This comes from my sister-in-law who makes her spaghetti sauce from her extra tomatoes. I'm excited to try it if only I can get enough tomatoes before it freezes! We got a late start with our tomatoes...
Lightly oil the bottom of your kettle with a little oil on a paper towel. Then add the rest of the ingredients...obviously this can be doubled, tripled, etc. if you have more tomatoes ready at once.
Rough chopped tomatoes (probably about 2 pounds) with cores removed 1-2 T. olive oil 1 t. salt bunch of fresh basil, chopped 2 t. chopped garlic (I'd use more if I could) 1/4 t. black pepper 1 t. oregano
I boiled that gently until the tomatoes separated from the skins. Then I put it through my Foley mill, but not enough of the tomato solids went through the mill, just the liquid...so I put it all in my blender and then back through the mill. This time only the seeds and the thinnest of skins remained in the mill. Then I put the sauce back in the kettle, adjusted the seasonings to taste, and simmered it on very low until it reduced to the thickness I wanted. (This takes a long time) I think you could wait to add the seasonings until after the tomatoes have been boiled, pureed, and put through the mill, but I haven't tried it that way.
Sometimes the sauce needs a little sugar to counteract the bite of the tomato. If you read the labels, a lot of commerical sauces contain sugar. Your homegrown tomatoes that are vine ripened will probably be sweet enough. But if the sauce just tastes like something is missing, try adding a tsp. of sugar at a time and see if you like it better.
We overplanted our zucchini and yellow squash this year so we've been trying to use it up. Here are some ideas for using it up.
Shred it and use it in zucchini bread or cake
Shred it and freeze it to use later in zucchini bread or cake
Have your kids hold a fresh organic produce and lemonade stand with the extras. We've done this in town where Grandma lives and they've earned a little $ and gotten rid of some of it.
Eat it as a baked, stuffed zucchini recipe. We boiled it for around 20 minutes until it was somewhat cooked and then halved it and scooped out the insides and mixed it with cooked ground sausage, parmesan cheese, fresh bread crumbs, garlic salt etc.. and it was quite good.
Grill it when you grill meat. To make it even better, first marinade it in Italian salad dressing. I cut it lengthwise into sticks and grilled it like that - much simpler than doing a bunch of little circles on the grill!
Feed it to the baby. My 11 month old loves it. It's nice and soft and easy to eat when cooked!
Give it away - especially offer some to moms with babies!
Most of all, enjoy this fresh produce! Even though it seems like we'll be eating zucchini and yellow squash every meal forever, fall and winter are coming fast! Soon it will be all done until next summer!
We were able to get quite a few cherries from our new friend's trees. We've gone 2x so far to pick and may be able to still pick more. After picking, we pitted the cherries. I found it easiest to use a corn skewer to dig down into the top of the cherry to the side of the pit and get under it and pop it out. Thankfully my 2 oldest kids helped although the cherries were a bit mangled. I figured it was worth it to get it done quicker and good practice for them.
After pitting them, I made the cherries into a cherry pie filling sauce. It was really easy. Here's my recipe for cherry pie filling:
INGREDIENTS:
8 cups tart cherries
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/2 cups sugar
PREPARATION:
Wash and pit cherries. Drain. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cherries; let stand until juices begin to flow, about 30 mins. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Ladle pie filling into can or freeze jars or plastic freezer bags, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
Cool at room temperture, not to exceed 2 hours. Seal, label, and freeze.
I froze my cherry pie filling right away. Today I defrosted some and used it to make Cherry Crisp. It was so good! You basically put the cherry pie filling on the bottom and then use any recipe for the topping to make the crisp. The one I used was just flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. We topped it with vanilla ice cream shortly after baking it in the oven. SOOO Good!
I'm hoping to get some more cherries this week before they're done! What a blessing to get these cherries for free!
All-Purpose Tree Fertilizer recipe 3 parts cottonseed meal, soy meal, or blood meal 2 parts finely ground raw phosphate rock or steamed bone meal 3 parts wood ashes, granite rock or greens 1 part dolomitic limestone
Mix all materials. Apply 1 pound of fertilizer for each foot of the drip line diameter of the tree (3 feet = 12 pounds). --------------- Aluminum Pot Cleaner recipe 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 1 quart water
Mix; boil in the aluminum pot for 10 minutes. Scour lightly if needed -------------- Anti-Static Spray recipe 1/4 cup commercial liquid fabric softener 1/4 cup ammonia 2 cups water
Mix ingredients and store in a spray bottle. Spray liberally on the rug, your shoes, chair, desktop, or file cabinet, but do not spray directly onto your computer system ------------- Appliance Cleaner Spray recipe 1 teaspoon borax 3 tablespoons vinegar 2 cups hot water
Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to mix and dissolve borax. Spray on appliances and wipe off with a soft cloth or sponge. ---------------- Aromatic Carpet Cleaner recipe 2 cups baking soda 1/2 cup cornstarch 4 to 5 bay leaves 1 tablespoon cloves
Mix all ingredients together and keep in a closed container. Sprinkle on carpet and let sit for a couple of hours. Vacuum carpet in usual manner. ---------------- Automatic Dishwashing Soap recipe
Like Cascade and Sun Light
Homemade natural formula will safely cut through grease and sanitize your dishes as well.
1/2 cup liquid castile soap 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 3 drops tea tree extract 1/4 cup white vinegar
Combine water and liquid Castile soap. Stir and then add lemon juice, tea tree extract, and vinegar. Stir until blended evenly and store in a squeeze bottle. --------------------- Baby Wipes recipe 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons baby shampoo 2 tablespoons baby oil
Mix these ingredients. Soak heavy, white paper towels in this solution and tuck into used baby wipes containers or plastic bags to use in the nursery. --------------------- Barbecue Fire Starters recipe 1 pound paraffin Sawdust
Melt paraffin and mix with sawdust. Pour into an empty cardboard egg carton. After the wax is set, the 12 cubes are cut from the egg carton. To start the charcoal, place one cube in the barbecue container and cover with briquettes. Light, then relax until the coals are ready. ------------------- Bathroom Window Frost recipe 4 tablespoons Epsom salt 1 cup beer
Dissolve Epsom salt in beer. Apply with a 2-inch wide brush to the inside of the windowpanes. It dries well, lasts a long time and, when washed off, is easily re-applied. Also, you can get prettier crystallization by dipping a terry cloth in the above mixture and dabbing it on. ---------------- Beeswax Furniture Polish recipe 4 ounces beeswax 2 tablespoons carnauba wax 2 1/2 cups odorless turpentine or mineral spirits
Melt the waxes on HIGH in a microwave or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the turpentine or mineral spirits. When cool, store in a tightly capped container.
Apply the polish with a clean cloth and rub in small circles. Turn the cloth as it becomes dirty. Allow the polish to dry, then buff with a clean cloth. If more than one coat is desired, wait two days between applications. -------------------- Better Baby Wipes recipe
This recipe is from a pediatrician.
I've seen some recipes on Dollar Stretcher for baby wipes, but none mentioned boiling water! When you boil the water it cuts down on the bacteria and the wipes are good for months, not weeks! I used this recipe for my two babies and it worked great! I saved a lot of money doing it this way. Keeping a container of wipes in the car is convenient, too.
2 cups boiling water 2 tablespoons baby bath 2 tablespoons baby lotion (any lotion may be used) 1/2 roll of Bounty Paper Towels (This brand holds together well.)
Boil water; pour water, baby bath and lotion in round container. (Look at Wal-Mart for a round Rubbermaid 10-cup plastic container.)
Put in 1/2 roll of Bounty. Invert container after a few minutes for even distribution.
Take out cardboard; unroll from center. ----------------- Bleach (heavy-duty) recipe 1 gallon water 2 cups chlorinated lime 3 cups washing soda
Mix in an old plastic bucket. Stir well. Let stand, uncovered, for 24 hours. Strain into storage containers. Use as any commercial bleach. AVOID CONTACT WITH SKIN AND FUMES WHEN MIXING. -------------- Christmas Snow recipe 1/3 cup liquid starch 1 cup soap flakes or detergent granules 1 to 2 tablespoons water Blue food coloring
Mix liquid starch into the soap flakes. Add the water and beat with a rotary beater until the mixture has the consistency of marshmallow fluff or thick meringue.
Beat in the blue food coloring drop by drop to achieve a white, icy effect. Using a clean paintbrush, dab the snow onto the tops of your green branches in various artistic patterns.
You can also sprinkle sequins, glitter or confetti over the Christmas Snow.
CAUTION: Make certain that children realize the snow is made of soap and should not be handled or played with. ---------------------- Clogged Drain Remedy recipe 1 cup salt 1 cup baking soda 1 cup vinegar
Mix, then pour down the drain. Follow with 2 quarts boiling water. -------------- Cockroach Control recipe 4 parts borax 2 parts all-purpose flour 1 part cocoa powder
Mix; sprinkle where pets and children cannot get to it. -------------- "Elmers" Glue recipe 1 quart skim milk 3/4 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon white vinegar 10 ounces water
Place milk and vinegar in a double boiler. Cook on low heat and stir as curds form. Drain off liquid. Wash remaining mass with water until the vinegar smell is gone. Put into a clean bowl. Dissolve baking soda in water. Pour over curds and stir until a white paste forms. Seal in suitable containers. -------------- Fireplace Logs recipe 4 pounds copper sulfate 3 pounds rock salt 1 gallon water
Dissolve copper sulfate and rock salt in water in a 5-gallon crock. Wrap old newspapers tightly and tie. Soak the newspapers in the solution, then dry them well and stack away for future use. These logs will burn a beautiful blue for a long time. ----------------------- Leather Upholstery Cleaner recipe 1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol 1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup vinegar
Mix ingredients. Store in a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting cover. Apply solution to leather upholstery with a soft cloth. Buff dry with another clean, soft cloth. If you want to waterproof the clean leather, apply 1 tablespoon castor oil to a soft cloth, then buff vigorously. ------------------------ Makeup Brush and Sponge Solution recipe 2 parts water 1 part fine fabric cleanser Baking soda
Combine two parts water and one part fine fabric cleanser. Dip makeup brushes into the solution. Rinse in clean water. Submerge brushes again into a baking soda and water mixture to soften the bristles. Rinse again in clean water. Blot excess and allow to dry.
You can also wash them with shampoo and conditioner once a month. Squeeze out excess water, lay them flat overnight and reshape them when dry. --------------- Oopsie" Cleanup recipe To clean pet urine from the carpet, blot up what you can with paper towels.
Mix one teaspoon mild dish-washing detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in the liquid and, working from outside in, dab at stain. Do not over-wet.
Rinse with fresh water and blot dry.
Mix one-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot until dry.
Once area is totally dry (after at least 24 hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda (Bicarbonate of soda) or rug deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours. ------------------ Potpourri Molds recipe 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 1 cup potpourri (old or new), cut finely 1/3 to 1/2 cup water Cookie cutters (the open kind, not closed)
Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate for 5 minutes.
Flatten the dough either with your hands or a slightly floured rolling pin. Cut the dough with cookie cutters. Or you can use the dough like clay and make a sculpture.
If using as a hanging ornament, punch a hole in each shape. Set on a wire rack to dry thoroughly. --------------- Salty Fish Bait recipe
Bring a pint of sweet milk to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons salt. Heat until milk starts to foam, and add enough cornmeal until the mixture is thick and tough enough to stay on the hook. You can add bits of cotton to hold it together. ------------------- Sweet Fish Bait recipe
Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal and 10 tablespoons of thick molasses. Mix into stiff dough and roll into bait balls. Drop into boiling water. Boil 10 minutes. Remove and drop into cold water. ----------------- Swiffer Refill Cloths recipe This works well for both the wet and dry Swiffers!
Cut up an old receiving blanket or other similar heavy fabric in the size needed for your "Swiffer." Use and toss in the washing machine to be used again --------------- White Sock Soap recipe 1/4 cup liquid chlorine bleach 1 cup powdered dishwasher detergent 1 gallon hot water
Use a plastic, enamel or stainless steel container (not aluminum) or the kitchen sink. If the fabric or material cannot take hot water, let it cool. Let socks soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Check them and, if needed, soak a little longer. Rinse well and then wash as usual. ------------ Windshield Cleaner (extra-strength) recipe 1/2 cup whiting 1 cup fuller's earth 1/4 cup baking soda
Mix, and add enough water to make a paste. Apply with a sponge. Polish with a dry lint-free cloth. ------------------ Windshield Wiper Spray recipe Water 1/4 cup vinegar
Put vinegar in dispenser first, then fill with water.
***This works great for mirrors too I only use this!!*** ----------------- Wonder Spray recipe 1/4 cup white vinegar 2 teaspoons Borax 1/4 cup liquid soap 32 ounces hot water 20 drops essential oil*
Combine all ingredients. Use as you would any other cleaning spray.
* Lavender is an antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial.
In my garden I'm growing basil for the first time. I tried making pesto with it the other day and found this recipe from Allrecipes.com . I modified a few things but it was really good. I served it with noodles and chicken for supper. To make it into a sauce for the noodles, I just thinned it down and stretched it by adding some of the water I used to boil the noodles in to it until it was the right consistency and could be mixed throughout the noodles.
Any other people have ideas of what they do with their fresh basil?
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup chopped pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil mixed in until it's the right consistency
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS: In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.
Today we didn't have any bread for lunch so I was trying to think of something to have (we were a bit limited on food items). I did have some pizza dough in the freezer that I had made, so I decided to make a ham and cheese calzone. (at least that's what I called it)
All I did was to roll the pizza dough out very thin. I then spread deli ham slices over the whole thing leaving a little spot around the edge empty. I then generously sprinkled mozzarella and cheddar cheese over the top. I then rolled it up and pinched tight the ends and the seam. I brushed the top of the dough with a beaten egg. I also cut a few slits in the top and then baked it at 350 for 20 min. It was sooo good and easy! I do think I should make 2 calzones for a whole meal for us.
It would be easy to do many variations on this! I definitely think I should make up a large batch of pizza dough and divide it and freeze it to do this more often! Not that it was extremely healthy, but it was easy and very yummy!
I tried this spaghetti sauce for the first time tonight and all in all it went over pretty well. I personally really liked it! I would definitely decrease by quite a bit the cayenne pepper (I only put in 3/4 t and thought it was still a bit hot), and possibly add some salt. I was also out of worcestershire sauce, green peppers, mushrooms, and dry red wine so I used water instead of the wine and omitted the other things. I liked the recipe because it uses fresh tomatoes and I had inherited a bunch of them recently and needed a use for them.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups tomato sauce
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute garlic until golden brown. Stir in ground beef, onions and green pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown, and onions are tender. Drain some of the oil. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in red wine, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, celery salt, oregano and basil. Simmer for 3 hours. Stir in mushrooms at the end of cooking period.
With summer around the corner, I thought I'd post one of my favorite meal salads. Usually I make this without a real recipe, so ingredients are aproximations. Hope you enjoy!
Tuna Macaroni Cold Salad
2 cups macaroni, cooked & drained
1 tablespoon onions, chopped
1 tablespoon celery, chopped
1 6 1/2 oz. can tuna , drained
2 egg, hard-boiled and chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickle, chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickle juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
mayonnaise - until well moistened
taragon, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
I love the convenience of having meals in the freezer but have never
been able to do a full "Once A Month Cooking" meal plan. Instead I tend
to make double recipes if I'm making something freezeable and freeze
the extra portion for another day. I often freeze a recipe pre-cooked
or however the recipe freezes best. Here's one of my easy recipes if I
have leftover ham. (I know ham isn't that good for you but we still eat
it some...)
Ham & Potato Casserole
3 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 onion, large, chopped
5 cups potatoes diced and mostly cooked (boiled or steamed)
2 cups ham, cooked and diced
2 cups cheddar cheese
Melt Margarine in saucepan over med. heat. Saute onions in butter until
tender. Stir in flour and pepper with a wire whisk until smooth. Add
milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat
and gently stir in potatoes, ham, and 1 1/2 cups of cheese.
To Freeze: Pour into plastic freezer containers or bags (once cooled
enough). Top with additional cheddar cheese (or attach additional
cheese to freezer bag in separate bag). Label and freeze.
To Serve: Thaw and bake in small casserole dish that has been sprayed
with non-stick coating. Bake in 350 oven until hot and bubbly.
Note: Frozen diced hash browns can also be used in this dish. You may
also need to add salt. I also sometimes add more ham. Generally I get 1
bag to freeze from this recipe.
Our Journey Into The Country - A Faith Walk