Southern Tomato Pie

Let’s use up some tomatoes and discover a new recipe. 
 
Ingredients: 

1 pie crust (store-bought is fine)
2¼  lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced to ¼”.
1¼  tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 sweet onion, chopped
1¼  tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½  cup assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as chives, parsley, and basil)
½  cup grated Gruyère cheese (I used pre-grated "Alpine Blend": Swiss & Gruyère)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼  cup plain Greek yogurt
 

Instructions: 

Pre-bake Crust: Line crust with aluminum foil; fill with pie weights or spare change. (This will keep the crust from bubbling up.) Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake 5 minutes or until browned. Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). 

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle with 1 tsp. coarse salt. Let stand 10 minutes for the salt to draw moisture out.

Sauté onion and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper in hot oil in a skillet over medium heat until onion is tender.

Pat tomatoes dry with a paper towel; be OCD about it: get them really dry. Layer tomatoes, onion, and herbs in prepared crust, seasoning each layer with pepper.

Stir together cheeses and yogurt; spread half over the pie. Add another layer of tomatoes & such, topped by another layer of cheese mixture. A third layer is optional.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, shielding edges with foil to prevent excessive browning. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. 
 
Comments:
• I needed to be far more careful about drying the tomatoes. Be excessive.

• Third layer of tomatoes may have been excessive.

• I used too much Parmesan. Recipe has been adjusted for that. 

Tomato Jam

Ingredients

2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1.5 tablespoons low/no-sugar-needed pectin (eg Pomona's Universal Pectin)
2 teaspoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's pectin kit)
3 tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice (sugar, allulose, or monk fruit blend)
0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
0.3 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 

Instructions:
1 Prep the tomatoes: Dice the tomatoes, and add them to a wide, heavy-bottomed pot along with the 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. There's no need to peel or seed the tomatoes — the skins soften down and add body.

2 Simmer down: Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and reduce by about half. Expect half an hour.

3 Add calcium water: Stir in the 2 teaspoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's pectin kit) (this activates the low-sugar pectin's set later on).

4 Make the pectin-sweetener mix: In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk the 1 tablespoon low/no-sugar-needed pectin (e.g. Pomona's Universal Pectin) into the 3 tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice (sugar, allulose, or monk fruit blend) so it doesn't clump when added.

5 Bring back to a boil: Bring the tomato mixture to a full boil, then add the pectin-sweetener mixture, whisking vigorously to dissolve.

6 Boil to set: Keep at a rolling boil, stirring constantly, until the jam thickens noticeably and coats the back of a spoon.

7 Season: Stir in the 0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus the optional red pepper flakes (I used a pepper mix I made) and 1 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I used frozen). Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as needed.

8 Cool and jar: Remove from heat and let cool slightly before transferring to clean jars. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or process in a water bath for shelf-stable storage.

Comments: 

• I had too much pectin. The recipe has been adjusted. 

• Flavor was very good.  

Rustic Sausage, Potato & Tomato Goulash

Recipe based on what I had around, plus creativity by ChatGPT, tweaked a fair bit for the real world.

Ingredients: 

1 lb small red potatoes, quartered
6–8 oz sausage, sliced or crumbled
2 slices bacon, cubed
1 medium white onion, sliced
1 small purple/red onion, sliced
3 medium ripe tomatoes, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth, made from concentrate
2 T (or so) olive oil or butter
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh oregano or thyme
½ tsp black pepper
Salt, to taste
Some cheese for on top 

Instructions:

 1. Par-cook the potatoes.
Put the quartered potatoes in a large skillet with about ½ cup water and a pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until they're just becoming tender. Drain any remaining water.

2. Brown the sausage.
Add a little olive oil, bacon and sausage to the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until nicely browned. If you're using ham, add it during the last couple of minutes.

3. Get the onions really good.
Add the white and purple onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and beginning to caramelize.

3½. Before the onions are done, add the garlic to soften and begin to brown.

4. Add the potatoes and seasonings.
Add the potatoes, paprika, oregano or thyme, black pepper, and a little salt. Toss everything together and let it cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes at a time so the potatoes develop brown, crispy edges.

5. Add tomatoes.
Stir in the the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 3–4 minutes, letting them start breaking down.

6. Make it saucy.
Pour in ½ cup chicken broth. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let everything simmer uncovered for 7–10 minutes, until the broth and tomato juices reduce into a thick sauce. 

7. Serve with shredded cheese on top, and with toast beside.


Review:

○ Definitely a starting point. And it used the veggies I had on hand! I asked for hearty, and it qualifies for that. 

○ Definitely not amazing as is. Onions need to be cubed smaller. Spices need to be tweaked. Meat needs to be improved. Be careful not to over-cook sausage, bacon, onions or garlic. Not sure what to do with the tomatoes; not sure how much they add.

Options: 
•  Add eggs. Make two wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each. Cover the skillet and cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. Take it off the heat while the yolks are still slightly softer than you want; they'll continue cooking from the residual heat. 

• Replace the sausage with bite-size chunks of ham or steak: this really wants hearty meat in it; the little bit of sausage was inferior. And increase the bacon.

• Consider stirring a little thickening agent into the broth before adding it. (Maybe not when adding the eggs.)

Tomato Basil Soup

She has always loved the Tomato Basil Soup at the restaurant down the road. She's decided that this is every bit as good. 

Ingredients: 

5 medium ripe tomatoes, cubed
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup half & half
½ cup butter (1 stick)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Gather all ingredients.
• Place tomatoes and juice in a stockpot over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Cook until tomatoes have softened, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat. Add basil leaves to the pot.
• Use an immersion blender to purée soup until smooth. Blend aggressively.
• Stir in heavy cream and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot and enjoy!

Grape Jam (not Jelly)

 

Made from grapes from our garden. Not looking for the hard set of store-bought grape jelly, but rather a spreadable jam.

Ingredients:

2 pounds seedless grapes, washed and stems removed
½ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP sugar free pectin


Instructions: 

Place the grapes in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until grapes are soft and starting to burst.

Mash the grapes with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to release their juices.

Stir in the sugar, pectin and lemon juice until dissolved, over medium-high heat; bring to a steady boil, stirring often, until the mixture thickens — about 30–45 minutes — stirring frequently to prevent sticking or scorching. 

Pour the hot jam into sterilized jars, leaving about ¼ inch headspace. Add lids. [Note: this recipe made 1¾ pints.]

Refrigerate. I haven't water processed. Should work well. 

Review: 

○ Excellent flavor. Love the texture. 
○ Need to clarify the sweetener/pectin with another batch. 

Homemade Tomato Paste

Ingredients:
  
8 pounds tomatoes
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP lemon juice. 

Instructions:

• Wash the tomatoes. 

• Cut the tomatoes into small pieces. Put them in a large pot and bring them to a boil and then let them simmer for 10 or 15 minutes until they're well broken down

• Place the cooked tomatoes in a blender and blend well. Or use an immersion blender.

• Place the blended tomatoes in a smaller size pot and cook on a low simmer until all the water is evaporated, roughly 15-25 minutes, while stirring constantly.

• Once you feel that the tomatoes are turning into the paste you add coarse salt and mix very well. 

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the tomato product evenly on that baking sheet. 

• Bake at 350°. Check it every 20 minutes. If using the fan, expect no more than 30 or 40 minutes baking.

• Store in glass jars in the refrigerator with a thin layer of oil on top, or (better) freeze in individual ice cube trays, and store in plastic bags in the freezer.  

 

Comment: 
Do NOT over-bake these.  

Apple Rhubarb Jam

I'm harvesting both apples (yellow transparent) and rhubarb this week. I have to do something with them. So this is what I did this time.

This made two pints, with none left over.  
 
Ingredients: 
3 cups (ish) diced rhubarb
3 cups (ish) diced peeled apples
1 cup (ish) monk-fruit sweetener
½ cup water
½ tablespoon (ish) ground cinnamon
2 TBSP (ish) sugar free pectin
 
Instructions: 
• Mix rhubarb, apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon together in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. 
• Cook over medium heat until fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. 
• Stir in pectin; boil for 5 minutes.
• Load into pint (or half pint) jars. Add lids & rings. 
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes unless you'll be keeping it refrigerated. (Comment: I did not take the time for that with only two pints, though the lids sealed on their own; I will keep these refrigerated.)
 
I don't love a sugar-forward jam or sauce. This still has a bit of zing from the rhubarb, and I can still taste both rhubarb and apples.  
 
Note that the resulting jam (or sauce if you didn't use enough pectin or boil it long enough) can be chunky, if you want. I did. So I made ½" chunks of both apple & rhubarb. The apple chunks lasted better than the rhubarb chunks. 
 
I had an AI calculate the nutrition information: 

Nutrient           Entire Batch    Per 1 Tbsp (64 servings)
Calories              ~395 kcal          ~6 kcal
Carbohydrates         ~108 g          ~1.7 g
Fiber                        ~27 g           ~0.4 g
Net Carbs                 ~81 g           ~1.3 g
Total Sugars             ~61 g           ~1.0 g
Protein                    ~4.7 g           <0.1 g
Fat                          ~1.6 g               0 g
Sodium              ~5–15 mg          ~0 mg

Notes
Nearly all of the sugar comes naturally from the apples and rhubarb.
The monk fruit sweetener contributes essentially no calories or sugar.
The pectin adds a small amount of carbohydrate and fiber but very few calories.

At about 6 calories and 1.3 g net carbs per tablespoon, this is a relatively light fruit spread. It would work well as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, or toast if you're looking to keep calories and added sugars low.

Oma Sue's Granola

Ingredients: 

6 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice.

1/2 cup oil

3/8 cup honey

1 TBSP vanilla

2/3 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions: 

1 Combine oats, wheat germ, sesame seeds, brown sugar and nuts. 

2. In a separate pan, combine oil, honey & vanilla. Mix thoroughly, heating slightly for best results. Add to oat mixture & mix by hand until the oats are evenly covered with the honey mixture. 

3. Fill the baking pan about half full with the mixture. Bake at 300 degrees, stirring every ten minutes, for one hour, or until the oats are golden brown. 

4. Add raisins after baking. 

5. Cool before storing in air-tight containers. 

Cheesy Kale Chips

 

Ingredients: 

A whole bunch of kale, preferably dinosaur kale. 

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast 

1 5-oz punch of white miso paste

4 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp fine salt

1 TBSP smoked garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed & minced)

1/4 cup ground (not shredded) Parmesan cheese

1 TBSP or two of water, to thin the mixture/paste

 

Instructions: 

Combine all ingredients into a large (steel?) bowl. 

Cut or tear kale leaves into chip-sized pieces. Remove thick stems. 

Add the kale to the bowl with the paste & mix thoroughly until well coated. 

Spread the coated leaves evenly on several dehydrator shelves. 

Set dehydrator to 125 degrees.

Leave for 12 - 14 hours, or until crispy. 

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

 

 

If this recipe makes 4 servings, each serving would be approximately:

325 calories

12 g protein

14 g carbs (about 4 g fiber)

26 g fat

2,100 mg sodium

Ick. 

Rhubarb Chips

I wanted to make some rhubarb chips that I could add to my cottage cheese and such in the mornings.

Ingredients:

Some rhubarb. 

Some artificial sweetener. 

Instructions:

Chop the rhubarb into tiny little cubes. 

Mix it up with the artificial sweetener, to taste. I recommend a Tupperware type thing with the lid, and shake it up. 

Spread it out on a tray in the dehydrator.

Dehydrate it for a couple of days.

Store it in a glass jar until you're ready to use it.

 it turns out that the artificial sweetener that you use makes a noticeable difference.

The one on the left, the darker one, used the sucralose sweetener. The result is a darker fruit, and more of the rhubarb taste. The one on the right uses a mix of ethritol and monk fruit. The color is lighter, and the rhubarb flavor is lighter , almost hidden underneath the sweetener.

Either way, Per serving, that’s about 6.4 calories, 4.4 g total carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 3.8 g net carbs, 0.3 g sugar, 0.3 g protein, and 0.1 g fat.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients 

 
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large Onion, chopped
4 medium Poblano pepper, seeded, diced
2 Serrano chili peppers, seeded, minced
1 TBSP Garlic, minced
1 TBSP Chili powder
2 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste
1½ tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Dried oregano
3 cups chicken broth, Reduced sodium
2 pounds Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast
45 oz Canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
⅓ cup Salsa verde
2 Tbsp Fresh lime juice
⅓ cup Cilantro, minced, fresh

Instructions

1 Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

2 Add garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, coriander and oregano; stir and cook, 1 minute.

3 Add broth, chicken and beans; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

4 Remove chicken to a plate; let rest 5 minutes and then shred with two forks.

5 Return shredded chicken to pot and stir in salsa verde, lime juice and cilantro; heat through.

• Serving size: about 1 cup

 

Comment:  Freeze any leftovers in 1-cup containers for easy, portion-controlled lunches for another time.

German Style Sourdough Bread

Stage One: the Mother.  3 or 4 hours. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP fresh sourdough starter

1/4 cup rye flour

1/4 cup lukewarm water. 

(The target ratio is 1:4:4)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Mix together (with a long spoon) in a pint Mason jar. Set lid on very loosely. leave in a reasonably warm space (room temperature) for 3 or 4 hours or until it doubles or triples in size. 

Stage Two: Raising. 14 or so hours. 

INGREDIENTS: 

All of the mother from above. 

1 cup rye flour. 

1 cup lukewarm water. 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Mix this together well in a very large mixing bowl. Cover loosely (maybe a dish towel). Let it raise for 14 hours or so. It will double in size or so. 

• IMPORTANT: After raising, take off 2 TBSP of the mix to a clear pint Mason jar, and store it in the refrigerator (up to a week) for the next bake. (Feed the starter if longer than a week or so.)

Stage Three: Third Leaven. 3 or 4 hours. 

INGREDIENTS: 

All of the above (except the starter for the next bake)

3 cups rye flour (or mix rye/spelt flour)

2 cups lukewarm water

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Mix all together in the same large mixing bowl. Cover again for approximately 3 hours of additional raising time.

Stage Four: Bread Dough.  10 minutes mix, 10 minutes rest.

INGREDIENTS: 

All of the Third Leaven. 

4 cups rye flour (or mix of rye and other flours: spelt, whole wheat or white)

2 TBSP salt

1 cup warm water (adjust as necessary)

OPTIONAL: add flavorings. Options include: 

2 TBSP fennel seed. 

2 TBSP caraway seed. 

2 TBSP anise seed.

1 TBSP coriander seed. 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Mix ingredients together. Divide dough in half for two loafs. On a floured board, stretch and fold the dough (do not knead) for 10 or 15 minutes to build the gluten. Keep one side at the top; do not turn the top to the bottom. Rest the loaves, covered, for 15 - 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

Stage 5: Baking. An hour or more. 

• Cover a half sheet pan with parchment and dust a little flour on top. Set both loaves on baking pan. NB: if you rest the loaf with the smooth side up, then bake smooth side down, letting the folded edges of the other side shape the top of the loaf. If you rest the loaf smooth side down, then make a few interesting cuts in the top of the smooth loaf top before baking. 

Comment: Let the loaves rest a few more minutes here while the oven finishes preheating. 

Add a (metal) tray or shallow bowl of hot water to the second shelf (preferred). Alternatively, throw in a quarter cup of hot water before closing the oven door on the bread during baking.

Bake at 500 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. After this, remove the tray of water, reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until tapping on the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow. If needed, bake an additional 10 minutes. (NB: we needed that additional 10 minutes in our kitchen.)

Remove and let rest for at least 10 or 15 minutes before slicing. 

Famous Family Meatloaf

Ingredients

2 large eggs

¾ cup milk

⅔ cup fine dry bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

½ tsp dried leaf sage or 1½ tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

⅛ tsp black pepper

1½ pounds lean ground beef, lamb, or pork

¼ cup ketchup

2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a medium bowl combine beaten eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, and pepper. Add ground meat. Using clean hands, mix lightly until well-combined. Lightly pat mixture into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.

• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees.  Spoon off fat.

• Combine ketchup, sugar, and mustard in a clean bowl; spread over meat. Bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into eight or ten slices. 

NB: This is the meatloaf from our kids' childhood. Lots of memories. Traditionally served with freshly made applesauce and freshly mashed potatoes. 

----

Per serving (1/8 of recipe):

Calories.   ~254 kcal

Protein.      ~20 g

Carbs.         ~10 g

Fat.             ~15 g

Fiber.          ~0.5 g

Sodium.     ~450 mg

Purple Kraut Bierock

My brother introduced me to Bierock. It was good, so I had to try it out. 

I did some not insubstantial research on the subject. I guess the recipe comes from a group of Germans who lived in the mist of Russia for a century or two. 

It seems that sometimes it's made with fresh cabbage, and sometimes with sauerkraut. And I had some sauerkraut, some purple sauerkraut. 

Ingredients

    4 or 5 oz Ground beef

    3 or 4 oz Sausage 

    ½ Purple onion, thinly sliced

    2 lg Garlic cloves, minced

    ½ tsp. Smoked paprika

    Dash Cayenne (or other hot pepper) 

    ½ tsp. Cumin

    3 or 4 oz. Shredded cheese

    8 oz. Homemade sauerkraut

    2 cans Buttermilk Biscuits 8 biscuits)

    All purpose flour, as needed

Instructions

    Sauté meatf with onion, garlic, paprika, hot and cumin until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.  

    Drain the excess fat and allow the meat to cool. Preheat the oven to 350F, shred the cheese, drain the sauerkraut.

    Gently mix together the ground beef mixture, shredded cheese and sauerkraut in a large bowl.

    Roll out each biscuit to 6" circle on a floured surface. Moisten perimeter. Place ⅛ of the filling in the center of each biscuit and fold up the sides like a steam bun to seal. 

    Place uncooked bierocks, seam side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 17 - 19 minutes, or until golden. Allow the bierocks to cool on a wired baking rack for 2 - 3 minutes before consuming. Enjoy!

----

Comment: These need more seasoning. Be generous with salt & pepper, and don't be afraid of the hot pepper (but don't get carried away either). Consider doubling paprika and cumin. 

Reheat in toaster oven (modest heat) or microwave. Needs ketchup or ranch dressing or such. 

Experimenting with Fermenting

I did some pickles last month. Someone suggested I try fermenting, too. 
 
So here are my first fermenting experiments. 
 

 
Late September:  

  • (3) jars of red sauerkraut. Red because we had some red cabbages to use. Added coriander because the first recipe I consulted said to. Probably too much. 

  • (1) jar of sweet onions, with a couple of lemons squeezed in to complicate the flavor. 

Early October: 

  • (1) jar Scotch bonnet peppers

  • (1) jar lemon drop peppers, with a little bit of dried lemon peel. 

  • (1) jar cucumber spears with some pickling spices and some fresh dill. Supposedly this will make fermented dill pickles. 

 

September’s Dill Pickles

This made: 3 pints dill pickles, 2 pints pickled onions plus 1 pint extra brine. 

Preparation:
• Wash all the jars (dishwasher, hot setting). Sterilize lids in a pan of boiling/simmering water.


Brine:
2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups filtered water
2 TBSP coarse, uniodized salt
4 tsp table sugar


► Simmer (or boil), stirring, until it’s all dissolved.


Pickle Spears, in each jar:
1 small (or ½ large) head fresh dill, or dill gone to seed.
1 clove garlic, halved.
2 very small bay leaves.
1 tsp pickling spices
• Lots of cucumbers, sliced lengthwise. (I used 4 standard sized cucumbers, sliced into eights plus 4 very small cucumbers, halved.)


Optional:
• Maybe add some spears of bell pepper, or of a warmer pepper, or some pepper flakes, or some onion slices.


Pickled Onions, in each jar:
1 small (or ½ large) head fresh dill, or dill gone to seed.
1 clove garlic, halved.
2 very small bay leaves.
1 tsp pickling spices
• Slice a (red) onion very thin (⅛”), then quartered. Separate the sections. (I didn’t have enough red onion for 2 pints, so one pint is mostly red onion and ⅓ sweet onion, mixed together.)

► Put all the spices in the bottom of the jar. Fill the jar (pretty tight) with onion slices, leaving about ½” clear at the top. Fill with brine to ½” from the top. Wipe the rim, add lid, add ring, only modestly finger-tight. Then boil them in a hot water bath for at least 10 minutes.


► If you have a significant amount of extra brine (I had about a pint extra), pour the boiling liquid in a jar to ½” from the top. Wipe the rim, add lid, add ring, only modestly finger-tight. Then boil them in a hot water bath for at least 10 minutes.

Dill Pickles

My very first attempt at making pickles. I grew pickling cucumbers and the herb dill this year especially for making pickles.

The one on the right is one cup of white vinegar, one tablespoon of salt, enough pickles to fill up a jar, if you sprigs of fresh dill, and two small cloves of garlic, sliced in half, crammed down in between things.

When I finished that one, I needed to expand my options.

The one on the left is a cup of white vinegar, a tablespoon of salt, two small cloves of garlic sliced in half , bunch of Dill cram down in between the pickles , and a teaspoon or so of herb de Provence.

In both cases, I boiled the vinegar long enough to fully dissolve the salt, and I poured it over a cucumbers in the jar, slapped a canning lid and the jar lid on top. I let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours until it cooled off, then it went into the refrigerator. 

Space Jam©

Space Jam©: Left to right: Rhubarb,
Citrus (mixture of lemon and orange)
and Strawberry, plus T&G Powder

I've been making some dried fruit powder, and making Space Jam© out of it.

• Dehydrate fresh fruit until it's really dry and crisp.

• grind it to powder. 

I store the powder in the freezer but i mix some in shaker spice jars.

1:1 mixture of fruit powder and sugar free powdered sweetener. 

Serving: spread peanut butter on a cracker, shake Space Jam© on top to taste. It's pretty darned good, but none of the carbs or calories of sugar. 

I took this mixture on a family campout, and my niece decided this needed to be called Space Jam©. So it's Space Jam© now. 

Also: roast tomatoes with fresh garlic. Dehydrate completely. Grind to powder for T&G (Tomato & Garlic) powder. Still working on the best application for this one. 

NB: Rhubarb, Lemons, Tomatoes and Garlic from my own garden. Strawberries from Spooners. Oranges from the produce department.

NB: Apricot Space Jam© is not worth the effort. Needs a fruit with some zing. Going to try Raspberry and Blackberry soon. 

Lemon Pepper Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

12 Lemon Drop peppers, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
2 Mad Hatter peppers, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
1 small red bell pepper (or ½ standard size), coarsely chopped
½ cup carrots, sliced small
5 small cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
¼ medium white onion, coarsely chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
½ cup rice wine
¾ cup (more or less) water
1 TBSP honey
1 tsp coriander seed, roasted & crushed

Comment: could use some salt.


Instructions:

• Wear rubber gloves and a face mask.
• Seed all the peppers. Coarsely chop them.
• Peel and crush the garlic.
• Chop the onion coarsely.
• Chop the peppers, ⅛” thick.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan.
• Saute all of the above until the onions begin to think of transparency. Stir constantly.
• Add some of the water and simmer until everything is beginning to soften.
• Meanwhile, toast coriander seed. Crush it.
• Add the rice vinegar, honey & toasted & crushed coriander seed until carrots are soft.
• Cool the mixture some.
• Blend the mixture real fine.
• Cool completely.
• Fill bottle or jar and refrigerate.


Next time:
• ½ tsp or so of salt.
• ¼ cup or so lemon or lime juice.
• a tsp or a TBSP of peeled, ground ginger root.
• a little tarragon, fresh is better, ground is acceptable.
• Some cilantro or even parsley. Maybe some chives.
• a little batch of fresh basil.
(Courtesy Ed Currie of Puckerbutt.)

Lemon Chicken with Brocolli

Ingredients:
2 TBSP all purpose flour
½ tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp fresh black pepper
12 oz uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 TBSP olive oil
1½ cup chicken broth, divided
2 tsp minced garlic
2½ cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
• On a plate, combine 1½ TBSP flour, ¼ tsp salt & pepper. Add chicken & turn to coat.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high flame.
• Add chicken & cook, turning, until lightly browned & cooked through: ±5 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
• Add 1 cup broth and the garlic to skillet to deglaze. Bring to boil, scraping up goodies from bottom of pan.
• Add broccoli. Cover & cook for no more than a minute.
• Mix remaining ½ cup broth, ½ TBSP flour & ¼ tsp salt. Add to skillet & simmer, covered over low heat.
• Cook until broccoli is al dente, crisp-tender & sauce starts to thicken: ±1½ minutes.
• Stir in chicken & lemon zest & heat through.
• Add lemon juice & chopped parsley & toss to coat.
• Serve with couscous, angel hair pasta or rice.