What the Beck?: April 2016

Friday, April 29, 2016

What the Beck???

Aunt Doris has a 90th Birthday Party!!!

My Godmother, Aunt Doris!!!
Happy Birthday to You.

Her son, Jim and wife, Barb, came all the way from
Texas for the big event. It was great to see them.

A big turnout!

Her son, Jerry and wife, Gena, also came up from Texas!
It is great to reunite my cousins!

She got a little teary eyed and overwhelmed.
My uncle Gene, her brother supported her.

Harley and Ron

My brother-in-law Greg and Aunt Doris

My Mom, Norma and cousin Lori

The three siblings: Gene, Doris, and Norma

(top) Eilene, Ron
(seated) Gene, Doris, Norma

Ruthanne and Harley and her siblings, hosted the event

My brothers-in-law Rick and Greg, and my stepfather, Ron

What is with the darkness? I had a flash!

A fun party with yummy food!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

What the Beck???

This is a continuation of the cooking class

called "Canning and Preserving Workshop"

Today, we are making Amaretto Peach

as well as Blueberry Ginger Jam.

To make the Amaretto Peach recipe we needed frozen peaches,

lemon juice, amaretto liqueur, powdered fruit pectin,

butter, and sugar.

We began by preparing the jars. In a large
pan we heated the peaches, lemon juice and liqueur.

As it cooked, we mashed the peaches so as not
to have large pieces in the jam.

Then we added the pectin until dissolved, and then the butter and sugar. We cooked it until cooked and smoother. It is possible
to use an emersion blender to do it quickly.

For the Ginger-Blueberry Jam we needed fresh
blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and fresh ginger.

We used the same process for this jam. We started
by mashing the blueberries and added sugar until
it dissolved. Then we added the ginger
and lemon juice. No pectin in this jam.

We also used the emersion
blender on this jam, too.

It looked good!

Once it was ready to go, we ladled the jams into the jars carefully,
making sure not to touch the top of the jars.

We used the funnel to avoid messes and splashing.
We did leave about 1/4 inch at the top of the jar.

We were so lucky to taste both jams on top of a cracker
that you first spread with goat cheese. I drizzled a little of
the jam atop, and had the most fabulous hors de oeuvres.

Aren't they pretty?

These are going to make great gifts for me

to give away, and keep one for me, too!

Monday, April 25, 2016

What the Beck???

Today, I will begin to take you through my second Sur la table class called "Canning and Preserving Workshop." This was another great class!!

I knew absolutely nothing about canning or preserving. My Grandma was a great canner, but I never saw her working at it. We just enjoyed the final product. I loved her apple sauce! Now, I need to find out which cousin has that recipe.

These are the jars we will be filling today

The jars will be picked up and placed

into the pan of boiling water,

and then boiling water will be poured into

the bowl of lids

I love this tool to lift and move the jars.

We all got to practice putting the jars in

the "jar holder" in the bottom of the pan.

DILL AND GARLIC PICKLES

They put the sliced Kirby pickling pickles,

onions, and salt "on ice" for three hours to chill.

We removed the covering off of the garlic and took

the fresh dill and separated it into individual stems.

The jars were removed from the water,

and the tops could not be touched.

The flower wire is one type of holder for the jars.

This is a different type that actually attaches

to the pan to load it above the water and
then lower it to the bottom of the pan.

We gently added the dill, garlic and cucumbers into the jar,

and then put on the funnel.

This handy dandy funnel protects the lid as the brine is added

into the jars. We left 1/2 inch space at the top of each jar.

The jars are now ready to have the lids put on.

The rims are wiped clean

The lids and screw bands and not touched by hand

as they are put on the jar. We used this amazing

magnet to put them on the jar. The tool has a magnet release so once the cover is on the jar it lets it go.

So cool!!!

After this, we gently screwed the lids on and placed the jars back in the boiling water for 10 minutes. The jars are carefully removed and the lids are NOT touched. When you hear a pop - it means the jar is vacuum sealed. The lids should end up concave, or curved downward. Unfortunately, the pickles must sit in the jar for a week before they can be opened and enjoyed. These pickles are good in the canned jar for about a year.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

What the Beck???

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Shrimp Scampi

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/shrimp-scampi.html

I figured out that there are 328 calories, if 7 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

I loved this recipe. Shrimp is such a great dinner, because it is low in calories, and the pasta is pretty filling. This was made quickly and would be a great summer dish!