November 6th Meeting - Gifts in a Jar

This is a Saturday meeting. Join us and help make gifts in a jar. Take some home and donate some to LBC's Thanksgiving Gift Baskets.!

October 12th Meeting - Holiday Dishes

This month we will demonstrate favorite holiday pies and discuss practical tips for a stress free holiday season. Join us and bring your favorite holiday dish.

Don't forget to turn in your order/reservation forms to reserve your spot at our Holiday Gift in a Jar event. You can choose to donate your gift jars to LBC's Thanksgiving Gift Baskets.

September 14th Meeting - Making Pie Crusts

Join us to learn tips for making pie crust. We'll make an apple and a pecan pie! Susan Brown will be our facilitator. Each participant will need to bring your own bowl.

We'll also provide order & reservation forms for November's Gifts in Jars! Be sure to pick one up and turn in at October session to ensure you have a slot and we have the supplies needed in November!

Martha & Mary Cook Book Club - August 2010 Meeting

The LBC M&M Cook Book Club met on Tuesday, August 10th. Regina Lambert was the facilitator and demonstrated an easy Peach cobbler recipe.

Allison Lambert brought Peach Salsa and Erica Shoulders brought Peach Soup. Debbie Holland brought a Pizza. There were six attendees and Debbie Holland won the give away.


E-Z Peach Cobbler Recipe

Heat Oven to 350 degrees. Put two sticks of butter in 9x13 pan until melted.

On stove heat large can (40+ oz) or you may use 1 quart of canned peaches. Heat to a boil.
Combine 1 cup self-rising flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.

Pour peaches in 9x13 pan with butter.
Pour sugar, flour and milk mixture in pan.

Cook until brown and bubbly! Serve with homemade vanilla ice cream - Yum!


Chipotle Peach Salsa Recipe with Cilantro

1 cup sliced canned peaches, drained and chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juced
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until served.

This is really a tasty alternative to your normal salsa.

Martha & Mary Cook Book Club - July 2010 Meeting

The LBC Cook Book Club met on Tuesday, July 13 to make pickles. Chris Yates, our facilitator shared several pickle recipes with the group. The demonstration included the following recipe for a 5 day refrigerator pickle.

Ms. Vernice's 5 Day Refrigerator Pickle Recipe:

12 medium cucumbers (fresh picked are the best)
8 onions
4 cayenne peppers (optional)

Cut up cucumbers in 1/2 thick chips

Cut onions in wedges

Cut peppers in half - leave seeds for flavor

Place 1/2 pepper (optional) 1 wedge onion and as many cucumber chips as possible into quart or gallon jars.

4 cups of sugar

4 cups vinegar

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/4 tsp celery seed

1 1/4 tsp mustard seed

1/2 cup canning salt

Heat sugar, vinegar and spices. Pour hot mixture over cucumbers, add additional cucumbers as necessary. Tighten clean lids onto jars and turn container upside down. Refrigerate for 5 days before eating.

These pickles must remain in the refrigerator until used. Yum!

Chris also shared the recipes for Watermelon Pickle & Sweet & Sour Pickles.

Watermelon Pickle

1 cup kosher salt

1 8-10 lb watermelon, rinsed and quartered

5 cups sugar

4 cups white vinegar

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp whole cloves

Dissolve salt in 8 cups cold water in a large bowl. Cut off red watermelon flesh from white-green watermelon rind and save for another use. trim off and discard thin green skin, leaving white and pale green part of rind intact, then cut into 1" pieces (should have about 7 cups). Add pieces of rind to salt water, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, boil sugar and vinegar together in a medium nonreactive pot over high heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves, 4-5 minutes. Add cinnamon and cloves, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until reduced by one third, 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile drain and then put into a large pot cover with water, and boil until translucent about 15 minutes.

Drain rinds and add to pot with vinegar syrup. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until syrup has reduced again by one-third about 2 hours. Discard cinnamon and cloves.

Fill 5-6 hot sterilized pint canning jars with hot pickle and syrup to 1/4" from top. Screw on the hot sterilized lids and process in a canning pot of gently boiling water for 20 minutes. remove jars from pot and set aside to cool completely. Refrigerate after opening.

Irene's Sweet and Sour Pickle

8 small cucumbers
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 sprig dill
1 clove
1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
white vinegar

Makes 1 Quart
Prefer cucumbers no larger than 3" long for this preparation, but larger ones work too. The pickles will be ready to eat in 10 days and will keep 3-6 months, but be sure to refrigerate after opening (even if processed in a hot-water bath).

Wash cucumbers (halve or quarter lengthwise if they're large) then place cucumbers in a basin and cover with a brine of 4 cups water and 6 tbsp salt for 18-24 hours.

Pour off brine. Arrange cucumbers cut side out in a dry sterilized 1 qt canning jar leaving about 1" space at the top. Place garlic, dill, clove, bay leaf and peppercorns in the jar.

Heat equal parts white vinegar and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over pickles, filling jar to within 1" of lip. Clean rims, place lids on jars, and set aside to cool. Store refrigerated - or process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes and store in a cool dark place.