Crushed Tomatoes from the Ball complete book of Home Preserving. Ahh makes a big difference! ;) Yes that is a safe recipe and very different from Stewed Tomatoes. And the separation, the floating, you saw is common. You can gently shake the jar or just ignore it and they will settle all on their own with some time. So then in theses recipes i can only use dried spices not fresh and no veges, but i can use most dried spices and dried veges,dried mushrumes, dried etc or am i taking it over board to the next level? You can use dried spices, yes. They don't change the pH. Just do it carefully as the dried spices will intensify during storage. Too much can ruin the whole jar. Dried vegetables is another matter. They DO change the pH and they can also change the density. They have to be rehydrated before adding them and you need to rehydrate them in vinegar or bottled lemon juice, not in water, and they can be used only in very small amounts. Don't make assumptions about recipes without checking first. That can easily get you into trouble. ;) Dave

All of your pins look delicious, Strawberry. It is ironic, but I was going to tell you about skinny Gina (that's what I type in to get to her website) but you have her Salisbury Steak pinned already (skinnytaste.com) I've actually made that for my husband. They were very small, so he ate a bunch of them kind of defeating the purpose of weight watchers:) I went to your other post re: Pinterest and your Zuppa soup looks delish! I just like saying that name. As an aside, my daughter is somewhat lactose intolerant too and uses a OTC called Digestive Advantage. Her boyfriend is extremely lactose intolerant (no milk products). Over Christmas, I made a manicotti from Cooking Light that used a bechamel sauce. For him, we use Tofutti Cream Cheese and mixed/diluted with a beef broth to make a cream substitution. He ate it all, said he liked it -- but then again, he's a good kid. I've enjoyed reading your posts, Strawberry! Thanks for sharing your pinterest here too. Cathy in SWPA

I made up this recipe for stew one year during Milwaukee's Summerfest, so I call it Beef Festival. It's not quite traditional, but we like it. Beef Festival 2-3 Lbs beef chuck roast, cut into bite sized chunks. 2 good sized cloves garlic 3 or 4 onions, large dice 2-3 healthy sized tsp of Paprika, if you have smoked, you can replace some or all of the paprika with that. 1 healthy sized tsp of Bouquet Garni (Penzey’s) 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp plus a coupla shakes of Worshestershire salt to taste pepper to taste 1 or 2 bay leaves beef broth or water, about 4-6 cups, depending on how thick you like your stew 4 or so strips of bacon 3-4 good sized potatoes, cut to whatever size you’d like 8 carrots, cut in good sized chunks to cook at the same speed as the potatoes 4 ribs celery, large dice parsley Brown bacon, remove from pan. Then brown beef in bacon fat with the paprika, onion and garlic till the onion is just getting limp. Toss into a pot with the broth and add veggies and spices. Cook till everything is tender, adding water or broth to make it as soupy or thick as you like it. Thicken with flour/water if you prefer. This also works fine with pork. **If using a pressure cooker, cut the veg into larger pieces and leave the garlic whole. Bring to high pressure and cook for 15-20 minutes, less if your beef is cut into smaller chunks, more if it’s bigger. Turn off the heat and let the cooker depressurize naturally. This will result in a more tender beef. I know, this is contrary to Johnliu’s recipe for pressure cooker stew, but after reading and a little experimentation, I’ve found it to be a system that works for me. If the potatoes end up a little mushy, it really doesn’t bother me, but if it might bother you, cut them bigger or add them in stages. Reduce your broth if desired, or add thickener after pressure is released. Stew is such an individual thing�"I like lots of veggies, and I don’t care for peas. So there are lots of carrots and potatoes and no peas in mine. :-) I’ve been known to chuck in some green beans, cabbage, or whatever is in the fridge after the pressure is off, during broth reduction. Cj

When pressure cooking beef, you want something with a little fat in it like chuck; eye of round, for instance, might come out dry. Also, when pressure cooking beef, do NOT release the pressure with a valve or by putting the PC in the sink and running cold water over it; allow the PC's pressure to come down by itself after you turn off the heat. Releasing the pressure too quickly can make certain meats (especially beef) somewhat stringy. I posted this recipe in the past from Lorna Sass; it's a good starting point for timing for pressure cooking meats. It's for a curry, but if you leave out the curry paste you essentially have stewed beef. Here's a post for a great pressure cooker curry which uses Patak's curry paste. I find a equal parts of the mild and hot paste suits my palate just fine, but if I'm having a real yearning for hot-as-hades food I'll use all hot paste: CURRY IN A HURRY This recipe from Lorna Sass's Pressure Perfect is a quick and easy way to make a pretty tasty curry. You can make it with chicken, beef, lamb or pork, and vary the hotness by using mild or hot curry paste. 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste makes a pleasant-but-wimpy curry; 4 tablespoons of mild paste makes it pleasantly zingy; 4 tablespoons of hot curry paste makes it very hot, near my limit of tolerance (and I really like hot food). I generally use 2 tablespoons of hot and 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste. This is a recipe that's ridiculously easy yet produces delicious food. If you don't want to mess with the yogurt, peas and cilantro, don't bother--the dish will still be very tasty, but the sauce won't be as rich or velvety-smooth. ( I personally don't like cilantro, so I don't use it.) The recipe calls for 3 pounds of bone-in chicken; I find it easier to use about 2 or 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. --Once you get the pressure cooker up to pressure, make a pot of rice. By the time the rice is done, so is this. 1 cup water 4 tablespoons Patak's Mild Curry Paste 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs or breasts, or 2-2.5 lbs boneless skinless thighs, or 2 lbs. other meat (see chart below) 1 cup plain yogurt 1 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional) Pour the water into a 4-qt or larger pressure cooker and blend in the curry paste. Place on high heat and add the onion and meat of your choice. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring up to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for the time indicated in the chart. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. (If cooking chicken, release any remaining pressure after 4 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. If the chicken or meat isn't tender, cover again and simmer until done. If necessary, skim off the fat that rises to the surface or degrease the broth in a fat separator. Blend the yogurt into 1 cup of the broth. Stir the peas into the curry and simmer until they are defrosted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt mixture into the curry. Stir in the cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in bowls over rice. Meat choices Cooking times Chicken (see notes above) 8 minutes high pressure, 4 minutes of natural release, then quick release Beef (boneless chuck, 1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Pork shoulder (1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Lamb (boneless, 1" cubes) 12 minutes high pressure, then natural release