from my kitchen

How to Make Salsa (for canning)

August 19, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 60 Comments

how to make salsa

The first time I ever had this salsa, I was in the North Woods on vacation and Mi-uss Vicki (as my Southern self calls her) brought this to the cabin for our snacking pleasures. I was smitten and determined to never let a summer go by without canning salsa up a storm. This year, I had some stellar help in the sweat shop. It was a virtual tomato fest all day long and we passed the time with Ralph Stanley the Clinch Mountain Boys and their banjos and fiddles. It was a toe-tapping good time. You can’t have my lovely help but I will share the recipe!

Don’t be scared off by the ‘canning’ part. You don’t need a big pressure cooker or canner for this recipe. Almost every jar seals just by the heat of the salsa and the one that doesn’t will be perfect for eating (soon) or sharing. Or putting in the fridge if you possibly have that much will power.

Put whole tomatoes in boiling H20 a few min; then peel off skin.

16c.chopped tomatoes

2c. green peppers

2c. onions

3 jalapeno peppers

6 garlic cloves/chopped

11/2 T. salt

1T. pepper

3T. chili powder

3T. sugar

1/2c. lemon juice

1/2c. vinegar

Simmer:30-40 min.

To thicken I put in 1 sm. Cans of tomato paste.

You can adjust the jalapeños for your own heat level. We made a hot version and used 5 peppers per batch!

Simmer 30-40 minutes.

Makes approx: 5 1/2 qts.

I can’t exactly remember how many tomatoes it takes to make a batch of this but it’s probably close to 16 med/large tomatoes.

If your jars are clean and warm/hot, the jars will seal without doing a water bath. My jars weren’t even warm and all sealed minus one, which was perfect for eating the fruits of our well-earned labor! If you’re a little more precise and OCD than me, than by all means you can boil them in jars to ensure sealing. They sometimes won’t seal until 12-24 hours later but if they don’t seal, make sure and eat or refrigerate!

Happy canning and hope your week is full of lots of homemade joy!

To find other recipes, visit my recipes page!

If you’re interested in joining our new classical book club, check out the new forum! We are reading The Odyssey for September!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

July 17, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 22 Comments

vegetable lasagna recipe This recipe has taken 8 lifetimes to post so please someone make it and tell me about it.

I’m trying out a new recipe plug-in called GetMeCooking to make it easier for me to post and for you to print recipes.

This roasted vegetable lasagna recipe takes endurance and patience and should be planned for a day when you can spend some extra time in the kitchen. It requires 47 dirty pans but I promise the payoff is worth it.

This is also a recipe that should be doubled and the extra pan given to someone you love. It’s just as easy to make a double batch and then the effort and time seem justifiable.

My sister ate dinner with us tonight and demanded that this recipe be blogged so she can make it too. You can thank her for the fancy schmancy presentation! She loves you like that:)))

I’ve had a host of zucchini breathing down my neck, begging to be made into some kind of deliciousness so this was a good way to use those summer veggies. After dinner, sissy and I made 3 different versions of zucchini bread: one just plain (no nuts), one with dried cherries and one with chocolate chips. We are here to report that plain Jane is best. And for the first time in 3 weeks, there is no zucchini staring me down, waiting to be used.

Now, go forth and make roasted vegetable lasagna goodness.

And hire a sous chef to help you with the dishes.

p.s. I think this dish deserves really good cheese. I buy good quality cheeses at Sam’s for a fraction of the price of the grocery store. I buy blocks and cheese and then grate them myself (for this, I used the food processor) so that the flavor and texture is fresh. It adds to the time and dirty dish factor but again, this lasagna has a very fresh and delicious taste and I think it’s b/c of the good cheese, freshly grated!
[gmc_recipe 2243]

family fourth fest

July 14, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 34 Comments

The whole shebang was Stevie’s idea. He wanted the family to join us for a huge, week-long Fourth-A-July fun fest. He started inviting them a year ago so that everyone could make plans to vacation in Bean Station, Tennessee and celebrate with us the rebuilding of our home. It was a family fun week of epic staycation proportions. There were beds set up in every nook and cranny. We got up early and stayed up late. The fellas sipped on good whiskey late at night and talked theology, while we girls made food like we were running a restaurant and then layed on floats soaking up the hot summer sun. I don’t remember laughing so hard in recent history and I’m sure our very loud karaoke version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody will go down in history as my favorite family fun fest moment. I hope our guests, who had to endure our crazy, will forgive our temporary lapse in proper decorum.

I’m so glad I made everyone take a moment for pictures in the chaos of it all. The photos bring back so many good memories!

We set up a cute little ‘photo booth’ and then commenced snapping away. The outtakes were the best!

We spent oodles of hours on the water.

sunup

to sundown, most days….

cliff-climbing….

cliff-jumping….

jet-skiing……

wake-boarding….

water-skiing…..

and in general making every bit of daylight count…..

Then there was the food……

I’m such a foodie and had so much fun planning out the menu for the week. I’ve mentioned before that I had ten pages of hand-written notes on what to cook/what to marinate/what to take out of the freezer next.

Here are some of the things we had: roasted cauliflower and chick pea pasta, homemade waffles with homemade strawberry jam, peach and raspberry crisp, spicy vodka pasta, BBQ sammies, Texas sheet cake, corn and zucchini soup with southern cornbread, spicy meatball soup, and on and on. It was a food fest.

Then we had all the traditional stuff for the fourth, including a flag cake and the strawberry pretzel salad. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I could only have one food, it’d be cake with buttercream icing. I’ve got no lies to tell. And look at my little cutie-pies. How did they get this old when I’m only 25 myself?

The girls made homemade pickles one day and we ate a whole jar every time we opened one……

I couldn’t have made it through the week without these two, chopping and cleaning and making me tiny little strawberry shortcake shooters. I can totally understand the appeal of sister-wives. 3 women to cook and clean every night? You can’t imagine the efficiency. And soooo much fun to be around!

These three steered clear of the hen fest in the kitchen. They had issues and concepts to chew on. Church and world problems to solve. They like to really hash it out, confessional Lutheran style.

And I always enjoy seeing the brothers. They are HI-LARRY-US together.

We were so blessed to spend the week with our kids and family and won’t soon forget the happy times.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies {and other threats to your thighs}

June 15, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 22 Comments

I blame this all on Sara.

She brought these cookies to our house on the 3rd of June and I’ll never forget the look in her eyes.

She knew what she was doing to me and she did it in cold blood.

And I was skeptical at first. Cherry? In my chocolate chip cookies? I don’t know about that right there.

And sprinkled with salt? (okay, fleur de sol but whatevs)

Where I come from we don’t sprinkle our cookies with salt.

But I’m here to tell you that this cookie connoisseur didn’t know what hit her.

I haven’t been quite the same since.

Whatever you do and for the love of all things toned and slim, do not, and I repeat DO NOT make these cookies under any circumstances.

If you ever hope to wear a swimsuit in the full light of day, you’ll take me at my word.

Now, for the rest of you, here’s the recipe. Make at your own risk.
I don’t want to hear your sad stories of how your husband found you in your closet hunkered down with a plate full of these.

I’ve got my own cherry chocolate chip cookie problems to deal with.

Thanks a lot Sara 🙂

(The recipe is apparently from Metropolitan Bakery in Philly!)

Ingredients

1 Cup Rolled oats

3 Cups All-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp Baking powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 1/4 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Cups Butter

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1 3/4 Cups Brown sugar

3 Eggs

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

3 1/2 Cups Chocolate chunks

1 1/4 Cups Dried tart cherries

1 1/4 Sea salt

Directions

Grind oats into fine flour (food processor)

Sift flour, baking soda,and baking powder.

Add oats and salt.

Using mixer, cream butter and sugars until light in color and texture (about 3 minutes).

Add eggs one at a time.

Stir in vanilla.

Add flour mixture until combined.

Fold in chocolate and cherries.

Sprinkle each cookie with sea salt.

Bake @ 350 for 15 – 18 minutes.

Take a little journey to cookie heaven on first bite.

{Italian} creamy pasta salad:: “Must Try” summer recipes

May 23, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 140 Comments

My friend Jen is hosting a ‘must try’ recipes contest today with 8 other bloggers. This week is such perfect timing since we’ll all be trying to think of new and tasty recipes to make for our Memorial Day cookouts! The contest lasts for 24 hours and you can only comment once. I’d be so thankful if you’d ever so kindly take the time to vote. Maybe I’ll even post an video of my Tammy Wynette car karaoke. Or a hitch kick video? But either of those options that might be scary for small children and anyone with a heart condition. Either way, I’d be so happy if you voted by commenting 🙂
creamy pasta salad
As many of you know, I’m growing a little garden. My precious, sweet, beautiful little garden. It makes me so happy! And I’ve been dying to harvest some herbs. So when Jen emailed me about participating in this fun recipe contest, I knew right away that my basil would finally have its moment to shine.

So, here’s the recipe:

1/2 large box (16 oz) of shells pasta (or any other similar sized pasta)—cooked to al dente and drained

1 container of grape tomatoes, sliced in half and sautéed in olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced and sautéed in olive oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar, added to the tomatoes and garlic after they’ve sautéed a couple minutes

1 container of Philadelphia cooking creme, italian cheese and herb

12 leaves of basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Saute the tomatoes and garlic together for about 5 minutes and then add the balsamic vinegar and sauté 1 more minute. Let this mixture and the pasta cool before adding the additional ingredients.

Garnish with a few handfuls of shredded parmesan cheese.

Serve chilled with your favorite BBQ main dish!

Please visit the other bloggers for great recipes ideas for the weekend!

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Bars – Saving Dollars and Sense
Creamy Potato Salad – Mommy Hates Cooking
Southwest Chicken Salad – My Home Sweet Home
Creamy Bacon and Tomato Potato Salad – Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Creamy BLT Pasta Salad with Pesto Sauce – 4Tunate
Shrimp Campanelle Salad – The Peaceful Mom
Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dip – Saving with Shellie
Philly Creamy Deviled Eggs – Smockity Frocks

And thanks Jen, for hosting this party and inviting me to cook with y’all!

{spicy} Tomato Soup

April 17, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 27 Comments

This is life{in}grace rerun and is dedicated to my new bff , Paige, and her daughter Caroline, who have officially made this soup more than me. But while smarter folks than I try to figure out all the things that have been going wrong with my blog for the past two months, give this American classic with a spicy twist a try. My blog and email seem to have been taken over by hostile powers. Which reminds me, has anyone who signed up for the email subscription service through me been getting the posts by email lately? Hopefully, there will be some resolution soon. Also the winner of the Lutheran prayer book is Becky from A Peaceful Dwelling. I so enjoyed all your book recommendations and have ordered several already!
tomato soup

Spicy Tomato Soup

{with a hint of blue cheese}

don’t let the blue cheese scare you. this is the best tomato soup recipe i’ve ever eaten. ever. just ask stevie.

he won’t lie for me just to promote my tomato soup.

Now, if I’ve already offended you with the suggestion of blue cheese, don’t get your panties in a ruffle.

You just use a little—for a complex layer of flavors—- and I highly doubt you could tell it had blue cheese in it, if you didn’t already know.

Try it and you could always substitute the cheese if you have serious issues with blue cheese.

The other two stars of the show are sriracha and a large can of cento tomatoes.

Sriracha is a deliciously-hot-addictive sauce that has seductive powers unlike any hot sauce

you’ve ever had. Your mouth might burn but it will not stop you from adding more. A little squirt into soup is makes all the difference!

You’ll need these ingredients:

a few splashes of olive oil

1 small onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 28 ounce can of tomatoes

1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

2 T. honey

1 small squirt of sriracha (more if you like really spicy–but start small)

handful of basil leaves

about an ounce of blue cheese (or your favorite easy melt cheese)

1/3 cup of cream

kosher salt and pepper to taste

You’ll also need a submersion blender!

The directions:

In a large dutch oven, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Don’t measure, just swirl a few times. Then add the chopped onion and garlic and salt to taste and then saute for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes in their juice. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the cream and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Use your submersion blender to achieve the consistency you’d like and then add cream. Taste it and reseason as necessary. I almost always have to add more salt and more honey. And if you accidentally go heavy on the sriracha, add a little more cream to balance the heat. Serve with artisan bread or crackers and prepare to be lavished with ” mmmm’s” and gratitude.

Garnish with basil and enjoy!