Strawberry-Lemonade Concentrate

I thought this was really interesting--making your own juice concentrate. I have bottled a lot of things, but I have never even considered this even though we drink tons and tons of juice. I tried this a couple of weeks ago and decided that it cost way too much money to do it on a big scale. I haven't decided if it's my favorite juice yet. I need to tweak it a little bit. The recipe says to mix with water on a 1:1 ratio, and I thought it needed a lot more water. Has anyone else tried something like this? The lady says she does blackberries and limes and all different combinations. Think I may try that if I can find some cheap fruit somewhere. I thinking neighbor Christmas gifts if I can figure it out. (See more of this lady's canning recipes here: http://www.sbcanning.com/) Makes 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate 6 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice 6 cups sugar In a food processor, blender or bullet puree strawberries in batches. Transfer strawberry puree to a stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so keep your eye on the thermometer. Remove from heat. Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim, add hot lids and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes. To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust concentrate to suit your taste. **If you do not want to process this concentrate in canning jars, freeze the concentrate in 1 to 2 cup portions. Isn't it pretty?

Best Broccoli Ever

Another recipe from Pinterest. I don't know if it's the best ever, but it's pretty good nad problaby healthier than bathing it in ranch dressing which is what I normally do. Preheat the oven to 425. Cut 4-5 pounds broccoli into florets (relatively big) Wash and dry them thoroughly. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too. Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. I stirred them around every so often. Remove from oven. Zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil (I didn't do that), 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 T julienned fresh basil (I left that out too).

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

I've been eyeing this recipe on Pinterest for a while, went and bought all the stuff to make it, changed my mind and decided it would probably be gross, and then changed my mind tonight when I couldn't find anything else to make. It was actually pretty good. I'll definitely be making it again. Matt thought it was just okay (of course). Spencer hated it and threw a fit which is all he does lately. Trayton and his friend both liked it (I feed a lot of friends lately and I told him he could eat over any time if he was going to say nice things about my cooking!). It was soooo fast and easy too, a definite bonus. 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I used chicken from the cannery--quick and easy.) 4 cups Cooked Brown Rice (I used instant--Uncle Ben's because I was in a hurry) ¾ cups Frozen Corn 15 ounces, fluid Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)--I had Greek yogurt but I couldn't bring myself to use it. I hate yogurt!!!!! and I didn't want to ruin it. 4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis ½ cups Salsa 1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, garnish, optional Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.