One of my favorite past times for a while has been cooking, and with all this extra time, I have been able to let loose and make cooking a deeper, more enjoyable experience. I take my time cutting up fresh vegetables, sneaking a piece or two before placing them in the pot/pan as I listen to my Pandora station. I'm playing with spices more. I'm learning how much better homemade sauces, jellies, and bread tastes. Most importantly, I'm focusing on mentally, emotionally, and physically relaxing while cooking so that I can use this as a tool to de-stress.
So what did I make today? Raspberry bars. And boy were they good.
The recipe came from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Jammin-Good-Bars/Detail.aspx
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening ***(I used 2/3 cup Smart Balance butter)
1 egg
1 (10 ounce) jar raspberry preserves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Stir in the egg. I use my hands to mix it all together, it just seems easier. Press about half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the raspberry preserves over the crust then sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly toasted. Careful not to overcook. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Then cut into squares, enjoy!
Now, what made it even better is that I made the raspberry preserves from scratch! And it was SO easy.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Raspberry-Jam-230700
Ingredients
4 cups fresh raspberries
4 cups sugar
Directions
1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)
2. Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add warm sugar, return to a boil, and boil until mixture will form a gel (see tips, below), about 5 minutes.
To determine when the mixture will form a gel, use the spoon test: Dip a cool metal spoon into the hot fruit. Immediately lift it out and away from the steam and turn it horizontally. At the beginning of the cooking process, the liquid will drip off in light, syrupy drops. Try again a minute or two later — the drops will be heavier. The jam is done when the drops are very thick and two run together before falling off the spoon.
After dipping a spoon into the mixture to test the thickness, that spoon inevitably went into my mouth, and I was shocked. This stuff tasted a MILLION times better than the stuff they call preserves in the store.
1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 15 minutes. (Warm sugar dissolves better.)
2. Place berries in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, mashing berries with a potato masher as they heat. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add warm sugar, return to a boil, and boil until mixture will form a gel (see tips, below), about 5 minutes.
To determine when the mixture will form a gel, use the spoon test: Dip a cool metal spoon into the hot fruit. Immediately lift it out and away from the steam and turn it horizontally. At the beginning of the cooking process, the liquid will drip off in light, syrupy drops. Try again a minute or two later — the drops will be heavier. The jam is done when the drops are very thick and two run together before falling off the spoon.
After dipping a spoon into the mixture to test the thickness, that spoon inevitably went into my mouth, and I was shocked. This stuff tasted a MILLION times better than the stuff they call preserves in the store.
I love homemade.
Lesson learned: Don't try to microwave leftover raspberry preserves without keeping an eye on it. Otherwise, be prepared for a broken plate, burnt, fingers, and lips, and raspberry preserves.
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