CRAB APPLE JELLY (Pancake Toppings)

The pancake series is done. Some of our favorite pancake toppings is the next series.

Last year in the fall Dan's sister had tons of Crab Apples in her back yard trees. I had never eaten one and when I did I was so amazed at how good they were--they're just like apples, but much smaller. Dan's sister offered us to pick as many as we wanted, so we did. Then I got to work making jelly, butter, and pie filling with them. It's been so nice to go into our own cupboard and pull out something nice and home made to eat.

Crab apple jelly tastes good with Peanut butter too

CRAB APPLE JELLY

4 c crab apples juice (about 3 pounds of crab apples and 3 cups of water)

4 c sugar

Preparing the juice: Wash apples; remove stem and blossom ends; do not peel or core. Cut apples into small pieces. Add water; cover; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer until apples are soft. Strain through a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth (I used a very fine colander)

Preparing the jelly: Place juice in a large saucepot. Add sugar, Stirring until dissolve. Boil over high heat, stirring constantly to 8 degree F above the boiling point of water or until jelly mixture sheets from a spoon. Removes from heat. Skim foam if necessary.  Ladle hot jelly into hot sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Adjust two piece caps. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water canner. Yield: about 6 half-pints.

Apron Pictures Included

I wanted to learn how to sew better so I thought by doing a service project would be the perfect way to learn. I choose the pattern from many that I have. There were some problems that I found as I tried to read and sew my pattern, because I added to the pattern.

The waist was supposed to be gathered but becuase I added the dish clothe to the apron I couldn't gather the material. The thread kept on breaking. I had to think for awhile until I figured out what to do. I remember seeing pleats before in clothing and they some times give the appearance of gathered so I pleated it instead. The problem was that I didn't have any instructions on how to pleat---so I played around with the fabric and pins until it looked even and pleated/gathered.

Multi Grain Pancakes

Multi Grain Pancakes

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3/4 c + 1 Tablespoon Milk (you may add more depending on what type of consistence you're looking for---the thinner the batter the thinner the pancake)

2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cooking oil

1/4 c Whole Wheat Flour (we grind our own)

1/4 c Corn Meal

1/2 c Oat Flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup (I usually use a liquid measuring cup to mix the batter together. When pouring the batter from this, it's a lot easier and less messy than trying to use a bowl and a spoon).

Add the next 4 ingredients to the mix--mix well.

Add the baking powder last. This ingredient is what makes the pancakes puffy. Don't over mix or you will have flat pancakes---but if you don't care, it's OK.

Heat griddle (I use a wok) over medium heat. (To test the griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, the pan is ready to make pancakes).

Add a little oil/butter every time you make a new pancake (this will make the pancake crispy around the edges) For each pancake pour slightly less than 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffy and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3/4 c + 1 Tablespoon Milk (you may add more depending on what type of consistence you're looking for---the thinner the batter the thinner the pancake)

2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 c Whole Wheat Flour (we grind our own)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup (I usually use a liquid measuring cup to mix the batter together. When pouring the batter from this, it's a lot easier and less messy than trying to use a bowl and a spoon).

Add the next 2 ingredients to the mix--mix well.

Add the baking powder last. This ingredient is what makes the pancakes puffy. Don't over mix or you will have flat pancakes---but if you don't care, it's OK.

Heat griddle (I use a wok) over medium heat. (To test the griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, the pan is ready to make pancakes).

Add a little oil/butter every time you make a new pancake (this will make the pancake crispy around the edges) For each pancake pour slightly less than 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffy and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Perfect Camping Pancake (Food Storage Pancakes)

These pancakes are my husbands favorites so far---pictures below

Perfect Camping Pancake (Food Storage Pancakes)

If you want to make these pancakes camping just mix all the dry ingredients together in a zip lock baggie or jar. Bring the baggy/jar with you on your camping trip and just add the oil and water when you want to cook. If you have the mixture in the baggie just add the oil and water to the bag and mix well. To make less mess, cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag (make sure you have a bowl or something plastic to catch any drippings) and just pour the batter right from the bag---no fuss and no mess.

Yields: 10-12

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Thrive Powder Egg

1 Tablespoon Thrive Powder Milk

1 1/2 c  Water (you may add more depending on what type of consistence you're looking for---the thinner the batter the thinner the pancake)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 c Whole Wheat Flour (we grind our own)

1/4 c Corn Meal

1/2 c Oat Flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup (I usually use a liquid measuring cup to mix the batter together. When pouring the batter from this, it's a lot easier and less messy than trying to use a bowl and a spoon).

Add the next 4 ingredients to the mix--mix well.

Add the baking powder last. This ingredient is what makes the pancakes puffy. Don't over mix or you will have flat pancakes---but if you don't care, it's OK.

Heat griddle (I use a wok) over medium heat. (To test the griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, the pan is ready to make pancakes).

Add a little oil/butter every time you make a new pancake (this will make the pancake crispy around the edges) For each pancake pour slightly less than 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffy and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

This is the wok that I use when I make pancakes

Oat Flour Pancake (No Gluten Pancakes)

Oatmeal is a gluten free food but many times it is cross contaminated by wheat products----there are brands that are not cross contaminated Bob's Red Mill Oatmeal and others---here is a web site that gives other brand names http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/tp/OatVendors.htm

Oat Flour Pancake (No Gluten Pancakes)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3/4 c + 1 Tablespoon Milk (you may add more depending on what type of consistence you're looking for---the thinner the batter the thinner the pancake)

2 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 c Oat Flour (we grind our own---you can use either quick oats or old fashioned oats)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup (I usually use a liquid measuring cup to mix the batter together. When pouring the batter from this, it's a lot easier and less messy than trying to use a bowl and a spoon).

Add the next 2 ingredients to the mix--mix well.

Add the baking powder last. This ingredient is what makes the pancakes puffy. Don't over mix or you will have flat pancakes---but if you don't care, it's OK.

Heat griddle (I use a wok) over medium heat. (To test the griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, the pan is ready to make pancakes).

Add a little oil/butter every time you make a new pancake (this will make the pancake crispy around the edges) For each pancake pour slightly less than 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffy and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Pancake Series---and Kitchen Accidents

Pancake Series

During the summer it gets really hot here, Southern Alberta so I really don't want to heat up the kitchen with baking. One of my favorite breakfasts any time of the year is pancakes. Pancakes are a great hot breakfast even for hot summers because they don't heat up the kitchen too much.

I have experimented a great deal with a number of different pancake recipes and this is my most favorite basic recipe. For the next few posts I will make them different variations on this recipe that I have found very successful and tasty

Basic Pancake Recipe

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3/4 c milk (you may add more depending on what type of consistence you're looking for---the thinner the batter the thinner the pancake)

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 c flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl or a liquid measuring cup (I usually use a liquid measuring cup to mix the batter together. When pouring the batter from this, it's a lot easier and less messy than trying to use a bowl and a spoon).

Add the next 2 ingredients to the mix--mix well.

Add the baking powder last. This ingredient is what makes the pancakes puffy. Don't over mix or you will have flat pancakes---but if you don't care, it's OK.

Heat griddle (I use a wok) over medium heat. (To test the griddle, sprinkle with a few drops of water. If bubbles jump around, the pan is ready to make pancakes).

Add a little oil/butter every time you make a new pancake (this will make the pancake crispy around the edges) For each pancake pour slightly less than 1/4 c batter onto the hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top, puffy and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Kitchen Accidents:

Week of the 4th was a rough week for dishes in our house

We broke:

 1 drinking glass, 1 canning jar, and 1 bowl (one of my favorite ones too---with cow pattern on it)

When we first moved here (July 2010) we had 10 drinking glasses and now we have one--thank goodness we bought them at the dollar store and their easily replaced---even if they weren't, it's just a glass

It's been extremely hot here and so I had a really good idea---place a canning jar in the freezer over night to freeze so that the next day I would have nice cold water. I would add water to it the next day----I even made sure I wouldn't get any yucky stuff/taste/smell from the freezer in the bottle by closing it with a lid---oops, scientific experiment didn't turn out quite what I expected---apparently I had too much water in the jar---not enough room in the jar to get bigger so the jar broke---here it is frozen and broken