Summertime Iced Tea

I happen to come across this iced tea recipe at Food.com which Nif originally posted the recipe, but I did tweak the recipe to suit my taste.  When making the tea, I used fresh spearmint leaves from my garden, plus I added more.  I also added more tea bags, and used a 12 ounce can of lemonade concentrate, to almost fill a gallon size jar, so I had more iced tea to enjoy.



Summertime Iced Tea

8 cups water
14 orange pekoe and black tea bags
25 fresh spearmint leaves
1 cup sugar
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate
4 cups cold water
lemon slices, to garnish
sprigs of fresh spearmint, to garnish
1 gallon size heat-proof glass jar

1.)  Place the spearmint leaves and tea bags in a heat-proof gallon size jar.

2.)  In a large saucepan, bring the 8 cups of water to almost a boil, just until you see a few bubbles starting to come to the surface.

3.)  Pour the heated water into the large heat-proof jar; cover the jar with a glass plate.  I used an 8-1/2 inch glass dessert plate, and let stand for 15-20 minutes.

4.)  After the tea has steeped, discard the tea bags and mint leaves. Add the sugar, and stir thoroughly.

5.)  Cover the jar with the plate, and let set at room temp to cool. (I let mine sit for 1 hr. & 30 mins.)

6.)  Now add the frozen lemonade and cold water; stir well.

7.)  Refrigerate to chill and serve later, or pour into beverage glasses filled with a few large ice cubes, and serve immediately.

8.)  Garnish beverage glasses with lemon slices, and sprigs of fresh spearmint leaves, if desired.

9.)  Yields: 108 ounces of tea

10.) Note: I just wanted to let everyone know... The other day I made this iced tea, but found I only had 12 mint leaves, so I also used 2 Bigelow Plantation Black Spearmint Tea Bags (along with 12 black flavored tea bags).  I felt the taste of the spearmint really came through, and the tea was quite refreshing and delicious!

-

Summertime Iced Tea | Just A Pinch Recipes

-

2 Egg Roll Recipes

I've posted these 2 recipes as an appetizer, but in our home, our family eats them as a main meal.


Photo by: Domestic Goddess

Cindi's Egg Rolls

1 lb. pork steak, cut into thin strips (fat trimmed away),
(or) 1 lb. ground beef,
(or) 1 lb. seasoned ground pork sausage,
(or) 8 ounces pre-cooked medium-sized shrimp
1 large carrot, shredded
1 medium-sized head cabbage, shredded
1/2 to 1 green bell pepper, cut into thinly sliced strips
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
3 teaspoons shredded ginger root
2 (14 oz.) pkgs. egg roll wraps (I use 1-1/2 pkgs.)
Vegetable Oil (for stir frying meat and vegetables)
Additional Vegetable Oil, peanut oil, or Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening (for deep frying the egg rolls)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 Tablespoons molasses (Robust Flavor)
Sweet Sour Sauce (for dipping egg rolls in)

1.)  In a wok or 12-inch skillet, along with 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, over medium high heat; stir fry the pork steak for 3 minutes.  Drain off fat, remove pork steak, and set aside on paper toweling.  If using ground beef or pork, cook meat, drain off fat, remove and set aside on paper towels.

2.)  In a large bowl, toss together the shredded carrots and cabbage, green peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger root.

3.)  In the same wok or skillet (over medium high heat), add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, and stir fry half of the vegetables for 3 minutes; remove and set aside in a heat proof bowl.

4.)  Finish stir frying the remaining vegetables (along with 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil), over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, and add to the heat proof bowl with the other slightly-cooked vegetables.

5.)  In a small saucer or cup, combine the cornstarch, soy sauce and molasses; mixing well.  Add to the vegetable mixture and stir.

6.)  Add either the cooked pork steak, cooked ground beef, cooked ground pork, or pre-cooked shrimp to the bowl of vegetables too, and mix well.

7.)  Follow the instructions on the back of the egg roll wrapper package (on how to roll them up), and using 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the meat-vegetable mixture for each egg roll) when assembling.

8.)  When assembling the egg rolls, you'll need a small bowl of warm water to help seal the edges of the egg rolls together.  (Sometimes I'll add a bit of cornstarch to the warm water, to make a paste, and to help seal the wrap a bit better.)

9.)  In a deep fryer, add the vegetable oil, and set your fryer to 375 degrees.

10.)  When vegetable oil is 375°F. ; fry several egg rolls at a time until lightly golden brown (turning frequently).  Drain on paper towels.

11.)  Makes about 20 to 25 egg rolls (possibly 30 to 35).

12.)  Serve egg rolls with the sweet and sour sauce.

13.)  Variation: For Vegetarian Egg Rolls, just omit the meat.  Assemble and cook according to instructions.

14.)  Note: You may substitute 1 to 2 (16-oz.) packages of already shredded cabbage and carrots, which can be found in the produce isle at the grocery store.


Egg Rolls

1 lb. ground pork (I use seasoned ground pork sausage)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 quart peanut oil for frying, or vegetable oil, or Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
2 carrots, shredded
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 (16 oz.) pkg. egg roll wrappers
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons water
Sweet Sour Sauce (for dipping egg rolls in)

1.)  In a medium-sized skillet, add the pork sausage, and season it with the ground ginger and garlic powder; mix thoroughly.  Cook the ground pork until it's no longer pink, then drain off the fat, and set the egg rolls aside on paper towels.

2.)  In another large skillet or deep fryer, heat vegetable oil to 375°F., or heat oil in a skillet, over medium high heat, on top of stove.  While oil is heating, in a small bowl, combine flour and water, until they form a paste.

3.)  In a large bowl, combine carrots, cabbage and reserved pork; mix all together.

4.)  Lay out one egg roll wrapper, with a corner pointed towards you.  Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the vegetable/meat mixture, on each egg roll wrapper, and fold corner up over the mixture.  Fold left and right corners towards the center, and continue to roll.  Brush a bit of the flour paste around the final corner, to help seal the egg roll.

5.)  Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until light golden brown.  Remove from oil, and drain on paper towels.

6.)  Makes 20 egg rolls.

7.)  Serve egg rolls with the sweet-sour sauce.

8.) Note: For this recipe, I use already seasoned ground pork, and I still add the ground ginger and garlic powder.


Photo by: abapplez
At: allrecipes.com

-

Photo by: Marsha D.
At: food.com

-

Cindi's Egg Rolls Recipe (allrecipes.com)

-

Stovetop Baked Beans

I came up with this recipe one day when I had a craving for baked beans, but didn't have the time to bake them in the oven, so I cooked them on top the stove. Once cooked, they reminded me of Bush's Homestyle Baked Beans (with out the bacon), and when served cold, they reminded of Bush's Original Baked Beans. I also enjoyed the beans with the bacon, those also tasted like Bush's Original Baked Beans, when served hot or cold.



Stovetop Baked Beans 

2 (15 oz.) cans Van Camps Pork & Beans

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tablespoon molasses

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon hickory flavored liquid smoke

6 slices of bacon, cooked, then cut into 3/4" pcs. (optional)

1.)  Drain one of the cans of pork & beans, then add to a saucepan.

2.)  Add the other (undrained) can of pork & beans to the pan.

3.)  Then add the remaining ingredients to the pan, and simmer
(uncovered) for about 15 minutes; stirring beans frequently.
(If desired, add cooked bacon pieces after simmering the beans
for 5 minutes, then continue simmering the beans for the
remaining 10 minutes.)

4.)  Serve immediately.

5.)  Yields: 4 servings

(Photo of beans with no bacon added.)

Stovetop Baked Beans | Just A Pinch Recipes

Cucumbers and Red Onions

I love this salad, it has a tangy yet sweet 'n sour taste to it! I do however, make this salad one day in advance prior to serving.



Cucumbers and Red Onions

6 medium to large size cucumbers, peeled & sliced thin
1 large red onion, thinly sliced & separated into rings
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups 5% white vinegar
2 cups cold water

1.)  In a large glass bowl, layer cucumbers and onions.

2.)  In another bowl mix together, salt, sugar, vinegar and water.  Stir until sugar is dissolved, and pour over the cucumbers and onions.

3.)  Cover glass bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

4.)  Serve salad the next day, after it's been marinating and chilling over night in the fridge.                     

5.)  Yields: 6 - 7 servings

Cucumbers and Red Onions | Just A Pinch Recipes

Easy Iced Coffee

The recipe for this iced coffee was originally posted by Christy Grigor at allrecipes, but I tweaked the recipe to suit my taste. It only takes a few minutes to make, so if I'm in the mood for an iced coffee in a moments notice, this is the one I always make.



Easy Iced Coffee

2-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (See *Note)
4-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons 'hot' water (See *Note)
3/4 cup milk (I use 2% milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
ice cubes (Preferably large ice cubes)

1.)  For this recipe you will need a large size glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  (I use an 8-ounce glass jar that the instant coffee came in. It is equivalent to holding 3 cups of liquid.)

2.)  Place the instant coffee and sugar in a glass jar.

3.)  Add the 'hot' water to the jar, place lid on jar, and seal jar tight. Shake the jar vigorously for about 15 to 20 seconds.

4.)  Remove lid from the jar, add the milk, and vanilla, if using, and then swirl the jar around for a bit.

5.)  Add the coffee to a tall beverage glass which has been filled with ice, and enjoy your iced coffee.

6.) *Note: I usually use Folgers or Maxwell House Instant Coffee when making this iced coffee, but if you use Taster's Choice 100% Columbian Instant Coffee, I would decrease the amount of coffee to 2 tsp.  I have found the 100% Columbian Coffee has a much stronger taste to it, but I also think it makes this iced coffee taste great!  Also, when adding the 'hot' water, I heat the water in a small saucepan on top the stove.  One more thing, I prefer to use ice cubes that are large in size, as they don't dilute the ice coffee as quickly as the smaller cubes do.

Easy Iced Coffee | Just A Pinch Recipes