Home Canned Salsa

 Home Canned Salsa

This is, by far, the best home canned salsa recipe I have found yet.  Credit must be given to www.cookingwithkrista.blogspot.com as I used her recipe.

1 gallon diced tomatoes, I peeled mine, but you don't have to.
2 to 5 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 to 3 onions, chopped
2 to 3 bell peppers, chopped
1 to 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 can (4 oz.) of chopped green chilies
11 ounces ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
2 to 4 tablespoons salt to your taste

Combine everything in a large cook pot.  Bring to boil, then simmer 30 to 40 minutes.  Pack into hot sterilized jars, top with hot sterilized lids and water bath for 25 minutes.

 I got 18 cups of salsa from this recipe.

 Just starting to cook here.

After a 30 minute simmer.
This recipe was super easy and the finished product is very delicious!  Hope you enjoy and Thanks to Krista for the great recipe.

Candied Jalapenos

You need:
3 pounds of fresh jalapeno peppers, washed well
2 cups vinegar, cider vinegar is best but you can use half cider half white or all white
6 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons garlic powder OR 3 fresh cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground

Wear gloves to slice your peppers.  DO NOT skip wearing gloves.  I'll say it again, wear gloves!  Remove the stems and slice jalapeno peppers about a 1/4 inch thick or whatever you like best and set them aside.

In a large pot, add vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, garlic and cayenne pepper.  Stir to mix well and  bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the jalapeno slices and let simmer 4 to 5 minutes.  Using a "holey" spoon transfer the peppers into hot clean sterilized jars leaving about 1/4 inch at top.  Bring the syrup mixture back up to a rolling boil and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and ladle syrup into the jars over the jalapenos.  You may need to tap the jars to release air bubbles.

Wipe the rims clean with a folded paper towel dipped in boiling water to clean and top with lids & rings.  I had leftover syrup that I also canned.  Hot water bath your jars for 10 minutes.  Remove from bath and let stand overnight.  Remove lid rims, wash jars and rims to remove any water residue.  I have hard water so this step is important to keep the integrity of the rings and lids.  Let the peppers age at least a couple of weeks before eating; longer aging is better.  I only got 6 half pints from this recipe, but I didn't  weigh my jalapenos, just eyeballed them.  I also got three half pints of "jalapeno honey" or leftover syrup.  I will use this in marinades and salad dressings for a good kick.  I will definitely make this again....I have plenty of peppers to use up!

NOTE:  During this whole process, do not touch your face and eyes!  As soon as I was done I took a shower to prevent any unnecessary accidental burning of face and eyes.

Homemade Wine - 1 gallon recipes

Photo here shows apple jack and red (grape).

What you need:
Equipment:
a gallon jug - I prefer glass
an airlock - cheap on amazon
a drilled stopper - photo below
a funnel
a large bowl
siphon tube
bottles

Ingredients:
For Apple Jack Wine - Packs a punch!
6 cups sugar
2 containers of apple juice concentrate, thawed
water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon yeast - I used champagne yeast
more recipes below

In a large bowl add sugar, juice concentrate, spices and a quart of warm water.  Stir and mix well making sure the sugar is dissolved.  Using the funnel, pour this mixture into your clean gallon jug.  Add yeast and stir well.  Fill remainder of jug with water leaving about 3 inches at the top.  Stir well.  Place stopper/airlock on top and store in a dark cool place.  Remember to add water to your airlock to the indicator line.  The amount of time it takes for your wine to finish will depend on the conditions where it is stored.  Mine usually takes 30 to 60 days.  You will know it is done when you can no longer see bubbles traveling up the side of the jug.
Siphon off the wine into clean bottles (there are lots of videos on youtube that show you how to do this), you can reuse bottles you don't have to buy new ones.  I prefer the screw top bottles the best...corks are hard to work with.  You can drink the wine right away, but it will improve with age.  If you don't have a tube to siphon off your wine, you can strain it through paper towels, however, tubing is really cheap and a lot less messy.  Discard the sediment at the bottom of the jug.
NOTE: I do not purchase any of the other things you can add to your wine to help clear it up or anything else, I don't think it is necessary.

 I store mine in the pantry.  Here I'm making Peach/Pineapple and Cherry/Tangerine.

 Early stages with lost of bubbles!

I like Red Star yeast.  Each packet is actually for 5 gallons.  I just measure out what I need, tightly seal the packet, place in a ziplock bag and store in the fridge until I need to use more.

More recipes:
Red (Grape) Wine
6 cups sugar
2 containers of grape juice concentrate, thawed
water
1/4 teaspoon yeast.

Cherry/Tangerine
1 quart of frozen cherries
the juice of one tangerine
6 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon yeast

Peach/Pineapple
1 quart pineapple juice
2 - 15 oz cans peach slices with juice pulverized in blender
6 cups sugar
water
1/4 teaspoon yeast

 I like this style of stopper best.  I ordered it from amazon...very cheap!

Tubing to siphon off your wine.

HOMEMADE HOOCH WINE - NO YEAST NEEDED!
This is how I became interested in making wine.  I found this recipe on the internet and gave it a try.  It is super simple and the results were very good.  I have used apples, peaches, strawberries and green grapes.  All were good.

To a gallon jug add 6 cups sugar and 6 cups fresh or frozen fruit.  If you use fresh fruit you will need to chop it.  If you use grapes, just slice them in half.  Fill jug with water, leaving about 2 inches and stir well.  Put a lid on and stir everyday for 30 to 45 days.  You will begin to see the magic happen.  Strain the wine through paper towels and bottle.  Good right away, but became stronger as it aged.
I made mine in half gallon canning jars because they were easy to find and had a wide mouth.  I suggest that wherever you decide to store this mix you place a pan under the jars or put them inside a tub.  As time goes on the mixture can fizz over when you stir it.  Discard the sediment and fruit.  Don't eat the fruit...you'll regret it!

Scones

I call these "any ingredient" scones because I have made many different varieties using this as a base recipe with good results every time.

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2 cups plus 1 Tablespoon flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of your ingredient - I used chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon flour
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup half and half or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, mix the first 4 ingredients, no sifting required.

Place your ingredient into a bowl and add 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour and mix.  Place in the freezer until needed.  Here I used chocolate chips.  Frozen fruit works beautifully.  I have also used pecans and cubes of cheese.  The cheese scones are out of the world!

To your dry mix, add 6 Tablespoons cold butter cut into chunks.  Using a pastry cutter or a fork cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are incorporated and are small.

Measure out 1 cup of half and half and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.
You can use regular milk, but will have to use less than a cup or your mix will be too wet.
Add the half and half/vanilla to the flour mix and stir until barely incorporated.  Add your ingredient, stir to mix and turn out onto a large piece of floured waxed paper.  Using the was paper to help you, fold the mixture onto it self three or four times then pat it into a circle.

Cut with a pizza cutter or knife.  Place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and top each piece with a small square of butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.  You can also bake them in a toaster over but the cooking time may be less, you will need to keep an eye on them.

Frito Corn Salad

1 can whole kernal corn, drained

2 jalapenos, fresh or canned, chopped

1/2 red or white onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper any color will do, chopped

1 bag of your favorite shredded cheese

1 to 1.5 cups mayo

1/2 to 1 bag of Chili Cheese Fritos

Mix well and serve.  If you are making it for later or the next day, do not add the Fritos until right before serving or they will become soggy.  This is a staple at our family cookouts!  Super easy and delicious. Enjoy.

Golden Salad Dressing

Golden Salad Dressing
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's dressing of the same name.  While her dressing is good, I find it to be too sweet for me so I tweaked it a bit to suit my taste.

In a 1/2 pint jar add:
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
The juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon, tangerine or orange.
Salt to taste, a good pinch
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Put the lid on the jar and shake well until blended.  What you have is a fantastic dressing for a fancy salad or just lettuce alone.  So good you could drink it!  I used an orange or tangerine that looks more like a blood orange that I bought at Wal-Mart.  I can't remember what the label said they were but it said they were supposed to have the hint of raspberry with a blushed skin.  Whatever they are, they are really good but not neccessary for this recipe.  It works equally well with a lemon, tangerine or orange. 

After a good mix:

On top of my salad.  Romaine lettuce with orange wedges.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning

Stop buying those expensive packages of fajita seasoning and make your own!  Most people have all of the following spices in their cabinets already so put them to use.

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix together and rub on your meat.  Let meat marinate for at least an hour before cooking.  I have used this with beef and pork with great results and to make it even better I place the meat (beef or pork roast or skirt steak, whatever I'm using) in a ziplock bag.  Pour mixed seasoning over meat and add 1/2 to 2/3 cup Italian dressing, seal the bag and move the meat around to get good coverage.  Place in the fridge overnight or at least a few hours.  Remove from bag and place in crockpot on high until it is done, this will depend on the size of roast you are using.  To shorten the crockpot cook time you can cube the roast first.  Meat should pull apart easily when done.  If you are using steak you can grill or pan saute.  The Italian dressing really helps breakdown the meat making it super tender.  I haven't tried it with chicken yet, but its sure to be good!