Copyright ©2007- 2020 Donna Goff

Monday, December 22, 2008

Vinegars

I have not yet attempted to make vinegar. I do know it can be made at home. I do use a variety of vinegars. All vinegars are a result of fermentation of fruit or sweet vegetables, beyond the alcohol stage, and are no longer alcoholic.

White Vinegar like Heinz White Vinegar is made from grain and clear water. I use white vinegar in baked goods like Red Velvet Cake. It has a mild flavor that works with baking soda to make a bubbling, leavening action, without leaving a vinegar taste.

Cider Vinegar also known as Apple Cider Vinegar is made from apple cider. I use apple cider vinegar in some meat dishes like Chicken Adobo because it imparts a savory flavor. \ Apple Cider Vinegar can be overpower the sweet flavor of baked goods, but blends well with seasonings to make meat dishes savory.

I also use it for medicinal purposes.

Red Wine Vinegar is vinegar that is made from red or white wine. I use this in salad dressings.

Raspberry Vinegar is a vinegar made from raspberry wine. I use it as a base for a fruity Zesty Italian and for making a fruity fajita.

Household Tips: Because vinegar is acidic it has been successfully used in a variety of home remedies and even an earth friendly solution for cleaning.

When I was young, I remember cleaning windows and mirrors with a solution of vinegar and water and using newspapers to clean the windows to a sparkle.

As a young mother I had a toddler get into a box of tide. He would scoop up tide and take it to the bathroom and pour it into a sink of running water, and then take a cup of water to the box of tide. Needless to say it was a soapy mess. I shared the story with a friend, she told me her story. Her children did the same on new carpet! The carpet cleaner told her that vinegar would cut the soap and make it easier to clean up. Her carpet was white so she used white vinegar. The day after she told me this, I dropped a bottle of bleach on a brown carpet. Remembering my friend's story I immediately I tried the vinegar, as it is acidic and bleach is base, hoping the vinegar would neutralize the bleach. and the acid in the vinegar prevented my carpet from ruin.

CAUTION
CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION do not combine vinegar and chlorine bleach!!!!
I have since learned that one should not combine vinegar and chlorine bleach, as it combines and creates a dangerous gas. I consider myself tremendously blessed that I did not inhale the mixture! Boy do I keep my guardian angels hopping. I could have solved one problem and created another. Using vinegar on soap bubbles or soap scum should not be an issue. Just becareful what products you use and combined in cleaning the bathroom.

I have used apple cider vinegar as a rinse on my hair to strip shampoo and conditioner build up from my hair. Wow, my hair was beautiful.

When I go to the pool I mix 1 part apple cider vinegar and 2 parts purified water into a 25 ounce spray bottle, and spray it on my body and hair to neutralize the chlorine so my hair does not turn green and so I do not smell like a pool all day. Then I wash my skin with a aloe loofa glycerine bar, and a cranberry glycerine facial bar. I was my hair with L' Oreal Kids Sunny Splash of Orange 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner. Sounds like a fruit salad I know :).

Vinegar is a must for food storage and green living.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Pulled Buttermints

My friend Joy Andrews taught me how to make these delicious creamy buttermints. These make great gifts and treats at weddings.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
1/4 lbs. butter
2 teaspoons Karo syrup
2+ drops oil of peppermint
2+ drops color

Directions
Bring sugar, water, butter, and karo syrup to a boil. Boil 3 minutes with lid on pan, take lid off and bring to 252 degrees.

Pour onto marble slab, keep raising edges so they won't get brittle. Work until it is still hot but warm enough to handle. Work fast. Pull in ropes, fold, twist, pull again, and continue until the ropes lose their gloss and are getting stiffer. Cut quickly with buttered scissors or sharp knife. Place on wax paper in an air tight container to mellow (a tin) for 3 days. These mints get hard fast and then 3 days in an airtight tin turns them creamy and softens them.

Creamy Chocolate Nut Surprise

These are delightfully delicate, messy to make, but well worth the effort!

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. Hershey Almond Bars or 24 ounces Hershey Kisses and 1/8 cup chopped Almonds
9 ounces Cool Whip
Vanilla Wafers finely crushed

Optional Ingredients: Substitute other nuts, such as pecans, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts!


Directions
Wear food handling gloves for this one.
Melt Chocolate slowly so it does not burn.
Mix with thawed Cool Whip. If you do not thaw the Cool Whip first the chocolate will not mix thoroughly.
Chill in the fridge one hour to firm up mixture.
Drop into spoonfuls of chocolate mixture into vanilla wafer crumbs by rounded teaspoon full.
Roll into balls.
Roll in more crumbs.
Chill till set. 


This recipe freezes well in an freezer jar.

Roger's Hershey Kiss Marshmellow Fudge

Ingredients
4 1/2 cup sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
1 stick butter (1/2 cup butter), cut into half tablespoon slices
24 ounces Hershey Kisses (currently, by size, this would be about 151 kisses!)
2- 7 ounce jars of marshmallow creme
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds or walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
Boil sugar and evaporated milk for 9-10 minutes. Place all of the other ingredients in the Bosch mixing bowl. Pour boiling mixture over other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook for 2-4 minutes, until the mixture loses it gloss. Pour in buttered jelly roll pan, cool, and cut. We actually cut it and put it in the freezer!