Canning: Tomatoes

I bought myself a canning kit for my birthday about two years ago.  My first attempt involved beets and you can read about that here: B-E-E-T-S.  This year, we've had an amazing amount of tomatoes from the garden, which is exactly what my kitchen has been waiting for. 

Canned Tomato recipe from Preserve It! my new favorite preserving book.
Ketchup recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving.

Garden Update: squash and tomato

The tomato and squash plants are a bit overwhelming.  The tomatoes are finally starting to turn at a decent rate, and we're getting tons every day.  We've already made a batch of tomato sauce for the freezer and some tomato soup.  One squash plant has decided to attack the wisteria, which I thought was an impossible feat.  I am actually not a fan of summer squash, so we try to come with creative ways to cook it. 

Tonight for dinner, I made a quick salsa and Willis is making a Tex-Mex Squash Casserole.  It smells delicious and I can't wait to eat it!

Tex-Mex Squash Casserole 

2 lbs. summer squash

1 small block of tempeh

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

8 oz. cheese, shredded

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups tortilla chips, crushed

paprika

Directions:

1. Cut up squash and saute with onions and tempeh.
2. Saute until the onion is glassy and the squash a bit softer, but still al dente.
3. Add chili and jalapeno peppers, shredded cheese and sour cream; toss gently so squash will not be mashed.
4. Spread half of crushed chips on bottom of a greased 2-quart rectangular dish.
5. Pour the squash mixture in dish and sprinkle the remaining chips on top.
6. Dust with paprika.
7. Cook 10-15 minutes in a preheated oven at 390 F.