Tip of the Week: How to get Smells out of Jars and Bottles

The longer I live out in the real world the more I realize my Mommy taught me a lot. This is a tip she learned from my Grammy and passed on to me when I was young.

So you want to up-cycle some pickle jars, salsa jars, etc for cute apothecary jars or craft storage. The only thing holding you back is the smell inside the jar which gets absorbed into everything you put in it. I recently had to do this to my husband's shaker bottle when the rotten protein powder smell wouldn't go away.

Take some newsprint (aka black and white news paper) and rip it into crumpled handfuls. Place the paper into the container so that it is full and lightly packed. Screw on lid and leave it for a week. The odors will absorb into the paper. Change out the paper every week to two weeks depending on how strong the odor is.

What's blooming this season?

So my mom is very jealous of the fact that I was able to get heirloom tomato plants just before the New Year and plant them. A few nights being covered by an old sheet to keep the frost off and we now have a steady supply of sweet tomatoes. Over the weekend they were used to make a traditional bruschetta. I will use the next batch to fine tune the recipe. The best part? Because they are in pots I can move the plants into the shade when our Arizona summer really heats up and prolong their life a while!

Tomatoes planted with basil. Everybody wins. 

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

What to do with all of these wonderful Cranberries?

This time of year cranberries are in every store. These tart little wonders have become one of my favorite flavors of the season. Here is a recipe I whipped up based on a normal cranberry sauce. My cranberry sauce has been put into freezer jars to be used when cranberries are no longer in season.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 C. Water
1 C. Sugar
12-16 oz Cranberries
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Clove
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1. In a sauce pot bring water to a boil.
2. Stir sugar into boiling water creating a simple sugar.
3. Stir in cranberries and spices. Bring pot back up to boil. Cook til berries burst and liquid is dark red (approx 5 minutes)
4. Turn down heat and let mixture simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Poor into containers and let cool to room temperature.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving at table.
Note: If freezing pour into jars and allow to cool to room temperature. Wipe edges of jars with a clean cloth and secure with lid. Label your jars and freeze. Remove to refrigerator 1 day before use to thaw completely.

Makes roughly 2 pints

Samhain - Halloween Wine Bottles

Because it is still fairly warm outside right now I wanted to wait as long as possible to carve our jack-o-lanterns. Too early and they would have rotted for sure. Well... I waited too long and our commissary was out when I went to pick up out pumpkins, and I was too spoiled by $0.15/lb pumpkins back home to pay $5-10/pumpkin out in town. This craft was my end result.

Materials:

• Wine bottles in green, amber, or clear glass  (free because they were left over from the wine)
• Spray paint, enamel kind works best on glass (About $3.75 a can)
• I bottle black paint, acrylic or enamel will work. I used leftovers in my stash. ($0.50 to $1.50)
• Small Paint brushes
• Pencil or Marker
• Tarp or more Newspaper of spray painting on 
• Newpaper 
• Papertowels
• Jar of water, to clean brush in.
• Painter's tape ($1.00/roll)

How To:

Taping the neck of the bottles.

1. If you are making the pumpkin version try using a green or amber glass bottle. Wrap the neck in painter's tape. If you don't have a colored glass bottle you could always paint the bottle neck later. Don't bother taping ghost bottles you will paint it all white. 
2. In a prepped area spray paint the bottles your choice in colors. Enamel paint should only need two coats and sticks to glass well. If you get the "all surface" kinds they will run and need as many as 5 coats. 
3. Spread out newspaper, and mark out your faces on the bottles **AFTER** the spray paint is set.
4. Paint your faces on the bottles in black paint. I did this in two coats so the faces would be stark and inky. Try experimenting with different painting techniques (stipple or smudging) if you like.
5. Allow to dry and use them inside or out! Wouldn't it be fun to put glow sticks or lights in them? 

Edit 10-31-2012: Using a primer on your bottles will make the paint more even, and you will need fewer coats total.

Finished wine bottles.

Happy Halloween 

Pitting Cherries Tip

So I was stumbling around the internet.... or was it old magazines... and found a sweet tip. I honestly don't remember where I saw this or I would give them credit, but it is an amazingly simple idea. If you find yourself needing to pit cherries, but leave them whole, usually you need a fancy cherry pitter. They sell them at most home goods or kitchen supply stores and are about $15. The cheep alternative method to this is using an empty glass bottle and a chopstick. Below is a step by step I took on my camera phone.

You need a glass bottle, washed cherries, a chopstick, and a bowl for your finished cherries.

Place the stemless cherry stem side up in the opening of the bottle,

Push the narrow end of the chopstick through the cherry. The pit will go down into the bottle with most of the juice splatter. I would still wear an apron or old clothing to do this part.

Some of the Cherries were not as ripe as others and so the pit -loosely- stayed in the cherry. Run the chopstick through it in the bowl to be sure you get out any difficult pits.

Isn't that cool? When you are done throw away the bottle for easy clean up.Be sure to use a glass bottle and not a plastic one. The plastic will be too light and will buckle under any pressure you put on it.  Now get out there and snag some of the the last cherries this year and prep them to be used until they are back in season next year!

Pie Crust without a Mixer

So we are newly weds, and we do not have the room or funds for a big fancy blender. Its probably a good thing my mommy taught me to use this amazing little tool called a pastry blender. They aren't popular anymore, but when you are short on time and funds pastry blenders can be the difference between delicious homemade baked goods. I purchased mine at a antique mall (made in the 1920's) but you can find them in the baking section at any retailer. Make sure that you do not get one that wobbles or swivels when you are cutting your butter or shortening into your flour.

Pastry blender from the 1920's. If you get an antique pastry blender be sure to wash it by hand  to make it last longer.

So the recipe that I have started using for pie actually comes from The Chew's Carla Hall, with a few minor changes. 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 c warm water
• 2 tbsp sugar (for desserts, for pot pie only use 1tbsp)
•  1 tsp fine salt
• 1 c wheat flour and 1 c white flour sifted
• 1/4-1/2 c flour for board
• 8oz cold butter, cut into cubes

First dissolve the sugar and salt into the water. Then put the water in your refrigerator. 

Next mix your wheat and white flour together. I use these two types of flour as a way to make it healthier, without loosing flavor or texture. Add your butter to the flour and cut with a pastry blender. When the butter is completely incorperated it will look sandy.

The last step is to take the water out of the fridge and pour it in the center of the bowl. Work your flour-butter mixture into the water with the pastry blender until it is incorporated completely. Divide in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Let them chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before using them because your dough will be sticky at room temperature. Soooo..... That only took me 15-20 minutes. The dough will freeze well if you want to make a large batch. Just remember. You don't need a Kitchen Aid to make delicious crust. You just need a pastry blender and some time. 

How to use your Dough?

Roll it out to be the same size and shape as your baking dish. Don't forget about the sides and leaving some extra to pinch at the end! Pre-bake this crust for about 15 minutes. Then add your filling and bake your pie according to your recipes. 

Cream Cheese Dip for Berries

I originally made this as a frosting to put on cinnamon rolls and now have found that it is amazing on fresh fruit. Try a drizzle on a cup of fresh strawberries or raspberries for a decadent but delicious snack.

Cream Cheese Dip

8oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 c of milk

Cream the sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese together in a bowl. Move mixture into a heavy bottomed sauce pan and add milk a splash at a time. Stir mixture until everything is incorporated and add milk until dip is the consistency you desire.

Store excess in a glad ware container in the fridge, after it cools.

Yummy for Dessert or Breakfast!