Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

Never in a million years would I have thought I would like something called Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.  Fortunately for me, I once worked with an awesome woman named Donna.  And she is like Martha Stewart.  She is also more adventurous than I.  And she introduced me to this amazing stuff -- which she had made.  And then she gave me the recipe.

I've been making it most years since 2009.  And I give it away for Christmas gifts.  I have several friends who request it.  It is awesome stuff.

Because I like to make it every year (though it's another one of those things I have a love/hate relationship with...), I usually try to plant my own peppers to put in it.  This year that was the case.  And this year...  My peppers got hot hot hot!  And plentiful!  I had more than enough peppers just from my garden, so I didn't have to supplement with store-bought peppers :).

So this stuff is awesome.  But I said that already.  It's sweet heat.  And delicious.  Especially with cream cheese on Ritz crackers!

And here's the recipe (don't worry, I asked Donna first if I could share it :)).

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
3 large green bell peppers, cored and seeded
20 jalapeno peppers, not seeded
1/3 cup water
2 cups Cider Vinegar
5 lb bag sugar
4 packets liquid Certo (2 boxes)

Wash the peppers.  Remove stem from the jalapenos. Core and seed the bell peppers.

Place all peppers, water and vinegar in food processor or blender and blend.  Strain liquid into a big dutch oven.  Add sugar and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil for 5 minutes over low heat.

Add Certo. bring to boil and cook one minute. Skim top with metal spoon to remove foam. Add a couple drops of green food coloring to achieve a nice color (optional).

Ladle into sterilized jelly jars and seal with paraffin or water-bath according to jelly instructions.  Cool.

Yield: 12  jelly jars

Tips: I use a blender and all the peppers do not fit at one time-- so I have always worked in batches: some peppers and liquid; more peppers more liquid. etc.

Anyway, this stuff is awesome.  I happen to have a large quantity (some from 2012), so if anyone wants to try it out, let me know.  I'm willing to share my extra.  However, the stuff from 2012 is a little less set, because I was trying to skimp on the Certo.   Lesson learned:  don't skimp on that. ;).

Artichoke Mushroom Lasagna

I found this recipe several years ago in a Taste of Home magazine.  I tore it out, knowing it was Monday Meals worthy and that it was right up my alley.  This past week, since the weather cooled off, I fired up my oven and made it for Monday Meals! 

We liked it.  A lot.  Even though my husband says it's "fake" lasagna, since it's not a red sauce.  Whatever.  Red sauce is over-rated.  :).  So if you like mushrooms, cheese, and artichokes, this is totally for you.  If you're weird and don't like any of those things...  Steer clear :).

1 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (14 ounce each) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 cup white wine (I would have used chicken broth, but I omitted because I pre-cooked my lasagna noodles -- see below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups 2% milk
2 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup white wine (I subbed chicken broth)

Assembly:
9 no-cook lasagna noodles (I used regular and pre-cooked them)
4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

Saute mushrooms in butter until tender.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Add the artichokes, wine (broth), salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until liquid is evaporated.

For the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and wine (broth).

Spread 1 cup sauce into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.  Layer with three noodles, 1 2/3 cups sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1 1/3 cups artichoke mixture.  Repeat layers twice.  Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Recipe from Taste of Home April/May 2011.

"Home-Made" Chicken Broth

I am posting this because it's so super easy and yet I never knew I could even do it before my Aunt Sue mentioned it as a possibility and my sister-in-law Gwen told me how she does it.

So this year, after Thanksgiving, you can get a whole bunch of delicious turkey broth.  Or, if you find yourself in a rush for dinner and decide to pick up a Rotisserie Chicken at the grocery store on the way home...  Well, you can have some delicious chicken broth, even when it's not right after Thanksgiving :)!

So here's what you do:

1.  Eat all the meat you want to eat off the bird.

2.  Have your husband pick off all the meat that is still edible (or you can do it, if you don't mind doing that sort of thing ;)).  Keep that meat and either eat it for leftovers or freeze it and use it in a meal later on.

3.  Take your bird carcass (plus any other additives, like the skin) and put it in your crock pot. 

4.  Pour water over carcass, at least until it is covering the carcass.  The more water you add, the more diluted your broth will be.  I usually add enough water so there's at least an inch of water covering the whole carcass.

5.  Turn slow cooker on low.  Let it cook 12 hours.  I typically do this in the evening so it sits there and brothifies all night while I sleep.

6.  After 12 hours, turn off the crock pot.  Using a slotted spoon, pull out all the big pieces of bone, skin, etc and discard.  (If you taste them, you will find there is little to no flavor left -- as my husband). 

7.  Using a strainer (a canning funnel with a strainer attachment works best, but use what you have!), ladle the broth into a container.  I use plastic yogurt containers which I wash and keep -- but if you want to can your broth, you could use mason jars and then pressure can the broth.  I freeze my containers after labeling them with contents and date.

8.  Voila!  You have your own "home-made" chicken broth.

And you just got more bang for your buck out of your bird.  And it's really good broth.

Roasted Buttercup Squash

This year we planted a lot of squash.  Of a lot of different varieties:  crookneck, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, acorn, and buttercup.  Not to be confused with butternut...  I'd never heard of buttercup squash before, but we figured we'd plant it and see what happened.  It's a winter squash. 

Well, we got 2 buttercup squash from our plant.  And the easiest way to eat it is by slicing it in half, roasting it, and adding butter and brown sugar.  So that's just what we did :).

In case you're like me and don't trust yourself to cook without some sort of recipe...  Here's how it goes:

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut squash in half and scoop out and discard pulp and seeds.  Place cut-side down on a baking dish (I covered mine with foil because I have a lazy streak).  Bake for 30 minutes.  Flip over.  Place 1/2 tablespoon butter in each half.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar over meat.  Bake an additional 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

My husband eats the skin...  I don't.  I just eat the flesh stuff inside. 

This is what a buttercup squash looks like.  They aren't particularly large -- this was the larger of the two we got.  I thought it tasted good, but we probably won't plant these again...  We just didn't get as much as we'd hoped we would from the plant.

We served this as a side dish to buffalo chicken pasta salad and garden zucchini cakes.  Because I love those two items :).