Candied Jalapenos

My youngest daughter was working at a local antique store that sold canned food for gifts. One was candied jalapenos. My daughter loved them so much she was eating a jar a day. So in self defense, I started work on developing a recipe. That was more than 25 years ago and the recipe is still a hit. We love it on a cracker with cream cheese then topped with one or more slices of jalapenos. You can also serve on a log of cream cheese with crackers or crisp bread. Enjoy!

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Candied Jalapenos

Great served over cream cheese on a cracker
Course Appetizer, Party Food, Relish, Snack
Cuisine Tex Mex
Keyword jalapenos
Servings 5 one cup jars
Author stevens1951

Equipment

  • 1 water bath canning pot
  • 5 one cup jars with lids and rings
  • 1 stainless steel dutch oven or pot
  • 1 set canning equipment lifter, canning funnel, magnetic lid lifter, ladle
  • 1 large tong

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds jalapeno peppers or a combination of peppers firm and washed
  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 6 cups white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp celery seed
  • 3 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp cayenne optional

Instructions

  • Sterilize jars and lids by placing in a large pot and boiling for 10 minutes.
  • Following water bath canning instructions, insert the wire rack in the bottom, add water and heat to a simmer.
  • Slice peppers and place in stainless steel pot.
  • Add all ingredients except sugar and cook 10 minutes until peppers are tender.
  • Add sugar and stir over low heat until dissolved.
  • Using tongs, empty water out of one jar and place on towel covered tray. Insert canning funnel into jar and fill with peppers to the bottom of the rim. Continue same process with remaining jars.
  • Cook remaining syrup for 5 minutes. Pour over peppers filling the jar up to 1/2 inch from the top.
  • Wipe top of jar rims with damp paper towel to remove all pepper residue and sugar that would prevent sealing. Use magnetic lid lifter or tongs to place a lid and band on top of each jar. Screw on band hand tight.
  • Using lifter, place each jar in the canner. Add hot water to cover the jars. (I use the water for sterilizing the jars.) Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
  • TTurn off heat and leave in water for 5 minutes. Remove with lifter and place on towel covered tray to cool. The lids will pop and seal as they cool. Allow to cool overnight.
  • Make labels for jars and store at room temperature.

Notes

I like to dress up my jars by making Avery Labels at avery.com.   The labels shown are Avery 22855. 
I weigh out my peppers and adjust the recipe accordingly.
For precise instructions on water bath canning, follow instructions at https://www.freshpreserving.com/blog?cid=water-bath-canning

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    You’re Da Bomb! Chocolate Bomb, That Is

    Chocolate Bombs ready to package

    Chocolate Bombs are all the rage for holiday gift giving and I wanted to do something different for Valentine’s Day. Once you assemble the ingredients and equipment, these are actually relatively easy. There are plenty of instructions on the internet on making chocolate bombs.Being the purist that I am, I suggest using a high grade couverture chocolate instead of chocolate coating.Here is the link I used here. No need to re-invent the wheel.

    I used Nestle’s White Chocolate Chips for the topping. Just melt them and place in a plastic decorators bag and cut off the tip end. After piping a swirl of chocolate, sprinkle with Valentine Sprinkles followed with a pinch of Disco Dust for bling. I noticed on a couple of the bombs the seams were not sealed so I piped a line of white chocolate to seal them. No need for perfection, they will look great and the recipient will love them..

    Chocolate Bombs were placed in a clear bag and tied with a ribbon.

    I printed a round tag with instructions and cut out with a 2 inch scalloped punch. There are plenty of free tags online or you could make your own.

    The birdhouse was uploaded from Canvasworkspace and printed with my Scanncut. This step is totally unnecessary, but I wanted a box for the extra protection in mailing.

    A tag for the Chocolate Bomb was a bird template from Scanncut
    All the bird houses with chocolate bombs inside and ready to mail!

    This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no cost to you. Products are examples of what I own or what I recommend in order to help you make the best choice for you. Thank you for your support.

    https://amzn.to/3jzSwSJ

      For more on melting chocolate and making cluster candy with the leftovers, access my post on Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

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      Chili

      Visiting a local grocery store, I noticed they had suet in their meat counter. It immediately reminded me of a recipe that was given to me by Paula Bruce in the early 1970’s. The recipe was her paternal grandmother’s and it was Chili. The suet might turn most people off, but I know that the fat trimmed from the beef carcass is loaded with flavor and I wanted that in my chili. The suet doesn’t have to be consumed. I chill the chili after making and the fat becomes hard and easy to lift off leaving that fabulous flavor. The recipe is simple and makes a lot good for freezing or canning. Thanks Paula for sharing the recipe (mine is dated 1973) and for allowing me to share with others. Enjoy!

      • Browned bread slices
        Browned bread slices
      • Cooking suet
        Cooking suet
      • Browning beef
        Browning beef
      • Fresh chili powder
        Fresh chili powder
      • Canned Chili ready for quick meals
        Canned Chili ready for quick meals
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      Chili

      Course Main Course
      Cuisine American
      Keyword chili fixin’s, cool weather food
      Prep Time 1 hour
      Cook Time 30 minutes
      Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

      Equipment

      • large pot

      Ingredients

      • 1 1/2 pounds suet ask butcher
      • 4 pounds ground beef
      • 2 ounces Mexene Chili Powder homemade recipe follows
      • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
      • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 1/2 teaspoon comino seed
      • 6 slices white bread
      • 2 1/2 quarts boiling water

      Instructions

      • Fry out 1 1/2 pounds of suet in large pot. Remove browned meat leaving fat.
      • Add ground meat and cook until brown.
      • Add chili powder, garlic powder and salt.
      • Brown comino see in skillet. Roll or grind to a powder. Add to meat.
      • Dry six slices of bread in the oven. Grate in a food processor and add to meat.
      • Add 2 1/2 quarts of boiling water and leet simmer 30 minutes.
      • Test for seasonings and add to taste.
      • Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate. When completely cool, remove hardened fat from surface, reheat and serve.

      Notes

      Removing the fat reduces the calories yet the flavor still remains. 
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        Cranberry Relish- Cooked and Fresh: two recipes!

        Fresh cranberries are only available in the fall for Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s why I freeze fresh cranberries to use all year long.

        Just this week I had a request for Stevens Catering Cranberry Relish Salad, a dish often served at our events and especially at Thanksgiving. The recipe comes from Earlene Moore and you can find many recipes at her website at Earlenescakes.com.

        The cooked recipe I developed in self defense. I was buying so much of it at a local store that I decided I needed to develop a recipe. It is pretty much the same as other cooked recipes except I omitted the spices called for and added turmeric and jalapeno pepper. It was a hit and it is great over cream cheese served with crackers. We served it with dressing balls as an appetizer.

        Enjoy both recipes at Thanksgiving and Christmas as a side to Turkey and Dressing.

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        Fresh Cranberry Relish Salad

        Recipe inspired by Earlene Moore http://www.earlenescakes.com
        Course Relish, Salad
        Cuisine American
        Keyword Christmas, cranberries, salad dressing, Thanksgiving

        Equipment

        • Food processor or grinder

        Ingredients

        • 1 pound frozen cranberries
        • 2 each apples large, cored
        • 1 each orange omit seeds
        • 1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
        • 1 cup sugar
        • 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped

        Instructions

        • Chop cranberries, apples and orange in the food processor. Place in bowl.
        • Add pineapple, sugar and pecans.
        • Mix ingredients well and refrigerate overnight before serving.

        Notes

        Add fresh chopped jalapeno if you want to add a little kick. 
        Relish will keep well for several days in the refrigerator or months in the freezer. 
        Great for breakfast with toast or as a side dish at any meal. 
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        Hot Cranberry Relish

        Not only great with Dressing but as as appetizer with cream cheese and crackers.
        Course Relish
        Cuisine American
        Keyword cranberries, jalepeno
        Author Sarah Stevens

        Ingredients

        • 4 cups cranberries fresh
        • 1 1/2 cups water
        • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
        • 3 cups sugar
        • 1 teaspoon turmeric
        • 1/4 pound fresh jalapeno seeds removed and chopped fine

        Instructions

        • Wash and drain cranberries; set aside. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan; add cranberries and pepper.
        • Cook over moderate heat until cranberry skins pop. Reduce heat and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.
        • Cool and place in jars. Will keep in refrigerator for the entire holiday season.

        This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no cost to you. Products are examples of what I own or what I recommend in order to help you make the best choice for you. Buy the best food processor you can afford. I burned up a lot of them before I invested in a heavy duty model that has a stainless steel shaft that holds the blade. Thank you for your support.

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