12 days of Homemade -Day 5

Wow Christmas is really creeping up on us! In one week it will be Christmas eve and I will be off work and done with the crazy Holiday orders! Then on to New Years! Just a quick recap in case you missed the first 4 days. Day 1 was Cookies, Day 2 was jewelry for the ladies, Day 3 was for the gentlemen, and Day 4 was all about paper. Now on the Day 5! In years past I have made people condiments such as mustard, jam, fudge sauce ect.. . Even if you aren't into canning you can still make some great spreads. Especailly if you are going to a party they make great hostess gifts.
Here are a few reicpes some are for canning and some are to be eaten within a week or so.
Tapenade is something I could eat everyday - and when I worked at the Pink Door in Pike Place market I did! this recipe is similar to theirs, it uses black olives but any kind of olives could be substituted.
Bumbleberry Jam- Sounds fancy right?! well It's just any combination of 3 berries. When making this jam you can follow the canning processing instructions OR pour into desired jars and refrigerate until you give them away.

Grainy Beer Mustard- I L-O-V-E this mustard. Same as the jam you don't have to can it. It keeps in the fridge for a a few months.
Caramelized Black Bean Butter - This layers the flavors of onion, black beans, balsamic vinegar and cocoa. So quick and easy!
Sweet onion and Rosemary Jam- this is a  savory jam that will be great on breads or chips.
Salted Caramel Sauce - Something to add to some ice cream, or make milkshakes.
Chocolate Fudge Sauce- Everything is better with chocolate! That's all I really need to say about that!

That wraps up day 5 of 12 days of homemade! Come by tomorrow  and see what I am up to for day 6!

PB & J Pop Tarts

Some of the perks of working in a bakery I get to bring "scraps" home. Today I was fortunate enough to bring a huge chunk of pie dough home with me. Our dough is amazing- since I can't give you the recipe I will send you to a site that has a great comparable recipe. The best part of the dough is it is all butter! No shortening-Yay! So what to do with a giant chunk of pie dough? Make POP TARTS!! The filling combinations are endless. I stayed simple with homemade strawberry-blackberry Jam. Then a few PB&J since my boys L-O-V-E peanut butter! I just bit into one and Holy Cow! AMAZING!!  Flaky, crunchy fruit filled pillows, how can anyone resist?  The best part is that they can be frozen before baking so you don't have to be tempted to eat all of them as they come out of the oven. As I am typing this I have already had 2 1/2. I must stop and save some for the boys! The only healthy thing about this that there is a tiny bit of fruit. Otherwise this is a buttery- sugary treat. It looks like all you really need is a ton of tools, don't be intimidated. A pastry cutter is optional, it just makes the edges really cute. If you don't have access to a pastry brush using a paper towel works alright. No pizza cutter? well then use a knife, a pizza cutter makes it quicker. No rolling Pin? use a wine bottle -full or empty works in a pinch but trust me kinda a pain in the butt. I like the look of crystal sugar on top it seems to pull everything together, it's not super easy to find but not impossible either. I hope you love this as much as I have!

Tools:
Pizza cutter, pastry brush, pastry cutter, ruler, rolling pin

PB&J- Pop Tarts
Preheat oven 375*

-Bon Appetit Pie dough recipe

Peanut Butter- Smooth or Chunky

Jam- homemade or store bought

1 egg

crystal sugar

rolling pin

fork

pastry brush

ruler

pizza cutter

pastry cutter (optional)

Ready to roll- Only in small batches, it's good not to overwork the dough. Dust the counter with a little flour to prevent the dough sticking to the table. 

Roll the pie dough out pretty thin then using  a ruler and pizza cutter to make the same size pieces, I made my first set rectangle, and second set square. (3X3 or 3X4) Then spread filling in the middle avoiding the sides so they can be sealed. I was informed that it could have some more filling. Peanut butter is thicker so I used more in those ones. Only put filling on 1/2 the squares, leave the others empty to use as the tops.

Make a egg wash by beating the egg in bowl with fork and adding a 1tsp of water. Then using the pastry brush; brush the sides of the dough that has the filling. To assemble: place empty dough square over the top and press the sides down with fingers to seal in the filling. (If you don't do this it will result in the filling leaking out the sides!) To make the sides pretty: take the fork prongs and press along the sides this will give the crinkle look. At this point you can leave it - or use the pastry cutter and that makes the sides even cuter! P.S I only have one because I found it at the thrift store for .50 cents.

Place on sheet pan with parchment paper: If no parchment just spray the sheet pan.  I pricked the top with the fork to make the indents over the filling.  Place in the fridge for 10-15 to chill the dough down before baking- Or at this point you can freeze them to bake later!. Before baking brush with the egg wash from before, and sprinkle with crystal sugar- optional. Bake for 7 min then check and turn sheet pan, and then another 7 min or so. It all depends on the size they are. Lets say just bake till golden brown.

Once they come out of the oven let cool for 8-10 min- Trust me Molten hot berry jam is NOT good for the roof of your mouth! Once completely cool store in airtight container for 3-5 days. I don't recommend putting in the toaster, looking at the picture you can see that some of the jam oozed out, not a good idea for the toaster.