No begging necessary! The recipe is on the website-sorry you had trouble finding it.  It's  under kielbasa and sauerkrat.  We are in the process of making an index.  

 Do not tell me it's not in the cookbook? 

 Yes Hayley darling-visit our cookbook and see the recipe for Black Bean Burgers 

I was lucky to have my tomatoes come on and get beautiful and plump at the end of the season. I was getting ready to leave town and I saw that I had baskets of them and I realized that I really wanted to can them this year. It had been probably ten years since I had last canned tomatoes. I was worried that I might have forgotten some secret, but it is very straight forward.

Get your equipment together. Your quart jars and lids( use fresh lids every time you can unless you have those pretty glass lids that I haven't tried yet but want to use because of their elegant beauty) The large enamel pot for the boiling water bath, the jar caddy that helps to set the group of jars into and lift the jars out of the water bath A tea kettle of boiling water to pour over the lids to sterilize them A pot to boil water in for the removal of tomato peel Colanders for your washed tomatoes and peeling tomatoes both

Drop the tomatoes into boiled water for one minute only... a little longer if the skin doesn't readily peel away from the fruit, but watch it closely as too often I have forgotten and then the fruit of the tomato just isn't as firm and pretty in the can or I should say JAR. You end up cooking it a little. It is easy to forget as you are peeling the tomatoes that you just put another batch in the hot water. I try to remember to put on the timer so I don't let them sit too long in the water. Notice how long it takes yours. It can vary with the age of tomato and the variety all have their individual traits. Yes every variety of tomato has its own personality. Some are delicious and firm to slice, some are super watery and have so many seeds that they aren't very good to can because your later soups and sauces made from them will have too many seeds.

If you are making tomato sauce or soup, you can strain the seeds out or even squeeze them out of the tomato when you are preparing them for cooking....

So when you take the tomatoes out of the hot boiled water to loosen the skin... then you want to put them into a bowl of cold water or I often put them in a colander and run cold water over them. As you are going along you are putting the lids of your jars in a bowl and pouring boiling water on them to sterilize them. You can let them sit until ready to screw on the filled jars. Do not take them out of their hot water bowl before or they start becoming non sterile immediately. You get ahead of your self with the peeling or skinning of the tomatoes and filling a bowl... Then when you have them ready fill the jars. You can fill the jars to the brim with the tomatoes. Fit as many in as you can because after they are canned and out of the " boiling water bath" they will be taking up much less space. See in the finished photos how much the tomatoes deflated and left space in the jar. Those jars were packed full. The time in the water bath depends on the size of the jar or the type of vegetable. For tomatoes in quart jars it is about 45 minutes. After you take them out and set them on the counter to cool, you may need to tighten the lids. Do so CAREFULLY as these jars are boiling HOT. The lids will become concave as they become sealed in this vacuum cooling process. The ones that don't seal you can process again in the bath. If you just can't get one to seal, change the lid and if that happens to you again like it has for me for some unknown reason( I blame the redwood forest Elves), then just put it in the refrigerator and use it as soon as possible. If you have enough after your harvesting projects are done, home grown and home made products make great gifts for the holidays. Take a jar of your canned or dried and oil and garlic soaked tomatoes to a friend for a gift. There is a lot of love in that jar.

Put in a colander and rinse in cold water.... may need a brush if they are very dirty.

Rinse them in a colander and use a scrubber or brush to clean off any excess grit. Rinse them enough so that you are worried you are using too much water. Then they might be clean.

An endless amount of ways. The simplest is rub it in olive oil and salt and pepper and put it in the oven at 350 for about an hour and a half.

Rinse the chicken (usually in plastic from the grocery store) in cold water and drain. Pat dry and rub with any number of things, seasoned rubs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a roaster pan breast side up into a preheated 350 degree oven and cook 20 minutes a pound or buy the chicken with the done-popper. They work really well! !

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Place on a roasting pan on a rack or not . If you cook on a rack then it will sit above any rendered fat. You can rub or drizzle or brush butter or olive oil and herbs over the chicken. Garlic and basil .... Lemon, garlic , and tarragon ... It is done when the drumstick (leg) breaks easily and cleanly off the chicken. Of course, when you do the leg test, then it won't be in tact for display, but I like to test with this method. If the meat is too pink still, it may not be done enough, but when the leg comes off it is done.

Preheat the pan and add enough butter that the egg wont stick.....a non-stick pan works best. If you are using stainless steel make sure to heat it first.

Add the egg mixture when the pan is heated and oil (or buttered), pull the down eggs to the side with a fork, then after you add the extra ingredients, tip pan slightly and roll half of the eggs over the other half. Cook slightly on both sides and slide the omelet off the pan to a plate.

A great way to cook bacon for a crowd is to line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (the paper makes for easy cleanup but you can get by without it) and line up the bacon in a single layer and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven til crisp. The standard way is to line up in a frying pan and saute until crisp.... watch out for splattering! Bacon can also be microwaved but it does create a mess... about 1 minute per strip.

Use a broiler pan laying the bacon slices individually on top of the broiler top (it's a slotted top that allows the grease to drain to the lower pan) put the pan in a preheated broiling oven about 2-3 inches from the flames leaving the door ajar. Make sure to keep an eye on the cooking, turning the bacon over once with a large fork. Cooking takes about 3-4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

A griddle is great for cooking bacon, but that isn't as easy to come by in a rented kitchen. A large frying pan is what I use. Turn the burner to high to heat it up, then turn down to medium so you don't burn the bacon once it gets cooking. I lay the slices in the pan and turn them with tongs or a wooden spatula. A nonstick surface makes the pan easy to clean, but I try to stay away from them as they tend to wear away and the surface ends up in the food at some point. I turn things several times as I am impatient waiting for it to get done. You know how you like it... brown and crispy or light brown and rubbery. I would like to have a cast iron pan to cook bacon in. There are some that have the ridges in the bottom of the pan. It would also be a nice pan for cooking a hamburger on the stove when you don't have a grill.

 You will generally need to soak the beans over night or put on low flame for a couple hours.  Best to read the directions on the bag as different beans will have different time needed to soften.  Lentils and split peas do not need to be soaked.

Very important. Use a large pot (6 quart pot for a lb of pasta). Fill with cold water. Salt the water (about a tsp per 6 quarts). Add 1 lb of pasta to boiling water. Stir so pasta won't stick. Cook approximately 8 minutes. Different shapes vary slightly but the box will give the best advice. The best way is to taste before draining. Place colander in sink and drain. Return to pot and add a little olive oil and salt so it does not stick together and is ready to serve with a sauce of your choice.

I agree with Cindy ... no one loves it more.

Cindy is our pasta specialist . I don't ever salt the water and have never had a problem, but it usually tells you to. I add a couple of drops of olive oil to the cooking water. Look at the recommended cooking time on the package, but also taste to done-ness. If adding it to a soup leave a bit "al dente" as it will cook more while heating up in the soup.

Best way is to follow the directions on the box. Basically 2  cups of water per cup of rice.Bring to a boil and then simmer until water is absorbed. Substitute chicken broth for water, add butter.

One thing to remember about rice is not to take the lid off the pot until its almost done. Rice can get very sticky or undercooked otherwise. Follow the instructions on the box. I also use chicken stock instead of water when cooking rice.

Follow the directions on the box. Basically it is 2 to 1... 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. For white rice use less water ,1 3/4 cup to 1 cup of rice. Bring the water to a boil. Add the rice. Cook for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes.

Scrub it as clean as you can with some Brillo..then fill it and boil some water.

Fill the dish with a large squeeze of liquid dishwasher (cascade), hot water and soak the rest of the day. Drain and scrub with a SOS pad.

Fill with boiling water and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Soak for a little while.

When it is stuck on badly, you will want to soak it. If you need it done now, then use hot water. Try putting it on the stove to a low simmer and bubble off to loosen what you can. Then it takes elbow grease and a good scrubber.

The trick is to put the pit in the guacamole...but best advice is to make it and serve it on the spot.

Guacamole is best served right away but if you need to prepare it ahead of time then cover it up and put it in the fridge. Air is what causes things to turn brown, if you cover the prepared guacamole with plastic wrap and then refrigerate, it will be good.

I always use lemon or lime in preparing guacamole. If you squeeze a little lemon or lime to taste into the avocado mixture, the guacamole will keep its nice green color for a few hours before turning brownish green. The citric acid in citrus fruits helps many vegetables and fruits keep their fresh color. Try adding lemon to the water when steaming artichokes and asparagus. Drizzle or coat apple slices to keep them from browning.

The best way is to ask someone else to do it.   If this is not possible, the trick is to do it quickly. Peel the onion, cut in half... then cut more parallel lines keeping the onion's shape in tact. Cut perpendicular lines with the flat side of the onion resting on the board. With this you should be getting a nicely diced onion. They say you can light a candle to prevent crying but I have found this just sets the mood for a good cry.

Stick a piece of bread in your mouth while you're cutting. The fumes won't get into your eyes and you get to have a little snack with you prep. Look at Lizzy's and Annie's idea for cutting onions!

If you turn the water in the sink on and then slice the onion when all the while you are slicing, the water is still running. If you tear up a bit run the knife and the onion under the running water and go back to slicing. It may seem like a waste of water, but this works for me more often than not.

A meat thermometer is a wonderful thing...and so easy to use. With a chicken the juices need to run clear. Steak, pork, veal, lamb, you can cut and peak. Hamburgers really need to be watched and not turned but once.

Meat thermometer-I love the one from Brookstone.com-it tells you when the meat is done.

For simple steaks and chops of pork, beef, and lamb, it is easy to just slice it to check it. You know what color you like it for done-ness. For a whole chicken I like the leg test and when the leg separates from the roasted chicken easily, it is done. For chicken pieces I figure at least 45 minutes and I cut into a piece to check the color of the chicken meat . For larger pieces such as a roast beef and leg of lamb, a thermometer along with cooking suggestions per pound is helpful.

Be careful. The directions should be posted right on the grill. Generally, you will need to turn the gas line on but it may be left on with the grill knobs turned off. Turn on the igniter knob and it should light automatically (should). If you have a problem remove the grate so you can place a lighter or match close to the burner. This must be done quickly with your face as far away as possible as it can light quickly. If gas has had a chance to run out do not light. Turn off and let gas dissipate and then try again working quickly.

My friend James just asked this question. There is usually a direction on the grill beside the gas control knobs. Turn that knob to the light setting and push in the ignitor button. Once the grill lights, then turn on all the knobs for maximum heat. Once the grill has heated, it's good to scrape the grill with a grill brush to get off all the old cooked food.

Making good gravy can be considered an art form. It starts with the drippings from whatever you were roasting (turkey, chicken, beef, etc). This is where all the flavor is. The problem is there is usually too much fat which needs to be skimmed off (they sell a special measuring cup for this where the fat rises to the top and you can pour it off). You may just have to discard most of the fat with a spoon. Then you need to do what they call deglaze the pan. Put the pan over the burner and add some type of liquid...usually broth, water, wine, the pasta or rice water also works well. Put about a cup or more depending on he amount of drippings you have, and let it boil up and create the base for the gravy. In a separate small bowl combine some flour and cold water to form a paste. Whisk this into the boiling liquid until combined and smooth. Sift through a strainer and serve hot.

Take the drippings from the meat that you're making and put them in a saucepan. Drain of as much fat as you can. Heat over a low heat. In a separate bowl, wisk together 3 tablespoons of flour and warm water. Whisk until its smooth with not lumps. Add some of the warm drippings to the flour (roux) and whisk. Take all the flour mixture and whisk into the drippings. Make sure you whisk enough to get rid of any lumps you might have to add flavorings such as stock, wine, salt and pepper. Always taste what you cook so you know what to add.

You are lucky we have our special Mom Joanna who can tell you all about this.

I love the simple elegance of the sugared flower. It works well on pansies, violets, mint leaves and borage flowers.You take the lightly rinsed flower( pat dry or let air dry while you get the other ingredients prepared), an egg white lightly whisked, and some superfine white sugar. With a small paint brush lightly paint the egg white on the flower, then over a plate or a sheet of waxed paper shake some superfine sugar over your flower, getting it all over the petals. Be sure the petals are coated with the egg white or the sugar will leave gaps. You let the flowers dry on a piece of waxed paper in a safe place for a day or two. When done they last a long time ... a year even. Best when fresher though. They are like little porcelain flowers.

Instead of cutting the ends you can snap them and they will break where they are tender for eating. Some peel the ends to make them more tender and they are pretty served this way.

Wash them, then either snap them where they want to break, or test by snapping one and then use that length to cut the stems of all the spears. Cutting the stems on an angle can be pretty.

You may choose to tenderize and flatten the chicken breast first by sandwiching breast between saran wrap and pounding with a meat mallet or the bottom of a beer or soda bottle works well. This step is not necessary. You may also choose to dredge the chicken in flour or bread, egg and breadcrumbs. In any case, simply heat some oil in a pan and when hot, drop breast in. Lower flame and let cook... when edges turn white you can flip chicken... continue cooking until done about 10 minutes total depending on size of chicken breast. Drain and serve.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter and heat over high heat in a saute pan. Pound the chicken breast to make it flatter. Put 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl with a dash of salt and pepper. Lightly flour the breast on both sides. When the oil has a wave in it, the pan is hot enough, add the chicken, lower the heat to med/high. When the breast turns white around the edges, flip over with thongs and cook, the other side. Breast should be lightly brown on both sides.

Ask Joanna...she will know.

Take a mason jar with a two piece canning lid. You don't need the inner lid piece. A local health food store will often carry the piece of round wire screen to fit in the lid in the appropriate sizes for canning jars (you could use a piece of cheese cloth, but it probably get yucky quickly when you are watering the seeds). You can buy seeds to sprout at your health food store also. Alfalfa, sunflower, peas. Be careful not to buy seeds for planting in bulk at the nursery for your sprouting, as many seeds are treating with fungicides to inhibit rot and also peas are inoculated with something... I forget what it is... get back to me on this... So best to use seeds that are sold for the purpose of edible sprouts.

You can thaw it over night in the refrigerator. if you are in a rush you can thaw it in the microwave. The times are usually printed right on the microwave.... be careful not to over do in the microwave and cook the meat... ew

I live out of town so I often keep meats in freezer for later use. You can leave it out on the counter, but remember to check it. Refrigerate it if you are going out for a long time. Use the microwave, but be careful not to cook it. If frozen in plastic, remove the plastic and set it on a plate or in a bowl as soon as you can. We don't want to be heating plastics with our foods.

A good TBS.

One rounded teaspoon for every cup of water.

I use a rounded teaspoon... it turns out all right.

Change the water frequently...your flowers will love it.

Put that little packet in that they give you with the flowers, and when you do change the water add a teaspoon of sugar, or an aspirin. They last.

When you are preparing a vase for a fresh flower bouquet there is sometimes a package of flower food that even helps retard the bacteria growth in the water in the vase. A drop of liquid laundry bleach works and doesn't hurt the flowers. I have heard that some 7up in the water helped keep the water clean and the flowers benefit from the sugar.

Try using your sense of humor to say it in a nice way. You will have to speak up.

You need to speak to your roommates about putting some money into the food budget. Even if it's a few dollars a week. Set up a jar in the kitchen and everyone can throw in their change. You'd be surprised how quickly the money will add up. They also might want to share in the cooking if they have contributed in any way.

 If you are making food with no intention of sharing it, package the left-overs, put your name on the package and ask your roommates not to eat it. If they don't respect your wishes ask them to replace the food or give you money to buy lunch. They'll get the idea. The best thing to do when sharing a house is to decide whether each roommate will buy their own food or if you will share expenses and cooking in advance.

You absolutely need to have food! Beside the fact that food will help soak up the alcohol, how boring you're party would be without food. Try having a theme food night, you can pair food with cocktails, Mexican, Asian, New Orleans or football parties. Have your friends plan to do some cooking at the party as well. This also helps will the alcohol consumption, keep the hands busy!

Yes please, First off it's a party, it's only right to offer your guests food and drink. Secondly, food slows the emptying of the stomach and therefore slows the absorption of alcohol into the system. In other words, your friends are less likely to get too drunk too fast. Food has a sobering effect. Salty food, however, will make people drink more, notice how bars often put out bowls of pretzels and peanuts? They are not doing it to be polite. You, on the other hand, have invited your friends to a party, presumably because you like them. Serve sandwiches, or cheese and crackers at least, Give your guests something to do besides drink. Also, serve non-alcoholic alternatives, water, soda, juice and if your friends do drink too much, don't let them drive, arrange for designated drivers, or a place for them to crash.

A pantry stocks food that does not need refrigeration and has a long shelf life. Baking supplies-flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract. Essential items for cooking include olive oil, a vegetable oil, rice, pasta. Canned goods are great tomatoes, beans, soup, Boxes of cereal, mac and cheese. Snacks-nuts. The stand-by peanut butter and jelly ofcourse. Spices-chile powder, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt ,pepper, cumin. Think of your pantry as a work in progress.....as you create different recipes you will begin to stockpile all kinds of pantry goodies.

Flour,baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, pepper,garlic salt, italian blend herbs, curry,cinnamon, vanilla,bisquick, dry yeast, canned tomatoes, pancake mix, rice, bouillon,peanut butter,caraway seeds, hot sauce,bouillon (chicken, beef, vegetable and fish), vinegar, olive oil, oatmeal. Boxes of pasta, beans, rice, granola, cooking sherry and cooking wine. Also have, foil, plastic wrap, small plastic bag

Flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, pepper,garlic salt, italian blend herbs, curry,cinnamon, vanilla,bisquick, dry yeast, canned tomatoes, pancake mix, rice, bouillon,peanut butter,caraway seeds, hot sauce,bouillon (chicken, beef, vegetable and fish), vinegar, olive oil, oatmeal. Boxes of pasta, beans, rice, granola, cooking sherry and cooking wine. Also have, foil, plastic wrap, small plastic bags Cans and jars of whatever your favorites are. Artichoke hearts, black olives and roasted peppers, olive oil and dried pasta make a great dish. Rice and beans, canned tomatoes, Tuna, Mayo, mustard, Catsup, Tortilla or flatbread with refried beans. Oatmeal, cereal, canned milk, chicken, beef, vegetable and maybe fish broth,organic or not. My favorite always have on hand, Minced clams, clam sauce, garlic, (get the jar of minced) and again, throw in those black olives over spaghetti. salt, pepper, vinegar, green olives, (great mixed with cream cheese on whole wheat bread), peanut butter,, try it with fruit, bananas especially, and, I'm not kidding, bread and butter pickles. I keep onions and potatoes in the pantry, Chips and dip, salsa, oils and vinegar, Your favorite spices, Cake mixes, brownie mixes and if you must, prepared icing

A well stocked pantry will keep you from the last minute trip to the store to get baking powder when you are wanting to whip up a batch of cookies or vegie stock and cannelini beans when you want to throw together a soup. It can be essential if you get stuck home in a snow storm or in the aftermath of an earthquake ( I am from California ). Keep things in stock that you personally like to work with. I like to buy organic whenever I can. It is good for the planet.

Salt and pepper

Olive oil. Other cooking oil such as canola, sunflower, vegetable.

Vinegar. I mostly use balsamic, but also red wine vinegar, rice vinegar... you can collect too many.

For baking :Flour, sugar(white and brown if you use both. Organics are now available for white sugar, but body assimilation-wise sugar is sugar to your body .....), baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, cream of tartar ( for whipping eggwhites into a simple yet wonderful angel food cake),cinnamon for french toast and cinnamon toast.

For seasoning your cooking, garlic powder( you can use a salt free one that is great to add flavor without adding more salt ), herbs such as paprika, oregano.... Parsley , Sage , Rosemary and Thyme from Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkle ... (your mother probably loved this song just like I did ).

An Italian seasoning blend, chili powder, curry powder.

Cans or cubes of soup stock to start a soup.

Cans of tuna fish.

Sardines

Capers

Pickles, olives, peperoncini

Catsup

Mustards

Mayonnaise

Dried grains: rice, pearl barley ( great in soups ), quinoa

Dried pasta: several shapes , penne, spaghetti or fettuccine, shells are fun for mac and cheese.

Dried or canned beans: red kidney,navy, canellini, garbanzo. Lentils.

Peanut butter or almond butter?

Jelly

Crackers

Popcorn

Cereal for cold and hot: Oatmeal. 7 grain hot cereal if you like it.

Boxed or dehydrated milk product for disaster preparedness. The boxed soy milk or I prefer the Oat milk. Almond milk has become a popular substiutution for dairy.

Beverages, tea and coffee. Green teas are great for us. Start taking time for tea. Drink tea while studying or writing a paper. while reading. It is a good habit.

Plastic wraps and storage bags, foil, and waxed paper.

Just say no to buying water in plastic bottles. Lets cut back on trash and recyclables. Keep a couple of jugs of water for emergencies. Refill them ... empty and refill them every half a year, or so, so the water in them isn't  stagnant. It is good in case of emergencies to have some clean water stored. This is important for earthquake and floods, disaster preparedness.

If you can't soak it out over night, throw it away. If you don't get the scorch mark off the pan, you'll continue to burn food in that spot.

Fill the pan halfway with water and 1/4 cup of baking soda and boil. Loosen burned food with a wooden spoon.-I usually throw it away.

If you have good sturdy pots and pans then you should be able to get it off. I use a product called Kleen King that cleans stainless and copper. It is an abrasive powder cleanser. Put some water in the pot and sprinkle some of this. Then scrub and if it all doesn't come out, scrub again. This stuff is also good for the filmy looking stuff left when you can't get stuck on rice or pasta off the bottom of a pot.

Also the baking soda soak like Michelle says works. Put water in the pot, add some baking soda to cover the bottom, turn on to simmer for 15 to 30  minutes, maybe even an hour on low. Then take it off and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon. Repeat if it all doesn't come off. Repeat until it does.

Try to collect some sturdy stainless pans... Products by Adaimo, Atlas, Viking. The Calphalon gets discolored after a while. I have had my Atlas pans for 25 to 30 years now and sometimes the handle attachment has loosened, but the pan cleans up with the slightest elbow grease(what an odd term) and you'll have them for years. I have found that you have to really burn something for the pan to burn with these sturdy and beautiful stainless pots and pans. They are very expensive. Ask you parents for some for gifts from time to time. Your local kitchen store will carry these and William Sonoma and Sur la Table does for sure.If you buy a really good stainless pan, you will not ever have to throw it away.

Bake-this is what you do with the oven. Baking is always used when making desserts such as cookies, pies and cakes. Roast is often the term used for meat and fish and vegetables in the oven...a roast beef, roasted potatoes, etc means they were cooked in the oven or roasted in the oven. Braising refers to a technique where you use a liquid to slow cook, which is generally done to tenderize the meat, as in braised short ribs.

Baking is done in the oven with a dry heat in a pre-heated oven and usually a consistent heat. You would bake cookie, cakes and bread. Roasting is started with a hot oven for ten minutes to sear the juices in meat and poultry and then the oven ten is turned down for the remainder of the cooking time. Braising is done with some type of wet ingredient such as water, stock, wine added to the meat and cooked at a lower temperature either on top of the stove or in the oven. Usually you would be using a tougher cut of meat or harder root vegetables.

on the main page is a recipe icon, pull that up and put the dish you are looking for in the search box at the top under Just Ask...  Soon to come, index and alphabetical listing, we're working on it. 

A matter of personal preference but some machines may recommend what they say works best for performance.

I always use powder, but thinking about it, a liquid might be nice as I still sometimes get a soap residue of the powder in my dishwasher. At least you can see the powder. The liquid might leave some translucent residue. I guess I really don't know....

The flour can clump up. Best to strain your gravy and use a whisk while adding flour.

Whisk together you're starch (flour or cornstarch) with warm water until its smooth. Add a little of the warm broth and whisk then add mixture to the warm broth and whisk until blended.