Homemade Gummi Bears

Ingredients:
*1 3oz box of Jell-O, any flavor
*4 packets or 2 Tbsp Knox Unflavored Gelatine
*A squirt of corresponding Mio Flavor Enhancer for water
*4oz cold water
*6oz boiling water

Equipment:
*A small sauce pan
*Spatula
*a turkey baster and eye dropper
*a heavy glass
*a gummi bear mold for the gelatin mix
*a sheet pan.

Note
(I know some of the ingredients and equipment are off kilter, but let me explain in order: My first attempt turned out bland, so the local housewives suggested I use Mio to help with the flavor and it works! The boiling water clarifies the gelatin, giving it a jeweled appearance. The turkey baster and eye dropper are for loading the gelatin into the molds and it is size dependent. The sheet pan is for the support and stabilization of the molds during the time it is filled and chilled.)

Steps
1. First, mix the gelatins, flavored and unflavored, with the cold water in the small saucepan.
2. Put on medium heat the mixture and dissolve granules of gelatin.
3. Take off heat and add 1-2 squirts of Mio.
4. Using water boiled on a kettle, pour into mixture and stir.
5. Using a turkey baster or a dropper, fill the cavities of the molds. If made of silicone, use a metal baking sheet to steady the molds.
6. Making sure the baking sheet can fit, put the molds into the fridge, never the freezer, and chill overnight.
7. Pop out the bears and keep in airtight container for up to one week.

P.S. This recipe can be doubled or tripled

Vodka Tonic:

1 part vodka
3 parts tonic water
Serve "on the rocks", stirred (not shaken)
Garnish with a slice of lime or lemon

I thought of something that doesn't involve measuring anything, just cooking some hamburger (or ground turkey.. my personal choice) and opening some cans. If you don't already know - I love chili, at least my own chili. So here's how I make mine.

1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef if you like it)
2 cans mild chili beans - do not drain, the liquid in them is what flavors the chili
1 can red kidney beans - rinse well, this gets rid of a lot of that gas-inducing part of the beans!
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small box/can tomato sauce (completely optional but see my note about the one I use)
half a green pepper (size doesn't matter and you can use more or less) - diced
half an onion (same as the green pepper)

In a large pan, cook the ground turkey/beef - if you'd like, you can add the diced green pepper and onion now. (I do - that way I don't have to cook the chili longer just to cook those. When I want chili, I want it as fast as possible!) If you used ground beef, drain the fat and return it to the pan. (No, I don't drain ground turkey. There's never a lot of liquid after it's cooked and it's not fatty. If I need to get rid of some liquid in it I just turn the heat up and it basically evaporates.. it's like magic, lol.)
Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for half an hour or so. Doesn't take long - if you didn't add the green peppers and onions at the beginning, you'll need to let it simmer until those are tender. If you like your chili thinner you can add some water to it or extra crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. We like ours thicker. (We also like it with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream!)

Note about the tomato sauce - I sometimes (if I remember to buy it) use a boxed tomato sauce from Wal-Mart. I get it from the Mexican section of their idea of an ethnic section. I can't remember the name of it but it's a small black box. It's just tomato sauce with some added spices but I like it because it adds a little something to the taste of the chili.

So - there's the chili I love so much. Super easy and tasty - ALSO, not too spicy at all. I don't add spices of any kind to it - the liquid in the chili beans is enough for me. I have added some cumin in the past (probably about a teaspoon) and that tastes good too, but you don't have to add it.

Graham crackers are common here (US) and are used for smores and pie crusts; I would think vanilla cookies would be a better, neutral, flaver ...they are a round, crisp, thin cookie...I don't really know what "digestives" are, but thought they were something WE would call a cookie...and I thought they were chocolate...? No wait, you call cookies "biskits" -? For us, bicuits are a bread, dropped rather than rolled and cut.
"ginger snap" cookies sound like the "biscuits" you mentioned...they are used here for pie crusts too. Great for pumpkin pies (or a southern favorite, sweet potato pie. I worked on a recipe for years, and my recipes are all gone! )

@pizza

For flavor and texture, I would totally go with crushing graham crackers for a substitute base for that cheesecake (with maybe a drop or two of water...maybe)

They're very good slathered with chocolate frosting!

Here in the colonies, we like to make sandwiches of Hershey's chocolate, roasted (and very melty) marshamallows, and graham crackers. Messy, but very good.

But my favorite is to spread warm chocolate frosting on a graham cracker. It's perfect with black, unsweetened coffee to drink.

What's better than chocolate frosting on a graham cracker? Hershey's Chocolate with Almond Spread on a graham cracker. Better yet? A Hershey's Chocolate with Almond Spread & graham cracker sandwich. (And that's coming from someone who really has no use or desire for those flavored spreads. But we had a jar of it, we had a box of graham crackers, I wanted something sweet so... try it, you'll like it!)

omg. I LOVE almonds. I've never even heard of this. We have one particular grocery store here in town that is stocked with all sorts of stuff. Rosauers.
I'm gonna have to see if they have this. Otherwise, I'll have to find it online.

Almonds give just the right bit of ... bitterness? with their nuttiness. I hesitate to use the word, 'bitter,' but it's something akin to that, but in a wonderful way.

I love almonds. I used to chop them up, and put them in my fudge.

ETA: heeeee. I've found it online. I am going to go inside a Walmart store. They sell it there.

@pizza - the closest thing we have to Graham crackers is plain digestive biscuits .. I always use them for my cheesecake base .. when I can be arsed to make it I want to try your recipe though - sounds yummy :lovestruc

Graham crackers work well for something more substantial like the chocolate/mint cheescake that I love, but for a lighter flavor like a lemon cheesecake, Nilla Wafers are what I tend to use, and what I would recommend for aspiring US-based cheescake chefs.

Interesting thought about a vanilla base - but I prefer the slight saltiness of the digestive biscuit with any cheesecake and with lemon it's a marriage made in Heaven. It's not over sweet and nor does it detract from the lemony flavour - each to their own I suppose, but in Europe, we prefer a more neutral and less sweet combination with lemon I believe.

I've made plain cheesecake. My father's mother did, as well. It is delicious with graham crackers. In my humble opinion, the graham does not overpower the lightness of the cheesecake.

I once tried Nilla Wafers (in 1979, actually). The problem with Nilla Wafers is that they are too...soggy, they don't have the body necessary. (Again, this would be one cook's opinion.)

Perhaps if there is something vanilla-ey that maintains its body and crunch? Maybe a vanilla cone? I would consider that as a pleasant alternative.
But for me, a classic light and/or plain cheesecake calls for graham crackers! :p.

@Zarathustra

To your post below (I feel like I'm spamming this thread, so I'm adding my comments here):

I wonder if putting the crumbled cookies in an oven on VERY low heat for an hour might dry them up enough to make them not soften too much under the pour?
I mean, that never occurred to me back then....

Thranduil brought up a good point. Nilla Wafers are very sweet, so depending on personal taste, a person might decide to back off a bit on the sugar for the cheesecake itself.

I'm pretty sure the box of Nilla Wafers I've been using is about that old, actually... the new ones may not have dried out so much, and might not actually work so well... I'll have to buy new ones whenever I make my next cheescake, and see!

It's October now though, and that means PIE!!! :D

We went to a farm market yesterday and bought a variety of winter squash, fresh farm tomatoes, pumpkin butter, apples and caramel apple dip (sinfully good). So, today I'm using butternut squash and apples in this recipe.

Butternut-Apple Casserole

Squash Mixture:
3 cups cooked and mashed butternut squash
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Apples:
6 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/8 to 1/4 cup granulated sugar, according to sweetness preference

Topping (combine):
1 1/2 cups corn flake crumbs
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar

- Prepare topping, set aside.
- Combine mashed squash, softened butter and 1 tablespoon brown sugar; set aside.
- Saute apples in butter until tender. Sprinkle with 1/8 to 1/4 cup granulated sugar, according to taste.
- Spread apples in the bottom of a casserole dish. Spoon in the squash mixture, smooth, then sprinkle the topping over the squash.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the casserole is heated.



* This is an easy recipe that adapts well to changes. If you like more squash, add more squash. Not crazy about so many apples, add less, Sworn off butter, don't use it (but you might want to add a little to the topping to help with browning), you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the apple mixture, use more or less sugars, add less topping, etc.
* Today I mashed 3 butternut squash and ended up with a lot. I like more squash than apples in this recipe. I sliced 5 apples and ended up with about 5 cups.
* I'm going to toast/roast the squash seeds for a crunchy snack.

ETA: I just came across this Wikipedia article that shows equivalents for English terms used for foods and ingredients (USA, Canada, UK, Australia).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter...lish_food_terms

Those are the vanilla cookies I mentioned.
lindali - thanks for that link for that "foreign" language

I am reasonably certain that, with having accidentally spilled the nutmeg on my recipe for banana bread, that recipe is now stained with EVERY SINGLE ingredient on it!

Mmmm... banana bread...

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk
1 c. mashed bananas (2 bananas)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon and/or nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar together and add beaten egg. Dissolve baking soda in milk and stir in the mashed banana. Add this to the butter/sugar mixture and mix in flours, spices, and baking powder. Fold in nuts and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake ~40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until it springs back gently.