Canning Confessions

2012-07-28T07:17:00.001-07:00

I want to say a big thank you for the messages, comments, and emails from you the past few months as I've been absent. There have been a lot of big changes and trying to accommodate and acclimate to them all has proven to be challenging at best.
The natives and I went to my home town in Alabama to be with my Grandmother in April while she was gravely ill. I was fortunate to be bedside, holding her hand when she passed away the first week of May. I've always looked at her as my mother since she helped my dad to raise my siblings and me till my dad remarried when I was 12. The loss has left me with a void to big to ignore and try to carry on with routine.
Also, I've been working at designing an entirely new site dedicated not only to canning, but gardening, moving our family towards a cleaner diet, living frugally, sewing, and confessions from our tribe. I've not worked at it diligently.
The site was registered two months before my grandmother passed away and named in honor of her since she inspired, taught, and fostered much of those topics in my life. I had hoped to have the site up completely before sharing it with. Sadly, I never got that chance. I just didn't have the heart to work at it as I should once we were back in Texas.
I've begun to write a post on this, but it's not complete. I just wanted to let you know where I've been and why. I will be back. I have lots to share. And, I'm finally getting to a place where I'm ready to do so. Now, on to the canning! It is a canner's favorite season you know.

Smokey Black Bean Dip

2012-03-31T12:52:00.010-07:00

Remember my last post? You know, the one I wrote last month and have neglected to write since? Yup, that's the one, Slow Cooker Frijoles Negros. It's been a while, right? Sorry about that.
Well, as you know if you gave this recipe a go, it makes massive amounts. That can be good or bad.
If you're the only one in your family that eats them, bad news, sister. You'll be eating on them all week. I'm talking every meal. Setting your alarm in the middle of the night to get up and have snacks as well. Yeah, it makes a LOT.
Then again, it's great if you've got a large gang to feed. But, you're probably still going to have leftovers, and that's where this post comes in to play.
Typically on Sunday or Monday, I make a large pot of beans as our main side dish and repurpose them throughout the week. Whatever I have left at the end of the week I freeze to be added to soups and chilis later on. This week, however, I made the slow cooker frijoles negros and as we discussed earlier, I had mucho leftovers. Typically, I'll use the leftovers to make black bean quesadillas, or throw into a port of Southwestern style soup. But, the gang and I had grown weary of these beans making an appearance at every meal, so I knew I had to do something drastic to keep our interest, as well as appetites, piqued. Enter, smokey black bean dip.
I drained the beans and placed in a sauce pan.

Then, using my handy dandy emulsion blender, I buzzed the beans till they were the consistency I preferred. If you want your dip to be super creamy, then go to town on the buzzing. We like ours slightly chunky .

After the buzzing I added 1 cup of thawed, frozen corn kernels, 2 frozen, chopped chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, 1 can of tomatoes, drained, minus the third of the can I accidentally spilled in the sink, 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and simmered at medium low heat.
The chipotles need not be frozen. It just so happens mine were. Also, garlic powder could be used in place of the granulated garlic. And, if you wanted too, you could substitute a can of Rotel tomatoes in place of plain tomatoes. This is how I did mine, but the dish is flexible.
My beans were still thin and runny so I cooked them down to a thicker consistency.

I ladled the dip into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and had the oven ready to go at 350 degrees. You can stop right there and have the dip as is. Or, you can layer your favorite cheese on top and bake till cheese is bubbly. I love tangy goat cheese or oaxaca cheese with black beans. I went with sharp cheddar for today.

I would include a photo of the dip with the browned cheese, but let's be honest. Melted cheese isn't the most appealing in appearance.
Possibilities abound on how this could be served. This could easily be slapped between two tortillas and cooked up quesadilla style. Or, I imagine this would make a yummy burrito. But, I like serving it with fresh avocado slices, chips, and sour cream.
Kelly over at The Meaning of Pie makes a black bean soup with lime sour cream that sounds devine. As soon as we're over our black bean hang over I intend to give it go. Once I have this posted I plan on making her lime sour cream. Can't wait, yummers.

Ingredients:
Leftover vegetarian frijoles negros, drained roughly 2-3 cups
1/2 - 1 cup thawed, frozen corn kernals
1- 2 chopped chipotle peppers and adobe sauce
1 can of tomatoes, drained
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin

Place beans in a sauce pan and using stick blender, blend to your preference in consistence. Add corn and next five ingredients. Simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking till desired thickness in texture is achieved.
If baking with cheese, cover with cheese of preference and bake at 350 till cheese is bubbly and browned.

Slow Cooker Smokey Frijoles Negros

2012-01-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

*Not canning related, but I've been asked for this recipe.

Most Sunday afternoons I cook a meal to carry over for several days in repurposed ways. And, this meal must meet certain requirements.
1. It can be used for Meatless Monday in some way.
2. It must incorporate a large pot of beans.
For this week's pot of beans I'm making my slow cooker smokey frijoles negros. The frijoles will be our side to accompany stuffed peppers for supper tonight. Tomorrow they'll top freshly cooked rice and have a side of fruit salsa to keep them company on the plate. Tuesday night we'll take a break and have a roasted chicken with brussel sprouts, carrots, and potatoes. And, then back to the beans on Wednesday with black bean chicken quesadillas. If we have any left on Thursday I'll probably turn them into a salsa to munch on for a few lunches.
I find that if I plan out my menus ahead of time not only does it save time and money, but it also saves me a hassle.
You know what I'm talking about. That day where everything's falling into place and you're owning that to-do list. Showing it who's really in charge. You're going along and thinking that you deserve a break and fix a cup of tea only to realize you've forgotten about supper. Crap. Now what? That's the hassel and headache I'm talking about.
Menu planning works. Trust me. And, making a huge pot of beans at the beginning of the week makes it so much easier. That's one less side dish you have to worry about. Beans can be added to soups, stews, and chilis if you're bored with eating them on their own. And, they're full of fiber. Remember, boys and girls, fiber is our friend.
I make these in my slow cooker, because again, it makes my job easier. I don't need to extol to you the virtues of the slow cooker. I often refer to mine as my personal assistant since it does the dirty work I don't always have time to.
Here's what you'll need:

2 cups of dried black beans that have soaked overnight
2 chipotle chilis chopped with 1 TBS of the adobe sauce they're packed in
1 sweet bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 to 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped *These are optional if you want to omit some of the heat
1 medium to large sized onion *I usually use yellow onions, but red work just as well
2cloves of minced garlic
1/2 TBS oregano
1 TBS cumin
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
8 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste
*optional a dash or two of red wine vinegar after cooking

If you forgot to soak your beans overnight you can always follow the instructions on the packaging for a quick soak.

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on high 5-6 hours. The beans should always be covered with liquid and add as necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve. Sprinkle with Oaxaca cheese or any other cheese you might prefer.

Sweet and Sassy Red Onion Marmalade

2012-01-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

This marmalade is what you'd call a quick marmalade, but I call it Sweet and Sassy Red Onion Marmalade.
Sure, it's quick. Better than that is how versatile it is. But, best of all is just how good it tastes. The first time I opened a jar I came awfully close to eating the entire thing by myself. It's just amazing how wonderfully all the flavors play together in this delicious spread.
I've used it as a salad dressing, thinning it down some with apple cider vinegar and a little olive oil. I've used it on burgers and sammis. And, as an appetizer with goat cheese or cream cheese, it just can't be beat. Of course, one of my most indulgent ways of enjoying it is smeared on fresh out of the oven bread with goat cheese.

Yields roughly 6 half pint jars

Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced halved red onion
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp grated orange zest
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 package of regular powdered fruit pectin
4 cups granulated sugar

Prep work for this marmalade would be made easy peas-ey work if you've got a mandoline slicer hanging out in your kitchen. I don't. Just me and the trusty Wusthof. Hubby was a chef and kitchen manager for nearly 15 years and insists that I must take a safety course from him before I can bring a mandoline slicer home to live with us. Yeah. I'm that accident prone.

Slice your onion in half, and thinly slice the onion after you've readied your canner, jars, lids, and all equipment that is to be used once your ready to fill jars.

Using a large skillet saute the onions, dried cranberries, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar over medium heat. Cook down about 10 minutes.
* You may want to dice your cranberries before adding to the skillet. I like the way my jars look with the whole dried cranberries. Totally up to you.
Once the onions have cooked down, add the orange zest and apple juice. Dissolve the pectin, constantly stirring over high heat. You will want to bring this to a boil and continue stirring frequently. Measure your sugar into a large container. Once mixture is at a boil, add sugar all at once.
Stirring constantly, bring mixture back to a rolling, hard boil for one minute.
Skim off any foam and remove from heat.

Fill jars to 1/4 inch headspace. Using a chopstick or handy, dandy tool from Ball, remove air bubbles, adjusting headspace if needed. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel. Place lid and band on. Tighten band, and then tighten a scosh more.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for half pints. Remove canner lid and wait an additional 5 minutes before removing jars to their cooling spot.
All that's left to do now is clean up. Now, where is my kitchen fairy?

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Break Time Over

2012-01-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

Wow. That was a really long break, much deserved with all the hoopla of the holidays. We did traveling, family in town as well, school performances, Santa, and the New Year, complete with my glass of champagne in a half pint Ball.
It was wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. I've been warned though, that after having children it never slows down. This season certainly proved to be true.
I did manage to get quite a bit of canning done during that time and I've lots to share with you. I put up chicken soup, sweet potato with chorizo and spinach soup (recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen, cranberries, orange juice jelly, sweet red onion marmalade, chicken stock to replenish my shelves, and a few others. I'm working on a recipe for a cranberry chutney that I'm really excited about, as well. I've also had several crochet and sewing orders to throw into the mix to almost drive me nuts. But, I seem to thrive on it all. Oh, and did I mention that we're in the midst of potty training? Not me, that would be weird. My two year old daughter.
I hope the holidays were lovely to all. And, I just can't wait to get back into the groove of things. Happy new year's and cheers to all!

Sausage and Dried Cranberry Cornbread Dressing

2011-11-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

This is one of those posts where I don't have many pictures due simply to forgetting to take pictures. I'm going to apologize for the pictures I do have. They aren't great. You'd think after all those classes in photography that my pictures would be better. Sometimes, they're not so bad, and sometimes, well, they're just really bad. You must understand though, that I spent most of my time in the darkroom. That was the part I loved most. But, I digress. Let's get on to the dressing, shall we?
In the southeast we do a traditional cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving. The base of it is just that, cornbread. Sometimes turkey is added, sometimes not. I've tasted some that was dry as dirt, and others that tended to the soupy, sloppy side, if you know what I mean.
I may have my Southern Girl Status revoked for what I am about to say, but hear me out first. I was never impressed with most dressings. There I said it. Oh, dear. I can hear them coming for me now. I liked my grandmother's dressing, but I didn't dream about it. What? You don't have daydreams of food? Well, maybe this dressing might help remedy that sad situation. Food should be dreamt about. Trust me.
It was one year that I didn't make it home for the holiday that I embarked upon my very first dressing date. Oh, yes. I made a date out of it. I scoured magazines, cookbooks, web sites, and polled many, many people on what made dressing important to them. You see, after years of hearing people fawn over their favorite dressings, I knew there had to be more for me. So, after much research, and probably a glass of wine or two, I spent an entire day working on a dressing modge podged together from what elements I liked from all the research. This is what I've come up with. Since concocting what is my favorite dressing, I've found others similar out there on the web. That's awesome! I'm not the only one that likes this variation. So, take a look. If you like what you see, give it a go. But, you know your taste buds best, deviate and have fun. But most of all, make it yours, your favorite.

Ingredients
1 9x13 pan of baked cornbread
1lb of sage ground sausage
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 cup celery diced
1 Granny Smith apple cored and chopped
1 liberal cup of dried cranberries, I really wanted to make a political joke in there, but it was lame.
roughly 1 pint of chicken stock, I tend to use more because we like a moist dressing. Between 2-3 cups is fine.
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375. Saute sausage in a large, heavy skillet till brown. Remove sausage to a large bowl with crumbled cornbread.
2. Melt the butter using the same skillet; add onions, celery, and apple to butter and saute till tender.
3. Toss sauteed veggies into the large bowl with the sausage. Add the dried cranberries, salt, and pepper. You can also add more rubbed sage if you're really fond of it.

4. Add the eggs and chicken stock bit by bit mixing all ingredients together. Don't add too much and make the mixture mushy. As my grandmother always said, "You can always add more, but you can't take it out."
5. Pour dressing into a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish. I tend to make more dressing than this dish holds and have to add the remaining dressing into an additional dish. I told you I really like this dressing.
6. Place dressing in oven uncovered for 20-30 minutes. Keep an eye on your baby. If the top looks like it's getting too dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Think I left something out? Don't like what I put in? Change it! Make this dish distinctly yours. And, then have sweet dreams of you and your new crush.
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Sweet Potato Bread Pudding, Oh My

2011-11-08T11:48:00.001-08:00

I'm from the south and we are most fond of our sweet potatoes. There's sweet potato fries, mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato pie, sweet potato casserole, and sweet potato souffle just to name a few of our favorites. Then there's bread pudding, another traditional Southern staple. You can imagine my excitement when I ran across a recipe for sweet potato bread pudding several years back. I can't be sure, but I believe there was jubilant dancing.
And, while I would like to give credit for this most yummy of yummy recipes, I can't. Unfortunately I'm not completely sure where I came across this one. If memory serves me correctly, and that's a rare thing on some days, I believe it came from the Loveless Cafe from Nasvhille, Tennessee. Again, I'm not sure. All I have is a recipe written down on a bar napkin.
This bread pudding is everything you would think it to be and more. You get the creamy, rich, custard mixed in with a healthy cup of mashed sweet potato, molasses, and heaping mounds of meringue folded not only into the pudding, but heaped on top as well. The only thing to make this taste any better than a warm serving drizzled with caramel sauce, is having good kitchen help to make it.
Ingredients:
2 loaves of French bread cut into 1/4 inch segments. For this batch I made two loaves using my old fashioned white recipe but only used 1 1/2 loaves.
Custard:
8 egg yolks
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup roasted and mashed sweet potato
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 cup molasses
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
bourbon, optional
Meringue:
8 egg whites
1 cup granulated white sugar

Step 1. Cream egg yolks and sugar.

Step 2. Mix in remaining custard ingredients. Layer bread into a well greased, read buttered, oven safe dish and saturate with the custard. In the past I have soaked the bread in bourbon before transferring to the baking dish and saturating with the custard. It's fabulous either way.

Step 3. Remind your brood it must be baked before consumption. Proceed to bake for 25 minutes at 325.

Step 4. While baking mix together the 8 egg whites with the cup of granulated white sugar till stiff peaks are formed.

Step 5. After the pudding has baked for 25 minutes gently fold the meringue into the bread pudding and mound on top. Return to oven and bake an additional 25 minutes at 325.

It's best to let this cool a few minutes once out of the oven, if for no other reason than not to scald the roof of your mouth. Serve with whipped cream, caramel sauce, or ice cream. Or, if you're feeling especially sassy, all three.

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Old Fashioned White Bread

2011-10-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Sunbeam ain't got nothing on me. There. I said it. What's more, I meant it. I have stumbled upon the best recipe for old fashioned white bread. Folks, this bread is the real deal. It's simple. It's wholesome. It's the kind of food that'll send you back to a different time altogether. I could go on and on and on and on.....but I won't. I'm just going to give it to you straight so you can march yourself straight to the kitchen and get started.
Before I go any further I want to provide you with a link to where I first found the recipe on All Recipes.com. Got to give credit where it's due, you know.

Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 Tbsp of white granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp salt
6 - 7 cups of bread flour

Dissolve the yeast and the sugar into the warm water. Take care that your water isn't too hot or it will kill off all the little yeasties. And, that's not what you want. After your yeast has proofed and your water has a nice creamy froth on top add the oil, salt, and flour one cup at a time. Once the dough has pulled together, generally around the 5th cup of flour, turn it out onto a well floured surface.

This dough is a sticky dough and I always end up adding more flour than what the recipe originally called for. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I use oil instead of lard which the recipe also originally called for. Whatever the case I tend end up using around 7 cups of flour.
Knead the dough for roughly 8 minutes till the dough is smooth. Be mindful not to handle your dough too much. Learning to bake bread calls for walking a fine line. Kneading is a wonderful tool for working out some built up frustration, but if you handle your dough too much then it can turn out tough. My grandma told me that kneading dough was a lot like learning to dance. I'm still not exactly sure where she was going with that.

Using butter, and I mean real, honest to goodness butter, lube up a large bowl. I even go a step further and butter the dough round. Then place in the buttered bowl, covered with a well moistened kitchen towel.

Here's one of the reasons I truly love this bread. It rises beautifully and quickly in little less than an hour. I've never seen a more beautifully risen bread. I'm not even sure the grammer was correct in that last sentence, but who cares? Just look at that rise!

After rising for an hour, punch down your dough and turn out onto a well floured surface.

Divide the dough in half and place into buttered 9x5 loaf pans. Let rise another hour covered with a well moistened kitchen towel. When waiting for dough to rise, I preheat my oven to 425. I leave the dough sitting on top of the stove and the warmth helps the dough rise so very quickly.

Bake at 375 on the top rack for half an hour or until golden brown on top. I often have to pop one out of the pan and check the bottom for doneness. And, often they have to go back in for a bit longer. Once they've reached your desired doneness turn out onto cooling racks.

The only thing left to do now is slice and butter.

Or, slather it with goat cheese and some sweet red onion marmalade. I swear this particular slice jumped off on its own free will and demanded those toppings. What was I to do but oblige?

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Cowboy Candy, the Texas Taste Teaser

2011-10-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Candy, candied jalapenos, bread and butter jalapenos; no matter what name you give them these tasty taste teasers really pack a punch that leaves your mouth wondering which way to twist.
I'd never heard of them till just a few months after moving to Texas. Then it seemed every which way I turned I was faced with testimonies of pure, unadulterated love for the these sweetly brined peppers too many to count. Being something of a pepper head I was intrigued. The facebook canning group I belong to was all a twitter over the recipe listed in the documents section. It seemed each day there were new photos of recently processed half pints on display. I knew I had been converted without ever having taken a taste when my friend Amy sent me a link to a similar recipe.
I was so sold on the idea that I was determined to make a double batch my first go round. And, boy am I glad I did. I had to make another double batch this week since I was almost sold out of my first batches.
The first thing you'll want to do is wash your peppers. Well, that's a lie. The very first thing you should do is put on a pair of gloves and then wash the peppers.

Then you will cut the stems off and slice the peppers into 1/4 inch slices.

I don't know if it's the environment or the fact that everything in Texas is bigger, faster, spicier, but the jalapenos from my first go round were super hot. And, that's coming from someone who has been known to hold a habanero above her opened mouth all the while taunting the pepper with shouts of, "Bring it!"
I had someone ask me if I could leave the seeds out the next time I made Cowboy Candy because the heat was so intense. I didn't want to slice the ribs out of the pepper and lose the integrity of the "spoke" so I opted to soak the peppers in a sinkful of water to coax more seeds out. It worked pretty well. But, it's really a matter of preference. If you want to scoop out the insides, be my guest.

Next you'll want to gather all your ingredients together as well as prepare your jars and canner. Organization will be your best friend in canning. Besides the three pounds of jalapenos sliced, you will need two cups of apple cider vinegar, six cups of granulated white sugar, one half teaspoon each of turmeric and celery seed, three teaspoons granulated garlic, and one teaspoon ground cayenne powder.

My go to cooking pan is an 18 inch Calphalon dutch oven. It's a work horse and always gets the job done. It heats quickly and has plenty of room. Of course this is not a necessity, but a large, and in charge saucepan is. Add all the above listed ingredients except the peppers, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Once at a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Next you will want to add the jalapeno slices and simmer exactly four minutes.

Using a slotted spoon pack your hot jars to within 1/4 inche headspace.

And, a quick word on how I get my jars hot:
I fill my jars with water and then place the jars within the canner and fill the canner with water. I always add two to three more jars than I think I will use, because again, organization is your best friend. And, it really sucks to be in the middle of ladling yummy goodness into jars and realize you need more jars. Place your canner on the stove, cover, and heat till boiling while you're working on said yummy goodness. Just let it boil away happily while you work.
After you've packed your jars with the peppers turn the heat up on your syrup and bring to a full, rolling boil and boil hard for six minutes. Ladle the syrup into the jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Using a chopstick or your handy dandy, Ball tool remove air bubbles by running around the entire inside of the jar.

Wipe the rim with a papper towel moistened with white vinegar, center lids, and tighten bands. Pop these peppers in the canner and process 10 minutes for half pints and 15 minutes for pints.
Now, for the hard part. You really need to let these guys sit and mellow out for a month before tearing into them. Easier said than done. You'll be woken from peaceful slumber as they call out to you through your dreams. I promise.

I'd like to give a big thank you to Bev Dobson for posting this recipe in our group documents. This stuff is awesome!

Cowboy Candy
Yields: 4 half pints
Prepare canner and jars
* 3 pounds Firm, fresh jalapeno peppers, washed and sliced into 1/4 inche slices ***WEAR GLOVES***
* 2 cups cider vinegar
* 6 cups white granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
* 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
* 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

In a large saucepan, bring all ingredients except peppers to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer roughly 5 minutes. Add peppers and simmer exactly 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon ladle peppers into hot jars leaving 1/4 inche headspace. Turn heat up on syrup and bring to a full, rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes. Then ladle syrup into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace again if necessary. Wipe rims down with a paper towel moistened with white vinegar. Center lids and tighten bands to fingertip resistance. Then tighten a scosh more. Place jars in canner and process in boiling water for 10 minutes for half pints and 15 minutes for pints.
After processing remove lid from canner but leave jars in for another 5 minutes. Slowly remove jars to a quiet resting place. If you remove jars too quickly they will hiss at you. They might even boo a bit if they happen to be the sassy mouthed type.

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Yup. That's Why.

2011-10-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to several great ladies on my Facebook canning group that shared this. I just love it.
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Mmmm, Poptart Pastries with Firstborn

2011-10-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

With yesterday being a holiday and Firstborn out of preschool for the day, I knew some sort of project would be in order during Secondborn's nap time. I decided that we should bake homemade poptarts.
Firstborn was ecstatic as I'd not bought the Kellogg's brand in some time. In fact, I'd not bought any in some time in efforts to really watch what I was feeding my kids. Now, I'm not the "food police" and I don't pretend to be. I believe in most things in moderation. We do grab the occasional fast food grub every few weeks or so. We even keep candy in the house, in small portions. Right now we're blessed with a store of Russian type candies thanks to my sweet sister-in-law. The next time I see her I'll have to ask the names of all the different types since I have no idea how to read the labels. But, I digress. What I am trying to say is I do try to be conscientious of all the additives in convenience foods.
I let Firstborn pick out all the fillings we'd use in our double batch of poptarts. He chose Nutella, Monkey Butter, strawberry-banana freezer jam, and blueberry butter. Poptarts, what a great way to use up some of those extra jars of homemade jams!
We set to work by buzzing two cups of all purpose flour, one teaspoon of salt, one tablespoon of sugar, and two sticks (one cup) of butter cut into pieces in the food processor. If not using a food processor you could work the butter in by hand till your dough is pulling together nicely.

Once it's sort of pasty add two tablespoons of milk and one egg that have been mixed together. This is going to get really wet. I ended up adding more flour. Once you're satisfied with your pastry dough turn it onto a well floured surface, divide into half, and roll flat one portion into a rectangle, roughly 9x13 in shape and about 1/8in thick.

After the dough has been rolled out cut nine rectangles, 3x4 in shape and brush an additional beaten egg onto the entire surface of the dough. Think of this as your binder.

Next comes the filling. Place one heaping tablespoon in the center of each rectangle and smooth outward but not all the way to the edges. For some reason I was really excited about this part. Firstborn was as well. And, between our excitement it seems we may have administered more than the heaping tablespoon the directions required. Ooppsy.

A crucial step to making poptarts is tasting your work as you go. I discovered this the hard way once I realized we weren't going to have enough dough to cover all the poptarts we'd jammed. Note to self, do not leave Firstborn in charge of the tops of poptart dough next time.

Once you've jammed your rectangles, roll out the remaining dough into a 9x13 rectangle. Cut out nine 3x4 rectangles. Place the tops onto the jammed rectangles and press the edges together. Using the tines of a fork crease the edges together all the way around. You will also want to prick the tops of the poptarts to allow for steam to escape and puff up nicely.
Place the poptarts on a lined cookie sheet. Here's a tip my grandmother taught me. Save the empty butter wrappers and place in a baggie to keep in the freezer. When you need to grease something pull a wrapper out and use that.
And, since you will have two empty wrappers from this project why not go ahead and use those to oil your cookie sheet or aluminum foil. Normally I'd use parchment paper, but I was out.
After you've placed your poptarts onto the cookie sheet, tuck them into the fridge for a thirty minute chill while your oven is preheating to 350 degrees. This is also a great time to clean up.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes till golden brown.
We found our recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Check out her perfect poptarts and suggestions for fillings and other variations.
While our poptarts were far from perfect, in appearance, nothing could beat the taste, nor the time spent with my little chefs. Plural? Yes, Secondborn has an uncanny ability to always wake prematurely when there's a project she's not been included in. There were many hands and much love that went into these pastries, not only filling my belly, but my being as well.

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Blessed Bread

2011-09-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

A few months ago my bread machine committed a murder suicide when it set fire to not only itself but the innocent loaf of honey wheat within. I was devastated, as tragedies often make one. And, being on a heavily restricted budget I couldn't pop onto Amazon and order a replacement Breadman.
So, I began baking bread the old fashioned way, by hand. I was not keen on this at first. It was time consuming and physically exhausting I would bemoan to my hubby. I would make pleas for the extra funds needed to purchase the kitchen appliance of my dreams to no avail. After a visit with the in-laws we were awarded a hand me down Sunbeam since they had just purchased a new Cuisinart. I was stoked.
The day after traveling back to Texas I set to work on making a loaf. I was let down. The capacity was much smaller than what I was accustomed to working with. I ended up making bread every three days. It's not that we're Carb-O-Vors, it's that I have two small children with PBJs as their main stay from starvation.....that and we really are Carb-O-Vores. So, I found a recipe that would make two loaves at a time and got to know my gas stove really, really well. Now, I'm proud to say I've taken the bread maker off my Wish List.
I never knew I would so thoroughly enjoy the task of baking bread. It doesn't even sound fair to call it a task. From the proofing of the yeast to the kneading, followed by the multiple rises, it fills me with contentment, joy, and peace. I look forward to baking several different types several times a week. I bake two sourdough rustic rounds, two loaves of an old fashioned white, two loaves of honey wheat, rolls, buns, and most recently a lovely simple oat loaf.
I love the smell of the sourdough starter sitting on my countertop. I love that smell even more because I started that starter by catching the wild yeasties using pineapple juice. I love that my son was amazed the first time he realized that loaf bread was also sold at the grocery store. But, mostly I love the smells of bread baking that fill our house making it smell more like a living, breathing home than just our address.
It's hard to be in a foul mood when there's bread baking. But, if you are, might I suggest making another loaf or two? If punching and pulling the dough into submission doesn't set your grumps free, then a slice of hot buttered and jammed bread surely will.

Hmmmm....what does it mean?

2011-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

You're with me, right? Even if it's not canning related? What about bread? No? What about bread ingredients stored in jars? Really? Great! You guys are great! Now, just stay tuned m'kay? Love, Lolly

Taking Stock

2011-09-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Stock. Chicken stock, veal stock, beef stock, veggie stock, fish stock, and all manner of fowl stocks are easily made. And, they're easily daunting to those who are more accustomed to grabbing a can off their grocer's shelves than making their own. But, fear not and read on. I'll tell you how I do it. Which, is by no means the only way to do it.
For this post I'll be talking about chicken stock. And, before I go any further, please forgive me for not getting pictures of the entire process. I hope to remedy that the next time I make stock. Did I mention I have a small tribe of toddlers/young kids that often give me pause to try and remember if I put my underwear on under my clothing instead of on top? Laugh all you want, that is until it happens to you.
But, back to stock talk. I rarely ever buy chickens any other way but whole. For me it's not only a matter of frugality. But, it allows me many more options. We're wild about roasted chicken in my family. It's an extremely versatile dish that tastes as if you've spent from sun up to sun down slaving over it. But, no such thing. And, the taste is wonderful. Whole chickens are also great if you've got a busy day ahead and forgot to plan out the coming night's menu. Toss a frozen whole chicken into your slow cooker and add seasoning, marinades, salsas, or just about anything else that comes to mind and you'll have supper set in a breeze.
This past week I boiled our bird. I do that often when I want to stock my freezer with baggies of shredded precooked chicken for quick go to meal preps, such as in casseroles or tacos. And, to do this you'll need a large stock pot.
After you've removed the goody bag of innards and neck bone from the cavity of the chicken....What? That's gross? C'mon, now. You can do this. I have the utmost faith in you. Take a deep breath. Now, take a deeper one. Take a shot of the cooking wine too, if you must, but only if you must. Reach in carefully and pull it all out. Careful, now. The rib cage can knick your knuckles if you plunge in too quickly. See, I knew you could do it. Go ahead. Have another shot of the cooking wine. You deserve it.
You can save the innards to freeze to make additional stocks later, or you could throw them into the pot with your bird as well. Or, if you and the goody bag aren't really on the best of terms you can always toss them.
After you've rinsed the inside and out of your chicken thoroughly place it in your stock pot along with 4 quarts water, 2-3 stalks of celery roughly chopped, 2 medium onions quartered, 10-12 whole black peppercorns, 2-3 bay leaves, 1-3 cloves of garlic, depending upon taste and optional, and 1 tbsp of salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 2 hours, or until your chicken is tender. At this point you can remove your chicken and use it for whatever you have in mind.
Strain your stock through a sieve and let cool. I usually let it cool counter side and then place in the fridge over night.
After your stock has cooled and the fat has solidified on the surface of your stock, skim it off. If you plan to freeze your stock just fill the containers of your choosing, label accordingly, and freeze.
A word on containers. I used to freeze my stock in quart size freezer bags. And, I still do freeze stock, just not as much as I can. I do this for several reasons. Freezer bags have a tendency to puncture once frozen. And, when it comes time to thaw them your bags will leak. This isn't a problem if you've planned ahead and pulled your stock the night before, placed it in a bowl, and then tucked it into the fridge. It is a problem if you've forgotten about dinner entirely and are rushing around like a mad woman. Because then you're left with only a few options of thawing your stock quickly. If you thaw it under running water it leaks from your punctured bag and becomes diluted with the tap water, or you nuke it and it runs all over your microwave. I have since started freezing my stock in plastic freezer containers, but have found when they're dropped frozen they often crack.
Canning stock does require a pressure cooker, and a little work, but it tends to make things easier at the time of using it. And, once you get the hang of it you'll find it's no trouble at all.
You'll want to prepare a pressure cooker and your jars half an hour ahead of time if you plan to can the stock. Place 2-3 inches of water inside your pressure cooker. Fill your jars halfway with water and place on the rack in the cooker. Let it come to a boil while your stock is coming up to a boil as well.

Once your stock has reached a boil let it boil for just a moment to kill off any bacteria that may be hanging around. Using your jar lifters, carefully pour the water out of the jars and fill with chicken stock leaving 1 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean with a paper towel wet with vinegar after you've removed any air bubbles. Center your lids and screw down your bands. Then, tighten just a scosh more. Place your jars back into the pressure cooker and lock the lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Vent the steam for 10 minutes and then close your vent. You'll want your weight set to 10lbs pressure. You'll process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes.

Pineapple Jam And The Grammer Squad

2011-08-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a request for a simple pineapple jam recipe. I had made some early on in the summer, but had not taken pictures of the process. However, I did have one of the finished product.
I love pineapple jam. It's not something I would eat everyday so I can it in the cutie patootie 4oz jars that Ball makes. Smear it on toast or a bagel with cream cheese and it makes a fantastic snack. I would venture to guess that it would make a great appetizer mixed in with cream cheese or even possibly goat cheese, and some crushed red pepper flakes or, maybe just ground red pepper instead and slather that on a crostini. Nom nom nom. Oh, oh! I just made a batch of bacon jam this morning. I bet those two would play quite well together on the same snack table. Great. Now I'm super hungry and writing horrible run on sentences. Again. I best hurry and jot this recipe down so I can raid the pantry before the grammer squad hauls me off.
First, a note about pineapples. I firmly subscribe to the Alton Brown school of thought involving kitchen gadgets. You don't need them. Seriously, just a waste of perfectly good kitchen space that might be better suited for say, stashing all those home made canned goodies you've made. That being said, I do not own a pineapple corer and, my drawers- kitchen drawers, not to be confused with my undies thank you very much- are all the happier for it.
Simply take a super sharp knife and slice the bottom and the top portions off. Standing the pineapple up, run your super sharp knife from top to bottom, taking the tough peel off. Working all the way around the pineapple, try to get as many of the "eyes" off with the skin as possible. Go back around the fruit and cut off the individual eyes that were missed the first time.
With the fruit still standing, slice it in half from top to bottom. Take each half and half those from top to bottom. Now, the hard core is exposed in small sections running down the length of each quarter of pineapple. It's easily removed by running your knife just beneath the core, top to bottom once more.
I was more than a little uneasy when I set about doing this the first time. But, after you've got one under your belt you'll be a pro.
You'll need roughly four cups finely chopped, peeled, cored fresh pineapple. After all that knife work you could use your food processor to make quick work of the chopping. Go easy on that pulse button though. Remember, jam is known for having small chunks of fruit suspended in it. Try not to puree the pineapple.
In a large saucepan combine your pineapple, 2 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 small lemon seeded and thinly sliced, but not peeled, 1 cup of water. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. You'll continue stirring like mad till the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens, roughly 15 minutes. Have a saucer stashed in the freezer to check the gel test. If it passes remove from heat and skim off any foam.
Ladle your hot pineapple paradise into sterilized and hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Take a wet paper towel and wipe the rims clean. Center the lids and screw the bands on till resistance is met, then a scosh more.
Place in your boiling water bath canner and process for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Then carefully remove jars to a dish towel lined counter and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.
See? Nothing to it. The hardest part about making this jam is getting to the actual fruit itself. Just remember to make sure the knife you're using is super sharp and that will make your job much easier.

Pineapple jam
yields 6 4oz jars, or 3 8oz jars

4 cups finely chopped, peeled, and cored fresh pineapple
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 lemon seeded and thinly sliced with the skin still on
1 cup water

1. Prepare your canner, jars, and lids.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stirring nearly constantly till sugar dissolves and mixture is thickened. Once it's reached the gel stage remove from heat.
3. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean. Center lids and screw on bands till resistance is met. Then tighten a scosh more.
4. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remove and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.

Crime Scene Cherries

2011-08-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

I missed out on the early cherry season this year, but managed to get my paws on about 6 lbs a few weeks ago. As I finished pitting the cherries Hubby walked in from work and asked me how many bodies had I dismembered and, where had I hidden them. It was true. Not only was I splattered head to toe with dark red stains, but so were the walls, my 1940's formica top table, the floor, and inexplicably, my daughter, Joss. I think she may have been playing under the table at some point. It was reminiscent of crime scene photos from some gang's bloodbath. *shudders*
I deposited my 10 cups of cherries into my cast iron dutch oven followed by 5 cups of sugar. As I was giving a gentle stir, the phrase "visions of sugar plums" kept dancing through my head. Except, they weren't sugar plums, silly me, but sugared cherries. And, oh, so pretty!

I covered the dutch oven and did the refrigerator rearranger dance. Once I'd successfully managed to find a place for the cherries to chill overnight, I did the same.
The next day during my allotted canning time, the natives' nap time, I brought the macerated cherries to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. After giving my arms a good workout on the stirring, I brought my plate out of the freezer to see if the cherries would pass the gel test.
Here's how the gel test works. Spoon some onto the plate and push your finger through the middle of it. If it wrinkles then it's at a good gel stage. If you're using a candy thermometer this is around 220 to 222 degrees F. Don't worry if your hasn't reached the gel stage yet. Pop another plate into the freezer and try again in two minutes.

After the gel stage has been reached, ladle those plump preserves into sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace and, make sure to wipe those rims nice and clean after removing the air bubbles.
I found several recipes with processing times ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. To be on the safe side, until I could verify which was the proper processing time, I went with the half hour. I've gotta tell you, it's been hotter than the surface of the sun here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area this past month. That half hour felt like an E.T.E.R.N.I.T.Y.

I canned three pints, one half pint, and two quarter pints. I like to do varying sizes in the case I'm the only one eating the cherries, or in the case I want to marinate chicken or pork. Other uses include, but certainly aren't limited to topping ice cream and chocolate cakes, garnishing cocktails, or eating straight from the jar. All are perfectly acceptable in my book.
So, get hopping and get your hands on some cherries ASAP. Sure, your better half might confuse your kitchen for a crime scene after pitting a few pounds of cherries, but you know it's worth it. And, they'll agree with you after having a taste. If they don't then you don't have to share.

1. Pit endless cherries, roughly 10 cups
2. Place in large pot and cover with 5 cups of sugar, stir in gently.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight
4. Prepare canner, jars, and lids
5. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently till gel stage is reached.
6. Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles using a chopstick or your handy dandy Ball tool. Wipe rims clean with wet paper towel. Center lids. Screw on bands till resistance is met. Then, a scosh more.
7. Process for 30 minutes, or until I edit this post with a verified less time. Remove lid for 5 min. Remove jars and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.
8. Dance around the kitchen with jubilee, you know, cherries jubilee. What? Too corny? Probably. But, that's how I roll.

Free Sample of Ball Fruit Pectin

2011-07-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Click here to receive your free sample of Ball Fruit Pectin

What better way to give you a kick in the pants to learn to can? And, if you're already in the know, then you know it never hurts to have an extra packet of pectin laying around, especially when the word "free" is involved. And, just a reminder, The National Can-It-Forward Day is fast approaching. Grab some garden goodies and your besties and get canning! I'll be visiting my hometown that week, but am itching to teach a class. Any locals from North Alabama interested in getting hot and sticky? Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about jamming! Shoot me a message and we'll work it out.

So, What's The Difference?

2011-07-19T19:45:00.001-07:00

I recently had a Facebook fan ask the question, "So what's the difference in jams, preserves, marmalade's....and all the other names they have for jelly like substances?"
What a great question. And, up until a few years ago, I'd have answered, "beats me". Fortunately, I've passed many a sticky season since then. After washing, hulling, mashing, straining, pureeing, stirring, and ladling acre after acra of produce I feel confident in answering the often confusing, but always tasty conundrum of, "what's the difference".

Jams
Jams are what I like to refer to as the gateway drug of canning. They are great for beginners. The work is minimal and the results are extraordinary to the virginal canner as they cautiously and nervously begin their descent down that slippery slope of addiction. Once the almost finished product has reached its gel stage they can't believe that they did it! They really, really did it!
And, the high one gets at hearing the pinging of those jars sealing just can't be beat! They begin looking around the kitchen with eyes glossy to see what else they can have a go at. Pretty soon they're making excuses when Saturday brunch invites go out just to hit up the local farmer's market. I know. I've been there.
Mirriam Webster defines jam as "a food made by boiling fruit and sugar to a thick consistency". Obviously, being a word smith didn't allow for much time in the kitchen so the definition isn't entirely true. Aside from fruit and sugar, you'll need pectin. Pectin is naturally occurring in the cell walls of fruits and veggies. That's where lemon juice comes into play. For making jams all you really need is mashed fruit, fresh lemon juice or a bit of Granny Smith apple, and sugar. And, sometimes water. Basically, jam is thick, gooey, and has noticeable bits of fruit suspended in it.
Jelly
Jellies are a little more work. My Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving refers to jelly as "a preserver's jewel". By cooking down the fruit of your choice, then transferring fruit and juices to a jelly bag and letting set over a bowl over night you get a beautiful, elegant spread of gelled juice. Homemade jellies are far superior to store bought jellies. If done properly they are not only eye catching, but full of flavor.
Marmalade
Once more consulting my good buddy Webster, I find he has marmalades listed as "a clear sweetened jelly in which pieces of fruit and fruit rind are suspended". That makes sense. I always use thin, half moon slices of lemons for my strawberry lemon marmalade and my orange marmalade. I even used lime rinds in my strawberry limeade marmalade.
Preserves
Preserves are kind of the show offs of the jam world. They contain whole fruit or large pieces of fruit suspended in jellies. In my arsenal of canned goods, I'd be hard pressed to part with my preserves. There is nothing that makes an evening of entertaining look more elegant or time consuming than a dessert with glistening preserves draped across. And, nothing could be farther from the truth. A hastily bought cake can be dressed up in seconds with a jar of preserves with none the wiser. Trust me, preserves will never let you down.
So, what's the difference? Well, there are subtle differences in each, but also a kindred spirit amongst them all. There's fruit, sugar, and pectin. But, most of all there's a desire to create. There's a desire to see something from its most primitive stage step into something a bit more elegant, if you will. It's taking the raw and refining it, all by yourself.

Pickled Hot Peppers

2011-07-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've not had the chance to pickle any peppers this summer so far. A travesty I hope to remedy this weekend. I've received several emails from first timers who are interested in what they can do with their bumper crops of peppers. There are many paths one could take with that. But, for today I'm going to focus on the recipe for pickled hot peppers given in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, what I consider to be my "Bible" of canning.
The recipe calls for a varying amount of assorted peppers. Don't fret if your garden didn't render the exact measurements. I"ve played fast and loose with the pepper selection in previous batches. And, it can easily be halved if your pepper population is on the scant side.
Remember kids, always wear gloves when handling peppers. It's all fun and games till someone gets a third degree capsaicin burn. And, as I mentioned in the Pineapple Habanero Jelly post, if you're plastic glove supply has been exhausted by your four old constantly using them as rooster balloons, then wrap your hands in several layers of plastic wrap with a final layer of sammie bags. And, while I'm tossing out helpful hints, freezing peppers before slicing seems to reduce the toxic fumes.

Yield: About 5 pints
6 cups hot banana peppers (about 1 1/2 lbs) sliced into rings
4 cups jalapeno peppers (about 1lb) sliced into rings
1 cup serrano peppers (about 4 oz) sliced into rings
6 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups filtered water
3 cloves garlic crushed

1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
I really hope that this is the week I can manage to get video tutorials on water bath canning up and running. But, till I do, Ball's Fresh Preserving site has excellent and easy to follow step by step instructions.
2. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine peppers. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, water, and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, until garlic flavor has infused the liquid. Discard garlic.
4. Pack peppers into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover peppers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a chopstick around the sides of jar and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe rim with wet paper towel. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
5. Place jars into canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 min. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
I like to can my pickled hot peppers in pint jars because my hubby and I don't sit down to the supper table without a jar between us....ever. If, however, you won't partake of them as frequently, you might consider canning them in half pint jars. It would be a shame to have to throw out a half eaten jar of your hard work.
Feel free to comment any questions you might have. And, I'll get back with you as quickly as possible.

What to do when your raspberries look like the morning after "walk of shame"

2011-07-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've never had much luck in preserving raspberries in the past. That's mostly because I can't stop shoving them in my mouth long enough to do any actually preserving. Several, several summers ago I was especially lucky to have a "raspberry hook up". But all that really came of that were many afternoons sitting by the pool sipping raspberry margaritas and any other libation my girlfriends and I could think to concoct.
I vowed that this summer would be different and I would find a way to work with raspberry preserves. But, with our move, multiple canning projects, and playing mommy to the two wild things tearing through our house at breakneck speed, I've almost missed out on the June season for raspberries. I'll have to be much more vigilant once the August season rolls around.
While at the market yesterday, I snagged three of the best looking 6oz containers I could find. It was no easy task. Most boxes looked a lot like the morning after "walk of shame". And, even though they looked about as fresh as a couple of dorm mates meeting for a greasy breakfast on Sunday, I had big plans.
By the time I had settled the natives down for a nap this afternoon, it was apparent that some of the raspberries just weren't quite up for the after party, further reducing my numbers. But, that was okay. I could still make it work. I didn't necessarily need firm berries for what I had in mind. I just needed ripe and juicy ones. I planned on making a raspberry infused white wine vinegar, the perfect beginning for vinaigrettes and dressings.
It was simple and quick. Well, the work on my part for this evening was quick. But, you will need to let the mix sit for one to four weeks depending upon your tastes, occasionally giving it a stir every few days.

1 cup raspberries, washed.......What? I should have had 2 cups 2oz? I said some had met their dimise. The others simply met my belly. I know. I'm weak. I'm not to be trusted around fruit.

1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar

In a medium sized glass bowl add your berries and 1/4 cup of the vinegar. Give the berries a slight crush with a potato masher. Add the remaining vinegar and stir. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then tuck the mix away in a dark and cool place. Leave for 1 to 4 weeks until your desired strength is reached. The longer the better in my book.
I will finish the recipe and results in a few weeks when I feel that the berries have had plenty of time to think about their actions.

Canning Crazed, Reblogged

2011-07-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is a post I wrote last year in my other blog, http://confessingmom.blogspot.com/ . I thought I would repost it on this site since it's applicable. That, and I have no recipes for today while I play catchup on housework and Mommyhood.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010

Canning Crazed
Hi. My name is Mommy, and I have a canning addiction. At least that's what my husband tells me. He says I need to get some help. He suggested therapy and possibly some step programs. But he doesn't mean it. Not really anyway.
In truth, I know he's secretly pleased with his wife's mad home ec skills. He's appreciative of how little money I've invested in this endeavor, yet how much it will save us in the long run. He openly brags on how good everything has tasted. He's particularly fond of the salsa. So much so, that I've had to make numerous follow up batches to replenish our diminishing supply. Fortunately, I found a vendor in my hometown willing to sell tomatoes for $.50 a pound.
I grew up in a family that canned, dried, froze, pickled, and preserved food. To this day any time I smell fresh dill I am immediately brought back to my parents' divorce because my granny was canning dill pickles at that time.
To "put up", as they called it, was a necessity from days past, but they continued on because it's what you did. It saved countless pennies and tasted far better than anything you could find on the grocer's shelves. These are the same reasons I enjoy doing these same rituals. I like knowing what's in my family's food. I like knowing where my food comes from.
Some have told me I'm crazy for doing this. I probably am, but not for that reason. Many have been extremely supportive. I think they're just paving the way to a few handouts. And that's okay. Partly why I've canned so much this year is to give away as Christmas gifts. Then there have been a small number that have made comments predicting that we'll never eat all that we've made based upon their own canning experiences. To that I say, "Don't rain on my parade."
And, then there's my grandmother who's proud. She's so proud that her ways have made such a huge impact upon my life and the way I'm raising our family. It makes me happy to see her so pleased with my efforts. It made me down right giddy to see how she thoroughly enjoyed the jar of Apple Pie In A Jar. She had half the jar finished by the time I left her house.
As is the case in any addiction, I'm not alone. I've a friend who loves canning just as much as I do. She too grew up in the canning culture. So, for the past month she's loaded up her two year old daughter, supplies, produce from her garden and her CSA box, and headed to my house for all day canning sessions. Fortunately, her daughter is Firstborn's girlfriend. While we're ladling hot spoonfuls of homemade goodness into Ball jars they're having the time of their short lived lives. It usually ends up with both of them pants-less. But, that's another story for another day.
We've been quite successful in our endeavors. Between the both of our gardens, her CSA box, my father's neighbor and their apple trees, we've not had to purchase much produce. We've pickled peppers and squash. We've made marmalades, preserves, pie fillings, two different types of pepper jelly, fruit jellies, salsa, and even more salsa. We've frozen peaches, squash, and zucchini. We've dried peppers. We've even made a spicy peach barbecue sauce and a spicy/sweet Thai dipping sauce. We were just showing out at that point.
We've no plans of slowing down either. We've plans to visit the local farmer's market this weekend to see what we can come up with. We're gearing up for phase two of our canning craze and that involves our pressure cookers. Soups, broths, and anything else we can come up with are all fair game. Our preserving cookbooks haven't steered us wrong yet.
Hubby can continue to claim that I have an illness, an addiction if you will. I don't mind just as long as he doesn't get in my way in the kitchen. Besides, I can stop any time I want.

Escabeche

2011-06-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ugh, this post has taken me far too long to get to, but it also took me far too long to get through last week as well. Between canning the following, making yogurt for the very first time, coming down with a stomach virus, and all the normal circus activities that go along with being a stay at home mom to a 2 and 4 year old, why, I just didn't have it in me. Come to think of it, after that tummy bug, there wasn't much of anything left in me. So, without further ado, I give you escabeche.

One of my favorite canning resources is Liana Krissoff's, CANNING For A New Generation, Bold, Fresh Flavors For The Modern Pantry. My sweet hubby surprised me with this extensive, highly informative, and let's not forget tasty, cookbook last summer and it quickly made its way to the top of my favorites list. I attempted to give it a cover to cover read that very night, but I'm Mama to two very young children and sleep won out.
The recipe I used for escabeche vegetables is adapted from this and found hubbs congratulating himself for this purchase. He loves Mexican cusine. And, what's Mexican cusine without escabeche to garnish and complete your dish?

Yields: 5-7 pints

1 lb carrots, trimmed and cut into 1 in. lengths
1 lb jalapeno chilis, you can either cut them in half lengthwise, or cross hatch a slit into the bottom and leave them whole. This allows the liquid to penetrate the pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
5 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
2/3 cup olive oil
4 tsp pure kosher salt
3 Tbs. dried oregano
7 tsp of minced garlic or 7 cloves

1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids
2. Combine vinegar, 1 cup water, oil, salt, and oregano in large non reactive 6-8 quart pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 5 min.
3. Add the carrots and cook until just crisp, roughly 10 min.
4. Add jalapenos and onion and bring back to barely a boil.
5. Working quickly, place garlic in each jar.
6. Transfer veggies into jar by means of a slotted spoon.
7. You'll want to ladle the pickling brine into each jar. It's important to keep the oil evenly distributed among jars. Leave 1/2 inch headspace.
8. Use your handy dandy Ball tool for air bubbles, or a chopstick and run it around the jar to remove all air bubbles. Clean the rim with a wet paper towel.
9. Center lids and tighten bands till resistance is met. Then tighten to finger tight.
10. Place in boiling water bath canner and process for 20 min. Remove lid and let set for 5 min. Then remove and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.

Liana goes on with a recipe for catfish fillets in escabeche where the fish is poached and cooked in a tomato and escabeche sauce that just sounds wonderful. I hope to give this a try within the next few weeks after I let mine cure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Let's Pickle

2011-06-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was in the mood to pickle. I had a deep desire to breathe dill. Unfortunately, I never made it to the farmer's market that morning so I had no fresh dill or Kirby cucs to play with. I did, however, have a stash of squash, zucchini, and dill seed. And, with that I set about pickling summer squash spears.

Yields: 4 pints
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water, I use filtered pitcher water
4 tsp. sea salt
4 tsp. minced garlic
4 tsp. dill seed or 4 dill heads
4 tbs. chopped onion

1. First I made ready four pint jars. That's the beauty of refrigerator pickles. You can make them in small batches, fairly quickly, and without much fuss. They will need to continuously be stored in the refrigerator since they are not processed and sealed. In the fridge they should keep several months. I have had some stay fresh upwards to a year. But, as with all home food preservation, use your better judgement.
2. I cut both ends off the squash to fit the jars. Then I cut them into spears. I blanched them for 1 min. followed by an immediate ice bath to promote crispness.
3. In saucepan combine vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute.
4. In jars place 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. dill seed, 1 tbs. chopped onion into each jar. Then pack pickles on top. Pack them snugly, but not tightly.
5. Slowly pour brine mixture over the spears, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and place lids and rings on jars. After cooling a bit on counter move to the refrigerator to cure for a week.

I'm dying to open up a jar and give them a go since this was the first time I'd pickled summer squash in this manner.

Freezing Strawberries

2011-06-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

My family and I are huge fans of fruit. When I was pregnant with my second there was some discussion that she might arrive bearing an uncanny resemblance to Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory considering my consumption of copious amounts of blueberries. To this day I maintain that it was not a mere craving, but a dire need in order for me and my unborn to survive. And, frankly, if anyone around me were to survive at that time as well, then they had to ensure that there would be 8lbs of blueberries stashed in the fridge at all times.
That being said, we're downright giddy now that all the fruit is coming in. We cannot get enough of it. And, that's a problem. We moved to Texas a little more than a month ago. I know no one. I know where nothing is. I know no farmers. I know of no "you pick" farms yet. I'm sure that will come in time, but while I'm still settling us into our new digs this leaves me with purchasing our produce from the tiny and waaaay over priced farmer's market down the street or from Costco and other markets.
Given that we are on an extremely tight budget and we consume truckloads of the sweet gift of the gods, I often opt for shopping Costco for our produce needs.
I know some of you are balking at this very moment about not buying local. Just the other day I was chastised on another site for making all of the heavenly pineapple concoctions as pineapple is not local. And, I agree. Pineapple is not a local fruit. But, I cannot name one single pineapple farmer here in the state of Texas much less the rest of continental United States. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I would love to visit a pineapple farm, and I just don't see a trip to Hawaii in my near future.
I would love to buy local and support our local farmers. I'm the daughter of a farmer, so this hits close to home. However, we simply cannot afford it. I have to make the most of what we have, when we have it.
And, here's how I do it. When I see a sale on say, strawberries at the grocer I stock up. Or, I will buy them from Costco and save some to nibble on now and others to savor later.
Then I can them. And, when I have canned countless jars of marmalades, jams, jellies, and berries in syrup, then I freeze them.
As I began washing and hulling strawberries yesterday, it occurred to me that something I find so simple might be daunting to someone new to the food preservation scene. And, that's the whole point of this site, to help introduce others to this wonderful kitchen craft and learn from one another. So, here's how.

Step 1. Wash the strawberries gently. I soak them first while sorting out any bad ones. Then I rinse under running water.
Step 2. Place in colander or salad spinner to drain.
Step 3. Cut the tops off and hull.
Step 4. Place on a lined cookie sheet. I usually just line mine with paper towels making them less likely to slide around.

Step 5. Place in freezer.
Once frozen, bag and label. Use a vacuum seal to remove all air if you have one. If not, seal the bag most of the way and place a straw into the corner. You can remove the air yourself by the straw and finish sealing.

There are many different ways to freeze, but this way works best for me. Since they're frozen individually they don't tend to stick to one another in giant ice cubs when pulled out.
Another thing I love to use frozen strawberries for is in place of ice cubes in lemonades, punches, or cocktails. It gives the drinks an added elegant touch quickly and effortlessly.

Pineapple-Habanero Pepper Jelly

2011-06-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Note to self: The next time working with peppers, please ensure the pantry is stocked with plastic gloves before beginning the recipe. Otherwise, be prepared to to wrap your hands in two layers of plastic wrap and a sandwich bag again.

Yields: about 4 half pints

3-4 cups fresh cleaned, cored, and chopped pineapple
5 Habanero peppers seeded*
2 packages pectin
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

*A word on Habaneros
To lesson the toxic aroma when cutting the peppers, freeze them beforehand. Make sure to cut them near an open window or near a fan. For some it may be necessary to wear a mask. And, above all else, please wear plastic gloves! I cannot stress this enough. The last thing you want is to burn your eyeballs out of their sockets by accidentally touching anywhere near your face.

Prepare jars, lids, and canner
Blend pineapple and 1/4 apple cider and place in large pot.
Puree peppers with the remaining apple cider. Add to pineapple.
Cook on medium low to low heat stirring often. Once mixture is at a boil add sugar and pectin stirring well to completely dissolve.
Stirring frequently, continue cooking on low till mixture thickens. Roughly 30 min.
Once mixture has thickened bring up to a rolling boil and boil hard for 1 min.
Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars. Leaving 1/4 in headspace wipe rim with wet paper towel, center lid, and tighten band till resistance is met. Place in boiling water bath canner and process for 10 min. Remove lid and turn off heat let stand min.

The jelly has a wonderful caramelized color after simmering for so long. Use as an appetizer, spread, or even on ribs.