Pico de Gallo Salsa

It's summer time, and that means that there is a ton of beautiful fresh produce in season.  I have so many recipes that I pull out this time of year, but I think my very favorite is homemade pico de gallo.  I grow tomatoes, jalapenos, & cilantro every year - so it just seems like the perfect thing to make to use it up too.  And, we sure do eat it up.
Pico de Gallo is not hard to make at all, and it really 'makes' a variety of Mexican dishes.  Like my steak tacos.  And, my pork tacos.  Plus - there's always just scooping it up with a tortilla chip for an awesome snack.
It's quite simple actually too.  Start off with your tomatoes - dice them up into petite bits and let them sit in a strainer basket (or colander) over a large bowl. This allows some of the excess juices off the tomatoes.  

Oh, and don't make the mistake of throwing away the tomato juice that drains off.  That's good stuff there - and I'm all about not wasting anything.  It's great to use in a marinade, in a juice or smoothie, or even as extra moisture in a recipe.  I actually use it in my pork tacos (recipe coming tomorrow) to help keep the pork moist while simmering.

While you have your tomatoes draining, dice up your onion, jalapeno, & cilantro.  

That's leftover chopped pork in the picture for pork tacos.  But don't put pork into your Pico de Gallo.  Please.

Once the tomatoes are done being 'juiced', mix it all up in a large bowl.  Then, squeeze the juice of one lime on top and give it another stir.  And, I have to add in that if you don't have one of these nifty lemon/lime juicers, you're missing out.  I am in love with mine, and it gets way more juice out than my hands - and it's just a fraction of the price of a traditional juicer.

Let it sit in the fridge, covered, for a good 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to marry a little.  
Fantastic stuff there, I tell ya.  And pretty too.

Store it in the fridge in an airtight container - and if you see you haven't used it all in about 48 hours (as if that's even possible) - just throw it into your food processor or blender, and make it into a restaurant style salsa, and can it. When my garden is really overflowing, I do this first thing and make several batches to can to enjoy in the winter.  Yummers.

Pico de Gallo Salsa

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Ingredients:

• 4 medium to large vine ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2-4 jalapenos, minced (use accordingly to how hot you want it)
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1.5 cups, or suit to your taste)
• 1 lime, juiced

Instructions:
Place the diced tomatoes into a strainer, or colander, over a large bowl.  Let 'drain' for about 30 minutes.  Reserve the juice for another use, if desired.  In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, & cilantro.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top, and stir.  Cover, and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes for flavors to marry.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 48-72 hours.  You can also put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender for more of a 'restaurant style' salsa, and it's great for canning purposes this way too.







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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce in the Crockpot

We have a small garden in our backyard, as we always have - but we have never really had much luck at growing tomatoes...but we would have loads of squash & zucchini.  This year my garden has done the exact opposite.  Every morning, I bring in a basket full of tomatoes...but my squash have given me just a couple pretty ones than died off.  I have been so overrun with tomatoes, and I have made so much spaghetti sauce this year that I feel like I should open up a spaghetti stand in my front yard.  

Making the sauce has been so easy with the help of my trusty crockpot.  This is so easy, that I can't justify calling it a recipe because it's just not.  More of a technique than anything.  
Chop up however many tomatoes that you have & throw them in the slowcooker.  (If you want them skinless, you should blanch them first to easily peel them. I like mine with skin)  Dice up celery, onions, & bell pepper equal to a 1/3 of the portion of tomatoes that you have.  Next is the garlic.  Sometimes I chop it up & add it raw...and sometimes I roast whole gloves & squeeze that in.  It all just comes down to how much time I have to spend on it.  I like a LOT of garlic.  Gotta ward off those vampires, ya know?  Add in a little salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, & grated Parmesan cheese.  

Set your crockpot on low, & cook for about 3 hours.  A little under or a little over won't hurt anything.  

Pour your tomato mixture into a food processor or blender a little at a time to puree to the consistency that you desire.  Add the sauce back to the crockpot, and cook on low for an additional 3-5 hours.  If you would like to add some cooked meat, now is the time to do it.  You can use ground beef, Italian sausage, or a mixture of both.  I like meat in mine, but if I am making the sauce for the freezer, I hold off on that until I am ready to use it.  It's all up to you though. 

Make sure you taste it, and see if you want to add any additional spices to it.  If you would like to thicken it up, add tomato paste until it is the consistency that you want.  If you are freezing it & not serving it right up, save that tomato paste til you are ready to serve it because it will thin out some upon being thawed.  

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Crockpot Apple Butter

One of the ways that I save money is that I make all my jams & jellies at home, and can them.  Just this past week, I made 3 quarts of Lemon Blueberry Jelly, which is by far my family's favorite jelly ever.  You would think that 3 quarts would last a long, long time - but you would be thinking wrong!  We eat it on everything from peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to biscuits.

Another of our favorites is Apple Butter.  For those of you that haven't heard of apple butter before, it's not actually a butter.  It's like a spiced, sauce-like textured, jelly.  I prepare a big batch of it in my crockpot, & use some immediately on fresh on hot biscuits - and then can the rest for future use.  My daughters actually like to eat it like applesauce because they enjoy it so much.  

Pour in the 2 48oz jars of all natural applesauce.

Add in all of the spices & the sugar.

Pour in the apple juice.

Cover, & cook on low for 10 hours.  Your house will smell DIVINE while this is cooking!!


After the 10 hours, uncover - and it will look like this:

Using a whisk, give it a good stirring, and it will look like this. 

Serve on hot biscuits, & can the rest.  Makes about 8 pints.

Crockpot Apple Butter

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Ingredients:

• 3 pound bag of granny smith apples - peeled, cored, & diced
• 2 (46oz) jars of All Natural Applesauce
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2-3 tbsp cinnamon (depending on how 'spiced' you want it)
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:


Put the peeled & diced apples in a large crockpot.  Cook on low for 10 hours.  Stir well with a whisk to smooth out at the end of the cooking cycle.

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Easy Peasy Lemon-Blueberry Jelly

Today has been one of those days that I am so very thankful that I invested in a ring sling for my baby boy!  I have not been off my feet for more than 5 minutes all day.  In between cooking 3 meals, canning 8 quarts of pickles & several jars of lemon blueberry jelly, homeschooling my 2 daughters, caring for my little man, household chores, running errands, etc - I am exhausted!  But, give or take a few things - these are normal days for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way!  Each day is a true blessing.

I made a trip to the farmers market today.  They are only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturday - and I am usually there at least 2 out of 3 of those days.  I just love being able to purchase fresh from the local farmers as often as possible.  This year I have really gotten into canning too that way I can have some of it when it is out of season.   The farmers market has been overloaded with fresh blueberries lately, so I have really been stocking up on them because I just love them so much.  Use some & freeze some.  I have made practically everything you can make with them this season, except for blueberry jelly.  Well, that is until today.  With my daughters nearby, I just couldn't make this fast enough.  They couldn't wait til it was done, and set up, so that they could have some of it.  They just loved it, and this recipe makes a good bit so that they can keep on loving it for months to come.  I hope that you all enjoy it as much as we are!


For this recipe, you won't need many ingredients.  Just 6 cups of fresh blueberries, 3 cups of sugar, & 2 (3oz) packets of lemon jello.  (Or Wal-Mart jello if you are cheap...I mean frugal...like me!)  Throw 2 cups of the blueberries into a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Put your 2 cups of blueberry puree & remaining 4 cups of whole blueberries into a large pan or saucepan.

Stir in 3 cups of sugar & bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Remove from the heat & mix in 2 (3oz) boxes of lemon gelatin (jello).

Make sure it is combined well so that the gelatin dissolves properly.  Now, transfer to clean sterile canning jars - leaving 1 inch of head space at the top, & seal in a 2 inch water bath!  

Happy Canning!

Easy Peasy Lemon-Blueberry Jelly

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Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh blueberries (4 cups left whole & 2 cups pureed)
• 3 cups white sugar
• 2 (3oz) packages of lemon gelatin

Instructions:

Combine the whole blueberries, pureed blueberries, & sugar in a large saucepan & bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Remove from heat & mix in the lemon gelatin.  Transfer to clean sterile jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top.  Seal in a water bath, and store in a cool place.  

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Bread & Butter Pickles

This year has been the best crop of cucumbers yet for my family. We have just had oodles of them. I have made nearly everything out of them I could think of, EXCEPT for pickles. Making pickles has been a long time fear of mine. Each time I consider it, I remember that old episode of 'The Andy Griffith Show' where Aunt Bee made pickles & they were horrid! I just knew if I attempted them, mine would be disgusting as well.

Well, I have been living in fear of pickle making for long enough. I went scouring the internet for a recipe & came across one for Bread & Butter pickles that looked like it would be good & I adapted it a little. And you know what? They ARE good! No where near the atrocity that Aunt Bee's were!

First, you will need a bunch of cucumbers. I used 12 large cucumbers. If you have smaller cucumbers, you will want to use more. Cut them into thin slices.




Slice 3 or 4 medium onions into thin slices.





Dice up 1 large green bell pepper & 5 cloves of garlic.





Transfer all the veggies into a large stockpot or dutch oven. Dump 1/2 cup of salt on top of the veggie mixture.




Toss it to coat, cover, & let it sit for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours, come back & drain off the liquid that has accumulated. Now, get your next ingredients ready. You will need 3 cups of apple cider vinegar, 5 cups of white sugar, 2 tablespoons mustard seed, 1.5 tablespoons celery seed, 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves, & 1 tablespoon of turmeric. Combine them all in a saucepan & bring to a boil.



Pour the vinegar mixture into the veggie mixture. Place the stockpot of everything on the stove, and heat on medium/high heat for for about 5 minutes, removing before it comes back to a boil.

Transfer the pickles to clean, sterile jars. I bought a Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit from the canning aisle of my local Wal-Mart. It came with a stockpot insert for canning. I put a few jars at a time in the stockpot insert & boiled them in enough water to cover an inch of the bottom of the jars. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, & then turn off the heat. Let the jars sit in the pot for 5 minutes with the lid on before removing. They should be sealed after cooling. You can test by pushing the seal in the middle. If it isn't popped up, then you did good!




Store them in your fridge when you are done or after sealed, store in a dark area for up to a year. I'm so proud of myself because these are REALLY good! Enjoy!

Bread & Butter Pickles

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Ingredients:

• About 12 large cucumbers, thinly sliced (or more if you are using small cukes)
• 3-4onions, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 cups cider vinegar
• 5 cups white sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Instructions:

1. In a large stockpot, mix together cucumbers, onions, green bell peppers, garlic and salt. Allow to stand for 3 hours.
2. In a saucepan, mix the cider vinegar, white sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, whole cloves and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
3. Drain liquid from the cucumber mixture. Stir the boiling vinegar mixture into the veggie mixture. Place the stockpot of the combined mixtures back onto the stove on medium/high heat.  Remove from heat shortly before it returns to boil.
4. Transfer to sterile containers. Can, Seal and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

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We are in the process of moving to a larger home (yay!) so meals around here for the next week are more in the 'eat what you can find cus Mama's not going grocery shopping til we're moved in' category! Oh, I will be SO glad once we are moved in so that I can get back to cooking. Even more excited now that I will be doing it in a much bigger kitchen! While going through the pantry earlier, I realized that I have one huge stockpile of beans. So, I decided to whip up this hearty bean salsa for us to snack on in between the moving of boxes & furniture. This is one of my favorites!

Hearty Bean Salsa

• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups corn
• fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped to taste (I like about 6-8)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 cup Italian Salad Dressing
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Toss everything together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for an hour for flavors to marry! Serve with tortilla chips - or heck, you can even eat it with a spoon if you wanna!

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