Yes, I know it is Saturday. I had tried to get my act together for Fridge Friday this week, but a lot of other things pulled at my time and attention. Like keeping my house dry without any windows on the entire west side, and making sure the holes in the roof were covered, and cleaning up shards of glass from the floors and furniture (and in places that make no sense whatsoever), and crying over my beloved peonies, and replanting my garden after it was leveled. Yes, we had a hail storm last Saturday. An ugly hail storm that first dropped baseball-sized hail and shattered everything, then pelleted us with 3-4" of marble-sized stuff. It was incredible...incredibly awful.
Honestly overall, we were lucky compared to many. The entire town was hit hard with thousands of dollars of damages to virtually every structure, but our almost 100 year old stucco siding withstood the storm without damage. I can't say the same about the roof we had put on when we bought the house; the contractor stuck his hand clear through a hole into the attic. (Talk about ventilation.) But, interior damage for us is minimal with glass clean up on our hardwood floors being a pain, but so much better than the yards and yards of wet, glass-filled carpeting that is being pulled out of homes all across town. The 3 vehicles we had here at the house were all totaled with broken windows and fist-sized dents, but they are just things. Things can be repaired and replaced. Nobody was hurt. We have insurance. Life will go on.
Which brings us back to Fridge Friday. It is Saturday, and other than a hastily thrown together pizza, I didn't cook yesterday, but I hate to lose the momentum of this weekly post. I did take time to snap a pic of the VERY bare fridge. What do you see? Anything worth talking about? When I shared this pic on Twitter, someone said they thought I would use the blueberries or possibly dip back into the jar of artichokes. What do you think?
I thought about being super lazy and just telling you that the Gladware containers on the second shelf were leftovers from our take-out Thursday night dinner from The Homesteader in Gregory. They seriously have the most awesome Kung Bao Beef ever...especially for a steakhouse. (Yes, I said steakhouse.) The Vietnamese owners also do homemade eggrolls on Thursday nights (the top container). Nom. Nom. Nom. I don't think that I have ever turned down their Kung Bao on my plate.
However, even though I haven't cooked much this week, there is something in the fridge for which I could easily share the recipe. Have you noticed that jar of Candied Jalapenos on the second shelf in all of my Fridge Friday shots? Last year, I canned up a ton of these, literally. Hubs brought home a 5-gallon bucket full of jalapenos from the garden at the farm. After making so many poppers that I thought I would pop, I found a few other tasty uses for those heated peppers.
Having a jar of Candied Jalapenos on hand, along with a block of cream cheese and a box of crackers is seriously the easiest snack or appetizer ever. People love these sweet, but spicy little gems. I have never put out a plate for snacking that wasn't licked clean when it returned to the kitchen. Hubs tops burgers with the Candied Jalapenos, and I have chopped them up and mixed into a pretty plain Jane potato salad for an extra kick. The hardest part of the canning preparation is slicing the jalapenos, but I used my mandolin slicer and it was a breeze...just don't cut yourself (or if you do...stay tuned to the blog, I have a surprise coming up in a future post). So, give it a try. Even after the stormiest of days, I am happy with Candied Jalapenos On My Plate.
4 pounds fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
2 pounds onions, diced
1 head fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
6-8 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon ginger
Slice jalapenos into thin slices, dice onion, chop garlic. (Gloves are a must for this...and PLEASE don't touch your face or eyes until you have thoroughly washed your hands. Those oils are nasty.)
In large pot, combine peppers, onion, and garlic with the remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10-12 minutes, making sure sugar is dissolved.
Fill prepared canning jars with boiling mixture, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
Adjust lids.
Water bath 5 minutes to seal the jars.
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Interesting! I've never heard of candied jalapenos!! I'll have to make some when mine are ready to harvest!
ReplyDelete6-8 cups of sugar to only 1 cup of liquids? How do you prevent the sugar from crystallizing? I really want to make these, sounds so delicious!
ReplyDeleteI used a low, slow heat and had no problems with the sugar crystallizing. The peppers and onions release more liquid, as well. I hope that you enjoy the Candied Jalapenos. They are so good.
ReplyDeleteAh, a pepper solution! We planted 6 jalapenos & 2 habeneros for my little family of three and they ARE far outstripping our ability to eat them. This is genius. Now, do you have any idea what to do with a boatload of habeneros (other than not plant so many next year?)
ReplyDeleteZom, I think the the habaneros could be candied, as well. Or do a mix of habanero and jalapeno in a jelly. That would be really pretty (and tasty).
ReplyDeleteThese sound great! Thanks for sharing the recipe. What is the yield?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry. I can't find the original recipe, and I dramatically increased the proportions for my huge jalapeno harvest when I made them. I would suppose the original recipe makes 6 pints, perhaps?
ReplyDeletehi, what do you mean to water seal for 5 min, is that with hot water? first time canning and going to make your yummy Candied Jalapenos...Thanks Fran, Megan
ReplyDeleteHey Megan, I sent you a note through FB about the canning process and telling you that freezing the peppers first probably won't work. If you need anything else, let me know. Thanks, F.
ReplyDelete