Sauces and Marinades

Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Quinoa and Goat Cheese

Ingredients
Salad
  • 2½ cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 5 to 6 strawberries (to yield ¾ to 1 cup sliced strawberries), hulled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
  • 1½ ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Quinoa

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients
  • 2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced (3-4 tomatoes)
  • 1 cup white onion, finely diced (1/2 large onion)
  • ¼ cup jalapeno, seeds removed and minced (1 jalapeno)
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or more to taste)
  • juice of 1 lime (or more to taste)

Cherry Butter

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention. A side benefit is that your house will smell wonderful while it is cooking - much better than potpourri!  You can also skip the last canning steps, and just store it in your refrigerator (2 or 3 months) or freezer (indefinitely).

 

Ingredients

 

Apple Butter

Ingredients:

4 lbs apples

Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Macintosh

use an assortment of apples

(about 18 peeled and cored and chopped)
4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons apple pie spice

(add more to taste)
1 cup apple juice

1 bottle of apple sauce

(about 16 oz)

Hot Giardiniera

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced to 1/8-inch thickness
1/2 lb. celery, sliced into 1/4-inch thickness
2 red bell peppers, medium dice
1/2 lb. cauliflower florets, about 3/4-inch in size
1/2 lb. green olives, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 lb. hot peppers of your choice (I did half jalapeño and half serrano)
1 cup pickling salt
4 quarts water
2 cups white vinegar
2 tbsps pickling spice (purchase or easily make your own)
1 1/2 cup sugar

Peach Salsa

Ingredients
For the Salsa
  • about 10 to 12 large peaches
  • Juice from two limes or ½ cup 5% vinegar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 large and 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (use more if you like hot and spicy)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped

Applesauce Fruit Blends

To prepare for canning, I heat 5 pint/500 ml mason jars in boiling water and left them in the hot water until ready to be filled. The sealing discs and ring bands were also warmed in a small pot of boiling water and left in the hot water until ready to use.

Blackberry Applesauce

Yield: 7 half-pint jars

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

5 pounds apples (a mixture of sweet apple varieties, such as Gala, Fuji, Rome, Golden Delicious, or Pink Lady will make the best applesauce)
1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
8 ounces (2 cups) fresh or frozen blackberries

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