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97 Sullivan

~ Living Life Beautifully.

97 Sullivan

Tag Archives: cooking

Jammin’.

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by 97sullivan in Food, Gardening, Home, Lifestyle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

canning, cooking, food, homemade strawberry jam, jam, jam recipe, recipe, strawberry jam

After yesterday’s post I bet you were thinking – what is that crazy girl gonna do with thirteen pounds of strawberries? Well, the answer is lots of things, but mostly I had planned on making jam. I started canning my own food about four years ago and it has become a process that I look forward to every summer. It’s not really that hard, intimidating maybe but mostly just time-consuming. It’s well worth it in the end because there is nothing I love more than giving the gift of homemade jam.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups crushed strawberries (about 6 lbs)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 Box Pectin
  • 8 cups granulated sugar
  • 12 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Instructions:

  • PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. 

  • COMBINE strawberries and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
  • ADD entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. 

  • LADLE hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. 

  • PROCESS in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Xo

Images via 97 Sullivan

Greek Night.

28 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by 97sullivan in Entertaining, Food, Home, Life, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cooking, cooking from scratch, dinner, entertaining, food, greek food, home, pastry

I don’t have a favorite food per say, but I am partial to anything made with fresh ingredients from scratch. I do have a love for mediterranean cuisine, especially Greek food. Whenever I have friends over I always to go all out. The other night was just that kind of night and I made some very delicious Greek food.

Greek Salad

Ingredients

  • 5 small tomatoes
  • 1/2 green bell pepper
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1/2 jar kalamata olives
  • 8 oz feta cheese

Instructions

Chop the first three ingredients and combine in a bowl. Add olives and feta cheese. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Feta Pastries

Ingredients

  • 9 oz feta cheese
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp each chopped fresh dill, mint and parsley
  • filo pastry sheets, thawed
  • 6 Tbsp melted butter
  • Pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the feta, nutmeg, and herbs in a bowl. Add pepper to taste and mix.

Brush a sheet of filo pastry lightly with butter and place another on top and brush that too. Do this until you have three or four layers of pastry.

Cut the buttered sheets in half lengthways. Drop and tablespoon of cheese filling at the base of the long strip, fold the corners diagonally to enclose it, then roll the pastry up into a cigar shape. (You can also fold them into little triangles – it’s the method I prefer)

Brush the end with a little butter to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Cool on wire rack.

Moussaka

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggplants, thinly sliced
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cups lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped or 7 oz canned tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 Tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
  • 2 egg whites
  • salt and ground black pepper

For the topping

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 2/3 cups milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 cup Kefalotiri cheese
  • 2 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg

Instructions

Layer eggplant in a colander, sprinkling each layer with salt. Drain over a sink for 20 minutes, then rinse the salt off thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread out the eggplants in a roasting pan. Brush them with olive oil, then bake for 10 minutes, or until just softened. Remove and cool.

Make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and brown the beef. When the meat is no longer pink, and  the garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chopped fresh or canned tomatoes to the pan and stir in wine. Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley, fresh bread crumbs and egg whites.

Lightly grease a large baking dish, then spread out half the sliced eggplant in an even layer on the base. Spoon over the meat sauce, spread evenly, then top with the remaining eggplant.

To make the topping, pat the butter, flour and milk in a pan. Bring to a boil over a low heat, whisking all the time until the mixture thickens to form a smooth, creamy sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season, then stir in the nutmeg and half the cheese.

Cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks and the whole egg. Pour the sauce over the eggplant topping and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the dish to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Xo

Images via 97 Sullivan and Pintrest

Pumpkin Bread.

12 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by 97sullivan in Entertaining, Food, Home, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autum, baking, bread, cooking, entertaining, food, home, lifestyle, pumpkin bread, recipes

This weekend my friend gave me the lovely gift of a DELICIOUS pumpkin bread loaf. It left me feeling totally inspired. I’ve seen so many autumn pumpkin recipes; cupcakes, bread, even whoopie pies. I did some research and I found the most divine recipe for Pumpkin Bread from one of my favorite blogs called Honey & Jam. I hope you get a chance to try it!

Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Pecan Filling

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups canned pumpkin purée
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cup milk

 For the Filling:

  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 chopped pecans
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted

To make filling: Combine sugar, cinnamon, pecans and butter in small bowl, mix to combine.

For bread: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and coat your pans with butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, spices, and salt, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the pumpkin and sugars. Mix until well combined, and then add the eggs and oil. Mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. With the mixer on low, add the flour in two batches, alternating with the milk, and mix until just combined.

Fill loaf pans half way, add filling, top with remaining batter.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. A cake tester should come out clean. Cool the pans on a rack for ten minutes, remove the loaves from the pans, and cool completely.

NOTE: This recipe makes 2 loaves

Enjoy!

Xo

Recipe Via Honey & Jam, Adapted from Martha Stewart

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