Red Pepper Jelly

 This is my all time favourite Red Pepper Jelly........basically I can inhale the whole thing. I love it on toast or crackers with some whipped cream cheese and then slather this Red Pepper Jelly on top....yummm. It's great as an appetizer or I sometimes have it for breakfast or just a snack.

I got this recipe from a lil' friend Anna who has since passed away. She use to be in my Calligraphy class that I took once a week to keep busy with myself. She was such a sweet lil' old lady but managed to come to classes even though she felt under the weather. One day she brought this jelly in for some treats the class was having and wouldn't give this recipe out to nobody...said it was her Mom's. But one day she gave me a sheet with some Calligraphy that she had done and said this was for you.......there it was the Red Pepper Jelly she had written it out for me.

Ever since my Mom, Aunt and I would make it yearly..........now I just make it for my family, and of course a few hand-outs.

  RED PEPPER JELLY

2 cups red peppers (I use red bell or shepherd peppers when in season)
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 packages of liquid fruit pectin (3 oz. each)


Grind peppers to a pulp in food processor.
Measure pulp and juice.

Put peppers, lemon juice, sugar and vinegar in saucepan and rapidly bring to a boil and stir.
Stir constantly or it will stick.

Take away from heat; immediately on reaching the boiling point and let stand 15 minutes.

Put back on heat, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes...stirring.

Remove from heat..........Add pectin.

Skim with a metal spoon the foam and stir occasionally for 5 minutes on a low simmer.

Ladle into sterilized 1 cup jars or 1/2 cup jars and seal tight. Water bath for 10 minutes.

Let stand for 2 weeks and ready to slather on anything. :-)

Makes 8......1 cup jars.

Thanks for stopping by.......appreciate any comments.

Fall 2011.

"Happy 1st Day of Fall"

Thanks for stopping by.......

Plum Jam

 This is one of my favourite jams to eat and make.......and it has now become my husbands favourite also. Love it on toast with cream cheese or on peanut butter.....I've even used it in my baking.

I got this recipe from my Mom and Aunt.......they had been making it for years. It was one of those recipes that my Grandma had brought with her from the old country many years ago, a family recipe. From someplace in the Ukraine......when I was growing up my Mom, Aunt and Grandma would can and preserve all sorts of fruits and veggies.....but those days have long since been gone. I just now make jams and some pickly things Turkish style for my husband.

When I was growing up in one of our houses we had a plum tree......so every year at the end of the season jam making was in the works. My dad had planted it and around the base we would plant pretty begonia's......

 I remember my Mom chasing my brothers because they used that plum tree as amunition whipping those plums at one another as they were playing with the neighbourhood kids.

One year our dog a German Sheperd (mushka) for some reason use to like to dig around that tree and use it for other purposes and then my Granfather was also digging around it trying to save the tree from the dog...... when one day we heard a 'boom'. The tree had tumbled on to the garden shed.....with both the dog and my Grandfather hanging around that tree it stood no chance. Never had that plum tree been replaced.

So every year when I make this jam I tell my husband and daughter this story and they say "Yeah, we know you told us before'

Plum Jam

4 lbs. plums (I prefer Italian Prune Plums)
1 cup water
7 cups sugar

Split plums in half: don't remove pits.

Place in a large pot with water and heat gently.

Cook for 30 minutes til' plums are soft.

Add sugar to cooked plums.......bring slowly to a boil, stirring.

Boli til' jam is set......about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat: skim off plum  pits. (*I sometimes just put the pits into a  cheesecloth, easier clean up)

Pack into warm jars and seal tightly.

Process in a water/bath for 15 minutes....let cool take out and listen to the PING, then you know they are sealed really good.


 Makes 8 - 1 cup jars.

 Water bath.....I do a makeshift water bath...........I was told to always put a towel on the bottom so the jars won't crack. Not sure if this is true but that is what I was told. But......I must admit sometimes I don't and so far (knock on wood) my jars have not cracked. But then there is always a first time.

 Ready to put away and giveaway.

Thanks for stopping by I really appreciate it.

I'm linking to www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com

and http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

and http://itsablogparty.com/delicious-dishes/

and http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

and http://www.thegingerbreadblog.com/

Blue Waters and Duckies.

Beautiful Blue Waters at Lake Ontario (Canada) in Oakville.

That day there were some Sailboats.......as you can see in the background.

Today I'm linking to;

Blue Monday @ http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

Thank you for stopping by I appreciate everyone.

 The other day my next door neighbour Pauline 's son Dimitri brought over this huge zucchini from their Grandma's garden............it was big the least to say. They told me they even had a bigger one. I told them that I would bake a cake and I did..........and gave them some. It was a new recipe that I had never tried before and it looked interesting with a streusel topping instead of the usual zucchini bread or muffins.
My husband's background is Turkish and I've never seen them bake any zucchini cakes over there before, in the beginning he would look at me like I was strange. Now they are some of his favourite cakes and muffins with zucchini. In Turkey use see zucchini's everywhere in abundance......they stuff them, fry them,bake, make fritters.....dry them and even make Zucchini Moussaka. But then they have different shape ones which I found at the local farmer's markets. There were some cute lil' round zucchini's which were great for stuffing....never seen them here before.

CHOCOLATE STREUSEL ZUCCHINI CAKE

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups white sugar

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup water 

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 1/4 cups flour

2 cups peeled, grated zucchini 

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Add in the eggs, vanilla, water and buttermilk and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Stir dry ingredients into butter/sugar mixture until well combined.
Fold in zucchini. Spread batter into prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, nuts and chocolate chips; sprinkle over batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Source; Letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by.

Today I'm linked to;
Made From Scratch Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tasty Tuesday

Blue Waters (Oakville)

Today on "BLUE MONDAY" I'm showing photo's of Lake Ontario in Oakville, Ontario. It is about 30 minutes from my home......sometimes when we have some time off we like to just go there and relax. It's among these gorgeous historical homes and the scenery there is breathtaking. It just felt like an all 'blue' day.

We take those folding chairs that go into a tube like bag.......bring a cooler with cold drinks and a good book and just enjoy the day with the cool breeze on a hot and scorching day

 

 I'm linking to BLUE MONDAY .

Thanks for stopping by and I wish Sally a speedy recovery.

Italian Fries

I love these Italian Fries.....but then anything in The Mad Hungry Cookbook I love. It's now like my fave cookbook. When Lucinda Scala Quinn cooks she makes her recipes easy and simple and very delicious. I've always enjoyed her cooking throughout the years. When I saw these fries I knew I had to make them and they have since become a favourite in my family. They taste even more crispier as I leave them in longer because my husband loves crispy and over done (don't ask why). These could compare almost to 'fried'. I also did a combo of parmesan and romano......but on occassion have just used parmesan and they were just as great........love the addition of fresh parsley......my garden is bursting with parsley, till the chipmunks don't get at them. I always find that parsley adds a summery and fresh flavour and look to any dish.

We make these along with some homemade hamburgers and grilled brats or any kind of grilled summer treats on the bbq........yummmm!

 Cut and ready to be baked.

Italian Fries

(recipe from Mad Hungry, byLucinda Scala Quinn )

Ingredients:

6 -7 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick French fry-style strips (see potato prep in #2 below)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese (I used 1/2 cup of Parmesan and 1 1/2 cup of Romano)

1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, cut into cubes

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Potato Prep: For a French-fry cut, peel the potatoes and slice lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Stack the slices on top of one another, a few at a time, and slice lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick strips. Peeled and sliced potatoes can turn brown pretty quickly. To avoid this, try floating the peeled, cut pieces in cold, salted water. Let soak for a couple minutes.

3. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread out the potatoes. Overlapping is fine.

4. Sprinkle the dried herbs evenly over the potatoes. Liberally spread the cheese and parsley on top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cheese. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.

5. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pans after 30 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes total. Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.


Notes; I left my fries longer in the oven only because my husband loves overly roasted and more crispy fries.


Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!!!!!!

Strawberry Pie



This is strawberry season and it is one of my favourite fruits. When I was growing up my Mom and Aunt would make lots of strawberry jams and strawberry syrups. I remember that strawberry syrup dripping over ice cream, cheese blintzes, waffles only to name a few.
We use to go to the strawberry farms and pick them ourselves as kids....which was quite back breaking. I think that I popped more into my mouth then into my basket. We would all pile into the car and go out of the city to a strawberry farm......which basically all they grew was strawberries.
Sometimes we would over pick and then ended up handing out our baskets full of strawberries to neighbours and friends.......



 This is a recipe that I got off one of the Foodie Boards that I'm on and ever since I tried this recipe I've been making it quite often.....it is very good and so fresh tasting. 

Strawberry Pie

CRUST INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Blend ingredients with fork until well incorporated. Press evenly into 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

PIE GLAZE:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup water

2 cups mashed strawberries (pastry blender or potato masher works well for mashing - see *Note below)

1/2 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

Enough halved strawberries to place about 2 layers in pie crust (no more since you need room for the glaze).

Optional: Whole berries and mint sprigs for garnish, fresh whipped cream



DIRECTIONS




Combine sugar, corn starch and salt in a saucepan. Stir in water and mix well. Cook over low heat briefly just until sugar dissolves. Add mashed strawberries. Cook over medium-low heat (stirring often) until mixture comes to a low boil, thickens, and "clears." Boil for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, if using. Let mixture cool completely to room temp, stirring occasionally.




Place halved berries in baked pie shell as evenly as possible. Pour glaze over berries and chill for at least 4 hours. Before serving, cover pie with whipped cream or serve dollops on slices. Garnish with whole berries and mint sprigs.




*Note: Depending on how you prefer the glaze, the strawberries can be mashed until still somewhat chunky or more pureed.


Today I'm linking to
DesignsbyGollum

www.sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com

litandlaundry.blogspot.com

http://www.foodtripfriday.net/
Tasty Tuesday

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Turkish Blue Eye.

"TURKISH BLUE EVIL EYE"

A nazar, lucky eye or evil eye stone (in Turkish it is called a nazar boncuğu) is an amulet that is meant to protect against the evil eye ("evil eye", from nazar and "amulet" from boncuğu). It is most common in Turkey.

In Turkey it is in every  home, on jewellery, including for babies, on vehicles, doors, horses and even cell phones. The evil eye comes in different shapes and sizes. When I visit Turkey I've never seen a home without one.......also it is the most bought and taken home souvenir for tourists. I have a vast collection at home.....myself.  


This picture I'm showing today is from the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)  in Toronto. It is my favourite Fair and I've every year since I was a kid.......they have this big shopping center in this building where you can purchase 'stuff' from around the world....this happened to be in the Turkish booth. I'm excited because the CNE is opening up in August this summer.

 
 

Thanks for stopping by.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

The other day my husband brought home a few pints of blueberries....said they were a good buy at the supermarket. Well....my daughter doesn't like them and either does my husband. I already had eaten almost 2 pints........didn't want to waste them so I made some sauce to go with a cheesecake that I had baked.

Now my husband and daughter pour that blueberry syrup over the cheesecake and it is almost gone...won't eat fresh but love the sauce.

My favourite is this sauce over cheese blintzes...yummmm, or even over some pound cake or ice cream.

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

By Diana Rattray , About.com Guide

•2 cups fresh blueberries

•1/3 cup sugar

•1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Wash and crush blueberries; add sugar, lemon juice and salt.

Mix well. In a small saucepan, bring blueberry mixture to a boil; boil 1 minute.

Add vanilla.......... Chill.



Serve over puddings, cake, or ice cream.
 
*****I added a pinch of cinnamon and a teaspoon of corn syrup, made it even more rich tasting.



Tube Beef or Not To Beef

Tube Beef or Not Tube Beef

This is one of my favourite beef stew recipes...........it is not your typical traditional beef stew like your Mother or Grandmother use to make. If I want to shed a few pounds....I know I blah, blah, blah.......I dig out my low calorie recipes and start whipping them up. This is one of them.
This has a sort of sweet and sour taste and while it is roasting the aroma is amazing.
.........it come from a cook book called "The Looney Spoons" by the Podleski sisters Janet and Greta. They are two sisters who come from Canada and have three cookbooks out on the best seller lists and their own TV show......which is comical in a way to watch, very entertaining. What I love about their recipes is that they cut down calories and substitute items.
I know the picture doesn't do it justice and looks like a bunch of mush....but it is very yummy. :-)))

Tube Beef or Not To Beef
Source; From Looneyspoons by The Podleski Sisters.
Serves 6.

1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat



28 ounces canned tomatoes -- cut up


6 ounces tomato paste


3 cups sliced mushrooms


1 cup chopped onions


2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium


2 tablespoons brown sugar


2 tablespoons white vinegar


2 teaspoons low sodium beef bouillon powder


2 cloves garlic -- minced


1 teaspoon dry mustard


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1/2 teaspoon pepper


1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


10 ounces pasta......any choice (I use penne, rigatoni or spaghetti)

 Preheat oven to 350



Trim all visible fat from beef. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Arrange beef in a small roaster or a large casserole dish.


Combine remaining ingredients, except rigatoni, in a large bowl. Mix well and pour over beef.

Cover and bake 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until beef is very tender.

Stir halfway through cooking time.


During last 15 minutes of cooking time, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Serve hot beef and sauce over pasta


Per Serving:
422 Calories; 9g Fat (20.2% calories fromfat); 30g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 692mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Today I'm linking to: FOODIE FRIDAY at designsbygollum.blogspot.com

Crabapple Trees

 I have a few 'crabapple' trees in my backyard.........they are roughly almost 50 years old.

Every spring we get to enjoy a few days of these gorgoeus breath-taking pink spring flowers. In the summer pretty leaves with the crabapples.

But........in the fall it is very messy and bushels and bushels of crabapples we have to pick up off the ground. Mostly we enjoy it as it is like a buffet for the lil' critters that live in our yard. Every bird that is indigenous to our area flies over for a nibble.......we even have seen a few hawks around also. The squirrels well.... they are very busy there all year round. Most of all the resident Raccoon has all his meals around the crabapple tree daily.........I've also seen "Alvin' the Chipmink running around there but not sure if he or she  munches on them. So I hope you enjoy my photo's of my crabapple trees in my backyard.

I'm linking to

www.asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

for Outdoor Wednesday.
and
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
for Three or More

Thanks for stopping by.