peach salsa

First of all....please wear rubber gloves when chopping your peppers. I didn't and now I'm living with the rewards! And whatever you do, don't rub your eyes if you opt outa the gloves.

1/2 cup white vinegar

6 cups chopped peeled pitted peaches

1 1/4 cup chopped red onion

4 jalapeno finely chopped (remove veins and seeds if you don't want it too hot)

2 cayenne peppers finely chopped (see above note)

1 bell pepper seeded and chopped (red is pretty but any color works.)

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 to 2 tsp salt

 

Prepare 4 pint jars and lids (or equivalent) for canning. In largish pot, combine all ingredients. (As you add peaches be sure to mix them into the vinegar quickly to eliminate browning.) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and ladle into jars. Process 15 minutes.

This made 4 1/2 pints for me today, so we get to sample it at supper time!!!

salsa from Dena

"I thought I’d send this salsa thing I made to serve with Mexican food since your mango recipe reminded me. Just chop and stir.
The salsa thing is, begin with red onion, cilantro, salt, and lime, aka the Pioneer Woman. I think tomato is a basic for her too. Then just add whatever you find in the fridge.

This salad majored in cabbage and cilantro.

Cabbage

Black beans

Mango, the red and the yellow ones

Lime juice

Leftover corn from Sunday

Tomato
jalapeno

Cilantro

Salt

Avocado

Red onion

I haven't tried it yet, but it's right at the top of my to-try list. Basically anything Mexican and cilantro speaks to me and I can't resist! BTW someone told Dena they thought it was a salad; so maybe any way of eating it is perfect.

Poco Picante Chicken

(Here is what landed in the pan last night and WOW!!! Was it ever delicious! Carl said I MUST make it again so in order to do so I have to write it down!) Measurements are "whatever amounts you have on hand".

3 lb chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

6 or 7 pressed garlic cloves

2 sweet peppers, sliced

1 large onions, sliced

1 pkg fresh sliced mushrooms

Saute this all till browned and then add the following ingredients:

1 can tomato soup

1 1/2 Tbsp Epicure's Poco Picante Salsa seasoning

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp cumin

1 or 2 tsp chili powder

salt to taste

2 cans Niblets corn

1 lg can kidney beans

Add a bit of water if necessary and simmer a few minutes until the hubby is ready to eat! Serve in tortillas or on rice or on corn tortillas. Top with shredded cabbage, sour cream, salsa, and whatever you want. Oh, cheese of course.

dhal...Bangladeshi lentil recipe

1/2 cup dahl (translate this to lentils if you like! I used the red split lentils)

1 tsp turmeric

2 1/2 cups water (I used only 2 and that was plenty)

1 tsp salt

onion and garlic

Saute onion and garlic. Ad dhal, water and salt. Cook till done. 

I served this to the school children on Be Humble Day along with an Indian curry and rice. They had to eat it with their hands and they were amazingly good sports about it! Their hands got all yellow from the turmeric! They had seconds and thirds!

Bangladeshi meat curry

Saute: 4 crushed garlic cloves (or more)

1 cup onion 

1/4 cup oil

Add your choice of meat: 2 lb cubed chicken, beef, goat, etc. Fry.

Add:

6 cups water

1T salt

3 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

2 - 3 chilies

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger

2 tsp coriander

5 cardamom pods

Cook till tender. Add more water if needed. Serve curry with rice. A lot of times a few cubes potatoes are added to the curry. Also quite a few chilies added will really add the spice. They eat it HOT!

This is copied from Juanita's recipe book. Delton's have served us this and we LOVE it! I've made it once or twice and it's worked out well!

sweet chicken curry (from India...from Melissa Zeiset)

1 medium onion, slivered

1 tsp garlic powder (I used many garlic cloves, maybe 4)

oil to saute

1/2 tsp ginger (I used fresh crushed)

5 whole cloves

5-6 whole cardamom pods (I used cardamom pwdr to taste)

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon (I used about 4 broken up cinnamon sticks)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp coriander

3 lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 can coconut milk

1 cup sour cream

jalapeno peppers to taste

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add spices and salt and chicken. Brown on all sides. Mix and add coconut milk, sour cream, and peppers. Simmer until chicken is well done, about an hour. Serve over rice.

I served this to the school children on Be Humble Day, and they had to eat with their hands like they do in those far-away countries. The children LOVED it and some had third helpings! I've served this for Sunday dinner with great results. I leave out the peppers, though, for us wimpy Canadians!

Simple Chicken Gumbo

All along I've thought of Gumbo as a "special" meal, a little difficult and a whole lot GOOD! BUT. It's easy. Here's my latest version and it's simple enough for any ol' week day supper. Remember...all measurements approximate.

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup flour

2 lb sausage

7 chicken breasts

6 celery stalks

2 smallish onions

5 garlic cloves

4 cups chicken broth (or more)

salt and pepper to taste

Make very brown roux with flour and oil. One recipe says till it's the color of a copper penny and another says melted chocolate. You've gotta be a little careful as it burns easily. So stir it constantly till it's brown. In another pan, saute meat. Add to roaster of roux. (Or crockpot) Saute veggies in same pan and add to the rest of the stuff. Add broth and salt and pepper. Slow roast it till suppertime. Serve in pasta bowls over rice. We had a side of apple/whipped cream salad served in pretty footed bowls last time we ate this. Some folks add gumbo seasonings but we can't get those here. So we simplify and we love it anyway. They say the REAL secret is browning the flour dark enough anyway, not the seasonings, so... (Creole food.)

Sharla's Bread Sticks with my own twists and turns

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp onion salt

1 cup very warm water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp oregano

garlic powder and other good seasonings that I find in the spice rack

1/4 cup oil

2 to 2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup margarine

 fresh shredded Parmesan Cheese

Italian seasoning or oregano or whatever spices look good that day!

Measure first 9 ingredients into Bosch bowl and beat until soft to medium dough is achieved. Let rise; punch; rise again. Melt 1/2 cup margarine in 13 x 18 pan in oven. Roll dough out and lay on top of melted marg. Flip dough so both sides get buttered. Sprinkle with last two ingredients. Cut into strips with pizza cutter and let rise again. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Great with pizza sauce. 

SIMPLIFY! dump all ingredients into bread maker and set to "dough" and let it do the mixing and rising work for you! 

I've never made good bread sticks. Until now.

canned brown beans

My Mother-in-law is my go-to source for all canning advice. Here's how she cans pinto or other dried beans using the canner method.

1 1/4 cups dry, washed beans

1 tsp salt

chunk of onion

garlic clove

Place ingredients in quart jar and fill to neck with water. Hot water bath 3 hours.

OPTIONS: To make Mexican Canned Beans add jalapeno pepper strips, a handful of fresh cilantro, cumin, chili and whatever seasonings your heart desires to each jar before processing. I tried red pepper flakes in a couple jars and that added a nice colorful speckle to it.