Canning: Tomatoes and Apples

It's been awhile since I blogged about food, so I thought I would share a little bit about canning and preserving. First, do not be intimidated. Although it can be a bit time consuming, depending on what you are preserving, canning using a water bath canner is a relatively simple process and the results are well worth the effort.
Walmart sells a basic canning kit which includes a large pot, and several utensils used during the canning process for around $30-$40. You will also need canning lids, jars, and rings.
I purchased the Balls Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today a few years ago and it has every canning recipe you could possibly need. My other source for recipes, tips and instructions is Pick Your Own (http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm), which is a fantastic website for newbies.
This weekend I canned tomatoes from my friend Jacqueline's garden. They were beautiful heirloom tomatoes called "Pineapple" and they turned out great. I also canned Apple Pie Filling and apple butter in preparation for the holidays. Nothing is easier than making apple pie with homemade canned filling and a frozen pie crust. The apple butter makes a fantastic hostess gift for holiday parties.
Please, please, please give it a try. I promise you will feel so fulfilled when you see your pantry filled with healthy, local foods you canned yourself.

Restaurant Review: JAX in Truckee

My friend had seen JAX featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives, so we decided to stop in for lunch. She ordered the fish sandwich and I had the Crab Cake Slider and Ahi Salad, all of which were delicious! The crab cake had very little breading and was as fresh as it gets. We ordered a side of beer battered onion rings and they were the best onion rings I have ever had. The food was so good, we returned for dinner with an invitation from the Executive Chef to try our hands in the kitchen. Chef Phil made us lobster macncheese with truffles that was so good, I could have taken a bath in it.
The Kobe Beef Meatloaf is out of this world!
We had our appetizers and drinks within a couple of minutes of being seated, despite a large private party on the patio. I have no complaints and look forward to a return trip for breakfast. I hear their Maryland Blue Crab Cake Eggs Benedict is amazing!

Aarti's Pulled Pork

It's been awhile since I've blogged about a new recipe, but I had to share this one. This is one of the first recipes Aarti Sequeira shared on her show "Aarti Party" after winning the Next Food Network star. It is a super easy recipe, it just takes some time on the stove. The meat falls apart in your mouth and the sauce is to-die-for. I served it on french rolls with homemade sweet zucchini pickles. Enjoy!

Cook Time:3 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), about 3 pounds, excess fat removed
Rub:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
BBQ Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 onion, finely minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (seeds discarded if you don't like it spicy)
Kosher salt
2 cups mango puree
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Brioche rolls, split
Bread and butter pickles
Directions
Rub: Combine the rub ingredients, in a small bowl and massage it into the pork shoulder until well coated. Set aside while you make BBQ sauce. You could do this a day ahead and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

BBQ sauce: In a large saucepan, warm the oil, over low heat, until hot and shimmering. Add the cumin and fennel; they should splutter upon contact - be careful! Once the spluttering subsides, add the onions, ginger and serrano and a little salt, to taste. Saute until they soften but don't let them get any color. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Simmer about 5 minutes. Taste and season.

Add the pork shoulder to the saucepan, coating it with the sauce. Cover, and gently simmer until the pork falls apart easily, stirring and turning often, about 3 hours.

Remove the pork from the saucepan and shred it using 2 forks. Return it to the sauce and stir to coat with the sauce. Put a generous spoonful of the pork inside a brioche bun, top with a few slices of pickle and serve. Cook's Note: prepare to have your loved one swoon over you!