Marinara Sauce with Canning Instructions

Having jars of ready made sauce on hand can make dinner a cinch! Simply boil your favorite pasta, prepare salad, open sauce...
However, some grocery store pasta sauces have high fructose corn syrup, msg, and a boat load of other unhealthy ingredients, making your own is simple and healthy. If you don't want to can it then just freeze it in jars or ziploc bags.

Ingredients:
Amounts will vary according to how much you want to make and the size of the pot. It really is one of those "throw it in and taste it" things. Trust me!
Tomatoes
Onions
Garlic
Italian seasoning blend or basil, oregano, thyme
Salt
Olive oil
Tomato paste if you want it thick
Optional:
a splash of white wine
parsley
a chopped carrot
chopped celery stalk
For Trim Healthy Mamas omit the olive oil so you don't mix carbs with fat.  And be sure to use Dreamfields Pasta to fit the low-carb plan.
In a large pot, over medium high heat, put about 3 tablespoons olive oil and saute the onions, carrots and celery if using, when tender add the garlic, stir occasionally.

If using wine, add before tomatoes, it will bring up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot which add a lot of flavor.
Add all other ingredients, season to taste, in a 6 quart pot I usually use 3-4 tablespoons of dry herbs and 2 teaspoons salt.

If it tastes too acidic then add a bit more olive oil.
From here you can serve over pasta, bag and freeze, or can.

To can, ladle into clean, sterile jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. adjust two piece caps. Process 35 minutes in a boiling water canner. (According to the Ball Blue Book)

After 35 minutes, remove from canner, allow to rest undisturbed for 24 hours, then wash, and label. Store in a cool dark place.
A few additional suggested uses, sub sauce, pizza sauce, add chicken stock and cream for tomato soup. Don't forget this is great for dipping bread sticks or mozzarella cheese sticks into, yum.
Go have fun with it, the work is finished; just pop the lid and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Latkes

These were over the top tasty, perfectly crunchy exterior with a tender inside.
For my gluten free friends they have no gluten, just an egg to bind the ingredients, enjoy.
Make them tiny for appetizers or palm size for a side dish, either way delicious. Serve plain, with sour cream or applesauce (traditional), for breakfast with eggs, or dinner with chicken or brisket. If you are strict kosher use soy or rice sour cream.

The first night I made these I used 4 large russet potatoes and 1 small sweet potato, they were so good I barely made it to the table with any still on the plate. The forth night of Hanukkah I made them again but with zucchini in place of the sweet potato, just as good. I also used red onion to add a bit more color and a softer, more mellow onion flavor. I had not made latkes in years, but I will not be waiting long to make them again.
Ingredients (roughly):
2 pounds potatoes, starchier the better like russets
1 sweet potato
1 onion, red or other
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
oil for frying, olive or canola
Grate the potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.

 Drain in a colander, then place on a clean dry towel and roll up then twist to remove remaining liquid.

 Put into a mixing bowl with the onion, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well.

 Fry in about 1/2 inch of oil, if you are frying very many you will have to add more oil as you go.
I use about a 1/4 cup of potato mixture in each latke, they are easier to flip if they are small to medium, the larger you make them the more apt they are to fall apart as they are turned. 

 Drain on paper towels.

 

  I know you want one...

Apple Cider Cheese Cake--Perfect for Fall

Fall means apples here and the orchard up the road makes the best cider.
A week ago I boiled down 1/2 gallon of cider into 1 1/2 cups of cider syrup. I used this in some muffins giving them a wonderfully rich cider flavor but today a cheesecake was in order because my friend just had a baby and cheesecake is one of her favorite desserts. There will be no "finished", plated photo because the whole thing went for her family to enjoy despite the cries of protest from my own dear children, one would think they never had dessert!
The crust:
 3/4 of a bag of Archway Gingersnaps
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
Pulverize to crumbs in a food processor, the gingersnaps

 add sugar, pulse a few times to mix in,

 add butter, pulse.

Press into a 9x13" baking dish. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450F.
Filling:
3  8oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cider syrup, optional ( you can substitute regular cider )
Beat cream cheese until smooth,

Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and cider.

Pour into the crust and set aside.
Topping:
3-4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Toss together.

Sprinkle on top of the cheese filling.

Bake at 450F for 10 minutes then (without opening the door) turn down to 250F for another 30-35 minutes. It will still be soft when nudged but not jiggly or wet, it will solidify when cool.

 I always make a cheesecake a day ahead because it needs some time to cool completely and the flavors to build. This will freeze well, wrap when completely cool and freeze up to a couple months.
I am enjoying experimenting with the cider syrup, if you make it let me know what you try with it!

Salsa! Fresh or Canned Make it Now

When you saw the post title, did you start dancing? Your mouth might dance with happiness if you fill it with this yummy goodness.

We've been using this recipe for several years, 12 or so. If you want your salsa thicker just add some tomato paste until you have it the desired consistency, you can do this either before or after the canning process.
I got the original recipe from my friend Holly, she is an amazing cook! I made a few changes to suit my own preferences, like more garlic and fresh cilantro instead of dried.
Salsa:
Into a large stock pot or bowl, you are not going to cook it you just need something large enough to stir everything together.
16-18 pounds tomatoes, diced
6 onions, diced
jalapenos,diced finely to taste ( I use 4-6 )
6 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons lime juice, add the zest too if you like
1/4 cup minced cilantro (or more)
1/2 cup white vinegar
10 cloves garlic, minced

Stir together, can in quarts or pints, makes about 9-10 quarts, and , of course, twice as many pints.
Can in boiling water canner, 15 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.

Don't forget to have some fresh with chips while you can the rest! Or on top of some black beans and rice--add lots of cheese for me!
Last month I cooked some chicken breasts in the crock pot with a jar of salsa, after 6 hours on high I just stuck a fork in and broke them all up into a wonderful shredded chicken I used to fill tortillas for dinner.
Need some more ideas? Let me know.

Our Favorite Dill Pickle Recipe With Canning Instructions

For years I would ask around with in my husband's family for Granny's pickle recipe only to be told that Uncle Bud had it and no one else. Finally, Connie got it for me, I received it a few years ago and have been playing around with it every summer.

 If you like your dill pickles salty this is the recipe for you. Loads of dilly flavor, peppery and extra garlic (one of my additions).

This year my daughter picked up pickles at a produce auction.

There were some blackberries too but that's another story. We have a few of our own raspberry and blackberry bushes but we use a great deal more than we harvest so far.
Do your prep work first and canning anything is easy, lots of work but not difficult.
Make sure you have all your ingredients gathered.
Wash everything, jars, rings, canner and have all the new lids you will need, you don't want to run out part way through processing.
Here is the basic recipe that I have tweaked and use with very few variations at this point.
Brine:
1 cup canning/pickling salt (yes, it is different from table salt)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 gallon of purified water
Per quart jar:
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon dill seed or one whole dill stalk with leaves
2-5 garlic cloves, depending on size or how much you like garlic
I use these amounts for cucumbers, for banana peppers, I increase the garlic and pepper and decrease the dill. I play around with the spices for each different vegetable.
Prep:
Clean jars.

Clean cucumbers and peppers.

Heat brine, you will have to remake this several times depending on the amount you are canning. I know, it looks like a pot of water but really, it has the vinegar and salt in it too and is simmering that's why it appears blurry.

Sterilize the lids by simmering for just a couple minutes.

Halve, quarter or slice the cucumbers.

Seed the peppers and slice.

Fill the canner about half full, yes, I'm a "half full girl", and start the water heating. You want it about the same temperature as the brine so the jars won't crack. If it looks hot it is hot, not rocket science.
Fill jars with cucumbers and/or peppers.

Line up the full jars and add the spices.

Fill with hot brine to 1/2 inch from top, this is called head space.
Place lid on jar,

 screw on ring and place carefully in the canner.
Bring up to rolling boil then start timer for 10 minutes, no longer or you will have mushy pickles.
You must fill the canner or the jars will bump around and crack, if you don't have enough pickles for the last load in the canner then fill a jar with hot water and put it in to fill the empty space.
Remove jars with a jar lifter.

Place hot jars on a towel and leave, as in DO NOT MOVE THEM, over night. The lid should vacuum in and you will hear a little pop on each jar. If this does not happen then the jar did not seal for a variety of reasons, just place jar, once cool, in fridge and in 3 weeks, not before or it will taste like vinegar, eat them.
The next day, remove the rings, wash the sealed jars and label with date because you want to wait the same 3 weeks before opening. Always date the jars so next year you use the older ones up first.

 I am going to experiment with refrigerator pickles soon, I'll let you know.