12 Months of Christmas Catch-Up (Part 2)

It's time to make some red pepper jelly!


Come Christmas, it would look beautiful in a basket with this, some crackers and a nice set of cheese spreaders.

This jelly differs from the green pepper version not only in that it is MUCH simpler to make, but also in that it has a different taste. The red pepper version, while still slightly sweet, is a bit more savory due to the addition of garlic. It can still be used as a delicious spread over some cream cheese with crackers, but it is far more delicious as a glaze for meats... particularly chicken and pork tenderloin. This recipe makes approximately 6 (4 oz.) jars.

So, here's the easy peasy recipe...

1 C. finely chopped and seeded red bell peppers



3 lg. cloves of garlic, cut into thin slivers



3/4 C cider vinegar
3 C granulated sugar
1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Prepare canners, jars and lids per the instructions included here.

In a lg. deep saucepan, combine red pepper, garlic and vinegar. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.



Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam. Quickly pour jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip-tight. Place the jars back into the canner, making sure they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars; allow to cool for 30 minutes.

At first, the peppers and garlic will still be at the top of the jar. After the initial 30 minute cooling time, gently twist and/or tilt each jar to begin distributing the peppers and garlic throughout the jelly. DO NOT turn the jar completely upside down. This could result in gel failure. Repeat throughout the setting time until the fruit particles are suspended throughout the jelly.

Now you've got six pretty jars filled with some delicious jelly ready for gift-giving come the holidays. But, don't worry... I won't tell if you sneak a jar for yourself between now and then. ;0)

12 Months of Christmas Catch-Up

Okay. The last time we visited this year-long project was waaaay back in February. Lovely, I know. But we're getting all caught up this month, starting... NOW!

Red and green. The colors of Christmas. Also the colors of some DELICIOUS jellies! Chances are, if you're my neighbor, a friend that lives in town, or someone that I will be visiting over the holidays... you will be getting a prettiful basket filled with lots of gourmet treats. And, some of them will be homemade... fresh from my garden.

Who doesn't love gifts for the tummy during the holidays? It's a time when we always seems to have an influx of friends and family in our home.. Gifts of food are always appreciated around here. It makes things so much easier when those unexpected guests pop in for a visit!

This green pepper jelly is scrumptious, and fairly simple to make. And, summer is the perfect time to make this jelly. You can put it away and save it for your holiday gift giving. It'll be good to go (at its freshest) for a year in those jars. Peppers are pretty prolific (at least in my garden), simple to grown, and are quite hardy. Bell peppers, jalapenos, habanero... I grow 'em all. For this recipe, though, we will be using only green bell peppers (4 of them) and jalapenos (2 of them). Of course, if you don't grow your own, peppers aren't all that expensive to purchase (and are definitely worth the purchase for this yummy treat). This recipe yields about (7) 4 oz. jars. Here's how we do it...

4 green bell peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and deveined
2 cloves garlic
2/3 C white vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 pkg (1.75 oz.) regular powdered fruit pectin
3 2/3 C granulated sugar

Chop peppers into large chunks. In a blender, puree green peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic cloves until smooth.



Looks disgusting, right (smells pretty good, though... kinda' like guacamole)? Yeah. Kinda' reminds you of that slime they used to dump all over people on "You Can't Do That On Television." Anybody else remember that show? No? Okay... moving on.

Now, if you can find a jelly bag for this step... use it. Unfortunately, none of the stores around here carry jelly bags... so I rigged my own contraption...



You start with a mixing bowl on the bottom, then insert a colander over the top. Line the inside of the colander with a few sheets of cheesecloth. Then, pour the puree on top of the cheesecloth. Let drain, undisturbed for 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare your jars for canning per the instructions included here.



You will be surprised how much liquid actually drains out! You'll need 1 1/2 cups of it. I didn't quite get that much liquid. So, if that happens to you... never fear! Just add 1/2 C boiling water to the remaining pulp in the cheesecloth. This will extract additional juices. I had to do it twice before I got enough liquid. But, eventually, you'll end up with something that looks like this...



That would make a cool looking witches' brew at Halloween, right?

Transfer that pepper juice (you can discard of the puree now) to a lg. saucepan. Add vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.



Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.



Wipe rims of jars. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid; wait 5 min before removing jars. Then, move them to an area where they can cool.

I've already sampled some of this jelly, and it is wonderful! So, now you're probably asking, "What am I supped to do with green pepper jelly?" Well, them best way to serve it is atop a brick of cream cheese alongside some of your favorite crackers (I recommend table water crackers, but the less-discerning tastebuds of my family prefer Ritz...



Use a cheese spreader to add some jelly and cream cheese to the crackers... DELISH! It was gone in no time at a party I attended this past weekend. You can also use it as a glaze on meats before you cook them or as a dipping sauce for your favorite cooked meat.

A couple of extra tips...

* This is NOT a spicy jelly at all. I prefer my dad's spicier jalapeno jelly. But, there again, my family's tastebuds overrule me on this one. I might try adding a couple of drops of my dad's secret homemade mango habanero sauce to the pureed mix next time around. I think that would make for the PERFECT jelly! If you don't have a dad that's talented in the kitchen and is kind enough to share a couple bottles of his hot sauce with you... you can find mango habanero sauce at gourmet stores and online specialty shops!

* The recipe recommends adding a few drops of green food coloring to the jelly after you remove it from the stove, just before you pour it into the jars. I don't like that fake green look. I think the jelly looks beautiful just the way it is. But, you are welcome to add the food coloring if you'd like.

And, there you have it... yummy (and surprisingly simple) green pepper jelly! I'll be sharing some other homemade treats that will be gifted as my blogiversary continues (and at least one more in the coming months).

*in a pickle*

We're gonna' kick of the blogiversary with a foodie post of sorts (which also, coincidentally, has a little craft project to accompany it). Perfect, right?



It's safe to say that I am officially addicted to this whole pickling/canning/jelly-making thing. Not only is it delicious, but it's so rewarding to be able to provide food stuffs for your family. AND, *bonus*... a basket full of home-canned goods with some accompaniments makes for a lovely gift! Please, please, please... don't let yourself be intimidated by canning your own goods. Seriously. I was for years. But, it is SURPRISINGLY easy once you get than hang of it. Even jellies are pretty simple (we'll save that for another post, though.) Anyhow...

I have finally (after much trial and error) perfected a dil pickle recipe that I wanted to share with you. The last pickle recipe I shared was for a bread and butter pickle (a little on the sweeter side). But, this one is for those tried and true dill pickles we all love. And, they're pretty delicious if I do say so myself. I found the recipe in the Ball canning guide to be a tad on the salty side with a little too much of a pungent flavor, so I've tinkered and tweaked it a bit to get it just the way I like it. Plus, their recipes always call for huge quantities of produce that my garden doesn't, well... produce. So these quantities are adjusted to suit the more average gardener like myself. This recipe makes about 3 wide-mouthed pint jars full of pickles. Ready? Here we go...

"Grandma's Dill Pickles"
For the pre-soak (Yes, folks, this is a 2-day project)...
4 lbs pickling cucumbers, sliced to about 1/4" thick rounds
Lots of ice (like clean out the bucket of your ice machine "lots")
1/2 C pickling salt
4 C water

In a lg. stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, alternate between layers of ice and cucumbers (ending with a layer of ice on top). In a lg. pitcher, dissolve pickling salt into 4 C water. Pour over the cucmbers/ice. The cucumbers should be entirely covered with water, so keep adding plain cold water until they are covered. You'll end up with something that looks like this...



Invert a plate over the top of it, and weigh it down with a couple of jars filled with water. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but no more than 18 hours.

For the actual canning process...
4 C water
1 Tbs. pickling spice
3 C white vinegar (Once you get into canning, you'll be wanting to buy those HUGE jugs of vinegar - both the white and apple cider variety. I always looked at those in the store and wondered who in the H-E-double hockey sticks would need that much vinegar. The answer? You will... if you want to do a lot of canning!)
1/2 C pickling salt
1/8 C granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp mustard seeds(this will be divided later)
1 1/2 Tbs, plus 1 1/2 tsp. dill seed (this will be divided later)
3 cloves of garlic (I use the minced variety that comes in a jar. This will also be divided later.)

Prepare your canner jars and lids. If you need some hints on how to do this, I provided a pretty easy step-by-step in this previous post. Meanwhile, tie your pickling spice into a spice bag or a square of cheese cloth. In a lg. saucepan, combine 4 C water, pickling salt and sugar. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Reduce heat, cover and boil softly for 15 min. Meanwhile, transfer cucumbers to a colander placed over a sink and drain them. Rinse with cool running water, and drain thoroughly. Pack cucumbers into prepared jars, filling to within 1/2 from top of jar. Add 3/4 tsp. mustard seeds, 1/2 Tbs. plus 1/2 tsp dill seed, and one clove of garlic to each jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into hot jar to cover cucumbers, leaving 1/2" head space. Wipe rim. Center lids on jars. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

Places jars back into canner, cover completely with water, cover and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes at a boil. Then, remove canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool and store. Voila! Delicious pickles! Be sure to wait 24 hours before ravenously diving into your pickles.

But, wait! Don't want to eat all of those pickles yourself? How about sharing some with your friends and neighbors? You'll want to pretty those jars up first, though! This is a great way to use up your fabric remnants and assorted scrapbooking supplies.

First, find a circular object that is a couple of inches larger in diameter than the top of your jar. I used this roll of tape... a plate would also work well. Use a fabric marker to trace the circle onto your fabric.



Use pinking shears to cut out the circle of fabric.



Secure the fabric around the top of the jar using a rubber band.



Use a dot of hot glue to secure some ribbon to cover the rubber band.



Then, adorn away with tags, stickers, rub-ons... whatever your heart's desire. And, there you have it... a lovely homemade treat in pretty packaging!



Thanks for joining me today! I haven't quite decided on tomorrow's project yet, but I'm thinking I might share some peeks of my Christmas ornaments I'm making to swap this year (we'll see how much I get done between now and then)! See you tomorrow!

Friday Fill-Ins

It's been a while since I've done Friday fill-ins. So, just for kicks on a Friday...

1. Deployments are not the end of the world. I need to make that my mantra for the next few months. I've done it before, and I'll do it again. Hopefully, this one will be a little easier.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I miss Seattle. Rain always makes me think of Seattle. It will be the best day of my life when Bryan retires and we can move back.

3. Cupcakes taste so good! I just ordered these pretties from Bake It Pretty. They will be making their debut as teacher/neighbor/cheerleading coach gifts this Christmas. A beautifully decorated cupcake, wrapped up in a wee little cupcake box, topped off with a handmade chocolate lollipop. So fun! Now, I just need to find the perfect cupcake recipe...



4. Sometimes, putting others first is not the best plan. Admittedly, I am a people-pleaser. I always have been. My children, my husband, my parents... but, as I get older, I realize that sometimes it is necessary to do something nice for yourself. Don't worry so much about making everyone else happy all the time.

5. New Mexico is breathtaking, really. In my opinion, it is the prettiest place in the United States. The colors, the culture, the landscape... If you've never been before, I highly recommend going!

6. Well, maybe there is a chance that Bryan will be home for Hazel's first day of school. Their deployment might have gotten pushed back a wee bit. Small, reserved *yay*!

7. And as for the weekend, today I'm looking forward to making red pepper jelly. Actually, I already did that with some beautiful peppers from my garden. Can't wait to try it!



Tomorrow my plans include celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday (she is flying in tonight for a weekend visit).

And Sunday, I want to (make that NEED to) weed my flower beds!

That's it for me. I gotta' get ready to go pick my MIL up in Raleigh. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with some Pink Paislee peeks. You won't want to miss out!

can it. (Part 2)

So, when I bought my cucumber seeds this year, they didn't have pickling cucumbers. I ended up having to buy some garden variety cucumbers instead. But, I remembered going to a friend's grandmother's house when I was younger and having pickled cucumbers. VERY different from pickles... they were very light, crisp, refreshing. They didn't have a heavily pickled taste or color about them. Try as I might to find a similar recipe, I couldn't. Instead, I decided to slice my regular cucumbers up and try a traditional pickle recipe from the book I mentioned in the previous post. The results were delicious tasting, but lacked crispness. When you add them to a burger or a sandwich, the sogginess goes virtually undetected. However, they aren't that great straight from the jar. They're pretty to look at, though...



I've heard about an additive called "Pickle Crisp" that can be thrown into the recipe to help retain the crispness. However, I can't find it in any of the stores around here. I'm planning on ordering some off the internet, and trying the recipe again. But, like I said... the pickles TASTE delicious! So, I'll share my spin on the recipe.

In the book, the recipe calls for quite a large quantity of cucumbers. My recession garden is small, folks. The cucumber plants are prolific, but not THAT prolific. I had 5 large cucumbers to work with, so here's how I broke the ingredient quantities down (approximately half the original recipe).

1 1/2 Tbs pickling spice (available at most grocery stores in the spice aisle)
2 C cider vinegar
2 C water
1/2 C, plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
1/4 C pickling salt (available at WalMart with the canning supplies)
3 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 1/2 tsp dill seeds (available in grocery stores with WELL-STOCKED spice aisles)
5 lg cucumbers
3 pint-sized canning jars (wide-mouthed version if possible)

I thought it would make life a whole lot simpler if I bought a mandolin to slice the cukes quickly. You know that saying, "You get what you pay for?" Well, that holds totally true in the world of mandolins. I bought an Oneida one for $39.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. Oneida is a fairly reliable brand. I didn't think I needed to invest in one of the spendier $89.99+ versions from Kitchen Aide. Wrong. DO NOT buy the Oneida version. Not unless vegetable mash is your desired result...



That thing was a total piece of junk. I ended up slicing my cucumbers by hand. So, away we go with the recipe...

Prepare jars and lids according to these instructions. You don't need to go so far as the sterilization part, though. Since these pickles will process longer than 10 minutes, it isn't necessary.

Cut the cucumbers into 1/4"-thick slices.



Tie pickling spice into a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.





In a large saucepan (preferable stainless steel), combine vinegar, next 3 ingredients and the spice bag. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes.

Now, it's time to can. Place 1 bay leaf, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 1/2 tsp dill seeds into each jar. Pack cucumbers (and the DO mean PACK them in there... as many as you can cram... stuff them down the sides of the jar too) within 1/2" from the top of the jar. They mean from the very top edge of the jar... not just where the mouth starts to bottleneck. Place that funnel from the canning utensil kit in the previous post on top of each jar before ladling the hot pickling liquid in. Cover the cucumbers, but still leave that 1/2" space from the top of the jar. Remove the air bubbles (there's a tool for that in the canning kit too), and adjust headspace by adding more liquid if necessary. Wipe the rim of the jar. Center lid on the jar; screw band down until finger-tight.

Place jars in canner/pressure cooker (or large soup pot), ensuring they are completely covered by water over an inch from the tops of the jars. Put a lid on your pot. This is where a pressure cooker comes in really handy. I'm told it isn't good to keep removing the lid to check if the water is boiling. But, pressure cookers have devices that allow you to know exactly when boiling point has been reached. Anyhow, bring the water to a boil, and process for 15 minutes in the boiling water. Remove the pot from heat, remove the pot lid, and wait for the cans to cool for 5 minutes. Then, use those tongs (trust me, you'll want them) to remove the cans from the pot. Set them on a flat surface in your kitchen away from direct sunlight.

Here's something that was left out of the recipe, but that I later learned. It's best for the canned pickles to sit in one place for 24 hours. This allows the jars to seal properly. So, don't pick them up, shake them around, poke on the tops of the jars. Just don't. You could ruin all your work if those jars don't seal properly for safe food storage. After 24 hours, test the top of the jar. It should be slightly concave, and won't pop in when you apply pressure. If they aren't sealed properly (mine were all perfectly fine), you can reprocess them in the heat bath for 15 minutes. However, be aware that it WILL affect the quality.

Otherwise, pop the top and enjoy some delicious pickles! Be sure to refrigerate after opening, and store any jars you'll be saving for later in a cool, dark place.

The kiddos might think they're cute...

But, these little guys are a pain in my butt!



I feel like Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh because, seriously, these guys touch NOTHING but my carrots. Every other morning, I spend about 20 minutes diligently picking tons of these fellas off the stalks of my carrots. Keeping in mind that this is a totally organic garden (not even a fertilizer other than composted soil has touched my precious veggies), any suggestions? I refuse to use any type of pesticide, and was hoping someone would have an organic solution. I haven't had time to do much online research right now, so any ideas would be helpful. My dad suggested trying some BT (bacillus thuringiensis... try saying that 5 times fast), but I can't find it ANYWHERE. We went to a ton of nurseries, Lowe's, and Home Depot yesterday. Nothing. And, since we're leaving for Disney World in a few days, I don't have time to order off the internet right now. So, the search for a solution continues...

My other veggies are doing splendidly! Tons of cucumbers...



A few green beans (not enough to do anything with yet), lots of little bell peppers starting, tons of tomatoes that are nearly ripe, banana and jalapeno pepper plants that are getting bigger everyday, green onions, and 3 measly pieces of okra that are plugging right along. I have to say, I am enjoying this vegetable gardening thing immensely! I've done flower gardening for years, but this is insanely more rewarding. I'm hoping to have Bryan build me a second raised bed before he deploys in a couple of months. I want more, more, more! And, I'm thinking of adding some fruit trees and blackberry bushes soon. YUM!

Well, I'm busy, busy, busy with creative deadlines over the next few days before we leave for Disney. So, I'll leave you with some Label Tulip sneaks for now. I'll be back to share more soon!

*home grown*

Had I known the simple fact that we grew it ourselves, would inspire Hazel to eat a salad (and actually ask for another the next day)... I would have started growing my own vegetable garden years ago! The only unfortunate part is that it's a rather slow process growing all of those delicious veggies. So far, the only thing that has been ready to consume has been the romaine lettuce. But, let me tell you... those lettuce heads are HUGE! Enough to make grilled chicken Caesar salads for well over a week. Hopefully, it won't be long before we have some other veggies ripe for the pickin'! I even picked up a book on canning and preserving. Now all I have to do is purchase a canner, pick out some recipes, and wait... not. so. patiently.

Other happenings over our extended Memorial Day weekend...

* All-American white picket fence around the front yard: nearly finished.

* A fun little potluck birthday party at some new friends' house. For which, I fixed these. If you like spicy food, I really recommend you try this recipe. It is DELISH! And, it's a very flavorful kind of spicy... not just hot for the sake of being hot.

* A new truck! Our Jeep was getting on in years, and Bryan wanted me to have a more reliable vehicle to drive while he's deployed later this year. So, he bought me a fab new 2009 F-150! I never thought I'd own a truck and actually L.O.V.E. it!

* Getting settled back into the house after my 10 day trip to Alaska. Why does it always take so long to get unpacked and resettled? Probably because I'm chasing around 2 small children all the while.

That's about it, but it was certainly enough to keep us more than busy!