas

1 lb Amish style egg noodles

1. Brown the meat in the pan on the browning cycle.  
2. Add stock and cook at 15 psi for 30 minutes.  
3. Let the pressure lower naturally.  
4. Add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook at 15 psi for 5 minutes.  
5. Let return to normal pressure naturally.  Stir and serve over mashed potaotes.

6. makes 14 cups ( can be frozen)

The Mashed Potatoes

8 medium russet potatoes washed  quartered ( I don't peel them but you can if you want)

1  cup water

1/2 stick butter (yes, the real thing makes a difference

1 t. sea salt

1 T. black pepper

1 egg (trust me, it makes the potatoes silky)

1 1/2 cups milk

1. Add the the 1 cup water to the bottom of the pressure cooker pot.
2.  Put in the steamer rack.
3. Place the potatoes in the top of the rack.
4. Cook at 15 psi for 6 minutes.
5. Carefully release the steam using the steam release valve.
6. Heat up the milk and butter together for 3 minutes in the microwave.
7. Place the potatoes in a stand mixer.
8. With a whip attachment mix the potatoes with the spices and egg for about 5 minutes.
9. Slowly add the milk mixture to the potatoes and whip for 5-10 minutes.

Pooka's Chocolate Cake

The Best Ever Chocolate Cake

I decided to write a note on this when I realised there is not recipe for this on the web.  It's fatty, bad for you and too good not tp have at least once in awhile.  With the chocolate mayo cake it tastes better than the Bill Knapp's chocolate cake of my childhood.  It tastes like a melted Hershey bar.  No lie

The Frosting


9 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup sugar

3 T. water

3 egg yolks

2 sticks real and not light butter, no margerine in this frosting

2 T vegetable shortining(optional)

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil ina small saucepan. 

2. Boil for 1 minute pour over chocolate and stir till smooth. 

3.  If the mixture becomes granular and starts to stiffen add the vegetable shortening.  

4. Set aside and cool to room temperature, cover. 

5. Then in another bowl beat the egg yolks until well blended.  

6. Add the cooled chocolate mixture.  

7. Then beat in the butter 2 T. at a time.Keep beating until the frosting is as light and fluffy as mayonnaise   

8. This should be enough to frost a two layer cake.

The Cake

This is the first from scratch cake I learned to make really well.  It's simple and idiot proof.

2 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

8 T. cocoa

1 c. water

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. mayo ( has to be mayo, not Miracle Whip)

1 T. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Stir flour, soda, and cocoa: set aside   
3. Beat together sugar mayonnaise  water, and vanilla. 
4. Add flour mixture and mix until moistened and well blended.  
5. Pour batter into two greased cake pans or one rectangular one.  
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes if two cake pans, 30 minutes for a rectangular pan.

Sugar Free Budget Arnold Palmer

Sugar Free Arnold Palmer

I can't drink sugared drinks, they make me sick to my stomach.  So this is my version of a sugar free Arnold Palmer only it's cheaper and you get more than the store bought version.

4 cups hot water

16 regular black tea bags

1 packet sugar free lemonade powder

1 cup Splenda

8 cups cold water

4 cups ice

1. Heat 4 cups water, pour over tea bags and let steep at least 15 minutes.  

2. Pour into a 16 cup pitcher.

3. Pour the 8 cups of cold water over the steeped tea.

4. Pour in the lemonade mix and the Splenda and stir

5. Top off with around 4 cups of ice (enough to fill the pitcher).

THE Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

This recipe is based on the Zhender's in Frankenmuth rhubarb crunch recipe with my own changes. They don't add strawberries and I doubled the recipe and increased the rhubarb. The topping in a half recipe also works well as a “dutch” pie topping.

Topping
2 cup uncooked rolled oats

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup slightly firm butter

Filling

4 cups rhubarb – cut into quarter inch slices 1 quart strawberries, tops removed and sliced up.

2 TBSP all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Salt

2 TBSP water

Heat oven to 350F

1. Spray sides and bottom of a 9 ½” X 11” Pan
2. Mix oats with flour, sugar and cut in the butter to the size of a pea. Mix should have a crumbly texture.
3. Mix rhubarb filling and spread over the bottom of the pan.
4. Top with crumb topping.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and brown at 350F.
6. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.