Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes over Pasta

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes over Pasta
Ingredients:
1 cup low or reduced sodium, non-fat chicken broth
1 1/2 oz. Sun Dried Tomatoes (not packed in oil, about 16)
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon 7-10 leaves of fresh basil
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups cooked hot pasta ( I like penne)
Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Combine broth and tomatoes in a small sauce pan and warm gently on low heat. Take off heat and let sit 5 minutes. Drain, reserving broth. Finely chop tomatoes and set aside. Place chicken, 1/2 cup broth, wine, basil, oil, salt and pepper in saucepan and heat gently till hot. When pasta is done, drain and toss with chicken mixture and tomatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

You can also use wheat pasta to cut out some calories. :) Dried basil can be used, but I love, love, love fresh basil.

What other recipes would you like to see?

Pickled Habaneros

Ingredients
20 to 30 habanero chiles, stems removed
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3 Mason-type (1-pint) canning jars, sterilized

Methods/steps
Select habaneros that are fresh, firm, and free of blemishes. Wash in a mild bleach solution (1 teaspoon household bleach to 1 quart of warm water), rinse and allow to dry overnight. (I haven't washed them in the bleach solution, I just have washed them as normal with gloves on of course.)
Wearing food-safe gloves and using a sharp paring knife, cut two slits in the top of each chile. Tightly pack the chiles into the sterilized jars.

In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil and pour over the chiles. Seal the jars and store in a cool, dark place for at least 4 weeks before serving.

Blackberry Jelly

I am trying something for the first time this year, making blackberry jelly. I found a couple places to pick blackberries so I am freezing them and getting the juice from them with a fruit mill. Add 4 cups of juice (about 3 quarts of blackberries) 7 1/2 cups of sugar and once it is to a rolling boil add 2 packages of liquid pectin. Once it starts boiling again, stir constantly for 60 seconds. Skim the foam off and place in jars. Put in a hot water bath and process for 10 minutes. That got me 10 of the half-pint jars. I have given a few away but Mister and I have almost finished one, he is eating it way more than I have been! We are going to keep picking since this is our favorite jelly. I was doing some research and found that by freezing the berries before making juice from them, the cells walls are broken down and you are able to get more juice from them. Just an FYI for you!

Somewhat Dill Zucchini Relish

I made a batch of regular zucchini relish. It was good, but a little sweet for our taste. I will give it to family 'cause there are lots who like it. I like a dill relish. So I decided to do some tweaking and see if I could come up with a relish that wasn't totally dill, but wasn't really sweet either.

This is what I came up with. I will continue tweaking it and see what I can do with it!

 

10 cups of chopped zucchini

4 1/2 to 5 cups of chopped onions

4-5 cups of green and red sweet peppers

10 tbl of salt

10 tsp celery seed

5 tsp mustard seed

5 cups sugar

4 cups white vinegar

1 tsp turmeric

4 tbl dill

Chop zucchini, onions, and peppers in food processor. Combine them in a bowl with salt and cover with water. (I used a cheese cloth in a strainer for this step..) Let set at least two hours but up to overnight. Drain, rinse and drain again. Squeeze excess water our with hands if needed. Combine remaining ingredients in large pan. Bring to simmer and add veggies. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Place in jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner.

Panko!!!

Panko - my new love!

I have found my new love - Panko! It is so wonderful and tasty. I first heard about it through The Pioneer Woman but then another friend made me fried pickles and I was hooked. I went and bought a couple of boxes and we made squash and sliced pickles. Oh my gracious! We are now wanting to have it quite often.
Just a few hints for when you make it, first, coat everything in flour, then an egg or egg/milk mixture and then the panko. We loved the fry daddy for this since you don't really have to flip it. Don't make this when you are hungry 'cause you will burn your mouth trying to eat it!

Pickles and squash, Yummy!

Grape Jelly

One of the pops that I love to is the popping of a can that is sealing. I try to set food back and also find easier ways to have things that we like to eat that will be ready when we want it. One of the things is chili. I finished 40 pints so far today. Plus 9 pints of dill relish and 4 1/2 pints of grape jelly. I can't wait to try the grape jelly but it is super easy so I am going to share the recipe with you today. It is an old recipe, it called for 1/2 a bottle Certo. They don't even make it in bottles anymore. Just an FYI for you, if you find one that calls for 1/2 bottle of Certo use 1 package of the Certo that is made today, they are equal.

6 cups of sugar
3 cups water
2 pkgs. of Certo liquid pectin
1 can frozen grape juice (keep it frozen and make sure it is 100%juice!!!)

Combine the sugar and water in a pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in Certo and frozen grape juice. Mix well and then skim off the foam or bubbly top. Ladle into jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.

I hope that you enjoy it! It is simple way to make jelly and would make a great Christmas gift. In 8 ounce jelly jars it looks so pretty!

What's the Big Dill? Sun Cooked Pickles

I am learning to cook with fresh herbs and it has been fun to do. I am going to plant a herb garden next year. A friend of mine was talking about foods we like and she mentioned pickles and we were talking about how much we both loved pickles. She found a recipe for sun cooked pickles. I am going to share it with you today and hopefully you will love it!!! Here is my contraption that I am using to keep raccoons out of mine while it is cooking. I am going to give you other tips to help too! This is a kennel for pets and it is keeping them pickles safe while they cook!!!

Sun Cooked Pickles
(measurements are for 1 quart jar)
1 tsp of sugar
1 1/2 Tbls salt
2 1/2 Tbls vinegar
1 dill head with seeds
cucumbers that are between 6-9 inches long

(this is one of the hints) Combine the sugar, salt and vinegar with boiling water. My first batch I followed the directions and put the cucumbers first and then everything else but it didn't mix well so do it backwards. After you have added the boiling water and made sure that it has basically dissolved start adding the cucumbers. This is your brine. The recipe that I had said to split the cumbers in half but I split mine in quarters to make spears. add the dill at the end and put the lid on. I used canning jars and it needs to be tightened one turn. I have it tight enough that I could have the lid "holding" but not totally screwed on. It needs to be loose for the brine to be able to bubble out a bit. Sit the jar outside in the sun and let it "cook". It takes 3 to 4 days to cook. The brine will start to get cloudy and the cucumbers will look more like pickles. After they are done bring them in and refrigerate them.

Hints
-Like I said before combining the ingredients put the sugar, salt and vinegar in and let them dissolve makes it easier.
-If you can't put the jars in something to keep the animals out of them they need to be taken in at night. I found that the cage works great.
-The pickles will not be bright green like you see in the store. They will be a nice green color.
-The sun may bleach the cucumbers. This is okay and doesn't effect the taste.
-Be careful carrying the jars, the brine makes them slippery.
-Make sure and have tons of cucumbers because everyone is going to love them!!!!
This is my 3 quart jar that will be done tomorrow (Wednesday). We have already gone through 3 quarts!!! This is a new favorite of ours!

Updated hints
-When using canning jars, flip the lid upside down and then put the band on. This way you don't risk the chance that the jar will seal, causing the pickles to spoil.
-Store the pickles in another, larger container so that you are just using a few containers to make them in. Large plastic peanut containers or pretzel containers work well.

Apple Butter - B's Style

My husbands great grandmother made apple butter that the whole family loved. I waited too long to get her recipe and she couldn't remember it. It was one of those recipes that she worked with until it tasted right and looked right. This year I decided that I was going to figure it out. I went to the Internet and started trying to find a recipe to no avail. I could find some that might have worked but they had a lot of the vinegar, which was not in Mema's, so I was told. So I planned some time out and decided to figure her recipe out. I took apples from a local orchard and got started. I tweaked it until I came up with this. The family says that it tastes like hers and I was happy to get it right! I have mental hang up with the fact that it has a red tint to it so I add green food coloring to make it a rich, dark brown. There are always changes that you can make to fit your taste buds so don't be afraid to try!

Apple Butter

5 cups mashed apples

5 cups sugar

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup red hots

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional: green food coloring

Peel and core apples. Place in stainless steel pan and fill halfway up with water. Boil until apples are soft and will easily break (approx 30 minutes). Use food mill and mash the apples but don't liquefy. Combine all remaining ingredients and cook for at least 20 minutes. If you want to add food coloring to turn in brown add it now. (It normally takes me 8 drops) Place in jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 pints

1 pound of apples=1 cup of mashed apples
I have seen recipes that call for apple sauce instead the mashed apples and am thinking about trying it next time. If you try that leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Corn on the Cob

I love, love, love corn on the cob. I am always looking for new ways to fix it.  Tonight I made steak and decided to try a new way of fixing corn on cob, baking it!  I think I may have found one of my new favorite ways to fix it.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grab a  jelly roll pan lined with tin foil.  Put the corn (husk peeled off) directly on the pan and sprinkle thoroughly with salt and pepper.  Then place pats of butter on the corn.  Put it into the over for 35-45 minutes.  Turn every 15 minutes or so and check to make sure it isn't burned.  I always clean mine, and then freeze it, so I was cooking this frozen.  That is my favorite way to keep the moisture in.  Put more butter on it and enjoy!!!

Plum Jelly

I made plum jelly this weekend and thought I would share the recipe and then share a tip!

Plum Jelly

5 1/2 cups plum juice

7 1/2 cups sugar

1 pouch powdered pectin

Combine the juice and pectin, bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar, stirring constantly to a hard boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim foam off of the top. Pour in jar and process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

5 pints or 10 half-pints

I made some earlier in the year that was very thin. I had made it with liquid pectin. It taste good, it was just thin and very liquid. It was wonderful to mix up with peanut butter to put on toast or sandwiches but I was going to try for a firmer jelly. This batch I made with powdered pectin and it gelled up wonderful. If you have issues with jelly that doesn't set up perfect, try this next time!!!

Habanero Jelly

This is what I spent my Sunday doing and loved every minute of it!
Pretty green jalapeno jelly

Pretty orange habanero jelly!

I couldn't find a recipe that I like for habanero jelly so I came up with my own, modifying the jalapeno jelly recipe. I did add yellow and red food coloring to make it orange and love the results!

Habanero jelly3/4 lb habaneros

2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
2 pouches of liquid pectin
Optional: rea and yellow food coloring
Cut the stem tops off the habaneros. I don't slice them anymore than this. I was in a hurry. Add the habaneros, vinegar and sugar to a stainless steel pan. bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Pour into a strainer that is lined with cheese cloth and let it drain. Pour back into pan and bring back to a boil. Stir in liquid pectin. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and add food coloring if wanted. Ladle in jars and process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Makes 5 half-pints.

Garden 2016

I have baby tomatoes!!!! And my youngest tomato plants are growing!
Can't wait.

Jalapeno Jelly

I entered items in the fair and when I was putting them away I learned some interesting things. The wonderful women who judged wrote hints on the back. I will know to always leave 1/4 inch and only a 1/4, not 1/2 inch. I also had written on the back of my jalapeno jelly that it shouldn't have any fruit in the jelly. All the recipes that I could find was taking the jalapenos, pureeing them and leaving them in the jelly. So I had to come up with my own recipe for my jalapeno jelly. What a better time than Christmas time so I have others to test it out as well!!!

Jalapeno jelly

3/4 lb jalapenos

2 cups apple cider vinegar

6 cups sugar

2 pouches of liquid pectin

Optional: green food coloring

Cut the jalapenos into slices and then cut the slices in half. Add the jalapeno, vinegar and sugar to a stainless steel pan. bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Pour into a strainer that is lined with cheese cloth and let it drain. Pour back into pan and bring back to a boil. Stir in liquid pectin. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and add food coloring if wanted. Ladle in jars and process in water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Makes 5 half-pints.

Chicken Bundles

This is one of the most amazing recipes that I have ever made. Doesn't it look yummy? I am sure that there are ways to make it lower in fat but measuring out skim milk, using margarine (which will work fine), and using fat free cream cheese but I was wanting the ooey gooey goodness of everything last night! This is an amazingly easy recipe and everything flows. It will take a total of 20 - 25 minutes to make and I was so focused that I forgot to fry squash to put with it last night. He doesn't ask for certain things to be made too much but this is one that he asks for. I also figure that you could use tuna or turkey. The turkey would really need to be pulled and moisture added to make it taste right. Here we go with the recipe!!!

Chicken Bundles
1 can of cresent rolls 3 oz cream cheese
3 Tbs butter
1 can chicken breast, drained
2 cups Minute Rice
Slightly less than 2 cups of water
Salt to taste
1 tsp butter
1 can Cream of chicken soup
1 can milk

Roll-upsPre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Put cream cheese and the 3 Tbs of butter in the microwave for 15 seconds. (If not soft enough to blend microwave in 1 second increments until they are able to be blended – not melted). Blend together. Add the drained chicken and mix. Unroll the crescent rolls and put 1/8 of mixture on each roll. Bring the corners of roll together. They won’t all come together and there will still be mixture showing. This is fine, it won’t affect the bundle. Put in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly brown.

RiceWhile bundles are cooking, add the salt and the 1 tsp of butter to the water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the rice. Stir and take off the heat, covering with a lid. Let the rice sit at least five minutes.

SauceMix soup and milk together with a wire whisk. Cook over medium high heat until just starts to boil, stirring constantly.

Put the rice in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Put the cook bundles on top and then cover with sauce.
I always let this sit for approximately 5 minutes to let it mix and "mari" and cool off!
*This is enough that we eat half and save the other half for the next day. It does heat up well and tastes just as good the next day!