Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

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Pepper jellies are a Southern staple food item. Most often served with cream cheese and crackers, this condiment has soo many other tasty uses. It's a fantastic way to jazz up a plain ole grilled cheese or turkey sandwich. It makes a deliciously zippy dipping sauce for chicken fingers, fried chicken even fried shrimp. I often add a bit to my favorite BBQ sauce to add a little extra zing. Last year I even used some to make these pepper jelly thumbprint cookies, which are surprisingly good!
I did a lot of canning this summer but this recipe was by far the easiest one I made. Everything can be chopped in the food processor, so getting it prepped is a snap! The whole process start to finish only took me about 30 minutes. I can't say that about most of the other things I canned this summer. If you've never canned, this recipe would be a great place to start!

*One quick note: I made three batches of this jelly this year. Be sure to use the Certo brand liquid fruit pectin for this recipe. The second batch I made I used another brand and my jelly never set..not sure why. Made it again using Certo, no problems!
I've yet to find a use for the second batch which is pretty much a jalapeno syrup. Hubs said he was willing to try it on waffles...hmmm maybe I just came up with a new twist on chicken and waffles!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
Source: http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2011/01/jalapeno-jelly.html (slightly adapted)
Yields: 6-7 half pints

INGREDIENTS:
1 lg. red bell pepper
1 lg. green bell pepper
10 medium-sized jalapenos, leave some of the seeds in or all of the seeds depending on how spicy you want it.
1 1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 c. sugar
1 pouch Certo* liquid fruit pectin

METHOD:
In food processor, finely chop peppers. Put in large pot with vinegar, salt and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes stirring often. Add Certo* pouch and boil 1 more minute. Fill canning jars. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. (here's a link to a great youtube video for the water-bath method) Start your time when the water reaches a rolling boil.
Wait a couple of days before opening jars to allow jelly time to gel.

This pepper jelly doesn't have any added food dyes, many are colored bright red or green. I thought the natural color of this jelly was gorgeous, studded with the flecks of red and green pepper, who needs any food coloring?

Chocolate Espresso Mousse

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Hello lover..oh excuse me,..but this mousse has stolen my heart! I've yet to find a chocolate that's too dark or too rich for me and this mousse fits into both of those categories. It's dark, silky, and completely luscious. (I like throwing in the word luscious whenever possible, I mean, how often can you really use it?? Try it. I dare you!...so there you go word of the day.) (You're welcome!)Anyhoo... If chocolate is your addiction, this mousse is sure to satisfy. The espresso and Kahlua in this mousse just serve to deepen the chocolate's (luscious) flavor. Also this mousse is really quick and easy it is to make. It only takes a few ingredients, all of which I almost always have on hand! So don't wait until your throwing a fancy dinner party to make it. Whip up a batch, top it with a dollop of whipped cream and some sprinkles, to up the fun factor, and enjoy this oh so luscious dessert any time!

Peanut Butter and Vanilla Greek Yogurt Dip

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So I can't believe it but school starts NEXT week! Where did this summer go? It seems to gone by in record speed this year. Anyway, Walkers Shortbread send me another box of cookies. This time I got to sample a variety of their cookies in mini bite-sized form! They come in small resealable bags, so convenient to grab and go. These cookies are the perfectly sized for lunch on the go. Great for busy moms needing an easy, delicious school lunch snack that the kiddos will love.
The mini's are wonderful, just like all of Walkers Shortbread cookies. These are sized just right for easy mouth pop-ability! The newest addition to the minis line, and my personal favorite, are the crunchy oatmeal cookies. Made with ingredients like; whole wheat flour, butter and oats, these cookies are a treat you can feel good about giving to your family.

School lunches can get monotonous. So here's an easy, very healthy vanilla Greek yogurt and peanut butter dip that will jazz up any lunch box. This dip is a perfect accompaniment for apple slices, a banana, or a handful of Walkers crunchy oatmeal mini cookies!

Ok this one is sooo easy, you can let the kids make it...I say that makes this dip perfect for school lunches!

Peanut Butter and Vanilla Greek Yogurt Dip

1 5-6 ounce container of vanilla Greek yogurt, about a half a cup ( I used the Oikos 0% fat vanilla from the four pack)
1 tablespoon or so,  natural peanut butter (the kind you have to stir)
1 teaspoon honey (if you are not using a natural peanut butter you probably won't need any extra sweetness)

Mix it all together and start dipping

All ready for back to school! My sweet friend at Beatrice and Lulu makes the cute lunch bags in this post!

Walkers is once again offering a great deal for Half Baked readers. Order any two Walkers mini cookies and get one free!  Just go to the Walkers site here and use the promo code: HBBSCHOOL when you check out. This offer is only good until August 16th, so don't miss out! 

Leave a comment on this post and one lucky reader will win all four flavors of the Walkers Shortbread Minis! 

Pimento Cheese

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Believe it or not this was my first time ever making pimento cheese. Pretty incredible considering it's a staple item for almost any Southern gathering, particularly those involving tea sandwiches. From showers to ladies luncheons to church picnics, pimento cheese, usually in sandwich form, is guaranteed to make an appearance. I have to confess though, that I just never really cared for pimento cheese...at all. However, Hubs loves it. He asks for it all the time and I always find a reason not  to make it. Somehow pimento cheese came up recently in conversation (we talk about food a lot!) and once again Hubs said how much he loved the stuff. I just happened to have all the necessary ingredients on hand,so I thought I'd surprise him with some homemade pimento cheese. To find a recipe I thought I'd start right at the top and consult the godfather of Southern foods, Chef Frank Stitt. I'll admit that if my first experience with pimento cheese was this pimento cheese, it wouldn't have taken me so long to make it.

This little figgy...

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...got dipped in chocolate!

I'm so happy that the figs at the farm are finally ripe! I've picked quite a few and plan to make most of them into preserves and chutney, but I have been eating my fair share of them fresh. There are endless ways to use fresh figs. In a salad drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette is one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy fresh figs but they are also the perfect dessert fruit. So this little figgy got dipped into a dark bittersweet chocolate. I sprinkled the freshly dipped figs with just a tiny dash of sea salt. These chocolate covered figs are quite fine on their own but paired with a bowl of rich vanilla ice cream, and you've got a match made in figgy heaven!

Chocolate Dipped Figs
Melt about 1/2 a cup of high quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, in the microwave at 50 percent power for 1 1/2-2  minutes, stopping to check and stir chocolate mixture a couple of time. Once mixture is melted, dip the figs that you have dried with a paper towel into the chocolate. Once fruit is covered in chocolate, set them on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Refrigerate figs until chocolate covering is firm, before serving.

Rustic Tomato and Cheese Tart

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This tart is a twist on the traditional tomato pie.  It's a wonderful combo of two classic southern favorites, biscuits and tomato pie. In place of the traditional pastry crust, buttermilk biscuits make up the crust of this free form tart. It's everything you love about both dishes in one amazing tart! 

Really ripe summer tomatoes are what make this tart so fantastic. Heirloom variety tomatoes are the perfect tomato for this tart but any just picked tomatoes from your local farmers market will do!

This tart is perfect for a brunch or lunch. Just serve it with a green salad for a complete summertime meal!

Star Spangled Cake Topper Tutorial

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and a giveaway!

This is a super easy festive topper for a cakes or cupcakes that's perfect for the 4th of July! I made these Star Spangled cookies as a centerpiece for the 4th a couple of years ago. I used the same method to make the fondant cake topper. I LOVE how they turned out and thought I'd share this idea with my Half Baked readers. These fun stars will make any cake the star of your 4th of July table!

About a pound of white fondant, gum paste, or a combination of the two, divided into three equal parts (you can buy the colors already mixed but for this small project, coloring a little white fondant is more cost efficient.)
red and blue  gel colors . Regular food coloring will not work.
star cookie cutters that fit inside one another, small, medium, and large.
18 gauge wire or toothpicks
Method:
Divide fondant/gum paste into three equal parts. Knead red food coloring to one piece, blue food coloring to one piece and leave the third piece white. Add enough food coloring to make the fondant a very bright red and blue. How much you need will depend on the amount of fondant you are coloring. Wear plastic gloves or put the fondant into a small ziplock baggie to knead in the food coloring or you'll have festive colored hands as well! 

Dust your work surface and a rolling pin lightly with a little powdered sugar or corn starch. Roll out all three colors of your fondant to about 1/4 inch thickness. I find it easier to thread a wire in the stars if they are not too thin. Try to roll all three colors of the fondant to about the same thickness. 
First cut out your largest star. Cut the center of the large star out with the medium sized star. Next cut out a medium sized star out and insert it into the cut out in the center of the large star. Finally, cut out the center of the medium star with the smallest star cutter. Cut a small star out and put it in the center of the medium star.

*Keep fondant covered with plastic wrap while not using as it dries out quickly. Thread a wire or toothpick into the bottom of the star, pushing it  at least half way into the star.  I let mine dry flat for a few hours and then them stuck them into a piece of oasis to dry completely. Cut wires to desired lengths.  Then I threaded the wire through festive straws but that's an optional step.

If using just fondant not a mix of fondant and gum paste, you may need to let the wired stars dry flat for several hours, up to overnight before picking them up. Gum paste or a 50/50 mix of gum paste and fondant dried fairly quickly and doesn't need as long to dry before you can use them.
Your toppers are ready to use!

We took the these photos at Waterberry Farm.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

So far this summer has been an extremely busy one for me, fun but busy. Last summer our family farm along with several others in our area joined together to form The Route 52 Farm Trail. All the farms on the trail are open to the public on Saturday's June and July. We sell our produce, baked goods and preserves. This year we've added two local artisans work as well at Waterberry Farm. Fat Bird Designs sells gorgeous hand painted tea towels and other beautiful hand made goods. Beatrice and Lulu makes heirloom children's clothing and many other beautifully crafted items.
Ok so I guess not all of you will be able to visit is at Waterberry Farm. Never fear! Fat Bird Designs and Beatrice and Lulu have teamed up for a giveaway!!

Fat Bird Designs is giving away this stunning original, one-of-a-kind hand painted table runner.

 Beatrice and Lulu is giving away these adorable recycled chevron drink coasters. She makes the absorbent center using her daughters old baby bibs! So cool! Read about how she makes them here on her blog

She's also giving away one of her cute chevron print hats. The winner will be able to get the hat personalized with their monogram in the center!

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