Making Jam, a Pictorial Lesson

My major rules of canning jam and jelly:
Rule #1 - Don't wander off (I'm serious, bubbling jam isn't fun to clean up and it hurts if you accidentally dump it on yourself).
Rule #2 - Read your recipe twice before doing anything!
Rule #3 - Measure out your sugar before hand, otherwise you'll end up with a gloppy mess (it will still taste good, but it won't be what you were after).
Rule #4 - Clean as you go. Burnt on jam is nearly impossible to get off of a cook top!

Step one: Prepare your fruit. The recipe will tell you how. I cheat and use the blender instead of crushing my fruit by hand.
Step two: Wash and sterilize your jars. If your water temperature will reach 140F, you may use your dishwasher, otherwise, you'll need to boil the jars. Arrange jars in your water bath canner and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes.


Step three: While your jars are boiling, measure out your sugar into a bowl and lay out everything you will need for the canning process. Here you can see my sugar, fruit puree (quart jar), jar lifter, a spoon to stir the jam, a rubber spatula (be sure it's heat safe!), a fork, a canning funnel, and my liquid pectin. I have already cut the top off of the pectin packet, so it's standing in a wide mouth pint jar to keep it upright. Most importantly, I have my recipe and directions out as well for reference.


Step four: Prepare your lids. Place lids in hot water in a small saucepan over low heat to keep them warm. Your recipe should tell you how many jars it will make (since I mainly use 4 oz jars, I usually have to double the number of lids and jars that the recipe calls for. Pay attention to what size jar your recipe calls for).


Step five: Pour fruit puree/crushed fruit into a large saucepan. Pour all of the sugar in as well. Begin heating mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.


Note: You may also add a teaspoon of butter to the mixture to keep foaming at a minimum.


Step six: Once sugar has dissolved, turn heat up to medium-high and, stirring constantly, heat mixture to a rolling boil (one you cannot stir down). Then, quickly pour in your pectin.



Step seven: Boil mixture hard for one minute.
Step eight: Remove saucepan from heat. Pull some jars out of canner with the jar lifter and line up on your towel. Using the canning funnel, fill jars, leaving the correct headspace (the space between the food and the top of the jar/lid). My recipe called for 1/4 inch headspace.
Note: Keep a spare jar out to hold the canning funnel when not in use.



Step nine: Using a clean, damp dishcloth, wipe the rim and threads of the filled jars. Place a warmed lid onto the jar and place a ring on it. Tighten just until you feel resistance, then tighten to fingertip tight. Do not tighten ring down all the way, air needs to be able to escape during the canning process.
Step ten: Place jars back into canner as they are filled. Once all jars are filled and have lids and rings, fill in any empty space in the canner with hot empty jars to prevent rattling and possible breakage. I had two layers of jars in my canner, and you can see the empty jars over part of the top layer here. If needed, add hot water to the canner to bring water level up to 1 inch over the tops of the jars.


Step eleven: Place lid on canner and turn heat up to high. Bring water to a boil before beginning to time processing time. Your recipe will tell you how long to process for. Mine called for ten minutes.


Step twelve: While waiting on the water to begin boiling and during processing time, clean up your work area and wash the utensils and pots that you have used.
Now you can see why you should put a towel over your workspace! After the area is clean, lay out a clean towel and your jar lifter.



If you still have a bit of time before the processing is complete, now is a good time to write out labels. This batch made 18 jars.


Step thirteen: After the processing time is complete, remove canner lid (open side pointing away from you) and turn heat off. Remove jars and place onto clean towel. Make sure they do not touch, this will allow them to cool more evenly. Be very careful with the jars, they are hovering around 170F and they can burn you if you're not careful.



Allow jars to cool for a minimum of 12 hours. During these 12 hours, do not tighten the bands on the jars. You will hear the "ping" of the jar lids as they seal. It may take up to 24 hours for some jars to seal. Do not move the jar until it is sealed. If, after 24 hours, a jar has not sealed, store in the refrigerator for immediate use.

Asiago Cheese Bread

Asiago Cheese Bread
3 ¾ cups flour
1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp) dry yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp black pepper
1 ¼ cups milk
2 tbsp butter, cut up
1 ¼ cups Asiago cheese, shredded
1 large egg

1.) In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of the flour, yeast, salt, and pepper. Melt butter in milk until it reaches 120-130 degrees F. Stir milk into flour mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup cheese.
2.) Gradually stir in another 2 cups flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic adding flour if needed.
3.) Oil a large bowl. Add dough, turn to coat. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let rise until double. Check at 1 hour and every 30 minutes afterward. It may take 2 ½ hours to double, depending on the ambient temperature of the dough’s location.
4.) Punch down, form into two loaves. Spray baking sheet (or use parchment paper). Place loaves on pan, let rise, covered until doubled (should only take 45 minutes this time). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5.) Slash dough with serrated knife. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. You may sprinkle with herbs to if desired. Bake 30-35 minutes until done. Cool before slicing (if you can wait that long).

Olive Oil Rosemary Bread

Olive Oil Rosemary Bread
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp dried rosemary
4 1/3 cup bread flour
2 1/4 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/8 cup warm water

1.) Combine the olive oil and rosemary, let stand for 10 minutes or longer.
2.) Place the flour salt and yeast into a bowl (a mixer is a very handy tool for this bread). Pour in the olive oil/rosemary mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
3.) Add the water in a steady stream only as fast as the flour will accept it. After the dough has formed a ball, let the mixer knead it for one minute, or knead by hand for 5-10 minutes.
4.) Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Place in a food bag and seal. Let rise in a warm place for about one hour. Punch down and let rise for another hour. Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes.
5.) Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a loaf (or braid, it's beautiful braided). Transfer to a baking pan (with either a dusting of cornmeal or parchment paper to prevent sticking). Cover tightly with plastic wrap (I've always just used a damp flour sack to cover it with). Let rise at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.
6.) 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Uncover the loaf and dust with flour if desired. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until browned and hollow sounding when tapped.

Homemade Apple Pie

Apple Pie

1 homemade pie crust
5 ½ cups peeled, cored, sliced cooking apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Topping:
Either strips of pie crust or:
¾ cup flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Fit pie crust into pie plate.
In a large bowl, mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pile into crust.

For the crumb topping:
In a medium bowl, with a pastry cutter, mix flour, both sugars, and butter until coarsely crumbled. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes.

Never Fail Pie Crust

Never Fail Pie Crust (makes ~3-6 crusts)
1 pound room temperature shortening
5 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vinegar
cold water

Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt with a pastry cutter. Continue until pieces are the size of large rice. Whisk egg in clear measuring cup. Add vinegar to cup. Fill cup to 3/4 mark with cold water. Whisk again. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Mix with a fork, then with your hands. Only work it until it all sticks together. Divide dough into 6-8 balls, freeze to store.

Speedy Jambalaya

Speedy Jambalaya
1 1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
2 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp hot sauce
2 cans (15 ½ oz each) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
¾ pound fully cooked andouille or Italian sausage links, sliced
¼ cup minced, fresh parsley (optional, for topping)

1.) Cook rice according to package directions.
2.) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté onion and peppers in oil for 4 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, paprika, thyme, pepper, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil.
3.) Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in peas and sausage, heat through. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice. Sprinkle each serving with parsley if desired.

Homemade Pizza Crust

Homemade Pizza Crust
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup warm (110-120 degrees F) water
2 1/2 cup bread flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let stand until creamy (~10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for five minutes. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread out with hands. Spread on sauce and toppings and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for five minutes before slicing.