Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Labor Day Eats

I'm not really sure why Americans celebrate Labor Day, but I'm glad we do. It means I get a day off work, and that means more time for playing with food. I spent Labor Day in Jonesboro, Arkansas, my hometown located about an hour from Memphis.

My mom made the most delicious calzones for dinner! Here's my Vegan Chicken and Ham Calzone:

Mama used meat in she and my dad's calzones, but mine contained Morningstar Farms Chicken Strips, Lightlife "ham" slices, Follow Your Heart Mozzarella, and a little pizza sauce. So, so good!

On the side, she made green bean bundles wrapped in bacon. But for mine, we left the bacon off and sprinkled them with bacon bits:

And we had some tasty Greek Salad with local tomatoes and a homemade vinaigrette:

After dinner, I drove over to my grandparents' house so Granny could teach me how to can green beans. I'd been wanting to learn for awhile. Here she is prepping the beans for canning:

After boiling for a few minutes, Granny ladled the beans into Mason jars:

Then we sealed the jars and placed them in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes. Here's the lovely result:

Now I'll have plenty of beans to get me through the winter!

24 comments:

Recipe man said...

hey that looks so good. i love those beans they taste great.

thanks

The Voracious Vegan said...

That calzone looks AMAZING! Seriously, I want that now! Lucky you for those canned beans!

vegan.in.brighton said...

Wow that calzone, it looks amazing, I want one right now!

Anonymous said...

Mmm, calzones!

T said...

So cool that you veganized your parent's meal! That calzone looks scrumptious.

And I am ALL about canning. Its labor intensive, but so gratifying!

Happy Older Hippie Woman! said...

"The Calzone Zone"...looks so incredibly tasty! Beans - the versatile "must have" for every vegan pantry and cupboard. Can you make a few doz. to ship out? LOL!!
":o)

Sophia said...

That calzone looks awesome, so crispy and yummy! Those green beans look great, canning is so much fun.
Sophia,
http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/

Gena said...

I love pickled green beans! And what nice eats. I'll be posting my own recap soon. xoxo

thedalyn said...

I'm with everybody else here. That calzone looks phenomenal. I think it deserves a "yowzaa!"

Carrie™ said...

Mmmm, calzone is drool-worthy for sure! Your grandmother is adorable! My mom used to can beans, but hasn't for years. After seeing your photos, maybe I can convince her to do a batch.

Lindsey said...

Oh wow, all that food looks DEEE-lish!
And canning green beans looks awesome. I'm not a big fan of fresh green beans, but canned ones are extra yummy.

Anonymous said...

It is so good that these family traditions are being passed down. Beautiful showcase of beans. That calzone looks good u are lucky to have a supportive family. I am now learning more about canning and jam making.

nora said...

Cool canning sesh!

That calzone looks sort of awesome. Just sort of.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

SUCH a delicious weekend!

A said...

Everyone seems to be canning lately!!! Looks like such a cool, old school way to do things! Awesome!
-A

Vaala ◪ said...

Making your own canned green beans? Cool!

aTxVegn said...

Your Labor Day meal looks really delicious and very Southern. My grandma was great at canning green beans too - such a great idea.

Mike K said...

So cool that you spent time with your grandma learning to can beans! Canning is a little trouble, but so worth while - I'm sure she enjoyed teaching too :)

That calzone looks awesome by the way!

jessy said...

you mom is too awesome, Bianca! the vegan chicken ‘n ham calzone looks most stellar, and those green beans = mmmmmmmm! i always forget about bacon bits – i need to pick some up! canning green beans rocks socks – and so does your Granny! she’s too awesome! hooray!

Erin said...

Woah, that calzone looks good! That's so nice of your mom to veganize dinner for you.

abyssal said...

OMG I am making those calzones! They look absolutely delicious!

Mary said...

Congratulations! Isn't canning fun?

Cyn said...

Awww, yay for canning with granny! I'm so jealous of you and all your beans. And that calzone looks great, I love calzones.

Alice said...

I used to think green beans were a bit boring, now I eat them all the time and wish they weren't almost out of season. Canning them is always a worthwhile option.