Raz-Pepper Preserves

Kelly B. and I have been trying to perfect this recipe for about 3 years. I think we have all the bugs worked out (in the past, we've had it go runny). I make my batches mild, with just a little kick, but Kelly likes hers spicy. Warn your kids not to spread this on a PBJ! I serve it as a sauce on chicken or pork, but my favorite is to pour in on a brick of cream cheese and serve it with Wheat Thins or Ritz Crackers. I am going to include step-by-step instructions on another post for those who are new to canning. I often give this as a christmas gift.

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (I always use fresh)

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/4 cup chopped jalapeno (for mild, remove the seeds, for hot, leave some of the seeds in)

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 (3 oz.) pkg. liquid pectin

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except pectin. Bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes. Stir in liquid pectin. Pour in jars and seal.

Warm Vanilla Syrup

Eating breakfast at Magleby's Fresh (a local restaurant) is always a treat, especially when you order a stack of homemade buttermilk pancakes. They serve them with warm vanilla syrup. Their recipe is beyond delicious, but this comes VERY close. My kids love it.

1 cube butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 T. vanilla
1 T. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Add baking soda (it will foam up and triple in size). Boil ten seconds more. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Chicken Marinade

Here are two of my favorite marinades for chicken. The first is a recipe we've been using for the past 17 years whenever we barbecue chicken (we also use it to marinate turkey breast meat).
The second marinade is a little sweeter.

Chicken/Turkey Marinade

2 cups 7-up
1 c. canola oil
1 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 T. Horseradish (optional)

Stir well (it will be foamy). Marinade chicken anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. Grill chicken on grill.

Sweet Marinade

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 chicken breasts

Marinade chicken from 2-4 hours. Grill on grill. Discard leftover marinade.

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

I made this last Thanksgiving and put 1 cup of mix into a clear cellophane baggie and tied it with a fall ribbon. I attached the saying (at the bottom of this post) and placed a baggie at each place setting.

In large bowl, mix:
2 cups bugles
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup craisins
1 cup peanuts
1 cup M & M's
Hershey's Kisses (1 per bag)

Attach the following:

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

Bugles are shaped like a cornucopia or horn of plenty, a sign of our nation's abundance.
Pretzels look like arms folded in prayer, a freedom we should never take for granted.
Candy corn reminds us of the sacrifice of the pilgrims. During the first winter, food was so scarce, they survived on just a few kernels of corn each day.
Nuts and seeds are a promise of a future harvest which we can only reap if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits are harvest gifts from a bountiful land.
M & M's remind us of the memories of those who came before us.
A Hershey Kiss symbolizes the love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

Pick & Choose Trail Mix

Sometimes when we go camping, we fill a big bowl with the following "mix". Really, you can add anything you want.

Pretzels
M&M's
Dry Roasted Peanuts
Granola
Bugles

Sometimes we also add craisins (my kids don't like raisins) or Goldfish crackers. Store this mixture in baggies to keep fresh.