Hot pepper jam

Had some pepper jelly a few weeks ago and it left me craving more. I was never (or at least I thought I was never) a fan of the stuff. But after applying a smear of cream cheese to a cracker and topping it with the jelly that one bite left me hooked and I went home in search of how how I could get/make more! The result was better than the first taste I had a few weeks ago! 

1 jar of diced pickled jalapeño  peppers drained

1 diced bell pepper

6 red picked sweet cherry peppers

3 sweet red snacking peppers

1 T butter

1 C apple cider vinegar 

2 C cranberry juice

1 box powder pectin

6 C sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a large pot place all the peppers, butter, cranberry juice and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid in the pot by1/2. As it reduces I used an emersion blender to further chop the peppers. Once reduced add the sugar and let come to a boil again. Now this mixture needs to boil a few minutes and the best way to tell you are reaching jelly stage is to freeze a plate and drip some jam mixture on the plate and if it wrinkles when you scrape your finger across it....kinda gummy consistency then your good! Add in the box of pectin and stir till it dissolves. Then because it wasn't quite the heat I wanted I added the cayenne pepper! You can add as much as you like. I stopped at one full tsp. 

 Now you jar it up just like you would regularly jar jam. I water bath processed mine for 10 minutes and then removed to cool. 

This batch made 7 pints of pepper jelly.

Now the big question is do I want to share?

Grilled Chicken Salad

It's slipping into summer time and and there's nothing better than a good chicken salad but let's go and make that 10x better by making it a grilled chicken salad!

2 leftover large chicken breast
1 rib of celery diced
1tbs of fresh parsley
1/4 C or little less of chopped green onion
1/2 T Salt
1/2 T pepper
1/3 C chopped pecans
1/2 c sliced in halved red seedless grapes
1/4 C mayo
1/3 C sour cream

Shred chicken in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and stir well then let sit overnight in the fridge to let the favors merry together.
Serve on a sandwich or with crackers. You may want to double this recipe because the first batch will go so quickly you will need more!

Greek pasta salad

I feel somewhere deep inside my heritage there has to be some Greek roots. My love for all thing Greek comes through in this pasta salad I mixed up tonight. I rarely make pasta salad....not sure why that is because this turned out so fresh a wonderful that I could eat this all summer long!

1lb spiral shaped pasta

1 lemon ( zest it and juice it and set aside)

1 T fresh oregano chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme
2 green onions chopped

1 T fresh parsley chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped small sundried tomato( not in oil)

1/2 red onion diced small

1 can black olives

1 can chick peas

3oz feta cheese crumbled

4 oz mozzarella cut into mini cubes

2 oz powder Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of newmans Parmesan and roasted garlic dressing 

4 T olive oil

Salt and pepper

Boil pasta in salted water. While pasta boils mix: olive oil, with chopped herbs, green onion, lemon juice, lemon
zest,newmans salad dressing, and garlic in a bowl and set aside.

Drain pasta.

In one large bowl mix pasta, cheeses, chickpeas, black olives, onions, salt and pepper, and sundried tomato. Drizzle the dressing and herbs over the mixture and toss to coat.
Serve or refrigerate for more intense flavor!

Healthy Breakfast muffins

3/4 c of vanilla almond milk

1/4 c of buttermilk

1 smashed banana

1tsp vanilla

1/4 C of honey

3 C of oats (old fashioned)

1/2 C peanut butter

1/4 C mini chocolate chips

1T baking powder 

2 eggs

Mix everything together in one large bowl and stir until well combined. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and place enough batter in each cup to be filled almost to the top.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. just till they have risen and just begin to brown on the edges!
I was able to get 14 very nice sized muffins!

Christmas seafood chowder

I sure enjoy anything with seafood in it. I was inspired this year to try something a little differnt and this was what I came up with! We really enjoyed this rich chowder and I hope your family will too!

3 T butter

3 T bacon grease

1 diced red onion

1 stalk celery cut very small

1 white potato peeled and diced

1 small sweet potato peeled and diced
3 T flour

2 packets of seafood concentrated flavoring

2 cups water

1 tsp thyme 

Salt and paper to taste

1 can of minced clam in clam juice

1/2 C fresh crab meat

1 lb peeled deveined large shrimp cut into haves

4 oz. of fresh white fish ( I used tilapia)
1/2 cup of  creamed corn
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups of half and half
Minced fresh parsley
In a very large soup pot put the butter and bacon grease. Turn up to about medium heat and add the onions, celery and let simmer till soft. Throw in cubed potatoes. Stir and let sauté for about 5 min. Add the seafood concentrate,water, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Let simmer about 10
minutes till potatoes are soft. Add the entire contents of the minced clams can, the shrimp, the fish and the crab meat and stir then cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the creamed corn. Stir and break up fish into the soup. Pour in the heavy cream and half and half then turn down to low. Let soup warm through but do not boil it. I let mine sit for 20 minutes on low and let the Cajun crawfish cornbread bake!
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve hot!

Merry christmas and may you and yours  be blessed in the new year!

Cajun crawfish cornbread

You could make a meal on this stuff alone!

1 stick of butter melted but cool

1 small red onion diced small

1 small bell pepper diced small

1 can of green chillies

1 lb of crawfish tails

1 cup sharp shredded cheddar( I also added 1/2 cup of chipotle cheddar cut in small cubes, found it at target)

1/2 cup sweet corn

1 good pinch cayenne

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup yellow corn meal

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a very large bowl, put the first 10 ingredients and stir to combine. Add the eggs and buttermilk stir 

and add the rest of your ingredients and stir to combine well. Pour into a large buttered and hot cast iron skillet and bake almost 28 minutes. Remove from oven when golden on top then slice, butter, and enjoy!

Pizz-tastic pizza pasta (crockpot)

Believe it or not this is cooked in a crockpot! It is a genius idea to add to this dish to you crockpot meals for those busy week nights! You can add whatever toppings you like on your pizza but this is how we did it.

12oz box of veggie pasta ( I used a bertolli tomato and carrot penne. But really 12 oz. of any pasta will do)

8oz block of mozzarella cheese shredded plus maybe some Parmesan 

1 med bell pepper diced

1 med onion diced
Handful of black olives

1 small package of mushrooms sliced

2 jars of Bertolli tomato Basil jar sauce

1 package of pepperoni

1/2 lb of ground sausage ( I used half a roll of Bryan mild)

1/2 lb of ground chuck

Few dashes of Italian seasoning

Get out your crock pot and set on low. Drizzle one jar of sauce over pasta. Run 4 tablespoons of water in the jar and shake it. Pour that back into the crockpot. Brown your meats one at the time and mix together then drizzle over the sauce and pasta. In the pan you browned the meat in sauté the mushrooms, onions, peppers till just a little soft. Sprinkle over the meat and then add 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella and spread out a few pepperoni on top. Drizzle the next jar of sauce on top and add water again to jar and shake it up and pour into crockpot. Top with lots of mozzarella cheese....maybe a little Parmesan. Spread out the pepperoni on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Set crockpot on low for 5-6 hours.