last week i was invited to attend a rhodes blogger demo at the rhodes bake n’ serve headquarters.i had a great time, mingling with fellow bloggers, talking with old friends, and meeting new ones.deborah (she also does the zupas blog with me), heather, me, and susanwe were able to sit down and watch a demo on how to use rhodes freezer dough products.i loved watching them make the kaiser rolls. i was impressed at how easy you can whip up these fancy looking rolls in no time.it was good for me to see a few demos, since as i love to cook, baking, especially breads is not my strong point. so, it was nice to see an alternative to making it all from scratch.the best part of the night was getting to sample a lot of the recipes you can make with rhodes dough.my favorite was the bacon cheese nibbles, and the butterscotch bubble loaf (pictured above).oh, and the cinnamon rolls weren’t too shabby either.they also sent us home with a ton of goodies, product, a cookbook, and an apron!a big thanks to rhodes and dianna for the invite! {all pictures by dianna of whatever dee dee wants}
Since I covered fresh salsa last week, I thought I’d share a great recipe for canned salsa.
I have never canned salsa until yesterday, but the amount of tomatoes piling up on my counter was motivating me to do something, and I am glad I did! Now my nice garden tomatoes are preserved for the next year, (if it lasts that long) and we love to eat salsa at our house!
I know a lot of people get intimidated by the whole canning process. But, really it’s not a big deal at all.
Read more for the recipes, and for my tips on making canned salsa.
Homemade Canned Salsa Recipe (will vary, but for me it made about 10 1/2 pint jars, fyi 2 pints = 1 quart) adapted from this recipe
Ingredients
40-50 ripe tomatoes, washed, cored, and put into a food processor until smooth 3 green bell peppers, chopped 3 red bell peppers, chopped 12 jalapeño peppers, seeded, chopped (for a spicy salsa, keep the ribs and seeds in) 8 anaheim peppers, chopped 5 small onions, chopped (or put in the food processor)5-6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbs salt 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 1/2 cup bottled lime juice1 12 oz can tomato paste 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Place all ingredients in a large stainless steel stock pot. (at least a 10 quart large pot)
Bring to a boil uncovered over medium high heat, then simmer over low to medium low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring constantly to avoid scorching at the bottom. Simmer until the salsa reaches the thickness you would like.
Prepare and sterilize canning jars and lids. Ladle warm salsa into warm jars leaving a 1/2 inch head-space and cook in canner/water bath for 35-40 minutes.
Remove from canner and allow to cool on a towel. Make sure the lids have sealed. If they have all sealed properly, you can store the salsa on your shelf for up to one year.
Tips
– Feel free to add ingredients to your liking. Just be sure to keep the vinegar and lime juice so that it keeps the food safe with the acid after the canning process. – I roughly chopped all my vegetables, then placed them in my food processor, and pulsed it a few times to make the chopping process go faster. Feel free to keep the vegetables in larger chunks if you prefer this. – Be sure to stir often as the salsa is simmering to prevent the salsa from scorching on the bottom of the pot. – Depending on the variety of tomatoes you use, the salsa will be thicker or runnier in consistency. I used mostly Roma tomatoes, and since they are not as juicy as other varieties, my salsa was very thick. If you reduce your cooking time a little, you can avoid this if you are using Roma tomatoes. – You can play around with the bell peppers you want to use. I like red and green, so I used both. But, you can do all green, or throw in some yellow instead of green, it is up to you. – The seeds and white ribs of the jalapeno pepper is what makes it spicy. If you want mild salsa, remove all the ribs and seeds, if you want medium salsa, leave 3 or 4 of the jalapeno seeds and ribs, if you would like it spicy, leave 5-8 ribs and seeds in, if you like very spicy, leave them all in. – Anaheim peppers are very mild. I left all my ribs and seeds in on the Anaheim peppers. – Be sure to taste often and adjust ingredients to your liking. Just to note, when the salsa is boiling hot, it will taste different than it does once it has cooled down. – Click here for canning tips and info on how to sterilize jars, etc.
With tomato season at it’s peek around here, I am always trying to use the many fresh tomatoes from my garden.
My favorite thing to make with fresh tomatoes is fresh salsa. I just love fresh salsa, and there are so many variations.
This recipe is a quick and easy recipe with few ingredients, but lots of flavor.
Fresh Salsa
6-8 fresh tomatoes, diced 1 small onion, diced [ I prefer white or red onions] 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped 2-3 jalapenos, diced small [seeded for less heat, seeds for HEAT!] 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 1 avocado, diced juice of 1 lime salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 2 shakes of ground cumin
place in bowl and serve with chips! also great on omelette’s!
deborah (she also does the zupas blog with me), heather, me, and susanwe were able to sit down and watch a demo on how to use rhodes freezer dough products.i loved watching them make the kaiser rolls. i was impressed at how easy you can whip up these fancy looking rolls in no time.it was good for me to see a few demos, since as i love to cook, baking, especially breads is not my strong point. so, it was nice to see an alternative to making it all from scratch.the best part of the night was getting to sample a lot of the recipes you can make with rhodes dough.
my favorite was the bacon cheese nibbles, and the butterscotch bubble loaf (pictured above).
oh, and the cinnamon rolls weren’t too shabby either.they also sent us home with a ton of goodies, product, a cookbook, and an apron!
a big thanks to rhodes and dianna for the invite! {all pictures by dianna of whatever dee dee wants}
