Amazing Vinegar

We all are familiar with vinegar in cooking. But regular white vinegar has many other uses that just culinary.  We will explore some of these uses this morning.

General Uses for Vinegar:

Deodorize the room: vinegar can help neutralize odors in the home, such as in the kitchen or refrigerator. Leave a dish filled with 1/2 inch of white vinegar in the offensive-smelling room until the smell dissipates completely.

Dissolve rust: for smaller rusted items, soak them in a bowl of white vinegar overnight. For larger items, pour white vinegar over it, let it sit, and rub clean.

Keep colors bright: using vinegar in your laundry is a natural way to keep your clothes bright and fresh. Add 1/2 cup of diluted white vinegar to your laundry load right before the final rinse cycle to help remove stains, eliminate odors, and remove mildew.

Whiten your whites: if you prefe...

Pancakes and Waffles

This is one of my favorite new recipes and it's got lots of protein and freshly-milled flour so lots of vitamins and minerals, too. Notice also that it doesn't have any sugar (except for the maple syrup you add).

DUTCH BABY

From Wholemade Homestead

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 eggs
3/4 cup freshly-milled soft white wheat flour (or AP flour)
3/4 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet add the butter.

Place the skillet in the oven to preheat the pan and melt the butter and then heat oven to 425 degrees.
While the skillet is warming, add the eggs to a bowl and whisk until fluffy.
Add the flour, milk, salt and vanilla.
Stir batter until combined but still slightly lumpy. 
Pour the pancake batter into the skillet IN THE OVEN.
Bake for 20 minutes until the pancake has puffed and the edges are a crisp golden brown...

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Brittney Zapata is going to teach us how to make gorgeous dipped strawberries just in time for you to give them to your Valentine.

Here is how she does it. You will need.....

Strawberries
Almond bark or candy coating
Sprinkles (optional)

First wash and dry strawberries (usually a couple hours before you plan to dip).
Put chocolate in a microwave-safe container and melt it in the microwave (it takes 2-3 minutes, maximum of 4).
Start dipping by holding the green part of the strawberry (for a pack of strawberries it shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes). They will dry as you dip.
Lay the dipped strawberries on a piece of parchment.
Use the remaining chocolate or another color to drizzle (use sandwich bags as piping bags for this).
Add sprinkles (if using) to the drizzle before it dries.
Let them dry for about 5-10 minutes or pop them in the fridge for a couple minutes to dry faster.
Package them as...

Focaccia Charcuterie Board

Focaccia is a quick, flavorful bread that you can serve at dinner as a side, a sandwich, or as a base for toppings. It's a small batch recipe that goes together very quickly, in two hours.
Today, we are going to make a base for a charcuterie board from the focaccia using oven-safe ramekins.
This recipe is adapted from Venison for Dinner.

For the focaccia:
1 cup warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 ½ tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt for sprinkling on top
Fresh herbs for garnish on top

Mix the flour and salt in a big bowl.
Stir the yeast and water together in a separate bowl/measuring cup/jar.
Mix the two together just until there are no dry spots left in the flour and it’s well combined; no need to mix it forever.
Cover with a wet tea towel, and let sit for 2-...