Blueberry muffins made using maple sugar, with a maple sugar & nutmeg topping
Chunky Maple Beef Stew
Maple Beef Stew
Winter storms and homemade beef stew, they just go together! Here’s an easy recipe that can easily be adjusted up or down depending on how many you’re feeding.
Ingredients for Chunky Maple Beef Stew
Beef stew also freezes nicely, double the batch and freeze half in a crock pot bag for a meal on a night you’re working late! Or if you have teenagers in the house doubling it is a necessity!
Beef cubes mixed with vegetables and maple syrup
One thing to note is the cooktime is 4 hours (I found the prep time to be about 20 minutes). This could easily be made in a crockpot on slow so it cooked all day. I am making it tonight, my husband coming off second shift at the hospital will have a hot meal for once. We’re going to reheat this for supper tomorrow night although from the aroma from the kitchen I may be have midrats (midnight rations….throwback to my Navy days!)
I wish you could smell this….it’s even better then it looks!
Recipe courtesy of the Official Vermont Maple Cookbook
Maple Rhubarb Pudding Cake
Fresh Picked Rhubarb
You know it’s truly Spring when you have fresh rhubarb for sauce, pies and cakes! I make my rhubarb sauce with Maple Syrup or Maple Sugar instead of white sugar. I also substitute the white sugar in the cake with Maple Sugar. The maple rhubarb sauce can be eaten as is, used over pound cake or ice cream.
Sauce ingredients:
Maple Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups of fresh rhubarb
1 cup Maple Syrup
2 tsp butter Read more
Substitute sugar for Maple Syrup and Maple Syrup Cooking Equivalents
Quick word association – I say maple syrup you say……pancakes right? I certainly agree with this – I love maple syrup on pancakes or more accurately I enjoy a little pancake with a lot of syrup!! Maple syrup is a natural sugar loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that makes a great substitution for processed sugar.
I use maple syrup everyday in my coffee. I also use it to sweeten plain yogurt, in smoothies and on my oatmeal. I substitute sugar in my baking with maple syrup. Winter squash and carrots are extra yummy when baked with syrup! Top off any meal with a Vermont tradition of maple syrup on ice cream.
Maple syrup substitutions for granulated sugar:
1 cup granulated sugar = 3/4 – 1 cup maple syrup If you like sweeter food use 1 cup , if you want it slightly less sweet use 3/4 cup
There is more moisture in maple syrup so you should decrease other liquids (milk, oil,etc.) by 2-4 tablespoons overall (not each type of liquid).
If the batter needs to rise add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of baking soda to neutralize the slight acidity in maple syrup. If the recipe already has buttermilk, sour milk or sour cream this will do the same as the baking soda so do not add more.
Decrease the oven temperature by 25* as syrup tends to caramelize the top and edges.
Baked Maple Glazed Baby Carrots
Vary this recipe based on how many your feeding. I either use whole carrots ( so my bunnies get the scraps!) or I cheat and use a bag of baby carrots.
1 bag of baby carrots
1 – 1/2 cups syrup
3 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley
Mix all the ingredients in a large glass baking dish. Spread evenly. Bake at 350* about 35 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!
