Carrot Salad

4-5 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup pineapple chunks (canned is ok)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 sour cream
Salt & pepper

Mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir until everything is coated with the mayo and sour cream. Serve cold or at room temperature.

*This is a great salad to make for a party or a picnic. It's so fresh and healthy, everyone will love it. And if you let it sit in the fridge overnight, all those flavors will meld together and will become even tastier! Honestly, the hardest part about this salad is grating the carrots. But, if you've got a food processor with a grater attachment, it makes it even easier. Be sure to grate the carrots long-ways to make nice long strands, almost like noodles. Enjoy this one!

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:7

Svedish Meatballs

For the meatballs:
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (2 slices bread in food processor)
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 small shallot, diced fine
1 lb ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika

For the sauce:
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
4 oz sour cream (about 1/2 cup)

In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and saute the shallot until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients including the shallot into the bowl. Mix until well combined. Shape into small meatballs.
Melt the other tbsp butter in a large frying pan and cook the meatballs on all sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from pan.
Whisk in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the beef broth and whisk to get out any lumps. Stir until thick. Add the sour cream and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs back in, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve over egg noodles, or just by themselves as an appetizer!

*Oh baby do I love Swedish meatballs. My mom used to make them for us when we were kids, but not often, so it was a treat when she made it. I just love the thick sauce, and the soft tender meatballs. This recipe is not hard to make at all. It always seemed a little daunting to me as a kid, but now that I'm all grown up, and I have made this recipe myself, it's easier than it looks! The milk-soaked bread really does keep the meatballs moist. And you can use any bread you have around the house. I used wheat bread for this particular batch, and it turned out fine! This recipe makes about 20 small meatballs.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Aubrey's Peanut Butter Cups

About 1 bag chocolate melting pieces (or 2 cups) NOT chocolate chips!
1 cup peanut butter
About 1 cup powdered sugar
Mini muffin tray and paper liners

Pour about an inch of water into a medium-sized pot and place a bowl over the pot to make a double-boiler. Turn the heat on low and bring the water to a simmer. Melt the chocolate in the bowl until smooth and completely melted.
Place the paper liners in each cup of the mini muffin tray. Drop about 1 small spoonful into each cup (about halfway up the side). With your spoon, push the chocolate up the sides of the cups to make sort of a well in the cups. Place the tray in the fridge for 5 minutes or more to harden.
Meanwhile, make the peanut butter filling. Mix together the peanut butter with the powdered sugar, mixing in a little bit of the sugar at a time until the peanut butter is like soft dough. Take the hardened cups out of the fridge and drop in about a teaspoon of the peanut butter in each cup. Flatten it down with your spoon, and make sure it will not poke up out of the top.
Melt some more chocolate (if needed) in your double-boiler. Pour enough chocolate over the tops of the cups to cover the peanut butter and to "seal off" the cups. Place back in the fridge and let harden for about 10 minutes.
Keep in the fridge in a zip-top bag or plastic container.

*These peanut butter cups take a little bit of work, but are well worth the effort. Who doesn't like homemade candy? You could even use the bigger muffin tins if you wanted, but just spread the chocolate and peanut butter a little thinner - like a real peanut butter cup. This is a fun thing to do with kids on a lazy Saturday afternoon. They can help you stir the melted chocolate, stir the peanut butter mixture and help you drop in the chocolate and peanut butter in each of the cups. I used a mixture of milk and dark chocolate, but you can use whatever you like. You can even use white chocolate! The chocolate I used can be found at most craft stores in the baking section. They are usually close to the chocolate molds that they have, and are available in lots of different colors. You could make them different colors for different holidays even! Try making these yummy peanut butter cups at home - it's guaranteed to make you smile!

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Punkin' Pie

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 15oz can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 12oz can evaporated milk
9" unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine filling ingredients in the order given. Pour into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40-50 more minutes, or until pie is set and knife inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool completely and serve with whipped cream.

*To me, nothing says holidays like pumpkin pie. I think pumpkin pie has got to be my favorite pie. For one, because it is so easy to make, and two, it is so smooth and custardy. I just love it. Why is this recipe called "Punkin' Pie?" That's what I always called it growing up, and even to this day. Stay tuned because I am going to be experimenting with new ways to use pumpkin here on NJ Fresh. Pie is great, but there are lots of other great recipes that use pumpkin that I am dying to try. With Thanksgiving nipping at my heels, I've got to start testing recipes now!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Jersey Fresh Tip #7

SALTY WATER BOILS FASTER?

You have probably heard and/or seen that you should put salt in your pot of water if you're making pasta or boiling potatoes, or something like that. I know I have heard a few different reasons: the salt will season your food, the salt makes the water boil faster, etc.
Well, while those are good reasons, and are partly true, the REAL reason to put salt in your pasta (or whatever) water is because it allows the water to boil at a lower temperature. It doesn't necessarily boil faster, just "cooler." It also helps to season your food, so it's kind of an added bonus.
The bottom line? When you put a pot of water on to boil for pasta, potatoes, or whatever - throw a generous amount of salt in there before you turn the heat on. For small pots, I would say about 2 tbsp would do the trick. For medium pots, a small handful, and for big pots, a good handful.
And if you haven't done so already, make the switch from table salt to Kosher salt. Table salt is very fine grains and has iodine in it, which doesn't hurt anything, but Kosher salt is just salt, and the grains are a little bigger. They stick to food better and quite honestly, it's cheaper. Kosher salt doesn't do so well from a shaker like table salt, so you will have to use your fingers to dish out the salt, but hey, that's the fun of it!

New Jersey Clam Chowder

I apologize for not having a picture for this recipe! I was too busy eating the soup, I forgot to take the picture!

Just like the stuff from New England, only from Jersey!
*Makes about 5 quarts*

6-8 potatoes, diced
2 large celery sticks, diced
3 carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 strips bacon, diced
4 tbsp butter
4 cans clams, reserve the juice
1/3 cup flour
6-7 cups whole milk
1 cup half & half (or heavy cream)
Salt & pepper

In a large 6-qt stockpot, cook the bacon bits until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel - set aside. In the same pot, melt the butter and add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies start to become tender. Add the potatoes and cook for another minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat all the vegetables. Cook for 1 more minute.
Slowly add the milk to the pot and stir to get out any lumps. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring often. Once potatoes have softened (like for mashed potatoes), turn off the heat and add two cans of the clams. CAREFULLY blend the soup with an immersion (or, stick) blender, or in a regular blender. Leave some of the soup chunky.
Put the soup back on the stove over low heat and add the clam juice, half & half, bacon bits and the remaining clams. Stir until well combined and just heated through.
Serve hot.

*This is my favorite soup to make, but be warned - it does take some time. I recommend prepping all your ingredients first: chop the veggies, set out the milk, chop the bacon, have the butter and flour ready...you get the idea. Once you have everything set out, you can start making the soup. It's just so much easier that way, than to try and do things during the cooking process. When the NY Giants beat the NE Patriots in the Superbowl in 2007, I temporarily renamed this soup to "Big Fat Loser Clam Chowder." Then, I permanently changed the name to New Jersey Clam Chowder. It's pretty much the same as NE Clam Chowder, but I'm sure there are some true New Englanders who will tell me it's not "authentic" enough. So, this is the Jersey version. I usually make this soup for our church soup suppers, and it's always the first one to be sold out. Try it out for yourself...you'll see!

A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23

Shortcut Thin Crust Pizza

Large restaurant style tortillas (as many as you want)
Tomato sauce
Grated Cheese (mozzarella works best)
Any other toppings you like

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on each of the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese and any other topping you are using. (Try not to overdo the cheese and toppings - remember this is a thin pizza).
Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve hot (or cold!).

*This is great as an appetizer, a snack, or even a light dinner. It is so quick and easy, and tasty too! The tortilla gets nice and crispy and makes for a great flavor. But I mean it when I say don't go too crazy with the toppings because you will be left with a soggy, nasty pizza. This is probably the one time when I would say, "Yes you CAN have too much cheese!" This pizza makes a great after-school snack for kids because (if they're old enough), they can do it themselves. It's kind of a twist on the classic English Muffin pizza we used to make as kids. Try it, you'll love it!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27