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All posts from September 2015.
In , on September 18, 2015 with No Comments

Canning 101: Peach Pie Filling

Our four peach trees are overloaded this year with beautiful white peaches. They didn’t produce any peaches last year, and the year before that a wind storm destroyed our other peach trees, just before the peaches were ready, of course. Usually these peaches are fairly small (the size of a large chicken egg), but we must have gotten rain at just the right times this year, because these are the largest peaches we’ve gotten. I picked a 5-gallon bucket of these beauties today.

I’d already canned peaches earlier in the year when I bought a couple lugs of Colorado peaches from the grocery store. The boys love to eat peaches straight from the jar, and that’s what these are for. With our own peaches, however, I like to make jams and pie filling, so that’s what I set out to do with these I picked today.

The recipe I used says it makes 7 quarts of pie filling, but I only got 6 quarts, probably because our peaches are smaller compared to what you normally find in the grocery store. They still make great pies, though.

 

 

Peach Pie Filling

6 quarts sliced peaches
7 cups sugar
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons ClearJel
5 1/4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cup lemon juice
Additional 1/4 cup lemon juice or Fruit Fresh pectin

Place peaches in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove and place in ice cold water. Remove skins and pits, and slice peaches. To keep peaches from turning brown, mix in 1/4 cup lemon juice or Fruit Fresh pectin.

Combine water, sugar, ClearJel and cinnamon in a large stockpot. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.

Add the 1 3/4 cup lemon juice, and boil the sauce for an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Add the sliced, drained peaches, and cook for 3 additional minutes.

 

Fill quart jars within 1 inch of the top. Place filled jars in a boiling water canner, and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Process for 30 minutes.

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In , , on September 15, 2015 with No Comments

Taco Salad For A Crowd

When you have kids in sports, you frequently have potluck dinners, whether before a cross country meet, football game or after the season for an awards banquet. One of my go-to recipes for these events is taco salad, first because the kids usually eat all of it (and I don’t have to worry about leftovers) and second because you can make a large recipe. I usually end up making this in my lasagna pan so I’ve got room to mix everything together. I got this recipe when I was in 4-H from one of our group leaders.

If you aren’t making a dish for an entire team and don’t want to have taco salad for days on end, this recipe can easily be halved.

 

Taco Salad For A Crowd

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (you can use your favorite ground meat: turkey, venison, beef, pork or even chicken)
1 package taco seasoning (optional)
3 packages ready-to-eat salad greens
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 a medium red onion, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
16 ounces sliced black olives
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag original flavor Doritos, crushed
1 bottle Catalina salad dressing
Sour cream (optional)

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until no longer pink; drain excess fat. Add taco seasoning to the browned meat (if using), mixing well until combined.

While the meat is browning, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients except the sour cream and Catalina dressing. Add the browned ground beef. Pour the Catalina salad dressing over the ingredients, and mix well until the salad dressing evenly coats everything. Serve with sour cream if desired.

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In on September 14, 2015 with No Comments

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

On the weekends I often make a breakfast casserole to make the morning meal a little easier to deal with, especially if the boys have guests overnight. A breakfast bake can be changed up with different meat ingredients, and we like to make this one that has ham. I’d made a loaf of homemade country white bread the day before, and leftover homemade bread is great in this recipe. This bake can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready for breakfast, or make it a couple of hours ahead the same morning, allowing time for the bread to soak up some of the milk-egg mixture before you bake it.

 

Ham, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bake

3 cups cubed white bread (leftover homemade or store bought is fine)
2 cups half and half or milk
10 eggs
2 cups diced ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. To the baking dish add the cubed white bread. Evenly sprinkle the diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese over the bread pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the half and half or milk, eggs, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour the mixture over the bread, ham and cheese. Cover the casserole with foil. Refrigerate overnight (or 1-2 hours if making the same morning).

Bake the casserole, covered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly and a knife inserted into the middle of the casserole tests clean.

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In , , on September 13, 2015 with No Comments

Italian Pasta Salad and Watermelon Peach Salsa

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful fall day here in Iowa. The sky was a gorgeous blue, the humdity was low (finally!), and the bugs were nowhere in sight. Kevin wanted to grill some burgers, so I thought I’d whip up a couple side dishes to go along with.

The boys love my Italian Pasta Salad and tell me I need to make it more often. It’s an easy peasy recipe that’s great to take to potlucks and family reunions. I eyeballed the amount of each ingredient, so you can add more or less to your family’s taste.

I also decided to make a Watermelon Peach Salsa. We have four peach trees, the kind that has the little white peaches, and they are huge this year. I’ve already canned two lugs of peaches, so this was a great way to use up a few more. The recipe called for cilantro, but my family’s not a huge fan, so I omitted it.

 

Italian Pasta Salad

1 package rotini pasta noodles, cooked per package directions and cooled
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 a medium red onion, diced
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
1 3.8 ounce can sliced black olives
Half a package of turkey pepperoni (or regular if you prefer), sliced into strips
1 bottle zesty Italian dressing

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Set aside until cool.

In a large bowl, combine the diced onion, diced peppers, black olives and sliced pepperoni. Add the cooled pasta. Pour the Italian dressing over the pasta, and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors meld together.

 

 

Watermelon Peach Salsa

2 cups diced watermelon
2 cups diced fresh peaches
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 a green bell pepper, diced
1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, and mix well. Refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors marinade together.

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In , on September 10, 2015 with 2 Comments

Herbs de Provence Roasted Chicken

The honey-roasted chicken was a hit, so I’ve been on the search for another roasted chicken recipe. I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, at the Taste Love and Nourish blog. I love Dijon mustard and herbs de Provence, so this sounded like a match made in heaven. It smelled so delicious while roasting that I could hardly wait. I served the chicken with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.

 

 

 

 

Herbs de Provence Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken, 5 to 7 pounds, giblets removed, rinsed and dried well
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the dried chicken on a rack inside a large roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Gently slide a spoon between the breast meat and the skin to separate the two. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the herb mixture under the breast skin, and rub it around. Use the remaining herb mixture to rub over the rest of the bird.

Tuck the wings under the bird to prevent overbrowning, and tie up the legs with kitchen twine.

Place the chicken in the oven, and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook about 20 minutes per pound (around 2 hours), or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into a thigh. After 1 hour of roasting, add 2 cups of chicken stock to the roasting pan. Baste the chicken with the stock occasionally during the last hour of roasting.

Remove the chicken from the oven, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. If desired, use pan drippings to make gravy.

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