Homestead Recipes

Midwestern Inspirations, Family Favorites, and Pearls of Wisdom from a Sassy Home Cook

Amanda Rettke

• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9780063008205
• eBook ISBN:
  9780063008212
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

From the author of Surprise-Inside Cakes and the hugely popular I Am Homesteader and I Am Baker blogs—a comfort food cookbook filled with sass, charm, and 110 tried-and-true home-cooked favorite recipes that shine whether you're a megamart devotee or a garden-to-table enthusiast.

With 75 chickens, 25 ducks, 5 guinea hens, and a 1/2-acre garden on her Minnesota homestead, Amanda Rettke and her family have dedicated themselves to learning about the land and feeding everyone who steps foot on it, from beloved friends to delivery drivers. After pleasing many sweet teeth with recipes from her popular I Am Baker blog, Amanda opens up more of her kitchen to share the easy family meals they enjoy on a daily basis. All of her 110 recipes for from scratch cooking are accessible regardless of how close to the land you live, with a combination of ingredients you can grow at home (but don't have to) and store-bought staples. A small-town smart-aleck, Amanda pairs her recipes with sassy commentary and food and homestead photos as beautiful as her famous desserts. She'll make you feel right at home with practical, easy methods and real ingredients that give you incredible flavor.

Amanda has you covered with recipes for all types of meals, with chapters for breakfast, casseroles, soups, appetizers, ground beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, salads, bars, desserts, and cookies. She even has an entire chapter dedicated to zucchini recipes, as every Midwesterner with a garden has been subjected to Zucchini-pocalypse—that moment when you can't even give away the bounteous green deluge.

Homestead Recipes is sure to please, with Amanda's no-fail versions of delicious, unmistakably Midwestern staple recipes, including:

• Tater Tot Hotdish
• Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
• Skillet Hamburger Nachos
• Buffalo Stuffed Chicken
• Roasted Asparagus Puff Pastry
• Zucchini Corn Chowder
• Butterscotch Bars
• Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Amanda invites you into her kitchen, garden, and family with this eagerly awaited, down-to-earth cookbook.

Breakfast

TRUTH BE TOLD, my husband is the official breakfast maker in the family. He contributed a few amazing recipes to the book and I am so thankful. Baked goods are my specialty—you won’t find a better banana muffin anywhere—but savory is his. Pulled Pork Hash, Homemade Sausage Patties with Jalapeño and Cheddar, and Ham and Cheese Egg Bake are from his brain and upbringing.

Breakfast is the only meal of the day that I can indulge in and not feel guilty after. You have the whole day ahead of you to take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the grocery store to get a few steps in, or take a run later to burn off those extra glorious calories. Of course I don’t do any of those things, but I could.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

Ham and Cheese Egg Bake

Buttermilk Biscuits

Sausage and Gravy Biscuits

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Overnight Caramel Rolls

Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins

Banana Banana Muffins

Pulled Pork Hash

Homemade Sausage Patties with Jalapeño and Cheddar

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sliders

Breakfast Pie Skillet

Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

I had to resist the urge to put my real recipe in this book. The only difference is quantity, but it’s a big difference for us. We quadruple this recipe. My family of seven devour as many as they can, but there are always a few left over. Those are designated for day snacking and the chickens. Our chickens love pancakes and will jump for joy, quite literally, when they see us walking to the coop with a stack. So while, yes, these pancakes are amazing for humans and you will love them, and they are worth trying next time you decide to treat the family to a hot breakfast, they are also fantastic for any feathery friends you might also consider family.

PREP TIME: 20 minutes • COOK TIME: 10 minutes • MAKES 8 PANCAKES

1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour

3½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk

1 large egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the griddle

Blueberry Syrup, for serving

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.

3. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in an electric griddle over medium heat. Drop about ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and let the batter expand. When bubbles form on the edges (about 2 minutes), flip the pancake and continue cooking until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the griddle with more butter as necessary.

4. Serve warm with blueberry syrup.

Blueberry Syrup

PREP TIME: 5 minutes • COOK TIME: 20 minutes

3 cups (570 g) fresh or frozen blueberries

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Place a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and ⅓ cup (80 ml) water to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the blueberries have softened.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until dissolved. Add the mixture to the blueberries and stir. Gently boil until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat (the sauce will thicken further as it cools).

3. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Ham and Cheese Egg Bake

I was first introduced to egg bakes by my mother-in-law, Patty. On a beautiful Saturday morning more than twenty years ago, she served one to my husband and me for breakfast. I didn’t want to reveal my ignorance, so I didn’t say anything, but I sure did show them I was a “healthy” eater. From that moment on we have incorporated egg bakes into our breakfast routine.

The beauty of this recipe? You can make it ahead of time, and you can easily modify it with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Sausage and Gruyère? Go for it. Salmon and dill? Um, yes, please.

PREP TIME: 20 minutes • CHILL TIME: 8 hours • COOK TIME: 1 hour • MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Nonstick spray

12 cups ½-inch French bread cubes

2 cups (270 g) finely diced ham

2 cups (226 g) shredded cheddar cheese

12 la...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Breakfast
• 2. Appetizers
• 3. Soups and Salads
• 4. Hot Dish
• 5. Main Dishes
• 6. Sides
• 7. Zucchini
• 8. Cookies, Bars, and Desserts
• Acknowledgments
• Universal Conversion Chart
• Index
• Also by Amanda Rettke
• Copyright
• About the Publisher