Onion Rings

Travis comes up with the best recipes.  After this one, I knew I had to have him to do it again so I could write it down and take pictures.  That was a while ago and I can't find my pictures in my super organized photo stream.  I'll have to add them later, but if you follow this, you can take your own.  You'll want to so you can admire your work later.

Onion Rings

4 eggs
1/3 c milk (almond milk will work for this)
2 large onion (yellow or white)
2 c flour (we use whole wheat flour)
2 tbsp Emeril Essence
vegetable oil for frying

1 15 oz box Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs

1. Put oil in the bottom of electric skillet or as directed for a fry daddy.
2. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
3. Put a couple of paper towels onto a large plate or cookie sheet.
4. Put flour and Emeril in shallow dish.  Mix well.
5. Put eggs and milk in another shallow dish, whisk until eggs are light yellow and smooth.
6. Put Panko in yet another shallow dish.
7. Peel paper off of onion and trim both ends off.  Slice thinly.  Push out middle and discard.  Separate pieces to make single rings.
8. Assemble onion ring:
1. put onion ring in flour,  shake excess flour off
2. coat in egg/milk
3. put in Panko, shake excess crumbs off
9. Cook in oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes
10. Remove from oil and place on paper towels
11. When cool, serve with fry sauce or ketchup.

Photo Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Apple Pie - Rated R

This is the most requested Apple Pie recipe at our house around the holidays.  And it's not what you think!  Travis makes this and it's SOOO good.  Nicole and I don't really like alcohol and we love this.

Apple Pie

1 gallon apple juice
1 gallon apple cider
2 c brown sugar
2 c white sugar
6-8 cinnamon sticks
1.5 tbsp ground nutmeg
1/5 (1 L) 190 proof alcohol (like Everclear)
Half of 1/5 (1 L) vanilla vodka

1. In large stock pot, bring juice, cider, sugars, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until cinnamon sticks burst (unpeel), about 1-2 hours.
3. Cool completely.
4. Add alcohols and stir well.
5. Store at room temperature in mason jars with lids, or you can use the containers or bottles the juice, cider and alcohol came in, or whatever else that can seal tight.  It makes 8-10 quarts.  
6. You can refrigerate it for an iced beverage.  
7. You can heat it up for a hot toddy!  

Noodles and Butterballs

This soup.  It is requested for special birthday dinners.  It can be found at nearly every Jones' gathering.  It's a traditional German recipe.  We know it from Travis's Grandma Emma Jones.  When talking to Travis & Steve, they both said "She got it from here mother".  Wherever it came from, let me just tell you.  If you don't like soup - you will after trying this.  Won't ya, Nicole?

Noodles and Butterballs

1 package frozen egg noodles (24 oz)
1 whole chicken, thawed, rinsed
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 cans chicken broth
Chicken base, to taste
1 cube  (1/2 c) butter
1 c milk or 1/2 cup evaporated milk (plus more if mix is too dry)
2 eggs
1 can plain bread crumbs (15 oz)
Allspice to season (Allspice substitute recipe to follow)
[Carrots, Celery, Yellow Onion all diced.  Optional.  The original doesn't have all of these veggies - but we prefer it].

1. Place the whole chicken in a large stock pot.  
2. Cover with water.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Boil until chicken falls off the bone, it took us 3 hours.  While we were making this, we asked both Travis and Steve how long this takes for the chicken to be done.  They BOTH said, "Until the chicken falls off the bone."  And it really does ... in the water ... fall off the bone. 
5. Remove chicken from pot and let cool.
6. Leave broth in pot.
7. Skim fat from top of the broth.
8. Carve chicken into bite sized pieces.  Discard bones and skin.  Keep meat in a bowl and set aside.
9. Make the butterballs:
1. Melt butter.
2. Mix butter, milk, eggs, breadcrumbs, and a generous amount of allspice.  We use 2 tbsp.  This is best done with your hands.
3. Roll batter into 1" sized butterballs.
10. Make soup:
1. Bring broth to a boil.
2. Add 2 cans of chicken broth and chicken base.
3. Add vegetables and cook until they are tender.
4. Add chicken.
5. Then add frozen noodles and butterballs.
6. Cook all ingredients together until "I don't know, until the noodles are soft."  By this time, we're seeing a trend.  Steve & Travis are just going to answer the same.  LOL  Anyway, the noodles get soft and float to the top.  It took us about 30 minutes.
11. Stand back and watch it disappear.

Photo courtesy of Aunt Charlene Bartlome

Photo courtesy of Travis Jones

 Allspice substitute

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix well.  Yield 1 tsp.