Homemade Taco Sauce

I adapted this recipe from joyofkosher.com; its a great one and it really tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff.

A single recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

-8 oz. tomato sauce OR 1/4 cup tomato paste + 1/4 cup water + 1/8 tsp salt OR 16 oz. crushed tomatoes

-1/3 cup water {omit if using crushed tomatoes}

-1/4 tsp chili pepper

-1 1/2 tsp cumin

-1 1/2 tsp dry minced onion

-1 tbsp white vinegar

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp paprika

-1/4 tsp sugar

-1/4 tsp cayenne

Process:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. I used crushed tomatoes I canned from last summer's garden; so I ran the sauce through the food processor.

4. Cool and place in an airtight container and use or refrigerate for up to 1 week {or freeze and thaw as needed}.

If you have any extras, it would be great mixed in taco meat, pasta sauce, used as pizza sauce or in a mexican style soup!  Enjoy!

Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake

Someone posted this recipe on facebook, it was one of their grandmothers recipes; so of course I had to try it!  And it is an awesome recipe!

Ingredients for Cake:

-1 1/4 cups boiling water

-1 cup oatmeal

-1/2 cup shortening or butter, softened

-1 cup sugar

-1 tsp baking soda

-3/4 tsp cinnamon

-1 cup brown sugar

-1 tsp vanilla

-2 eggs

-1 1/2 cups flour

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp nutmeg

Ingredients for Caramel Frosting or Glaze:

-1 1/2 cups brown sugar

-2 tbsp butter

-3/4 cup milk or cream

-1/2 tsp vanilla

Process:

1. Pour boiling water over oatmeal, cover with a towel or a plate and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, beat shortening/butter with sugar until fluffy.
3. Add vanilla, eggs and baking soda, beat well.

4. Beat in salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

5. Beat in brown sugar.

6. Add soaked oatmeal and flour, mix well.

7. Pour batter into two 8 or 9 inch  greased cake pans or one 9 x 13 greased baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.
8. Cool at least 30 minutes or completely before cutting.

Prepare Frosting or Glaze:
1. Cook sugar and milk/cream until it reaches 235 degrees.
2. Add vanilla and butter.
*for glaze: serve at this point

For Frosting:
1. Cool completely and beat until it reaches spreading consistency.

Enjoy!

Canned Blueberry Jam

This is such a super recipe, I actually made this one last winter when we needed jam but I just can't get myself to buy jam anymore since I am always making it homemade.  

The original recipe makes about 3 pints.  I doubled the recipe, so I used 8 cups of berries; listed below are the ingredients for a single batch.  It uses frozen fruit so its awesome for winter!  I found this one from Food.com, the original recipe says to thaw and drain the berries, but I didn't.  

I also think you could use any single or combination of frozen fruit too! Enjoy!  This jam can be used as you would any other jam, or get creative and drizzle warmed jam over vanilla ice cream or fresh fluffy angel food cake! 

Ingredients:

-2 pints frozen blueberries {4 cups}

-2 tbsp lemon juice

-1 packet liquid pectin

-5 1/4 cups sugar

Process:

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.

2. Place frozen blueberries in a large pot.

3. Add sugar and lemon juice.

Stir to combine.

4. Turn on heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally until berries are thawed and the sugar begins to dissolve.

5. Stir in pectin and bring to a hard boil for 1 minute.

For a single batch you would use one of these pouches.

6. Remove from heat.

7. Ladle jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe rim, top with lid and ring.

8. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.
9. Remove to a wire rack or a clean kitchen towel.  Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Canned Clementine Marmalade

This past winter the family and I were loving the abundance of affordable tasty clementines available in all of the local grocery stores.  Like consuming 10-12 pounds of clementines a week, loving them!  But there came a time when I bought them and they just weren't disappearing from the basket as quickly.  

So, I decided to make some Canned Clementines also known as mandarin oranges in the canned fruit section of the grocery store and then I thought, oooh maybe some clementine jam?  and then I found and adapted this recipe.  And this is a very easy recipe to assemble since you don't have to peel the clementines!

Ingredients:

-about 3 lbs. seedless clementines {it doesn't need to be exactly 3 lbs; just around there}

-2 3/4 to 3 cups sugar {depending on how sweet you like it}

-4 tbsp lemon juice

Process:

1. Prepare water bath canner and jars.

2. Wash all clementines.  Quarter the whole clementines, checking each quarter for any seeds {they are supposed to be seedless, but is a watermelon ever really seedless?  No, and neither are all clementines}

3. Place quartered clementines into food processor.  

4. Pulse clementines until they are the texture you'd like.

5. Place sugar and lemon juice in a large pot, top with processed clementines.

6. Cook mixture over high heat until boiling.

7. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 50-60 minutes, uncovered.  Stir occasionally.

8. Ladle mixture into prepared canning jars, leaving about 1/4 inch headspace.  Place in prepared water bath and process for 5 minutes.  Remove jars to a wire rack of clean kitchen towel to seal and cool.

Enjoy!

Canned Blueberry Nectarine or Peach Jam

This is a fantastic recipe, the combo of blueberries and stone fruit is great.  I found this one from McDunn Jams, Jellies and Butters {although I wasn't able to find the original link}.

The great thing about this recipe is that its very versitle and you can mix and match the fruits as you wish.  You can also use fresh and/or frozen fruit.  I used fresh blueberries, local peaches and one pear to equal a total of abour 4 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

-4 to 4 1/2 cups fruit {I used 2 cups fresh blueberries, almost 2 cups chopped peaches(with the peel on) and one pear chopped, peel on}

-1 tbsp lemon juice

-7 cups sugar

-1/2 tsp butter, optional {I didn't use}

-1 pouch CERTO liquid fruit pectin

Process:

1. Prepare water bath canner.

2. Place prepared fruit into a large pot.  Stir in lemon juice.

3. Stir in sugar.  Heat pot over high heat.  Add the butter to minimize foaming, if desired. 

The sugar will begin to liquefy as it pulls the juices out of the fruit and heats up.

4. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly for as long as you like{the longer you boil the more broken down the fruit will get, I did mine for about 15 minutes}.

5. Stir in pectin and return to a full boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

6. Remove from heat.  Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.  Wipe clean and top with lids and rings; place in the prepared canner.  {Water should cover jar tops by at least one inch; add more boiling water if needed.}
7. Cover canner and process jars for 10 minutes.  Remove jars to a wire rack or clean kitchen towel to cool. 

Enjoy!

Smokey Zucchini Salsa

This recipe is a must for any one who has a plethora of zucchini and also does some canning.  The yield for this recipe is huge; I got 30 pint jars from one batch!

You'll need to prep and brine the vegetables overnight, so be sure to start this recipe when you know you'll have time to can it the following day.

This recipe is great for those larger zucchinis you may have missed in the garden.  Just half zucchinis lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.  You can also peel the zucchini if you like; I didn't bother, I like the extra color.

Liquid smoke can be found near the the barbecue and hot sauces in most grocery stores.  Or you can make your own homemade liquid smoke!

Tip:  I recommend placing a kitchen towel under your cutting board when cutting up lots of tomatoes...

This salsa is fantastic year round.  Its great with chips, tacos, enchiladas and really anything else!  It also makes an excellent addition to soups that call for salsa, like my Crockpot Taco Soup!

Ingredients:
-30 cups shredded zucchini
-12 small onions {or 6 to 8 large onions}
-6 green peppers, shredded
-6 red peppers, shredded
-3/4 cup canning salt
-3 tbsp dry mustard
-3 tbsp garlic powder
-3 tbsp cumin
-1 to 2 tbsp chili powder {I used 1 tbsp}
-3 tbsp liquid smoke
-5 cups white vinegar
-1 cup apple cider vinegar
-2 1/4 cups brown sugar
-2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
-10 to 15 jalapenos, chopped
-3 tsp ground pepper
-15 to 20 cups chopped ripe tomatoes {skins on}
-3 to 4 tbsp cornstarch
-3 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste

Process:
Day 1- 
Mix and Brine Vegetables:
1. Thoroughly mix shredded zucchini, onions, green and red peppers with canning salt in a very large bowl {or multiple bowls}.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2-
Cooking and Canning:
1. Prepare canning jars and lids.
2. Rinse and drain the zucchini mixture in batches.  Squeeze out the access moisture.
3. In a very large pot {I started with my two largest cooking pots and ended up switching to my canner} combine zucchini mixture with all remaining ingredients.

4. Bring salsa to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Pour salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space, wipe rims, top with lids and place in water bath.
6. Process jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
7. Remove canner lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
8. Remove jars from canner to a wire rack or clean kitchen towel.

9. Allow jars to cool and seal.

Enjoy!