Category: Preserving

Dinner, Journal, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

My Pepper Steak

brendanolen

This was one of my mom’s staples when I was growing up. This is my tweaked version.

My Pepper Steak

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

My Pepper Steak
(For the original recipe, see Ma’s Pepper Steak)
2 pounds beef, shredded
Marinade
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine (or white wine or water)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons corn (or potato) starch
Vegetables (any vegetables can be used)
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger with 2 cloves minced garlic)
6 medium bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1 large onion, peeled and julienned
1 head of cabbage, cored and sliced
Sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes (or black pepper)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional but highly suggested)
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Thickener (whisked together)
1 Tablespoon corn (or potato) starch
2 Tablespoons cold water
Leave your beef partially frozen and slice against the grain as thin as you can. Once sliced, cut it into strips, then place in a bowl with the marinade. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes to overnight, in the refrigerator.
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, pour in 2 Tablespoons oil. Let that heat up a bit, then add all the vegetables. Sautee until mostly cooked. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, trying to leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
Add 1 Tablespoon of oil (if needed), then brown the meat in a single layer. Once all of the meat is brown, turn the heat down to medium and add the vegetables and sauce to the pan. Mix well and let that cook until the beef is thoroughly cooked (2 to 3 minutes), then pour the thickener evenly around the pan. Mix and let simmer until sauce is thickened.
Serve over steamed rice, noodles, steamed vegetables, or by itself.
This can be pressure canned (with or without the vegetables) in quart sized jars for 75 minutes at the pressure for your altitude (mine is 12 pounds).
Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

brendanolen

Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

Home Canned Meats

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

Home Canned Meats
Ingredients
Meat: beef, game, chicken, pork, fish
Pickling salt: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon per quart jar
White Vinegar
For wiping jar rims
Instructions
Wash jars and lids.
Cut meat into cubes. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

brendanolen

I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/home_made_corned_beef.html

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Canning, Drying, Food Storage, Level 1, Preserving

Low Carb Food Storage

brendanolen

Well, since my switch in eating, I’ve been thinking about all of my food storage.  Boy, I have some adjustments to make!  Flour, sugar, jams and jellies (sugar-made), beans, white rice, oats, etc.  So, I went searching for suggestions online.  In addition to this playlist in which I show you how to can various items like chicken, beef, and pork, I found some links I think you will enjoy.

I don’t usually like “about.com” articles, this is a good basic one:

Must-Have Items for Your Low-Carb Grocery List

A One-Month Long-Term Food Supply from a Low-Carb Perspective from Claiming Liberty:

A One-Month Long-Term Food Supply from a Low-Carb Perspective

Here is a video about dehydrating spaghetti squash:

Paleo Prepper: I have barely looked through this website but it’s intriguing!

http://paleoprepper.com/

Here’s a post by The Low Carb Prepper (good stuff):

The Low Carb Prepper

Here’s a thread at The Survival Podcast Forums:

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=20965.0

Canning, Food Storage, Preserving, Recipe

Roasted Peppers In Oil

brendanolen

Well, I have finally concluded that my peppers are not going to produce anything this year.  It is now September 11th and they STILL only have their second set of leaves.  So, I had to purchase some.  What I usually do is dice them, lay them on a cookie sheet, and freeze them.  Once frozen, I place them in a Ziploc bag so I can just grab a handful anytime I need some.  This works especially well for breakfast, when I’m usually starving and just trying to throw some quality food together.

This time, I’ve decided to do something different.  I’m making roasted peppers in oil:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-peppers-in-oil-peperoni-arrostiti-sotto-olio/detail.aspx

I’ve read of people doing this with vinegar but since my husband doesn’t like vinegar (and that might clash with whatever I am cooking) I will leave that out.  I’m also going to leave out the salt.  That way, anyone who needs salt can just sprinkle some on themselves.  I read somewhere that if I want to store these, I can put them in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes to seal the jars.

So, once hubby is fully awake and can fiddle with the electric ignitor, I’m going to broil 4 pounds of mini bell peppers!  I can’t wait!  🙂

Serving Size    1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe    6

Amount Per Serving
Calories    270

Total Fat 28.2g, Sodium 196mg,** Potassium 132mg, Total Carbohydrates 4g, Protein 0.7g

Dinner, Low Carb, Preserving, Recipe

Red Chile Sauce

brendanolen

This, though we usually use canned (La Victoria), is what we use for enchiladas.  We always have.  So, when I was looking for an actual recipe to make our own and most of the recipes out there call for tomato sauce I just about flipped out!  LOL!

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/Circ533.html

Red Chile Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Red chile salsa (sauce) can be made from dried chile pods.

Select dry chile pods in optimum condition. Do not use pods with signs of mold, insect infestation, disease, or decay. (Chile pods from ristras sprayed with plastic, shellac, or insecticide are not edible and are to be used for decorative purposes only.)

Remove stems, seeds, and yellow veins from chile pods. Twelve to 14 large chile pods yield about 1 pint of chile puree. Leave the veins if a more pungent product is desired. Wash pods in warm water, lifting pods out of the water and changing the water several times.

Place washed chile pods in a pan and cover with warm water for 1/2-1 hour to allow pods to rehydrate. Add warm water as needed. Simmer pods and water for 10 minutes. Pulp should be soft, thick, and separating from the skin. Place chile pods and some of the water in a blender and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. Run puree through a sieve or colander to remove any unwanted peeling bits.
Measure:
1 c. chile puree
1 c. water
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. crushed oregano leaves (optional)

In a sauce pan mix chile puree, water, garlic, salt, and fat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano and simmer another 5-7 minutes. This yields 1 pint or enough for four servings of enchiladas of three tortillas each.  Store left-over salsa or puree in the freezer for later use.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    54.2,  Total Fat    5.1 g,  Sodium    458.5 mg,  Potassium    4.1 mg,  Total Carbohydrate    2.1 g ( Dietary Fiber 0.3 g,  Sugars 0.4),  Protein    0.2 g, Vitamin A    18.8 %, Vitamin C    3.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Preserving, Weeds, Wine

Alcohol

brendanolen

Alcohol

How satisfying would it be to, after a hard day’s work, sit down to a truly homemade alcoholic beverage?  Honestly, I wouldn’t know!  I have tried to make wine two times.  The first time my plum wine ended up tasting like apple cider.  The second time was lemon and it was a sweet (way too sweet for me) syrup like substance that really packed a punch.  I gave up … not permanently but because I saw some pretty lights (I perpetually have A.D.D. … going from one tangent/subject to another, which explains why it has taken me this long to finally start working on my website).  I have always wanted to be successful at it.  Ever since the first time I saw “Arsenic and Old Lace” my dream has been to make elderberry wine.  I might still, if I find a good supply of elderberries and can keep my attention focused long enough!  There were many members of my now disbanded Yahoo group that were actually successful at it and they shared many recipes over the years. 

Now, onto the recipes!

Brenda Nolen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aunt Cecelia Simm’s Peach Brandy

(Miriam’s comment: I took this recipe and used it in its original form; I’ve also made plum/black grape brandy, apricot brandy, and nectarine brandy from it. Delicious, and **strong**.)

  • 4 1/2 lbs. sugar
  • 1 1/2 lbs. seedless grapes
  • 1/2 lb. cornmeal
  • 4 qt. lukewarm water
  • 1 qt. peaches, mashed well
  • 2 cakes yeast

Mix all together. Let stand 7 days. Stir every day. Strain; let stand 4 days, then bottle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brambleberry Cordial

Can be made with blackberries, raspberries, etc. Based on one of Billy Joe Tatum’s recipes, but with several adaptations of my own.

  • 2 quarts fresh or frozen brambleberries
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 2 cups sugar

If using frozen berries, let thaw before proceeding. Crush the berries with a potato masher or the bottom of a wine bottle. Add boiling water. Stir. Cover with clean cloth (I use a dish towel) and let sit in a warm place for 24 hours.

Push through a sieve or through the small-holed blade of a food mill to remove most of the seeds. Stir in the sugar. Cover with cloth. Stir again every 15 minutes for one hour (five times total). Strain through a damp jelly bag or several layers of damp cheesecloth. Pour into clean glass bottles. Cover with coffee paper filters or cloth secured with rubber bands. Leave in a cool dark place.

Check in after a month and see if there is still a foam on top (a sign that fermentation is still in process). When fermentation ceases (may take up to two months with this recipe – and yes, I blew up a few bottles before I figured this out!), remove rubber band and paper or cloth and cap with cork or better yet a screw on top. Wait a total of four months from the date you first strained and bottled the cordial. Decant before serving (I pour it into glass pyrex measuring cups and wait until the bubbles stop rising, then repour it back into the bottles and cap). Deep red or purple in color and indescribably delicious, this cordial makes a wonderful gift (if you can bear to part with it!).

Leda Meredith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chickweed Wine

Source: The Winemaking Homepage

  • 1 qt chickweed
  • 2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • water to make 1 gallon
  • wine yeast

The whole plant, except the roots, is used in the wine. Bring 1 gallon water to boil. Meanwhile, wash the chickweed and thinly peel the orange and lemon. Add the peelings to the chickweed in a primary. Pour boiling water over them and allow to cool. Strain the liquid back into the primary and discard the chickweed and peelings. Add sugar and juice of the citrus and stir well to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients and cover with clean cloth. Ferment 7 days, then pour into secondary and fit airlock. Rack every 30 days into sanitized secondary until wine clears and no further sediments are dropped during a 30-day period. Stabilize, sweeten if desired and rack into bottles. This wine will not be remarkable until aged at least one year. Two years is better. [Recipe adapted from Steven A. Krause’s Wines from the Wilds]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clover Wine

  • 8 qts wilted and dried clover blossoms
  • 4 qts boiling water
  • 8 cups cane sugar
  • 3 lemons cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 3 oranges cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 1/4 lb candied ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 package dry granulated yeast

Put the clover blossoms into the canner kettle; then pour the boiling water over them. Put the kettle over a low flame and simmer slowly for two hours.

Set aside to cool to lukewarm, then strain through a jelly bag, squeezing well so that all the liquid is extracted. Return liquid to canner kettle, then stir in the sugar, making sure all is dissolved. Add the sliced lemons and oranges and the candid ginger. Sprinkle the dry yeast over the surface. Put in a warm place to ferment for 2 weeks. After the second day of fermentation, stir well. Thereafter, it is necessary to stir twice a week only. After this two week fermentation period, strain through several thickness of cheesecloth. Then return to the canner kettle to settle for two days more. Siphon off into clean sterilized bottles and cork lightly. This wine goes through quite a gay period in the bottle, so be very careful not to cork it too early. When there are no more signs of bubbles on the sides of the bottle, fasten the corks tightly and seal with paraffin. Keep for at least three months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cowslip Mead

Here’s a recipe I remember my Granddad making when he was alive ( he was a beekeeper and loved anything to do with honey)

Cowslip Mead

To every gallon of water allow 2lb of honey: and boil for 3/4 hour, skimming well. Take 1 pint of the liquor and slice into it a large lemon, then pour the remainder into a earthenware (or plastic) bowl and put in 1 gallon of cowslip heads (primula veris ). Stir well, cover, and set in a warm place for 24 hours.

Stir in the lemon liquor, and 1/4 oz. brewers yeast, dissolved in a little of the honey. Let it work for 4 days, then strain into cask (or a sealable dark plastic home-brew barrel). Keep in a cool place for 6 months, then bottle.

All the best
Darren gardening in UK – Different timezone, different planet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dandelion Liqueur

How to make dandelion liqueur:

1) Prepare dried dandelion roots 10-30% amount of the container you wish to store the liqueur in.
2) Soak the roots in white liquor for 10 days. (Gin, Vodka, Tequila, and White Ram are also good)
3) Shake the container from time to time and mix the liquid well.
4) Drain and pour the liqueur in a new container.
5) Ripen for 3 months in a cool place (not in the refrigerator, though).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elderflower Wine

To make 4.8lt/8pts

  • 600ml/1pt elderflowers picked of their stems and cleaned
  • 4.8lt/8pts boiling water
  • 1.575kg/3.5lb sugar
  • juice and zest of 1 large lemon
  • 15g/.5oz wine yeast

Place the elderflowers in a bowl and pour on the boiling water, cover and leave to steep for two days. Strain the liquid into a large saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice and zest. Heat this over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Remove and allow to cool. When lukewarm strain through a fine sieve into a sterilized fermentation jar. Sprinkle on the wine yeast, fit an airlock, and leave in a warm place the fermentation is complete. Siphon into sterilized bottles, cork and leave to mature for at least 6 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elderberry Wine

Hank Shaw is wonderful! If you have never been to his website, this is the perfect introductory post to read:

https://honest-food.net/elderberry-wine-recipe/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maple Wine

From “Valuable Secrets”, 1809

“Boil 4, 5, or 6 gallons of sap according to its strength into one and add yeast according to the quantity you make. After it is fermented, set it aside in a cool place well stopped. If kept for two years, it will become a pleasant and round wine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Watermelon Wine

Winemaker’s Recipe Handbook.

This is for one gallon of wine.

  • 2 qts. watermelon juice
  • 2 qts water
  • 1 1/2 lb sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp acid blend
  • 1/8 tsp tannin
  • 1 tsp yeast nutrient
  • 1 pkg wine yeast

Remove rind and cut melon into chunks. Put into nylon straining bag, mash and squeeze out juice into primary fermenter. Keep pulp in straining bag, tie off and place in primary. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover and let sit 24 hours. After 24 hours, add yeast. Cover. Stir daily and check S.G.When SG is 1.040(3-5 days) lightly  press juice from bag. Siphon wine off sediment into glass secondary fermenter. Attach airlock. When fermentation is complete(SG is 1.00-about 3 weeks) siphon off into clean secondary. Reattach lock. Siphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peppermint Liqueur

  • 1 cup tightly packed peppermint leaves
  • 4 cups vodka or brandy
  • 2 cups sugar

Place the lightly bruised peppermint leaves and the vodka or brandy (I used vodka) in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Steep for 2 days, then add the sugar.  Steep for 2 more weeks, shaking vigorously once or twice a day to dissolve the sugar, then strain and filter.  Transfer the liqueur to bottles and age an additional 2 weeks before using.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lavender Margaritas

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Sunset Recipe Annual 2000.

  • 3/4 to 1 cup tequila
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup blue curacao or other orange-flavor liqueur
  • 3/4 to 1 cup canned coconut milk
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup lime juice
  • 1-1/2 to 2 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
  • 1-1/2 to 2 cups frozen unsweetened blueberries
  • 3 to 4 cups ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or dried lavender blossoms
  • Lavender sprigs, rinsed (optional)

In a blender, combine tequila, curacao, coconut milk and lime juice. Cover and turn to high speed, then gradually add raspberries, blueberries and ice. Whirl until margarita mixture is smooth and slushy. Put sugar and lavender blossoms in a small bowl. Rub with your fingers or mash with a spoon to release some of the lavender flavor. Rub glass rims with lime wedge to moisten. Dip rims in lavender sugar, coating evenly. Pour margaritas into sugar-rimmed glasses. Garnish with lavender sprigs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drying, Preserving

Drying Garlic Today!

brendanolen

My project today. These instructions were originally from UC Davis but links change over the years.

DRYING GARLIC
Dry only fresh, firm garlic cloves with no bruises. To prepare, separate and peel the cloves. Cut in half lengthwise. No additional pre-drying treatment is necessary. Dry at 140 degrees for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 130 degrees until completely dry or crisp. If desired, garlic salt may be made from dried garlic. Powder dried garlic by processing in a blender or food processor until fine. Add 4 parts salt to 1 part garlic powder and blend 1 to 2 seconds. If blended longer, the salt will become too fine and cake together in clumps.