Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sweet N Hot Pepper Jelly

 Have you ever had pepper jelly?  It's fabulous.  I just had it for the first time when my Mom bought us some when she was out visiting in April.  I was a little skeptical, but very delighted to find it was delicious on crackers either by itself or with the additon of cream cheese!  Yum!  So, naturally I tried it at home and was thrilled with the results so here's the recipe.  Here's a handy reference for canning.

Sweet N Hot Pepper Jelly (adapted from SureJell Hot Pepper Jelly recipe)
1 c. finely chopped, Hot Red Peppers (Red Jalapenos or Serranos)
3 c. finely chopped, Sweet Peppers (Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Peppers, etc...)
1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 box SureJell (or other brand) Fruit Pectin for canning
1 t. Butter/Margarine
5 c. Sugar
Sterilized canning jars, rings and lids. (See this page for more info.)

These are the cute little sweet peppers I used.  I got them in a bag and there were just perfectly 3 c. of them once I chopped them up!
 1.  Get all of your ingredients measured and ready to go.  
2.  Place finely chopped peppers all in a large pot.  Add in vinegar and pectin.  Stir together and bring to a boil.
 3.  Once it come to a boil, stir in the sugar and keep stirring until it boils again.  Add in butter/marg. to help manage the froth level from the boiling.  (rolling boil see this page for more info)   Let it stay at a rolling boil for 1 minute.  
4.  Then remove from heat and place into prepared canning jars.  Fill the jars to about 1/8" from the top, wipe and place lids and rings on them.  
5.  Process in a water bath for 10 minutes at sea level or refer to this chart for other elevations.
6.  Place on cooling rack until cool.  Then store in pantry (or give as gifts).
Here's a favorite way in my house to eat Pepper Jelly.  Layer Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly and spread on crackers!  Yum!
Ready to store, eat or give!  :)

How to make Boiled Peanuts or Roasted Peanuts

My sis just had her baby three weeks ago, so this has been such an exciting and busy time in my house.  My husband and I went up to visit my sister and her family two weekends ago and had a great time.  Our newest niece is just the most precious, and beautiful little girl I've ever met!  We got to see my parents while we were up there too, and then my parents came to visit us in NC.

While they were here we made a trip out to the coast (Oak Island Area) and had a nice time despite the cool temps.  One day we even made it to a local farm market where we found some "green" peanuts!  I was super excited to be able to buy green peanuts so that I could boil and roast some!  So here's how y'all can do it too!  :)

note:  Although we know peanuts as "nuts" they are truly legumes, so here is one method of preparation as a legume (boiled) and one basically as a nut (roasted).

The green peanuts.
How to Boil Peanuts:  


Take your green peanuts, put them in a large bowl and rinse them off thoroughly.
 Then place them in a pot and add about 1/4 c. salt for every cup of green peanuts.  Cover with water.
 Bring to a rolling boil, and then let simmer for about 1 hour or until done.  
Serve warm so people can enjoy the experience of cracking open the shell in their mouths, sucking out the salty water and eating the fresh boiled legumes inside.  :)  Enjoy! 

How to Roast Peanuts:
Start off by rinsing off your green peanuts.
 Then toss the rinsed peanuts with some salt (as much or as little as you'd like) and place one a sprayed baking sheet.
 Roast (or "bake" really) in a 325degree oven for about 1 hour turning every 15minutes or so.
Enjoy at room temperature!  :)
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