Penne Alla Vodka

I love cookbooks and it's very hard for me to not collect them - I finally ran out of room in the cabinet and had to pare down (just enough so what I kept fits easily in the space allotted to them!). One that I kept, no questions asked, is actually the first cookbook I got as an adult (I say as an adult because chances are I even had cookbooks as a kid but they didn't transition to 'real-life' with me), it's the 'Glamour's Gourmet on the Run: a Busy Woman's Guide to 30-minutes meals and effortless entertaining'. Yes it's a long title haha but pretty much every recipe I've made from this book is good.

I know you don't care about my old 80's cookbook story LOL but I told you anyway. 

I posted the Ina Garten recipe for a different tomato/vodka sauce that Al made us a while back (which is really good, click here for that recipe) and now I'm sharing the one that I've been making forever - well, since 1987 anyway - it's beyond simple to make and much quicker than Ina's version. It has ham and peas in it - which may or may not be traditional in penne alla vodka, I have no idea, but either way this is really good and one of our favorites.

PENNE ALLA VODKA ~

• 1 (16 oz) pkg. penne, cooked according to label directions
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 T. butter
• 1 (16 oz) can tomatoes, drained
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2/3 cup vodka
• 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
• 1/4 lb. ham, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to label directions. In the meantime, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add vodka; cook 5 minutes. Blend in cream; heat to boiling. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and heat through. Toss with hot drained pasta. Serve with grated parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings. 

sorry I don't have a picture - I was going to copy someone else's photo hahaha but just use your imagination and picture penne coated in a creamy pinkish tomato sauce with ham and peas and you'll have an idea what it looks like! Next time I make this I'll remember a photo and update later...oh, and for all you non-pea and/or ham lovers - you can totally leave them out. 

🔥Around the Campfire (week 48)

 Dear Campers ~

A quick recap in case you missed anything at MMDC last week:

Posts ~

11/22: 🔥week 47

11/23: wait a minute, what happened to monday's post?!!! 🤦‍♀️

11/24: tip-sy tuesday: gravy

11/25: how to roast a turkey

11/26: happy thanksgiving

11/27: the moistmaker sandwich

11/28: cast iron blackened salmon

What's Cooking ~

• turkey, obviously
• turkey leftovers, obviously (we put shredded turkey in a saucepan and cover with gravy. Heat up and then serve over leftover stuffing - it's yum)
• shake and bake pork chops, roasted broccoli
• steak, mushrooms, caesar salad, baked steak fries, horseradish sauce
• grilled chicken, roasted baby potatoes, asparagus
• blackened salmon, couscous, green beans

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy - apparently too busy to pay attention to what is being posted and missing Monday:

• let's see, what could be keeping me busy the weekend after Thanksgiving? Hello, decorating!
• note to self - check the light strands are working before you spend hours outside only to plug them in and have them not light. good grief. 
• read 'Anxious People' by Fredrik Backman, who I've loved ever since reading 'The Man called Ove' but this one just didn't do it for me. A simple story told by at least 8 people's perspectives and let me tell you that got a little old. ⭐️⭐️1/2
• also read '28 Summers' by Elin Hilderbrand and also wasn't thrilled. It was a downer all based on 2 people not just making the right choices. At least the right choices in my opinion hahaha. ⭐️⭐️1/2

That's it - I have to keep moving...let the cyber shopping begin!! Hope to see you next week, stop back often and I'll do my best to not skip days!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

Cast Iron Blackened Salmon

Here's the other cast iron recipe that has become a new staple in my house - blackened salmon. If you need a break from the turkey leftovers this might be the perfect lighter meal hahahah - I cannot eat more stuffing. I'm stuffed with stuffing. Fish seems like a much needed break! 

I learned the method from my sister (gasp, yes that sister, the self-proclaimed non-cook!), and it's simple:

1. Season the salmon filets or pieces with whatever blackening or spices you like - she does a mixture of 2 spice blends that I can't remember, I didn't pay attention because she likes her blackened fish spicier than I do, I season ours with my favorite Paul Prudhomme's salmon seasoning blend. 

2. Heat the cast iron skillet dry over medium heat for a couple minutes, then add a small amount of canola oil and let it heat over medium heat until a droplet of water sizzles. Add the salmon and cook 6 minutes per side, or until it's done to your liking. (I do mine longer, I know it's 'wrong' but I like my salmon cooked well-done). That's it! Easy-peasy, crunchy exterior, quick, and (depending how much oil you use) it's healthy! 

We like to serve it with parmesan couscous and roasted broccoli - yum. This is so good!! 

The One with Ross' Sandwich (the Moist Maker)

The "moist maker". Do you remember this episode of Friends about the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich Ross loves? The secret is a slice of gravy soaked bread in the middle, hence 'the moist maker' layer. I have never made it - and quite truthfully it's sounds a little gross to me hahahah - but if Dave knew about this sandwich I would definitely have to make it for him... so shhhhhhh, it'll be our little secret! Check it out and see if you want to make this with your leftovers and let me know if it really is amazing and maybe I'll surprise him with one ;)

Ingredients:

• 3 slices sandwich bread
• mayo (optional)
• romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup gravy 
• 1/2 cup leftover turkey slices (or deli-style turkey)
• 1/4 cup cranberry sauce
• 1/4 cup stuffing

Directions:

1. Lay out a slice of bread. If using mayo, spread an even layer over the slice of bread then top with lettuce. Add half the turkey, and half of the stuffing.

2. Pour the leftover gravy into a shallow dish. Dip a second slice of bread into the gravy and turn to coat. Add this moist maker slice on top of the stuffing. 

3. Add another layer of lettuce, the remaining turkey, cranberry sauce, and the rest of the stuffing, then top with the final slice of bread. Use a large toothpick to hold everything together. 

This recipe is from insider.com and is supposedly the official recipe, the photo is from delish.com (note the photo isn't layered like the recipe states, who knows which is correct hahaha. Just layer your leftovers with a gravy soaked piece of bread in the middle and it's all going to taste the same!).

Happy Thanksgiving 2020

This is pretty much my standard Thanksgiving day post, but it still says what I'm thinking so I'm doing an almost repeat again :) 

2020 has been a difficult year, and with the stay-at-home and social distancing warnings I doubt very many people are doing the big family dinner or having a friendsgiving party - but no matter where you are and who you are with I hope you enjoy your day! 

I'm thankful and grateful for so many things - among them are my faith, my family and friends, my furry and feathery kids, gravy, and you guys reading my blog of course! Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours. 

So You Are Going to Roast a Turkey...

How many of you are about to roast your first turkey (thanks to the pandemic and everyone staying at home instead of going to Grandma's where she provides the turkey!)? Last year I took lots of pictures of how I do it, intending to share this year (look at me preparing ahead) before knowing that sucky Covid would be in the picture and more people might need some directions! This is not complicated, I keep my turkey prep pretty simple - yes if you Google there are SO many ways to roast a turkey but this is what I do and it turns out great every year. So read thru these steps, change the seasonings if you want, heck you can even omit or add steps if you want to combine recipes (cuz I've never done that hahahha).  

Oh, a couple things before you begin (if you're making it my way) - you need a thawed turkey, herb butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, veggies and fruits to stuff in the cavity and lay under the bird, and an oven bag.

To make herb butter: stir chopped herbs into softened butter. See, easy so far! Think poultry seasoning flavors like thyme, sage, rosemary, etc. 

1. This is my least favorite part but just suck it up and do it, don't think about it! When you take the wrapper off the turkey it'll look something like this. The neck and giblets are usually in bags stuffed in both ends of the turkey. Remove both (if the neck isn't in a bag you'll just have to fish it out with your hand, don't get all wussy on me - just grab it!), empty the contents into a large saucepan. Put aside.

2. Rinse inside and out, pat dry with paper towels. 

3. Gently slide your fingers underneath the breast skin to loosen it, creating a pocket between the meat and skin. Try to not rip the skin, loosen as far down as you can go. 

5. Now it's time to add the softened herb butter underneath the skin. I scoop it up with my fingers and push it into the pocket, press down on top of the skin to smooth and spread it around. 

6. Take a second to make sure your helper is paying attention!

7. drizzle the entire bird with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

                                            

8.  Insert fruit or veggies into the empty cavity - I just use what I have on hand, usually I'll insert an apple cut in half, or halved lemons, or whole herbs, you can also do chunks of onions, etc. This is really just a wing it step, it's fine if you don't add anything but I feel like it helps to keep the meat moist and adds some additional flavors. Note: I don't usually put stuffing in the bird, if you want that tho I'd use a stuffing bag to make removing it easier, and skip the fruit/veggies.

9. Tesha gave me the tip years ago to roast the turkey in a large oven bag - it really works!

10. From now on I just follow the package directions: open the bag and place in a roasting pan fitted with a rack, add a little flour and shake it around, add a few veggies or fruit that you'll rest the turkey on top of - carrots, celery, onions, apple...whatever you have.

11. Tuck the legs under the loose skin at the bottom if you can. Add the turkey to the bag on top of the veggies. Tie according to package directions.

12. Cut a few slits in the top of the bag.

13. Roast according to package directions for the size of your bird. 

14. While the turkey is roasting make turkey broth for the gravy using the neck and giblets you took out in step one. Put them in a pot and fill it up with water. If you have the time and inclination you can add other things to the pot for additional flavor - like onions, celery, peppercorns...bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, let it cook for a couple hours making sure it doesn't boil over or reduce too much  (add more water if it does). Strain the broth into a glass measuring cup (you need 4 cups for this recipe, if you have more than that you can save it for other uses), discard the solids. Reheat the broth when you're ready to make the gravy. Click here for yesterday's post about how to make gravy. 

You can do it!! Good luck, let me know how it turns out! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tip-sy-Tuesday: gravy

I've posted and reposted this before, but with Thanksgiving a couple days away and maybe lots of you staying home instead of going to the big family/friend dinner like usual and you're thinking 'how the heck do I make gravy', I've got you and am reposting how to make gravy for the umpteenth time! Don't worry, follow these directions and you'll amaze yourself that you made gravy from scratch. 

The thought of making gravy used to intimidate and scare me but after I found these instructions in the LA Times newspaper years ago (you know it's years ago because who gets a newspaper anymore?) I've had good luck.  

Ingredients (for 4 cups)

• 1/2 cup turkey fat and/or melted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 cups turkey broth (directions below how to make it, or just use store-bought!)

To get the turkey fat: after roasting the turkey drain off the drippings and measure out 1/2 cup of fat (it's easiest if you have a fat separator but you can separate by hand - let the drippings rest in a clear measuring cup until the fat rises to the top then spoon it off). If you don't have enough fat add enough melted butter to equal 1/2 cup total. 

To make the turkey broth: put the bits that come out of the turkey before you roast it (you know, the neck and giblets - yuck) in a pot and fill it up with water. If you have the time and inclination you can add other things to the pot for additional flavor - like onions, celery, peppercorns...bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, let it cook for a couple hours making sure it doesn't boil over or reduce too much  (add more water if it does). Strain the broth into a glass measuring cup (you need 4 cups for this recipe, if you have more than that you can save it for other uses), discard the solids. Reheat the broth when you're ready to make the gravy.

To make turkey gravy: heat the 1/2 cup of fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly for a couple minutes to cook off the flour taste. Remove from heat, gradually whisk in 4 cups of warm turkey broth (Note: I do this step very slowly, maybe 1/3 cup of broth at a time stirring constantly until the broth is incorporated into the flour, then add another 1/3 cup... continue adding very slowly and you won't have lumps). After all the broth is mixed in, return pan to the heat and cook until bubbly, thick, and smooth - keep stirring and watch closely that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 cups and its yummy.

🔥Around the Campfire (week 47)

 Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp last week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

11/15: 🔥week 46

11/16: cast iron skillet pizza

11/17: tip-sy tuesday: caring for cast iron

11/18: loaded cream cheese brownies

11/19: loaded 'lazy girl' brownies

11/20: Brooke's apple pie hack

11/21: maple dijon chicken thighs

What's Cooking ~

• crock pot corned beef and cabbage; roasted carrots and potatoes
• maple dijon chicken thighs with butternut squash and green beans 
• grilled steak, baked steak fries, sautéed mushrooms, caesar salad
• crock pot chicken stroganoff
• grilled chicken, spinach ravioli, roasted asparagus

That's it for this week, I've still been working on organizing the basement storage room and started going thru Christmas decorations - no time for anything else! What a mess hahaha. Hope you'll stop by next week to see more recipes, projects, crafts, and whatever else I can think of to make!! 

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

Maple-Dijon Chicken Thighs

This recipe came in an email from Parents.com - I'm not a parent (unless you count the dog and parrot) and have no idea how I got on a parents email list but the bigger question I have is what kid is going to eat this? Haha, I might not have a kid but I'm pretty sure my niece wouldn't touch this - however, I made it for Dave and I and we loved it. So kid-friendly or not, it's a delicious simple meal that tastes great! Here's the recipe as written, with my changes noted after.

• 8 (6 oz) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 lbs. total)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
• 8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 t. flour
• 1 t. water

1. Preheat oven to 400'. Coat a large (5 to 7 quart) dutch oven or other heavy pot with nonstick spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange half of chicken, skin side down, in pot. Brown over medium-high heat until skin is golden and crisp, 5 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a large plate. Brown remaining chicken.
2. Remove pot from heat; coat squash and green beans in drippings. Return chicken, skin side up, and nestle into veggies.
3. Combine maple syrup and mustard in a small bowl; pour over chicken mixture. 
4. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of chicken registers 165', 30 to 35 minutes. Divide chicken and vegetables among four plates, reserving sauce in dutch oven.
5. combine flour and water in a bowl. Heat sauce on medium, and bring to a simmer. Add flour mixture, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens, 2 minutes. Spoon over chicken and veggies. 

note: to create delicious, crackling chicken skin, cook the thighs in a pot that hasn't been preheated.

per serving: 382 calories; 9g fat; 30g carb

original recipe found here

My changes: 

• I bought boneless skinless thighs, so we didn't have the 'delicious, crackling skin'; to add a little fat and moisture I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the squash and beans in step #2, and scraped the bottom of the pan to incorporate any little bits after searing the chicken. Toss the veggies in the pan for a couple minutes to get a little color on them, then proceed with step #3. 
• I added a little wondra flour to the syrup mustard mixture and poured it over top of the chicken in step #3, and skipped step #5. We thought the sauce seemed thick enough without that added step. 
• I'd think that boneless thighs should take less time to cook but I needed 35 minutes for the squash to be tender, the chicken was still very moist so I'm not sure how much less time boneless needs. If your squash is done in less than 35 minutes make sure to check that the chicken is done. 

Apple pie and ice cream by Brooke

 Hi everyone it’s brooke!! so yesterday after dinner i really wanted apple pie and ice cream but we didn’t have any pie. so i decided to make my own apple pie filling/ cobbler to put with ice cream! it was sooooo simple! all i did was cut up an apple into strips and coated them in a brown sugar and cinnamon sugar mixture and put them in a baking dish and cooked them in the oven at 350° for 20 minutes! and then i let them chill for another 15 minutes and then i put them in a bowl with ice cream on top!! hope you try this and enjoy it as much as i did

Loaded Brownies

 Here's a quick follow up to yesterday's 'loaded cream cheese brownie' post - I liked the topping idea of these brownies so much I made them again 2 days later but skipped the cream cheese layer and just frosted baked brownies with chocolate frosting and then piled on the toppings. I should probably call these 'lazy girl loaded brownies' because they are SO easy and yet look great. 

Once again I used a triple chocolate Ghirardelli's brownie mix, baked according to the package directions. Once cool frost with chocolate buttercream (or whatever flavor you like). 

Side note: I make fantastic buttercream frosting from scratch but I was in a hurry and bought a can of frosting at the grocery store (see, I wasn't lying when I said these are lazy girl brownies hahah!!). My sis gave me the tip a long time ago to whip store-bought frosting with a hand mixture for a few seconds and it gives it a way better consistency, and because even tho I'm lazy I still want things to taste as good as possible so I did take the few extra minutes to fluff up the canned frosting LOL. 

After the brownies are frosted, add whatever toppings you can think of - I really don't think you can go wrong here. Any mixture of chocolate chips, broken cookies, sprinkles, m&m's, reeses, chopped rolos, or broken pretzels are going to be delicious - and it looks amazing. Yes maybe a little amazingly crazy, but whatever - I think they look great. 

I did the same for serving as yesterday's brownie post (and still didn't take a photo!), cut in small bite-sized squares and put each one in a cupcake/muffin liner cup. Spreading brownie love not Covid. 

Loaded Cream Cheese Brownies

I made these for Halloween with an orange cream cheese layer (based on a recipe found here) but you could use any color you want or even just leave it white and they'll still be pretty! Love this idea, my only concern is how long they took to bake - recipe says 43-45 but it look much longer. I lost track of how long I left them in but I'd say 55 minutes and even then they looked extremely underdone. As they cooled they did set up a bit more, and if you like your brownies to be on the fudgey side you'll probably find these the perfect texture. The inspiration recipe used broken oreos and chocolate chips on top, I added more things including snow caps, mini oreos, thin chocolate wafer cookies, white chips, orange m&m's, candy eyes, and halloween sprinkles. 

Side note - did you know you can bake oreos on top of brownies? I would have said no, but it worked. What didn't work were the white chips and candy eyes, they turned brown after being in the oven so long - but there was so much going on on top of my brownies you didn't even realize the white chips were no longer white! To serve, in our Covid pandemic world, I cut them in very small bite sized pieces, about 1" squares, and put each one in a small cupcake liner. That way it made for individual single-sized portions and no one touched any other brownie except their own. I also added fresh candy eyes for presentation and a few more sprinkles to fill in any holes. I didn't take a picture of the presentation, use your imagination - bite sized brownies in individual cupcake/muffin liner cups looks just like it sounds :) 

I used a brownie mix (I like Ghirardelli's triple chocolate, but any box that makes an 8x8" pan will work), adding the ingredients called for on the box. Pour it into a foiled lined and sprayed with non-stick baking spray 8"x8" pan. 

For the cream cheese layer: 

• 8 oz. brick style cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sugar

Mix together with an electric mixture for 2 minutes. Add food coloring of your choice (optional, you could just leave it white) for this orange the recipe called for 10 drops yellow and 5 drops red but that wasn't near enough to get it bright orange. I stopped counting drops and just kept adding a mixture of yellow and red to get the desired color. Use your judgement. 

Add the cream cheese topping in big spoonfuls on top of the brownie dough, carefully spread it to about 1/2" of the edge. Add all the crazy toppings you want and bake in a 350' oven for 43-45 minutes or until set. Note it's hard to tell when the brownie layer is done since there's melty chips and the cream cheese layer to stick a tester thru. Mine were clearly underdone at the 45 minute mark without even having to test. Just keep an eye on them, maybe you'll have better luck with them being done around 45 minutes. 

Here's what it looked like when out of the oven - see how the white chips turned brown? Tasted fine and there's so much shizzle going on no one could even tell.

Tip-sy Tuesday: cast iron pan info

Yesterday I showed you how to make pizza in a cast iron skillet - the most delicious pizza by the way - so thought I'd share a couple tips to use and care for this (previously scary to me) pan:

The pan my mom bought me has already been 'seasoned' - honestly that was the intimidating part of owning a cast iron pan that made me never want one. It seemed like so much work, and that was before you could even use the pan! But having it pre-seasoned means it's good to go right off the bat, and the more I use it the better it will get.

Heat the dry skillet on medium heat for a couple minutes before adding a small amount of canola oil, then heat the oil until it shimmers and sizzles when you put a drop of water in the hot pan. If it sizzles you know it's ready to add ingredients. 

It's recommended to only use canola oil, my sister said she used vegetable oil once and didn't have the same results as canola - it seemed greasier to her. So stick with canola if you can.

Wash the pan with water, you can use a little soap but that might remove the seasoning; so far plain water has done it for me. Use a rubber scrapper or a brush meant for cast iron (not steel wool) if you have any bits stuck to the pan, I let water sit in the skillet for a couple minutes while doing other dishes but don't soak it too long or immersed in a sink of water - you don't want it to rust. You can rub in a little oil after the pan is clean, then buff it off. Dry it thoroughly before storing - moisture is not good for cast iron, the lady at the store told me she puts paper towel under and over her pans to help keep them dry while being stored (once again, they tend to rust if left wet too long).

I bought a fitted pot holder that slips over the skillet handle so it's a little easier to remove it from a hot oven or handle while on the stovetop. 

That's all I know so far - I'm going to experiment with other recipes for sure now that I know how much I like this new pan...I'll keep you posted!

Cast Iron Pizza

My mom bought me a 12" cast iron pan for my birthday, nice right? Except cast iron pans have always intimidated me and I've never wanted one hahaha!! But between my sister gushing about how fantastic her cast iron blackened salmon is, and my mom gushing about how her cast iron pizza tastes just like take-out pizza, I slowly warmed to the idea of owning a scary pan. (Although still secretly wondering if I could find a place to store said scary pan when I never use it LOL.) Cue this first attempt at making pizza and call me a convert!

I can't remember exactly how mom said she makes her pizza, but I do remember her wise advise to 'just google it, there's tons of recipes' so that's what I did. And read quite a few different ways to go about it, so I then did what I tend to do - yep, I winged it.

Preheat oven super hot - recipes say 500-550' but that scared me so I chickened out and turned it to 475'. 

Have the dough shaped and ready to go (I used store-bought, mom makes her own dough), I used the kind in the tube which makes a rectangle shaped crust so I just stretched it into a rough circle. Also have whatever toppings you are going to use on standby - I did pizza sauce, pepperoni, canned (drained) mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. 

Put the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for a couple minutes, then add some canola oil and let it heat up. Turn off the burner and carefully add the crust, pat it down and press out the best you can without burning yourself (use a spoon if you want). Add the toppings. The heat of the cast iron should get a good crust on the bottom, lift it up a bit to check and if it's still doughy on the bottom turn on the burner for just a minute or two to get it a little golden brown. 

Transfer skillet to oven and bake pizza until crust is golden brown around the edges and cheese is browned and bubbling, about 10-14 minutes. Carefully remove from oven (remember the handle will be hot too!). 

I didn't take lots of pictures since I didn't really know what I was doing, but you guys - this is fantastic and I hope you'll get that intimidating cast iron pan out of the basement and give this a try! Thanks again mom for the pan (I've made blackened salmon twice now and we love it too, so at least I have 2 great things to make with this pan!). 

🔥Around the Campfire (week 46)

 Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

11/8: 🔥week 45

11/9: troll costume

11/10: tip-sy tuesday: storage wrap tip

11/11: chessman banana pudding

11/12: pine nut pilaf

11/13: Brooke's coin jar

11/14: picked red onions

What's Cooking ~

rigatoni with homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, sausage, boiled eggs (thanks Al and Cathy!)

marinated pork tenderloin, rice pilaf, roasted carrots 

stuffed salmon, roasted broccoli

grilled thin cut chicken breast, low carb noodles ("carba-nada"), caesar salad

bbq ribs, coleslaw

chicken enchilada suizas

Very short recap today - been busy working in the basement so didn't have much extra time for any miscellaneous stuff. Hope you had a great week, stop back often to see more fun projects, recipes, and whatever else I can think of (or get other people to do for me) to make! Bye!

Sincerely,

Jill

camp counselor

Pickled Red Onions

While on my pickling kick (along with cucumbers and green beans) I decided I'd like to try pickled red onions - very easy to do and I love them! You can add to sandwiches, chop up in chicken or tuna salad, put on salads or tacos, or just eat straight out of the jar hahahaha. Since I've never done it, and because Dave will not eat them, I didn't want to make too many jars for my first time - I found a small batch recipe and just made 2 small 8 ounce jars of them and I'm wishing I would have made more! Who cares if I have to eat them all by myself - I'm up for that challenge ;)

I changed the recipe a bit so am just going to tell you what I did:

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 T. pickling salt
• 1 T. pickling spices (you can omit this, or add peppercorns or other spices)

                           

Follow standard canning methods, there is tons of info online for how to can - here's a couple basic things to know: 

*you want the jars sterilized and hot, either by running them in the dishwasher before starting to can (leave them in the hot dishwasher after the load has stopped so they stay warm) or immerse them in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. I do this right in my big canning pot since you'll also need a hot water bath for processing the jars. 

*put the canning lids into a small saucepan with water and bring up to almost a boil. Turn off and leave covered so they are hot when time to seal the filled jars. 

*have a funnel, ladle, and a wet paper towel handy for filling the jars. 

1. Dissolve the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Add the onions and pickling spices or other spices if you're using to the saucepan and simmer on low for 5 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat. 

3. Using clean tongs, pack the onions into each jar. Add the spices from the pan if you're using.

4. Using a ladle, fill the space around the onions with the pickling brine, leaving about 1/2 inch head space.

5. Wipe the rim with a wet paper towel so it's clean, then add a lid from the hot water in the small saucepan. Screw in place with a ring.

6. Process for 10 minutes submerged in the large pot of hot water, make sure there's about an inch of water over top of the jars. Remove carefully with long tongs and set on the counter or a rack to cool - you'll know the jars have sealed when you hear my favorite canning sound, it's sort of a 'ping' or a popping sound. Cool completely.

Store for up to 1 year, once opened store in the fridge for up to a month.