Tomatoes Ready For Home Canning

Just a couple of weeks ago I was wondering if we would get any tomatoes off of our vines this year.

I was talking to my sister in law, Pennie, and she told me to cut back the tops of the plants so that the energy goes to the fruits and not the blossoms still trying to grow.

I did it and what a difference it has made to my plants.

I am getting tomatoes...enough that I am starting to can!

I have said it before and I will say it again,

I love this web site...

PickYourOwn.org

http://www.pickyourown.org/canning_tomatoes.htm

It will show you how to can tomatoes

blanch

peel and chop

the way I have always done tomatoes until last year.

This is when I made my best canning investments ever...

`

no more blanching or peeling...

it does it all.

clean tomatoes go in

turn the handle

out come the peels and seeds and all that is left is the juice.

I bring my tomato juice to a light boil adding a couple of small cans of tomato paste and  let it cook down until it is the thickness I like.

I add salt and place in the jars.

I hot water bath for 30 mins. (pints)

(If I do not add paste I will put a little lemon juice)

I am doing the tomatoes as they ripen, so they are small batches.

and it goes so fast that I can get a batch done while Celes takes her nap :o)

Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

I like this blog that I have just found...

She had this yummy recipe,

Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

6 single servings

How Yummy do these look!?

So, I looked at her recipe and off to work I went...

I cooked my noodles first (woops...not what she said to do)

I mixed my Alfredo Sauce up...

my recipe is a little ...No A LOT more fattening than hers.

My Alfredo Sauce has

2 blocks of cream cheese

1 cube of butter

1 qt of 1/2 & 1/2

flour

Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I boiled a package of bones skinless chicken breast (Smith's had them on sale for $ 1.99 lb.) with chopped onions, celery, seasonings until the chicken was nice and tender. (This makes a wonderful chicken broth to store in the fridge.)

After the chicken cooled I cut it into small pieces.

I started by putting some of my alfredo sauce in my pan, kind of like when you make enchiladas.

adding a spoonful of chicken.

Rolling the noodles nice and tight, with the seam on the bottom.

I started having family members coming in doing the "how much longer look",

so I combined most of my alfredo sauce to my chicken.

I still kept sauce in my pan to roll the chicken and noodles in.

With the remaining alfredo I pored on the top of my filled dish and topped with cheese.

Serving 16 chicken alfredo lasagna rolls.

Mine may not look as pretty as the "artsy-fartsy mama's.

But, boy they tasted good.

Good enough that the dish was empty when dinner was over.

Thanks, artsy-fartsy mama for a wonderful dinner idea.

Cheesecake Anyone!

"This is better than The Cheesecake Factory" is the comment that came from my nephew...

got to love him!!!

This is so easy...

pre - made graham cracker crust

I mix everything in my Kitchen-Aid
1 - 8oz Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
mix well
add:
regular tub of Cool Whip
and a little vanilla
mix well...
add to Crust
chill
SERVE: with cherries or blueberries or just plain

Can You Smell What The Oven Is Baking?

Few things make a home smell like home than fresh bread...

and Banana Nut Bread was in the oven today. Sliced while is is still warm!
My mom's
Banana Tea Bread Recipe

2 2/3 Cup Sugar
1 1/3 Shortening
Cream
add:
8 eggs
4 Cups mashed bananas
Stir until well mixed
add:
7 Cups Flour
8 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (or more)

Place in bread pans sprayed well with "Pam".
Bake 350*
1 hour 10 mins.

Surpise!!

My Sister-in-law know my vice for lemons and showed up with these...

OH MY GOSH They are soooo gooood! Here is her recipe:

Sorry, I had the wrong cookies on the picture!

Pam's Lemon and Zucchini Cookies

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter

2 Eggs

2 1/2 Cups Flour

1 1/2 Cups Shredded Zucchini

1/2 Cup Fine Chopped Nuts

1 teaspoon grated Lemon Peel

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Heat Oven to 375*

Mix Sugar, Butter, and Eggs.
Add remaining ingredients

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 - 10 mins. ( or until almost no indentation is left if touched)

Lemon Frosting:

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/4 Cup Butter (Softened)

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice or more to taste
1 Tablespoon Water

Mix all ingredients and frost

At It Again

Sweet Relish If you like sweet pickle relish you will LOVE this!

Zucchini Relish

10 Cups Zucchini (the big old ones work Great!)

4 Cups Chopped Onions (I used Walla Walla's and Reds)

2 Large Green Bell Pepers

2 Red Bell Peppers (just for the color) You can use Green if you want

In a Large Bowl (Plastic or Glass)

Grate Zucchini with skins on, add chopped onions and peppers

Add 1/3 Cup Canning Salt Mix together

Cover and put in fridge over night

Next Day:

Drain and Rinse with cold water

Add:

1 1/4 teaspoons temeric

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 Cup DARK vinegar

4 1/2 Cups Sugar

Bring to a boil. Boil for 25-30 mins. I get my bubbling and then turn down the heat. It scorches very easy!

Place in jars, and process in steamer for 20 mins. 10 lbs of pressure.

What To Do With Zucchini

Our garden is starting to take off, especially the zucchini plants. We have learned over the years that you only need 1 or 2 plants NOT 10 or 20. The joke use to be, "be sure you lock your car door at church or you will come out to it with a zucchini squash in the seat!" Anyway...I can only stand to eat boiled, steamed or fried squash for so many meals and then what do you do...I like zucchini bread but tonight I was in the mood for cookies. This recipe I found in 2002 on the website recipegoldmine. I love it and use it every year. So, enjoy!


Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup White Sugar
1 egg
Cream for 5 minutes
Add:
2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Mix
Add:
1 Cup Zucchini, peeled and grated
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Nuts

Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake 350* 12 – 15 minutes Makes 3 dozen

(I didn't have any choc. chips so I used M&M's they turned out just perfect!)

Homemade Fresh Potatoes and Peas

Kirk plants and takes such good care of our garden each year. Each evening when he gets home from work he spends at least an hour out in it. Pulling weeds, watering, and I believe secretly talking to it.
With the growning season a bit messed up in Idaho (we had snow in June!) we wondered if we would even get anything from our garden.

Tonight for dinner, he came in with our first profit from the garden, he proceeded to make homemade fresh potatoes and peas. OH MY GOSH, can I tell you, I could have ate several bowls of it.
I have said for the past 27 years that I married him because he was such a good cook, and he married me for lower car insurance.
Well, the proof is in the bowl. I wish I could send the aroma to you. He is a "dump and taste" kind of cook so the recipe would be:

boil fresh potates
add peas
boil with milk and make a flour rue.
Salt, pepper to taste
ENJOY!