Homemade Ketchup

First let me say that I love Heinz ketchup. I really don't care for other brands a whole lot. They are too sweet, spicy, vinegary, etc. I can tell the difference. I think I might be one of those super tasters. Seriously, my sense of taste is on overload. So why would I make my own? For shits and giggles really. I wanted to see how hard it was and what it tasted like. The recipe I used had a lot of good reviews and took all day in the crock pot. Before my boyfriend tasted it, he told me that he probably wouldn't like it. He's a Heinz guy too.

I followed the directions almost exact with a few spice exceptions. I didn't have dried mustard or celery salt on hand, so I just didn't add those. Several reviews said that it was too sweet, but I used the amount it called for. After I made it and it cooled, I tasted it by itself and it did taste a little sweet, but when I tasted it with some fries, it was fine. Rather tasty in fact. Better than I thought it would. I honestly didn't have high expectations, so I was surprised.

The whole house smelled like ketchup, so I was craving french fries all day. It takes 12 hours and needed to cool, so I had to wait until the next day.

I've made fries several times since I first made the ketchup and today the consensus was that it was really good and definitely could take on the big boys in a taste test.

This recipe is easy to make, but does take 12 hours in the crock pot and needs a stir once in a while, so it's best to be home or don't go out for too long if you plan to make it. Do plan on having french fries the following day!

Update: We ran out and had to buy some. My boyfriend said that he actually preferred mine. Woo hoo! Go me. Or the person who actually developed this recipe, which I found on All Recipes. 

Ketchup
Yield: Three cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 (28 ounce) cans peeled ground tomatoes
1/2 cup water, divided
2/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 whole clove
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Pour ground tomatoes into slow cooker. Swirl 1/4 cup water in each emptied can and pout into slow cooker. Add sugar, vinegar, and spices; whisk to combine. 

Cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half and very thick, about 10 -12 hours. Stir every hour or so.

Smooth the texture of the ketchup using an emersion blender, about 20 seconds. 

Ladle the ketchup into a fine strainer and press mixture with the back of the ladle to strain out any skins and seeds. 

Transfer the strained ketchup to a bowl. Cool completely before tasting to adjust salt, black pepper, or cayenne pepper. 

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

Nothing warms your body on a cold winter's day more than a warm bowl of delicious soup. My boyfriend makes this soup in the crock pot, mostly. I love it with a piece of homemade bread and butter. When I was a kid my mom always made chicken in the crock pot. It's great for chicken salad, sandwiches and soup. He had never seen chicken done in the crock pot like this before, but now he's addicted.   I use split breasts. They give you a lot of flavor because of the bones and skin are still on them. This is really easy and you can do the whole thing in one pot. Plus it freezes well.

Ingredients

2 large chicken split breasts
1/2 sweet onion
2 ribs celery
3-4 potatoes
2 carrots
2 T fresh parsley
spices - thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, salt and pepper

Chop celery and onion in large pieces. Dice the potatoes and carrots. In the crock pot add chicken, enough water to cover it, celery, onion and spices. If you read this blog, you know I never measure, so it's probably about a 1/4 teaspoon of the dried spices and 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley. Turn the crock pot on low for 5-6 hours or high for about 3 hours. Once done, take out everything, but broth. Take the meat off the bone and set aside. Discard the veggies. Add diced potatoes and carrots and turn the crock pot on high. Cook until the veggies are tender. Add back the meat. Ladle into bowls.

Enjoy!