Holiday Jalapeno Jelly

I’m already thinking about Christmas around our house- where to put up all the Christmas trees in our new house, can I even have all my trees out with a 1 year old running around, Christmas shopping for family and making homemade gifts!

One special homemade gift my mother and I also enjoy making together is Jalapeno Jelly. We always have plenty of Jalapenos from the garden and it seems like we always have to find something to do with them.

Making jelly isn’t as difficult as most believe- it’s actually quite simple. Just be sure and wear gloves when preparing the peppers so your hands aren’t burning for a week.

This jelly makes a perfect holiday gift for neighbors and friends. Serve this jelly with a cream cheese topped cracker for your holiday gatherings!

>Jalapeno Jelly
Yields: about 5 half pints
from mom
¾ lb jalapeno peppers (or more if you want more heat)
2 pouches liquid pectin
2 c. cider vinegar (divided)
6 c. sugar
Green or red food coloring

Wash peppers; drain. Remove stems and seeds. Puree peppers and 1 c. vinegar and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Stir constantly.

Stir in liquid pectin and return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, while continuing to stir.

Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary. Stir in a few drops of food coloring of choice. Ladle hot jelly into jars in a boiling water canner.

NOTE: When cutting and seeding the peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.

Don't know how to can? Don't worry, I've got you covered! Check out the University fo Missouri Extension website for info on how to can.

Another Addition

I'm a pet lover - as you can tell from my blog and photos of my two little pups (Rudy & Lizzy), plus the dog treat recipes that are also available from this site. BUT- I never imagined that I would be a proud pet owner of not one, or two- BUT THREE (Yes, that's right) three dogs.

This is the newest addition to the family- Max. He's 17 weeks and a Boxer/Terrier mix.

You're asking yourself- how, why, what, seriously? Well, all I can say is Max is a rescue puppy. My husband and I were at my parent's lake house on Bull Shoals Lake last weekend and that is where this little stole my heart. My mother and I were driving back from a shopping trip to Harrison, AR and that is where I popped over a hill and saw this small little puppy running at me in the middle of the road. I swerved to miss him, the car behind me did the same, as did the the car behind them. The little guy looked lost, confused and so needy.

I pulled off the road a little ways on up the highway and then made a trek up the highway to try and get this little puppy out of the highway. During this time the little guy (Max) was still running scared all over the road and somehow dodged two boaters and a SUV.

He finally came to me and I instantly fell in love! How could you not with those puppy dog eyes.

Since this part of the lake is desalinate- I took him around to five houses to see if he belonged to anyone. No takers.

I brought him back to my parent's house and when Charlie saw me bring him in the house- asking..."What is that..." and I began to explain the story...then he said "I understand" - I knew we were going to add another to the family.

So- welcome Max!

Cooking for Our Pets- New

My husband baked my Molasses Spice Crinkle Cookies on Wednesday night. Yes, you read this right, my husband baked the cookies not me.

His company, FCS Financial (used to be Farm Credit Services of America) held a Holiday Cookie Contest on Thursday and Charlie wanted to enter my cookies. I laid out all the ingredients for him on the kitchen counter and he went to town measuring, creaming the butter and sugar, and blending the batter. He hand rolled each ball of dough carefully, to be sure that every cookie was of the exact size and uniformity. He set the timer each batch and carefully watched over the cookies for the last minute or so to be sure he got them out in the nick of time.

I was VERY impressed! Each cookie was pulled out of the oven at the proper time, he didn’t burn a single cookie and all the cookies were uniform.

I did help him on the presentation part of his cookie entry. I tied together three bundles of cinnamon sticks with raffia for him to lay around the plate of cookies and I also printed off the recipe on decorative paper which I then tied raffia on the corner of one side of the recipe card.

He took the cookies to work on Thursday and then I got a call Thursday afternoon from my husband.

“You won’t believe this,” he said. “I got 1st place.”

He was right, I thought he was teasing me. “No, seriously. I really got 1st place. I guess all your good cooking has rubbed off on me,” he said.

So, I am VERY proud of my husband. I told him I may have to hang up my baking mitts.

Congrats to all the winners of the FCS Holiday Cookie Contest.

I’ve been receiving a lot of emails from some of you that want to make Christmas presents for your four-legged friends. Maybe some special homemade dog treats?
It’s be awhile since I did a post on “Cooking for Our Pets,” so here is a new recipe your dogs are sure to enjoy. My two friends, Rudy and Lizzy, will agree that this recipe is perfect for the holidays.

Christmas Mint Cookies
from Dog Treats From Your Kitchen

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bisquick
1/2 cup mint chopped leaves
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons margarine
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor, process until well mixed
2. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
3. Cut with holiday shaped cookie cutters, place on non-stick cookie pan.
4. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. Cool and store in air-tight container.

Cooking for Our Pets Again

As you may have seen before on my blog I like to include recipes for dog treats also! My pets our my kids right now and they get just as pampered as any human would.

Here are two new recipes that are sure to be a hit with you four-legged friends.

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container. This is the original recipe, but I have found the cookies burn easily.

Darlene's Favorite Dog "Cookie"

My favorite dog "cookie" (low-fat, low-calorie, about 20 calories per 4" cookie).
2 cups rye flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 cup cornmeal

Mix well. I usually add about 1/4 tsp either vanilla or mint flavor.
Roll out to 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes (I usually use about a 3-4" bone-shape cutter). Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vote for Pet of the Month

It was last month that Rudy was up for Pet of the Month on the Purina website and thanks to all of you that voted, he won.

Now our little Lizzy is up for the title. Go and vote for her on the Purina website, she is the first puppy on the list (you can't miss her precious little face.)

And now for all you dog lovers I have a new dog treat recipe that I'm sure your pooches will love you for.

Peanut Butter Biscuits
1 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs peanut butter
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese or any type of cheese
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg white
1 Tbs chicken broth

Mix flour and milk until lumpy. Add peanut butter and broth. Mix parmesan cheese with first 4 ingredients. Add egg white. Mix well or until it has the consistency of pancake batter. Add baking powder. Pour onto greased cookie sheet, making 2" drops. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Vote for Pet of the Month

I couple of weeks ago I was doing some research on the Nestle Purina website and I saw that there was a "Pet of the Month" section. I thought to myself, "Wow, my little Rudy would be perfect for that." So, I entered him in the worldwide competition.

I found out today he has made it to the finals of the monthly competition. If Rudy wins he will be featured on the website and receive free dog treats.

Go to the website here and VOTE for RUDY. He has 35 votes thus far... Keep the votes coming everyone. I would appreciate your help.

Here She is...Miss Lizzy

As promised here is a photo of our new little girl...Lizzy. We picked her up Saturday morning in Franklin, KY. She is definitely going to be a handful....Her and Rudy play very nice together and enjoy each other's company.

If anyone is looking for a great family pet, I would highly recommend a rat terrier from Pocket Puppy. We have bought both our dogs from Nicole Langman and have been very impressed with our dogs.

We love our Ratties.......Until next time. Check back tomorrow for a new bread roll recipe.

Rat Attack

A Rat Terrier that is. My husband and I have decided on a puppy from Pocket Puppies. She is a darling blue fawn and white female that is out of the same male as our Rudy. Take a look at her here. She is puppy #1. Now, we have to wait to find a time to go and get her since the breeders are from KY. I need names for her...I was thinking about Izzy.

While I'm on the topic of purchasing a registered dog I have heard some negative comments lately from a co-worker regarding me buying a puppy instead of going to an animal shelter and adopting one, and I would like to address this.

First, it is my decision to spend my own money on a registered animal if I choose too because it is My Money and My Choice.

Second, I enjoy registered animals for a couple of reasons:
1.) They are registered and purebloods, therefore will hold true to the breed's standards.
2.) The animals temperament and attitude is exactly what the breed says it is, therefore I don't have to worry about getting an animal that is not what I wanted.
3.) They are beautiful in conformation and coloring and smart as a whip.

Third, don't try to make me feel bad for buying a puppy and telling me there are hundreds of dogs I could adopt at a shelter and tell me that I am making the pet problem in this country worse. I am not. I neuter and spay my pets and I'm not the person dumping puppies because I wasn't a responsible pet owner.

Fourth, it's nobody's business what choices I make on my pet. A pet is part of the family and if I want an expensive registered animal then that is what I will get. People need to mind their own business and keep their mouths shut sometime.

I apologize for getting on a soap box, and if the person I am referring to ever reads this I hope they learn one thing: There is a time to talk and a time to bite your lip. My mother taught me that I long time ago, what's your excuse?

Family is Going to Grow

Well today I'm not posting a recipe, but informing everyone that my family is going to be growing by one. No, it's not what you think....my husband and I are adding another toy Rat Terrier to our family. Rudy, who I have talked about before needs a playmate, so we are trying to make a decision between three little bundles of joy from Pocket Puppy, who we purchased Rudy from.

Very soon I will have a new little joy and I'll be sure to post photos of he/she soon. Does anyone have any good names? Until next time.

RudyChristmas

RudyChristmas
Originally uploaded by homecookingiswhatilike.

Here is Rudy! As I said I would also be including information about my little pal.