Bacon, Celery Salad with Tomatoes; The New BLT!

It was one of those days where I was too lazy to go to the store and buy lettuce for a BLT, but noticed that I had plenty of celery in my fridge. Maybe lazy is not so much the word, but my hands were full with my two youngest at home and one with bronchitis. No way I was going to the store with these two in pursuit.

"Hmmmm, could I substitute celery for lettuce in my BLT?", I wondered to myself.

I think I should experiment and see if this can happen. The bacon was already under the broiler.  The toast in the toaster. What do I have to loose? I needed to decide soon or find something else for my Sunday afternoon lunch because my stomach was growling and so was the stomach of my three year old.

I made the leap and gave it a try, and let me tell you, I am so glad I did. It was wonderful and even my three old enjoyed it and asked for seconds!

Ingredients:
4 stalks of celery, washed and diced into small bite size pieces
1/3 pint of grape tomatoes
2 thin slices of onion, diced
4 TBSP Real Mayonnaise
A dash of salt, pepper, and basil

 Did I mention that I didn't have large tomatoes...only grape tomatoes in the fridge?!

 

All the vegetables diced and ready for the mayo, salt, pepper, and basil.

 

Ready for the toast and bacon!

 

This was delicious and something I will do again, especially when I am lacking the appropriate ingredients for the same old BLT. My new BLT, the BCsT; Bacon, Celery salad with Tomatoes!

Mexican Brown Rice

Needed something a little extra to go with the enchiladas I am making for supper tonight, I found this recipe online at Allrecipes.com and modified it slightly to fit my family's tastes. If concerned about the processed taco seasoning in a package like I am, you can make your own. I will submit my recipe as soon as I can.
 
Ingredients:

• 4 cups uncooked instant brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can kidney beans unsalted, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes or a can of Rotel, drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded lettuce

Directions

1. In a saucepan bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer according to directions on package. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Stir in taco seasoning, kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (or can of Rotel), salt, pepper and lettuce.
3. Cook over medium heat until heated through.

Garden Salsa

I have been looking for a great garden salsa recipe that doesn't require a mix such as Mrs. Wages (granted, Mrs. Wages is my favorite seasoning packet to use for salsa; and its very easy, but unfortunately, a little expensive) I found this recipe on one of my favorite canning recipe websites call "Pick Your Own".  I found this to be a yummy recipe and made 8 pints. My husband prefers fresh salsa, but unfortunately, fresh salsa will not last through the winter and remain fresh and frozen...YUCK!

Ingredients:

• 15 lbs of tomatoes
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 6 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 12-ounce cans tomato paste (adds body)
• 2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice (if you are using a mix, be sure to follow their recipe; the packet mixes often use vinegar instead of lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional)
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves or chopped cilantro (optional) 

Step 1. Removing the tomato skins.

Put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 3 minutes (1-2 minutes is usually enough). Then, Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water. This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes!  If you leave the skins on, they become tough and chewy in the sauce.

Step 2. Removing seeds and water.

After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half.  Now, remove the seeds and excess water.

Step 3. Drain and dice the tomatoes.

Toss tomatoes into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off.  You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking! Next chop them up in 1/2 inch size cubes. You'll need about 3 quarts of peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes.

Step 4. Sanitize the jars and lids.

The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle.  I start that while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars.

Step 5. Chop seasonings.

I use an electric chopper (food processor) to dice the seasonings fairly fine, about 1/8 inch cubes (everything but the tomatoes).

Step 6. Mix ingredients and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Start with the chopped tomatoes in the pot.  Add the seasonings and bring to a gentle simmer, just to get it hot (180 F, if you have a thermometer) there's no need to cook it; only to get it hot enough to ready it for water bath processing to kill any bacteria and enzymes. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 7. Fill the jars with sauces and put the lid and rings on.

Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them. Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal!

Step 8. Boil the jars in the canner.

Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for:

Recommended process time for Tomato/Tomato Paste Salsa in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints or 8 oz jars	15 min	20	25

IMPORTANT:
The USDA says the only change you can safely make in this salsa recipe is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe. Do not substitute vinegar for the lemon juice.

Step 9 - Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight).  You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed, verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad

After working two weeks at 8h and Railroad Center in Downtown Sioux Falls, I spent many enjoyable meals at Sanaa's, a Middle Eastern restaurant immediately next door to where I was teaching this last summer. Tabbouleh salad, I must say, was my favorite item on the menu, and I ate it with every meal I had there. I even substituted it for the rice, it was so delicious. Tabbouleh Salad is a classic Middle Eastern dish made with bulgur, cinnamon, allspice, tomato and parsley. Serve with grilled meats and fish. I found this recipe at www.sheknows.com.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fine bulgur
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and minced
• 3-1⁄2 cups minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1-1⁄4 cups minced mint leaves
• 1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the bulgur and the water into a medium-sized bowl, cover and allow to soak for 12 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse the bulgur and then place in a salad bowl. Top with the tomatoes, parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, scallion and a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Toss the mixture well to combine and then serve immediately.

Canned Spaghetti Sauce

Making and canning your own spaghetti sauce is something that is a delicious treat for our family.  No store bought spaghetti sauce compares with the taste of that made from your own tomatoes from your garden or fresh-picked from a local farm!  In the middle of the winter, you can make a meal with your spaghetti sauce and taste the summer flavor of fresh tomatoes. This recipe turns out a little spicy which me and my husband love. I found this recipe at www.pickyourown.org which has many other great recipes for canning and cooking. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

20 lbs of tomatoes
2 cups chopped fresh onions (then sauté until soft)
3  clove of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons diced, fresh OR dried basil
2 tablespoons chopped celery (optional)
3 Tablespoons of oregano
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped red sweet peppers
1/4 cup lemon juice (helps to acidify it)
1/4 cup red wine ((optional) I think it really adds to the flavor)
If you like your spaghetti sauce thick add 1-2 cans of tomato paste.

A note about spices: Less spice, especially garlic and onions in canned sauce is better.  They tend to strengthen and sometimes become bitter in storage.  So use less when you prepare the sauce and add more when you actually use it, if you want!

 
Step 1. Remove the tomato skins. Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute. Then, plunge the tomatoes into a bowl of ice water.  This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes!  If you leave the skins on, they become tough and chewy in the sauce. Before throwing the tomatoes in boiling water, use a knife to draw an X on the bottom of the tomato just piercing the skin and carve out the top where the stem is.

Step 2. Remove the seeds and water. After you have peeled the skins off the tomatoes, cut the tomatoes in half.  Now, remove the seeds and excess water. Squeeze each tomato and use your finger or a spoon to scoop and shake out most of the seeds.  Removing just most will do.

Step 3.  Drain the tomatoes by tossing into a colander or drainer, while you work on others. This helps more of the water to drain off.  You may want to save the liquid: if you then pass it through a sieve, screen or cheesecloth, you have fresh tomato juice; great to drink cold or use in cooking! By draining the water off now, you'll end up with a thicker spaghetti sauce in less cooking time! 

Step 4. Sanitize jars and lids. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle.  I start that while I'm preparing the tomatoes, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars.  Lids:  Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes.

Step 5. Combine tomatoes and ingredients above. Combine the tomatoes and spices together in a big pot.  There's generally no need to add liquid, most types of tomatoes have so much water, we will need to boil it down to drive off much of the water to thicken the sauce. If your tomatoes are watery, boil it down before you add the spices, to avoid them becoming too strong. You don't need to overcook it; just bring it to boiling to sanitize it, mix the seasonings and cook down the tomatoes. As they cook, the tomatoes will fall apart into sauce with out much need of mushing!

Step 6. Fill the jars with sauce and put the rings on the jars. Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, seat the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.

Step 7. Process the jars in the canner by boiling. Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts.  This processing time is based on the Ball Blue Book's "Seasoned Tomato Sauce" recipe which is very similar.

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. 

Bruschetta in a Jar

Makes about 7 (8 oz) half pints

What could be more welcoming than warm, freshly toasted homemade bruschetta? Just spoon these zesty tomatoes onto a toasted baguette and garnish with grated cheese and a splash of olive oil, if desired. Another recipe I can't wait to try once my tomatoes grow red. I found this recipe at www.freshpreserving.com.

Ingredients:

5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
9 cups chopped cored plum tomatoes (about 4 lb or 12 medium)
7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
2.) COMBINE garlic, wine, wine vinegar, water, sugar, basil, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until garlic is heated through. Remove from heat.
3.) PACK tomatoes into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot vinegar mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.
4.) PROCESS filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Basil Garlic Tomato Sauce

Makes about 7 (16 oz) pints

The name says it all. Combine tomatoes, basil and garlic for a sauce you can serve any time. Recipe from www.freshpreserving.com. I am really excited about trying this recipe once my tomatoes come in!

Ingredients

20 lb tomatoes (about 60 medium)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)
8 cloves garlic, minced (I might add more! I love garlic and so does my family!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely minced, fresh basil
1 Tbsp Bottled lemon juice per hot jar
7 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. WASH tomatoes; drain. Remove core and blossom ends. Cut into quarters. Set aside. SAUTE onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. PUREE tomato mixture in a food processor or blender, working in batches. Strain puree to remove seeds and peel. COMBINE tomato puree and basil in large saucepot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until volume is reduced by half, stirring to prevent sticking. ADD 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice to each hot jar. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.  PROCESS filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Canned Tomato Soup

My kids love this soup and it is so healthy and packed with many vegetables all in one serving.  This canning recipe is a modification from my Tomato soup recipe. I did not add the dairy because that would than require canning using a pressure cooker to avoid botulism. I do not have a pressure cooker...so I would add the milk and cheese when ready to cook and serve the soup. When ready to serve, add 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce pan when heating. This recipe made about 5 quart jars. The canning recipe cooking instructions was modified from one I found in a 1965 Kerr Blue canning recipe book.

Ingredients:
2-3 large garden carrots
1 onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
5-6 leaves of fresh basil
3 TBSP olive oil, divided
6 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1-2 whole cloves garlic
1 TBSP dried oregano
salt and pepper to season
1 cup apple cider vinegar

Dice or slice the carrots, onions, and celery in a food processor. In a large sauce pot add 1 1/2 TBSP olive oil and saute the carrots, onions and celery until tender.  While the vegetables are in sauteing, add the fresh basil and remaining olive oil into food processor and blend until almost a paste. Add basil paste to softened vegetables. Cook until onions are translucent. Add canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes as well as oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, add to blender, and blend smooth. Add soup back to saucepan, add apple cider vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook for a few minutes longer.

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.  Pour soup into quart jars using funnel, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 45 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. If lids flex reprocess or place in freezer.

Tomato Soup

A cold and wintry day in South Dakota. Many areas have cancelled activities due to the blizzard conditions. What a perfect day for soup and sandwiches. I have made this recipe once before, but my husband and son were not extremely excited about the soup like I was, so I altered the original recipe a little bit.


Ingredients:
2-3 large garden carrots
1/4 head of cauliflower
3 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 8oz can tomato sauce (partial can left over from making homemade pizza last night)
1-2 whole cloves garlic
1 TBSP basil
1 TBSP oregano
1/2 box of chicken or veggie broth (32 oz box)
1 pint jar of homemade canned whole tomatoes
1 pint jar of homemade canned tomato juice
salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan....tastes better if using a block of Parmesan cheese or cheddar or mozzarella to add on top

In a large sauce pot add water and boil the carrots and cauliflower until tender. Drain the carrots and cauliflower, but reserve 1/2 cup of the water for adding later. In a frying pan, add olive oil and heat. To the olive oil, add onions, celery, garlic, basil, oregeno. Cook until onions are translucent. Add tomato sauce. Let cool slightly, add to blender, add broth, reserved water, and liquefy. Add tomatoes and juice, liquefy/blend until smooth. Add soup back to saucepan, add milk, and cook for a few minutes longer. Serve with bread or crackers or even grilled cheese sandwiches. Once served up in bowls add shredded cheese. I think this recipe tasted even better than the previous one.

Homemade Tomato Soup

This damp cold weather always makes me feel chilled to the bone. So, today I decided to warm up my family and me with the greatest comfort food, soup. This soup idea was a mixture of several soup recipes, so I can't really credit one individual place as I normally do for this creation.

Ingredients:
2 cans diced tomatoes use juice
1 can muir glen organic fire roasted tomatoes
1 16oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
3 TBSP olive oil
1-2 TBSP minced or diced garlic
1 TBSP basil
1 TBSP oregano
salt and pepper to season
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan....tastes better if using a block of Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk

In a saucepan, add olive oil and heat. To the olive oil, add onions, celery, garlic, basil and oregeno. Cook until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, sauce, parmesan cheese, and milk. Cook for 2 minutes, add to blender, and liquefy. Add back to saucepan and cook for a few minutes longer. This is a large batch of soup and could serve 8. I put a serving in a smaller plastic container to eat as meals during work. serve with bread or crackers or even grilled cheese sandwiches.

I can't wait until I have fresh herbs from my garden to give this recipe a try and see if it makes any difference to the flavor.