Elderberry Syrup

1 oz. of elderberries
1 pinch of cinnamon and cloves
1 quart water
honey

Boil elderberries in a quart of water with cinnamon and cloves until reduced by half. Strain.

Add as much honey (approx. 2 cups) as you have juice.

Refrigerate for up to 6 months

Hot Chocolate Mix

SERVINGS: 5½ CUPS OF HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2½ cups nonfat dry milk powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk powder, salt, cornstarch and cinnamon. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift mixture into another bowl. Use a wire whisk to thoroughly combine. Divide mixture into clear bags or jars.

TO PREPARE HOT CHOCOLATE:
Heat 2 tablespoons cocoa mix with one cup of milk or nut-based beverage.

Pumpkin & Peanut Soup

 Sweet Potatoes or another squash can be used instead of pumpkin. 

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 medium-sized pumpkin roasted, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 c. vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1 diced scallion

Place a large pot over medium heat. Once warmed, add oil and onion to cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the carrots, pumpkin and spices. Cook for 5 minutes and add broth as needed to prevent sticking. Increase heat to medium-high to add tomatoes and the rest of the broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer about 30 minutes. Blend mixture until smooth with immersion blender or potato masher. Stir in peanut butter until thoroughly combined. Serve alone or atop rice. Garnish with scallions.

ANY FROZEN FRUIT + CORNMEAL COBBLER

I found this on Eater.com, in an article about kitchen staples, one of them being frozen fruit and vegetables. I usually don't keep frozen fruit unless I am using it for smoothies.  My frozen veg tends to go freezer-burned unless I remember to have plans for it, like chicken pot pie or peas in fettucine alfredo. 

For the fruit filling:

2 lb (907 g) frozen fruit (try a mix of peaches, cherries and raspberries — but use whatever you like)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the cobbler topping:
3/4 cup (98 g) yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (240 mL) half-and-half
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

To serve:
Vanilla ice cream

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Step 2

Prepare the fruit filling: Place the frozen fruit, lemon juice, cornstarch and sugar in a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish and mix well with your hands to combine.

Step 3

Make the cobbler topping: Place cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Stir in the half-and-half and melted butter.

Step 4

Evenly pour the batter over the fruit.

Step 5

Bake the cobbler until the topping is dark golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Step 6

Let the cobbler sit for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the juices to settle. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Serves: 8

Recipe from the book Simply Julia by Julia Turshen. Copyright 2021 by Julia Turshen. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

Triple Berry Pie

Here's another recipe from edibledenver.com: blackberries, raspberries and strawberries!  

For the crust:

2 ¼ cups pastry flour 
2 tablespoons sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled butter
6–7 tablespoons cold water

Blend flour, sugar, and salt together in mixer.

Once blended, add butter and mix until fine crumbles form. 

Begin adding cold water while mixing to integrate evenly. When dense, packed crumbles have formed, stop the mixer. Pack dough together into a ball and cut in half (half the dough for base, other half for the top). Form each half into a disc.

Generously flour 2 pieces of plastic wrap, then wrap each piece of dough. Place the 2 discs into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

Remove dough from plastic and place on floured surface. Roll ⅛-inch thick or more for base of pie. 

Place dough in pie pan. If using a glass pan do not grease, but for aluminum, ceramic or metal pans generously spray your pan before placing the dough into the pan. Then place in freezer.

For the filling:

1½ cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
1½ cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1½ cups strawberries, stems removed, quartered
Juice of ½ large lemon
1 cup turbinado or demerara sugar
6 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and in a large bowl. Toss to coat; the tapioca starch should dissolve.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the dough-lined pie pan.

Use remaining half of chilled dough to make decorative top. 

If desired, take a portion of dough and add natural food coloring for additional coloring and brightness to contrast the fruits. Chill and then roll.

Whether braiding dough or doing a traditional lattice, cut pieces of dough ½ inch or less for desired design.

Decorate top of pie.

Place in the freezer again for 10–15 minutes

Remove from freezer. Using a pastry brush apply an even coating of the beaten egg to dough.

Cover loosely with foil and place on middle rack of oven for 45–50 minutes.

Then, remove foil and place pie back in oven until filling is bubbling and solidifying throughout, 5–10 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Let chill and serve! We recommend a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Baker’s note: If you don’t have pastry flour you can make it at home yourself. Take 1 cup of bleached flour and remove 2 tablespoons, replacing them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift together and repeat as many times as needed for desired amount of flour.

Recipe courtesy of

Hills Have Pies

Visit them at hillshavepies.com.

Cannabis-Infused Miso Sriracha Deviled Eggs

Here's a recipe I stumbled across in Edible Denver. You can leave out the THC.  

Adapted from The Art of Cooking with Cannabis by Tracey Medeiros (Skyhorse Publishing, April 2021).

 

6 large organic cage-free brown eggs, room temperature

½ tablespoon white miso paste, or to taste
1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon sriracha, preferably McCauley Family Farm’s Picaflor
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
6 individual packets of Ripple Pure 10 Dissolvable THC (10 mg THC each)
3 tablespoons organic mayonnaise, or to taste

Garnishes:

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

⅛ cup scallion rings, thinly sliced on the bias
Smoked paprika

Place a large bowl of ice water near your cooking area.

To make the hard-boiled eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover the eggs with at least 1 inch of cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand until hard-boiled, about 10 to 11 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs and place them in the prepared water bath for 2 minutes. Remove from the water bath, then gently tap an egg on the counter to crack the shell. Peel under cold running water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until cold, about 15 minutes.

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, then gently remove the yolks and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor. Place the egg whites on a decorative platter. Add the miso paste, mustard, sriracha and sesame oil to the yolks and process until smooth and creamy. Add the Ripple packets and mayonnaise and process until fully incorporated. Adjust seasonings with additional mayonnaise and miso paste, if desired.

Using a pastry bag with a star tip, or a small spoon, fill each of the egg white halves with about 1½ teaspoons of the yolk mixture.

Garnish with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds, a scattering of scallions and a light dusting of smoked paprika. Serve immediately.

*For a non-infused version of this recipe, perfect for any spring brunch, simply omit the THC.

SUGGESTED DOSAGE: approximately 5 milligrams THC per egg half; approximately 10 milligrams THC per serving/whole egg.