How to make home made maple bars

There's nothing like the taste of a mouthwatering maple bar: a scrumptious doughnut topped with a delectable maple glaze.

 

Some bakeries top these doughnuts with bacon. Voo Doo Dougnuts in Portland in particular has made these donuts with bacon famous.

 

But with the maple bars recipe below, you can easily add a little bacon and enjoy some maple bacon doughnut action straight from your own kitchen.

 

 

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How to make tomato paste from scratch

Ever wondered how to make tomato paste? Tomato paste, thicker than tomato sauce, is essential for many recipes. Luckily, you don't have to buy it in the store; with this tomato paste recipe, you can make it right at home with tomatoes you've grown (or tomatoes you've bought at the store, although that kind of defeats the purpose).

Roma tomatoes work best as they contain less moisture, although most varieties will work fine.

Blanch the tomatoes and then peel their skin off. Cook them until they're soft, then blend them into a puree.

Place the tomatoes in a pot and add any spices -- garlic and Italian seasoning taste good. Simmer until the puree thickens up significantly and stir frequently.

Tomato paste is thicker than sauce, and the consistency should be a little sticky or tacky, as opposed to sauce, which is more watery and liquid.

You can use your tomato paste right away, or freeze or can it to use for future recipes.

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Make sugar with sugar beets

At first glance, making sugar from scratch seems impractical for most people -- sugar cane doesn't grow easily in their climate. But those people have another option: sugar beets.

To start the process of making beet sugar, make sure you grow sugar beets specifically, as other varieties of beets won't work.

Cut off the beet's leaves, wash the beets, and then cut them into very small pieces.

Place the beets in a pot and add just enough water to cover them. Cook the beets over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the beets are tender. The process should take about an hour.

Remove the beats from the pot and simmer the beat sugar water over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture becomes thick syrupy, with the same consistency as honey, then turn the heat off.

Wait for the mixture to cool, then transfer it to a storage container. The syrup will slowly crystallize. As it does, crush it into sugar beet crystals.

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Nettles: More useful than you think

Stinging nettles are practically the scourge of the earth. The little buggers are rightfully considered an annoying weed.

While not as despised as poison ivy, the nettle's penchant for blemishing people's skin with itchy welts hasn't won the plant many fans.

But the stinging nettle plant isn't all bad -- really! Here are a few uses for stinging nettles you may not be aware of.

You can eat them

Believe it or not, stinging  nettles are edible. Once you cook them, the demon weed is rendered stingless. While they probably aren't the tastiest thing in the world, they could be a lifesaver if you're lost in the woods on the verge of starving to death. Just make sure you don't touch them with your bare skin until after they're cooked.

You can make tea from them

To make stinging nettle tea, snip off the tips of the plants, put them in a pot, and add boiling water. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes and then drain it into a cup.

Stinging nettle tea is purported to remedy sore throats and stuffed noses.

You can make cheese with them

Rennet is a necessary ingredient in the cheese-making process. Most people don't realize that most rennet is obtained by slaughtering baby calves and harvesting it from their stomach. If you want to make your own cheese totally from scratch, but don't want to scrape out a baby calf's stomach, you're in luck: you can use stinging nettles to make some kinds of cheese.

To make stinging nettle rennet, combine 6 cups of strong nettle tea with 4 cups of uniodized salt.

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How to make homemade peanut butter

You can buy a jar of peanut butter at the store, but do you know everything food manufacturers add to that peanut butter?

 

When you make peanut butter at home, you can rest assured knowing every ingredient added. Check out the video below to learn how to make your own homemade peanut butter.

 

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