Hot Dog Relish

 

 When I decided to do a recipe for Hamburger Relish, I figured it's only fair to make a hot dog relish as well, dontcha think?? So here it is! This is basically a version of a recipe I found on a website called Our Country Life. Yes, it's the perfect condiment for grilled hot dogs, but it's great for other things too! Serve on grilled hamburgers, sausages, or anywhere you’d like a sweet tangy hit of mustard. It's also really great added to deviled eggs or potato salad. I also like it served with a thick juicy ham steak. SO good! 

 So if you're a mustard person, you need to add this to your pantry! Yum!

 

 

 

3 lbs cucumbers
1 lb onions
1 cup bell peppers, green and red

2 tbs mustard powder
1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard
1 tbs ginger powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery seed
1 cup sugar
1 cup water 
2 cups white vinegar

2 tbs Clear Jel or regular corn starch, optional




Finely chop all veggies. Add to a large pot with all remaining ingredients.
Bring it up to heat, reduce to a simmer. 
Let it simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies cook down a bit. 
Be sure to stir from the bottom to make sure it doesn’t burn. 
If it gets too thick, just add some water until you reach your desired consistency. 

Store in the fridge or freeze in ziploc bags. 

For canning:
For 1/2 pint or pint jars, leave 1/2 inch head space, process in a water bath for 10 minutes. 

Reminder.. when canning, you must use clear gel instead of regular corn starch, if using.


Tips:
Before storing or canning, be sure to taste it and make adjustments. Would you like it to be sweeter? Add more sugar. Would you like to it be more tangy? Add more vinegar. Would you like a stronger mustard hit? Add more yellow mustard. You could also add other kinds of prepared mustard.. ground, Dijon, spicy brown, it all works!  Would you like some heat? Add some minced jalapeños or other hot peppers.
One other thing…
Many pickling recipes say to salt your vegetables for several hours and then rinse them before pickling. This is mainly to extract some of the moisture and preserve a crunchy texture for your pickles or vegetables. I don’t like a crunchy relish, so I just threw everything into a pot and let it cook. Any moisture that the salt would have extracted will evaporate during the cooking time anyway, so I just skip the salty step. But if you do a lot of pickling and you’d prefer to salt everything, who am I to stop you???!! :)

Hamburger Relish

 

 How do you like your burger? Just cheese? No cheese? Lots of fixins? Or just plain?

When you think of it, there's literally no limit to the way you could fix a burger, but for some reason, we always go back to our tried and true favorites. For me, I'm a fan of lots of cheese, ketchup, and some sweet pickle relish. Occasionally, I'll add a slice of tomato and some lettuce, but that's about it.  

 So when I saw this recipe for hamburger relish, I was all over it. I make TONS of different relishes, so this one needed to be included on my wall 'o jars. It's my version of a recipe I found on a website called Shifting Roots, and it's exactly what you want in a hamburger relish. It's kind of like adding ketchup to regular pickle relish, but it's SO much more. It's light and fresh and definitely worth the effort. Perfect for burgers ! (It's great on hot dogs too!) Especially if you like ketchup and relish. 

 Are you a burger person? if so, you need to make this! So good! 

 

4 cups finely chopped cucumbers (unpeeled)

2 cups finely chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, and/or green)

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes

2 cups sugar 

3 cups white vinegar

1 tbs yellow mustard seeds

1 tbs turmeric

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs allspice

1 tbs ground cloves

 

 Add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.  Let it continue to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Be sure to stir from the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn. Let it cook down until you reach your desired consistency. Serve on burgers, hot dogs, or meatloaf.

 

For canning:

Always remember- hot jars, hot filling, hot water.

Fill your jars, leave a half inch head space, wipe rims, place your two piece lids, then process in a water bath for 15 minutes. 

 

Tips:

Most pickle and relish recipes start by salting your chopped vegetables and letting them sit for 8 hours or overnight. Then you rinse and drain them and continue with your recipe. This extracts a lot of excess water from the veggies making them more crisp, which is definitely what you want in a dill or sweet pickle. I decided to skip that entire step. Call me a rebel, but I just didn't see the point of it, since I would be cooking it down anyway. 

This makes a big batch, which is great for canning, but go ahead and cut this recipe in half if you don't need to as much.  

Strawberry Cobbler

 

 

 Here’s an easy PERFECT dessert for your 4th of July BBQ.  It's SO easy, you don't even need a mixer. 
I was looking for easy strawberry desserts, and I found this one from Preppy Kitchen. 
It's super easy (even for the novice baker) and it's so delicious, your guests will be fighting over the last bite. And it's an absolute MUST that you serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pretty sure it's a law. Top it with a few fresh blueberries and it screams 4th of July! That's just all there is to it.
Boom. 


2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
9 tbs unsalted butter 
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup milk 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt



Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, stir together the strawberries and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Set aside to macerate. Add the butter to a 13x9-inch baking dish and place in the preheated oven until the butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 2/3 cup of sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract, and stir just until combined. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter. Spoon the strawberries over the batter, leaving any extra liquid in the bottom of the bowl. 

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the batter is golden brown and the strawberry juices are bubbling. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Tips:
When you macerate the strawberries, they'll give off lots of juice, which will make the cobbler too wet if you just dump the whole bowl in. The original recipe said to discard that liquid. Don't you dare!! Thats liquid deliciousness!! Use it as a fabulous syrup to pour over your finished cobbler, vanilla ice cream, waffles, or pancakes. 
Don't like strawberries? Use any other berries or stone fruit. Raspberries? Blackberries? Peaches? How 'bout a combination of fruits? Want to add some cinnamon? Go for it.  It will all work. 
I used salted butter because it's what I had on hand. That little bit of extra salt was actually my favorite thing. Use what you have! 
If your fruit is not as sweet as you'd like, just add more sugar. Frankly, I didn't even measure 1/3 cup. I just poured it over the berries and gave them a toss. Yum.

Southern Grape Salad

                            

 

 

 This is another easy throw together dessert that is perfect for your next summer event. There are actually many versions of it across the interwebs, but this one from Southern Living seemed to hit all the right notes, so I gave it a try. Omg it's so good!! Who knew?? It was cool, and refreshing, just like a fruit salad should be, but this one was also sweet and creamy, which just ticks all the right boxes. It sort of has an Ambrosia kind of vibe, but thankfully without the marshmallows. (No thank you very much!) Full disclosure, I halved the recipe because I didn't need such a big batch, but you make it to suit your needs. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to serve, and I promise it'll beat the hottest summer day! 

8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 lbs red seedless grapes
2 lbs green seedless grapes
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups toasted chopped pecans

In a large bowl, beat together, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt until smooth. Stir in vanilla then fold in grapes. Transfer to a serving dish. 
In a medium bowl, stir together, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over grape salad in serving dish. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve. 


Tips:
I must say my favorite part of this dish is the brown sugar and pecan topping. You think it's gonna be too sweet, but it's not, and the crunch is everything!
If you have more of the cream cheese mixture than you need, use it as a fruit pie topping or for topping for any other fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, or peaches would be fabulous, just sayin'!

Southern Cheese Slaw

 Have you ever heard of cheese slaw? It's basically like a cousin to Pimento Cheese, and it's the perfect appetizer for your next get together. Is it cole slaw? Nope! It's just a shredded cheese dip that looks like cole slaw, hence the name. This recipe is from Southern Living, it's great on any kind of cracker, but it's also FABULOUS as a sandwich spread. Try it on its own as the filling for a grilled cheese or you could even top a big juicy grilled burger with it. YUM. If you're looking for something different, give this one a try. 

SO good!

 

1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 jalapeño peppers, finely minced
3/4 cup banana peppers, finely mined
2 medium scallions, finely minced

Simply stir all together. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. 
Serve on crackers, bagel chips, sandwiches or crudité.

 

 

Tips:

Ok, here's the most important tip... are you ready? SHRED THE CHEESE YOURSELF. Seriously, do not purchase the bag of shredded cheese because it just doesn't work. That cheese has a coating on it so it won't clump, and that's not what we want here. Just take 2 minutes and shred it yourself with a box grater, or food processor, or one of those trendy handy dandy rotary graters. It's definitely worth the extra effort!

Old Fashioned Bacon Beans

 

 

 Do you like baked beans as much as I do? For me, it just wouldn't be a summer BBQ without them. And I love trying different versions. I've made them with applesauce, maple syrup, pineapple... I've even made them with blueberries. But then I thought, "what if I don't start with the usual ketchup/tomato based sauce?" That would be a new variation all on its own! So I did some googling and this is where I landed. It's a tweaked version of a recipe I found on Food.com, and it's delicious! It's just as "baked beans" as the others, but since it's the bacon that really shines here, I decided to call them Bacon Beans. What's not to love? Make them for your next BBQ or camping trip, or any time you'd like a quick and easy side dish. 

 If you love bacon, they might be your new fave! 

 

 

 

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbs mustard

1 tbs apple cider vinegar 

1 28oz can great northern beans, drained

salt and pepper

 

Add the bacon to a cold sauce pan, and gently saute over medium heat.  Stir and saute until the fat begins to render and it starts to crisp. Add onions and continue to saute. When the onions have softened, stir in the sugar, mustard, and vinegar until well combined. Now gently fold in the beans, so as not to break them up. Pour into a casserole dish and bake uncovered at 350ºF for about 1/2 hour.

 

 

Tips:

Be sure to start your bacon in a cold pan. You want to gradually bring it up to heat to melt that bacon fat. This will insure than you have enough fat in which to saute the onions, and your bacon will be nice and crispy! 

If you're in a hurry, skip the baking and just let them simmer on the stove for a bit over low heat. Just be careful not to burn them, and don't stir them too much because no one likes mushy beans! 

These amounts are just guidelines. Feel free to add as much as little of anything to suit your taste. Do you like a lot of onions? Do it! Want more brown sugar? Go for it. 

Feeding a crowd? Double or tripe this recipe as much as you need to! 

Slow Cooker Oyster Sauce Chicken

 

 

  Ok, I know I say this all the time, but seriously, this is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes you'll ever make. You just throw everything into a slow cooker and it comes out perfectly every time! I might even go so far as to say it's fool proof. It's just that easy. It also happens to be so delicious, you'll want to add this to your recipe rotation or even serve it for your next dinner party. SO GOOD.

 So lets talk about oyster sauce, shall we? 

Let me be the first to say that oysters are not the first thing I would order from a menu, and NEVER raw on a half shell. No thank you very much. If you like raw oysters, more power to you, but they're just not for me. So I will happily tell you that oyster sauce does not taste fishy or briny in that way. It does, however, have a sweet and savory umami flavor that one might compare to a sweet soy sauce, with a texture that is more like ketchup. It's great as a condiment in Asian cooking, and in this case, it takes center stage as the main sauce ingredient. 

 Now, I could make home made oyster sauce by boiling and straining shucked (or dried) oysters to make a broth and then adding soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch, But who has the time or money for that? Again, it's kind of like ketchup: Yes, you could make it at home, but Heinz has already done it perfectly, so why would you? It's just easier and cheaper to buy a bottle and call it a day. 

 This recipe is the tweaked version of the one I found on Allrecipes.com. and if you're a novice cook, it's definitely the one to try. Just follow the recipe as written and I PROMISE you'll get rave reviews. I just made it last night and I literally already want to make it again! Time to buy another bottle of oyster sauce!

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs minced garlic
1 bottle purchased oyster sauce

Enough water to rinse bottle
2 tbs corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Sliced scallions for garnish, if desired


Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add brown sugar, garlic, and oyster sauce to a slow cooker. Rinse out the bottle with water, and add to the mixture. Stir well. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat well.
Cook for EXACTLY 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.
Remove chicken pieces to a cutting board.
Make a slurry with corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water. Add to slow cooker. Stir well and let the sauce thicken. Meanwhile, with a very sharp knife, slice the chicken. Serve the chicken slices on a bed of rice. Pour sauce over all. Garnish with sliced scallions, if desired. 

Try not to eat all 8 pieces of chicken in one sitting.


Tips:

  I've also made this recipe with the addition of sliced baby bella mushrooms. It was absolutely AMAZING. If you like mushrooms, DO IT. Just throw about 8oz of sliced mushrooms in with everything else. LOVE.
 The most important part of this recipe is the cooking time. Trust me when I say to just do 4 hours on low, or 2 hours on high. That's it. No more!! Any longer than that and your chicken will turn out rubbery and overcooked. Chicken just doesn't need that much time to cook. And if you see other recipes that tell you to cook chicken on low for 7 or 8 hours, you can tell them I said "Liar liar pants on fire."

  Yes, you can absolutely make this in the oven instead of the slow cooker. And you can use whatever kind of chicken you like. I used boneless thighs (why? because I like them!) but you can use boneless breasts, or even bone in skin on. Just mix together your sauce ingredients, pour over raw chicken pieces, then bake at 350 until chicken is cooked through. Probably about 25-30 minutes, depending on your choice of chicken.
  You can use regular white granulated sugar instead of the brown, if that's what you have, and feel free to adjust the amounts of the sugar and garlic to suit your tastes. For me, the balance of flavors is just perfect as is, but you do you.

  One other thing.. I've noticed that different brands of oyster sauce come in different sized bottles. You might find a 7oz or even a 10oz, but just go with it. It'll be fine. When you rinse out your bottle, it will automatically be the right ratio of water to oyster sauce. Also I have no preference for brands. They all taste pretty fabulous!