wit wisdom & food

connecting with food

#4 make jam or preserves

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Starting week two of the connect over food challenge/contest and number 4 is one my favorite things to make and give away. Nothing impresses people like something sealed in a jar. It isn’t just the giving that provides and opportunity to connect over food. Making jam, preserves or pickles are a great way to connect over food for several reasons.

*this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.

Canning is connecting

Canning of jams, preserves, and pickles was too long for the graphic, and the reason these are great ways to connect is just as long. Canning and giving away your bounty allows you to pass down family recipes, share some deliciousness, make someone’s day and impress people. That last one feels great, doesn’t it? It is even more than ego, though. Impressing the person you gift it to also serves as an opening for a conversation about food, how you learned this impressive skill or why this doesn’t make you Martha Stewart. For those of you that have already tried your hand at canning you know the secret. It isn’t that hard, and not even as time-consuming as you might think.

If you want to learn and have a mom, dad, aunt, uncle or grandparent that can teach you. Plan a date this summer to get together and share the experience. You might not even have to wait, some jams you can make all year round. I have a champagne jelly recipe that can be made without the constraints of the growing season. Canning is a great way to make use of large quantities of fruit and veggies at the farmers market. You can find out about some of these ideas in the podcast episode with Suzanne, the founder of Indy Food swap and master canner. If you head to the Indy Winter market you can probably find a few things to make into pickles. Pickles aren’t just for cucumbers. Below I have a recipe for pickled radishes that are delicious.

Canning supplies

I went to college at Ball State University so when it comes to canning I get a little partial about my jars. The founders of my college are the same family that makes the Ball canning jars. I have a sentimental attachment to Ball jars and recommend them for everything. You can find them at a lot of places, but if you shopping at their store at freshpreserving.com Through April 29, 2017, you can get free shipping on all orders over $100. If you are planning for big summer canning this would be a great deal. Just for the fact that you don’t have to lug them home. They even have the fancy colored glasses they rereleased in the past few summers.

Canning Recipes

Not only was Ball a provider of the tools needed to can, they have always been a resource for great recipes. They have taken very seriously their role in preserving, no pun intended, the tradition of canning. Their site has a collection of their best recipes. The most popular recipes as rated by customers.

Some of my favorites are these radish pickles (recipe below), strawberry jalapeno, and blackberry-thyme jam, or use the jars for baking instead.

Do you have a favorite recipe for canning? Share your favorite canning story on Instagram to be entered in the Connect Over Food Contest

pickled radishes
Print Recipe
Quickly pickled radishes that are good for sandwiches, burgers, salads or a quick snack.
Servings Prep Time
1 jar 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 jar 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 4 hours
pickled radishes
Print Recipe
Quickly pickled radishes that are good for sandwiches, burgers, salads or a quick snack.
Servings Prep Time
1 jar 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
1 jar 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 4 hours
Ingredients
Servings: jar
Instructions
  1. rinse radishes and slice in 1/4 inch rounds
  2. Pack radishes, fennel frond and garlic into a half-pint canning jar.
  3. Put fennel seeds, apple cider vinegar, water, honey and salt in a sauce pan and heat to a rolling boil. Stir to dissolve honey and salt.
  4. Remove brine from heat and pour over radishes. Make sure the radishes are covered by the brine
  5. Allow the brine and radishes to come to room temperature, 70°F. This should happen within 2 hours. Cover jar and place in fridge.
  6. Let cool completely. For the best pickles leave them for at least a day before eating. Will keep in the fridge for about a month, or until you eat them all. Whichever comes first.
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Mexican Pizza

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Saturday has become pizza night in our house. After poor planning this week, I didn’t get the dough made the night before so I got creative.

Have you ever had the Mexican pizza from Taco Bell? You can tell, it is just you and me talking. I used to love the Mexican Pizza. This was my inspiration for dinner. While my previous attempt was good, this recipe tops it for sure.

Here is how I did it if you want to make your own.

To make the “crust” I quickly fried a tortilla. The one I used was a combination tortilla made of corn and wheat that I got at Trader Joe’s. After the crust was ready we smeared some beans on as the sauce and then topped them. The toppings are really your choice. We used diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro and grated cheese. I also cooked some ground turkey in

After the crust was ready we smeared some beans on as the sauce and then topped that with all the things you would find on a taco. The toppings are really your choice. We used diced tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro and grated cheese. I also cooked some ground turkey in taco seasoning that I made.

When we had lots of leftovers we threw them in the fridge and made breakfast pizzas the next morning by adding a fried egg! Tom has a new trick for delicious fried eggs. They have turned out great and perfectly running since he started using it.

 

Make your own beans and freeze them instead of buying the canned version. Dried beans are about a cheap as it gets. Don’t let dried beans scare you away from this project. You don’t have to soak them overnight and this bean recipe explains how to cook them. A really easy way to do it is in the slow cooker. The best part about making your own beans is you can play around with the flavorings you add. Try dried chiles instead of fresh, add more or less garlic, maybe a different cheese, or any variety of traditional herbs and spices. Most of those recipes say to use a potato masher to make the beans, but we use an immersion blender*. They are super inexpensive, easy to use and clean.

I usually make a double batch when I make them so I can have leftovers for a few months. Once I have them cooked I put 2 cups into a freezer bag so I can freeze them flat. The easy way to so this is to put your bag into a pint glass or measuring cup. Fold the edge of the bag down and fill the bag. Seal it and lay it flat in the freezer. When you want to use them just put the sealed bag in a bowl of room temp water and your beans will be ready to heat in an hour or two.

*this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.

Wayfair’s Simply Summer cookbook

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Exciting news, I am in my first cookbook a summer cookbook. Do you remember the cookbooks that schools and churches used to put together as a fundraiser? You know all the Bettys and Marys gave their recipes for pies and casseroles and some sweet soul typed them, on a typewriter, had them bound and sold them to raise money for the new playground. I might have just dated myself, especially with the typewriter comment. Regardless this cookbook is kind of like that except it is free!

[Read more…]

turkey squash chili

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turkey-squash-chili-square

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After 16 snow-free years, I moved back to the midwest and the potential for snow days about 18 months ago. I brought my husband, who grew up in Los Angeles, he had never seen a snow day in his life. We are a little old for some snow day traditions like sledding, but when possible we still build a snowman. Where our snow day traditions are really coming together are the comfort food that is on the table.

This January we decided to embark on another round of the Whole 30, so Macaroni and Cheese, my favorite comfort food, wasn’t an option. I got creative with turkey squash chili. It is also a little homage to Cincinnati style chili, served over spaghetti squash with a little bit of cinnamon in the seasonings. [Read more…]

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Cookies

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A day late and a dollar short, but I brought cookies!

Yesterday was the big reveal for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and everyone that participated posted their amazing recipes. Well everyone except me, because life happened yesterday and that combined with a lack of planning meant my post wasn’t ready. So a little late, but I have cookies!

Everyone loves cookies and most people love kids. Even if you don’t love kids you probably believe kids shouldn’t have to fight cancer. That combination is why I love the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I get to give cookies, get cookies and raise awareness to help fight childhood cancer. [Read more…]

Rugelach cookie fillings

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Every year I try some new cookies. I flip through half a dozen cookbooks and pick out something to try. This year I landed on rugelach. A traditional Jewish cookie that is frequently served around Hanukkah, which is conveniently happening right now.

I picked these because I love their cute crescent shape and the fact that you can fill them with just about anything.

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bacon & brown sugar green beans

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Three years ago I proclaimed everything is better with Pinterest. I made this proclamation after trying bacon wrapped green bean recipe that was all the rage in 2012. I made the recipe for 3 years but always had the same complaint. The beans never cooked evenly. The ends wilted and the inside was crunchy, the bacon never really got crispy and they weren’t that easy to eat. They tasted so good, though.

bacon wrapped green beans

I was thinking about making them a few weeks ago when a trick from culinary school and another recipe popped in my head and gave me a solution to my wilted green beans. Stop cooking them in the oven. Cook them in a pan and make a sauce. After a few tries and some adjustments, I came up with a great recipe. If you are tired of green bean casserole these beans will make an excellent substitution this year.

They cook quickly and the sauce is easy to make. One tip, use cold butter at the end to make the sauce. The cold butter melts slower and will give your sauce a nicer thickness as well as a glossy finish that you might have noticed on restaurant sauces.

Now you have one recipe picked for Thanksgiving. If you need more and some handy checklists to make your Thanksgiving holiday less stressful you can sign up for my mailing list and get my 27-page guide to help with all your Thanksgiving prep.

We will be having these for our Thanksgiving dinner and if I could meet up with my blog friends for Thanksgiving this is certainly the dish I would bring. Check out the other great recipes this week from the 60 bloggers participating in this years Blogsgiving Dinner.

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and delicious food. Luckily, the food blogging community is all about these things as well. To celebrate the holiday, Meghan from Cake ‘n Knife and Susannah from Feast + West are hosting Blogsgiving Dinner. There are more than 60 blogs sharing recipes this week!

The idea is based on an old-fashioned potluck dinner party. Each blogger is bringing one or more dishes to the party, so be sure to stop by each one and get some ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal. We’ll be posting to social media with the hashtag #blogsgivingdinner, but you can see all the whole menu in Part 1 and Part 2 of the recipe round-up.

bacon & brown sugar green beans
Print Recipe
Servings
4 people
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings
4 people
Cook Time
15 minutes
bacon & brown sugar green beans
Print Recipe
Servings
4 people
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings
4 people
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Instructions
  1. Cook bacon in pan, over medium-high heat until fat starts to release from bacon.
  2. Saute onion and garlic with bacon until aromatic
  3. Add beans and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Uncover and add sugar, Worcestershire sauce and cook until sauce reduces by half.
  5. Add butter pieces slowly and stir until combined.
  6. Serve immediately
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