Canning Homemade Salsa Recipes Requires Special Care!

When working with canned salsa recipes special care is required because there is a health risk if not done properly. Because of the bacteria which grows in improperly canned food, the central nervous system can be damaged, and even death can result in the worst case, when this bacteria is consumed in small quantities.

Since most salsa recipes contain a mixture of low-acid foods such as onions and chiles, an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar must be added to prevent the growth of this bacteria. Special care must be taken to ensure that they contain enough of this acid to be processed safely in a boiling water canner.

When following canned salsa recipe instructions, make sure to follow them exactly. Use the amounts of each vegetable listed in the recipe and add the amount of vinegar or lemon juice listed.

Do not can salsas that do not follow these or other research tested recipes. Remember that you always have the option of freezing or refrigerating the salsa.

Canning - How To Can Homemade Basil Tomato Sauce

Every year we plant a large garden which always includes a few rows of tomatoes. We enjoy canning our own homemade tomato sauce to use throughout the winter and spring season when tomatoes are no longer in-season here in Pennsylvania.

Canning your own sauce is not difficult and you will need your basic home canning supplies such as: a water bath canner, quart-sized canning jars with rings and seals, funnel, ladle and a jar lifter. If you don't own these supplies, you can purchase them in a complete kit at your local kitchen shop or via a reputable online kitchen store that carries home canning supplies.

In the following recipe, I used fresh basil and parsley that I grew in my garden, however...you can certainly use dried herbs if that is what you have on hand. You will want to start out with ripe to very ripe (but not blemished) red tomatoes.

To Blanch Tomatoes: Bring a large stock pot with water to a full boil. Place a few tomatoes into the water for 60 seconds. Using a pair of tongs or your ladle, remove tomatoes and place in cold water for 5 minutes. You should now be able to easily peel off the skins.

Basil Tomato Sauce Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
25 large fresh tomatoes
2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon beef bouillon

Measure out and add your olive oil to a large nonstick stock pot. Over medium heat, stir in the minced onions and garlic and saute them in the oil for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped basil and chopped parsley. Turn heat down to low.

Blanch and remove the skins from your tomatoes and process them in a juicer or food processor to make tomato juice. Add this juice to your stock pot and then add in the rest of the ingredients, stirring after each addition with a nonstick silicone spatula.

Turn the heat up to medium and cover your pot. Simmer the mixture for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

Once sauce is done cooking, ladle it into clean and hot jars, being careful to leave a 1/2" head space from the top of the jar. Using a clean cotton towel, wipe the rim clean and add your seal and ring to the jar. Process your jars all at one time in your water bath canner for 45 minutes. Remove jars from the canner and let cool to room temperature. This sauce will keep for up to 1 year if your jars sealed properly.

Homemade Canning - Know What Foods You're Preserving - Because Knowing Is Half The Battle!

Food preservation is an art that allows you to store food without any loss to its quality, edibility and nutritional value. There are a number of food preservation methods, which prevent the growth of any bacteria, yeasts or fungi on the foods. Other than maintaining nutritional value, food preservation keeps the texture and flavor of the item being preserved intact. In history there have been some old methods of food preservation, which drastically altered the character of items being preserved. Common ways for preserving food at home are dehydrating, canning, freezing and pickling.

Home canning is a way of preserving food in an easy and cheap way. With prices of canned food increasing, many people are considering canning food at home. By following a home canning recipe you can enjoy so many things from canned apple butter to zucchini. There are different home canning methods that you can adopt like pressure, water bath and open kettle methods. Without having to invest on any expensive equipment, you can easily do the canning at home. There are many home canning cookbooks as well to help you prepare a mouth-watering dish that everybody in the family is going to enjoy.

The Process of Dry Aging Steaks

BySteve D White

When it comes to steak, there are two types of aging. You can opt for dry aging or wet aging. Unlike dry aging where you need to let the meat dry for over 20 days, the process of wet aging lasts for 7 days and all you need to do it put the steak into a sealed plastic bag and let it age in its very own juice. The benefits of dry aging steaks are connected to the meat's texture. The moisture within the muscle needs time to evaporate in order to provide the meat a smoother taste. People like this type of meat because it tastes better when it's cooked on the grill or added into certain food recipes.

Because most of the enzymes within the meat are breaking down, the steak will be naturally tenderized. The process of dry aging steak is as follows. Take a piece of beef and rinse it with a lot of cold water. Afterwards, you'll need to take some dish towels to dry the meat and let it drain for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the fridge. Make sure you place the wire rack and pan on the bottom self. Thus you'll know for sure that the meat will be positioned on the coldest part of your refrigerator.

After you've prepared everything you'll have to take the steak and wrap it into a large dish towel. Take a thermometer and make sure you measure the overall temperature. It's recommended to keep the temperature warmer than 36

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Fried Chili Chicken: Recipes to Die For!

When it comes to delicious meals, you can have healthy too! Today more than ever, delicious foods are geared at providing healthy benefits in a scrumptious dish that will be a favorite for years to come. Fried chili chicken is a delicious blend of healthy chicken spiced to perfect without the unnecessary additions of added fat or sugar.

Instead of depending on additives that enhance the flavor of the meal, this is one meal that takes simple ingredients and makes them into one dish easy to fix and enjoyed by everyone. Take a closer look at why this is a favorite in my house!

Fried Chili Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
4 chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup chili powder
1 tbsp hot New Mexico chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin