Carolina Kitchen

Anytime, Anywhere Granola Put this granola in decorative airtight jars or gift bags to give for the holidays. You can use it on everything — with milk, yogurt, fruit or as a topping for baked apples. Recipe adapted from the King Arthur Flour website. 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking) ½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted pecans ½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted walnuts ¹⁄₃ cup unsalted sunflower seeds 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup vegetable oil ½ cup maple syrup ½ cup dried blueberries ¾ cup dried cranberries (low-sugar preferred) ¾ cup golden raisins Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and maple syrup. Add the oil mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine.

Spread the mixture evenly on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for about 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until it’s very light brown. Let cool in the pan to room temperature.

When the mixture is cool, place in a large bowl and stir in the dried fruit.

Store in an airtight container for up to six weeks. This easy-to-make jelly has become a holiday gift favorite. The subtle flavor is intriguing, and frozen berries work fine. For information on safe canning, visit ballmasonjars.com or the NC State Extension Service’s Food Safety site, bit.ly/safe-canning. 2 pounds blackberries (fresh or frozen) 2 Earl Grey tea bags 1 strip (1-inch wide) fresh lemon zest 3½ cups sugar 1 box (6-ounce) liquid pectin 4 half-pint canning jars

Place the blackberries and about ½ cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and stir constantly until the berries begin to soften and break down, about 5 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl. Press the berries gently, then allow them to drain. Reserve the juice and discard the berries. You should have about 1¼ cups of juice.

While the berries drain, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Place the teabags and lemon zest in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and lemon. Cover the bowl with a saucepan lid and let steep for 1 hour. Remove and discard the bags and lemon.

In a large saucepan, combine the blackberry juice and tea infusion and stir in the sugar. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Then stir in the pectin (both of the packets in the box) and continue to stir and boil the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, until the liquid passes the gel test (it thickens and drops in a loose sheet from a spoon).

Remove the saucepan from the heat and ladle the mixture into clean half-pint canning jars. Screw on the lids. Process in a boiling water-bath canner for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on folded kitchen towels or a rack.

Yield: Makes 4 half-pint jars

Yield: Makes about 6 cups

Italian Herb Vinegar Add flavor to salads and marinades with this herb vinegar, which makes lovely gifts when poured into pretty glass bottles. Fresh herbs (fine to include the stems) provide the best flavor, but you can use dried ones. ½ cup fresh thyme (or ¼ cup dried) ½ cup fresh oregano or marjoram (or ¼ cup dried) 2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed 2–3 bay leaves (dried or fresh) 2 cups white wine vinegar

If using fresh herbs, rinse and let dry thoroughly.

Put herbs in a large glass jar or container with a lid, then add the garlic and bay leaves. Crush the herbs lightly with a wooden spoon. Pour in the vinegar. Cover the jar with the lid and let sit in a dark place at room temperature for a week, shaking the jar every day or so.

After a week, taste the vinegar — if the flavor isn’t strong enough, let sit for a few more days and taste again.

When the flavor is to your liking, strain the vinegar through a fine-mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth to remove the solids. Discard the solids. Pour the vinegar into clean bottles for storage or giving.

Yield: Makes 2 cups

Digital Extra We take food seriously. Visit carolinacountry.com/recipes to search more than 1,000 recipes by name or ingredient.

Unless otherwise noted, recipes on this page are from Debbie Moose (debbiemoose.com), who has authored seven cookbooks and is a former food editor for The News & Observer in Raleigh.

From Your Kitchen

Sweet Potato Pie Whipping the egg whites lends an airy boost to this Sweet Potato Pie, lightening up its earthy goodness. Keep it local by using some North Carolina sweet potatoes — after all, our state is the No. 1 producer in the country. 2 small–medium sweet potatoes, roasted or canned ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup milk 2 eggs (whites and yolks separated) 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mash your sweet potatoes well and combine with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, milk and egg yolks in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into pie filling. Pour into an unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 10 minutes; reset oven to 375 degrees and then bake about 30 minutes or until filling is set.

Recipe courtesy of Christa Grosvenor of Eure, a member of Roanoke Electric.

Send Us Your Recipes

Contributors whose recipes are published will receive $25. We retain reprint rights for all submissions. Recipes submitted are not necessarily entirely original. Include your name, address, phone number (for questions), and the name of your electric cooperative. Mail to: Carolina Country Kitchen, 3400 Sumner Blvd., Raleigh, NC, 27616. Or submit your recipe online at: carolinacountry.com/myrecipe.