Pumpkin Spice

This will make enough for one recipe of pumpkin pie. But you could increase amounts to keep a mix on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Store in an airtight container.

Presto Dill Pesto

Dill pesto is one of my favorite ways to kick up the flavor on broiled or baked fish. It's also very good served over grilled or roasted veggies. I use a small bunch of dill from the garden or my hydroponics system during the winter.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

• 1 tablespoon walnuts

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• ½ lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 pinch red pepper flakes (Optional)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

• Step 1

  Place dill fronds (a few stems are OK), walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes into the bowl of a food processor. If you have a mini or small food processor, it will be large enough for this recipe.

• Step 2

  Pulse until everything is minced well, scraping down the sides as necessary. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil, blending for a few seconds until smooth.

• Step 3

  If not serving immediately, store the pesto in an airtight container and chill until ready to use.

Strawberry Jam

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

If you grow everbearing strawberry varieties, there’s still a harvest of strawberry goodness to be had this summer. Give this simple jam recipe a try.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled

• 4 cups white sugar

• ¼ cup lemon juice

Directions

• In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry.

• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

• Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).

• Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath.

• If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

Adolph's Hot Dog Sauce

15 years ago if you wanted a great hot dog in the Bend Area, you would stop at the end of the Pomeroy-Mason Bridge.  At the foot of the bridge, on the Pomeroy side, there was a small drive-in restaurant.  Many of us remember and miss Adolph's Dairy Valley.  Here's the recipe for their amazing hot dog sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Hamburger, browned
• 2 cups Water
• 2 cups Ketchup
• 1 tbs Worcester Sauce
• 5 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Granulated Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1 tbs Dried Onion
• 1/2 cup Sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Brown beef with salt.
2. Add water, dry ingredients and Worcester Sauce.  Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add ketchup, and turn down to simmer.
4. Simmer 1.5 hours, stir every 15 minutes, and skim off grease repeatedly.

Killer Chicken Queso

This is my jazzed up version of classic queso dip taken to a heartier level, perfect for football games, tailgating or for taking along to pot lucks in a slow cooker! This is a serious crowd-pleaser that is served hot as a dip, spooned over crisp tortilla chips nacho-style, or rolled up in a warm flour tortilla! The heat can be turned up or down with the addition of jalapenos to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL), drained
• 1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food (such as Velveeta), cubed
• 2 large cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
• 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper, or to taste (optional)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Place the diced tomatoes, processed cheese, chicken meat, sour cream, green onion, taco seasoning, and jalapeno pepper into a slow cooker. Cook on High, stirring occasionally until the cheese has melted and the dip is hot, 1 to 2 hours. Stir in the black beans, and cook 15 more minutes to reheat.

Tomato Paste

Last week we jumped the gun, and shared a recipe for homemade pizza sauce.  If you really want to start from scratch with fresh tomatoes, try this recipe for making tomato paste.

Ingredients

• 8 quarts roma tomatoes, about 4 dozen (or other meaty tomatoes)
• 1 1⁄2 cups sweet red peppers, chopped (about 3)
• 1 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons oregano (optional)
• 1 -2 tablespoon honey (optional-if you want it a little sweeter)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions

1. Wash and trim tomatoes. Blanch and remove skin if desired, or press through sieve when done cooking.
2. Combine tomatoes, red peppers,onions, bay leaves, basil,oregano, honey, if using, and salt in a large stockpot and cook slowly for about 1 hour.
3. Press through a fine sieve. Add garlic, and continue cooking slowly until thick enough to keep its shape on a spoon, about 2 1/2 hours. Stir frequently to keep from sticking.(this could be done in a crockpot-just stir and keep an eye on it).
4. Pour through sieve(if you left the skins on), then pour into hot 1/2 pint canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.
5. Process 1/2 pints 45 minutes in a boiling water bath.
6. Makes about 9 1/2 pint jars.