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Toddler-Friendly Food

Enchilada Sauce for Canning

8/28/2014

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Enchiladas are one of my husband's favorite dishes that I make. These pseudo-homemade Mexican-inspired delicious babes have made their way into my regular dinner rotation. See my recipe for Clinton's Favorite Chinchillas here.

Recently, I found a recipe for Enchilada Sauce in a super, duper old canning cookbook and decided to give it a try. First batch was... alright. Nothing special. The second batch (after some modifications to the recipe and technique) turned out amazing and tastes even better than the filled-with-who-knows-what from the store. Don't get me wrong, I fed my family the canned version for a long time, but after making this recipe, I don't see myself ever turning back.
Please note that most recipes for Enchilada sauce call for a thickening agent, and are meant to be used "fresh" and not preserved. It's recommended that you do not include flour, butter, or milk in anything that you're canning. This recipe can be used for preserving or used right away.

From Around the House

  • Immersion Blender, Food Processor, Blender or Potato Masher
  • Large sauce pot or stock pot
  • Sieve or fine strainer
  • Stainless Steel Bowl
  • Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Spatulas
  • Water Bath Canner
  • Canning Tongs
  • Clean Dish Cloth
  • Towels

From the Store or Garden

  • Enough Tomatoes to fill your pot about 2/3 full. (I used Early Girl)
  • Hot Peppers (I used salsa chiles)
  • Red Onion
  • Dried Oregano
  • Ground Cumin
  • Ground Cayenne
  • Wildtree Garlic Galore Blend
  • Wildtree Fiesta Salsa Mix
  • 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Salt and Pepper

The Recipe

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Dice the Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers

Roughly chop your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. You don't have to core or seed the tomatoes, because you're going to strain them later. For less "heat" in your sauce, take the seeds out of the peppers. Start your Water bath.

Simmer and Blend it Up!

Toss it all in a pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use your immersion blender (or work in small batches in your food processor/blender) until the mixture is smooth, and there are no chunks left. Spend the time to do a good job now, it will save you time and energy later.
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Strain Away!

Use a measuring cup or ladle to transfer your blended-up mixture into a strainer. You can separate the strained mixture into a stainless steel bowl or another stock pot.
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Put some Muscle Into it!

Use a spatula to push the mixture through the sieve until only the seeds, peels and leftover pepper/onion chunks are left. This takes a little while, and your arm might get sore, but try to smash out as much as you can. 
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Choose Your Spices

These are the spices I had on hand, so they're the ones I used. If you don't have these blends, don't worry. But I'll shamelessly plug Wildtree. Your cooking cabinet isn't complete without some Garlic Galore. Buy it now, thank me later.
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Return to Stove, Add Spices

We like spicy sauce, so I added:
- A heaping palm full of Oregano
- Two teaspoons of Cayenne (heat!)
- A heaping palm full of Cumin
- Two tablespoons of Garlic Galore
- Two tablespoons of Fiesta Salsa Mix
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sugar to taste
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Simmer, Jar and Process

Allow the mixture to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you stir, take a taste and add spices to suit your flavor. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar; for tang add more vinegar or lime juice; for more spice, add cayenne.
Use a ladle to transfer to hot jars, wipe off rims, add rings, and process for 20 minutes. Cool on a towel and check the lids for a good seal.
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce for Canning

8/28/2014

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Spaghetti Sauce. What kid (and admittedly adult!) doesn't like a big, giant bowl of saucy spaghetti? Despite the fact that Lucas has now entered the "I will not eat vegetables" stage, he loves this sauce. He even helps cut up the tomatoes (using a butter knife), measure the ingredients, and set the timer.

The most important thing here is to only use ingredients and spices that your family likes. If you're not huge on basil, omit it. If you love garlic, add more. Use my recipe as a guide to make your sauce, well, YOUR sauce.

He's my start-from-scratch version of sweet spaghetti sauce, have fun customizing it into one your family will love.

The Ingredients

From Around the House

  • A big sauce or stock pot
  • An immersion blender, food processor or potato masher
  • A water bath canner or gigantic pot with false bottom
  • Canning Tongs
  • Funnel that fits in your jars
  • A few dish towels or silicone mats
  • A clean, dry washcloth
  • Spoons or spatulas
  • Clean Canning Jars
  • Lids and rings

From the Store or Garden

  • Enough roughly chopped Tomatoes to fill your pot 2/3 full. I used Early Girl.
  • 1 bunch of celery, less the top and bottom
  • 1 medium-sized sweet or red onion
  • 1 bulb of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • A hand full or two of fresh Basil
  • A small hand full of fresh Parsley
  • Hand full of fresh Chives
  • A few leaves of Rosemary
  • Two palmfulls of Spaghetti Sauce Spice (I LOVE Wildtree's Blend)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Sugar 
  • Lemon Juice
  • Apple Cider Vinegar


The Recipe

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Prep the Tomatoes, Celery and Onions

I choose to leave the seeds in and peels on for my spaghetti sauce. You can do either way. Take the cores out of the tomatoes and rough chop the celery and onions.

Simmer until Veggies are brown down

Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. After things are bubbling, turn down the heat a little until the tomatoes are smushy (technical terms, I know!). Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Blend it up and Start Waterbath

Use an immersion blender or Potato Masher to blend everything together. You can also work in small batches using a food processor or blender. Be careful! This stuff is HOT!
Start your jars to boil in your canner. Need directions? Check Ball's website here.

Add Other Ingredients

Chop up your herbs and garlic. Add it to the pot. Add in the Spaghetti seasoning, and 1/2 cup of lemon juice and Apple Cider Vinegar (for preserving and flavor). Add sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup, add to taste), and Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20-30 minutes.
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Add to jars, and Process

Once your sauce is the desired consistency, ladle it into hot jars, wipe off rims, place lids on, add rings (but not too tight!), and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Use tongs to remove jars, and allow to cool on a towel at room temperature. Listen for the lids to pop.
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Over-Night Crock Pot Steel-Cut Oats

8/20/2012

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Note: This recipe should be started the night before you plan on eating oats for breakfast. It's a great way to start your day with a healthy meal, with all of the prep-work done the night before!

From Around the House

  1. A Crock Pot (large oval works best)
  2. A heat-safe dish 
  3. Measuring Cups
  4. Mixing Spoon or Spatula
  5. Water

Grocery and Pantry List

  1. Steel Cut Oats 
  2. Apples 
  3. Cinnamon
  4. Nutmeg
  5. Local Raw Honey
  6. Fruit (optional)

The Recipe

  1. Wash, core, and dice the apples (You can peel them if you want, but you lose most of the nutritional value if you do). I use one apple per adult serving, they cook down a lot.
  2. Place your heat-safe dish in the center of your crock pot (You can use a glass Pyrex dish, or a stoneware bowl. Anything that won't crack in a hot water bath).
  3. Add the Steel-Cut Oats to the heat-safe dish according to package directions (I make 2 servings, which feeds me, Clinton and Lucas)
  4. Add water to the oats (I use a little less than the directions because I like thicker oats)
  5. Add apples or other fruit (if desired)
  6. Add Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste (I use about a tablespoon of Cinnamon and a half teaspoon of Nutmeg for 2 servings)
  7. Add Raw Honey (I use one tablespoon per serving of oats)
  8. Stir ingredients
  9. Add one inch of water to the Crock Pot (around the heat-safe dish) 
  10. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or over-night. No need to stir during cooking!
  11. In the morning, stir before serving. Add brown sugar or milk to taste
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