Buttermilk Pie Crust (All Butter Pie Crust)

 I was searching for an easy buttermilk pie crust recipe and tried this one. I love it! It was a perfect crust for my pies. I have to give credit to King Arthur Test Kitchen for this recipe.

2 1/2 cups of flour. 

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp buttermilk powder

16 Tbsp of unsalted butter (I did use salted butter and just reduced the salt in the recipe to 1/2 tsp)

1/4 to 1 cup ice water

Step by step

1) Whisk together flour, salt, and buttermilk powder (they said this was optional, but I think it needs it.)

2) Dice the butter into small cubes. Work it into the flour mixture (I used my food processor, pulsing until it was well distributed but not fully mixed in.) I call is small pea sized mixture.)

3) Gradually add the ice water mixing it with a fork or your fingers until it starts to come together. (I had to add more water the recipe called for, almost twice the 1/2 cup. However, start with the 1/4 cup suggested and add what you need for it to come together) 

4) Gather the dough, handling it as little as possible. Divide the dough in half and form a round disc.

5) You can roll the dough immediately or refrigerate up to a half hour. It was suggested that for a better texture that you refrigerate it. If you refrigerate it for more than half hour, you will need to let it come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes before you work with it.

 I discovered this recipe from a canning book.  We have loved it! 

Pear Honey

7-8 cups of mash/chopped peeled pears. 

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 cups sugar

1. Peel and core pears. You can either mash them or use a food processor or a blender to chop them.  It's nice to have little chunks of the fruit still in the finished product.

2. Put pears a large pot and add the crushed pineapple (if you don't have crushed, you can put slices, chunks or tidbits in with the pears as you blend them), 

3. Add the sugar and the lemon juice.  Stir well.  

4. Turn on the heat to a medium and make sure that you stir frequently so that it doesn't scorch or burn.  

5. When it is heated through, put in jars and process for 15 minutes.

We love it on pancakes and waffles but it's also great on ice cream.

Buttermilk Syrup

 I have seen a lot of different recipes for Buttermilk Syrup.  This is what I have come up with.

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1.  Start melting butter in a pan.

2.  Add sugar and buttermilk when it has is about half melted.

3.  Stir frequently.  When it is all melted and starting to boil, remove from heat.  Don't let it boil more than a minute.

4.  Add vanilla and stir.

5.  Add baking powder and stir in.  It will start to foam ,so make sure that you have a large enough pan or it will over flow.  I use a 1 quart pan and it doesn't overflow.

Down-In-the-Dumps Pudding (Brownies)

 1.  Mix together in a bowl:

        2 cups flour

        1 1/3 sugar

        4 tsp. baking powder

        1/2 tsp salt

        4 T. cocoa

2. Stir in 

        1 cup milk

        4 T vegetable oil

        2 cups chopped nuts (if you want)

3. Spread mixture in ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

4. Blend in a small bowl:

        2 cups brown sugar

        1/2 cup cocoa

5.  Sprinkle brown sugar/cocoa mixture on top of the mixture in the 9 x 13 pan.

6. Pour 3 1/2 cups hot water over all.

7.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Banana Pudding (and Pie)

 I found this recipe while I was looking for a Banana Pie recipe in China.  I loved the simplicity of this recipe.  Perfect for one premade pie crust or an 8" pie pan.

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 cups milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons softened butter

1-2 bananas peeled and sliced.

1. Mix sugar, flour and salt in a medium size sauce pan.  

2. In a separate bowl beat the eggs.  Add to the sugar/ flour/ salt mixture in the pan.  Stir well, especially in the corners to get it mixed together well.  

3. Stir in the milk.

4. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, always cleaning out the corners.

5. When the mixture starts to thicken and have bubbles, remove from the heat.  Keep stirring and cool slightly.

6. Stir in the vanilla and the butter until it's smooth.

For a Pie:

Layer the bananas in the pie crust.  Pour the pudding in the pie over the bananas while it is still warm.  Cool in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

For Pudding:

Put some vanilla wafers in a cup.  Pour in some pudding, add some more vanilla wafers, layering as you like.

Breakfast Cake

1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar

1.  Cream butter and sugar
2. Add eggs and beat until creamy.
3. Mix  flour, baking powder, and salt together.
4. Add some of the flour and then some of the milk,  Keep alternating adding the flour mixture and the milk until they are all added.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Spread batter evenly in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
7. Mix 1/4 cup butter, cinnamon and brown sugar together.
8. Sprinkle over the batter as best you can.  Sometimes it is just globs on the batter, that's okay.
9. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. 

Zina's Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 large can stewed tomatoes (I use a quart jar of my bottled tomatoes.) Pour off most of the water.
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of red beans
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp Chili powder

1. Brown the ground beef.
2. While there is still some pink in the meat, add the celery and onion.  Continue browning the meat.
3. Add the salt and pepper.  Taste the meat at this time to make sure you have enough seasoning.
4.  Add the chili powder. 
5. Add the tomato sauce and the tomatoes.  Let this cook on low heat for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
6. Add the beans, both kinds.  Stir them in well and let then simmer on a very low heat for about 10 minutes.  If you like your chili spicier taste it and add more chili or other hot spices.

This should make about 5 quarts of chili.