50% Syrup is just what you'd think... 50% water, 50% sugar, boiled together and cooled
60% is 60% Sugar, 40% water. Ex. If you use 2 Cups Water, Use 3 Cups sugar.
If you like very light syrup, do a 25%... 1 cup sugar to 4 Cups Water
Very Heavy Syrup, which even I find way too sweet is 3.5 Cups sugar to 1/5 Cups Water...
Always bring water to a boil, either with sugar, or add sugar as it boils. Boil together one minute and take off heat. Cool, and pour cool syrup over the fruit. Hot Syrup will cook the fruit, so be patient, or better yet, make the syrup, THEN prepare the fruit, so the temptation is gone...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Stolen Recipe Chili (No Beans)
Okay, I stole the recipe... technically, all I did was write down the instructions when watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives... this Chile was a Two Time Oklahoma State Champ Recipe. I, of course made my own modifications and will note those with an * . Enjoy. This is particularly good for Chili Dogs, Chili Cheese Fries, or over Burritos and Tamales.
3-5lbs Ground Chuck (80/20)
2 large onions, diced
2T Crushed Garlic, (or pureed)
2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 small container Dark Chili Powder ( I buy mine at Walmart for a dollar or less, in a 3 ounce container)
1/2 that amount Cayenne Powder
1/2 that amount Cumin ( i use more, but it's an acquired taste in the South, apparently)
Ground Pepper Flakes to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1 to 1 1/2 T Sugar
Tiger Seasoning*
Garlic Powder*
Mix All of this and stir until the ground beef is broken down, and beginning to brown. Cover, turn to low and simmer for at least an hour, but up to 3. This chili can be toned down by adding more tomatoes or tomato sauce, or amped up by adding more pepper flakes.
Top this with grated cheese, onions and jalapenos, and I sometimes put this over tortilla chips.
This is an alternative to my regular bean filled chili, that I use as a winter staple, and quite frankly, I hate beans, so it works well for me.
3-5lbs Ground Chuck (80/20)
2 large onions, diced
2T Crushed Garlic, (or pureed)
2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 small container Dark Chili Powder ( I buy mine at Walmart for a dollar or less, in a 3 ounce container)
1/2 that amount Cayenne Powder
1/2 that amount Cumin ( i use more, but it's an acquired taste in the South, apparently)
Ground Pepper Flakes to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1 to 1 1/2 T Sugar
Tiger Seasoning*
Garlic Powder*
Mix All of this and stir until the ground beef is broken down, and beginning to brown. Cover, turn to low and simmer for at least an hour, but up to 3. This chili can be toned down by adding more tomatoes or tomato sauce, or amped up by adding more pepper flakes.
Top this with grated cheese, onions and jalapenos, and I sometimes put this over tortilla chips.
This is an alternative to my regular bean filled chili, that I use as a winter staple, and quite frankly, I hate beans, so it works well for me.
Preserving and Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
Okay, I admit it. I hate canning! HATE IT! You do it in the hottest part of the summer, when you'd much rather be in the pool, on the lake, or sitting in front of an A/C vent... ME, TOO!
So, I freeze most of my veggies and fruits.It's so easy, so NOT time consuming, and as an added benefit, the food very often retains more of it's fresh flavor than putting it away in a jar of boiled water. It's just simpler!
With that in mind, know that grainier items, like apples, tomatoes, are gonna lose a little of the fresh texture, but they do that with Canning, as well. In my opinion, if you soak something in water long enough, it's just gonna get limp and tasteless, so I'd rather freeze it, lose a little bit of it and that be it...
If you use plastic freezer containers, leave 1/2" head room at the top, to allow for natural expansion that occurs during freezing.
If you use bags, squeeze out excess air, but do NOT overcrowd the bags, if there is syrup or any liquid. Allow for expansion, just as you would with a container.
So, here we go!
Tips:
Always use the highest quality foods when preserving. Too underripe, and you get no flavor, too overripe and you get food that goes rancid... Get it at it's peak of ripeness, toss anything with a bad spot, blemish, etc... or use it immediately and freeze the rest!
Wash any food, other than strawberries, which we'll deal with later. Put salt in the rinse water on vegetables, to bring out any insects, silks from corn, etc.
Drain it, completely! If you freeze food with water on it, you lose quality!
Yes, you CAN freeze green tomatoes and have them for dinner on Thanksgiving... a little flavor is lost, but not all of it, and it is a treat! Slice them thicker than you would to cook them fresh, however.
No, you do NOT cook vegetables thoroughly, just a blanche and cold water bath...
Fruits
Blackberries Rinse under very gently running cold water and lay out on a layer of paper towels to dry. When dried, lay a single layer on cookie sheet and freeze... then, store them in a freezer bag or freezer container.
If you will be making pie with them, you can roll them in sugar first, but I just thaw them and add sugar when I make them. They will taste just picked!
Strawberries lose their firm texture, so only freeze berries you will use in pies, muffins, or as a topping... they simply do not retain their texture, whether canned or frozen.
Cap the berries, after gently wiping them with a DRY paper towel. Water causes the acid in strawberries to turn...
Freeze whole berries, just as you would blackberries, and transfer to FREEZER BAGS or CONTAINERS and save for up to six months.
If you like sliced berries over ice cream, pancakes, etc., slice them into a 50% syrup (directions later) and freeze. These can go into a bag, or containers, either works fine!
Peaches: I peel mine without blanching, but some types of peaches have skin that is difficult to peel. If you want to try to peel without heating them, take a sharp knife from top to bottom and back around, pull seed out and peel each half, starting the peel with the tip of the knife.... Slice or leave halves intact and drop into 60% syrup (instructions later). Freeze in bags or containers... these make a wonderful topping for ice cream or a fantastic cobbler, with a MUCH BETTER TASTE THAN CANNED PEACHES! If you have ever tried canned peaches from the store, and tried a fresh peach, I can honestly tell you that is the same difference you will experience when you compare home canned to frozen. The taste is night and day! Peaches can be a little grainy, so never use overripe peaches. If you use slightly underripe, it's okay with these, since the syrup is so heavy!
Apples slice and freeze in a 50/50 syrup or slice and freeze individually, like with blackberries and strawberries, and use in pies or cobblers. Granny Smith Apples or a similarly textured apple work best, since a grainy or wetter apple will break down. These slices can be as thin or thick as you like, just slice them as you would for pie, and quarter them, if you intend to fry them.
VEGETABLES
Beans Use fresh, blemish-free Green Beans. I like Blue Lakes, since they are stringless, and HUGE, and can be just broken and prepared. White Half Runners are more plentiful and better loved in the South, however. Green Beans offer a better quality later when you prepare them by dropping them into boiling water for about a minute, then lift them into a sink of ice water, drain them WELL and put them in freezer bags...
Make sure you have washed Beans thoruoghly and string them well. Once you have blanched and rinsed them in ice water, you must lay them out on a towel, covered with a towel, to dry. If you don't, you may grab a bag or container of rancid beans in the dead of winter...
Corn Shuck it, get all the Silks (strings) you can see and dip into a sinkful of salty water. This will remove any silkworms or other insects that have hidden and will get any dirt out of the corn.
Drop into rapidly boiling water for about 3 minutes, either half ears or whole, transfer to ice water bath in sink, drain and freeze... it is that simple.
If you want to freeze corn with no cob, there is a wonderful tool available at Walmartdont have to dig kernels out of the water... fill bags or containers and freeze. Corn will keep indefinitely. Fresh corn prepared in this way is SO much better than the ears you buy at the store, since the kernels are still crisp, not soggy messes like the ones you find in the store!
Okra can be frozen breaded or unbreaded, but I have NEVER had luck freezing okra that has been breaded without at least partially frying it. This makes for really hard breading later. I just wipe down my okra, since water tends to make it really soggy, and it loses quality in the freezer.
Use SMALL, TENDER pods. Okra is NOT a BIGGER IS BETTER item.
Cut into 1/2" rounds, freeze individually, and bag! Bread it after you thaw it for a fresher taste and texture.
NEVER WASH OKRA AFTER CUTTING IT! This will result in gooey, nasty centers.
Tomatoes Ripe tomatoes don't freeze well in my experience and this is one of the exceptions to the frozen is better feelings I have. Canned whole, crushed, sliced, diced, tomatoes just work better!
HOWEVER, Green Tomatoes are excellent frozen, since they don't have as much acid, or as much of a water base as ripe ones.
I peel them, but some don't... slice them and freeze individually on cookie sheets, bag them and thaw in bag in a cold water bath when you want to make them. If you like Green Tomato Chutney or Salsa, freeze them in very thick slices or whole and dice them just before you use them in a recipe.
If you are using green tomatoes in a stew or hot recipe, you don't even have to thaw them... just drop them in!
Squash, such as yellow or zucchini freeze really well. Peeled or not, sliced or whole.. in a bag... wash them, dry them, freeze them... it's really that simple!
Cucumbers don't freeze as well as other squash, but I have had some success. Not great for eating them raw, but really good results for recipes...
Bell Peppers and Onions, for stews, meatloaves, fajitas, work well, but I only freeze them if I grow them, since they are inexpensive and available year round...
Carrots are always good when frozen, either raw, or blanched, cooked completely, or halfway... just drain them well, peel them if you like, run them through a mandolin, julienne them, slice or quarter them and freeze. I haven't found them to lose texture or taste when frozen.
These are some of the things I freeze. I intend to try Pears and Pumpkin, along with some other things this year, and will update as I have successes or failures...
Happy Freezing!
Green Beans:
So, I freeze most of my veggies and fruits.It's so easy, so NOT time consuming, and as an added benefit, the food very often retains more of it's fresh flavor than putting it away in a jar of boiled water. It's just simpler!
With that in mind, know that grainier items, like apples, tomatoes, are gonna lose a little of the fresh texture, but they do that with Canning, as well. In my opinion, if you soak something in water long enough, it's just gonna get limp and tasteless, so I'd rather freeze it, lose a little bit of it and that be it...
If you use plastic freezer containers, leave 1/2" head room at the top, to allow for natural expansion that occurs during freezing.
If you use bags, squeeze out excess air, but do NOT overcrowd the bags, if there is syrup or any liquid. Allow for expansion, just as you would with a container.
So, here we go!
Tips:
Always use the highest quality foods when preserving. Too underripe, and you get no flavor, too overripe and you get food that goes rancid... Get it at it's peak of ripeness, toss anything with a bad spot, blemish, etc... or use it immediately and freeze the rest!
Wash any food, other than strawberries, which we'll deal with later. Put salt in the rinse water on vegetables, to bring out any insects, silks from corn, etc.
Drain it, completely! If you freeze food with water on it, you lose quality!
Yes, you CAN freeze green tomatoes and have them for dinner on Thanksgiving... a little flavor is lost, but not all of it, and it is a treat! Slice them thicker than you would to cook them fresh, however.
No, you do NOT cook vegetables thoroughly, just a blanche and cold water bath...
Fruits
Blackberries Rinse under very gently running cold water and lay out on a layer of paper towels to dry. When dried, lay a single layer on cookie sheet and freeze... then, store them in a freezer bag or freezer container.
If you will be making pie with them, you can roll them in sugar first, but I just thaw them and add sugar when I make them. They will taste just picked!
Strawberries lose their firm texture, so only freeze berries you will use in pies, muffins, or as a topping... they simply do not retain their texture, whether canned or frozen.
Cap the berries, after gently wiping them with a DRY paper towel. Water causes the acid in strawberries to turn...
Freeze whole berries, just as you would blackberries, and transfer to FREEZER BAGS or CONTAINERS and save for up to six months.
If you like sliced berries over ice cream, pancakes, etc., slice them into a 50% syrup (directions later) and freeze. These can go into a bag, or containers, either works fine!
Peaches: I peel mine without blanching, but some types of peaches have skin that is difficult to peel. If you want to try to peel without heating them, take a sharp knife from top to bottom and back around, pull seed out and peel each half, starting the peel with the tip of the knife.... Slice or leave halves intact and drop into 60% syrup (instructions later). Freeze in bags or containers... these make a wonderful topping for ice cream or a fantastic cobbler, with a MUCH BETTER TASTE THAN CANNED PEACHES! If you have ever tried canned peaches from the store, and tried a fresh peach, I can honestly tell you that is the same difference you will experience when you compare home canned to frozen. The taste is night and day! Peaches can be a little grainy, so never use overripe peaches. If you use slightly underripe, it's okay with these, since the syrup is so heavy!
Apples slice and freeze in a 50/50 syrup or slice and freeze individually, like with blackberries and strawberries, and use in pies or cobblers. Granny Smith Apples or a similarly textured apple work best, since a grainy or wetter apple will break down. These slices can be as thin or thick as you like, just slice them as you would for pie, and quarter them, if you intend to fry them.
VEGETABLES
Beans Use fresh, blemish-free Green Beans. I like Blue Lakes, since they are stringless, and HUGE, and can be just broken and prepared. White Half Runners are more plentiful and better loved in the South, however. Green Beans offer a better quality later when you prepare them by dropping them into boiling water for about a minute, then lift them into a sink of ice water, drain them WELL and put them in freezer bags...
Make sure you have washed Beans thoruoghly and string them well. Once you have blanched and rinsed them in ice water, you must lay them out on a towel, covered with a towel, to dry. If you don't, you may grab a bag or container of rancid beans in the dead of winter...
Corn Shuck it, get all the Silks (strings) you can see and dip into a sinkful of salty water. This will remove any silkworms or other insects that have hidden and will get any dirt out of the corn.
Drop into rapidly boiling water for about 3 minutes, either half ears or whole, transfer to ice water bath in sink, drain and freeze... it is that simple.
If you want to freeze corn with no cob, there is a wonderful tool available at Walmartdont have to dig kernels out of the water... fill bags or containers and freeze. Corn will keep indefinitely. Fresh corn prepared in this way is SO much better than the ears you buy at the store, since the kernels are still crisp, not soggy messes like the ones you find in the store!
Okra can be frozen breaded or unbreaded, but I have NEVER had luck freezing okra that has been breaded without at least partially frying it. This makes for really hard breading later. I just wipe down my okra, since water tends to make it really soggy, and it loses quality in the freezer.
Use SMALL, TENDER pods. Okra is NOT a BIGGER IS BETTER item.
Cut into 1/2" rounds, freeze individually, and bag! Bread it after you thaw it for a fresher taste and texture.
NEVER WASH OKRA AFTER CUTTING IT! This will result in gooey, nasty centers.
Tomatoes Ripe tomatoes don't freeze well in my experience and this is one of the exceptions to the frozen is better feelings I have. Canned whole, crushed, sliced, diced, tomatoes just work better!
HOWEVER, Green Tomatoes are excellent frozen, since they don't have as much acid, or as much of a water base as ripe ones.
I peel them, but some don't... slice them and freeze individually on cookie sheets, bag them and thaw in bag in a cold water bath when you want to make them. If you like Green Tomato Chutney or Salsa, freeze them in very thick slices or whole and dice them just before you use them in a recipe.
If you are using green tomatoes in a stew or hot recipe, you don't even have to thaw them... just drop them in!
Squash, such as yellow or zucchini freeze really well. Peeled or not, sliced or whole.. in a bag... wash them, dry them, freeze them... it's really that simple!
Cucumbers don't freeze as well as other squash, but I have had some success. Not great for eating them raw, but really good results for recipes...
Bell Peppers and Onions, for stews, meatloaves, fajitas, work well, but I only freeze them if I grow them, since they are inexpensive and available year round...
Carrots are always good when frozen, either raw, or blanched, cooked completely, or halfway... just drain them well, peel them if you like, run them through a mandolin, julienne them, slice or quarter them and freeze. I haven't found them to lose texture or taste when frozen.
These are some of the things I freeze. I intend to try Pears and Pumpkin, along with some other things this year, and will update as I have successes or failures...
Happy Freezing!
Green Beans:
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