School Starting Equals Crock Pot

Well, it's that time again...school time! Why should school makes us crazy, well, it seems to lengthen the 'to-do" list by about 20 hundred things. I don't just mean school and homework, I mean soccer, piano, ballet, karate, financial aid, graduation applications, Oh, is it only September? With a short flip of the calendar from August to September, that is, one flick of the wrist and my phone rings and my Father-In Law starts singing his familiar, yearly tune to my kids..."It's all over, back to school again.." It's better in person because you get to hear the groans from the kids.

My friend Karen wrote with a request for back-to-school crock pot goodies, so here are two that are tasty enough to serve to the kids and the In-Laws when they want to sing in person!

Crock Pot Basics: DO NOT OPEN THE LID WHILE COOKING!
Meat always goes on the bottom, then veggies, not too much juice, it makes it's own! Make earlier in the morning at breakfast, the slow cooking is what makes it good. My machine has a 4 hour bottom, but I don't seem to like it as well in the final product, but it will do in a pinch, some homemade dinner is WAY better than no dinner!

Chicken and Leeks with White Wine
8-10 organic chicken thighs
8 medium Yukon gold potatoes, wash & slice in quarters
8 carrots, skinned and sliced in half
4 leeks, washed and sliced in quarters
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Place chicken on bottom of crock pot.
Add in the following order:
Leeks, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, rosemary.
Top with the wine and stock.
Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hour setting.

Your Life...Line Notes
1. Any fresh herbs will do.
2. Alcohol cooks out during this long process, use 2 cups stock if you don't have wine on hand.
Let your guests add their own salt and pepper or Parmesan cheese at serving.
3. I'll do curry lentil tomarrow...check back!

Spicy Peach Salsa

When I sit to write it seems I start pouring information forth without regard to the fact that the blog is supposed to be short bits of information, more or less daily, that are helpful to others. Why am I always in booklet-mode? My kids accuse me of something similar all the time. I'll be telling them something, nice and calm-like, and they begin to look annoyed and say, "Mom, you've been saying the same thing, like at least 3 times already. I get it!" The other is that it's harvest time and I'm in canning mode. Last post prompted people to email and ask for other canning tomato recipes. Here's my salsa favorite.

Spicy Peach Salsa


This usually makes about 6 pints to can. One layer for the canning pot.

20 ripe tomatoes
10 ripe but firm peaches (white peaches hold up the best)
2 vadalia onions (or green onions if you have them in the garden still)
4 colored peppers; 1 in each color: red, yellow, green and orange
2 small jalapeno peppers
1 bunch cilantro
1 glove garlic
2 limes
1 lemon
1/4 Fruit Fresh
1 bottle of "squeeze lemon" real lemon juice

Salsa is easy and I make it easier by using the food processor.

Wash and chop tomatoes
Skin peaches and chop into small chunks
For onions and peppers: wash and cut into quarters, then whiz quickly in the food processor to make tiny bit-sized pieces
Put peeled garlic (not the kind in the jar)and cilantro and whiz for 60 seconds
Squeeze lemon and lime juice over everything
Sprinkle with the Fruit Fresh
Stir well and cook (slight boil) for 10 minutes
Ladle into hot pint jars
Squeeze about a 1/2 tsp of "squeeze lemon" on top of salsa before placing lids and rings
Process for 15 minutes in the Canner with water at least 2 inches over jar tops.

Up To My Elbows in Tomatoes

Anyone else feel like they are busy this summer? I seem to have more of a list going than during the school year! It's true, I have a tan so obviously I'm getting beach side at least some of the time, but I think most of it is from fruit picking, which I adore. When I logged on to write a new post this morning I was absolutely surprised to see that I hadn't put any new information up since June 16th...so I've marked my calender to do a weekly post on every Friday and I hope you will all join me for a few tips to food, travel and an inside look to my odd sense of humor! So much happens in the course of any one cooking day and now with canning season upon us I'm into a lot of late nights, as I don't want to accidentally bump into any of the 64 children who seem to wander through my kitchen on a daily basis. I think some of them belong here and some are just visiting, and some wander through more than once, but honestly, I can't be sure...I call out a few names that don't seem to get a response, so I resort to using, "Hey, YOU stop opening my refrigerator a Million Times!" It seems to catch at least a minor glimpse of comprehension. O.K., back to the tomatoes...
Whenever you hit a farm or roadside stand (make sure they actually came from a local farmer) and buy your produce, ask if they have any "seconds" they are willing to sell you. These are slightly damaged with a brown spot here or there and not perfect but still full of flavor and great for canning. I can usually get a big box for $10.00 or about $.50 to $.75 per pound depending on the farm and how much excess they have on hand. If you haven't canned tomatoes before, they are easy, give it a try, when the damp Winter sets in (ah, I know right now you are wishing for that big snow storm) you'll be able to pull out some Summer goodness and taste sunshine.

Simple Canned Tomatoes

1. Wash Tomatoes
2. Fill your largest pot half way with cold water and bring to a slow rolling boil.
3. With a ladle, drop in tomatoes until the pot is 5/8ths full. Allow tomatoes skin to split, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Ladle out into colander, rinse with cold water and let tomatoes cool slightly, then skins slide right off in your hand. (My kids like to do this part, it's gushy work and fun)
5. Drop the next raw batch into boiling water and core cooled ones. It becomes a bit of an assembly line. Easier with two sets of hands. Ask a friend to come over and split the bounty. I have taught many friends to can in this manner and it's work, true, but enjoyable and fun to talk, laugh and keep hands busy, plus kids have a friend to keep occupied with.
6. Pack tomatoes into hot canning jars. Have lids soaking in hot water. This can all be done conveniently in the dishwasher drying cycle.
7. Make a separate pot of hot water with 1 tsp. of FRUIT FRESH per gallon of water. When all jars are packed, pour water over tomatoes to fill to top with-in 1/2 inch.
8. Top off with a tsp. of lemon juice on top. Buying the real lemon juice in the little yellow squeeze bottles is easy and inexpensive.
9. Put your hot lids on, then screw down the bands. Tight but not too tight.
10. In a canning pot, (Can be purchased for about $20.00 to last a lifetime) place jars on racks and process for 20 minutes. Process means to have water at a simmer, filled enough to cover over jars by 2 inches and simmer for appropriate time.
11. Take jars out carefully with tongs and place on clean kitchen towel. Do not move for 24 hours. After that, place in a dark, cool closet to pop out at Thanksgiving!

DISCLAIMER: I hate to put this on here, but you know the law these days...BE CAREFUL, IT'S HOT! Also, when you open your tomatoes, if there is mold, don't eat. This is so unusual in tomatoe canning because the acid content is so high and with my method you've used pectin AND lemon juice so it's almost fail proof.

Strawberries Everywhere

As soon as possible, gently wash berries in cool water and drain on paper towels or clean white cotton clothes to dry without bruising. As you can see, I cut my berries instead of plucking out the center. I find it much quicker this way and we have pet turtle who eats all the tops.

Scroll down for next post with Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This is always my first canning adventure of the season. Strawberry Jam of some sort. I start thinking I'm starting slow but by the end of the Fall there are some 300 plus jars in the pantry for the ensuing winter. I know, how can I think of winter when we just FINALLY finished it? It's not that hard, I don't hord much but I do hord canned goods. it's like I think of the book "THE ROAD" by Cormack McCarthy and hope that some day if it comes to that I'll be looking down from heaven saying, "See I told you all those green beans would get eaten some day!" The truth is my family counts down the days to Spring by looking in the cupboard and counting how little is left up there. Winter passes by words like, "That's the last of the peaches," or "Oh, no! No more pizza sauce left." So, if you haven't tried canning, take the plunge! Try to do it the first time with a friend who's seasoned, but don't let going it alone stop you. Go to www.freshpreserving.com for all the basic know how. no reason to give the best advice twice. this is an excellent site. The added info are my personal short cuts!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

6 cups mashed berries (Do it in the blender)

1 cup rhubarb
rind grated of 1/2 orange
juice of 1 lemon w/ just enough water to blend to a pulp in food processor.
Process these 3 until smooth

1 package pectin
7 cups organic sugar

Follow directions for strawberry jam on pectin package. Makes 10 pint jars plus a little for tasting now!

It's Berry Picking Time!

Berry Picking Time is my idea of the official start to Summer! I gather my kids and drag them to the fields... it's like anything else you do with a large family; some love it (known kindly as my favorite children, you know I'm only teasing!) and others immediately start complaining, "It's so hot...I have to bend over...can I bring my game boy?" This is the one occasion I break down and buy a big cooler of "freezey pops" and ice them down to keep everyone happy. In my opinion, it is vital for people, especially kids, to see where the food they eat comes from. When they see it in the field on a large scale it becomes easier to comprehend how much effort it takes on a farmer's part to ready such a large space, plant, water and tend and all we have to do is pick it, it's the easy and rewarding part! It helps us all have an appreciation and a desire to help small farmers continue to thrive in business and grow REAL FOOD! OK, enough soap box.

This year we paid $1.30 per pound. The berries were small and tender to the touch. The flavor was a little explosion of, "Oh, this is sooo good!" Follow the Life Line Tips to make Berry Picking fun and a memorable experience for all! Keep following this week to get my strawberry everything recipes and make "homemade, slow life" so breathtaking!

Your Life...Line Notes

1. Make sure everyone has a hat of some sort, this helps not only with shading the face but with gnats. Spray or rub the brim, when the hat is completely OFF the face, with "DEET FREE" bug repellent, it works like a charm!

2. Of course plenty of water but take a minute and pack a small cooler with "freezey pops" and ice well. They will stay cold and very refreshing to hand out at the END of picking time.

3. Bring your camera, the fields make for some beautiful shots! Develop the photos and let the kids make their own memory book of all the food they pick in a Summer. it's very rewarding to see and shows a sense of accomplishment. It doesn't have to be expensive, just a simple 3 ring binder with paper or and inexpensive photo album, I've even found decent ones at The Dollar Store.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

As you know from reading the blog, I'm not much of a daily meat& potatoes girl, but my sons are always happy to see it when I decide to, go American, if you will. The sweet potatoes are easy and tasty, with little kitchen clean up.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

8 Sweet Potatoes, cut length-wise into strips

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1. Melt sugar, butter and spices in glass dish in microwave.

2. Add sweet potatoes and toss to coat well.

3. Grill about 20 minutes over medium flame, be careful not to burn.

4. Serve with marinated chicken recipe below.