Preserving Tomatos

Just like everyone else who grew tomatos this year, we are overwhelmed with the amount that are being produced.  After eating more BLTs than ever before, my hubby and I spent a day just preserving tomatos.  I remember my grandma working to can her tomatoes in quart Ball jars.  Unfortunately, I don't trust my abilities enough to process them so we went for freezing them so they could be pulled out throughout the year whenever we need diced tomatos.  The following steps will help you quickly prep a large amount of peeled, diced tomatos.

What You Need:

Large Pot of Boiling Water

Strainer or Ladle

Quart Freezer Bags

2 cup measuring cup

Start by getting a large pot of water boiling.  My hubby works this part.

Take the tomatos and slice an x into the bottom.  

Then drop four or five into the boiling water for about 10 to 15 seconds. 

Fish them out with the strainer or ladle.  Allow them to cool enough to be handled.  

The peels will start to curl off around the x cut and just continue to pull the away.

I pick up where my hubby finishes up removing the peel with the dicing, measuring out in two cup increments and pouring into quart bags.  

In just two hours we managed to process through about 4 dozen tomatos and have the taste of fresh tomatos all year long!

Fiery Mac & Cheese

Yummy, delicious and a little bit of heat makes this the perfect side dish to a big juicy steak!  This delicious recipie is easy to make and tastes like you spent hours working on it.

What You Need:

1 2/3 cups elbow noodles (cooked and drained)

4-5 seeded and diced jalapenos (I've also used 1-3 habaneros depending on the heat)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk

1 cup water

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

In a small saute pan, add canola oil and diced jalapenos.  Saute until soft and set aside.  

In a large pot, mix the cornstarch, salt, dry mustard, and pepper.  Whisk in the evaporated milk, water and butter.  

Cook, stiring consantly until the mixture comes to a boil for one minute.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and the sauted jalapenos.  

Stir in the cooked noodles and pour into the greased casserole dish.  

Top with remaining shredded cheese and a few jalapenos for decorations.

Bake for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!  The leftovers heat up really well the next day too!

Ninja Roast Beef

This was the most tasty roast beef I have ever made. Ask my husband, there was a really bad one when we were first dating that will never happen again. This is easy and delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 3-5 pound rump roast

Salt, pepper and rosemary to taste

1 carton of low sodium beef broth

3 cups water

Using the ninja and seasoned the beef with salt, pepper and rosemary then seared all sides  in the Ninja in Stovetop High setting. After browning all sides, place the roasting rack into the Ninja and set it to Oven 325 degrees. Pour in the water and broth. Place the beef into rack and cover. Cook for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the level of doneness is reached. 

Afterwards, remove the roast with its rack and cover with foil. I turn the Ninja back to Stovetop High and thicken the remaining broth. Enjoy!