OK I will admit. I am not a big fan of the meatloaf but this one is fan-freakin-tabulous and definitely work the try!

Glaze

• 1 c ketchup
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 T cider vinegar
• 1/2 t hot sauce

Meatloaf

• 2 t vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 c crushed saltine crackers
• 1/3 c whole milk
• 1 pound 90 percent lean ground beef (I used 97%)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• 2 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/3 c finely chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Make glaze: whisk all ingredients in saucepan until sugar dissolves. Reserve 1/4 c glaze, then simmer remaining glaze over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat lightly with cooking spray.
In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering then cook onion until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to large bowl.
Process saltines and milk in food processor until smooth. Add beef and pork and pulse until well combined, about ten 1-second pulses. (This didn’t work for me, after the 10 pulses I transferred to bowl w/ onions and hand mixed just till blended. Don't overwork the meat mix) Transfer meat to cooled onion mixture. Add eggs and yolk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, parsley, 1 t salt and 3/4 t pepper to bowl. Mix with hands until combined.
Adjust oven racks to upper (about 4 inches away from broiler element) and middle positions and heat broiler. Transfer meat mixture to prepared baking sheet and shape into 9 inch by 5 inch loaf. Broil on upper rack until well browned, about 5 minutes. Brush with 1/4c uncooked glaze over top and sides of loaf and then return to oven and broil until glaze begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
Transfer meat loaf to middle rack and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until meat loaf registers 160 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes.
Transfer to carving board, tent with foil and let rest 20 minutes, then slice and serve, passing cooked glaze at table. It doesn’t take much glaze per slice.

Have you started gathering gift ideas for the holidays? I like to gift vanilla to my cooking friends and now is the time to start a batch. Here is my recipe below.

Split seven to eight good quality vanilla beans lengthwise down the center to expose the seeds, keeping the ends of the beans intact. Place beans in 750ml of high-quality vodka, rum or brandy. Store extract in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard or closet for at least four weeks. Shake the bottle several times a week.
To use, either remove four of the beans for another purpose (you can add them with a fresh bean to make more extract, or you can use them for cooking), or let all the beans remain in the bottle, and periodically, add more alcohol to keep the bottle replenished. Eventually the beans will lose their strength but they should contain flavor for many months.
* I use vodka and have had great results. I also leave the vanilla beans in the extract and add more alcohol when I have used about ¼ of the extract. The batch I brewed last year is still going strong and I have not had to remove the old beans and add new ones yet.
* When I gift the vanilla, I pour the extract into a large measuring cup and divide into smaller containers. Then I split the beans up between the smaller containers and label so they know they can add alcohol when they have used about 1/4th of the extract and keep the bottle going.

TLDC this one is for you!

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. stew meat
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. beef broth
Onion, diced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. paprika
4 carrots, sliced
3 potatoes, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced

Directions

Place meat in crockpot, mix flour, salt and pepper and pour over meat. Stir and coat meat with flour. Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Cook and cover. Low 7-9 hours. You can cook it on high for about 5 hours but it don't recommend it.

OH Michael brought up a good recipe for today...

Here is my recipe, what is yours?

Ingredients:

• 4 not-too-ripe peaches, washed, halved and pitted (too ripe and they fall apart on the grill)
• Balsamic vinegar, to taste, about a tablespoon
• Brown sugar or honey, to taste
• Light olive oil
• 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped, optional

Directions

Preheat grill
Drizzle peaches with balsamic vinegar and then sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. (You can do this about an hour before but it isn’t required..)
Brush grill grates with oil. Place peach halves face-down on grill. Turn after 3 to 4 minutes, after they've given up the brightness in their color. Sprinkle flat side with more brown sugar. Remove after another couple of minutes, when they're soft all the way through when you poke them with a fork.
Garnish with basil on and around peaches. Serve with ice cream or by themselves.

3 Tbsp baking cocoa plus
1 Tbsp shortening or margarine.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for

An adult ice cream/coffee beverage!

Having couples over to cook out or just cook? This is a great end to your meal as the spring and summer nights start warming up..

Ingredients:

• 3 C boiling water
• 4 T instant coffee granules
• ½ C chocolate Syrup
• ¼ C Coffee Flavored Liqueur (Optional)
• 4 C Milk
• ½ gallon vanilla ice cream
• Garnish: chocolate syrup

Directions:

In a large pitcher, combine boiling water, instant coffee, chocolate syrup and coffee flavored liqueur (If desired, and I desire :-)). Chill for 30 minutes. Add milk, stirring to combine. To serve, place 3 small scoops of ice cream in mugs or punch cups. Pour coffee mixture over ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate syrup, if desired.

1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate plus 1 Tbsp sugar.

Got friends and family coming for the upcoming holiday? This is a great quick and easy dish for breakfast. Start it the night before, then you can sleep in and when everyone is up the next morning, Viola!

Ingredients
• 1 32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1 lb. of bacon diced, cooked and drained or 1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 dozen eggs
• 1 C. milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper (more or less to taste)
Directions
Place a layer of frozen potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by a layer of bacon then onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a layer of cheese. Beat the eggs, milk and salt and pepper together. Pour over the Crockpot mixture, cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours.


+/- click to read more

With Memorial day and grilling season soon upon us I want to add some of my outdoor cooking recipes. These are great as a garnish on top of a good steak or chop. Or served as a relish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds red onions (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch disks

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, slowly whisk the vinegar, honey, and thyme over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the honey melts. Leave to cool. Add salt and pepper.
2. Prepare a two-zone charcoal fire -- a medium-high heat and a low heat.
3. When the grill is ready, set the onions over the hot part of the fire. Cook for 8 minutes, turning often, or until they are browned on both sides. Transfer the onions to the cooler part of the grill. Cook, brushing generously with the balsamic mixture, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Transfer to a platter and brush with the remaining balsamic mixture. Serve at once or refrigerate in a tightly covered container for up to 3 days.
Note: I pan fry these instead of grilling, and just until they start turning tender. They should still be firm. These are delicious as a garnish and are just as good cold!

Equal measures of thyme, parsley and crushed bay leaf; OR Equal measures of thyme, chervil and crushed bay leaf; OR Equal measures of basil, marjoram, and summer savory.

The key to an Outback style steak is searing the steak on both sides, in a mega hot cast iron skillet. you can adapt this some what to your outdoor grills by starting the steaks over the hot coals just till the outside gets that seal, then move the steaks or, move the coals from under the steaks and let them finish cooking over indirect heat.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash coriander
1 dash turmeric

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

To prepare steaks with this seasoning: Preheat a flat grill or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle some of the seasoning blend over both sides of each cut of beef.

Grill the steaks on each side to your desired level of doneness. Be sure to use tongs to sear all the edges of each steak to a rich brown color.

This recipe yields about 4 teaspoons of seasoning.

For a gourmet variation, add couple tablespoons of red wine to the pan on high heat after removing the steak. Stir the wine around to remove the browned residue from the pan (deglaze it), and when the sauce has reduced by a third or so, pour it over your steak -- flavor bonanza!

People either love these or ...
If you like Pink Lemonade, you'll like these! They have the same tart but sweet taste.

Ingredients:
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 c. thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
• 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 or more drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners.

Directions

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.

Scoop batter into liners (fill about three-fourths full). Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).

Lemonade Buttercream:
3 c. + 3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. pink lemonade concentrate
Red food coloring

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemon juice, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly pink. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Ingredients:

7 T mayonnaise
2 T chopped sweet mixed pickles

Mix and stir well! easy enough!

Warm weather or cool weather, who doesn'!t like a good cup of joe and some biscotti. Fresh made is even better!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, skin on
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, sugar and baking powder. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, yolks and almond extract. Add wet mix to dry and stir until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Add hazelnuts and chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Roll the dough into 3 logs each about 10 by 2 inches. Place a piece of parchment onto a baking sheet and place logs on sheet. Place in oven and bake 20 minutes until light golden brown and remove. Allow to cool 5 minutes and cut logs on a slight diagonal into pieces 1/2-inch thick. Lower heat to 300. Return cut biscotti to baking sheet, just a little bit apart from each other, and place in oven. Bake 20 minutes until crisp and dry. Cool and serve.

Ingredients:

4 slices white sandwich bread , torn into pieces
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup bottled clam juice (No clam juice? Substitute chicken stock)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
4 scallions , chopped fine
2 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
1 1/4 pounds colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined

Instructions:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs. Transfer crumbs to broiler pan bottom and bake until golden and dry, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove crumbs from oven and reduce temperature to 275 degrees.
Combine toasted bread crumbs, mayonnaise, clam juice, parsley, scallions, garlic, lemon zest and juice, mustard, cayenne, and ¼teaspoon salt in large bowl.
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt. Grease empty broiler pan bottom. Following steps 1 to 4 at left, butterfly and cut hole through center of each shrimp and arrange cut-side down on prepared pan. Divide bread crumb mixture among shrimp, pressing to adhere. Bake until shrimp are opaque, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove shrimp from oven and heat broiler. Broil shrimp until crumbs are deep golden brown and crispy, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve.

Ingredients:

• 20 jalapeno peppers
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce


Directions:

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, leaving stems intact; discard seeds. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pipe or stuff into pepper halves.
Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake uncovered at 325° for 20 minutes for spicy flavor, 30 minutes for medium and 40 minutes for mild. Yield: 40 appetizers.

This is one of my grandmothers recipes from the old days. She swore it worked all her life. It is to be used on aches and pains (not to be ingested!)

Ingredients:
• 1 oz. wintergreen
• 1 oz Spirit of Camphor
• 48 Bayer Aspirin
• 1 bottle Alcohol

Directions:

Mix all together in a large glass container. After 24 hours, separate into smaller containers for easier use.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
• 3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup candied fruit and peel mix
• 1/4 cup raisins or currants

Egg wash:
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Glaze:
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

Buns: In a small saucepan or in the microwave heat the milk until lukewarm, about 100 degrees F. Add the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and stir to combine. Set aside for about 10 minutes or until the yeast is activated and is foamy.
Meanwhile in the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low, gradually add the butter, mixing until the butter is incorporated and the dough comes together. With the dough attachment, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and, by hand, gradually knead in the candied and dried fruit.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough once, so the top is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a small round ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet Place three buns to a row, four rows altogether. They should be spaced so they have enough room to double in size. Make an egg wash of one beaten egg with 1 tablespoon milk, and brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size, about 45 - 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash again and, with a sharp, lightly greased knife (I spray it with Pam), make a cross in the tops of each bun. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk and mix until smooth. Place the glaze in a paper cone, piping bag or a small Ziploc bag. Cut the end of the cone or bag and pipe a cross in the cut marks of each bun.

Makes 12 buns.

Ingredients

• 1 (5-7 lbs.) smoked, sliced ham

Glaze:

• 1 C. brown sugar, well packed
• 1 can (10 oz.) crushed pineapple, un-drained
• 2-3 chipotle chilies in adobo, seeded
• 1-2 tbsp. adobo sauce (from your can of chipotles)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. cold water
• pinch salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place ham in a large baking dish, the cut end facing down.
With a sharp knife, score the skin of your ham in a tight pattern unless it comes scored. Bake for 15 minutes to get it started.
While ham is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine the sugar, pineapple, chilies, adobo sauce, nutmeg, and ginger in a blender. Blend well until smooth.
Pour this mixture into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Mix the cornstarch with the water until dissolved, and whisk into the simmering sauce. Cook until thickened.
After the ham has baked 15 minutes, brush it with the glaze.
Baste ham every 15 minutes until heated through, which should take one hour or so. When it's ready, the internal temperature she be about 140 degrees.
Use any extra glaze as a dipping sauce!
It's sure to be the hit of your Easter dinner!

Ever wanted to try something new and fresh? Why not dye Easter eggs this year naturally? There are lots of things you should have around your kitchen or easily purchase at a grocery store.
The colors that emerge might surprise you. Coffee grounds will produce a light chocolate color,
tea bags a reddish brown. A gorgeous deep orange from onion skins and deep turquoise blue from red cabbage leaves and turmeric gives a nice sunny golden yellow.




Try fresh or frozen produce as canned produce doesn’t make good color. Some materials need to be boiled to impart their color. Some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold. To use a cold material, cover the boiled eggs with water, add dyeing materials, a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and let the eggs remain in the refrigerator until the desired color is achieved. In most cases, the longer you leave Easter eggs in the dye, the more deeply colored they will become.


For those dyes that require boiling, use the following process. Place one to three handfuls of the dyestuff in a pan and add water to about an inch above the spice/food you are making your color with. Boil this mixture approximately 15 minutes to an hour or until it is the color desired. Please note that it will look darker than the finished dyed egg so judge the color accordingly. After boiling, strain the mixture through a coffee filter, add two to three teaspoons of white vinegar to each cup, and pour it into a bowl or jar so that it is deep enough to cover the eggs to be dyed. Place the eggs in the hot liquid using a spoon and let them set until they are the color you want.
Other dying agents can be used cold by mixing the dye spice/food, one to three teaspoons of white vinegar, and water (enough to cover the eggs once they are added) in a bowl. Once you have the color you want, place the eggs in the liquid (be sure they are completely covered) and refrigerate this mixture until the eggs are the color you want.

Here is the preferred method for using natural dyes:
• Place the eggs in a single layer in a pan. Add water until the eggs are covered.
• Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar.
• Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more eggs or for a more intense color.
• Bring water to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• If you are pleased with the color, remove the eggs from the liquid.
• If you want more intensely colored eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid, then strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight.
• Naturally-colored eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry.
Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them.

Here are some colors to start!

Pink/red - Beets, cranberries, cranberry juice, raspberries, red grape juice, pickled beet juice, red onion skins (boiled), pomegranate juice, canned cherries with syrup

Orange - yellow onion skins (boiled), carrots, paprika

Yellow (various shades) - orange or lemon peel (boiled), carrot tops (boiled), celery seed (boiled), ground cumin (boiled), ground turmeric (boiled), chamomile tea, green tea, saffron

Green - spinach leaves (boiled), liquid chlorophyll

Green/gold - yellow delicious apple peel (boiled)

Blue - canned blueberries, red cabbage leaves (boiled and cooled), purple grape juice

Brown (various shades) - strong brewed coffee, instant coffee, dill seed, chili powder, black walnut shells (boiled), black tea

Lavender/shades of purple - purple grape juice, violet blossoms plus two teaspoons of lemon juice, red zinger tea, violet blossoms, hibiscus tea, red wine

Grey - purple or red grape juice, beet juice
For Strange colors you can dye eggs with Kool-Aid Packets.

Happy Easter!

Sorry to have been out for so long. After the holidays, the hub had a accident on his new job and had to have surgery. Things at the day job have been unsteady to say the least. I have missed blogging and promise to get back on track. Thanks for bearing with me and spread the word with your friends to visit my blog! New recipes coming this this week... I love sharing with you so, stay tuned!

1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tbsp molasses or dark corn syrup.

4 oz. canned mushroom caps or 1 1/2 oz dried mushrooms.

1 cup minus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour.

Ingredients

• 9 oz. can bean dip
• 1/4 C picante sauce
• 1 8 oz container refrigerated guacamole
• 1 8 oz carton dairy sour cream
• 1 C shredded cheddar or taco cheese
• 1/4 C sliced green onion (about 2)
• 2 T sliced pitted ripe olives
• 2/3 C chopped tomato (1 medium)

Directions

1. Combine bean dip and picante sauce; spread into a rectangle dish (about 9X5) making a layer about 14 inch thick. Next, carefully layer avocado dip and sour cream. Top with cheese, green onion, and olives. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
2. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.
3. Makes 16 appetizer servings (1/4 cup dip and 1/2 cup chips)

1 Tbsp chopped green olives.

Makes about 9 - 10 pints

Ingredients:

• 9 quarts of Applesauce, fresh or canned
• 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 4 cups sugar, Splenda or frozen concentrated grape juice.

Directions:

Fill the crock pot to within an inch of full with applesauce. You will add the remaining applesauce later. Add the cinnamon, cloves, allspice and 2 cups of the sugar (the other 2 cups of sugar are added later).

Set the crock pot on low or medium heat. Cover it loosely or use a large pot splatter-guard. (I prefer a splatter-gaurd) It will spatter as it boils slowly, so I place a large towel under the cooker to protect my counter. You don't want to seal it tightly with a lid because you want the steam to escape so it can reduce in volume and thicken.


Leave it to cook for 6 - 12 hours (my Crockpot is quite large so mine cooks about 12 to 16 hours). I set mine to cook overnight, so I could finish it the next day. It will reduce in volume by about half overnight.
After it cooks down by about half, add the remaining applesauce and 2 more cups of sugar. Then let it cook a couple of hours more.

Here it is pre-canning process.

Sanitize your canning jars, heat your lids, and keep jars hot.

If you have a hand held blender, at this time you could mix the simmering sauce a bit to make it have a finer consistency.

Turn the crock pot to high to get the sauce boiling hot. It takes mine about 20 minutes and I stir frequently, it gets it boiling. But be careful not to burn the bottom of the sauce.

Fill the jars to within 1/4 -inch of the top, wipe any spilled apple butter of the top, seat the lid and tighten the lids.

Process them in a canner covered with at least 1 inch of boiling water.
Depending on Sea level:
up to 1,000 ft - boil pint jars for 5 minutes and quart jars for 10 min.
1,000 to 6000 ft - boil pints for 10 min and quarts for 15 min.
Above 6000 ft boil pints for 15 min and quarts for 20 min.
Unsure? No problem! there is no harm in using one of the longer times.

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down, it is not sealed. If it doesn't seal, refrigerate and use quickly.

Notes: I made mine this time with fresh no sugar added apple sauce and about 2 cups of sugar since the apples where so naturally sweet.

1 tsp. cinnamon plus 1/8 tsp. ground cloves.

Is it from Brunswick, Georgia, or Brunswick County in southern Virginia? Who cares! It's GREAT eating!
This recipe is a family recipe, handed down.
Oh, and they are not from Brunswick, GA or Brunswick Co., VA....

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 lbs. of chicken
• ½ to 1 lb. pork – large diced
• 1 lb. ground chuck or round
• 1/3 c warm water
• 2 qt. drained or 40 oz. frozen lima beans
• 2 #2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 qt. Diced Irish potatoes ( most of a 5# bag)
• 1 ½ qt. chopped onion or 2 ½ bags of frozen onion
• 3 pts drained or 20 oz. frozen corn
• ½ stick butter
• ¼ t red pepper
• Salt to taste
• Dash Worcestershire Sauce

In a large pot, (12 qt) cook the chicken and pork in salted water,just enough water to cover meat, and cook until meat is tender. Remove the meat from the broth, reserve broth. Take the chicken meat off the bone and return to the stock water. Cut up the pork into smaller cubes and return to the broth.

In a bowl add the ground beef and 1/3 c water. Use the water to break up the beef. Add the beef to the pork and chicken. Stir into the broth mix the limas, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, corn, butter, red pepper, salt and Worcestershire. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
Tip: you can re-boil the chicken bones if you need more broth

This recipe (minus the onions and egg) was also the "secret sauce" on the burgers they made. No it isn't any chain burger joint you have heard of, but one I worked at during high school. Great salad dressing, great on burgers!

1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. ketchup
1/4 c. pickle relish

Can also add:
1 tbsp. chopped onion
1 hard cooked egg, chopped

From the Italian side of the family - Fuhgetaboutit!

Cheese Mix

Ingredients:
• 2 lb Ricotta
• 1 lb Mozzarella (grated)
• 2 t grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 3 eggs
• 2 t crushed parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
When Ziti is cooked put a small amount of sauce in baking pan to cover the bottom then add half of the cooked Ziti. Spoon cheese mix over Ziti, being generous. Add remaining Ziti and cheese the same way. Cover good with sauce being sure sauce goes all the way through. Bake until all bubbly and cheese is all melted.

Sauce Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 small can Tomato paste
• 2 cans crushed Tomatoes
• Dash Olive Oil
• 2 T Basil
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t minced onion
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fry tomato paste in a small amount of olive oil, then add basil, garlic powder, oregano, minced onion and salt& pepper. Add crushed tomatoes and meat. Let cook on very low temperature, for about 2 hours.

Here's a recipe from my Texas roots. I heart me some true Mexican food and who can't resist a little something sweet?

INGREDIENTS:

3 c flour
3 t baking powder
2 t salt
1 T shortening
Honey (optional)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening then add lukewarm water to make a soft dough. Let rise 1 hour. Roll out ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut squares about 3 inches. Fry dough. They should puff in the center.
After cooking and while hot, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix, or powdered sugar, or dip in honey.
Butter and honey is also great added after cooking inside the puff.

1 cup of tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tbs. vinegar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves and allspice.