Tag: food and beverages

How to Store Fresh Apples for Weeks to Months at a Time

How to Store Fresh Apples for Weeks to Months at a Time

We’re fortunate to have 2 mature apple trees in our backyard. One gives us Granny Smith apples while the other one McIntosh. Every year when fall rolls around I have to get creative on how I store freshly picked apples for long term use. I’m 

Mango Banana Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Mango Banana Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Two of my favorite fruits are mangoes and bananas. Combine them together into a fruit smoothie and I’m all in! This Mango Banana Fruit Smoothie Recipe only uses a handful of ingredients and is easy to make! If you want to bump-up the health benefits 

Ham and Bean Soup Recipe with Home Canning Tips

Ham and Bean Soup Recipe with Home Canning Tips

Ham and Bean Soup is a classic belly-filling soup that can be made on the stove-top or in your slow cooker crockpot. I like to make a huge kettle of it on the stovetop and can it for later use. For this home canning recipe you’ll need a steam pressure canner along with your basic home canning supplies. It will make 5-6 quart-size jars. If you’re not into canning, you can let it cool to room temperature and freeze it for later use.

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Canning Tips: Get all of your canning supplies out ahead of time. Wash jars, seals and rings. Inspect all of your glass mason jars for chips and cracks. Toss any inferior jars. You can season the soup any way that you like…below is just the classic recipe. If you want to fully cook the soup (allow for 35-45 minutes of time…cool to room temperature and then freeze in freezer safe containers or eat. When it comes to canning with a steam pressure canner you don’t want to fully cook the soup. Just get it nice and hot following the instructions below.

Ham and Bean Soup Recipe with Home Canning Tips

Classic Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

3-4 cups cooked and cubed ham
8-10 cups of canned Northern Beans
4-5 large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 carrots, sliced thin
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground black pepper
2-3 Tbsp. parsley flakes
4 cups of ham broth or ham concentrate

GOYA Ham Flavored Concentrate Bouillion

Note: I like to use the Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate that I purchase from Amazon. Follow the instructions on the box to make 4 cups of ham broth. This has been the best ham bouillion that I’ve found so far.

Use a large stock pot for this recipe. First pour in the ham broth. Then add-in the cooked and cubed ham. Follow the recipe listed above adding in all of the ingredients that are listed. The stove burner should be set on medium to medium high. Stir the soup after each addition.

Get everything to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes over medium to medium-high heat. It shouldn’t be at a full boil…just simmering hot.

Ladel the soup into your prepared mason jars. You’ll want to use glass quart-sized mason jars made for home canning. Leave a 1″ headspace at the top. Make sure you remove any air bubbles or air pockets when you’re filling up the jars. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth. Add the seal and then screw-on the metal ring until it’s fingertip tight.

If you run out of broth you can quickly make another batch of broth using a packet of the Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate. It takes less than 5 minutes to make. If you think you’ve added too much of a ham flavor you can water things down by adding hot water. Everyone has their own taste-buds!

Your pressure steam canner needs to have at least 2″ of simmering water in the bottom of it. Place the jars into the canner following the directions that came with the canner. Place the lid on top. You need to bring the pressure up to 10 lbs. Once you have reached the 10 lbs. you need to process the jars for 90 minutes. Set a timer!!! Turn off the heat and let the pressure naturally return down to 0. Once it hits 0 set a timer for 10 minutes before you remove the lid. You never want to remove the lid before that time.

Lay a dry kitchen towel out onto your counter. Carefully remove the hot jars from the canner and place onto the towel. Let them cool naturally (no drafts) until they reach room temperature. It will take a few hours. Once cool you want to check all of your seals to make sure each jar sealed. If not, place that jar into the refrigerator and eat it within 2-3 days. Label all of your jars with the contents and date that it was made. Store in a cool, dry place.

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Shelly's Signature

How to Properly Store Cocoa Powder

How to Properly Store Cocoa Powder

Cocoa Powder will last for years if it’s properly stored in your kitchen or pantry. I use a lot of it in my household, so to save money I like to purchase it in bulk. Once I get it home, I separate it into smaller 

Top 10 Wines for Busy Moms Who Deserve a Break

Top 10 Wines for Busy Moms Who Deserve a Break

Motherhood is a beautiful chaos, a rewarding, whirlwind symphony of meal prep, tantrums (from toddlers and partners), and late-night school projects you just found out about at 9 PM. It’s fulfilling, yes, but let’s admit it: it’s also relentless. Somewhere between the chaos and the 

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

My kids love eating homemade cupcakes…especially if they’re topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting. It’s their favorite with a buttery cream cheese coming in second. This peanut butter frosting recipe is perfect to top cupcakes, a single-layer cake or a batch of chocolate brownies. It’s easy to spread or pump out of an icing bag.

As always, your cupcakes need to be completely cooled to room temperature before frosting them otherwise the frosting will melt! During the hot summer months you should store frosted cupcakes in a cool place or your refrigerator to prevent melting.

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe for Cupcakes

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup softened butter (not margarine)
2 cups confectioners’ 10X powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. cold milk or more if needed

In a medium sized mixing bowl beat together the creamy peanut butter and softened butter until creamy in consistency. Gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar; when the mixture thickens, begin incorporating the cold milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is thick, creamy and spreadable. Beat on high speed with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Spread immediately onto cooled cupcakes or pump through a frosting bag. Store in an airtight container.

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BLITZHOME Sous Vide Slow Cooker Machine

BLITZHOME Sous Vide Slow Cooker Machine

A few weeks ago we reviewed and featured the BlitzHome Vacuum Sealer System on the TCC blog. You can check out our previous post to learn more about that. Today, we’re going to feature the BLITZHOME Sous Vide Slow Cooker Machine that we had the 

Watermelon and Banana Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Watermelon and Banana Fruit Smoothie Recipe

My family enjoys eating watermelon year round. Matter of fact, it’s one of their top five favorite fruits to eat. When I purchase a fresh watermelon it never lasts long…they’ll eat the entire melon in less than 2-3 days! Besides eating watermelon as a snack…we