Canning Chicken pt 2

 I have had my first disappointment with Tattler Lids; 3 of my 5 jars of chicken didn't seal. After a quick internet search I have learned that the wide mouth jar lids tend to not seal as well as the regular mouth jar lids.

I'm not sure if this is correct or not but when I canned my broth my success rate was better.

 

Out of 14 jars of broth, that were canned using the regular mouth jar lids, only 1 jar did not seal.

According to what I read on the internet people don't have the same problem when using the hot water bath process, only when pressure canning. I plan to keep a record of my failed jars and start comparing.

Canning Chicken

 I have canned a nice variety of food but over the years but canning meat is something I haven't done very often and then only in soups or broth. 

When one of our local grocery stores ran an ad, chicken leg quarters at 50-cents a pound, I decided now was a good time to try my hand at canning meat.

After a quick internet search I learned how to d-bone a chicken leg quarter. How did I ever live without You Tube?

Here is what 20-pounds of boneless chicken leg quarters looks like.

 All the bones and skin will be turned into broth.

 My canning book states....do not add water to the meat.

 I have never canned without adding water to my jars and was amazed at how much liquid the chicken made.

My 20-pounds of boneless meat filled 5-quart size jars; one jar didn't fill up completely. We spent $10 on the chicken which comes out to $2 per jar; plus I will have numerous jars of broth as well. I so love a good bargain.

Cool Weather Baking

When the weather is warm it's very hard to run the oven; thankfully our mornings are cool and we often have a cool breeze drifting through the house. Taking advantage of this cool breeze I enjoy running the oven and baking before things heat up; this morning I baked up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. 

My sister Jo Marie and I baked these during my recent visit to Missouri and I must say they are the best I have ever had.

I believe the recipe came form a Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Cream together:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup Crisco

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Mix in separate bowl:

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

 Add to creamed mixture; stir well.

To this add;

1 1/2 cup Old Fashion Oats (not quick)

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix well.

Bake at 375-degrees for 8 to 11 minutes or until cookies are brown.

Cool on rack; store in airtight contain.

This recipe makes a dry cookie dough but that is what makes the cookie so good. It's worth working with the dough in order to get a cookie with a good texture.