I love bread and butter pickles. My husband isn't a big fan, but I am addicted to them. So last night while I was in the pickling mood, I decided to try my hand at these wonderful sandwich toppers. Came out really well. The recipe that follows is for six jars (half pint) of pickles.
Bread and Butter Pickles
2 pickling cucumbers
3 cups apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons powdered mustard or turmeric
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1. in a large sauce pan, combine cider vinegar, powdered mustard or turmeric, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and celery seed. Bring to a boil.
2. cut up pickling cucumbers into thin slices. Place them into cleaned pint sized canning jars.
3. carefully pour hot vinegar over pickles leaving 1/4 of an inch from the top. I go by the line where the lid screws on.
4. carefully screw on the tops of the jars and set aside.
I found that I didn't need a hot water bath to seal my jars. As they cooled, they sealed themselves. Also I found that the thinner pickles got cooked faster in the hot vinegar, but some of the thicker sliced ones, I cut them up by hand, took a little longer. But I personally like a crunchy pickle on my sandwiches, so this was fine. However, if you find that your jars aren't sealing themselves, you can certainly put them in a hot water bath.
To do this, and you really don't need a lot of special equipment for this, just grab your biggest pasta pan and place the jars into the bottom. Carefully fill the pan with water to just above the jars. Bring water to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using tongs, very carefully remove the jars from hot water bath and place on a clean towel. Allow to cool completely. You may be able to hear the jars popping as they seal. If you don't hear anything, go back in a half hour to an hour and push down on the top. They shouldn't spring back if they sealed correctly. If they did not, you may need to use a new lid and try again. But before you do that, let them cool for another half hour and try again.
Now place all the jars in a cool dark place, like a pantry and forget about them! Seriously, forget you have them. When you go into your pantry in the middle of the winter looking for something to put on your sandwich you will be surprised to see your own homemade pickles waiting to be eaten. I found these aren't as sweet as the ones from the store, but for me, that is perfect. If you want sweeter, just adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. Now enjoy your pickles!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Pickled Jalapenos
My husband absolutely loves pickled jalapenos on his sandwiches. Everytime we go to Subway, that is what he puts on his sandwich. So he inspired me to make picked jalapenos today. For lunch/dinner, I made steak which I sliced thin and put on a hard roll. I topped that with mozzarella cheese and he sprinkled on the habinero sauce. When he asked me if we had pickled jalapenos, of course I said no. After feeding our daughter, we went shopping, picked out two pounds of peppers and I got to work making this recipe after I had bathed my little one and got her off to bed.
Pickled Jalapenos
2 pounds of jalapenos
5 cups of vinegar
5 teaspoons sea salt
5 teaspoons powdered mustard or turmeric
canning jars.
1. In a large sauce pan, boil water with your canning jars and your lids. Boil them for a few minutes to sanitize the jars. Carefully remove with tongs and lay on a towel.
2. Wash your jalapenos and slice them thinly. Place all the jalapenos in the sanitized jars. Make sure to leave at least 1/4 of an inch from the top of the jar. I go by the lid line.
3. Boil the vinegar, sea salt or kosher salt, powered mustard or turmeric in a large saucepan. Once it reaches the boiling point, carefully pour the mixture into the glass jars. Make sure to just cover the jalapenos . Now seal the lid on the jars. As they cool, they should start to seal.
Now enjoy. Once they are cool, make sure to store in a cool dry place. Should keep about 6 months to a year.
HINTS:
*** This recipe will fill about 5 jars.
*** I didn't have turmeric so I substituted with mustard which is why both are listed
*** I used sea salt because I didn't have kosher salt. I understand that regular table salt will turn everything a muddy brown. I will let you know if it does.
Pickled Jalapenos
2 pounds of jalapenos
5 cups of vinegar
5 teaspoons sea salt
5 teaspoons powdered mustard or turmeric
canning jars.
1. In a large sauce pan, boil water with your canning jars and your lids. Boil them for a few minutes to sanitize the jars. Carefully remove with tongs and lay on a towel.
2. Wash your jalapenos and slice them thinly. Place all the jalapenos in the sanitized jars. Make sure to leave at least 1/4 of an inch from the top of the jar. I go by the lid line.
3. Boil the vinegar, sea salt or kosher salt, powered mustard or turmeric in a large saucepan. Once it reaches the boiling point, carefully pour the mixture into the glass jars. Make sure to just cover the jalapenos . Now seal the lid on the jars. As they cool, they should start to seal.
Now enjoy. Once they are cool, make sure to store in a cool dry place. Should keep about 6 months to a year.
HINTS:
*** This recipe will fill about 5 jars.
*** I didn't have turmeric so I substituted with mustard which is why both are listed
*** I used sea salt because I didn't have kosher salt. I understand that regular table salt will turn everything a muddy brown. I will let you know if it does.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Mint Ice Cream
I got this recipe from a frozen yogurt machine and I think this will work for what I want to do. The recipe was for vanilla ice cream but I am tweaking the recipe to fit the way I want. Also remember, in my case, I am tripling the recipe for my ice cream machine. The recipe is for 24 ounces of mixture. You can double it or make as much as you would like.
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teasspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon milk extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Alright, the first thing you are going to want to do is make sure you read the instructions on your machine. Mine didn't have instructions because I got it from someone else, but overall, it still worked ok. Wasn't perfect and my husband and I struggled with this machine, but we still did it.
Now, also remember to have plenty of ice in the house, and get some salt. Typically, if you are using a machine that uses ice and salt, the instructions usually recommend using rock salt. I however find that course sea salt works just as well.
Once you have the ice, salt and you've read your instructions, freeze the can or bowl you are using to make the ice cream in. Then gather all your ingredients. Mix everything together into a large bowl except for the chocolate chips.
As I stated, I decided that I wanted to triple this recipe because my husband really likes this flavor. So that's what we did. I tripled everything so again, make sure if you are making more than the recipe to adjust as needed. The above recipe will make 24 ounces of ice cream.
Once all your ingredients are mixed, I like to put mine ice cream mix into the fridge just to chill it a bit. Once your ice cream bowl is frozen, usually over 24 hours to freeze if the rule of thumb, put your bowl into your ice cream machine. Layer ice and salt around the canister, and allow your ice cream to churn. I found that it took about 40 minutes or so to get a soft serve type of freeze going.
Once you get the soft serve type of freeze, carefully add the chocolate chips into the mixture and mix for another few minutes. Take a clean container and pour your ice cream into the container. Now put it in the freezer and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours before serving to company or enjoying a bowl.
Tips:
I don't use eggs in my ice cream but if you are going to use a custard based ice cream recipe, please make sure to slowly add your hot mixture to your eggs to temper them before you pour the eggs into the hot pan. If you don't you will get scrambled eggs, not a nice custard.
Secondly, if you notice that your ice is melting too fast, you can add more ice to the container. However, if your ice cream is freezing too fast, take some ice out.
If you find that your ice cream isn't freezing properly, you can substitute the heavy cream with half and half or regular whole milk. I am going to try that the next time I make this ice cream.
Always remember to allow your mixture to chill in the fridge and the canister your making the ice cream in to freeze overnight. This will help you churn the ice cream a lot faster. Also if you are using a custard recipe instead of the one above, you are going to want it to cool completely before trying to make ice cream out of it.
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teasspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon milk extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Alright, the first thing you are going to want to do is make sure you read the instructions on your machine. Mine didn't have instructions because I got it from someone else, but overall, it still worked ok. Wasn't perfect and my husband and I struggled with this machine, but we still did it.
Now, also remember to have plenty of ice in the house, and get some salt. Typically, if you are using a machine that uses ice and salt, the instructions usually recommend using rock salt. I however find that course sea salt works just as well.
Once you have the ice, salt and you've read your instructions, freeze the can or bowl you are using to make the ice cream in. Then gather all your ingredients. Mix everything together into a large bowl except for the chocolate chips.
As I stated, I decided that I wanted to triple this recipe because my husband really likes this flavor. So that's what we did. I tripled everything so again, make sure if you are making more than the recipe to adjust as needed. The above recipe will make 24 ounces of ice cream.
Once all your ingredients are mixed, I like to put mine ice cream mix into the fridge just to chill it a bit. Once your ice cream bowl is frozen, usually over 24 hours to freeze if the rule of thumb, put your bowl into your ice cream machine. Layer ice and salt around the canister, and allow your ice cream to churn. I found that it took about 40 minutes or so to get a soft serve type of freeze going.
Once you get the soft serve type of freeze, carefully add the chocolate chips into the mixture and mix for another few minutes. Take a clean container and pour your ice cream into the container. Now put it in the freezer and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours before serving to company or enjoying a bowl.
Tips:
I don't use eggs in my ice cream but if you are going to use a custard based ice cream recipe, please make sure to slowly add your hot mixture to your eggs to temper them before you pour the eggs into the hot pan. If you don't you will get scrambled eggs, not a nice custard.
Secondly, if you notice that your ice is melting too fast, you can add more ice to the container. However, if your ice cream is freezing too fast, take some ice out.
If you find that your ice cream isn't freezing properly, you can substitute the heavy cream with half and half or regular whole milk. I am going to try that the next time I make this ice cream.
Always remember to allow your mixture to chill in the fridge and the canister your making the ice cream in to freeze overnight. This will help you churn the ice cream a lot faster. Also if you are using a custard recipe instead of the one above, you are going to want it to cool completely before trying to make ice cream out of it.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Update on Boston Baked Beans
Around 12 last night, I got mad that my beans hadn't softened. I put them back into the slow cooker once again figuring that they would soften up if they just had some more time. But I was tired so my husband told me not to keep cooking them overnight. I turned off the heat and let them soak in their hot juices.
To my surprise, I woke up and while a few still refused to soften up, most had finally absorbed the liquid. But just to be on the safe side, I boiled the beans for another hour. Hubby thinks they are some of the best beans he has eaten. I am glad that he likes them. Now the true test. Bring them home for my family's labor day picnic and see how they go over. My family are picky eaters, so if they are praised, its like winning an award for the greatest beans.
Meanwhile, I had soaked another pound of beans overnight in my barbecue liquid. They are now boiling away at the stove and will be cooking all day. When I get home from my picnic, hopefully, the beans will be soft and ready to eat.
UPDATE:
My beans were not the hit I had hoped they would be at the picnic. Everyone said they had great flavor but they were still hard. So my mother was left with a huge container of beans left that she is going to have to boil down. Oh well. This is a great learning experience for me because now I know that I need to either find new beans, soak them more or boil them a bit more. I will experiment more.
To my surprise, I woke up and while a few still refused to soften up, most had finally absorbed the liquid. But just to be on the safe side, I boiled the beans for another hour. Hubby thinks they are some of the best beans he has eaten. I am glad that he likes them. Now the true test. Bring them home for my family's labor day picnic and see how they go over. My family are picky eaters, so if they are praised, its like winning an award for the greatest beans.
Meanwhile, I had soaked another pound of beans overnight in my barbecue liquid. They are now boiling away at the stove and will be cooking all day. When I get home from my picnic, hopefully, the beans will be soft and ready to eat.
UPDATE:
My beans were not the hit I had hoped they would be at the picnic. Everyone said they had great flavor but they were still hard. So my mother was left with a huge container of beans left that she is going to have to boil down. Oh well. This is a great learning experience for me because now I know that I need to either find new beans, soak them more or boil them a bit more. I will experiment more.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Comments
This post is just to let everyone know that I love comments from readers. Tell me what you like about my post, what you think I can change about my post and things you would like to see in my post. And if you really like my posts, please, pass my blog address along to friends and family. Thanks. Arlene
Boston Baked Beans 1
The other day, I acquired a new slow cooker and deep fryer. I was so excited because now, I could make my husband deep fried bacon and not worry about making a mess of my good pans. But before I even deep fried him up some bacon, I was reading the directions and came across a recipe for Boston Baked Beans. I thought this was great since I am trying to start making my own foods from scratch. My daughter and I have food allergies and other illnesses so I thought to start making food from scratch would mean I could control what was going into our diet.
So I was really excited to try to make some Boston Baked Beans. Now, I thought the recipe was going to be easy, but I can tell you, after nine hours of trying to get my beans to soften, I am wondering if this was a smart idea. I have used Great Northern Beans, which are white. I read that they didn't need to be soaked. Don't listen to the recipe. SOAK the beans.
Ok, so after reading the recipe, I gathered all my ingredients and started to work. I followed the directions to a tee, but didn't use bacon or onions in the beginning. (I still haven't added the bacon, but with a few minor alterations on my part, I don't think it really needs any bacon.) Of course, when it comes to cooking, I can be a bit...impatient. I like to see results fast. If you are like this, a word of caution. Patience is a virtue.
Instead of bringing my beans to a boil and reducing the heat, I left them to boil for an hour, and didn't check them often. BIG mistake. I came back into the kitchen to find the pot boiled over! There was a mess everywhere and my husband had to help me clean up everything.
After six hours of slow cooking these beans, I had my husband test them. STILL crunchy! I scratched my head and wondered what happened to my beans that should have been ready to eat. So, feeling frustrated, I decided to add more water and switch them to cook on the stove. Now that worked a little. After boiling them for another three hours on the stove and adding five more cups of water, the beans had started to soften a bit and finally started to take on the color of the sauce, a nice deep brown color from the molasses.
It is now 10:30 pm. My beans have been cooking since 1:30 this afternoon and they still need to cook more as they are hard. So I put them back into the slow cooker and am planning on letting them go overnight and see what happens when I wake up.
Meanwhile, I decided to try my patience again, by soaking another bag of Great Northern beans. After soaking them for three hours, I transfered them to a pot on the stove with all the ingredients to allow them to soak overnight. Then I will boil them tomorrow and see what happens. Will post tomorrow how my beans came out and if I can figure out any other ways to make this recipe without wasting 10 hours and longer to make them.
Boston Baked Beans
1 lbs uncooked beans ( I used Great Northern Beans, read above. Follow the directions on the package)
1 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar (If you don't have brown sugar, use white and add another 1/8 cup molasses. This is what I did)
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water
1/4 pound chopped bacon
Combine everything into a slow cooker and cook for 6-9 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally.
That was the recipe that came with my slow cooker. I tried this exact recipe, minus the bacon, the first time I made these beans today. The second time, I decided to see what it would be like if I just used barbecue sauce that I had in the pantry. I used Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy. I added 1 cup of the barbecue sauce with 3 cups of water, 1 cup of onions, and the beans. I am letting the beans soak overnight in the base of the sauce to see what happens before I try boiling them tomorrow. Let's hope they plump up and cook better the second time around. Will keep you posted on what happened. Even though I had trouble, I hope I didn't discourage you to try your hand, because I can tell you, there is NOTHING better than making your own beans. There really isn't. And your family will rave about them when you bring them to a picnic.
So I was really excited to try to make some Boston Baked Beans. Now, I thought the recipe was going to be easy, but I can tell you, after nine hours of trying to get my beans to soften, I am wondering if this was a smart idea. I have used Great Northern Beans, which are white. I read that they didn't need to be soaked. Don't listen to the recipe. SOAK the beans.
Ok, so after reading the recipe, I gathered all my ingredients and started to work. I followed the directions to a tee, but didn't use bacon or onions in the beginning. (I still haven't added the bacon, but with a few minor alterations on my part, I don't think it really needs any bacon.) Of course, when it comes to cooking, I can be a bit...impatient. I like to see results fast. If you are like this, a word of caution. Patience is a virtue.
Instead of bringing my beans to a boil and reducing the heat, I left them to boil for an hour, and didn't check them often. BIG mistake. I came back into the kitchen to find the pot boiled over! There was a mess everywhere and my husband had to help me clean up everything.
After six hours of slow cooking these beans, I had my husband test them. STILL crunchy! I scratched my head and wondered what happened to my beans that should have been ready to eat. So, feeling frustrated, I decided to add more water and switch them to cook on the stove. Now that worked a little. After boiling them for another three hours on the stove and adding five more cups of water, the beans had started to soften a bit and finally started to take on the color of the sauce, a nice deep brown color from the molasses.
It is now 10:30 pm. My beans have been cooking since 1:30 this afternoon and they still need to cook more as they are hard. So I put them back into the slow cooker and am planning on letting them go overnight and see what happens when I wake up.
Meanwhile, I decided to try my patience again, by soaking another bag of Great Northern beans. After soaking them for three hours, I transfered them to a pot on the stove with all the ingredients to allow them to soak overnight. Then I will boil them tomorrow and see what happens. Will post tomorrow how my beans came out and if I can figure out any other ways to make this recipe without wasting 10 hours and longer to make them.
Boston Baked Beans
1 lbs uncooked beans ( I used Great Northern Beans, read above. Follow the directions on the package)
1 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar (If you don't have brown sugar, use white and add another 1/8 cup molasses. This is what I did)
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups water
1/4 pound chopped bacon
Combine everything into a slow cooker and cook for 6-9 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally.
That was the recipe that came with my slow cooker. I tried this exact recipe, minus the bacon, the first time I made these beans today. The second time, I decided to see what it would be like if I just used barbecue sauce that I had in the pantry. I used Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet and Spicy. I added 1 cup of the barbecue sauce with 3 cups of water, 1 cup of onions, and the beans. I am letting the beans soak overnight in the base of the sauce to see what happens before I try boiling them tomorrow. Let's hope they plump up and cook better the second time around. Will keep you posted on what happened. Even though I had trouble, I hope I didn't discourage you to try your hand, because I can tell you, there is NOTHING better than making your own beans. There really isn't. And your family will rave about them when you bring them to a picnic.
Smoker with garden supplies
If you are like me, you like the idea of smoking your meat to cook them. I have personally never tried smoked meat but I am dying too. However, to buy an actual smoker, it is really expensive. So I decided to go online and see what I could find for how to build one without spending a lot of money.
This was inspired by Alton Brown and the idea borrowed from A Food Journey To Go.
The first thing you need is a terracotta planter, the bigger the better. The next thing you need is an electric hot plate, about 1000 watts. (Don't worry, I will list everything below). You need three bricks to lay your pot on. Next you need two pie tins, (really cheap at a dollar store), and two binder clips. Now, if you have one, you need a round barbecue rack but if you don't, you can buy one at home depot or Lowes. You are also going to need a meat thermometer, wood chips of your favorite flavor, and the water tray that goes under a terracotta planter.
The first thing you need to do is use the bricks to create a semi-circle with a small opening in the back. Carefully lay your terracotta planter on top of the bricks adjusting as necessary to ensure a flat cooking surface. Gently place your hot plate at the bottom of the terracotta planter threading the electric cord through the hole in the bottom of the planter. Pull the cord through the small space between the bricks you set up earlier. Next, take your wooden chips, (soak them for a few hours) and place them in the pie plate, covering the pie plate with the other, making it look like a space shit, and seal two sides with the binder clips. Carefully turn on the electric hot plate and let the wood chips burn a little. Place the wire barbecue rack into the planter, making sure that it rests at least five inches below the rim of the terracotta plant. Now place your meat on the rack and cover the top of the terracotta planter with the catch tray. Make sure the catch tray is upside down on the planter to trap the smoke in the planter. If your terracotta plate has a hole in it, use the thermometer to cover the hole, if not, place the thermometer inside the smoker. Your thermometer will get covered in soot so buy a cheap on in a dollar store so you won't be upset if it gets dirty.
Now you are ready to smoke your meat. Always make sure your meat is cooked through before serving. I will post the temperatures of meat below as well. Smoking meat can take up to 14 hours, so make sure you start early in the morning if you want to eat it at night.
List of item you need
terracotta planter (about 23")
bottom water catcher to go with planter
1000 watt electric hot plate
3 bricks or pavers
meat thermometer
two pie plates
two binder clips
barbecue rack (Should fit inside planter without dropping all the way down, and leaves about 5" from the rim)
Your choice of wood chips (Soaked two hours before you use)
As soon as all the summer items go on sale again, I plan on buying all these items and putting it to the test. Remember you are going to want the internal temperature of the planter to be about 200 degrees. In the wintertime, this will be hard to do but you can wrap old quilts around the planter to insulate it. Also, in the summertime, your smoker may run hot so you may want to keep a long metal skewer to reach into the planter and turn down the temperature of your smoker.
Please remember too, allow your smoker time to cool before covering it. You are going to want to cover it with a tarp when you aren't using it because if your terracotta planter gets wet, the wetness will draw the heat away from your meat and to the sides of the planter, which makes for undercooked meats. So always cover your smoker with a tarp after it has had time to cool sufficiently.
This was inspired by Alton Brown and the idea borrowed from A Food Journey To Go.
The first thing you need is a terracotta planter, the bigger the better. The next thing you need is an electric hot plate, about 1000 watts. (Don't worry, I will list everything below). You need three bricks to lay your pot on. Next you need two pie tins, (really cheap at a dollar store), and two binder clips. Now, if you have one, you need a round barbecue rack but if you don't, you can buy one at home depot or Lowes. You are also going to need a meat thermometer, wood chips of your favorite flavor, and the water tray that goes under a terracotta planter.
The first thing you need to do is use the bricks to create a semi-circle with a small opening in the back. Carefully lay your terracotta planter on top of the bricks adjusting as necessary to ensure a flat cooking surface. Gently place your hot plate at the bottom of the terracotta planter threading the electric cord through the hole in the bottom of the planter. Pull the cord through the small space between the bricks you set up earlier. Next, take your wooden chips, (soak them for a few hours) and place them in the pie plate, covering the pie plate with the other, making it look like a space shit, and seal two sides with the binder clips. Carefully turn on the electric hot plate and let the wood chips burn a little. Place the wire barbecue rack into the planter, making sure that it rests at least five inches below the rim of the terracotta plant. Now place your meat on the rack and cover the top of the terracotta planter with the catch tray. Make sure the catch tray is upside down on the planter to trap the smoke in the planter. If your terracotta plate has a hole in it, use the thermometer to cover the hole, if not, place the thermometer inside the smoker. Your thermometer will get covered in soot so buy a cheap on in a dollar store so you won't be upset if it gets dirty.
Now you are ready to smoke your meat. Always make sure your meat is cooked through before serving. I will post the temperatures of meat below as well. Smoking meat can take up to 14 hours, so make sure you start early in the morning if you want to eat it at night.
List of item you need
terracotta planter (about 23")
bottom water catcher to go with planter
1000 watt electric hot plate
3 bricks or pavers
meat thermometer
two pie plates
two binder clips
barbecue rack (Should fit inside planter without dropping all the way down, and leaves about 5" from the rim)
Your choice of wood chips (Soaked two hours before you use)
As soon as all the summer items go on sale again, I plan on buying all these items and putting it to the test. Remember you are going to want the internal temperature of the planter to be about 200 degrees. In the wintertime, this will be hard to do but you can wrap old quilts around the planter to insulate it. Also, in the summertime, your smoker may run hot so you may want to keep a long metal skewer to reach into the planter and turn down the temperature of your smoker.
Please remember too, allow your smoker time to cool before covering it. You are going to want to cover it with a tarp when you aren't using it because if your terracotta planter gets wet, the wetness will draw the heat away from your meat and to the sides of the planter, which makes for undercooked meats. So always cover your smoker with a tarp after it has had time to cool sufficiently.
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