Homemade Buttermilk Ranch‏ Dressing

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Recipe by Our Best Bites

*note that all spices/herbs listed below are dried. If substituting fresh, use the rules 1 part dry = 3 parts fresh.

1 Cup mayo
2/3 Cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried chives
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/8 tsp dry mustard

 

The above recipe was given to me by my sister, Cara.  It’s some of the best homemade salad dressing I’ve ever tasted.

Zaycon Foods

I’ve recently been introduced to a company called Zaycon Foods.  They supply bulk meats at a reasonable wholesale price.  I made a large order of boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I was able to bottle all 40 lbs of the order in about 3 hours, with the use of my sister’s pressure cooker in addition to my own. 

The kinds of foods they offer vary.  I’m anxious to see the price and type of foods that they will offer in the future. 

For now, I recommend registering on their website, and receiving emails about their upcoming products.

Don’t forget to let them know that I referred you. 

My referral name is: AMcKane

Angel Sweet Rolls/Biscuits

Food Storage in Buckets

Do you want a fast and simply way to store your bulk food storage, like grains?  I recommend storing them in food grade buckets.  The process is simple, and you can do it in the comfort of your home.

What you’ll need:

Dry Ice
Food Grade Bucket
Food Grade Lid
Bulk Grains or Legumes

We personally found the food grade buckets and lids at a nearby Wal-Mart (located at Rittenhouse and Ellsworth in Queen Creek, AZ).

After following the directions below, you’ll need to wait a large number of hours for the dry ice to dissipate.  We let our buckets sit overnight, and that was about the right amount of time.  If you start the process first thing in the morning, the buckets will need to sit almost all day, and can be sealed before bedtime.

Something interesting to note here is, you don’t actually need to use dry ice, or oxygen absorbers to store sugar.  So, put your sugar in any food grade air tight container, and it will last forever on your shelf.

The following instructions were produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Plastic Bucket Storage Instructions

Bottled Corned Beef

Since it’s a great time of the year to buy Corned Beef Briskets cheap at the store for St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to try my hand at bottling corned beef.  I figured that the real thing would be a million times better than the usual particle corned beef you can buy at the store.

Basically, the process is identical to bottling any other meat.  Simply cut the brisket into pieces, and put the raw meat into your mason jar.  Each corned beef brisket comes with a separate seasoning packet.  Evening distribute the seasoning packet amongst the jars.

Process the meat according to regular meat bottling pressure and times.

To use the meat for traditional corned beef recipes, simply open a jar and add it to any recipe (ie. Corned beef and cabbage).  You may want to strain the chunky seasonings out of the broth surrounding the meat.

Strawberry Pie Filling (1 Quart)

 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Fresh Strawberries

1 cup Cold Water

3/4 cup Sugar + 2 Tbls. Sugar
1/4 cup Clear Jel + 1 Tbls. Clear Jel
3 1/2 tsp. Bottled Lemon Juice

Directions:

Start boiling a large amount of water in a pan. 

Remove the Greens, Wash and Drain the Strawberries.  Use only ripe firm strawberries.

Put the strawberries in the boiling water, and boil for about 1 minute.  This will blanch the strawberries killing any enzymes that my deteriorate the fruit over time.  Remove and drain the strawberries, set aside in a mixing bowl.

In a separate pan combine the cold water, sugar and clear jel.  Heat till thick and boiling, stirring constantly.  Add the lemon juice and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.

Add this mixture to the blanched strawberries in the mixing bowl.  Stir, and spoon mixture into HOT jars (remember hot foods go into hot jars, and cold foods go into cold jars).  Leave one inch of headspace in the jar.

Top the jar with a boiled lid and ring before placing in a boiling water bath.  Boil the jars of the pie filling for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from water bath, and let cool overnight on a cooling rack. 

Before storing check each lid to make sure it sealed successfully.  Rinse the outside of the jar to remove any sticky residue.  Label and store, enjoy at will.

If by any chance the jar of pie filling didn’t seal properly, simply refrigerate and use within the week.

Bottled Raw Blueberries (1 Quart)

Ingredients:

Approximately 4 cups Fresh Blueberries

Water
Sugar

Directions:

Raw packing your fruit is probably the easiest way to preserve your favorite fruits.

Rinse and drain your blueberries, removing any mushy ones.  Put the blueberries directly into your COLD mason jar.

Make a simple syrup using the syrup ratio chart.  Pour the syrup over the blueberries.  Remove any air bubbles.

Add the boiled lid and ring to the jar.  Place in a boiling water bath.  Process for 20 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack overnight.

Before storing check each lid to make sure it sealed successfully.  Rinse the outside of the jar to remove any sticky residue.  Label and store, enjoy at will.