Sunday, July 31, 2016

Dehydrating Peaches in My Excalibur!



Question: What do you do with almost half a crate of peaches and you're all peached out?

Answer: You pull out your new Excalibur dehydrator!

Yes, I invested in this wonderful dehydrator because I found my old Oster dehydrator didn't have the capacity for my large produce amounts. Besides that, I don't want to run the oven on hot summer days.

Remember when I wrote my post on Drying Kale and Spinach? It was a very humid and hot day and I had to use the oven in order to get the job done. So not only does the Excalibur help me so that I don't have to use the oven, it also cuts my drying time in half as normally I would run the smaller Oster dehydrator for two days versus running my new, larger Excalibur for only one day.

Keisha also found that drying her kale chips in the Excalibur has much better results than using the old Oster dehydrator. My post on Drying Bell Peppers, will be easier using my Excalibur which has more room and better air flow.

Another reason I purchased the Excalibur, is that I am hoping to start making my own crackers. This way I can control what goes in them, eliminating unhealthy preservatives.

If you are interested in investing in an Excalibur dehydrator, please click on my affiliated link. Your purchase will help me earn a small percentage to help support my blog, and you won't pay any more, and will receive free shipping along with other specials. It's a win-win for both of us and your support is greatly appreciated.

To begin with, my precious peaches looked great on the outside ...


... but once you cut into them, they were half spoiled.


I honestly felt we would finish the two crates of Elberta peaches before they'd spoil; however, even after we consumed almost a dozen peaches a day, there were still nearly half a crate of peaches left.

I even tried a peach crisp, altering the recipe to make it healthier. Basically I cut the sugar in half and only used a portion of butter. The results were unimpressive. Note to self: Using less sugar is fine, but next time don't skimp on the butter.

Rather than making another failed attempt, I went ahead and peeled and sliced what I could salvage and ended up with enough sliced peaches to fill three racks of the Excalibur dehydrator.


I set the temperature to 135 degrees and the timer for 12 hours.


I planned to turn the racks around about halfway through the drying cycle.

The following photo is my peach slices after only 2-1/2 hours of drying time in the Excalibur.



I only wish I had done this a week ago when most of the fruit was still good, but we honestly thought we'd be able to consume them all before it came to that point.

And here are the results:



Honestly, Peter and Keisha didn't eat too many of the peaches. Until they were dehydrated! Now they can't keep their hands off!




Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Copycat Cosmic Brownies




Ever wish you hadn't tried something not because it tasted nasty, but because it tasted so fantastic? My kids (once again!) got me hooked on something I shouldn't be having ~ Casey's General Store brownies! Yum! They have just the right amount of fudgeyness to them, along with a chocolate frosting.

This morning we stopped for breakfast pizza and Keisha decided to pick up a brownie for later. I didn't realize that "later" was for much later, after supper. She didn't want to let me have any ~ the little stinker!

So, I decided to make some fudgey brownies of my own. Turns out the batter was so good that Keisha gave her brownie up in exchange for some of the batter! So not only did I get her brownie, but I also got to have some of my homemade brownies.

For these brownies, I copied the ingredients from the copycat recipe from Baking Beauty; however, I followed the directions from our Brownie-Cookie Bar recipe. I also halved the frosting and put it on only half of the brownies since we have mixed tastes in this house. And, because I didn't have any M&Ms, I left them off. I'm okay with that!


Copycat Cosmic Brownies

Ingredients
  • 3/4 c. butter (1-1/2 sticks)
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2/3 c. brown sugar
  • 3/4 c. cocoa
  • 2 T. milk
  • 1 T. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 c. flour
Directions
  1. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the sugars and cocoa. Continue to heat until the sugars are somewhat dissolved.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the milk and vanilla.
  3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
  4. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
  5. Stir in the flour.
  6. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9"x13" pan.
  7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 38 minutes. DO NOT PREHEAT.
And the results? The brownies were great! So great that they can do without the frosting. Definitely a keeper.



Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!