Don't Be A Hero Pickled Peppers

Someone at work brought in 3 huge bags of hot peppers.

I dried all of the red ones and then pickled the rest.

These pickles are not for me!

They are too HOT!

They will be gifts.

*wink*

Don't Be A Hero Pickled Peppers

3 lbs peppers

6 cups vinegar

2 cups water

Combine vinegar and water in a large saucepot.

Bring mixture to a boil.

Pack peppers into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Ladle hot liquid over peppers, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles.

Adjust 2-piece caps.

Process 10 mins in a boiling water canner.

Yay! for free vegetables!

Lunch With Grandma

I visited my Grandma last week.

She gave me a cute brown sweater that she had knitted

and cooked a wonderful lunch.

The main meal was Tater Crust Tuna Pie, mashed potatoes and green beans.

It was so yummy!

Tater Crust Tuna Pie

Crust: 1 cup flour

1/2 cup potato flakes

1/2 cup butter

4 Tbs. ice water

1 can 2.8 oz french-fried onions - divided

Filling: 3/4 cup potato flakes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese - divided

2 Tbs. chopped green olives

1 can 6.5 oz tuna - drained and flaked

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 egg

Combine flour and potato flakes, cut in butter until crumbly.

Add water, 1 Tbs at a time, until dough is moist enough to hold together.

Press pastry over bottom and up sides of ungreased 9 in or 10 in pie plate.

Set aside 1/2 cup of french fried onions.

Sprinkle remaining onions into pastry shell.

In a bowl, combine all fill ingredients except 1/2 cup of cheese.

Spoon filling over onions.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 mins.

or until crust is golden.

Sprinkle with reserved cheese and onions.

Bake additional 5-10 mins or until cheese is melted.

Let stand 5 mins before cutting.

6-8 servings.

Then we had a delicious squash pie.

It's just like pumpkin pie, but fluffier and lighter and made from my Grandma's homegrown squash.

And then we had blackberry/apple pie.

Hee hee!

We like pie.

My Grandma's blackberry crop was really good this year.

My Grandma with one of her giant squash.

She's 86 years young.

The squash is 4 months old.

My Grandma's food closet.

Look at that beautie!




Potatoes, onions and garlic too!

Pure Gold Marmalade

This is my own secret recipe, so shhhhhh.
Keep the secret and make it for yourself.
One taste of this and you will know why it's called pure gold.
If you sold it, you would make pure gold!

~

Pure Gold Marmalade

You will need oranges, lemons, mangoes, peaches and passion fruit.

Now, you can do this however you want, but this is what I do: take 4 whole oranges and 1 whole lemon.

Grind up 2 of the oranges and the lemon in a food processor until finely minced.

Next take the 2 remaining oranges and peel them, discarding peel. Add the peeled oranges to the finely minced orange/lemon.

Next finely mince 4 cups of peaches in the food processor. I used frozen peaches from this summer's bounty.

Then the secret ingredients: Goya frozen fruit puree. This time I used 1 thawed bag of mango and 1 thawed bag of passion fruit.

You can use any amount of the above fruit you want. Mix it up!

I ended up with 12 cups of fruit pulp. With a traditional marmalade recipe you would add 12 cups of sugar to this amount of fruit pulp!

12 cups?!? No way I'm doing that!

I added half the sugar.

So 12 cups fruit pulp = 6 cups sugar

Stir pulp and sugar over med. heat in a large pot until the sugar dissolves.

Then bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Cook rapidly almost to the gelling point.

As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.

This is going to take a while.

Like an hour.

Now if you what it to thicken quicker - add more sugar.

When it is thickened-

Remove from heat.

Skim foam, if necessary.

Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Adjust 2 piece caps.

Process 10 mins. in a boiling water canner.

Pear Chutney

My mother and I love Indian food.

It probably has something to do with the fact that my great-great grandmother was (supposedly) from India.

She married my Scottish great-great grandfather and emigrated to New Zealand.

However, I have seen pictures of her and she looks, ummm..... very British.

That's Ok.

We still love Indian food.

It's the complexity of flavors that I love.

The layering of sweet, sour, salt and probably some of that umami (or whatever).

The buttery feeling of the sauce and the spices, oh the spices!!

Yum!

Ok, so here is a recipe for Pear Chutney.

My mother and I had a chutney taste off last week.

She won with her tomato based chutney, but I still like mine.

Her flavors were just more mature and melded better.

Some day, I too will make perfect chutney!

Pear Chutney

1 cup chopped onion, 2 dried chilies, 2 Tbs candied ginger chopped.

Sauteed in 2 Tbs olive oil for about 5 min. until onion is golden/translucent.

1 cup finely chopped green chile - about 2 or 3 chilies

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup fruit juice

1 clove garlic minced

2 tsp salt

4 Tbs mustard seeds

1/2 tsp curry powder
Saute for a few minutes.

Add 5 cups vinegar and 4 quarts chopped pears - about 20 med. peeled/cored pears.

Simmer until thick.

This can take up to 3 hours,

so be prepared.

Thick pear chutney.

Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles.

Adjust 2 piece caps.

Process 10 mins. in a boiling water canner.

Yummy!

Good with a sharp white cheese on

toasted bread.