Tag Archives: orange

Canned Goods

Orange and Vanilla Marmalade

Marmalade… Then nastiest of all of the jams and jellies out there on the planet, or so I thought. I tried orange marmalade when I was little. I remember being about 5 or 6 years old and my great grandmother had me try a bite of her toast. I didn’t like the taste or the texture of it at all. Fast forward about 15 years, I went to a cute little B&B and was given a nice cup of tea, oatmeal, and an English with a spread of yummy and fruity spreads. There it was, looking at me, calling to me. The beautifully citrus smell of the marmalade wafted up my nose. I was drawn to it. I scooped a nice size amount on my knife and spread it on my English muffin. It oozed into all of the little spaces. A smile went across my face and I took a bite. It tasted like… disappointment. I wish it hadn’t. I so wanted to like it.

Now I am 35 years old and was overwhelmed with the amount of oranges coming in with my fruit and veggie box that I get once a week from Misfitsmarket.com and didn’t know what to do with all of them. The kids will eat them once in a while but not fast enough. My solution? Marmalade. I will defeat you this time, mark my word. Here we go!

Here’s what you will need:

  • 1 lb of oranges
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1.5-2 tsp of vanilla extract

Your cooking tools:

  • Sauce pot
  • Mandolin or very sharp knife
  • Canning Jars

Let’s get cooking!

I use a mandolin to cut my oranges. It makes the perfect size slices (about 1/4″ thick) and they are all uniform. Pick out the seeds as you go. I do not cut anything off of the oranges and the seeds are the only part that I remove. I had several different kids of oranges so I used some of each. I don’t know if it changed the flavor all that much, but the end result tasted great.
Add the water and the sugar to the sauce pot and turn it to medium high.
Add in the oranges and the vanilla. I love the creamsicle taste that the vanilla added so I went for 2 tsps instead of 1-1.5 tsp.

Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then take it down to a low heat or simmer.
This is what my marmalade looked like after 1 hour. When your mixture is half the amount as it was when you started, it is about time to take it off the heat. There are several ways to test it. I took a spoon and put it in the freezer, when I got to the texture above, I took a little bit and dripped it onto the frozen spoon. When I tipped the spoon back and forth, it looked like I wanted the final product to look like when set.
To sterilize your canning jars, boil them! I take the lids and put them in the freezer. While my mixture is still hot, I spoon it into the canning jars because I don’t have one of those fancy canning funnels. I grab those super cold lids and rings out of the freezer and put them right on the jars. Once the lids are on, I throw them right into the refrigerator and the lid does its thing and seals!

So finally, after all these years at the age of 35, I finally do love marmalade. I am so sad that it took me this long, but at least it happened!

Until next time, send me some ideas of things that you would like me to make for you. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan!

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Desserts

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

What is biscotti?

Biscotti (/bɪˈskɒti/; Italian pronunciation: [bisˈkɔtti]; English: twice-cooked), known also as cantucci, are Italian almond biscuits that originated in the city of Prato. They are twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, crunchy, and may be dipped in a drink, traditionally Vin Santo. (from Wikipedia)

Knowing the good stuff

Biscotti is a great cookie all around. Coffee or tea, they are by far the most perfectly paired cookie to either drink. The crispness of the twice baked cookie makes for the best cookie to dunk! Come on guys, live on the edge and dunk those cookies in your tea!

What you will need:

  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/3 cup of sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup of dark chocolate or vegan semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 – 1 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp water
  • 4 Tbsp sugar or granulated stevia
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

Let’s get baking!

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • Toast your almonds in the preheating oven. You will be able to smell when they are good to go, about 8 minutes.
  • Whisk flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and orange zest until completely combined. I like to keep my orange zest in longer pieces as opposed to finely diced. It gives you a big punch of citrus flavor once in a while.
My favorite zest tool. (Thank you Pampered Chef!)
Look at that beautiful orange zest!!!
  • Make a little well in the middle and add your sugar into the well.
  • Mix oil,water, and almond extract together and pour over the sugar.
  • Stir from the center of the bowl (as if you were making pasta). This incorporates the liquids into the dry mix better and more evenly.
  • Time to get messy! Once the mixture gets less sticky, get your hands in there (it’s the best part of baking).
  • Add in your chocolate chips and toasted almond slices.
  • Separate the dough into two pieces, about 2 inch wide flattened logs and place them about 3-4″ apart on a baking sheet. Tip: use parchment paper if you don’t feel like having more dishes to wash.
  • Bake for 20 minutes (adjust time and temps according to your elevation).
  • When you gently push on the dough after the 20 minutes, it should be firm.
  • Take the baked logs out of the oven to cool for 5-10 minutes or until easily sliced with a very sharp serrated knife. You want something sharp because of the almonds and the dryness of the cookie. If your knife isn’t sharp enough… well… that’s the way the cookie crumbles!
  • Reduce the oven temp to 320°.
  • Cut the slightly cooled log to 1/2 inch slices.
  • Put back on the baking sheet on the sliced side down.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, flip to the other sliced side, bake for another 10 minutes.
  • Take your biscotti out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes so that it gets that hardness to it that you look for in a good biscotti (or be like me and eat it straight out of the oven and burn your mouth on the molten lava chocolate chips. Ouch!).
  • Use an air tight container to store them or a Ziploc bag (make sure you press as much of the air out as possible) or they will get stale. They should be good for about 5-7 days, not that they will last that long.

Have an idea for something that you want me to make? Let me know and comment below!

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