Cosmic Beans (pressure canning recipe)

 

Ingredients and Preparation:

To make a batch of Cosmic Beans, you’ll need the following ingredients:

– 1 lb bacon, diced

– 1 lb ground beef, browned

– 1 medium onion, diced

– 1 can of butter beans, drained

– 1 can of kidney beans, drained

– 1 can of pork n beans 

– 1/2 cup ketchup

– 1 tsp dry mustard or 2 tsp regular mustard

– 3 tablespoons vinegar

– 5 heaping tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Begin by frying the diced bacon in a large pot until crispy. Once cooked, drain the bacon and set it aside.

2. In the same pot, brown the ground beef until fully cooked. Remove the beef from the pot and set it aside.

3. Cook the diced onions in the same pot until they become translucent and fragrant.

4. Add the cooked bacon, ground beef, onions, butter beans, kidney beans, pork n beans, ketchup, dry mustard or regular mustard, vinegar, and brown sugar to the pot. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Canning Cosmic Beans:

To preserve the delightful taste of Cosmic Beans, you can choose to can them. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to can this beloved recipe:

1. Prepare your canning equipment: Sterilize 12 pint-sized jars, lids, and rings following standard canning procedures.

2. Fill each hot jar with the hot Cosmic Beans, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.

3. Wipe the rims of the jars with white vinegar to ensure a clean seal.

4. Place the hot lids on the jars and twist the rings until fingertip tight.

5. Transfer the filled jars to a hot pressure canner.

6. Follow your pressure canner’s instructions to vent the canner for 10 minutes when a steady stream of steam is visible.

7. After venting, add the appropriate weight (10 lbs for your altitude) and bring the canner to the desired pressure.

8. Process the jars for 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes for quarts, maintaining consistent pressure throughout.

9. Once the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the canner to depressurize naturally.

10. Carefully remove the jars from the canner and place them on a towel-lined countertop to cool.

11. As the jars cool, you should hear the satisfying “pop” sound, indicating that a proper seal has been achieved.

12. Let the jars cool completely before storing them in a cool, dark place.

Conclusion:

Cosmic Beans, a treasured family recipe, offers a delightful combination of flavors and a touch of nostalgia.

Whether enjoyed as a hearty meal or a side dish, its protein-rich ingredients and sweet-savory profile make it a crowd-pleaser. 

Apple Pie Jam

 There’s a local farm whose apple jam is so good, I want to try and replicate it. This version is nice but it’s spicy. 

• 6 cups peeled and diced granny smith apples (between 6-7 apples)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1.75 oz package powdered pectin
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar

1. Add the chopped apples, apple juice, and lemon juice to a large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until the apples become soft. Stir occasionally.
2. Blend slightly if desired. Optional step: Immersion blend the mixture to break up the chunks of apples 4 or 5 times. If you want a chunkier textured jam, you can skip this step.
3. Add pectin and spices. Whisk in the pectin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, vanilla bean powder, and salt.
4. Bring to a boil. Turn heat up to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly.
5. Add sugar and boil again. Add the sugar, stirring to fully incorporate the sugar into the apple mixture.
   Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly (the mixture can burn so don't leave unattended).
6. Ladle into jars. Carefully fill jars with jam.
7. Wipe rims and fasten lids. Wipe down the jar rims with a damp towel. Place the lid and ring on the jars.
   Tightening the rings so they're fingertip-tight.
8. Process in canner. Transfer the jars to the water bath canner. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is fully boiling, set a timer for 10 minutes.
9. Rest briefly in canner. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and allow the jars to sit in the water bath canner for 5 minutes.

Lacto Fermented Mustard

 Lacto-Fermented Mustard (Unlike Any Mustard You've Had!) Shelf life: Like other fermented foods kept in refrigeration, this mustard can potentially last for years. The addition of vinegar at processing will further ensure shelf life. This recipe yields about two quarts (a half gallon) of mustard.

You will need:

• Half gallon jar with a fermentation lid

Ingredients: 

• 2.5 cups mustard seeds 

1.25 cups yellow & 1.25 brown; using a 50/50 ratio is popular but more brown will make a hotter mustard)

• 4 cups filtered or distilled water

• 2 TBSP additive-free salt

• 150g pineapple (fresh, canned or frozen)

 • 10-15 cloves garlic (or a full head) (40g), quartered

• 40g ginger, thin-sliced

 • 1/2 large yellow bell pepper, seeded & cored

 • Hot peppers as desired ( a couple orange habaneros and a bit of ghost pepper; if you want a very spicy mustard use more)

After the ferment:

 • Up to 2 cups white wine vinegar at blending, or to desired taste & consistency (may substitute fully or partly with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or other clear/light-colored vinegar).

• 1 tsp salt per each cup of vinegar

 • To increase mustard heat: 1-2 TBSP of pure ground mustard powder, yellow or brown, at the final blending. 

• For a true spicy mustard: add 1-2 TBSP cayenne powder at the final blending, to taste. 

Optional: consider adding other fermented items at blending; for example, 1/2 cup fermented horseradish or honey fermented garlic 

Optional: instead of adding those fermented items, for a sweet or honey mustard, you can add sugar or honey (blend in a TBSP at a time to taste). Honey fermented garlic is not very sweet after it has aged but you could also consider mixing it together with fresh honey or other sweetener.

Directions:

 1.) Add all the mustard seeds and prepared produce to the jar, placing the seeds in first. Add increasingly larger components, ending with the pepper half. Use the pepper half as a covering so as to prevent any floaters.

 2.) Prepare the brine by mixing the water and salt in a sealed container and shaking it vigorously. (Or combine warm water with salt and allow to cool.) 

3.) Once the pepper half is securely holding everything down (and/or using a fermentation weight), gently pour the brine over to prevent dislodging the mustard seeds & pausing periodically to allow time for the water to seep down. Use all the brine and be aware that over the next few days, the mustard seeds will absorb much of the brine and they will swell quite a bit. (The recipe includes enough brine to account for this and still allow for all veggies to be submerged.)

 4.) All veggies including the pepper should be submerged. As an added precaution, adding a fermentation weight on top of the pepper is advised. Then apply the fermentation airlock (or use the burp method) and allow at least one month at room temperature to ferment (longer is fine). 

5.) At the end of the allotted time, strain out any excess brine (if present) and blend all solids until you reach the desired consistency. 

6.) Add up to two cups of white wine vinegar and other additions for the final blending (this will also make the mustard suitable for a squeeze bottle).

Notes: For this mustard, I add around 1.75 cups white wine vinegar but it can also be a mix of vinegar and any reserved ferment brine, and blend for 5-10 minutes on high, to achieve the desired consistency. For each cup of liquid added, you can add up to 1 tsp of salt if you want to maintain the level of saltiness. See the ingredients list above for ideas of what to add at blending. You're recommended to place and keep the jar in a larger bowl, as the seeds will roughly double in size. Although they're absorbing brine, you may find that everything in the jar gets pushed upwards, so a glass weight is a good addition if you can fit it. Otherwise, the yellow pepper should be cut large enough to remain firmly in place. For the batch of mustard featured in this post, I made half with added fermented horseradish (about 1/4 cup), and one with added honey fermented garlic (1/3 cup). Note that these quantities were for half the mustard; you could double the amount (to a 1/2 cup) if it's to blend into the entire batch of mustard. Alternately, you could consider dividing into several small variations from your main batch as well.

www.insaneinthebrine.com

Bread & Butter Pickles

Sweet and Tangy Bread and Butter Pickles 🥒

Ingredients

For the Pickles:

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (about 4-5 medium cucumbers)

1 cup thinly sliced onions

1/4 cup kosher salt

Ice cubes

For the Brine:

2 cups white vinegar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Prepare the Cucumbers and Onions:

In a large bowl, combine the sliced cucumbers and onions.

Sprinkle with kosher salt and toss to combine.

Cover with ice cubes and let sit for 1-2 hours. This helps to crisp up the cucumbers.

2. Make the Brine:

In a large pot, combine the white vinegar, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, ground turmeric, and ground cloves.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugars dissolve. Remove from heat.

3. Prepare the Jars:

Drain and rinse the cucumber and onion slices well under cold water to remove excess salt.

Pack the cucumbers and onions into sterilized mason jars (quart-size), leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top.

4. Add the Brine:

Carefully pour the hot brine over the cucumbers and onions in the jars, ensuring they are fully submerged.

Tap the jars gently to remove any air bubbles and add more brine if needed.

5. Seal and Refrigerate or WB 10 mins

Let the pickles sit for at least 24 hours before tasting, but they are best after 1 week.

6. Enjoy:

Store the pickles in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 months for the best flavor.

Herbal Spread

 This is so delicious. Think of it as a base for all your herbal dip imagination. I fresh picked the herbs from the garden. I had it on olive crackers from Trader Joe’s and an everything bagel. 

I made 1/4 this recipe and mixed it by hand. 

8 ounces plain cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

IN THE BOWL OF a stand mixer fitted with the paddle

attachment, combine the cream cheese,

goat cheese, and sour cream. Beat on

medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the pecorino and garlic and beat for 1 minute, just to combine. Add the dill, mint, basil, chives, and pepper and beat to combine.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Sweet Lime-Garlic Dressing (GOI GÀ)

 “The taster” took this photograph of dinner tonight. Green are all from the garden. They were meant to be edible decorations and we ate them all! I’m only missing the jalapeño and cilantro but it was fine. 

	INGREDIENTS
	1/3 CUP LIME JUICE, PLUS LIME WEDGES, TO SERVE
3.5	TABLESPOONS FISH SAUCE
1½	TEASPOONS WHITE SUGAR
2	MEDIUM GARLIC CLOVES, FINELY GRATED
1	SMALL RED ONION, QUARTERED LENGTHWISE AND THINLY SLICED
3	CUPS SHREDDED COOKED CHICKEN
	MEDIUM HEAD GREEN OR RED CABBAGE (14 OUNCES), CORED AND SHREDDED (ABOUT 4 CUPS)
4	MEDIUM CARROTS, PEELED AND SHREDDED ON THE LARGE HOLES OF A BOX GRATER (ABOUT 2 CUPS
3	MEDIUM JALAPEÑO CHILIES, STEMMED, HALVED LENGTHWISE AND THINLY SLICED
1	CUP LIGHTLY PACKED FRESH BASIL, TORN
1	CUP LIGHTLY PACKED FRESH CILANTRO LEAVES AND TENDER STEMS, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
1½2	Cups ROASTED, SALTED PEANUTS, ROUGHLY CHOPPED

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and garlic, until the sugar dissolves. Add the onion and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, cabbage, carrots, chilies, basil and cilantro. Pour on the red onion-dressing mixture and toss. Toss in half of the peanuts, then transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and serve with lime wedges on the side.

Lilac Syrup

It’s delicious, tastes just like lilacs smell. 

Use it in drinks like a lilac blueberry lemonade. Maybe try it in baklava? 

2 cups of lilac flowers (no green) 4 cups of water, 2 cups of sugar, splash of lemon and a few blueberries for color. I made a half recipe, omitted the lemon and blueberry and added a dash of maple syrup. 

Simmer sugar water for 10-15 mins, let sit 5 min to cool. Pour onto flowers/ blueberries/lemon juice in a jar. Let sit for 6 hours then strain. 

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze!