Kitchen Basics – Plum Cooking.com

5 Great Homemade Honey Butter Recipe Ideas

William @ Plum Cookin' — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 19:29:22 +0000

Delicious Homemade Honey Butter

A Sweet and Creamy Delight

Honey butter is a delicious and versatile spread that can elevate your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Its smooth and creamy texture, combined with the natural sweetness of honey, makes it a crowd-pleasing addition to any meal.

Let us show you how to easily make honey butter from scratch, including several various flavor variations, and maybe suggest a few creative uses as well.

Let’s dive into the world of homemade honey butter and discover how to create this delectable treat!

What You’re Going To Need

Stand Mixer (Recommended)
- or Electric Hand Mixer
- or Whisk
Mixing Bowl
Storage Container
- or Plastic Wrap

Flavor Variations

While the basic homemade honey butter recipe is delightful, you can enhance its taste with various flavor variations. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Homemade Honey Butter with Cinnamon:
- Add a touch of warmth and spice by incorporating ground cinnamon. Start with one teaspoon and adjust according to your taste. This is very similar to the sweet creamy butter you find at Texas Roadhouse.
Homemade Honey Butter with Lemon:
- For a refreshing twist, zest a lemon and add it to the honey-butter mixture. Squeeze in a little lemon juice to brighten the flavors.
Homemade Honey Butter with Vanilla:
- ( Yum! ) Infuse your honey butter with the wonderful aroma of vanilla. Add one teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the mixture and mix well.
Homemade Honey Butter with Almond:
- For a nutty flavor, stir in 1/4 cup of finely chopped almonds or almond meal. This variation adds a delightful crunch to the butter. If you don’t have almonds or would prefer the smooth and creamy and not the crunch, you could try adding a little almond extract instead.

Creative Ideas For Use

Honey butter is a versatile condiment you can use in numerous ways. Here are some exciting ideas on how to incorporate honey butter into your meals:

Breakfast Treats:
- Spread honey butter on freshly baked biscuits, toast, pancakes, or waffles for a sweet and indulgent start to your day.
Glazes and Marinades:
- Use honey butter as a glaze for roasted meats, such as chicken or pork. Your homemade honey butter can add a caramelized touch and enhance the flavors. You can also use it as a marinade for grilling or baking.
Baking Secret:
- Incorporate honey butter into your baked goods, such as cookies or muffins, to add a rich flavor and moist texture.
Veggie Enhancer:
- Toss steamed vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes in honey butter for a luscious and sweet side dish.
Dessert Topping:
- Drizzle honey butter over fruit salads, or warm desserts like apple pie or bread pudding, or even ice cream.

Conclusion

Honey butter is a simple yet delicious addition to your home menu that can transform any meal into a delightful treat. So, gather your ingredients, try different flavors, and indulge in this versatile spread that is sure to please everyone at your table.

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Discover How To Soften Strawberries & Save

William @ Plum Cookin' — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 17:47:06 +0000

Discover How To Soften Strawberries At Home And Stop Paying To Much

Once you discover how to soften strawberries at home and discover just how easy they are to make, storebought will just seem like you’re wasting your time and money.

Seriously, macerated strawberries are so easy to make that there is no reason to purchase sweetened and softened strawberries.

Making them yourself literally takes the same or even less time than thawing out a package of them from the grocery store.

What Your Going To Need

Strawberries. They can be fresh or frozen. As long as they are clean and the green stem and leaves have been removed, you’re ready to go.
Sugar
A bowl or two
A strainer (But only if you want to remove excess juice)

How To Put It Together

Add strawberries to a bowl.

Cover strawberries with sugar

Cover and let sit on the counter for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

Drain off and freeze for later use, any excess strawberry juice you don’t want to use in your recipe.

Dessert Ideas

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Easy Homemade Popcorn Salt

Karen and Denny's Kitchen — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 14:46:35 +0000

Make Your Own Popcorn Salt

Ever notice when you buy a bag of pre-popped popcorn it tastes salty but you don’t notice a grainy salt texture? Or see the popcorn salt at the theater seems very fine compared to the salt you typically have at home.

That’s because they are using actual popcorn salt rather than plain table salt. Of course, you can find popcorn salt for a premium price n the store. It will be located along with all the other popcorn fixings and varieties.

The thing to discover how easy it is to make yourself, you will never have to pay top dollar for it again.

Don’t Pay Twice For What You Already Purchased

Popcorn salt is extremely easy to make. All you need is salt, (any kind of salt will work) and a food processor or a coffee grinder, spice grinder, etc. plus a decent spice shaker.

As long as you have those three things, you’re in business.

Salt made for popcorn will adhere to the popcorn better plus it will blend with other homemade popcorn seasonings better than table salt.

Personal Preference

Personally, I prefer to use kosher salt or canning to make popcorn salt. Which ever one I have on hand at the time. Table salt will work though if that is what you happen to have. I like the others because they don’t have the iodine as most table salt does. Sure, we need a little iodine in our diet but I think we get enough when salting our everyday foods.

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How To Easily Make Dark Corn Syrup

Karen and Denny's Kitchen — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 19:27:39 +0000

Make Dark Corn Syrup At Home In Just A Few Seconds

Instead of Running To The Store

So, you just pulled out grandma’s favorite pie recipe only to discover every ingredient is in your pantry except dark corn syrup.

Your first thought is probably can I substitute light corn syrup for dark corn syrup? (Answer) Yes and No!

For the most part, it will work but the flavor and color will both be off.

No need to run to the store, you probably have the two ingredients you need to make dark corn syrup in the pantry.

That’s right, just 2 ingredients.

This is truly one of those recipes that are so simple you’ll wonder why you’ve bothered to buy it premade all these years.

Why Pay More

The best part is once you realize the ingredients needed to make dark corn syrup have a shelf life of (literally years after opening) you can stop paying through the nose for the ingredients by purchasing in bulk rather than those tiny bottles that cost a fortune. per oz compared to per oz in bulk

Indefinite Shelf Life

If you don’t have these two simple ingredients in your pantry, perhaps it’s time to rethink your pantry. Did you know that things like light corn syrup, molasses, salt, and white rice, among many other common ingredients found in the average pantry, when stored properly, will keep for years, (Even After Opening)

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Cook The Best Dry Pinto Beans On The Stove

Karen and Denny's Kitchen — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 04:26:27 +0000

Dry Beans Save You Money

Every 15 or 16-ounce can of pinto beans equals about 1½ cups of cooked beans, drained.

2 cups of dry pinto beans = 1 pound of dry pinto beans.

1 pound of dry pinto beans = about six cups (or 4 cans) of cooked beans, drained.

The cost of 1 pound of dry pinto beans is roughly the same (or less) than that of a single can of cooked pinto beans.

Officially, dried pinto beans have a minimum shelf life of one to two years, according to the USDA. Unofficially, they keep pretty much forever. Dried beans are considered non-perishable

2 Ingredient Pinto Beans

All you really need are just two ingredients to cook pinto beans

Dry Pinto Beans

Water

Cooking pinto beans on the stove is easy to do, tastes so much better than canned beans from the store, and as a bonus, it’s cheaper as well.

There are literally hundreds of other ingredients you can add to this simple bean recipe to make your special dish but not only are they completely optional, but they also don’t have to be added right away.

Not only are beans easy to make, but they are also nutritious, filling, and incredibly versatile! They can be used as a side dish or added to other dinner recipes like burritos, tostadas, soups, stews, and so much more.

I have been making this very simple pinto bean recipe for years. Then once I have the beans cooked up and ready to go, I can use them later in other recipes. This way I have all the convenience of those canned beans from the supermarket but for a fraction of the cost.

Once you start getting into a routine of making and having pinto beans cooked up and ready to go, they will quickly become a staple around your kitchen.

Optional Seasonings

Of course, there are a number of seasonings you may want to routinely add to your basic pinto bean recipe, (especially if you plan to eat the pot of beans right away) the most obvious being salt.

Salt helps to bring out and enhance the natural flavors of just about any food but it is not necessary for this basic pinto bean recipe. They will cook up and store just fine without a single grain added. Then you can simply add salt according to your other recipes later.

But, You Could Add:

1 teaspoon of salt and then adjust as needed.

1/2 onion diced or minced

3 or 4 cloves of minced garlic

How To Cook Dry Pinto Beans

Start By Sorting Your Beans

The easiest way to sort your beans that I have ever found is to spread a towel across the countertop. A plain white tea towel is ideal for this but any towel will work.

Then spread your beans out into a single layer on the towel and pick out any rocks, shriveled up, or even split beans and discard them.

My simple rule is if it doesn’t look like the other 500 beans laying there, it’s out of there.

Rinse Your Beans

Pour your beans into a strainer or colander and rinse with cold water to remove any small unseen debris from the beans.

Soak your beans

Place your rinsed beans into a jar or bowl and cover them with at least two or three inches of water. Cover the jar and leave it on the counter in a cool place out of any direct sunlight for at least 8 hours. Overnight works great. If you prefer to soak them in your refrigerator you can but the soaking time will take longer.

Soaking your beans not only allows them to rehydrate, but soaking also helps them to cook more evenly and cuts down on the overall cooking time.

Discard The Soaking Water

Once your beans have been soaked overnight you will see that they have just about doubled in size. Pour them back into a strainer or colander and discard the water they soaked in. I usually give them a quick second rinse at this point.

To Cook Your Beans

Rinse your soaked pinto beans, place them into a large pot and cover them with add about 2 1/2 quarts of fresh clean water. (This is also the perfect time to add any of those additional seasonings if you’re just planning to eat them tonight.)

Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer, cover and cook for 2 or 3 hours checking the water level and stirring occasionally.

After about 2 hours give them a quick taste. They should be tender with a soft smooth texture. If not, let them cook for another 30 to 60 minutes or until they’ve cooked through to the level you are looking for.

Storing Cooked Pinto Beans

Short Term Storage

Your cooked pinto beans will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator. For best results let beans cool completely and use an airtight container.

Long Term Storage

Your cooked pinto beans will easily keep in the freezer for at least 4 to 6 months. For best results in the freezer use freezer-safe containers or freezer bags removing as much air as possible.

A Few Ideas For Using Cooked Pinto Beans

Refried Beans

Add to Burritos

Taco Salads

Beans and Franks

Ham and Beans

Use as a side dish

Add To Salads

Add to Soups

Chili

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Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Karen and Denny's Kitchen — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 13:00:20 +0000

Hard Boiled Eggs

A Personal Favorite

There are many ways to make eggs, but one of the most versatile has got to be hard-boiled because once you have a supply of hard boiled eggs in your refrigerator you can create so many other wonderful dishes using them.

Here are just a few simple ideas for using hard-boiled eggs

Deviled Eggs
Egg Salad
Sliced For Salad
Use in potato salad
Use in macaroni salad

So what’s the secret to making perfect hard-boiled eggs on the stove every time? Well, it’s the same for all boiled eggs whether you want them soft or hard boiled.

If you want to make perfect boiled eggs you need only to follow one simple rule, which is to never put the eggs in the water until the water is boiling. Then it is just a matter of tracking your time.

For hard boiled eggs with good firm yolks, you boil for 11 minutes, Anything under 7 minutes and you’ll still be in the soft-boiled stage.

Did you know you can also make hard boiled eggs in the microwave? With the right pots and pans that are truly designed for your microwave you sure can. Check out our quick 2-minute video to discover how.

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