New favorite recipe site....simply amazing!

Well, fall is officially here today. I was able to wear my new fall sweater and pulled out my favorite warm jacket. It is this time of the year when I crave good ole' comfort food. That might be what contributes to my small weight gain every winter=).

Last night I made my first new soup of the fall, which I will post later. First, I want to tell you about a new website I found today. It is especially a great website for people who do not cook much but are wanting to learn. The website is thepioneerwoman.com. She uses photos to not only show the ingredients but to also show step by step instructions on how to make the recipe. She a humorous way of writing the recipes and talking about it. I think I am going to be making recipes from this website alot this fall/winter!!! I hope you check it out and enjoy the website as much as I do.

Adventures in Canning-zesty salsa

So we finally did it! We got our supplies and picked produce from our gardens and came together to can for the 1st time. Although it was not the smoothest first experience, we did our best and figured out what we need to make it easier next time. For our next attempt I bought a wide-mouthed canning funnel and a magnetic wand. If you are wanting to try canning but are scared it is actually quite easy. I took a class at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago and was shocked it was so simple. So as our economy continues to go down, canning is a great way to stretch a buck and fill up your pantry! This is the recipe I got from Whole Foods and what we used for the salsa we canned.

Zesty Salsa (makes about 6 pints)

• 10 cups chopped, seeded, peeled and cored tomatoes (about 6 pounds)
• 5 cups seeded and chopped long, mild green chilies, such as Anaheim (about 2 pounds)
• 2 1/2 cups seeded and chopped hot chilies, such as Serrano or Jalapeno (about 1 pound)
• 5 cups chopped onions (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1 1/4 cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons salt

1. Wash 6 pint jars and fill with hot water until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.
2. In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, chilies, onions, garlic, vinegar, cilantro, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for ten minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Ladle hot salsa into jars one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles, and adjust head space, if necessary, by adding more salsa. Wipe rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Notes

• To get skin off tomatoes, cut a slit across the skin and then drop the tomatoes into boiling water until skin starts to peel back.
• We did not have a water canner so we just used a normal stock pot. When you can you have to make sure the cans are totally covered by the boiling water. So you need to use a very deep pot.

Broccoli and Parmesan Casserole

I found this recipe a while ago for a broccoli casserole and have been wanting to try it. I think it is always good to find new ways to make vegetables so they don't get boring. Especially if you have children, there is no better way than to mix the vegetables with cheese! This recipe is from my Cooking Light magazine, so even though you would think the cheese sauce would bump up the calorie count it is only 150 calories for a 1 cup serving. I really liked this recipe, it had great flavor and was easy to make. I think this one is a keeper!

Ingredients

• 8 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup reduced-fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons diced pimentos, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• bread crumbs

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook broccoli in boiling water 3 minutes, drain
3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, salt and dry mustard in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, gradually add the milk and chicken broth, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook for about 8 minutes until it is thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add shredded cheddar cheese and 6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in pimentos and pepper. Add broccoli, tossing to coat.
4. Spoon the broccoli mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle enough bread crumbs to lightly cover the broccoli. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Spray top of casserole lightly with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until bubbly . Let stand for 5 minutes before serving

• After the cheese sauce was done I actually put one squeeze of dijon mustard in it too, gave it a nice flavor if you like mustard.

Pissaladiere my way!

Any day of the week, few meals hit the spot quite like a pizza and a glass of wine or beer=). In the South of France, they kick back with a flaky onion tart called pissaladiere. Like pizza, it's bathed in olive oil and infused with fresh herbs-just hold the cheese and tomato sauce. I served this with a green salad and my favorite zucchini crisps. I changed the recipe a bit and used a Pillsbury pizza crust (instead of puff pastry) which are found in the cooler case where you would find the biscuits and cinnamon rolls. This would be an awesome and quick appetizer if you were having a group of people over, just cut into small squares.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1-2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs of thyme, plus 1 tablespoon leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 1 can of Pillsbury pizza dough or (1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed)
• 16 pitted small kalamata olives, halved
• 16 grape tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and the thyme and rosemary sprigs; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and browned, about 25 minutes. Discard the herb sprigs and mix in the additional thyme leaves.
2. Meanwhile , place the pizza dough on a non-stick cookie sheet.
3. Pre-heat the oven according to the directions on the pizza dough.
4. Spread the onions evenly over the pizza dough and sprinkle with the olives and tomatoes. Bake until the edges are golden brown. The dough I bought was about 17 minutes at 400 degrees.
5. Slice into quarters; serve warm or at room temperature.