Monday, December 17, 2012

Sweet Pepper Relish and Jalapeno Relish

Texans loves hot, spice, Tex-Mex, Jalapenos and Chutneys!
We love Salsa's of any kind.
We have stores dedicated to Salsa.
There are hundreds of varieties.

12 Red Bell Peppers , chopped
12 Green Bell Peppers, chopped
3 Large Onions, chopped
1 quart of white vinegar
2 C sugar
1 1/2 TBS salt

I add a few Jalapenos that are Julienned.

Place peppers in a saucepan and cover them with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.
Drain and repeat for 10 minutes.
Drain again
Add onions

In another pan, boil for 5 minutes:
Vinegar
Sugar
Salt

Add peppers and onion mixture to the vinegar and cook on medium heat until it boils again.
Store in canning jars in the refrigerator.



Jalapeno Relish:
This is another Best of the Best Recipes!

1 lb. Jalapenos
1 Medium Onion, 1/2 lb.
 4 Medium Carrots, 1/2 lb.
1 Large Red Pepper, stemmed and seeded
3 1/2 C Sugar
2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBS Mustard Seeds
1 TBS Dill Seeds

Cut Jalapenos in half,seed them and julienne into 1/4" strips
Clean and julienne remaining vegetables

Combine Sugar and Vinegar in a stainless steel stockpot over medium heat and cook until the Sugar is dissolved completely.
Add Vegetables and bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, until it begins to thicken.
Add Spices & continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes.
Remove
Cool to room temperature
It will continue to thicken as it cools
Drain most of the liquid and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Keeps up to two weeks refrigerated
May be canned and stored for future use.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!






Imagine Peace!

Love Each Other
Be Kind
Say Your Prayers
Serve Others
Be Joyful
Tell The Truth
Have Faith
Give Thanks
Forgive
Be Patient
Imagine Peace!



Sunday, December 16, 2012

Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted Root Vegetables

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 400 degree oven
1 - Large Roasting Pan

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and wedged
8-12 Slender Carrots, peeled, whole
8-12 Baby Turnips, peeled, whole
8-10 Fingerling Potatoes, cleaned, skins on, cut in half lengthwise
4 Large Parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally into 1" slices
3 Medium Onions, peeled and quartered
3-4 Large Beets, peeled and wedged
1 Whole Garlic head, cloves separated and un peeled
3 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Coarse Sea Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil

Place all vegetables in the pan
Drizzle generously with Olive Oil, toss by hand to coat evenly
Season with salt and pepper

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour (stir occasionally), until all the vegetables are tender

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!





Vegetable Casserole


Vegetable Casserole:

350 degree oven
6-8 quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole
or, whatever covered oven proof pan you have that will hold all of the vegetables and broth.

2 onions,cut into wedges
3 carrots, roughly cut
3 stalks of celery,roughly cut
1 LB. Sweet Potatoes,( or Russet Potatoes if you absolutely do not eat Sweet Potatoes), roughly cut into cubes
2 pints of Vegetable Broth
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 leeks, roughly sliced
1 1/2 C Pearl Barley
2 tsp dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

2 TBS coarsely chopped parsley for garnish

In the Casserole, on the stove:
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Sweet Potatoes
Vegetable Broth
Bring to a boil

Add :
Garlic
Leeks
Barley
Sage
Salt
Pepper

Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Serve with thick slices of Country French Bread and Butter.

Enjoy
Peace in the Kitchen!



Rum Coffee Cake


Rum Coffee Cake

Here's what you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1 - Bundt Pan brushed well with Pan Release Mix. (equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil and Flour)  I start with 1 C of each mixed well and refrigerated in a jar. I always have it available for all of my baking needs. It's a foolproof release mix.


1 box of yellow cake mix
1 small box of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
4 eggs
1/2 C Dark Rum
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C water
1 C chopped pecans ( you could use Walnuts, but..... we use Pecans in Texas)

Glaze:
1/4 C Dark Rum
1 stick of butter
1 C sugar

In a large bowl, combine:
Cake mix
Pudding mix
Rum
Eggs
Oil
Water

Pour batter into the pan.
Sprinkle the top with pecans

Bake 45 minutes

Just before the cake is done, prepare the glaze.

In a saucepan on medium high heat:
Butter
Sugar
Rum
constantly stirring until it comes to a soft rolling boil.

Remove from heat and set  aside.

As soon a s the cake is done, pour on the glaze.
Let it stand for at least 2 hours so the glaze can seep into the cake.

Remove the cake onto a plate, invert again onto another plate with the glazed side up.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


Easy Morning Coffee Cake

Early Morning Coffee Cake:

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
1 - 9" X 13" baking dish brushed well with Pan Release Mix. (equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil and Flour) I start with 1 C of each mixed well and refrigerated in a jar.  I always have it available for all of my baking needs.


1 box of yellow cake mix
8 ounces of sour cream
4 eggs
3/4C vegetable il
1 C packed brown sugar
1 TBS cinnamon
2 C powdered sugar
4 TBS heavy cream ( you could use whole milk, but heavy cream is..... decadent!
1 TBS vanilla ( I always say, don't hold back, use the good stuff)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk by hand:
Cake mix
eggs
oil
sour cream

Pour half the batter into the pan

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.
Sprinkle over the batter

Carefully spread the other half of the batter over the top

Use a fork to swirl the batter.
Bake 40 minutes

Combine :
Powdered Sugar
Heavy Cream
Vanilla.

Ice the cake and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the kitchen!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Stump De Noel !

I just baked in  the most detailed Nordic Cake Pan I have ever baked in. It released perfectly because I use a Pan Release Recipe that I got when I took a Wilton Cake Decorating Class in 1990. I have used it since then and it never fails.

Mix together equal parts of:
Vegetable oil
Crisco
Flour

Mix well and store in a jar in the refrigerator.