Life is just a bowl of cherries So live and laugh at it all… I’m definitely laughing. Today’s bowl is a jar of cherries – and sugar and pectin and lemon juice – because when you have a cherry tree in your front yard, you need a sense of humor – and a wee bit… Continue reading Cherry Jam
Tag: Canning and Preserving
Canning Dried Beans
When I was at the grocery store last week, I went to grab a couple of cans of beans. In the grande scheme of things, I’d rather cook my own, but you can’t deny the convenience of having them cooked and ready to go at a moments notice. And then I looked over and saw… Continue reading Canning Dried Beans
Chicken Stock
Last night, as I was making my shopping list, Victor said, if you get a couple of chickens I’ll make chicken stock and you can can it. With an offer like that, how could I refuse?!? We both prefer homemade stock, but lack the freezer space to make and freeze it. I honestly never thought… Continue reading Chicken Stock
Tomato Sauce
It seems the weather has finally started cooperating – we’re getting tomatoes! We went out to do some yard cleanup and a bit of harvesting – and the bit of harvesting was 20 pints of tomato sauce – 16 canned and down stairs, 4 in the refrigerator. I can only can 16 pints at a… Continue reading Tomato Sauce
Limoncello
When life hands you lemons, it’s time to make Limoncello! As we all must surely know by now, Limoncello is an Italian cordial – but what we may or may not know, is that it’s a relative newcomer to the game. There is no historical documentation regarding the use of Limoncello before the beginning of… Continue reading Limoncello
Dried Pepper Hot Sauce
When I was at Gentile’s, yesterday, I saw a bunch of dried peppers hanging by the register. My impulse buys of the morning were Guajillo peppers, Pasilla peppers, and Chipotle peppers. I had also picked up a couple of fresh poblanos – with no firm plan as to what to do with them. This morning,… Continue reading Dried Pepper Hot Sauce
Strawberry Jam
I brought home a 4-pound package of strawberries. Four pounds. Like Victor and I could possibly eat four pounds of strawberries before they turned to mold. It was one of those I know I shouldn’t do this but they look too good to pass up moments. It wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence – I’m often… Continue reading Strawberry Jam
Breaking Out the Big Pots
While I was toiling away at work, today, Victor was at home making a big batch of sauce. We haven’t had any sauce downstairs for weeks – and I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed it. I really get the concept and convenience of jarred pasta sauce – I’ve just never found one I… Continue reading Breaking Out the Big Pots
Pistachio Liqueur in Bulk
The Pistachio Liqueur was such a success, I decided I needed to make a lot of it. Christmas is rapidly approaching and just about every gift we give is food-related and homemade. The liqueur was relatively easy to make. The only tedious part is the straining. It needs numerous strains though first cheesecloth and then… Continue reading Pistachio Liqueur in Bulk
Baba Ghanoush
Yesterday’s it’s just allergies acting up turned into today’s shit, I have a cold. A doozy of a cold. I’ll spare you the details of a non-stop running nose with a moustache and beard. Yes, a doozy of a cold. I tried staying in bed but lying prone does not help the aforementioned issue. Against my… Continue reading Baba Ghanoush
Hot Pepper Sauce
I’ve wanted to make a hot pepper sauce for the longest time. Today, I finally did it! The concept is pretty simple, but the ways of going about it are more varied and complex than I ever thought possible. My all-time favorite hot sauce is Tabasco. I love it. It has just the right amount… Continue reading Hot Pepper Sauce
Pistachio Liqueur
When we were in Italy a few years ago, we bought a little souvenir bottle of pistachio cream liqueur. It was in a bottle the shape of Italy and cost a grand total of about 1 euro. It held exactly enough to make one batch of really good pistachio biscotti. We looked for more, but… Continue reading Pistachio Liqueur