Canning Cookbook- Getting A Head Start On Soup Season

The calendar still says summer but we all know it will be autumn and then, yay! winter shortly thereafter, and that means SOUP SEASON! Chili, lentil soup, hearty vegetable beef, and chicken noodle when you're under the weather, cooler weather definitely calls for a steamy warm bowl of soup.

Here in Iowa it is Corn Country. Sweet corn is plentiful at the end of summer and when you've had your fill of corn on the cob it's time to start looking for ways to use it. Soup fits the bill perfectly. Corn chowder is pretty popular and this version adds hearty potato, chunks of chicken and a hint of heat with peppers to amp up the flavor and fill your belly with homemade goodness. Chowders are creamy soups, but we don't can dairy products at home, so swirl in some heavy cream when you're heating this up and enjoy with a wedge of cornbread or a nice hunk of crusty bread.

To make Iowa Corn and Chicken Chowder, you will need-

• 8 cups corn
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 4 cups cubed potatoes (red skinned potatoes are best)
• 2 cups diced green chilies *See Note
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 12 slices bacon, diced and cooked
• chicken broth or stock, heated to boiling

Using clean, hot pint jars, equally divide all the ingredients among the jars. Fill jars to 1 inch head space with heated chicken broth. Clean rim of jars completely, fix lids and rings, place in pressure canner. 

Following your canner's directions, process for 75 minutes for pints, at the correct weight for your altitude.

When you get ready to serve, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream to each pint.

*Note- Now, let's talk about those chilies. This is where you make this soup as spicy or as mild as you like it. I will be using jalapenos or serranos for my soup because that's what's in my garden. I'll mix my hot peppers with mild bell peppers to equal 2 cups. You can also add a shake or so of dried cayenne pepper if you like, or a drop or two of hot sauce before canning or after reheating later.

This soup is a wonderful way to use up leftover roast chicken or turkey. You can use fresh corn cut off the cob or frozen whole kernel corn (thaw first!!) to make it easy. I prefer red skinned potatoes over russets because of their waxy texture- they don't fall apart as much as russets and work better in processing. Also, I prefer NOT to peel them, which some people consider a no no in canning, but I scrub them very very thoroughly- it adds the necessary heartiness to the soup. One final hint- wide mouth jars are great for canning soups because you don't have to struggle to get the food out. 

I think a nice fat wedge of cornbread would be perfect with this soup, with a crispy tossed salad and a wedge of warm pie for dessert- we're talking total comfort food here. Try it!!

And speaking of soup, it's time to start thinking about vegetable soup, chili, chicken soup (add the noodles before serving) and all the other ones we love so much on a cold, blustery day. What are some of your favorites?

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested by the NCHFP. If you are not comfortable canning untested recipes, please do not use this one. For home canning information, visit the NCHFP website.

Comfort Food with a Twist

Ahhh comfort food. Bringing smiles to faces as long as people have been cooking. We all have our favorites, the things that warm us up on cold days, Mom's famous chicken soup, Gramma's homemade spaghetti sauce, just the favorites, maybe from our childhood, that remind us of good times- you get the idea. For a lot of people that favorite is macaroni and cheese.

Sliced scallions add a light hint of onion under that crunchy
cheesy crumb topping- so delicious!

Now I am not talking about the powdered junk in the blue box. That is about as comforting as a foam cup of dehydrated noodles and reminds a lot of people of starving student days in college. I mean real mac and real cheese, the kind that comes off a block and has to be shredded, and melted, and baked til crusty and delicious. I remember when I first mastered white sauce, many years ago- I made cheese sauce for EVERYTHING. We ate cauliflower and broccoli allllll the time. Any excuse to make cheese sauce was good enough for this young housewife. Even the Velveeta kind reminds me of when my girls were learning how to cook and that was one of their favorite things to make. It's ooey and gooey for sure.

It's all about the CHEESE

For the most part I have never been a big fan of mac and cheese. Maybe it's the fact that it appears on far too many kids menus (usually the powdered junk) and just doesn't seem very........grown up. But I was wrong about that. Choose a unique pasta shape, step out of the comfort zone with cheeses and you can really jazz up this old favorite. I really wanted gemelli but had to settle for rotini, which, happily, worked out much better in the end anyway.

I don't know what got into my head today but mac and cheese was on my mind and I was going to make it no matter what. Maybe because I have been making a lot of different dishes using bechamel, maybe I just wanted something different for a change. I set off to get the few ingredients I didn't have on hand- a macaroni of some kind, and some cheese. Nothing but real cheese will do here, folks. Well, that loaf of cheese-something works, but I don't like it much. Anyway, mild cheddar brings the cheesy goodness, Parmesan brings a salty savory background and pepperjack gives it a kick in the pants. Perfect for us at the Little Lake House. Poured over some rotini pasta and baked til blazing hot it was the perfect side dish for pork chops.

Homemade Mac and Cheese for Grownups

• 1 lb rotini pasta (I just used about 2/3 of the box)
• 1/4 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup flour
• 5 scallions, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• several dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Get the rotini going and cook till al dente. Drain.

*Note- I did not use the entire pound of pasta. I wanted to make sure the pasta had plenty of sauce and didn't end up dry. I wanted to keep it creamy.

Ready to go in the oven.

In a large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add the scallions and saute for 4 or 5 minutes until softened. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes. You need to cook out the raw flour taste. Add the milk and cook, whisking constantly until sauce thickens and just begins boiling.

Remove from heat and whisk in the Tabasco to taste and stir in the cheeses until melted. Add the rotini. Pour into buttered baking dish. 

That crunchy topping. Toss the butter with the crumbs
before tossing with the cheese.

In a small bowl toss the cornflake crumbs with the 2 tablespoons butter (melted) and the 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Sprinkle over the mac and cheese. Pop in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until the top is browned and crusty and sauce is bubbly hot.

Hot and bubbly......smells amazing!

Let me tell you, the crusty topping is absolutely heavenly. The pasta twirls really held on to the cheesy sauce. Using scallions instead of regular onion kept the onion flavor sweet and not overpowering, a lot like using leeks. The pepperjack cheese added just the slightest heat (kicked up a little by a few shakes of Tabasco sauce) and the Parmesan added its salty, nutty undertone. I just couldn't get over the crunchy topping. 

This recipe makes a nice casserole full of cheesy goodness. We had LOTS leftover so I'd guess 4 to 6 servings. I served it with crumb-crusted pork chops but fried chicken or sliced ham would also be awesome. Taste the sauce before adding the pasta and add Tabasco sauce to heat it up to your taste, or add more diced chilies or jalapenos. Enjoy!

Easy as Pie Almost Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes you just have to cheat a little with some shortcut products. 

I've said it before and I freely admit it, I make terrible chicken gravy. Of course, my mother set the bar incredibly high with her homemade gravy, and my friend Mary set it even higher with her perfect cream gravy. Me.......... I have to stick with gravy mix or gravy in a jar to have edible chicken gravy. Unlike gravy, pastry is my area of expertise. Really. It's not hard to make pastry but I make REALLY good, super flaky, buttery pastry. But that also means dragging out my food processor, flouring the table, rolling pin, and rolling it out. Some days I'm really thankful for ready-made pastry!

I really love pot pie. It's so homey and simple, but filling, comforting- just the thing on a cold, drizzly gray day. Chunky chicken, mixed vegetables (my favorite!) and rich gravy bubbling away under a crisp pastry crust, this is really comfort food. It's not only comfort food, it's super easy to make with just a few store-bought shortcuts. This easy pot pie gets a big flavor boost from Feiny's Everything Rub. You want to try this stuff, folks. You can get yours by clicking HERE.  Now, for the recipe-

• 1 refrigerated pastry sheet (the rolled kind)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 potato, cut into cubes
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (allow to thaw for an hour or so)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 jar chicken gravy (about a cup and a half)
• 2 teaspoons Feiny's Everything Rub (plus more for poaching chicken)

Set the pastry out to come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the chicken in a stockpot and cover with water. Season with salt and pepper and a couple shakes of Feiny's Everything Rub. Bring to boil over medium high heat, then simmer until done (usually about 15 minutes or so). Cover and let rest.

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and potato. Cook and stir for a couple minutes, then add the water. Cook until the potatoes are almost tender. Add the mixed vegetables. When the water has mostly evaporated, remove from heat add the gravy and the Feiny's Everything Rub. Mix well.

Can't finish any recipe without some Feiny's Everything Rub

Remove the chicken from the pot and cut into cubes. Add to the vegetable mixture. Unroll the sheet of pastry dough and place over the top, pressing to seal around the edge of the skillet. Cut slits in the pastry and pop into the hot oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until deep golden brown and gravy is bubbling. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just heat everything in a skillet and transfer to an oven-safe baking dish.

Super easy, almost homemade pot pie! This is a great way to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving too- just use about 2 cups of cubed turkey instead of chicken and some leftover turkey gravy. I like mine deep dish style with only a top crust but you can also line a deep pie pan with pastry, add the filling and top crust and bake about an hour.

Now, just a quick note about Feiny's Rubs- I love supporting friends and their business ventures, and Feiny's is the company founded by Adam Feinberg, a chef and pitmaster from Denver. He has a nice line of rubs already with more in development. You can find out more about Adam and his rubs by visiting Fein Tasting Foods.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Artisan Baking and why I love it

I love baking. Turning the oven on, warming up the house, the wonderful smells that fill the air. Of course in the autumn that means pumpkin, apple dumplings and apple crisp, pear tarts and lots and lots savory things like stews and roasts and casseroles. I have a giant roasting pan that holds enough lasagna for an army and it takes all day to bake. Don't forget roast turkey and chicken and pheasant- the smells coming from roasting birds are just about the best smells of autumn.

And bread. I love love love baking bread. I love bread pans, I love bread machines, I love clay baking stones. I love all of it! The yeasty smell of bread dough is one of my favorite kitchen smells of all. It really doesn't matter to me if it's a yeast bread or a quick bread, muffins or cheesy biscuits, I love baking it. The approaching holidays usually include banana bread, pumpkin bread. Gardens are giving up the last of the zucchini, many of them too big to use for anything but baking. Let's not forget, the holidays are coming- you're going to need lots of dinner rolls for holiday dinner.

Baking also is a way to express yourself, show off your skills. Hence the term artisan. Now some people say it's thrown around too often, too cliche, used for every recipe that is a little off the beaten path. I think some people just have a real deep passion for the food they produce, whether it's bread, cheese, condiments such as mustards and sauces, or charcuterie, just to name a few. I mean come on-artisan cheese? Sign me up! I recently watched an episode of Real Girl's Kitchen and Haylie visited a farm and creamery that made artisan goat cheese. Yum! That is my idea of artisan, and especially bread. Think of the beautiful loaves you see in the windows of bakeries. Long golden baguettes. Round loves of earthy, crusty whole wheat bread. Seeds sprinkled over. Herbs mixed inside. Cinnamon swirled in layers of tender dough. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

So I am going to bake some bread. I always have yeast on hand. Flour- check.Whole wheat flour- check. I even have cracked wheat to sprinkle on top. And I think I am going to go artisan and make a beautiful round loaf of crusty bread. Maybe I will even throw a pot of soup. 

To make a really good loaf of crusty bread, you will need-

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (keep it around 100 degrees so you don't kill the yeast)
• 1 packet active dry yeast or instant yeast
• 2 tb honey
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1-2 tb crushed wheat for sprinkling

In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, honey and stir until dissolved completely. Add salt. NOTE- I was out of honey, so I used a couple tablespoons of sugar.

If you don't have honey, you can use sugar- I had to today.

Combine the flours in another bowl. I wanted an herby bread to go with my dinner so I stirred a couple tablespoons of Penzey's Parisian Herb mix. 

Add to the yeast mixture a cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. The dough is very soft and not a "kneading" type of dough. 

Form dough into a soft ball in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Get the oven ready for baking: place one rack in the lowest position and the other in the upper middle. We want our bread to have a crusty and chewy crust and you need steam to make that happen, so place a metal baking pan on the lower shelf. Choose one that holds at least 2 cups of water. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Get your baking pan ready: all I need to do today for this bread is lightly grease the pan.

Now for the dough.  Flour your hands, sprinkle the dough with a teeny tiny bit of flour (remember, it's sticky) and dump it onto prepared pan. With floured hands again, form the dough into a round loaf, or boule as the French would say.

Using a very sharp knife cut three slits in the top of the loaf. Brush or mist the dough very lightly with water and sprinkle with crushed wheat. Let the dough rest for ten minutes while the oven reaches temp. Go ahead and place the pan on the upper rack in the oven, and add at least 2 cups of warm water to the metal pan on the bottom rack. Don't use glass or you might break it and have a real mess.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it. Remove to a rack and cool. You can serve the bread warm but you should let it cool for 10-15 minutes minimum. 

This is the perfect kind of bread for sopping up rich gravies and soup broth. Round loaves are the perfect bread for a party size muffuletta too. I love round loaves of bread because you get more "bread butt" and THAT is the best part of any crusty bread if you ask me. This one took a little more work than the Dutch oven crusty bread I have made but it was still fun, and I'd definitely make it again this way. I hope you give it a try! Be an artisan baker for a day!

Fast Food- Thirty Minute Chicken and Noodles

Let's face it, some days all we want is a fast dinner we don't have to fuss with. For some, that means call the pizza man, for others, drive-thru or a deli meal. When you live in the country you often don't have those options. Fast food becomes junk in a box or junk from the freezer. It doesn't HAVE TO be that though. With a little planning when shopping, and a mindfully stocked pantry you CAN get a home cooked meal on the table in thirty minutes or less.

So what is in a mindfully stocked pantry? The basics. Chicken and beef stock. Noodles, pasta and a grain like rice or quinoa. Vegetables. You all know I'm a home canner so I have loads of veggies in the cupboard as well as homemade stocks, but if you don't can, just stock up on a few things your family likes. Some basic seasonings like garlic, onions, a few spices, chicken and beef soup bases. Every kitchen should have a thickening agent- flour or cornstarch, as well as baking basics like brown and white sugar and yeast. Keep a couple packages of easy to cook meats in the freezer/fridge and you're all set!

Faced with starvation this evening, no desire to cook a big dinner, and the closest pizza man an hour away it was up to me to make magic happen in the kitchen with a package of chicken breasts. So..... here is the result of five minutes of assessing the situation and making sure I had what I needed.

Thirty Minute Chicken and Noodles

You will need-

• 1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts (mine had 3, I'm guessing roughly a pound)
• 1 one-pound package wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• cooking oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons chicken soup base (or 4 cups chicken stock/broth)
• 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
• salt and pepper

Put a pot of salted water on to boil. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes. Season with salt and pepper. In a large measuring cup place the flour. Add about 1/4 of water- just enough to mix it with a fork until smooth. Add the chicken soup base and water to make 4 cups. Set aside.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a skillet. I used my new ceramic skillet and it was awesome!! Add half the chicken and saute until browned nicely and cooked through. Remove to a bowl and keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Add the noodles to the water when it's come to a full rolling boil. Most noodles take 7-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

After all chicken is cooked, remove from skillet. Add a tablespoon of oil if needed and add the scallions and garlic; reduce heat and cook several minutes until garlic is softened but not browned. Switch to a whisk, stir the water/flour mixture again and add to skillet all at once. Return to higher heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened like a gravy. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the noodles. Sprinkle with thyme, mix and serve!

Wasn't that easy? It was super easy and fast, as delicious as something cooked all day and perfect for a cool autumn night. I recommend keeping low salt soup bases on hand because they CAN be pretty salty sometimes, but this was just right. Some buttered green beans and dinner was on the table in the Little Lake House- I kid you not- 24 minutes. Yes, I timed it!In fact, it all came together so quickly, I didn't have time to take many pictures.  Anyone can have 2 pans going at the same time- so give up the garbage food and make your own fast food!

Homestyle Pork Roast

Sometimes you just have to have good homestyle comfort food. For many of us, especially in the Midwest, that's a nice pork roast. Bacon has become a trendy item to cook with, but it also makes an excellent self-baster and tastes amazing in just about anything. Pork roast happens to be my personal favorite and apparently I live in the right state for it.

Roasts are not only delicious, but they are easy to prepare and many times leave you some delicious leftovers for another meal or two. Options for sides are endless, gravy or not, it's all up to you. This recipe is very flexible too. Change up the herbs to something you like or have on hand. Don't like or don't eat pork? No problem. Grab a beef roast and go with that. Some roasts are better braised or cooked low and slow in a crock pot, but this particular recipe you want to use a fairly shallow, open pan to allow the bacon to crisp up. To make Bacon Wrapped Pork Roast, you will need:

boneless pork loin roast (mine was about 3 lbs)
bacon
1/4 cup olive oil
herbs- I used thyme, rosemary, marjoram
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 TB grainy German mustard (or more for bolder flavor)
salt and pepper

Trim pork roast of any silverskin or excess fat. Place the roast in a heavy duty zip close bag- like a freezer bag. It's going to be a gallon or maybe 2 gallon bag depending on the size of your roast. To the bag add the herbs, oil, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Close the bag removing as much air as possible. Then massage the bag to combine the ingredients and completely and evenly coat the meat. Place in fridge and marinate overnight.

When ready to roast, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from bag, it's not necessary to remove excess marinade. Using bacon slices, wrap the roast completely, using twine to hold the bacon in place. 

Yes, I was out of kitchen twine, so I used yarn- hey it worked!!

Put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan. As you can see, I had to improvise a little and make a "rack" from foil "sticks". Roast uncovered at 350 degrees at least an hour or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. If you find the bacon is browning too quickly, tent the roast with foil. Remove from oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

I served the roast with mashed potatoes and green beans from our garden (thank you, pressure canner) and it was delicious. The roast was moist and tender and we skipped the gravy completely. This is a great meal for a lazy weekend day, Sunday dinner, or a cold dreary day when the heat of the oven would be welcome. As long as you have the oven on, why not throw in an apple pie? Let me know what time, and I'll be over for dinner!