Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

The amazing benefits of drinking tomato juice are well worth the effort it takes to prepare it at home. Tomato juice contains a good source of vitamins and minerals. Such as: vitamin A, vitamin K, and B vitamins, as well as magnesium, iron, and phosphorus, are naturally in it. The facts are that drinking a glass of tomato juice every day can help improve digestion and even aid in good gut health and weight loss, among so many other things.

Ingredients:

• 8-10 large tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon of celery flakes (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1-1/4 cups of cold water

Instructions:

First, wash your tomatoes in fresh water. Then cut the tomatoes into large pieces.

Add the chopped tomatoes to a blender. Add 1 cup of water. Blend on high for about a minute.

I prefer drinking my tomato juice just as it is at this stage, after it's been chilled. However, if you prefer your juice not to have any tomato pulp or seeds, continue by pouring the fresh blended tomato juice through a chinois (a cone-shaped mesh canning sieve) with a bowl underneath the stand. Using a pestle, turn the pestle clockwise around the inside of the chinos to push the juice through the sieve into the bowl underneath. (Use the left-over tomato pulp for whatever you desire.)

Stir the seasoning salt and celery flakes (optional) into your tomato juice. Now, you can store the prepared juice inside your refrigerator until it gets chilled, or you can serve it in glasses at room temperature. Enjoy!

Resources:

(BASc, J.S. and (BASc, J.S. (2020) 9 incredible benefits of Tomato Juice, Organic Facts. https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html. Available at: https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Vacuum sealing dried foods in mason jars

Vacuum sealing dried foods in mason jars

If you're trying to stock your pantry full for whatever reasons, were you aware that you can vacuum-seal dried (dehydrated) food in jars to preserve it longer? If not, then continue reading and I will walk you through the steps on how I vacuum-seal my dried goods in mason jars. 

Storing food items such as dry oats, dried beans, dried pasta, dried rice, dried fruit, etc. will last longer when stored in mason jars with lids. However did you know that these food items can last even longer if you were to vacuum-seal the jars?

Before I go into the details about vacuum sealing jars, the first obvious step is to fill clean jars with your dried foods, leaving at least a half inch to one inch of headspace in the jars. Use a clean cloth to make sure that the rims on the jars are clean before placing the flat canning lids on.

Jars can be vacuum sealed with a mason jar sealer such as the DAIKA jar sealer or the FoodSaver jar sealer. They're really simple to use. All you need to do is place a flat (canning) jar lid on top of the jars. Set the vacuum seal attachment on top of the lid, and either use a hand-held pump as I use or connect the hose to a vacuum sealer machine, then press the start button on a vacuum sealer to suck all the air out of the jars. You don't have to use the screw on rings, but after I have vacuumed sealed my jars, I like to use them on the jars so that I don't misplace them. 

Note:

Vacuum sealers that are made for mason jars are only meant to preserve dried food goods. Not for storing cooked or fresh food long-term.

The mason jar vacuum sealer can be used on wide-mouthed or regular mouthed jars. 

To help save money on buying empty mason jars, buy food items such as jarred pasta sauce, pickles, jelly, etc. Wash those jars out and reuse them.

The DAIKA vacuum jar sealer attachment hose is only compatible to use with the electric FoodSaver vacuum sealer appliance; however, it is offered with a manual air pump and the manual air pump is what I prefer to use.

Notes:

Should you need to open one of your jars to use some of its contents, you can gently open the lid and later reseal it again by using the same lid with the vacuum sealer. 

You can also use the manual vacuum sealer and vacuum sealer machine with vacuum sealer bags. I prefer using glass jars because I think they're a better way of protecting food and they're better for the environment.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Peppered beef jerky

If you like spicy jerky, my peppered jerky will be right up your alley. Today, I used lean cut organic Angus beef round steak for this recipe, with a dry rub marinade. The jerky was completely done in about five hours; some of the pieces were done dehydrating in three hours. So you can start the beef jerky early in the morning and it will be done some time before lunch.

Beef jerky is a wonderful meat snack to have on hand. It can simplify your meals when you're going hiking, camping, fishing, traveling, working, or when you're just sitting home relaxing. It's also nice to have on hand should the power go off and you get the munchies, but have no way to cook. 

My peppered jerky recipe is very simple to make and the best part is that it doesn't take an entire day to prepare it. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of lean beef, cut into slices (I used round steak)

• 2 teaspoons of cumin powder

• 4 teaspoons of ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoon of garlic flakes

• 2 teaspoons of onion powder

• 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt

• 2 teaspoons of mesquite seasoning

Instructions:

In a spice bowl, combine all the seasonings. Season both sides of the beef well, then rub the seasonings into it. Allow the meat to marinate for at least thirty minutes to one hour.

Trim any fat off the round steak. Slice the meat into the size pieces that you want your jerky to be. I cut mine into fairly big strips because once the meat has been dehydrated it will shrink. This step can be done before you season the meat. Today I did it afterwards.

Place the beef on the dehydrator trays. Space the pieces out and do not overlap any of them.

Set the dehydrator temperature to 160-180 degrees F. After three hours have passed, begin checking the beef jerky. Flip the pieces over if needed. Some of my jerky was completely done in three hours, while the rest needed more time to finish. 

The jerky should still be somewhat bendable, but the meat should all feel dried to the touch. The internal temperature of the jerky should be read at 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer when it's finished. If you are using a thicker cut of beef, the dehydrating time will be longer. 

Transfer the peppered beef jerky into an airtight container when it's done. The jerky will keep for about two months and longer if it's kept in the freezer, or vacuum sealed.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Pork Loin Jerky

Pork Loin Jerky

Although I used pork loin chops to make homemade jerky this weekend, you can prepare jerky using lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, duck, and venison using my recipe. You'll just need to make a jerky marinade using tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, seasoning salt, molasses, mustard, freshly ground black pepper, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Then follow each step pretty much in the same fashion as I do my pork jerky.

Ingredients:

• 8 to 10 pork loin chops

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste

• 1 cup of water

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup of soy sauce

• 1/4 cup of molasses or honey

• 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons of onion powder

• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

Instructions:

In a large container, add 1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of molasses, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, 4 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper powder or flakes. Stir the marinade well. Set aside.

Now, using a cutting board and a sharp steak knife, try to cut each pork loin into 1/4-inch-thick strips. The pork strips should be cut about 1½ to 2 inches wide. Try to cut each strip into even-sized pieces. Trim as much fat off the meat as possible.

Add the strips to the container with the marinade. Using a fork or your hands, flip the pork pieces in the sauce. Try to evenly coat each piece in the sauce. (Every few hours, you'll want to flip the pork strips over, or you can double the marinade sauce recipe so that you can skip flipping them.)

Now, transfer the container to your refrigerator and allow the pork strips to marinate for ten hours or up to 24 hours.

After the pork strips have marinated for several hours, transfer them to your dehydrator trays. I also sprinkled more black pepper on each side of my pork strips. This is completely optional. (I add more because I am a pepper fanatic.)

Dehydrate at 160 degrees for about 8 to 12 hours. Each dehydrator is different, so you'll want to check on your jerky every few hours.

Allow your jerky to completely cool, then, for long-term storage, place the jerky in Mason jars and vacuum seal them, or place the jerky in freezer bags and store it inside your freezer. Otherwise, if you're making it to have for snacks right away, just place your jerky in an airtight container or Ziploc bags.

Note:

About midway through dehydrating the jerky, I generally flip each piece over. Doing this helps speed up the dehydrating process.

To test for doneness, your jerky will slightly crack but not break when you do the bend test. It should not be moist, squishy, or soft.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade peppered pork jerky

Homemade peppered pork jerky

Here’s how you can make homemade peppered pork jerky using your dehydrator. It will take you just a few hours, and it will come out very delicious. 

First, I sliced and marinated the meat. Then I pre-cooked the pork until it was at an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F. This isn't a step that has to be done if your dehydrator has the higher settings to dehydrate meat safely when making pork or beef jerky. However, I do this step just to ensure that any and all bacteria in the meat are killed. Plus, today I made this jerky out of a Boston butt. So precooking it also helped with cooking some excess fat out of the meat first, before dehydrating it. 

The absolute best cut of pork to dehydrate is pork tenderloin. However, any cuts of meat can be dehydrated and made into jerky, or be rehydrated for use in stews, soups, and various other meals later on.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of preheated pork (tenderloin works best, but I used part of a Boston butt today)

• 2 tablespoons of Splenda or sugar

• 2 tablespoons of honey

• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper

• 1 ½ teaspoons of smoked paprika

• ¾ cup of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon of liquid-smoke

• 1 ½ teaspoons of cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon of onion powder

• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder

• Water, about 2 cups

Instructions:

First, in a large dish, mix the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Splenda (or sugar), onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, honey, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir well, until the Splenda (or sugar) has completely dissolved.

Now, slice the meat into strips and trim any excess fat off of the meat. After that, you will need to marinate the pork.

Place the slices of pork into the bowl of marinade; add just enough water to allow the marinade to cover the meat. Using a spoon, stir to combine the water and marinade seasoning in with the pork. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for one to two hours. For optimal flavor, marinate the pork for twenty-four hours.

Next, once the meat has marinated; shake the excess marinade off each piece and place the slices on trays and precook the meat in the oven until it comes to an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F.

Once that is complete, add the slices of pork to the dehydrator trays. Set the dehydrator at 160. The dehydrating time may vary due to the thickness of the meat and the dehydrator that you use. Generally, it takes me about four to six hours since I normally pre-cook the meat. Again, the dehydrating time varies depending on how thin I slice the meat.

You'll know when the jerky is done because it will feel dry to the touch, and be leathery. Dehydrate longer if the meat bends easily, or feels greasy, or wet.

Once the meat is fully dried, take it out of the dehydrator; store in an airtight container and place the jerky in the refrigerator or freezer.

The peppered pork jerky can be kept in a dark pantry for two weeks. If stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for one month. When stored in the freezer, it will keep well for four months.

Note:

If vacuum-sealed, the pork jerky will last about two months in a dark pantry. When stored in the refrigerator, the jerky will keep well for four plus months. When vacuum-sealed and stored in the freezer, the jerky will keep the longest, at about one year.

The jerky will last even longer if you salt cure it. To do this, brine the meat in a solution using 2 ½ cups of pickling salt with about three quarts of water, plus the ingredients for the marinade above. After one day, remove the meat from the brine, shake the excess off, or pat the meat dry with paper towels. Then proceed with dehydrating the meat.

The peppered marinade works well with beef and other cuts of meat as well. 

As stated previously, when making pork and beef jerky, precooking is not required, as long as your dehydrator has higher settings for dehydrating the meat. However, when using chicken or turkey, always make sure to pre-cook it first. This will prevent any chances of getting sick from harmful bacteria such as salmonella. 

I'm using a Ronco turbo dehydrator to dehydrate my peppered pork jerky, and it does have higher settings to make jerky. However, I still pre-cooked the pork that I used, simply because I don't even want to chance getting any food-borne illnesses. 

I forgot to mention this earlier when placing the slices of meat onto the dehydrator trays, leaving plenty of space between each of the pieces of meat. Doing so allows more air to flow through the trays, which also decreases the dehydrating time. Also, rotate the trays, and flip each piece of jerky over midway through.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade Zucchini Jerky

Zucchini Jerky

If you haven't ever considered making zucchini jerky, I hope that you will try my recipe for it at least once. It's such a delicious snack to have on hand. Plus, it's so nutritious!

Ingredients:

• Zucchinis (about 4-6, depending on their size)

• 4 tablespoons of vegetable, beef, or chicken bouillon granules or powder

• 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke

• 1/4 cup of water

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules or powder, 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke, 1/4 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the burner. Stir well. Set aside.

Wash and scrub the zucchini well. Slice into half-inch slices lengthwise. Then place the slices in the marinade. Try to get as much of the marinade on each slice. Marinate for a few hours.

I don't cook my zucchini in the marinade, but you can if that's what you prefer to do.

Place the marinated zucchini on your dehydrator trays. Dry at 125 to 135 degrees or until the pieces of jerky are crispy. I generally let mine dehydrate for about 10 to 12 hours.

Store your zucchini jeky in an airtight container.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Making delicious homemade pasta with a manual pasta maker

Making delicious homemade pasta with a manual pasta maker

One of the things that I absolutely love about a manual pasta machine is that you can create any type of homemade pasta with it. Then once you've finished creating your pasta, the machine can be stored easily on the counter, without taking up so much space, or it can be stored easily inside a cabinet. Today, I will walk you through the steps on how I prepare a simple pasta dough that can be used to create any type of pasta, such as spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine, lasagna, and ravioli.

Creating the pasta dough:

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt, or kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons of oil (I use canola oil, but you can use olive oil, or another type of oil that you prefer.)

• ⅓ cup of water

Instructions for making the pasta dough:

Completely mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, or use a mixer with a dough hook. Add the eggs slowly in one at a time; add the water.

The dough should come together and form a ball shape. Once the dough has shaped together, begin kneading it. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap and allow it to rest for thirty minutes.

Now, take the dough out of the plastic wrap and knead it again. You can't overwork this pasta dough, so don't worry about over kneading. 

Cut the dough into four separate dough pieces. Cover three of the dough pieces with plastic wrap, or a clean tea cloth; set them aside. Knead the ball of dough that you're working with again for about five minutes.

Keeping the other dough covered is really important. It keeps the dough from getting too dry before getting it rolled and cut into shapes. Knead each piece again before rolling them through your machine.

Secure the machine:

Next, you'll need to secure the pasta machine and firmly attach it with the table clamp to a countertop, table or other type of kitchen surface. (Secure the machine so that it will remain completely stable while it's in use.)

Roll out the dough pieces:

Flatten out the dough piece that you'll first be rolling out. Begin rolling the dough through the top of your machine, using the (highest) thickness setting. Run the dough through the machine at least eight to ten times. Make sure to fold the dough in half each time you run it through the pasta machine. Also, make sure that you sprinkle the machine rollers, as well as the pasta dough, lightly with flour. This will keep the dough from sticking to the machine. Steadily tighten the roller for your preferred pasta thickness as you roll it out.

Drying pasta dough before cutting and shaping it:

Dry your pasta dough for fifteen minutes by laying it out flat on a lightly floured surface and also sprinkle the top of dough lightly with flour. Then cut your pasta into the desired shapes that you want. Do not skip this step! Skipping this one important step will make your pasta lose its shape and fall apart. 

However, if you're creating ravioli, add the filling before drying the pasta. This also stands for other types of stuffed pasta. Always stuff the pasta, then dry it for fifteen minutes before cooking. This ensures that the pasta will hold itself together while it's cooking.

Cutting pasta dough sheets into shapes:

Use the pasta blades to make thin or wide pasta shaped noodles.

For making homemade linguine, fettuccine, and spaghetti: after the dough has been rolled through the machine and is flat, feed it through the pasta cutter and crank the manual handle.

To make lasagna noodles, roll the pasta dough through the same process. Once the dough is to your desired thickness and it's flat, lay it out on a lightly floured surface to cut it into ten inches long and two inches wide pieces, or cut to the size you prefer.

Note:

If your cut pasta is still sticky after it's made, place it on a drying rack to allow it to dry longer before cooking it. Doing so will prevent it from falling apart while it's cooking.

Homemade ravioli

Roll a piece of dough through the machine to about sixteen inches long by four inches wide. Set your manual pasta machine to your preferred thickness. 

Place a tablespoon of seasoned, cooked meat or your preferred cheese filling every four inches. Moisten the edges of the dough around each one with an egg wash, or water. 

Roll another piece of dough the exact size. Transfer it and place it on top of the other prepared piece. Gently press dough and then cut into ravioli squares. You can use different shaped ravioli presses to adjust the sizes to make smaller ravioli or larger ravioli. If you don't have a ravioli press, use a knife to cut them into shape. Firmly press the sides of the pasta with your fingers or crimp all four sides of the ravioli with a fork.

Now, allow the ravioli to dry for fifteen to thirty minutes on a lightly floured surface. Cook immediately, or place the ravioli in an airtight container and transfer it to a freezer.

Drying fresh pasta once it's cut for later use:

Yes, another round of drying your pasta is necessary if you're not planning on cooking it straight away.

Drying pasta to store in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours:

If you don't have a drying rack, place your noodles onto a lightly floured lined baking tray. Arrange your spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine noodles into circled nest piles. Then allow the pasta to dry for thirty minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator. Fresh pasta should be cooked within twenty-four hours after it's made.

Air-drying pasta:

Air-drying can take anywhere from ten to twenty-four hours or sometimes longer than that. Drape your pasta over anything clean to dry it. If you don't own a dry rack, make one out of paper towel holders, etc.. A hanging mesh air-dehydrator also works great. Air-dried pasta will stay good for up to two to six months. 

Freezing pasta:

Another option is to freeze your homemade pasta. Pasta will keep for up to eight to ten months when frozen fresh.

Dehydrating pasta in an electric dehydrator:

Another quick way to dry your homemade pasta is to place it on dehydrator trays and dehydrate it. You can dry most fresh egg pasta usually at 160 degrees F for two hours. If it's not completely dry after two hours, leave it to dehydrate longer.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

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