Hot Pickled Banana Peppers

Last year I shared with you my story of how I made pickled banana peppers. I was so excited to share them with my husband, but he doesn't like sweet pickled things. Since I don't eat pickled peppers, I had no clue how they should taste. He loved the flavor. He just couldn't handle the sweetness. He wanted me to make them again this year using the exact same recipe without the sugar, so that's what I did. He absolutely loves them. He and my son are eating a whole jar with every two meals that lends itself to such a side! Just tonight, he told me I needed to can a lot more to make sure he had enough to last until next year-there are nine jars in the pantry now. 😮

Anyway, I thought I would share this recipe again just to make the distinction that some pickled peppers are sweet and some are not. This recipe is for peppers that are not. The picture tutorial can be found above in the link to last year's recipe.

Pickled Hot Banana Peppers
4 c water
4 c white vinegar
1/2 t turmeric
1 t mustard seeds
1 t celery seeds
1 clove of garlic for each jar
1/2 t salt for each jar
As many hot banana peppers as you wish to process sliced into rings.

In a large pan, bring the water, vinegar, mustard seeds, and celery seeds to a boil. (This brine may need to be multiplied depending on how many peppers you wish to process.) Pack hot jars with peppers leaving 1/4 inch head space. To each jar of peppers, add one clove of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pour hot brine over peppers to 1/4 inch headspace. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Happy canning! 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 
*Follow USDA canning guidelines to ensure safety of all home-canned foods.

The Dusty Gardener, Pickled Squash and Zucchini

Some people are wonderful at writing novels and creating a trilogy with their stories. Not me, stories get jammed in my head and come out as recipes instead. 😄

I have shared with you the Dusty Cowboy and Dusty Farmer Zukes. In the not so elaborate trilogy stuck in my head, The Dusty Cowboy and Dusty Farmer Zukes got in a pickle, and the Dusty Gardener came to be. Yep, I think I had become delirious at this point from days and days of constant canning. 😀

Whatever the case, I present to you The Dusty Gardener. It is exactly like the other two recipes except that the squash and zucchini are combined. My Facebook friend, Fredna, suggested adding colored pepper strips. I think those would also be beautiful additions. I just don't like the taste of peppers. My husband does, though, so I think I will try it next time.


The Dusty Gardener 
4 pounds mix of summer squash and         zucchini 
1 medium onion 
1/4 c salt
2 T cumin seeds
1 T yellow mustard seeds 
2 t red pepper flakes 
1 t ground cumin 
1 t chili powder
1/2 t paprika
6 cups apple cider vinegar 
2 T honey
1-1/2 c water
7 cloves garlic 

Wash and cut the squash and zucchini into quarter inch rounds. Cut onion into thin half circles. In a large bowl, layer the squash, zucchini, and onion. Sprinkle the layers lightly with the 1/4 cup of salt as you go. Toss all the layers together when done to make sure the squash, zucchini, and onions are covered well. Cover mixture with a layer of ice and refrigerate at least eight hours. I left mine overnight. Prepare seven or eight pint jars. Keep them hot in the canner. After the mixture has rested in the refrigerator, remove unmelted ice and rinse the mixture well under cold water. Toss the mixture with the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Sit this to the side. In a stainless steel pot, combine the vinegar, honey, and water. Heat this mixture until it is hot. As this is heating, remove jars from the canner, and place them on a folded towel lining a baking sheet. Place one clove of garlic in each jar. Quickly pack the jars with the squash, zucchini, and onion mixture. Fill the jars with the vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch head space, and make sure to remove air pockets. Wipe the jar rims clean and seal the jars. Place the jars back into the canner making sure the jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Place the lid on the pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Process the jars for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat, and let the water come to a rest for about five minutes. Remove the jars carefully with a jar lifter, and place the jars on a doubled towel in a draft free area. Do not disturb the jars for at least twelve hours. 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 💕 
To ensure the safety of your food, make sure to follow safe canning guidelines issued by the USDA.

Dusty Farmer Zukes

Yesterday, I shared with you the Dusty Cowboy Squash. This recipe is just like that, except that the recipe calls for zucchini instead of squash. The common nickname for zucchinis is zukes, right? Well, that reminded me of an Amish last name, and many Amish farm. Thus, the name for this recipe was born! 😊 I told you the mind of one canning can get lost on some winding trails sometimes! Today, I give to you....

Some of my garlic cloves were big and some were
small. For those that were small, I added two cloves
to the jar.

Dusty Farmer Zukes 
4 pounds zucchini 
1 medium onion 
1/4 c salt
2 T cumin seeds
1 T yellow mustard seeds 
2 t red pepper flakes 
1 t ground cumin 
1 t chili powder
1/2 t paprika
6 cups apple cider vinegar 
2 T honey
1-1/2 c water
7 cloves garlic 

Wash and cut the zucchinis into quarter inch rounds. Cut the onion into thin half circles. In a large bowl, layer the zucchini and onion. Sprinkle the layers lightly with the 1/4 cup of salt as you go. Toss all the layers together when done to make sure the zucchinis and onions are covered well. Cover mixture with a layer of ice and refrigerate at least eight hours. I left mine overnight. Prepare seven or eight pint jars. Keep them hot in the canner. After the mixture has rested in the refrigerator, remove unmelted ice and rinse the mixture well under cold water. Toss the mixture with the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Sit this to the side. In a stainless steel pot, combine the vinegar, honey, and water. Heat this mixture until it is hot. As this is heating, remove jars from the canner, and place them on a folded towel lining a baking sheet. Place one clove of garlic in each jar. Quickly pack the jars with the zucchini and onion mixture. Fill the jars with the vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch head space, and make sure to remove air pockets. Wipe the jar rims clean and seal the jars. Place the jars back into the canner making sure the jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Place the lid on the pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Process the jars for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat, and let the water come to a rest for about five minutes. Remove the jars carefully with a jar lifter, and place the jars on a doubled towel in a draft free area. Do not disturb the jars for at least twelve hours. 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 💕 
To ensure the safety of your food, make sure to follow safe canning guidelines issued by the USDA.

The Dusty Cowboy Squash

Working in the kitchen during canning season can be a long and lonesome adventure. Often the canner's mind can get lost on some long and winding trails.

Such was the case when I was working on the recipe. The name just came to me on one of those trails. I was loading in spices, and it reminded me of a recipe called Cowboy Candy. No one here eats that stuff because it is sweet. However, even though it is not sweet, something about this recipe reminded me of that. As I spooned in the last two spices of paprika and chili powder, I knew the Cowboy had taken a Dusty and trail and the name was born. 😄


So, let's get along little doggies! There is a recipe to be shared.

Dusty Cowboy Squash 
4 pounds summer squash 
1 medium onion 
1/4 c salt
2 T cumin seeds
1 T yellow mustard seeds 
2 t red pepper flakes 
1 t ground cumin 
1 t chili powder
1/2 t paprika
6 cups apple cider vinegar 
2 T honey
1-1/2 c water
7 cloves garlic 

Wash and cut the squash into quarter inch rounds. Cut onion into thin half circles. In a large bowl, layer the squash and onion. Sprinkle the layers lightly with the 1/4 cup of salt as you go. Toss all the layers together when done to make sure the squash and onions are covered well. Cover mixture with a layer of ice and refrigerate at least eight hours. I left mine overnight. Prepare seven or eight pint jars. Keep them hot in the canner. After the mixture has rested in the refrigerator, remove unmelted ice and rinse the mixture well under cold water. Toss the mixture with the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, pepper flakes, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. Sit this to the side. In a stainless steel pot, combine the vinegar, honey, and water. Heat this mixture until it is hot. As this is heating, remove jars from the canner, and place them on a folded towel lining a baking sheet. Place one clove of garlic in each jar. Quickly pack the jars with the squash and onion mixture. Fill the jars with the vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch head space, and make sure to remove air pockets. Wipe the jar rims clean and seal the jars. Place the jars back into the canner making sure the jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Place the lid on the pan. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Process the jars for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat, and let the water come to a rest for about five minutes. Remove the jars carefully with a jar lifter, and place the jars on a doubled towel in a draft free area. Do not disturb the jars for at least twelve hours. 

Until we meet again, may you be blessed! 💕 
To ensure the safety of your food, make sure to follow safe canning guidelines issued by the USDA.

Mama's Cucumber Salad

Growing up, I remember my mother and grandmother making this a lot.  It is a very simple dish that is very quick and easy to assemble.

To make this dish you will need two cucumbers, half of an onion, salt, pepper, white vinegar and water. Grape tomatoes are optional. I had some, but they were gobbled up before I could make the salad!

Layer the onions and cucumbers in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper every couple of layers.

Cover with a mixture of water and vinegar. How much you dilute the vinegar depends on your preference. I did almost half water, half vinegar, having a little more vinegar than water.

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed.

Dressing

Dear Lord, please, bless my Mama! I cannot imagine any Thanksgiving without her dressing! I love it when we are blessed enough to have it at Christmas, but at Thanksgiving, it is an absolute MUST! Thankfully, she has taught at least two of us girls to make it. I know one of my sisters can make it just like Mama's. Mama has actually told and shown me many times, but I have never tried to tackle it on my own, I don't think, until this year. Even then, I still had to call and make sure I remembered correctly! Boy did it bring back memories of me never being in the kitchen without my phone so that I could call my sister in a hurry! lol! I still have to call her occasionally. Just ask her! She'll laugh and tell you it's true.

In my previous posts, I have guided you in making the cranberry sauce, turkey brine, turkey, and turkey gravy, so today it's time to get to dressing! Well, you can stay in your pj's if you like as long as you keep reading! :)

This is another recipe that sounds way more complicated than it actually is. It is so quick and easy to put together!

One of the key factors in a good dressing is for your bread to not be fresh. Make your cornbread and biscuits at least a day before you need to make your dressing. You will need an equal amount of cornbread and biscuits. No, don't weigh them to be exact, just eyeball it. :)

I made my cornbread in a 10 inch cast iron skillet. I used enough buttermilk
biscuits to equal that amount.

Okay! So let's get started!

Dressing

1 pone of cornbread, crumbled
equal amount of buttermilk biscuits, crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
3 eggs, slightly beaten if you wish, but not necessary 
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 quart of chicken broth
1 pint of home-canned or store-bought canned chicken, optional
1 or two pinches ground sage, optional
2-3 pinches of salt and pepper or to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and biscuits. Add eggs, chopped onion, chopped celery, chicken (There is no need to drain the broth from the can or jar.), salt, pepper, and sage. Stir the mixture, preferably by hand, as you begin to moisten it with the quart of broth. Continue to pour and mix until you reach the consistency of cornbread. See pictures below. Add more liquid for a moist dressing or less for a drier dressing. I lean more toward a moist dressing. Spray a 9 X 13 casserole dish. Pour dressing into the casserole dish and bake until the top is golden. I would apologize for the lack of exact time, but I can't. That is the nature of this dish. The amount of liquid determines how long it cooks. Allow at least thirty minutes. Just keep an eye on it. When the top is golden, it is usually done. The middle should not be runny, but it is quite normal for the dressing to be moist. This is not like stuffing that tends to be very dry. This is delicious served with turkey gravy!

Picture Tutorial:
Crumble your cornbread and biscuits. It is very quick, easy, and less messy if done in the bags.

Combine the two breads in a large bowl.

If you haven't already, chop your vegetables. There's no more putting it off now! I procrastinate terribly when it comes to onions. I usually end up cutting half of them with my eyes squeezed shut and tears streaming down my face and my eyes on fire! Onions and me: we have a love/hate relationship.

This still needed another stalk of celery.

Add all the ingredients to the breads in the bowl.

Aw! It's almost too pretty to mess up! But mess up, we must if we want deliciousness! I use my hand to mix. It's just the way I was taught. Feel free to mix however you like. :) I stir the mixture around a bit and kind of squeeze the eggs between ingredients, and then I slowly begin to add the broth. I add about half to get the mixture mixed.

Add small amounts of liquid and mix until desired consistency is reached.

Not even close! Add more broth.

Still too dry! Add more broth!

Getting there, but still gotta add more!

It's so hard to tell from the photos, but this is good. You don't want it soupy,
but you don't want it dry, either.

Pour the mixture into your greased 9 X 13 dish.

It's probably easier to tell more about the consistency in this photo.

Place it in the preheated oven until the top is golden.

And there you go! I promise it is so incredibly easy and delicious! You have to try it! It's one of those recipes that if it comes out a little dry, just tell the family that's what the gravy is for- or perhaps that is simply the way you prefer it and no excuse is needed! If it is a little more moist than you intended, just pretend that's the way you planned it! lol!! Either way, the dish is right! It is a great southern keeper!

In the next post we'll make sweet potato souffle! Oh! It is so good! Stay tuned!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!

Turkey Gravy

Happy New Year, everyone!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I had a gathering at my house on the Monday before Christmas, and my husband came home from Texas that evening. Late that night, I was flat on my back on the sofa sick as could be for two solid days, but Christmas wouldn't wait. I pushed through and refused to let it steal my or my family's Christmas joy. It was a wonderful time with all of us together. We even managed to have a wonderful family meal on Christmas Day despite me trying to cook without being able to taste or smell until the very minute I sat down to eat. I was so glad I had tested my recipes at Thanksgiving! Craziest thing! Good news is that I'm pretty much back to normal! Bad news is that I didn't get to finish my holiday meal series before the Christmas holidays! lol! Oh, well. I suppose I will complete it now so that when Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around next year, we will all be set and ready to go! :)

In my last post, I gave you directions for the brine, herb butter, and turkey. Today, I will cover the gravy. For so many years, I have been so intimidated by gravy. I have no idea why! It is so incredibly easy! Let me tell you all about it! :)

I am terribly sorry! I know this is not the most attractive picture. Things get
to moving at such a quick pace at meal time, I forget my nice pictures
sometimes. Hunger will do that to a girl!

There is no recipe, only a method. This is what I did.

When I put the turkey in the roaster to cook, I placed the neck with a little leftover herb butter, salt and pepper in a saucepan. I covered it with plenty of water and let it simmer on the stove until the turkey was done and I was ready to make the gravy. When doing this, keep an eye on the pan periodically to make sure you don't boil it dry. When the turkey was done and removed from the roaster, I placed two heaping tablespoons of flour in my one cup glass measuring cup. I slowly added small amounts of pan drippings to form a thick paste. I gradually added a little more drippings until I was left with a smooth, thick mixture. The key here is to add very small amounts of liquid and stir very well after each small addition until you are left with the thick mixture. To that thick mixture, I added liquid from my cooking turkey neck until my mixture was a loose liquid. I removed the neck from the pan and slowly added my flour mixture into the liquid from my turkey neck while stirring continuously. Continue stirring while heating the gravy on a medium low heat. Eventually, the liquid will thicken, and viola! You have gravy! You can even remove meat from the turkey neck to add to the gravy if you wish. I added some. It sounds way more complicated than it actually is. Try it! You may surprise yourself and your family!

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!