Butter and Sugar!!

What was in my Texas sheet white cake?  No not butter and sugar, Vanessa.  Go here

 http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-mousse-cake-filling-any-flavor-215952

I put in 3 cups cream  and one package pudding to have enough for the sheet cake.  Glad you liked it.

This one is for Pam

Pam is my second subscriber and chocolate hound buddy.  This will not have a picture, cause taking pictures of sourdough waffles with chocolate spread is impossible.  You can't find the camera before you have eaten it.  So Pam, take a Tablespoon of the chocolate stuff we made, add a teaspoon of butter and honey or maple syrup, mix it up and spread on waffles or toast.  It is very yummy, and makes you perky.  Now that you are hungry go cook!

Tortilla Soup

This is a recipe from World Wide Recipes by California Home Economics Teachers 1994.

Tortilla Soup with my adjustments to make it cooks choice

1/2 lb cooked pintos or chopped cooked chicken
small can enchilada sauce or 4 red chili pods soaked
4 corn tortillas
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
3 cups assorted veg (zucchini, corn, cabbage, carrots, celery, etc) pick 3 or 4
2 cups fresh or canned tomato

2 cups chicken broth
1 T chili powder
4 t cumin

2 T salt (check broth for salt)
Garnish:
1 T lime or lemon juice
1/2 c cilantro chopped
1 c green onions chopped
sour cream
olives, sliced
Fresh fried tortilla chips or bagged chips

Blend tortillas with enchilada sauce or soaked chili pods and soaking water, blend till smooth.  Combine broth, tomatoes and 3 cups water with onions, garlic, vegs, and tortillas from the blender and cook 30 min. Add chicken or beans and the chili powder and cumin, check for salt. If this is to thick add more chicken broth and cook at least 15 more minutes. Serve very hot with the garnishes

Optional garnishes would be fermented salsa, spanish pickle, and homemade yogurt or kefir. 

Looks bigger.

I like Pauls picture but this looks like more Jars! I made canned tomatoes, spiced pickled peaches, dill pickles, peach/pear jam, peach jam, tomato jam, spiced tomato jam, tomato marmalade, peach syrup, peach nectar, green chile sauce, 2 kinds of red enchilada sauce, and peach pie filling,  

You have not had jam until you have had tomato jam. 

Cold pack tomatoes

Mia filmed while I squished tomatoes in to jars.  I boiled the jars 40 minutes in a boiling water bath. 

Finally canning

Here is a short video to show you how I can.  Everything is out and the Jars sanitize in the dishwasher. Everything I know about canning I learned from books.  I really like the recipes in the very old books, but post war books and pamphlets have safer processing times.  So I combine the two.  

The thing that takes the longest is feeling like you are ready to can, that you picked out the recipes, you found the ingredients, you have the time, cleaned the kitchen, and told everyone they will have to get their own dinner.  See, it takes less time to actually can than do all that. 

Fermented things

I made some fermented salsa, fermented peach chutney and fermented Worcestershire Sauce.  The salsa is really really good.  Here is where I got my recipe http://www.cookinggodsway.com/lacto-fermented-roasted-tomato-salsa/ .  Left out the spices and chopped everything in small chunks.  

Okra for all.

this is the last dinner I remember, I have been canning a bunch of stuff.  The okra faerie came and we have had a lot of okra to eat, here is how I make it.