Canning tomatoes

Blanch tomatoes in hot water for a few minutes (usually until skins start to split). Ladle into ice bath and then peel the skins off. I leave Roma tomatoes whole and big round tomatoes I cut into quarters. Be sure to cut off any green parts. Add tomatoes into a pot as you peel them and when they are all peeled turn the pot on and boil tomatoes for 5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are boiling remove clean hot jars from the dishwasher and add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp salt per quart jar, or for pints 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Ladle hot tomatoes into hot jars and use any remaining liquid to fill jars. Add boiling hot water if needed to the jars to fill them leaving 1/2 inch head space. Run a nonmetallic spatula around the jar and through the tomatoes to release any trapped air.

Wipe jar rims with clean damp cloth and place lid from warm water onto jar.

Process for quarts 45 minutes/ pints 40 minutes in a hot bath canner. When time is complete remove and set on a towel to cool.

Cheesy Chicken Italian-o

My Bro and Sis in law made this while camping and it was so yummy. They even had everything all cut up in bags so there was very little prep while camping. The recipe came from Byrons Dutch Oven Recipes. When they made it they had adjusted a few things and I liked it that way so I adjusted it here the way they made it.

1 lb. bacon
1/4 cup honey
8 chicken breasts; cut into chunks
2 tsp. ground oregano
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 tsp. basil
1 large yellow onion; sliced
1 1/2 tsp. parsley
6 large tomatoes; diced
(1) 10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree
1 tsp. salt
1 yellow red pepper; cut into chunks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups Mozzarella cheese; grated
3 cups Cheddar cheese; grated


Heat a 12" Dutch oven using 20-22 briquettes bottom. Slice bacon into 1" strips then add to hot oven and fry until brown. Remove bacon from oven. Remove and reserve all but 2 Tbs. of the bacon grease from the oven. Add chicken and garlic to oven and cook, turning frequently, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Remove chicken from oven and add reserved bacon grease. Line the bottom of the oven with onion slices then put chicken on top of the onion. Add tomatoes and bell pepper.

Cover and bake using 12 briquettes bottom and 12-14 briquettes top for 30 minutes. In a large measuring cup make a sauce with the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix well. Sprinkle bacon over top of cooked vegetables then pour sauce over vegetables. Cover and bake another 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Replace lid and let sit for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.