DIY Canned Tomatoes

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DIY Canned Tomatoes

Are you guys canners and preservers too? From a young age I remember my mom peeling tomatoes and packing them into hot jars for processing. Then we used those tomatoes for soups and other dishes all winter long. One of my very favorite things is when she’d mix in a jar of canned tomatoes with a batch of baked macaroni & cheese. Talk about a simple one-dish meal that will knock your socks off…

So, I guess it was only natural that I began to “put things up”, as the old-heads like to call it. I started several years ago with tomatoes, probably because they are one of the most straighforward and easy. I remember thinking the first time I did it – that it was such a mess, that it was going to take forever, what a pain in my ass, etc. But the second time I canned, things went much smoother. You just have to find your routine and rhythm in the kitchen, and it gets easier! Now I love making different kinds of pickles, and being creative with fun flavor combinations for jams. It’s easy to get yourself hooked, so here’s fair warning!

And, the results are undoubtedly worth it. These quart jars that I packed full of local, ripe summer tomatoes are equivalent to a little more than a 28 oz can of store-bought tomatoes. As with all other DIY things we tackle, you know exactly what is going into them – which is always a win in my book. And, they’re so pretty sitting on your pantry shelf all winter long. A taste of summer at your fingertips, all year long!

DIY Canned Tomatoes

ripe red tomatoes (3 lbs. tomatoes per quart)
bottled lemon juice
pickling salt, optional
quart-sized Mason jars

Prepare canning jars and lids according to manufacturer’s directions.

Peel and core tomatoes. Cut an “X” in the bottom of each tomato, and place them in a bath of boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until skins begin to blister. Remove them to a dish filled with ice water and carefully peel the tomatoes and remove the core using a pairing knife. If the tomatoes are large, halve or quarter them.

Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp pickling salt (if desiered) to each quart jar.

Pack the tomatoes into jars, pressing gently on tomatoes until the juices fill in the spaces between the tomatoes. Leave 1/2-inch headspace for processing.

Using the handle of a rubber spatula or a butter knife, remove air bubbles by running the handle along the inside of the jar.

Carefully wipe rims down for any moisture and add the canning lid.

Process in boiling water bath for 45 minutes, or at 5 lb pressure for 15 minutes in a weighted guage pressure canner.

Roasted Lemon Chicken & Potatoes

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Roasted Greek Lemon Chicken & PotatoesAndrew, our oldest, just marched off to his first day of kindergarten today. Tears were shed by me, but he couldn’t have been more happy or excited to be going back to school. It’s just hard for me to swallow the pill that he’s not mine to take care of all day anymore. I’m not sure who’s going to miss him more – myself, or his little brother William.

Back to school also means busier evenings with after school activities, homework, and sports all going on simultaneously. So, a one dish dinner – in which everything is thrown together and roasted, is always a great trick to have up your sleeve for a weeknight meal. Ina’s original recipe calls for all bone-in chicken breasts, but my little ones love their chicken drumsticks, so I just use a whole cut-up chicken instead. The white wine and lemon juice, combined with the drippings from the chicken create and awesome pan sauce. And the potatoes and Brussels sprouts just soak up all that delicious flavor while they cook.

And if there does happen to be any leftover chicken, it makes the most awesome chicken salad sandwiches to go into a lunchbox the next day. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Roasted Lemon Chicken & Potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil
9 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
zest from 2 lemons
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano (I used 1 Tbsp fresh)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
2 lbs baby red potatoes, halved
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 lemon
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Pour the sauce into a 9×13 baking dish. Add the potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and season with salt and pepper.

Pat the chicken dry and place them skin side up over the sauce and veggies. Brush the chicken breasts with the olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon into wedges and tuck it among the pieces of the chicken.

Bake uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the vegetables and pan juices.

Source: adapted from How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten

Crab and Corn Chowder

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Crab and Corn Chowder

A couple of weeks ago we played tourist on our little island of Chincoteague, left the boys with my mom and dad, and walked down to Main Street…which, is just literally at the end of my parent’s street. There aren’t many shops – a small bakery, a little wine and cheese shop, some tacky beach t-shirt shops, and a few really fun and funky boutiques. We ventured in The Flying Fish Gallery, and amongst all the fun things they had in the store – my ceramics honing sense immediately zeroed in on these gorgeous oversized mugs. I thought how pretty would these be with a cream of crab soup or chowder in them? I couldn’t wait to get them home and fill them up with something!

Seems like everything is in season right now here on our beautiful Eastern Shore. Crabs are running great, thought they got a late start. Dad got a bushel in his 2 pots he has off the dock in just 4 days last week. That’s a lot of crabs for very little work, folks! We went and had steamed crabs for lunch, and he sent me home with the leftovers to pick.

Corn is in season everywhere right now, and this chowder really showcases the sweet, fresh flavor it lends. Let me just say that this soup was nothing short of phenomenal. All the flavors married so well, and I loved that you could taste the individual ingredients. The crab, the corn, the onion, the garlic, the potatoes…all off them working together in perfect harmony, but one not overpowering the other. Will be making this one again and again! The epitome of a Maryland Eastern Shore summer.

Crab and Fresh Corn Chowder

2 Tbsp butter
olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 starchy potatoes (like Russet), peeled and diced
6 fresh ears corn, shucked and rinsed
1 lb crabmeat, picked clean of shells
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 Tbsp butter

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat everything well, cook for 2 additional minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the heavy cream and the potatoes, return to a boil, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup, along with the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and stir in the butter until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Source: adapted from Tyler Florence

Kohlrabi Slaw

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Kohlrabi Slaw

This was the first year that we’ve been a part of a crop share. Every Tuesday afternoon the boys and I take a ride up to Salisbury (about 30 minutes for us) and get our goodies for the week. We’re never sure what we’ll get, and it’s always exciting to find something that we haven’t tried before in the basket for the week.

Take kohlrabi for instance. I had no clue what do with it. Folks seemed to say it was like a cross between cabbage and broccoli – so I of course immediately thought of a slaw. I shredded the kohlrabi down and combined it with a small bag of pre-packaged broccoli slaw. I also  had a couple of green apples hanging around, so I shredded them and added as well. I loved, loved, loved the sweet crunch that they brought to the party.

I’m hoping we’ll continue to see kohlrabi in our baskets for another few weeks at least, I’m already brainstorming more uses for those big leafy bulbs!

Kohlrabi Slaw

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 bulbs kohlrabi, peeled and shredded
1 (12 oz.) package broccoli slaw
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup greek yogurt
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Toss the shredded apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.

In a large bowl whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper together. Add the kohlrabi, broccoli slaw, and apples. Toss with the dressing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.