Candied Jalapenos

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup fresh jalape�o peppers -- sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Green food coloring -- optional

Directions:

Combine jalape�o slices, sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until jalape�os are cooked and liquid has boiled down to a thick syrup. Remove from heat and add 1 drop green food coloring, if desired, to tint syrup. Place in a clean jar and refrigerate.


Version 2 - 
Candied Jalapenos

These are awesome! I served them with Ritz crackers and cream cheese

• 4 lbs fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
• 2 lbs onions, diced
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 6-8 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger

1. Slice jalapenos into thin slices and dice onions(I would suggest a pair of rubber gloves for handling jalapenos. Personal experience.do not touch your face!) Remove some of the seeds to make this less hot. Place in pan with water and vinegar, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minute or until tender.(Do not breathe fumes) Pour off most of the water and vinegar mixture, add the sugar and spices. Bring to soft candy temperature to completely dissolve sugar, about 10 minute Place boiling mixture into clean, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps.

Version 3

Jalapeno Sweeties

(Candied Jalapenos)

4 lbs fresh jalapeno peppers sliced
2 lbs onion, diced bite size chunks
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
6 to 8 cups sugar
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger

Slice Jalapenos into thin slices and dice the onions. ( I suggest wearing rubber gloves while handling the jalapenos and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE!

Place jalapenos in pan with water and vinegar. Bring the pan to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer unitl tender (about 10 minutes.) Remove the lid from the pan carefully and do not breath fumes. Pour off the water and vinegar.

Add the sugar and spices, bring to soft candy temperature to completely disolve the sugar.

Place boiling mixture into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Put on caps and place rings on loosely.

Tighten the rings, once the jars are completely cooled.

4 - Simple Candied Jalapeño Peppers


• 4 Jalapeño Peppers, cut into rings
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-2 cups water

Cooking Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add sugar and water.
2. Heat over low heat until the mixture forms a syrup.
3. Add jalapeno slices and heat 3-4 minutes.
4. Remove the jalapenos and allow to cool.
5. Repeat by adding the pepper slices to the syrup until the jalapeno peppers are thickly candied.
6. Cool and serve!

5 - Candied Jalapenos

This makes a very tasty and spicy addition to almost any meal.
Ingredients

• 8-10 jalapeno peppers, sliced
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• green food coloring

Cooking Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add sugar, vinegar, dry seasonings and 1 cup water.

2. Heat over low heat until the mixture forms a syrup. Add more water if syrup is too thick.

3. Add 1-2 drops food coloring, if desired.

4. Add jalapeno slices and heat 3-4 minutes.

5. Remove the jalapenos and allow to cool.

6. Repeat by adding the pepper slices to the syrup until the jalapeno peppers are thickly candied.

7. Cool and serve!

Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

 Ingredients

• 12 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh dill weed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon pickling spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dill seed
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 4 sprigs fresh dill weed

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, water, vinegar, chopped dill, sugar, garlic, salt, pickling spice, dill seed, and red pepper flakes. Stir, and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, until the sugar and salt dissolve.

2. Remove the cucumbers to three 1 1/2 pint wide mouth jars, placing 4 cucumbers into each jar. Ladle in the liquid from the bowl to cover. Place a sprig of fresh dill into each jar, and seal with lids. Refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Use within 1 month.

I halved the sugar because I like more of a tart and garlicky pickle--wonderful!

I made a batch of these pickles and everyone I gave then to really like the pickles. But you need to cut back on the sugar. I made a double batch of brine and I only used 2 Tbs of sugar and I also used jarred jalapeno pepper in place of red pepper flakes. I used about 7 or 8 jalapeno slices per jar, You can do anything you want for the heat.

To sum it all up, we have eaten two jars of these pickles in only six days!! Yum! I added sliced onions, extra red pepper, used more vinegar than the recipe callled for and used pickling salt instead of regular coarse salt. I also sliced the cucumbers instead of pickling them whole so we could use them on sandwiches too. They stayed SO crispy!!

Bread and Butter Pickles

Adapted from The Dispatch Kitchen

Big important note, especially if you are unfamiliar with bread and butter pickles: these babies are sweet! So very sweet! So sweet that I thought that the sugar level was a typo but sure enough, every other recipe I found listed sugar amounts in cups. Ayee. This one only called for one but I reduced my batch to 3/4 of a cup for a bread-and-butter pickle we find on par with the level of sweetness you expect from them. As in, it is probably “correct”. But, I will still reduce it to a 1/2 cup next time, to accommodate my taste preference, as you should adjust it to yours.

I also reduced the turmeric, which seemed like way too much, and added celery seed, because I like it with pickles.

Makes 4 cups of pickles, filling a 1-quart jar

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick — “pickling” or kirby cucumbers work best here
• 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Kosher salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (see note above)
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature for two hours. In a pot, bring sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers and onions. Add to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. You can store the pickles in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the fridge. They will begin tasting pickled in just a couple hours.

But how about something a little crunchy, a little sweet to accompany that burger. It’s the kind of thing you might only know about from a jar, which means that you probably pass them over at picnics without a second thought. It’s the kind of thing you might not have thought to make at home. 

I had a bag of kirby cucumbers I’d picked up at the market this week for my husband who loves to snack on them.

And they’re so good! They taste like the kind you can buy but that much better — crunchier and wonderfully spiced.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 serrano chile peppers, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 cups water

Directions
1. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

**I put all the ingredients in a blender first and blended it all together. and then cooked the recipe for about 15 min. if you do it this way you do not have to add any water, it makes it's own juices, and comes out just right, not to thick and not to thin (trust me) i did add 2 poblano chile's insted of the other. and i added the juice of 1 lime(really makes a difference)i did add 2 chicken bouillion cubes while cooking, it came out the best fresh salsa that i have had in a long time


I think i might make my own salsa with my tomatoes and can them. I might make this to can and change the water to vinegar. Where I got this recipe tried it and it turned out great, made enough to can 9 pints.

Pickled Okra

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh okra
• 3 dried red chile peppers
• (or jalapenos)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 teaspoons dried dill
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 tablespoons salt

Directions

1. Divide the fresh okra evenly between 3 sterile (1 pint) jars. Place one dried chile, and one teaspoon of dill into each jar.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Pour over the ingredients in the jars, and seal in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

From Country Living

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon(s) finely chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoon(s) roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon(s) roughly chopped fresh oregano
• 4 cup(s) (about 4) roughly chopped red and yellow tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon(s) pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 3/4 pound(s) tagliatelle pasta
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Directions

1. Combine the shallots, garlic, mint, oregano, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil together in a large bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

2. Prepare the pasta according to package directions, drain, and toss with the tomato mixture.

3. Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper over the dish, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and serve immediately.
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Tips & Techniques
Organize by first washing all herbs and vegetables. Chop in the order listed, rinsing the cutting board only after chopping is complete .

Dill Pickles

Yummy ~ Homemade Dill Pickles takes me right back to being a kid!  Aunt Eunice and Aunt Ada canned everything and it was so GOOD!!

7 wide-mouth quart jars, lids, & rings
Bunch of Fresh Dill (heads, and several inches of stems)
Cucumbers (washed and scrubbed)
1 garlic clove (or more) for each jar

BRINE:

8 1/2 cups water
2 1/4 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup pickling salt

DIRECTIONS:

GET ALL OF THIS GOING BEFORE YOU START FILLING JARS!

Wash jars in hot soapy water, or in dishwasher, rinse and fill with HOT water.  Set aside.

Fill canning lettle half-full with HOTTEST tap water and set on your burner over high heat.

In a medium saucepan, fit lids and rings together, cover with water and bring to a simmer.  In a large saucepan, bring water, vinegar and salt to boil.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

TO FILL JARS:

Place a layer of dill at the bottom of each jar, along with one garlic clove, then tightly load the cucumbers into the jar to the neck of the jar.  Squeeze the cucumbers into the jars TIGHT.  It works best if they are all fairly the same size.  Add a few tiny sprigs of dill at the top. 

Once the jars are loaded, pour the brine in the jar, leaving 1/2 " head space at top.  Add lids and rings to each jar, and tighten evenly.

Place jars into the canner with water just to the necks of the jars.  Bring water almost to a boil, then remove to a dish towl on the kitchen counter.  Cover with another dish towel let cool.  Check for seal indentions, label jars or lids.  Stor in a cool dark place. 

** When washing the cucumbers, seperate in piles of similar size.  This will be helpful when packing the jars and looks nicer too!