Mock ? - Berry Jam - Canning #3

Mock - as in pretend, not mocking, as in laughing at. I know that you, sometimes, think that I come up with some pretty crazy things, but this wasn't my idea, I just embellished on it.

In St. George, there are many people that have fig trees, however, I don't know that many people that really like figs. This creates a perfect opportunity for you to pick up some FREE fruit. Now, you may say, "why do I want free figs? I'm not so crazy about them myself." Well, that's where the MOCK, as in pretend, comes in.

You can make some crazy good jam with figs and alter the taste by adding jello and/or some dry Kool Aid powder.

I think that I'm finally finishing up my jams and jellies, ohhh boy! I had taken some figs out of the freezer and decided to make mock jam. In one batch I used blackberry and raspberry jello and in the second I used strawberry.

The reason you use the "berry" flavor jello is because of all those pesky little seeds in the figs. I don't think it's worth your time to try to strain the seeds out, but you could use a different flavor, like grape, just pretend the seeds aren't there - yeah.

As I was making the strawberry jello, I decided that the flavor wasn't intense enough, thus the dry strawberry Kool Aid powder. I often "kick up" the flavor of fruit by using some dry drink powder. Make sure it's not sweetened drink mix, just the dry powder. Use the same flavor your jam will be and whala, you have some really intense flavor. You can also increase the flavor of fruit jam, like apricot or peach by adding dry flavored jello to match as well. Try it next time you have some fruit that's not quite flavorful enough for you. You'll like it.

I'm including the recipe for the Mock (fig) Strawberry Jam (just change the jello to change the flavor) and another one for Mock (with green tomatoes) Raspberry Jam. Give them a try, the green tomato jam is great for those tomatoes that don't quite ripen at the end of your growing season.

Fig Strawberry Jam - Printed from COOKS.COM

3 C. fresh, peeled figs (mashed slightly)

2 C. sugar

2 - 3oz. pkgs. of Strawberry Jello (or 1-6 oz.)

1/2 C. water

1/2 slice lemon

5 - 8oz. jars

Mix all ingredients in a large pot. Cook on high heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Cook on medium heat 20 minutes or till thick, stirring occasionally. Pour into sterilized jars and process.

Note: I steamed my figs, with the skins on, because I froze them. I mostly pureed the fruit, because I don't like chunky jam. I added 2-4 Tbl. of lemon juice instead of the slice and increased the water to 1 - 1 1/2 C., to reduce the chance of scorching. You don't need to stir this jam constantly, but you do want to keep an eye on it so it doesn't scorch. If you increase the water, you may need to cook the jam longer in order to "cook off" some of the liquid.

Mock Raspberry Jam – by Miss Annie

“Another use for those unripe or end of season green tomatoes. It really does taste line raspberry jam! I got this recipe from Southern Living.”

Ingredients:

2 ½ C. green tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ C. sugar

1 – 3 oz. pkg. of raspberry Jell-o gelatin

Directions:

Combine tomatoes and sugar in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add jello, and stir till dissolved. Pour mixture into airtight containers. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze up to 6 month.

Note: you may can and process this jam, just as you would for any jam or jelly. I would add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, which is common for jams and jellies and helps with long term preservation. I don't have enough room in my freezers for jam and jelly, I'd rather freeze fruit, so everything gets canned that's possible.

Well, there you go, I hope you give one or both of these a try. I'm thinking you'll like them.

s.

Comfort Food, Why's it so hard to duplicate?

Comfort foods are those that generate good memories of our Mother's and Grandmother's cooking. It doesn't matter if your Matriarchs were amazing cooks of just fair, there was always something in their repertoire that reminds you of home.

I think that one of the most common comfort foods is Meatloaf. Sunday meatloaf covered in perfect gravy, mashed potatoes swimming in butter and a side vegetable, usually canned (I grew up ten thousand years ago and frozen vegetables weren't readily available).

For some reason there seems to be a disconnect with our matriarchs meatloaf and what we produce today. I find the thought of a yummy meatloaf dinner enticing, but the end result is often disappointing. The meatloaf seems tough and sits in your stomach like a rock.

I truly believe that our predecessors used methods of cooking that they found natural; methods that were passed down from their predecessors. The unfortunate thing is that they never wrote anything down. They didn't see cooking as an art form, but as a necessity. You learned to cook in the kitchen with your mother or you didn't and if you didn't, you're sorely out of luck.

I've been thinking a lot about meatloaf - who knows why? I've found an interesting "technique" that I think will help with that HEAVY meatloaf. I've started with a great Pampered Chef recipe and added a technique often used in Italian cooking. Pampered Chef's recipe is for Swedish Meat Loaf Supper (the leftovers can be used for sandwiches another day). The technique is to soak soft bread in milk, gently "ring" it out and add the milk softened bread to your meat mixture. I hope you'll try this out and let me know what you think.

Swedish Meat Loaf Supper

1 - 4 oz. can mushrooms (pieces and stems), drained and finely chopped

1/2 C. onion, finely chopped

1/4 C. fresh parsley, snipped

1 C. fresh white bread crumbs (about 2 slices)*

2/3 C. milk

1 egg

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground allspice or nutmeg (very common in Swedish cooking)

1 lb. lean (90%) ground beef

1 lb. lean ground pork (not sausage)

Noodles and Creamy Gravy

1 - 12 oz. pkg. uncooked egg noodles

1 - 12 oz. jar of mushroom or beef gravy

2 Tbl. milk

1/4 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 for meat loaf.

Mix together, mushrooms, onions, parsley, bread crumbs, milk, egg and seasoning; mix well. Crumble meat into bowl and mix lightly, but thoroughly, with your hands till everything is fully incorporated. Shape meat mixture into a loaf and place in a loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 min. - 1 hour and 20 min., or until meat's no longer pink in the center, or internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (use pocket thermometer). Remove from oven to serving platter and let stand 10 minutes, covered with foil.

Cook noodles according to directions and drain. For creamy gravy, heat gravy with milk over med. heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Just before serving, whisk in sour cream (do not allow to boil); remove from heat.

Cut meatloaf across in half. Cut one half into 8 slices and serve with noodles and creamy gravy. Tightly wrap remaining meatloaf and refrigerate up to 4 days for use in meat loaf sandwiches.

Yields - 4 servings.

* You can crumble the bread, and add the milk to the meat mixture, as indicated, or you can break the bread into pieces, soak in the milk, then add the bread and milk to the meat mixture (make sure the bread is broken up before adding, you don't want clumps of bread in your meatloaf).

I could not possibly have meatloaf without sage. I'm sure it's not Swedish, but it's surely American. You can add anywhere from 1 tsp. - 2 tsp. of sage to your meat mixture, it depends on your affinity for sage. Give it a try. Start small and see where you go from there.

You'll notice that PC uses some pre-prepared foods, like the jar of gravy. You can make your own, if you like, starting with a white sauce, use beef stock instead of chicken and some milk or half and half and finish off with the sour cream. You can also use fresh mushrooms instead of canned, just saute them in a little butter before adding them to the meat mixture and/or the gravy.

Here's an extra recipe for you -

Millennium Meat Loaf Sandwiches - Serves 4

1/2 loaf of reserved Swedish Meatloaf

1/4 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. sour cream

1 Tbl. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. All-Purpose Dill Mix (from the Pampered Chef)

1/2 medium cucumber, sliced

2-3 slices red onions, separate into rings

4 slices of rye bread

Cut meat loaf across into 8 thin slices. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and dill mix - set aside.

Slice cucumber and onion; separate onion slices into rings.

To assemble sandwiches, spread half of the mayonnaise mixture on one side of the bread slices. Top with meat loaf, onion, cucumber and a spoonful of remaining mayonnaise mixture.

There's nothing greater than cooking once and eating twice. Remember, you can always change things for your personal taste. I'd probably eliminate the onion, I love the idea of the cucumbers and, knowing how good the dill mix is, I'd definitely leave that in. This sounds like a great sandwich. Served open face, you're eliminating an extra slice of bread. Really, "what's not to like"?

Thanks to the Pampered Chef for their AMAZING recipes - just YUMMY!

Enjoy!

Canning still?... You bet!

Canning, much like candy making, requires attention and time without distractions, so make sure to schedule your canning when you won’t be interrupted by kids and other commitments. Once you get started, you need to finish, so this is not an activity that gives you the option to stop in the middle.

Canning like your Mothers or Grandmothers is certainly possible. Pectin was first isolated and described in 1825, but wasn’t available for home canning, till the late 1920’s and 1930’s. It was first extracted from dried apples and later from citrus fruits. Because many fruits have natural pectin, it’s possible for you to can jams and jellies without the addition of powdered pectin, as your mothers and grandmothers did. You may need to cook your jam or jelly slightly longer to give the natural fruit pectin time to start thickening, but it’s a great thing to know when you’re in the middle of canning and realize that you don’t have pectin for your jams and jellies and it’s also kind of fun. I made this recipe today for Apricot Jam:

Old-Fashioned Apricot Jam – makes about 9 – 8oz. jars

8C. chopped pitted peeled apricots

4 Tbl. lemon juice

6 C. granulated sugar

Prepare your canner, jars and lids.

Combine the apricots, lemon juice and sugar in a non-reactive pan (this means not aluminum). Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, till mixture thickens. Remove from heat and test “gel”. If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam and ladle into jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Place on lids and rings, process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

You’ll notice there’s no pectin in this recipe, just the natural pectin from the fruit. This is really good. Try making some jam with out store bought pectin, it’s easy and fun. This is a great recipe if you like apricots.

I’d like to recommend the Ball Blue Book. It’s a great book for overall canning. It gives you instructions for the use of your water bath canner and your pressure cooker canner. It’s full of recipes, that are really good and also has recipes for using your canned goods. You can find this book in WalMart and most grocery stores. You can also check out Ball’s site online at www.FreshPreserving.com.

It’s also possible to can without sugar and/or using honey. If you have dietary needs that require a reduction of sugar in your diet, I suggest that you purchase Canning and Preserving Without Sugar, by Norma M. MacRea, R.D. – my book is the 3^rd edition, there is a 4^th edition available through Amazon and received 4 ½ stars from readers. I’d recommend it as a good addition to your recipe collection.

I have a great book, Putting it up With Honey, by Susan Geiskopf, this book is also available through Amazon and received 4 ½ stars. I like this book very much and have used it extensively for jams and jellies. I thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes with you:

Sun-Cooked Peach or Nectarine Preserves

3 lbs. peeled peaches or nectarines (about 6 C.)

2 C. honey

½ C. lemon juice

I cut up the fruit, added the honey and lemon juice, let it set for about an hour so the juices will start drawing. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally till the mixture starts to thicken (I give it a good mash, so the fruit isn’t so chunky). Once the mixture starts to thicken, you may need to stir more often to keep it from scorching. There is no added pectin in this preserve, so cook it till it reaches your desired consistency. This, preserve like jam, has a great, somewhat nutty flavor. It’s hard to describe, but the honey gives it a great taste. I like to use a rather mild honey, so it doesn’t detract from the flavor of the fruit. Prepare your jars and lids. You will get about 5 half-pint jars. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes (be sure to follow canning directions). Yummy!

Try some canning with honey; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I’ve talked to you before about trying something new. I made some jam with Mango and Strawberries. This is so good! It’s a great way to use up extra mangos in a really fun way.

Mango Raspberry Jam – makes about 7 – 8oz jars.

3 C. finely chopped, pitted, peeled mangos

1 ½ C. crushed red raspberries

2 Tbl. lemon juice

1 pkg. powdered pectin

5 ½ C. granulated sugar

Mix the fruit, lemon juice and pectin in a large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to keep it from scorching. Add sugar all at once and stir well to dissolve sugar. Bring Canning, much like candy making, requires attention and time without distractions, so make sure to schedule your canning when you won’t be interrupted by kids and other commitments. Once you get started, you need to finish, so this is not an activity that gives you the option to stop in the middle.

Fresh melons will give you the taste of summer during those winter months if you make a melon jelly or jam. These are so amazing and wonderfully different. I’ve made cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon. I’m not sure I can choose a favorite, they’re all so good. Here’s a watermelon jelly you can give a try.

Zesty Watermelon Jelly – make about 5 – 8oz. jars

6 C. chopped watermelon, rind removed

½ C. white balsamic, white wine or apple cider vinegar

4 Tbl. lemon juice

5 C. granulated sugar

1 stem lemongrass, chopped (optional)

2 pouches – 3oz. ea. liquid pectin

Prepare canner, jars and lids.

I process my fruit in a blender. Measure 2 C. of juice into a large non-reactive pan. Add vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and lemongrass. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly; bring to a full rolling boil (this is a boil that cannot be stirred down). Stir in pectin, making sure that all the pectin is dissolved. You may need to use a whip. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove from heat, skim foam and ladle into prepared jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Place lids and rings on jars and process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

You need to know, that I don’t buy fruit to make jam or jelly. I make jam or jelly to use up fruit that’s going to go to waste. If I don’t have enough, I prepare the fruit, place it in a zip lock bag and toss it in the freezer till I have enough “little leftovers” to make a batch. Think in terms of cutting down on your waste. You’ll be surprised what you’ll come up with.

Remember my mystery jam? The one I hadn’t labeled? Some of you thought that it was pear. Well, it was a combination of lemon, lime and oranges that I’d acquired before the holidays. They didn’t hold well and in order to keep from loosing the whole lot, I zested, squeezed and processed into a citrus jam. You seemed to like it. Think citrus.

When you’re finished with your canning, it’s important to prepare everything so it’ll be ready for your next canning marathon. Keep your equipment clean. If you keep the boxes, place them back in their containers. This makes them easy to store and stack, as well as giving you instructions for use. All your kitchen equipment and tools are an investment, make sure you take care of them and they’ll last you forever. I still use my mother’s canning equipment. It must be, at least, 60 years old. to a roiling boil and start checking for the “gel”. If gel has been reached, skim off foam (put this into a container and store in refrigerator. It’s great on your morning toast). Ladle into jars, leaving ¼ inch head space, place on lids and rings, process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

2

Canning, a lost art revived.....

As we're winding down and only have one more cooking class, I'd like to share some personal thoughts with you; I hope that if I have accomplished anything from these cooking classes, it's that I've encouraged you to try new things, work a little outside your comfort zone and NEVER give up.

I have a habit of using certain terminology repeatedly, like;

"It's CRAZY good"

"Everything is subjective, especially taste"

"Taste it"

"Season it as you go along"

"Recipes aren't always necessary"

"This is NOT brain surgery"

"Have FUN"

I'm sure there's more that you've taken note of over the months, just know that whatever terminology I use, you are all AMAZING! Thanks for hanging in there with me and going the distance. Thanks for trying the recipes and sharing your achievements with me, it's what's kept me committed, over the long haul.

Well, let's talk about canning ....... I learned canning from my mother, who learned it from her mother, and so on....., but it wasn't until some years later that I started experimenting with combinations of flavors and stretching my boundaries, as far as canning is concerned.

I think that if you want to do anything well, you need to study it. Canning is a whole different world from cooking and baking. It's a technique and discipline all it's own. If you're interested in becoming a GREAT canner, doing more than jams and jellies, then spend some time studying the art of canning. You'll find it very rewarding.

I love the sound of jar lids popping as they seal, I love the look of those jars, cleaned, labeled and lined up on my shelves, ready for use or for longer term storage. It's gratifying to see the results of my hard labor before my eyes, knowing that I've achieved something that few people participate in any longer. Canning is truly one of the lost homemaking arts and fewer people are canning every year.

There are certain basics that you should to be aware of:

1. If you want to be safe, be clean. Sterilize your jars in a dishwasher, sterilize the lids according the manufacturer's directions and always, always, always, follow directions.

2. If you're using a pressure cooker canner (this is not a pressure cooker. You can can

and cook in a pressure cooker canner, but only cook in a pressure cooker), be sure to have the seal tested once a year. Check with your community offices to see if they offer testing once a year, most do, but if yours doesn't, check with a local kitchen store to see if they'll test your canner or inform you who might offer that service. I know that many of you are nervous about using a pressure cooker canner, just be sure to FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

When your canning time is over, turn your stove off and don't touch the canner till the pressure gage is down to zero. When it reads zero, remove the "toggle" at the top, allow any remaining steam to escape, carefully remove the lid, and ALWAYS tip it away from you. Carefully remove the jars from the canner and place them on the counter to cool for 12-24 hours, making sure that the jars are spaced 1-2 inches apart. After they've cooled sufficiently, clean the jars, remove the rings, washing them and wash around the top of the jar. Gently lift up on the lid, if it doesn't come off, return the ring to the jar, label and store. If the lid comes off, put it back on the jar, return the ring and store in the refrigerator, or clean of the rim of the jar, place a new lid on the jar and re-can, following the initial process.

3. If you're not sure what process to use to can something, whether you should water bath, steam can or need to pressure cooker can, look it up. There are so many sites on the web. You can access The National Center For Home Food Preservation by going to:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html . Their latest revision is 2009. You have links and a volume of pertinent information on your cd, but it's always a good thing to look something up, or give me a call, if you're not sure. You'll notice that these sites don't

recommend "steam canning", mostly because they've never studied it to see what the

long term results are. Use whatever method you're comfortable with. I've used a "steam canner" for over 30 years and have never had any trouble, but I'm always very conservative in my

processing method. I never start timing my jars till I see steam coming from the vent holes. I never process anything less than 35 minutes; most recipes indicate 10, 15 or 20. I would much rather ere on the side of caution.

Make sure you understand that processing time, whether using water bath, steam or pressure cooker canning, is given for "sea level". If you live above sea level, you'll need to adjust your #'s of pressure, for your pressure cooker, and your processing time as well. You need to add 1/2 # of pressure for every 1,000 feet above sea level. The normal boiling point of water at sea level is 212°. At higher altitudes, water boils at lower temperatures. When processing jars of jams, jellies or pickles, and other preserves in a boiling water bath at higher altitudes, use the following chart to adjust times.

1,001 feet to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes to processing times.
3,001 feet to 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes to processing times.
6,001 feet to 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes to processing times.
8,001 feet to 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes to processing times.

If you're not sure what your altitude is, Google it. I type in "altitude for saint george, utah" in my Google search and find it in Wikipedia. Check out your altitude, you'll want to know for making candy also - it's important.

I'd suggest that you save the e-mail I sent you on Thursday with canning information, I haven't included that information here.

I know that this sounds, somewhat, overwhelming. Take a deep breath and think about what the worse case scenario is: If you're jars don't seal, place them in the refrigerator, to use later or pour the contents out of the jars, and freeze. Not to worry! If your jam or jelly doesn't set - You have some "crazy good" pancake syrup. Not to worry! Nothing is wasted, not even your time, because everything you've made can be used for your family.

Practice makes perfect. There's a great deal of truth to that. If you give up after one, less than perfect attempt, you'll never reach your goal.

Remember - Everything is possible - even canning.

Here are the recipes I promised. Give them a try and let me know how you do.

Carrot Cake Jam - yields 6-8 oz. jars

1 1/2 C Finely grated peeled carrots

1 1/2 C. chopped, cored, peeled pears (you could also use apple)

1 3/4 C. canned pineapple, including juice

3 Tbl. lemon juice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 pkg. powdered fruit pectin

6 1/2 C. granulated sugar

Prepare canner, jars and lids.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine carrots, pears, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot jam. Wipe rim; Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Zucchini Relish – yields 10-12 pints

10 C. ground zucchini

4 C. chopped onions

4 ground bell peppers

Grind all (I use my food processor, you can use whatever works best for you) and place in a very large bowl and stir to blend. Sprinkle 5 Tbl. of salt over the mixture and let it rest for 5 hours, or overnight. Drain off liquid & cover with water. Rinse twice and drain well, then pour into a large pot. Add:

2 ½ C. apple cider vinegar

5 C. sugar

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. celery seeds

1 heaping tsp. cornstarch

Bring to a boil and boil 30 minutes. Pack into jars, leaving ½ inch head space and process.

Note: As I said, I process everything 35 minutes by “steam canning”, if you’re water bath canning, I’d use the same time required for pickles. As with pickles, this relish is good fresh, but much better after it ages 6-12 months.

This is a GREAT recipe for those zucchini that got away from you. Those big giant ones that have the really hard skin – perfect!

I often grate my zucchini and other vegetables as I go through the summer and freeze them till I have enough for a batch of relish. Just measure your ingredients and make a note of the volume on your zip lock bag.

The only problem with sharing this recipe with your family and friends is that they no longer give you their truckload of extra zucchini.

ENJOY!

Quick Cooking is a Mind Set

Quick cooking is a mind set, it's not about time. You'll always spend time on cooking, the goal is to make it more time effective and user friendly.

If you're not prepared, you'll never have a "quick" meal, so it's important to do the following:

Plan ahead - Make a menu plan:

I recommend that you menu plan for the month. It doesn't matter how often you shop, it's important to know what you're going to eat. When planning your menu, remember to allow for leftovers. If you cook more than one meals worth of a recipe, you can always freeze it and serve it again later in the month or use it for a night that you don't feel like cooking.

If you menu plan for the entire month, you won't have any overlaps and you'll cut down on your waste factor. Remember that you can always fill in with soup. This is a great way to use up the leftovers in your refrigerator. Cut up the veggies that are starting to look a little worse for wear, add the leftover baked or mashed potatoes, toss in a can of stewed tomatoes and add the "scrappy" looking roast chicken carcass, leftover lunch meat or meatloaf. Just add a little stock and you have homemade soup. Add some hot biscuits or cornbread and you're family will think you're amazing.

Check the pantry and go shopping:

If you keep a well stocked pantry, you'll never be out of the basic ingredients necessary to make a meal. For those days when you're behind schedule, or just forgot to take something out of the freezer, your pantry can save your day. I've given you lists of suggestions for a well stocked pantry on your first cd - you should probably check it out.

Once you've made your monthly menu plan, check your pantry items to see what you're short of. Write your shopping list and go shopping. DO NOT buy anything that's not on your list! If you stick to this, you'll be amazed at how much money you save. A quick tip - leave the kids and hubby at home - it really saves on the grocery bill.

Pre-prepping - a real time saver:

Whether you're shopping for a week, two weeks or a month, pre-prep your meats when you get home. If you don't want to cook all your meat right away, break it down into serving sizes or recipe sizes and then freeze. If you pre-cook your meats, which is what I recommend, place the amount called for in the recipe in freezer containers or bags, label with the recipe name and place them in the freezer. If you'll do this, then you'll truly have a 20-30 minute meal. You can spend 3-4 hours in the kitchen one day cooking all your meat, but it will save you 10-20 hours in the kitchen over the month. You choose.

The only item in your budget that's fluid is your grocery budget. Your monthly expenses are pretty much set; you may find yourself financially short some months due to unanticipated expenses. Where will the money come from? Your food budget. Get ahead of the game, learn how to shop wisely and cook your meals at home. They'll not only be better for you, but you'll be amazed at how much money you'll save.

Enjoy using your kitchens, they're not a surgery center, you don't need a degree to go there, you just need to take a deep breath, strap on your apron and read your recipe twice before starting and don't forget, I'm only a phone call away.

Meats - Practice Makes Perfect

The biggest challenge in cooking meats seems to be overcooking your meats and having them turn out dry, or undercooking your meats and having them turn out raw. Sometimes it’s a challenge to get the perfect in between

My good Friend, Anne Steele, the kitchen manager at Anasazzi Stone in St. George, told me a good trick for testing your meats. Place the pad of your thumb against your pointer finger, forming a teardrop shape. Now poke the “ball” of your thumb with the pointer finger on the opposite hand. The “give” you feel in your thumb is the “give” you’ll feel in meat when it’s “rare”. Now move your thumb to the middle finger and poke the “ball” of your thumb, the “give” is equivalent to the “give” when your meat is medium, move your thumb to your ring finger, the “give” is the same as well done.

Pretty cool, huh? When your cooking your meat, press it with a pair of tongs and you’ll feel the same density of “give” in the meat as you do in your thumb. Practice and you’ll get pretty close to the doneness that you desire in your meats.

Chicken seems to be the most challenging, although an overdone beef roast or steak is, truly, a terrible waste of meat. If you want to be more accurate, use an instant read meat thermometer and always remember that meat will continue to cook after you’ve removed it from the heat, so remove it just shy of what you want your finished degree of doneness to be and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Here’s a meat temperature chart for your convenience:

Meat Temperature Chart (Fahrenheit)
Beef Rare Medium-rare Medium Medium-well Well done	120° - 125° 130° - 135° 140° - 145° 150° - 155° 160° and above
Lamb Rare Medium-rare Medium Well done	135° 140° - 150° 160° 165° and above
Poultry Chicken Turkey	165° - 175° 165° - 175°
Pork	150°

Resting is very important. If you cut your meat immediately, all the juices in the meat will flow out, causing your meat to be dry. Allow it to rest and all the juices will remain in the meat and give you a nice moist, juicy end product.

I’ve given you recipes for “quick meals”. Many of these require you to pre-prep your meats in order to be able to “finish off” your meal within 20-30 minutes. Some forethought goes a long way in keeping your meal preparation time down to a minimum.

I often cook a lot of meat at one time. I usually have in mind what I want to use the meat for; after it’s cooked, I can package it in serving, or recipe, sizes and place it in the freezer. I write on the bag what my intentions are for the meat, thus saving myself considerable time.

If I’m going to grill 2 chicken breasts for dinner, it doesn’t take any longer to grill 4 or 8. You can leave the breasts whole, or slice them before freezing or refrigerating.

When cooking chicken, I usually leave my meat a little shy of done (I do not like raw chicken), especially if the meat is going to be reheated or used in another recipe. If you’ll do this, your meat won’t be overcooked when the dish is fully prepared. If a breast is a little undercooked and I want to use it immediately, I slice the meat, place it on a plate or in a microwave container and microwave it for 30-60 seconds or just till done. You’ll always have perfectly cooked chicken.

Be sure to choose meats, especially with beef and pork, that have some fat marbling, this is essential in having a tender, moist and flavorful cut of meat. Meat that is without marbling will be tough and dry. The fat will cook off, I promise.

Try slow roasting cuts of meat that have a tendency to be tough. Season your meat all over and place it in a roasting pan with the fat side up. This allows the meat to baste while roasting. I start it in the oven about 200 degrees, covered (no added water or liquids). If I’m cooking a 12-15 pound beef brisket, I’ll start the meat 10-12 hours before I want to serve it. Allow it to roast till it reaches “rare” on a meat thermometer, then uncover, turn the heat up to 225 and continue to roast till it reaches your desired doneness. For smaller cuts of meat, the time will be considerably reduced. Just calculate the time against the weight and adjust accordingly.

Poultry and pork can be slow roasted also. It’s a great way to get a head start on a meal and requires very little “hands on” attention. Try it, you won’t be sorry.

If your meats seem bland, try some spice blends, new seasonings or marinades and don’t forget the salt and pepper. If you’re not sure what you like, S&P with some garlic and/or onion powder is pretty safe and always good.

Whether it’s grilling, pan frying, poaching or roasting, spend a little time experimenting with timing and seasoning. The old saying, “practice makes perfect”, really does hold true. Enjoy!

The Use of Salt

Salting your food is very important for many reasons. It enhances the flavor of your foods as well as creating levels of flavor when other herbs and spices are added as well.

Salt will draw the moisture out of vegetables and will also draw out the sugars causing onions and carrots, for example, to taste sweeter, especially when sautéed.

Remember that when you’re making a recipe, you’re starting with separate elements that will come together as a whole. If you salt one element to taste, and add another, which is unsalted, the end result will be altered. Salting as you go is important, but you need to remember to consider what your end product will be and the components of your recipe; for example:

In one of our first classes, you learned about white sauces. You start with equal amounts of butter and flour. “Cook off” your flour and start adding liquids. You may “thin” your sauce with some kind of stock, milk or cream, depending on what the end use will be. If you’re making a cheese sauce, you’ll be adding cheese at some point. You must consider this:

If you use unsalted butter and salt free stock, milk or cream, you’ll need to add salt to your sauce, however, if you’re using salted butter and bullion to thin your sauce, there is quite a bit of salt already in your recipe. If you then add something like Parmesan cheese, which is more salty, you definitely don’t want to add salt along the way. Think of the ingredients you’re using in a recipe. This will give you a good indication of how much you want to salt your recipe along the way. You may have several different components; consider each component and how it affects the whole. There’s nothing wrong with salting at the end, but you’ll need to add salt slowly, taste and allow the food to cook a little to allow the flavors to blend, then re-taste.

I think that salting along the way is a good thing, it actually will enable you to use much less salt at the table, however, always remember that “less is more”. Don’t loose sight of the end results and what ingredients are contributing to the whole.