Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert is an easy dessert that you can make from a few items in the pantry and freezer at any time of the year. It works well for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, bridal or baby showers, etc. It is sweet and rich, yet somehow also seems light and refreshing.
It is a rather nostalgic dessert as it reminds me a little of an orange push-up ice cream treat from my childhood. Plus, it is a molded gelatin dessert, which always reminds me of the past.
As with other gelatin and fruit dishes, someone might call this a "Jello salad" in the United States. However, this recipe uses an entire quart of orange sherbert in addition to gelatin, so I can not bring myself … Continue Reading about Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert
Grandma’s Tomato Catsup (Ketchup) is one of the Top 10 most requested recipes from my Mom’s/Grandmother’s collection. I found a couple of different recipes in Mom’s recipes and I was not really sure which one she used.
I must confess that I really did not like homemade tomato catsup when I was young. . .even not so young. I remember the smell (it smelled great), the appearance, and the taste of Mom’s catsup. I remember her and my grandmother making it at our house. I remember helping her make it when I was older. However, I also remember Dad and I wanted thick, commercially bottled ketchup, so we would only eat Heinz.
It has only been in recent years that I have been really wanting my mom’s catsup. I do not have a clue as to what prompted my craving, nevertheless. . .
I picked one of the recipes and made it. It tasted just like what my mom used to make. It was a darker red and thicker than I remember my mom’s catsup. I think this is in part because I cooked the tomato juice down further than my mom, grandmother, and other relatives who made catsup had the inclination or time to do.
I use whatever slicer/canning tomatoes I can buy. We rarely, if ever, made catsup from a paste variety of tomatoes. However, paste varieties definitely can be used.
Other than reducing the juice more, I did make another change to the recipe…I used brown sugar instead of white. Yes, I know that it is a major change, but I have been using brown sugar in tomato-based recipes for years…prompted in part because I use so many commercially canned tomatoes. I like the slight difference in the flavor of the brown sugar over the white sugar in tomato sauces. I think my mom and grandma would approve.
Place the tomatoes, peppers, and onions into large kettles/pots.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 c. water to each pot of tomatoes
Cook until the tomatoes soften and break down, stirring enough to prevent sticking.
(The original recipe, before my mom and grandma revised it, stated to place cooked tomato mixture in a clean, new pillowcase and hang or squeeze to drain. I remember doing this when I was very young, but we did not do this after getting a Foley food mill).
Run the tomato mixture through a food mill or strainer.
Clean out the kettle/pot and return tomato juice to it.
Bring tomato juice to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Place pickling spice mix, cloves, allspice, and celery seed in a spice bag or tie them in muslin/cheesecloth.
Add the spice bag and cinnamon stick(s) to the boiling juice.
Continue boiling the tomato juice to reduce the volume by half (if using paste tomatoes, it may not need to reduce as much), stirring enough to prevent sticking.
Add sugar, paprika, salt, and vinegar to the tomato juice.
Reduce heat and simmer tomato mixture until thickened to the desired catsup(ketchup) consistency, stirring frequently.
Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
Clean jar rim with damp towel.
Cap with a hot sterilized flat lid and hand tighten ring.
Process in a water bath canner for the USDA recommended length of time for your altitude, 10 minutes at 1,000 ft.
Leave to sit at least 12 hours after removing from water bath before storing.
