Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger meat
1 lb Italian sausage
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh parsley
8 to 10 cheese sticks cut into 4 even pieces

Directions:

Mix 1st 11 ingredients together, form in to 2 inch balls and then stuff with 1 piece of cheese stick, making sure to seal cheese inside of meat ball.

2 different ways to cook:

1.  Place a cooling rack onto a foil lined cooking sheet, and place meatballs on rack, then place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees  for 20 minutes.  Heat your favorite marinara sauce on the stove and put cooked meatballs in the sauce or place meatballs on a hoagie bun and then cover them with sauce, mozzarella and bake until cheese is melted.

2.  Place raw meatballs in crock pot, and cover in your favorite marinara sauce cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:

4 Green Bell Peppers, seeded and minced in the food processor
10 Large Jalapeno Peppers, minced in the food processor (seed if you want milder jelly)
1 C. Cider Vinegar
1 box Sure-Jell
1/2 teaspoon butter
5 cups Sugar
couple of drops of green food coloring, if desired.

Directions:

1.  Bring boiling water canner, half full with water, to a simmer.  Wash jars andscrew bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.  Pour boiling water over lids in sauce pan off the heat.  Let stand in hot water until ready to use.

2.  Place all minced peppers in heavy bottom pan, add vinegar, Sure-Jell, and butter.  Bring mixture to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop when stirred), on high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in sugar, and return to full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Turn off heat.

3.  Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of top, wipe jar rims and threads.  Cover with lid and ring, screwing ring on tightly.  Place jars in water canner and process for 20 minutes.  Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars have cooled, check seals, any jar that has not sealed will need to be refrigerated.

Hot Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:

8 Jalapeno Peppers
12 ounces assorted colorful bell peppers (weigh after trimming)
2 cups cider vinegar
1 box sur-jell
3 cups sugar

Directions:

1.  Wash the jalapenos and trim the stem end off.  Removed the seeds if you want a milder jelly.  I recommend using whole pepper seeds and all.  Give rough chop, and the pulse them in the food processor until they are finely minced.   Be careful, the fumes are strong, and make sure to wear gloves when working with hot peppers.  Put the peppers in a heavy bottom pan.

2.  Wash and trim the bell peppers, and remove the seeds and inner ribs.  Give them a rough chop and pulse them in the food processor until finely minced.  You will want to do this in batches so you don't get mush.  Add the bell peppers to the heavy bottom pan with the jalapenos.

3.  Add the vinegar and the pectin, Bring the pot up to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop when stirred.), then add the sugar, and bring back up to a rolling boil, stirring constantly boil for 1 minute.

4.  Ladle the hot liquid into hot clean jars, add lids and rings.  Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes, pull jars from water bath to cool on a towel for 24 hours.  Check to make sure jars have sealed.  Any jar that has not sealed will need to be refrigerated immediately.

Serve with plenty of creamy goat cheese, cream cheese and serve on crackers or slices of baguette.  This also makes a great marinade for Pork Loin's, and Chicken.

Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

1 lb pork sausage
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 lb jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.  Cook sausage until no pink is left, drain and place in medium size bowl, add cream cheese and cheddar cheese, mix until well blended.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon of mixture into each jalapeno half, arrange stuffed halves on a baking sheet, and bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Burgundy Mushrooms

This is one of my husband's favorite holiday sides...

Ingredients:
4 lbs white button mushrooms
1 litre Burgundy wine
2 cups of boiling water
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dill seed
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:
Throroughly wash mushrooms and throw them into a large crockpot, and rest of the ingredients.  (Normally your crock pot lid will not fit perfectly when you have all ingredients in the crock pot, don't worry the mushrooms will shrink and the lid will fit perfectly in about an hour. )  Turn crock pot on low and cover for 6 hours, then remove lid and continue cooking uncovered for 3 hours.

Add salt to taste and the end of the cooking process.  The mushrooms will be very dark in color. 

Fruit Salsa w/ Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

Salsa:
1 pkg fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1 medium navel orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium pineapple, peeled/cored and finely chopped
1 medium apple, peeled/cored and finely chopped ( I used a honeycrisp apple.)
1 small lemon

Combine first five ingredients, and then squeeze the juice of lemon over the top of the fruit mix stir together, put in an air tight container and refirgerate until ready to serve. 

Note:  I doubled this recipe and I tasted each fruit as I was putting this together, all the fruit was already naturally sweet so I did not add any sugar.  The original recipe I used called for 1.5 tablespoons of sugar to be sprinkled over the top with the lemon juice and then mixed together.  So if your fruit needs an added sweetness then I would do this.  The orginial recipe also called for canned pineapple, I preferred the fresh pineapple.  I would also totally leave out the pineapple if I made it for my Mom as she hates pineapple.  You could sub all sorts of different fruit, I will try it with pears, and when peaches are in season I will try it with those.  

Cinnamon Chips:

10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon ( I did 2 tsp. I like more cinnamon)

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, brush tortillas with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheets, bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until chips are crisp.

Yeilds 80 chips and approximately 2.5 cups salsa.

Salsa

I actually made this and I forgot to put in the taomato paste and the cilantro, and it was still a hit. It's very good. Now with all the peppers you would think it's very hot, but when you first make it it's not hot at all not even mild, in fact it's kind of sweet. But refrain from adding more peppers, because the longer you let in set in the jars before opening, the hotter it will get. In about a week, you will be able to start tasting the heat. In about a month you will have a good mild salsa, in about 6 months you will have a good hearty hot salsa. I don't know that we will ever get really hot salsa, because my family loves it so much it doesn't last that long.

1/2 pound jalapenos

8 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes, peeled

3 cups chopped, seeded Cubanelle, Anaheim, Sweet Banana Peppers or any hot pepper you like

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups cider vinegar

1 cup each of chopped sweet red and yellow peppers

6 cloves of garlic (recipe doesn't say - but likely minced)

1 can tomato paste

2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation:
Cut jalapenos in half discard ribs and seeds; chop finely to make 1 cup.
In large heavy non-aluminum saucepan combine (I put all the vegetables thru the food processor) EVERYTHING EXCEPT cilantro and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring often for 1 hour or until thickened; place 1 TBSP of salsa on a plate and tilt the plate - the salsa should flow slowly in one stream; add cilantro and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill boiling water bath canner about two thirds full with hot water - bring to just below a boil and keep it hot. Wash and rinse canning jars and bands. A few minutes before filling the jars, bring pot of water to a boil, boil new lids for 5 minutes, turn off heat and leave the lids in the water to use right away.
Using a funnel fill each jar with hot salsa, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace, cover with lids, screw on bands firmly without forcing.
Place jars in rack set on edge of canner, lower filled rack into water, pour in enough simmering water to cover jars by 1 - 2 inches; cover canner and bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 20 minutes; turn off heat.

Lift out rack; set on edge of canner; using jar lifter, transfer the jars to a towel-lined surface and let cool completely. Check for seal, they are sealed properly if the lids are turned down; store in a cool, dark, dry place and refrigerate after opening Yields 14 pint sized (16 ounce)

Mexican Pinwheels

3 – 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 – 8oz carton of sour cream
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 – 4 oz can green chilies, chopped
1 – 4 oz can black olives, drained and chopped
½ cup chives chopped
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup picante sauce
36 taco sized flour tortillas

In medium bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Divide among the 36 tortilla shells and spread out evenly. Roll into logs and refrigerate overnight. To serve, slice logs into bit size pieces. These also freeze well. Serve with more picante sauce for dipping.

For spicer version add hot green chilies and hot picante sauce.