Green Tomato Relish

I have mostly said goodnight to my veggie garden for another year.  In doing so, I harvested (all farmer Joe-like) what was left of the tomato crop and came out with a ton of green tomatoes.  In years past I have put the greenies in a paper bag and waited patiently for them to turn red or shared them with neighbors. 

This year I wanted to try something different since I had so many tomatoes! 

Enter Green Tomato Relish.

I sort of used this recipe from allrecipes.com and another one that I can't quite put my finger on at the moment.  Here is what I put in my relish:

All my green tomatoes, chopped (pictured above)
3 white onions, chopped (other recipe called for four, but I couldn't chop any more... crying too much, ha!  I can't imagine having to do 12)3 green peppers, seeded and chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 cup cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons mustard seeds
3 Tablespoons celery seeds

Chop the tomatoes, onions (so many tears -- and Sammy laughing at me and trying to steal onion bits while I did it), and peppers.  Bring the vinegar, sugar and seed mixture to a boil.  Add the rest of the chopped veggies and simmer/boil for 10-15 minutes.  Then can; required a 15 minute water bath.

I am quite well known by my husband for 'blowing up' the kitchen while I cook or make something.  I find a way to use nearly every pot, bowl, utensil, knife... well you get the picture.  I'm messy, but have a lot of fun! 

And here is a little peak mid-way.

And the result... it's pretty.  And oh my goodness it tastes amazing!!  So far, I have had it in a wrap, on a turkey sandwich, and on a hamburger.  You can definitely substitute this relish for sweet pickles on whatever you eat.

And the bonus is that I grew those tomatoes!!  Neat, right?  Sort of a things coming full circle thing. 

Next time I want to experiment a little bit with making this more of a spicy relish.  I also wouldn't mind trying a version with apples in it.  But there will be a period of leaves, white stuff, spring, and summer before I have another go. 

Oh, and speaking of things homemade.  Check out this pink applesauce I made the other night. 

PINK!

Pepto pink. 

The color was accidental.  I did the normal little bit of water in a pot, add quartered apples (skin, seeds, and all) boiling down till the apples are soft.  Then run the mixture through a Foley mill. 

I am guessing these particular apples had a lot of red pigment in the skin.  Made for a pretty pink sauce to make us smile at dinner time!!

Hope you are enjoying a bit of cooking time in the kitchen as well... what have you been making?

Hands in the Dirt: Calm Before the Storm

Yes, come on Irene.  Get here and leave already.  We are all prepared for the hurricane a comin' and now we are just waiting.  Took advantage of the calm and got the dogs out on a pre-storm hike and walk through the garden.

Hope you are dry and safe where you are. 

I think I will go whip up a batch of hurricane cookies (walnut chocolate chip) since those will make a power outage much happier.  And cheers to lots sewing time! 

Homemade Spicy Tomato Soup

I thought of Rebecca over at The Dusty Cellar today when I was writing about my latest kitchen creation.

Remember those tomato plants that I started from seeds (you can see them starting here)? ... well are still flourishing!  I am still getting tomato's (late for us in NY)! 

This is giving me a wonderful excuse to share with neighbors and best of all try new recipes! 

I recently made one of my favorites... Spicy Tomato Soup -- yes the spicy is my twist on the recipe I found here.

I started by chopping plum and big boy tomato's from the garden.

Measured them up to get the 4 cups that are needed.

Here is my own addition: 1 average size Cheyenne pepper.  I chopped this seeds and all and added it to the tomato base.

I did leave the cloves and onion out since I didn't have them on hand; however I substituted some onion powder to help with the flavor.

As the mixture started to heat up it really started to smell so warm and comforting!

I used two bouillon cubes and water in place of chicken broth.

Once the base cooks through it is ready to be put through the Foley mill.  (I have used that Foley mill so much since I have gotten it!)

Round and round and round it goes!

Ta Da!  A homemade bowl of tomato soup that has a slight kick. 

That night we also whipped up a few homemade chicken pizza's.  Fresh mozzarella and basil, left over lemon pepper chicken, and swiss cheese.  

Those were some good pies!!

Comfort food always puts me in a better mood!!

I hope you will also play along with Midweek Blues!  Link your post of any interpretation of blues: Colors, moods, music, poetry...be as creative as you like!  Oh, and don't forget to visit the others!

Planted the Veggies

Good morning!  Remember those teeny tiny seeds I started a while ago?

Well, they are finally planted into the big boy/girl garden!

The roll call includes:

Serrano Chilis

Cayenne Peppers

Peas (I think these are the shelling kind)

Note to self... I still need to get something for these guys to climb on.

Simpson and Black Seeded Lettuce

These aren't looking the proudest, but I'm thinking what the heck.  Plant them and see what happens.

Basil

So tiny.  At the same time I am still excited it's made it this far. 

Cilantro

Oregano

Poor, poor oregano!  He's the tiniest of the bunch.

I must have forgotten to take pictures of the tomatoes. 

Here is what my set up currently looks like.  I think as things grow I will need to spread them out, but I'm not sure what is going to make it yet.

I am already dreaming about how I will adjust things next year (like a different, bigger space).  But I need to remember that taking baby steps is ok.

Bruschetta

Trying out a new recipe and spoiling your taste buds with it = happiness!

We were at Olive Garden the other day for lunch and saw that they were charging $10 for a bruschetta appetizer. $10; can you believe it? It was just the push we needed to try and make it at home. It was so easy! You chop the tomatoes, mix in some fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Then put it in the fridge for a few hours. I just love when a new recipe is a keeper! You can bet we will be making this again this summer!

Here is the recipe I followed: click here

Baby Tomatoes

Watching a tomato plant grow little yellow flowers... which will turn in to tomatoes = happiness!

Couldn't believe the frost warning last night... it is May, right? Great news though, the blanket that I wrapped around my tomato plants seemed to do the trick and keep them from getting cold. I am already salivating at the thought of homegrown salsa and hot sauce! Bring on the sunshine!