Ghost Pepper Jelly

I bought a ghost pepper plant last summer and I really had my doubts of my green thumb but turns out, I can't stop them from producing.  After making two rounds of salsa, giving them away to my friends, and making chili with them, I finally needed to get creative and found a pepper jelly recipe.  I only had two ripe at the time so I substituted the third pepper with 4 habanero.

WARNING! Make sure to make this in a very well ventilated area!  I had all my fans going in my kitchen while doing so.

Ingredients:

2 ripe red ghost chili peppers

4 habanero peppers

3 red bell peppers, washed, drained, stems and seeds removed

2 cups cider vinegar, divided

6 cups sugar

3 ounces liquid pectin

Directions:

• Puree peppers and 1 cup vinegar in blender

• Combine puree 1 cup vinegar and sugar in a large saucepan.

• Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes stirring constantly.

•  Stir in pectin and return to a rolling boil for 1 minute.

• Remove from stove and skim foam.

•  Ladle hot jelly into clean hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

• Can jars and let stand for a day.  Store for a year or eat any that didn't can within a couple months.

Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Rum Frosting

I doubled the recipe I found to make about 28 cupcakes instead of 14. So the measurements ended up as the following

• 2 cup eggnog
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with paper lines. In the bowl of your stand mixer add the eggnog, melted butter, vinegar, vanilla, and sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Sprinkle the flour on top of the eggnog mixture and then sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg on top of the flour. Mix on low speed just until everything is mixed in.
2. Fill the lined cups up 2/3 full with the prepared batter. Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before decorating.

For the frosting:

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
¼ cup whipping cream, at room temperature
¼ cup Spiced Rum
5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons eggnog
Pinch of salt
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter to lighten, about 3 minutes.  Add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated.  Turn the mixer to medium and continue to beat until well blended.  Add the whipping cream and Spiced Rum and beat until smooth.  Add the pinch of salt and the remaining sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until the desired consistency is reached.  Sprinkle frosting with nutmeg.  Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to two days.  If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and beat lightly before using.

Pumpkin cupcakes

I know!!!  It's been a very long time but things got crazy and honestly I just got lazy.  But it's the holidays and my favorite time of year!  So first off what I did for Thanksgiving - Pumpkin Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sift before measuring
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 cup mashed cooked or canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk


Preparation:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in mashed pumpkin. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, blending until batter is smooth after each addition; stir in chopped walnuts or pecans. Spoon batter into well-greased and floured or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting, whipped cream, or leave plain. Makes about 24 cupcakes.


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating just until incorporated. Add vanilla and cinnamon until well combined. Increase speed to medium high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes.
• Use a small offset spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip to frost cupcakes, garnished with pumpkins candy, if desired.

Lamb burgers

The weather is getting hot and that means two things for me - Farmer's Market & Grill Time!  I found some ground lamb for a decent price (not much more than ground beef) and jumped at the opportunity to try my first attempt at lamb burgers.  With all of my fresh herbs and garlic from the farmer's market, I knew I would have plenty for the patties, but I didn't realize how delicious it would all turn out until that first bite!

1.3 lb ground lamb
1 tsp. fresh dill
1 tsp. fresh mint
1 tsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. oregano
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
dash of cumin
dash of salt
dash of ground mustard
dash of black pepper
Olive oil - enough to just moisten the mix
Gouda cheese (optional)

Add all ingredients to a bowl and work together and then into individual patties.  Grill on each side for about 5 minutes or until well-done.  I topped these with gouda cheese towards the end to melt on the burger.  Serve with hamburger buns, mustard, and condiments (lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles).

Spaghetti without sauce!

I know spaghetti isn't that exciting but I got so much ground beef with the cow purchase our office did, it came in great use for basic meals.  If you have never purchased grass-fed from a farm and have enough people, I highly recommend it.  All the meat tastes so much better than store bought - including ground beef and in this meal it was the highlight.

1 - 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 onion
1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh chopped tomatoes)
1 small can tomato paste
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 - 1 tsp. Herbs de Provence
1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. fennel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
dash of pepper
splash of red wine
1 bell pepper
5 mushrooms, chopped
Jalapenos, chopped (optional)


Brown ground beef, minced garlic and onion until meat is brown over medium heat.  Drain any fat (with this organic meat, I had none). Return to heat and add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.  20 minutes before ready to serve, cook spaghetti.  Eat, enjoy and drink wine! :-)

Nutella Chocolate Martini

1

1 part Vodka

1 part Baileys

1 part Kahlua

Put in a shaker with ice.  Add a dollop of Nutella, shake and strain into a martini glass lined with Nutella chocolate.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes!

Guinness Cupcakes with Kahlua Chocolate Filling & Bailey's Cream Frosting

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes: 

1 cup Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour 
 2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness mixture to egg mixture and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 of the way. Bake center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Kahlua Filling:

8 ounces dark chocolate
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 – 2 teaspoons Kahlua (optional)

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering (not boiling) and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not completely melted the chocolate, you can microwave for about 20 seconds). Add the butter and Kahlua and stir until combined. The easiest way I found to insert the filling is with a pastry bag and tip.

Bailey's Frosting:

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
4 – 5 tablespoons Irish Cream (can use milk)

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of a mixer for several minutes until the butter is light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and blend until consistency is spreadable. Stir in 4-5 tablespoons of Baileys (or milk)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!