Can It

Now that the first three weeks of school are over (yeah...we go back early), I plan to have my life a little more balanced. For those of you who are in the teaching profession, you know exactly what I'm talking about. In the beginning of the year, you stay after school and work for hours and then come home and collapse into bed (at least I do). It takes me a few weeks to get my routines in order and then I start to resemble a normal person again.

So cooking isn't the priority for the first few weeks of school. The first week of school we ate take out every night. The second week of school I cooked twice. The third week I cooked three times. So let's hope that it will just keep getting better and better! :)

I have some recipes I've made recently that I plan to share...but I'm here to tell you about another topic I will be blogging about for the next several weeks.

Canning!

My cooking teacher, Art, has invited me to participate in the "Ball Canning Series" they are doing at the Kitchen Workshop. I am going to try to attend all six classes in the series if my schedule permits. Then I will blog about each class and share recipes and pictures.

If you are thinking pickled vegetables and jam...you are in for a surprise. We'll be covering the canning basics along with many fun and interesting recipes/variations. Take a peek at what we'll be making:

Sunday, September 12, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Fruit Spread Course

Traditional Strawberry Jam with Chef Variations

Carrot Cake Jam

Orange Chili Marmalade

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Fruit Course

Blackberries in Framboise

Peach Rum Sauce

Chocolate Raspberry Sundae Topper

Sunday, September 19, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Salsa Course

Zesty Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

Pineapple Chili Salsa

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Pickles Course

Dill Sandwich Slices

Tomato and Apple Chutney

Zesty Zucchini

Sunday, September 26, 2010

11:00am-2:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Sauces and Condiments Course

Singapore Chili Sauce

Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce

Lemon-Sage Wine Mustard

Cranberry Ketchup

2:00pm-5:00pm
Ball Canning Series/ Tomatoes Course

Basic Tomatoes

Italian-Style Tomato Sauce

Bruschetta in a Jar

So make sure you check back at Cooking With a Plan to see what we'll be whipping up at the Kitchen Workshop!