All the tomatoes and basil

 

Andy's been having a work emergency for about two weeks so it's been me and the kids vs. the world... getting everything possible done, doing all the everything. On the day I had to be back in person in my office, I decided to try this recipe. It was a crazy busy day, then added a trip to school to do a walk through, then grocery shopping, I wasn't feeling like trying a new recipe, but with nothing else thawed and our road a mess... doing it. I sent Nicholas out to the garden to pick some fresh tomatoes and basil. This recipe had tomatoes picked and cooked within minutes... it doesn't get much more fresh than this. It was so good! We used skim ricotta and survived, maybe it wasn't silky smooth but it sure did taste good. I think everyone went back for seconds - I'd say that was a pretty good sign. Keep those fresh tomatoes and basil coming!

Tomato Ricotta Pasta
For the Pasta:
12 ounces pasta (penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti)
1 tablespoon salt (for boiling water)
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, blended)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for spice)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk for the creamiest texture)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup pasta water (reserved)

For Garnish:
Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Extra Parmesan cheese
Drizzle of olive oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, following the package instructions. Before draining, reserve about ¼ cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion, sautéing until soft and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to deepen its flavor. Then, add the crushed tomatoes, dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and black pepper. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly.
Lower the heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, mixing well until the sauce becomes creamy. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add a little reserved pasta water to reach the desired consistency.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet, tossing everything together so that each piece is coated in the rich tomato-ricotta sauce. Sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir well.
Divide the pasta among plates and garnish with fresh basil, extra Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Not wasting "God's bounty"

When you are trying not to waste "God's bounty" you find any and all ways to use said bounty - we gave peach jam a try with our bounty. We had quite a storm roll through and so many ripe peaches fell off the tree so we collected a bunch to make jam. We race the bugs at this stage of peach picking... and sometimes the bugs win. You cut open a peach and blech! Worms... Scoop them out and move on right? That's what we did anyway. This jam firmed up more than any jam I've ever made. So either the double pouches of pectin or the ripe peaches made this work very well. Nicholas declared this amazing and couldn't wait to have more. I'd say this was a raving success!

Peach Freezer Jam
2-1/2 cups chopped peaches (buy about 2 lb. fully ripe peaches)
4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1 pouch SURE-JELL CERTO Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin
3 tbsp juice from 1 lemon

Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.
Peel and pit peaches. Finely chop or grind peaches. Measure exactly 2-1/2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
Mix pectin and lemon juice in small bowl. Add to prepared fruit mixture in large bowl; stir 3 min. or until most of the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator.

Making fuzzy butter...

Nicholas loves to look over my shoulder when I'm scrolling social media, he saw my watching a video on how to make peach butter. We have peaches... lots of peaches. Last year we had zero peaches so this year we are embracing every fuzzy piece of fruit we can wrangle. We decided this one was worth a try. We also decided the peach butter should have some cinnamon, so we took a few recipes and tweaked them. Making this in the crockpot is the way to go. Set it and stir once in a while and be done with it. We used the stick blender because that makes life so much easier. We can wait to try this on biscuits. We LOVE apple butter so hoping this is a new favorite too!

Peach Butter
10 lbs peaches – pitted
1 lemon juiced
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Crush peaches with hands & add everything to a stock pot. Simmer over medium heat for 45 mins, until it’s reduced to a thick sauce.
Immersion blend halfway through
Water bath for 10 mins

Two recipes stirred together makes one amazing recipe.

Earlier this year when we went strawberry picking, we thought how amazing freezer peach jam would be too - not only that... but what if we made a combo strawberry and peach jam!! Back 16 years ago Andy and I made 9 gallons of strawberry peach jam for our wedding favors, but freezer jam is SO much easier and tastes better, I think. I tried to find a recipe and failed... miserably. So I opted to make two full recipes - one of strawberry and one of peach - then we stirred them together and viola - Strawberry Peach Freezer Jam! Or Jelly as I grew up calling it. Oh my... oh my!! So good! We did use the food processor to chop up both fruits, that seems to work better for some reason for the Certo pectin. Thankfully, I had jars from my mom that worked great for the freezer. The peach tree keeps on producing so we may just make some peach jam too to add to the freezer, guess we'll see what the rest of the season brings. So, here's two full recipes - stir them together and there you go...

Strawberry Peach Freezer Jam

CERTO® Strawberry Freezer Jam
2 cups prepared fruit (buy about 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)
4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1 pouch SURE-JELL CERTO Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.
Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
Mix SURE-JELL CERTO Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin and lemon juice in small bowl. Add to strawberry mixture; stir 3 min. or until sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator.

CERTO Peach Freezer Jam
2-3/4 cups chopped peaches (about 2.25 lb. fully ripe peaches)
6-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
2 pouch SURE-JELL CERTO Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin
1/3 cup tbsp lemon juice

Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.
Peel and pit peaches. Finely chop or grind peaches. Measure exactly 2-3/4 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
Mix pectin and lemon juice in small bowl. Add to prepared fruit mixture in large bowl; stir 3 min. or until most of the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator.

Egg shells are not delicious....

Andy's Friday night meetings at our house have looked a little different since Spring. You see you don't have a road or sidewalks... so it's a tad bit difficult hosting anyone over at our house. Instead, he heads over to church with treats in tow and hosts over there. Somewhere with streets, sidewalks, AND parking! What a concept. These bars have been on my "hope to make" for a while and finally able to make them for these guys. Thankfully, they were a hit, and they left a few for my meeting with my leaders’ group. I also love in the recipe how the says the 2 large eggs are 100 g out of the shell... let's not be adding shells to the batter folks... that's crunch no one is interested in.

Rocky Road Chocolate Cookie Bars
10 tablespoons (141 g) salted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
¾ cup (159 g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
2 large (100 g out of shell) eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (12 g) cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup (84 g) chopped pecans or walnuts
2 ½ cups (142 g) mini marshmallows (half of a 10-ounce bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter and 1 1/4 cups (213 g/7.5 oz) of the chocolate chips. Microwave for 45-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth (don't over heat).
Add the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla and whisk to combine well.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
Add the pecans and remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips (128 g/4.5 oz). Stir until evenly combined.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan and immediately (while the dough is soft) sprinkle the marshmallows over the top. Push the marshmallows lightly into the dough with your fingers (kind of like stippling the top of focaccia bread).
Bake for 22 to 24 minutes until the marshmallows are lightly golden, the edges are set and the middle is puffed (don't over bake – if you aren't sure if the bars are done, err on the side of under baking slightly).
Let the bars cool in the pan. Cut into squares and serve. These are delicious at room temperature, slightly warm, or chilled.