Hot Sauce

The last couple of years, I have been trying to grow a salsa garden.  Last year I had tomatoes, mostly cherry tomatoes, and few peppers.  So I didn't get to can much salsa.  This year, I have an abundance of chilis.  I thought it would be fun to experiment with making hot sauce.  It is a much loved condiment in our household.  I did some research and based my experiment on a mexican hot sauce recipe from Hub Pages.  Of course I didn't really follow their directions and totally forgot to add the garlic.  My husband and one son are totally into hot sauce, so when my husband asked who my target audience is for the hot sauce, I said the two of them.  I would also like to enjoy some, but knew it would be a bit over for my taste. So here is what I did for this round.  Of course it should be different every time based on how hot the chilis are.

HOT Sauce

2 lbs tomatoes 

1/2 cup vinegar

3 serranos

2 jalapenos

8 habaneros

salt & pepper to taste

I roasted the tomatoes, serranos, and jalapenos in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour.  The tomatoes had been cored and halved and the chilis left whole.  After roasting, I removed the stems from the chilis and pulsed the roasted veg. in the food processor.  I then added 4 habaneros, vinegar and salt & pepper.  My taste testers and I agreed that it was good but not as assertive as we would like, so we added 4 more habaneros and adjusted the salt.

Then we heated it on the burner on the grill outside to protect our eyes and lungs from the influence of the chilis in the house.  Once it came to a good bubble, we packed it into 4 ounce jars and water bath canned it.  I ended up with nearly 8 jars.

Other than wishing that I'd remembered the garlic, this was a successful experiment.  We may do it again, as the habanero plant is doing really well this year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sticky Noodles

I found this recipe on Pinch of Yum a couple years ago.  It was a hit with the oldest and the twins don't count.  So it has made it's way into the rotation.  The main change that I do is to add the bell peppers at the beginning.  We prefer them cooked a bit more.

Sticky Noodles

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 8 oz. uncooked brown rice noodles
• 1 lb. raw chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 1-2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly
• peanuts, green onions, and/or sesame seeds for garnish

Place all ingredients in the instant pot and cook on manual for 3 minutes.  Release steam immediately.  Toss gently to combine and serve with peanut, green onions, and/or sesame seeds.  

For more information see the link above to Pinch of Yum.

Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

 I am trying to not overheat the house and feed a family of 6.  Did I mention our boys are now 15-20?  They can eat.  I wanted to use the Instant Pot and not have mushy pasta.  I took the procedure and inspiration from onehappyhousewife.com.  I do not keep jarred marinara on hand but I do have crushed tomatoes.

1 lb. hot Italian sausage links, casing removed

1 sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced  

4 baby bell peppers, diced

2 tbsp. Italian herb blend

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup red wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 lb. short sturdy dry pasta (I had cavatappi, but penne was what onehappyhousewife used)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup parmesan

On the sauté setting in the Instant Pot, cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces.  Add in the onion and bell peppers.  Season with salt and pepper  When the meat is no longer pink, add the garlic and Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds or so.  Add the wine to deglaze the pan.  When the wine has reduced (by half) add the chicken broth and water.  Top with the dry pasta and then the crushed tomatoes.  Do not stir the pasta in, but try to make sure it is submerged by pressing it down if necessary.  Use manual pressure for 7 minutes.  After 7 minutes, allow to naturally release for 2 minutes and then quick release.  Stir in the cream and parmesan, adjust the seasoning, and serve with additional parmesan.

Hummus for Us

 Our house has been going through a lot of hummus in the last year.  It has become a great to go snack/lunch item.  Serve with veggies, crackers, pretzels...whatever you like.  The favorite around here is the thin pretzel crisps.  We've been tweaking recipes and combining what we like.  We have tried the Ultimate Hummus from Cook's Illustrated, Hummus for Real from Alton Brown, and the Best Smooth Hummus on Serious Eats.  Each has its own qualities that we like.  This is our combination of these recipes with a little help from the Instant Pot.

Hummus for Us

1 lb. dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 head garlic, peeled

water

zest and juice of one lemon

1/3 cup (generous measure) tahini

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch of cayenne (optional)

dash of garlic (to taste)

Start by putting the chickpeas, baking soda, and peeled head of garlic in the instant pot.  Fill up to the 6 cup mark with water.  Let stand for several hours or over night.  Seal the instant pot and cook on the bean setting on high for 60 minutes.  Allow to release naturally.  Put the chickpeas and garlic in a food processer, reserving the cooking liquid.  Process to break up the chickpeas.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Add the cooking liquid and process to combine.  We find that the hummus gets really thick in the refrigerator, so we add all of the liquid.  If you prefer, add less.  Give it a try and see if you need a bit more salt or some garlic powder.  The flavor comes together as it sits in the fridge.  Enjoy!

Pork Stir Fry

Have you ever wondered what one might do with those super thin cut pork chops?  I found a really good use for them.  I came across a recipe for Pork Stir Fry with Green Onions over on Simply Recipes.  I came close to following the recipe, but threw in some broccoli and cauliflower that I had cut up in the fridge already.  Kodo declared it as good as the chicken, rice, ice cream, and jello our local Chinese restaurant.  But what does he know?  He's six.  He does know that he liked it though.  I wasn't sure how all those green onions would go, but it was really good.

Ingredients

• 1-1 1/2 lbs thin cut boneless pork loin chops, cut into long strips
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 4 Tbsp peanut oil or other high smoke point oil (canola, rice bran, or grape seed)
• 2 cups cauliflower and broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 8 scallions/green onions, sliced into half inch pieces
• splash of soy sauce (optional)

Method

Put the soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch into a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the pork strips to the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat completely. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) add the cauliflower.  After about 2 minutes move the cauliflower to the outside of the pan and add the broccoli.  After another 2 minutes move the broccoli to the outside and add the garlic slices and stir-fry until they begin to turn brown at the edges, about 30 seconds. Add the pork strips and stir-fry until the pork changes color, about 90 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add the sliced green onions and continue to stir-fry for another minute, or until the green onions wilt.  Add about 1/4 cup water to deglaze the pan.  Add a splash of soy sauce if desired.
Serve with rice if desired.

Herbed Dinner Rolls

I've been using this recipe for many years now. I found it in Quick Cooking, oh how I miss Quick Cooking. Simple & Delicious is just not as good. It uses too many pre-packaged foods to speed up the process, but enough of my soap box. :) The recipe calls for herbs in the dough, but if you don't want them leave them out. I usually use all purpose flour instead of the bread flour the recipe calls for. And I use kosher salt on top. The buttery, saltiness of the top makes these oh so good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary, crushed
• 3-1/4 cups flour
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• Additional butter, melted
• Coarse salt, optional

Directions

• In a bread machine pan, place the water, butter, egg, sugar, salt,
• seasonings, flour and yeast in order suggested by manufacturer.
• Select dough setting(check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to
• 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
• 
  
• When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
• Divide dough into 16 portions; shape each into a ball. Place 2 in.
• apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place
• until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• 
  
• Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with
• butter and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Remove from pans to
• wire racks. Yield: 16 rolls.

Tacos & Beans

A few weeks ago I tried a recipe (from Cook's Country, I think) for tacos with refried beans.  It was kind of odd because you set the hard tacos on a bed of refried beans to bake.  With concern that the bottoms would get soggy, I tried it anyway.  The bottoms of the tacos were soggy, but the flavor was good.  So I figured it could be just as good baked in two dishes, one for the beans and one for the tacos.  That method worked much better.  For one can of tomatoes & chilies, I prefer to make 2 lbs ground beef although you only need one lb for this application.  I just put the rest in the freezer to pull out another day.

Tacos with Refried Beans

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 cans tomatoes & chilies (Ro-tel tomatoes)

2 pkg. taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

2 cups shredded cheese (I used pre-shredded Fiesta blend)

12 hard taco shells

Preheat oven to 375.  While the oven heats, combine refried beans and 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, drained slightly with liquid reserved for the meat.  Put bean mixture into a small casserole dish and top with cheese (I used probably 2/3 cup or so).

In a skillet, cook the ground beef with the diced onion until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain fat if necessary.  Add taco seasoning, the remaining can of tomatoes and reserved juice, and 1/2 cup water.  Cook uncovered until the sauce has thickened (10 min.)

Put the beans in the oven while stuffing the tacos.

When the sauce has thickened, stuff each taco shell with meat mixture and cheese.  Save remaining meet mixture for another use.  Put the tacos in another casserole dish and bake until the cheese has melted (10 min. or so).

We like to serve these with shredded lettuce, taco sauce, salsa, green onions, and sour cream.  Serve the beans as a side dish with tortilla chips or put some right on your taco.  Enjoy!