Cowgirl Candy

My new love is sweet/spicy. It used to just be salty, but now...oh man...this whole venture into canning has been so much fun and I've loved the things that I've made. The strawberry jalapeno jam, the raspberry habanero sauce, these lovely little gems that I nicknamed cowgirl candy...they all taste great on a cracker with cream cheese, by themselves, even on a grown up PB&J...mmmmm

The original recipe for the candied jalapenos was from one of the food blogs that I follow, Foodie With Family. (here's the link) I originally posted the link to this recipe on my facebook page long before I even made them - it was spring and there weren't any peppers at the market yet...I had a gazillion comments from people that wanted a jar and so when August finally rolled around, I bought out all the peppers from my favorite hippy farmer, much to his amazement (and happiness!)

They were a cinch to make, which was really the loveliest part. Canning is so simple that I can't believe I was ever afraid to try it! I love preserving the flavors of the summer and really even enjoy giving away half of what I make- although I wish I would've kept a couple more jars of these around.

My jars ended up with a bit of sediment in them, which is what really prevented me from even trying them until I was visiting my sister out of state recently...but after a couple jameson gingers (I'll post her fabulous recipe later), we cracked open the jar and OH MY GOODNESS...devoured the whole thing right there on the spot. SO GOOD.

One of them even turned up looking like a heart...awwww...

So you're probably waiting for the recipe...and so I'll just quit talking about how great these are and post it! (...and then I'm running to the store for wheat thins and cream cheese because now I just want a huge jar of these...)

COWGIRL CANDY:

Yield: About 9 half-pint jars of Candied Jalapenos plus additional jalapeno syrup.

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers, washed2 cups cider vinegar6 cups white granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon turmeric1/2 teaspoon celery seed3 teaspoons granulated garlic1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Slice of the stem ends of all the peppers and then slice each pepper into 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. (You can wear gloves if you like. Personally, I really enjoy forgetting and then later, when I've forgotten that I've been handling hot peppers, rubbing my eyes and then screaming and crying like a baby while my husband just shakes his head...)

2. In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. (Side note, (again), if you're new to canning, like I was this summer, I think there's something to be said along the lines that you can really fit a ton more stuff into jars then you'd think. Pack it in there! It's totally fine!)

3. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil.  Boil hard for 6 minutes. (or maybe longer, like 8 minutes, because I'm sure a kid is screaming about something and you'll get distracted...it's all good)

4. Use a ladle and funnel to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices to within 1/4-inch of the rim.  Insert a cooking chopstick or air bubble tool thingy to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air.  Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

5. Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches.  Bring the water to a full rolling boil.  When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints.  When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack.  Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.  When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label.

Fig and Blue Cheese Bundles...

I always preface a post after a long absence by telling you how busy life has been, how crazy my kids are, or maybe how crazy they've been making me.

This will never change.

If you're new, I'll tell you that I have 4 kids. If you know me, you'll agree with my father when he says that watching all of them is akin to herding cats. 3 boys, 1 teenage girl...enough to make a person crazy, indeed!

I have a bunch of recipes that I've made or taken pictures of tucked away in my camera and desk drawer. My full intention is to start posting something at least once a week. No promises this time. I know you're tired of them...I never seem to be able to be regular with them. 5 posts in a week and then nothing for months.

What can I say, that's how this Mama rolls.

I hosted Bunco at my house in July. It was the day before my birthday and I had decided to go with a tapas theme. I went a little overboard, to say the least. I think I was in the kitchen for maybe 10 hours by the time the party started. The food was good, but 10 hours worth of cooking?!?!?! Like my husband said...is this really worth all the trouble? Well, if you make these fig bundles, I'm sure you'll say YES - YES IT IS.

My mother brought me a package of dried mission figs from Texas when she was here last and I was like...Ohhhh....Figs.

I didn't know if I'd like them or not. I do. I really really do. I also really really hope she starts mailing them to me on a regular basis along with those sun dried tomatoes (hint hint!).

Sorry to those of you that requested this recipe back in July. I've been busy/crazy/lazy and August was NOT a good month. Nor, apparently, was July :)

Without further ado, here they are: (granted, not the best picture, but I promise that they were divine...)

The Stuff That Goes In 'Em!

4 Oz Maytag Blue Cheese (or other high quality blue cheese)

24 dried black mission figs

8 - 6 x 4 slices of thin prosciutto, cut lengthwise in thirds

1/2 package frozen phyllo pastry, thawed

3/4 cut butter, melted

2 cups red wine or port (I didn't have port, nor the inclination to run to the store that day, but by all means...)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp Honey

Prep: (The instructions, not that annoying kid in HS)

1. Cut each of the dried figs in half lengthwise and place in small bowl

2. Bring 2 cups wine to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and pour over halved figs. Let sit 15-20 mn or until you're done with the other stuff and ready to "roll". Drain the wine back into the small saucepan for using later for the sauce/glaze.

3. Spray 2 mini muffin tins with olive oil or other good cooking spray

4. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, (keeping remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out), and brush with melted butter. Top with second phyllo sheet, brush with phyllo, top with 3rd sheet, brush with butter, top with 4th sheet. (You will make 4 sets of these but only do 1 at a time to prevent the dough from drying out)

5. Cut sheet into 1" wide strips, down the short way (I believe they're 8 x 12 sheets, so your strips should be 1" x 8")

6. On each strip, lay a piece of prosciutto, half a fig and a tsp of blue cheese and roll up. Place in mini muffin tin and repeat until all the strips have been used. once the sheet is done, repeat step 3 and 4 with the remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough until all gone.

7. Bake in 375 degree oven about 15 mn or until golden.

8. While baking, make the glaze: in the small saucepan, add the honey and balsamic to the wine and cook down until it resembles a thick syrup. When the bundles have come out of the tins, drizzle with some of the sauce and serve the rest in a small bowl if people want more. Can be served warm or at room temp.

FYI - You can make these vegetarian as well if you just leave out the prosciutto. I did that with quite a few for friends that don't eat meat and they were equally as delicious :)

ENJOY!

Awwwww Nuts!

I hosted Bunco at my house last weekend and did a whole tapas theme. It was a ton of fun and the food was all pretty wonderful but it was a LOT of work. I'll post the recipes/links later this week but I wanted to get the spiced nut recipe up because I know Ms. T wanted to make them!

Thanks ladies for a wonderful evening - it was a fun way to ring in another year of life!

Sweet and Spicy Pecans:
These are based off this recipe from Saveur.
(I made a huge batch, you can cut the recipe in half or leave as is)

8 Tbsp Butter
4 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
4 cups Pecan Halves

3 tsp Worcestershire

2 Tbsp fresh Rosemary or 2 tsp dried

3 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt (more if you use unsalted butter)
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper out on the counter for your nuts to cool on after cooking.
2. Melt butter in large skillet, add pecans and toast, stirring constantly, about 5 mn.
3. Add Worcestershire and stir in completely. Add remaining ingredients and stir, cooking another minute or two.
3. Transfer to parchemnt paper to cool, breaking up large chunks as needed.
4. Try not to eat them all before they're done cooling. They're hot! Oh, and you're supposed to save some for your friends :)

Cranberry Chutney and Brie en Croute!

I had 3 bags of frozen cranberries in my freezer that I had bought last Christmas when I thought that stringing fruit on my tree might be a good idea with a 1 year old in the house. Make that 4 bags (I found one yesterday). Once baby Moo was mobile, I figured that cranberries maybe WEREN'T a good idea - plus all that stringing of popcorn and fruit?!?! WAY more work than I wanted to do around the holidays. We did paper chains instead and put the non-breakable ornaments way up high. The nice ones stayed in the box. Again. Ahhhhh, the joys of kids :)

Anyway - back to the chutney - this is the recipe that we used, slightly adapted. It was good plain, it was excellent in brie en croute and I'm sure it'd be lovely with a roast turkey. Slighty sweet, slightly tart, a cute little jar with jewel flecks running through...beautiful.

Cranberry Chutney:

1/2 med onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2" piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries, coarsly chopped

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 tsp celery seed

1-1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Saute the onion in a little olive oil about 2 mn, add garlic and ginger and sautee an additional 2-3 mn.

Add remaining ingredients and cook until thickened, about 45 minutes.

Fill hot jars with chutney and process 10 mn. Let sit in pot additional 5 mn. 

Cool on counter with towel underneath until completely cooled or overnight .

p.s. Here's what happens when your jars aren't hot before you start putting food in them: The bottom just popped right off and we had chutney floating around in there with our cans...

For the Brie en Crute? EASY and simple appetizer to wow a crowd! Unfortunately I only took the 1 picture, of it in the oven - which turned out horribly and all I can really see here is how disgusting my oven looks with all the fingerprints and baby slobber...but I swear that if you can look past that, you'll see that it's pretty neat :)

1 small wheel brie cheese

1 half pint jar cranberry chutney

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

1 egg

1 Tbsp water

Defrost puff pastry - roll out slightly depending on the size of your brie

On a small baking sheeet, lay out your pastry.

Place the brie wheel in center of pastry, spoon chutney over top and fold pastry up and over the chutney and brie, creating a little "package".

Mix egg and water together to make an egg wash and brush over the top and sides of the pastry.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

A Beautiful Wedding...

I was fortunate enough to be asked to shoot my first wedding in May. Beautiful location, beautiful people. Here are a couple of the photos that the bride picked out for me to share...

I'm a Can-Can Canner! (Spicy Strawberry Jam)

Ok, so I don't REALLY know how to dance the can-can, but I can CAN!


Sorry - I'm done now, I swear...


I applied to be a host through houseparty.com some time ago. I've applied for a bunch and never got chosen and so forgot about it for a while until someone I knew actually got something. So I went back on and applied for the Ball Taste of Summer Party which included a ton of canning supplies including all the tools, a stainless steel bath, pectin, tons of coupons for people, etc. Seriously, I don't care if they ever pick me for anything again, this was the BEST!


I had talked to a couple friends and my grandmother just before getting this so it must've been kismet.


Fast forward to last Friday and my girlfriend and I canned for 5 hours while our boys played. It was so much easier than I ever thought it would be and the results were pretty amazing. We made a strawberry-hot-pepper jam and a cranberry chutney. Both were delicious. Here is the recipe for the jam. It's delicious poured over a brick of cream cheese and eaten with crackers. I'll post the chutney recipe next:

Strawberry Hot Pepper Jam:

• 4 cups crushed strawberries (we put them through the food processor - I don't know if this is wrong to do or not, but it worked. Although I'm told it's why our fruit floated upwards during the settling - anyone know anything about this?)
• 1 cup minced jalapeno peppers or other hot peppers (we did a mix of mostly jalapeno, a couple serrano and a few habanero. It's still not that spicy - next time I would probably use a few more habanero - or a less-sweet fruit)
• 1/4 fresh squeezed lime juice (you can use lemon too - we thought lime would be a little more fun)
• 1 (2oz) pkg powdered fruit pectin
• 6 cups white sugar
• 8 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot or canning bath and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and keep at a boil for processing.


Meanwhile, place the strawberries, peppers, lime juice, and pectin into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, stir in the sugar until dissolved, return to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.

Pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

Carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes in the pot with the heat off.

Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart. Allow to cool overnight.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Thanks to my dear friend Mrs. S, I finally got my hands on some rhubarb. I am probably one of the few people in this great state that don't have it growing in my back yard. For this, I am sad...

I spotted it at the farmers market a few weeks ago but balked at the idea of paying $5 for a small bunch. My friend told me that she was sure she'd seen some in a ditch closer to her boys' daycare so we headed over that way. Turns out it wasn't rhubarb, but this pesky plant. Good thing I didn't chop it up for my pie! Also, good thing there weren't a ton of neighbors around - us crazy girls parked on the side of the road foraging through the underbrush...the things we go through for cooking!

Inspired by this post, I decided to make a crumble pie - I had a leftover pie crust in the freezer and berries were on sale 2 for 1, so I really couldn't go wrong.

I wish I'd shared a picture. I really do. But my camera battery was dead after taking 700+ photos at a wedding only days before and it was gone in less than 12 hours! My husband, who claimed the crumble too sweet, ate a second piece after I'd gone to bed and a 3rd the next morning. When I was brushing my teeth the next morning my 3 and 1 yr old pushed a chair up to the counter and ate the remainder of it straight out of the pie dish.

(side note - I didn't think the topping was too sweet at all - I think the cheap ice cream he bought to go with it was too sweet...but hey, he's the critic, right? Oh wait...no...that's not right...)

I'm going to make another one. I have leftover rhubarb and strawberries are on sale again this week.

I promise I will. And I'll take pictures. For real. And I might even post them.

UPDATE! I remade the pie and took a picture before it was all gone! Woohoo!

For now, you'll just have to live with the recipe:

1 pre-made uncooked pie crust (I used pillsbury - feel free to make your own - it's something I haven't attempted to master yet and I certainly wasn't going to take any chances using the little rhubarb I had)

Filling:
3 cups rhubarb, diced
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch

mix it all up in a bowl and let it sit while you make the crumble

Struesel/Crumble/Sweet crunchy goodness:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (you can leave this out but I think it really adds something...)

1/2 cup butter, REALLY cold, cut up in teeny pieces

Mix all ingredients except butter - cut butter into flour/sugar/oat mixture until it forms crumbly goodness.

Dump the filling into the pie crust
Dump the crumbly goodness on top of that
Dump the pie (ok, don't dump) - GENTLY place the pie in a 400 degree oven for 10 mn. Without opening the oven, lower the temp to 350 and bake another 35 minutes.

Let it cool for a while. Warm pie is good. Hot pie with hot sugar that burns your mouth is NOT good.
Trust me on this one...

Good with ice cream or fresh whipping cream! It's the beginning of the fresh season and I love it!