Harry and David's Onion and Pepper Relish

This recipe was a blue ribbon winner at the 2011 Tillamook County Fair!

This relish is amazing! I first tried it last Christmas when visiting my in-laws. My mother-in-law has a friend (E.R.) who brought it over. I tried this and HAD to have the recipe! This is the first time making it and I thought it turned out awesome. I did double the recipe. I figured if I was going to make one batch - and take the time for that - might as well double it so there is plenty to go around! This is so good as a topper for cream cheese and used as a dip for crackers or chips. I will only put the amount for 1 batch. This does make a lot. For a double batch I ended up with 21 pints and 1 half -pint.

Harry and David's Onion and Pepper Relish
5 - 14 1/2 oz cans chopped tomatoes, drained (I used diced tomatoes)
6 bell peppers, seeds removed (I used 3 red and 3 green)
6 cups sugar
2 TBSP salt
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1 1/2 tsp)
6 jalapeno peppers with seeds and ribs removed (a spoon works well for this.)
3 medium onions
2 cups white vinegar
2 boxes (1.75 oz each) powdered pectin

First chop all the vegetables. This is the most labor intensive. It goes together very easily once all the chopping is done. To make this quicker I used a food processor.

Mix everything together, except the pectin in a very large stockpot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour. Add in the pectin and boil for 1 minute.

Pour relish into hot sterilized jars. Don't go any larger than a pint. Leave 1/2 inch headspace and process in a waterbath for 15 minutes.

For a great Christmas present - or anytime present attach a tag that reads "For an easy dip, mix jar contents with 2 (8 oz each) packages of cream cheese and serve with corn chip scoopers."

Apple Peel Jelly

This apple jelly was a Blue Ribbon winner at the 2011 Tillamook County Fair.  It also won another Blue Ribbon at the 2012 Tillamook County Fair.
I wish I knew about this technique years ago! I made this and the boys love it! Who would have thought there was any use for the apple scraps after making applesauce? I surely didn't. But I got to thinking....I use the peach peelings/pits. Why couldn't I do the same with apples? I found a recipe in an internet search that supported what I thought I could do. It is to die for yummy!

Apple Peel Jelly
Place apple peels, lightly packed in a very large stockpot with 5 cups water. There should be about 3-4 inches of peels in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and put on lid. Allow to stand overnight. (Optional, add a cinnamon stick when you let it sit overnight. I did not.)

**I had LOTS of peels/scraps from applesauce making so had 2 huge stockpots. The peels do rehydrate so I did end up adding a bit more water so the weight of the peels didn't burn on the bottom of the pot.

Strain the liquid. I put the peels/water in my juicer and let the juice out into another large stockpot. Make certain you have at least 5 cups. If you find you don't have 5 cups - go ahead and fill in with apple juice. Gradually dissolve 1 box pectin into the liquid and bring to a full rolling boil, over high heat. Add 7 cups of sugar all at once, stirring to dissolve. Return to boiling, and boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and pour into hot jars. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Your yield will depend on how many cups of liquid you end up with and the size of jars you use.

Pear Honey

I've always wondered if there wasn't something to do with the pear scraps after canning. I did a search on the internet and found this recipe for Pear Honey. I did find that even after processing - the "honey" was still runny. I am thinking a box of pectin would be just fine in the making of this tasty treat.

Pear Honey
You will need about 4-8 cups of pear peelings

Cover the peelings with water and slowly cook in a covered pot until they are soft. I placed the water and peelings in my juicer until juice no longer came out and the peelings were dry.

Place the juice in a clean saucepan and heat over medium to high heat. When it boils vigorously, add the sugar at the rate of one-half as much sugar as juice. So...make sure to measure your juice! Boil it down rapidly until it achieves the consistency of honey.

Fill jars to within 1/4 inch of top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seal with lid and ring. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. The amount of jars you get depends on what size you use and how much juice you are working with.

The boys really like this. It truly does taste like honey with a hint of pear flavor.

Chinese Plum Sauce

We have a plum tree. Or maybe it's an Italian Prune tree. Either way - the fruit looks pretty plummish to me. I was able to scavenge a whole big bowlful before the wasps and birds got to them this year. I was pretty proud of myself. I found this recipe online at recipezaar.

Chinese Plum Sauce
8 cups plums, pitted, halved
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp dried ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice OR cider vinegar
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cloves

In large heavy saucepan, bring plums, onions, water, ginger and garlic to boil over medium heat; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer. Stir occasionally until plums and onions are very tender. About 30 minutes. Press through food mill or sieve and return to clean pan. Stir in sugar, vinegar, coriander, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil, stirring; reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture reaches consistency of applesauce. About 45 minutes. Fill and seal jars. Process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Makes about 4 cups.

Crispy Herb-Coated Pork Chops

I usually have a hard time finding pork chop recipes that my family will eat. Most of the time the flavor was lacking. Russell tried this and really liked the crispy coating and the flavor. This makes it a keeper in my book! morgainegeiser from Ypsi, Michigan was my teammate for this recipe. This was part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap.

Crispy Herb-Coated Pork Chops
1/3 cup butter or margarine, cubed
2/3 cup instant mashed potatoes with butter and herbs
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp garlic powder
4 pork loin chops (boneless would probably work best)
2 TBSP vegetable oil

In a shallow bowl, melt butter. In a large ziploc bag combine potato flakes, cheese and garlic powder. Dip chops one at a time in butter, then place in bag. Seal and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chops in oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until chops are no longer pink.

Zucchini Soup

This is a different kind of soup. I really enjoyed it. The rest of the family - not so much. But then again....I love zucchini. I will eat it just about any way I can get it. mersaydees from Southern Maine was my teammate who shared this recipe. This was part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. I also added in some diced carrots for color.

Zucchini Soup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, washed and sliced
28 oz chicken broth
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup half and half

In large pot melt the butter and saute onion until golden. Add the zucchini and saute over medium high heat until limp. About 10-15 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half and half. I partially mashed the soup with a potato masher to thicken it up a bit. The original recipe called for sending the whole pot through a blender. I prefer my soup to have some body so opted not to do the blender. I did add extra salt and pepper to taste. We served this with homemade rolls for a yummy dinner.

Chicken Chow Mein

I am always on the prowl for a good chinese recipe. I really like chow mein and this one is full of yummy veggies! We also doubled the amount of shrimp because we are shrimp fans! This recipe also called for homemade fried noodles which I opted to leave out. They seemed like more work than what I had time for. We ended up eating this over brown rice and with egg rolls. Super easy to put together and everyone liked it! This is part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is mersaydees from Southern Maine.

Chicken Chow Mein
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 oz boneless lean pork, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tsp cornstarch, divided
2 1/2 TBSP apple juice, divided
2 TBSP soy sauce, divided
1/2 cup water
2 tsp instant chicken bouillon
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 tsp powdered ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 green onions, chopped - with tops
4 oz cabbage, shredded (I bought a small napa cabbage and used 1/2 of that)

In a large bowl combine 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp apple juice and 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce. Add chicken and pork. Coat well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Combine remaining 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 TBSP apple juice, 1 1/2 TBSP soy sauce, water and bouillon in small bowl, set aside.
Heat oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Toss in powdered ginger and garlic. Stir fry 1 minute. Add chicken and pork. Stir fry until cooked through and no longer pink. Add shrimp. Stir fry until shrimp turns pink. Toss veggies into wok. Stir fry until crisp tender. Add sauce mixture. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.
Serve chow mein over fried noodles (either homemade or store-bought) or white or brown rice.

White Bean Soup with Ham

I am a sucker for white bean soups. I've had some that were super bland. I've had some that were very flavorful. This one has lots of flavor. I really liked it with cornbread. This is also part of the September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Dreamgoddess from Alabama, USA.

White Bean Soup with Ham
1 lb smoked ham hocks
3 cups dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over
12 cups chicken OR beef OR vegetable stock OR water (I used beef stock)
2 medium onions, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Put smoked ham hock, beans and liquid together in a large saucepan. Turn heat to medium high. Add onions. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and cover so lid only partially covers pan. Cook, stir occasionally until beans are soft and meat is falling apart. About 1 hour. Turn off heat. Remove meat and chop it up if desired and return to pan.

You definitely want to serve this with some type of cornbread.

German Chocolate Bars

If you love German Chocolate cake and you love brownies...you are sure to love these! I made 2 pans of these when I made them. One for home of course and one to take to Young Women's. Two of our leaders had birthdays so we celebrated! This is part of my September 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Dreamgoddess from Alabama, USA.

German Chocolate Bars
1 (17 5/8 oz) box brownie mix
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp coconut extract
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Frosting:
3/4 cup sugar
5 TBSP butter, cut up
5 oz evaporated milk
2 egg yolks
1 cup sweetened coconut
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with veggie spray. Combine the brownie mix, egg, water, oil and coconut extract in large bowl. Mix just until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup nuts. Pour into prepared pan and spread around. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Frosting:
Combine 3/4 cup sugar, butter, milk and egg yolks in a saucepan. Cook on medium high heat, stirring, until thickened - approximately 13-15 minutes. Add in remaining coconut, nuts and vanilla. Cook 2 more minutes. When brownies are done, pour on frosting and spread to edges of brownies. Cool and enjoy!

I dare you to eat just one! :)