Canning Tomatoes

Our garden is producing an overabundance of tomatoes. I can't let them rot. I decided to give canning a try. I have always been intimidated by the canning process, but gave it a go. Here's how I did it:

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds;
With a slotted spoon, scoop them out and shock them with a quick dip in ice water;
Skins should easily slip off -- remove core.

Get a large kettle full of boiling water;
Place clean canning jars + lids + rings into boiling water and boil for about 5 min;

Using care, remove jars one at a time and fill with skinned, cored tomatoes until about 1/2 inch away from the top. I put in a little fresh lemon juice and salt as well. I also put in a couple of fresh basil leaves. Place lid on; and twist ring on loosely.

Put filled jars back into large kettle of water making sure that water does NOT cover tops of jars (you may have to remove some water). You don't want your jars totally immersed in the water. Water should come up leaving jars sticking out about an inch or so. Cover large kettle and gently boil for about 50 - 60 minutes.

Again, using care, remove jars from kettle and place on counter top to cool. You may want to use a towel underneath to absorb the water. The "popping" sound is music to the ears, as that means the jars have sealed properly. It may take a full 12 hours for all the jars to "pop" so be patient. If the jar does not seal properly, use immediately. You can tell a jar is properly sealed if when pressing on the lid it does not have any "give." The lid should be inverted enough not to allow any air movement from underneath. Just think of a baby food jar. If the baby food jar top "clicks" you know it's not sealed when the lid is pressed; whereas, sealed (unopened) baby food jar will not 'click' when the lid is pressed.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

We eat a lot of pasta at this house. When I run short of time (which is a lot) I will simply boil some pasta and dump some tomato pasta sauce on top. A variation of this is to add about 3/4 cup of cream to the sauce and warm in a saucepan. It makes for a richer, creamer meal that will stick to the ribs for a little longer. The flavor and texture are nice.

Corn on the Cob

Another summertime staple around here is corn on the cob. My hubby grows it in our back yard. It's also readily available at the supermarkets this time of year. However, there is no taste comparison for fresh. Everybody loves it, it's easy to prepare, and it goes with just about any summer meal/BBQ you could imagine.

Last year, when our English friends were visiting, I was preparing corn on the cob in the kitchen. The cobs were quite large, so I simply snapped them in half. CG looked at me in an astonished manner as she tried to half corn on the cob with a knife. It's like sawing a tough log! It was one of those slap-your-hand-on-your-forehead-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-before kind of moments.
The point is that I think of CG every time I snap a corn cob in half.

Here's how I prepare my corn on the cob:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add a few pinches of salt and about 1/3 cup of milk.
Add corn cobs and gently boil for about 10 minutes.

That's it.
Simple is good.