Hobbies

One of the most requested recipes my family asks me to make are peanut butter rice cereal treats. The recipe is straightforward and probably originated on a Kellogg’s Rice Krispies box. By repeating the recipe for many years, I’ve experimented with the process and the ingredient amounts. In today’s post, I’d like to share with you these tips and alterations.

Ingredients:

           1 cup granulated sugar

           1 1/8 cups corn syrup

           1 cup creamy peanut butter

           5 cups puffed rice cereal

           One pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

As you can see from the ingredient list, it’s the basic recipe for peanut butter rice cereal. The only alteration that I have made is to add an additional 1/8 cup of corn syrup.

To start, place the granulated sugar into a large pot. The pot needs to hold all of the ingredients and extra room to stir them as well. Pour in the corn syrup and stir to incorporate. Turn on medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves into the corn syrup. You will know that the sugar is dissolved when you scrap across the bottom of the pot with a silicone spatula and see very few sugar crystals. With this step, you most notably do not want to boil the sugar/corn syrup mixture; boiling the sugar mixture will make the bars hard.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Do not cook the peanut butter.

Add the five cups of puffed rice cereal and fold it into the peanut butter mixture. Try not to crush the cereal as you fold; a silicone spatula works well to scrap the pot’s sides and bottom.

Pour the cereal mixture into a parchment paper-lined 9 x 13 pan. Use the spatula to spread the mixture evenly. Use water to dampen your hand and press to compress cereal into the pan slightly.

Place the chocolate chips in a safe microwave container. Microwave for 30 seconds. Microwave for 30 seconds. Microwave for 30 seconds. Take the container out of the microwave. Using a silicone spatula, mix the melted chips on the bottom with the chips on the top. By melting the chocolate in small increments of time, I attempt to temper the chocolate. This step is only done for aesthetic reasons; it doesn’t have any effect on the taste.

Pour the chocolate over the cereal and spread it to cover. Let rest for one hour.

Enjoy!

With the end of summer fast approaching, I thought I’d post the last of my garden series. Today I’d like to talk about container gardening or to be more precisely, flower boxes. For the past several years, I have been experimenting with the idea of creating nontraditional flower boxes. Instead of using the familiar annual flowers with accent plants, I’ve been combining vegetables with savory and flowering herbs. My goal is to create an unexpected but aesthetic arrangement.

A successful container garden always starts with good soil. I begin with a premix potting soil that contains slow-release fertilizers. During the hot summer days, I water the containers every day, and I fertilize with liquid fish fertilizer every week. It’s also important to keep an eye out for pests and treat them accordingly.

I start my designs with a contrasting or monochromatic color scheme. This year I chose the purple hues of the flowers and vegetables. I also pay attention to the foliage, and I attempt to vary these green hues as well.

The purple monochromatic theme includes the fuchsia veins of the “purple” cabbage to the mealy cup sage’s soft lilac hue.

The green monochromatic theme includes the brightly saturated leaf of curly-leaf parley to the muted hues of flat-leaved sage.

Flower boxes provide aesthetic beauty and color, but they also function to keep rabbits and other animals from eating them.

You have just made 20 cups of salsa, and you are not planning to throw a big fiesta. You will probably want to can the salsa to preserve it. For me, I grew up watching my grandmother can everything from crabapples to chicken. For her, it was a way to support her family by preserving the food she grew. For me, it is a way to support her memory but also to enjoy the labors of my garden long after the harvest.

I realize that the concept of “canning” may seem old fashioned and out of date. This concept is what I thought when I was younger. But today, I have found it to be an experiment somewhere between science, history, and food gastronomy.

First, let’s explore the science. You will be using heat to ensure that no microorganisms affect the salsa. Wash the pint jars in hot soapy water. Rinse and let air dry on a dishtowel.

Place canning lids in a small pot of water and boil.

Place the washed jars on a cookie sheet and put it in a 200-degree oven.

The salsa also needs to be hot when it is put in the jars. It should be at the simmering stage.

Fill the canning jars within ½-inch of the top. Wipe the rim of the jar clean and seal with a sterilized lid, closing with a ring.

Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes.

Remove the jars carefully from the water bath and place it on a towel and cover it with a towel. Let rest for 12 hours.

Check to make sure the jars have sealed correctly. (When the lid is pressed, it does not move or click.)

INGREDIENTS

• 10 cups peeled, chopped, and drained tomatoes
• 4 cups chopped onion
• 4 roasted, chopped green bell peppers
• 2 roasted, chopped red bell peppers
• 5 tablespoons finely chopped, (membranes and seeds removed) jalapeno peppers
• 4 tablespoons finely minced garlic*
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons pickling salt
• 1 – 1 ½ cups finely chopped fresh cilantro
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 12 ounces tomato paste

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

This recipe makes approximately 10 pints of salsa. With this much volume, I can the salsa in pint glass jars. I will explain this process in my next blog post.

*I use canned minced garlic but fresh garlic can be used.

There are just a couple more ingredients I prepare ahead of time for my salsa recipe. Onions are added for texture and flavor. Cilantro contributes its unmistakable taste, which brings a freshness to the salsa.

I have used both white and yellow onions for this recipe; both are great for salsa. In this batch, I am using the yellow variety. Since the recipe calls for four cups of onions, be prepared to chop five or six onions. Cutting that many onions always make my eyes water when I cut them. I’ve found that burning a candle nearby helps to dissipate the onion vapor. Other than that, the prep is pretty straight forward. Chop off the top and bottom of the onion and into quarter pieces.

Place in food processor and process into a mince chop.

Since I purchase the cilantro from the local grocery store, I wash the cilantro bunch in the sink and lay it out on a dishtowel to dry. Depending on how you like it, a bunch will provide 2/3 cups to 1 1/3 cups of cilantro to the recipe.

I line up the stems together and mince both the stems and leaves.

In my next blog, I’ll be making the salsa with all the ingredients prepared.

Salsa can’t be salsa without some peppers. Besides adding some heat to this condiment, roasted peppers contribute a sweet and fruitier taste. In my salsa, I use red and green bell peppers and jalapeno peppers. In today’s post, I’ll be describing how I process the jalapeno peppers.

The one lesson I can’t stress enough when preparing peppers is to plan to protect your hands and eyes. To protect your eyes, wear some eye protection such as goggles or even a pair of reading glasses to prevent a rouge seed or unexpected spray of pepper juice. Also, vinyl or rubber gloves are necessary. A couple of summers ago, I seeded a bunch of jalapeno peppers without gloves. And even though I had washed my hands several times, the next day, I could still smell and taste the peppers on my hands; for many days after, I needed to be very conscious about not placing my hands around my eyes. Okay, so let’s get to those peppers!

For the salsa recipe, I’ll be using five tablespoons of finely chopped jalapeno peppers. Since I grow my peppers, I process the ones that are ripe all at once. I estimate that one jalapeno pepper equates to approximately one tablespoon of minced jalapenos if you purchase them.

The first step involves washing the peppers with just cold water and a couple of Dawn dishwashing liquid drops. I rinse them off and let them air dry.

Next, cut the pepper in half and take out the seeds and white veins. If you prefer a hotter salsa, you may decide to leave in some of the veins and seeds.

I then place the pepper halves into a food processor and process them into a small mince chop.

Keep following my blog, which will next address the prep work for the onions and the cilantro.

Salsa can’t be salsa without some peppers. Besides adding some heat to this condiment, roasted peppers contribute a sweet and fruitier taste. In my salsa, I use red and green bell peppers and jalapeno peppers. In today’s post, I’ll be describing how I process the bell peppers.

The one lesson I can’t stress enough when preparing peppers is to plan to protect your hands and eyes. To protect your eyes, wear some eye protection such as goggles or even a pair of reading glasses to prevent a rouge seed or unexpected spray of pepper juice. Also, vinyl or rubber gloves are necessary. A couple of summers ago, I seeded a bunch of jalapeno peppers without gloves. And even though I had washed my hands several times, the next day, I could still smell and taste the peppers on my hands; for many days after, I needed to be very conscious about not placing my hands around my eyes. Okay, so let’s get to those peppers!

For the salsa recipe, I’ll be using four green peppers and two red peppers. Step #1 involves washing the peppers with just cold water and a couple of Dawn dishwashing liquid drops. I rinse them off and let them air dry. Next, cut the pepper in half and take out the seeds and white veins.

Since I like the taste of roasted peppers, the next process serves two purposes. First, roasting enhances the flavor, but it also causes the skin to blister, making removing the skin very easy. Place the bell pepper halves with outsides up on a flat baking sheet. Raise the rack of the oven to the top placement. Roast the peppers for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I usually pinch the skin where there is a blister and tear it off in large pieces. Not all the skin will come off, which is okay; you want to remove most of it.

I then slice the pepper halves into smaller pieces and place them in a food processor. When I have made a chunkier salsa style, I chop the peppers into small bite-size pieces rather than the food processor.

Keep following my blog, which will next address the prep work for jalapeno peppers.
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From my last post, I had just peeled several tomatoes; since I had many tomatoes to process (about 50), I placed the peeled tomatoes in plastic tubs until I had time to remove the seeds and the water. In this post, I’ll give you some tips on making this process less time-consuming.

You will need a knife, a cutting board, and a strainer. I have found that creating a workspace near the sink works well since the seeds will go down the disposal anyway. I also remove the seeds by wearing a pair of vinyl gloves. I learned the hard way that tomatoes stain your fingertips, but the acidity is quite painful if you have a small cut.

I start by first slicing the tomato into quarters.

I then scrape out the seeds and any noticeable liquid with my fingers and place in a strainer. It’s not that important to extract every little seed, just the majority of them.

After the tomatoes have rested in the strainer for a few minutes, I chop them up in a food processor.

The final result will be the base for salsas, pasta sauce, and chili.

Keep following my blog for upcoming recipes!

2020 was a bumper crop year for tomatoes. This was not only evident from the many tomatoes that came from my garden, but from my neighbors as well. As I walked around my neighborhood, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at the many boxes of orphaned tomatoes at the ends of driveways and accompanying signs which pleaded, “Please take as many as you like!” In a previous post, I wrote “How to plant and maintain tomato plants,” so I will now share what to do with all those tomatoes at the end of the season.

Since I will make recipes that start with a tomato sauce as the base ingredient, I prepare the tomatoes ahead of time. The first step in this preparation is peeling the tomatoes.

In recent years, I’ve been more vigilant about washing any of the vegetables I use in cooking, even those coming from my garden. So before I even blanch them in boiling water, I place them in the kitchen sink with a couple of drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid. I rinse them off and let them dry on a towel while I prepare the peeling process.

Bring a 2-quart pot of water to a boil. You will also need to ready a large bowl of cold water.

With a large spoon, place a tomato in the boiling water. After about 20-30 seconds, take the tomato out and place it in the cold water bath.

After the tomato has cooled enough to handle, use a paring knife to core the tomato. Flip the tomato over and make a small cut in the bottom. The peel should slip off the rest of the tomato. Use the paring knife again to cut off any remaining peel.

The next step in making a basic tomato sauce is to remove the seeds and as much water as possible. I’ll be blogging about that process in my next blog.

Growing up in the Midwest, one of the mainstays of all gardens in my neighborhood was the tomato. Every gardener I knew was growing at least a few of these plants. And every spring, when I am planning my small urban plots, the humble tomato is always included. Here are a few tips I thought I’d pass on.

I start with small plants that I usually purchase from a local greenhouse. Because the growing season in Sioux Falls, SD, can be relatively short, I’ve found that it’s best to buy a type that produces fruit within a shorter time, like “Early Girl.” Since I like to use the tomatoes to make salsa, chili, and pasta sauce, I’ve found that most commercially grown plants have an excellent tomato taste. The one unique thing I do is use a used landscaper pot to plant the tomato plant in. Since I cut out the bottom of the pot so that the roots can expand into the soil, the pot’s sides protect the small plants from wind and later are useful as a measurable water reservoir.
Throughout the growing season, consistent watering is key to growing tomatoes that do not split or have dry rot. I fill the bottomless pots with water up to their tops with a garden hose every morning (and at night during drier days.)

Tomato blight is another situation I attempt to overcome every year. Since I have a limited amount of space available for growing vegetables, I grow tomatoes in the only raised beds which receive full sunlight. Not being able to rotate plants from contaminated soil continues the blight problem from year to year.

Since contaminated soil is usually the catalyst of the blight problem, a few things can be done to lessen the disease.

• Water always from the bottom. Water droplets will cause the soil to come in contact with the leaves.
• Use mulch or grass clippings to provide a barrier from the topsoil. This method is especially useful when it rains since drops will cause the soil to splash upon leaves.
• As the fruit ripens from the bottom, remove as many leaves from the base of the plant. See the above photo.

Another unique maintenance chore with tomatoes is removing sucker branches that form in between a leaf and from the main vine of the plant. From the following photo, you can see one of these branches. Snap off sucker branches as soon as they form since they produce small berry-sized fruit but take much energy from the plant. If they are larger (like the one in the photo), use a garden clipper to remove it.

And last but not least, I wanted to discuss the necessity of providing supports for the plants. I’ve found that the standard tomato cages are acceptable when the plants are about 24 inches tall. However, once they start producing fruit on the lower branches, the main vine will grow taller.

To build support that would accommodate the taller plants, I attached two ready-made trellises (5’x3′) to the raised bed bottom boards. I used pipe holders to secure the trellises.

Using three 8’x1″x2″ pine slats, I created crossbeams by spanning them across the two trellises.

As the plants grew taller, I secured the branches to the crossbeams with twine.

So after a few months, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of all your TLC with buckets of tomatoes. Follow along with my blog for upcoming salsa recipes and other uses for tomatoes.