{recipe & free printable} Canning Homemade Salsa & Free Printable

We had a bushel of fresh tomatoes sitting on our counter for a few days and I needed to use them QUICK!  So... I decided to make and can some fresh salsa.  I did some research online and canning acidic items can be tricky.  From what I've read you really need to make sure you add enough lemon/lime juice or vinegar to counteract the tomatoes acidity and prevent it from harboring botulism. So... here we go...

Items needed (for 1 batch):  I made roughly 7 batches and it yielded in 5 jars for canning, plus a little bowl full for immediate consumption.

3 Fresh/Ripe Tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 White Onion, roughly chopped

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro

3 Chili Peppers (I prefer to use jarred peppers, because then I can use roughly 1 teaspoon of juice from the jar)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Lime Juice

Garlic Salt (to taste--but I typically use 1/2 Tablespoon)

*This salsa is a bit spicy so if you have a milder taste omit one of the chili peppers and cut down the amount of chili pepper juice you use from the jar.

To make pico de gallo I would just cut all of the ingredients into like sized bite pieces and mix together, but to make the salsa below I put everything into my food processor and pureed it until smooth.  I wasn't sure it was going to turn out, but low and behold it tasted great!

 Now onto the canning part...because the recipe is raw you will need to process it in the water bath longer than if you had cooked the salsa over the stove top first.  Ladle the salsa into the sterilized jars leaving some space on the top.  Cover with your lids and place your jars into the water.  Make sure there is roughly 1-2 inches of water covering the top of the jars once the basket is submerged.

 Next, taking into consideration where you live and how high of an altitude you reside in will determine how long you process your jars in boiling water.  We live in zone 2 according to the lid of the canner so once the red needle reached the green area on zone 2 I began my timer for processing.  I processed this salsa for 75 minutes because the ingredients were raw going into the jars.

 Once processed, take them out and let them cool before attaching any labels.  Check the lids for air tightness.  Push the middle of the lid and if it pops back they haven't processed long enough. Make sure you store in a neutral environment-- not too cold, not too hot, not too sunny...etc.  I put my jars in the pantry.

 Yum!  It was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Next time we'll heat the salsa up in the microwave, add some grated cheddar cheese and eat it with chips.  Enjoy, we sure did!
Oh and of course you need a printable label to go along with your jars of salsa.

Download FREE Printable HERE

{gift} Newborn Name Onesies

I know I've been M.I.A. this past little while-- I apologize.  We went on vacation and I had a hard time coming back and getting into the swing of things.  Anyway, could you die over the tininess of these onesies?  I could!  It almost makes me want another one right now.  Almost!  My cousin is due with twins in November so I decided to make her some hospital name onesies.  She has chosen to name the twins after some very special family members-- Ruth & Jack.  Darling names I must say.  I wasn't too thrilled with how they turned out, but then decided over time I liked the distressed look.  The vintage look happens when you iron on the reversed image twice, once after it has already cooled down.  If you're not a fan of the distressed look don't make the same mistake I did and iron it too much! ;)

Sadly, by the time I got around to posting this my cousin has lost one of her babies.  Such sad and awful news to hear.  I pray that the remainder of her pregnancy goes smoothly and all is well in the end.

You can email me through my Etsy site for custom name printables for iron-ons or stickers.  The cost-- $3.50/custom name printable.

STAY TUNED-- I have some fun FREE HALLOWEEN PRINTABLES coming soon.  Complete with banner, cupcake toppers, apothecary jar labels, and tented food card labels!

{etsy} New Customizable Printable Parties Uploaded

PIRATE PARTY PRINTABLES

AARRRGH! I've been busy making some fun new party printables for my Etsy site.  Hope ya'll don't mind that I've neglected the blog for a bit.  Below you will find my newest additions.

Pirate Party Printables Include:  Banner, Invitation, Food Labels, 2" Party Circles/Cupcake Toppers, Straw Flags, Cupcake Wrappers, Pirate Hat Cut-Out, Pirate Eye Patch Cut-Out, "Pirate Loot" Party Favor Tags, Wind Sail Cut-Outs, "Sea Water" Water Bottle Labels, Treasure Hunt Clue Cards and "Pirates Only" Sign.

 

DRAGON--CASTLE--KNIGHT PARTY PRINTABLES

Then I created these fun castle printables for a sweet lady that contacted me about doing custom orders.

Castle Party Printables Include: Invitations, Thank You Cards, 2" Cupcake Toppers/Party Circles, Banner, Food Labels, "Thank You" Party Favor Tags (in 2 different colors), "Dragon Spit" Water Bottle Labels, Straw Flags/Tags, Welcome Sign, Directional Signage and Cupcake Wrappers.

So go on over and get a better view of my newest printables on Etsy.  Enjoy.

{free printables} Happy 30th Birthday to me...

I can no longer say I'm in my 20's!  I turned the DIRTY THIRTY this past Sunday and boy did I get spoiled.  My dear hubby knows me all too well.  I guess he should since we've been together 9 years now, but he never ceases to amaze me.  We devoured an assortment of delicious cupcakes from our local Cake Fetish Bake shop-- my fave was the German chocolate with a pecan coconut filling.  YUM!  My friend swears by the lemon cupcake, but to each their own.  I say, "bring on the chocolate!"

 Then my sweet husband gave me case for the iPad and surprised me with a cooking class for the two of us this coming Saturday up in Santa Fe.  Luckily my mom will be in town and will take the kiddos so we can have the day to play.

 On the menu-- green chile scalloped potatoes and vanilla flan.  I.Can.Not.Wait.

 Of course, I can't leave you empty handed.  Why should I be the only one having fun?  Since I'm feeling the love, I've created an itty bitty birthday package just for you.  Included in this package are 6 drink flags, 6 party circles/cupcake toppers and single birthday present gift tag.  Enjoy.  Download HERE

{gift} Baby Memory Book

READERS-- I need your help!
About a month ago my cousin took pictures of our family and in exchange I made her a baby memory book.  The book is approximately 120 unique pages.  I originally made this book with my own children in mind and since then I have made almost 12 for friends/family.  I was inspired by a baby memory book I found on Etsy, but realized that 50 pages for $60 was a bit much for my budget.  After jumping in head first into designing a memory book I quickly realized the previous price stated was probably a good deal, but I was well on my way into the design.  Anyway, I put this out there because I've had many emails requesting I sale these baby books and I'm curious how much would you pay for a color printed book of 120 pages?  The raw materials cost is roughly $60 (this includes the chipboard, paper, printing 60 colored pages front and back, metal spiral to bind, and plastic pouches for keepsake pages).  I'm trying to get an idea of how much I should sale these books on Etsy, if I decide to do so...

Another idea I had was to sale the PDF of these prints and then the buyer could print them out as many times as they want.  So my next question is... how much would you pay for the PDF printables of 120 uniquely designed pages? I want to be fair with costs, but I also want to make it worth my while...

{recipe} Homemade Arrabbiata Marinara Sauce

Have you ever tasted Pasta Arrabbiata from Cheesecake Factory?  If not, you need to!  However, with this marinara recipe you don't even need to go to the restaurant to enjoy it.  "Arrabbiata" means "angry" in Italian and with the help of crushed red pepper flakes this pasta sauce can be as angry/spicy as your heart desires.  I typically make large batches of this recipe and keep them frozen in my garage freezer.  We use this sauce with multiple dishes:  basic pasta with marinara, lasagna, manicotti, chicken parmesan...etc.  It's very versatile and always good to have on hand.

{I multiplied the recipe 4 times to get the amount of sauce above}

So let's get to it!  Below are the ingredients needed for a single batch of this sauce.  Needed:  olive oil, tomato sauce, Italian flavored stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, Lawry's garlic salt, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, Italian seasoning, sugar, bay leaves, spaghetti packet, fresh basil, fresh oregano

{not pictured above, but definitely needed-- 1 more can of tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves, spaghetti seasoning packet, fresh basil & kosher salt}

First cut up your aromatics.  Cut the onion and bell pepper into one inch pieces and mince an entire bulb of garlic.  Mince a tablespoon of each basil and oregano and set aside.  Heat up the olive oil in a heavy bottom pan and saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic with a healthy pinch of kosher salt and pepper until translucent.

 Once the peppers and onions have cooked down add an entire small can of tomato paste and stir around to incorporate.  Add two cans of stewed tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce with two cans of water and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.

Now, lets add our seasonings!  This is where your judgement comes in.  I like my pasta with a hint of heat so I add one teaspoon of crushed red peppers, but you can omit it all together if you have a picky eater on your hands.  Add 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt, tablespoon of fresh basil & a tablespoon of fresh oregano, 1 spaghetti seasoning packet and salt and pepper to taste.

{McCormicks spaghetti seasoning packet is my all time fave, but if you have your own fave go with that}

After your pot of marinara sauce has simmered for  yet another 15-20 minutes, add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar to your mixture.  This cuts through the acidity of your tomatoes and gives the sauce a nice rounded flavor.  Believe me... you'll want to add the sugar!  I forgot to add it once and it changed the flavor entirely.

After the sauce is done simmering, let it cool down and ladle into air-tight freezer containers.  Make sure when filling your containers to NOT fill all the way to the top.  You must leave 3/4 inch to allow the pasta sauce to expand when it freezes.  I've ruined many containers because I've forgotten this step.

Our favorite way to eat this marinara sauce is with rigatoni and cooked/slice Colosimo's Hot Italian sausages.  If you haven't tried Colosimo's sausage, you're missing out.  Since we've moved to NM we haven't been able to find this sausage here.  We've had to either order them online and pay a fortune to have them shipped or stock up while we're back in Utah-- it's that good!  Alright, happy marinara sauce making!

{free printables} Back to School

My kiddlets aren't old enough for school  yet, but I can't wait to use these printables I created when they are.  I remember the first day of school was full of nerves, anxiousness and a bit of excitement.  Who's going to be in my class?  Will I get lost?  Is my teacher going to be strict?  Well, hopefully these printables will help alleviate some of those nerves.  Nothing does the trick like a mom's note attached to their back pack wishing them good luck.

{note cards from mommy & daddy-- inspired by Tiny Prints}

{book plates tags}

{note cards to write teachers a little note}

{good luck banner}

AGAIN... Scrid is giving me all sorts of problems.  I'm losing information on my document when I upload it with them.  Maybe it's time to find another site to host my printables... we'll see.  Am I the only one with this issue?  Anyway, if you would like these printables, please email me at kirstenfuller{at}gmail{dot}com and I will hand 'em on over!