Canning Basics - Baby Steps

When I was young, we lived near my great-grandmother.  Every summer, my mother and great-grandmother both had large gardens and preserved the bounty each fall.  At the time, us kids couldn't stand canning season, because of the vinegar smell we had to endure on pickle canning day.  I was too young to appreciate being able to grow and preserve food for your family to enjoy all year long. 

I will never forget the time I went into my grandmother's pantry to get some salsa she had canned.  I had made some dip, and wanted to add her yummy salsa to it.  However, something did not taste right.  Well, the jars weren't marked, and I couldn't tell the difference between a jar of salsa and a jar of spaghetti sauce.  I was hoping for Mexican, not Italian!

A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at canning.  My grandmother passed away 12 years ago, and my mother is halfway across the states from me, so I didn't have the benefit of hands on learning.  My first experience was canning salsa.  I always make it fresh, but thought it would be nice to pull some out of the pantry at any time.  I didn't read up on canning very thoroughly, instead just jumped right in.  I made my salsa, filled my hot jars, then watered bathed them for the alloted time.  As I waited for the "popping sound", I decided to look up some info online.  What?  It said I needed an approved recipe, as it is possible to create botulism if the acidity was not high enough.  I was so worried I would give my family botulism.  I prayed as I opened each jar, "Please keep my family safe from botulism, Lord".  I guess I could have thrown the salsa out, but I had worked so hard I couldn't bare to.

Not long after the salsa incident, a friend taught me to make strawberry jam.  I loved, but couldn't stand the amount of sugar used.  I was told that non-sugar recipes really didn't work, or taste very good.  I gave up on jam...until recently.  I listened in on a phone seminar given by Marilyn Moll of The Urban Homemaker, with guest Lisa Vitello of New Harvest Homestead.  I learned that you could make delicious jam with honey, or even no sugar at all.  I was introduced to Pamona's Pectin, which works wonders with these types of recipes. 

If you are just starting out, I would recommend getting some Pamona's Pectin.  I wanted to make a small batch, just to test it out.  I took out only a few jars and started boiling the jars and lids in a huge pot.  I have a water bath canner, but since I was only making a few jars I figured a large pot would work.  I could cover the jars with boiling water.  I chopped up some peaches and plums, threw them in a pot with some fresh apple juice, a stick of cinnamon, and a few cloves.  I let it simmer for a bit, then started mashing.  I followed the remaining instructions from the pectin box.  I also have a Ball's Blue Book, which is helpful.  Here is my mini-bounty and my baby step toward learning to preserve food for my family!

Popcorn Balls

I have been wanting to post all week, but we have been going and doing so much lately.  I started keeping a list by the computer so that when I would think of things to post, I could keep them for later when I had time to post! 

As a funny side for the day, my mom called and said that she wasn't able to read my blog from work any longer...my blog has been blocked.  I told her that they (computer gurus at work) probably didn't like the content.  I am sure it is considered "religious fanaticism".  How funny!  It gave me a good laugh for the day.

Popcorn Balls
We did take some time out this week to enjoy the cooler weather and make a yummy snack.  Now this one is not on the "healthy" list, and I didn't even try to make it healthier with honey or anything.  I just let everyone enjoy a treat!  Yum!  Here is the recipe I followed...

2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 quarts popped corn

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring gently, until sugar dissolves.  Cook over medium heat, without stirring, to hard ball stage (254°). Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.  Pour over popcorn, stirring well with a wooden spoon.  Grease hands with butter and shape popcorn into balls.  (We didn't make it this far, we just put it on a plate and ate it without forming balls)  Can you tell how much they like popcorn balls?

Alfredo Pizza

I made pizza last night.  I wanted to try my dry, non-flavorful cheese out on pizza.  It worked great, I just added some salt on top of it after grating it over the pizza.  I wanted to share my famous alfredo topping with some variations...

Alfredo Pizza
First, make an alfredo sauce by melting 1/4 stick butter in a sauce pan.  Add in a couple of garlic cloves, chopped.  Saute them for a few minutes, then add in a cup of cream.  I also add in a bit of salt.  Simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens up a bit (it won't be thick, but just somewhat reduced).  Turn off the heat and add in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Stir a couple of minutes and pour over rolled out pizza dough.  Top with mozzarella cheese and bake as normal.  Note, I use a stone bar pan rather than pizza stone, because the sauce has a tendency to drip--yum!

Pesto Alfredo
Same as above, except add about 1/2 fresh pesto.  I used 2 c. fresh basil, 3 garlic cloves, 1/3 lightly toasted pine nuts, 1/3 c olive oil.  If I am going to add this to alfredo sauce, I don't add in the parmesan, as the alfredo sauce already has some in it.

Spinach Alfredo
Using the plain alfredo sauce, I top the pizza with chopped fresh spinach (baby spinach works best).  I then add the mozzarella on top.  The kids love it!

Fresh Tortillas and a Quick Pizza Dinner

Tonight I didn't plan ahead for dinner, so at 5:00 I was scrambling to come up with something to feed my hungry clan.  I decided to make a quick batch of tortillas and then pulled out some sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella and made some cute little "pizzas".  My soon to be 5 year old was the official helper for the night.  She loves to help make tortillas, especially rolling out the dough.  She managed to get one tortilla to look like Africa.  Here is my little helper, Maddie...
A quick story to go along with my tortilla making.  When my husband and I first married, I knew how to cook absolutely nothing.  I tried my hand at cooking hamburger meat, stuck the whole package into a large pot of boiling water.  Since I had no idea what spices were for, I am sure my tacos were somewhat bland, to say the least!  After we had been married about a year, my husband joined the Air Force and left to basic training for 6 weeks.  During this time, I stayed with my in-laws.  My mother-in-law decided it was time for me to learn the basics, and to her, tortillas are the basics.  Once my husband finished basic, he went on to a technical school where I joined up with him.  I was so proud of my newfound skills, that I brought him elaborate meals each day for lunch.  Boy were the other airmen eyeing his meal.  He was so glad to have some flavor back in his diet.  My kids were looking at old pictures of us when we first got married.  One of them mentioned how skinny we both were.  I told them that was because mama didn't know how to cook back then!

So here is my quick and easy tortillas recipe.  It does take practice, but so worth it when you get to eat a hot buttery tortilla.  You will need to get a comál (round cast iron griddle) and a small 6-8 in long rolling pin. A 1 in dowel cut down to 8 in long will work perfectly.  I should have taken pictures tonight, but I forgot to.  I will try to add them in sometime.

2 c. whole wheat flour (I used spelt, but pastry flour would work well)
1 c. white flour
1/4-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/3 c. oil (I used olive, but others would work)
1 c. hot water

Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add in oil and mix with hands until it is crumbly.  Pour in the water and mix fairly quickly.  Form a ball and knead the dough, turning over the top edge, pushing dough down, then turning a quarter turn and repeating.  Once the dough becomes smooth on the bottom, you can turn it over and give it a rest.  I then pinch off golf ball sizes of dough.  To get the balls uniform in size, I make a circle with my left thumb and forefinger.  I push a piece of dough up through this circle and when I get the size of ball I want, I pinch it off by squeezing the thumb and forefinger closed.  I take the dough and starte rolling it in a ball.  I keep my left hand stationery, and cup my right hand.  I use my right thumb to shape the ball as I am rolling it.  The goal is to get a nice smooth finish on your little ball.  It makes rolling uniform tortillas much easier.  Once you roll your little dough balls, I line them up on a clean kitchen towel, then flip over the other end to cover my little ball of dough.  I let thems set for a few minutes to dry the top out a bit so it won't be sticky.  

Once I am ready to begin cooking, I put my comál on medium heat.  I take one one ball and place it on the counter where I was kneading the dough.  If you don't wash off the counter after kneading, it keeps the tortillas from sticking as you roll them out.  When you roll them out, place the bottom of your dough ball on the counter.  Don't ever flip the tortilla over as you are rolling it out.  I just roll up and down, then turn a quarter turn, roll up and down, turn, roll, turn.  Once I am happy with my "perfectly" round tortilla, I again place it bottom side down onto the griddle.  Once bubbles begin to appear as my tortilla cooks, I flip it over.  After it has cooked and browned a little on that side, I flip it over again - back to the original side.  I let it cook a bit on this side, hoping it will puff up as much as possible (this makes softer tortillas).  While one tortilla is cooking, I roll out another to have ready.  You want to keep tortillas on the comál at all times, so it doesn't get too hot.  Once your tortilla is cooked, I place them in a pile between a folded kitchen towel.  It keeps them warm and the moisture keeps them soft.  When I am ready to store them, I put them in a plastic bag and keep them in my bread basket.  You can put them in the fridge, but they get a bit hard.  To warm them back up, just turn on the comál and heat them on both sides for a bit.

Gaining Weight...Ouch!

I have been blessed to be fairly slim my whole life.  The last couple of years, we have really changed our eating habits and now eat a more "whole foods" diet.  I grind our grain for breads, we eat oats and brown rice for breakfast, lots of fruits and veggies, and raw milk.  However, I have noticed over the last year or so that I have really started to put on weight.  I have tried cutting back on the amounts I eat, but have not seen a change in weight loss.  I feel like I am pretty active, but I did start taking long bike rides with the kids in the evenings just to try to boost the weight loss.  I am also still nursing my 2 year old several times a day. 

I don't want to be vain and focus solely on my outer body, but I feel that sometimes it is difficult to tell others about how great eating healthy can be, when it has caused me to gain weight.  I know there is much more to being "healthy" than how much you weigh, but to the world this is their gage.  I know that there are several programs out there to help with weight loss, I just feel that I don't want to focus too much on my weight.  Maybe I am wrong, or in denial, but I don't want to become a slave to eating certain foods or in a certain way - in other words, I don't want my weight to become a roller coaster as I struggle to follow a certain plan. 

I would love to hear your practical solutions.  Also, I have always read that it is so easy to lose weight while nursing, but did any of you have the opposite problem...being unable to lose as you are nursing (or at least lose as much as you wanted)?  Any scriptures of encouragement in this area would also be appreciated!

Blessings!
Jasmine

Give me some suggestions on freezer contents...

We finally bought a freezer this week...now what?  I am planning on making lots of salsa to freeze, as well as some dishes to have on had.  We didn't grow a garden this year because we knew we would be gone alot this summer.  I thought about going to a u-pick-em berry patch, as I am also wanting to practice canning.  What are some suggestions for making the most of my freezer?

Family Reunion Recipes

Here is my treasure find from our family reunion:

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches (I love these, but never made them because I thought they had to be made with Velveeta.  I was so please when my great-aunt served these delicious/healthier sandwiches!)

3 cups finely grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
2 4oz jars diced pimiento, drained

Combine all ingredients and serve as a sandwich, to stuff celery, or as a dip.

Chicken Salad

4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup mayo
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper

Combine and chill 1 hour before serving (taste even better after 24 hours).

Goodbye Suzanne - a recipe in honor of you!

My best friend is moving today.  So is the life of a military spouse, I guess.  I have known Suzanne for a little less than 2 years, but it seems like forever.  She will be driving across the US today with her sister and four kids, from CA to OH.  I pray God will cross our paths once again.  In honor of her, I wanted to post a recipe she had given me.  She has a gift of hospitality and brought this wonderful meal to me when I was in need.  Thank you Lord for the many blessings Suzanne has bestowed on our family!

Chicken and Rice Curry  (this is very mild, not spicy at all)

2 cups chicken, cooked and cut in pieces (I like to cook mine with garlic)
3 cups brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup celery
1 cup apples
2-3 green onions

Sauce (mix ingredients together in bowl):
1 cup mayonaise
3/4 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients together and mix with sauce.  Can be served in tortillas as a wrap.  Enjoy! 

Yummy Lentil and Rice recipe

This is an adaptation of Sue Gregg's lentil and rice casserole.  My version is not necessarily a recipe, but rather instructions.  I rarely use exact measurements, so it is hard to tell how much of each I put in. 

2 cups brown rice
2 cups lentils
salt
dried basil
soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
1/2 chopped onion
cheddar cheese

I cover and soak the lentils and rice with water and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar for a few hours.  I add in some salt, dried basil, soy sauce (maybe a tablespoon), and half an onion.  You could also add in chopped carrots or zucchini.  I add more water, cover and bake for 1 1/2-2 hours at 350°.  Keep an eye on your water level and how tender the lentils are becoming.  Sometimes you might have to add more water as you cook it, or cook it a bit longer if the lentils are still not soft.  When it is done, I fold in a couple of cups of cheddar cheese, sometime parsley if I have it.  My kids also like to eat it wrapped up in a tortilla.