In a Jar

Soup Mix Sharing Jars

129 · Nov 9, 2018 · 5 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

Not all holiday gifts need to be ooey gooey sweet. Savory holiday gifts are just as lovely, sometimes even more so. I personally have been off sugar for 3 months now and I’m really nervous for the holiday season to arrive. Having the house fill up with sweets is NOT what I’m wishing for this Christmas. I would LOVE to get one of these Ball® Sharing Jar soup mixes as a gift. Not only is the soup mix soothing to the soul, but they are also good for you as well.

You can go as crazy wild as you want, adding all kinds of savory dried ingredients that are perfectly hand-picked by you, or keep it super simple and dress-up a store bought soup mix. My favorite Ball® Sharing Jars are the inspiration for my Sharing Jar Soup quartet.

I love the simplicity and earthiness of these soup mixes paired with a simple label & ribbon. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Sharing Jar Soup Mix Labels

Before we get into the soup, I want to chat about the labels. I selected some classic soup recipes and created home wintery labels that are not only good throughout the holidays, but all through the winter. You can download and use these free printable label s HERE.

They are designed to be printed on card stock paper and then, using double-sided tape, taped onto one of the sections of the beautiful quart sized Sharing Jars. It’s a stunning way to highlight the character of the unique BALL® COLLECTION ELITE® WIDE MOUTH QUART SHARING JARS, which are perfect for gifting.

The Sharing Jar Soup Mix Collection

Here are three soup mixes along with their recipes that work perfectly for gifting and are typically real crowd pleasers.

SPLIT PEA SOUP, a classic, and one of my family’s favorites! You can download the recipe cards for this concoction HERE.

This spicy gem, BLACK BEAN SOUP, is a staple at many houses and will for sure be appreciated by whomever you gift this soup too. HERE are the recipe and mixing directions.

Lentils have become a favorite of mine and this soup does not disappoint! You can download the recipe for this treat HERE.

Now, last but not least is a little cheater method… If you are in a super hurry, grab a packet of a Tomato Based Soup with Pasta and an extra bag of Mexican style noodles to add to the mix and dump it into your Sharing Jar. This simple but heartwarming soup is fabulous during those winter months. Plus, it’s SUPER easy to throw together this gift!

You can download the mixing directions HERE.

Now you need to go stock up on some of the giftable Ball® Sharing Jars and get busy, those holidays wait for no one! Surprise your friends and neighbors with this thoughtful gift this season.

White Chocolate Ginger Scone Mix In A Jar

40 · Nov 6, 2018 · 6 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

When it comes to Holiday gifting, I wholeheartedly believe the best friend, neighbor, co-worker, and teacher gifts come wrapped in a jar. Don’t you? Scrumptious jellies, jams, preserved fruit, and veggies. Not to mention; candies, cookies, fudge, cupcakes, rolls… I could go on and on. I LOVE what you can do with a simple Ball® Mason Jar. This year, I’m working on all kinds of fun gifts for the Holidays that will look spectacular gifted inside of a jar. One of my favorites is the White Chocolate Ginger Scone Mix in a jar. It’s really easy to put together a whole bunch of these gifts and really not expensive at all. It’s always a bonus to save a little money during the holidays.

To put these together you will need to gather a few ingredients, grab some classic BALL® WIDE MOUTH QUART JARS and in no time you’ll have a bunch of scrumptious gifts to share with your friends and neighbors. Here’s what you need…

White Chocolate Ginger Scones Mix Supplies

BALL® HOME CANNING FUNNEL

2 tsp Ginger, ground
3 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
2 Tbsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp Cloves, ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp Salt

1 cup White Chocolate Chips

3 – Quart size wide-mouth Ball® Jars

Printed copies of the baking instructions and labels on card stock paper

Ribbon

Greenery

Instructions

Now, this project makes 3-quart jars, however, feel free to double, triple… quadruple the recipe to make however many you need.

One tool I find invaluable when creating gifts like this is my handy funnel. I love this thing! It’s specially designed for wide mouth mason jars and it helps so much with keeping the mess down, not to mention wasted ingredients.

I like to line up my jars like an assembly line and then layer each ingredient.

I start with the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, I combine those three ingredients and then evenly distribute them into the 3 jars.

Next, I add the brown sugar, then the spices & salt.

Then, top it all off with the white chocolate chips.

Now is the extra fun part, decorating the jar. I have two options for you here. If you are a Cricut owner and would like to use my Cricut cut files for the jars, you can access those HERE.

The graphics for these labels will be different than the printable labels, however, they are both just as classy.

If you would like to print your labels, HERE is the link to be able to download this printable label, jar topper & mixing directions.

Now, all you have to do is add your jar toppers to the lid and tie your label on with ribbon along with a sprig of greenery.

Maple Applesauce Recipe + Maple Applesauce Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

39 · Oct 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

What can I say about applesauce… It’s a humble wallflower that at times gets looked over in the culinary world. Longing for her Johnny to come and rescue her from the corner. (This is a Dirty Dancing reference if you are under the age of 35… “Nobody puts Baby in the corner!” Youtube it!) Meek applesauce quietly sits back and waits to shine… And shine she does. Just like Jennifer Grey’s famous leap into Patrick Swayze’s waiting arms, applesauce can elevate a boring dish to new heights or become a lovely afternoon snack paired with cottage cheese. Simple by nature, this humble sauce can easily be forgotten in the back of the pantry collecting dust rather than helping to create amazing dishes as a good supporting actor.

Many people seem to feel like applesauce is mere toddler food, not a great way to preserve the bounty of our Autumn apple harvest. Not to mention, impart great flavor in baked goods and all kinds of sweet and even savory dishes.

I grew-up eating commercial applesauce as a kiddo, as many children in our country do. However, I remember the day when I was introduced to home-canned applesauce. My Aunt Oleta’s applesauce to be exact. I have no idea what my sweet Aunt put into that applesauce but it was a pure revelation to me. We grew-up preserving peaches and pears, a few pickles now and then, but we didn’t really preserve applesauce. I guess my Mom was fine with what was available at the market. Not to knock commercially prepared applesauce, but when you have the opportunity to enjoy homemade applesauce, you will know the difference. It’s sweet and tangy with the perfect texture. Not to mention the fact that it harmonizes well with many different notes on your palette AND, it’s super easy to make!

How to Make Applesauce

If you are new to preserving, I feel like applesauce is a great way to start. It’s a very forgiving process and if you follow a few basic steps, use good ingredients, and have a few good tools on hand, you are guaranteed success. It’s also a quick process that won’t take all day if you have the right tools.

Tools

Back in college, I was a Kindergarten teacher’s aide. One year we were piloting a program where we incorporated cooking into the normal daily curriculum. Once a week we would help those cute little 5-year-old hands learn how to prepare yummy dishes, all the while learning great life and academic skills. One of our first recipes was applesauce and I was introduced to an apple peeler/corer tool. I thought that was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was dreading peeling and coring all of those apples that day. (We had 4 classes that I worked with every day.) I thought that tool was going to make my life. I ran out and bought one soon after to make sure I always had one on hand for when I was making anything that needed peeling and coring. However, even with that handy tool, prepping the apples was a laborious & messy job. Then I was introduced to the Ball® FreshTech Harvest Pro™ Sauce & Salsa Maker.

This gem of a machine has made making applesauce and any kind of other sauce a piece of cake! For applesauce, you don’t even have to peel or core the apples at all. Awww, throw caution to the wind and even leave the stems on! This my friends is a game changer… Check it out.

You feed the softened apples into the top of the machine, they are then fed through the machine with an auger then pushed through a metal screen. The metal screen grabs all of that apple goodness on the inside of the apple and then sends the undesirable stuff, the seeds, core & skin through on its way through a different tube. It’s brilliant!

Maple Applesauce Recipe

Now, all we need are our fresh ingredients. This is the easy part, all you need are apples, cinnamon sticks & maple syrup. Yep, simple & fresh.

As with apple pie, a mixed variety of fresh apples is best to make applesauce with, leaving the skins on boost nutrition and adds subtle pink hues. The addition of maple syrup creates a slightly sweet, very Fall flavor.

With our Ball® FreshTech Harvest Pro™ Sauce & Salsa Maker to process the apples, there is no need to core or peel them.

Makes about 5 (24 oz) pint and half jars or 3 (32 oz) quart jars

12 pounds apples, cored and quartered (peeled if desired)
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
1 -1/4 cups maple syrup

Directions:

Combine apple quarters, cinnamon sticks and water in a large stockpot. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are very tender, about 25 minutes.

Process apples in batches through a Ball® FreshTech Harvest Pro™ Sauce & Salsa Maker, food mill or food processor until smooth, removing cinnamon sticks. Alternately, crush apples with a potato masher for a chunkier texture.

Prepare boiling water canner. ( I use the Ball® FreshTech Electric Water Bath Canner.) Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. I’m using my favorite Ball® Quart (32 oz.) Sharing Jars for this recipe. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.

Return applesauce to stock pot, add maple syrup and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes.

Ladle hot applesauce into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on the jar and apply the band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process jars 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove the lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for a seal, they should not flex when the center is pressed.

Now’s the hard part, sitting and waiting for them to rest before you can devour them!

Maple Apple Sauce Overnight Oatmeal

One way I love to use my applesauce is in the overnight oatmeal. It adds a fresh kick to a sometimes one-note oatmeal experience. This recipe is simple to whip up the night before and then pull from the fridge as you are running out the door.

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup milk of your choice

Place all of your ingredients into a jar, replace lid and shake really well.

Place in the fridge overnight. The next morning serve cold or warmed, topped with fruit, nuts & additional maple syrup if you’d like.

Roasted Garlic and Roma Tomato Sauce + an Easy Shakshuka Recipe

31 · Aug 22, 2018 · Leave a Comment

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

Ahhhhh, tomato season… You’re finally here! When I was a little girl, tacos were not tacos if they weren’t topped with diced tomatoes, a sandwich simply could not be a true sandwich without a slice of tomato inside and don’t even get me started on burgers. You either love them or hate them but, I’m firmly in the LOVE those beautiful tomatoes camp. I was recently introduced to a simple Roasted Garlic and Roma tomato sauce recipe from Ball® Fresh Preserving that I have been dying to try. I knew it was going to be a GREAT base for my favorite Israeli Shakshuka dish and boy was I right. Come to learn how to make this fabulous sauce for your family.

How to Know if Your Recipe is Safe for Preserving

You know what excites me about this sauce? I know exactly what has been added to it because I made it myself. I’ve cut sugar out of my diet and I’ve been blown away about how much sugar is added to most commercially prepared tomato sauces. It really gives me peace of mind when I make things from scratch using tested recipes from Ball® Canning. When you use official recipes from Ball® you know that they have the highest standards for food safety and if followed to the “T”, you will have a great end product. You can find all kinds of recipes on their website plus, they have several books that cover the ins & outs of preserving available on their site, Amazon, and other book retailers. When it comes to things like preserving, you don’t want to take chances with recipes that have not been tested and approved. They can make your family terribly sick. Stay safe, and stick with the leaders in the preserving industry, Ball® Fresh Preserving.

Sauce Making Day

To me, canning is a social activity. When we would can as kids the whole family would gather in the kitchen with the music turned up and we would spend the entire day canning batch after batch of peaches, pears, elderberry jam & crabapple jelly. Sometimes, my Mom’s friends would come over and spend the day working the fruit and enjoying some girl talk.

I knew that when I was going to make this sauce, I wanted to invite a friend over so that we could work together and enjoy some idle chit-chat. That’s the real secret ingredient to anything preserved. Not only are you preserving the food but, you are also preserving precious memories!

Funny enough, my friend’s name is also Heather and together we make quite the crew. Heather and I grabbed our supplies and prepared to start, “Sauce Day!” Here is what you will need to have a successful sauce day yourself.

A nice clean kitchen – this is a must when canning. Because of the nature of preserving and the fact that the food will be stored unrefrigerated for up to a year, you must have a good clean working space sat you don’t risk introducing unwanted bacteria into your sauce.
Ball® canning jars – This recipe calls for quart jars and I opted for my new favorite quart sized Sharing Jars.

Water Bath Canner – This sauce uses the type of canning method called water bath canning. Therefore you will need some type of water bath to process your jars of sauce. If you have a gas stove top or an electric stove stop that has the electric coils, you will be able to use a large pot with a rack and a lid to process your jars of sauce.
Important: If you have a glass top electric range,
- - - First check with the manufacture of the stove.

i. If it’s safe for home canning then,

- - 1. Ensure that your canner has a completely flat bottom that comes in contact with the heating element.
    2. Ensure that the canner does not exceed the burner by more than one inch around.
    3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFUyaBFrcYU

ii. If not, then you will need to use the Electric Water Bath Canner.

Clean towels – This is a must when canning. You will be using towels to set your processed jars on and for wiping the rims of your jars. Not to mention keeping your hands tidy during the prep process. Have a good supply of clean cotton and terry cloth kitchen towels on hand for sauce day.
Canning tools – These are the must-have tools when canning,
Jar Funnel: Place in mouth of the jar to fill without spilling
Jar Lifter: Safely lift jars out of hot water with the green gripping end
Bubble Remover & Headspace Tool: Slide into the side of filled jar to release air bubbles and measure headspace

Roasting supplies – for this recipe we will be roasting our garlic and tomatoes before we get started so, there are a few items that you will need for that,
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
- aluminum foil

Roasted Garlic & Roma Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ball® Fresh Preserving

Roasting tomatoes and garlic brings out a sweet smokiness, adding a deep, rich flavor dynamic to your sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr 40 mins

Cuisine Italian

Servings 3 32 oz. Jars

Ingredients

10 lbs roma tomatoes rinsed
3 small whole heads of garlic
2 med onions diced small (about 1 cup)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh oregano minced
2 tbsp fresh basil minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Ball® Citric Acid or bottled lemon juice

Instructions

Roast tomatoes, in batches, on a grill or under a broiler until skins begin to wrinkle and blacken slightly, turning to roast on all sides. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. Place finished tomatoes in a large bowl.
Cover bowl of tomatoes tightly with plastic wrap. Let tomatoes steam and cool until they are easy to handle.
Remove peel and core tomatoes. Slice each one in half and remove seeds; dice into 1-inch chunks. Place diced tomatoes, and any collected juices, into a large saucepan.
Slice top portion off the heads of garlic, revealing the cloves below, drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over cloves in each head.
Wrap garlic tightly in aluminum foil and place top side down on the grill with tomatoes; grill until soft, about 30 minutes. Or, roast in a 350° oven for 60 minutes.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
Remove roasted garlic by squeezing the softened heads of garlic allowing the cloves to pop out. Combine garlic, onions, herbs, salt, and pepper with tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Add ½ teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons lemon juice to a hot jar; ladle hot sauce into a hot jar
leaving a ½ inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles.
Wipe jar rim.
Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars 40 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Keyword homemade tomato sauce, Preserving tomato sauce

How to Use your AAAMAZING Sauce

Now, here’s the fun part… Cooking with your fantastic sauce. First off, I should have doubled the recipe on sauce day. The recipe makes approximately 3 quarts of sauce. Mine really only made 2 quarts and a pint. After I sent one quart home with my friend, I only had 1 quart and 1 pint to use. Note to self, always make 2-3 batches when making this great sauce.

Also, this is a GREAT gift for the holidays, housewarming, new baby… The list goes on and on. I LOVE the new Ball® Sharing Jars, they are so elegant and designed perfectly for adding a ribbon or gift tag right at the top, I adore them!

This sauce would be fantastic on its own just over some pasta but, I thought it would be perfect for Shakshuka!

Shakshuka is a wonderful recipe that I was introduced to while traveling in Israel. It is a very common dish there served any time of day. It’s a scrumptious tomato sauce filled with all kinds of earthy spices, herbs, onions & peppers. You top it off with some eggs and then serve right out of the pan with flatbread or a good crusty loaf of bread. This is the Shakshuka that we ate in Jaffa, Israel and the fun outdoor restaurant where we enjoyed this dish.

With the Roasted Garlic and Roma Tomato Sauce as our starting point, it already has the tomatoes, onions, garlic & herbs, all we need to add is the all-important spices & some peppers.

Shakshuka

Heather

This simple Israeli dish served with bread will soon become a favorite in your home. It's easy to prepare for any time of the day and packs all kinds of amazing flavor!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 8 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 28 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup diced sweet peppers
salt & pepper
5 eggs

Instructions

In a medium to large oven safe sauté pan over medium-high heat, add your olive oil & spices.
Let your spices bloom for about 30 seconds then add your diced peppers, let the peppers cook down for a few minutes until nice and soft.
Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
Add the roasted garlic and roma tomato sauce and stir to combine. Let this mixture come to a nice simmer.
Add 5-6 eggs and cover with a lid until the eggs are set to your desired taste.
Traditionally they are pretty soft, but it's up to you. Serve with a nice loaf of bread or pita.

Keyword eggs, shakshuka

In a Jar

How to Make Applesauce

Tools

Maple Applesauce Recipe

Maple Apple Sauce Overnight Oatmeal

How to Know if Your Recipe is Safe for Preserving

Sauce Making Day

Roasted Garlic & Roma Tomato Sauce Recipe

Roasted Garlic & Roma Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Shakshuka

Ingredients

Instructions

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