Sweet Mama Beans and Rice

By Lindsey Scarber

6 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed, drained 1 lg. onion, chopped 1 med.-size green pepper, chopped 2 cloves minced garlic, or garlic powder 1/4 c. olive oil 1/4 -1/2 lb. Bacon, ham, sausage (or for a vegetarian meal use beef bouillon) 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained 1 1/2 c. water 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, or white vinegar 3 tbsp. sugar or honey 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. salt 2 cups dry rice, white or brown, steamed in 4 cups boiling water 1/2 c. chopped green onions (optional) Sour cream (optional) Steam the rice. Meanwhile, rinse beans; drain well and set aside. Sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil in a large pot until vegetables are tender. Add beans, petite-diced tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper, and salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10-15 min, stirring occasionally. Serve Sweet Mama Beans over the steamed rice... Top each serving w/ chopped green onions & a dollop of sour cream (optional).  Makes 8+ servings.

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

By Lindsey Scarber, A favorite food at our house.

Refried beans

Flour tortillas, White or Whole Wheat

Grated Cheese

Oil (optional)

Salsa

Pre heat skillet, Med to Med High. Spread refried beans on one half of a tortilla.  Sprinkle cheese on top of beans.  Gently fold tortilla in half.  Warm each side on hot skillet, with or without oil.

Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter, or kitchen scissors.

Serve with salsa.

I use homemade fat-free refried beans.  I pop open a jar of home canned pinto beans (fast and easy recipe on this blog) and run an immersion blender through it.  If it's a wide-mouth jar, the immersion blender fits inside the jar without a problem. Fast fat-free refried beans and an instant lunch!  The preschoolers and I have it at least once a week.  ~Lindsey

Easy Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans

From dry beans to pantry shelf! 

No pre-soaking required!

my Aunt Myrna Memmott's amazing recipe

This recipe is for 1 quart jar of beans.  You might want to increase the recipe depending on how many jars your pressure cooker can hold.  My pressure cooker holds 7 jars. 

Start to finish: about 3 hrs.  

1 pressure cooker canner with a bottling rack

1 quart jar, clean and dry, a Mason or Ball canning jar

1 rubber lid topper, sanitized

1 screw top ring

3+ cups boiling water

1 cup of dry pinto beans, sorted and rinsed

1 teaspoon of salt

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Start boiling some water in a big 6 qt pot. 

In a smaller pot, place the rubber lids.  Cover lids with 2 in. of water.  Sanitize them by bringing to a boil.  Bring to a boil slowly because you won't need them right away.

Meanwhile, Sort beans by removing all the little rocks.  Place 1 heaping c. of dry pinto beans in a small bowl. Rinse them in cold water using a strainer.  The holes in the strainer remove the dirt from the beans.  Using a jar funnel, pour beans into the empty quart jar.

Add 1 teaspoon salt.  Add boiling water to 2 in. below the top of the jar. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean cloth.

At this point, you can start slowly heating up the pressure cooker.  Place pressure cooker on the stove Med heat. Add 3-4 quarts hot water.  Water should not yet be boiling when jars are being placed inside.

Use tongs, or 2 forks, to remove the rubber lid from the small pot and place it on top of the jar.  Take care not to touch the rubber part of the lid with your hands.  Secure screw top ring tightly over the rubber lid topper.

Place jars in pressure cooker.  Lock pressure cooker lid in place.  Use High heat until you reach 15 lbs pressure (15psi).  Lower heat to keep it at 16-18 psi  Start timer.  Bottle at about 17 psi for 90 min.  Do not leave your home with the pressure cooker running.

After 90 min, Remove pressure cooker from heat source by moving it to a cool burner. Let it depressurize, 15 min or so.  Remove pressure cooker lid.  Let cool 10 more min. Remove jars carefully with a jar lifter and place them gently on a dish towel, OR you can simply leave them to cool inside the pressure cooker.  After they cool, check to make sure they sealed by pressing the center of each lid to hear if it pops up. 

Do not move or bump the jars until they have cooled over night.  Next day, rinse off the outside of the jar.  Label with contents and date, and place them in the pantry.

My favorite meal to make with bottled pinto beans is Bean and Cheese Quesadillas.  I pop open a jar of pinto beans and run an immersion blender through it. If it's a wide-mouth jar, the immersion blender fits inside the jar without a problem, fast fat-free refried beans. I toss the beans on a tortilla with a little cheese then warm it on a hot skillet.  Instant lunch!  The preschoolers and I have it at least once a week.  It's so yummy that I need to post that recipe next! ~Lindsey

~Apple Pie in a Jam~

Submitted by Lindsey Scarber

Adapted from a Ball Home Preserve Cook Book recipe

I like to double or quadruple the recipe. It's a lovely way to use up those apples!

My husband requests it every time we eat toast.

3/4 c.  Raisins  (I think I put in a little less)
6 c.   Chopped, cored, peeled Granny Smith or other apple
1 c.   Unsweetened apple juice
1 pkg.   regular powdered fruit pectin (1.75 oz/49-57 g)
7 c.   Sugar

1 tsp   cinnamon
1/2 tsp   nutmeg
The juice of 1 lemon, about 1/4 - 1/3 c.

In a food processor pulse raisins until finely chopped. Set aside. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan combine apples and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over high heat stirring occasionally until apples begin to soften (about 10 minutes).

Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved. Stir in raisins. Return to high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to full rolling boil stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space; remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and apply band and lid until finger-tip tight. Place jars in water bath canner and process 10 minutes. Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes and then remove jars and cool and store.

Makes about six 8-oz jars, or 3 pint jars.  

Adri Burk's Funeral Potatoes

A favorite side dish at our house, also a great dish for making ahead-of-time.
Make it a main dish by adding diced ham.

·        8 medium russet potatoes; half-peeled, boiled, cooled, & cubed to total 9 cups cooked diced potatoes

·        3/4 c. butter and diced large onions (cooked together in a glass dish in microwave)
·        1  tub Sour Cream 16 oz.
·        3 can Cream of Chicken soup 10 oz each,  OR 1 Family size can 26oz
·        1 & 1/2 tsp. Salt
·        1/8 tsp. black pepper
·        green onions, finely diced
·        2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese, topping2


Half-peel potatoes under cool water, rinse. Cut each potato in half, place in stockpot with enough water to generously cover and add 1/2 tsp salt. Boil on Med or Med High heat for 20-30 minutes, or until slightly tender, not too soft.  

Meanwhile, in large glass microwaveable bowl, place the butter and diced onion. Cover with glass lid. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and onions are hot but not thoroughly cooked. Don't cook onions on stove top, they turn brown.

In medium mixing bowl, place cream of chk soup and sour cream. Add diced green onion, reserving a little green onion for a topping.  Add 1.5-2 tsp salt, or to taste. Add a dash of pepper. Stir well to combine ingredients.

Remove slightly tender potatoes from pot with slotted spoon. Place single layer on a sheet pan to begin cooling. When cool enough to handle, dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Measure 9 cups diced potatoes. Place diced potatoes in the large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



Pour mixture over diced potatoes and stir gently until all potatoes are well covered. Taste test.
Place in 9 x 13 pan.

Top with Cheddar Cheese

Bake 350 degrees uncovered 30 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted. 

Top with remaining diced green onions.  Serve hot.

Baking Powder Wheat Biscuits

By Lindsey Scarber

Great for breakfast with sausage gravy or for dinner with hot soup

2  3/4 cups boiling water or more

3 c. whole wheat flour

3 c. white all-purpose flour

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. shortening

1/4 c. baking powder

1/4 c. powdered milk

1 T. salt

2 T. white vinegar, to soften the whole wheat

Mix all ingredients except the boiling water in a Bosch w/ wire whisk, or use a pastry cutter or strong wire whisk, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. 

Then with the Bosch cookie paddle attachment, or wooden spoon, add enough boiling water until dough almost leaves sides of the bowl, a little stickier than bread dough. Cover and let rest for 20-30 min to allow gluten to form, optional.

Use 2 tablespoons to drop dough in portions on greased cookie sheet. Touching for soft sides, Separate 1 in apart for crusty sides. Makes 3 dozen. I can fit all 3 dozen on one cookie sheet.  I use them for the meal, then freeze the rest for later.

Bake in 450 oven until golden brown, 10-12 min.

Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve hot