How To... Do Home Canning

Honestly, y'all if you had told me that home canning is super simple I probably would have grimaced and laughed in your face. It seems like such a complex process. I was for sure that my cans wouldn't seal and I'd be stuck with 12 half-pints of apple butter. They "popped" within 2-3 minutes of coming out of their water bath. Amazing. I could actually hear the sound of my success. Cheesy, I know, but it made me feel pretty cool. So here is a little picture log and step-by-step so you can do your own canning.

What you need:

Pints or Half-pints

Stockpot (mine is 10 qts and fit 5-6 half-pints comfortably)

Dish towels

Jar lifter

Tongs

Ladle

Funnel

And of course, something to can!

I will say that I read several blogs and articles about this and some said to use tongs to get the jars out of the water. It scared me a little bit. Plus being who I am and always needing the "right tools" I bought a little utenstil kit. It really was worth the $6 I paid for it. Just a recommendation.

1. Place a dish cloth in the bottom of your stock pot, put your jars on top of the cloth and fill it with water. This keeps the jars from touching the bottom of the pan, but also keeps you from having to buy a canning rack!
   
   
2. Bring the water to a boil and turn the heat off. Remove the jars from the hot water and place on a dish towel. Don't set them directly on the counter as they are hot and might crack.
   
   
3. In another saucepan, put your rings and lids with water. I put these in two separate saucepans, but you can do them in the same one. Don't boil them. Just get the water warm. I set mine on medium and then when it started to simmer a little, I turned it down to medium-low.
   
   
4. Start filling your jars! I used a funnel and ladled what I was canning into the jars. I filled mine to the bottom line where the grooves start for the lid, maybe slightly above. Wipe the lid of the jars with a damp paper towel.
   
   
5. Remove the lids from the water and blot them. Place them on each jar and press down gently. Remove the rings from the water and screw them on. Don't over tighten, just make them snug.
   
   
6. Take your jar lifter and put the jars back in the stockpot on top of the towel. Make sure that at least 1 inch of water covers the top of the jars.
   
   
7. Bring the pot to a rolling boil. Cover with a lid. Your processing time starts when the water comes to a boil. It's 5 minutes for half pints and 10 minutes for pints.
   
   
8. Remove jars and place on dish towels on the counter. Let them sit overnight. You will probably hear them beginning to "pop" or seal within 2-3 minutes of taking them from the water bath. In the morning, press down on the middle of the lid. If it flexes or pops, then you will need to reprocess the jar or just stick it in the fridge. If you put it in the fridge, use the contents within a week.
   
   
9. If you were successful, your jars can go on the shelf for one year. 
   

 Filled and awaiting their water bath

Waiting for the water to boil

All done!

How To... Make Homemade Pizza Dough

This crust was very yummy. I definitely want to figure out what Domino's does to their crust now and incorporate it. This does take some prep time as the dough needs to sit for a few days. Although I've seen others make and use it in as little as 2 hours. The recipe makes 2 crusts (large enough for a sheet pan), but we actually used it all in one meal. We each like our own pizzas and leftovers!

Photo from The Pioneer Woman

Homemade Pizza Dough

from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 tsp Active Dry Or Instant Yeast

4 cups All-purpose Flour

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/3 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.

In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it.

***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

Enjoy!

How To... Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

So I guess this is kind of a new feature. It will obviously only be posted when I have a "How To..." on something. Hopefully this can be helpful to y'all. I definitely know that this pumpkin puree will probably be helpful this fall. I get the feeling that there might be a pumpkin shortage again this year. If you saw my post on Facebook, I went to 4 stores with no luck on finding canned pumpkin. 2 stores actually had a spot of the shelf for the cans, but the other 2 didn't even have a spot. I mean it's the middle of September, fall is right around the corner, but we can't get pumpkin? I mean even Dunkin' Donuts is already selling their pumpkin donuts and muffins again! So for all of you who need pure pumpkin and can't find it, here is an easy way to make your own!

Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients

1 pie or sweet pumpkin

   **don't buy a large jack-o-lantern type pumpkin, it will be too stringy and tough
   **rule of thumb: one lb per cup of puree

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and stringy goop. Wrap each half in aluminum foil. Bake for one hour. 

Let the pumpkin halves cool and remove the foil. Scoop the flesh (that sounds gross doesn't it?) out of the shell and put into a food processor. Mix in the food processor until the pumpkin is a smooth puree. Voila, you have your own pumpkin puree!

Enjoy!

How to... Make Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce

This is great with the Homemade Chicken Tenders or Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu! It's so easy to make and very good. Don't be totally grossed out by the mayo. You can't taste it once you add the honey and mustard.

Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup light mayo

1/4 cup honey

2 TBS dijon mustard

Directions

Mix together the honey, mustard and mayo. Chill for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

How To... Make Homemade Whipped Cream

This is soooo easy and much tastier than the whipped cream in a can! I use my KitchenAid stand mixer to make this, but you could also use a hand mixer. If you can do this with just a whisk then I am thoroughly impressed and you are my new hero! I just don't have the patience nor the strength to hand whip it.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp powdered sugar

Directions

Before you begin, place your mixing bowl and beater(s) in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes. 

Once the beater(s) and bowl are sufficiently chilled, pour your cream into the bowl. I turn my KitchenAid to 6 or 8 and let her go. Once the cream starts to thicken, add the sugar. Keep watching for stiff peaks to form. Stop once you see these! Don't overbeat it or you will have butter instead.

Enjoy!

How to... Make Iced Coffee

So if you are anything like me you are addicted to Starbucks or Dunkin's coffee. The problem is that my wallet is not addicted like I am. One of my friends gave me the best solution - make your own iced coffee! As for my cup, I bought it at Starbucks. It's one of their double-walled cold cups that is made to look like one of their regular cups. It wasn't cheap, but I love it!

Iced Coffee

Ingredients
Coffee - I like to buy the little bags of flavored coffee, but regular would work too!
Milk
Sugar, Splenda, Sweet & Low, etc.
Syrups - you could do a flavor syrup as opposed to flavored coffee

Directions
Brew a pot of coffee. Let it cool a little and put it into a tupperware pitcher. Place in the fridge for several hours or until cold.

Add ice to your cup. Add your preferred amount of milk. I fill mine about 3/4 of the way full of skim milk.

Add your sweetener (optional). Also just an FYI - sugar will not breakdown in a cold drink so you might be better off either adding it to the hot coffee before putting it in the fridge or choosing another sweetener.

Pour in your prepared coffee and enjoy!