Canning Tomatoes

I have always been intimidated by canning. I felt that it was not something that I could ever hope to accomplish. Well, a few weeks back a friend of my husband's kept giving him tomatoes every day out of his garden until we had a whole bunch of tomatoes. We tried to eat them all fresh, but I can only eat so many tomato sandwiches at one time! So I decided to try my hand at canning. Let me tell you, it was not hard and I actually had fun doing it! I found the step-by-step instructions on the internet at http://www.pickyourown.org/canning_tomatoes.htm

I used quart canning jars, a large pot for boiling the tomatoes and a large pot for sterilizing the jars, lids, and rings.

I put the tomatoes in a large pot and covered them with water. I turned the heat on high and let the water come to a boil. I let them boil for about 1 minute, then I poured them into a cold bowl of water. Once the tomatoes had cooled off a little, I removed the skins, the tough part of the stem and any bruised parts. I then cut the tomatoes up into chunks. I held the tomatoes over a bowl while I cut them up which allowed me to have the tomato juice too. I removed the jars from the boiling water and filled each jar with the tomatoes. I added a little lemon juice to each jar. My tomatoes had enough juice that I did not have to use boiling water or tomato juice to finish filling up the jar. I wiped each jar rim to make sure the lids would seal. Then put the lids and rings on each jar. Make sure the lids are snug, but not too tight. Place the filled jars in a large pot and cover with water at least 1 inch above the jars. Keep the water boiling for 45 minutes for quart jars. (40 minutes for pints) After 45 minutes, remove the jars from the boiling water. Let them cool. You will hear each jar when it seals because it will make a popping sound. You can check each jar by pressing in the center of the lid. If it will pop up and down, then it is not sealed.

The website that I mentioned above has a list of frequently asked questions. It is very helpful for first-time canners like me!

Pimiento cheese

Pimiento cheese is one of my favorite foods. I think of it as a comfort food. This is a recipe I found in an old Southern Living magazine and it is so easy to make. Once you have the pimiento cheese made, it's better after it has been in the fridge for a day to give all the flavors time to mix together into yummy deliciousness.
Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 tsp finely grated onion
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 (8 oz) blocks sharp cheddard cheese, shredded

Mix all indredients together and refrigerate. This can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

natural hair repair mask

Lately I have become very interested in natural remedies and homemade items. I am currently researching the benefits of organic apple cider vinegar, but that will be in a separate post. In the meantime, I have discovered this natural hair repair mask that I find very interesting because one of the ingredients is apple cider vinegar.

My hair has always been frizzy. And I have always over-processed it by using a blow dryer and curling or flat iron. Then a couple of weeks ago I got a perm. And ever since, I have had a hard time trying to keep it from being a frizzy poof ball. So when I found the hair repair mask recipe, I felt I needed to at least try it one time. I mean, what could it possibly hurt?

I found the recipe at:  http://theberry.com/2012/05/13/sunday-brunch-60-photos-29/sb-random-36-31/

2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Mix the ingredients and apply to dry, unwashed hair starting at the roots and combing all the way to the ends. Leave on for 30 to 60 minutes. Rinse mixture from hair and shampoo well.

Ok. So that's the recipe. I mixed everything up and it was very thick. So I stuck it in the microwave for 10 seconds. That helped thin it out some. But it was still very hard to get it on my hair. I made a huge mess and finally ended up just pouring it in my hands, rubbing my hands together to spread it on both hands and then running my hands through my hair. It was very hard to comb the mixture through my hair, so I just used my hands to get it all the way to the ends. Then I let it sit on my hair for 60 minutes.

It was very hard to rinse out of my hair. I felt that I had to shampoo it twice to get all the honey out. Once my hair was dry, I couldn't tell any difference. I hate to say that I do not think this hair repair mask has helped my hair at all. Maybe it takes more than one application. I don't know. But I don't think I will be willing to try it again.