I love to wear a modern kitchen apron when canning.  Canning seems to be related more to the throwback era of the simple life, long before the internet, long before color TV, even long before black and white TV,  but it seems to continue in this modern age.  Why not look great while in the kitchen keeping up with family traditions?  Below find some canning tips.

THE INGREDIENTS for HOME CANNING

• Curiosity about the process of preserving specialty foods
• Appreciation for interesting relishes, jams and preserves
• A cheap streak that makes the exorbitant prices at specialty food shops totally unacceptable!

STUDYING UP

• Try homecanning.com for good basic instructions.
• Check the library or bookstore for basic instructions and recipes.
• Take good notes. Most of us don’t can that often so good notes really help from year to year, especially the personal ones.
  ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
• A large “hot water bath” pot that includes:
• • a metal insert that keeps the jars upright during processing
  • a jar lifter
  • a magnetized lid/band lifter
  • a poker to release air bubbles
• Glass measuring cups (1cup, 2cup, 4cup) are useful
• Multiple stacking colanders.
• A food processor for chopping in large quantities.
• A wide-mouthed funnel for filling jars without getting gunk on the lips.
• A “jar lifter” to remove jars from the hot water bath
• A “lid wand” with a magnet on one end to lift sterilized lids and bands from boiling water.

JARS

• Canning jars are made from specially-tempered glass.
  • Canning jars are readily available by the case though not cheap.
  • In the U.S. anyway, cases include twelve glass jars, twelve metal lids with rubber seals along the edge and twelve metal bands for sealing the rubberized lids onto the jars.
    • Rubberized metal lids may be an American-style product.
    • European lids seem to be made from glass. They include a metal aparatus that, with a separate rubber ring, preserves the food inside.
  • Save the cardboard cases. They’re great for storing and transporting filled jars.
  • Check with friends Don’t use leftover spaghetti jars, etc. for canning that requires hot-water processing.

In the U.S., canning jars come in quart, pint and half-pint sizes.

• • Quarts are typically used for “big quantity” things like tomatoes, beans, peaches, tomato sauce, etc.
  • Smaller jars are better for foods used in smaller bits, jams and jellies, for example.
  • For gift-giving, the pint and half-pint jars are perfect. If you’re canning “food for the table” or for a large family, you may prefer pints and quarts.
• In the U.S., canning jars come with wide mouths and standard mouths. Wide mouths are slightly more expensive but I have to to prefer them.
  • Wide mouths are easier to fill and easier to clean, especially important if reusing jars. Plus, to my eyes, they just look cooler.

GETTING READY

• Have supper already made or be prepared to go out, especially if you’re planning an all-day canning marathon.
• Do consider a marathon: getting set up is half the work.
• Turn down the air conditioning, it’s going to get hot.
• Clear the kitchen counters of anything extraneous.
• Empty the dishwasher.
  • Fill the bottom with already clean jars and nothing else.
  • Run the dishwasher with soap to clean the jars again.
  • If you time it right, the jars will still be hot when it’s time to fill them.
  • If not, you can run the rinse cycle again to reheat them.
  • Remember, the point is to place hot food (usually although some are cold packed) in hot jars which will then be immersed in hot water: temperature equilibrium prevents breakage.
• Sharpen your knives.
• Put a quart pan filled with water on the back burner. Use this to sterilize lids and bands.

Get together with friends and have a sizzling summer party.  Be a hit at your next backyard bash with this asian bbq chicken recipe and broccoli slaw.  Don’t forget to surround yourself in a bbq apron to dazzle your guests!

Asian bbq chicken thighs & broccoli slaw

1/4 cup ketchup

2 T hoisin sauce

2 T low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 1/4 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

1 12 oz bag broccoli slaw

2 T rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Heat gas grill to med-high or prepare charcoal grill with medium hot coals.

2.  In a small saucepan, stir together ketchup, hoisin, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 5 minutes.  Remove 3 T sauce from pot and set aside.

3.  Lightly coat grill with nonstick cooking spray or oil.  Place chicken thighs on grill bottom-side up and baste with sauce.  Close grill cover and cook 5 minutes.  Remove cover and flip thighs, basting generously with sauce.  Continue brushing with sauce every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaching 60 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

4.  While chicken is cooking, stir together reserved sauce, broccoli slaw, vinegar and salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Get ready for a delicious summer book club.  Pick up “The Cooking Mom” by Amy Hanten and get together with friends and share recipes, secrets, and stories.  For real moms who want to bring the family to the table, this cookbook is for you!  Look for Tayga kitchen aprons on the front cover.  We have included one of Amy’s recipes below from page 27.

Share your love of cooking with friends!

Great Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

3 T diced red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, stems and seeds removed, finely diced (optional)

3 T cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Juice from half a lime

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocados.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add more salt if needed.  Serve right away with tortilla chips.  You really can’t make this ahead of time.  Make it and eat it right away!

When it comes to celebrating the holidays, cookie baking is part of our family tradition! The ultimate joy of home baking is turning simple ingredients into something wonderful to eat. With the season approaching, I look forward to my daughters tying on their teen aprons and making our family favorite sugar cookie recipe. Remember to enjoy the pleasures of the process and the homey and imperfect cookies that fill the hearts and tummies of the family and friends we love.

My daughter and I in our matching mother daughter aprons.

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

5 C Flour      

1 T Baking Soda

1 ½ t Salt

1 C Butter

1 C Crisco

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream together the butter, Crisco, and sugar. Add the vanilla and almond flavoring. Beat in the eggs and add the dry ingredients. Refrigerate for about an hour. If it is dry add 2 T milk. Roll into balls and drop on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with a glass. Bake 10 minutes at 375. This dough makes excellent cutout cookies!

Decorator Icing

½ C Butter, softened

¼ C Vegetable Shortening

3 C Sifted Powdered Sugar

2 T Corn Syrup

2 t Milk

Cream butter and shortening together with electric mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add corn syrup and milk, and beat until smooth.

Yield: 2 cups

We have two new floral women’s cooking aprons in stock!  These “Allison” aprons are a favorite and look great on all body types.  These feminine aprons both include pink florals with reversible sides so you will have two unique looks for each apron.  The holidays are upon on us and a TAYGA kitchen apron is sure to pleasantly surprise the women on your list!

One way to look like a better cook is to wear a feminine apron!  Shouldn’t you look your very best when you are cooking for your loved ones in the kitchen?  Feminine aprons are a new trend.  Don’t tie on an apron that won’t flatter your figure.  We have aprons for every body type and you will be sure to find an apron that looks great on you!

Kitchen aprons protect your clothes from the messy work.  Home cooks are no longer interested in a dull and boring kitchen!  They look for style in everything they do including their cooking aprons.  Wearing a trendy and stylish apron will add to your style and presentation of the kitchen. TAYGA has many types of designer kitchen aprons for you and your kids that have numerous styles and designs along with color, patterns, fabric, and pockets. Look at all the styles and fabrics and find the one that fit your kitchen style!

TAYGA Cooking Aprons has a fan page that you can join to follow the news, media, and customer specials TAYGA would like to share.  Just click here and “like” our page.  You may be the next winner of a TAYGA gift certificate!

Please look through our cute cooking aprons in the photos section of our facebook page.

This recipe is a great recipe to share at any gathering this spring.  It is quick and easy.  Just throw on your cute apron and serve it at your next party! It will be the first to go! 

Mexican Cream Cheese Rollups

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup pitted green olives, chopped
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives, chopped
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 8 (10 inch) flour tortillas -green will add great color!
• 1/2 cup salsa

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, green olives, black olives and green onions.
2. Spread cream cheese mixture in a thin layer onto each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Chill about 1 hour, or until the filling is firm.
3. Slice chilled rollups into 1 inch pieces. Serve with salsa for dipping.