Chicken breasts in caper cream sauce

Robin and I love this recipe. This dish is ready in 20 minutes and tastes like something you would be served at a very expensive restaurant.

Be sure you add the exact amount of capers. I added a few extra one time (just for good measure) and it ruined the dish. 

A husband (who is not a cook) developed this recipe when looking through what he had in the fridge

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

 

 

Directions

Season chicken breasts with lemon pepper, salt, dill weed, and garlic powder.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place breasts in skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Turn chicken frequently, until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until breasts are cooked through. Remove chicken to a warm serving platter, and cover with foil.

Return skillet to stove, and increase heat to high. Whisk in whipping cream, whisking continuously until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken, and serve.
 

How to build a well bucket

A friend of mine posted this question on face book today. "What if something like Katrina or Sandy happened at your community... if you had to live without electricity, water, sewer, fuel, heat for weeks to months. How would you fare if that happened to you today?" That's a good question!
 
How long can you live without water? A person can survive only three to five days without it.

If you had to live without electricity and have a well, even if you have a diesel generator as backup power, you will still need the fuel to keep it running. What happens when you run out? If you have a well bucket on hand, you will be prepared for the most extreme circumstances, and be able to survive. If you don't have a well, you should have at least three days worth of drinking water stored up for everyone in your household, including pets and know the location of your nearest water source.

A well bucket is inexpensive and easy to make. To assemble a well bucket you will need a piece of pipe, sealed at the lower end with a valve built into the bottom, this will let the bucket fill when it hits the water and close as it's hauled up. Before you use a well bucket it is very important that all parts and pieces are clean and sanitary, you don't want to risk contaminating the well you are relying on.
 
I decided to assemble for our own well two different buckets, for different scenarios. The first bucket is 1-1/4" in diameter, meant to snake down the well without removing the pump and pipe. This size may or may not work depending on how your well is set up. The second bucket is 3" in diameter for longer term use, but you will have to pull the pump and pipe out. If you live in the country, chances are a neighbor has had to pull a well or two and can offer help if you need it. Most wells are four inches in diameter, but before building a bucket you should check to make sure your bucket will comfortably fit.
 
The small bucket is made of five parts; one length of 1-1/4"x 60" pvc pipe, one pvc coupling, one 1-1/4"x1/2" pvc reducing bushing, a large marble, and rope to lower and raise the bucket, make sure all your knots are secure and tight. The pipe is the bucket. The coupling, marble, and bushing together make the bottom valve. If the pipe has a bell-end you won't need the coupling, make sure you glue all the parts together. This bucket will hold about 1/2 gallon of water, enough to get drinks.
 

Click to enlarge
  

Click to enlarge

The large bucket is made of five parts; one length of 3"x52" pvc or abs pipe, one 3" pvc or abs coupling, one 3"x 1-1/2" pvc or abs reducing bushing, a golf ball, and rope to lower and raise the bucket, again make sure all your knots are secure and tight. The pipe is the bucket just like the small one. The coupling, golf ball, and bushing together make the bottom valve. Once again if the pipe has a bell end you won't need the coupling, and again make sure you glue all the parts together. This bucket will hold 2-1/2 gallons of water. The large bucket is heavy when full. If you will be using it for an extended period of time you will probably want to make a pulley system of some kind to raise and lower the bucket, maybe even a hand crank of some kind. Your well may be hundreds of feet in depth, but the actual static water level may be anywhere from close to the top, or close to the bottom. I keep plenty of rope just in case.

 

Click to enlarge

When purchasing the bushings be aware that some are concave or rounded on the inside and some are not. For this type of valve to work properly it needs to be concave. You can also build a valve using a toilet float or a simple rubber flapper setup as shown in the photo's below, check the web for more designs.You can also purchase well buckets online, Lehmans.com sells a nice Amish made galvanized bucket. Well buckets are also known as baler buckets, torpedo buckets, and bullet buckets.

 

 



How and why to brine a turkey

The best way to get flavorful poultry, regardless of how it is prepared, is to start with a brine. Brining adds moisture and flavor to poultry and helps to keep it from drying out. A turkey can be a serious investment in time so you want to make sure it is perfect. Whether grilled, smoked, fried, or roasted, your turkey should be brined first.

To properly brine a turkey you need to start the night before you plan to cook. You will need at least 10 to 12 hours (plan on 1 hour per pound), a container large enough to hold your turkey and enough brine to cover it. You'll also need salt, water, sugar, seasonings, and enough room to refrigerate it. A large stainless steel stock pot or even a 5 gallon clean plastic bucket would make excellent containers. Whatever container you choose, the turkey must have enough room to be turned, so it should be big. Robin and I use a roasting bag for turkeys. (they are a food grade bag)

The turkey should be cleaned out, completely thawed, and should not be a self-basting or kosher turkey. Self-basting and kosher turkeys have a salty stock added that will make your brined turkey too salty. Make sure to check the ingredients on the turkey before you decide to brine. A fresh, "natural" turkey works best, but a completely thawed, previously frozen turkey will work just as well.

To make the brine, mix 1 cup of  kosher salt in 1 gallon of water. You will need more than 1 gallon of water but that’s the ratio to aim for. One way of telling if you have enough salt in your brine is that a raw egg will float in it. Make sure that the salt is completely dissolved before adding any seasonings. Be sure not to add any spice mixtures that contain salt. Brines can be spicy hot with peppers and cayenne, savory with herbs and garlic, or sweet with molasses, honey and brown sugar. I brined some pork chops with molasses and kosher salt last week and I will never cook a chop again without brining first.

Sugar is optional in any brine, but works to counteract the flavor of the salt. While you may choose a brine without sugar, I do recommend that you add sugar (any kind of "sweet" will do) to maintain the flavor of the turkey. Add up to 1 cup of sugar per gallon of brine. Like the salt, you need to make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Place the turkey in a container and pour in enough brine to completely cover the turkey with an inch or two to spare. You do not want any part of the turkey above the surface of the brine. Now place the whole thing in the refrigerator. Making enough room in the fridge is the hardest part of this project, Robin and I found the produce drawer at the bottom of the fridge works well. The turkey should sit in the brine for about 1 hour per pound of turkey. Brining too long is much worse than not brining enough so watch the time.

If you don't have room in the refrigerator try a cooler. Make sure it's big enough to hold your turkey and can contain (without spills) both the bird and the brine. The cooler will not only help keep the turkey cool, but provides the option to brine your turkey without taking up space in the refrigerator. If the weather is cool, you can put the whole thing outside until you are ready to cook the turkey. If the weather is warm, fill a a zip lock bag with ice. Place this in the cooler with the turkey and brine and it will hold down the temperature during the brining process.

When you are ready to begin cooking the turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it off thoroughly in the sink with cold water until all traces of salt are off the surface inside and out. This is the single, most important step. If you don't get the brine rinsed of thoroughly, you will get a very salty bird. Safely discard the brine and cook the turkey as normal. You will notice the second you start to carve your turkey that the brining has helped it retain moisture. The first bite will sell you on brining turkeys forever and after you've tried this, you will want to brine all your poultry, and pork chops.

Apple & juniper berry sauerkraut

This is a variation of basic Sauerkraut and it’s also often called Bavarian Sauerkraut. Juniper berries are a spice more than a berry and may be available fresh when in season or dried at a health food store. We found them at our local Butte Creek Mill. Homemade Sauerkraut is a real treat, and it's very easy to make.



Ingredients

3 or 4 heads of cabbage, shredded
2 or 3 apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tbsp caraway seeds
3 tbsp Juniper berries, crushed
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt

Directions

Combine the shredded cabbage, chopped apples and spices together.

Place the shredded cabbage and apple mixture little by little in your fermentation jar, pounding them vigorously and sprinkling some of the sea salt as you go.

Make sure the mixture fills the jar up to 1 inch bellow the top (because of the expansion), adding more if needed, and that the extracted water covers the vegetables entirely. If not, create a brine of 2 tablespoons sea salt to 4 cups water and add it to the cabbage.

Press the mixture and keep it under the brine by placing a plate or a lid on top weighted down by a rock or a jug of water. Cover with a clean towel if needed to keep out fruit flies.

Place the fermentation jar in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow the Sauerkraut to ferment for 7 to 10 days.

Check on it from time to time to be sure that the brine covers the mixture and to remove any mold that may form on the surface.

A good way to know when it’s ready is to taste it during the fermentation process and move it to the refrigerator when you’re satisfied with the taste.

The danger of appetite fatigue

 

Not only should you have long term food storage, you should always have a good variety of food items stored. If your long term food storage is not done properly, you could find yourself suffering from a very real threat, the danger of appetite fatigue.
  

Appetite fatigue occurs when there is plenty of food available but a lack of variety. Your mind will eventually tell your mouth " I refuse to eat that again". If this happens, you may find yourself losing your appetite; children and the elderly are particularly susceptible. This could even cause you to stop eating, even though you may have plenty of food to eat, this will endanger your ability to survive.

While basic food staples are good to have on hand, you will need to incorporate various other food items into the planning of your long term food storage.

 

A good combination of other food storage items should include spices, seasonings, flavorings, sauce and gravy packets. You should also keep on hand things like flavored instant potato and pasta packets, muffin and biscuit mixes and other "just add water" items. These items are great for those "I'm too tired to cook" moments or if you are ill or mentally fatigued. Even older children and most husbands can make these without messing them up too badly.


 Don't forget snacks, yes they are a luxury but when things are at their worst you'll be glad to have something to brighten the day. Instant jello and pudding mixes, brownie and small packets of cake mix for cupcakes, hard candies and dried fruit are good to have on hand. Even if there is no disaster, you'll be prepared for those "Hey Mom and Dad I promised we'd bring the after sports event treat this week" (told to you two hours before the game starts).

Adding a flavor packet or a bullion cube to rice or beans could help to avoid the problems caused by appetite fatigue.

You would do well to have dried, dehydrated, canned and preserved items, this will give you a greater variety and more choices in your diet. If you have freezer space take advantage of "pick-your-own" farms and fill it up. A full freezer is more efficient than a half full one. Bottled water in the freezer can also help keep items frozen longer if you have a power outage and will fill up any empty space. If you have canning supplies, food dehydrator or drying racks, use them.

If you have a garden, you should also plan to supplement your food storage with fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs. Learn how to grow food year round so you always have something fresh to pick, it makes a big difference. Keep seeds for sprouting; something you can do in a mason jar or between layers of paper towels. These add a bit of freshness to meals without having to brave the cold. Just make sure the seeds are not kept vacuum sealed, seeds are living things and need to breath.

A good seed bank would be something to think about? When making your purchase for the new season pick up extra seeds and put them in a cool, dark, dry place, they will be good for several seasons this way. Just use the oldest first and test for germination by sprouting a few seeds between damp paper towels.

 

Don't risk throwning away good food because your family simply refuses to eat the same thing again, vary your diet and have happy appetites. Remember variety is the spice of life.
 

 

 

Got spice?

Hungarian mushroom soup

Robin and I love this hearty, rich soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

 

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

 

In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately.