appetizers · Daily Thoughts · Dips · Uncategorized

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

This morning it was such fun to go to a friends house with 3 other friends to make jelly. It reminded me of stories from women who use to meet with ladies to sew or make jelly or batches of cookies. We had a blast. Some chopped while others measured sugar or vinegar to pour into the pan. One friend sat and cut out the material to make the lids look festive. All in all, it was such a lovely day. There is nothing quite like cooking with other women to bond you into a more fun and deeper friendship. Pass the jelly and grab a cracker…this makes a great hostess gift for the holidays. Pour it over a 8 oz bar of cream cheese and you have a wonderful appetizer that people love. Thank you Shirley for the great morning which is such a nice new memory!

3 green bell pepper, minced
4 fresh jalapeño peppers, deseeded and cut into small pieces
6 cups white sugar
1/2 teas cayenne pepper
1 (6 fluid oz) container liquid pectin
3 drops of green food coloring

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine peppers, vinegar, sugar and cayenne pepper. Cook over medium high heat. Stir frequently until mixture begins to boil.
Stir in pectin, boil 5 minutes longer stirring constantly and then mix in green food coloring. Skim off any foam and remove from heat.
Ladle into sterilized jars. Seal and process in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes. (we did not do this, but simply wiped the cleaned jars (and lids) and place lids on the jars when mixture was still warm. We tightened the outer lid and placed jars in fridge, where they will stay.) If you plan on storing these on the shelf instead of fridge, you will need to process in the boiling-water canner.
We doubled this recipe which gave us 18 (6 oz) jars.

appetizers · Holiday Fare · Super Bowl Recipes · Uncategorized

Cheese & Bacon Dip

Party Season is upon us!  This delicious and easy dip will be perfect for football parties or friends coming over for a visit!

1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened

8 oz of shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teas onion powder

1/2 teas dry mustard

3-5 drops of bottled pepper sauce (such as Tobasco)

6 slices of fried crisp bacon, crumbled

Combine all ingredients and mix well! Place in a greased small baking dish and bake for about 15-20min in preheated 350 degree oven! Serve with chips or crackers

Uncategorized

Cheese & Green Chile Casserole

I am having a ball going through and choosing recipes that we will be having all through the holiday season. It is fun to make them early to see if they are winners or will be tossed aside. This recipe is from 2006 SL Christmas and if I were a betting woman, I would bet that this will be gracing our table all through the holidays.

*This recipe won Editors Favorite

Preheat oven to 350.

9 large eggs

3/4 teas salt

3  (8 oz) packages Monterey Jack cheese, cubed

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, cubed

1 (12 oz) container small-curd cottage cheese

1 tables butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

1 ( 2 oz) jar diced pimientos, drained

whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl. Add cheeses and butter. Whisk flour and baking powder into cheese mixture. Add green chiles and pimiento. Pour into a lightly greased 13×9″ baking dish.

Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45 min or until set. Let stand 10-15 min before serving.

Yield: 16 servings