Have You Ever Tried Mincemeat?

I've heard of mincemeat.

 I've said no thank to mincemeat.

I've looked at recipes

for making things with mincemeat.
And then, I've put those recipes away!

And now, finally...

I trying my hand at MAKING mincemeat!

(I will admit, it is at my husband's request!)

OK, it is on the stove top.....

I just tasted it for the FIRST TIME EVER.

I have to admit, it wasn't bad!

Pete's 89 year old aunt shared this recipe

with me ... so I had to try it!

Green Tomato Mincemeat

2 Quarts ground green tomatoes

2 Quarts ground apples (firm apples)

4 Cups brown sugar

1 1/2 Cups vinegar

3 Cups raisins

3 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

3/4 tsp. allspice

3/4 tsp. pepper (I used 1/2 tsp.white pepper)

2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. mace (I used nutmeg instead)

3/4 Cups butter

Chop apples & tomatoes and drain.

Add this and the remaining ingredients

except the butter in a stock pot and

bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours.

Add the butter and stir in until melted.

OK, here is what I did. I read a few

other recipes, including the one in the

Ball Blue Book. In the Ball book, it

said to combine all the ingredients and

simmer for 15 minutes then ladle into

hot jars and PRESSURE CAN both

quarts & pints for 90 minutes!

So, I compromised... I used Pete's aunt's recipe

with the exception of mace. I didn't have any.

When I looked it up to see just what it was,

I discovered it was kinda like a peppery nutmeg,

so I used nutmeg instead!

Also, since I wasn't

sure about NOT at least water bathing the

jars, I decided to follow the Ball Book

instructions to be on the safe side and

used the pressure canner!

This recipe made

3 quarts and 3 pints

AND 3/4 cup that I held out!

NOW... to try this stuff in a recipe!

SOFT MINCEMEAT COOKIES

1/4 Cup softened butter

3/4 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 Cup mincemeat

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

1 Cup Choc. chips

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter &

brown sugar. Add the eggs & mincemeat

and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and

mix well before adding the chocolate chips

and walnuts. Bake on GREASED cookie

sheets at 350* for 10-12 minutes or

until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Yield: about 4 dozen.

I shared this on Healthy 2Day Wednesdays and
Simple Lives Thursday!
Go check out the other wonderful posts!

Sun Dried Tomatoes ... Who Knew?

Who knew it was this easy?!

We LOVE sun dried tomatoes!
(Ok, technically... dehydrator dried!)

It is nearing the end of the garden season and 

I am TIRED of canning tomatoes.

I never thought I'd say that...  but I am.

I think it is mostly because the more I can, the more space

I need to come up with to store it!

(But that's a discussion for another day.)

I decided to give the dehydrator a try. Check this out!

Saturday night was my test run was with 2 apples and

one tray full of fresh picked cherry tomatoes ...

washed & cut in half!

I sprinkled the tomatoes with a little bit of sea salt

(didn't do that for the following batch)

and I lightly sprinkled the apples with cinnamon sugar!

Can you say DELICIOUS!!! I AM SOOO ExCiTeD!

Sunday night I loaded up the trays with more cherry tomatoes

and left them overnight (roughly from 9PM to 5AM)

and they came out perfectly!

Storage for these little guys is a mason jars

with olive oil and in the back of the fridge!

There is a total of 7 dehydrator trays in these 2 jars.

It doesn't look like much... but it is!

You ask, 'now what?'... 

I can't wait to use them in pesto-chicken,

turkey sandwiches and can't you just smell

the bread cooking!?

Ahhh, I'm going to start drooling if I don't stop now!

I'll share pictures with you as

I figure out more recipes to use them in!

The apples came out awesome too!

I only did two apples... but everyone like them!

I'll definitely be doing more of these as well,

but, most likely without the sugar!

I need to do some more investigating,

but I've seen both tomatoes

& apples stored in zipper type bags (remove air)

and store on a pantry shelf or in the freezer.

 I'll let you know how that all works out!

Next up.... regular sized tomatoes. I'm going to try thinly slicing them and then adding a little basil & sea salt before dehydrating them!

(Posted on Healthy 2day Wednesdays )

Awesome Find at Goodwill Today... "Diet Soup" Recipe

I had some extra time today while waiting for my student to get

out of school, so I went to Goodwill! I ALWAYS check out

the book section... and today I am glad I did!

Look what I found...

"The Pleasure of Herbs"

"A Month by Month Guide to

Growing & Enjoying Herbs"

By: Phyllis Shaudys

Copyright 1986 by Storey Communications, Inc.

AND the best part...

it was ONLY

NINETY-NINE CENTS!

Before even leaving the school parking lot,

I found the first

recipe I was going to try!!

'DIET SOUP'

 (page 34)

I know, it sounds too good to be true... 

I remember the idea of this recipe

 from back in the 80's!

Here goes.... 

"Diet Soup"

(This will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.)

1 Head Cabbage (cut up)

1 large onion  (I didn't have one on hand, I used onion powder)

2 Cubes low-sodium beef bouillon (I used vegetable 'Better Then Boullion')

1 large can tomato juice (I used my own canned tomato/basil sauce/soup stock)

1 package frozen cut green beans

1 medium sized can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. each celery seed, garlic powder, parsley,

thyme and black pepper (I used celery salt, garlic powder & parsley)

Optional, but nice: diced celery, carrots, and green pepper slices

(I used matchstick carrots ... next time I'd add a bit more of them & diced celery!)

Add the cabbage, onion, carrots, celery 

and bouillon cubes to tomato juice.

When the cabbage is half cooked, add the green beans,

tomatoes and seasonings. (I added a little extra water too!)

Simmer on the stove top until the veggies are soft.

Serve and enjoy!

The flavor is even better then I remembered!

Talk About BIG!

I think this was the winner from our tomato plants this year!!

I actually pulled the scales out to weigh it...  

1 pound and 9 ounces!! 

And yes, it was delicious!

Was It REALLY Me....

Was it really me that was wondering if I'd EVER have red tomatoes this season!?  Well, I've just picked my second HUGE batch of tomatoes!! Ready to tackle diced, stewed tomatoes?

13 1/2 quarts of diced tomatoes... (not all in this picture)

Can you say chili, soup or fresh spaghetti sauce?? 

~YUMMY~

My All Time FAVORITE Sandwich....

This is the day I wait for EVERY summer....  the first picking of

red tomatoes! We got back from vacation last night, so today I went out

and investigated in the garden. (Ok, so truthfully,

I ONLY looked at the tomato plants!)

As soon as I saw them....

I knew today would be the day.... 

 open faced broiled

tomato sandwich day!! 

Two slices of multi grain bread with a bit of mayonnaise

spread on them.....

Then, sliced tomatoes to cover the bread topped

with thin slices of cheddar cheese.  Next, put them

on a cookie sheet and broil them till the cheese just

starts to turn brown and bubbly!

Last step....  cool a little and eat!!

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST LUNCH EVER!

If you can't get your hand on fresh grown tomatoes,

you can use the vine ripened ones from the grocery store... not

quite as good, but a fair substitute for that cold winter day when

the cravings just won't let up! :) Try it... you'll love it!

August Can Jam..... Dilly Tomatoes!

This recipe is one of my mom's doings when I was a kid, mom pickled almost anything, or so it seemed! :) One year she canned some of the cherry tomatoes, which ended up being a hit in our house! I always thought the tomato pickles and dilly beans and odds and ends of vegetable pickles were all her idea. Surprise... now years later, I'm finding recipes of some of these things in books!! It still could be that she made them with her own inspiration, who knows? But, one thing is for sure, the smell of vinegar throughout the house will always bring back fond childhood memories!

As much as I wanted to make tomato sauce, the Can Jam deadline is fast approaching and no matter how much I go out and encourage these plants to turn their fruits red, they are holding on tight to their own time table, so.... I have to settle second best. Not to worry.... I will make tomato sauce and can some stewed tomatoes IN SEPTEMBER!  :) 

 

Dilled Tomatoes

Green tomatoes (cherry or grape works best)

Grape leaves (1 per jar)

Head of Dill   (1 per jar) **or 2 tsp. dill seeds**

garlic clove   (OPTIONAL: 1 per jar)

1/2 tsp. of alum per pint  (1 tsp. per quart)

Brine 

(Enough for 7 Quarts)

10 Cups water

5 Cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)

1 Cup canning salt

Wash the tomatoes, dill & grape leaves then put 1 leaf & the dill head and/or feathery leaves

in the bottom of your jars. Add the garlic if you want it... I've done some with and some without!

Now, fill the jars with the tomatoes up to the neck and add the alum. Pour the HOT brine over the top covering the tomatoes but leaving head space in the jars. Remove air bubbles. Cover with jars with lids and water bath for 15 minutes.

I noticed that some of my garlic turned a funny, blue-green color. My first impression was that it is a similar color to a penny when it turns color. Kinda odd... so, I did a little bit of research and this is what I discovered  towards the bottom of the page in the comment section...  "Garlic will react with a small amount of copper and turn colour, but still safe to eat. Trace amount of copper in your water supply or from utensils is sufficient to cause this colour change."

I do not remember any of the garlic in my mom's pickles turning a funny color... my brother, cousins and I ALWAYS would argue over whose turn it was to eat the garlics!! I know I would have remembered it if was a weird color! I also know that she & I have the same 'Revere Ware' pots & pans that we both have used for years, and I use wooden spoons to stir with. SO, still not sure, unless it is a trace mineral in my water supply. This is one of life's mysteries that I may never have an answer for.... I think I can live with that!

Until next time, Happy & Safe Canning!

I made these the first week of August, before we went on vacation so that I could post this as soon as we got back and NOT miss the deadline! We got back tonight... and now I have some red tomatoes!! I am sooo excited to get started on sauce... it may still be a couple of weeks until I have enough red ones to can, but I can see the promise of it happening!!