recipe | One Hundred Dollars a Month

Canning 101 – Heirloom Tomato Salsa Recipe

September 21, 2012 2 Comments

This afternoon I made our first batch of homemade salsa using a rather large variety of our heirloom tomatoes. The house smells like a Mexican restaurant right now, and tonight I will be serving homemade refried beans, homemade tortillas, rice and lots and lots of yummy homemade salsa. I found this recipe for salsa over at CDKitchen and it rocks. The reviews were awesome and it tastes awesome too.

If you make this salsa, remember not to mess with the amounts of vinegar or lime juice. You need to follow the directions to a “T” if you plan on using the water bath method to can your salsa. Tomatoes need extra acidity.

Okay, go have fun. I’m off to serve dinner!

Ingredients
8 cups peeled, cored, chopped fresh heirloom tomatoes
2 cups seeded and chopped fresh peppers {I used green peppers and a few jalapenos}
2 cups chopped onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice {I used bottled}

Directions

Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy pot. Bring ingredients to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes {at this point my salsa was a tiny bit foamy on top. But once I turned off the heat, the foam dissolved}.

Ladle hot salsa immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids and screw bands on. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 15 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}. Yields 5 pints.

See More of my Canning Recipes HERE

Looking for a few more awesome canning recipes? Check out Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Amazon has it currently in stock and ready to ship.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: canning 101, Heirloom Tomato Salsa, recipe

Easy Mexican Side Dish Recipes – Refried Beans

September 20, 2012 8 Comments

I found this recipe on a site called Flowers in His Garden over 2 and a half years ago, and have been making them for my family ever since. If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant and loved the creamy refried beans they served, well these taste just like them once you toss a little shredded cheese on top. My favorite part about this recipe is it’s simple. Just soak the beans overnight, toss everything in the crock pot the next morning {plus a little water} and turn it on. Then just give the mixture a whirl in the blender right before you are ready to serve. This recipe makes about 4 traditional sized cans worth, so there will be plenty leftovers to freeze as well.

Ingredients

3 cups dried pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
water

Directions

Place dried beans in a large and cover with 3 inches of hot water. Cover and let sit overnight. In the morning, drain the liquid off the beans, rinse them, them toss them in the slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the beans 1/2 inch. Add the chopped onion, butter and salt. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

When the beans have finished cooking, place 2 – 3 cups of the mixture in a blender {I used a Blentec} and pulse until you reach the consistency you like. Repeat the process until you have pureed all your beans. Some people like their refried beans super pureed like they serve in Mexican restaurants, and some people prefer them with bits of bean chunks still in them. It’s totally up to you.

Top with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or what ever you like.

These homemade refried beans go great with homemade tortillas, and they freeze well too.

Looking for more simple Mexican dishes you can make in your slow cooker? Check out The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites By Deborah Schneider. Amazon currently has the book in stock, and it has great reviews.

Filed Under: Recipe, Salads & Sides Tagged With: Easy Mexican Side Dish, pinto beans, recipe, recipes, Refried Beans

Recipe – Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 19, 2012 6 Comments

Ice cold milk and an ~~Oreo~~ Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookie…

Ha Ha Ha.

The Handsome Husband gobbled these right up, without complaint. So either A. He was starving, or B. He really liked them. I even warned him there was zucchini in the cookies and he still ate them! Can you believe it?

I guess you could say we have a winner folks. So if you have a gluten of zucchini sitting around, go make these zucchini chocolate chip cookies. They are delicious {I should know, I’ve had 3 already today}.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl cream together the butter, eggs, vanilla and sugar until nice and fluffy {about 1 minute}. Add the dry to the wet and mix well. Fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.

Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and drop dough on a silpat lined pan or parchment paper and bake for 13 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool, and serve with a big glass of milk.

Looking for more ways to hide some zucchini? Check out the Zucchini Houdini by Brenda Stanley. The Zucchini Houdini has recipes for main dishes to soups to salads even in desserts. Yay!

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: cookies, one hundred dollars a month, recipe, recipes, Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies, zucchini recipes

Canning 101 – Pear Vanilla Jam Recipe

September 19, 2012 16 Comments

This recipe for Pear Vanilla Jam from Food in Jars is the freakin’ bomb! This is hands down the best jam I have made all summer. And just as soon as I can get my hands on some more pears, I’m going to make it again.

Serve it on toast, pour it over pancakes, scoop it out of the jar, whatever floats your boat, just find some pears and make a batch as soon as possible.

If you are making jam to give away at Christmas this year… This is the one to make!

Ingredients

8 cups chopped pears {I used Bartlett}
2 vanilla beans, split and seeded
4 cups sugar
1 packet liquid pectin {I used Certo}

Directions

Chop enough pears to measure 8 cups. Place the pears, vanilla bean seeds, pods, and sugar in a 6 -8 quart pot, and cook over medium heat until the pears are soft. Mash half of the pears with a potato masher. Remove the vanilla pods, and bring to a boil. Add liquid pectin, stir and bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids and screw bands on. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}. Yields {7} 1/2 pints.

See More of my Canning Recipes HERE

Need Vanilla Beans? Amazon has them HERE.

If you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my homemade pear vanilla jam.

If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: canning 101, home canning, Mavis, one hundred dollars a month, Pear Vanilla Jam, pears, recipe

Easy Crock Pot Meals – Vegetarian Chili Recipe

September 17, 2012 4 Comments

Since the kids have been back in school, my crock pot and I have been practically been joined at the hip.

Call me a total nerd, but I love crock pot recipes! They are such a time saver. Especially if you have to drive your kids all over timbuck2 and back for sports practice and games everyday after school. Seriously, being able to make dinner ahead of time is awesome.

You know what else is awesome? Dried pinto beans.

Why? Because they are cheap, cheap, cheap. Generally I pick up a 25 pound bag from Costco once every 18 months just so I can make homemade chili and refried beans. This recipe for crock pot chili is just about as easy as it gets.

Here is how to make it.

Ingredients

3 cups dried pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
{2} 9 oz cans tomato puree
{1} 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Soak the pinto beans over night in your slow cooker over night on low. In the morning, rinse off the beans and place the back in the slow cook with all the remaining ingredients. Stir, and turn on low for 8 to 10 hours or until the beans have softened. Be sure and stir the chili everyone in a while.

* If you like ground beef or chicken in your chili, cook it ahead of time and just toss it in the crock pot when you mix all the ingredients together.
Serve with cornbread or warm rolls. Easiest dinner ever!

Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Check out Crock-Pot Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes. Amazon has it currently in stock.

Filed Under: Recipe Tagged With: chili, Easy Crock Pot Meals, one hundred dolalrs a month, recipe, Vegetarian Chili

Recipe – Sweet and Spicy Heirloom Tomato Jam

September 16, 2012 4 Comments

Have I ever told you how much I love it when you send in recipes for me to try? Last week Lauden sent me a link to a sweet and spicy tomato recipe that called for only 1 pound of tomatoes. Which was perfect of course because our tomatoes are still just trickling in.

Since we have so jars of jam in the cupboard already to enjoy this winter, I was rather relived to finally find a small batch recipe to try out.

Although the original recipe says you can can it, I didn’t bother. The recipe only makes {1} 8 oz jar of jam. I just bottled the tomato jam up and placed it in the fridge. Technically the jam should last a few weeks, but I have a feeling it won’t make it to next Friday because it’s so good!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 lb tomatoes, roughly cut
1/2 c sugar
1/2 Serrano chili, seeded & finely diced
4 whole cloves
2″ stick cinnamon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice {I used bottled}

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and simmer over low heat. Stir about every 5 – 10 minutes or for about an hour, or until it reaches a jam like consistency.

Pour jam into a hot sterilized 16 oz jar, and let it cool for about half an hour. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I plan on using this heirloom tomato jam on toast with a wee bit on cream cheese. Yum!

*Thanks Lauden for sharing this awesome recipe with me!

Recipe Source: WhiteOnRiceCouple

See More Canning Recipes

If you are looking for a food mill, Amazon has the Mirro Foley 3.5-Quart Stainless Steel Food Mill in stock and ready to ship.

Filed Under: Recipe Tagged With: heirloom tomatoes, recipe, tomato, tomato jam, tomatoes

Sunday Brunch Recipes – Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

September 16, 2012 2 Comments

Are you a big fan of quinoa? Have you tried it for breakfast? Not only does this stuff have a ton of protein, you can pretty much add anything to quinoa and it will taste fantastic. Plus, you can make a big pot of quinoa the night before too. Which is always a bonus. I mean, if you enjoy sleeping in like I do.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
pinch of salt
milk and maple syrup {optional}

Directions

Measure 1 cup quinoa and rinse in a fine-mesh sieve.

Place water, quinoa, cinnamon sticks and ground nutmeg in a rice cooker and cook as you would regular white rice.

Or, if you don’t have a rice cooker, place all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil of medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the qunioa is tender.

When the quinoa is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Remove cinnamon sticks, add a little milk and maple syrup and serve warm.

Looking for more Quinoa recipes? Check out the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood. I have this cookbook and I love it! Plus, Amazon currently has it on sale.

Filed Under: Recipe Tagged With: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, quinoa, recipe, recipes, sunday brunch recipes

Recipe – The Long Winter Green Pumpkin Apple Pie

September 15, 2012 6 Comments

If your daughter {or you} is a fan of the Little House on the Prairie book series, you should probably make a green pumpkin pie this fall. I absolutely LOVED the Little House on the Prairie when I was younger and so did my daughter.

The first recipe is from the Little House cookbook. The second is my own recipe. I chose to treat the pumpkin just as I would apples and simply followed my favorite apple pie recipe instead {I did add a wee bit more sugar than I normally do as well}. The thought of apple cider vinegar and a whole cup of brown sugar in my pie did not appeal to me. Buy hey, if you are brave enough to try the original recipe, let me know how it turned out.

Who knew you could turn a green pumpkin into something so delicious?

Ingredients {as per the Little House Cookbook}

{1} 4 lb green {unripe} pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 pinch each of ground nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon butter

Ingredients {as per Mavis}

{1} 4 lb green {unripe} pumpkin to yield about 5 cups
5 cups peeled, sliced pumpkin {slice them to look like apple slices}
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. butter, divided into 6 pieces
1 double pie crust {ready-made or homemade}
1 egg {for egg wash}

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting {I LOVE Crisco!}
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Peel the green pumpkin, cut it in half and the quarters. Cut pumpkin quarters in to pieces that resemble apple slices to measure 5 cups and place in a large bowl. To the bowl add sugar, cinnamon, cram of tartar, nutmeg, flour and butter and toss. Pour pumpkin mixture into a prepared pie crust, add the top crust, crimp edges, and brush with egg wash. Bake at 45-50 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown. Cool and serve with a big ole’ fat scoop of ice cream.

Have you ever tried Zucchini {Apple} Pie before? Here is the recipe.

Enjoy!

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic Stories $9.99 ~ Amazon

Filed Under: Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: desserts, green pumpkin pie, little house on the praire, pumpkins, recipe

Easy Weeknight Meals – Homemade Sloppy Joes

September 14, 2012 8 Comments

Did you ever eat Sloppy Joes’ when you were a kid? You know, the stuff from a can? Well this recipe from my friend MamaJJ is so much better. Plus, you’re kids will be able to pronounce all the ingredients. Which is pretty important if you ask me. Unless of course you are eating Oreo’s, then really, who cares?

Ingredients {slightly adapted}

1.5 pounds ground ~~hamburger~~ {I used buffalo}
1 medium onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water

Directions

Saute the onion, hamburger and onion in a large skillet until browned. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until almost all of the fluid is gone {about 15 minutes}. Serve on warm sweet buns.

Looking for a few more fast weeknight meals? Check out Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast: Weeknight Meals By the editors of Cooking Light magazine. Amazon currently in stock and on sale.

Filed Under: Main Dish Recipes, Recipe Tagged With: Easy Weeknight Meals, Homemade Sloppy Joes, Main Dish Recipes, Mavis, recipe, sloppy joe's

Recipe – Double Layer Banana Cake

September 13, 2012 10 Comments

2 weeks ago, the Handsome Husband came home with 10 pounds of free bananas. As I stood there trying to figure out what to do with them, I suddenly remembered I had torn out a recipe for Double Banana Cake from the May 2012 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine.

Perfect, I’ll serve this for dessert tonight I thought.

And then The Girl came home from school and saw the cake on the counter.

Is that for The Flute Player?

Why?

Because her birthday is tomorrow. I didn’t get her anything for her birthday. I can bring it to school and give it to her before first period.

__________________________________________

And that was that. No banana cake for Mavis.

But, if the recipe was featured in Bon Appetit Magazine, you can bet it’s gonna be good.

Here is the recipe with a few changes.

Ingredients for the Cake
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter , softened
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups bananas, mashed
3/4 cup ~~sour cream~~ {I used plain yogurt}

Ingredients for the Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup ~~heavy cream~~ {I used 2% milk}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 almost ripe bananas cut into slices

Directions
Preheat oven to 325.

Butter and flour two cake pans {I used 9-inch pans}.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Pull out your electric mixer and beat 1 1/2 cups butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, then once incorporated mix in the flour mixture slowly.

Add mashed bananas and sour cream {or plain yogurt}.

Pour batter into 2 cake pans and bake for 45- 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Frosting

Mix everything {except the bananas} in a mixer with the wire wisk attachment and whippty do dah until the frosting is light and fluffy. About 5 minutes or so.

Place a dab of frosting in the center of you cake stand, {I always do this to prevent sliding} add 1 layer of cake, add frosting, then a layer of sliced bananas, and finally then a second layer of cake.

Frost cake with remaining frosting and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream {if you get the chance}. Or have your daughter steal the cake and give it to her friend for her birthday. Either way, someone gets cake.